There Are No Bad Workouts

There are no bad workouts, only unreal expectations.

When it comes to training, there aren't bad sessions. A workout where you didn't "feel it" is a still a session completed. A session cut short is one you squeezed into a busy schedule. A session you didn't do "well" on probably wasn't as bad as you thought.

Didn't go "heavy enough?"
Didn't think you worked "hard enough?"
Didn't feel amazing during the session?
Didn't move the way you intended?

Chances are, if you showed up to a session, you made progress. Here I talk about concepts to think about to navigate those "bad days.

Manage your expectations

Expectations lead to disappointment.

Training should be thought of as a practice, not a performance. Because of that, think of everything as a lesson learned.

Not getting a score you wanted to on a conditioning workout? Who cares! The score isn't as important as you think. Instead of points, look your pace.

Focus on quality of movement. Film your movement and see if there's something you can work on. (Or ask your coach 🧡)

When you don't lift as much

You might think you have a bad workout when you can't lift as heavy, or can't do as many reps as a previous session.

Weights are NOT a measure of your worth

Progress fluctuates during training. While you want to make sure your program progresses in difficulty over time, it's not always a linear path. So many variables change in life; recovery, stress levels, and the body won't always replicate the same outcome.

But that's completely fine. The bottom line is that you want progression over time, and it's normal to have short dips to get to a new peak.

Didn't work hard enough?

It's common to think that you need to PUSH it on every session. That every workout should leave you on the floor.

While you should definitely push hard enough to reach the intended stimulus of your workout, you shouldn't always feel dead after a session. If you're in a state of being incredibly sore all time, or dead tired every workout, you might be pushing it too much.

Find the sweet spot where most workouts leave you feeling better than you came in, with the occasional spicy session 🥵

It's all about expectation

All in all, managing expectation is key here. Understand that every session can lead to progress...even those "bad ones." I challenge you to find that positivity in your sessions. Chances are, you're doing better than you think.