Not Feeling It Today? At Least Warm Up First.
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Loading ...Been working hard lately, with the wonderful weather 1 and the prospect of playing some good ultimate when I return to the states as motivation.
That said, there are still days where I’m not feeling it. I get home from work and my body says, “meh!” and my mind says, “ehhhh. Just take it easy today.”
In those situations, there are two things that keep me working:
At the very least, you’re boosting recovery by getting the blood flowing. Ideally the physical act of getting up and out will be enough to get you over your motivation hump and get you working, even if you opt to scale things back a bit–you’re better off doing something than nothing. 1As I type this, of course, it’s pouring–rainy season here. Soon to be unbearably hot season.
Mackey, do you always start workouts (even purely running workouts, such as sprints / intervals) at a gym? I'm asking because back extensions, pull-ups, and dips aren't really available where I usually go to run.
Although I think they all exist at a park ten minutes away, and I should probably stop being so lazy and just start my workouts there, after a light jog.
Guy,
I really appreciate having a physical gym to go to–part of what made it tough to get into a habit here was the lack of a gym with reasonable access to my countryside abode.
That said, no, I don't always start with that sort of warm-up. When I can do it, I greatly prefer it (or some derivation), but like you say, when you go running it's not always easy to get that sort of stuff in.
Usually on running days I make sure to at least get a Samson stretch/OH squat cycle or two in, to make sure my hips are loose–I'll usually ease into the running from there, not going to fast too soon–usually this means a few minutes of brisk jogging to get to wherever I plan to start my sprints.
Alternatively, I'd suggest looking into alternative exercises. You might not be able to do back extensions, but you can probably do RDLs or good mornings or some other back extension exercise. Likewise for dips–it's an upper-body pushing exercise; pushups are a reasonable substitute. Pullups are a bit harder to replace unless you have some weights at home to do rows with.
We can't always operate within ideals; don't be afraid to be flexible. The goal, as always, is to work hard and improve; many roads lead to the same destination.