How to Workout on the Days You Aren't "Feeling It"

Some days or weeks, you may not feel like working out. It happens to the best of us.

Whether you’ve got a lot going on at home, a big project at work, or haven’t slept well, you will be dragging some days.

The most important thing to remember is that you have more than the perceived two options: working out or not working out.

I’d invite you to look at two continuums you can use to recalibrate. You can use them depending on how you’re feeling, your energy levels, and how much you’ve recovered from the previous day.

1. The Movement/Exercise Continuum

2. Training Intensity & Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE)

Continuum #1: Movement & Exercise

I’ve found it very helpful to distinguish “movements” and “exercises” in your workouts.

• Movements: Things you do in a workout that incorporate the whole body. These resemble authentic movement patterns and are things you’d see people doing outside a gym or fitness class. Examples of movements are walking, dancing, hiking, movement lunging, and movement squatting.

• Exercises: Things that are more controlled, defined, and isolate regions or muscles of the body. They are usually learned and have rules and strict techniques you must follow. Examples of exercises are bridges, bench presses, bicep curls, and bent-over rows.

Many of your workouts may have a combination of movements and exercises. I recommend that, for the average adult over 40, you should not have more than 40-50% of your routine be exercises.

I have found that a 60:40 ratio of Movements:Exercises is best for steady progress without injury.

How to Safely Implement Exercise

“Exercises” are riskier because they put the body in artificial positions to overload specific regions or muscles. This is why technique is so important—performing an exercise without proper technique increases the risk of injury.

During natural movement, your body would never choose to ask one muscle region to do all the work. It would always attempt to incorporate as many regions and muscles as possible to be efficient. A strict dumbbell curl is an exercise, whereas a “cheat curl” is more of a movement.

When integrated into your program with movements, exercises can be beneficial and a great addition to your routine.

Therefore, my general rule is that if you isolate something, integrate it into a specific movement pattern.

Example integration of Movement Lunge into a Bicep loading superset:

• A1. Anterior Movement Lunge with DB Curl

• A2. Standing Barbell Curl

• A3. Standing Barbell Cheat Curl

• A4: Anterior Movement Lunge with DB Curl

Continuum #2: Training Intensity & the Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE)

One of the best ways to gauge your training intensity is rate of perceived exertion (or RPE). You can use RPE for each rep you perform or your entire workout. For this article, we will be applying it to your overall workout.

It's easiest to think of your RPE on a scale of 1-10. Knowing what an RPE of 7 is for you can be difficult or confusing, so the chart below is the best way to gauge where you are:

Putting It All Together: How to Use These Two Continuums

Think of the movement-exercise and intensity continuum as variables you can calibrate daily and weekly.

My general recommendation is this:

The more your body needs recovery, the more Movements should be in your routine and the lower your RPE should be.

If you had a stressful day, weekend, or week and it's time to workout, then it’s a Movement Day at an intensity of 3-4.

If you are well-rested and feeling good, you can integrate more exercises into your routine and train at an intensity of 7 or 8.

SAMPLE ROUTINES

(Note: Intensity will be relative to the individual)

Movement Day - Intensity 4

• Foundation Matrix

• 3 Mile Walk

• Bow & Arrow Lunge

MOVEMENT-EXERCISE DAY - INTENSITY 8

Movement-Exercise Day - Intensity 8

• Barbell Bench Press 5x5

• POWER3D WOD1

• A1. SL Balance with Overhead Press

• A2. Unilateral Cable Row in Lunge Position

• A3. Anterior Lunge with Core Press

• A4. SL Balance Bow & Arrow

• 3 Sets

Barbell Bench Press

With the infinite amount of movement possibilities, you will never be in a situation where you can’t workout no matter how you feel.

This is the key:

Be connected and aware of the state of your body each day, and meet your body where it is.

This ensures that you have consistent strength gains, minimize the risk of injury, and truly access the physical vitality you deserve.

Yours in Vitality,

Matt