Whether you love working out or not, there will come a time where you feel too drained to get to the gym. It could be from a long day at work, a big family event, or just one of those “meh” days. For those who’ve been consistent for a few weeks, it’s easy to think today’s the day you deserve a break and let your body rest. However, being tired doesn’t always mean you need a break. In fact, skipping the gym just for being tired can domino into bad exercise habits in the future.
Although there are exceptions, most people should still try to workout even when they’re feeling tired. Consistency is the most important part of any workout routine, so skipping just for being tired can be a slippery slope to not coming at all. What’s most important is knowing that not every workout has to be a killer, and there are low intensity alternatives that will keep you on track without ruining your energy for the day.
Why You Should Still Workout
Consistency – The Most Important Aspect of Fitness
It might sound dramatic, but any reason to not go to the gym can easily open the door to more and more excuses; the end result being not coming to the gym for weeks or even months. Instead, building the discipline to workout despite what you’re feeling will ensure long-term success with any program.
Consistently working out is important for the same reason consistently taking medication will help treat diseases. For example, people with high blood pressure will get a specific prescription from their doctor saying how much medication to take and how often. Even if they take the medicine at the right dosage, if they don’t take it consistently and instead take it whenever they want, they won’t manage their problem nearly as well as someone who follows the prescription exactly.
Exercise is exactly the same. Long term fat loss or muscle building requires not only the right “dose” of exercise, but also taking those “doses” consistently every week. And, just like medication, you can’t make up a missed day by exercising really hard the next day. That’s the same as taking twice as much medication the next day if you missed yesterday, which will only backfire unless your doctor told you to do this.
Having a Healthy Workout Mindset
Another problem with skipping the gym when you’re tired is that it perpetuates the idea that every workout has to be a killer. If you’re not putting 100% effort in your workouts, you’re wasting your time. This is a terrible mindset. People with this mindset either end up overtraining their body or quitting because they can’t keep up with the demands. Either way, you’re making no progress towards your goals.
A healthier mindset is knowing your workouts will be somewhere on an intensity spectrum. Yes you may have workouts that are all-out extreme intensity, but you’ll also have more mild workouts that still get the job done despite being at a slower tempo. Always remember that something is always better than nothing for long-term success.
What To Do During a Tired Workout
Much Lower Intensity
The easiest way to approach a tired workout is to reduce the intensity by about half. This can mean use half the amount of weight, half the reps/sets, or half the amount of time spent doing an exercise. Again, most people will think its a waste of time, but this will ensure that your muscles are still getting worked without pushing your body too hard. Also, after starting with half weight, you’re very likely to find the energy to add a little bit more throughout the workout. Before you know it, you could be back in your normal gym routine with much more energy than you started with.
Simple and Low-Intensity Workout
You can get a great full-body workout with just a few dumbbells’ and a yoga ball. By keeping the equipment minimal, you don’t have to stress about moving around the gym, seeing what machines are available, and thinking of what to do next.
| Sets | Reps | Weight* | |
| Shoulder Press | 3 | 10 | 10lbs each |
| Dumbbell Pullover | 3 | 10 | 15lb |
| Hip Thrust | 3 | 10 | Bodyweight |
| Split Squat | 3 | 10 | Bodyweight |
| Crunches | 3 | 10 | Bodyweight |
Machine Workout
If you normally use bodyweight or free-weight exercises, using mostly machines can provide the same low-intensity effect. Since machines make it much easier to keep your form in control, you don’t have to work or think as hard to get your muscles worked out. Doing a simple circuit of different machines can make for a simple yet effective workout.
Light Cardio
If your normal routine sounds like too much, doing light cardio for an hour is also effective. Pick your favorite machine and listen to something that’ll keep you occupied, like music or a podcast. In fact, going outside and taking a walk is not only an effective alternative, but getting the sunlight can also help you feel more energized.
Coffee and Pre-workout
Stimulants like coffee and pre-workout seem like obvious choices for quick energy. Coffee is a much cheaper option that can work just as well. A single shot of espresso can be enough to power the entire workout. Pre-workout also has caffeine, but also includes added supplements to enhance the workout, such as creatine for better “muscle pumps.” It’s much more expensive, though, so only use pre-workout if you care for the added supplements.
Avoid Abusing Stimulants
The major downside to stimulants in general is their effects dwindle the more you use them. If you find yourself downing a coffee or energy drink before every single workout, there will come a time where that stimulant doesn’t make you feel any different. In fact, you’ll be so dependent on that stimulant that you physically cannot workout without it. This is a very bad side-effect that can ruin your long-term progress if left unchecked. Be sure to keep stimulant consumption down to just once or twice a week if needed, especially if you already use stimulants throughout the day.
When It’s Better To Stay Home
Overtraining
If you’re always tired before or after a workout, you could be overtraining. Overtraining occurs when you’re not giving your body enough rest to recover from your workouts. This often occurs in people who set very extreme fitness goals, such as going to the gym every day even though they haven’t been there in years.
Everyday stresses can also prevent you from recovering, and those stresses include poor sleep, demanding jobs, bad relationships, etc. To find out if you’re overtraining, see another one of our articles here. Those who actually are overtraining will benefit from staying home when they’re tired.
Lacking Sleep
If you’re making time to exercise by reducing your sleep, you should stay home when you’re feeling tired. In fact, sacrificing sleep to exercise makes the exercising almost worthless.
Sleep is where a majority of the muscle building and metabolism boosting benefits of exercise takes place. Without good quality sleep for 7-8 hours a night, you won’t gain nearly as much benefit from your workout at you should. This is especially true if you had a one-time rough night of sleep. For example, if you only got 4 hours of sleep because you just got back from a late night event, you should definitely skip the gym the next morning.