Do you ever have days where you *really* do not feel like going in the gym and doing what you’re supposed to do?
Yeah, me too.
Tonight was one of those nights and ironically enough, it ended up being my first really good workout in quite a while. As some of you probably know, I’ve been dealing with some back issues. The good news is that we know what the problem is. The less-than-good-news is that fixing it can take quite a while.
So tonight I decided to go in the gym and do whatever I felt like doing, just for the hell of it. As long as it didn’t cause pain, I went with it. My workout was an absolute mish-mash of things, and it’s felt great!
It went something like this:
Foam Rolling (5 minutes)
Dynamic Warm-up (10 minutes)
A1) Turkish Get-Ups
1 x Right and Left @ 26 lbs
1 x Right and Left @ 35 lbs
1 x Right and Left @ 44 lbs
1 x Right and Left @ 53 lbs
1 x Right and Left @ 44 lbs
1 x Right and Left @ 35 lbs
1 x Right and Left @ 26 lbs
****paired with****
A2) Single Leg Squats Off a Box
5 sets of 8 reps @ BW
B) Kettlebell Arm Bars
3 reps x Right and Left @ 26 lbs
3 reps x Right and Left @ 35 lbs
3 reps x Right and Left @ 44 lbs
C1)Safety Bar Front Squats (super light)
4 sets of 6 reps @ 70 lbs
****paired with****
C2) Neutral Grip Pull-ups
4 sets of 4/3/2/2
D) 1-Arm DB Bench Press
8 reps @ 50 lbs
6 reps @ 55 lbs
8 reps @ 50 lbs
Conditioning
(I got this exercise selection from my business partner Jim Laird. It’s one of his favorite conditioning workouts to do with some of our more intermediate/advanced clients, but I changed up the sets/reps a bit.)
Start with 8 reps of each exercise and pyramid down until you are only doing 1 rep of each exercise. Ideally, you would take minimal rest between exercises and sets.
Goblet Squat @ 35 lbs
Kettlebell Swing @ 53 lbs
Medicine Ball Slam @ 14 lbs
Took just over 5 minutes and was super fun!
Here’s the video:
**Note the chicks in the background. Clearly they didn’t know I was filming and had no clue that I would be able to see them talking about me! Too funny!
Yes, this was the most random workout ever. But you know what? Who cares?! Sometimes going off plan (assuming you’re smart about it) is exactly what you need to light a fire under your arse to be excited about training again!
So if you find yourself in a slump, think about trying something different whether it’s changing your exercises at the gym, or maybe trying a self-defense class, or pick a conditioning modality you rarely use (stairmill, walking with a weight vest, rope climb machine, sledgehammer, whatever!) Just have fun!
When’s the last time you went rogue and did something completely off of your plan? What did you do?
Molly Galbraith is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist and Coach who has dabbled in both Figure and Powerlifting competitions. She is Co-Founder of Girls Gone Strong and J-M Strength.Her life's mission is to help women give themselves grace and compassion when it comes to their bodies so that they can discover and accept what their best body looks like.
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