We have all been there standing outside of the door to the gym, feeling like you should go in but dreading it at the same time, sometimes you go all the way back home and feel guilty about it. Other times you go into the gym only to have a half-a$$ed workout, leave and feel guilty about that too. Neither one of these scenarios is ideal or makes us feel good, what in the heck is going on!?
In general Americans tend to be pretty all or nothing people. This applies not only to "stuff", money, clothing and food but exercise as well. If going to the gym 4-5 times a week is good, why not 7 days a week twice a day?! I will tell you why, because your body needs rest. When you lift weights you are actually in a sense damaging your muscles fibers in order for them to grow but the secret is they grow while they repair themselves AT REST! A good rule of thumb to use while training is to give each body part 24-48 hours to rest before lifting that body part again.
For example if you do back and biceps on Monday then you would not turn around and train them again on Tuesday. You would give them at least that day to rest and then train them again in the second half of the week, Thursday or Friday. Depending on your goals and the system you are using you may not train them again until next Monday and that is just fine too. If you want to make gains physically you must allow your body time to repair itself no matter what type of exercise routine you are using. More often than not people think that doing something twice as much must be better but it is not. Over training is one of the most common causes of injuries not just to regular people but to athletes as well.
Just because you did not get enough sleep last night and you wake up tired does not mean that you can use over training as an excuse to skip today's workout. But if you are consistently sleeping enough, eating enough, drinking enough water and in general taking proper care of yourself but just seem to be dragging for no reason you could be over training. If you normally have no problem going to the gym and for some reason just can't make yourself walk in that door today, you may be over training. If you are having a hard time recovering from your workouts or notice the recovery time seems to be much longer than normal, you may be over training.
Be honest with yourself and pay attention to how you feel mentally and physically. Don't be afraid to take a few days off now and then, not only will it rest and invigorate you, you will be able to go that much harder and lift that much more when your body is refreshed. Do something nice for yourself like get a massage or go for an easy walk outside. Be careful not to let a few days off turn into a week and then two and so on and get into a rut.
The next time you cannot seem to get up and get to it at the gym take a moment to think about why. Is it lack of sleep? Did you not eat enough today or was your last meal hours ago and you need to replenish? If so get something to eat and go at it! If not and you cannot remember the last time you missed a workout or took a true day of rest, go home and do something nice for yourself. The gym will still be there for you tomorrow.
