The good, the bad and the ugly

[AllTheWay]

today i was in a pretty decent mood. the morning had gone smoothly. i drank my chocolate muscleegg eggwhites about 9:30 and had a string cheese. took my preworkout at 11 and was changed and headed to the gym about 11:50. there were only 2 vehicles in the parking lot, yeah! the cardio room was empty. got on the treadmill and it went very smoothly. 12 min 195 calories, hardly breathing heavy.

i went into the weight room and it was empty! yeah, i love an empty weight room. i sat on the bench and i just had that feeling that it wasnt going to be a good workout. does anyone else have those? i picked up the 55#ers and they were heavy and as soon as i layed back on the bench the shoulders were complaining the left elbow cried. one set and i decided that there would be no pressing today.

i was reading somewhere that they have linked bad workouts to body temperature. interesting thought. the higher the temp the worse the workout. they said that it didnt seem to be hormonally related at all. so i got to thinking, when are my worst workouts? when are my best? what about average?

i think many things can affect ones workout. for me, i think my mood is probably the biggest. i think some of my worst workout are when i am in a good mood. my focus is decreased and in general they tend to be lack luster and i dont seem to care as much because, im in a good mood. my best workouts are usually when i am mad or frustrated. i am far more focused on my workout and i have that energy that i need to get out.

what are the causes of your good or bad workouts?

 

[daman]

my ex's nickname should have been badworkout ..she always loved to throw the drama at me right before I left for the gym

 

[shan]

interesting....it does seem that when I really do not feel like working out at all and make myself do it anyway...those end up being the best workouts LOL...I force me to give 110% because I have to justify being there when I don't want to be (haha)...I do think that it helps.

Also, I cannot feel good about a workout if it is too hot...I am heat sensitive and cannot function if the room or area temp is too high (I can sweat and be hot, but need the ambient temp to be comfortable). That is the main reason I do not work out with my sweetie, the gym he goes to has no heat or air...it is literally a warehouse LOL.

 

[400Lb Gorilla]

i would say my best workouts are when i am in a neutral type of mood. when i am angry, which takes a lot as i tend to see myself as pretty laid back, i have my worst workouts ever. no focus, i have burned energy at being pissed at whoever/whatever, and generally i just dont want to be there at all. when i am in a mellow mood, which is most of the time, i tend to rock a workout.

but my very best workouts are when i am dog ass tired.... serious. it seems when i am tired i may be lagging in energy but my focus and drive increase more than enough to make up for it. it seems all i want to do is smash whatever weight/reps i have chosen to get to and then get out. tonight was one of those nights.

feltgoodman

 

[IronInsanity]

For me, it's not so much a bad mood but some anger type of emotion, helps me to focus and be a little more determined to get the extra reps or the added weight. But I defintely relate to what you are saying ATW. Mind and emotion play a big role in the gym. Fortunately, I have a boss who pretty much ticks me off every day and I workout at noon so problem fixed for me .

 

[MAYO]

ATW, you're a very bright woman....but sometimes you have to drop the science shit. You know why we get unmotivated sometimes? Because what we do is abnormal and unnatural; our bodies hate it. How many other working women you know tie 300lbs to their wrist every week and see how many times they can stand up with it? A lot of people on this board don't even push it like that. Lifting big weight hurts. Its hard and it doesn't feel good. We are gonna hit slumps sometimes whether in bodybuilding or powerlifting, it's natural. The line in the sand is drawn when we choose to ignore that whining voice and do what needs to be done to grow in our sport. I don't think it matters what ur body temp is.....thats just something they tell lazy people so that they feel better about themselves.

 

[Rottenrogue]

Sadly I train 200% more focused when I have a competition to train for.I was always told dont train specifically for a comp.Somewhere my brain feels it needs to have a "goal" of a competition.I am much more organized and focused if I know what I have to do.
Aside from that not much strays me when i am in competition training mode.Without a comp I am all over the place unless I have specific goals.

 

[AllTheWay]

ATW, you're a very bright woman....but sometimes you have to drop the science shit. You know why we get unmotivated sometimes? Because what we do is abnormal and unnatural; our bodies hate it. How many other working women you know tie 300lbs to their wrist every week and see how many times they can stand up with it? A lot of people on this board don't even push it like that. Lifting big weight hurts. Its hard and it doesn't feel good. We are gonna hit slumps sometimes whether in bodybuilding or powerlifting, it's natural. The line in the sand is drawn when we choose to ignore that whining voice and do what needs to be done to grow in our sport. I don't think it matters what ur body temp is.....thats just something they tell lazy people so that they feel better about themselves.

LOLOLOLOL great post MAYO. and very true what you say.

i just made the thread for interest and as a conversation piece. you know, trying to be a good mod and keep things interesting and new topics going my mind ponders many random things and if i think it is something else that others might ponder, i make it a thread and ramble on aimlessly ) then i dont have to ponder on it anymore!

 

[sassy69]

I look forward to hitting the gym because its where I can go into my head and just "be". I can take my old 80s heavy metal, blast it, see if I can still kick up the 85's by myself and press the mutherfuck out of them. Or the cheap thrill I get out of ask a guy if he's using that 140 for DB rows, if not move the fuck out of the way buddy, cuz i got REPS to protect!

 

[Racheal]

I think that mood is definately one of the biggest factors for a good or bad workout! When I am pissed off I feel like superwoman and start throwing on more and more weight but I tend to forget about form and technique because my mind is elsewhere, so I really have to focus on what i'm doing. I always have a great workout when i'm just in a normal mood, even if i'm tired and ehausted. I try to keep in mind that if I don't give it 110% then i'm just wasting my time and setting myself up for failure. I have a goal and that is really what keeps me going!!

 

[tommyguns2]

Or the cheap thrill I get out of ask a guy if he's using that 140 for DB rows, if not move the fuck out of the way buddy, cuz i got REPS to protect!

Nice!!

 

[AllTheWay]

I think that mood is definately one of the biggest factors for a good or bad workout! When I am pissed off I feel like superwoman and start throwing on more and more weight but I tend to forget about form and technique because my mind is elsewhere, so I really have to focus on what i'm doing. I always have a great workout when i'm just in a normal mood, even if i'm tired and ehausted. I try to keep in mind that if I don't give it 110% then i'm just wasting my time and setting myself up for failure. I have a goal and that is really what keeps me going!!

i used to think that i had to give it my all and then would be disappointed most workouts because i felt like i hadnt. a few months ago i had a heart to heart with myself and really sat back and thought about my goals. there is no reason for me to push myself so that i hurt myself more. im a bit wore out and things hurt enough so why not scale back my mental anguish on not having a hard and fabulous workout everytime and instead start working towards looking the way i want. which is pretty much not so much fat on my ass i dont need to kill myself to do that. i dont need to risk injury to do that. so now i have dropped the weights and increased the reps. overall im happy with the change. i dont compete so the need for a perfect competitors body is not necessary. i just want to be able to wear shorts and not worry about giggly legs!