What Should You Do If You Miss a Workout?

What Should You Do If You Miss a Workout?

I get a lot of questions about what to do if you miss a workout. Sometimes workouts get skipped because you’re sick. Or because you’re traveling. Or for some other reason, like your dog ate the disc.

If you miss a day (or two, or three), just get back at it as if nothing has happened, starting with the workout you skipped. Miss much longer and you’ve got a decision to make. You can either start the program over from scratch, or ramp yourself back to the place you were when you stopped.

Ultimately, when you get back to your program, what you do is really about what will keep you motivated. That said, doing the full program as scheduled is the best way to make sure you get full benefit from it. If you just miss a few days, it’s fine to resume where you left off, but if it’s been weeks, you’ve probably lost most of your gains fitness-wise, so it’s worth starting from scratch in order to get the most possible gains and to avoid injury.

But if doing this will crush your motivation, start where you left off, but if you’ve been off more than 5 or 6 days, ramp back up slowly or you’ll risk getting so sore you can hardly move. If your program offers a recovery week, start with that.