11/11/2025
🤔 Learning from a pretty meh training session
I’m pretty sure everyone who exercises can remember a time (or plenty of them) when the training session was just a bit rubbish and you weren't feeling your best.
Maybe your movement felt clunky or the weights seemed ten times what they should.
Rather than beating yourself up about it, have a wee think about the possible contributing factors. We’re not machines, we are only human, so the same pace, same route or same weight might offer entirely different experiences from one day to the next.
🌛 How was your sleep in the previous nights? Broken or not enough sleep impacts our ability to recover and perform again.
🧋 Were you well hydrated leading up to the session or during the session? Your body and brain need that hydration to function effectively.
🍳 What about food? It’s not just about eating for that session but also eating enough of the right things in general to support your training
🪫 Are you mentally fatigued? It's easy to think of training sessions to be just physical, but mental fatigue plays a big part in training capacity too. It can be heavy going to juggle life, home, work and training.
📅 Is the phase of your menstrual cycle playing havoc with helpful hormones? One phase you're strong and energetic, the next phase the sofa is calling your name.
😶🌫️ Was it too busy for your liking? Did you have to stop for cars and junctions? Was it too warm/too cold? Were you wearing the one pair of socks that fall down? Did your shorts ride up? Were the tunes too loud or just not your vibe?
Next time you're having a meh session, remember to have a think about the wider picture before you start beating yourself up or freaking out about your progress. Learn from that experience for next time.
