At Ripple Effect, we believe fitness should feel good and help you reach your goals without overwhelming you. That means adjusting your workouts to match how you’re feeling each day—whether that’s energized, stressed, or somewhere in between. Listening to your body is a big part of staying consistent and building strength over time. You’re not always going to come into the gym with the same mental & physical capacity, and that’s okay!
Tune into How You Feel Today
As you begin warming up, check in with yourself: How’s your energy? Are you feeling pumped, a bit sluggish, or somewhere in the middle? How are your muscles and joints feeling? Are you super sore from another workout? Or are you feeling fresh and ready? Take note of these important signs and keep them in mind as you decide how to tackle the workout that day.
Give Yourself Permission to Adjust
Some days you’ll feel ready to absolutely crush your workout; other days, just showing up will be a win. Both are equally important! Adjusting your workout to match your energy and mood isn’t taking the easy way out—it’s a smart way to build strength, protect your mental well-being, and stay motivated over time. Modifying your workout to fit your needs is a normal and expected thing at Ripple Effect, that nobody will ask you to justify (unless the coaches see something potentially unsafe or genuinely concerning!). You might end up doing something that feels totally different than what others in class are doing…and that’s okay.
How to Adjust a Workout
If you’re having a rough day, movement can often help — but lower intensity might feel better than high intensity. We can turn any workout into an “active recovery” workout. For example, let’s say the workout calls for four high-effort 500 meter rowing intervals. Instead, you could just do four 2 minute rounds of rowing at an easy to moderate pace. Same approximate amount of time moving, but it’s going to feel a lot different on your body.
Conversely, there are sometimes days where you come in hot, feeling ready to rock and full of energy! There might be days like that where you need to scale things UP instead of down. For example, let’s say the workout that day calls for some moderate back squats. You do your first set or two at a weight that normally is a little tough. But today, the bar feels SO LIGHT! That sounds like a great day to push the weight a bit and harness that energy. Maybe it even turns into an unexpected personal best.
To sum it up — take what your body gives you that day!
Talk to Your Coaches!
If you’re unsure how you should adjust a workout, talk to your coach! They have a wealth of knowledge and experience modifying workouts for our clients, and can help you pick just the right level for that day. If you’re planning to deviate significantly from the workout that day, keep your coach in the loop so they know what to look for.
Your coach might ask you when you come in: “How’s the body feeling today? How’d you sleep last night?” Or other similar questions. They’re trying to get a gauge for where you’re at that day to give you the best possible experience, so be honest! If you feel like you got hit by a truck, say so! We can only help if we know you need it.
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YOU are the expert on your body. Lean into the high energy days, but don’t be afraid to show up and take it easy on the days you’re feeling slow and stressed. We’d rather have you in class than not — even if it means you’re just biking in the corner and doing some stretching.
Coming to the gym consistently is a KEY habit to success in the long run. Adjusting your workout and having flexibility with how you approach things will only help you show up more often and get more out of your sessions when you do.
