You can’t always knock it out of the park. And that’s not a bad thing.

We’re sure that you’ve been to other fitness websites and occasionally the subject of plateauing will arise. You hit a point that you stop seeing gains and training just seems futile. You may see articles about not making excuses or pushing past your limits or that if you feel like you’re having a rough go at the gym that it’s all in your head.  Even if you train like a machine, it doesn’t mean you are one. We all feel the effects of pushing our bodies to the limit. Simply put, sometimes you’ll have a crappy training session.

There are people out there that will lie to you and tell you that they’ve never had a time where pumping iron felt like a chore. They’d tell you that if you felt that way that it’s simply your own weakness and fragility getting in the way. Going to the gym becomes ritualistic after a time and to many it’s likened to a religious experience, something you can’t live without.

So let’s just clear the air here and say this: those people are lying. Sound strange?  Seems like a backwards attitude for a bodybuilding website to have?  Maybe, but there is one truth that everyone must realize – no one is perfect. You’re going to have days where you feel like crap, you’re going to have times that your training session feels more like a chore than a work towards progress. For some people this happens every so often, for others it’s become a constant burden that’s killing their drive.  If you’re having trouble finding inspiration, this motivational speech by CT Fletcher  may just do the trick…

Don’t lose all your gains. We have more essential tips on how to bounce back from a bad workout on page 2!

So does this mean you’re just a big pussy who needs to cut back on the whining? Not at all. Just like we said before, you’re not a robot. Some people will take a bad session and make an excuse to put off training for a period. This is bad. But there are many others that use a crappy day at the gym as a fuel to push themselves even harder during their next session. This is good. The reality is that you have to have some bad days in the gym to really give you that drive to better yourself. Could you imagine if  every time you went to the gym, it was better than the last? Actually that sounds pretty awesome, but the element of challenge would be taken away.

Having a bad day at the gym is at times just what the doctor ordered. You’ll be surprised how hard you’ll want to train when you had a horrible session the day before. It’ll give you that added push, the mental fortitude to prove that one bad session doesn’t diminish you in any way. Those bad days at the gym can prove to be a Godsend if you’re strong enough to except the lapse and be better the next time around.  Here’s an interesting take on the “Good Days & Bad Days at he Gym” theme by the Hodge Twins…

So what exactly are we trying to say? Well, let’s just put it simply… Don’t get stuck in your head. A bad day at the gym – hell, even two bad days in a row is not the beginning of a downward spiral, it’s not a plateau, it’s not the end of your success. That is, if you don’t let it be. We all have bad days, the real question is: what are you going to do about it to make the next one better?

So how often do you have bad days at the gym and how do you handle it? Let us know in the comments below and be sure to follow us on Facebook and Twitter.