The "Workout I Do When I Don't Want To Work Out Workout"

A few years ago, I started implementing the more often than not philosophy into my 'training'. Generally speaking, I train almost every day, and even on weeks where I have zero motivation to train, I still manage to put in at least a few sessions. I try to do something more days than not. I wouldn't say I've made ridiculous progress as far as training weights go, but I have maintained fitness and strength at acceptable levels and stayed very healthy. After having some pretty significant issues for a lot of years, for me, that's huge.

So, what do I do when I don't want to do anything? I have about 5 "go-to's" based on what I enjoy, what I find (relatively) painless to add, and what I have readily available. I would suggest, if you are trying to come up with your own "go-to's", that you choose things that you enjoy and need, are easy to implement, and don't throw a huge wrench into your day energy or time-wise.

Here are my 5 nominees for the best "Workout I Do When I Don't Want To Work Out Workout":

• Push-Ups (usually 4-5 sets of 20-40 reps) I'm convinced that for a lot of people, if the choice is between bench press or push-ups, push-ups are the better option. Why? Because a push-up is, more or less, equivalent to bench pressing half your body weight for higher reps + a plank. If you're like me, ab work is a neglected area, so any exercise that incidentally includes abs is a plus.

• 45 Degree Hyperextensions (usually 3-5 sets of 20 reps) I bought a cheaper 45 degree hyperextension bench a few months ago because I knew it would be an exercise that would be both hard to overdo and improve glute and hammy strength.

• Tricep Extensions w. Bands (usually 3-5 sets of 10-20 reps) I started doing these about 20 years ago after seeing a Louie Simmons interview where he recommended them as a bench press supplementary exercise. I can't honestly say they are always in my exercise rotation, but every time I remember to include them, I think "Wow, what a great exercise!". I anchor the band from a chin-up bar and use a mini or average strength band.

• Twist Yo' Wrist and grip work (usually 1-3 sets of 2-5 completions of radial and ulnar extension) I find that unless I'm trying to PR something, some light grip work is pretty easy to commit to emotionally. When doing grip work, I often end with some finger extensor work. The extensor work takes, literally, only a few minutes to complete 3-5 sets of 20 reps.

• YAT Pulls w. microbands (usually 3-5 giant sets of 20-30 reps each of Y-pulls, A-pulls, and T-pulls) I don't know exactly what other trainers and coaches call these shoulder exercises. I know that the last exercise (what I call 'T-pulls'), most people call "pull-aparts". I used to call them that too, but I found that it was just easier to call these Y, A, and T-pulls when I was prescribing them as a giant set for the swimmers I work with. I try to keep my head in a neutral position (don't let your chin go forward) and work through a good range of motion.