What And What Not To If You Miss One or More Scheduled Workouts

So, what do you do when you miss a day or even a couple days from a workout program like P90X, Insanity, Body Beast, or any other workout program with a schedule?  I get asked this question a lot, because let's face it.  Life happens and sometimes it makes it impossible to get a workout in.  I want to share with you what works for me.

Importance Of A Workout Schedule
The first thing I want to stress is the importance of a workout schedule.  This is the way I look at it.  A schedule helps you stay on track with what you need to do as apposed to what you just feel like doing.  You may not feel like working out your legs, but if it's on the schedule you will more likely get it done than if you had no schedule at all.  You may already know that you don't want to skip "leg day", because it just looks funny when you are built up top but your your lower half is not.  If you are following a schedule, then it should include exactly what you need to get to your goals.

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What To Do When You Miss A Workout
Ok, so here it is. If i absolutely cannot get my workout in and miss a day.  I use that day as my rest day and continue where I left off on the next day.  You will usually have a rest day at least once week, so if you do what I just explained you will not actually have missed a day.  If I miss two days I just move on the the next scheduled workout the next day.  I try not to stress on missing two days because I can at least make one of those days up on my rest day.  If I miss any more days than two workouts I usually start the week over again.

What Not To Do
So, the one thing I see people do if they miss a workout is double up workouts the next day.  They will do the workout that they missed and also the workout that is schedule for that day on the same day.  This is something that I do not recommend.  One reason is because it increases the chances for injury.  Results do not come from just one or two great workouts.  Results come from staying consistent doing exercise daily for a couple weeks to a few months.  Some double up their workouts as I explained and cannot do their workout the next day because they are too sore or even injured.  This will mess up your consistency.  Yes, you may feel ok to do both workouts at the time but you don't know how it will effect your performance the next day.  I know people like to workout hard, but if you're injured you may not be able to put any work in.  Workout hard and smart.  Here's an analogy for you.  If by chance you didn't get to brush your teeth yesterday, would you brush it twice in a row today?  No, it doesn't work that way.

Related Links:
P90X2 and Asylum Volume 2 Hybrid Workout Schedule
Sticking To My Workout Schedule