Man, I had a GREAT workout planned for today. Was gonna do some hard conditioning. Start off with a decent warmup, then some DB Snatches and DB Swings. After that, this 20-Minute Workout. Then, depending on how I felt, either a hard one-mile run, or an easy two-mile jog.

The workout started off good. Got through the warmup, and a few sets into some Snatches and Swings. Was finishing off a set of Swings when...

AAAARRRRRGGGGHHHHHHH!!!!!

Something in my left lower back had tweaked.

I immediately dove to the floor. I could feel my lower back tightening up. Not good.

I knew it was nothing major - I hadn't injured myself, but something sure wasn't right.

I lied there for a minute or two, catching my breath (I was still sucking wind from the Swings). My back was still tightening up.

I knew I'd better get to stretching it, so I eased into a few real basic stretches and yoga poses. This lasted probably 15 minutes.

After that, it was feeling loose, so I got up and started moving around. I knew I wanted keep moving - at least for a little while. The more it tightened up now, the worse off I was going to be later.

I did some calisthenics (pushups, squats, and even a few squat thrusts - those might not have been the greatest idea...d'oht!) and kept doing some stretches and yoga poses. Then it was outside where I jumped gingerly on the kids' big trampoline. I was feeling good now. I could still feel the back...it wasn't terrible, but wasn't good, either. But, I knew I still had to get some activity in.

So, the course I had planned to jog (a little over two miles), I ended up walking instead. It was a very brisk walk - just shy of "power-walking."

By the time I was done, I was feeling pretty good. I had gotten a decent workout in, and my back felt Ok. It's a little tight now, and I've got ice on it (BBBRRRRR!!!!), but I'll be fine. Some more stretching and yoga poses are in store for later this afternoon.

What's my point in all this? ALWAYS find a way to win.

I could've stopped, given up, and said "no more today." Instead, I used my head. I knew I had to get some work done, yet I didn't want to risk injuring myself. So, I figured out a way to make it happen.

Ever have one of those days where you just don't feel like doing your scheduled workout? Maybe you're supposed to do some complexes for conditioning, but would rather just lift heavy instead. Or maybe you're supposed to run, when you'd rather do some calisthenics. Or maybe, instead of 2-4 different back exercises, you'd rather just do a whole crapload of pullups.

Guess what? There's nothing wrong with that.

Sometimes you're body needs something different - you need to learn to listen to it. Your body is a lot smarter than you think it is - most times it'll tell you what it needs, and when it needs it.

Now, don't confuse this with laziness. Just b/c you don't feel like working out one day, doesn't necessarily mean you shouldn't. Yeah, you might need a day off. Or, you might just need to do a different type of workout that day. I've had plenty of days where I've hit the weights, felt weak as could be, decided to make it a volume day (instead of a heavy day) and came away having a GREAT workout, being more pumped than ever to hit the weights the next day.

Don't do anything stupid so you'll get injured. I could've gone back to lifting today, and that would've been one of the dumbest things I could've done. But, do find a way to still get something done.

Just use your head, and know the difference between what your body needs and what your mind wants.

Train Hard, Rest Hard, Play Hard.