How to Work Out When Tired for Smart Gains and Zero Guilt

We’ve all been there: you’ve had a long day at work or felt a bit under the weather. You know you have a workout to do, but all you want to do is flop on the couch and watch Netflix. Most of us will get out of our funk and complete our workout like normal. There will be days when you feel tired, and rather than pushing through for the sake of consistency, you’re better off adjusting your workout to match your current energy levels instead. On days like these, incorporating light movement or mobility exercises can be a great way to stay active without overexerting yourself. This article will help you make those adjustments and work out when tired. It will help you stay consistent with your fitness routine, make meaningful progress, and feel accomplished, even on low-energy days, without risking burnout or feeling guilty for listening to your body. We will also touch upon How to Warm Up Before Lifting.
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One way to make your workouts more manageable when you're tired is by using Pliability’s mobility app. This app helps you achieve your objectives, such as staying consistent with your fitness routine, making meaningful progress, and feeling accomplished, even on low-energy days, without risking burnout or feeling guilty for listening to your body.

Is Working Out When You’re Tired Can Be Good for You?

It can be difficult to exercise when you’re tired. It can also be challenging to determine whether to push through the fatigue or take time to rest. You may be feeling the stress of being pulled in too many different directions. Or maybe you aren’t sleeping well, or dealing with conditions like depression or chronic illness. 

But even when it doesn’t feel like it, exercise can sometimes be helpful when you’re tired. And there are a few tips that might help you feel more motivated. 

Reasons to Work Out When You’re Tired  

Exercise has many long-term health benefits. But when you’re feeling fatigued, those may not feel important enough to motivate you. But several benefits of exercise are invaluable when you’re tired.

Increased Energy

Engaging in physical activity can help boost your energy levels. "Gentle stretches or a short walk can help stimulate circulation, boost energy levels, and combat the effects of fatigue," said Rocky Snyder, a certified strength and conditioning specialist. Studies have shown that when people engage in moderate exercise over several weeks, their overall energy levels increase. 

The Immediate Energy Boost of Exercise

Feelings of fatigue decrease with regular physical activity. This is true for people with and without chronic health conditions. But you won’t have to wait for weeks to feel this effect. Energy levels can improve in a single session of exercise. Sometimes, short bursts of exercise can stop that tired feeling. Even a 12-minute session of exercise can boost your metabolism.

Improved Thinking and Focus

Physical activity can help prevent dementia and other age-related diseases. But it can also help your brain now. A single session of exercise improves:

• Attention
• Working memory
• Problem-solving
  Brain processing speed

Decreased Stress and Improved Mood

If you’re feeling emotionally drained or overwhelmed with stress, physical activity can help. Exercise is a powerful stress reliever. It can also improve symptoms of depression, increasing motivation and enjoyment. Many studies have shown that exercise is effective for mood symptoms as an add-on to antidepressants.

Better Sleep

Exercise can help you fall asleep more easily. Common wisdom is that it should be earlier in the day, but newer research says that exercising later in the day doesn’t affect sleep that much. Making exercise a habit is more important than the time of day. 

The Difference Between Exhaustion and Being Tired

It might sound like splitting hairs, but there’s a scientific difference between a body that’s exhausted and one that’s merely tired. 

Solvable State

Tiredness refers to a short-term state, and one that typically has a known cause and therefore a solution as well. For instance, if you stay up all night finishing a work report and have trouble getting out of bed in the morning, you’re tired. Lack of sleep is the cause, and an afternoon nap will probably fix it. If you’re exhausted, a short aerobic session may help to restore your energy.

Persistent and Puzzling

Exhaustion, also referred to as fatigue, is a continuous mental or physical state that often has no specific, identifiable cause. Getting extra sleep may not improve fatigue, and it’s a sign that you may need to reduce the activity you’re doing until your body recovers.

A Holistic Health Booster

Whether you’re an early bird or a night owl, you know that the benefits of working out are many: 

• Exercise improves your brain health, reduces your risk of stroke and heart disease, strengthens your muscles and bones, and boosts your mood, to name just a few.
• Research also shows that exercise increases the production of mitochondria, components of your cells that turn the glucose from food you eat into fuel your body can use.

Know Your Limits

What’s more, aerobic activity raises your heart rate and gets oxygen circulating in your body, which helps your muscles function more efficiently, saving you energy. Nevertheless, with exhaustion, your energy is depleted below a level that will benefit from exercise. Exercising when you’re exhausted runs the risk of injury, since you don’t have the strength to practice proper form.

The Power of Restorative Sleep

In these cases, skipping your workout and getting high-quality, restorative sleep is essential to your overall health. Getting enough sleep (think: seven hours of sleep or more) can lower your risk of chronic illness, reduce stress, improve your mood, and boost your immune system, research shows. 

Related Reading

• Why Do Weights Feel Heavier Some Days
• Stretching vs Warming Up
• What Are the Benefits Associated With Warming Up Before Exercise?

How to Work Out When Tired Without Sacrificing Recovery

We get it, you’re already a little tired, and when you’re exhausted, making any decision (let alone browsing hundreds of different workout options) can feel overwhelming. We’ll keep it simple. Instead of doing nothing when you think you’re too tired to work out, consider one of these exercises.   

Yoga 

No surprise here. Yoga can feel amazing for your body, especially when you’re a little drained. Deep breathing, combined with gentle stretches and structured poses, equals energy restoration. Try a vinyasa flow if you want to get out of your head and into your body. Or, if you had a stressful day, we suggest sinking into these stress-reducing yoga poses. 

The true purpose of yoga is less about a killer workout and more about being present in your own body, which can ease stress and boost relaxation. But not all yoga classes are created equal. 

Gentle Workouts for Well-being

If you’re looking for feel-good workouts that'll leave you more blissed out than burned out, “hatha yoga is a great place to start, as it’s gentle,” says Erin Motz, a NASM-certified personal trainer and co-founder of Bad Yogi. “So is a vinyasa class that isn’t heated or is labeled ‘gentle’ or ‘moderate.’ Avoid classes that are categorized as power or longer than 60 minutes, and you’ll be able to get the benefits without taxing your body.” 

Try it: A 20-minute restorative yoga class will make you feel rested and ready to go again. Looking for something a little more advanced? A 30-minute slow flow yoga class can get you an even deeper stretch.  

Bodyweight Plyometric Workouts

“Bodyweight plyometric workouts are designed to get your heart rate up and stimulate your central nervous system,” says health coach Shawna Norton, CPT. “They will have you awake and feeling refreshed by the end.” These require no equipment, so you can even do them at home if you’re too tired to make it to the gym. 

Bodyweight plyometrics include exercises such as jumping lunges, push-ups, burpees, and bicycle crunches.  

Zumba or Dancing

Dancing can help improve your energy, boost your mood, and lower stress in ways similar to aerobic exercise. Plus, it can feel much more attainable than going on a run or hitting the treadmill when you’re groggy. 

‍“If you like Zumba or dance, go to YouTube and search for a quick dance workout or hit your favorite class,” says Sherman. “If that doesn’t appeal to you, put on your favorite music and dance your heart out.” 

Walking

Walking is the perfect low-impact, moderate-intensity exercise to try when you’re not ready for a torching HIIT session. Research suggests that taking a 20-minute walk three times a week can increase energy levels by approximately 20%.   

Swimming

Swimming is a gentle way to build cardiovascular fitness and muscle strength without putting undue stress on your joints. The water provides resistance for your muscles while also supporting your body. Swimming can also be very calming and a refreshing workout to take on (especially if you’re tired).  

Cycling

Cycling, either on a stationary bike or outdoors, is a low-impact way to improve cardiovascular health and lower body strength. Adjust the pace and resistance to match your energy levels on a tired day.  

Fartlek Workout

If you’re an avid runner, or picking up the sport for the first time in a while (or ever), ditch your watch and specific interval training for a fartlek workout. “The word means ‘speed play’ in Swedish,” explains Raj Hathiramani, a RRCA- and USATF-certified running coach at Mile High Run Club in New York, NY. 

Flexible Pace Training

“It’s a type of workout that alternates between slower and faster running to help you become a more efficient runner.” A classic fartlek workout may involve one minute of hard effort followed by one minute of recovery for as many repeats as you’d like, he adds; or you can be more lax with it and pick up the pace at certain checkpoints in your favorite park or during the choruses of every song on your playlist. 

Feel-good workouts may involve varying intensities and protocols, depending on your mood and energy level.  

Lightweight Dumbbell Circuit

Lifting weights doesn’t always have to be about grunting and straining. This dumbbell-only routine “uses the entire body to address some of the most functional movement patterns you use every day,” says Prentiss Rhodes, a NASM-certified personal trainer and C.S.C.S. 

You’ll need two pairs of dumbbells—one at a weight you can comfortably do 10-12 reps with and one slightly lighter. For each of the drills below, you’ll do 45 seconds of work followed by 15 seconds of rest. Do 2 to 5 circuits total.  

Exercises

• Step up to bicep curl to overhead press
• Renegade row  
• Single-leg deadlift to lateral raise  
• T-drill with crawl:
  
  • Start in a tabletop position
  • Crawl forward 4 steps
  • Crawl right 4 steps and return to the midpoint
  • Crawl left 4 steps and return to the midpoint
  • Crawl backward to the starting point  

Hip-Opening Mobility Flow

Sitting all day (especially working from home) can wreak havoc on your hips, which can throw off your movement patterns in general. “These exercises [below] focus on key muscles in and around the hips: your glutes, piriformis, adductors, and tensor fascia latae to increase your mobility,” says Austin Martinez, director of education for StretchLab. 

Focus on your breath and technique, and try to increase the number of reps or duration each time you perform the routine.  

• Standing hip circles x 5 each side
• Lift one knee as high as you can without rounding your lower back
• Move the knee to the side
• Rotate the hip inward, then bring the leg behind you
• Return to start.  

Mobility Drill

Deep squat x 30 seconds:

• Keep your chest up 
• Press your knees outward throughout the hold 
  
  

Seated internal hip rotations x 10 each side:

• Sit on the floor with your legs slightly bent in front of you
• Rotate one leg inward, driving the knee toward the floor
• Keep both hips grounded–don’t let them lift off the floor  

Pigeon pose x 30 seconds each side:

• From a plank or tabletop position, bring one knee forward and place it behind your wrist.
• Extend the opposite leg straight back. 
• Keep your hips square and chest lifted, or fold forward for a deeper stretch.

Shin box position x 20 seconds each side:

• Sit on the floor with one leg bent in front and the other bent behind, forming a triangle with each leg.
• Fold forward over your front leg and hold for 10 seconds.
• Lean back slightly and hold for another 10 seconds.
• Switch sides and repeat.

REHIT

Going HAM on HIIT workouts too often can be exhausting. If you want similar feel-good benefits without committing to a 45-minute class, try REHIT, or reduced-exertion high-intensity training, which uses supra-maximal intensities over shorter periods, says ACE-certified personal trainer Chris Gagliardi. 

An ACE study on REHIT featured a 2-minute warm-up, 2 x 20-second maximal-intensity intervals with 3 minutes of recovery in between, and a 3-minute cooldown, resulting in a solid workout that lasted just 8 minutes and 40 seconds. 

‍“Any method of exercise can be plugged into this model depending on the type of equipment you have, access to outside space, and what you enjoy: running, walking, cycling, stairs, skipping rope, mountain climbers, etc.,” says Gagliardi.  

Tabata

This type of HIIT workout lasts 5-20 minutes, perfect for when you lack motivation. These exercises can be done at home, as they utilize your body weight. Usually, workouts consist of 8-10 intense exercises broken down into four rounds, with each exercise done for 20 seconds (resting for 10 seconds in between reps if you want). For example:   

• Burpees: 20 seconds
• Push-ups: 20 seconds  
• Jumping Jacks: 20 seconds  
• Squats: 20 seconds  
• Mountain Climbers: 20 seconds  
• Lunges: 20 seconds  
• Bicycle Crunches: 20 seconds  
• High knees: 20 seconds  

Housework

People don’t usually associate this with fitness, but you’re moving your body and burning calories while cleaning up your place, sometimes for up to 2 hours! Think about it: you use your arm muscles for polishing, your arms and core for sweeping, mopping, and vacuuming, and your legs for going up and down the stairs. 

Once you’re finished, you’ve got the house tidied up and your workout is done at the same time. Double accomplishment!  

Foam Rolling

This technique is also known as self-myofascial release (SMR), which physical therapists use to promote muscle recovery and prevent muscles from becoming overactive. This can help improve your movement and is a stress-free activity. Be sure to focus on your hips.  

Stretching

Sometimes you just need a good stretch to help your body get out of its rut and back in the game again. Like yoga, stretching improves blood and oxygen flow throughout your body and also serves a practical purpose of helping prevent injury. 

Try it: Pilability’s whole body stretches and mobility classes work out the kinks by stretching all your tight spots, giving you greater flexibility and range of motion.   

Pilates

Pilates is a combination of strength, flexibility, and posture training, and most of it’s done with your bodyweight only (although you can invest in Pilates props). It’s a low-impact workout, so it’s easy on the joints, and the focus is on building core strength through small, controlled movements. 

While Pilates can be demanding, it’s more accessible for all energy levels than, say, a 45-minute hill run. 

Try it: A 45-minute Pilates class is just the right level of challenging for days you’re committed to working out even though you’re tired. 

Here’s how to work out when tired the right way so that you improve your performance and ultimately reduce your risk of injury, without getting injured in the process: 

Be Strategic in Your Planning

Have a well-thought-out, periodized program that meets the demands of whatever specific goal you’re training for. “During marathon training,” Gaudette says, “one of my favorite methods for introducing accumulated fatigue is to stick to a shorter, steady-paced run on the day before a long run.  

Sequential Training for Endurance

For example, you run six miles at marathon pace on the Saturday before your Sunday long run. That way, you don’t start your long run at zero miles, but rather at six or eight miles, since that is the level of fatigue and glycogen depletion your body is carrying over from the previous workout.”  

Focus on Your Form

“If you can push through fatigue while maintaining proper form, that’s the ultimate [goal]. However, form has to come first, and if you’re going too hard or too fast to keep it in check, then you need to slow it back down,” says Olson. Practice good posture (for runners: shoulders back, chest up, spine tall, abs engaged), and try not to exceed the intensity or weight specified in your plan.  

Stack Your Workouts on Top of Each Other

One common way to experience training through fatigue, especially among triathletes, is to do bricks. “Bricks are workouts in which you perform a certain type of movement, like biking, and then do another movement that uses complementary muscles, like running, immediately afterward, which forces your body to adapt quickly,” says Darcy Norman, a physical therapist and athletic trainer.  

Don’t Push Too Hard

“Pushing through fatigue does not mean doing three days of PR-paced running in a row,” notes Olson. “If you’re losing sleep, your heart is racing, or you feel extremely weak and light-headed, then you could be overtraining, and it could result in injury or illness.” If that happens, back off from training and talk to your doctor. 

Add Plenty of Recovery to Your Routine

“Training is a balance of fatiguing one’s self, recovering, and then gaining fitness as a result of that stress,” says Norman. “The problem occurs when the training becomes too much, or intensities are maintained for too long without having the appropriate amount of recovery built in.” 

For runners, Gaudette recommends taking a rest week every five or six weeks, during which you reduce your mileage by 65 to 75 percent and lower the intensity of your workouts to help your body recover and adapt to your training.

Related Reading

• Warmup Exercises for Seniors
• Stretches Before Running
• Warm Up Exercises Before Running
• Dynamic Warm Up for Athletes

When Should You Skip a Workout If You’re Tired?

Fatigue is a regular part of training; it shows that you are pushing your body and making progress. But there’s a difference between general tiredness and signs that the body truly needs rest. First, listen to your body. Muscle soreness that hasn’t resolved, disrupted sleep patterns, and signs of illness are all red flags that you may need to pause or modify your training. 

When push comes to shove, how do you decide whether the benefits of extra sleep outweigh the benefits of a quick workout? Here are a few indicators you’re too tired to work out:

You’re Chronically Sleep-Deprived

Can’t remember the last time you slept for more than six hours? Are you falling asleep at work, in waiting rooms, or front of the TV at night? Go ahead and ignore that alarm. Getting enough sleep is the first step in having a successful workout; a lack of sleep may leave you with less energy and poor attention and visual accuracy.

Translation: You’re more likely to stumble during a run or misjudge your kettlebell swing. Your safety always comes first during any workout, and if you’re too tired to be alert, go ahead and sleep in rather than pushing through and working out without sleep. 

You’re Mentally Overwhelmed

We know that exercise relieves stress, and sometimes a quick 20-minute workout during the day can help you mentally reset. Nevertheless, in prolonged periods of stress, your cortisol levels are consistently elevated, putting your body in a constant state of fight-or-flight. In these instances, exercise might not be as helpful as sleep. Here’s what happens:

When you’re feeling chronically overwhelmed, your body accumulates stress in what’s called an allostatic load. Your body can’t tell the difference between internal stress (say, worrying about applying for new jobs) and external stress (running a 5K every day). 

If your stress levels are already high, hard workouts can feel 10 times harder, and you might be better served by having a chill night in and focusing on your self-care. 

You’re Sore From Previous Workouts

If you’ve been making fitness gains and your muscles are talking back to you, go ahead and take a rest day. Soreness is your body’s way of asking for recovery time before diving into physical activity again. Remember, rest and recovery are essential for allowing your muscles to repair so that you can return to the gym soon. Don’t be ashamed to give your muscles what they need. 

Illness

If you’re tired because you have an illness, you may need extra rest. It’s best not to exercise when you’re experiencing: 

• Lightheadedness or dizziness
• Off balance or uncoordinated
• Chest pain
• Shortness of breath (outside of what’s normal during exercise)
• Extreme fatigue or body pain after physical activity 
  

“Listen to your body’s signals,” Snyder said. “Ongoing feelings of exhaustion, difficulty concentrating, or increased irritability can be signs that your body needs rest.” He also added that “muscle weakness or dizziness are clear signs that you should prioritize rest to prevent potential health issues."

Even though studies show that exercise helps fatigue in people with chronic illness, check with your healthcare provider to make sure it’s safe. Ongoing fatigue that’s not explained should be checked out by a healthcare provider. 

When to Power Through

If you’re just not in the mood to work out, it can be challenging to decide whether you’re too tired or if you’re struggling with motivation. In these instances, try picturing your future self. Will future-you experience a burst of energy or enjoy the release of endorphins that comes with a workout? 

Or will you be grateful that you listened to your body and took that much-needed break? Only you can know for sure. One option may be to test the waters with a light workout: something that won’t require a ton of energy and might end up benefiting your body. 

Modify, Don't Skip

For instance, if you usually exercise after work, instead of skipping your workout and vegging in front of the TV because you’re too tired, head out for a 20-minute walk instead. An easy walk will still get your blood pumping and heart rate up, and you just might feel more refreshed once it’s over. 

Related Reading

• Warm Up Cardio Exercises
• Golf Warm Up Routine
• Stretches Before Walking
• Upper Body Warm Up Exercises​

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