What To Do When Your Training Falls Apart During Rodeo Season

Every athlete has that week.

The one where you had every intention of training.

You mapped it out.

You were going to get three workouts in.

Stay on top of your nutrition.

Get your mobility done.

Maybe even get ahead for once…

Then reality happened.

You drove eight hours Thursday.

Competed Friday.

Entered another rodeo Saturday.

Got home Sunday night.

Worked Monday.

And now it's Tuesday and you haven't touched a weight all week.

Sound familiar?

I've seen athletes beat themselves up over this more times than I can count.

They start feeling guilty.

Like they're falling behind or they've somehow ruined all the progress they made during the off-season.

Then they usually make one of two mistakes.

The first athlete says:

"Well, I already screwed up this week."

And suddenly, one missed workout turns into two missed weeks.

The second athlete goes the opposite direction.

They try to make up for everything they missed.

Two-hour workout.

Extra conditioning.

More volume.

More suffering.

Like they're trying to punish themselves back into shape.

Both approaches usually make things worse.

Because here's what I want you to understand:

Missing one workout isn't the problem.

Missing one week isn't even the problem.

The problem is losing momentum.

That's what hurts athletes.

Not the missed workout.

The missed routine.

The missed habit.

The missed identity.

Because once you stop feeling like someone who trains, it becomes easier and easier to stop training altogether.

That's why when rodeo season gets crazy, I stop chasing perfect and start chasing productive.

Big difference.

Your goal during those weeks shouldn't be optimal.

It should be minimum effective dose.

What's the least amount of work I can do that still moves me forward?

If I only had twenty minutes this week, here's exactly what I'd do.

The "Stay In The Game" Workout

3 Rounds:

8 reps/side Glute Mobilization

8 reps/side Half Kneeling Thoracic Rotation

8 reps/side Figure Four Flow

8 reps/side Side Bridge + Reach

8 reps Yoga Push Up on Forearm

Rest as needed.

Done.

Twenty minutes.

Maybe less.

It's not sexy, but it works.

Here's another workout I'd do in a hotel parking lot.

The Hotel Parking Lot Workout

4 Rounds:

20 sec ON/side Isometric Lunge Hold

10 Push-Up Position Shoulder Tap

20 sec ON Hollow Body Hold

30 Second Bear Crawl Hold

30 Second Side Plank Per Side

Video Demonstration:

You can find all of these exercise demos from this article on our YouTube.

Take a short walk.

Go eat a good meal and move on with your day.

The goal isn't to prove how tough you are.

The goal is to keep showing up.

I think that's one of the biggest misconceptions athletes have.

They think every workout needs to be incredible.

But it doesn't.

Some workouts build strength.

Some workouts build muscle.

Some workouts simply keep you in the game.

And during rodeo season, those "keep you in the game" workouts become incredibly valuable.

The athletes who stay in shape all season aren't usually the athletes doing the most.

They're the ones who never completely stop.

Especially when life gets crazy, when travel stacks up, and when motivation disappears.

They find a way.

Maybe it's twenty minutes in a hotel parking lot.

Or maybe it's one quick session between rodeos.

It doesn't matter.

They keep showing up, and that consistency compounds.

So if your training has fallen apart recently, stop worrying about what you missed.

Stop trying to make up for lost time.

And stop waiting for the perfect week to start again.

The perfect week isn't coming.

What matters is what you do next.

Get one workout in.

Then another.

And then another.

Momentum isn't built by doing everything perfectly.

It's built by refusing to disappear when life gets messy.

And if there's one skill every successful rodeo athlete develops, it's exactly that.

If you're ready to take the next step in your Champion Living Athlete Pathway, let's get you on a call with a coach to see if you're a good fit for our Individualized Coaching.

Use the link below:

https://championlivingfitness.com/sign-up

Your Coach,

Doug Champion