{"id":36552,"date":"2015-01-28T07:15:01","date_gmt":"2015-01-28T12:15:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/?p=36552"},"modified":"2021-11-01T16:10:32","modified_gmt":"2021-11-01T20:10:32","slug":"craziest-workout-excuses","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/fitness\/craziest-workout-excuses\/","title":{"rendered":"25 Crazy Excuses to Skip Workout Trainers Have Ever Heard"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Craziest
Photo: Pond5<\/a><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It\u2019s that time of year. You know what we\u2019re talking about: Your New Year\u2019s resolutions<\/a> have lost their urgency. It\u2019s cold outside and your plan to work out three or four times a week has fallen by the wayside. After all, reasons not <\/em>to exercise can be easier to come by than arguments to actually drag yourself to the gym on a dark, frigid morning.<\/p>\n

Yet, while those excuses might sound perfectly legitimate when you formulate them in your head\u2026are they really good reasons to abandon your fitness program<\/a>? Probably not.<\/p>\n

RELATED: <\/strong>Are You Crazy for Working Out While Sick?<\/a><\/p>\n

25 Crazy Reasons You\u2019re Not Working Out<\/strong><\/h3>\n

We asked some of our favorite trainers for the most absurd, hilarious and just plain crazy excuses they\u2019ve ever heard \u2014\u00a0or used themselves. Next time you find yourself scraping for an excuse to skip leg day<\/a>, remind yourself that you<\/em> don\u2019t want to end up on this list next year.<\/p>\n

\"Craziest
Photo: Pond5<\/a><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The \u201cPersonal Crisis\u201d<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Yes, there are moments in life when you should probably not <\/em>prioritize your workout over a last-minute emergency. These are not those times.<\/p>\n

1. Home \u201cDisasters.\u201d<\/strong> If a pipe bursts in your home, the toilet overflows, or a natural disaster befalls your neighborhood, we\u2019d understand if you couldn\u2019t make it to the gym. But DailyBurn Pilates<\/a> instructor Andrea Speir<\/a> says, \u201cI had a client call me and tell me she saw an ant in her house and couldn’t leave to come to her session because she had to wait to see if more ants showed up,\u201d Speir recalls. \u201cShe said, \u2018When there’s one, there’s usually a bunch lurking somewhere…\u2019 So she wouldn’t be able to make it in.\u201d<\/p>\n

2. Your Own Mortality.<\/strong> Sports performance coach and professional athlete Andia Winslow<\/a> says she\u2019d been prodding a friend\/client to return to workouts for awhile, when she received the response: “I recently died.” If this were true, we\u2019d say it would <\/em>be a pretty good reason not to show up to a workout. But, unless this DM was from the undead, it seems unlikely. \u201cI definitely got my own abdominal workout<\/a> from laughing at the entire text thread,\u201d Winslow says.<\/p>\n

3. Your (Not-So) Supportive S.O. <\/strong>Sure, if you break up with your significant other we won\u2019t blame you for skipping a workout or two indulge in some ice cream<\/a>. But Noam Tamir, CSCS, founder of TS Fitness<\/a> in New York City, says one client had to cancel for other reasons, \u201c[She said], \u2018My boyfriend is in town and he gets jealous because he thinks I have a crush on you so I can’t come in.\u201d Lame? Yeah.<\/p>\n

4. You\u2019re Too Busy Today. <\/strong>Good luck convincing a trainer that something else on your schedule should preclude your session. Larysa DiDio<\/a>, a personal trainer and fitness author who\u2019s trained celebrities, Olympians and professional athletes says, “A high profile client of mine tried to cancel because she had to shop for her husband’s birthday. I wouldn’t allow it and made her sprint with me to the store, down Madison Avenue. She did squats and lunges in the store while we shopped and then sprinted back<\/a> home.\u201d So much for that excuse.<\/p>\n

RELATED: <\/strong>Trainers Tell All: Their Best Active Dates<\/a><\/p>\n

5. You Got A Boo-Boo. <\/strong>Even instructors dream up reasons to skip the gym. Roger Lawson, C.S.C.S., of RogLawFitness<\/a> (who deems himself the Sultan of Sexification, by the way), cops to having thought up a few creative excuses of his own over the years. One of his favorites: “I cut my finger and I don’t want it to get infected.\u201d Band-Aid, perhaps?<\/p>\n

6. Too. Much. <\/strong>Whiskey.<\/strong><\/a> Ever woke up after a night of partying, trying to piece together what happened? Rob Sulaver, CEO and founder of Bandana Training<\/a>, once got a message from a client reading, \u201cYo Rob. Sorry I can\u2019t make our workout today, I accidentally woke up in Berlin.\u201d Sulaver says he never quite got the whole story, \u201cBut my client was doing a little bit of partying<\/a> and eventually came-to in Berlin\u2026\u201d For the record\u2026Rob is based in New York City.<\/p>\n

RELATED:<\/strong> Science Shows You Drink More Alcohol on Gym Days<\/a><\/p>\n

7. The Medical \u201cEmergency.\u201d <\/strong>This may seem like the perfect get-out-of-jail free card. After all, nobody can fault you for a trip to the ER<\/a>, right? That is, unless you accidentally blow your own cover. Winslow recalls, \u201cA former client canceled about two hours prior to a session citing \u2018severe IBS\u2019 and an emergency rush to see her physician. I checked Instagram<\/a>. She was at Bloomingdales on a shopping spree buying some \u2018hot Louboutins!\u2019\u201d\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Craziest
Photo: Pond5<\/a><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Beauty Disaster<\/strong><\/h3>\n

While compiling these excuses, one thing became clear: Your trainers aren\u2019t loving your last-ditch attempts to preserve your blowout.<\/p>\n

8. You Fear the Fashion Police. <\/strong>Yes, it\u2019s true that fitness is experiencing a fashion moment. But trainer Tony Gentilcore<\/a>, strength coach and co-founder of Cressey Sports Performance<\/a>, says \u201cI once had a woman state to me that the color of the clothes she was wearing that day didn’t match her mood, so as a result she couldn’t work out.\u201d<\/p>\n

9. Must Moisturize. <\/strong>Lawson, the aforementioned sultan, admits he\u2019s relied on a grooming excuse or two in his day, including that, “I don’t have any lotion and I’m far<\/em> too ashy to go out in public.”<\/p>\n

10. You\u2019re Too Relaxed. <\/strong>\u201cI think my favorite quote of all time from a client was, \u2018I am so sorry I can’t work out. I had a massage<\/a> yesterday and I don’t want to mess that up,” says Michelle Lovitt<\/a>, strength and conditioning specialist and fitness expert.<\/p>\n

RELATED:<\/strong> Are You Foam Rolling All Wrong?<\/a><\/p>\n

11. That Blowout Was Expensive.<\/strong> By far, the most common category of excuses we saw from trainers were related to your \u2018do. Brett Hoebel<\/a>, celebrity trainer on NBC\u2019s The Biggest Loser Season 11 and author of The 20 Minute Body<\/em><\/a>, says he\u2019ll always remember a client who came in with full hair and makeup and stopped training in the middle of a session. When asked what was the matter she said, \u201cYou\u2019re going to make me sweat and ruin my hair!\u201d He learned his lesson. \u201cNow, when a woman comes in with a blowout I ask her if she\u2019s prepared to pull her hair back and get into it,\u201d Hoebel says. Garson Grant<\/a>, master trainer at Chelsea Piers Fitness in NYC, says he\u2019s fallen victim to this excuse, too. \u201cThe funniest one I’ve heard was, \u2018I don’t want to sweat, I just did my hair,\u2019\u201d Grant says.<\/p>\n

12. Mani-Pedi Problems. <\/strong>Fitting in workouts is all about planning ahead of time, people. And that means not<\/em> scheduling a nail appointment adjacent to your sweat session. \u201cA woman told me she just got a mani-pedi an hour before our training session and the polish was still wet,\u201d says Jason D\u2019Amelio, MS, ATC-L, ART-C, certified athletic trainer and owner of Total Athletic PT<\/a>. Maybe get your polish done after <\/em>your workout next time, eh?<\/p>\n

13. Faux Lash Flaws.<\/strong> News flash: high-intensity interval training<\/a> will <\/em>involve some sweat. But Dyan Tsiumis a trainer at The Fhitting Room<\/a> in New York City, a gym specializing in HIIT<\/a>, says a client once told her, “I can’t sweat. The heat makes my fake eyelashes fall off.”<\/p>\n

14. Dog Poop. <\/strong>OK, this one might be legit. D\u2019Amelio says a woman called out once after walking her dog. \u201cShe stepped in poo, so she couldn’t train [because] she had [crap]\u00a0on her shoes\u2026which I was actually thankful for.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Craziest
Photo: Pond5<\/a><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Fitness Cop Out<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Trying to get back in shape after you\u2019ve spent the past few months as a couch potato can be tough \u2014 and downright intimidating. Plus, workouts can be painful. Does that mean you should take the easy way out? Not according to these trainers.<\/p>\n

15. It\u2019s Too Hard<\/strong>. Fear you\u2019ll collapse mid-burpee and embarrass yourself? \u201cSomething I hear often from friends and people I socialize with is that they \u2018need to get in shape\u2019 before they come to one of my classes,\u201d says Liz Barnet<\/a>, a personal trainer and instructor at SLT<\/a> and Uplift Studios<\/a> in New York City. DailyBurn trainer Ben Booker, who devised the killer new LTF strength-training program<\/a> at DailyBurn, says he\u2019s heard similar excuses when convincing people to try LTF<\/a>. \u201cJust jump in and modify!\u201d Booker advises. \u201c[Getting in shape] doesn’t happen overnight, but it happens.<\/p>\n

16. I Can\u2019t Be Seen at the Gym Yet. <\/strong> If you feel like you can\u2019t even mingle with the super-svelte crowd at the gym until you lose a few, you\u2019re not alone. Emily Cook Harris, an instructor at the Fhitting Room, says clients tell her, \u201cPeople will see me before I\u2019m ready!\u2019\u201d We feel ya. But we guarantee that those selfie-taking gym snobs you fear are only looking at one thing while they sweat\u2014 themselves.<\/p>\n

RELATED: <\/strong>The 20 Worst People at the Gym, According to Trainers<\/a><\/p>\n

17.\u00a0The Fear of <\/strong>DOMS<\/strong><\/a>. <\/strong>Avoiding DOMS, or delayed onset muscle soreness, is another common cop out. Cook Harris says she\u2019s had clients say, \u201cI didn\u2019t workout the past two days because I didn\u2019t want to be sore for our training session.\u201d Hmmm. And she\u2019s also heard, \u201cI\u2019m going to an awesome party\u00a0and don\u2019t want to be sore because I plan to do a lot of dancing. So we should cancel our session.” Two points for honesty?<\/p>\n

18. But I\u2019m On a Diet. <\/strong>Dolvett Quince<\/a>, the celebrity trainer on season 16\u00a0of NBC\u2019s The Biggest Loser<\/em>, and author of the New York Times best-selling The 3-1-2-1 Diet<\/em><\/a>, says the worst excuse he\u2019s ever heard is, \u201cAs long as I don\u2019t eat a lot, I\u2019m fine.\u201d While we know you can\u2019t out-train a bad diet<\/a>, exercise can be key to firing up your metabolism \u2014\u00a0and getting toned.<\/p>\n

19.\u00a0I\u2019m Too Hungry Post-Workout. <\/strong>We\u2019ve all been guilty of slamming a burger due to runger<\/a>. But that doesn\u2019t mean you should just laze around when you\u2019re on a diet. Kira Stokes, an instructor at BFX Studio<\/a>\u00a0in New York City, and the founder of Kira Stokes Fitness<\/a> says she had a client tell her, “\u2019I am more hungry when I exercise, so I’m going to take a few days off so I eat less.” Stokes\u2019 reaction: \u201cWHAT?!?! Clearly a long lecture ensued and no session was allowed to be canceled. End of story.\u201d<\/p>\n

RELATED: <\/strong>Dolvett Quince: My Killer Ab Workout and Tips to Stay Fit<\/a><\/p>\n

20. I\u2019ll Start Next Week. <\/strong>Remember when we said scheduling your workouts<\/a> is key to actually making them happen? Well, don\u2019t let just one slip throw off the whole week. Lawson admits he\u2019s gone down the road of, \u201cIt’s Tuesday and I was supposed to start working out on Monday and I don’t want to throw off my schedule, so I’ll start next week.”<\/p>\n

21. The Fake Out<\/strong>. In a truly devious move, Winslow says she\u2019s had a client try to convince her that they actually did <\/em>show up for a missed workout. Winslow recalls, “[He said] \u2018I showed up to the workout but where were you?\u2019 As though I mixed up the location and stood him<\/em> up.\u201d Winslow was only training at one facility at the time. Nice try, buddy.<\/p>\n

\"Craziest
Photo: Pond5<\/a><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Straight-Up Absurd<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Some excuses are so impressive you just kind of have to appreciate them. If you ever land in one of these situations, we officially give you permission to skip your workout, too.<\/p>\n

22. You\u2019re a Gambling Man. <\/strong>D\u2019Amelio says a client canceled on him because he had to run to place his bets at the Belmont Stakes before they closed. On the bright side: That client won $5,000.<\/p>\n

23. Car Problems. <\/strong>Professional athletes are rife with excuses, according to Tim Hartwig<\/a>, C.S.C.S., who has worked with more than 300 pros as a strength and conditioning specialist. He says, \u201cAll my athletes [had] showed up to training for the day, minus one\u2026Mind you, this was for the 2010 NFL Combine coming up in a matter of weeks, and millions of dollars were on the line for the draft.\u201d<\/p>\n

When his athlete showed up the next day, Hartwig said he asked him what happened. \u201cTo my astonishment he said he was on his way to the facility when he noticed\u2026it was time for him to change his oil in his car so instead of training he decided that was more important.\u201d That client did<\/em> get drafted. And he later went on to win Superbowl XLVI.<\/p>\n

24. You Just Won an Oscar. <\/strong>DailyBurn Black Fire trainer<\/a> Bob Harper, who recently starred on season 16 of The Biggest Loser<\/em>, got the mother of all good excuses from one high-profile client. Harper says, “I can’t give you any names but I once had a client cancel on me saying, ‘I can’t work out today because I won an Academy Award last night.\u2019” Fair enough.<\/p>\n

25. Real Talk. <\/strong>“I’d much rather sit around naked and eat ice cream and watch Game of Thrones,\u201d says Lawson. Let\u2019s face it: We\u2019ve all been there.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s your favorite excuse? And better question: How do you silence those please-don\u2019t-make-me thoughts? Tell us in the comments section!<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We’ve all found ourselves scrounging for workout excuses when we just don’t feel like hitting the gym. But these 25 crazy fitness cop-outs take the cake. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":53,"featured_media":36609,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[24,6],"tags":[288,103,76,281,341,343,285,100],"class_list":["post-36552","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-exercise","category-fitness","tag-cardio","tag-motivation","tag-personal-trainer","tag-strength-training","tag-tax1living-well","tag-tax2exercise","tag-weight-loss","tag-workout"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36552","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/53"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=36552"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36552\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/36609"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=36552"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=36552"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=36552"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}