Accommodating Unavoidable Downtime

I have been trying to stick to a set schedule where Mondays I do one thing, Tuesdays another, etc.  The last few days have gotten screwed up by weather (snow shoveling, etc) so that I'm too sore to do the scheduled workout.  My thought has been to just skip it - I've got my whole life to workout, but I could really do some damage if I try to workout while in pain.  The question is, would I be better off to reorder workouts so that, for example, if my knees are killing me today, I do upper body, if my arms and shoulders hurt tomorrow I do middle splits, etc?  Or should I keep the schedule and if I can't do it, I can't do it.  Today, for example, I did something to my right wrist while shoveling.  No idea what, but it hurt like hell.  So there's no way I'm doing Handstand today.  Tomorrow would be TB day, but I may find my back is aching from shoveling, so I might skip rather than make things worse.  Should I skip, or substitute?

Depends how predictable your life is.  Mine is very unpredictable from week to week.  I have call at work, trips w/ family, overnight shifts, day shifts, days off on different days each week, etc.  And so I base my workouts based on what else is going on in my life, and make it fit in where it can. For instance, if I am doing a 3 hour xc ski today, my strength workout is going to be core or legs, or if I'm particularly fried, just mobility and handstand, or movement.  These are rejuvenating, rather than fatiguing.   If my legs are sore and stiff from mountain running, time for upper body workout.  Just plan in advance for the week so you don't short-change yourself.  Don't skip workouts because of excuses though.  Half (90%!) the battle is the discipline. This carries over to life in general (you do know that sport is really training for life, not for competition, don't you), so bad habits and sloth will come to define you as a person if you blow off too many workouts.  If you are having trouble fitting it in, perhaps working out before those other things arise, for instance in the morning.  I know if I have to do a lot of snow shoveling it is going to kill my upper body and core workout, so then I workout first, shovel snow after.  Obviously if something is hurting and you think exercise will aggravate it, do something else, like a handstand workout or mobility workout. But you are not taking the lazy way out by skipping your planned workout and laying on the couch  .

3 hours ago, Jessica Webber said:

 Should I skip, or substitute?

I would probably go with the flow and change the routine according to Life and what is beat up on you… if you can't do Handstands, do the Lower. If you can't do This, do That… I would try to fit all my workouts in, just in the order that would fit my life… butpersonally, I like a solid routine (it makes life easier, and the decision making too) so I adjust my schedule in such way that I could fit my workouts in as planned. But I wouldn't skip. In your case, I would substitute  

Jessica there is not even one training week in my whole year that is the exactly the same to other week. I train everything once a week but it s impossible for me to keep the exact day (due to sickness, lower back pain, muscle soreness, not being recovered yet or due to many other things that I have to do after work). I always have a training plan but I always change it. For example, this weekend I am going to snowboard so I should do in advance as much as I can. If one day I feel very very tired then I don  t train, I leave it for next day even if next day I do double. I love training, I m not inconsistent, it s just part of my life, I can t change it. Maybe my circumstances will change in the future but right now I have to be playing and flowing and trying to hit everything once a week and letting enough recover to my body. Good luck with your training!