What to do when an exercise doesn’t feel right

You’re mid-workout, feeling good… and then something tweaks.

A shoulder twinge. A weird pinch in your hip. A move that suddenly feels off.

Now you’re stuck in the moment we all dread:

“Should I push through this… or stop?”

As a coach (and someone who used to ignore those signals way too often), I can tell you—how you respond here makes all the difference.

Push blindly and risk a setback… or make one smart adjustment and keep moving forward.

Let’s talk about how to do the second one.

🚫 1. Don’t push through pain

Strength training can be uncomfortable—that’s normal. But pain is different.

If discomfort gets worse as you warm up or increase weight, that’s your sign to back off immediately and proceed to the next step.

🔥 2. Re-evaluate your warm-up

If you’re feeling those little “tweaks” as you work out, make sure you have these elements in your warm up!

Light general activity (3–5 min to elevate your heart rate)
1 to 3 warm-up sets for your main strength exercises using lighter weights that progressively get a bit more challenging. (For specifics, check out our free Warm Up guide!).

If you’ve been skipping this, or rushing through it, tightness or discomfort could just be your body saying, “I’m not ready yet.”

📹 3. Check your technique

Film yourself or have someone else watch your form.

Sometimes discomfort comes from a technique breakdown you don’t realize is happening, especially as fatigue or weight increases.

Check out this guide on how to perform the major strength training lifts like squats, deadlifts, and presses!

🧪 4. Try these quick adjustments

If you’ve warmed up properly and your form looks decent, try this checklist:

✅ Decrease the weight – Does that reduce the discomfort?

✅ Adjust the angle – Change your grip, handle, or cable setup

✅ Change tempo or range – Slightly shorten the movement or slow it down

If none of those are working, it’s time to make a smart swap.

🔁 5. Swap movements strategically

If it still feels off, here’s how we think about substitutions:

Find a similar (but different) movement pattern → Bench press bothering your shoulder? Try an incline dumbbell press or push-up.
Target the same general muscles, but use a different movement → Lat pulldown not working? Try a row instead.
Switch muscle groups altogether → Upper body not cooperating? Focus on legs or core that day.

In other words: Don’t force it. Find a nearby alternative. And if nothing feels good, it may be time to go home and get some extra rest and recovery!

🧑‍🔬 6. Reassess the next day

Once things calm down, test the area with:

Controlled joint circles or range-of-motion drills
Light corrective movements (band work, activation drills)
Careful reintroduction of movements with low to zero load

You’re not trying to “fix it” immediately. You’re gathering feedback and giving your body space to adapt.

🔹 A Real-Life Example: Meet Vaughn

I want to tell you about one of my long-term clients, Vaughn.

Vaughn is one of the nicest guys I know – and one of the strongest!

But here’s what really stuck with me about Vaughn after working with him for years:

Every once in a while, something would just feel off during his workout. His form looked great. Nothing had changed. But he could tell something wasn’t right.

So he did exactly what we just talked about:

He’d test his warm-up
Try backing off the weight
Reassess how things felt

And if it still didn’t feel right?

He’d say, “You know what, I’m going to call it for today. I’ll be back tomorrow.”

And he was.

That ability to listen to his body without ego made him one of the most consistent people in the gym. He rarely got injured. He kept showing up. And he stayed strong because of it.

Vaughn taught me that knowing when to back off is just as important as knowing when to push.