How To Be Motivated To Workout – Guidelines

Introduction

In this article I am going to talk about how to be motivated to workout. We see it all the time, people begin a new fitness routine in January and then stop a few months later. Their motivation was high at the beginning but it waned over time. With bodybuilding as well it is possible to lose motivation over time and this also explains why there are so many people who train “on and off”. Essentially, these are the people who rely exclusively on motivation and don’t have a big enough “why” to sustain their journey. Therefore having the right motivation is key but it is also not enough in and of itself. I will touch on this later in the article.

Physical Performance Goals

Having goals in general is very important for all humans. It gives us a target to aim for and when we achieve our goals we feel a sense of pride and accomplishment in doing so. Making “progress” is what keeps us motivated, therefore in bodybuilding we need to have goals as well. One such set of goals are “physical performance goals”. Examples of such goals are below:

• Increase my bench press to xx weight.
• Perform 10 or more pull ups with bodyweight.
• Increase my squat to xx weight.
• Increase my deadlift to xx weight.
• Increase my 10RM dumbbell curl to xx weight.
• Increase my 10 RM leg press to xx weight.

The above are all examples of potential goals you can set for yourself related to physical performance. By having these goals it gives you something to strive for and keeps your motivation high. This will result in you staying the course and not giving up on your journey. As you achieve these goals you will feel a greater sense of pride which will cause you to keep going. It will add fuel to your fire so to speak.

Body Composition Goals

Another set of goals that are very important in bodybuilding are body composition goals. This pertains to how you want your body to look. An example of goals that fall into this area are below:

• To get my body fat percentage to xx %.
• To get xx inch arms.
• To have a xx inch chest.
• To have visible abs.
• To get a wider and thicker back.
• To have a xx inch thigh measurement.

The above goals are all related to aesthetics. By having lots of different goals it means that you are giving yourself positive encouragement. You may achieve one goal but not achieve another, this is still progress and causes you to remain motivated. However, if all you have in your bodybuilding journey is one goal that could take many years to achieve and no others then it can increase the likelihood of lowered motivation and ultimately giving up on your journey prematurely.

Therefore by having a set of body composition goals and physical performance goals you have so many “mini goals” that will keep you motivated and progressing along your journey.

Workout Partners

Having good workout partners that keep you accountable and can spur you on in your training is very important in keeping motivated along your journey. Bodybuilding can be a lonely lifestyle in some ways, in that it can alienate you from others who are not interested in lifting weights. If you train alone in the gym all the time it can make it harder as well to stay motivated. Having a group of close friends that you can workout with and enjoy the journey together can prove invaluable. It is how I initally started when I was at school. Humans are inherently social animals and have a need to feel a sense of belonging to a group. Therefore, having workout partners to train with consistently can keep things enjoyable and make your workouts something that you always look forward to in life. This will result in you not wanting to miss any workouts and remain motivated for the long term.

Don’t Rely Exclusively On Motivation

A very important point when it comes to not quitting your workouts is not to rely exclusively on motivation. No one is ever going to be 100% motivated all the time, this applies towards anything in life. If you only put forth effort when you are motivated to do so then you can never go far in any endeavour. You have to enjoy the journey and be willing to put forth the effort even when you don’t feel like it.

There may be days when your workout partners are sick but that shouldn’t deter you from completing your scheduled workout. It would be easy to come up with an excuse but you have to push through regardless of external circumstances. A big component in all this is to have a big enough “why“. If your “why” is big enough then you will be able to persevere with the journey and not give up along the way. Some why’s could be the following:

• I want to get in better shape to feel better about myself and be proud when I look at my body in the mirror.
• I want to be stronger and healthier for my family.
• I want to be able to help out in my community with physical work.
• I want to be the best version of myself that I can.
• I want to be more muscular than all my friends.

These are just a small subset of potential “why’s”. Your why may be different but it does not matter. All that matters is that you have one and that this will push you to complete all your workouts even when your own internal motivation is lacking.

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Conclusion

To conclude, in this article I have covered a very important topic. That is how to be motivated to workout – the importance of having lots of mini goals to keep you motivated, workout partners to hold you accountable and increase your enjoyment and a strong enough why. If you have any questions about anything I have written in this article please leave me a comment below. I would also like to know the “why” in your bodybuilding journey, leave this in the comments! As always, stay safe and enjoy your training.