Lacking Motivation? Read This. [Free Download Included]
Motivation is the most fickle emotion in the land if fitness and nutrition.
It comes in fast and can leave even faster.
I've touched on this topic in the past a few times. The feedback has always been positive, so I wanted to take another approach to answering the question.
"Why can't I stay motivated to workout?"
1) You’re ignoring the triggers that get your body and brain ready to workout.
When the world shut down in 2020, people have more time than ever to workout, yet many struggled to do so. This is because the triggers that we used, the packing of the gym back, the pre-workout drive to the gym, the pump up songs…they were gone or disrupted. All of those little rituals send signals to our brain that tell our body “Hey, it is time to workout”.
Lean in to your triggers, make them a mainstay in your preparation, and get yourself ready.
2) Your goal is too broad.
This is a big one.
Many start working out with the goal of ‘improving their health’, ‘wanting to be more active, or ‘lose a few pounds’.
All okay goals in their own right. But that’s all they are, just okay.
If your goals lack specificity, then lack clarity and purpose. Take your goals one or two steps further.
Turn “I want to lose a few pounds” in to “I want to lose 8+ pounds by my next Doctor’s appointment so I can shed my medication”
Turn “I want to be more active” into “Two 45-minute training sessions at the gym will complement my more active lifestyle of daily walking and weekend skiing and hiking”.
Make it specific, give it purpose, and you will have a reason.
3) You don't know the goal of the training session.
Different than point number two above, not knowing the goal of the training session can make the session meaningless OR a total drag while you’re working out.
Every workout should have a purpose. Those purposes, collectively, work towards the progress plan to your overarching goal.
This is hands down one of the biggest teaching moments in my online personal training.
An example… If your workout is 45 minutes of zone 2 cardio, and you don’t know why that fits in your program, you’re more prone to say “well it’s just cardio, I can skip today and get after the weights tomorrow”.
Another example…If your workout calls for a lot of volume, performing 5 sets of 5 reps and accessory movements that are 3 sets of 12-15 reps, and you don’t know that this is your high volume day before a recovery day, or if this training phase is leading up to a block where you push the weights or intensity…you may think the 5 reps are ‘too easy’ or ‘man, I feel good today, I’m going to see how much I can do’. All of a sudden that workout, though complete, becomes something it isn’t.
If you understand the purpose, then you’ll understand the main goal. Understanding that goal will allow for positive modifications (if needed), and give you the much needed mindset to dominate the workout.
On top of the tips above, I wanted to share something that I use every time I find myself unmotivated to workout.
Below is a download for 3 simple training templates. Whenever I lack consistency in my training, or just plain do not want to do it. I always line up these workouts for a few weeks to get me back on the right path.
They are as 'hard' as you want to make them.
The training has a clear purpose.
The total training duration isn't very long.
They create action to get the job done and when you lack motivation, that action is what brings motivation back.
I hope they offer a solution to getting your workout mojo back!