Many people think that “success” in the gym is going 5 days a week, but that’s not necessarily true. Success looks different for each unique individual, and it’s about building a routine that’s sustainable for you, for the long haul.
To start being consistent in the gym, focus on:
- Your ‘why’ of hitting the gym
- Setting sustainable goals
- Creating a plan
- Being flexible
- Progress tracking
- Accountability partner
Know Why You’re Hitting the Gym
Motivation begins with understanding your personal reason for stepping into the gym in the first place. Without a clear purpose, it’s easy to lose momentum and for consistency to drop.
After establishing your why, think about what you’ll gain from being consistent. What’s the outcome of a consistent gym habit? What impact could this have on your life, long-term? For example, it could be improved mental health, physical progress, increased confidence, and so on. The impacts are endless.
Try reflecting on the following questions. Write your answers down, on your phone or on a notepad, and keep them for reference when you feel you need a boost of motivation.
- Why do you want to work out in a gym (instead of at home)?
- What does consistency look like to you?
- What benefit do you hope to gain from being consistent at the gym?
Set the Right Kind of Goal
The type of goals you set can greatly impact your motivation. When setting goals, you need to ensure that they are interesting, challenging, and specific enough to keep you on track.
Learning Goals vs. Performance Goals
There are two types of goals: learning and performance goals. Both types emphasize the importance of being specific and challenging, but each aim for a different type of outcome and may be better suited to different people.
A learning goal focuses on acquiring knowledge or a skill. In the context of fitness, it’s better suited to gym newcomers or those trying to make strength training a habit. For example, setting a goal to learn how to perform a barbell deadlift with the correct form.
A performance goal focuses on achieving a task at a set level of proficiency. This can be as simple as walking 10,000 steps per day, and as challenging as running a full marathon.
Have a Plan
You can maintain consistency by planning ahead for roadblocks and challenges. Instead of hoping you’ll overcome tiredness, busyness, or lack of motivation when it hits, think ahead of how you’ll still get some movement in, either at the gym or at home.
Here are some great ways that you can plan ahead:
- Schedule the gym like a work meeting, with blocked off time in your calendar.
- Prep ahead. Get your gym bag packed the night before so that you are ready to go in the morning or take it with you to work.
- Find an accountability buddy. Team up with a friend, coworker or trainer to keep each other on track.
- Do shorter workouts if you can’t fit in longer ones. Even a quick 20 minute workout is better than nothing.
Be Flexible
Staying consistent with your fitness means being flexible and adaptable. There will be times in your journey when you’re working out four times a week, and other moments when life gets busy, and you only manage two. That’s okay. The important thing is to not be hard on yourself when frequency changes. Avoid the ‘all-or-nothing’ mindset that can derail your progress. It’s about consistency and not perfection.
Reset your goals when life requires it, and focus on what is attainable for you at any given moment without putting too much pressure on yourself. This isn’t a lack of accountability but being flexible while being realistic yet firm.
Track Your Progress
As a community of specialized personal trainers, one of the most powerful tools we use to ensure our clients’ success is detailed tracking. If you want to work out on your own, or even in addition to sessions with a trainer, tracking your starting point and progress can help you ensure you see results. Tracking your progress allows you to apply progressive overload, i.e. gradually increasing weight, reps and volume, over time, so you keep improving. It saves time in the gym by letting you know exactly where to start based on your previous workouts instead of guessing or trying to remember.
Have an Accountability Partner
An accountability partner can be a friend, coworker, or a personal trainer, anyone who helps keep you consistent and committed. The goal is to have someone to encourage you to show up, and stay on track, even when motivation dips.
A personal trainer offers all of that plus professional expertise. They’ll design effective, efficient programs tailored to your needs, adjust your plan when life gets in the way, and ensure your sessions still happen, instead of being skipped. They’ll give you the right push when you need it, and coach you in a way that makes you feel motivated to go to the gym more often, and actually enjoy it.
With the right partner, whether it’s a workout buddy or a trainer, you’ll have both motivation and accountability to help you succeed.
Conclusion
Using these six strategies throughout your health and fitness journey will help you to stay consistent in the gym and build lifelong healthy habits. Strive for consistency, not perfection. Celebrate the days you show up as planned, and be even kinder to yourself on the days where motivation is low. Remember, the goal is to create a lifestyle that’s sustainable for you in the long term, one that supports both your health and happiness.