Motivation for the gym

[Styles]

Hi,
I've been thinking about this a little recently. What would you consider your motivation to get yourself into the gym?

This could be motivation to start going to gym or motivation to keep to your routine and keep it going and going.

I find that I never need any motivation, I always look forward to my sessions and feel great after I've finished, well mentally great. But a mate of mine who I sometimes train with will become easily distracted and not turn up to his gym sessions. He has the aim to become big, powerful and more than likely just wants to look good. But this is what I don't understand, he's INCREDIBLY determined to reach these goals but gym motivation seems a little off.

I look at it as if he's very mentally motivated and knows what he wants but when it comes to the physical side of actually lifting he's a little laid back.

So come on, how do you motivate yourselfs?

 

[bam0]

Find the thing in the activity which you can really feed off.

For example I currently train 3 times a week for San Da and Thai Boxing, I absolutely love the feeling I get from doing something so physically knackering that there is no good reason I should be doing it (ie running round with someone else across your shoulders and at intervals doing sets of squats with them), I also really like being hit in the conditioning work and being able to take it, like last night the teacher had to take over from the guy I was working with smacking me round the stomach and ribs with a medicine ball because he couldn't do it hard enough.

Reading back through that I guess it's actually competetiveness I thrive on, if your gym friend is similar to you set one goal for both of you and see who can get there first.

 

[Rosbif]

I dont really need any motivation. When I first starting dieting I set a goal, I then devised a plan which would achieve my goal and then executed the plan. Now I am doing the same with a weight lifting program. It is completely mechanical and robotic. Diet, check, spreadsheet entry, check, Work out, check, spreadsheet entry, check, step 1 of plan complete, rinse and repeat day in day out. I just do it.

 

[Goatboy]

My motivation is food, if I'm not training I'm lazy and eat crap, if I'm training hard I pack away loads of tasty food - I can't put time, effort and cash into a good roast dinner unless it's doing me some real good.

 

[SDK^]

I find it hard to be motivated in the winter - it's freezing outside, freezing in the changing room etc etc and so it takes twice as long to warm up.
Generally speaking once I've been going for 15mins it's fine but it's just making the initial effort to go.

I just tell myself that if I miss one session then I’ll use an excuse to miss another and so on.

 

[Styles]

if your gym friend is similar to you set one goal for both of you and see who can get there first.

Nah mate he's quite disimilar he's strengh is approximately 40-50% of mine and maybe 30% on squats. I have no problems at all motivating myself, it's my life. I think I'm going to get some pictures of what's possible in 1 years time, and I know he'll be impressed and it will get him going more.

 

[Chong Warrior]

It affects my whole life. I'm very much an all or nothing kind of person, I either do something to the best of my ability or I don't do it at all. Can cause problems sometimes and I have to be carefull about what I get into!!

The gym is a good thing so it's great when I'm into it. My diet is very good, I drink much less, I'm much fitter, have lots more energy, feel better about myself so more confident, etc.. it's just a big positve thing in my life and I realize this so that's all the motivation I need

 

[Styles]

It affects my whole life. I'm very much an all or nothing kind of person, I either do something to the best of my ability or I don't do it at all. Can cause problems sometimes and I have to be carefull about what I get into!!

The gym is a good thing so it's great when I'm into it. My diet is very good, I drink much less, I'm much fitter, have lots more energy, feel better about myself so more confident, etc.. it's just a big positve thing in my life and I realize this so that's all the motivation I need

That's really great to see. I feel the same and so I give it my all. It's definately something good to be into and I see more and more people taking it up everyday.

 

[egt]

It affects my whole life. I'm very much an all or nothing kind of person, I either do something to the best of my ability or I don't do it at all. Can cause problems sometimes and I have to be carefull about what I get into!!

The gym is a good thing so it's great when I'm into it. My diet is very good, I drink much less, I'm much fitter, have lots more energy, feel better about myself so more confident, etc.. it's just a big positve thing in my life and I realize this so that's all the motivation I need

I can relate to some of that stuff. Also, fear of losing the strength/muscle i've gained through months of hard graft is a strong motivator for me. I won't let that happen.

 

[thebrasso]

I use the gym to de-stress, and I guess it makes me feel positive knowing I am getting stronger. I was 13 stone 10 when I moved home in July 2005, I'm just over 15 stone now, my lifts have doubled in some areas.

Now I've got myself into a bit of a routine and am setting myself goals, I tell myself that if I stop training or don't do myself justice during a training session it'll all go to waste.

The irony is that about a year and a half ago I dismissed weight lifting, saying that I didn't want to get too big and become a meathead blah blah blah. Well I don't want to get into proper bodybuilding but I definitely feel a lot better for carrying some muscle on me.

 

[Morba]

my motivation is my little boy.

i would love to have a training partner, which would really motivate me, would also help me with adding more weight to my lifts (i generally dont go as hard as i really could on some moves due to being alone :/ )