10 Tips to combat workout reluctance

There are days when everything seems to be "stupid" somehow. Nothing wants to work. You are off track and constantly annoyed with yourself.

Today is such a day for me.

Actually I wanted to go to the training a few minutes ago. The following discussion arose in my head:

"Am I going today?" … "Boah, ik have no desire!"..
"But today is training day"… "Nah, ik don’t feel like training at all today" ..
"When do you want to go, if not today? You want to achieve something, so let’s go"… "Oh leave me alone" …&

I think everyone knows this situation or?!

Especially if the day started stupid anyway or is just messed up.

In the following I present you 10 simple tips against acute workout disinclination.

10 tips against workout fatigue

These tips have helped me stay motivated. Use it and don’t give your inner pig a chance!

Tip #1 – Don’t go to the workout

Yes, you read that right! If you don’t feel like working out, feel free to postpone a workout. It is absolutely ok.

Our body is not a machine that we can just put on "full steam. Every day is different and countless factors contribute to our performance.

When your body says, "Nah, I don’t want to today!"If your doctor tells you that you should listen to him and not try to fight it with all your might.

The important thing is that you don’t skip your workout! This can quickly become a "bad" habit.

I will postpone my training until tomorrow. Feeling guilty for not going today will drive me 100% tomorrow.

Tip #2 – Do a fun workout

I distinguish between two "training disinclination" levels.

Step 1 is the stronger of the two, where only tip 1 comes into question.

Step 2 is an in-between of "I feel like it, but have no motivation to perform". If that’s the case for you, then a fun workout is ideal.

With fun workouts, you scrap your regular workout schedule and just do whatever you feel like at the time. Instead of a heavy leg workout maybe a pleasant arm workout?! Or instead of belly simply chest?!

You combine so duty and freestyle. The duty of the training becomes a freestyle by making the training enjoyable.

In the long run, this will make your training more exciting and, above all, more varied, without the temptation of having to postpone or even skip your training often.

Tip #3 – Train easily

My personal biggest enemy is myself.

I often put myself under extreme performance pressure when training. To get ahead, I try to set up best performances in every training and measure myself only by my numbers.

Pressure creates counter pressure.

The counter-pressure is with me training disinclination. To release a bit of pressure, I exercise lightly on some days. It gives my head and my body a much needed rest.

A healthy portion of ambition is good. But too much of it can become a real training killer.

Tip #4 – Just do it

With the slogan "Just Do It" Nike became world famous.

I have personally used it very often when I did not feel like working out again. "Just do it" loosens up the workout mood and makes it kind of fun.

The longer you think about whether or not to go to training, the more reasons you come up with not to.

If you notice that there is a discussion going on in your head, just "do it". Pack your training bag without another thought, get in the car and drive off.

I know it only too well from myself.

Often it’s not physical exhaustion that causes listlessness, but the little mind in our head.

Once you have overcome this, the training sessions usually become top class.

Our body is ready to perform, but our head often says its not. Don’t let the little man in your head get the upper hand – "just do it".

Tip #5 – The hard "why?"

Every now and then it comes up, the question of why. "Why am I doing this shit in the first place??"

Don’t worry, I ask myself this question often too. It is important to then have a suitable answer at hand.

The question of "why" is a very powerful psychological weapon and determines success or failure when building muscle.

If you don’t say why you’re going to work out, even the best motivational sayings and the coolest workout videos won’t help you.

The subconscious mind needs a crystal clear answer why you are working out.

If you know the answer to the "why" right away, make it clear to yourself. I can assure you that you will immediately feel the urge to go to the gym.

Everyone who plays sports in any way, whether it’s weight training or football, has at least one "why". Some reasons are clearly formulated, others are hidden inside us.

My personal answers, to the question of "why", are:

I want to be strong!
I want to stand out from the average!
I want to be powerful!
I want to meet friends!
I want to build muscles!
I want to strengthen my self-confidence!
I strive for perfect symmetry!
I want to test my limits!

What is your why?

Tip #6 – Goals

They should not be missing in any case, the good old goals.

Goals give us stability and show us clearly where we are and where we want to go. They are quite helpful when you don’t feel like working out.

I recommend you to formulate goals regularly and to control them in certain intervals.

Set yourself big goals and break them down into small subgoals. For example: build up 5kg muscles in 2012 (That’s about 0.5kg of muscles per month.)

It is important that you do not set your goals too high. It can be frustrating to set your goals too high when you can’t achieve them. Training reluctance is then preprogrammed.

Tip #7 – Call friends

A problem shared is a problem halved. Joking aside& Every now and then you just need mental support. Self-motivation has its limits.

Friends or training colleagues are ideal helpers and can put a lot of "fire under your butt".

For this reason I go to a gym. Here I am among my peers, meet friends and let myself be carried away by the energy of others.

If you have someone in your circle of friends who also likes to lift dumbbells, then call him/her and arrange to work out with him/her. Tell him you don’t feel like it today and ask him to cheer you on.

Important! If your workout partner or friend doesn’t want to do it themselves, then you shouldn’t go to the workout in the first place.

Training partners should complement and push each other. But if both of you are low on energy, save your energy and go work out some other time.

Tip #8 – Variety

Unwillingness to train can be caused by boring training, for example a boring training plan, a monotonous training environment, always the same equipment or constantly the same procedures.

Add some pep to your workout and just go to a different gym. Training with a friend can also help you to escape from the wasteland.

I train in different fitness studios myself and I always find it exciting to be somewhere else. New people, new environments and new equipment bring variety to a workout routine that has fallen asleep.

If you have the opportunities, then use them. You can also like to be creative. If you work out at home, get your dumbbells out of the basement and work out outdoors (especially fun in the summer).

Tip #9 – Successes

When you train hard and the results don’t come, it’s only understandable if training disinclination sets in.

As a thank you for proper, regular and thoughtful training (and nutrition) you get a great body with beautiful muscles. Sure, you need a sense of achievement, but I recommend you don’t set your standards too high and expect the unbelievable.

Since you see your own body in the mirror almost every day, changes are very rarely noticed directly.

I recommend you to keep a training diary and to document your strength performance in it. This is a great way to see how strong you have become. It’s a great sense of accomplishment to be able to look back at the end of a month and say, "Wow, I’ve made good gains".

The scale is only an unreliable companion, because it does not tell you if you have built muscles. Your strength performance on the other hand already. The more strength, the more muscles. Quite simple&

In the long run, pictures or measurements of the circumferences of your upper arms, abdomen, legs, calves and shoulders will help too.

Tip #10 – Take a break and drink a fizzy drink

Lack of desire to train can also have other causes, such as overtraining.

Too little sleep, bad nutrition, stress or professional problems force the whole thing and can make effective muscle building training impossible.

If you don’t feel like working out for several days or even weeks, then you should take a break. One to two weeks often work wonders. They give your body the necessary rest and create distance from the training pressure in your mind.

If, despite all these tips, you still lack the motivation to train, then you should seriously ask yourself whether you have not chosen the wrong sport for you.

The best training method in the world is useless if the "fun factor" is missing.

Just because "experts" tell you to do this or any workout, doesn’t mean it’s fun. For long-term success, I’m a firm believer that working out has to be fun.