“I would work out but I just can’t seem to find the time.”
Sound familiar? What is really meant is “I would work out but I’m just not motivated enough.” The time can always be found. It’s as simple as turning off the TV, getting off the computer, turning off the video games, cancelling the trip to McDonalds and dragging yourself to the gym. Getting there is the hard part. It’s all downhill after that. Much of success is simply showing up. Most don’t show up. Ever. If you have shown up you have a leg up on almost everybody else.
“But I’m REALLY busy!”
- Wake up an hour earlier and go to the gym
- Go first thing after work
- Go at night after you put the kids to bed
- Go to bed an hour later
- Go on your lunch break
- Go in the morning before work
- Go on weekends
The time can ALWAYS be found. The busiest person in the world can free up three hours a week to exercise.
The motivation is harder to come by. Believe it or not, after a while lifting it becomes addicting and it becomes harder to take a day off than it is to go work out. A while ago someone asked me something trivial like why hadn’t I swept the floor or something, I responded “I’m lazy”. He asked me “how can you be lazy when you go work out every day?” I responded “that doesn’t make me any less lazy, I love lifting, I love going to the gym, it’s much harder for me not to go to the gym than it is to go. If I take an unplanned day off I feel like shit. I don’t force myself to go to the gym because it’s my favorite thing to do. You’d have to force me not to go.”
It wasn’t always like that. When I first started going I did have to force myself to go. Eventually I started dreaming about it during the day, just waiting in anticipation.
Start yourself at a moderate, leisurely 3 days per week. That’s about the best start anyone can make. It won’t be fun at first. You will be weak, and tired, and sore, and hungry. Just keep going. You will feel great after you work out and you will be glad you did. Just force yourself to go. Eventually you will understand what it’s all about. Eventually nothing will keep you from the gym.
You’re spot on with all these posts dude. I’m struggling at the moment to get back into my routine. I skinned all the skin off my palm a few months ago, which kept me from lifting regularly, and it’s been a pain trying to get used to working out at 5 am. But it’s the only time I can do it consistently.
I know what it’s like to be addicted to lifting though - and there’s pretty much no better feeling. Really want to get back to lifting 5/6 days a week. If I only do 3, and miss one, I get depressed/unmotivated/feel shitty (it’s like I wasted the whole week).
I do push ups in every single free moment I have. The great thing about bodyweight exercises is you can do them anywhere, so I do.
This one’s great! By the way; you know Vic according to my experience- motivating the people who tell you that magic word “I don’t have time to go to the gym” are the most useless people to talk to regarding improving their physique! No matter what you tell them you wont even be able to sell them the idea of not bumming up and start going to the gym. I would rather let their bodies rot. The motivation must come from within- from them themselves. Or else no amount of words can convince a slob. just let them rot
I find it the easiest to go at night, hard to make up excuses at that time
There is no excuse . You just have to be creative . Even if you can only make the gym once a week. Hit a couple of the big lifts hard and heavy when you get in . Then just invest in a dip and pull up station a few lighter weights to do your volume work .
Having a partner could also help being motivated and enthusiastic about going to the gym.
On the other side if someone doesn’t go to the gym, the ”i don’t have enough time” excuse means that he just don’t want it enough, there is no motive to workout.
Last summer i was doing pull-ups at work. While the others were smoking are talking to girls in the beach during our 15 min break i was hanging up a bar.
You need to have a motive to push you into action.