How to train when unmotivated? 5 options

Author: Timko Ilya - master of the whole project and fitness trainer.
2015-11-08

Everyone has faced this, and continues to face it periodically. You enter the gym and realize that you just don't want to train at all. No way, no how. This is normal and happens to everyone. Personally, I find myself in this state all the time. Analyzing the reasons, I came to the conclusion that there are only two main reasons for this unwillingness to train.

1. Fatigue. Not just today’s fatigue, but chronic fatigue that accumulates day after day.

2. Monotony. No matter how you look at it, training at the gym is not particularly varied. And this monotonous work inevitably becomes uninteresting and boring sooner or later. In other words – workouts become tiresome.

In light of all this, I offer you 5 options on how to force yourself to train when you really don’t want to. I periodically and successfully apply all these options on myself.

1. Change the workout

This option is good if you're truly tired of doing the same thing. The essence is quite simple – do not follow your program, but rather the exercises you want to do. Take the weights, repetitions, and sets as you please. In general – improvise.

The downside of this method is that if you are training with a coach, it's quite hard to convince them to use this method. However, since I train myself, I often use it. It’s better to train like this than not at all.

2. Psychological trick

It consists of this: when you really don't want to train, tell yourself, “Okay, I’ll just warm up and that's it.” Your brain will respond something like, “Okay, fine, go ahead and warm up, but I'm not going to do anything more.” You warm up and then think, “Well, okay, a couple more sets and that’s it.” That’s how you complete the entire workout, convincing yourself that just a couple more sets will be enough.

After all, the most important thing is to start. And it’s much easier to start if you convince yourself that you'll do just a little bit and can stop training at any time. At least, this method works very well for me. The main thing is to know that you can truly stop the workout whenever you want.

3. Pre-workout supplements

Well, this is classic. All pre-workout complexes contain psychoactive substances like: yohimbine, caffeine, and guarana. So, pre-workouts can really spark your desire to train. Just don't overdo it. You shouldn’t take them before every workout. It's best to take them about 20 minutes before you start training. Also, choose those that contain a lot of these three substances, or you can just take guarana separately.

4. Make a bet with someone

It means doing something on a bet or adding an element of competition to your workout. For instance, bet who can do more pull-ups or push-ups. At least for men, this always adds motivation. After all, the spirit of competition is in men’s blood. But personally, I do it a bit differently. I ask someone in the gym, “How many pull-ups do you think I can do?” They respond, and I try my hardest to do more, or at least the same. But there’s one nuance. You should ask someone who knows your abilities well; otherwise, it’s not as interesting.

Well, you can also just compete with someone in various exercises.

5. Find a partner

Physiologists have proven that training in pairs is about 25% more effective. That means, if you really don’t want to train – find someone in the gym who is doing something similar to what you need and train with them. It’s preferable to do not only the same exercises but even with the same weights.

This method works well for me too. Of course, ideally, this person should be someone you know. It would be quite silly to wander around the gym asking everyone to train together.

Conclusions

1. I’ve tried all 5 methods to motivate myself to train. They all work. Their effectiveness largely depends on the reason you don’t want to train. For the reason of “fatigue,” all methods work well except for the first one. For the reason of “monotony,” methods 1 and 5 work well.

2. However, generally, the unwillingness to train is caused by both reasons. Just one is often more prominent than the other. You just need to choose the right method or combination of methods. For example: take a pre-workout and change your workout. Along the way, do some sets with someone for a bet. There are many combinations here.

3. In rare cases, you can completely skip a workout. These are cases when you realize that the unwillingness to train is due to extreme chronic fatigue. In that case, it’s better to go and get some sleep. Good luck!