Best Ways to Improve Your Workout Motivation

Whether you're beginning a new program, suffering from a weight reduction or muscle-building stall, or just bored, finding motivation to go out may be difficult. 

According to Christopher Friesen, Ph.D., sports psychologist, director of Friesen Sport & Performance, and author of ACHIEVE: Find Out Who You Are, What You Really Want, And How To Make It Happen, it's important to prioritize long-term goals and values when making exercise decisions.

However, day-to-day obstacles exist. Try these ways to get and stay on track with your fitness goals.

 Best Ways to Improve Your Workout Motivation

Change Your Program

One of the most no-brainer fixes for lagging workout motivation: Do a different workout. Too often, people fall into a rut of doing the same thing every day (hello, International Chest Day), or even every workout. Not only can it become a snoozefest, your body will stop adapting and those gains you were making will stagnate.

S.M.A.R.T, that is. Good goals are specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and time-bound. In other words, if so far your only intention in hitting the gym X times a week is so you don’t die young or get fat, well, perhaps you need something a little more targeted. Maybe you want to focus on your aerobic health and see if you can train so your resting heart rate drops a few beats per minute, or you want to get more serious about your fat loss endeavors to go down a notch on your belt. Now pick a (realistic) deadline, build a plan, and get to it.

Become an Early Bird

You’ve heard before that people who work out first thing in the morning tend to be more successful at following a fitness program. Ever wonder why? Well, yes, it’s true that there’s something to be said for getting it done and getting on with your day. But it actually comes down to willpower, explains Friesen. “It’s like a gas tank and it generally depletes over the course of the day,” he says. So, if you're having trouble sticking to planned post-work workouts, consider scheduling them in the morning and see what happens.

Try the 5-Minute Rule

Another favorite tactic of Friesen is what he calls the 5-minute rule. Set a timer and start your workout. If after five minutes you still don’t want to be doing it, you have full permission to stop.

“Your alarm goes off early and you’re like, I don’t want to get up and work out!” he says. “You make excuses—It’s going to be painful, I’m too tired—but these are almost always biased and incorrect.” So get up and do your warmup. In most cases, once you get started, it won’t seem so bad after all—and might even be kinda awesome.

Create a New Pre-Workout Ritual

This could mean putting out your clothes and sneakers so you’ll trip over them in the morning if you don’t put them on, or starting with some awesome psyche-up music, or sipping some coffee or a pre-workout drink to boost your energy. Set yourself up for success.

Make it Double Rewarding

Sure, the workout has benefits in itself—weight loss or maintenance, muscle strengthening or building, plus all those feel-good endorphins. But why not make your workout time something to look forward to by using it (and only it) to listen to your favorite podcast, or pick up a book on tape, or check out a new Spotify station?

Stop Going to the Gym

If all of your workouts occur within the four walls of your long-term health club, maybe take it outside for a run or bike ride, or try out that bodyweight-training course they built at the local park. Another option: cheat on your current membership and use a free trial pass to that shiny new gym that opened down the street. Or stay home and do calisthenics in your living room. No matter your new venue, the change of scenery may be all you need to hit it with renewed vigor.

Be Social

One of the most tried-and-true tactics, the Buddy System is a great way to stay accountable. Even better: Choose an activity, like tennis or boxing, where if one person doesn’t show, the other person is SOL. But what if you don’t have friends (who want to work out, that is)? Make some! Join a running club, find a sports league, take a fitness class, strike up a conversation with the dude who just asked you to spot him, join a Facebook group of like-minded people… Bottom line: find your people and motivate each other.

Get Competitive

Sometimes you just need a prize to put your eyes on. That can mean signing up for a race or other fitness event (think: strongman or powerlifting competitions), or even just recording your numbers—time, load lifted, etc.—and trying to beat yourself at the same workout week after week. A good place to start? A self-administered fitness test.

Put Money On It

A big motivator for some people is to get their money’s worth. So sign up for that swanky gym you’ve been eyeing and make it a priority to make your visits cost less than $20 each. Other pricey-but-worth-it fitness investments: Hire a trainer, create a home gym, or get a class card to that martial arts studio you’ve been considering. And don’t let your hard-earned cash spent go to waste! Another tact: Put a dollar in a jar for every workout you complete. Then spend that cash on that thing you’ve been wanting but couldn’t quite justify.

 Best Ways to Improve Your Workout Motivation

Change Your Program

One of the most no-brainer fixes for lagging workout motivation: Do a different workout. Too often, people fall into a rut of doing the same thing every day (hello, International Chest Day), or even every workout. Not only can it become a snoozefest, your body will stop adapting and those gains you were making will stagnate.

S.M.A.R.T, that is. Good goals are specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and time-bound. In other words, if so far your only intention in hitting the gym X times a week is so you don’t die young or get fat, well, perhaps you need something a little more targeted. Maybe you want to focus on your aerobic health and see if you can train so your resting heart rate drops a few beats per minute, or you want to get more serious about your fat loss endeavors to go down a notch on your belt. Now pick a (realistic) deadline, build a plan, and get to it.

Become an Early Bird

You’ve heard before that people who work out first thing in the morning tend to be more successful at following a fitness program. Ever wonder why? Well, yes, it’s true that there’s something to be said for getting it done and getting on with your day. But it actually comes down to willpower, explains Friesen. “It’s like a gas tank and it generally depletes over the course of the day,” he says. So, if you're having trouble sticking to planned post-work workouts, consider scheduling them in the morning and see what happens.

Try the 5-Minute Rule

Another favorite tactic of Friesen is what he calls the 5-minute rule. Set a timer and start your workout. If after five minutes you still don’t want to be doing it, you have full permission to stop.

“Your alarm goes off early and you’re like, I don’t want to get up and work out!” he says. “You make excuses—It’s going to be painful, I’m too tired—but these are almost always biased and incorrect.” So get up and do your warmup. In most cases, once you get started, it won’t seem so bad after all—and might even be kinda awesome.

Create a New Pre-Workout Ritual

This could mean putting out your clothes and sneakers so you’ll trip over them in the morning if you don’t put them on, or starting with some awesome psyche-up music, or sipping some coffee or a pre-workout drink to boost your energy. Set yourself up for success.

Make it Double Rewarding

Sure, the workout has benefits in itself—weight loss or maintenance, muscle strengthening or building, plus all those feel-good endorphins. But why not make your workout time something to look forward to by using it (and only it) to listen to your favorite podcast, or pick up a book on tape, or check out a new Spotify station?

Stop Going to the Gym

If all of your workouts occur within the four walls of your long-term health club, maybe take it outside for a run or bike ride, or try out that bodyweight-training course they built at the local park. Another option: cheat on your current membership and use a free trial pass to that shiny new gym that opened down the street. Or stay home and do calisthenics in your living room. No matter your new venue, the change of scenery may be all you need to hit it with renewed vigor.

Be Social

One of the most tried-and-true tactics, the Buddy System is a great way to stay accountable. Even better: Choose an activity, like tennis or boxing, where if one person doesn’t show, the other person is SOL. But what if you don’t have friends (who want to work out, that is)? Make some! Join a running club, find a sports league, take a fitness class, strike up a conversation with the dude who just asked you to spot him, join a Facebook group of like-minded people… Bottom line: find your people and motivate each other.

Get Competitive

Sometimes you just need a prize to put your eyes on. That can mean signing up for a race or other fitness event (think: strongman or powerlifting competitions), or even just recording your numbers—time, load lifted, etc.—and trying to beat yourself at the same workout week after week. A good place to start? A self-administered fitness test.

Put Money On It

A big motivator for some people is to get their money’s worth. So sign up for that swanky gym you’ve been eyeing and make it a priority to make your visits cost less than $20 each. Other pricey-but-worth-it fitness investments: Hire a trainer, create a home gym, or get a class card to that martial arts studio you’ve been considering. And don’t let your hard-earned cash spent go to waste! Another tact: Put a dollar in a jar for every workout you complete. Then spend that cash on that thing you’ve been wanting but couldn’t quite justify.