I don't want to lift anymore...

I thought it might help those of you who struggle to see that all of us struggle with motivation.  Some days it is worse than others.  (Heck, some weeks or months are worse than others.)  Many factors affect our motivation, and our focus in the gym, and sometimes none of the tricks work to get us psyched up to workout.  Today, I had little desire to workout.  What motivation I had quickly evaporated after a (self-perceived) miserable attempt to max out on squats.

This week started off great, I even added a cardio session in the mornings before breakfast to accelerate the war on my bodyfat.  Then... I stopped... everything.  I missed the cardio sessions, I delayed workouts, skipped one of my leg days, and ate like a freaking horse.  I even started drinking soda, which I haven't done for years.  I also got a ridiculously tiny amount of sleep.  So, how did I push through- what helped me regain my groove?

I haven't.  I want to quit.

It would be a lot easier to just sit on my butt and play video games, or watch movies.  I might even be able to do productive hobbies like writing... but either way I don't want to go back to the gym.  And, I don't want to care about what kind, or how much food I eat.

However, I knew there would be days like this. So, here are a few tricks I use to keep on fighting when none of my normal tricks, music, or motivational tapes help and all of me wants to quit. 

I push through as best I can, accept the fact that I'm human, and allow myself to have a reset button- like the old nintendo :)  When I only got 425 on my squats today I was ready to quit.  I hung up my belt and started packing up my bag.  Then I thought- well, the bar is already here, and I have the weight on it already.  I may as well do some front squats, they are fun.

So I did.

Then afterwards I thought, well now I can go home.

Then I saw the leg extension and leg curl machines.  "Well, if I do single leg sets and just alternate through without any rest, I can bust out a few sets without adding a ton of time here."

So I hit "reset" again.

I also added Calf and Ab exercises the same way.  I looked for ways to alter my original routine, and shorten the time I spent in the gym.  By the time I was done, I had hit each muscle that had originally been on my agenda, and I felt good about the work I did.  Best part- I left the gym 35 minutes earlier than normal and went for a walk, enjoying the nice spring weather.

There are always days when we want to do nothing, but if we try to do something we will thank ourselves later on.  So when you are ready to quit and nothing is working- just think of your "stuck program" as being an old nintendo game.  Blow the dust out of the cartridge and hit reset.  Often times the game will work just fine after that.

However, we don't need to push through full bore when we're am experiencing deep lulls in our excitement level.  So, if resetting isn't enough to recapture the fire, mix things up a bit.  If you have been using only weights, try some bodyweight workouts, or use a system like the Elite Rings Freestyle Trainer.  You can even throw Exercise Bands into the mix.

Keep the sessions shorter too.  No need to tax your system by drudging through endless sets- we already discussed that mindless sets won't help you anyway.  So, accelerate your workout.  Superset your exercises, cut back to one or two exercises per muscle group so that you can still hit everything in a shorter amount of time.  True, it isn't the best way to workout, but it is much better than doing nothing at all.

Do I want to work out next week- no, not really.  My fire isn't back yet.  But after reflecting on my workout, and this post- I can see the positive results.  My 425 squat may not be a PR, but it is 20 pounds more than I got 17 days ago.  That's exciting!  I also feel proud that I did a workout instead of feeling guilty for skipping it- which helps with positive reinforcement... so, will I be at the gym come Monday?

The spark in my legs says "yes."