The Keys to Staying Motivated and Training

My Keys to Motivation and Achieving the Physique I Want

Purposes of this article

• Talk about where people fall down in their attitude and approach towards training and subsequently lose motivation
• Explain my motivational techniques and training mentality

The problems I see

• Not training legs
• Incorrect technique
• Training 'like everyone else'
• Distractions such as talking, people using machines, finding an appropriate song on your ipod
• Being bored
• Lack of Specific Goals
• Relying on a training partner, not training when they are inevitably aren't available for the odd workout

Solutions

• NOT TRAINING LEGS Training legs is the foundation of building a phyaique you are proud of whether you are male or female. It is the hardest body part to train and at first you will probably feel awful when you first train them correctly. However training legs burns the most calories, works absolutely every muscle group and because most leg exercises utilise the biggest muscle groups such as the glutes, quads and hamstrings it will stimulate the body into producing more Human Growth Hormone which is essential if you are to maintain or build upon your skeletal muscle and burn body fat. If you're not sure on how to get started with leg training here's a sample workout for you :)

 

 

• NO EXCUSES This is the attitude to get into your head right from the very beginning....and keep it there because it is the most valuable and motivational attitude there is. Get in there and get it done, the weather is no excuse, not being able to get to a gym is no excuse...the only excuse for not training is illness and genuinely needing rest. You can train anywhere using just your bodyweight....which will be the subject of some videos in the near future I hope.

 

 

• INCORRECT TECHNIQUE Most people don't have years and years of experience of training when they enter a gym or try out a new workout routine or when they suddenly decide “it's time to get MASSIVE!!!” It took me until I went onto my Advanced Instruction course to realise that I had a terrible back posture when doing all bent-over rows, deadlifts and squats. I needed a PT to correct this and make me see where I was going wrong, and since then I've had fewer injuries, better results and been able to train more effectively, so just ask a PT to monitor your form when you begin a new program, it will make such a difference to your results and will keep you motivated along the way

 

• TRAINING 'LIKE EVERYONE ELSE' What I mean by this is that many people look the same, do the same thins as, and subsequently achieve just as little through training as everyone else. When you go into the gym go in to train harder, faster and more intensely than the person next to you. Train to make people look at you just because of how hard you are training, to make them think “fucking hell, He's training hard!” Be a machine, do the exercises correctly and go in there to ruin yourself in under an hour and you will get results!

 

• My personal technique to get me 'in the zone' for this is imagining I am possessed by a demon when I am training. It sounds a bit over the top, but that's exactly how you should be training!

 

• DISTRACTIONS A lot of people get talking to people between sets and before you know it 10 minutes have passed and all the intensity has gone out of your training. If you train with someone make sure either you or them are really cracking the whip, give your training partner as little rest as possible, literally ride them into the ground. If you train alone get some headphones in whether you have music playing or not, frown a lot, generally look unapproachable (although always remain polite, well-mannered and understanding as much as possible) do what it takes to stop yourself being distracted. A technque I have been using recently is writing down my workout, putting 45 minutes on the stopwatch, starting the stopwatch and training and stopping at sero whether the workout is complete or not. You'll be surprised at how much harder you will work to get it done!

 

• BEING BORED I don't have much sympathy for this excuse for having a lack of motivation due to the endless amounts of equipment, work out techniques, training styles, Personal Trainer availability amongst other things. A quick look at websites such as bodybuilding.com or rosstraining.com or my facebook group C & J Personal Training @ The Works for new ideas or if you are still stuck for inspiration have a few PT sessions to get you started with creating your own workouts

 

• LACK OF SPECIFIC GOALS This is a huge problem for most people. In my experiece goals such as “I want to be bigger and more toned” or “I want to lose body fat from my lower abs and bum” just aren't goals that produce enough motivation. The best goal will involve a specific date and consequences should the goal not be met. For example you could book a photoshoot or enter a show or 10k run. My goal this year is to enter at least one natural bodybuilding show, this keeps me training hard and pretty much disciplined with my nutrition and fluid intake. Set youself specific goals that mean a lot to you and you will see the difference in your motivation.

 

• RELYING ON A TRAINING PARTNER IN ORDER TO WORKOUT Having a training partner is fantastic, I trust my training partner to tell me off when I'm slacking in anyway and to keep me training hard, however, you will let your training partner down, and they will let you down at some point, if this is all it takes to stop you from working out then you are not going to get anywhere with your exercise goals. My solution to this is always be prepared to train alone (the “oh but I need a spotter!” excuse just doesn't wash; use dumbbells if you are afraid of a barbell crushing you or use a bit lighter weight) or have a number of training partners who you can call upon if you are let down.
  

So, in order to stay motivated my plan would be to have an attitude of “there is absolutely no excuse for not training apart from illness,” to have specific goals, wear headphones when training to avoid distractions, have a training partner or training partners who will push you all the way, always be prepared to train alone, imagine being possessed by something bigger or more powerful than yourself and keep things varied. Having numerous people on hand to keep you on track such as a Personal Trainer is also ideal to enable you to achieve the body you want.

AND MOST IMPORTANTLY TRAIN YOUR LEGS!!!!!

 

By Chris Kershaw