60 Workout Motivation Quotes for Tough Workouts

When it comes to working out, you have to find some kind of schedule that works for you. For me, I either have to get up at 5 a.m. and work out before work or force myself to work out when I get home. The latter is difficult, because by the time I get home from work, I want to put on pajamas, not tennis shoes. If this sounds like you, workout motivation quotes can help.

It feels great to be active and get in shape, but sometimes it also feels good to watch Netflix in bed with a pizza^[1]. It can be hard to keep the momentum going and hit the gym or your favorite workout class every morning. However, you have the potential to push yourself; you just have to want to.

Several years ago, I was gaining weight and talking myself out of fitness. “I’m too tired,” “I’ll work out tomorrow,” “I don’t have time.” But even when I was telling myself I was justified in skipping my exercises, I knew I was lying to myself.

I finally allowed a friend to really push me back into a pattern. Now, I work out every day, even if it’s just walking two miles on my lunch break. 

I’ve lost weight, but more importantly, I feel healthy again. Now that I’m getting back in shape, I’m able to see how much time I wasted talking myself out of it. Don’t let yourself have regrets, too.

If you really feel like you’re just too busy to get into a regular workout routine, check out Lifehack’s Busy Yet Fit Programme. It will help you learn how to fit exercise into your busy life.

60 Workout Motivation Quotes

When it comes to getting motivated, there are things that work and things that don’t. When I look at fitness models on Instagram, I wind up feeling bad about myself, but when I read motivational quotes or look up pictures of healthy recipes, suddenly I want to hit the gym.

Here are 60 workout motivation quotes to get inspired and get to the gym!

“What hurts today makes you stronger tomorrow.” -Jay Cutler

“When you feel like quitting, think about why you started.” -Unknown

“If there is no struggle, there is no progress.” -Frederick Douglass

“Be stronger than your excuses.” -Unknown

“Someone is sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago.” -Warren Buffett

“You never fail until you stop trying.” -Albert Einstein

“With self-discipline most anything is possible.” -Theodore Roosevelt

“The last three or four reps is what makes the muscle grow. This area of pain divides a champion from someone who is not a champion.” -Arnold Schwarzenegger

“Fall in love with taking care of your body.” -Unknown

“If you want something you’ve never had, you must be willing to do something you’ve never done.” -Thomas Jefferson

“Junk food you’ve craved for an hour, or the body you’ve craved for a lifetime? Your decision.” -Unknown

“It’s supposed to be hard. If it were easy, everyone would do it.” -Tom Hanks

“The only place where success comes before work is in the dictionary.” -Vidal Sassoon

“You don’t have to go fast…you just have to go.” -Unknown

“Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t, you’re right.” -Henry Ford

“The most difficult thing is the decision to act, the rest is merely tenacity.” -Amelia Earhar

“You don’t get what you want, you get what you work for.” -Unknown

“You are far too smart to be the only thing standing in your way.” -Jennifer Freeman

“You must expect great things of yourself before you can do them.” -Michael Jordan

“You’re only one workout away from a good mood.” -Unknown

“The tragedy in life doesn’t lie in not reaching your goal. The tragedy lies in having no goal to reach.” -Benjamin Mays

“The will to win, the desire to succeed, the urge to reach your full potential…these are the keys that will unlock the door to personal excellence.” -Confucius

“We can’t become what we need to be by remaining what we are.” -Oprah Winfrey

“Fit is not a destination. It is a way of life.” -Unknown

“There’s only one growth strategy: work hard.” -William Hague

“If you don’t have confidence, you’ll always find a way not to win.” -Carl Lewis

“Your fitness is 100% mental. Your body won’t go where your mind doesn’t push it.” -Unknown

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then is not an act but a habit.” -Aristotle

“To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift.” -Steve Prefontaine

“No matter how slow you go, you are still lapping everybody on the couch.” -Unknown

“You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.” -Wayne Gretzky

“The difference between the impossible and the possible lies in a person’s determination.” -Tommy Lasorda

“Slow progress is better than no progress.” -Unknown

“You have a choice. You can throw in the towel or you can use it to wipe the sweat off your face.” -Unknown

“Recognizing that you are not where you want to be is a starting point to begin changing your life.” – Deborah Day

“Though no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending.” -Carl Bard

“If you kinda sorta try, then you kinda sorta get results.” -Unknown

“At the end of the day, let there be no excuses, no explanations, no regrets.” -Steve Maraboli

“One can choose to go back toward safety or forward toward growth. Growth must be chosen again and again; fear must be overcome again and again.” -Abraham Maslow

“When you skip an opportunity to work out, you skip an opportunity to improve yourself.” -Unknown

“What we fear doing most is usually what we most need to do.” -Ralph Waldo Emerson

“Motivation is what gets you started, but persistence is the only thing that guarantees your success.” -Edmond Mbiaka

“I don’t work out because I hate my body. I work out because I love it.” -Unknown

“A champion is someone who gets up when they can’t.” -Jack Dempsey

“No one ever drowned in sweat.” -Lou Holtz

“Start before you’re ready.” -Steven Pressfield

“You have to be fearless to have success.” -Serena Williams

“You have to set goals that are almost out of reach. If you set a goal that is attainable without much work or thought, you are stuck with something below your true talent and potential.” -Steve Garvey

“Never stop doing your best just because someone doesn’t give you credit.” -Unknown

“Run when you can, walk if you have to. Crawl if you must; just never give up.” -Dean Karnazes

“You’ve always been beautiful. Now you’re just deciding to be healthier, fitter, faster and stronger. Remember that.” -Unknown

“The price of discipline is always less than the pain of regret.” -Nido R. Qubien

“Exercise is a celebration of what your body can do. Not a punishment for something you ate.” -Unknown

“Be not afraid of growing slowly; be afraid only of standing still.” -Chinese Proverb

“The future depends on what you do today.” -Mahatma Gandhi

“If you’re tired of starting over, stop giving up.” -Unknown

“Today I will do what others won’t, so tomorrow I can accomplish what others can’t.” -Jerry Rice

“Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.” -Thomas Edison

“Watch your habits. Not your weight.” -Unknown

“Fitness is not about being better than someone else. It’s about being better than you used to be.” -Khloe Kardashian

The Bottom Line

Finding motivation to workout can be tough, especially if you’ve already had a long day or week. Pushing through the exhaustion and the stress of the day can feel daunting, but moving out of your comfort zone is often the best decision you can make. Read a couple of the workout motivation quotes above to tap into your fitness motivation and get back to working toward a healthier you. 

More Tips on Finding Workout Motivation

• 10 Ways to Quickly Boost Your Workout Motivation
• 9 Fitness Apps That Keep You Motivated
• 7 Strategies on How to Motivate Yourself to Work out

Featured photo credit: Jonathan Borba via unsplash.com