There’s always going to be a few bumps along the road to becoming fit.
Not everything will go as planned and it’s perfectly normal to sometimes feel that you’re just not making the progress in the gym that you had hoped for. But don’t give up! I’ve compiled a short list of strategies that you can apply right now to help get you back in the game.
Whether you’re an advanced lifter or a complete novice, the following tips will help you to get back on track and make more progress in the gym.
1. Make time
Admittedly, this one seems like a no-brainer. But simply showing up is oftentimes the hardest thing for many people who don’t consider themselves the ‘fitness type.’ And while it’s relatively common knowledge that exercise may help to lower levels of anxiety and depression, it’s also been show to do so even if you are forced to exercise.
So, if you’re struggling to make progress, try scheduling time for exercise in the morning. This way, you’re less likely to make other commitments or encounter conflicts that may bump your date with the gym to a late time, or worse, erasing it from your to-do list altogether.
Not the 6:00 am workout type? No problem. Schedule your workout, even if it’s just a brisk walk, during your lunch hour. This way you’ll still have your afternoon and evening free to attend to your other commitments.
2. Find a buddy
Everything is more fun when you can share it with someone else, right? And health and fitness isn’t any different. Some of my most memorable times in college were when my two roommates and I would gather our gym gear and head off to the gym in the evenings. Usually one of us would remind the other two that it was time to go, no excuses. And guess what? We always went to the gym.
So, here are a couple of things that you can do:
Firstly, survey your closest friends and find one (or two!) who are interested in joining you in your fitness program. Maybe they are way ahead of you and in better shape. That’s great, because they will be able to help you out, provide you with valuable advice and give you a goal to shoot for. On the other hand, maybe they could use a little help just like you to achieve their own health and fitness goals. And who knows? Maybe they are yearning for someone just like you to come along and help motivate them. Regardless, I think you’d be pleasantly surprised to learn that one of your close friends is just as interested in becoming healthy as you are.
Secondly, if now is simply not the time for your friends to begin their own fitness journey, then I recommend joining a group training program. Not a class of 35 people, but a group program of 10 – 20. These programs are typically found at the now ubiquitous micro-gyms. They typically offer at least some level of personalized service and, most importantly, are filled to the brim with enthusiastic and motivated people who may have started out just like you but then progressed to become a fitter version of themselves. There is no better exercise support group.
3. Keep it simple
It’s easy to look at a lot of the fitness magazines today and think that you need to perform the most complicated movements out there because they should be the most efficient, right? But this isn’t always the case. In fact, regressing in fitness complexity is often what pays the real dividends. We are learning more and more every day that our bodies move in an integrative way. When we isolate our body and train each piece one at a time, it’s not only a more laborious process, but can even lead to detrimental movement down the road. Search for a workout program or training group that understands this concept.
4. Ask for help
This is hands down the best thing you can do if you’re looking to make more progress in the gym. Because we are all students of fitness and we are all still learning. No one has all the answers. And if you feel like your fitness regime is in a rut, then ask yourself who you can reach out to.ÂEven I have a coach! In fact, at a conference I attended earlier this year, I was pleasantly surprised to learn that one of the most prolific names in the fitness business had his own coach too.
So look around and see who may be able to help you out. Maybe they are the credentialed trainers in the gym or other fitness professionals in your neighborhood. What I think you’ll find is that people are more than willing to help you out if you ask.
