What To Do If You’re Struggling at the Gym

Below are a few common issues beginners struggle with at the gym. 

This is more of a tough love talk for beginners.

The only difference between beginners and more experienced lifters is that experienced lifters have learned the below solutions. 

They still have days they aren’t motivated, they still have issues getting workouts in, and they certainly work out sore…they just choose to keep going.

If You’re Struggling With Motivation…

One of the biggest ways to combat a lack of motivation is to learn to not rely on it. 

Most beginners assume they need to feel motivated to work out, looking at more advanced lifters, and assume they always feel motivated to train hard to reach their goals. 

The reality is people need discipline, which is developed over time, usually by doing things you know you should do (like working out) even when you are not motivated.

Short-term solutions that can help are reviewing your goals, watching YouTube videos, or looking at images that motivate you to become stronger, more healthy, and fitter. 

I personally find one of the most powerful ways to get motivated is to think about the example I am setting for a younger me, or my children, or others who I love that look up to me.

Motivation is fleeting, you need to develop the discipline to have success.

If You’re Struggling To Find Time To Work Out…

Unless you work 18 hours a day and sleep the other 6, the reality is that you have some time to work out, you are just not prioritizing your time. 

Understand that everyone has 24 hours in the day, and there are always people out there who find ways to combat the same issues and time constraints you face, if not more. 

This is not to play a comparison game, but rather simply pointing out the fact they are prioritizing their workouts more than you are.

As a beginner, you don’t need to work out for 1.5 hours a day. In fact, you can get great results lifting 45-60 minutes, three times a week. 

If Your Workouts Make You Sore and Tired…

Soreness is often a byproduct of a good muscle-building workout. If you are not light to moderately sore after a workout, you may not be delivering enough stimulus as you could to get results. 

Soreness, however, has an upper limit, meaning that if you are debilitatingly sore and cannot train those muscle groups 2-4 days later with intensity, then you may be doing too much in one day. 

If you do not have any soreness, try adding another work set or push harder within the rep range you are training (add more weight, slow the rep down, increase the range of motion).

If You Don’t Know What You Are Doing…

This is one of the most common feelings people have when going to the gym as a beginner, however with technology, you can bridge this gap very easily. 

Apps like Fitbod take the guesswork out of program design, and once you start logging your sessions the app will take over and tell you what to do every session.