| | | | FEATURE ARTICLE by Dani Shugart
1 – Don't wait for it.
Motivation ebbs and flows with experienced lifters just as it does with inexperienced ones. The difference is, the experienced lifter allows him or herself to feel unmotivated and shows up at the gym anyway. So stop analyzing your feelings about working out and just go.
Don't train because you're motivated; train to become motivated. Unless you're preparing for a competition, you probably won't feel fired-up on a daily basis. So show up, put in the effort, and find your motivation in the middle of the set. It'll be there waiting for you... unless you are completely physically burnt out. And that likely will only happen if you're an advanced athlete who trains constantly or is ill. | | | 2 – Envision the work.
Think about the physical feeling of training. Put your mind on the work. Remember what the bar feels like in your hands and what your body feels like moving it. Thinking about training will make you want to go back, and it doesn't really matter what your main goal is.
Trying to get jacked? Think about what the mind-muscle connection feels like, and what you'd be doing to achieve it. Remember what it feels like to get that skin-bursting pump. Trying to get stronger? Think about what it feels like to lock out during a heavy set. Picture that moment. Trying to lose fat? Think about how it feels to push through a challenging interval, cardio session, or whatever else you've been using.
People who love the work can't stop thinking about it. They'll sometimes even practice the movements when they think nobody's watching. Their thoughts reinforce their behavior and their behavior reinforces their thoughts.
3 – Avoid regret.
"I don't feel like working out today, but I'll regret it if I don't." Ever hear someone say this? If you're not stoked about lifting, remember that the blah feeling you have in the gym parking lot is short-lived. But if you blow off your workout, you'll regret it the rest of the day, or later in the week when you need to make up for what you missed.
Even if you actually WOULDN'T regret missing it, convince yourself that you would so that you're compelled enough to start. Sometimes starting a workout is the hardest part. So whenever you say you don't feel like working out, follow it up with the reason why you will anyway. | |  | by Dr John Rusin Enjoy pain? Increasing metabolic stress is the single most overlooked aspect of training for size. Try these torturous techniques. |  | by Tim Patterson Scientists have discovered a compound that precisely controls nutrients so what you eat literally turns to muscle instead of fat. | | Healthy eating is only expensive if you...
1. Fail to use your brain.
2. Fail to plan ahead.
3. Fail to put in some work. | | Put in the work, don't expect things to happen overnight, and don't be afraid to fail. That's how you get better. | | Stagnation is a signal from your body. It's telling you to change something. If you don't, what do you think will happen? Certainly not progress. We do need to push the envelope from time to time, but not all the time. The Olympics aren't held every week, all year round. They're once every four years. Have you ever considered looking at your own training with this kind of timeframe? | | | | | | |
