Working out at the gym has many benefits, from brain health to physical health. But let’s face it - this does not always mean that it is easy to go to the gym. If you feel unmotivated to get into a workout routine, take a look at a few pro tips to boost gym motivation.

1.Set Goals

Without goals, there is no direction. A clear objective can help you work towards something.

It is best to start with a realistic and achievable goal. Setting goals will give you a better indication of what you hope to achieve with your next workout and further incentivize you to complete your routine.

Map out the exact weights you will be lifting, the number of sets and rep ranges before your next workout. Planning out what you know is achievable but also challenging yourself enough to encourage utmost effort.

Setting realistic goals that include clear landmarks will motivate you to work out and achieve your goals.

2.Create a Pre-Training Routine

Preparation for the gym is just as important as the workout itself. An effective pre-training routine includes pre-workout nutrition, designed to help you get the most out of your workouts and enhance your performance.

Focus for the gym can also be reinforced by a nutritious meal an hour before, along with a pre-workout supplement right before you begin. Preworkout is excellent for improving focus, alertness and motivation for the gym.

The Cocowodder Preworkout is a performance hydration formula designed to saturate your body with optimal electrolytes and BCAA levels. Preworkout is particularly effective on days when energy levels and motivation are low, making it an essential factor in your preparation routine.

Preparation can also include putting on your workout clothes and shoes out, so they are the first things you see first in the morning, making you feel obligated to go.

3.Find a Workout Partner

When your motivation is at its lowest, a workout partner can challenge and encourage you. Missing a workout becomes more difficult when you’re accountable to a partner, and they are holding up their end of the agreement.

In the case that you do not have any friends who want to work out, make some! Find people whose goals align with yours and motivate each other, whether that is at a fitness class or a Facebook group.

Having an accountability partner provides you with the feeling that another individual depends on you to attend, making you less likely to miss a gym session. Further, seeing your partner perform - lifting heavier weights - may motivate you even more.

4.Reward Yourself

While some are motivated by the goals of “weight control” and “better health,” this may not be enough of an incentive for others. When it is not, the rewards for working out should be more tangible, whether this is treating yourself to yogurt pops or an episode of “Friends” subsequently.

Journalist Charles Dhhigg recommends creating a neurological “habit loop,” which involves a cue to trigger the behaviour, for example, putting your BCAA next to your gym bag. This routine would be making it through your workout, followed by the reward.

Extrinsic rewards are influential because your brain can hook onto them and affiliate them to the behaviour. External rewards increase the odds of your workout routine becoming a habit.

Over time, this motivation will become intrinsic as the brain will associate sweat and pain with endorphins. Endorphins are those feel-good chemicals released in the brain and are associated with that rush after a great gym session. Once your brain recognizes that the workout is a reward, the extrinsic rewards will no longer be necessary.

5.Visualize the Benefits

Many have advocated positive thinking as a motivational strategy. This is when you visualize the benefits of working out. For some people, this may be imagining their bodies after the weight loss or how content you will feel once you see your muscles developing.

However, such visions are only compelling when they are accompanied by rational thinking. In a situation where you may feel too tired to visit the gym after work, it may be more realistic to decide how you can overcome this hindrance. In such situations, positive thinking may not be enough. It may be more rational to make a plan instead of switching to morning workouts instead of after work.

If you’re considering skipping your workout, try sitting down for a moment and envisioning how you will feel after and how you would be closer to your end goal.

Your mindset is everything. Remaining positive and not letting impediments become impossibilities will contribute towards a favourable outcome.

Whether you’re agonizing over a weight loss plateau or starting a new workout routine, workout motivation can sometimes be hard to come by. It is essential to ensure that this lack of reason does not prevent you from achieving your long-term goals. Setting goals for the gym, finding a workout partner, preparing for your workout, rewarding yourself, and positive thinking can all be ways that you can boost gym motivation and be one step closer to achieving your goals.