How do you drag yourself back to the gym after a break?

camzgon

camzgon

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This happens to me a lot — I cycle through good spells and bad. I'll be in the gym daily, then work or home life intervenes and the excuses start: I'll go tomorrow.

Today I'd had enough. Roughly two weeks away from the gym, so I made myself go. Normally once I'm inside the motivation arrives and I train hard and enjoy it. Today, though, even standing in there it never came. My chest press was clearly down on where it had been. Time to get that back on track.

Has anyone else been through the same, and what gets you back into the rhythm?
 
I remind myself that somewhere out there are haters who would LOVE to see me skip the gym today. So I go, purely out of spite.

Not sure that counts as useful advice, but it has carried me through sessions I had no appetite for.
 
camzgon said:

This happens to me a lot — I cycle through good spells and bad. I'll be in the gym daily, then work or home life intervenes and the excuses start: I'll go tomorrow.

Today I'd had enough. Roughly two weeks away from the gym, so I made myself go. Normally once I'm inside the motivation arrives and I train hard and enjoy it. Today, though, even standing in there it never came. My chest press was clearly down on where it had been. Time to get that back on track.

Has anyone else been through the same, and what gets you back into the rhythm?
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I relate to this completely. I have had stretches as a dedicated workout queen and stretches as an outright Sloth. Everything has been tried: first thing in the morning, no, make it the evening, what about lunch? No — too much else to get through, and it always slips down the list. Sigh.

Part of my problem, at least, is being retired and resenting ANYTHING that appears on a schedule — even the things that are good for me. Nobody is going to dictate what I do and when, ever again! Still... I wish I could get this bit sorted.
 
Get it done first thing. Nothing else gets in the way, and the gym tends to be quiet then. That time belongs to YOU.
 
It has to turn into something you love. Life does get in the way, but you have to find a way to stay resilient. This is for you and nobody else. What I love is that end-of-day feeling of knowing I ate properly and trained properly — the results I want, guaranteed.

You have got this!
 
The thing that helped me most was simply not going to the gym — hope that helps! 😆 jk, I did stop going, but working out at home suits me far better. I came across Caroline Girvain on YouTube. Having set programs to follow is what I love about it; they are tough but genuinely excellent. I'm sure there are others too. While pregnant and postpartum I also did Grow With Jo online to get back into a rhythm, and her channel is great as well! Daily walks plus YouTube workouts have kept me far more consistent than the physical gym ever did
 
therealtpain said:

I remind myself that somewhere out there are haters who would LOVE to see me skip the gym today. So I go, purely out of spite.

Not sure that counts as useful advice, but it has carried me through sessions I had no appetite for.
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ha, that is a great one 😀
 
Middle school and high school were my competitive running years. Weightlifting started for me as a Junior in high school. I tried to carry both through college, but I came to hate running and lifting.

Not long after I graduated, the girlfriend I had then dragged me to a climbing gym. I had no interest whatsoever and assumed it would be stupid (there is a bit of backstory). I loved it. 29 years on and I am still climbing rock.

Yoga came along in 2006 to support my climbing, and 20 years later I am still at it. My affection for it nearly matches my affection for climbing. I also get the privilege of a weekly class taught by the finest yoga teacher in existence — my wife!

Weights have come back into my routine recently too. My wife bought a home gym setup, and I run a general upper-body session that doubles as shoulder rehab, since climbing has wrecked mine. I am excited about it, knowing it buys me more climbing years.

The takeaway: find forms of exercise that are fun. Climbing and yoga register as playtime for me, so neither ever feels like a chore.
 
spanky2026 said:

camzgon said:

This happens to me a lot — I cycle through good spells and bad. I'll be in the gym daily, then work or home life intervenes and the excuses start: I'll go tomorrow.

Today I'd had enough. Roughly two weeks away from the gym, so I made myself go. Normally once I'm inside the motivation arrives and I train hard and enjoy it. Today, though, even standing in there it never came. My chest press was clearly down on where it had been. Time to get that back on track.

Has anyone else been through the same, and what gets you back into the rhythm?
Click to expand...
I relate to this completely. I have had stretches as a dedicated workout queen and stretches as an outright Sloth. Everything has been tried: first thing in the morning, no, make it the evening, what about lunch? No — too much else to get through, and it always slips down the list. Sigh.

Part of my problem, at least, is being retired and resenting ANYTHING that appears on a schedule — even the things that are good for me. Nobody is going to dictate what I do and when, ever again! Still... I wish I could get this bit sorted.
Click to expand...
Worth a go.. setting myself a calendar reminder to train.
 
Troposphere said:

Middle school and high school were my competitive running years. Weightlifting started for me as a Junior in high school. I tried to carry both through college, but I came to hate running and lifting.

Not long after I graduated, the girlfriend I had then dragged me to a climbing gym. I had no interest whatsoever and assumed it would be stupid (there is a bit of backstory). I loved it. 29 years on and I am still climbing rock.

Yoga came along in 2006 to support my climbing, and 20 years later I am still at it. My affection for it nearly matches my affection for climbing. I also get the privilege of a weekly class taught by the finest yoga teacher in existence — my wife!

Weights have come back into my routine recently too. My wife bought a home gym setup, and I run a general upper-body session that doubles as shoulder rehab, since climbing has wrecked mine. I am excited about it, knowing it buys me more climbing years.

The takeaway: find forms of exercise that are fun. Climbing and yoga register as playtime for me, so neither ever feels like a chore.
Click to expand...
A friend suggested badminton, but she ended up heading to the states instead. Once she is back it might be a way to shake things up. Being sporty was never really me, but stepping outside my comfort zone seems worthwhile
 
Your daily routine should accommodate the gym, not the reverse. Accept that family, work and sleep will always outrank it. And that is fine. If your schedule only leaves room for the gym 3x a week, you will see results very close to those of someone going daily — simply because you are not overwhelmed by it.

Keeping the training plan fluid rather than fixed has paid off enormously for me. For instance, stop thinking M, W & F and think every other day, with an extra rest day thrown in. Then a missed Monday session is no problem — shift it to Tuesday and push everything back. The same thinking works for 4-6 day weekly sessions. Build the plan around how many times you want to go, not which weekdays; it stops feeling so constrained and a missed day or two hurts far less.
 
camzgon said:

Troposphere said:

Middle school and high school were my competitive running years. Weightlifting started for me as a Junior in high school. I tried to carry both through college, but I came to hate running and lifting.

Not long after I graduated, the girlfriend I had then dragged me to a climbing gym. I had no interest whatsoever and assumed it would be stupid (there is a bit of backstory). I loved it. 29 years on and I am still climbing rock.

Yoga came along in 2006 to support my climbing, and 20 years later I am still at it. My affection for it nearly matches my affection for climbing. I also get the privilege of a weekly class taught by the finest yoga teacher in existence — my wife!

Weights have come back into my routine recently too. My wife bought a home gym setup, and I run a general upper-body session that doubles as shoulder rehab, since climbing has wrecked mine. I am excited about it, knowing it buys me more climbing years.

The takeaway: find forms of exercise that are fun. Climbing and yoga register as playtime for me, so neither ever feels like a chore.
Click to expand...
A friend suggested badminton, but she ended up heading to the states instead. Once she is back it might be a way to shake things up. Being sporty was never really me, but stepping outside my comfort zone seems worthwhile
Click to expand...
Give things a go; you cannot predict which one will click. Not all of them will. Pickle ball, road biking, soccer and basketball all turned out to be misses for me. There are certainly others, but none come to mind at the moment.

edit: and tennis, golf, swimming... no thanks
 
salt'n papa said:

Get it done first thing. Nothing else gets in the way, and the gym tends to be quiet then. That time belongs to YOU.
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I will second that. The winning approach is having a plan and heading straight there the moment you wake, before you can talk yourself out of it lol
 
Honestly, the overthinking is the problem. Rather than working out how to get to the gym, put the phone down and go. Do not hand yourself an excuse. There is nothing stopping you, and it need not occupy a single thought. Had you not written this post, you would be there already.
 
You are grown. You already know training is superb for both body and mind. Quit swapping your long term goals for short term comfort. Lace the sneakers, get off your backside and do it.

Discipline beats Motivation

Being in shape is a rental, and the rent falls due daily!

All said with tough love.
 
My advice: force yourself to do it regularly, but make it so easy that you have no excuse to skip. I am not a gym person either, so perhaps a short and very light workout, or a few exercises at home. If the process feels bad, painful or exhausting it becomes aversive, and whatever you tell yourself, you will be less inclined to repeat it.

That approach worked for me back when I was still very overweight and extremely unfit. Daily walking was the requirement, but just 5 minutes of it — and it worked far better than expected. Once it had become a habit, extending the time was easy.
 
What I love most about the gym is improving and keeping track of that improvement. For me it means lifting weights — heavier ones than last time. It means devising a plan for getting better at the lifts, then carrying it out. Fail to stick to the plan and the progress stops. I like progress. So sticking to the plan is squarely in my interest.

For you it may not be lifting at all — something else entirely — but the concept transfers. Going in becomes its own reward, because you are executing the plan and hitting your targets.

That is what works in my case.
 
salt'n papa said:

Get it done first thing. Nothing else gets in the way, and the gym tends to be quiet then. That time belongs to YOU.
Click to expand...
Rather than straight gym work, there is another angle. Wherever you are: an ocean surf life saving club will have rowing, kayaking or surf ski on early in the morning. Most of them start at dawn, and many have basic gym equipment to go with the water activity. The club social side is great, and the early start helps regulate sleep — which promotes muscle growth.
 
European said:

Getting me into the gym took an ex breaking up with me... Toxic, but effective...
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My wife is getting dumped, then! Great idea. Some toxication could do my belly fat a world of good 🤣 🤣
 
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