Finding motivation for bodybuilding can be tough when you are just starting out. When the physical exhaustion, and mental strain becomes too much, how do you find the will to go on? Our solution is to create what is called a bodybuilder motivation philosophy.
Your unique philosophy will bloom on its own, but for now, you can use these powerful ‘motivation hacks’ to keep yourself from falling off the wagon. Remember: you are already strong. It’s just a matter of keeping at it until you see the results that you really want.
1. Forgive Yourself
This is important – because at one point, you will begin blaming yourself for having been off the wagon for so long that you are physically suffering from the hard work needed to become fit again.
So forgive yourself. Make amends with your lifestyle, and start appreciating yourself more. It doesn’t matter if you can only do fifteen minutes of exercise per day, or you still crave for a donut or two when you feel stressed.
Everyone has to start from somewhere, and you are already winning when you start making small changes in how you live your life. Whether it’s buying organic or exercising more, learn to appreciate what you are already doing as opposed to just blaming yourself for being the way you were. Think of the present, and never dwell on the past.
2. Use Your Competition as Motivation
Imagine any rival that you admire because of his or her physicality. This person can be real or imagined and use that imaginary rivalry to push yourself harder and stronger.
This remains healthy as long as you don’t obsess about the imaginary rival. We just want you to have something to gun for – a weight, a particular look.
And when you think you are about to equal your rival, you can imagine him/her to be gaining just a little more. This will give you an unlimited boost in terms of motivation, because you will never run out of things to strive for physically. Keep the motivation healthy, and you will see yourself outdoing your previous personal bests.
3. Visualize Your Ideal Self
We don’t want any level of self-hate going near your efforts to become slimmer, fitter, or bigger (in a muscular fashion). So what we want you to do is to imagine your ideal look and just keep that in the center of your mind as you continue working out.
That ideal image of yourself will be your recurring motivation when you think that you are going nowhere, or you are too tired to continue. You know deep within that reaching that physical goal will benefit your body so much that you just want to keep on going.
Don’t be sidelined by the pain, or the fatigue. Those things are beyond normal. Every successful weight loss warrior will tell you that the pain and exhaustion is part of the process, and your body eventually adapts as it becomes stronger.
What this means is that as you train more, the fatigue and level of exhaustion that you feel now will begin to decrease exponentially, and you will actually begin craving for more physical challenges as your body becomes stronger.
4. Eat and Enjoy
Calorie counting aside, it is normal to want good food. What we’ve noticed as results for ourselves is after you’ve been cutting weight for awhile & you hit a plateau where the fat is no longer coming off is your body has potentially gone into starvation mode ( aka survival mode) where it’s trying to hold on to everything it can.
This is where doing a high carb cheat meal or even a cheat day helps. Not only does it help mentally but it also tells the body, OK we’re not starving we can utilize our body fat for fuel.
If you have weight loss goals for example, and you know that a piece of food will set you back almost a thousand calories, you can use that knowledge to make a decision. Do you consume the food and try to make up for it later, or do you eat something else? These are the practical decisions that we have to make as we live in this world. We don’t want you to be enclosed in this unrealistic bubble where everything is organic and lean. There will be days when you will eat out with friends or family, and you can’t just eat a potato because you’re cutting fat.
5. Buy Something That Would Motivate You
Some people feel the rush to train hard when they have new tank tops or gym shoes. Others feel the urge to train harder when they have a new whey supplement or protein shake. What’s your motivation booster? Motivation is a psychological state, and getting there can be practical, too.
Try out a new supplement, get some new gear for your workouts. The new acquisition will do wonders. But we have to reiterate here that you must not become dependent on buying stuff to train. In fact, this should only be done moderately and as a reward, if possible, to help you get out of a training rut.
Maybe a new set of headphones for the gym?
6. Always Train By Baby Steps
“Baby steps” sounds so un-manly, but it’s actually the number one thing that you should be gunning for when training in the gym. Why? Because baby steps doesn’t actually mean babying yourself.
Baby steps refer to setting small goals that are close together, so you can focus on achieving your bigger goals one step at a time. Baby steps allow you to monitor your progress and actually make small changes to what you are doing along the way. It allows you to be more flexible and ‘in the know’ with the direction that your training is actually taking.
