Consistency is a matter of enjoying the gym. Straight up, that’s it. We like to make things hard, but in this article I want to double down on simplicity.
In order to be consistent with something, you’ve got to like it on some level. There has to be a part of you that wants to do it, whatever the thing is.
And in order for that to happen, you’ll need to change who you are as a person. Then for this to happen, there needs to be a stimulus.
Luckily for you, there is one. You can’t stay consistent!
Look at that, full circle.
Locate the pain
You’re asking the question which shows that you’re aware of it, which is a big step. Awareness of the problem shows you’re ready for a solution. It’s not to say that it’s a problem.
Because without that pain, you wouldn’t have anything to go off of and thus change. So congrats on knowing this.
Next up is taking a step forwards, how do you do it? Well, you’re going to want to take it. Because no one else will.
So you want to go to the gym more? Great, read on.
If you find that you’re not going to the gym week in week out, it would suggest that something in this area isn’t lining up. A goal, or value or even an exercise that you don’t find interesting or worth the effort. It’s usually a small thing that needs to be found, like a needle in a haystack.
Like the scientists of old, you need to test what the issue is. Be aware of your lifts, your goals, your interests and try to find the pain. Of which, is a signal that something needs to change! Not a bad thing, just an opportunity to transmute.
Once you find it, you’re ready to move on to the next step.
Here’s a video below of me explaining this concept.
Test out other ideas
You’ve found the pain, and recognise why it is happening. If it’s a goal, have a play around with what it is you actually want out of the gym. Make it a little bit more in depth, lose weight, gain muscle or be fitter.
These aren’t specific enough and as a result your attention will waver on them.
Make it specific, actionable & relevant with a deadline. Place the deadline on something relevant, i.e. i want to lose 5kg of fat in 6 months time in order to feel better for my holiday.
Awesome. How does that goal feel? (preferably one you make yourself.) If it makes you want to get down to the gym, superb! If not, add something more. Make it more relatable and relevant to your life and interests.
Example, you want to get more flexible because the idea of being agile is cool… Then you wouldn’t start training like a powerlifter; although I’m sure there are agile powerlifters out there, you’d need both goals to align, in order for maximum efficiency.
One more example, don’t like the bench press? Stop doing it. No one is forcing you to. Practice makes permanent and if you train something you hate over and over, you’re practising to hate the movement pattern.
Do yourself a favour, stop.
BUT! Find a suitable replacement. A slow and controlled chest dip may be your thing. Or maybe a weighted dip, or incline press or decline press. I get that not in every case will you do a 1 to 1 swap, in terms of effectiveness.
Yet I feel it is significantly better to enjoy an exercise, one that gives you energy and enjoyment and pays you back mentally. Then forcing everything. So I believe the swap would be worth it.
And hey, maybe the break from that exercise was all you needed.
Could it be in 3 months of dips, you’ll revert to chest press? Possibly.
Ridged training
For top level athletes and elite level enthusiasts, you’ll have to follow specific programs. Lest you want to lose?
But how many of us are reading at that level? If you are, you probably know more than me anyway.
However, the average person, me included, doesn’t need to be that strict. Over the 7 years I’ve been training, I’ve only just found a training regiment that I like. Literally in the last 6 months.
The only reason I got here was due to the fact that I continued on with training and was curious to test out new exercises. It’s this switching up of programs that I’ve been able to find this harmonious plan.
It took a lot of testing, research and curiosity. And funnily enough, now that I’ve found my style, I believe my cut has been easier. I don’t feel guilty missing a day and I can easily pick up where I left off.
Not only that, but the experience of training in different styles gives me a unique perspective on how to train, what to train and why. It seems that it was meant to be, and if I’m honest it was. I don’t doubt for one moment this is where I’m meant to be and I know that it will change in the future.
And guess what. That’s okay.
Consistency is fluid
My training has not been rigid. I’ve never done it, I dislike being boxed in with things and training is one of them. If I made myself come to the gym and give 100% every time without change, I’d be skinny fat and thinking how to get training again.
The reality is, we’re not going to feel 100% every day of the year. That is okay, get over it.
One day you may feel 100%, the next 60%, the next 75% and after that 200% etc. Days come and go, waves go up and down, sun is hot then not.
Life is, at its core, change.
There is a constant ebb and flow. With no direction, yet being directed at the same time. And adaptation is a trait to coexist with it.
If a tree infection wipes out a forest and you live there. Would you continue to live the way you did when the trees were healthy? No. Because one might fall on you. Or the ecosystem changes to better live without the trees.
An odd example, but hopefully my point is clear.
You’re allowed to feel down at times just as much as you’re allowed to feel good. It’s best to recognise this and adapt to it.
Just the same with whatever is stopping you from going to the gym. After working this out, it allowed me to consistently go and see steady results.
Locate the pain. Adapt and test until you find a solution. Continue until it happens again.
This is the basis of my holistic/intuitive approach. And boiled down even further,
Listen to your gut. If something is wrong, then something is wrong.
Now decide whether you want to change it or not.
I hope you enjoyed this article. If you did, please consider sharing. And follow my socials below: