I am starting a new series on the blog where I will be sharing Barbara’s and my weekly workouts. Today, I also wanted to share with you the four motivations that I believe are important for a successful workout routine.

I’ve now been working out for about 18 months. During that time, I have missed very few workout days. It’s been difficult, but I’ve been highly motivated to continue. I’d like to share these motivations with you.

Maintaining a consistent workout schedule isn’t easy. Ask the thousands of people who are motivated to join fitness clubs every January looking to fulfill their New Year’s resolution of getting in shape.

Statistics tell us that within months about 80% of those people will no longer return to the gym. In fact, gym owners figure that only about 18% of all members will consistently use the gym.

Why is this? Isn’t a person’s desire to get healthy or lose weight a powerful enough motivator to induce them to actually carry through on their pledge?

The answer is no, and the reason is fairly obvious. The motivation to work out is simply trumped by the motivation not to work out. We all know the excuses: I’m too tired, I’m too busy, I’m not in the mood, I had a bad day at work, whatever.

It doesn’t matter what the excuse is. The motivation to do another activity like sleep or work or watch TV or party is much stronger than the motivation to work out. Whatever choice we make in life, we make it because we are always more highly motivated to make that choice than another.

For most people who start a workout routine and fall away, and most do, the motivation to get fit isn’t a strong enough motivator to keep them working out. It actually can be a poor motivator.

For example, why do you want to get fit? Is it to look like Scarlett Johannsen in Iron Man or Chris Hemsworth in Thor? Is it because you’ve been noticing the extra pounds and figure a couple of months of training will get you back to where you should be? Do you think if you tone that body a little bit you’ll get the guy/gal of your dreams?

News flash: There is a high probability that if you work out, you still won’t look like a superhero. And when you find that out, you might get discouraged. And here’s another well-known secret. Working out is hard. Very hard. And when you discover that in order to lose those extra pounds, it’s going to take a lot of work, then see ya.

But if your goal is rooted in the most important motivating factors in life, then a successful and consistent health routine becomes more of a reality.

I suspect most of the 20% who stick with their workout plan have figured this out. Let’s see what these motivations are.

Motivations Discovered When Learning To Ride A Bike

I remember when I taught my first child to ride a bike. First, I gave him the required instructions about bike safety. Then I held on to the rear of the seat to make sure he was able to balance before sending him off down the street.

On that very first run, he shot off like a rocket. It only took about 50 yards before he veered into the curb and fell. After quickly dismissing the scrapes on his hands, he promptly picked up the bike and got back on. Well … actually no. He promptly picked up the bike and smashed it to the ground.

In smashing his bike, my son exhibited a very common motivator: pain avoidance (I won’t talk about anger right now). The bike caused him pain. So the way to permanently avoid it was to destroy the bike. He did not, however, consider his motivations for wanting to learn to ride a bike in the first place.

I explained to him that if he was motivated to destroy his bike, he would have no more bike. This meant that he would not be able to ride with his friends, he would not be able to go where they went, and he would be stuck at home.

He quickly understood these implications and changed his attitude. He got back on the bike and took off. He fell a few more times but persevered and was eventually victorious. His motivations to learn to ride a bike had triumphed over his desire to destroy it.

What motivates a child to ride a bike? I suspect it has something to do with fear, power, and freedom. Fear because all the other kids are riding and they don’t want to be left behind or look like the nerd who can’t ride. Power because they now have the ability to go where they want as fast as they can. And Freedom because in a limited sense they can take that bike wherever they want without somebody holding their hand.

While everyone’s choices are influenced by some kind of motivating factor, fear, power, and freedom are among the strongest. Let me show you how these motivate me to work out.

1. Fear Motivated Me To Work Out

When I started my workout routine, my biggest motivation was fear. Because of celiac disease and years of chronic fatigue syndrome, I had become a sedentary person. See my story here. Outside of walking every day, I participated in no other strenuous activity.

However, something happened that shook me up. Two years ago, for some reason, I took a close look at my arms. I was shocked at what I saw. My arm muscles were atrophying. It seemed as if they were shriveling.

The previous two years of shoulder bursitis had significantly reduced my range of motion and now my arms were shrinking. To add fuel to the fire, sedentary people can lose up to 3%-5% muscle every decade after age 30. This is known as sarcopenia, and I was suffering from it. I was in bad shape, figuratively and literally.

I started to imagine myself as a frail, aged old man barely able to lift himself off a toilet or unable to make it from one side of the street to the other. Fear began to envelop me.

Psychologists tell us that fear is the most powerful motivator. It can keep us alive by warning us of dangers we should avoid, and it can motivate us to change a dangerous path we are on.

I was on a dangerous path and I saw the outcome and was terrified. At that point, I decided something had to be done. I learned that the way to slow down sarcopenia was through strength training. If done correctly, it could restore the damage done to my body and ward off the negative effects of muscle loss. I was motivated to do it.

Fear, however, is not always enough. It is a negative motivator. It can be paralyzing. It can produce a deer in the headlights effect. Other motivators were necessary to keep me on track.

2. Power Motivated Me To Work Out

The desire for a more powerful body also motivated me. I wanted my strength back. I was getting weaker with each passing year.

I was constantly suffering muscle strains and had to be extremely careful when lifting something. I developed severe bursitis in both shoulders just from pushing a snowblower. I didn’t want to live as a weakling who was constantly getting injured.

I wanted to be strong again. I wanted to be able to use my body to live a productive life. Did I know when I started lifting weights that I could regain my strength to a point like I had 30 years ago? No. I didn’t even know if I could lift at all. But if I could begin to regain some power by lifting, I would do it and make it part of my life.

3. Freedom Motivated Me To Work Out

Freedom is such a powerful motivating factor that countries have been formed because of a desire for it. Everybody wants freedom. When we’re younger, we may not think about this in health terms. But as we age the reality sets in. Do we really want to depend on a cane, a walker, or a home attendant for the rest of their lives?

Also, disease can be a powerful jailor. It can chain you to medications, machines, your bed, and other people. It can imprison your mind.

I don’t want that. I want to have a healthy body where I can move freely for as long as possible. I want to travel with my wife, play with my future grandchildren Lord willing, and hike through the woods well into old age.

Evidence has shown that strength training can help in fighting diseases such as sarcopenia, cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome, rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia, dementia, and type 2 diabetes (by managing insulin resistance). See here, here and here.

Strength training is a powerful weapon to stave off the bondage of disease.

4. Love Motivated Me To Work Out

There is one more strong motivating factor I’ve yet to mention. Love for others is extremely motivating. It will even motivate some to lay down their lives for others. In this sense, it might be a stronger motivator than fear.

I love my wife, my children, my family, and my friends. I want to give to them and be around for them for as long as I can. So every time I squat or deadlift or bench, I know I am doing something that will hopefully keep me healthy and functional so that I can serve them. I will endure the aches, the pain, and put in the time because I love them. 

These are the motivations that keep me working out. Without them, I probably would soon give it up.

Lifting weights is hard. It’s often painful when you’re doing it and often painful the day after. It’s also time-consuming. But the rewards are enormous.

Starting with the right motivations is the key to reaping those rewards. Next week I’ll take a look at an important associate of motivation: discipline.

Do you have a workout routine? What motivates you to keep going? Please share it with us.

Weekly Workouts

John’s Workout

(Our workout got a little messed up this week because we missed Monday)
Height: 5’11”
Weight: 180.0#

Sunday

Cardio: 30 min outside walk

Monday – Work commitment prevented workout

Tuesday
Barbell Bench Press      Dumbell Rows
45.0# 1 x 5 (warm up)      20.0# 1 x 8
65.0# 1 x 5 (warm up)      30.0# 1 x 15 x 3
80.0# 1 x 5 (warm up)
95.0# 1 x 3 (warm up)
110.0# 1 x 5
125.0# 1 x 5
142.5# 1 x 10
(I ended my Starting Strength novice linear progression. I started the Wendler 5/3/1 routine on 7/25. It seems to be working. Base weight 168#)
Cardio: 20 mins on treadmill 3.5 mph

Wednesday
Barbell Back Squats
45.0# 1 x 5 (warm up)
75.0# 1 x 5 (warm up)
95.0# 1 x 3 (warm up)
122.5# 1 x 5 x 3
(I was able to start low back barbell squats on 7/8. I’m still on Starting Strength novice linear progression.)
Cardio: 20 mins on treadmill 3.5 mph

Thursday
Over Head Dumbbell Press      Narrow Grip Bench Press
20.0# 1 x 8 (warm up)                   45.0# 1 x 8 (warm up)
30.0# 1 x 12 x 3                         90.0# 1 x 8 x 3

Cardio: 20 mins on treadmill 3.5 mph

Friday – Rest day

Saturday 
Deadlift
100.0# 1 x 5
145.0# 1 x 5
195.0# 1 x 2
245.0# 1 x 5
(I’m still on Starting Strength novice linear progression.)

Barbara’s Workout

Sunday – Rest day

Monday – Work commitment prevented workout

Tuesday
Barbell Bench Press
45.0# 1 x 5 (warm up)
60.0# 1 x 3 x 3

Wednesday
Low Back Squats
45.0# 1 x 5 (warm up)
55.0# 1 x 5 x 3

Thursday
Over Head Dumbbell Press
10.0# 1 x 8 (warm up)
15.0# 1 x 8 x 3

Friday – Rest day

Saturday 
Deadlift
65.0# 1 x 5
75.0# 1 x 2
102.5# 1 x 5

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