What motivates you?

What is the motivating force behind your work out? Is it to lose weight? Is it to win a bet you have with someone? Is it to be “jacked and tan” like the guys from jersey shore? Is it to be a better athlete? Or is it your way to replace something that you have given up? Here in San Diego, I have begun to notice just how many different reasons people have to work out. Yes, the majority of people’s goals are to be lean and to lose weight - as you can tell by the line of 20 people waiting for the cardio equipment at the local 24 hour fitness. Yes, some just want to have abs, big arms, defined shoulders, and a big chest - as you can tell by the ill use of the squat racks. Then there is the aerobic room full of guys doing traditional ab exercises till they’re lying in a puddle of sweat. I thought I heard it all until I met three guys who, by talking to in passing, shared personal motivation I will never forget. All three of the guys use to be an addict of some type. No, not an exercise or food addict, but a drug addict, alcoholic or both.

Coming into contact with these guys really makes you realize just how powerful working out is. They all say that lifting creates its own high, a high strong enough that replaces the addictions they use to have. You can find these guys in the gym everyday of the week, because without it, they are tempted to revert back to their dark pasts.

There are some of us freaks in the exercise world that can’t go a day without working out. You might not be one, but everyone knows someone. The everyday exercisers often talk about the release associated with a tough workout; it’s how we relax. Now to some, the idea of “having” to workout will always sound nuts, but when you reach that point in your exercise life, it’s very hard to lose it. Lifting and working out become your best friend/significant other. It becomes part of your life. When you’re having a bad day, a hard workout can clear your mind, it can take your mind off of the problems you face in your life, and could play a role as the ultimate stress relief.   Now, with all the good comes some frustration. You’ll have failed attempts at lifts, feel like there’s a lack of progress, the occasional nagging injury, and days when you feel like you have become untrained over night. But for all the bad days you have, you still know the gym, your body, and your mind will give you at least 40 good days in return. For those of you in the business world, that’s a 4000% return of profit!!

Now before I go too far with this rant, I just want to say that whatever your motivation is to get you into the gym, keep at it. When you lose your motivation, go find something that will re-motivate you. As my good friend and mentor Pete McCall would say, “Always try to get 1% better”. Here at 1RM Performance, we can be the motivating force when you need that a little more!