There are two excuses for the skipping the workout: time and money. For most people, these are two halves of the same sphere.
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Since we’re not Financial Hacks, you and I will stick to the time portion of the sphere.
Excuses get a bad rap. There’s a lot to be said for understanding them. Once you get past the stigma of making an excuse, you discover there is always some kernel of truth in excuses.
In most cases, unless the excuse is a lie, they are 100% real circumstances. By this logic, they are neither good nor bad. They’re just challenges.
Our goal is to identify these challenges, understand them then plan for more success next time.What follows are four considerations to help you move faster understanding what’s behind your excuses.
Shorten workouts
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Workouts are like luggage. Nobody says they pack more into them as they age.
Experienced gym folks will tell you they don’t lift like they used to. They don’t spend as much time at it.
When you’re a young adult, spending hours at the gym may be your whole plan for the day. Your joints can take it, but you shouldn’t push them.
Long workouts are not only harder on your joints, they can be demotivating. If the habit you form requires more than an hour of your time, when life presents you with a challenge, you may compromise the workout. Your commitment to the gym seems immovable so you skip it.
For the average adult, non-athlete, a thirty to forty minute workout is sufficient. It’s better that you spend less time, more frequently. Go five to six days a week, but for less time.
Make less of a thing about it.
Quit resting
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It won’t be enough just to manage your time at the gym if you are resting too much between sets. Unless you are trying to break records on weight, you don’t need so much time between lifts.
For the average adult, a 30-second rest is sufficient. You could rest longer to lift more or squeeze out more reps, but time is of the essence. The net gains from shortening your rests will far outweigh the 1-2 reps you lose.
In your workouts, be an efficiency master. Stack exercises that use different muscle groups so you don’t need rest between.
For most goals, the value of moving is way more important than resting. This will make the time go fast too.
Stop chatting
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You talk too much. It’s nice to chat with people you see in the gym, but they are there to train too. Don’t make it weird, but make every effort to avoid getting stuck in chit chat.
Workout with headphones, teach people how to treat you, but get used to ending the conversation. Practice saying things like, “well, I better hit this workout,” or “I hate to cut this off but I gotta get to it.”
Most people know where they are. They’ll even apologize. Next time they’ll give you the polite wave or nod.
Whatever you do, don’t be the initiator. Smiling is so valuable in the gym. Talking? Not so much.
Plan ahead
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Plan your workouts in advance. The best way to pencil it out, but if you’re comfortable with many exercises and your workout space, then you can put it together in your head.
Whatever you do, don’t get stuck waiting for one piece of equipment. Folks waste more time believing there is only one way to skin a cat.
If you are letting the perfect dumbbell weight or the perfect machine stop you from getting what you need, you need to plan better.
Experienced gym folks don’t waste time waiting, ever.
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Go ahead with your excuses. It’s okay. Just, listen to what they are, then plan around them.
If you’re making the same excuses over and over, then it’s time to check yourself. Running up against the same excuse over and over is not logical.
It’s crazy.