Hi all well as I have already put a thread saying hello and letting you all know that I am back I will cut straight to the point. I went to train last night and I have lost a lot of strength but I found that my motivation is just not as good as it used to be. I was half assed at all of my lifts the form that I usually am so obsessed with was not there either. I just did not care and could only think about sitting down and watching tv. Today I got some pictures put into frames of Arnold whom is my inspiration and I am going to put them on the wall tonight but what else do you guys use to get motivated because really unless you are going to put in 110% what the hell is the use of even starting.

I have decided that due to my knee injury I am only going to be training upper body and cardio until I feel that my knee is fully recovered.

Hi all well as I have already put a thread saying hello and letting you all know that I am back I will cut straight to the point. I went to train last night and I have lost a lot of strength but I found that my motivation is just not as good as it used to be. I was half assed at all of my lifts the form that I usually am so obsessed with was not there either. I just did not care and could only think about sitting down and watching tv. Today I got some pictures put into frames of Arnold whom is my inspiration and I am going to put them on the wall tonight but what else do you guys use to get motivated because really unless you are going to put in 110% what the hell is the use of even starting.

I have decided that due to my knee injury I am only going to be training upper body and cardio until I feel that my knee is fully recovered.

Get a goal. Join John's July 100% Challenge. Make up a challenge and write a post to get people to join you. Have you tried SGX? That will challenge you.

I think the part about putting Arnold in a frame is a good step. That's proactive. Keep going. I hope you make it.

Hi all well as I have already put a thread saying hello and letting you all know that I am back I will cut straight to the point. I went to train last night and I have lost a lot of strength but I found that my motivation is just not as good as it used to be. I was half assed at all of my lifts the form that I usually am so obsessed with was not there either. I just did not care and could only think about sitting down and watching tv. Today I got some pictures put into frames of Arnold whom is my inspiration and I am going to put them on the wall tonight but what else do you guys use to get motivated because really unless you are going to put in 110% what the hell is the use of even starting.
Stop waiting for "motivation" to come to you. The hardest part of training for me is getting to the gym and getting through the warm-up. Sometimes going through the motions is fine and sticking with a routine (read "habit) is all-important. I think Dan John said something to the effect of "champions are largely built on 'punch-the-clock' workouts, not extraordinary efforts". Gains (and motivation) will not always be linear, but consistency is crucial.

Hi all well as I have already put a thread saying hello and letting you all know that I am back I will cut straight to the point. I went to train last night and I have lost a lot of strength but I found that my motivation is just not as good as it used to be. I was half assed at all of my lifts the form that I usually am so obsessed with was not there either. I just did not care and could only think about sitting down and watching tv. Today I got some pictures put into frames of Arnold whom is my inspiration and I am going to put them on the wall tonight but what else do you guys use to get motivated because really unless you are going to put in 110% what the hell is the use of even starting.

I have decided that due to my knee injury I am only going to be training upper body and cardio until I feel that my knee is fully recovered.

I agree with Boris. If I need wait my motivation to come, I'll wait forever. Instead of wait or measure my motivation level, I'd put myself on the automatic-mode. I just pack my things and head to the gym without thinking a lot about it. Same goes to the warm-up time. I realized that when I start to act like I'm motivated, the motivation comes. And lots of music and lots of pictures works well for me too. :spaz:

Good luck! :gl:

+1 to prior posts. You make your own motivation. For my first few months of lifting, there were several occasions where I didn't feel like lifting, but I did anyway. Now, I can't stand the thought of skipping a lift.

Set a goal of reaching your old personal records by the end of the year (shouldn't be too hard to do), for example. Just lift until you get back into the habit of it. Visualize your goals. It works ;)

I find music always gets me motivated. Some good loud death metal.

ucfmatt's thread motivates me: http://forums.johnstonefitness.com/showthread.php?t=36736 (on the second page he has a collection of progress pics)

mainly because i look similar to his before pic, so it shows me what a year of hard work can accomplish. i suggest looking through the JSF media gallery for motivation. i also agree with the suggestion of music. every time im at the gym and i feel like cutting my workout short, i switch my mp3 player to some Rise Against. instant motivation.

By coincidence, I saw these links today on Zenhabits. (http://zenhabits.net/)

31 Ways to Motivate Yourself to Exercise (http://zenhabits.net/2007/10/31-ways-to-motivate-yourself-to-exercise/)

How to Get Back on the Exercise Train (http://zenhabits.net/2007/03/how-to-get-back-on-exercise-train/)

Thanks guys I hear exactly what you are saying tonight I am not going tot wait for the motivation I am just going to go in there and give it my all. I feel that once I am in this state of mind I can not be stopped so I hope that tonights session goes well and there are no thoughts of what is on TV.

Get a TiVo. Then you don't need to worry about TV schedules at all.

This is what pulls me out of bed each and every morning at 5:45:

"A missed training day is a day you cant get back, its a missed opportuity to build muscle that you will never get back"

Something along those lines.

Get a TiVo. Then you don't need to worry about TV schedules at all.

Forget the TV I am not going to even think about it I am committing myself to training and that is what I am going to do. But thanks for the advice.

This is what pulls me out of bed each and every morning at 5:45:

"A missed training day is a day you cant get back, its a missed opportuity to build muscle that you will never get back"

Something along those lines.

great mindset and one that I am using I feel that i have to train even harder now to get the couple of months back that I lost while healing from the knee injury.

When I get up in the morning, I think to myself, "sweet, i'm alive"... then I go do cardio. In the evening, I watch some tv for a half an hour or an hour, eat an apple and have some green tea. then I sit there and think about how I am going to feel if I don't workout, versus just doing it.... I always just do it. and the feeling afterwards is amazing.

it really boils down to just starting it. I find once I get going its not a problem. I also find it hard to get motivated. I think anyone that listens to heavy metal is already 50% of the way to working out. I know when I put the tunes on I get ready to slam a dumbell through my ceiling. (in a good way:bb:)

About music. I found two great bands reading the FAQ's and it's working fine to me:

For Cardio: The Crystal Method (good, solid rhythm) :tucool:

For Lifting: Hatebreed (killer tune!) :evil:

I've been using these songs anytime I'm training. And guess what!? It became natural, everytime I listen to that tunes my body and mind get ready to workout! :bb:

Get an image of your most desired physique and put it next to your bedside cabinet or on your wall, whereever you will visualise it everyday, that is the biggest motivation.

I lift after work, and towards the end of the day, I start getting edgy because I'm anticipating my lifting fix so much. Lifts go by too quick :cry: I love lifting so much :bb:

If you tell yourself something enough, you will begin to believe it. Eventually, it will become ingrained in your mind and a true part of you. First few months, I had to force myself to go lift, but I told myself I loved it. Then I kept lifting out of habit, but I told myself I loved it. Now I just love it, and would hate to miss a lift.

I lift after work, and towards the end of the day, I start getting edgy because I'm anticipating my lifting fix so much. Lifts go by too quick :cry: I love lifting so much :bb:

If you tell yourself something enough, you will begin to believe it. Eventually, it will become ingrained in your mind and a true part of you. First few months, I had to force myself to go lift, but I told myself I loved it. Then I kept lifting out of habit, but I told myself I loved it. Now I just love it, and would hate to miss a lift.

I agree about affirmations. They work exceptionally well. They work even better if the target goal is lofty yet doable and relates to things beyond the workout itself. The combination I use that get me motivated are:

1. Lifting is the only tool I have to improve my physical self. Each session is an opportunity that won't be recovered and puts my improvement further out if missed.
2. Physical improvement is the only way to experience the lifestyle I want. I will not be able to enjoy the activities I want without it. If I don't lift today, I won't experience what I want to experience tomorrow.
3. Tomorrow will look like today if I don't improve. This ties it together.

I consider the affirmations a method of having hope for the things I would consider most important in the future at a time when I haven't realized them. If I don't lift, I have put a big dent in my ability to hope and dream about what tomorrow will look like. Not lifting becomes depressing and lifting becomes a little euphoric because it's actually experiencing a small facet of what I don't have as of yet.

Pick a goal that really turns you on, one you don't have yet and one that only lifting will facilitate. Building your body is just a means to something, it's very seldom an end in itself (even if sometimes it does become that way, that's fine too when that happens). Define that "something" and hang the carrot out on the stick. That's not at all hard to find. Affirm to yourself daily that you can actually attain that goal and that your workout is the only path to get there. You will find yourself more interested in lifting than doing the things that might detract from it.

This can do more than just get you to the gym, it can also be applied as you reach the final rep and start to feel like "That's enough" when it isn't enough. It will make you say, "hell no, I'm not wasting this set by stopping here" because even the set and rep are then a piece of your future.

I can't know what others have for goals for happiness which might relate to lifting. But for me, there are fundamental lifestyle basics that I will not have if I don't lift. I've had many years and experiences that prove that physical presence is very directly related to happiness and success. Coming to that (utterly hated but pragmatic) realization, let's you see how workouts facilitate some of the most important goals in life. This can then drive you.