Sticking to a Plan is Easy. Until It’s Not

When I first started training for powerlifting, I was excited to go to the gym almost every day. I enjoyed the struggle of perfecting the main movements and liked seeing myself improve.

However, that motivation doesn’t last forever. Eventually, motivation will not be enough to get you to step foot into the gym. I’ve had days where I set my alarm to go workout, but instead sleep for an extra hour and skip. Or I’ve gone, but not pushed myself as hard as I should have. This is a common occurrence for many people, even if you aren’t powerlifting. Our brain gives us barriers and we decide to either let the barrier be built or knock it down.

What I’m getting at is motivation and excitement will only take you so far. If you want to see improvements, you need to turn that motivation into a habit. Here are the methods I use to make training a habit for me.

Schedule your workouts

The best way to make the gym a habit is to build it into your schedule. Just like school or work, find a time that you can consistently go every day, even if it’s a rest day, and block off that time from any other obligations. This not only makes training a priority, but it also gets you into the mindset of “gym time” and your mind will soon automatically switch gears.

What is most important with this method is you must stick to the schedule. Some days will be hard and you won’t want to go when you told yourself you would. But if you break that schedule, you’re more likely to tell yourself it’s okay if you skip the next day. And the next day.

Abide by your schedule like it’s holy and you’ll soon find you have fewer thoughts of skipping your workouts.

Have a long-term plan or program

Before I started powerlifting, I would plan my workouts for the next day the night before. I was never sure what I was doing a week later, much less two days out. Now that I follow a 6-week program, I’m more apt to follow it.

Having a program that you can look at far in advance can remind you why you are going in the first place. It gives you a reason to train because you know you want to PR by the end of the program and you can see all the steps laid out for you to get to that PR.

A program also helps keep you on a schedule because you know exactly what days you’ll be training. Take a look at my last post for some beginner program recommendations.

Let someone keep you accountable

Whether you have a training partner, a friend, or a parent, it’s important that you don’t train alone. Even if they don’t physically come to the gym with you, it’s important to have someone to share your successes with.

You can also use that person to help keep you accountable. Ask them to check in with you every once in a while about your training and tell them about your program and what you’re doing.

Sometimes it’s just nice to know that someone else is rooting for you and wants to see you succeed. That can be enough to break through any mental barriers.

Listen to your body

Lastly, it’s important to listen to your body. Most of the time, it’s mental blocks that are keeping people from following their plan and crushing their goals. Sometimes, however, your body could also be telling you to stop and take it easy for a little bit.

If you’re sick, something hurts a little more than usual, or you are going through a large life event, it’s okay to give your body what it needs to rest and recover. Don’t feel guilty if you are skipping the gym for something serious like this.

Powerlifting is more than lifting really heavy. If you want to reach your goals and crush your PRs, training needs to be a habit. Mental blocks can be overcome, and you’ll be a better athlete for it.

Stay tuned for more posts. Next week, I’ll be going over some powerlifting-specific terms that you might come across when you are starting your journey.