How to Stay Motivated to Reach Your Training Goals

Keeping the stoke high is essential to staying consistent so you can achieve your goals. Here are some top tips to help you do just that.

By Abi Cotler

Recently, my daughter and I found ourselves with injuries we needed to rehab. What can I say, we both like to climb trees for apples that don’t fall too far? When neither of us were being very effective at keeping up with the home exercises we were prescribed, I realized that what the pediatric PT told my daughter applied to me, too: less is more.

Once he cut down her protocol from three pages of movements to just two exercises a night, she was far more likely to do them every single day. A few exercises every night was way better than none at all, and so in that way she began to heal much more quickly than before.

This holds true for us all. One of the most important things about any routine is that you actually do it. This applies to climbing training as well as all the other ways we try to reach our goals: one of the best ways to maintain consistency is to break tasks into small bites you will actually do.

Having trouble sticking with your training routines? You’re not alone. The struggle is real. Here are some tips to keep you motivated on training and set you up for success.

 

Keep It Real

If you have a lofty goal that sounds terrific in theory, but is practically impossible, you may be shooting yourself in the foot. Want to bump up a grade in a week? It’s not gonna happen, and the frustration you may feel at what sounds like “failure” will actually hurt your drive overall. Instead, set goals in small, measurable increments. Each time you reach a goal, your momentum will snowball until all those small victories add up to make a giant win.

Commit to a Regular Workout Time

“Study” yourself before you decide on a training time and see when you are usually most physically active and energetic. Look, too, at when you are least likely to be pulled away from your training by other things that pop up in your life like work meetings or family needs. Set your training sessions up for that time of day, add them to your calendar, and create a hard line around them that’s virtually unbreakable as part of your commitment to yourself.

 

Find a Strong Buddy

Working out with a buddy can definitely make the time pass more quickly. Plus, having another person there and on board with your goals will help you stay accountable and motivated to reach them. Also, this person should be in somewhat better shape than you are. According studies that prove something known as the Kohler effect, working out with someone who’s more capable than you consistently pushes you to train harder than you would if you are alone.

Seek Instant Gratification

Long-term goals like living longer or even being able to climb something you never thought possible by this spring are awesome. But they may not motivate you to get up early and get back after it day after day. Focusing, however, on the immediate gains of working out hard can inspire you to stay consistent. Better energy or improved mood, for example, help keep you on track every step of the way, not just once you get to the big moments.

 

Gold Stars

Be sure to build rewards into your training goals for milestones reached; it helps us all push on when we feel like giving up. Rewards that tie right back to your plan are especially good, like buying  a new chalk bag or workout clothes. These kinds of rewards will make your next session more comfortable and remind you that you are making progress all the time and why that matters.

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