8 Gym Hacks to Motivate Yourself

Make use of these 8 gym hacks to motivate yourself.

Maintaining a good level of motivation, especially when it comes to fitness, is not easy for some people. The thought of waking up for a run, or driving to the gym to begin lifting weights is not as appealing for some as it is for others.

This is why keeping yourself motivated is key to consistently staying active to get healthier and see the fitness results you are aiming for. For that, you could look for some gym hacks to motivate yourself, and luckily that is exactly what the Buff Dudes created.

The Buff Dudes is a YouTube channel with over 2.5 million subscribers. Despite the name of the channel, brothers Hudson and Brandon White are not your stereotypical bro gym. They deliver clear information with a good background story while poking fun at how buffed they are.

In a video about gym hacks to motivate yourself, Brandon White shares his go-to tips to make sure you keep inspired to train all year round.

Gym Hacks to Motivate Yourself

1. Find an Arch Nemesis

It might sound bad, but it isn’t and every gym has one, you just need to find it yourself. “Finding an arch nemesis is a simple way to increase your determination drive and competitive nature, feeling your desire to show up to the gym and knowing there’s an unspoken competition.”

Even if they don’t know it, you can use them as fuel to be the best version of yourself.

2. Layers

This is a clothing gym hack to motivate yourself and that Brandon does naturally nowadays. For example, on chest days, if you are wearing shorts, you might notice your legs are not as big as they should be, taking away the concentration from your upper body to your lower body.

On the other hand, on leg day, Brandon would stay away from wearing tank tops to not see his upper body when he is training his lower muscles.

Wear layers to take clothes off as you feel the pump. It will give you a massive boost when you see yourself in the mirror right after bench presses and taking off a sweater.

Source: Photo by Ketut Subiyanto on Pexels

3. Mirrors

Mirrors can be a quick and easy way to measure your progress. Just cause you use them, it doesn’t automatically make you an egotistical person.

You can watch yourself in the mirror mid-exercise to see if the form is correct and make the right adjustments.

4. Gym Bag

Your gym bag is your toolbox. If you are serious about fitness, you should be serious about what you have in your gym bag.

Your gym might have everything you need, but there could be some fitness gear that is already being used by someone else and then you’re left in the cold.

Some things you could add to your gym bag are resistance bands, lifting belts, knee sleeves, wrist wraps, and a log book.

5. Time Your Rest

Between sets, you should be timing your rest. Instead of using your phone to distract you, use it as one of the best gym hacks to motivate yourself. Use the clock to immediately time your resting period so you know when to jump back into action.

6. There is Always a Way

If you always wanted a specific piece of specific equipment in your gym to target a specific muscle in your body properly, you need to stop that thinking. “There are literally hundreds of alternative exercises to help you target any muscle group you want regardless of the kind of equipment you have.”

Don’t rely on having to have specific machines to get a good workout. Inform yourself of different ways to target your muscles so that you can get the best workout even if you only have a pair of dumbbells or a barbell.

7. Find Motivation

Not everyone finds motivation and sometimes you need to be reminded of it to get out and do it yourself. That is exactly one hack that Brandon uses for himself.

“Write down your goals, put them on sticky notes, and paste them on the bathroom mirror. Really, anything to constantly remind yourself why you’re going to the gym.”

You can also read a motivational book, or find someone that will motivate you.

8. Record Your Lifts

Record your lifts and analyse your footage. This is great for recording your progress and very helpful if you are training alone.

Seeing the progress you made throughout months and years will also help keep your motivation high for the following months and years.

And that was Brandon’s 8 gym hacks to motivate yourself. Click on the video below for more information.

VIDEO – Gym Hacks to Motivate Yourself

Timestamps of the video:

0:45 – Find an Arch Nemesis

1:30 – Layers

2:26 – Mirrors

3:05 – Gym Bag

6:01 – Time Your Rest

6:39 – There Is A Way

7:32 – Motivation

8:38 – Record Your Lifts

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