Power Up Your Workout — 5 Next-level Motivational Tips

Like anything we do repeatedly, workout intensity can easily fade without intentional reminders. And when intensity drops, results often follow. I’m working on another article that explores this idea in more detail, but for now just remember: without focused effort and consistent intention, it’s easy to just start going through the motions.

Across more than 2,000 sessions I’ve run since 2018 as a Physiotherapist and Strength and Conditioning Specialist, I’ve collected a gold mine of motivational cues that help my clients squeeze out one more rep, a few more seconds or a couple more breaths when it matters most. Here are five of my favorites to help keep your intensity high and maximize your results every time you train.

The $100 bill experiment

You’ve got your back against the wall. Ah yes, the infamous wall sit. Your quads are on fire. It sucks. You think you’re done, and I get it. But if I offered you $100 to hold it for another 15 seconds, would you do it?

That question hits a lot of people I’ve worked with hard. For $1? Maybe not. For $100? Oh yeah, you’ll suffer a little longer.

$100 isn’t the point. It’s finding an amount valuable enough to motivate you through one more rep, 15 more seconds or a few more breaths. That little spark can be the difference between a workout that was merely “fine” and the best session you’ve had all month. Find that fire and fight for your $100.

If you’re a fan of prospect theory, you’ll know that people are often more motivated to avoid a loss than secure a gain. So if you’re that person, you can also flip the game around. Start your session with five $20 bills in your hand. Every time you take an unnecessary rest during a working set, imagine I take $20 away from the date night, family vacation or other goal you were saving for. Go one step further if you like and put the actual balance of that $100 each time you train into an account for that very purpose and watch your workout intensity and results soar!

Your kids are your everything

There is nothing that seems to motivate a man like his kids. Being there for them, supporting them and setting an example taps into an unbelievable biological drive that we can leverage to leave our hearts on the gym floor, on our next run or whatever challenge we’re tackling.

When you’re single, training goals are often more superficial: impressing someone you want to date or lifting the heaviest weight possible. There’s nothing wrong with those goals, but they pale in comparison to the grit many of my male clients will summon for their families.

This idea is deeply rooted in the selfish gene hypothesis, sometimes called genetic inertia. Put simply, once a man has children, his focus often shifts from fighting for himself to instinctually fighting for his kids to ensure his lineage carries into the future.

So, to all my male readers, the next time you’re in the gym ask yourself: are you training for you? In the moment, yes. But what truly motivates you? It’s likely deeper than your own goals; being your absolute best for your kids, supporting them, protecting them and being their Superman. Once you recognize that difference, you’ll light an unshakable fire in your heart. And when that fire is burning, finding one more rep doesn’t seem quite so difficult.

The mirror doesn’t lie

Like the old saying goes, a picture tells a thousand words. I can’t tell you how many clients in their fifties have shown me a photo of themselves in their late twenties and said, “Mike, I want to find THIS guy again.”

Don’t shoot the messenger, but I come bearing both good and bad news. The bad news? You’re not 28 anymore (in fact you probably wouldn’t want to be either). So, finding that body is a lot harder than it was then. The good news? If you can stomach it, the deeply humbling “mirror never lies” selfie is one of the best progress trackers you’ll ever use.

So go find that photo from when you were in the best shape of your life. Pin it to your gym wall, keep it on your phone or even make it your wallpaper. Let it be a daily reminder of where you’ve been and where you’re going.

Then snap a quick photo of yourself every week or two. Not only can it help keep you from cheating on the habits that matter, but as a trainer I’ve found few things more motivating for my clients than watching their own body change in real time. Suddenly those last few seconds of a plank or wall sit feel a whole lot more worthwhile. 

Choose realistic goals for “current you”

My physio mentor taught me more than a decade ago that if you can’t stick with a training or nutritional strategy for life, it’s probably not worth pursuing. The mental energy of the wins, losses and constant cycle of starting and restarting can be brutally taxing. That’s why he’s taught for more than 15 years that long-term approaches you can stick to for life are preferable to short-term ones that can be burdensome sacrifices you grow to resent. I’ve written about this “tortoise and hare” approach in this article in more detail.

I didn’t fully appreciate the wisdom of that advice when I first heard it at 22, but I understand it now. Setting appropriate goals also ties into concepts like action planning I wrote about here, where a goal motivates without demoralizing you, is critical.

Wearing my physio hat, here’s what collaborative goal setting might look like with you as my hypothetical client:

• You: “I have a goal to complete a 5-kilometer walk later this month. I think I’ll try it tomorrow.”
• Mike: “How much are you walking right now?”
• You: “Pretty much never.”
• Mike: “Let’s start with 1 kilometer and see how it goes. This doesn’t have to be tomorrow. We have time to build your confidence, capacity and a plan that gets you there safely and step by step!”

This approach, where I “put the leash” on my clients builds confidence and physical capacity, minimizing the risk of dejection with failure and injury risk in the process. It also creates the motivational momentum needed to sustain the habit for the long term. Play the long game. Choose goals that grow alongside your confidence and you’ll create a lifetime of continuous wins instead of the mental and physical exhaustion of starting over again and again.

Create moments of forced fitness

All my physician colleagues are going to love this one. Any guess which demographic is least likely to go to the doctor? No surprise here: middle-aged men.

Whether it’s ego (“I’m healthy, I’m fine”), a busy life or simply kicking anxiety down the road, healthcare statistics across much of the Western world paint a similar picture.

So, if you’re a 25- to 50-year-old man who rarely sees a doctor, here’s one more reason to book that appointment: motivation!

Even if you’re healthy and don’t “need” a checkup, knowing you have bloodwork or a physical coming up can be surprisingly motivating. It’s a deadline sitting quietly in the background, nudging you to stay consistent with your training, nutrition and recovery habits.

Little moments of forced fitness like this are powerful. They create external accountability, help keep habits in check and encourage a measured approach to your health goals. As a bonus, they provide reassurance that there isn’t a BIG BAD problem lurking beneath the surface, giving both you and those you care about some peace of mind.

So, book your next appointment, even if you don’t think you need it. And before you leave, book the one after that too. Having an external source of accountability is an incredibly effective system to keep yourself on track and your motivational fire burning.

Conclusion

Looking for real-time motivation that comes to you with personalized guidance and motivational cues? At Summit Performance, we bring world-class personal training to you, wherever the world finds you. 

Start with a discovery call and work with us to build a custom package to suit your schedule and lifestyle. Full-service personal training, with global time zone coverage and options for worldwide travel service, as well as custom session logistics like hotel rooms, planes, boats and more. Get in touch on LinkedIn or LINE to meet me in person in November in Japan.