When motivation dips: how to stay consistent with strength training (even when you don’t feel like it)
Motivation isn’t a switch - it’s something you build.
We all have those days.
You’ve planned your workout, your weights are ready… and you’d rather do anything else.
It’s not laziness. It’s being human.
Motivation isn’t constant. It ebbs and flows with sleep, stress, hormones, and life itself.
The trick isn’t forcing yourself to be motivated, it’s knowing how to keep going when you’re not.
1. Motivation fades but momentum doesn’t
We often imagine that people who exercise regularly have endless willpower. They don’t.
They have habits that make showing up easier.
“You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems.”
Once something becomes routine, it takes less mental effort to keep doing it, even when you’re tired.
The NHS agrees: the key is regularity. Two short strength sessions a week are enough to make a difference - you just have to keep showing up.
Try reframing your mindset from “I have to work out” to “I’m doing my two sessions this week.”
Small, consistent actions add up faster than occasional bursts of effort.
2. Your brain rewards effort not perfection.
You don’t have to feel ready to move. You just have to start.
A Harvard Health review found that regular physical activity can lift mood by triggering dopamine and serotonin the brain’s natural motivation boosters.
“If you have an instinct to act on a goal, you must move within five seconds or your brain will kill it.”
So when that little voice says, “I should do my session,” count down - 5-4-3-2-1 - and begin.
Action triggers motivation, not the other way around.
3. Community keeps you accountable.
When motivation dips, connection matters more than discipline.
Having people to check in with, or simply knowing others are doing the same programme, makes you far more likely to stick with it.
That’s why the community aspect of my Strength Training programme is so powerful.
The WhatsApp group isn’t just for updates - it’s where people share small wins and remind each other that ‘showing up’ looks different every week. And it’s where individuals can be accountable and motivated to progress.
And studies show that social support or companionship in exercise programmes significantly helps people to maintain regular activity in the long term.
It’s not pressure, it’s permission to keep going, even imperfectly.
4. Lower the bar on hard days but don’t skip entirely.
On low-energy days, don’t aim for a personal best.
Do a lighter session, focus on mobility, or just warm up. The goal is to keep the pattern alive.
“Make it so small it feels ridiculous not to do it.”
A single set or a ten-minute movement break still counts because it keeps your identity as ‘someone who trains’ intact. Consistency is what your body and your brain respond to.
5. Focus on progress, not perfection.
When motivation drops, reconnect with why you started. Maybe it was to feel stronger, move freely, sleep better, or stop those nagging aches.
When you treat a missed session as feedback, not failure, you’re far more likely to stay the course. Psychologist Carol Dweck calls this a growth mindset - and it’s one of the strongest predictors of long-term consistency in any area of life.
As she puts it, “the passion for stretching yourself and sticking to it, even (or especially) when it's not going well, is the hallmark of the growth mindset.”
The same applies to strength: every rep is a vote for the kind of person you’re becoming.
If you’re struggling to find your rhythm, start small again.
Momentum is built, lost, and rebuilt many times over.
And that’s okay!
Join my Strength Training Foundations Programme
Three short, realistic sessions a week - guided, structured, and designed for real life.
Or, if you’ve already built your base and want to push further:
Move into the Accelerator Programme
Please reach out if you just want to have a chat about how to stay consistent with your training. You got this!