Create New Goals
If you’re a bodybuilder and tired of the voluminous training programs, just do something different. Perhaps you can swap out the volume for daily squatting like many of the Olympic lifters do? If you aren’t into that, just cut your training back to three or four days per week for a while.
Regardless of the goal you choose – make sure it’s realistic for the time frame and that you have a plan of action. Know exactly where you’re going and what you’ll do to get there.
Get Out of Your Own Way
Hire a coach – yes, let go of your old habits and put trust in another fitness professional to guide you on a personalized training plan. It might not be easy at first, but having another set of eyes can go a long way in your development. We tend to be biased when it comes to building our own training programs – we often find it easier to make things less strenuous on ourselves and operate in our comfort zone.
Having a coach who can be objective about your current fitness levels and goals will prove very beneficial to you as they lack the bias you possess. In short, they’ll make you do what’s truly best for you, not what you think is best.
I’ve found my strength improves when following a well-designed plan from another fitness pro because they usually have me doing something else than what I’d normally choose for myself. It’s also worth mentioning doing such a thing removes the added stress we often inflict upon ourselves when worrying about our programming, and subsequently making unnecessary changes every few weeks or so.
Get Competitive
Maybe you’ve got your training in order, but you need an extra element to get you fired up again. If this is the case, get competitive. If you’re a fan of powerlifting, join a club. Train with the other athletes and plan for your first lifting meet.
If you happen to enjoy Olympic lifting, find a good coach to help you prepare for a contest and don’t back out! Work your tail off and see where you’re at once competition time arrives. Maybe you enjoy more endurance-related activities. If so, check out those events as well. Most cities will have sponsored endurance events (5k’s triathlons, marathons, etc.).
It doesn’t matter what it is you choose to participate in, as long as it’s something you enjoy doing and gives purpose to your training.
