Over the last few years as a coach, and recently as a gym owner, I see a lot of people fresh to the gym with goals ranging from those that will take a month, to those that will take a lifetime – everything from setting records and becoming a world champion, to just losing a few kilos for their wedding – I’ve heard it all. Now if I’m being honest, it’s an unfortunate statistic that the large majority of them will never follow through with their plans. They’ll get sick and a few days away from the gym leads to never turning up again, or let some little setback turn in to a complete roadblock. While I’ll give everybody an equal amount of my time and help them wherever I can (as any good coach will, regardless of whether they’re directly financially benefiting from it or not), I’ll make sure to put extra effort into anybody who shows one little factor, as in my experience it has been the #1 indicator that this person is not only serious about their goals, but they’re going to stick to it and work towards them.
It’s not particularly complicated, and it’s something that -everybody- should do whenever they’re trying to do anything new with their life. That simple thing is consistency through the first 8-12 weeks of any lifestyle changes -in this case, turning up to the gym.
When you think about it, this makes perfect sense. As anybody who has started and failed a New Year Resolution can tell you, the first few weeks of going for a run or sticking to a diet is easy. Everything feels ‘new’ and exciting, and you’re full of energy to dedicate yourself to doing whatever you have to. However, this honeymoon period typically seems to wear off after 4-6 weeks as the sweet beginner gains start to slow down, and you’ve got to start putting in -work-. Unfortunately, as people quickly find out, once the work starts, it doesn’t -ever- stop if you want to continue making progress – the moment you get stronger, fitter or faster, then the amount of work you put in has to increase to keep getting you results.
Generally speaking, once people get over that honeymoon period of lifestyle changes and can consistently stick with it for about double the glory days period, it becomes habit and they can stick with it – regardless of how much effort they’re putting in, once a lifestyle change becomes second nature then it’s easier to maintain then when you have to force yourself to do it.
How can you take advantage of this if you’re just joining a gym? Simple – keep yourself accountable! Any respectable gym will have some method for keeping you accountable to turning up, whether that’s introducing you to some training partners, or online communities where you can interact with other people in the same environment as you. Whatever your options are, make sure you’re taking advantage of them and doing absolutely everything you can to give yourself the best chance for success.
If you’d like to join a gym where you’re not just membership dollars, and where everybody is invested in your goals to the level you are, get in touch today.
Stay strong,
Drew Spriggs
