Lifting weights is second nature to me, but it wasn't always like this. Here's 5 ways you can make consistently going to the gym a habit with ease: //THREAD//

1. Start Slow Many people make the mistake of saying they'll go 5x per week (to make up for their slacking lately), but only have time to go 2. Then they'll go 5 times for a couple of weeks and burn themselves out before seeing any real progress.

Instead of running in circles like this, you're better off being honest with yourself. Can only fit 2 gym sessions in your life right now? Do 2 and keep it up for at least 2 months. 2 times per week should now be a habit to can maintain: this is your baseline.

From here on, you want to push your baseline slightly. Try adding a third session after a couple of months and see if this is something you can fit in. If yes? Don't add a 4th session right away, just follow the same principle you did earlier.

Keep up the 3 sessions per week for a couple of months. You have now expanded your baseline fitness habits and are likely already seeing some improvements in your body composition.

2: Duration If long workouts are not an option for you, you got to adapt your training to be as time-efficient as possible. This way you can still keep up the habit of going to the gym and living healthy, without it costing hours of your time.

How do you do this? By using things like dropsets, supersets and decreasing your resting time slightly. It's also wise to prioritize exercises using machines or your bodyweight, as getting up to working weight on barbell exercises like squat and deadlift can take a lot of time.

3: Recovery You will not make something a habit if you are burning yourself out by doing it. Being able to recover from what you do in the gym, no matter how many (or little) sessions you do per week, is key.

This is where maximum recoverable volume comes into play. Your maximum recoverable volume will vary from person to person, but a good metric to know you're doing too much work is:

- you're regressing (less weights/less reps/ same weight feels heavier) - you're stagnating (you are stuck at the same weight for multiple weeks in a row) - you're still sore in the same muscle group during next session

If these are the case, you are doing too much and you will not be able to recover properly. As a result, you will dread going to the gym and making it a habit will be hard for you.

4: Enjoyment If you hate something, chances are high you're not going to do it with the input it takes to get results. This happens on a micro level (disliking specific exercises) and a macro level (disliking specific types of training). Let's cover both.

First, disliking specific exercises will lead to negative emotions in your brain when you think of the gym/training session that includes that exercise. This adds more dread and as we know, dread makes building habits 10x harder.

So, you got to find exercises that provide enough stimulus for your specific body type and training goals, and at the same time are enjoyable for you to perform. Find exercises that you like and remove exercises that you dislike from your training sessions.

Then, you might also hate going to the gym, but love boxing. Would it then be smart to force yourself into the gym when you could also get in great shape through boxing? No.

Just go boxing dude. Or cycling, or outdoor bodyweight training. It really doesn't matter because your body doesn't know where the stimulus is coming from. All it knows is that it has to adapt, which is enough for you. Enjoy your training = easier to stick to it

5: Realistic Goals You got to understand that building an impressive physique without any gear is going to take years. How many years depends on your current body composition and your genetics, but bottom line is that it will take time. So be realistic.

If you're expecting to look like Frank Zane or deadlifting like Eddie Hall after 6 months of training, you'll be immensely disappointed. Giving up is very tempting now and this is not good for making something a habit.

To recap, you make the gym a habit by - start slow - time-efficient workouts - recovery - enjoyment - realistic expectations

That's it from me guys, hope you learned something! Follow me @TheCoachFriso for more content like this.

P.S. I'm looking for 3 entrepreneurs who want to - lose 20lbs of fat in 12 weeks - add 6lbs of muscle - 2x their energy levels No long workouts. Still able to travel and eat out. No starvation diets. (not free, of course) DM me ABS & let's chat