Easy way to stay motivated during cardio..and anything for that matter.

[Pumping4Lyyyfe]

Just thought of this today while I was biking in the trails here in Toronto. I was on the verge of stopping and taking a break when I thought hey...if I give up on this, I might as well hang up on life itself.

Put your life on the line..theoretically speaking of course (don't kill yourself )

You have goals? Good. Make your cardio session a microcosm of your bigger life long goals. Tell yourself while you're running, lifting, having sex (yes ) anything..that if you stop now..you are essentially cheating yourself and not going the extra distance to obtain future glory.

Guaranteed to motivate if you have a heartbeat and your blood is warm.

[ndruo]

Dude, I love it. Repped.

Wanna know what happens when you reach your physical limit?

You die. Or maim yourself.

If you quit, your mind gave up. There wasn't anything physically limiting about your body, you just caved in a moment of weakness.

Yes, it's hard. It's supposed to be hard. That's the point. How on earth do you expect to make changes within yourself if you continue to do the things you're comfortable with?

[Green-Beret]

I always say to myself Pain is temporary!

[thorton]

Just thought of this today while I was biking in the trails here in Toronto. I was on the verge of stopping and taking a break when I thought hey...if I give up on this, I might as well hang up on life itself.

Put your life on the line..theoretically speaking of course (don't kill yourself )

You have goals? Good. Make your cardio session a microcosm of your bigger life long goals. Tell yourself while you're running, lifting, having sex (yes ) anything..that if you stop now..you are essentially cheating yourself and not going the extra distance to obtain future glory.

Guaranteed to motivate if you have a heartbeat and your blood is warm.

That is awesome. I did that today when biking, coming up to this hill I usually walk up and thought "maybe once...I should push myself into pain and prove that I can go that extra few miles instead of always sitting back" and pushed through it (in pain) and made it.

It's funny with biking how you can always push just a bit more...especially on hills...and you get rewarded on the down side

[quietchef]

That is awesome. I did that today when biking, coming up to this hill I usually walk up and thought "maybe once...I should push myself into pain and prove that I can go that extra few miles instead of always sitting back" and pushed through it (in pain) and made it.

It's funny with biking how you can always push just a bit more...especially on hills...and you get rewarded on the down side

Instant gratification!

[-Lucifer]

I just keep telling myself this when I'm about to give up:

"Winner or loser, you choose."

[Fatman2]

Live everyday like it's your last, or in this case do every workout like it's your last

[S1FU]

Just keep thoughts going through your mind that only bitches quit!! Are you a bitch?? lol

Seriously though. your motivation and overall attitude paves the way of your life. If you want to give up on those last few reps, that last mile, then you don't deserve life. As these are the few easy things in it.

[Jill75]

Nice one there!. I keep a watch when I do a stationary bike and as if I time myself to see if i need to quit or not. Resting is not an option when I jog except when I have finished 30 minutes at least.....

[dunkalicious]

I do all the time. I always think about my failures and try not to fail this time.

[Emma-Leigh]

I find lying to yourself (workout partners etc) a good way of doing it! LOL...

Honest though: If you pretend that "you only need to get out 1 more rep..." and tell yourself to "...get your peice of butt-fluff scrawny legs to PUSH"... but you then continue to tell yourself "one... more... rep...." until you get out another 3 or 4 - you tend to be able to 'live through' the (perceived) shorter prediction of pain more so than telling yourself 'you have 10 more reps you scrawny peice of butt-fluff'...

Works for cardio too - a self yelled 'ONE MORE MINUTE you LARD ARSE' is a damn site easier to get through than 30 minutes of future h*ll... And 'one... more... minute' repeated to yourself 30 times therefore *seems* to get the job done better than standing on the end of a track with the feeling of impending doom associated with a the longer time frame!

[raven12]

I find lying to yourself (workout partners etc) a good way of doing it! LOL...

Honest though: If you pretend that "you only need to get out 1 more rep..." and tell yourself to "...get your peice of butt-fluff scrawny legs to PUSH"... but you then continue to tell yourself "one... more... rep...." until you get out another 3 or 4 - you tend to be able to 'live through' the (perceived) shorter prediction of pain more so than telling yourself 'you have 10 more reps you scrawny peice of butt-fluff'...

Works for cardio too - a self yelled 'ONE MORE MINUTE you LARD ARSE' is a damn site easier to get through than 30 minutes of future h*ll... And 'one... more... minute' repeated to yourself 30 times therefore *seems* to get the job done better than standing on the end of a track with the feeling of impending doom associated with a the longer time frame!

Awesome advice guys, one thing I do on the treadmill is cover the numbers and put the

ipod on. I can't focus because I always look at how much I have to go etc. and how long I

have been on the machine. I much rather run outside because you always have to run

back to where you started and it's easier to focus.

[andrewpoleon]

I used to do wrestling and could of still done it but only got recruited by out of state schools, so I just would invision some random guy I would wrestle and say to myself is he training this hard, then imagine the match, go throught the motions, and say to myself I can't quit, I can't be tired, I won't loose. Or do the same thing with football.

[baco_bacon]

Just thought of this today while I was biking in the trails here in Toronto. I was on the verge of stopping and taking a break when I thought hey...if I give up on this, I might as well hang up on life itself.

Put your life on the line..theoretically speaking of course (don't kill yourself )

You have goals? Good. Make your cardio session a microcosm of your bigger life long goals. Tell yourself while you're running, lifting, having sex (yes ) anything..that if you stop now..you are essentially cheating yourself and not going the extra distance to obtain future glory.

Guaranteed to motivate if you have a heartbeat and your blood is warm.

Very very helpful I always have problems with cardio motivation.

[zcholla]

Usually when im having trouble during a workout or cardio session i usually close my eyes and think that theres some other guy im going to compete against and he is out working me right now. When i think about that i get so jacked and try to work o hard that there is no way im being out worked.

[Halothane]

I don't listen to that voice, I do what I have to do and I ignore everything else, I just keep going...There's no ''warm and safe place'' there's nothing, there's me and the goal.

[S4MMYTH3F1SH]

.....Tell yourself while you're running, lifting, having sex (yes ) anything..that if you stop now.....

..seriously.. who stops when they're having sex? that would be a depressing lack in motivation.

[ctheory11]

..seriously.. who stops when they're having sex? that would be a depressing lack in motivation.

Actually, I've got a male friend who used to fake them. I never figured out how he pulled that off (out? .

[ramsesthe2]

Doing the day-in-day-out grind of weights + cardio is just one big cardio session.

[Fringe!]

Usually when im having trouble during a workout or cardio session i usually close my eyes and think that theres some other guy im going to compete against and he is out working me right now. When i think about that i get so jacked and try to work o hard that there is no way im being out worked.

this x10000

[SupremeClientele]

What I always do is tell myself if i dont finish the run properly and stop to take breaks I must go out agian later and do it properly. This usually motivates me to keep on running and finish the workout. Because nobody wants to do two long hour runs in one day lol

[DuLac]

Just keep thoughts going through your mind that only bitches quit!! Are you a bitch?? lol

Seriously though. your motivation and overall attitude paves the way of your life. If you want to give up on those last few reps, that last mile, then you don't deserve life. As these are the few easy things in it.

I am actually a lot meaner to myself when doing cardio, to motivate myself to stick with it. Seriously.

[Emma-Leigh]

Another method - give yourself a DISTANCE target, not a TIME target.

Setting a time target can often lead to 'lazy cardio' <- ho humm... just have to stay here for x minutes.

If you set yourself a distance (eg: 4 miles) <- then you *tend* to push harder because you don't want to be stuck on the damn tready for 5 hrs in order to complete it!

Another thing that helps - do circuits.
If 30 minutes is too much to think about - why not do 6 x 5 minutes.
5 mins tready
5 minutes rowing
5 mins bike
5 mins stair master
5 mins cross trainer
5 mins skipping
^^^
5 minutes is easy <- it is only 5 minutes right!!

Another way to kick the intensity up in the above is to do 3's and 2's >> so you do the above, but split it into:
3 mins tready AS FAST AS POSSIBLE....
2 mins tready walking
3 mins rowing AS FAST AS POSSIBLE....
2 mins rowing moderate pace
3 mins bike AS FAST AS POSSIBLE....
2 mins bike at moderate
etc etc...
^ makes the 'chunks' far easier to digest.... and if you can last 5 minutes then 3 minutes is even better!!!

[DE.TAPER]

Another method - give yourself a DISTANCE target, not a TIME target.

Setting a time target can often lead to 'lazy cardio' <- ho humm... just have to stay here for x minutes.

If you set yourself a distance (eg: 4 miles) <- then you *tend* to push harder because you don't want to be stuck on the damn tready for 5 hrs in order to complete it!

Another thing that helps - do circuits.
If 30 minutes is too much to think about - why not do 6 x 5 minutes.
5 mins tready
5 minutes rowing
5 mins bike
5 mins stair master
5 mins cross trainer
5 mins skipping
^^^
5 minutes is easy <- it is only 5 minutes right!!

Another way to kick the intensity up in the above is to do 3's and 2's >> so you do the above, but split it into:
3 mins tready AS FAST AS POSSIBLE....
2 mins tready walking
3 mins rowing AS FAST AS POSSIBLE....
2 mins rowing moderate pace
3 mins bike AS FAST AS POSSIBLE....
2 mins bike at moderate
etc etc...
^ makes the 'chunks' far easier to digest.... and if you can last 5 minutes then 3 minutes is even better!!!

repped on recharge

[NorCalJR]

Usually when im having trouble during a workout or cardio session i usually close my eyes and think that theres some other guy im going to compete against and he is out working me right now. When i think about that i get so jacked and try to work o hard that there is no way im being out worked.

I do this too, it really helps get me pumped and go that extra distance, also a great fast song going through my ipod helps, sometimes I try to keep up with the beat of the song.

[Emma-Leigh]

Usually when im having trouble during a workout or cardio session i usually close my eyes and think that theres some other guy im going to compete against and he is out working me right now. When i think about that i get so jacked and try to work o hard that there is no way im being out worked.

^ why not picture yourself next to you.
Specifically - see a fat, unmotivated and 'frumpy' you with empty twinky packets falling out of your pockets twiddling your thumbs and 'dreaming' about the body you want.
^
Nothing should make your blood boil more than to see yourself in a state of lardiness.

[NorCalJR]

^ why not picture yourself next to you.
Specifically - see a fat, unmotivated and 'frumpy' you with empty twinky packets falling out of your pockets twiddling your thumbs and 'dreaming' about the body you want.
^
Nothing should make your blood boil more than to see yourself in a state of lardiness.

very true man...I use to be fatter than i am now and just thinking about it makes me bring up the intensity even more

[SUPER_MANLET]

Many things keep me doing cardio and having fun while doing it

1- i tell me self i have to do it and improve my self among people there "cause i do aerobics"
2-never QUIT we TRAIN till we bleed!!
3-the improvments am seeing in the mirror day by day though am not satisfied till now
4-my trainer he is a huge guy and knows what he is doing
5-this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MeiwLLZjDo
6-many other things will mention them later : ))

[donutboi]

I encounter this every time i run at the park. The whole circle is four miles long. I usually get tired after two or three miles. Every single time when i want to give up (at the 2 or 3 miles mark), there is always a hot girl parks her car and then challenge me to race with her.
I always accept the challenge even though i just ran 2 or 3 miles while she is fresh and just show up. It helps me a lot. I keep telling myself "can't lose to a girl" while complete my four-mile race.

[johnderriLLL]

i will not cheat my self out of life.