3 Tips to Stay Motivated When Training Alone

I have been on my fitness journey for over 25 years.  It started off with falling in love with lifting weights in my garage.  I didn’t have the money or transportation for a local gym membership, but I saved up and bought an all-in-one bench, a barbell, and a 300lb set of plates.  In my garage gym I found a safe space, a place where I could push myself, learn and develop skills and strength at my own pace. 

Did I have the best form and technique starting out?  Absolutely not.  But it started me on my fitness journey and my passion to keep getting stronger.  Over the years, I fell away from training or found days where I just couldn’t get moving.  Life was hitting hard, and I just didn’t know if I wanted to train. But thankfully through the years, I have found three tips to stay motivated when training alone. 

Tip #1: Put Your Money in Your Mouth

One of the best ways to stay motivated is investing in your training.  “But Christian, I just spent $10,000 on my home gym!”  Fantastic.  Love that journey for you.  But do you know how many treadmills my family invested in while I was growing up that were rarely used other than to just hang clothes on?  Too many. 

When I say invest in your training, I mean buy a workout program, training app, something.  Hire a trainer for a weekly session or a weekly check in.  Invest in getting certified.  Pay to take a lifting class or clinic.  Even as a certified personal trainer, I pay for the Juggernaut AI training program for most of my lifting programs.  I’m getting some one on one training help from a fellow trainer.  I also am starting to use a paid mobility app to help keep me motivated to do my mobility work and get better range of motion. 

Again, my will power can only go so far, but knowing I have spent money on my training programs gives me more motivation to actually use it and, therefore, keep training.

Tip #2: Build an Iron Clad Routine

According to the National Academy of Sports Medicine, it takes between 6 weeks to 3 months to build a consistent workout habit.  When I was starting out as a teen, my parents helped me set a routine because they didn’t want to see my investment in my equipment be a waste.  I started out lifting three times a week.  Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.  I never missed. 

I don’t really remember what time I did my training, but I kept up with it.  Soon I was lifting 4 and 5 times a week.  I saw the gains, I felt the benefit, which helped on the days I really didn’t want to workout.  Building a routine takes dedication.  Take a look at your schedule and commit to two or three days you can confidently train NO MATTER WHAT, just as you start out.  You don’t really start seeing gains and benefits till you’re two, three, even four weeks into a program.  It’s a shame when people start training for two weeks and then stop because they don’t see any improvement. 

A couple more weeks and you’re bound to see them!  Committing to your training is committing to a healthy, long life.  

Obviously, Life will Life and things will pop up that will want to derail your routine.  Especially as you’re starting out, don’t let that happen.  Slept bad?  Go train.  Kids have a thing?  Plan to train at a different time.  Car broke down?  Good thing you have a home gym.  Cows got out?  Get them back in and then go train.

As I have gotten older, I have learned that sometimes you have to give yourself some grace and take care of your body/family/whatever by not training.  But those are few and fair in-between.  I plan out deload weeks and rest times throughout the year to give myself a break.  But don’t let one day of “Eh, not today” turn into a month, or two, or six of not training.  

Tip #3: Set SMART Goals

Goal Setting For Powerlifters – Be A Better Lifter In 2026

You will fail 100% of the goals you never set.  Stay motivated by setting SMART goals.  What are SMART Goals?  Goals that are: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Time-Bound.  If you have never done SMART goals, start small.  “I am going to lift twice a week, for 45 minutes, for the next month to improve my routine and increase my weekly movement minutes.”  Too broad of a goal and you can lose track of where to go or how to complete it.  If you set a goal that’s unattainable, discouragement and defeat can be crippling. 

Need help with setting a SMART goal?  Here’s an easy one.  How about competing in the Garage Gym Competition every time it comes around?  The competition runs twice a year, roughly 6 months apart.  You can set all sorts of goals whether it’s just competing or trying to hit a PR or doing all three lifts on the same day.  I personally use the Garage Gym Competition as a way to set up my training schedule for the year.  It helps those 52 weeks of training be less daunting and gives me the ability to break things up into micro goals throughout the year. 

On top of that, the Garage Gym Competition is more than a competition.  There’s free coaching feedback from skilled and knowledgeable fitness professionals along with a diverse, inclusive community.  After competing for over 5 years, I still keep in touch with people I met just from seeing their lifts.  It’s a way I can be motivated and find community while still enjoying my lifts and training on my own.

Staying motivated while training on your own can be a challenge in and of itself.  Early mornings, late nights, soreness, tiredness, the excuses can be endless. But investing in a training program or coaching, setting up a routine, and setting SMART goals can bring you success.  I have found that training on my own has built a mental toughness I would otherwise never have.  If I can motivate myself to max rep 70% of my 1RM in a minute, I can motivate myself to do anything.  And while you are training alone, it doesn’t mean you are alone. 

Find a community or small group of people to share your training goals and experiences with.  While I train on my own, I share my lifts and experiences with people from the Garage Gym Competition coaching group.  I have a few trainer friends I have met through local competitions that I stay in touch with and bounce ideas off of.  We check in with each other and help each other stay motivated and consistent (usually through shit talking, but it’s with love).  We cheer each other on for our successes and push each other to be better when we start to fall off.

There have been days I didn’t want to lift or train, but seeing my lifting goals written on my chalk board reminds me those goals won’t be obtained unless I work toward them.  Need help starting out or staying motivated?  Reach out to us at the Garage Gym Competition, and we will be more than willing to help you out. 

This article was written by our contributor, Christian Ernst.

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