Urge is gone -- I mean gone

[Maximum Intensity]

Do you ever get into those periods when you just don't want to train any longer? Well, I am there. I have absolutely no desire to go to the gym. I felt I was overtraining about four weeks ago, so I took a complete week off. When I came back, I modified my routine and backed off on my volume. It's two weeks later and I am right back in the same boat. I forced myself to hit the gym yesterday and had at most an average workout -- I felt like everyone else in the gym. I have been training for about seven years now and have never hit this kind of wall before. I have been looking on the web all morning, searching for a new program, system, style to try in the gym hoping to spark some excitement. Nothing ,zero, nadda -- the desire is just not there. Anyone have any advice to get through this funk -- I am looking to the serious guys for here for some advice - people who have trained seriously for a considerable amount of time. After a while this become a way of life -- not something we do. It concerns me when I begin to question my way of life. Any help is greatly appreciated.

 

[punch]

Bro, what your feeling is completely natural. I ahve been training for over 11 years and have gone through many stages similar to th one your in now. I dont know how old you are, but for me, my job which is in finance really hindered my schedule to workout however, I adapted. Thats what the fitness lifestyle is all about, adapting. If you are over trained it may require more than 1 week off my friend. About 3 years ago I felt so turned off by the gym I couldnt lift a wieght for a month. But, when I came back within a week my strength was back and I felt rejuvinated. Currently I workout for 4-5 weeks straight then take a week off where I do nothing. This has helped me get through many plateaus. As we get older and have to take on more responsibility it does become harder to dedicate so much to the sport, however it is possible. I would first get a physical from your doctor to make sure your OK and then evaluate your time schedule and especially diet. Lack of proper nutrition will hurt your mental focus big time, not to mention your energy level. Your not alone bro, its just part of the game.

 

[BigDogg]

Yeah its natural. Just take a couple weeks off, and most likely you'll come back to the gym stronger and more intense than before Don't just give up. If you've been doing it this long, why stop now?

 

[_Outlaw]

I wouldnt take any time off.Been my experiance you just got put your head down and work through it.Good Luck

 

[Maximum Intensity]

I am an attorney, therefore, my schedule can be quite hectic. However, I have really never had a problem finding my gym time. I also turned thirty about a month ago but I have been trying not to take age into account -- don't plan on slowing down simply because of age. Thanks for the advice guys -- just need to find my spark again.

 

[xxxratednites]

hey max intensity:
i totally agree with punch on this one. ive felt the same way too, my routine is i go to the gym 6 weeks straight, then take a week or two off. i stay away from the gym totally, i do something different: id hit the bag, play ball, and do something fun, but stay away from the gym. then when you return to the gym, youll be refreshed, my strenght even went up from the breaks. i also change my workout routine every two weeks so that i shock my body, and get more excited about the new routine. give it a try and good luck

 

[wrlord]

M.I. -- I'm an attorney too, and I get ,ight cranky when I can't make it to the gym. And if I let it go once or twice then it's hard for me to get motivated to go back at all -- it's a momentum thing.
Sometimes you do just have to force yourself to go. But if you find the motivation lacking after a week of forcing yourself, then a layoff -- or a vacation -- may be in order.
Have you found similar problems in the other areas of your life too? That usually goes hand-in-hand.

 

[Maximum Intensity]

Yep -- I find that my focus at work is less than par as well. Can't seem to keep my mind on any one thing -- drives me nuts because it really starts to hurt my work product if I am not careful. It definetely affects the amount of work I am generating. You are correct -- they do seem to go hand in hand.

 

[GenetiKing]

This very well may be physical in nature (in which case you will need more time off), but it sounds more mental to me.

If it's a lack of drive you are experiencing, you must reevaluate why you started this lifestyle in the first place. If you can feel good about yourself through training and allow it to define you, you will never want its absence in your life. Let training validate your existence, let it differentiate you from the masses of those who eat Burger King daily and could care less about about their vitality, health, and looks. Being an attorney, you have a white collar job, like myself, and as such you spend the majority of the working day physically inactive...dealing with mental challenges and stresses. When your work day is over, look forward to the physical onslaught that hardcore training provides. You've used your head all day, now use your body.

Fear becoming soft and weak. Cherish the mental fortitude it takes for you to command your body to withstand the pain of balls-to-the-wall training. Take those mental characteristics that enable you to physically outperform others and wear it like a badge. You have withstood the pain of training and the discipline of proper dieting...those rewards are yours and yours only, you reap them. Very few things in life are so simple, with such a clear cause/effect equation. Where else in life is all your hard work reaped only by you? The inspiration and motivation is internal as well as external. You must stay mentally tough. If you quit training, you will lose all of this. How are you any different from the masses then? Where will your pride rest, what kind of badge will you wear then?

Envision what you want to look like. Bring it back, be superior, put gravel in your gut. You are a warrior and the gym is your domian, your battlefield. Show us why God made you a man...validate yourself. This is your lifeline. It gives you reason for existence. Strap in, dig in, clench your teeth, and go. Once back in the game you'll thrive.

Good luck MI.

 

[Maximum Intensity]

Very nice GenetiKing -- I am standing in applause right now. I can relate whole heartedly with what you displayed so profoundly. Thank you.

 

[GenetiKing]

Very nice GenetiKing -- I am standing in applause right now. I can relate whole heartedly with what you displayed so profoundly. Thank you.

No problem bro. Stay tough and keep us posted.

 

[Liberator]

From someone whos at the bottom looking up the ladder, I will say this

What you have on your arms, on your chest and on your shoulder is a definition of your overpowering will to never be content with mediocrity, with default lifestyle, not to eat like the rest of the cattle out there, not to graze in the same fields as them

Look at it this way

Years of hard work have got you what you have, it defines you as you and puts you on the physical map, but you cannot stop where you are now, if you do it will spread into your being and into your life, you will be half the man you are now, then quarter then nothing

This is real living, the vast majority of people are already dead, if you want to slip back into that comfortable 2bit existance, then go right ahead

The rest of us here will wave at you when we surpass you

 

[HeavyDutyGuy]

It may be physical, but it could also be motivational. In fact it could be both since the physical and the emotional are so closely related. If it's physical- typically that there is gross overtraining, don't train for a couple of weeks, and you should be raring and ready to go back to the gym. If this doesn't help- and you are physically healthy, then the problem may be motivational. Remember that our emotions all have a physical component to them. If you find your motivation lagging, as seems to be happening, check your conscious and subsconcious premises and evaluate what training and bodybuilder mean to you, in the context of your value system. You may have a conscious or unconscious value conflict which is sapping your motivation. This isn't always such a bad thing, if you can engage in some self examination and reflection to ferret out any value conflicts you are having. Talking it out with a friend can sometimes help too, if you have a friend like that that will listen. Good luck and keep us posted.

 

[Maximum Intensity]

Just wanted to take a moment to thank everyone on the board who offered such inspiring words of wisdom. The combination of reading your replies and having an outstanding training partner who is doing everything he can to pull me out of this "funk", has helped me back onto the road clarity. Although not completely 100%, my motivation is slowly returning. I might not be as intense as I have been in the near past, but I am getting into the gym and training at about 95%. Again, I want to send my deepest appreciation to my brothers of iron. This is our lives and our identity -- I personally don't know what I would do without it.

 

[tomcat]

Cheers to your return.
If you want to gain that last 5%, I sugguest you make a visit to your local ALL YOU CAN EAT BUFFET.
Look around, and the sight of all those weak minds and bodies will be all the motivation you will ever need to get back to 100%.

 

[Maximum Intensity]

Amen to that -- the local all you can eat chinese buffet is absolutely disgusting.

 

[GenetiKing]

I'm glad to hear that, MI.

No one leads a perfect life and no one (who has been around long enough) has stayed 100% the whole time. Life is full of valleys and peaks. The trick to long-term success is to not get discouraged when you're in the valley. Everything is temporary, even the time spent in the low spots. (I'm in a small funk right now myself, although it isn't training related.) Start climbing again. Consistency reaps it's own rewards...there is nothing wrong or embarrasing about losing motivation and concentration, it happens to all of us. The key is, just don't ever give up for good! That's the only way you can ever truly be defeated.

You're a winner, a champ...a warrior. So shine your body armor up, arm yourself, prepare for war! Get brutal! You're back in the game bro! You're alive!

Congrats, MI!