Let’s face it, 4:45 am alarm clock sucks. Getting out of bed and motivating to the gym is not fun. Sure, once we are there it is great, but those first few critical moments when you have to make the decision not to hit snooze, not to just roll over and sleep some more and not to just skip it this one day are crucial. I love the hustle, I love the life and I love the iron but even I just hate those first few minutes of getting out of the bed.
We’ve all been there
This goes double right now. DOMS are setting in pretty badly, it is cold as fuck outside and it is still dark. It seems almost insane to get up and go to the gym. So here are some tips on how best to get it going in the morning.
REDUCE AMOUNT OF THINKING
Having to get up, get motivated, get dressed and get to the gym in the cold when most of the world is either still sleeping or still out partying from the night before sucks enough, don’t make it harder with forcing yourself to think. The night before lay everything out. My routine is as follows. I make a pile in the refrigerator of the Tupperware containers I need to throw in my bag in the morning. After this, I pack my bag. I am using a new bag this year and, as a heads up, it is the best gym bag I’ve ever used. It is made by GASP and is a duffel with backpack straps. It is simple, odor resistant, well made, huge and still manageable to carry.
In my bag I place my work clothes (folded in a valet bag), my dop kit, my training shoes, my lifting shoes, my work shoes, my belt, my tie, my workout journal, socks and underwear for work, gym clothes and socks for evening sessions if necessary and any vitamins I will need the next day. I used to also put my chalk in there, but my gym now has chalk in a bucket so I don’t bring it anymore.
Bag Packed.
After this I lay out my gym clothes on my sofa including a pair of track pants to wear over the shorts and a hoodie to wear over the t-shirt, my shoes I use to walk to the gym, my coat, scarf and anything else I might need. Finally, I take one of my energy shots (I like Redline lately), put it on my nightstand, and make sure my headphones are charging.
Because of this preplanning, once my alarm goes off I just reach over and drink my energy shot, stand up, walk to the sofa, put on gym clothes and coat, walk to the refrigerator and get my food, toss it in the bag, zip the bag, grab my keys, phone and wallet, put my headphones on and walk out the door. The whole process takes all of 10 minutes and requires no thinking. By the time I even realize how miserably early and cold it is I am already half way to the gym.
PSYCH YOURSELF UP
Before going to sleep, I always read the next day’s workout journal. I think about each lift. I think about where the equipment is in the gym. Like a kid on Christmas Eve thinking about his presents I focus on what I will be lifting, how it will feel, the burn, the energy, the awesome feeling I have when I leave the gym and, of course, how it will change my body for the better.
Another way I psych myself up is having a really loud and aggressive playlist just for walking to the gym. You shouldn’t walk to your gym (or walk from the car to your gym if you drive) like some mope. Think of how a WWE wrestler does his intro.
GTFO The Way! I am going to the gym
You are going into battle not an audit. The whole way to the gym should be mean, loud and aggressive so when you check in the person behind the counter almost looks scared. You mean fucking business and you are going to look and feel that way. No smiles. No polite hellos. You are a killer and you need to get that mindset working. Save being nice for after the iron.
ALWAYS FOCUS
One analogy I like to use all the time for anything we do in life is steering on a motorcycle. When you want to change lanes on a motorcycle, you do not “steer” into the next lane. You simply stare at the next lane and that action alone will force the bike to drift where you are looking. As a motorcycle will go where you look, so will your body.
10-1 says lifting wasn’t far from his mind.
When you get out of the gym where is your head? Sure, you have to focus on work or your responsibilities, but you should always have the gym on some part of your mind. If you put constant thought into the gym, if you focus is always laser tight on your goals, your body will follow your mind and getting up and out of bed will become easier.
INSPIRATIONAL PEOPLE
It is no secret that here at WB Fitness we love Golden Age bodybuilding. Arnold and Columbu and Steve Reeves and Mike Mentzer and Zane, Lou Ferrigno , Ed Corney – these are the guys we focus on for inspiration. But there are two other people that I feel need to be considered very closely. The first is KC Mitchell (known online as @that1legmonster).
The level of badass here is off the charts.
Mitchell is a powerlifter who is an Army veteran amputee. Not only is he a phenomenally strong lifter with almost no body fat, but he has fought back from nearly insurmountable odds from an IED explosion which led to a leg amputation to heavy addiction to pain killers and depression following.
I can’t suggest enough that you guys google him and learn a little about him. His motivational speaking is raw and honest and he has a great attitude. If you have iron in your hand you should be listening to what he says on his youtube channel or social media. The man is truly inspirational.
The second guy I want you guys to know about is Nick Santonastasso. Nick is a body builder who is missing both of his legs, his right arm and has only one finger on his left hand. He was born with Hanhart syndrome.
And your excuse to miss the gym was what?
Watching him on his daily grind killing it in the gym, growing muscle, getting shredded and stronger is more than simply inspirational and motivational, it is down right emotional. There have been times when I didn’t feel I could get out of bed in the morning and I would pull up his Instagram and in an instant I was shamed into getting my ass to the gym.
Like Mitchell, not only is Nick Santonastasso one of the hardest workers in the sport, not only is he overcoming unthinkable obstacles, but he is doing it with an awesome attitude. If you do not know who he is take time to find out.
KC Mitchell and Nick Santonastasso are names you should know
He is truly a great man and someone who everyone should look to as a source of motivation. Watching a 30-second video of him killing it gives me more energy than a double scoop of preworkout.
I hope that these four tips to get out of bed and get your hustle on in the morning help. And remember, along with these four, keep yourself accountable to yourself, your goals and, especially, to #teambeater.
Let me know below some of your tips and tricks to get yourself motivated and to the gym early in the morning or after work when there is, at least, part of you that says you would much rather go to bed.