#8. You’re Not Pushing Yourself Hard Enough in the Gym

Especially if you’ve been in the same routine for a while, sometimes you don’t realize that you’ve stopped really pushing yourself in the gym. Some days you go in flat, go through the motions, and head home. You go to shower and you’re looking at your gut wondering where the progress went. The fact is, sometimes the hard truth is it’s just your effort and attitude that need adjusting.

Each time you approach a workout, you should set your intentions beforehand. Clear your head of everything else except focusing on improving your health, building strength and achieving the physique you really want. For the next step in your day, this is all that matters. If a dose of pre-workout isn’t enough, find yourself a workout partner who can help get you under the weights even when you’re close to skipping a day. It’s that last rep where you hold the negative as long as you can. It’s adding one more pull-up when you’re already gassed. These are the times you spark real adaptation in your muscles. Remember that, ever time you step up for a set.

So ask yourself if you’re cheating yourself in the areas we’ve covered today. Chances are you’re missing something and that’s ok. The first step to improvement is identifying the problem. The next step is getting back out there and putting into action, so get after it.

-Terry Asher