It happens to us all: we have the best intentions to get into the gym and crush a workout or exercise session the second we finish our work shift for the day. But then, with work done for the day, the energy or desire to go to the gym is nowhere to be found. So how do you overcome this all-too-common issue? This article will show you how.

You can gain energy and motivation to go to the gym and exercise after work by taking a few minutes to re-group, dwelling on a power thought, avoiding “all or none” thinking with working out, having a favorite “go-to” workout, and becoming part of a community or having a training partner.

These tips can be game-changers on even the most energy-absent days. As someone who’s been working out for over two decades now, these are some of the best ways to get yourself back on track after work so that you can get into the gym and keep on crushing it.

Want to know the details as to why? Keep on reading!

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• Tip 1: Take a few minutes to re-group
• Tip 2: Get a power thought
• Tip 3: Avoid “all or none” thinking
• Tip 4: Have a favorite “go-to” workout
• Tip 5: Get a partner or community

Related article: Mindset: Getting Inspired to Exercise | Tap Into This Game-Changing Mindset

Tip 1: Take a few minutes to re-group

Don’t underestimate this tip. It works. And perhaps, this is where many of us go wrong when it comes to being unable to motivate or will ourselves into the gym once work has finished for the day.

Once you’ve clocked out for the day from your professional job, give yourself five to ten minutes to sit down and just collect yourself. Oftentimes we finish work and then put the pressure on ourselves or simply expect ourselves to seamlessly transition into “workout mode.” But this can be mentally overwhelming and make things more mentally challenging than they need to be.

Just take a few minutes to breathe. Whether you do this at work, in your car, or anywhere else, just use this brief bit of time to let your brain decompress from the events of the day and slowly transition into “workout” mode.

Pro tip: Sometimes, sitting still for too long can make things even more difficult. Try to keep your re-group time no longer than ten minutes unless you know it won’t negatively impact your energy to go beyond this amount of time.

Chances are, just after a few minutes of sitting down and slowing your brain down a bit, you’ll find that it’s made the mental shift to fixating on the positive associations with working out. At this point, the thought of mustering up the energy to work out likely won’t be nearly as overwhelming, and you’ll feel your second wind coming around as a result.

Tip 2: Get a power thought

Just as with the first tip, you can’t underestimate the difference it makes to tap into a deep thought that taps into your inner mental strength. Dwelling on the right thought (or series of thoughts) can be like opening the nozzle on some high-octane fuel that pours into your energy tank.

No, we’re not talking about some cliche, superficial motivational phrase. We’re talking about the deep down thought, aspiration, or driving force that speaks to your inner being; the one that will always let you know that the workout will be worth it — and that it MUST be done. If you don’t have a thought that goes this deep, I’d advise you to develop one.

Keep it simple, but make sure it’s deep and speaks to your inner being. Thoughts such as “because I want to lose weight,” while noble, likely aren’t going to cut it. Make it deep, but make sure it’s positive in its nature. Mine is so personal that I don’t share it with many people.

Whether you choose to recite your power thought throughout your workday, during your five or ten minutes (tip 1) or even as you head over to the gym, it’s critical to focus on a thought such as this that acts as your driving force for getting your workout done.

Tip 3: Avoid “all or none” thinking

Not implementing this tip sooner in my lifting/fitness pursuits is one of the biggest mistakes I’ve made throughout my years of hitting the gym. My fault was always thinking that if I didn’t have the energy to do a full workout that it just wasn’t worth it to any of it at all.

Related article: Trigger Workouts: How They Solve Your Biggest Fitness Problems

There are a few critical mistakes with this “all or none” mentality:

1. It fails to acknowledge that something is almost always better than nothing.
2. It doesn’t realize that 90% of the time, you’ll gain the energy to do your entire workout once you start moving.
3. It neglects the fact that even if you only do a portion of your workout, you’ll foster positive mental behaviour for keeping mental and physical momentum going with your health and wellness pursuits.

If you still struggle with “all or nothing syndrome,” you can also opt for the following two sub-tips:

Sub-tip 1: Committing to the first ten minutes

If you’re someone who struggles with the thought of only doing part of your workout instead of the entire thing, commit to the first ten minutes of your regular gym routine. If you still don’t feel like you have the energy for your full workout after these ten minutes, call it a day and pack up shop. 90% of the time, if you can push through the first ten minutes, you’ll get your “second wind” and be able to carry on with the rest of your workout or activity session.

Sub-tip 2: Have a single “go-to” exercise

I call this the “moneymaker” exercise. It’s an exercise that I know will offer me a massive “bang for the buck” if I’m only to do one single exercise in the gym. I use this strategy on low-energy days or on days where I’m extremely pressed for time.

It’s rather simple to implement: have an exercise that you can pull out of your back pocket that aligns with your training goals, or that is an exercise you simply enjoy doing. For me, it tends to be a compound lift such as cleans, deadlifts or pull-ups.

Whatever it may be, pick your exercise, bang out a few sets, and then get out of the gym. Again, you just might find that by the time you’ve finished your sets with this exercise, you’ve got enough energy to continue on with your regular workout.

Tip 4: Have a favorite “go-to” workout

Similar to having a “go-to” or “moneymaker” exercise, having an entire “go-to” workout filled with your favorite exercises can make for a great strategy. This is especially true if you’ve had a challenging day at work and just need to find something enjoyable about your day before you head home (assuming you don’t do your workouts at home).

Whether it’s a stress-busting workout filled with exercises that help you to let off some steam or an exercise session that lets you completely shut your tired mind off, you’re much more likely to find the motivation to go to the gym when you know that you have an enjoyable session to look forward to.

If you’re training for some form of competition and are following a strict routine, try your best to stick to it, but if you’re just completely out of motivation — or you’re someone who works out just to stay active — a workout compiled of your favorite exercises, movements or activities can take an otherwise exhausted mindset and turn it into one that looks forward to getting your sweat on.

Tip 5: Get a partner or community

While all of the tips so far within this article tend to be game-changers, this fifth tip is bigger than yourself. Having a workout/lifting partner or belonging to part of a community of like-minded individuals will not only keep you accountable with getting to the gym, but it will help remind you that you have something to offer those in your community or who choose to be your workout partner.

Most of the time, we think of having another individual to workout with as helping to keep us accountable; it’s a helpful strategy, alright, but it keeps us focused on ourselves.

The truth is, YOU have something to offer others. By showing up, you can positively impact the well-being of those whom you either workout alongside or simply interact with. Think about that for a second — your presence is required. If you aren’t a lone wolf in the gym, you can feed off the energy of others around you while feeding off theirs in return.

If you are a lone wolf and find that you’re constantly struggling to get yourself motivated to head into the gym (be it after work or any other time in general), getting plugged into a community of like-minded individuals or having a training partner can make all the difference.

Final thoughts

Finding the energy to head to the gym and exercise after a long day of work can be a challenge that just about any hard-working individual can come up against. Thankfully, there are plenty of ways to circumvent this issue. Start by implementing the tips within this article, then tweak them to suit your own needs.

From there, continue to explore ways that make your workouts meaningful to you. The more meaningful you can make your workouts, the greater your mental energy and motivation will be for continuing to put in the work in the gym after your professional workday has come to an end.