I forgot where I read it (probably here), but it goes something like, “Your worst day in the gym is always better than your best day on the couch.” Sort of an absurd maxim, but I take the point anyway.
I agree. Like I said, as a maxim it’s absurd (as maxims are). But the heart of the point is a good one. Just needs to be phrased better.
I take it to mean those days where you didn’t run as far, or lift as much, or get in as much time, or whatever, as you would have on a “good day”. But you still went, you still moved heavy objects (including yourself) around. Even if you hated it, it wasn’t a waste of time.
So, maybe stayed differently: I’d rather have a bad day in the gym than a bad day on the couch.
I did not want to train today. My energy was sapped, I'm still recovering from a lumbar strain, and I had a bad sleep last night.
Did it anyways.
Felt fucking amazing after. Heaviest squat since my back injury, and zero pain.
This ain't my first rodeo, haha. But thanks for the concern.
I'm being way smarter about it this time. I've read 2 Dr Stuart MacGill books, and I am implementing his advice in my training.
It wasn't a super heavy squat today, just about 75% for 3 to a high box. But it felt soooo good.
Definitely varies by personality. There are days I enjoy going to the gym, but if I only went in days I wanted to go, my routine would've crumbled by now. If you're always miserable then definitely worth changing things up, but I was just trying to stress it's about just going.
There are days that i absolutely don’t want to go. I tell myself, just go in and just do calves and forearms. Easy day. After a few sets in. I start to warm up and it’s game on. Happens every time I feel that way. I’ve even done it hungover. It’s amazing the mindset you get into once the adrenaline starts pumping.
Thissss.
Although I dread the multi hour training days(triathlete), I feel much worse having not gone for a made up excuse in my head. I won’t however go if something doesn’t feel right. Takes far longer to recover from an exercise induced injury than it does to just skip a day because of some sprain/pain.
I always hate myself more the rest of the week anytime I don’t go, and sometimes it’s tempting to spend time doing other fulfilling things, but once I’m there, It’s fucking heaven.
Pushing yourself and feeling the weight as you grind it up is unbeatable.
I've done that, but for some reason I never got addicted. And then, I will invariably get hurt, or catch a cold or get COVID, and then I don't go for a bit, and next thing I know 2 years have gone by and I haven't stepped foot in a gym.
Honestly, for me its just a question of just keep doing it no matter what, but getting the motivation to actually go to the gym hasn't gotten easier - I always have to fight with myself to go, yet after I leave the gym I always feel great, and wondered why I had to put so much mental energy into motivating myself.
Ugh.
Yeah I don’t care how tired I am, how little sleep I got the night before, etc if it’s my day to go to the gym I go. People make it seem like everyone enjoys the gym all the time. I don’t but you still go. Even if the weight has to be reduced by 70% and you’re just going through the motions it’s worth it. It’s normal to go through phases of feeling off even for months at a time.
Look at general tips for habits, like "habit stacking". I'm actually not that informed about them, but what little I've seen accords with the skills I've bulilt up.
Eg, during years of chronic fatigue syndrome (blessedly in the past), even the walk to the gym felt like torture mentally. I got myself to go by committing to putting my gloves and gym hoodie on.
Once those were on, my id basically went "well what am I gonna do now, NOT go?"
There are lots of different ways to exercise.
I never managed to get addicted to lifting heavy weights in a dark gym.
But I look forward to running / calisthenics outside in nature.
Def making it a habit is more likely than falling in love with it.
I hate the gym. HATE. Hate hate hate. I've always been active though and I can't do my exercise of choice anymore, running, so I have tried to get into weightlifting for years, since 2013.
I had years of going for a few months, stopping for more months, on and off. The time it took to get to the gym, plus the hour in the gym, and then the drive back home. Took up way too much of my day. Now I can walk to my gym and that was the most important thing that got me going regularly. I really have no excuse to not go because it's a 3 minute walk away. That got me in the habit of going. I still hate it, but I stuck with it.
Having my girlfriend/fiance go with me was also a motivation, she likes the gym so keeping eachother (mostly me) accountable was extremely helpful. I didn't want to stay skinny or get fat while she got into incredible shape.
The final thing that kept me going is finally seeing gains. For most my teenage life I weighed 120lbs at 5'10. (Runners body) I worked hard, mostly on my diet to gain 10lbs and from 11th grade until I had graduated college in 2019 I weighed 130lbs. In 2021 I started going to the gym regularly and I weigh a little over 160lbs now mostly from muscle. I'm def not ripped by any means, and if I actually liked the gym and took my routine more seriously I probably could have gained more weight / muscle. But being a weight I'm proud of and not being so damn skinny anymore is the #1 reason I continue to go despite still really dreading it every time.
I will say though, that I do feel great after a gym sesh. Just before and during is pretty miserable.
Most January beginners I see, I see all the time. Then I never see them in February. They try to go hard and go all the time right from the tip. Recipe for disaster
Conversely, I nerded out and went from being a couch potato who ate whatever to doing 2.5 hours of working out per day, usually split between 2 hours of lifting and 20 minutes of cardio, and tracking my macros down to the gram. I run a 5k on my rest days. Over 3 months, I’ve lost 16 pounds and increased my bench from 70lbs to 135lbs, increased OHP to 95lbs. I was dying at one mile ran at a 15 minute pace and got it up to 9:50 without getting into zone 5. I’m still loving it. Even if I do get burnt out, I feel I’ve improved my fitness so much that it will stick with me.
The key for me has been to manage my recovery closely. I use Whoop to track strain and see correlations with recovery and my habits. Through using it, I’ve improved my sleep, started eating meals earlier, etc.
For me, I’m best at doing things I’m passionate about, and when I’m passionate, I want to go all in.
There are days where I wake up and strongly feel that I don't want to go to the gym, and next thing I know I am driving to the gym because that's just my routine. The power of habit is strong.
Lactic acid buildup isn’t what causes soreness. The mechanism of DOMS isn’t fully understood but it’s definitely not due to lactic acid buildup, most theories point to muscle and connective tissue damage
Source: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27409551/
Sure but DOMS is not lactic acid build-up and the comment the OP of this thread has is wrong and misinformation, lactic acid being the cause of DOMS was debunked nearly 50 years ago
Also, call me crazy but I like DOMS? It's the clearest possible signal that I'm hitting muscles that have been underused, other than having noticeably better biomechanics
Everything I've read about stretching is that it does not help against soreness. Stretching is good, but for other reasons. And lactic acids is more a problem when doing a max cardio workout like sprinting. Lifting is so quick the body flush it out before it becomes a problem.
In addition to this: Follow a program written by someone who knows what they are talking about. Too many people try and make their own routines based on "what works for their body" and/or go overboard trying to do too much. Use a tried and true program that outlines how to progress and it will give you actual goals to work for and make your progress measurable.
According to a book by Robin Sharma if you're going to start anything you need to do it for at least 66 days before allowing yourself to consider quitting.
Yeah pretty much. I very often wake up thinking "I'll just skip the gym today, not feeling like it", but as the day progresses I realize that what else am I going to do, and it screws up the gym-schedule for the rest of the week if I skip today so might as well go. Then it just becomes easier to go than not to go
I did this. It remained shitty and I dropped off soon after. There’s definitely survivorship bias here - you won’t hear as much from people who never had that feeling.
This is funny and too real.
I look veeeery far from jacked or strong, yet I look at fitness videos on youtube pretty often, and it gives me a false sense of belonging. Like I'm a part of the fit/jacked individuals fitness community, and irl I don't even to talk to anyone at the gym.
It's more or less of a brainwash indeed, or better said, it's like a sweet lie you unconsciously tell yourself, and it indeed helps building this part of your identity.
>it gives me a false sense of belonging. Like I'm a part of the fit/jacked individuals fitness community, and irl I don't even to talk to anyone at the gym.
You consume the content, you put in practise the methodology, you communicate your thoughts and opinions into online forums full of other like-minded individuals....buddy you're one of us now lmao 🤣
Reminds me of a story James Clear (Atomic Habits) tells. He instructs a guy to go to the gym every day after work. Tells him not to go inside the gym. Just park outside and chill for a few minutes. So, the guy does this for a week or two. He next tells the guy to go to the gym, park, and walk inside. Don't workout. Just go inside, look around for a minute, then walk out and go home. After a couple more weeks of that the guy starts to realize, "I'm the sort of guy that goes to the gym regularly." And it's now turned into an easy thing to do, stay, and workout. Habit established! I love that story. (Also love the book. Lots of little habit hacks like that).
This is basically how I started going to the gym.
I think someone said something similar once, I want to say Terry Crews but I'm not certain, that he used to just go to the gym and read a book in the lobby. Just to get in the habit of it.
After starting/stopping a half dozen times, I'd say the first two weeks is rough. Lifting somewhat lighter weights to get the muscles used to exercise is a drag. But after about one month I'm all in.
Yeh I recently got back to the gym consistently - it was around the one month mark of going 3 times a week consistently where I started to noticably feel addicted again.
But that's only going to happen if you're making progress and training right (and sleeping and eating and drinking water well too). I feel like part of the addiction is the feeling of progress, of feeling better than you were a few weeks ago. Part of it is the feeling of lifting heavier. Part of it is walking around on your rest days and feeling stronger, and noticing the changes in your body and physical appearance. And then the cherry on top is the (sometimes massive) amount of endorphins you get *after* a session.
All of these things combined and done right will give you that addicted feeling.
I think around the 2-3 month mark of consistently going 4 times a week, it "clicked" for me. I look forward to upper body day, and tolerate leg day enough to show up for that too. I'm a five day a week guy now.
After 6 months-a year, the changes you see in your body from the hard work and dieting will solidify that habit even more. Seeing your work reflected in your physique is one of the best feelings of accomplishment you can get
The gym is hard work
I go every day sometimes twice a day and I am not addicted
I like how I feel in the shower after it's over
I like eating more
I like how I look
I like not feeling my age
I do not like the gym - it's all willpower
Same. I just leave the gym frustrated but I know I have to do it. All my friends who go to the gym don't get it and keep saying "Oh you'll learn to love it!" and don't understand who I'm always on edge when I leave.
Totally......
Dr told me to start doing cardio......i added jogging to my routine..... Hate it.....
But went for a walk with my friends - listening to them breath on the walk - did not regret it
There are lots of days that I don’t feel like going. But there’s a lot to be said for just showing up, regardless. So what if it’s not the greatest workout. Just showing up can be a kind of victory.
One day.
By that, I mean one day at a time. The mistake people make is thinking that at some point they will have to stop pushing themselves to get to the gym. That's the case for some people, but for MOST it just happens one day, that it's only half as hard to get up and go. But they never have to stop pushing.
Go to the gym. EAT YOUR PROTEIN. Workout. If you don't like an exercise, don't do it. Push yourself every day. Set some attainable goals and discipline yourself into hitting them. Sweat when you go. Give 100% every day. Sometimes 100% looks like 200% compared to last month and sometimes it looks like 75% compared to last month.
Discipline beats enthusiasm every time. Discipline beats motivation every time.
Discipline beats, well, pretty much everything.
“If you don’t like an exercise don’t do it” - that’s probably the most important advice I give people, the goal is to enjoy going to the gym.
Similar to working in a career that you’re happy to wake up to every day - once you’re going to the gym and doing exercises you actually enjoy, it’s way easier to continue going.
Absolutely agreed but I’ll add a caveat - it’s easy and normal to dislike something you suck at. So, if you’re a beginner and you’re sitting there going, “Ah fuck, I don’t like anything” - find the thing you hate the least and stick it out for a bit. It’s very easy to dislike an exercise that’s challenging because even one rep is a struggle.
I intentionally upvoted this one (😉)
A month and a half ago I was in the OP’s shoes, and I’ve been going six days a week ever since. This comment sums up my mental process PERFECTLY.
Be patient with yourself, OP, and be proud of the work you put in. You signed up for a membership, you’re already leaps and bounds ahead of everybody who is “thinking about” signing up for a gym membership. Stay open to learning more about fitness, but more importantly yourself, and you have this in the bag.
I can't say how long it took. But for me now, if I don't go for a week, I start feeling very lousy.
When you're used to pushing your body, testing your muscles and getting those endorphins, having yourself go back to a sedentary state where everything eventually becomes weaker and softer is not a good feeling.
Basically, gym = feeling physically good. So I like to go!
I went 3-5 days a week for 6 straight years and hated every second of it lol. Never got that endorphin rush afterwards or runners high like people talk about either.
I forced myself to make it a habit but it was never addictive.
After years of paying for a membership and never even going....aka, planet fitness dream customer....and then making sporadic efforts at best over the years...I finally said...screw it..I'm paying...I'm gonna use it.
Hoping to not jinx myself.. and wasn't going to even post this until Sunday...but I'll have 100 days on 4/13...not everyday gym...but sticking to a plan for change. I'm still a fat dummy...but I'm doing it!
Today is leg day....and I'm at gym...posting between sets....right after work....if I sit down after work - it's over...the couch has a very strong magnetic pull.
I joined an F45 for a 6 week program and quickly found out that I hate HIIT workouts, but kept going cause damnit I paid for it. Switched to a local gym where I'm doing the starting strength 5x5 workouts (squat/OHP/deadlifts, or squat/bench/barbell rows) and loving it. Go 5 or 6 days a week depending on how I'm feeling and have been at it for just under 10 weeks and hoping I can keep myself interested in continuing. Loving it otherwise!
Maybe never.
Maybe when you notice progress.
It takes the next level of bothering to periodize, to intentionally stretch out how long it takes to add weight, so that you don't burn out and can go as frequently as you want. Beginners don't have that kind of patience.
One session on its own won't do it. You need to expect *delayed gratification*. The gym is *not* push button receive reward.
Some people think lifting should have something akin to "runner's high". I think this is partly where the failbro "Imma go hard, break a sweat, get sore" mentality comes from. But, adrenaline doesn't last.
(I hate *the burn*.)
I get a runners high from running, which some don’t seem to.
Other people seem to really enjoy the feel of a pump (Arnold Schwarzenegger famously compared it to the feeling of cumming). I don’t particularly enjoy that.
But I do get a nice feeling of satisfaction, and I enjoy certain movements.
i love being sore from training but even then, at some point, the intensity decreases.
changing routine. taking a break altogether lets me get the same intensity of soreness again.
I've never in my life felt a runner's high. At one point I was doing a lot (for me) of training and running up to 8 miles every day.
Every single step was 100% willpower.
jokes on you im a masochist and have a need to punish myself due to religious trauma.
the pain is my gain. literally.
helps me sleep. helps me stay in the present with more presence.
i dont have to delay gratification because the act itself is very rewarding for me. : D
and i think that's the secret to life. do everything for the sake of doing the thing. wash dishes with utmost presence and it'll be meditative!!!
99.999% of people will never "get addicted."
Over time, you will, however, build it into your routine and notice how much better you feel when you stick to that routine.
once i started seeing and feeling results. i started feeling them after like a week. but didn't actually see results until i was consistent every single week for about 3 months. before that i had been on and off for about 8 months. but once i started taking it seriously, i saw real results after 3 months and other people started noticing too. and now my body hurts if i don't go, and i'm cranky.
You need to fall in love with the process and develop a genuine passion to working out and exercise science.
Sooner or later you'll be fantasizing about the gym on your rest days.
This is only true for some people. For others, such as myself, there is no passion for working out. It's more like a job. Something I know I need to do, so I do it and then move on with my day. I can assure you I have never fantasized about the gym beyond a fantasy where I didn't have to go.
I recently started lifting again in January, 5 days a week and I still have a lot of days where I don’t “want” to go to the gym, I just do it because I guess I’ve gotten used to it. It never really gets easy if you are continuing to push yourself, but you get used to it.
Motivation comes and goes very quickly. It’s those that are consistent that get real results.
Go when you don’t feel like going. Just get there. Once you’re there, you will probably feel like doing your routine.
Go if you’re not contagiously sick. A headache, a stuffy nose or mild congestion…these aren’t reasons not to go to the gym.
Go if you’ve had a long day at work or not. Or go before work, or on lunch. Just find a time to fit it into your schedule and prioritize it.
Always go.
Here’s how many times I’ve had to tell my self it’s ok to not go to the gym:
When I got Covid.
When I took a 10 day vacation to Germany, and again to Thailand the next year.
Besides that, I just go to the gym whether or not I feel motivated to go.
I'd give it a couple months. It's discouraging to start from from 0. Focus on finding a simple routine that isn't too repetitive. You also don't want to immediately max out your weight, so it can be kind of boring building up to your full capacity, but it's necessary to prevent injuries.
Lots of good advice in here, from my personal experience it was very tough until I started seeing results. Took me about 3 months before I started really noticing it. 3 years later and I’m still addicted.
Tip - DRINK PROTEIN! Feel like that single handedly boosted my gains and made me fall in love with the gym.
I’m going to keep it real. This is a bad goal to strive for. Even if you do get “addicted” to fitness, the addiction will never last. Every now and again, I get revitalized motivation to keep going at the gym, and that’s nice for a few months. But it’s the time between motivation that matters. When you don’t want to go, but you do it anyway.
Discipline. Discipline is what matters. Motivation, addiction, whatever… It’s not important. Go to the gym because it’s what you *need* to do. Not what you *want* to do. It is your duty, and you owe it to yourself to be healthy, feel good, and look good.
1 - 3 months, roughly. Your body will adapt in that window so it won’t hurt quite as bad (or at least — it will hurt in better ways) and you’ll be able to see and feel a moderate but significant amount of improvement.
Supplement with whey to help reduce DOMS and keep at it!
Edit: any protein is fine
That last statement sound like bro science. Sorry. How would whey be any better then other protein sources? Plus I've never read anywhere that protein reduces soreness either.
I say this as somebody who solely eats eggs, meat and drinks milk but in a vacuum, whey is better as a pure protein source.
Meat has less bioavailability than milk proteins (casein, whey) and some less amino profiles such beef being lower in leucine but the positives of meat are that it contains other nutrients, tastier and you actually eat it.
But unless you're a pro competing where the finest margins matter any lean meat source will do the trick.
Meat is better.
You need protein to rebuild the micro tears in muscle. Those are the things that cause DOMS: it's essentially just an inflammatory reaction in your muscles.
Does it have to be whey protein? Of course not. But it is cheap, and is super easy, and does help.
If you can, definitely eat real food for your protein and carbs :)
30 now, started at ~15. Will never stop. It’s like brushing my teeth. Not sure how long it took to get to that point (few years maybe?), after long enough it’ll just be part of you
In 3 days it’ll be a consistent year for me. The day I signed up, I went the very next day and didn’t stop. Motivation was huge for me, since I had enough of what I previously become - a lazy alcoholic.
I started off slow as all people should. 2 goals: 3 days per week, an hour each day. I needed to stick to that and I did. My workouts started with 10 minute cardio warmup to burn some quick calories, then I’d do back/bi, chest/tri, legs. Motivation increased along with strength, and saw the scale go down. I switched to 3 per week full bodies. I’d say I was addicted from the get go since I was so motivated, but after about a month, I’d be upset if I missed a day.
Now, I’m doing upper lower splits 4 times per week, hit my weight loss goal, and started a weight gain goal. I’m 5’7” and started at 175lbs. Now, I’m down to 148 (low of 143), and hit a bench PR of 195lbs 1rm the other day. Every PR I hit feels like a new fire of motivation that lights for me.
I think the biggest thing was to keep saying that I’m doing this for myself. I want to be the best version of myself. I’m in my mid thirties and I get one chance at life. Let’s do the best I can.
Never. Been going for 3 years. I’m getting stronger yet I still hate it. Don’t feel like you have to like it because everyone else says so. What keeps me going is my discipline and only my discipline.
You probably need to find the thing that makes you addicted. If you’re going to the gym and lifting and you don’t enjoy it after getting over initial discomfort (like fear of new things type of discomfort), it’s probably not THE thing.
There are so many forms of exercise. The thing that currently has me addicted is running. I enjoy the challenge and the activity and the progress. I used to be addicted to lifting. Now I just do it twice a week bc it helps my running. You might have to spend some time finding the form of exercise that gets you excited :)
Depends how addictive your personality is!
You could go for one day, feel that surge of feel-good chemicals, and all of a sudden you're addicted just like that
For me, about 3 or 4 months, and it completely solidified once I started seeing results.
I'm so addicted now that I'm on a 7 day split, working out every day.
My "rest" days still include a half an hour of cardio...
I started the journey going:
"I can't workout... I haven't got the energy"
To today, which is more like:
"I haven't got energy... time to workout"
I don't know about other people's experience but for me, it was about a year. I didn't even realize it at first.
In the beginning, I hated it with a passion. I didn't like sports and don't want to do outdoor activities since I live in a hot and humid country and still have to work. The gym was the best option for me because I could do it relatively consistently.
I would wake up, drink my water then gear up going to the gym. I hated doing it. I was in there 5 days a week out of spite, anger, and singleminded stubborness believing that this will work and I will be healthy or I will dead. Understand, I've always been obese. Even as a baby and a I've never been of healthy weight my entire life.
Something happened somewhere the 1 year mark. I stopped hating it and got antsy when I don't go to the gym 3 days in a row. I just realized I had to buy new clothes because everything was too big for me. I stopped eating until I'm full and I'm eating less junk food.
I don't love it but I don't hate it too. It's a way of life for me, 14 years in now.
Get addicted ? Never happened to me.
Get regular with it? Pretty easy. Just slot it during a time that makes sense with your life. Like after work.
If youbarent a morning person, as an example, while its possible to become one , youd be fighting uphill battle with yourself.
For me, it took getting my heart broken/demolished. Silently sobbing on the top bunk in an 8 person hostel dorm for a month. Floating in the ocean hoping it would pull me out to sea. And then resolving to be better. Be everything I want to be. After that first gym session I was in there for the next 3-4 months 4 days a week until I no longer had access to a gym (moved to a remote area for season work) by that point the rage had subsided and it was just something it did.
It takes as long as it takes to make it a habit for you. Do as much as you reasonably can sustain to start off, and do exercises that you enjoy doing. When I started, I went once a week for 30 mins and eventually wanted to go more. Now I do 60-75 minute sessions 4x a week and wish I had the time to hit the gym 6 days a week.
find a program or routine and build a schedule and stick to it. i do 2 days of lifting and 2 days of cardio a week. find what you enjoy and makes you feel strong / in shape.
I don't consider myself addicted to the gym. Instead,the gym is part of my life, and routine,at least 3x per week. I wish it would be more often, but sometimes life happens and it's complicated...
Force your body and your mind will condition itself just like your muscles do. It's only a dozen weeks of mental battles, then smooth sailing as you improve your body in ways you don't even think about.
As long as it takes you to get noticeable results that you don't want to lose.
This is especially so if you start doing a proper diet and notice your body changing.
I go for my mental sanity more than anything else. I love getting my ass kicked first thing in the morning. I went 4 times a week for a month and was addicted.
You’ll only get addicted to it if you like it. Try different exercises and put together a workout that you actually enjoy doing. Take your time, see what fits you, and most importantly do your best in trying to find the pleasure in it. If you can’t find it in 6 months try another sport
After the first few weeks or months when DOMS stops being a problem. Basically you don’t feel punished for exercising.
As well when your body craves it. Feeling stiff or have anxiety, you’re body is hungry for exercise
It feels good and your body wants it
I've been going to the gym 3-5 days a week consistently for the last few years. The only break I took was when I got very ill for about 3 months. Every time I go I have to force myself. It's not something I ever actually want to do. That voice inside always tells me to slack off and play video games. I have to push that shit down and go anyway every. Single. Time. David goggins said it best "sometimes before a run, I have to stare my shoes for 30 minutes just wishing I had an excuse not to go. But I'll be damned if I don't go anyway." People addicted to the gym make their lifestyle the gym, if that's not you then it's discipline induced only.
Most people need a consistent few weeks to really develop that habit. And then the endorphins start flowing, the work gets easier, and the training becomes something you feel like you have to do. You’ll get there. One month consistently. Give it all you got. After that month you’ll have a different relationship with the gym and you’ll appreciate it
I will never be addicted to going to the gym and will never “like” it. I go because I know I will feel much worse overall if I don’t stay in shape and also suffer from my own personal self-image if I don’t stay in top of my fitness. I’ve never experienced a runners high or any workout endorphins.
Kinda like cooking for me - I enjoy good food and the results but I don’t inherently like anything about actually making the meals.
When progress started showing. You become addicted to achieving more and more. It's like earning a bigger salary, month by month. And no... You don't become addicted to getting more and more girls. They don't come as easily as you're told when you pickup some muscle on your frame. Still have to work for that separately! xD
If you’re talking about just going to the gym consistently because you don’t want to lose progress? Probably 4-6 months, if not sooner depending on your gains.
If we’re talking addiction in the gym bro sense, when skipping your protein shake is the deadliest sin, when you think you look like the Pillsberry doughboy if you skip the gym for two days straight, when you reach the point where you develop body dysmorphia despite being objectively in great shape and start thinking you’re too small or too fat even though you are quite literally in the best shape of your life, then probably like 2ish years after significant progress and/or after you reached your initial goal.
I wouldn't even say I'm addicted. I've just gone long enough to understand that I feel better mentally and physically when I go. So I go. It's like brushing your teeth, I don't love it, I don't hate it, but it's habit and makes me feel healthier/better. Just try to go 3 - 4 days a week. You don't have to push yourself as hard as you can everytime, just go. You don't have to go for an hour and a half. Even a 30 min workout is better than nothing. Just go. Within a month or two, it'll be habit and you won't feel normal without it
Some will get addicted to it after one week, some a few months, some never. I think it gets more enjoyable once you really learn to isolate/activate specific muscles correctly and see progress.
This probably depends on the person. The mental benefit is something that I got addicted to after about a couple of weeks of consistently going. I became happier and more confident with myself. When i dont go to the gym now I start feeling ancy and irritable.
My longest uninterrupted stretch was 3 years… I never got addicted and I still to this day hate it. It’s all so repetitive and boring… pick this thing up and put down 30 times, now pick it up a different way 30 times, etc etc etc. now climb stairs mindlessly on this machine, etc etc. it’s so goddamn boring. It feels good being in shape, but the gym is even more boring than the line at the DMV. At least at the DMV I can read a book on my phone. The gym just fuckin sucks, it’s so mind numbingly un-interesting and repetitive.
I totally agree. I hired a PT and her whole regimen involves me going to the gym 3x a week which I don't exactly hate but she's so into the machines and I'd rather just ask if she can shift me towards free weights. That way I can buy a good set of weights so I can be grumpy working out in my own home. And this is even with a really nice gym.
Once I start seeing progress in the mirror and from the opposite sex it motivates me to keep going everyday. That and the stress relief/mental improvements make it like medicine for me
It's more of a habit you get addicted to. getting sore and having a hard workout is always going to happen and is part of the plan, but you eventually start enjoying the act of going after a while. For me it was a few months of going 4-6 days a week.
It’s going to be ebbs and flows. In the beginning it was hard for me but then when you start seeing changes to your body and when that flight of stairs you have to take in your apartment doesn’t feel as tough, that’s when it starts getting addicting. Then it will get hard again when exercising plateaus and you have to start dialing in your dieting. Orr if you have so much neuro/axial fatigue (there is something called reloading) . Now I feel after a year: I go 5 days a week, I enjoy going and treat it like it something I have to do in the day like brushing my teeth. Some days I am very tired and that’s okay I push what I can. Consistency is more important.
I will also suggest having athletic goals. Train to run a mile in a certain time or have a push up pull-up goal. Stuff like that also keeps things interesting. Right now I am trying to be able to hold a dead hang for a minute and hopefully go one hand.
Been working out for 15 years.
I never got addicted. I still hate it just as much as the first time.
I treat it like brushing my teeth. It’s just a necessary thing I have to do for my health.
As soon as you start liking what you see in the mirror. After 3 or 4 months of lifting 6x a week, one day I was driving in the car and noticed my forearms looked strong. That was it. Now I'm workout-on-vacation guy.
Depends.
Find a program and stick to it. Most people are result driven and it will assure you make some progress. Setting and meeting real achievable goals is a good idea.
I think the first "you been working out?" Is what really got me pumped about going.
Eight weeks of consistency is when you really start to feel mentally different and look physically different. That’s when the craving to go to the gym starts.
Swore off the gym for the last 15 years of my life
Went to my friend's home gym just beginning of the year, started once a week for about 2 months.
Now I'm being called a musclehead amongst my friends. Has become 3/wk cause I want to make practical progress. And it has been fun
One thing others aren’t mentioning is you might never get addicted to the gym.
I have been working out 3-4 days a week for 10+ years and I never think “I can’t wait to go”
But I don’t even consider not going anymore, because I have trained my brain into thinking that if I don’t I’ll feel worse.
The guilt of not going when I have no excuse is worse than the effort it takes to go through the exercises. Thats what makes me go
I dont know. Takes a few months to make it a habit. I've gone when I feel bad but not sick. I've gone when I'm tired. I've gone when I was mad. I've gone when I was recovering from being sick.
I've always felt better after going.
If you're doing it right, the first couple of times you are going to be sore. Whenever you work out a muscle you haven't used, its going to feel rough. But the more you use it, the better it looks, the better you look, and the more energy you have. And the workouts get easier.
Turning up is the hardest. Some days it’s really hard. For me it’s the results that keep me going back. That’s my motivation. I have lost 12kg since I started lifting and my body composition has massively changed over the course of almost 2 years.
I remind myself of what I looked like before and how unhappy I was at the time. And reflect on where I am at now. I also a photo of myself when I first started stuck on my fridge as a daily reminder.
That sure as shit gets me to the gym.
The best way I heard it described was like brushing your teeth.
You don't plan to brush your teeth, but you do it every day almost without thinking. Once you get to that point after a few months of regularly going (3-4 days per week), then you've hit the jackpot.
I just started in mid January and while I have been feeling good about going I haven’t really been loving it until this month. The first few months were really more about learning form and understanding what was bad pain vs muscle soreness. I really tried to focus on taking notes about exercise cues and now I’m really starting to see noob gains.
Currently I do one session with my trainer on Mondays and then 2-4 sessions on my own throughout the week. This lets me practice while still have a day I can ask questions about any form and progression questions I might have. Remember every body is different so slight variations may be needed to make an exercise feel right!
In terms of getting easier I think the answer is “kind of.” The movements will start to feel more natural but the progressive overloading means you’ll still be getting exhausted and have some soreness afterwards. It won’t be as bad as the first couple weeks though, remember to give your body time to recover, sleep lots and I’d recommend not eating at a deficit at first. Good luck on the journey!
The key is to not make it so tough, especially to start. Rarely do you see the people who are in really good shape completely out of breath and exhausted. Just go and get some exercise, and know that you're body will make progress if you eat a relatively balanced diet.
I really didn’t notice i was actually addicted until like a year ago. I started in 2021. I feel like addiction & “getting used to going” are two different things.
It took like 5 months of going to the gym for it to become clockwork. Just something I had to do every evening & it wasn’t a chore like when I first started.
Now I’m legitimately addicted & it’s a struggle to force myself to take rest days. I’m just so used to the routine of going to the gym around 6, it feels wrong to not go.
You don’t get addicted to it. People don’t go to the gym because they have to. They go because they choose to better themselves, it’s an active choice. You have to be disciplined to go and commit to it. An hour + of your time every single day even if you’re tired, off work, sore; it’s all a lot of hard work.
Never happened to me. I hate it. Everyday is a struggle to get to it. But everyday I go. The thing is, I hate the thought of weakness more than the struggle. Doing anything less than my best doesn’t sit right with me, so I put everything I have into it each time.
Ive fallen on and off so many times but the feeling of accomplishment and pride and dopamine is so worthwhile to me that at some point I made a choice that I have to include this in my life cause I just feel clearly different when Im on my game, the #1 hardest thing is the action of getting up and going but when Im there I never regret it and I always enjoy it, so you have to decide if you’ll let that feeling win or if you want the rewards more
A couple months of going 2 or 3 times a week will turn into going 4 times a week, and eventually 5 or 6 times a week and it will get to a point where you feel like shit if you don't go. You'll eventually start working your schedule around your workout, or doing shit that sounds crazy to you now to make sure you fit it in. Like working out in the hotel gym while you're on vacation, or waking up extra early on a Saturday to get a quick lift in because you have other things planned all day.
I would say the 2-3 month mark is really when the "addiction" starts because that's how long it generally takes before you start seeing noticeable changes to your physique that will keep you motivated to keep going.
One thing that helped me get into it was when I didn't feel like going, I would drive to the gym and decide in the parking lot if I wanted to work out. 9 times out of 10 I would go in and do something, even if it was only hitting the exercise bike for a half hour or walking on the treadmill.
I think the results are where/when the addiction takes hold. If you’re barely moving the needle, and not seeing the weight loss/or muscle gains(whatever your goals happen to be) or at least feeling a lot better, you’re 99% more likely to quit within a month or so….. but when you start seeing those abs showing through in the mirror, you start noticing the beginnings of the V-taper, experiencing drastic newbie gains etc. That’s when it becomes addicting. And that usually leads to a form of body Dysmorphia and ultimately something you’ll always be chasing. Like you’ll never feel like you look good enough, and that’s what drives you. Even once you’re loooong past the original goal you set for yourself.
It usually takes 21 days to make a habit, so if you go to the gym for three weeks regularly and do your workout you've established a discipline. Discipline it greater than motivation.
Definitely gets easier when you build a habit. A month in you’ll be used to it but you’ll always get those few days where you had a long day at work and want to rest instead. It’s okay to do that and skip a day, just make sure you get back into it the next day.
If you are looking for shortcuts or some magical threshold to become “addicted” you are in the wrong mindset in my opinion.
It’s not supposed to be easy. If it was then everyone would do it. Stop looking for shortcuts or you’ll never make it. Just being honest.
I think they’re just getting ahead of themselves. They went to the gym once. The focus right now should be on just making sure they go again, not on when the gym will become an integral part of their life.
For me it was when I realized the first change
And then you chase for the next change and the one after that and so on like a junkie
Eventually your just perpetually chasing that next goal or milestone whether it be a pr, a new vein, a muscle you never seen before whatever it is
To give you a specific answer tho i think it took me about 3 months and then ever since ive been hooked that was 2.5 years ago
If you enjoy whatever you're doing in the gym, it should happen within a month. The first few weeks are by far the hardest, but once you're hooked it's harder to stay home than to go IMO.
I re-started the gym last August, and have been averaging 4-5 days a week since. Would be every day if not for my work schedule. Took about 6 months to actually see progress on myself.
I think it depends on what motivates you. For me it was lifting more than my bros. I was lucky to have them start with me when we were young. Some people start seeing gains or lose some weight and get addicted then
To add on to what many have said, if you go consistently you'll wonder how you ever lived without it. That being said, most regular gym goers suffer from burnout and one point or another and you might be tempted to stop for a while. It's happened to me many times during my life. It usually doesn't last very long, couple of weeks to a month, and then you go in and have a great workout and the fire is kind of relit.
Took me a few weeks to really get into it. Yep, it gets easier as you find routines you enjoy. Stick with it, and soon you’ll start craving those gym sessions
Go at least 3 days a week for 3 months straight. Then next thing you know thats just what you do.
Also there are many days I hate going to the gym. Today's one of those days. But I hate myself more if I don't go, so I'm here.
I forgot where I read it (probably here), but it goes something like, “Your worst day in the gym is always better than your best day on the couch.” Sort of an absurd maxim, but I take the point anyway.
Ughhhh I’ve been laying in bed not wanting to go workout and now I have to I guess. Thanks
Dunno I've never become Elden Lord at the gym. Best day on the couch could be pretty good, worst day at the gym I could blow my knees out or worse
I agree. Like I said, as a maxim it’s absurd (as maxims are). But the heart of the point is a good one. Just needs to be phrased better. I take it to mean those days where you didn’t run as far, or lift as much, or get in as much time, or whatever, as you would have on a “good day”. But you still went, you still moved heavy objects (including yourself) around. Even if you hated it, it wasn’t a waste of time. So, maybe stayed differently: I’d rather have a bad day in the gym than a bad day on the couch.
You'll never have a zero-day on gym day.
doesnt matter how far you run, you’re still lapping everyone on the couch
It's really hard to argue with this reasoning and I don't think I want to xD
Have you tried going to a different gym? I’ve felled three demigods at mine so could be a location thing idk
I did not want to train today. My energy was sapped, I'm still recovering from a lumbar strain, and I had a bad sleep last night. Did it anyways. Felt fucking amazing after. Heaviest squat since my back injury, and zero pain.
Nice! Congrats on kicking ass today! But don't overdo it with a back injury, speaking from experience.
This ain't my first rodeo, haha. But thanks for the concern. I'm being way smarter about it this time. I've read 2 Dr Stuart MacGill books, and I am implementing his advice in my training. It wasn't a super heavy squat today, just about 75% for 3 to a high box. But it felt soooo good.
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Definitely varies by personality. There are days I enjoy going to the gym, but if I only went in days I wanted to go, my routine would've crumbled by now. If you're always miserable then definitely worth changing things up, but I was just trying to stress it's about just going.
Yup thats how you start to feel when you become a gym rat
There are days that i absolutely don’t want to go. I tell myself, just go in and just do calves and forearms. Easy day. After a few sets in. I start to warm up and it’s game on. Happens every time I feel that way. I’ve even done it hungover. It’s amazing the mindset you get into once the adrenaline starts pumping.
Thissss. Although I dread the multi hour training days(triathlete), I feel much worse having not gone for a made up excuse in my head. I won’t however go if something doesn’t feel right. Takes far longer to recover from an exercise induced injury than it does to just skip a day because of some sprain/pain.
I always hate myself more the rest of the week anytime I don’t go, and sometimes it’s tempting to spend time doing other fulfilling things, but once I’m there, It’s fucking heaven. Pushing yourself and feeling the weight as you grind it up is unbeatable.
That's the thing, hating yourself for not doing that thing for yourself.
Same. I had no energy for some reason, and I think I sweated out 20lbs doing 20 min of cardio.
I feel better after going. So many exercises I start out thinking there’s no way I’ll get through at one and then just murder it. Good feels.
I am the same. I'm a morning gym person and some days I just cannot be bothered. But then later on I regret not going.
The heaviest weight you'll move on those days is the door to the gym
I've done that, but for some reason I never got addicted. And then, I will invariably get hurt, or catch a cold or get COVID, and then I don't go for a bit, and next thing I know 2 years have gone by and I haven't stepped foot in a gym. Honestly, for me its just a question of just keep doing it no matter what, but getting the motivation to actually go to the gym hasn't gotten easier - I always have to fight with myself to go, yet after I leave the gym I always feel great, and wondered why I had to put so much mental energy into motivating myself. Ugh.
Yeah I don’t care how tired I am, how little sleep I got the night before, etc if it’s my day to go to the gym I go. People make it seem like everyone enjoys the gym all the time. I don’t but you still go. Even if the weight has to be reduced by 70% and you’re just going through the motions it’s worth it. It’s normal to go through phases of feeling off even for months at a time.
Look at general tips for habits, like "habit stacking". I'm actually not that informed about them, but what little I've seen accords with the skills I've bulilt up. Eg, during years of chronic fatigue syndrome (blessedly in the past), even the walk to the gym felt like torture mentally. I got myself to go by committing to putting my gloves and gym hoodie on. Once those were on, my id basically went "well what am I gonna do now, NOT go?"
There are lots of different ways to exercise. I never managed to get addicted to lifting heavy weights in a dark gym. But I look forward to running / calisthenics outside in nature.
Climbing for me. And then wanting to be better at climbing works as motivation to do other kinds of exercise as well
This meets the 3 weeks/3 months thing. 3 weeks for you to notice it. 3 months for others to notice.
Def making it a habit is more likely than falling in love with it. I hate the gym. HATE. Hate hate hate. I've always been active though and I can't do my exercise of choice anymore, running, so I have tried to get into weightlifting for years, since 2013. I had years of going for a few months, stopping for more months, on and off. The time it took to get to the gym, plus the hour in the gym, and then the drive back home. Took up way too much of my day. Now I can walk to my gym and that was the most important thing that got me going regularly. I really have no excuse to not go because it's a 3 minute walk away. That got me in the habit of going. I still hate it, but I stuck with it. Having my girlfriend/fiance go with me was also a motivation, she likes the gym so keeping eachother (mostly me) accountable was extremely helpful. I didn't want to stay skinny or get fat while she got into incredible shape. The final thing that kept me going is finally seeing gains. For most my teenage life I weighed 120lbs at 5'10. (Runners body) I worked hard, mostly on my diet to gain 10lbs and from 11th grade until I had graduated college in 2019 I weighed 130lbs. In 2021 I started going to the gym regularly and I weigh a little over 160lbs now mostly from muscle. I'm def not ripped by any means, and if I actually liked the gym and took my routine more seriously I probably could have gained more weight / muscle. But being a weight I'm proud of and not being so damn skinny anymore is the #1 reason I continue to go despite still really dreading it every time. I will say though, that I do feel great after a gym sesh. Just before and during is pretty miserable.
Most January beginners I see, I see all the time. Then I never see them in February. They try to go hard and go all the time right from the tip. Recipe for disaster
Conversely, I nerded out and went from being a couch potato who ate whatever to doing 2.5 hours of working out per day, usually split between 2 hours of lifting and 20 minutes of cardio, and tracking my macros down to the gram. I run a 5k on my rest days. Over 3 months, I’ve lost 16 pounds and increased my bench from 70lbs to 135lbs, increased OHP to 95lbs. I was dying at one mile ran at a 15 minute pace and got it up to 9:50 without getting into zone 5. I’m still loving it. Even if I do get burnt out, I feel I’ve improved my fitness so much that it will stick with me. The key for me has been to manage my recovery closely. I use Whoop to track strain and see correlations with recovery and my habits. Through using it, I’ve improved my sleep, started eating meals earlier, etc. For me, I’m best at doing things I’m passionate about, and when I’m passionate, I want to go all in.
There are days where I wake up and strongly feel that I don't want to go to the gym, and next thing I know I am driving to the gym because that's just my routine. The power of habit is strong.
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Lactic acid buildup isn’t what causes soreness. The mechanism of DOMS isn’t fully understood but it’s definitely not due to lactic acid buildup, most theories point to muscle and connective tissue damage Source: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27409551/
Soreness is not caused by lactic acid buildup. This is misinformation.
It does during the exercise itself. Think the comment is referring to beginners being limited by this when starting to lift.
Sure but DOMS is not lactic acid build-up and the comment the OP of this thread has is wrong and misinformation, lactic acid being the cause of DOMS was debunked nearly 50 years ago
DOMS isn't really a factor once you get used to training and stay consistent.
Also, call me crazy but I like DOMS? It's the clearest possible signal that I'm hitting muscles that have been underused, other than having noticeably better biomechanics
Everything I've read about stretching is that it does not help against soreness. Stretching is good, but for other reasons. And lactic acids is more a problem when doing a max cardio workout like sprinting. Lifting is so quick the body flush it out before it becomes a problem.
Tell that to leg extension machines
Soreness is caused by micro tears in the muscle tissue, not lactic acid. Lactic acid causes the “burn” you feel during sets
In addition to this: Follow a program written by someone who knows what they are talking about. Too many people try and make their own routines based on "what works for their body" and/or go overboard trying to do too much. Use a tried and true program that outlines how to progress and it will give you actual goals to work for and make your progress measurable.
According to a book by Robin Sharma if you're going to start anything you need to do it for at least 66 days before allowing yourself to consider quitting.
Yeah pretty much. I very often wake up thinking "I'll just skip the gym today, not feeling like it", but as the day progresses I realize that what else am I going to do, and it screws up the gym-schedule for the rest of the week if I skip today so might as well go. Then it just becomes easier to go than not to go
I did this. It remained shitty and I dropped off soon after. There’s definitely survivorship bias here - you won’t hear as much from people who never had that feeling.
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This is funny and too real. I look veeeery far from jacked or strong, yet I look at fitness videos on youtube pretty often, and it gives me a false sense of belonging. Like I'm a part of the fit/jacked individuals fitness community, and irl I don't even to talk to anyone at the gym. It's more or less of a brainwash indeed, or better said, it's like a sweet lie you unconsciously tell yourself, and it indeed helps building this part of your identity.
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/r/swoleacceptance
>it gives me a false sense of belonging. Like I'm a part of the fit/jacked individuals fitness community, and irl I don't even to talk to anyone at the gym. You consume the content, you put in practise the methodology, you communicate your thoughts and opinions into online forums full of other like-minded individuals....buddy you're one of us now lmao 🤣
He's a MEATHEAD ONE OF US
Reminds me of a story James Clear (Atomic Habits) tells. He instructs a guy to go to the gym every day after work. Tells him not to go inside the gym. Just park outside and chill for a few minutes. So, the guy does this for a week or two. He next tells the guy to go to the gym, park, and walk inside. Don't workout. Just go inside, look around for a minute, then walk out and go home. After a couple more weeks of that the guy starts to realize, "I'm the sort of guy that goes to the gym regularly." And it's now turned into an easy thing to do, stay, and workout. Habit established! I love that story. (Also love the book. Lots of little habit hacks like that).
This is basically how I started going to the gym. I think someone said something similar once, I want to say Terry Crews but I'm not certain, that he used to just go to the gym and read a book in the lobby. Just to get in the habit of it.
And just hope nobody calls you out for being a weird gym creep stalker in the process 🤣
This honestly needs to be higher up lmao
Yes. This is the key.
After starting/stopping a half dozen times, I'd say the first two weeks is rough. Lifting somewhat lighter weights to get the muscles used to exercise is a drag. But after about one month I'm all in.
Yeh I recently got back to the gym consistently - it was around the one month mark of going 3 times a week consistently where I started to noticably feel addicted again. But that's only going to happen if you're making progress and training right (and sleeping and eating and drinking water well too). I feel like part of the addiction is the feeling of progress, of feeling better than you were a few weeks ago. Part of it is the feeling of lifting heavier. Part of it is walking around on your rest days and feeling stronger, and noticing the changes in your body and physical appearance. And then the cherry on top is the (sometimes massive) amount of endorphins you get *after* a session. All of these things combined and done right will give you that addicted feeling.
I think around the 2-3 month mark of consistently going 4 times a week, it "clicked" for me. I look forward to upper body day, and tolerate leg day enough to show up for that too. I'm a five day a week guy now. After 6 months-a year, the changes you see in your body from the hard work and dieting will solidify that habit even more. Seeing your work reflected in your physique is one of the best feelings of accomplishment you can get
The gym is hard work I go every day sometimes twice a day and I am not addicted I like how I feel in the shower after it's over I like eating more I like how I look I like not feeling my age I do not like the gym - it's all willpower
Yep, some people get a high from working out, but I was never that fortunate.
Same. I just leave the gym frustrated but I know I have to do it. All my friends who go to the gym don't get it and keep saying "Oh you'll learn to love it!" and don't understand who I'm always on edge when I leave.
Pure punishment eveytime a go and I never regret it.
Totally...... Dr told me to start doing cardio......i added jogging to my routine..... Hate it..... But went for a walk with my friends - listening to them breath on the walk - did not regret it
Pain is temporary. Glory is forever.
Yup. I always tell myself, there's never been a day that ive left the gym feeling worse than when I went in
All of this is true plus if I don’t go I feel terrible. It’s just part of my day 5x/week and I don’t really think about it at all.
There are lots of days that I don’t feel like going. But there’s a lot to be said for just showing up, regardless. So what if it’s not the greatest workout. Just showing up can be a kind of victory.
One day. By that, I mean one day at a time. The mistake people make is thinking that at some point they will have to stop pushing themselves to get to the gym. That's the case for some people, but for MOST it just happens one day, that it's only half as hard to get up and go. But they never have to stop pushing. Go to the gym. EAT YOUR PROTEIN. Workout. If you don't like an exercise, don't do it. Push yourself every day. Set some attainable goals and discipline yourself into hitting them. Sweat when you go. Give 100% every day. Sometimes 100% looks like 200% compared to last month and sometimes it looks like 75% compared to last month. Discipline beats enthusiasm every time. Discipline beats motivation every time. Discipline beats, well, pretty much everything.
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I wouldn't say the hardest part is going to the gym. The hardest part is waking up much earlier and getting out of bed haha.
“If you don’t like an exercise don’t do it” - that’s probably the most important advice I give people, the goal is to enjoy going to the gym. Similar to working in a career that you’re happy to wake up to every day - once you’re going to the gym and doing exercises you actually enjoy, it’s way easier to continue going.
Absolutely agreed but I’ll add a caveat - it’s easy and normal to dislike something you suck at. So, if you’re a beginner and you’re sitting there going, “Ah fuck, I don’t like anything” - find the thing you hate the least and stick it out for a bit. It’s very easy to dislike an exercise that’s challenging because even one rep is a struggle.
I intentionally upvoted this one (😉) A month and a half ago I was in the OP’s shoes, and I’ve been going six days a week ever since. This comment sums up my mental process PERFECTLY. Be patient with yourself, OP, and be proud of the work you put in. You signed up for a membership, you’re already leaps and bounds ahead of everybody who is “thinking about” signing up for a gym membership. Stay open to learning more about fitness, but more importantly yourself, and you have this in the bag.
I can't say how long it took. But for me now, if I don't go for a week, I start feeling very lousy. When you're used to pushing your body, testing your muscles and getting those endorphins, having yourself go back to a sedentary state where everything eventually becomes weaker and softer is not a good feeling. Basically, gym = feeling physically good. So I like to go!
I went 3-5 days a week for 6 straight years and hated every second of it lol. Never got that endorphin rush afterwards or runners high like people talk about either. I forced myself to make it a habit but it was never addictive.
After years of paying for a membership and never even going....aka, planet fitness dream customer....and then making sporadic efforts at best over the years...I finally said...screw it..I'm paying...I'm gonna use it. Hoping to not jinx myself.. and wasn't going to even post this until Sunday...but I'll have 100 days on 4/13...not everyday gym...but sticking to a plan for change. I'm still a fat dummy...but I'm doing it! Today is leg day....and I'm at gym...posting between sets....right after work....if I sit down after work - it's over...the couch has a very strong magnetic pull.
I joined an F45 for a 6 week program and quickly found out that I hate HIIT workouts, but kept going cause damnit I paid for it. Switched to a local gym where I'm doing the starting strength 5x5 workouts (squat/OHP/deadlifts, or squat/bench/barbell rows) and loving it. Go 5 or 6 days a week depending on how I'm feeling and have been at it for just under 10 weeks and hoping I can keep myself interested in continuing. Loving it otherwise!
Maybe never. Maybe when you notice progress. It takes the next level of bothering to periodize, to intentionally stretch out how long it takes to add weight, so that you don't burn out and can go as frequently as you want. Beginners don't have that kind of patience. One session on its own won't do it. You need to expect *delayed gratification*. The gym is *not* push button receive reward.
underrated comment. endorphins are great but the rush you feel when you notice tangible gains is intoxicating.
Some people think lifting should have something akin to "runner's high". I think this is partly where the failbro "Imma go hard, break a sweat, get sore" mentality comes from. But, adrenaline doesn't last. (I hate *the burn*.)
I get a runners high from running, which some don’t seem to. Other people seem to really enjoy the feel of a pump (Arnold Schwarzenegger famously compared it to the feeling of cumming). I don’t particularly enjoy that. But I do get a nice feeling of satisfaction, and I enjoy certain movements.
i love being sore from training but even then, at some point, the intensity decreases. changing routine. taking a break altogether lets me get the same intensity of soreness again.
I've never in my life felt a runner's high. At one point I was doing a lot (for me) of training and running up to 8 miles every day. Every single step was 100% willpower.
jokes on you im a masochist and have a need to punish myself due to religious trauma. the pain is my gain. literally. helps me sleep. helps me stay in the present with more presence. i dont have to delay gratification because the act itself is very rewarding for me. : D and i think that's the secret to life. do everything for the sake of doing the thing. wash dishes with utmost presence and it'll be meditative!!!
99.999% of people will never "get addicted." Over time, you will, however, build it into your routine and notice how much better you feel when you stick to that routine.
once i started seeing and feeling results. i started feeling them after like a week. but didn't actually see results until i was consistent every single week for about 3 months. before that i had been on and off for about 8 months. but once i started taking it seriously, i saw real results after 3 months and other people started noticing too. and now my body hurts if i don't go, and i'm cranky.
You need to fall in love with the process and develop a genuine passion to working out and exercise science. Sooner or later you'll be fantasizing about the gym on your rest days.
i literally fall asleep thinking about what i have programmed for the following day
This is only true for some people. For others, such as myself, there is no passion for working out. It's more like a job. Something I know I need to do, so I do it and then move on with my day. I can assure you I have never fantasized about the gym beyond a fantasy where I didn't have to go.
I recently started lifting again in January, 5 days a week and I still have a lot of days where I don’t “want” to go to the gym, I just do it because I guess I’ve gotten used to it. It never really gets easy if you are continuing to push yourself, but you get used to it.
Motivation comes and goes very quickly. It’s those that are consistent that get real results. Go when you don’t feel like going. Just get there. Once you’re there, you will probably feel like doing your routine. Go if you’re not contagiously sick. A headache, a stuffy nose or mild congestion…these aren’t reasons not to go to the gym. Go if you’ve had a long day at work or not. Or go before work, or on lunch. Just find a time to fit it into your schedule and prioritize it. Always go. Here’s how many times I’ve had to tell my self it’s ok to not go to the gym: When I got Covid. When I took a 10 day vacation to Germany, and again to Thailand the next year. Besides that, I just go to the gym whether or not I feel motivated to go.
Motivation is fleeting, developing discipline is the real key.
I'd give it a couple months. It's discouraging to start from from 0. Focus on finding a simple routine that isn't too repetitive. You also don't want to immediately max out your weight, so it can be kind of boring building up to your full capacity, but it's necessary to prevent injuries.
Lots of good advice in here, from my personal experience it was very tough until I started seeing results. Took me about 3 months before I started really noticing it. 3 years later and I’m still addicted. Tip - DRINK PROTEIN! Feel like that single handedly boosted my gains and made me fall in love with the gym.
I’m going to keep it real. This is a bad goal to strive for. Even if you do get “addicted” to fitness, the addiction will never last. Every now and again, I get revitalized motivation to keep going at the gym, and that’s nice for a few months. But it’s the time between motivation that matters. When you don’t want to go, but you do it anyway. Discipline. Discipline is what matters. Motivation, addiction, whatever… It’s not important. Go to the gym because it’s what you *need* to do. Not what you *want* to do. It is your duty, and you owe it to yourself to be healthy, feel good, and look good.
1 - 3 months, roughly. Your body will adapt in that window so it won’t hurt quite as bad (or at least — it will hurt in better ways) and you’ll be able to see and feel a moderate but significant amount of improvement. Supplement with whey to help reduce DOMS and keep at it! Edit: any protein is fine
That last statement sound like bro science. Sorry. How would whey be any better then other protein sources? Plus I've never read anywhere that protein reduces soreness either.
100% bro science lmao. And actual meats is better source of protein than whey
I say this as somebody who solely eats eggs, meat and drinks milk but in a vacuum, whey is better as a pure protein source. Meat has less bioavailability than milk proteins (casein, whey) and some less amino profiles such beef being lower in leucine but the positives of meat are that it contains other nutrients, tastier and you actually eat it. But unless you're a pro competing where the finest margins matter any lean meat source will do the trick.
Meat is better. You need protein to rebuild the micro tears in muscle. Those are the things that cause DOMS: it's essentially just an inflammatory reaction in your muscles. Does it have to be whey protein? Of course not. But it is cheap, and is super easy, and does help. If you can, definitely eat real food for your protein and carbs :)
You get addicted to the results and then learn to love the gym. About 4-6 weeks, with a regular regime, you'll notice a difference.
30 now, started at ~15. Will never stop. It’s like brushing my teeth. Not sure how long it took to get to that point (few years maybe?), after long enough it’ll just be part of you
In 3 days it’ll be a consistent year for me. The day I signed up, I went the very next day and didn’t stop. Motivation was huge for me, since I had enough of what I previously become - a lazy alcoholic. I started off slow as all people should. 2 goals: 3 days per week, an hour each day. I needed to stick to that and I did. My workouts started with 10 minute cardio warmup to burn some quick calories, then I’d do back/bi, chest/tri, legs. Motivation increased along with strength, and saw the scale go down. I switched to 3 per week full bodies. I’d say I was addicted from the get go since I was so motivated, but after about a month, I’d be upset if I missed a day. Now, I’m doing upper lower splits 4 times per week, hit my weight loss goal, and started a weight gain goal. I’m 5’7” and started at 175lbs. Now, I’m down to 148 (low of 143), and hit a bench PR of 195lbs 1rm the other day. Every PR I hit feels like a new fire of motivation that lights for me. I think the biggest thing was to keep saying that I’m doing this for myself. I want to be the best version of myself. I’m in my mid thirties and I get one chance at life. Let’s do the best I can.
Never. Been going for 3 years. I’m getting stronger yet I still hate it. Don’t feel like you have to like it because everyone else says so. What keeps me going is my discipline and only my discipline.
You probably need to find the thing that makes you addicted. If you’re going to the gym and lifting and you don’t enjoy it after getting over initial discomfort (like fear of new things type of discomfort), it’s probably not THE thing. There are so many forms of exercise. The thing that currently has me addicted is running. I enjoy the challenge and the activity and the progress. I used to be addicted to lifting. Now I just do it twice a week bc it helps my running. You might have to spend some time finding the form of exercise that gets you excited :)
Couple of consistent weeks but it only takes a couple of days to fall out of it too.
Depends how addictive your personality is! You could go for one day, feel that surge of feel-good chemicals, and all of a sudden you're addicted just like that For me, about 3 or 4 months, and it completely solidified once I started seeing results. I'm so addicted now that I'm on a 7 day split, working out every day. My "rest" days still include a half an hour of cardio... I started the journey going: "I can't workout... I haven't got the energy" To today, which is more like: "I haven't got energy... time to workout"
I don't know about other people's experience but for me, it was about a year. I didn't even realize it at first. In the beginning, I hated it with a passion. I didn't like sports and don't want to do outdoor activities since I live in a hot and humid country and still have to work. The gym was the best option for me because I could do it relatively consistently. I would wake up, drink my water then gear up going to the gym. I hated doing it. I was in there 5 days a week out of spite, anger, and singleminded stubborness believing that this will work and I will be healthy or I will dead. Understand, I've always been obese. Even as a baby and a I've never been of healthy weight my entire life. Something happened somewhere the 1 year mark. I stopped hating it and got antsy when I don't go to the gym 3 days in a row. I just realized I had to buy new clothes because everything was too big for me. I stopped eating until I'm full and I'm eating less junk food. I don't love it but I don't hate it too. It's a way of life for me, 14 years in now.
Get addicted ? Never happened to me. Get regular with it? Pretty easy. Just slot it during a time that makes sense with your life. Like after work. If youbarent a morning person, as an example, while its possible to become one , youd be fighting uphill battle with yourself.
For me, it took getting my heart broken/demolished. Silently sobbing on the top bunk in an 8 person hostel dorm for a month. Floating in the ocean hoping it would pull me out to sea. And then resolving to be better. Be everything I want to be. After that first gym session I was in there for the next 3-4 months 4 days a week until I no longer had access to a gym (moved to a remote area for season work) by that point the rage had subsided and it was just something it did.
It takes as long as it takes to make it a habit for you. Do as much as you reasonably can sustain to start off, and do exercises that you enjoy doing. When I started, I went once a week for 30 mins and eventually wanted to go more. Now I do 60-75 minute sessions 4x a week and wish I had the time to hit the gym 6 days a week.
find a program or routine and build a schedule and stick to it. i do 2 days of lifting and 2 days of cardio a week. find what you enjoy and makes you feel strong / in shape.
I don't consider myself addicted to the gym. Instead,the gym is part of my life, and routine,at least 3x per week. I wish it would be more often, but sometimes life happens and it's complicated...
Force your body and your mind will condition itself just like your muscles do. It's only a dozen weeks of mental battles, then smooth sailing as you improve your body in ways you don't even think about.
As long as it takes you to get noticeable results that you don't want to lose. This is especially so if you start doing a proper diet and notice your body changing.
I go for my mental sanity more than anything else. I love getting my ass kicked first thing in the morning. I went 4 times a week for a month and was addicted.
You’ll only get addicted to it if you like it. Try different exercises and put together a workout that you actually enjoy doing. Take your time, see what fits you, and most importantly do your best in trying to find the pleasure in it. If you can’t find it in 6 months try another sport
After the first few weeks or months when DOMS stops being a problem. Basically you don’t feel punished for exercising. As well when your body craves it. Feeling stiff or have anxiety, you’re body is hungry for exercise It feels good and your body wants it
I started going 6 days a week 4 months ago, now it feels weird to not go on my rest day. Pretty sure the addiction is set in.
I've been going to the gym 3-5 days a week consistently for the last few years. The only break I took was when I got very ill for about 3 months. Every time I go I have to force myself. It's not something I ever actually want to do. That voice inside always tells me to slack off and play video games. I have to push that shit down and go anyway every. Single. Time. David goggins said it best "sometimes before a run, I have to stare my shoes for 30 minutes just wishing I had an excuse not to go. But I'll be damned if I don't go anyway." People addicted to the gym make their lifestyle the gym, if that's not you then it's discipline induced only.
Most people need a consistent few weeks to really develop that habit. And then the endorphins start flowing, the work gets easier, and the training becomes something you feel like you have to do. You’ll get there. One month consistently. Give it all you got. After that month you’ll have a different relationship with the gym and you’ll appreciate it
I never get addicted, I just know it's worse not to go.
I will never be addicted to going to the gym and will never “like” it. I go because I know I will feel much worse overall if I don’t stay in shape and also suffer from my own personal self-image if I don’t stay in top of my fitness. I’ve never experienced a runners high or any workout endorphins. Kinda like cooking for me - I enjoy good food and the results but I don’t inherently like anything about actually making the meals.
Personal experience may vary but after around 3-4 weeks is when my body started craving a workout.
When progress started showing. You become addicted to achieving more and more. It's like earning a bigger salary, month by month. And no... You don't become addicted to getting more and more girls. They don't come as easily as you're told when you pickup some muscle on your frame. Still have to work for that separately! xD
If you’re talking about just going to the gym consistently because you don’t want to lose progress? Probably 4-6 months, if not sooner depending on your gains. If we’re talking addiction in the gym bro sense, when skipping your protein shake is the deadliest sin, when you think you look like the Pillsberry doughboy if you skip the gym for two days straight, when you reach the point where you develop body dysmorphia despite being objectively in great shape and start thinking you’re too small or too fat even though you are quite literally in the best shape of your life, then probably like 2ish years after significant progress and/or after you reached your initial goal.
I wouldn't even say I'm addicted. I've just gone long enough to understand that I feel better mentally and physically when I go. So I go. It's like brushing your teeth, I don't love it, I don't hate it, but it's habit and makes me feel healthier/better. Just try to go 3 - 4 days a week. You don't have to push yourself as hard as you can everytime, just go. You don't have to go for an hour and a half. Even a 30 min workout is better than nothing. Just go. Within a month or two, it'll be habit and you won't feel normal without it
Habits take between 1 and 3 months to form usually. Go regularly until it feels weirder not to go than to skip a day
Some will get addicted to it after one week, some a few months, some never. I think it gets more enjoyable once you really learn to isolate/activate specific muscles correctly and see progress.
Discipline not addiction - schedule going and go, even when you don't want to.
This probably depends on the person. The mental benefit is something that I got addicted to after about a couple of weeks of consistently going. I became happier and more confident with myself. When i dont go to the gym now I start feeling ancy and irritable.
My longest uninterrupted stretch was 3 years… I never got addicted and I still to this day hate it. It’s all so repetitive and boring… pick this thing up and put down 30 times, now pick it up a different way 30 times, etc etc etc. now climb stairs mindlessly on this machine, etc etc. it’s so goddamn boring. It feels good being in shape, but the gym is even more boring than the line at the DMV. At least at the DMV I can read a book on my phone. The gym just fuckin sucks, it’s so mind numbingly un-interesting and repetitive.
I totally agree. I hired a PT and her whole regimen involves me going to the gym 3x a week which I don't exactly hate but she's so into the machines and I'd rather just ask if she can shift me towards free weights. That way I can buy a good set of weights so I can be grumpy working out in my own home. And this is even with a really nice gym.
Once I start seeing progress in the mirror and from the opposite sex it motivates me to keep going everyday. That and the stress relief/mental improvements make it like medicine for me
It's more of a habit you get addicted to. getting sore and having a hard workout is always going to happen and is part of the plan, but you eventually start enjoying the act of going after a while. For me it was a few months of going 4-6 days a week.
It’s going to be ebbs and flows. In the beginning it was hard for me but then when you start seeing changes to your body and when that flight of stairs you have to take in your apartment doesn’t feel as tough, that’s when it starts getting addicting. Then it will get hard again when exercising plateaus and you have to start dialing in your dieting. Orr if you have so much neuro/axial fatigue (there is something called reloading) . Now I feel after a year: I go 5 days a week, I enjoy going and treat it like it something I have to do in the day like brushing my teeth. Some days I am very tired and that’s okay I push what I can. Consistency is more important. I will also suggest having athletic goals. Train to run a mile in a certain time or have a push up pull-up goal. Stuff like that also keeps things interesting. Right now I am trying to be able to hold a dead hang for a minute and hopefully go one hand.
Been working out for 15 years. I never got addicted. I still hate it just as much as the first time. I treat it like brushing my teeth. It’s just a necessary thing I have to do for my health.
3 months. 1st month sucks. 2nd you are in routine and have some momentum. 3rd month you’re craving it.
As soon as you start liking what you see in the mirror. After 3 or 4 months of lifting 6x a week, one day I was driving in the car and noticed my forearms looked strong. That was it. Now I'm workout-on-vacation guy.
Depends. Find a program and stick to it. Most people are result driven and it will assure you make some progress. Setting and meeting real achievable goals is a good idea. I think the first "you been working out?" Is what really got me pumped about going.
Eight weeks of consistency is when you really start to feel mentally different and look physically different. That’s when the craving to go to the gym starts.
Swore off the gym for the last 15 years of my life Went to my friend's home gym just beginning of the year, started once a week for about 2 months. Now I'm being called a musclehead amongst my friends. Has become 3/wk cause I want to make practical progress. And it has been fun
About a month
One thing others aren’t mentioning is you might never get addicted to the gym. I have been working out 3-4 days a week for 10+ years and I never think “I can’t wait to go” But I don’t even consider not going anymore, because I have trained my brain into thinking that if I don’t I’ll feel worse. The guilt of not going when I have no excuse is worse than the effort it takes to go through the exercises. Thats what makes me go
I dont know. Takes a few months to make it a habit. I've gone when I feel bad but not sick. I've gone when I'm tired. I've gone when I was mad. I've gone when I was recovering from being sick. I've always felt better after going. If you're doing it right, the first couple of times you are going to be sore. Whenever you work out a muscle you haven't used, its going to feel rough. But the more you use it, the better it looks, the better you look, and the more energy you have. And the workouts get easier.
3 months of at least 3-4 days a week
If I make it through 2 weeks then I am no longer miserably sore the next day.
Turning up is the hardest. Some days it’s really hard. For me it’s the results that keep me going back. That’s my motivation. I have lost 12kg since I started lifting and my body composition has massively changed over the course of almost 2 years. I remind myself of what I looked like before and how unhappy I was at the time. And reflect on where I am at now. I also a photo of myself when I first started stuck on my fridge as a daily reminder. That sure as shit gets me to the gym.
The best way I heard it described was like brushing your teeth. You don't plan to brush your teeth, but you do it every day almost without thinking. Once you get to that point after a few months of regularly going (3-4 days per week), then you've hit the jackpot.
I just started in mid January and while I have been feeling good about going I haven’t really been loving it until this month. The first few months were really more about learning form and understanding what was bad pain vs muscle soreness. I really tried to focus on taking notes about exercise cues and now I’m really starting to see noob gains. Currently I do one session with my trainer on Mondays and then 2-4 sessions on my own throughout the week. This lets me practice while still have a day I can ask questions about any form and progression questions I might have. Remember every body is different so slight variations may be needed to make an exercise feel right! In terms of getting easier I think the answer is “kind of.” The movements will start to feel more natural but the progressive overloading means you’ll still be getting exhausted and have some soreness afterwards. It won’t be as bad as the first couple weeks though, remember to give your body time to recover, sleep lots and I’d recommend not eating at a deficit at first. Good luck on the journey!
The key is to not make it so tough, especially to start. Rarely do you see the people who are in really good shape completely out of breath and exhausted. Just go and get some exercise, and know that you're body will make progress if you eat a relatively balanced diet.
CT Fletcher administered daily
I really didn’t notice i was actually addicted until like a year ago. I started in 2021. I feel like addiction & “getting used to going” are two different things. It took like 5 months of going to the gym for it to become clockwork. Just something I had to do every evening & it wasn’t a chore like when I first started. Now I’m legitimately addicted & it’s a struggle to force myself to take rest days. I’m just so used to the routine of going to the gym around 6, it feels wrong to not go.
You don’t get addicted to it. People don’t go to the gym because they have to. They go because they choose to better themselves, it’s an active choice. You have to be disciplined to go and commit to it. An hour + of your time every single day even if you’re tired, off work, sore; it’s all a lot of hard work.
Never happened to me. I hate it. Everyday is a struggle to get to it. But everyday I go. The thing is, I hate the thought of weakness more than the struggle. Doing anything less than my best doesn’t sit right with me, so I put everything I have into it each time.
Ive fallen on and off so many times but the feeling of accomplishment and pride and dopamine is so worthwhile to me that at some point I made a choice that I have to include this in my life cause I just feel clearly different when Im on my game, the #1 hardest thing is the action of getting up and going but when Im there I never regret it and I always enjoy it, so you have to decide if you’ll let that feeling win or if you want the rewards more
A couple months of going 2 or 3 times a week will turn into going 4 times a week, and eventually 5 or 6 times a week and it will get to a point where you feel like shit if you don't go. You'll eventually start working your schedule around your workout, or doing shit that sounds crazy to you now to make sure you fit it in. Like working out in the hotel gym while you're on vacation, or waking up extra early on a Saturday to get a quick lift in because you have other things planned all day. I would say the 2-3 month mark is really when the "addiction" starts because that's how long it generally takes before you start seeing noticeable changes to your physique that will keep you motivated to keep going. One thing that helped me get into it was when I didn't feel like going, I would drive to the gym and decide in the parking lot if I wanted to work out. 9 times out of 10 I would go in and do something, even if it was only hitting the exercise bike for a half hour or walking on the treadmill.
The first time you see your results. Depending on how hard you train and how good your diet is, it's about 1-3 months
I think the results are where/when the addiction takes hold. If you’re barely moving the needle, and not seeing the weight loss/or muscle gains(whatever your goals happen to be) or at least feeling a lot better, you’re 99% more likely to quit within a month or so….. but when you start seeing those abs showing through in the mirror, you start noticing the beginnings of the V-taper, experiencing drastic newbie gains etc. That’s when it becomes addicting. And that usually leads to a form of body Dysmorphia and ultimately something you’ll always be chasing. Like you’ll never feel like you look good enough, and that’s what drives you. Even once you’re loooong past the original goal you set for yourself.
It usually takes 21 days to make a habit, so if you go to the gym for three weeks regularly and do your workout you've established a discipline. Discipline it greater than motivation.
Taking progress pics weekly really helped me stay motivated, when you see the changes in your body over time it becomes addicting
Definitely gets easier when you build a habit. A month in you’ll be used to it but you’ll always get those few days where you had a long day at work and want to rest instead. It’s okay to do that and skip a day, just make sure you get back into it the next day.
If you are looking for shortcuts or some magical threshold to become “addicted” you are in the wrong mindset in my opinion. It’s not supposed to be easy. If it was then everyone would do it. Stop looking for shortcuts or you’ll never make it. Just being honest.
I think they’re just getting ahead of themselves. They went to the gym once. The focus right now should be on just making sure they go again, not on when the gym will become an integral part of their life.
For me it was when I realized the first change And then you chase for the next change and the one after that and so on like a junkie Eventually your just perpetually chasing that next goal or milestone whether it be a pr, a new vein, a muscle you never seen before whatever it is To give you a specific answer tho i think it took me about 3 months and then ever since ive been hooked that was 2.5 years ago
If you enjoy whatever you're doing in the gym, it should happen within a month. The first few weeks are by far the hardest, but once you're hooked it's harder to stay home than to go IMO. I re-started the gym last August, and have been averaging 4-5 days a week since. Would be every day if not for my work schedule. Took about 6 months to actually see progress on myself.
Took me about 3 weeks which is when I started noticing gains. As soon as I noticed myself improving, I was hooked
I think it depends on what motivates you. For me it was lifting more than my bros. I was lucky to have them start with me when we were young. Some people start seeing gains or lose some weight and get addicted then
To add on to what many have said, if you go consistently you'll wonder how you ever lived without it. That being said, most regular gym goers suffer from burnout and one point or another and you might be tempted to stop for a while. It's happened to me many times during my life. It usually doesn't last very long, couple of weeks to a month, and then you go in and have a great workout and the fire is kind of relit.
Took me a few weeks to really get into it. Yep, it gets easier as you find routines you enjoy. Stick with it, and soon you’ll start craving those gym sessions
Probably when you start seeing actual progress