Coach Chris McMahon

You could have the perfect program, the best lifting equipment, and the fanciest gym clothes, but that doesn’t mean you’ll be consistent in the gym.

Some people love going to the gym and pushing themselves & others need help packing their bag for the gym.  

Fitness has become a part of my identity, and I can credit my training and nutrition with helping me go from a skinny theatre kid to a strong dad who drinks stronger coffee.  

But I got into training when I was 19, and things would be very different if I were just to be getting started in my mid-30s.

Many of my 1:1 online fat loss clients are in that very position.

So, keep reading to learn how to stay consistent in the gym and learn the best tips for building long-lasting fitness habits.

How To Stay Consistent In The Gym

Consistently going to the gym requires you to make the time and effort to get to the gym.

This is stating the obvious; however, people often confuse putting time and effort into something with striving for perfection.

Before going any further, I will remind you that to be consistent in the gym means going to the gym and not quitting if you miss a few sessions.  

Let’s say that the average person trains three times per week.

If you went to the gym three per week for an entire year, that would come to 156 workouts.

That’s a lot of workouts, and that’s assuming the perfect life without hiccups.

And since you’re a human, you should expect that things won’t be perfect.  

That’s why you should consider aiming for 80%.

Build Consistent Fitness Habits

Building fitness habits come from being consistent at least 80% of the time.

Look at it this way- doing 80% of your yearly workouts would still be 125 sessions.

That’s more than zero sessions.

But if you miss a few gym sessions and then say fuck it the chance of you making any progress goes down quite a bit.  

So, you need to give yourself a fighting chance and have a more flexible mindset about what progress looks like.

And if you ask me, one of the best ways to make progress is to track your progress.

How To Create A Consistency Calendar

An easy way to track your progress is by using a consistency calendar.

A consistency calendar keeps things straightforward.

You either do the habit or miss the habit.

X = Done

O = Missed

The law of 80/20 (Pareto principle) states that:

80% of your work produces the results you are after, which leaves 20% too well…be a human.

In other words, if you took the 30 days in a month, that would leave you with roughly 6 days to:

• Not hit your calorie goal
• To miss a workout
• To go to bed later than normal
• To skimp on your water and vegetables

You don’t need to aim for perfect because perfect means you will quit.

All or nothing feels safe because it gives you an out.

Change is scary, but the reality is that unless you are trying to step out on stage or your career depends on your appearance, there’s no need to hit 100%

So, with that in the back of your mind, it is time to decide your training goal.  

Picking A Training Goal

Being consistent in the gym is easier if you have a training goal.  

A training goal will shape your choices in training frequency, program design, and program length.

Here are a few examples:

• Improve your athletic performance
• Improve your strength
• Gain muscle
• Lose Fat

These are excellent places to start; however, the more specific you are, the better.  

For instance, if you aim to gain muscle and lose fat, you might eat at calorie maintenance or in a slight surplus to have enough energy to build muscle.

Then, after gaining muscle, you would enter a calorie deficit to lose fat.

It is possible to get stronger and lose fat so long as you are in a calorie deficit, eating a well-balanced diet, and following a progressive training program.  

Yes, this might get caught up in the minutia of training goals; however, when you are specific, your actions align more with your goals.

Follow A Training Program

Following a training plan is essential if you have a specific training goal.

Think about it this way:

Following random workouts will get you random results.

Technically, any training can produce results when you’re new to fitness.

That’s why BeachBody (BODi) and other on-demand fitness programs still exist.

But you shouldn’t program hop for a few different reasons.

Don’t Program Hop

#1. Progressive Programming

A proper program will be at least four weeks long and ramp up someone to increase their strength. 

It’s hard to increase your strength and improve your movement skills if you frequently change the exercises.

Progressive overload is involved in any strength training program and is how you get stronger. 

The simplest example would be increasing the weight you lift every session. If you are new to lifting weights, you might increase the weight from session to session; however, there is a cap.  

For instance, if your goal is to increase your bench press by 5 pounds every week, the likelihood of injury increases.

If it were that easy, we would all be bench pressing 350lbs. 

#2. Tracking Progress

With a proper training program, you will see progress in different areas of your training.  

• Number of repetitions completed
• Amount of weight lifted
• Number of exercises completed
• Length of rest periods needed

If you look at four weeks of programming for the Deadlift, you might see something like this. 

Week 1: 3×5 

Week 2: 3×5

Week 3: 4×3

Week 4: 4×3 

In weeks 1 and 2, you will lift 15 total reps for the Dead lift. 

In weeks 3 and 4, you will lift 12 total reps for the Dead lift.  

While 15 reps might be more than 12, the weight used for the 12 reps will be heavier.  

Ladies and gents, that is progressive overload.  

As for the programming phases, you could stick with the same program for 4 – 8 weeks before needing to change things. Of course, this all depends on training frequency and experience level.  

Every time you get a new training program, you shouldn’t see a shit ton of new exercises. 

Slight progressions in tempo, rest intervals, range of motion, and reps completed can all increase the difficulty of a program. 

Trainer Ben Bruno said it best:  “Effective strength training pretty much consists of rotating the same basic 15-20 exercises until you die.”

And in truth, random on-demand fitness classes don’t check those boxes.

Adjust The Training Program

Many of my 1:1 online fat loss clients have busy schedules that leave them little time to go to the gym.

And before you say it, yes, they know they technically could make time for the gym.

But in their season of life, they need to work and take care of their kids, and sometimes that means they will sacrifice the gym time to be there for dinner or to do the nighttime routine with their children.

They value their time with the family, which I didn’t understand when I was younger because I didn’t have my own family.

Here’s a little secret to make staying consistent in the gym easier.

You can take the program as written and break it into small workouts.

You can spread it across multiple days or throughout the day.

Doing 1-2 exercises for 2-3 sets still counts as a workout.

Your body has no idea that you were supposed to do other exercises and doesn’t give a fuck that it takes longer to finish your four-week training phase.

Remember that one workout per week is better than no workout.

Have A Training Community

Another way to foster consistency is by joining a gym community.

Many of my online fat-loss clients have expressed a fear that they would be mocked and filmed at the gym, and it’s delayed them from starting a gym routine.

Never in my wildest dreams did I think it would be necessary to remind others that the gym can be one of the most supportive environments.

Everyone has had a day one.

99% of the people in the gym are more concerned about their own appearance than how you look while you’re exercising.

A supportive community is vital to making sustainable habits like going to the gym 1-2x per week.

You might be trying to lose weight, but that doesn’t mean you need to make yourself smaller to make someone comfortable.  

What If I Don’t Go To The Gym?

Maybe the gym isn’t your budget right now, and that’s fine!

Call up a friend and become walking buddies, or recruit your dog to remind you to go out for walks.

Tell your family and friends why you are focused on trying to change.

It can be scary, I know, but if they are a part of your community, they will support you.  

Final Thoughts

Being consistent in the gym can be challenging if you are concerned about perfection.  

But no one is asking you to be perfect.

And as a coach, I’m asking you to be okay with not being perfect.

That’s what matters most.

And that’s how you will become more consistent in the gym.

There are 52 weeks in a year.

Just commit to doing at least one weekly workout for the entire year.

Click here, and I will help you get started with my Leaner Stronger Blueprint.

Fifty-two fat-burning workouts that I guarantee will work as long as you are consistent, not perfect.

Something will always be better than nothing.