Reasons People Skip Workouts

These Are the Most Common Reasons People Skip Workouts

A new survey revealed the top reasons people skip workouts -- here's how to rise above the excuses.

BY REEGAN VON WILDENRADT

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For a growing number of people, exercise is a passion that they make time for every day.


Getting and staying fit has become a lifestyle, as evidenced by millions of #fitfam social media posts and the growth of group exercise classes as a go-to pastime. Even so, not everyone—even fitness pros here at Menshealth.com—always looks forward to sweating it out in the gym.

In fact, tons of people are very consistent at one aspect of their fitness regimen: being inconsistent with their workouts. Now, we have some better insights why. A survey conducted by Fitrated.com asked 1,000 men and women the biggest reasons they skip workouts.

Turns out there are a number of legitimate excuses that keep people from the gym, along with quite a few lame explanations for truancy.


Uh, no.
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Luckily, we've got a fix for every single one of them, whether it's low confidence, intimidation, or just flat-out apathy.

Workout Buster: Confidence

How confident a person feels in the gym was one of the biggest markers of whether they'll show up or not. That makes sense—no one likes feeling uncomfortable or inadequate. The survey asked people what would make them feel more confident in their workouts—which, when you look at it from the other side, is exactly what is keeping them out of the gym.


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Solution: Get educated

Three of the four top results for what would make guys feel more confident in the gym directly pertain to a lack of knowledge about exercise and the gym. That's an easy fix: get educated.

Don't know what that weird looking piece gym equipment is? Most gyms have trainers and front desk staff that can give you a quick run-down. And don't feel silly for asking—far from everyone is a fitness pro.

Don't know proper weightlifting technique? We've got you covered.

Focus on the basics—the squat, the deadlift, and the bench press are building block moves to start with, using low weights. You don't have to get fancy to get a great workout in when you're just starting out (or anytime after, either). You just have to work. Check out this 6-week beginner's workout plan to get going.

Workout Buster: It's too hard!

Another reason survey participants gave for skipping workouts was the difficulty of the exercise. Martial arts and high-intensity interval training (HIIT) topped the list of the workouts people skipped because they thought it would be too hard.


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Solution: Scale, or find an alternative

If the workout you're doing is so hard that you can't finish it, you're either doing it wrong or you should find a different way to sweat.

Martial arts and HIIT workouts are notoriously tough—but also yield incredible results. However, you can still scale both to your level. If you're doing a martial arts workout that includes burpees, start with some form of pushups instead. Use your heart rate to gauge your effort for your HIIT intervals instead of trying to keep up with other people, who might have more experience with the form.

If a workout feels tough because you loathe it, you should probably find something else to do entirely. Working out should be challenging, but it should be far from the worst part of your day. There are tons of great exercises out there, so don't waste your time doing something you hate. Try out different stuff until you find something that you actually enjoy.

Workout Buster: Lame excuses


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The survey found that people blamed everything from their socks to the weather for reasons to skip a workout. Really? Do we even have to say anything? We will anyway.

Solution: Figure out your "why"

Excuses are like belly buttons—everyone's got one. There's usually a very simple solution for every single damn excuse out there. No time? Try a 10-minute workout. No gym? There are all sorts of bodyweight workouts. Hate cardio? Almost everyone hates cardio, get over it.

If you're constantly making excuses to skip workouts, you probably don't have a good reason for going to the gym. Take some time to sit down and figure out what exactly your goals are. Then, write them down and remember them every single time you're tempted to stay home because of something like you can't find the right socks.