In this article we cover eleven tips on how to get motivated to workout at home.

Every day, I see someone new, trashing motivation in favor of discipline. Though discipline is often the key to success, we all start from a different place to become more disciplined. Whether that’s in regards to working out, our diets, our work, or any other aspect of our lives.

But what do they mean when they say, “Don’t be motivated, be disciplined.” They mean do things you don’t want to do that you know you need to do. And don’t just do those things when you’re motivated to do them.

I consider myself a disciplined person. But it still helps to have motivational tools ready when I don’t feel like doing something.

I know I will do it, but there will always be that internal struggle. So, why not set myself up for success by having some motivation to fall back on?

If your goal is to work out at home, I have some recommendations for getting motivated to do it. The more you do it, the more disciplined you will become. 

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Why Do You Want to Workout at Home

What is your reason for starting a new exercise routine? Is it to look better? Feel better? Start a new hobby?

It doesn’t matter to me what it is. But it should matter to you. Most people think they should work out more but don’t have a driving force behind it. This is why so many people struggle to stay consistent. You have to have something that pushes you. Whether it’s wanting to set a positive example for your family members or because you want to look better naked. Whatever it is, don’t try to lie to yourself. Be honest with why you want to start strength training, CrossFit, running, etc. No one else has to know why you’re doing it.

Working out at home is a great place to start if you’re new to working out or feel a little insecure about getting a gym membership. There are plenty of resources online to help you get going. If you decide working out at home isn’t for you, that’s fine too. There’s no shame in hiring a personal trainer or a coach to help you along your fitness journey.

1. Define Your Fitness Goals

The hardest part about making progress is knowing what you should be doing. Starting a fitness routine requires a workout plan to achieve the most success. A daily workout is great, but a workout with a specific objective is better. Is your goal to increase strength, lose weight, gain muscle, compete in a sport, or improve some aspect of your health?

Most strength and conditioning coaches will advise you to pick a long-term goal and several short-term or process goals that support the long-term objective. For example, a long-term goal might be to run a marathon. You will have short-term objectives like running a 5k, 10k, and half marathon to get there. Those objectives consist of process goals like a weekly number of miles, a specific diet, and 8-9 hours of sleep every night.

Having a long-term goal gives you something to strive for. And once that goal is in place, you can develop a system of process goals to help get you there.

2. Start Here if You’re Starting From Scratch

Many people in the fitness space, myself included, write programs for people already engaged in fitness activities. But this isn’t very helpful if you are starting from scratch with no prior experience. 

At-home workouts are a great place to start. All you need is your body weight. If you are starting from zero, adding more movement throughout the day is a good place to begin for the first few weeks. Here are some examples of how you can turn simple tasks, or downtime, into a mini-workout.

• The Micro-Workout: Pick an exercise(s) to attach to something consistent in your day. For example, do a push-up every time you get an email. Do a squat every time you take a sip of water. Do a few jumping jacks every time you leave the bathroom. Pick something that occurs multiple times during your day. A push-up here and there might not seem like a lot, but those numbers will add up quickly if you get 40 emails a week.

• Two Minute Walks: Every hour of your workday, spend two minutes walking around. Walk around your place of work, home, or outside for exactly two minutes each hour, and you will have walked for 16 minutes total by the end of an eight-hour workday and 80 minutes by the end of the day Friday. Have an hour-long meeting? Take two minutes to walk around before returning to your desk. Been staring at your screen for the last 58 minutes? Give your eyes a break and take a two-minute walk. I don’t care how busy you are, you can spare two minutes an hour.

• Commercial Break Workouts: Do you love watching TV? Me, too. Use the commercial breaks to your advantage. Pick an exercise and do that every time the commercials come on. You don’t need to spend the entire time exercising. You only need to do a pre-determined amount of exercise each break. Most shows have three breaks per thirty minutes. If you do five bodyweight squats every break (not every commercial), that’s 15 squats per show. If you watch 15 30-minute episodes a week, and let’s be honest, that is probably a conservative estimate, that is 225 squats a week, 900 squats a month, and 10,800 squats a year. Those numbers may seem astronomical compared to your current number of weekly squats, but it is possible when small habits accumulate.

• Cooking Exercises: Waiting for water to boil? Do some jumping jacks. Waiting for the oven to heat up or the microwave to ding to let you know your dinner is ready? Do some jumping jacks.

• Clean Your House: Running a vacuum through the house a few times a week will keep your place clean and help you get in some more movement.

• Do Your Own Yard Work: Yard work can provide an endless supply of calorie-burning physical activity. Mowing the lawn, pulling weeds, trimming the hedges, picking up leaves in the fall, shoveling snow in the winter, planting a garden, etc., will all provide beneficial physical activity.

• Walk and Scroll: Do you find yourself constantly scrolling on your phone? Every time you click a specific app, stand up and walk around while you scroll through it. Want to look at Instagram? Then you have to be walking while you do it. Want to see what’s new on Facebook? Stand up and do a lap around the living room.

Some of these ideas may seem silly at first, but when you do the math to see how much physical activity you can achieve over time, well, it doesn’t seem that silly at all. Everything mentioned above is simple and could easily be formed into a lasting habit.

3. Join a Fitness Group

There are tons of online fitness groups you can join. This is an excellent way to maintain your exercise motivation. Working out with an online group usually means you have a weekly workout schedule, access to expert trainers, and a supportive group of peers. A lot of people have found small communities on social media that fit their goals and lifestyle.

4. Follow an Exercise Program

Don’t want to join a workout group? No problem! There are plenty of DIY exercise programs out there you can try. Following a program takes the confusion out of exercising. Most programs will provide the exercises, sets, and number of reps for each workout.

A good program will have options for beginner, intermediate, and advanced workouts designed to achieve a specific fitness goal. The important thing is you find a program you enjoy.

5. Get Some Affordable Exercise Equipment

Bodyweight workouts and calisthenics are great, but sticking to regular exercise may become a challenge if that’s not your thing. You don’t have to start with a full garage gym. You can get affordable equipment like resistance bands and a jump rope. Then, if you enjoy it, you can buy more later.

6. Finding Motivation On Social Media

Social media is a double-edged source. There is a ton of motivating content out there. But how long will you have to scroll to get to it? How much time will you waste trying to be motivated when you could get a full-body workout?

You’re going to use social media. I get that. So, as you’re using it, save videos you find motivating. It doesn’t matter if it’s a workout video, a quote, or a motivational speech. Then, when it’s time to work out, go to your saved folder and watch a few. Don’t visit the explore page on any social media app to find motivation. Stick to what you know motivates you, then get to it.

If you like YouTube, you can find a motivational compilation video and play it during your workout. This is a great way to stay motivated while exercising. Here are a few that will give you a kick in the pants.

7. Accountability Partners

Accountability buddies are also a double-edged sword. Having an exercise buddy who commits to working out is the best way to stay consistent. But if you pick someone who also struggles with motivation, they might just not feel like doing the workout today. And before you know it, they’ve also convinced you to skip your workout session.

So, when it comes to accountability partners, choose wisely.

8. Read Motivational Quotes

Words are powerful. Sometimes all you need to light that fire inside is a good quote. Thankfully, Outdoor Muscle has collected tons of quotes for this exact purpose. Check out the below links for over 500 motivational quotes to get you to that next workout.

• 160 of the Best Gym Quotes to Keep You Motivated in 2024
• 175 of the Best Friday Gym Quotes for Workout Motivation
• 200 Best Wednesday Gym Quotes for Workout Motivation

9. Prepare for Your Excuses

Endurance athlete David Goggins sets his workout clothes and running shoes next to his bed before he goes to sleep. He does this to eliminate one step in the process the following day. The more steps you must go through to begin exercising, the more opportunity for your excuses to have a say. Do whatever you need to make working out the easiest option for you.

Set your clothes out. Pre-make your breakfast. Meal prep some breakfast burritos like these. Or make some overnight oats. I know it seems like I’m just adding hard work to the end of your day, but preparing for success is how to stick to a consistent routine.

10. Have a Dedicated Workout Space

You need a dedicated space to do it if you’re working out at home. The good news is that it could be your living room, garage, or backyard. Wherever it is, stick to that spot. Keep it tidy. The last thing you want is to clean up before you work out. That creates another obstacle to doing the workout. And the more obstacles, the more chances for you to lose your motivation.

Having a dedicated workout space or an at-home gym gives you consistency. It’s another aspect of building a regular workout routine.

11. Choose Your Tunes Wisely

If your favorite music doesn’t make you want to pump some iron, it may be time to explore new genres. Thousands of playlists on Spotify are available to give you a great workout. You can even choose a playlist with a specific tempo to help you get into a groove.

There are plenty of workouts on YouTube that are done to music as well. This can be a fun way to get a good workout.

Here’s a classic called Bring Sally Up.

How to Get Motivated to Workout At Home

Motivation isn’t an easy thing to master. It takes time and experimentation to figure out what motivates you to workout. If you’re ready to start your at home workout routine. Outdoor Muscle has a ton of great resources for you like these articles:

• Top 5 Upper Body Exercises at Home (+ 5 Sample Workouts)
• 23 Best Exercises for a Home Dumbbell Workout (No Bench)
• 9 Best Triceps Workouts at Home With Dumbbells

Make sure to subscribe to the Outdoor Muscle Newsletter and YouTube Channel for more at home workouts, exercise demonstrations, and high-protein recipes!