Staying committed to training at the gym

Why do some people progress while others give up?

Everyone knows that training regularly, being diligent, and following a programme are keys to success at the gym. And I know that studies unanimously show the benefits of physical exercise for morale, energy levels, and health.

And yet, like many others, I know that moment when the alarm goes off for my morning session, or I leave work feeling tired. My sofa calls to me louder than the dumbbells: « No gym today. »

Perhaps like you, I find it difficult to stay motivated week after week. An unexpected event, a lack of motivation, fatigue, stress… in short, there are so many reasons to break my routine, to procrastinate, with great difficulty in creating a routine.

Do you ever say to yourself, « I don’t feel like going today to the gym » or « I can’t seem to be consistent » and sometimes « I’m stuck, I’m not making any progress or I’ve stopped progressing »?

Rest assured, this is normal. 50% of new members give up within the first 6 months. Why? Rarely because of a lack of equipment or classes. The real obstacle is mental. The reality is that my body can lift the weights, but it’s my mind that decides whether I go to the gym….

…and that’s not inevitable! Re-educating and training your mind is easy with the right techniques.

Increase your motivation to go to the gym, work on:

Strengthening your intrinsic motivation.
Establishing lasting habits.
Transforming exercise into pleasure rather than a chore.
Positive visualisation of your ‘future self’ in good shape.

Hypnosis and self-hypnosis are the best ways to work on your habits and automatic behaviours.

Hypnosis deeply anchors your motivation by connecting it to your core values. You no longer force yourself to go out of pure discipline: you feel a natural desire to train. Hypnosis transforms obligation into desire.

Imagine no longer having to fight with yourself to put on your trainers. Training becomes an appointment with yourself that you really look forward to.

Get regular on your gym practice

One week you go four times, the next week once, then not at all for ten days… Irregularity is the number one enemy of progress. You know this, but you can’t seem to establish a stable routine.

Hypnosis transforms training into an automatic habit, like brushing your teeth. Your brain creates new neural pathways that associate certain times of the day with training, without conscious effort.

Instead of relying on willpower (which is a limited resource), you create automatic responses. You don’t even ask yourself the question anymore: it’s time, so you go.

Overcome the « plateau effect »

Have you been stuck at the same weights for months? Is your time not improving? Do you feel like you’ve reached your limit?

Hypnosis dissolves the limiting beliefs that prevent you from progressing. Often, it’s not your muscles that are at their maximum, it’s your brain that has decided « enough is enough ». Hypnosis reprogrammes these self-imposed mental limits and allows you to:

Overcome limiting psychological blocks
Improve concentration during training
Optimise the mind-body connection for better performance
Strengthen confidence in your abilities

It also significantly improves your neuromuscular connection: the ability to really feel and control each muscle during exercise. The result? Each repetition becomes more effective, even with the same load.

Regain confidence and serenity to perform

You come to unwind after work, but arrive so stressed that you find it difficult to concentrate on your session. Sometimes the gaze of others is a little too present?

Hypnosis provides:

Easily accessible stress management tools to get the most out of your sessions.
Reduced anxiety in the gym
Improved self-confidence and body image

Hypnosis teaches you to get into « the zone » – that state of flow where you are totally focused, relaxed and performing at your best. Top athletes know that the difference between the podium and the rest is often in the mind.

Hypnosis gives you tools to manage your stress, control your breathing and heart rate, and visualise your success with such precision that your brain can no longer tell the difference between visualisation and reality.

For athletes:

Maybe your heart races before a competition, your hands get sweaty, you feel like everyone is watching you, and the fear of failure paralyses you… When competing in your sport, you know this stress can ruin months of preparation. Specific benefits include:

Mental preparation for competitions
Pre-competition stress management
Improved visualisation of technical movements
Strengthened resilience and a champion’s mindset
Optimisation of concentration during exercise

The results you can expect

Practitioners who incorporate hypnosis into their sports routine report:

Stable motivation, even on difficult days
Progress after months of stagnation
Better mind-body connection during training
Less stress and more enjoyment during training
Improved recovery and better quality sleep
Greater self-confidence, both in the gym and elsewhere
Optimised performance in competition

Who is hypnosis for?

You are just starting out and want to build solid habits from the outset
You train regularly but feel that something is holding you back
You are preparing for a competition and want to give yourself the best chance of success
You have a specific goal (losing weight, gaining muscle, improving your performance) and want to maximise your results
You are recovering from an injury and need to reconnect with your body

In short: if you have a body and a brain, hypnosis can help you.

How does it work in practice?

A sports hypnosis session is not magic. It is an altered state of consciousness where you have more direct access to your unconscious mind – the part of you that controls 95% of your automatic behaviours, such as your motivation, emotions, heart beat, etc.

More explanation on how Hypnosis works…

What does an sport hypnosis session look like?

You are comfortably seated with your eyes closed.
The hypnotherapist guides you into a state of deep relaxation.
In this state, you work on your specific goals: motivation, pushing boundaries, stress management, performance visualisation, etc.
You remain conscious and in control at all times.
The session lasts between 50 and 75 minutes.

The effects are gradual: some people feel an impact after the first session, while others need 3-4 sessions to anchor the changes deeply.

Some gyms offer hypnosis sessions:

In groups or individually
In a quiet, dedicated room
Often available half a day per week or by appointment.
As a premium membership add-on
As individual or group packages
As packages with personalised coaching

Where can you discover sports hypnosis?

Some cutting-edge gyms are starting to incorporate sports hypnosis into their offerings, recognising that physical transformation begins in the mind. Gyms no longer just offer machines and classes: they offer support for both the body AND the mind.

These gyms offer sessions between workouts or as a complement to your programme. No need to look for a hypnotherapist elsewhere or squeeze an appointment into your already busy schedule.

The mind: explore your underestimated capacities

Hypnosis is not a crutch or a shortcut. It is the tool that finally aligns your mind with your ambitions. It is what makes the difference between those who dream of results and those who get them.

You want to work on the most powerful part of your body, your brain? You are curious to try it?

In Malmö, suggest to your gym to try this service. Contact me +46 79 344 09 16.

Outside Malmö, find out about sports hypnosis practitioners in your area. Your future progress will thank you for it…(maybe your Gym too ;-)!

Articles

Bibliography

Autohypnose et performance sportive – Manuel pratique d’entraînement mental pour le sportif Jonathan Bel Groux
L’Incontournable de l’autohypnose – Jonathan Bel Groux
L’expertise du haut niveau pour un mental fort – Jonathan Bel Groux
L’hypnose – mon coach sportif – Dr Adrian Chaboche
Découvrir Et Appliquer L’Hypnose Dans Le Sport – Chris Jan
Sport Hypnosis Donald R Liggett
Self-hypnosis : the key to athletic success – John G. Kappas
Winning the Mind Game : Using Hypnosis in Sport Psychology John H. Edgette, Tim Rowan
WIN 2!: TRAIN and MASTER SPORT HYPNOSIS: A Guide For Sport Hypnosis Techniques and Strategies Sam Sterk, Ph.D., CC-AASP
Sports Hypnosis – Techniques and Methods – Erik Oestenkjaer