Wellness
Lace up your sneaks.
Maybe you stayed up watching Bridgerton and you’re too groggy to roll out your yoga mat. Or maybe you can’t muster up the drive to hop on your spin bike. Either way, sometimes it’s hard to hype yourself up for a workout — especially if you’re doing it alone at home. For those moments when you feel stuck, Bustle got some workout motivation quotes from Peloton instructors to get you inspired.
If you’re part of the Peloton fitness community, you already know the star appeal of the platform’s instructors — there’s a reason why they have a devoted following. The fitness platform has a wide range of workout classes, from cycling to running, yoga, and strength training, and whichever one you take, your instructor will virtually pump you up and guide you through your sweat sesh. And over 2 million people across the country tune in for their at-home workouts, whether they own the Peloton bike or treadmill or not. So, they’re not only exercise pros, but they’re also basically professional motivators.
Whether it’s setting attainable goals or giving yourself an encouraging pep talk, these 10 workout motivation quotes from Peloton instructors will make you want to sweat.
1
Plan Your Weekly Workouts
According to Peloton instructor Matty Maggiacomo (who’s known for his fiery tread and strength classes), the ultimate motivator is putting your workout on a weekly calendar. “Treat your workout as you would a meeting for work,” tells Bustle. “Put it on your calendar with prep and shower time included, and mark it as ‘busy’ so that your colleagues won't gobble up that time or schedule a meeting that conflicts or cuts into your self-care.”
2
Warm Up And Cool Down
Maggiacomo says a “workout without a warm-up and a cool-down is like ordering an entrée without ordering the appetizer and the dessert.” Warm-ups are integral in getting your body motivated and physically ready for resilience training — and they don’t have to take long. He says your stretches could even be as short as five minutes.
Cool-downs are equally key. “They will fight the onset of muscle soreness and you'll be ready for tomorrow's workout without feeling pain from your workout the day before,” he says. Pro tip: Focus on stretching your hips, especially if you’re doing cardio, says Maggiacomo.
3
Give Yourself A Pep Talk
Affirmations can be helpful any time of day, and your workout is no exception. Peloton cycling instructor Emma Lovewell says working out not only requires physical effort, but also mental stamina: “Throughout a difficult workout you might doubt yourself or feel like giving up, and it's helpful to remind yourself how capable you are, and that you can do hard things,” she says.
4
Set Specific Workout Goals
Lovewell is a strong believer in setting SMART goals: specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-sensitive. Her tip? “[Choose] something that is very specific to you that you can measure to make sure you’re on track and able to attain, [that’s] relevant to who you are, where you are now, and what you do,” she says, adding that setting it under a specific time frame can also help keep you motivated.
5
Set Accountability Rules
Maggiacomo says accountability is an important factor to drive your fitness success. “If you can find a friend or partner who will hold you accountable, either in-person or virtually, I can promise you that you will be more motivated to keep working, even when you want to quit.” He tells Bustle that this is the “secret sauce” of the Peloton community and why members consistently stay engaged.
6
Honor Your Effort Through Meditation
Peloton yoga instructor Anna Greenberg recommends meditating through conscious breathwork at the end of a heated workout. “Tuning into yourself, listening to, and appreciating your body by meditating, and/or consciously breathing is a wonderful way to end a workout,” she says. “A practice I love to do is either seated or supine in constructive rest, closing my eyes, and placing one hand on my heart and one hand on my belly. I feel my heartbeat and breath and honor the effects of the workout I just did and the effort my body put into it.” Taking time to appreciate the work you just did will inspire you to keep doing it.
7
Switch Up Your Routine
If you’re feeling bored with your go-to workout, Maggiacomo suggests switching up your routine. “If you're getting bored regularly with your workouts, you have not found the workout that ‘speaks’ to you,” he says “It’s important that you find the training method, activity, or even the special instructor that deters boredom the most.”
8
Embrace Small Bouts Of Movement
Sometimes getting into your favorite leggings and blasting your fave playlist can get you pumped to sweat, says Greenberg. “When I’m feeling unmotivated, I also take the pressure off myself to do a big workout and instead start small with something fun,” she says. “I especially lean on good music to get me in the mood to move and nine out of 10 times that does the trick — when it doesn’t, it’s probably a sign to take a rest day.”
9
Reward Yourself
Lovewell says rewarding yourself after a workout is more than OK, as long as “it's not a destructive reward.” Grabbing your go-to iced coffee order or your favorite tea after you exercise can help you keep your eyes on the prize as you push through.
10
Gradually Push Past Your Comfort Zone
It’s often your mind that gives up before your body does, says Lovewell. So, if you’re going through a challenging pose — like holding a plank for a long time — instead of reacting to your thoughts telling you to give up right away, she says to sit with it and count to 10. In doing so, “you acknowledge the fear, and do it anyway,” she says. You can wind up being amazed by your own strength.
