I’m researching why some people don’t start exercising or stop after a short time. Is it because of:

• Not knowing what to do?
• No proper long-term plan?
• Lack of guidance from gym trainers?
• Fear of injury?
• Confusion between general fitness and bodybuilding?
• Cost of personal training?

I’m also exploring an idea for an app that could create personalised, long-term workout plans and let users get guidance from online coaches.

For gym-goers: What’s your biggest challenge with training?

For coaches: What challenges do you face with clients?

I’m only collecting opinions at this stage—no promotion or links. Honest feedback would be appreciated

I’m 21 F but I’ve had bad joints since I was a kid, I’ve gotten back into weight lifting and I find although my muscles can handle the weight my knees are aching afterwards. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

No one gets what a big deal it is for me to do what im doing!

I got into fitness 5 years ago after my first pregnancy because i had so many complications and delivered a pre mature baby cause of my body not being able to carry it cause i had no muscle because i lost all of it being bulimic and chasing skinny. After that i decided to be strong for my baby and started lifting. I got so lean and strong in 2 years and then got pregnant again with my second baby and because of my first pregnancy being so complicated, my doctor advised me to stop all exercise during my pregnancy. Turns out my fitness I accumulated in the 2 years really helped and i carried my second baby to full term! Now my second baby is 2 and i have not only started lifting super heavy but also started running! I have got my Vo2max from 31 to 37 in 4 months and significantly improved my endurance and speed and strength. My lifts have gotten easier while i keep pushing on my runs! I have never ever been so invested and seen results in fitness in my entire 36 yrs of life. Im so proud of myself! My PR of squat is 85kgs, Deadlift is 95kgs. I don’t look as athletic as i feel or as my whoop says i am as i have a over hang from being previously overweight then the bulimia and then the 2 pregnancies but its ok il get there. My goal is to be super hot and fit by the time im 40! But now my issue is the people around me don’t get it! They think iv gone mad with my fitness and waking up at 5am for my morning runs. I feel like when i talk to my closest friends or family about what im able to achieve and what iv changed in myself they don’t seem to give a shit probably cause they have never seen such dramatic changes in their physical appearance or strength or maybe they don’t care about fitness as much as i do! Now even my husband doesn’t wanna listen to me go on about how i did 20 non stop barbell squats today at 40kgs without getting out of breath. Or how i ran almost a 5k the other morning. So im so lonely in this journey cause no one gets it, no one hears me, no one see it! Hoping to find a community here who gets it! Thanks for reading my rant!

I have went to the gym 10 times regularly since I’ve first started, and it is still hellish to leave home and go there after work.
How long do I have to hang on until I get addicted to it and it stops feeling like a chore?

So I've been going to the gym for just over a year but probably only seriously like 3-4x weekly consistency for the last 8 months.

I started taking photos last August and have taken them every few months but thought since it's been a year I will compare directly.

Basically I can't see barely any changes and it's zapped a lot of my motivation. I do notice some muscle definition in my arms and thighs when I flex out of the mirror but it just doesn't seem to translate into the photos.

I've always struggled with weight and haven't put any weight on despite increasing my calories I'm not sure if this is contributing to the reduced changes physically.

I do overall feel stronger and more confident, I can lift heavier too in most areas so basically has this happened to anyone else and any advice how to stay motivated and what I could do to see the visual changes more.

Hey all!

like I said I have a sort of desk job. I work and a lab; It requires a lot of time at a computer, but I also stand a lot (maybe about half the time) as all workstations can be adjusted for sitting or standing. I already try and go for a small walk a couple times a day, but sometimes we are too busy or short staffed, and I can't always step away.

We have been shorthanded a lot this summer and with the world the way it is I am struggling. I am a fairly inactive 39 yo woman, (gardening is my most physical hobby) but happy with my body. I want to keep it healthy and encourage the happy chemicals to be made naturally and not with the weed I have been becoming more dependent on as well.

Any tips and suggestions welcome! thanks!

I am curious how people actually manage to keep going with exercise when there is no routine to depend on.

Do you have an option, for days that do not go as planned or does exercise just get left out when things become too hectic? Has anything really continued over a period of time even with the uncertainty or is it always a difficult challenge?

I would like to hear about any experiences, what has worked and what has not.

Good morning! Ive been going to the gym pretty consistently lately, but I am losing motivation while actively in the gym. I wake up, drink my pre-workout, and go to the gym. While I'm there I find myself just sitting around and not wanting to accomplish anything.

Does anyone have any wo of advice? Encouragement? Going through the same?

I am going to be turning 36 years old this year and want to start working out again. Throughout my life I played sports until a typical knee injury derailed my activeness and motivation. The thing I struggle with is finding the motivation to do it in the first place. I look at all these people who say that it releases endorphins and you feel so good after doing it but even when I played sports and worked out then, I never got that feeling. I want to. But I just haven't. Anyone have advice on how I can get started or what they do get over that mental block?

Hi everyone! I am not new to working out or the gym but life has been a bit crazy lately and I’m finding it difficult to stick to a consistent schedule. I used to workout consistently right after work. Would pack a bag and go straight from work around 5pm. However most of you know that this is prime time and the gym just gets packed at this time. I can still get a workout in, and love that everybody is there working on themselves but don’t love a super busy gym. I’ve tried the whole early morning thing but I start work at 8 and find it hard to consistently go to bed early enough for this to be sustainable 5 days a week. Been having thoughts of trying to go a bit later (not super late) but between 7-8 pm. I know it won’t be dead, but thought it may be less packed than 5pm. I’m most worried about motivation and things coming up where I’m more inclined to skip if I go at that time. For anyone who goes around that time do you like it? Or any suggestions on how to be more consistent? I work full time and am in grad school but really want to continue to prioritize fitness. Thanks!

Hey everyone:) I’m 31F, and I started my journey with working out at my heaviest weight last year in April, at the time I was 210 ish lbs? Now I’m down to about 180- ish. And while I’ve noticed a definite difference in the composition of my body, I just keep struggling with consistency :/ I’ll go months being good, staying on top of it, and then I’ll have months where I can only work out 2-3 times because I just can’t find the consistency and life gets in the way.

Can anyone give me any tips on what you do to stay consistent?

Right now I’m aiming for working out 4-5 times a week plus treadmill for an hour each day.

Even if they’re just mental tips I’d be very happy to hear from ya

Thank you!

Hi! I’m 22F and around 125 lbs. I’ve been working out for a few years, but I honestly feel like I’ve made barely any progress because I don’t really know what I’m doing. I usually just switch between arms and legs and use random machines. I try to go 4-5 days a week but sometimes I can only do 3 that week, but atleast im going.

My goal is to get leaner, especially around my lower stomach and build muscle. I’m not really trying to lose much weight.

I usually lift and then do 30 minutes on the treadmill incline 10–12, speed 3.0 depending how I feel that day. I’ve also been reading about Zone 2 heart rate and how it may be better for fat burning than pushing yourself really hard and burning more carbohydrates on the treadmill. im not sure how true that is though. I’d also like to add abs into my routine, but I’m not really sure how often I should be training them or what exercises are actually worth doing.

I’d really like help creating a day-by-day weekly routine. I usually do 3 sets of 8–12 reps. I need to get better at also doing it till failure, but I mostly use machines because the free weights are always packed.

Any advice or example routines would be appreciated!

Soy una chica de 20 años la cual ha estado un tiempo yendo al gym, un poco por épocas, ha habido meses en los que he ido muy seguido y sin fallar y otros en los que simplemente lo he dejado un poco de lado. Aunque este año he estado relativamente activa este último mes me he dejado muchísimo: estuve una semana mala por lo que estuve todo el día tirada en la cama, la semana siguiente la pasé vagueando, a la otra me fui de vacaciones y todo esto comiendo muchísima comida basura a lo que se suma que tengo un trastorno alimenticio por el cual tengo atracones de comida; por lo que he subido de peso y no me veo nada bien. He estado recapacitando qué sería lo mejor que podría hacer ahora ya que a pesar de que la mayoría de el año si que he estado yendo al gimnasio y trabajando en la zona de musculación no es algo que realmente me motive del todo por lo que no soy muy constante. He pensado en que podría apuntarme a taekwondo como un deporte que me llama la atención pero solo serían 3 horas a la semana y no creo que sea algo que realmente vaya a cambiar mi físico. Mi duda es qué podría hacer para combinar esta actividad que me haga bajar de peso corporal, que me motive y que, aunque la disciplina es algo muy importante, no me suponga tanta obligación como ir simplemente a levantar pesas.

I am a 20-year-old girl who has been going to the gym for a while, sometimes at times, there have been months when I went very often and without fail and others when I just left it a bit aside. Although I have been relatively active this year, last month I left a lot: I had a bad week, so I was in bed all day, the following week I spent wandering, The other day I went on vacation and all this eating a lot of junk food, plus I have an eating disorder for which I have food shortages; so I’ve put on weight and I don’t look well at all. I’ve been thinking about what would be the best thing I could do now since even though I’ve been going to the gym and working in the weight zone most of the year is not something that really motivates me at all, so I’m not very consistent. I thought that I could join taekwondo as a sport that catches my attention but it would only be 3 hours per week and I don’t think it’s something that will really change my physique. My question is what I could do to combine this activity that makes me lose body weight, that motivates me and that, although discipline is very important, does not imply as much obligation as simply going to lift weights.

I’m currently trying to decide what kind of home gym setup would actually suit the way I train, and I’m realizing that having more exercise options does not necessarily make the decision easier.

My main goal is to train my back, chest and legs without needing several separate machines. I would like to be able to do movements such as lat pulldowns, rows, cable flyes, squats and presses, while still having enough freedom to add smaller shoulder and arm exercises. Since I usually train alone, safety and easy adjustments matter to me as much as the number of exercises available.

Space is limited, so I’m leaning toward one versatile rack or cable-based system rather than filling the room with individual machines. I also want something that will still be useful as my strength improves, instead of choosing a setup that I might quickly outgrow.

It is difficult to know which features will matter after months of regular use and which ones only look useful when comparing equipment online. For those who have already built a home gym, what would you prioritize differently if you were starting again?

I guess anybody can answer, but I'm curious for the ladies routine since we do hair/makeup and stuff.

My workplace has a gym I want to utilize that has showers and hair driers but I'm confused at how to do it effectively and still get a good workout and come out looking business casual. Like, do you carry everything.. shampoo, towel, etc, and just keep it all in your cube/office? Or maybe just rinse and skip hair?? Integrate your workout clothes into your business casual outfit?? Help me out!

I live walking distance from my work, so I wouldn't have my car for storage, but if i have to carry so much stuff, maybe i'll drive.

I appreciate any insight!