How Zack Khan motivates
himself to train so intensely!

Initially the most difficult part of working out for me was in fact getting into the gym. You have to be motivated not only to workout, but to also get there in the first place. This was very difficult at the beginning for me, as I had seen little gains. It was so easy for me to turn around and forget the whole thing being that I had not gained much or spent too much time in the gym. When you make major gains after a year or so, then you find it easier to get motivated if only to say, I've come too far to turn back now. 

This, however, is not a good reason to get motivated, in my opinion. You have to love the time in the gym as far as I'm concerned. Usually, after you make gains, your whole attitude changes and you really begin to think more positively. You begin to really accept bodybuilding as a way of life. I now treat bodybuilding like eating, sleeping and working. You have to make the time of day for it, and you have to make the most out of your workouts. After time you treat bodybuilding as another part of your life. 

My attitude is that I must get into the gym. There is no thinking involved in the decision. Time must be made and I must be motivated to do so. Another obstacle that deters motivation is to overcome what I like to call blaming genetics. Many people simply believe that their body cannot build. They think it is not genetically possible. It is true that different people have different body-types, heights, and shapes, but everyone can build muscle. It is genetically impossible not to be able to. Your body is built to adjust to its environment. This includes muscle size. If you demand from your body, it will respond. It is simply a matter of knowledge, form, and patience. Furthermore, the more you view bodybuilding as more than just hard work, but as a hobby, you will become more motivated to do it. 

You have to have a certain level of intensity in order to be successful in the gym. This intensity will allow you to overcome the uncomfortable feeling of exhausting your muscles. No man alive likes the pain from destroying yourself in the gym, but when you associate this pain with the excellent gains that you are making - it becomes second nature to train hard and to motivate you to go those extra few reps and increase your growth rate. Intensity will also motivate you to lift increasingly heavier weights in your workouts without that fear of change in your routine. The more intense you are, the more concentration you will have, and the maximum the gains including a great "pump".

Most important keep going! If you miss one day, stop punishing yourself, and go the next day. Never give up. Remember, this is a lifestyle - your new level of fitness will provide more energy for you to pursue your dreams and all the while feeling strong and fit.

All the best,
Zack Khan