Why your motivation could be low & How to improve it!

‘When you feel like stopping, think about why you started’

We all have times that our motivation can drop, now more than ever, it is important to understand why and how we can revitalise that drive to succeed. We are going to go to talk about the reasons your motivation could be in a dip and how to bring it back up…

Why it may be low:

Over trained or Burnt out

One of the key roles of a coach is to get people to do more and increase training load if they need it, the other half (which people would not expect) is getting them to do less. People often pile on the training load and do not fully appreciate that your body becomes stronger and fitter in the recovery phase and not the training phase.

You need to stress the body in training and then allow it to rebuild and improve during the recovery phase, if you fail to give it this opportunity you simply will not improve and may even see a decrease in performance! It’s clear that this can have a huge impact on your motivation. Nobody wants to be training hard to make no progress at all!

Burnout is slightly different to overtraining. You may have spent years doing the same events, training or even sport, it would be completely natural to become bored from time to time. Switch up your routine, training or events and keep things fresh! Take yourself outside of that comfort zone!

Lack of sleep

What’s the biggest difference between you and the professional athlete? It could be argued that power output, training volume and muscular strength are the most noticeable distinctions, however one of the biggest differences between the amateur and the professionals is the quality of recovery time. If you really want to make the ‘gains’ on the bike then you need to show the same level of commitment to recovery as you do to your training. Poor sleep and recovery inhibit muscular repair, increases your risk to injury and also affects performance in training meaning that you won’t capitalise on the hard hours you are doing in the saddle.

Poor diet

Your diet can have a huge impact on your mental state through your alertness and motivation! Make surer you have a well-balanced diet and try to limit a high fat or sugar diet.

Lack of confidence

A lack in confidence or belief in your own ability has a huge impact on motivation and general mental state. The feeling that you are not good enough to perform at a certain level creates a mindset that there is no point in putting the extra effort in, creating a drop in motivation.

Poor targets/goals

Having the correct goals and targets which are specific to you and the way in which you want to progress within the sport is one of the biggest influences on your motivation and drive in training and competition. Use the acronym SMART to create your targets and goals to get the best out of yourself! Poor targets won’t add any fuel to the fire!

Lack of adaptability in Training

This is the one that is particularly relevant at the moment.

In sport there is always going to be some unexpected changes, that may come in a change and/or cancellation of a race or an injury that puts you out of training and competition.

If you are unable to adapt your training or have a clear path/direction once your plans are changed, it is completely common to see a hit in your motivation. Nobody wants to think that all of their training has been done for nothing.

Working with a coach can mean that you change the training straight away to make sure you reset your peak and get you back on the right path towards your new targets/goals. Having that direction to work towards keeps the focus on the here and now.

How to boost your motivation:

Surround yourself with the right people

You become like the people around you, so surrounding yourself with others who have low motivation, will only bring you down with them.

Make sure you surround yourself with like minded people who will help you achieve by boosting your energy, confidence and drive!

Self-Talk

Quite simply, a negative thought will have a negative impact on performance which in turn has a knock-on effect for your motivation to train.

No matter how bad a situation there is in sport, there can always be a positive outcome or end scenario to think about. Keep that inner voice positive and focused on a good outcome!

Correct training

Like we talked about earlier, you need to make sure that your training is not causing you to be in a state of over trained or under rested. Make sure you have a structured, progressive, challenging but achievable plan to get the best out of yourself.

Try switching your training up to keep it fresh and motivating. You could try a different route, different type of training session or some cross training such as yoga, gym or Pilates.

Build a support team around you

When training for your event/target/goal becomes a priority, it is vitally important to build up a team around you to guide and support you. Talking to these key people can help take the stress off and revitalise that motivation. Here are some roles to consider:

Coach/Trainer

Nutritionist

Psychologist

Biomechanics – bike setup

Team mates or training partners

Here is out top tip!

List the reasons why you believe your motivation could be low and then write down an action for every cause. Having it down on paper makes you appreciate the reality and set a clear path on how to improve.

Get in contact for a free consultation

Use our ‘Contact Us’ page to get in contact and we can offer a free consultation for you to see if a coach would be a wise investment for you.