Every January, my gym gets a little more crowded. It’s the same every year – a wave of new faces, full of motivation and ready to tackle their New Year’s resolutions. They come to me with big goals: lose 20 pounds in a month, get a six-pack by summer, completely transform their bodies in a few weeks. And while I love the enthusiasm, my experience as a personal trainer has taught me that these big, ambitious goals, especially when tied to a tight deadline, are often a recipe for failure.
It’s not that the goals themselves are bad. It’s that the approach is wrong. People often think that to get big results, they need to make massive, drastic changes overnight. They go from zero to a hundred, hitting the gym every day, cutting out all their favorite foods, and pushing themselves to the absolute limit. But what happens after a few weeks? Burnout. Soreness. Frustration. And then, they give up.
This is a conversation I have with almost every new client. They want to know the secret to getting in shape, and they’re often surprised by my answer. It’s not some magic workout, a secret supplement, or a crazy diet. The real secret, the one that actually works, is consistency. It’s about showing up, even when you don’t feel like it. It’s about making small, achievable changes that you can stick with. It’s about understanding that fitness is a marathon, not a sprint.
In this article, I will share my insights as a personal trainer on why consistency is the most crucial factor in your fitness journey. We’ll talk about how to set goals that you can achieve, how to build habits that last, and how the 12Reps app is designed to be your partner in this journey, helping you stay on track and create a healthy lifestyle that you can maintain for years to come.
Written by Will Duru, BSc (Hons) Sport and Exercise Science, Award-winning Level 3 Personal Trainer.
Why Consistency is King: The Compound Effect of Fitness
One of the first things I explain to my clients is the compound effect. It’s a simple idea, but it’s incredibly powerful. Just like how small, regular investments in your savings account grow over time, small, consistent efforts in your fitness routine accumulate into significant results. A 30-minute workout, three times a week, might not seem like much. But over a year, that’s over 7,800 minutes of training. That’s how you build a strong, healthy body.
Contrast this with the all-or-nothing approach. Someone might go to the gym for two hours every day for a week, become completely burned out, and then not return for a month. In the end, they’ve done less training than the person who was consistent with their 30-minute workouts. It’s not about being perfect; it’s about being consistent.
The Dangers of Sporadic, Intense Efforts
Going all-out, all the time, might feel productive, but it often leads to:
- Burnout: Both physical and mental. Your body and mind need time to recover and adapt.
- Injury: Pushing too hard, too soon, is a common cause of injuries that can set you back for weeks or even months.
- Negative Associations: If every workout is a gruelling, painful experience, you’ll start to dread it. This makes it much harder to stay motivated.
Consistency, on the other hand, allows your body to adapt gradually, reduces the risk of injury, and fosters a positive relationship with exercise. It’s about creating a sustainable routine that you can enjoy and stick with for the long haul.
The Science of Habit Formation in Fitness
As a sports scientist, I’m fascinated by the science of how we form habits. It’s not just about willpower; it’s about creating a system that makes it easy to be consistent. The most well-known model for this is the Cue-Routine-Reward loop.
- Cue: This is the trigger that tells your brain to start a behaviour. It could be a specific time of day, a particular location, or even an emotional state. For example, your cue could be your alarm going off in the morning or leaving work for the day.
- Routine: This is the behaviour itself – in this case, your workout. It’s the action you take in response to the cue.
- Reward: This refers to the positive feeling you experience after completing the routine. It could be the endorphin rush from exercise, the sense of accomplishment, or even just a relaxing shower afterwards. This reward is what tells your brain that the habit is worth repeating.
By understanding this loop, we can start to engineer our environment to support our fitness goals. For example, you could lay out your gym clothes the night before (the cue), which makes it easier to get up and go for your workout (the routine), which then gives you that great feeling of starting your day right (the reward).
Making Fitness a Non-Negotiable Part of Your Routine
The goal is to make your workouts as automatic as brushing your teeth. You don’t debate whether or not to brush your teeth; you just do it. By consistently following the Cue-Routine-Reward loop, you can build that same level of automaticity with your fitness. It becomes a non-negotiable part of your day, something you do without even thinking about it. This is the power of habit, and it’s the key to long-term consistency.
Practical Strategies for Building Consistent Fitness Habits
So, how do we put this into practice? Here are some of the strategies I use with my clients to help them build lasting fitness habits:
- Start Small and Build Up: If you’re new to exercise, don’t try to go to the gym five days a week. Start with two or three days. Even 20-30 minutes is a great start. Once that feels easy and automatic, you can gradually add more.
- Schedule Your Workouts: Treat your workouts like any other necessary appointment. Please put them in your calendar. This makes them a priority and reduces the chance of you skipping them.
- Find Accountability: Share your goals with a friend or family member. Better yet, find a workout buddy. Knowing that someone else is counting on you can be a powerful motivator. This is also where a good personal trainer or a supportive app can make a huge difference.
- Track Your Progress: Seeing how far you’ve come is incredibly motivating. Whether it’s lifting a little heavier, running a little further, or simply feeling more energetic, tracking your progress provides tangible proof that your consistency is paying off.
- Celebrate Small Wins: Did you stick to your workout schedule for a week? Awesome! Acknowledge that achievement. Celebrating small wins helps to reinforce the positive feelings associated with your new habit.
- Prepare for Setbacks and Get Back on Track Quickly: Life happens. You might get sick, have a busy week at work, or simply not feel like it on a particular day. That’s okay. The key is to not let one missed workout turn into a missed week or a missed month. Acknowledge it, and get right back on track with your next scheduled workout. It’s about progress, not perfection.
How 12Reps Fosters Consistency and Lasting Habits
This is where the 12Reps app truly shines. I designed it with all of these principles in mind to be your ultimate partner in building consistent fitness habits.
12Reps makes it incredibly easy to log your workouts. With just a few taps, you can record every set, rep, and weight. This seamless tracking is crucial for seeing your progress over time. The app’s visual charts and graphs show you how you’re getting stronger, providing that powerful visual motivation that reinforces your consistency.
Life is unpredictable, and your workout plan should be adaptable. 12Reps’ smart filtering enables you to create plans that align with your schedule and goals. If you only have 30 minutes, the app can help you create an effective workout within that time frame. If you’re travelling, it can suggest bodyweight exercises. This flexibility makes it much easier to stay consistent, regardless of what life throws your way.
We all need a little push sometimes. 12Reps includes features designed to keep you motivated. You can set reminders for your workouts, so you never forget. You can track your workout streaks, which can be a fun way to challenge yourself to stay consistent. And seeing your progress visualised in the app is a constant reminder of how far you’ve come.
While 12Reps is a personal tool, it also connects you to a community of like-minded individuals. Sharing your progress, getting encouragement from others, and seeing their success can be incredibly motivating. This sense of community provides another layer of accountability and support, helping you stay on track with your goals.
Your Partner for a Lifetime of Fitness
If you’ve struggled with New Year’s resolutions in the past, or if you’ve found it hard to stick with a fitness routine, I want you to know that it’s not your fault. The all-or-nothing approach to fitness is flawed. The real key to achieving your goals and building a body you love is consistency.
It’s about making small, sustainable changes. It’s about setting realistic goals and celebrating your progress as you go. It’s about building habits that become a natural part of your life. And it’s about having the right tools and support to help you on your journey.
This is why I created the 12Reps app. It’s more than just a workout logger; it’s a tool designed to help you build the consistent habits that lead to lasting success. It’s your trainer in your pocket, your accountability partner, and your biggest cheerleader.
So, this year, let’s ditch the resolutions and focus on building a lifestyle. Let’s train smarter, not just harder. Let’s embrace the power of consistency. And let’s use the 12Reps app to make this the year you finally achieve your fitness goals, for good.
