Why 90% of All Fitness Programs Fail

Sunday night, I took an aspiring lifter into the gym to embark on a fitness program….again. He had trained under me over the summer and made a dramatic transformation. He lost 20-pounds, his strength went through the roof, and his overall physical appearance looked nothing short of incredible. After several months of intense training, his commitment began to waiver. There became more important things to do than train. Missing workouts from time to time is a natural part of a balanced fitness lifestyle, so I went along with his excuses….errrr, explanations. Soon, we were down to two days per week, then one, and then he had to leave early during that once-weekly workout. Finally, in short order, he was gone all together.

After 4 months of not working out, he came to me on Sunday and told me that he was ready to get in shape once again. He had lost considerable muscle definition and gained a large portion of the weight back during his three-month absence. Nonetheless, I was excited to be his trainer once again.

As we prepared to start his first workout back, I couldn’t help but wonder why the vast majority of people that attempt fitness programs and reach their goals, ultimately throw in the towel, only to end up in the same physical condition as before. Why is it that most people that I talk to in the gym tell me that they just started training again, only to disappear until we have that same conversation during another “come-back” several months later? I’ve long known this to be the trend in fitness, so forgive me if you’ve been a new member of the gym and I seemed less than interested in your proclamations of commitment. Fact is, 10% of us don’t ever come back…..we just stay in shape. The other 90% are perpetually starting over but never really getting anywhere. The gym owners love these 90-percenters though, as they make up the majority of the memberships while barely using the facilities. If all the members of a gym actually used the facilities on a consistent basis, the gym would be so crowded that you couldn’t even perform a funtional workout. Fact is, the financial success of the gym depends on these 90-percenters that never really get their money’s worth from their membership!

To make a long story short, it was Sunday night, two nights ago, when I entered the gym with a close friend for his return to fitness. As soon as we entered, he spotted a coupon for pizza on one of the personal trainer’s desks and remarked how odd it was that there would be a coupon for pizza in a gym. BOOM, just like that, I realized why nearly everyone fails to maintain their fitness programs. Everybody enters the gym for their “comeback” when they’ve reached their own emotional bottom in regards to their health or appearance. Then, when they do undertake their great comeback, they typically do so with fervor and passion. So much fervor and passion, in fact, that they couldn’t possibly maintain their new lifestyle for long. Ultimately, their overbearing approach causes them to slip in commitment. From there,  it’s an incredibly slippery slope back to where they were before.

I see this time and time again. The “comeback” always involves a dramatic and unrealistic change. Pizza? Never! Starting off slowly and responsibly with small goals that reinforce success? Never! The great comeback is always a sprint…right into a brick wall! Then, the new lifter has a bunch of useless supplements sitting atop their fridge and a gym membership keychain that serves only to taunt them until their next emotional bottom warrants another comeback.

Here’s the catch…remember that 10% that stays in great physical shape and somehow maintains the internal drive to continue working out? They eat pizza!!! Some of them go out for drinks on Friday night, some of them have full-time jobs and kids, and some of them take an entire week off of the gym from time to time. What makes the 10-percenters different from the comeback crew is… balance. Fitness is a marathon, not a sprint. The only way to go the distance is by pacing yourself. If you gradually make lifestyle changes that you can maintain, there’s no burn out. Rather, there is an adoption of an enjoyable, balanced life with great health and an attractive appearance. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I just had a great workout and I’m going to enjoy a slice of you-know-what!