There’s no worse feeling than finding it hard to stay on track with your fitness goals, especially entering the new year. While everyone has days where mustering up the motivation to get out of bed and go to the gym seems harder than others (and sometimes like the workout itself), adjusting your new-year fitness mindset from strict schedules, taxing exercises, and overall unrealistic goals, to simply practicing how to avoid gym burnout can help you master the challenges that come with motivation. (Yes, gym burnout is a real thing.)
Sometimes you don’t feel like working out — and that’s OK. However, according to personal trainer Michael Betts, it becomes a deeper problem when you find yourself with an increasingly consistent lack of motivation, a state of exhaustion, and reduced performance. If a quick water break or self-pep talk can’t do the trick, the chances are you’re dealing with gym burnout.
And, as we enter a fresh, new era of New Year’s resolutions (and overcrowded gyms), we’ve compiled everything you need to know about avoiding gym burnout so you can reach your 2025 fitness goals. Bestie, say goodbye to the “there’s always next year” mindset and hello to, well, a healthy, consistent, and thriving fitness journey!
What is gym burnout, and how do I avoid it?
First, it’s important to note that gym burnout is incredibly common, no matter how long you’ve been working out. Have you ever given yourself way too high of expectations in the gym (like 10 too many split squats) past the point where you feel like you can bounce back? Past the point where you start avoiding them, and then avoiding more exercises, and then avoiding working out altogether? If this is happening to you, then it’s safe to say you have gym burnout.
A combination of physical and mental exhaustion, gym burnout arises when you overwork yourself in a way that makes you increasingly vulnerable to injury, pain, weakness, depression, and an overall lack of motivation. “Physical symptoms are decreased strength, persistent fatigue, increased injury risk, and compromised immune function,” says Betts. “The body goes into chronic stress mode, cortisol levels rise, and hormone balance is disrupted.”
But, the mental health effects are just as tough, says Betts. “Motivation crashes, anxiety around training increases, and self-confidence suffers,” he says. “Many experience mood swings, irritability, and difficulty concentrating. These are effects that go beyond training into daily life.”
Looking to overcome it? Here are five ways to avoid gym burnout, especially if you intend to keep your New Year’s resolution this year.
- Set manageable goals.
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The first thing you’re going to want to do is to set realistic goals for your personal interests and capabilities. If you’re someone who doesn’t enjoy cardio, for example, you shouldn’t be forcing yourself to run five miles on the treadmill every day — you will inevitably reach burnout.Â
“Setting goals requires an understanding of training principles and personal circumstances,” says Betts. “Goals must align with your time, recovery, and current fitness level.”Â
Betts suggests first measuring your baseline — your current strength in key movements, your cardiovascular measurements, your body composition data, your training time per week, and your recovery indicators.Â
Then, he suggests using the SMART framework to set progressive goals and targets: setting goals that are specific, measurable, relevant, and time-bound.
- Switch up your routine.
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Switching up your exercises will not only help you create a more balanced workout by using, working, and building more muscles, but will keep you from overusing the same muscles in a way that causes injury, pain, and weakness. (And, not to mention, it will keep your workouts freshnew, and exciting.)
“Strategic variation keeps progress while preventing mental fatigue,” says Betts. “The key is to change the stimulus while keeping the core movement patterns that drive adaptation.”
To effectively incorporate variation in your routine, Betts suggests changing your rep ranges while keeping the total volume, adding different exercise variations for the same muscle groups, changing training splits while keeping frequency, modifying rest periods to emphasize different energy systems, and adding new movement patterns to complement primary lifts. “This keeps burnout at bay by reducing mental fatigue and keeping you interested,” Betts says.
- Take active rest days.
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While it might seem counter-productive, taking active rest days actually help you gain muscle by increasing blood flow to effectively rebuild muscle tissue — all while giving your mind and body a rest.Â
Going for a stroll, a bike ride, a yoga class, or even a swim are all examples of low-impact exercises effective for active rest days. The goal is not to workout, but to let your muscles rest and recover whilst keeping in the hot-girl, gym-rat mindset.Â
- Rest between sets.
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As important as it is to take active rest days, it’s also important to give yourself recovery time in between sets. If you find yourself completely out of breath, profusely sweating, and on the brink of going limp or passing out — maybe take that as a sign to step out for a few minutes and drink some water (a gallon at least, if you’re me).Â
Taking breaks will not only prevent burnout, but will, again, help you increase muscle mass overall by allowing yourself the energy to complete more reps and with even more weight.Â
- Fuel your body.
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This one probably goes without saying, but eating enough during and after workouts, as well as eating the right things and the right time will, much like rest, increase muscle mass while preventing burnout.Â
“Proper fueling during workouts is key to performance and burnout prevention,” says Betts. “Training depletes glycogen stores and breaks down protein. Without enough fuel, the body can’t maintain intensity and recover properly.”
Betts says that water is sufficient for sessions under 60 minutes, while for sessions between 60-90 minutes, you’ll need electrolyte replacement, and for sessions that are 90+ minutes, you’ll want 30-60 grams of carbs per hour. For high-intensity intervals, Betts suggests eating fast-acting carbs like bananas, white rice, or white bread. “Proper fueling helps with burnout by maintaining blood glucose levels, preserving muscle tissue, and supporting hormone function during training,” Betts says.
Fueling your body after a workout can look like getting enough sleep, drinking lots of water, taking the time to relax and stretch, and eating enough protein, carbs, and overall proper nutrition for your style of exercise (duh).Â
As common as gym burnout is, it doesn’t mean it isn’t easily avoidable. Taking proper care of your mind, body, and muscles both during and after your workouts will go a long way. It’s time to stop taking these prevention steps for granted and reach your fitness goals in 2025!