A lot of people start going to the gym and, within a few days, end up back at square one. Why does this happen?
I have a simple theory: Lack of a specific goal. Other contributing factors are misguidance from social media, disrupted dopamine loops, and the “no time” fallacy.
Lack of specific goal
Most people who join the gym for the first time have a goal like: “I want to stay fit.” That sounds good, but it’s an extremely vague goal. Because it lacks definition, it lacks direction. Within a few days, interest fades.
In contrast, people who stay consistent usually have specific, measurable targets:
- I will reduce my weight by 1 kg this month.
- I will gain 3 kg of lean mass by this date.
- I will add 2 kg to my dumbbell curl.
- I will reduce my 5 km run time.
- I will get visible abs in 8 weeks.
Specific goals create a path.
When your goal is vague, you don’t know what to follow. You walk into the gym, do some mediocre routine suggested by a free trainer, finish the workout, go home, eat junk, and repeat the same loop the next day. With no clear direction, results just don’t show up. No results mean no dopamine reward. No dopamine means no motivation. The fitness journey usually ends within a week or two.
But when you have a clear goal, your behavior changes. You search for information relevant to that goal. You structure your training, nutrition, and recovery around it. Even small improvements become visible. Those early results create momentum, which pushes you to work harder and stay consistent.
Clarity creates movement. Movement creates results. Results sustain motivation.
Neurochemical Disturbance
Some people exert minimal effort yet expect massive transformation. This mindset is flawed at its core. It disrupts the brain's reward circuitry, erodes sustained motivation, and invites demotivation. Dopamine in the mesolimbic pathway drives motivation not through pleasure alone, but by signaling reward prediction error - basically, the gap between expected and actual outcomes. When reality exceeds expectation, dopamine surges, reinforcing behavior. When it falls short, signaling dips, drive reduces. Expecting high rewards from low input creates chronic negative prediction errors. The gap between expected and actual outcome increases. Minimal effort yields minimal progress, yet inflated anticipation demands outsized dopamine release. When this pattern repeats again and again, your brain gets desensitized. Now for even a smaller task, you will not have enough motivation. This imbalance stops you from going to the gym and working out. Fix:
- Set a realistic short-term goal.
- Avoid social media.
- Do something unexpected - burn 400 - 500 calories, or do some fasting, etc.
- Go to the gym even if it was an exhausting day at work. Don’t think much, just go.
No Time Fallacy
Another major reason people fail is what I call the “no time” fallacy. It’s a poison you are fed subconsciously by your colleagues and people who surround you. People say they don’t have time. Most of the time, that statement is simply false. What they actually mean is: they are tired, unstructured, or unwilling to prioritize. I understand being exhausted is real. Take a day off if needed. But saying “I don’t have time” is just an excuse that hides indecision. You don’t need two hours in the gym. A focused 30-45 minute session, done consistently and with intent, is more than enough. When such limited time is used properly, it can produce visible, measurable results within weeks, provided there is clear guidance and a defined goal.
The real problem is not lack of time. It's a lack of clarity.
When the goal is vague, motivation collapses. When the goal is precise, time somehow appears.
Just go to the gym. You can do it. Just do it.