I always get asked, ‘How do you stay motivated to train?’.

Now, the short answer is: I feel good — if I were to skip a workout, my mindset, mood, and energy levels just wouldn’t be where I want them.

However, sometimes this isn’t enough to get someone excited, to get someone started.

So here, this is a little ‘mini-game’ I like to play, that gets very addicting, very fast: progress.

I always have a goal. And inching closer to this goal, is what is addicting.

Pistol squats on my left leg, recently impossible, now — unlocked.

Stalder press from the floor, recently impossible, now — unlocked.

I am currently progressing towards one arm handstands, right now they are impossible, but the joy of getting closer & closer to this goal is quite addicting.

Each step in getting closer to a goal matters. It means something. Celebrate each step, value each step, each tiny progression, each inch closer — this keeps interest & motivation high!

I get authentically excited to train each day to see how my progress is compared to previous weeks (similar to getting new loot in WoW and wanting to try it out)!

Here’s the thing though, if the goal is too intangible, or too large, this mini-game just won’t work.

For example, I couldn’t simply say ‘My goal is to one arm handstand’. I have to break it down. I want to hold a one arm handstand for 1 second. Then 2 seconds. Then 3 seconds.

Another great example, from a comment on Instagram, was pointing out the short term goal shouldn’t be ‘I want abs’ but more along the lines of ‘I want to hold a plank for 15 seconds’. Then move up the goal, slowly. 20 seconds, 30, 40. And so on.

When we make these mini-goals tangible and achievable, and start to achieve them, guess what? We are on the way to getting to our long term goals!

The key is: each of these mini-goals should be celebrated — this is what keeps me going, the pure excitement of hitting each of these goals.

If you want to see how I train each day, and all the progressions I use, check out my entire program here!