Look, we’ve all been there. But while training won’t necessarily feel like a riot every day, you should feel fired up about it at least some of the time. If you’re just not feeling it right now, our team of experts can help you identify the problem – and action the solution.

The Problem: Your Progress Has Stalled

You’ve been loading up the same old plates for your deadlift, squat and bench for months now. And you’re starting to feel pretty demotivated about the whole thing.

The Fix: Push through the plateau by assessing what you’re doing away from the gym. ‘The number-one problem I see with people when they start making progress is that they hit it too hard – and then, suddenly, they stop seeing progress,’ explains Firas Iskandarani, master trainer at Gymbox. ‘And that’s all thanks to them not prioritising recovery. Your progress doesn’t happen when you’re training, it happens when you’re resting. When you’re sleeping, you’re healing.’

Are you warming up properly? Are you eating not just the right foods, but enough food? Are you sleeping well? Ask yourself these questions first. Remember, too, that the older you are, the longer recovery takes.

That sorted, make sure you’re ‘waving the load’: that is, strategically varying the weights you lift, between heavy, medium and light, rather than going for a one-rep max every time. Heavy weights will help you get stronger, but they’ll also increase your recovery time. Variety avoids stagnation, says Iskandarani. Switch up your movements, too, to hit muscles and joints at different angles. For example, ‘if you regularly hit a barbell back squat in your workout, try a barbell front squat or a double kettlebell front squat’, he suggests.

The Problem: You’re Sick Of The Gym

Almost a decade has passed since you first signed up at your local gym chain. And honestly? These days you feel bored the moment you tap your keycard.

The Fix: Quit going it alone. Research suggests men are more likely to be averse to group workouts than women, but there are options beyond spin and barre (although, by all means, give those a go). Here are a few ideas to get you started.

If weight loss is your primary motivator, try… Boxing

HIIT-style drills such as skipping and pad work will keep you working flat-out, says Iskandarani. Plus, as martial arts are known to bolster your self-confidence, you’ll leave the gym feeling your best, regardless of how long it takes to get abs like AJ’s.

If you love learning new skills, try… Gymnastics

‘Mastering the gymnastic rings will give you a new way of training your upper body and building core strength,’ says Iskandarani, while show-off moves such as handstand press-ups can be made accessible to the everyman with a step-by-step programme.

If the gym is your escape from life, try… Jiu-Jitsu

The one time you can’t think about that deadline? When another man has you in an armlock. Jiu-jitsu requires concentration, and research shows martial arts have a positive impact on stress relief. Plus you get to have a little cuddle. Sort of…

If you spend all day chained to your desk, try… Reformer Pilates

With a roster of male fans – including Becks and Ronaldo – Pilates isn’t just about toned midriffs. If you want a low-impact workout that’ll fire up all the tiny muscles other workouts don’t reach, this is for you.

The Problem: You’ve Lost Your ‘Why’

You still venture to the gym a few times a week. And you put the effort in… well, some of the time. But now your motivation’s flagging and your training lacks focus. Like, who really cares if you can snatch 80kg or not?

The Fix: Sign up for a competition. Setting yourself a goal with an immovable deadline will instantly give you the drive you need to train harder – if only to spare yourself indignity. Want to run on a more regular basis? Plan your next overseas trip around a 10K or half marathon. (You’ll want to do the ‘holiday’ bit post-race, not pre-race.)

Functional fitness race Hyrox combines running with various challenges such as wall balls and sandbag walking lunges. Compete with a friend or as part of a relay team for added impetus. New kid-on-the-block Athx Games combines strength and endurance in a two-and-a-half-hour competition, while many gyms now also host their own comps, such as Fitness First’s annual TraX Games or PureGym’s Over-50s Fitness Championships.

The Problem: You Have (Big Yawn) Zero Energy

You have the time to work out (just about) and the drive to hit the gym. But. You’re. So. Tired. Dragging yourself out of the house at 6am feels like a punishment.

The Fix: You’ve heard it before, but just a little prep work can seriously reduce in-the-moment friction. ‘Plan the workout you want to do ahead of time and lay out your gym kit the night before,’ says Simon Cox, a Hyrox coach and owner of F45 Southend-on-Sea. Down a coffee or pre-workout 40 to 60 minutes ahead of your session, then walk or cycle to the gym, if you have the option – exposure to morning sunlight boosts alertness and will help with your sleep later, too. When you get there, take a cold shower: even a 10-second blast can be enough to leave you feeling energised and ready for exercise.

Still struggling? ‘Train with a friend who can keep you accountable,’ suggests Cox. One study published in the journal PLoS One linked social fitness experiences with ‘greater subjective energy’.

The Problem: You Never Have Time

You really did want to hit the gym this morning. It’s not your fault they brought forward your 10am meeting. And you wanted to go tonight, too, but the trains had other ideas…

The Fix: It’s a myth that workouts need to be long to be effective. In fact, even 15 minutes of graft a week is linked with a longer lifespan. Stuck for inspiration? Sign up to the Men’s Health Squad membership programme to access our training plans, including The Big Book Of 15-Minute Workouts.

The Problem: You’re A Little Burned Out

You’ve really hit your groove at CrossFit this year. It’s just a bummer that you’re so run-down all the time and your entire body hurts. Still, gains are gains, right?

The Fix: You don’t need to eradicate the intense sessions from your routine. But you may benefit from incorporating some gentler workouts into your week.

‘Pushing yourself through strenuous workouts every day when you’re already feeling burned out can do more harm than good,’ says Cox. But setting time aside for yoga, breathwork, mobility drills or Pilates won’t just help you recuperate, it can also help you progress in other areas of fitness.

‘Adding yoga classes to your routine enhances flexibility in often-neglected areas such as your spine, hips and shoulders, which promotes better range of motion – crucial for executing Olympic lifts with precision,’ says Cox. Think snatches, jerks and front squats. ‘The focus on breath control in yoga can also aid intense workouts such as HIIT, by optimising your oxygen intake and improving endurance.’

Pilates also has the added benefit of targeting core strength, which contributes to stability and balance. Plus, it targets smaller muscle groups that are often overlooked in traditional workouts, and helps to reduce the risk of imbalances that could lead to injuries during any intense training. Cox recommends scheduling two slower-paced workouts every week.

The Problem: Training Just Doesn’t Feel Fun Any More

At some point, your three gym sessions a week became more of a chore than a hobby. You miss that sense of playfulness. This is supposed to be fun, right?

The Fix: ‘If someone’s fallen out of love with training, it’s usually because they’re doing the same stuff over and over again,’ says Cox. So why not remove the regimented sets, reps and miles from your routine? At least for a little while. A good starting point is to think about what you loved doing as a kid, before gains, losses and goals were important to you. ‘Going back to things you enjoyed when you were younger, like football, can help with motivation,’ says Cox. Join a sports team, book a session at your local athletics track or even learn to climb a rope (a lot of functional fitness gyms have them).

A little competition can help inject joy into the process, too. Pick a short workout you know you can have fun with, then note down your sets, reps, weights or times. Now challenge yourself to beat that score next week.

The Problem: You Travel Too Often To Train

You used to be a big gym guy (honest). But these days, work has you on the road more often than not and you just can’t justify the hefty membership fee.

The Fix: Travelling by car? You can get in a great workout with nothing but a kettlebell (try 16kg-plus) and/or a set of dumbbells (15kg to 22.5kg) stashed in the boot. Train and plane? Pack a set of resistance bands or a basic suspension trainer you can secure over a hotel door. But even with no kit, you can blast your arms, legs, back, chest, glutes and core with nothing but your body weight.

‘It may surprise you how effective body-weight training can be,’ says MH fitness writer and PT Kate Neudecker. ‘There’s new evidence supporting “long-length partial” reps. At the end of your sets, when you’re close to failure, perform 50% of the rep at the stretched position. For example, the bottom half of a pull-up. You should be able to complete three to six more reps,’ she adds.

Basic body-weight moves can be upgraded, too. ‘For leg day, rear-foot-elevated split squats are a brutal progression to increase the intensity of your squats. You’ll never need to spend a penny on a gym membership again,’ says Neudecker.

The Problem: You’re Growing Bored Of Your Routine

Every morning at 6.30am you schlep it over to your local PureGym. Monday’s chest. Tuesday’s legs. By now, you have a favourite locker and the man in the nearby coffee shop knows your order. You’d like a change, but why fix what isn’t broken?

The Fix: While routine is great for helping those habits stick, you can have too much of a good thing. ‘Novelty triggers the release of the neurotransmitter dopamine, which can enhance your motivation,’ says Neudecker. But that needn’t mean a full fitness programme overhaul.

Always doing your cardio in the gym on the weekend? Bash out 5K before work one morning instead. Normally hit the weights room first thing? See if you can negotiate a lunchtime class on Fridays. Or upgrade your membership to multi-gym access and try running through the same workout in a new spot. ‘It’s easy to forget that movement outside the walls of a gym still counts as exercise, too,’ says Neudecker. ‘Being spontaneous with your movement, location or usual training time can take you off autopilot.’

Scarlett Wrench is the Senior Editor at Men’s Health UK.

With more than 12 years’ experience as a health and lifestyle editor, Scarlett has a keen interest in new science, emerging trends, mental well-being, and food and nutrition. For Men’s Health, she has carried out extensive research into areas such as wellness in the workplace, male body image, the paradoxes of modern masculinity, and mental health among school-age boys.

Her words have also appeared in Women’s Health, Runner’s World and The Sunday Times.