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Since I started weight training when I was 12 years old I always had goals. In my earlier years it was for sports, in college it was to be lean, and young adulthood I got into bodybuilding so it was a combination of muscle size, strength, and conditioning. This made working out fun, exciting and challenging. However, since I stopped bodybuilding a year ago and started paleo I find myself bored and unmotivated in the gym. I am currently happy with my body fat level, strength and muscularity. In fact I just want to maintain and be healthy. But thats the problem....that's not much of a goal..lol. FYI....I quit bodybuilding for health reason but I have recovered with paleo.

I have started BJJ, but probably don't plan to ever compete, and I plan to do the tough mudder in October, so I guess I could train for that??? I've also gone to movnat seminars and taken crossfit classes to introduce new things, but I am still just lost without a specific goal. How do you guys motivate yourself without a specific goal?

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Why aren't you going to compete in BJJ? That seems like a perfect solution to your problem. – Caveman Bob May 20 2011 at 23:31
Because I suck...lol. Maybe once I get good at it I will get the urge. I do enjoy it though. – hemanvt May 21 2011 at 0:06
I like this question. I'm going through the same thing. Looking forward to more answers. Let us know what you decide! – baconbitch May 21 2011 at 16:05
Look into MovNat – josh Feb 12 2012 at 0:03

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you don't train without goals, but you can play. Ironically though, playing can sometimes make you a better athlete than those who train :)

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incidentally, i know that was a somewhat unhelpful answer, but getting out of the gym might help. Additionally, you could take up a new sport that would require you to learn a new skill set, because ultimately I think it's creativity that helps the most and new challenges bring entirely new problems for the body/mind to solve. – tartare May 20 2011 at 23:32
movnat has always intrigued me, and crossfit is great but seems to still be very goal oriented. How did you like the movnat seminars? – tartare May 20 2011 at 23:37
The seminar was ok. I've heard the week long is much better. I'm not a fan of cross fit. – hemanvt May 21 2011 at 0:06
too bad, it seems like a pretty inspiring concept, though i could easily see how the "seminar format" might suck the lifeblood joy out of it. I don't do crossfit myself, but my husband is certified with them so.... and he's a great trainer anyways, but i suppose he does his own thing too, lol. The BJJ sounds good, but maybe you should throw in something new that you can do all alone. I think some athletes truly enjoy the time alone with themselves working out gives them, and maybe that's missing in a class format? – tartare May 21 2011 at 0:22
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Trying to get better at BJJ is an excellent goal to motivate you to get stronger, more flexible, and more resilient to getting injured. You could just roll with that.

Otherwise, why not make your goal to be able to do the stuff that Erwan Le Corre does? Barefoot running, muscle-ups on trees, jumping over stuff, etc. Those are fun goals to work toward, and great for your health.

So how do you motivate yourself without a specific goal? No idea. The word "motivation" seems to imply acting toward a specific goal. My advice is to come up with a specific goal that will further your ultimate one (that I assume is to be healthy), such as to be a better natural movement athlete (or MovNat athlete, if you prefer).

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Good point. I guess I need to think outside my comfort zone regarding my goals. Thanks! – hemanvt May 21 2011 at 0:14

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