Staying motivated to work out can be challenging, especially with daily distractions. Not everyone wakes up feeling ready to conquer their fitness goals, so we often need a little extra push.
Whether you’re hitting the gym, doing home workouts, or just trying to stay on track with your fitness journey, motivational quotes can be a powerful tool to keep you going. Reaching new fitness milestones doesn’t happen overnight; it requires consistency, especially when you feel like giving up.
In this blog, we’ve compiled 150+ motivational quotes from athletes, celebrities, and influential figures to help you stay focused and inspired. Whenever you need a pick-me-up, these quotes will remind you why you started and encourage you to push through the toughest parts of your workout.
150+ Motivational Workout Quotes
“I hated every minute of training, but I said, ‘Don’t quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion.”– Muhammad Ali
“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then is not an act but a habit.” – Aristotle
“The body achieves what the mind believes.”– Napoleon Hill
“The hard days are the best because that’s when champions are made, so if you push through, you can push through anything.”– Dana Vollmer
“If you don’t find the time, if you don’t do the work, you don’t get the results.”– Arnold Schwarzenegger
“Dead last finish is greater than did not finish, which trumps did not start.”– Unknown
“Push harder than yesterday if you want a different tomorrow.”– Vincent Williams Sr.
“The real workout starts when you want to stop.”– Ronnie Coleman
“Take care of your body. It’s the only place you have to live.”– Jim Rohn
“I’ve failed over and over again in my life and that is why I succeed.”– Michael Jordan
“Once you are exercising regularly, the hardest thing is to stop it.” – Erin Gray
The secret of getting ahead is getting started.”– Mark Twain
“Exercise should be regarded as tribute to the heart.” – Gene Tunney
“You’re going to have to let it hurt. Let it suck. The harder you work, the better you will look. Your appearance isn’t parallel to how heavy you lift, it’s parallel to how hard you work.”– Joe Manganiello
“Most people fail, not because of lack of desire, but, because of lack of commitment.”– Vince Lombardi
“You miss one hundred percent of the shots you don’t take.” – Wayne Gretzky
“If something stands between you and your success, move it. Never be denied.”– Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson
“All progress takes place outside the comfort zone.” – Michael John Bobak
“Just believe in yourself. Even if you don’t, just pretend that you do and at some point, you will.” – Venus Williams
“The harder you work and the more prepared you are for something, you’re going to be able to persevere through anything.” – Carli Lloyd
“Enduring means accepting. Accepting things as they are and not as you would wish them to be, and then looking ahead, not behind.” – Rafael Nadal
“If you want something you’ve never had, you must be willing to do something you’ve never done.” – Thomas Jefferson
“The resistance that you fight physically in the gym and the resistance that you fight in life can only build a strong character.”– Arnold Schwarzenegger
“Continuous improvement is better than delayed perfection.” – Mark Twain
“Once you learn to quit, it becomes a habit.”– Vince Lombardi
“It’s hard to beat a person who never gives up.” – Babe Ruth
“Do something today that your future self will thank you for.” – Sean Patrick Flanery
“Success is usually the culmination of controlling failure.”– Sylvester Stallone
“Think of your workouts as important meetings you schedule with yourself. Bosses don’t cancel.” – Unknown
“Workout till you feel that pain and soreness in muscles. This one is good pain. No pain, no gain.” – Invajy
“Confidence comes from discipline and training.”– Robert Kiyosaki
“I don’t count my sit-ups. I only start counting when it starts hurting because they’re the only ones that count.”– Muhammad Ali
“What hurts today makes you stronger tomorrow.” – Jay Cutler
“Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will.”– Mahatma Gandhi
“You must expect things of yourself before you can do them.”– Michael Jordan
“The last three or four reps is what makes the muscle grow. This area of pain divides a champion from someone who is not a champion.”– Arnold Schwarzenegger
“If you fail to prepare, you’re prepared to fail.” – Mark Spitz
“Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going.” – Jim Ryun
“A champion is someone who gets up when they can’t.” – Jack Dempsey
“The difference between the impossible and the possible lies in a person’s determination.” – Tommy Lasorda
“When you have a clear vision of your goal, it’s easier to take the first step toward it.” – LL Cool J
“When I feel tired, I just think about how great I will feel once I finally reach my goal.”– Michael Phelps
“You have to think about it before you can do it. The mind is what makes it all possible.” – Kai Greene
“The only bad workout is the one that didn’t happen.” – Unknown
“Don’t be afraid of failure. This is the way to succeed.” – LeBron James
“You should never stay at the same level. Always push yourself to the next.”– Marnelli Dimzon
“You did not wake up today to be mediocre.”– Robin Arzon
“Action is the foundational key to all success.”– Pablo Picasso
“If it doesn’t challenge you, it doesn’t change you.”– Fred DeVito
“You can either suffer the pain of discipline or the pain of regret.”– Jim Rohn
“We can push ourselves further. We always have more to give.” – Simone Biles
“If you want to be the best, you have to do things other people aren’t willing to do.” – Michael Phelps
“Every champion was once a contender who refused to give up.” – Rock Balboa
“The difference between try and triumph is a little ‘oomph’.” – Marvin Phillips
“If you are not pissed off for greatness, that just means you’re okay with being mediocre.” – Ray Lewis
“Keep working even when no one is watching.”– Alex Morgan
“Your health account, your bank account, they’re the same thing. The more you put in, the more you can take out. Exercise is king and nutrition is queen. Together you have a kingdom.” – Jack LaLanne
“Don’t dream of winning. Train for it!” – Mo Farah
“Most people give up right before the big break comes, don’t let that person be you.” – Michael Boyle
“Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishment.” – Jim Rohn
“Fitness is not about being better than someone else. It’s about being better than you used to be.” – Khloe Kardashian
“Exercise should be regarded as a tribute to the heart.”– Gene Tunney
“Keep listening to your body. It will tell you when something is not okay.”– Emily Infeld
“Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t, you are right.”– Henry Ford
“All our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them.” – Walt Disney
“Great things come from hard work and perseverance. No excuses.” – Kobe Bryant
“Always make a total effort, even when the odds are against you.” – Arnold Palmer
“Success is walking from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm.”– Winston Churchill
“Your mind will quit a thousand times before your body will.” – Reginald Red
“I’ve grown most not from victories, but setbacks. If winning is God’s reward, then losing is how he teaches us.”– Serena Williams
“Set your goals high, and don’t stop until you get there.” – Bo Jackson
“Physical fitness can neither be achieved by wishful thinking nor outright purchase.”– Joseph Pilates
“If you take time to realize what your dream is and what you really want in life—no matter what it is, whether it’s sports or in other fields—you have to realize that there is always work to do, and you want to be the hardest working person in whatever you do, and you put yourself in a position to be successful. And you have to have a passion about what you do.” – Stephen Curry
“You shall gain, but you shall pay with sweat, blood, and vomit.”– Pavel Tsatsouline
“You have to push past your perceived limits, push past that point you thought was as far as you can go.” – Drew Brees
“Get ready, be prepared. So when opportunities finally show themselves, you’ll be able to own them.” – Hannah Gabriels
“You dream. You plan. You reach. There will be obstacles. There will be doubters. There will be mistakes. But with hard work, with belief, with confidence and trust in yourself and those around you, there are no limits.” – Michael Phelps
“Be Humble. Be Hungry. And always be the hardest worker in the room.”– Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson
“Some people want it to happen, some wish it would happen, others make it happen.”
– Michael Jordan
“A year from now you may wish you had started today.” – Karen Lamb
“A goal is just an awesome way to force growth on yourself.”– Deena Kastor
“If you do not believe in yourself, no one will do it for you.”– Kobe Bryant
“Our bodies are gardens, our wills are our gardeners.” – William Shakespeare
“Get comfortable with being uncomfortable!”– Jillian Michaels
“Time, Effort, Sacrifice, and Sweat. How will you pay for your goals?”– Usain Bolt
“He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life.” – Muhammad Ali
“It’s supposed to be hard. If it wasn’t hard, everyone would do it. The hard is what makes it great.” – Tom Hanks
“Success usually comes to those who are too busy to be looking for it.”– Henry David Thoreau
“All progress takes place outside the comfort zone.” – Michael John Bobak
“If you want something you’ve never had, you must be willing to do something you’ve never done.”– Thomas Jefferson
“You don’t have to be extreme, just consistent.” – Unknown
“The body achieves what the mind believes.”– Napoleon Hill
“Push yourself because no one else is going to do it for you.” – Unknown
“Success is what comes after you stop making excuses.”– Luis Galarza
“Every day is another chance to get stronger, to eat better, to live healthier, and to be the best version of you.”– Unknown
“Your only limit is you.”– Unknown
“The secret of getting ahead is getting started.” – Mark Twain
“Fitness is like a relationship. You can’t cheat and expect it to work.” – Unknown
“If you’re tired of starting over, stop giving up.”– Unknown
“Believe in yourself and you will be unstoppable.”– Unknown
“The pain you feel today will be the strength you feel tomorrow.” – Unknown
“The only way to define your limits is by going beyond them.” – Arthur Clarke
“Don’t stop until you’re proud.” – Unknown
“The hardest lift of all is lifting your butt off the couch.”– Unknown
“Train insane or remain the same.”– Jillian Michaels
“The real workout starts when you want to stop.”– Ronnie Coleman
“Don’t count the days, make the days count.”– Muhammad Ali
“If it doesn’t challenge you, it won’t change you.” – Fred DeVito
“Stop wishing. Start doing.” – Unknown
“Some people want it to happen, some wish it would happen, others make it happen.”– Michael Jordan
“If you still look good at the end of your workout, you didn’t train hard enough.” – Unknown
“Sweat is fat crying.”– Unknown
“Good things come to those who sweat.” – Unknown
“Fit is not a destination, it is a way of life.”– Unknown
“You are one workout away from a good mood.”– Unknown
“Fall in love with taking care of your body.”– Unknown
“When you feel like quitting, think about why you started.” – Unknown
“Your health is an investment, not an expense.” – Unknown
“Create healthy habits, not restrictions.” – Unknown
“Strive for progress, not perfection.” – Unknown
“Remember why you started.” – Unknown
“Success doesn’t come from what you do occasionally, it comes from what you do consistently.”– Unknown
“The difference between excellent and average is practice.” – Unknown
“Work hard in silence. Let success be your noise.”– Frank Ocean
“It’s not about having time. It’s about making time.”– Unknown
“Every step is progress, no matter how small.” – Unknown
“A 30-minute workout is just 2% of your day. No excuses.” – Unknown
“The only bad workout is the one you didn’t do.” – Unknown
“Stop stopping yourself.” – Unknown
“Do something today that your future self will thank you for.” – Unknown
“Your body can stand almost anything. It’s your mind you have to convince.” – Unknown
“Take care of your body. It’s the only place you have to live.” – Jim Rohn
“You don’t have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great.” – Zig Ziglar
“The only place where success comes before work is in the dictionary.” – Vidal Sassoon
“When it’s hard, that’s when it counts.” – John Picket
“No matter how slow you go, you are still lapping everybody on the couch.” – Unknown
“Exercise is a celebration of what your body can do. Not a punishment for what you ate.” – Unknown
“Fitness is not about being better than someone else. It’s about being better than you used to be.” – unknown
“Fitness is like marriage. You can’t cheat on it and expect it to work.” – Bonnie Pfiester
“Your fitness is 100% mental. Your body won’t go where your mind doesn’t push it.” – Unknown
“The gym is a sanctuary, not a torture chamber.” – Unknown
“If you think lifting is dangerous, try being weak. Being weak is dangerous.” – Bret Contreras
“Fitness isn’t about being better than someone else… it’s about being better than you used to be.” – Khloe Kardashian
“Nothing tastes as good as being fit feels.” – Unknown
“It’s never too early or too late to work towards being the healthiest you.” – Unknown
“Believe in yourself. You are braver than you think, more talented than you know, and capable of more than you imagine.”– Roy T. Bennett
“Exercise not only changes your body, it changes your mind, your attitude, and your mood.” – Unknown
“Exercise should be regarded as a tribute to the heart.” – Gene Tunney
“You’re only one workout away from a good mood.” – Unknown
“The only way to redefine your limits is by pushing them every day.” – Unknown
“The purpose of training is to tighten up the slack, toughen the body, and polish the spirit.” – Morihei Ueshiba
“Fitness: if it came in a bottle, everybody would have a great body.” – Cher
“Change happens when the pain of staying the same is greater than the pain of change.” – Tony Robbins
“Nothing will work unless you do.” – Maya Angelou
“You are what you repeatedly do. Excellence is not an act, but a habit.” – Aristotle
“Fitness is 20% exercise and 80% nutrition. You can’t outrun your fork.” – Unknown
“To enjoy the glow of good health, you must exercise.” – Gene Tunney
“The groundwork for all happiness is good health.” – Leigh Hunt
“Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will.”– Mahatma Gandhi
“The only bad workout is no workout.” – Unknown
FAQs
Q: How often should I exercise to see results?
A: It depends on your fitness goals, but generally, it’s recommended to engage in at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity or 75 minutes of vigorous activity each week, combined with strength training exercises on two or more days.
Q: What should I eat before and after a workout?
A: Before working out, consume a balanced meal with carbs and protein about 2-3 hours prior, or a small snack if it’s closer to your workout time. After exercising, opt for a meal or snack rich in protein and carbohydrates to help repair muscles and replenish energy stores.
Q: Can I lose weight by only doing cardio?
A: While cardio can help burn calories and improve cardiovascular health, incorporating strength training exercises is also important for boosting metabolism and building lean muscle mass, which can aid in long-term weight loss and maintenance.
Q: How do I stay motivated to work out regularly?
A: Set realistic goals, create a routine, find a workout buddy, and mix up your activities to keep things interesting. Tracking your progress and celebrating small achievements can also help maintain motivation.
Q: What are some effective exercises for beginners?
A: Bodyweight exercises like squats, push-ups, lunges, and planks are great for beginners. They help build foundational strength and can be done anywhere without the need for equipment.
Conclusion
Embarking on a fitness journey is a commitment to enhancing your overall health and well-being. It’s important to remember that progress takes time, and consistency is key. By integrating regular exercise into your routine, maintaining a balanced diet, and keeping a positive mindset, you can achieve lasting results. Embrace the challenges, celebrate your milestones, and enjoy the transformation that comes with a healthier, more active lifestyle.
The next time you’re feeling discouraged or lacking motivation, remember these quotes. They can serve as a powerful reminder that pushing through the tough moments is what leads to achieving your fitness goals.
Stay strong, stay motivated, and keep pushing forward!
These motivational quotes are designed to inspire and encourage you to keep going, no matter how tough it gets. Remember, every small step counts towards your bigger fitness goals.
