Why I hate "motivated" people

I was at the grocery store yesterday.

Standing in line behind a guy buying a cart full of kale, raw eggs, and what looked like a gallon of "pre-workout" powder.

He was vibrating. Literally vibrating with energy.

Wearing a t-shirt that said "GRIND NEVER STOPS."

I asked him, "Training for something?"

He spun around, eyes wide, and launched into a 5-minute sermon about how he’s "super motivated" right now. How he’s going to crush his goals. Hit the gym 7 days a week. And eat nothing but cardboard and sadness until he has a six-pack.

He was high.

High on the drug called "Motivation."

And I knew, with 100% mathematical certainty, that in 3 weeks...

I would see this same guy sitting on his couch, covered in Cheeto dust, wondering why he "lost his drive."

It was like watching a train wreck in slow motion.

Which brings me to my point:

Motivation is for losers.

(Yeah, I said it).

If you are relying on a feeling, a fleeting, fickle emotion, to get you out of pain and into a strong body, you are doomed.

You are building a house on a foundation of wet sand.

The "fitness industrial complex" (full of goo-roos and influencers who have never trained a real client in their lives) loves to sell you motivation.

They sell you hype videos. They sell you screaming instructors. They sell you the "spark."

But sparks burn out.

And when the spark is gone... and it is raining... and your back aches... and you had a long day at work...

What then?

If you need "motivation" to do your training or mobility work, you have already lost.

The people who actually get results? The ones who get back to being strong, mobile, and dangerous?

They don't have motivation.

They have systems.

They have discipline.

They have a mechanical, robot-like ability to do the work whether they "feel like it" or not.

Here is the cold, hard truth that the "Grind Never Stops" guy doesn't understand:

1. Feelings are liars.

You will never "feel" like doing rehab exercises. You will never "feel" like stretching your hip flexors after sitting in a cubicle for 8 hours. Waiting for the feeling is a trap. Stop listening to your emotions. They are toddlers throwing a tantrum. Ignore them. Do the work anyway.

2. The "Small Win" Conspiracy.

The gurus tell you to "go big or go home."

I say: Go small or go to the hospital.

The reason you quit is because you try to change your entire life on a Tuesday. You try to go from "couch potato" to "Olympian" in 24 hours.

Stop it.

Aim for a win so small it’s embarrassing.

Can you do 5 minutes of mobility work?

"But Cam, that's not enough!" the fanboys whine.

It's enough to establish the habit. And the habit is the only thing that saves you when the motivation drug wears off.

3. Rig the Game.

If you have to "decide" to work out, you will fail. Decision fatigue is real.

Don't rely on willpower. Willpower is a battery and yours is empty by 5:00 PM.

Instead, be a cheater.

Rig your environment so you can't fail. Put your foam roller in the middle of the living room floor so you literally trip over it. Pack your gym bag the night before.

Make it harder not to do it than to do it.

4. The "Reset" Button.

When you inevitably screw up (and you will, because you're human)...

Don't whine.

Don't beat yourself up.

Don't post a sad status update on Facebook about how you "fell off the wagon" hoping for sympathy likes.

Just get back on.

One missed workout is a pothole. Giving up because of one missed workout is slashing your other three tires just to "teach the car a lesson."

Bottom line:

Consistency isn't sexy. It doesn't make for a good montage in a Rocky movie.

But it is the only thing that works.

If you are done waiting for the "motivation fairy" to sprinkle magic dust on your lumbar spine...

And you are ready to build the boring, mechanical, unbreakable habits that actually get you out of pain...

Then you might be ready for the Unbroken: The Guide to Healing Lower Back Pain.

I don't promise hype. I don't promise you'll "love" every second of it.

I promise that if you follow the system, your body will work again.

Cam Rickerby

P.S. One more thing about the "Grind" guy.

I saw him load his groceries into his car. He lifted with his back, not his legs. Rounded spine. Jerky motion.

He'll be a client of mine in 6 months.

Don't be him.