Not Getting to the Gym as Much as You’d like? It’s Ok for Now, Here’s Why.

I had a powerful conversation with one of our athletes yesterday that I think many of you can relate to. She came to me feeling frustrated, saying, “I’m only able to make it to the gym 6–8 times a month. I don’t feel like I’m getting enough out of it.”

I completely understood where she was coming from. We often hear that optimal strength training happens 3–5 times a week—and that’s true. But life doesn’t always allow for perfect consistency, and that doesn’t mean your efforts don’t count.

To help her visualize this, I pulled out a piece of paper and drew a horizontal line—this was the baseline, where no progress or regression happens.

Then I drew a second line, just slightly above the baseline, running parallel to it. This represented her current training consistency—6 to 8 sessions a month. After that, I drew a third line, rising sharply upward. This one represented the ideal 3–5 workouts per week. I pointed out the gap between these two lines and asked, “Is this the gap you’re concerned about?” She nodded.

Then I drew one more line—but this time, it dropped downward from the baseline. This line represented doing nothing—no training at all. I then showed her the gap between that downward-sloping line and the one representing her 6–8 sessions a month.

“This is the gap I want you to focus on,” I told her. “This is the progress you’re making. You’re not where you want to be yet—but you’re a long way from where you’d be if you weren’t doing anything.”

That moment really clicked for her—and I hope it clicks for you too.

Yes, it’s ideal to train more consistently. But when life gets hectic, doing something is far better than doing nothing. Strength training 6–8 times a month keeps you above baseline. It keeps your body and mind in the game. It keeps you from regressing.

We also talked about how limited training time can be a perfect opportunity to double down on nutrition. When you can’t be as active as you’d like, dial in your diet. Nutrition becomes your biggest lever to keep moving toward your goals, even when you’re not in the gym as often.

Here’s the big takeaway: Drop the all-or-nothing mentality. Fitness is not black and white. Progress isn’t linear, and showing up—however often you can—is always better than standing still or going backward.

Stay consistent in the ways you can, and give yourself credit for every bit of effort you’re putting in. It all adds up.