90 Fitness Quotes to Get You Motivated to Workout When You Don't Really Want to

Fitness quotes? But Netflix in bed is so much more tempting...

Look, nobody said working out was easy. That's why it's called "working."

But as easy as it can be to lose your motivation, a simple mindset switch can help you rebuild your momentum.

Maybe something you read will help ignite that fire to get out and start training.

From world-renowned athletes to actors and pop culture figures, some of these motivating fitness quotes might actually just get your butt into gear.

Fitness Quotes From Famous Athletes

You don't have to be an Olympian to get inspiration from these athletic icons. From Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson to Ronda Rousey, these athletes will inspire you to get moving.

• “Pain is temporary. It may last a minute, or an hour, or a day, or a year, but eventually it will subside and something else will take its place. If I quit, however, it lasts forever.” — Lance Armstrong
• “Don’t let anyone work harder than you do.” — Serena Williams
• “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.” — Wayne Gretzky
• “Champions keep playing until they get it right.” — Billie Jean King
• “You make your own luck. You make it in training.” — Simone Biles
• “You must expect great things of yourself before you can do them.” — Michael Jordan
• "Everything negative - pressure, challenges - is all an opportunity to rise." — Kobe Bryant
• “There’s no secret formula. I lift heavy, work hard, and aim to be the best.” — Ronnie Coleman

“Just believe in yourself. Even if you don’t, pretend that you do and at some point, you will.”

Ronda Rousey

• “It’s what you do with the rough patches that will define the athlete that you’ll become.” — Dana Vollmer
• “If something stands between you and your success, move it. Never be denied.” — Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson
• “I try to set goals that seem kind of unreasonable at first. As I move towards them, the more reasonable they look.” — Katie Ledecky
• “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

Workout and Fitness Quotes About Personal Growth

Working out isn't just good for your body - it helps you grow mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. These quotes from inspiring thinkers will remind you that your workout is doing more than just toning your body - it's helping you grow into the best version of yourself.

• “The body achieves what the mind believes.” — Unknown
• “If it doesn’t challenge you, it doesn’t change you.” — Fred Devito
• “Discipline will take you to places where motivation can’t.” — Unknown
• “Success is what comes after you stop making excuses.” — Luis Galarza
• “I may not be there yet, but I’m closer than I was yesterday.” — José N. Harris
• “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then is not an act but a habit.” — Aristotle
• “Exercise is king. Nutrition is queen. Put them together and you’ve got a kingdom.” — Jack LaLanne

“If you want something you’ve never had, you must be willing to do something you’ve never done.”

Thomas Jefferson

• “Sometimes you don’t realize your own strength until you come face to face with your greatest weakness.” — Susan Gale
• “Fitness is not about being better than someone else. It’s about becoming better than you used to be.” — Khloe Kardashian
• “Believe in yourself. You are braver than you think, more talented than you know, and capable of more than you imagine.” — Roy T. Bennett

Fitness and Training Quotes to Help You Stay Disciplined

Getting into a consistent fitness routine can feel daunting - but it's the only way to see real results. Exercising regularly can feel hard when you're not used to it, but these quotes are here to help you remember how important it is to stay disciplined.

• “Nothing will work unless you do.” — Maya Angelou
• “No excuses. Just do the work.” — Shalane Flanagan
• “Progress takes time and discipline.” — Ronnie Coleman
• “Confidence comes from discipline and training.” — Robert Kiyosaki
• “It is better to conquer self than to win a thousand battles.” — Buddha
• “Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishment.” — Jim Rohn
• “Mastering others is strength. Mastering yourself is true power.” — Lao Tzu
• “You will never always be motivated, so you must learn to be disciplined.” — Unknown

“We can always push ourselves further. We always have more to give.”

Simone Biles

• “We must all suffer one of two things: The pain of discipline or the pain of regret.” — Jim Rohn
• “We do today what they won’t, so tomorrow we can accomplish what they can’t.” — Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson
• “Believe in yourself, and find ways to express yourself, and find the discipline to keep growing.” — Michael Feinstein
• “Small disciplines repeated with consistency every day lead to great achievements gained slowly over time.” — John C. Maxwell
• “There is no magic wand that can resolve our problems. The solution rests with our work and discipline.” — Jose Eduardo dos Santos

Fitness Quotes About Perseverance

When you're working out, a small setback can feel like a massive hurdle. Maybe you stayed out too late the night before, or you have a million other things you need to check off your to-do list. Persevering past these obstacles to prioritize your health is important - and these fitness quotes will help remind you that you can do it.

• “Perseverance, secret of all triumphs.” — Victor Hugo
• “It’s always too soon to quit!” — Norman Vincent Peale
• “All great achievements require time.” — Maya Angelou
• “It always seems impossible until it’s done.” — Nelson Mandela
• “The real workout starts when you want to stop.” — Ronnie Coleman
• “Perseverance is failing 19 times and succeeding the 20^th.” — Julie Andrews
• “It’s going to be a journey. It’s not a sprint to get in shape.” — Kerri Walsh Jennings
• “Every champion was once a contender that refused to give up.” — Sylvester Stallone
• “Great works are performed not by strength but by perseverance.” — Samuel Johnson

“Perseverance is not a long race; it is many short races one after the other.”

Walter Elliot

• “Perseverance is the hard work you do after you get tired of doing the hard work you already did.” — Newt Gingrich
• “The difference between the impossible and the possible lies in a person’s determination.” — Tommy Lasorda
• “The harder you work and the more prepared you are for something, you’re going to be able to persevere through anything.” — Carli Lloyd
• “No matter how many mistakes you make or how slow you progress, you are still way ahead of everyone who isn’t trying.” — Tony Robbins
• “Just remember, you can do anything you set your mind to. But it takes action, perseverance, and facing your fears.” — Gillian Anderson
• “Perseverance doesn’t always mean winning and losing. Perseverance means showing up, rising to the occasion, and performing.” — Michael Chiesa

Motivational Quotes to Start Your Workout

Have you ever had a mental battle with yourself before heading to the gym? You know you'll feel great after your workout, but binge-watching Netflix sounds great now. If you're searching for a mental jumpstart, these motivational workout quotes are just what you need.

• “The only bad workout is no workout.” — Unknown
• “Action is the foundational key to all success.” — Pablo Picasso
• “You’re only one workout away from a good mood.” — Unknown
• “Once you learn to quit, it becomes a habit.” — Vince Lombardi Jr.
• “Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going.” — Jim Ryun
• “The pain you feel today is the strength you feel tomorrow.” — Stephen Richards

“What seems impossible today will one day become your warm-up.”

Unknown

• “We cannot start over. But we can begin now and make a new ending.” — Zig Ziglar
• “Your body can stand almost anything. It’s your mind that you have to convince.” — Unknown
• “There really is no such thing as a bad workout. Something is better than nothing.” — Sas Parsad
• “If you don’t find the time, if you don’t do the work, you don’t get the results.”— Arnold Schwarzenegger
• “Some people want it to happen, some wish it would happen, others make it happen.” — Michael Jordan
• “Those who think they have not time for bodily exercise will soon have to make time for bodily illness.” — Edward Stanley

Fitness Quotes About Self-Love and Self-Respect

Good health doesn't only involve your physical fitness. Caring for your wellness also means respecting yourself enough to do the things that are difficult. These workout quotes will remind you that you're doing this for yourself because you deserve to feel good.

• “Keep your squats low and your standards high.” — Unknown
• “Keep working even when no one is watching.” — Alex Morgan
• “Nobody who ever gave his best regretted it.” — George Halas
• “Exercise should be regarded as tribute to the heart.” — Gene Tunney
• “Put all excuses aside and remember this: You are capable.” — Zig Ziglar
• “All progress takes place outside the comfort zone.” — Michael John Bobak

“Work out because you love your body, not because you hate it.”

Unknown

• “Do something today that your future self will thank you for.” — Sean Patrick Flanery
• “Don’t give up on your dreams, or your dreams will give up on you.” — John Wooden
• “Blood, sweat, and respect. First two you give. Last one you earn.” — Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson
• “Self-control is the chief element in self-respect, and self-respect is the chief element in courage.” — Thucydides
• “I’m not a waify girl and I never will be. I think it’s healthy when fitness experts encourage fitness rather than getting a certain body shape.” — Sophia Bush

Inspiring Fitness Quotes

Ultimately, the decision to work out is up to you. When you decide to make the time to put yourself and your wellness first, you're choosing more than just one workout. You're taking the next steps toward the healthiest version of you.

• “If it’s easy, then you’re doing it wrong.” — Gabby Williams
• “Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t, you’re right.” — Henry Ford
• “The human body is the best picture of the human soul.” — Ludwig Wittgenstein
• “Our bodies are our gardens – our wills are our gardeners.” — William Shakespeare
• “The only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson
• “Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will.” — Mahatma Gandhi

“You have to push past your perceived limits, push past that point you thought was as far as you can go.”

Drew Brees

• “Never give up on a dream just because of the time it will take to accomplish it. The time will pass anyway.” — Earl Nightingale
• “Don’t wait until you’ve reached your goal to be proud of yourself. Be proud of every step you take toward reaching that goal.” — Unknown
• “The resistance that you fight physically in the gym and the resistance that you fight in life can only build stronger character.” — Arnold Schwarzenegger
• “Physical fitness is not only one of the most important keys to a healthy body, it is the basis of dynamic and creative intellectual activity.” — John F. Kennedy

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