130 Gym Quotes to Fuel Your Next Workout

Maintaining a consistent workout routine can be difficult.

We have compiled 50 of the best gym quotes to help you stay inspired while you exercise. 

According to a study conducted by researchers at the University of Illinois, individuals who received text messages with gym quotes were likelier to stick to their workout routine than those who did not receive motivational messages. 

This suggests that receiving motivational messages can be a useful tool for promoting adherence to exercise routines and achieving fitness goals.

What relationship do you have with the gym? 

Bringing exercise into your daily routine requires mental toughness as well as physical toughness.

The fears of failure or injury are tough to deal with.

It takes a lot of courage to persevere despite what may go wrong.

In the quotes below, we have brought together quotes from some of the most amazing minds in the fitness industry, including professional athletes and trainers.

Through their perspectives, we hope to bring you the inspiration you need to keep striding forward towards your fitness goals. 

We hope you enjoy the quotes on exercising, failure, perseverance, and more below!

Check out our most popular quote article, a list of short inspirational quotes for daily inspiration. 

Our inspirational quotes category page has all of our motivational quotes for all the different areas of life.

Motivational gym quotes

Research conducted at the University of Wisconsin-Madison found that participants who repeated positive affirmations to themselves during their workout experienced a 25% increase in overall happiness and well-being ions.

This suggests that using positive affirmations during exercise can improve physical performance and mental well-being.

1. “Be patient and tough; someday this pain will be useful to you.” – Ovid

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2. “Feed your fitness. Starve your mediocrity.” – Krystal Breakley

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3. “If something stands between you and your success, move it. Never be denied.” – Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson

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

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5. “A year from now you may wish you had started today.¨ – Karen Lamb

6. “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

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7. “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

8. “Action is the foundational key to all success.” – Pablo Picasso

9. “All progress takes place outside the comfort zone.” – Michal Joan Bobak

10. “When you have a clear vision of your goal, it’s easier to take the first step toward it.” – LL Cool J

11. “Some people want it to happen, some wish it would happen, others make it happen.” – Michael Jordan

12. ¨Get comfortable with being uncomfortable!¨ – Jillian Michaels

13. “We must appreciate and never underestimate our own inner power.” – Noah Galloway

14. “You miss one hundred percent of the shots you don’t take.” – Wayne Gretzky

15. “The successful warrior is the average man, with laser-like focus.” – Bruce Lee

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Gym quotes about failure

According to a survey conducted by the American Council on Exercise, 79% of fitness professionals use motivational quotes as a tool to inspire clients and keep them on track with their fitness goals.

The survey findings suggest that gym quotes are a widely-used and effective tool in the fitness industry.

16. “Once you learn to quit, it becomes a habit.” ― Vince Lombardi Jr.

17. “If you’re afraid of failure, you don’t deserve success.” – Nastia Liukin

18. “Success is usually the culmination of controlling failure.” – Sylvester Stallone

19. “Don’t be afraid of failure. This is the way to succeed.” – LeBron James

20. “Most people give up right before the big break comes — don’t let that person be you.” – Michael Boyle

21. “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

22. “Failure is an option here. If things are not failing, you’re not innovating enough.” – Elon Musk

23. ¨Sometimes you don’t realize your own strength until you come face to face with your greatest weakness.¨ – Susan Gale

24. “When we give ourselves permission to fail, we, at the same time, give ourselves permission to excel.” – Eloise Ristad

25. “Failure is the condiment that gives success its flavor.” – Truman Capote

26. “The greatest mistake you can make in life is to be continually fearing you will make one.” – Elbert Hubbard. 

Gym quotes about working out and exercise

27. “Your current body is the only body that can take you to your new body so be kind to it.” – Elaine Moran

28. The real workout starts when you want to stop.” – Ronnie Coleman

29. “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

30. “When it comes to health and well-being, regular exercise is about as close to a magic potion as you can get.” – Thich Nhat Hanh

31. “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

32. “Movement is a medicine for creating change in a person’s physical, emotional, and mental states.” – Carol Welch

33. “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

34. “Exercise should be regarded as a tribute to the heart.” – Gene Tunney

35. “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

36. ¨Exercise is labor without weariness.¨ – Samuel Johnson

37. “Exercise to stimulate, not to annihilate. The world wasn’t formed in a day, and neither were we. Set small goals and build upon them.” – Lee Haney

38. “Lack of activity destroys the good condition of every human being, while movement and methodical physical exercise save it and preserve it.” – Plato

39. “It is exercise alone that supports the spirits, and keeps the mind in vigor.” – Marcus Tullius Cicero

40. “Walking: the most ancient exercise and still the best modern exercise.” – Carrie Latet

Gym quotes about perseverance

41. “I have nothing in common with lazy people who blame others for their lack of success. Great things come from hard work and perseverance. No excuses.” – Kobe Bryant

42. ¨Tough times don’t last. Tough people do.¨ – Robert H. Schuller

43. ¨Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishment.¨ – Jim Rohn

44. Of all the paths you take in life, make sure a few of them are dirt.” – John Muir

45. “Never stop fighting until you arrive at your destined place – that is, the unique you. Have an aim in life, continuously acquire knowledge, work hard, and have perseverance to realise the great life.” – A. P. J. Abdul Kalam

46. “I do not think that there is any other quality so essential to success of any kind as the quality of perseverance. It overcomes almost everything, even nature.” – John D. Rockefeller

47. “Through perseverance many people win success out of what seemed destined to be certain failure.” – Benjamin Disraeli

48. “Perseverance is an active principle, and cannot continue to operate but under the influence of desire.” – William Godwin

49. “In general, any form of exercise, if pursued continuously, will help train us in perseverance. Long-distance running is particularly good training in perseverance.” – Mao Zedong

50. “Grit is that ‘extra something’ that separates the most successful people from the rest. It’s the passion, perseverance, and stamina that we must channel in order to stick with our dreams until they become a reality.” – Travis Bradberry

More Gym quotes and sayings

51. Health is worth more than learning.” – Thomas Jefferson

52. “You get out what you put in. If you want more, give more.” – Jeanette Jenkins

53. “Your mind is the strongest and most valuable muscle you can grow in the gym.” – Greg Plitt

54. “For me, life is continuously being hungry. The meaning of life is not simply to exist, to survive, but to move ahead, to go up, to achieve, to conquer.” – Arnold Schwarzenegger

55. “If you always put limits on everything you do, physical or anything else. It will spread into your work and into your life. There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them.” – Bruce Lee

56. “Strength is the product of struggle, you must do what others don’t to achieve what others won’t.” – Henry Rollins

57. “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

58. “Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will.” – Mahatma Gandhi

59. “To be a champ you have to believe in yourself when no one else will.” – Sugar Ray Robinson

60. “I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life and that is why I succeed.” – Michael Jordan

Gym Quotes To Keep You Motivated

61. “Fitness is not about being better than someone else. It’s about being better than you used to be.” — Khloe Kardashian

62. “Don’t train to be skinny. Train to be a badass.” — Demi Lovato

63. “To enjoy the glow of good health, you must exercise.” — Gene Tunney

64. “Once you are exercising regularly, the hardest thing is to stop it.” — Erin Gray

65. “If you aren’t hurting after a good workout then obviously you haven’t done something right.” — Mark W. Boyer

66. “If you don’t make time for exercise, you’ll probably have to make time for illness.” — Robin Sharma

67. “The mind is the most important part of achieving any fitness goal. Mental change always comes before physical change.” — Matt McGorry

68. “Bodybuilding is much like any other sport. To be successful, you must dedicate yourself 100% to your training, diet, and mental approach.” — Arnold Schwarzenegger

69. “The pain you feel today will be the strength you feel tomorrow.” — Arnold Schwarzenegger

70. “Physical fitness is the first requisite of happiness.” — Joseph Pilates

Favorite Gym Quotes From Health Coaches, Athletes, and Celebrities

 71. “If it doesn’t challenge you, it doesn’t change you.” — Fred DeVito

72. “I don’t run to add days to my life, I run to add life to my days.” — Ronald Rook

73. “Today I will do what others won’t, so tomorrow I can accomplish what others can’t.” – Jerry Rice

74. “Strength does not come from winning. Your struggles develop your strengths. When you go through hardships and decide not to surrender, that is strength.” — Arnold Schwarzenegger

75. Whatever muscles I have are the product of my own hard work and nothing else. —  Evelyn Ashford

76. A muscle is like a car. If you want it to run well early in the morning, you have to warm it up.

— Florence Griffith Joyner

77. “Muscles come and go. Flab lasts.” — Bill Vaughan

78. “You really have to have some muscle to be on the stage in front of the world.” — Billy Crystal

79. “Nobody gets muscles by watching ME lift weights.” — Arnold Schwarzenegger

80. Just because your muscles start to protest, doesn’t mean you have to listen. — Dianne Holum

Gym Quotes To Keep You Working Out

81. “Being defeated is often a temporary condition. Giving up is what makes it permanent.” ― Marilyn vos Savant

82. “Everybody wants to be a bodybuilder, but don’t nobody wanna lift no heavy ass weight.” ― Ronnie Coleman

83. “I want to go to the gym every day otherwise I feel really bad. I just want to get more toned and healthy.” ― Lily Allen

84. “Bodybuilding isn’t 90 minutes in the gym..it’s a lifestyle.” ― Lee Priest

85. “Take care of your body. It’s the only place you have to live.” ― Jim Rohn

86. “No man has a right to be an amateur in the matter of physical training.” ― Socrates

87. “You want me to do something… tell me I can’t do it.” ― Maya Angelou

88. “A man’s health can be judged by which he takes two at a time: pills or stairs.” ― Joan Walsh Anglund

89. “If you always do what you did, you’ll always get what you got.” ― Marian Diamond

90. “The gym is the best place you’ll ever be.” ― Skip Prosser

Gym Quotes To Inspire You To Be Consistent

91. “You know that in order to feel good about yourself and work toward your goal, you should hit the gym.” ― Barbara Sorrelson

92. “It also helps to ask others around you to motivate you, in the same way that going to the gym is easier when others are meeting you there. If possible, get your friends and family to be your coaches and personal trainers.” ― David K. Wolpert

93. “Late in the afternoon, when the mind is fatigued and waning in cognitive function, could be the better time to hit the gym.” ― Dan S. Kennedy

94. “Don’t worry; you’ll eventually find time to hit the gym, bike, play video games, and do whatever you did before baby came. Now you’ll do it with a trail of spit up down the back of your shirt.” ― Dan Consiglio

95. “I try to walk at least three times a week for 40 minutes or an hour. I do it at the gym on the treadmill, or I go hiking outside.” ― Ana de la Reguera

96. “It’s time to hit the gym. Grab a bottle of water, and prepare to sweat!” ― Frank Sepe

97. “If you are aiming to trim down and you have the time to hit the gym twice per day, by all means, go for it. That may be the perfect way to burn fat and build muscle for some people.” ― Daniel J. Shamy

98. “Planning your schedule is important so you can leave work in time to get to the gym.” ― Rael Kalley

99. “Get to the gym regularly; that’s your focus. You are consistently working towards your goal, therefore… You are attracting your success through what you do.” ― Glyn Jenkins

100. “With fitness, I do Bikrams hot yoga. The gym that I have in my building is amazing. I love to do cardio and weights there.” ― Shay Mitchell

Gym Quotes for Your Favourite Spot To Spend Time

101. “When it comes to eating right and exercising, there is no ‘I’ll start tomorrow.’ Tomorrow is a disease.” — V.L. Allinea

102. “The gym is also the ideal place for those ‘loners’ who come to work out rather than to develop social ties.” — Yigal Pinchas

103. “The gym is somewhere you can go to just forget for an hour what you do for a living, what you are doing on a daily basis. You just turn up and get on with it.” — Luke Evans

104. “At the end of each of those hectic days as I do on most workdays, I would eagerly look forward to lifting weights or do aerobics with my woman friends at the gym.” — Jo Malin

105. “Exercise is done against one’s wishes and maintained only because the alternative is worse.” — George Sheehan

106. “Leave all the afternoon for exercise and recreation, which are as necessary as reading. I will rather say more necessary because health is worth more than learning.” — Thomas Jefferson

107. “Fitness is something that happens to you while you’re practising good technique.” — Terry Laughlin

108. “When people tell me they can’t afford to join a gym, I tell them to go outside; planet Earth is a gym and we’re already members. Run, climb, sweat, and enjoy all of the natural wonders that are available to you.” — Steve Maraboli

109. “The word ‘aerobics’ came about when the gym instructors got together and said: If we’re going to charge $10 an hour, we can’t call it Jumping up and down.” — Rita Rudner

110. “Total physical fitness is a positive state of well-being bringing about sufficient strength and energy to participate in a full, active lifestyle.” — Karen S. Mazzeo

Gym Quotes for Dedication, Progress, and Success

111. “Mirrors at the gym only serve to remind me that I’m less of a man than I’d like to be.” ― Dov Davidoff

112. “I have to hit the gym. I have beauty appointments. I have to work toward my next job and maintaining my image, just like an athlete.” ― Linda Evangelista

113. “Use what you have in your gym. Try to do my training program, you will lose your fat and gain muscles at the same time.” ― Serge Nubret

114. “I have always been a softie, and I fight it with every fiber of my being. Sadly, my being’s fibers need to hit the gym.” ― Aisha Tyler

115. “A lot of times I’m traveling or have appointments, so I don’t get to work out every day, but I try to get to the gym as much as I can.” ― Brody Jenner

116. “Hitting the gym to release stress is not nearly as effective as hitting the people that cause the stress to begin with.” ― Alan Garner

117. “I’ve always kept fit but I’ve been doing gym and yoga and will be throwing my stilettoes away for a while!” ― Francesca Annis

118. “Most of the time I meet my trainer at the gym and we do a lot of everything: weights circuit with cardio, football drills, sprinting with weights on the treadmill.” ― Charisma Carpenter

119. “I never go to a gym unless I have to for a role, a contract. I try to take care of myself as a human being, not because I have to be in front of the camera.” ― Elena Anaya

120. “I like going to the gym every day because I’m in physiotherapy every day.” ― Daniel Craig

Pump Up Your Workout with Gym Quotes That Drive Results

121. “I occasionally go to the gym and I lift free weights, I don’t use machines.” ― Eric Bana

122. “Back then every small town had a gym, and if itseated more than 2,000 then we’d be interested in playing in it.” ― Bob Cousy

123. At noon I get to the gym to do my boxing workout. Three hours there. Rest. Once in a while I get a massage, because I need it once in while.” ― Juan Manuel Marquez

124. “Exercise is an absolute must. Period. That doesn’t mean I’m a gym junkie – it just means that I have to get a few days doing something physical a week, even just for my mental sanity.” ― Matthew Hussey

125. “I go to the gym every morning for a couple of hours, then I come to work, whatever is on the plate for the day, I do it. I don’t ask many questions, I go where I am told to.” ― Marc Jacobs

126. “I love going to the gym and taking aerobics classes and kickboxing. Doing a variety of activities keeps it fresh and helps work other muscles that could potentially help you with your game.” ― Swin Cash

127. “If I don’t go to the gym and work out, I look like a bag of bones. I go three times a week usually and it’s nearly all weights work to help with definition.” ― Jonas Armstrong

128. “I like to keep myself in shape. I run and do weights when I go to the gym.” ― Sean Bean

129. “I try to go to the gym three to four times a week and mix it up with yoga or a personal trainer.” ― Nicole Trunfio

130. “I like reading, going to the gym, hanging out with my family. That’s it.” ― Jonathan Rhys Meyers

How do you deal with failure? 

Like in life, the road towards your fitness goals will come with twists and turns.

It’s how you deal with those struggles that will determine whether you succeed long-term.

If you find yourself struggling with your current workout routine, try switching up your exercises.

With so many ways to work out, it’s easy to get bored if you’re doing the same routine each workout.

For example, you could try yoga, pilates, weightlifting, organized sports, jogging, hiking, or more. 

Also, be sure that you are setting realistic, measurable goals (i.e. working out a certain amount of times a week).

Once you complete a week’s worth of workout, celebrate your job well done!

Which of these gym quotes and sayings resonated with you best?

Do you have any other motivational quotes to add?

Tell us your thoughts below!