55 Motivational Exercise Quotes to Inspire Your Next Workout

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When you are working out, there will likely come a time when you feel that you’re not getting the results you’d like to see as quickly as you’d like to see them.

This can be discouraging.

It can make you doubt all the effort you’ve put in.

It can lead you to wonder if it’s really worth it. 

Sometimes you simply need a little reminder that what you’re doing is definitely worth it.

Encouraging Words to Push You Forward

In our quest for fitness, we often forget how far we’ve come. Even if we’ve managed to lose most of the extra weight we had when we started out on our exercise journey, we’re more focused on the remaining pounds we still need to lose.

Instead of being hypervigilant or critical about your fitness efforts, take the time to give yourself a pat on the back for persevering.

Celebrate your progress!

You might choose to reward yourself for practicing a habit that promotes a healthier and better life.

If you need further encouragement for your next workout, today’s collection of exercise quotes aims to give you more determination and commitment to improve your health.

Read on and get energized!

1. “Energy and persistence conquer all things.” – Benjamin Franklin

2. “The reason I exercise is for the quality of life I enjoy.” – Kenneth H. Cooper

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

4. “One workout at a time. One day at a time. One meal at a time.” – Charlene Johnson

One workout at a time. One day at a time. One meal at a time.” – Charlene Johnson

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

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

7. “A year from now you may wish you had started today.” – Karen Lamb

8. “If you think lifting is dangerous, try being weak. Being weak is dangerous.” – Bret Contreras

9. “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

10. “If you just push through the struggles and the hard times, it’ll be so worth it in the end, because you will be able to get to your dreams.” – Chloe Kim

“If you just push through the struggles and the hard times, it’ll be so worth it in the end, because you will be able to get to your dreams.” – Chloe Kim | exercise quotes for kids | quotes about exercise and mental health

11. “If you ain’t pissed off for greatness, that just means you’re okay with being mediocre.” – Ray Lewis

12. “Even when all is known, the care of a man is not yet complete, because eating alone will not keep a man well; he must also take exercise. For food and exercise, while possessing opposite qualities, yet work together to produce health.” – Hippocrates

13. “The reason I exercise is for the quality of life I enjoy.” – Kenneth H. Cooper

14. “Adversity, if you allow it, will fortify you and make you the best you can be.” – Kerri Walsh Jennings

15. “The first step in achieving your goal is to take a moment to respect your goal. Know what it means to you to achieve it.” – Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson

16. “We run for the people who think they can’t.” – Dick Hoyt

17. “The only place where success comes before work is in the dictionary.” – Vidal Sassoon

18. “Fitness is like a relationship. You can’t cheat and expect it to work.” – Unknown

19. “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

20. “A champion is someone who gets up when they can’t.” – Jack Dempsey

“A champion is someone who gets up when they can’t.” – Jack Dempsey | exercise quotes short | quotes about exercise by famous athletes

21. “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.” – Wayne Gretzky

22. “Someone busier than you is working our right now.” – Unknown

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

24. “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

25. “I hate every minute of training. But i said, don’t quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion.” – Muhammad Ali

26. “To keep winning, I have to keep improving.” – Craig Alexander

To keep winning, I have to keep improving.” – Craig Alexander

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

28. “The difference between try and triumph is a little ‘umph’.” – Unknown

29. “Do what you have to do until you can do what you want to do.” – Oprah Winfrey

30. “To uncover your true potential you must first find your own limits and then you have to have the courage to blow past them.” – Picabo Street

31. “Nothing happens overnight but results do happen when people take action.” – Rob Regish

“Nothing happens overnight but results do happen when people take action.” – Rob Regish | quotes about exercise and mental health | exercise quotes short

32. “Champions aren’t made in the gyms. Champions are made from something they have deep inside them—a desire, a dream, a vision.” – Muhammad Ali

33. “There’s no secret formula. I lift heavy, work hard, and aim to be the best.” – Ronnie Coleman

34. “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

35. “What hurts today makes you stronger tomorrow.” – Jay Cutler

What hurts today makes you stronger tomorrow.” – Jay Cutler

36. “If you’re tired of starting over, stop giving up.” – Unknown

37. “Train hard, turn up, run your best and the rest will take care of itself.” – Usain Bolt

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

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

“Don’t be afraid of failure. This is the way to succeed.” – LeBron James | exercise quotes funny motivational | quotes about exercise by famous athletes

40. “Nothing will work unless you do.” – Maya Angelou

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

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

43. “At the peak of tremendous and victorious effort, while the blood is pounding in your head, all suddenly comes quiet within you. Everything seems clearer and whiter than ever before, as if great spotlights had been turned on. At that moment, you have the conviction that you contain all the power in the world, that you are capable of everything, that you have wings. There is no more precise moment in life than this, the WHITE MOMENT, and you will work hard for years, just to taste it again.” – Yuri Vlasov

44. “Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal; nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude.” – Thomas Jefferson

45. “It’s going to be a journey. It’s not a sprint to get in shape.” – Kerri Walsh Jennings

It’s going to be a journey. It’s not a sprint to get in shape.” – Kerri Walsh Jennings

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

47. “Motivation will almost always beat mere talent.” – Norman R. Augustine

48. “There may be people that have more talent than you, but there’s no excuse for anyone to work harder than you do.” – Derek Jeter

49. “The road to nowhere is paved with excuses.” – Mark Bell

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

“Most people give up right before the big break comes — don’t let that person be you.” – Michael Boyle | exercise quotes short | healthy lifestyle quotes

51. “The harder the battle, the sweeter the victory.” – Les Brown

52. “We cannot start over. But we can begin now and make a new ending.” – Zig Ziglar

53. “If it doesn’t challenge you, it won’t change you.” – Fred Devito

If it doesn’t challenge you, it won’t change you.” – Fred Devito

54. “Work hard in silence; let your success make the noise.” – Arnold Schwarzenegger

55. “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

Final Thoughts on Exercise Quotes

From time to time we all get discouraged on our fitness journeys.

Reminding ourselves that the benefits of working out include being healthier and happier can put things in perspective and get us moving again.

We hope that the quotes featured in today’s collection can get you more excited for your next workout. (If not, check out these warrior quotes for more inspiration.)

You might want to check out this post for more information about habits you can practice to maintain your daily workout routine.

And if you want more motivational quotes, be sure to check out these blog posts:

Finally, if you want to use these quotes to make a lasting change to your life, then watch this free video that details the 7-minute habit for planning your day to focus on what's truly important to you..

funny exercise quotes | quotes about exercise and mental health | quotes about exercise by famous athletes