A professional trainer shares tips for quieting the voice that gets in the way during workouts.
I’ve been exercising for 30 years and professionally training others for more than five. So I couldn’t figure out why I was overcome with butterflies as I walked into the local boot camp class during my recent vacation. Everyone around me appeared toned, tanned, and, above all, at ease. Six reps into my first set, it hit me: I felt like a charlatan. Despite all of my fitness expertise, experience, and countless clocked hours at the gym, I was overcome with self-doubt and apprehension. It suddenly seemed as if my abilities were the product of luck rather than skill and dedication, and I didn’t deserve to be there.
I felt like an exercise imposter.
Sound familiar? The phenomenon of feeling like an imposter has gained a significant foothold in the world of popular psychology. Navigating this mental labyrinth has become a universal journey. So while I felt like I stuck out like a sore thumb in that gym class, turns out I fit right in. Experts estimate that at least 80% of the general population experience imposter syndrome at some point in their lives.
Social media has not done us any favors in combatting these negative attitudes. Scrolling through the curated sea of IG perfection, we’ve all drawn harmful comparisons to unrealistic posts and subsequently retreated from activities with feelings of inadequacy.
Fitness is a space where these detrimental comparisons are drawn on sight alone, absent of logical context. While most healthy people possess an ability to exercise (at varying levels), many of us internalize the seemingly perfect fitness ambassadors, complex equipment, and intimidating movements, and we assume they’re outside of our capabilities. We conclude that everyone around us was either born fit or mastered the fitness game much faster than we could even dream of doing ourselves.
Before we rip off our sports bras and run for the closest exit door (hopefully not in that order), there are manageable ways to overcome these feelings. Recall that this syndrome is defined as “feelings of inadequacy that persist even in the face of information that indicates that the opposite is true.” We all have the physical ability to exercise. It’s our brain that tells us otherwise, so our brains require real work.
The very first thing I tell my clients is to create an inner dialogue that works for them, not against them. Let the weights be the only thing posing resistance. This begins with allowing the negative thoughts. Some trainers may disagree and tell you not to let naysayer ideas even take shape, but the fact is, they’re present regardless. By acknowledging them, we can rationally dispel them and take their power away. Logically speaking, we all have working muscles. We use them every single day without forethought: picking up our children, schlepping grocery bags to the car, loosening pickle jars. It turns out that the mind’s fearful thoughts are not necessarily the most well-reasoned, and that becomes truly evident only by addressing them.
Another helpful tactic for overcoming self-cynicism is to give yourself credit where credit’s due. When it comes to fitness, it is far too easy to criticize our bodies and abilities, ultimately creating a barrier to progress. But what purpose does it serve other than to decrease our drive and willingness? Ten times out of ten, our brains will quit on us before our bodies will. We simply don’t want to continue because we’re outside of our comfort zone and it doesn’t feel so good. So we shrink in the face of what’s left to do, instead of reveling in the accomplishment of what’s been done. Shifting focus onto what we’ve achieved will help create motivation that will undoubtedly see us through to the completion of an exercise. Try it the next time you run: Finishing that third mile will not be nearly as difficult once you note that you’ve conquered two.
It probably seems counterintuitive to walk into an already intimidating situation and make yourself vulnerable by seeking guidance, but in the face of self-doubt, even the smallest advice goes a long way. So ask a trainer for help. (Or, if that terrifies you, hop online — there’s certainly no shortage of fitness instruction.) Learning how to use a new machine or execute the proper form for an effective squat will begin to structure your future workouts. After even the briefest tutorial, exercises will become familiar, turning into something you can navigate with some semblance of control. You’ll find that the more adept you become at one thing, the more confidence you’ll have to try something new.
Many of these tactics may work, and some may not. It’s certainly an individual process. But here’s a bit of universally sound advice when the imposter syndrome takes hold: Stop the unproductive spinning and look around. You’ll likely see someone sweating through crunches or huffing on the treadmill. Ask yourself what makes them more qualified to be there. Why do they deserve a space in that boot camp class more than you? The well-reasoned answer is they don’t. You are just as fit if you can make confidence your greatest strength.
Jill Goldstein is a freelance writer and co-founder of WeArePitch.tv, an agency specializing in writing and designing pitches for TV, film, and advertising. She is also a certified personal trainer in Los Angeles, helping people find fitness in healthy and realistic ways. She’s most fulfilled when she can combine these two passions by writing fitness content. Jill is married with two children.
