Write Like You Train

7 Lessons from the Weight Room

Last week while I was at the gym, I began looking around and noticing the parallels between maintaining a fitness routine and a writing routine. I’ll admit, I was a bit surprised at how many I was able to find. Just like writing, progress in the gym is slow and built on consistency and discipline more than motivation. In both, you have to show up before you feel ready, trust the process, and learn to work through the resistance—literally and figuratively.

When I began thinking about these similarities, it occurred to me that people are often quick to accept these lessons when it comes to fitness but not always so willing to do so when applying them to writing. Of course starting a new fitness routine is going to feel hard, we agree. We’re straining new muscles. But when we say the same about starting a new writing routine? That one may not be as easily digested.

So, what lessons can we take from the gym and apply to our writing? Let’s explore.

We All Have a Right to Be Here

Years ago, before I started working out regularly, the gym intimidated me. In my mind, the gym was full of fit, muscular individuals who were likely to laugh at me for being there. After all, I had no idea what I was doing.

But once I worked up the courage to go to the gym, I realized most people there were just like me—figuring it out as they went along. Some, of course, were further along on their fitness journey than me, but no one was mocking me for being there. Just because I was a beginner didn’t mean I didn’t have a right to be at that gym, using the same equipment as someone who’d been working out for years.

The same is true with writing. Beginners sometimes fear putting themselves out there and involving themselves with writing groups for fear of being judged. They worry they aren’t yet a “real” writer and hesitate to jump in with those who are further along in their writing journey. Even more advanced writers will sometimes exclude themselves from certain spaces, fearing that what they write isn’t as respected as other writing.

But when we convince ourselves that we don’t have a right to be in writing spaces for any reason, we shortchange ourselves. Jumping into writing groups is the best way to learn and grow as a writer, just as going to the gym is the best way to grow in our fitness journey. No matter what you write, no matter how far along you might be in your writing journey, you have every right to be in those spaces.

We All Start Somewhere

Along with this is the lesson that we all start somewhere. When I first started going to the gym with my husband, I could have sworn everyone was laughing at me as I picked up 5-pound dumbbells for my curls or had to swap out the standard 45-pound bar on the squat rack for the lighter 35-pound one. Yet gradually, with dedication and repetition, my strength improved and I’m now able to lift heavier. But now that I am the one lifting heavier, I don’t judge anyone who is lifting lighter weights. I know I started there, too. It’s nothing to be ashamed of.

Published authors didn’t begin as published authors—they started out just like any one of us, grappling with story mechanics and genre conventions and trying to figure out how to put scenes together to create a compelling story. We can’t become amazing storytellers if we don’t put in the effort to learn the craft, practice writing stories, and strive to become better. Those who are further along on their writing journey than you aren’t laughing at you for being a beginner. They started there too. They know what you’re up against, and, most likely, they’re giving you so much credit for showing up and putting in the work.

Comparing Yourself to Others Is Never a Good Idea

It can be all too easy at the gym to fall into the trap of comparing yourself to others. After all, everyone is in the same space, doing similar exercises, and it takes little effort to glance at your neighbor, see that they’re lifting heavier weights than you, and convince yourself you should be doing the same.

But again, we’re all at different stages of our fitness journey, and we all have different goals. Someone might be lifting heavier than you because they can, but someone else might be lifting lower weights than you because their training goal for that session is endurance over weight.

Comparing yourself with others can cause you to do something you shouldn’t or aren’t able to do yet and risk injury. But it can also mess with your mindset. Just because you see someone else doing something doesn’t mean you see the full picture. That person deadlifting 250 pounds may have taken 5 years to get to that weight. And that person lifting only 20 might be coming back from an injury and working back into it. You can’t simply look at someone and know their full story; and therefore, you can’t compare your story to theirs.

And the same goes for writing. Just because you see another person the same age as you on Instagram who has published five books while you’re still working on your first doesn’t mean anything. Their journey likely looks vastly different than yours and their goals may be different as well, so comparing yourself to their highlight reel will only send you down a rabbit hole of frustration.

Trust that your journey is unique and that you’ll meet your goals when you’re meant to. Just because someone else is further along doesn’t mean you’re doing anything wrong. Cheer for your peers as they hit their goals and know that you’re making progress toward your own goals as well.

If You Miss a Session, That’s Okay—Get Back Up & Going Again

A fitness routine is always easier to maintain once you’ve gained some momentum. Those first few mornings waking up early and dragging yourself out of bed might feel impossible, but once you’ve been doing it for a few weeks, it gets easier. You begin to look forward to your workouts not because you love giving up sleep but because you know the benefits that await once you complete your workout.

But of course, there will always be things that interfere with our routine. We might get sick or injured and be forced to miss the gym while we recover. We might have a rough night and choose to sleep in and skip the gym. It can feel discouraging to miss planned gym sessions, but missing one (or several) isn’t the end of the world. What matters is that we get back up and try again when we’re able to.

Missing writing sessions never feels good either. Life can get in the way and force us to miss days. We might just not be in the right headspace for a few days and end up scrolling social media rather than sitting down at our writing desk. And while it can feel frustrating to miss days for any reason, beating ourselves up about missing those days doesn’t do us any good.

Instead, give yourself grace when you miss planned writing sessions. Take some time to reflect on why you missed the sessions, and if the reason was something within your control, consider what you might do differently in the future. But focus primarily on getting up the next day and showing up for your writing rather than lecturing yourself for missing the day before. Sure, you might have been able to do something differently, but you can’t change anything in the past now. Keep your eye on the present and the future and just keep writing.

When It Feels Challenging, That Means You’re Growing

Progress doesn’t come from your comfort zone. I could go to the gym day after day and do the same routine, and I’d leave with little sweat and my muscles wouldn’t be sore the next day. But that routine likely won’t lead to reaching my fitness goals. It’s the days when the workout feels impossible, when I stumble a bit attempting a new move, and wake up the next morning with aching muscles that I know I’m making progress towards my goals.

Sitting at your writing desk each day and working on scenes that feel easy isn’t likely to result in the progress you’re hoping for. To finish your manuscript, you have to tackle the hard scenes. You have to be willing to push yourself beyond your comfort zone and risk making a little stumble if you want to grow as a writer.

Just like attempting to lift a higher weight at the gym and only getting one rep in might make you feel uncomfortable and exposed, trying something hard in our writing and being told we still have work to do doesn’t feel great either. But it’s a necessary step if you want to become a stronger writer. Don’t shy away from the hard things; those are the ones that are building your writing skills.

It's All About Mindset

One area I’ve been focusing on lately is increasing the amount of weight I’m able to squat again. My strength in this area diminished a good amount after having my son and being unable to get the gym regularly for a while. I’ve been slowly building back up to where I was, and last week I felt ready to go over 100 pounds again for the first time in years.

I put the weight on the bar, situated myself at the rack, and began to lift up to start the move. But I hesitated. A little voice in my head right as I was about to begin told me, “You can’t do this; you’re going to fail.” And if I had tried right then, I likely would have failed. Because my head wasn’t in the right space.

Instead, I paused a moment and looked myself in the mirror. I shook off the negative thought and reminded myself that this was only 10 more pounds than I’d just lifted, and that had felt more than doable. I reminded myself I’ve done this before, and I could do it again. Once I convinced myself I was capable, I resumed the exercise. And I completed more reps than I’d hoped to.

If you go into a gym session convinced you can’t do what you’re hoping to, you’ll likely end up proving yourself right. But if you go in believing in yourself and confident in your abilities, you’ll be more likely to succeed. No, it still won’t be easy. But you’ll be in a better mindset to overcome the difficult moments.

Writing is just as much about mindset as it is about writing ability. No matter how talented a writer you may be, if that little voice in your head has convinced you that you’re incapable of writing a good story, you’ll likely prove yourself right. You’ll be less likely to sit down at the desk and write the words. You’ll be less motivated to put in the effort to learn more when you come up against a challenging scene. You’ll be less likely to actually finish a full manuscript.

But if you work on your mindset and come to a writing session believing you’re capable of completing this chapter even though it feels challenging, you’ll be more likely to persevere and get it done.

It might feel easiest to ignore that negative voice in your head and convince yourself you just need to find more writing time or attend another writing conference or find another critique partner. But at the end of the day, if you don’t believe you’re capable of finishing a manuscript, no amount of studying craft will make that happen.

Mindset matters. Put in the work to identify the mental blocks that are holding you back from finishing your manuscript and work to overcome them. It won’t be easy, but it’ll be much easier than constantly fighting—and likely losing to—that negative voice each time you sit down to write.

Personal Trainers Can Help You Make Progress Faster

When I first started going to the gym many years ago, my insurance covered a certain number of personal training sessions. I utilized the sessions, and the trainer helped me set up a routine, showing me how to properly perform each exercise to see the best results. And when I went back again years after that, I started by going with my husband who showed me what moves to do and how. While I could have gone into the gym and just done whatever exercises I felt like, I may not have made as much progress. Having someone to show me which exercises were best for me and how to do them properly helped me 1) feel more confident that I was on the right track and 2) see results in a shorter amount of time.

A book coach is similar to a personal trainer. Yes, you can write a book without one. There are numerous craft books, writing blogs, workshops, and critique groups you can utilize to help you learn how to write a good book. But it’s likely to take longer than if you had a book coach in your corner, helping you create a personalized plan for your unique situation and story.

Yes, personal trainers and book coaches are an investment. But they’re an investment that save you time and frustration in the end. A book coach isn’t going to magically make you a better writer or hand you a secret formula you can’t find elsewhere. But they can guide you based on your specific strengths and needs, helping you reach your goals faster.

Just like plenty of people reach their fitness goals without a trainer, plenty of writers finish their manuscripts without a coach. But if you’ve been trying to do this on your own for a while and keep hitting walls, or you feel overwhelmed and don’t know where to begin, connecting with a book coach might be beneficial. A good coach can help you get unstuck, stay motivated, and bring your story to life.

Writing and the gym may feel like separate worlds, but at their core, both demand patience, perseverance, and the willingness to grow through discomfort. Progress in both comes from showing up again and again, even when it’s hard. So, the next time you find yourself doubting your writing abilities, remember to write like you train—one small step at a time.