There's a number of insights I've had: You won't push yourself as hard when you're by yourself than if you're in a group / personal training setting. If you d

There's a number of insights I've had: You won't push yourself as hard when you're by yourself than if you're in a group / personal training setting. If you do a really hard workout in the morning and you're in tune with your body you can instantly tell if there's something you didn't do right the day before (eating / drinking etc). If you notice the previous insight it can shape your behaviour the day before your workout (e.g. "I won't drink tonight because I've got a hard workout tomorrow morning"). Exercise can alter your behaviour in life. Not everyone puts in the same energy into a workout / exercise. To be better than the rest you should focus on technique and always give it your best - even for simple exercises. You'll advance faster if you work hard on the basics, but to become really good in say a sport one of the main things is to show up consistently and train frequently. Training doesn't just make your muscles stronger, it strengthens your bones and (perhaps counter-intuitively?) makes you less prone to injury. The hardest thing is showing up. Once you show up you'll usually do more than you thought you would.