I hate working out!

[rga]

I'll be honest... working out is not something I enjoy doing. I know it's called working out for a reason. I started working out because I didn't want to be fat anymore. I continued working out to get stronger - to lift more weight during the current workout than I did the previous. I continued working out to maintain the muscle I'd built getting stronger. Now I'm working out to maintain as much strength and muscle mass as I can while cutting down to 165 lbs...

...but I have never worked out because I enjoyed doing it. I usually lift weight three times a week, and before each workout I have this feeling in my gut that it's something that I REALLY don't want to do. I push myself to do it though, for the reasons previously mentioned, and after it's all done I'm always happy that I did it; the time spent lifting weight is never as bad as I think it's going be. The fact is however, that the feeling of not wanting to do it at all returns when the next day to lift arrives.

I'm curious how others feel. Is lifting weight something you enjoy doing, or is it something you feel you have to do for reasons such as health, appearance, the way you feel, or even because you think it makes you a better than the people who don't lift?

I'm especially looking forward to hearing the responses from those who've been at it a while: Koing, Zivic, Pantlegz1, blackdoggeek, Sho'nuff, Sp33demon, Deeko, Classy and others - those that have made progress and continue to maintain it. Others are of course welcomed to chime in.

 

[pauldun170]

I'll be honest... working out is not something I enjoy doing. I know it's called working out for a reason. I started working out because I didn't want to be fat anymore. I continued working out to get stronger - to lift more weight during the current workout than I did the previous. I continued working out to maintain the muscle I'd built getting stronger. Now I'm working out to maintain as much strength and muscle mass as I can while cutting down to 165 lbs...

...but I have never worked out because I enjoyed doing it. I usually lift weight three times a week, and before each workout I have this feeling in my gut that it's something that I REALLY don't want to do. I push myself to do it though, for the reasons previously mentioned, and after it's all done I'm always happy that I did it; the time spent lifting weight is never as bad as I think it's going be. The fact is however, that the feeling of not wanting to do it at all returns when the next day to lift arrives.

I'm curious how others feel. Is lifting weight something you enjoy doing, or is it something you feel you have to do for reasons such as health, appearance, the way you feel, or even because you think it makes you a better than the people who don't lift?

I'm especially looking forward to hearing the responses from those who've been at it a while: Koing, Zivic, Pantlegz1, blackdoggeek, Sho'nuff, Sp33demon, Deeko, Classy and others - those that have made progress and continue to maintain it. Others are of course welcomed to chime in.

25 years ago, I hit the gym.
Still enjoy it.
I enjoy it because because its rewarding and the long term benefits on mind and body are obvious.

I don't hit the gym or run because I feel I have too. I go because its relaxing.

 

[Zivic]

i train 5-7 times a week. I haven't gone more than 2 days in a row without lifting in more than 2 yrs. I do it because I love it... I love the way I feel when I train.

 

[iluvdeal]

Arnold said it best: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HlCUkIxHvFg

 

[highland145]

Started lifting when I was 13 for football. Quite about 2 years ago because my body said eff you, at 49.

I always hated lifting heavy shit because it was heavy. Duh. Early on it was about being able to lift more and more. "Do you want to be bigger or stronger?" Always, stronger. Bigger would show up or I could kick it's ass. Then I added biking in the early 90's for HBP. I lifted 3 days, biked 4 and walked 30 min 5 days. Then I started having problems doing the lifts I've always done. I was never shown the proper way to do them or the counter lifts to do so I jacked myself up over the years.

Now it's about working the largest organ in the body other than the heart. I sweat my ass off.

I would love to still bench 330lbs and bike my route at 17MPH on a MTB but I'm more active that most mooks my age.

TLDR: If I drop dead tomorrow, I would not trade for my gym/bike time.

Keep at until you can't.

 

[Kaido]

The fact is however, that the feeling of not wanting to do it at all returns when the next day to lift arrives.

It's because you stay up late.

Hear me out.

I recently discovered a state of energy that I call "invisibly tired". That's when you're not super exhausted, but your body is tired, but you kind of get used to it throughout the day & forget that you didn't get enough sleep. Just tired enough that your body fights you on anything you perceive as work...doing the dishes, workouts, etc. Doing this consistently kind of puts it in the background...it's not something you're aware of other than being tired & groggy in the morning when you first wake up, because once you get going you get into the flow of the day, you forget about it & don't even notice it except for when you need to exert effort in something that isn't personally fun to you (ever play a video game or surf the net all night? the hours fly by when y

If you're sensitive to a lack of sleep, then exercise becomes effort. If you're in the proper energy groove for your body, exercise is fun because you actually feel like doing it. I really struggle with going to bed early, so exercise is always work for me, except for when I'm consistent with my sleep. That, and not eating a couple hours before bed so I'm not processing food all night. When I get consistent, exercise feels great - I never understood why people liked to work out, because it never felt good to me - it was always a drag. It wasn't until I started going to bed at a normal time (like before 10), and for my body, stopping eating a couple hours before bed, that I started enjoying my workouts. Morning workouts are cake when I go to bed early (not, uh, tonight tho :biggrin.

Or maybe it's something else

 

[z1ggy]

Arnold loved going to the gym. In a recent interview he'd say how he saw the guys in there working just as hard as him, but with looks of discontent on their faces. He on the other hand loved lifting and attributes that to one of the many reasons he was champion so many times.

I personally enjoy lifting. Do I love every single lift I do? No. I hate squatting. It hurts my hips due to my surgery a few years ago, and I plain ol just am not very good at it. I still do it though bc I know it's crucial to my muscle gains.

 

[Pantlegz]

I love lifting, maybe I didn't at one point in my training but if that did happen it has long since passed and I don't remember it. I'm a bit OCD about everything I get into so on top of what I'm doing in the gym I probably spend another 30-40 hours a month reading/researching different stuff around the internet and seeing what works for me and what doesn't.

I always tell people to find something about what they're doing they enjoy and extrapolate upon that. For some people lifting heavy isn't the right answer but they're really into bodybuilding or doing bodyweight stuff, which is admittedly pretty freaking cool to watch. I do, however, feel the need for some variation in my routine or it becomes too rigid so I took up Jiujitsu which compliments my heavy lifting quite well. It gives me some cardio work and really helps with mobility and flexibility. It might not be as helpful as yoga but that's one of those things that just doesn't really do it for me, at least not enough that I can make it consistent or force myself to get up an hour or so early to make it to the classes.

 

[blackdogdeek]

I love going to my gym. Every morning I'm excited to see what that day's workout is going to be and wondering how challenging it will be and how I'll do. It feels awesome doing things I never thought I could do, but it also feels great failing at things and knowing that I still have more work to do.

I go M-Sa every week.

 

[utahraptor]

Life is suffering. At least during the 1.5 hours I spend at the gym I get to pick the tools of torture and the type of pain I experience.

 

[Necrolezbeast]

I'm the same. I hate the gym. I think a lot of it has to do with not really having a partner and not knowing proper technique.

Instead of doing the gym thing I do exercise that I find pleasure in. I play indoor soccer 2-3 nights a week, mountain bike 3-5 times a week, and hike occasionally with the family.

At least this way I'm still getting some exercise and I don't have to suffer through the boredom I receive at the gym.

Find what you like and focus on it.

 

[tcG]

It's because you stay up late.

Hear me out.

I recently discovered a state of energy that I call "invisibly tired". That's when you're not super exhausted, but your body is tired, but you kind of get used to it throughout the day & forget that you didn't get enough sleep. Just tired enough that your body fights you on anything you perceive as work...doing the dishes, workouts, etc. Doing this consistently kind of puts it in the background...it's not something you're aware of other than being tired & groggy in the morning when you first wake up, because once you get going you get into the flow of the day, you forget about it & don't even notice it except for when you need to exert effort in something that isn't personally fun to you (ever play a video game or surf the net all night? the hours fly by when y

If you're sensitive to a lack of sleep, then exercise becomes effort. If you're in the proper energy groove for your body, exercise is fun because you actually feel like doing it. I really struggle with going to bed early, so exercise is always work for me, except for when I'm consistent with my sleep. That, and not eating a couple hours before bed so I'm not processing food all night. When I get consistent, exercise feels great - I never understood why people liked to work out, because it never felt good to me - it was always a drag. It wasn't until I started going to bed at a normal time (like before 10), and for my body, stopping eating a couple hours before bed, that I started enjoying my workouts. Morning workouts are cake when I go to bed early (not, uh, tonight tho :biggrin.

Or maybe it's something else

I think there is something to this. If my sleep schedule is all messed up, i.e. sleeping from 3:00 am to 12:00 pm, I feel similar to what you describe - tired before starting to work out, big chore, etc.

If, on the other hand, I've been in a normal, working person's routine (going to sleep around 10:30 pm, waking up at 7:00 am), then I feel energized before and after the workout, even to the point of enjoying it.

 

[Sho'Nuff]

I've never liked going to the gym per se. Always found it boring. Now I do crossfit, and I wake up every day looking forward to it. Good atmosphere, good people, and a great workout. Every time. What is not to like?

 

[RandomWords]

When I started lifting - I found that it was the length of workout (2-4 x a week at however long the lifts took (an hour or two)) that made me dislike it. I was following setups that were largely followed by others. Sometimes I didn't look forward to it like you - other times the workout itself would cause me to become very irritable and angry. However, at some point I decided I needed to find something that suited me personally and ended up with a much shorter simpler routine 6x a week which allowed me to easily rearrange the workout to flow around the variables in my life. That - and eating right for my body (which varies for everybody) tended to give me a better outlook as well. I'm actually very fond of my workouts now and look forward to them.

There are better ways that get gains quicker than my own but if I end up quitting because I dislike those ways - then they aren't really better ways for me are they? I never was one to stick with things I disliked doing... find what you enjoy and build something to suit you and you might find you enjoy it more.

 

[Deeko]

I have an odd relationship with the gym. I don't really like *anything* I feel obligated to do. The same applied when I played volleyball in high school / college - I loved playing the sport, but going to practice and specific times on specific days or else face punishment? Made me hate it. I am a software engineer - and I spend much of my free time writing fitness apps, so clearly I enjoy programming. But when I'm in the office? I'm counting the hours till I leave.

So the fact that I HAVE to go to the gym 3-4x a week makes me drag a little at the thought. Especially since I lift in the morning before work, and I don't actually HAVE to get up at 4:30 am. That doesn't make things better.

That said, I generally enjoy the gym when I’m there. The gym is my “me time”. Between a full time job, a long commute, a wife and baby, a house to keep up, dogs to walk, a side business to run…I’m busy. I don’t have free time to myself very much. That hour a day I’m in the gym is my time to myself. It’s relaxing in a way. And while there are certain exercises I hate (mostly ones I’m bad at), there are certain exercises I look forward to every week. And nothing beats the high of setting a new PR. See the Arnold video posted earlier if you need an explanation.

It also helps that I’m unendingly competitive, so powerlifting makes it that much more enjoyable. A lot of the powerlifters I know aren’t competitive. They don’t care where they place. They’re competing with themselves, trying to improve their numbers – not me. I get pissed when I lose a meet. I scour the internet comparing my numbers to the records in other states. It’s a big driver to me going every day – even a week off puts a hit in my numbers, and we can’t have that.

So that’s me. I don’t enjoy every aspect of it, and it is hard to drag my ass out of bed at 4:30 am every morning, but in the end, for me, it’s worth it, in a lot of ways.

Side note: The way you describe working out in your op is how I feel about running. I run often enough, I'm not really good at it, but I'm not horrible at it. But I hate every second of it. Runners high is a farce, for me at least.

 

[puyo]

Arnold said it best: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HlCUkIxHvFg

nicely said...... this is a scene from the movie Pimping Iron, I recommend everyone to watch it... great documentary film...

 

[Kaido]

I think there is something to this. If my sleep schedule is all messed up, i.e. sleeping from 3:00 am to 12:00 pm, I feel similar to what you describe - tired before starting to work out, big chore, etc.

If, on the other hand, I've been in a normal, working person's routine (going to sleep around 10:30 pm, waking up at 7:00 am), then I feel energized before and after the workout, even to the point of enjoying it.

I think what it pretty much boils down to is that our bodies were designed to feel energized during waking hours. If you don't feel that way, then either:

1. Your sleep is bad (not enough sleep, inconsistent sleep hours, late bedtime, or trouble staying asleep)

2. Your diet is bad (i.e. you eat stuff that slows you down & saps your energy)

3. You're sedentary (staying active keeps you on the hamster wheel of energy, otherwise when you stop moving you don't really feel like moving & become a couch potato)

The only other major factor is stress...that's about the only four things we can really control in our lives in terms of health (with smoking/drinking/drugs going into the diet category). I feel the best when I eat whole foods, go to bed early, and exercise daily (even if it's only for 15 minutes). That's just me though. My brother is a big dude (bodybuliding-wise) & lives off 4 hours of sleep and boxes of cookies and has more energy than I ever will, haha - so it really depends on your body & what works for you.

But for the most part, I think the majority of Americans walk around in a late-night, fast-food/junk-food induced haze where you feel okay but not like the Energizer bunny. It's a hard thing to keep that level of energy up because we have so many dietary & activity distractions...at night we have books, the Internet, Netflix, etc. & food is literally only a drive-thru away, plus junk food has a shelf life of forever, so it's really easy to fall into the trap & cross that vague line of enough energy vs. lots of energy. But when I have LOTS of energy, exercise is fun. Heck, it's a requirement - I get kinda antsy sitting around all day when I'm feeling powered up. But it's easy to fall into the lull of sufficient energy by staying up kinda late & not eating super great.

For me it's a very very fine line, and it's very hard to stay on the energetic side because the evening is my wind-down time. Right now I wake up, out to work by 6, straight to class, home by 8:30pm. Really I'd like to go to bed at like 8:00pm, but I always end up staying up til like 11pm & I kind of drag all day. Not in a major way, but just enough that stuff like exercise or chores become, well, chores - they're work, not fun or easy. When I feel great, the dishes take five minutes & I don't even think about it. When I'm behind the curve, it's a huge hassle to do them lol. Again...it's a fine line, but it's a vague one because if you see a cookie or get sucked into a movie then all bets are off :biggrin: