Can't get into weight lifting

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2

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  • canadianlbs
    canadianlbs Posts: 5,199 Member
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    newwed412 wrote: »
    I am one of those cardio queens, how do you get into weight lifting and actually enjoy it??

    question back: what is it about it that you don't enjoy? i agree that it isn't for everyone, but if you do want to overcome your own aversion, then figuring out what the issue is could be helpful for that.



  • Sunnybrooke99
    Sunnybrooke99 Posts: 369 Member
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    I don’t like it either. I mostly just do higher resistance cardio, and body weight workout, like pushups and flutter kicks. When I did bother with weights, I’d do them after my first 30 min set of cardio. That way, I felt warmed up, and wasn’t as bored.
  • newwed412
    newwed412 Posts: 68 Member
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    I guess it’s because I feel lost and overwhelmed with weights. And when I research it there are so many different opinions and plans it’s overwhelming. Running is easy
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    newwed412 wrote: »
    I guess it’s because I feel lost and overwhelmed with weights. And when I research it there are so many different opinions and plans it’s overwhelming. Running is easy

    if you looked for a running training plan, there's about a million out there, you just pick the one that fits your goal.

    same with lifting:

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10332083/which-lifting-program-is-the-best-for-you/p1
  • Misspinklift
    Misspinklift Posts: 384 Member
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    Focus and some music
  • MeanderingMammal
    MeanderingMammal Posts: 7,866 Member
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    newwed412 wrote: »
    I guess it’s because I feel lost and overwhelmed with weights. And when I research it there are so many different opinions and plans it’s overwhelming. Running is easy

    Personally I prefer bodyweight training as I can build it into my running training. My local park is 5-7 Km away, depending on the route, so it's easy to run there, do a session, then run home. Or I'll drive to the local woods, run in to an area I can train at, then back out again.

    Keeps me interested.
  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
    edited October 2017
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    TavistockToad wrote: »
    I'm not a fan... I do the tiniest amount I can get away with to compliment my running...

    Same.
    I don't enjoy strength training and find it extremely boring so I only force myself to do the minimum necessary. I find body weight more tolerable, so I do that.

    To OP:
    Any resistance training plan should work for building strength, it doesn't have to be barbell lifting. Dumbbells, kettlebells, bodyweight, yoga modified for strength, TRX, resistance bands, even rock climbing and pole dancing. There are many ways to increase strength. I don't have access to many of them to try something new, and probably not very motivated to look for something seriously since I've found my "thing" in running, but that doesn't mean you can't find something enjoyable if you browse around for a different program.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    amusedmonkey wrote: »
    TavistockToad wrote: »
    I'm not a fan... I do the tiniest amount I can get away with to compliment my running...

    Same.
    I don't enjoy strength training and find it extremely boring so I only force myself to do the minimum necessary. I find body weight more tolerable, so I do that.

    I'm currently regretting this stance as the tiny amount i have been doing hasn't been enough and i am injured 5 days before a race, which i am pretty sure could have been avoided by a decent strength training routine a couple of times a week...

    ah well, experience is the best teacher!
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
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    newwed412 wrote: »
    I guess it’s because I feel lost and overwhelmed with weights. And when I research it there are so many different opinions and plans it’s overwhelming. Running is easy

    My daughter felt the same, she still feels more comfortable going with me but is working on her self-confidence to go solo.
    Do you have someone you can go with that knows the basics? It's not that difficult to learn six or so lifts, routines don't have to be complex to be effective.
    Or simply get a PT to give you a walk through and/or set up a program that matches your goals.

    A transition from bodyweight exercises to weights is also a way to ease yourself in.
    Ditto a dumbbell routine (possibly at home) is a nice progression or stepping stone.

    In the end my advice would be try everything and don't let your feelings of being a fish out of water get in the way of your aspirations.

    There comes a time in every "project" where you have to stop researching and planning and start doing.....
  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
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    TavistockToad wrote: »
    amusedmonkey wrote: »
    TavistockToad wrote: »
    I'm not a fan... I do the tiniest amount I can get away with to compliment my running...

    Same.
    I don't enjoy strength training and find it extremely boring so I only force myself to do the minimum necessary. I find body weight more tolerable, so I do that.

    I'm currently regretting this stance as the tiny amount i have been doing hasn't been enough and i am injured 5 days before a race, which i am pretty sure could have been avoided by a decent strength training routine a couple of times a week...

    ah well, experience is the best teacher!

    I do a little bit of something every day of the week more heavily focused towards lower body and core (only pushups and band-assisted pull ups for upper body), this way I don't have to spend extended time on strength training. It averages out to 2x per muscle group per week. I'm hoping I don't regret it, but I don't race. I'm just a recreational runner. I do it for calories and enjoyment at a low-ish weekly mileage, so maybe what I'm doing is enough? Here is hoping.
  • jessicapk
    jessicapk Posts: 574 Member
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    Take a free tour at a gym and experiment. Just take that first day there to try everything out and experiment with the setup, check out the free weights, etc. If it's too easy, increase the weight. Once you feel how amazing it is to push your body to be stronger, it will either work for you or not. But the little tour around the gym can open your eyes to what's available. If you can afford it, do a session with a reputable personal trainer to get a few ideas. Don't consider everything they say gospel and maybe even try a different one if that one doesn't work with you. Don't think you have to stick to one program and commit 100% in the beginning. You might try Stronglifts and get bored with it but enjoy the strength machines at the gym. They both have benefits and will help your running, as will most strength programs. Maybe complement with yoga, which will help with stretching your muscles after a workout and increasing your strength at the same time. Try a strength class to get a feel for things. To summarize, just try some things out and find what interests you.
  • RoxieDawn
    RoxieDawn Posts: 15,488 Member
    edited October 2017
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    I am not in love with it. I do my best to work smarter and not harder, get in and out of the gym. A good program will have you doing this and recovering properly. I have several friends on my feed that spend 2.5 to 3 hours in the gym lifting and I still don't get why.

    I am a long distance runner. I run 4 days a week, at heart this is my passion! As to why I lift if I am not in love with it, it started with just needing something extra to help me obtain the body changes I wanted, it has, and 4 years later and my current age, its very healthy to lift and maintain muscle, it compliments my running, I am a better runner because of it.

    OP I had no idea what I was doing either, the link provided on the 1st page has some great body weight programs. Sometimes we need to choose our hard, you say running is easier and I agree, but if you want to challenge your self, give it a try, nothing to lose and it can compliment your running too.
  • canadianlbs
    canadianlbs Posts: 5,199 Member
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    newwed412 wrote: »
    I guess it’s because I feel lost and overwhelmed with weights. And when I research it there are so many different opinions and plans it’s overwhelming. Running is easy

    ah yeah, that makes sense. there are too many options for you to easily figure out where you're going and that makes it really hard to know if you're heading there. and personally i found that so much of the verbiage seemed to talk in terms that didn't interest me, which made it even harder for me to know if it was in line with my own motivations and goals. ["yeah, but what if i don't WANT monster pecs and the delusion that all the girlz in the world are just drooling for me?" "yeah, but what if i don't care about how my bum looks?"] it was like 80% of it was answering questions i wasn't asking, while ignoring the questions i was.

    i guess i can say that all the frustration did help me to narrow my own motives down after a while. it depends on what your own goals are, but for me mark rippetoe's book starting strength was a terrific start point. i used stronglifts 5x5 for my format, but the information that i wanted pretty much all came from ss for the first year.

    don't give up. it's a difficult thing for women to get into and find their place in, compared with, oh say . . . if you were wanting to learn how to knit. it can feel like you're searching for platform 13 and a half, but that doesn't mean it's not there. the pick-a-programme guiding thread is pretty good. i think the main thing is to find something and try it for a few weeks. once you're in and on a pattern, it gets easier to fine tune and tweak what you're looking for. good luck.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 32,293 Member
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    newwed412 wrote: »
    I guess it’s because I feel lost and overwhelmed with weights. And when I research it there are so many different opinions and plans it’s overwhelming. Running is easy

    I started out taking a "Weight Training for Women" group class through community education (public school adult ed program here). It was a really good experience, with a lot of the plusses of personal training (form instruction/correction, personal program ideas, someone to ask questions of who was truly knowledgeable, built-in spotters, "appointment exercise" that's harder to blow off, etc.), with a lower price point and no additional gym fee. It met twice weekly, which was enough, to start, but with a couple weeks start, one could add other days at any gym on one's own.

    I've seen several similar programs at other places (YMCA, for one) since.

    Yeah, I still don't love weight training, but lost/overwhelmed is no longer the issue. ;) And you may love it, once you're comfortable with what to do. Many people do!
  • gymzonian
    gymzonian Posts: 15 Member
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    I used to hate lifting weights. The only thing that got me addicted to it was the result. In such a short amount of time, I saw my body change. I never looked back and that is how I got addicted to it.
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,464 Member
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    gymzonian wrote: »
    I used to hate lifting weights. The only thing that got me addicted to it was the result. In such a short amount of time, I saw my body change. I never looked back and that is how I got addicted to it.

    ^^This. I'm not really "into" most exercise. But I love the results and abilities that follow.
  • Aria_TC
    Aria_TC Posts: 14 Member
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    I love weights because it's a challenge. I always find the machines on the lowest or second lowest weight and have to bump them up a ton. If you're lifting the minimum and getting repetitive no wonder it's boring. I like to play with it, find where I can't lift anymore and go one step below, do several sets there which isn't easy and usually within a few sessions I can lift that next level. I hate cardio so I can see the other side, but try mixing it up and doing bodyweight exercises as well!
  • Goober1142
    Goober1142 Posts: 219 Member
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    I personally hate cardio and love weightlifting. Heavy weights, loud 80s rock music and a Moka pot of coffee. It was New Rules of Weight lifting for Women that got me started. Then on to every program in every one of Lou Schuler's books. My new thing is working out on the heavy bag....and I'm old....and a woman. I love the strength it gives you. My 250 pound husband who is 10 years younger has to take weights off the bar before he does his workout...
  • youngcaseyr
    youngcaseyr Posts: 293 Member
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    TavistockToad wrote: »
    I'm not a fan... I do the tiniest amount I can get away with to compliment my running...

    Exactly this... If you don't love it, find something else you DO love that can help you achieve similar results. Otherwise I don't think it's sustainable on a long term basis, unless you think you might eventually like/tolerate it out of habit or because the results are worth it.
  • alondrakayy
    alondrakayy Posts: 304 Member
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    I hated it at first too.. but mainly because I'd workout with my husband who was very picky about what exercises we would do and was not organized at all with it, I was incredibly shy and thought everyone was staring at me, and I didn't care about the supplement (protein shakes, pills for whatever, pre workout) part.

    Now, I go alone. I workout the way I want to (plans and have a pen and paper to record things on). I don't care about what people see/think. I don't take any supplements (obviously have to be more careful with my food intake regarding protein but whatevs). Finally, I love the way I feel afterwards since I have now incorporated stretching (10-15 min max) before each workout.

    Some people seriously don't like it and never will. That's fine! If you've given it enough time and have tried you're best to be into it then I'd say move on.

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