Making strength training fun

zebasschick

i used to love working out, a combination of free weights and machines. i loved the feeling of adding 5 more pounds to an exercise, i liked mixing up the order of the exercises. and after a couple years, i liked having people stare as i lifted more than they thought a chubby, middle aged woman could; sometimes they'd come over and congratulate me. but it all started with a bodybuilding magazine that intrigued me enough to get started and a close friend who showed me how to use all the machines at the Y.

i didn't do squats or other exercises i didn't like for whatever reason. i loved doing leg presses and hack squats on a machine, so i did them instead.

i also enjoyed figuring out meals to support my heavy lifting. lots of protein, moderate carbs and fats. eating more often.

to me, it was all a fun thing to do, and i stayed involved by reading bodybuilder autobiographies and workout books, not to mention all the bodybuilding magazines. oh, and watching pumping iron 2: the women.

surfbug808

lorrpb wrote: »

I do strength training because it enables me to do everything else. I basically enjoy seeing the progress. I’ve heard about ckassesa videos but I don’t really need them, so can’t recommend.

However I’d love to hear about your ocean swims. I do 1 mixing the lake this summer and was pretty proud of myself for that 🤣. I’m dumbfounded by some of these ocean swims.

Ocean swims are awesome! Great full body workout. There is some resistance in the surf & currents and the body has to constantly adjust. Also, seeing marine life gets me out there even more. It's very different from pool swimming. I think that for some people it's just about getting over the fear of being in open water. But I love it!

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So where, how far, and how often do you ocean swim?[/quote]

I swim (or surf) 3x/week average. If swimming, avg 1 mile, more or less. Hawaii. Ocean swimming is mostly recreational for me so I'm not into measuring time, speed etc. though I do enjoy my improvements in terms of distance, strength and endurance.

Cahgetsfit

claireychn074 wrote: »

I do Olympic weightlifting because it’s the strength equivalent of martial arts. You need to learn movements, develop speed and explosiveness, improve endurance, understand when to tense and relax, focus on breathing and it’s difficult (for me). It’s replaced the martial arts I had to give up and I absolutely love it.

I had one lesson in Oly lifting and man it is HARD!!! I tought "meh - I've been lifting for years, this will be a breeze" - how wrong I was LOL!

I agree with you that it's similar to martial arts (which I have also done a fair amount of in the past) - I hadn't thought of it that way until you pointed that out.

OP - in terms of what makes me enjoy lifting (I do bodybuilding-style lifting btw, I don't care too much about deadlifting 300 kilos or what have you, I focus more on 'sculpting' my body to look a certain way, and that doesn't require me to do 200 kg squats, and yes I use a Smith Machine and all sorts of other sacrilegious things that many of the lifters on here, particularly the 5x5 people will say are a waste of time, useless, etc).

I enjoy seeing the progress - first it was when the fat started coming off and the body composition started to change. Posture improved, I felt strong, my arms started to change from round fat shape to "toned" shape, the increases in weights was always a big thrill - when I could add an extra plate to whatever I was doing. After I lost the fat I started to focus more on the overall aesthetics. I wanted a massive back, so off I went to grow my wings. My shoulders were crappy and lagging, so now I focus more on them and they have improved and grown. My legs and butt suck because I hate leg day, but they're the next bit I need to really buckle down on and stop skipping because I'm quite happy with how my upper body has been coming along, but my legs and butt - not so much.

So yeah, I like to see the change in the body. It takes ages to notice things, but they happen. Plus, the feeling strong bit - I really like the feeling strong bit.

Oh - and I always get surprised at myself when I go and try something random for fun - like another sport - and realise how fit and strong I actually am. For example, I tried dragon boating and it was like WOW! I can DO THIS!

LeiLaura

kshama2001 wrote: »

I started liking strength training a lot more after switching from high reps, low weights, which is what I thought women were supposed to do, to low reps and high (for me) weights.

Did you find that improved results for you? I'm thinking of doing the same. Ta!

surfbug808

LeiLaura wrote: »

kshama2001 wrote: »

I started liking strength training a lot more after switching from high reps, low weights, which is what I thought women were supposed to do, to low reps and high (for me) weights.

Did you find that improved results for you? I'm thinking of doing the same. Ta!

I used to train with kettle bells and I found that doing higher weights with lower reps provided me with more of the results I wanted, greater strength and confidence.

LeiLaura

surfbug808 wrote: »

LeiLaura wrote: »

kshama2001 wrote: »

I started liking strength training a lot more after switching from high reps, low weights, which is what I thought women were supposed to do, to low reps and high (for me) weights.

Did you find that improved results for you? I'm thinking of doing the same. Ta!

I used to train with kettle bells and I found that doing higher weights with lower reps provided me with more of the results I wanted, greater strength and confidence.

Thank you!

SnifterPug

LeiLaura wrote: »

kshama2001 wrote: »

I started liking strength training a lot more after switching from high reps, low weights, which is what I thought women were supposed to do, to low reps and high (for me) weights.

Did you find that improved results for you? I'm thinking of doing the same. Ta!

Butting in here to say that I found the same. I tend to stick in the 8-12 rep range but will push higher from time to time. Whatever people say about cardio for fat burning I find that less is more on the cardio front so long as I work at high intensity.

rainbow198

What do you love about strength training?
I love how strength training changed and sculpted my body. Over time it has gotten rid of the jiggles in areas where I didn't want it and it have given my body a tightness that I am proud of. My posture has improved too and I also love feeling and being strong. For example, I loved being able to easily pick up all 5 heavy grocery store bags with one hand yesterday.

What helps make it more enjoyable?
I discovered more then just lifting weights and putting them down such as using kettlebells, doing high reps at a low weight (cardio, but I still enjoy it at times), using various types of resistance bands, aerial yoga, barre, Pilates and even using my own bodyweight such as old school push-ups on my toes is quite effective. Music always give me a good push as well.

What kind of strength training exercises do you find the most helpful and fun?
This Youtube trainer I follow has great bodyweight and resistance band workouts that I use most days of the week. Between that and freestyling my own workouts I really enjoy what I do and my results. I lost weight doing programs such as Chalean Extreme which got me started.

What else helps you stay on track and on target?
I plan my workouts and my meals for the next day the night before. This really keeps me on track.

Also I do upper/lower splits. On Mon and Wed I focus on my upper body and Tues and Thurs I focus on my lower body. The rest of the week varies on how I feel. This give me a basic guide to follow, along with a short break in between to rest.

In addition to that, I'm always doing different activities/exercise besides strength work and fitness walking to keep myself from getting bored.

surfbug808

rainbow198 wrote: »

What else helps you stay on track and on target?
I plan my workouts and my meals for the next day the night before. This really keeps me on track.

Also I do upper/lower splits. On Mon and Wed I focus on my upper body and Tues and Thurs I focus on my lower body. The rest of the week varies on how I feel. This give me a basic guide to follow, along with a short break in between to rest.

In addition to that, I'm always doing different activities/exercise besides strength work and fitness walking to keep myself from getting bored.

I don't have a set routine like devoting Mon-Thur to particular workouts or that kind of thing. It's something I'm still experimenting with but I would like to create that kind of schedule. Right now, I swim/surf when the conditions are good, which means the days can be in a row, or every other or whenever. I think that on the days I'm not in the water or playing a soccer game (scheduled according to soccer org), I'd like to devote to strength training, and alternating upper/lower body with rest. But yeah, having varied activities keeps it novel for sure. I don't tend to plan my meals, but I cook everyday and am used to home prepping the day of, so that seems to be okay. I do need to put together an inspiring music playlist. I like that you have a basic guide, that allows for variation and freedom to do other activities. If I get too strict with myself, I enjoy it less.

I think I also need to figure out when or if to combine my swim/surf with strength training on the same day, if that's easily workable without burning out.

Any tips on how you guys combine other activities (that focus on cardio or something else) on the same day as strength training?

rainbow198

surfbug808 wrote: »

Any tips on how you guys combine other activities (that focus on cardio or something else) on the same day as strength training?

When combining cardio and strength workouts on the same day I do one of the following:

1. I have a 2 a day where I do cardio in the morning and strength training in the evening.

2. Cardio/strength circuits such as cardio for 3 minutes (running in place, jump rope, plyometrics, using my mini stair stepper etc.), followed by a compound strength exercise such as a squat to an overhead press or a lunge to a tricep kickback. Then repeating with cardio followed by another strength move.

3. I use walk at home workouts which incorporates aerobics with light strength work using bodyweight, light weights or a resistance band. Sometimes I wear ankle weights and wrist weight for the entire workout as well depending on how I'm feeling.

4. Use a go to workout (Youtube/fitness DVD's) that incorporates both cardio and strength training.

It sounds like you have a good overall routine going, so good for you!

Maybe try winging your strength workout depending on your swim schedule? I'm not sure, but a lot of swimming and strength training sounds intense and rest is important. Hopefully another swimmer can chime in with some advice. Good luck!

surfbug808

I like all of the above! Right now, I'm doing routines that incorporate both, but would like to break them up a bit so I have more emphasis on strength training. Sprinting gives me cardio, and paddling through white wash, chop and sizable waves. For now, yeah, I'm winging my strength workout in between my swims/surfs at home. But, I'd like to get something a bit more organized. The gym I used to strength train at closed, and the other one I joined I didn't like very much. I'm now looking for another gym to get back on track.