I HATE strength training.....any non-lifting suggestions?
Replies
-
1.) are you listening to music?
2.) why aren't you listening to music?
3.) are you lifting heavy enough that it's challenging?
4.) do you have a routine or an idea of exactly what you are going to be doing that day? (I.E. not aimelessly roaming picking what you want to do)
5.) do you have any friends who want to workout WITH you?
I personally love strength training.
ETA: I was frusterated at first as well but that was only when i didn't have a routine. It's boring as hell when i don't know what im going to be doing or should be doing. When i have a clear goal of Okay, this first 3 set, okay than i have this 3 sets, then two other exercises with 3 sets, than a cool down. It keeps me motivated because i can say "WOO! I'm halfway through my workout!"0 -
I gotta be blunt on this one. I take it from your post that you are basically saying you want to gain muscle but you don't want to strength train and that the other forms of training you have tried do not accomplish what you want (to build muscle mass). That is a bit like saying I want to run a marathon but I don't want to run for long time periods because it is boring, right?
My first recommendation is that you Google "how to build muscle mass". That should help you understand what it takes (how the body works) and will probably give you an appreciation for the dedication and perseverance of some of the folks on here who are muscular.
My second recommendation is that you need to stop thinking about what you want and start thinking about what you are willing to do. I can't tell you how many people have asked me what pill or powder or magic potion I took to lose my weight. Most are very disappointed when I tell them diet and exercise (including cardio and weights). Are you willing to swim, kick box, TRX, etc? If so, great. Understand you will tone up but not gain significant muscle mass. But if you want to put on muscle mass, you have to lift. Plain and simple. Nothing wrong with that. You just have to figure out what you are willing to do and understand where it will take you.Um, actually, if you READ my original post, I wasn't asking for a "magic pill or potion" or "how to build muscle without doing anything...." I was ACTUALLY looking for ways to strengthen muscle that are less dull to me than simply lifting weights. I DO appreciate your thinly veiled suggestion that I am a) lazy b) incompetent and c) simple-minded. Thanks for sucking!
Having read your post, I was going for lacking knowledge on weight lifting. Having read your replies, however, A, B, or C would seem to do. Cheers! :drinker:0 -
Pole Dancing!
Seriously...I've been at it for 2 years now and I have gained so much muscle all around. It's incredible. Definitely a full-body workout. Try it!0 -
1.) are you listening to music?
2.) why aren't you listening to music?
3.) are you lifting heavy enough that it's challenging?
4.) do you have a routine or an idea of exactly what you are going to be doing that day? (I.E. not aimelessly roaming picking what you want to do)
5.) do you have any friends who want to workout WITH you?
I personally love strength training.
ETA: I was frusterated at first as well but that was only when i didn't have a routine. It's boring as hell when i don't know what im going to be doing or should be doing. When i have a clear goal of Okay, this first 3 set, okay than i have this 3 sets, then two other exercises with 3 sets, than a cool down. It keeps me motivated because i can say "WOO! I'm halfway through my workout!"
Hiya! I have tried doing strength training both with and without music, with friends, by myself, and with a trainer, even; just doesn't seem to be my thing. I am starting to think that, how some people prefer their cardio to be running, others prefer elliptical, others hiking, etc, I just haven't found my preferred resistance/strength training. I am just looking for some variety other than weights, since that's where I seem to get bored. When I do things like boot camp, kettlebells, medicine balls, and other more dynamic workouts, I seem to have more success in staying engaged with what I am doing. I appreciate the suggested modifications, though; I am just looking to see if there are others out there who a) get bored with weights (even with music, buddies, program, etc) and b) what other people do instead of weight training programs.
Thank you :happy:0 -
Pole Dancing!
Seriously...I've been at it for 2 years now and I have gained so much muscle all around. It's incredible. Definitely a full-body workout. Try it!
Lol! This is definitely thinking outside the box (and I would assume FAR from boring!). I have heard that this is a fantastic workout!!!!0 -
Yes, Stronglifts 5 x 5 is the best ever thing.
I work out for 30/40 minutes on Mon, Wed and Fri and that's it. I love that I HAVE to rest on alternate days mostly, other than a bit of light cardio on the treadmill.
I cannot understand your view. This is working on my reduction in body fat, loss of inches and scale number far quicker than hours and hours of cardio ever did in the past and its healthier for my muscles. What's not to like.
Oh well, each to their own 0 -
do you know that you don't have to do it for a long time??? if you do stronglifts, you honestly only lift for 30 minutes...maybe even less at the beginning b/c the weights aren't so heavy that you need much rest time in between. i do strong lifts in the morning 3xs a week...done in 30 minutes, which is LESS time than cardio takes. look up stronglifts if you haven't. i PROMISE it's not boring. you'll be done and be like "wait...i'm already done???? sweet!!!".
This.
I don't LOVE strength training, but I love what it's done for my health, mind and body. 90 minutes a week is more than worth the benefits.
I just rank it as one of those "things I do because I'm an adult and realize that as an adult, there's going to be a lot of things I don't particularly enjoy that I still have to do," along with dishes, laundry, mowing the lawn, shoveling snow, shaving my legs, paying bills.0 -
I love body weight exercises - squats, lunges, planks, pushups. Try Jillian Michaels yoga meltdown, it's a killer work out as well as Bob Harper's warrior yoga....lot's of body weight exercises incorporated in these DVD's, very challenging!!
I haven't done Yoga but I am a fan of body weight workouts so these sound like a good combo. 0 -
I gotta be blunt on this one. I take it from your post that you are basically saying you want to gain muscle but you don't want to strength train and that the other forms of training you have tried do not accomplish what you want (to build muscle mass). That is a bit like saying I want to run a marathon but I don't want to run for long time periods because it is boring, right?
My first recommendation is that you Google "how to build muscle mass". That should help you understand what it takes (how the body works) and will probably give you an appreciation for the dedication and perseverance of some of the folks on here who are muscular.
My second recommendation is that you need to stop thinking about what you want and start thinking about what you are willing to do. I can't tell you how many people have asked me what pill or powder or magic potion I took to lose my weight. Most are very disappointed when I tell them diet and exercise (including cardio and weights). Are you willing to swim, kick box, TRX, etc? If so, great. Understand you will tone up but not gain significant muscle mass. But if you want to put on muscle mass, you have to lift. Plain and simple. Nothing wrong with that. You just have to figure out what you are willing to do and understand where it will take you.
Um, actually, if you READ my original post, I wasn't asking for a "magic pill or potion" or "how to build muscle without doing anything...." I was ACTUALLY looking for ways to strengthen muscle that are less dull to me than simply lifting weights. I DO appreciate your thinly veiled suggestion that I am a) lazy b) incompetent and c) simple-minded. Thanks for sucking!
This is a really unnecessarily aggressive post. He knows you didn't say that; he was using an analogy to compare what you were asking for with what is reality. You won't gain the same benefits from weighted gloves with pilates (though of course you'll get benefits) as you would with just doing plain old heavy lifting (following a good program, as others have suggested). It IS a dull process; even the other things people suggested, and things that have helped millenia of human beings build and retain muscle strength and bone density are dull (farmwork, lifting boulders, etc... is that more interesting to you?).
Don't read into things that aren't there or create antagonism that's not there. He was giving you some pretty real advice, and comparing it to something that got you riled to show you what your question is essentially asking.0 -
What kind of strength training are you doing? Are you just aimlessly picking up weights and lifting or are you following a program? Do you set goals for yourself...i.e. last week I was lifting this much...this week I"m going to add 5 Lbs to that exercise, etc.
Also, you don't actually have to spend a ton of time in the weight room...lift heavy, full body compound lifts. My routine basically consists of 3 exercises done 3x weekly, 3x5 times (with warmup on squats and a set or two warm up on OH press and bench. I'll add more later on, but as a beginner this is great for me and I'm in and out in about 30 minutes.
I've found that really pushing myself, following a program, and making progressive goals has really helped me learn to love weight lifting. I'm also starting to feel and see some results, so gravy.
This! Fantastic advice!
Lifting heavy, with a goal and a purpose (improve somewhat each time) has for me made lifting the best thing ever! I never thought much about it when I used machines, 3 sets of 15, along with cardio - the prescribed routine my old gym put me on when I first started working out. Now, love it!
If you still hate it, maybe try some bodyweight exercises (bodyrock.tv is quite good, from what I remember) or you could try out weights-based workout dvds such as P90X or Chalean Extreme.0 -
Thirty minutes, as above, is about ok.hmmmm.....perhaps I will have to give this a try, as well. My problem tends to be that, regardless of how much I am lifting, I really find myself just not wanting to be there at all; I currently actually only do about thirty minutes of lifting at a time, and I spend almost every minute of it wanting to be somewhere else. I don't have the same problem with yoga, pilates, boot camp, etc, since I find it more engaging. But, I am open-minded and will certainly look into this one; maybe it will be a new approach for me!
I don't particularly 'enjoy' lifting weights, but nor do I enjoy running or cycling on a machine to be fair - however, having started 'heavy lifting' in the middle of December I've found it IS the magic pancea for me to some degree! - Through most of January I've been eating pretty badly and not doing much other exercise (we're talking 3500-4000 calories often, I reckon), yet my body weight has stayed constant - but I've gone up from squatting 66kg to 102kg deadlift and still raising steadily.
I'd been meaning to start before and certainly regretting I didn't now.
I've taken to audio books recently - so stick the headphones in and listen to that. As I'm back to an overall calorie deficit I've gone to doing just 'the big three' - I'm doing two warms ups and three 'heavy' sets for squats and bench press, then two warm ups and one heavy set for deadlifts - so really not that much, but so far seems to be working!
Never liked the idea as opposed to 'real reading' before, but being pretty busy it means I get to both take in a book as well be at the gym etc.
And yes, do all sorts - including rock climbing 3x a week usually (which is certainly more fun than weights), but so far doing heavy compound lifts does seem to be working for me.0 -
You will like it when you start seeing results. Suck it up until then. Fake it 'till you make it, if you will.0
-
lift heavier. you won't be bored0
-
I play badminton and we do a lot of conditioning. Many of the girls on my team are really toned and they don't use much weights to keep their muscle mass up.
Basically what we do is squats, planks, push-ups, running (sprinting a lot!), playing games and games of badminton (one of the most draining sports out there, but only if you play competitively and not backyard-style), stairs, and more running.
They don't require weights, but they definitely help tone muscle and help build those abs. Good luck to you! 0 -
I'm kind of the same way. I don't hate strength training, but it definitely isn't something I enjoy doing. Thanks for posting the topic! I'm hoping I can find some suggestions to help me as well. 0
-
there are other ways besides machines, dumb bells, and barbells to strength train.
kettle bells are a great one that i know has been mentioned. classes like yoga, boot camp, body combat.0 -
I do not like green eggs and ham. I do not like them Sam I Am.
I will not eat them here or there. I will not eat them anywhere.
I suggest you unlearn your hate of all activities that use a weight.
Cardio and Zumba are good for you but will not make a whole new you.0 -
If you enjoy doing yoga, do more yoga. It's a perfectly acceptable way to train your body. No one has to lift if they don't want to and I'm not here to drag people kicking and screaming to the free weight section.
Do yoga, watch your calorie intake, enjoy your life.0 -
"Many people wait through their whole lives for the chance to be good in their own fashion"
-Nietzsche0 -
Bumping because I've been told I shouldn't do free weights so interested in other ideas.0
-
lift heavier. you won't be bored
QFT. It's very hard not to be engaged while lifting heavy. If you're not engaged, you drop things and get hurt. If you're just doing endless repetitions with small hand-weights, yes, then you'll be bored. It also keeps you motivated because you're always striving to lift heavier than you did previously. Just my opinion though.0 -
Bumping because I've been told I shouldn't do free weights so interested in other ideas.
Who told you that? And why? Under what context?0 -
If you enjoy doing yoga, do more yoga. It's a perfectly acceptable way to train your body. No one has to lift if they don't want to and I'm not here to drag people kicking and screaming to the free weight section.
Do yoga, watch your calorie intake, enjoy your life.
Agree with this.
There's so much out there that you can do. I really love my strength training program now, but that wasn't always the case.
Does your gym have a heavy bag? Get a pair of boxing gloves at the sports store and go beat the heck out of it. That is one serious total-body workout.0 -
Check out www.fitnessblender.com. Plenty of bodyweight workouts that incorporate HIIT and plyometrics which use the same energy systems as resistance training. You don't need weights to get a great workout. I only hit the gym to lift heavy twice a week, and other than that I do a buttload of plyometrics and HIIT and functional strength work.0
-
OMG...some funny responses on here.0
-
I take classes - I'm in a yoga class that meets once a week for 1 hour, a circuits class that meets once a week for 45 minutes, and I also see a personal trainer once a week and she gives us a difficult lifting routine that lasts 30 minutes.
Since these are group activities, the time flies by, and I know the workout leader is watching to make sure I have good form and I'm doing it right.
It's hard to motivate yourself when you're doing it on your own, but in a group it's really fun.0 -
I'm gonna guess a doctor? *shrug*
Who told you that? And why? Under what context?Bumping because I've been told I shouldn't do free weights so interested in other ideas.0 -
I find it mildly amusing that people cannot compute how somebody doesn't want to do weight training.
If you don't want to do weight training there are a miryad of things to try - circuits, martial arts, plain old chin-ups on a bar in the park...LOADS
I had a sequence of pressups to learn culminating in a handstand pressup somewhere, might be worth googling, I bet you'd build muscle doing that.0 -
yoga. yes, yoga -- it's really all you will need.0
-
I do p90x strength training workouts and love it
^^ me too-looooove p90x0
Categories
- All Categories
- 1.4M Health, Wellness and Goals
- 393.3K Introduce Yourself
- 43.8K Getting Started
- 260.2K Health and Weight Loss
- 175.9K Food and Nutrition
- 47.4K Recipes
- 232.5K Fitness and Exercise
- 424 Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
- 6.5K Goal: Maintaining Weight
- 8.5K Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
- 153K Motivation and Support
- 8K Challenges
- 1.3K Debate Club
- 96.3K Chit-Chat
- 2.5K Fun and Games
- 3.7K MyFitnessPal Information
- 24 News and Announcements
- 1.1K Feature Suggestions and Ideas
- 2.6K MyFitnessPal Tech Support Questions