For those who think weight lifting is "boring"

I love weight lifting, but some days I do fine it boring.... But then again on those days anything shy of a genetically engineered gorilla battling a ninja shark over the drinking fountain would be boring... So I'm not sure of those days count. Mostly I'm too busy dying to be boring. Or panting along to whatever obnoxious music I am listening to.

How to reconcile lifting heavy while doing a HITT workout? You just accept the fact that you are sacrificing weight for intensity?

What does that mean? Sorry, not trying to be dense, but I don't understand "sacrificing weight for intensity".

I assume it's meant that when you wok sets with far less time to recover, you aren't going to lift quite as much.

In regards to the OP, I think it's all a matter of tastes. Just as some can watch a NASCAR race and find it exciting, others will be bored and asleep in 3 minutes. Not everyone has to find every style of exercise captivating. Even though I do it, and have done so for many years, honestly lifting/strength training it not what I would call exciting by any stretch. The rush from movign a lot of weight or doing a strenuous move is what drove me. Certainly not the excitement factor.

Being bored is a state of mind more than a state of body. It's possible to work really hard and still be bored. It doesn't matter how easy or difficult, or how fast or slow paced, for me weight lifting is still boring (as is cardio or running or zumba or whatever). It doesn't mean I'm not going to do it, it just means I'm going to be counting down the minutes/reps and looking forward to doing something else the entire time.

Being bored is a state of mind more than a state of body. It's possible to work really hard and still be bored. It doesn't matter how easy or difficult, or how fast or slow paced, for me weight lifting is still boring (as is cardio or running or zumba or whatever). It doesn't mean I'm not going to do it, it just means I'm going to be counting down the minutes/reps and looking forward to doing something else the entire time.

Yes, this. I mean, I don't find lifting weights boring the same way watching paint dry is boring, but it's not exciting either. (I've been running for 2 years and I still find it pretty boring, even though I love the results - being able to run farther and faster than I ever have before.) I'm sure many people think that the hobbies I find enjoyable and enriching are totally boring. The only part I find exciting about any kind of exercise is being done with it so I can do something else, LOL.

I find lifting boring. I love running. I lift because you're supposed to. I lift as heavy as I can while maintaining form. But I honestly don't really get an big rush from it. I don't care whether I lift 2 pounds or 2000. I don't get any sense of satisfaction from adding weight (successfully). I get a rush running longer or faster, or meeting a goal or training for a race. I just like it.

To me, it's the difference between draining your checking account paying bills or shopping for a new outfit. One you do for fun, one you do because you have to. Doesn't mean I'm not paying bills "correctly", it just means I find it boring.

Then your approach is wrong. If you get a rush doing longer or faster or "racing" for time, then that should be your focus on lifting too.

A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

Trust me, I'm already doing it as fast as I can to get it over with. I think it's just a matter of preference. Lifting just isn't something I like. A lot of people find running boring. It doesn't mean they aren't doing it right, it just means they find it boring. Different strokes for different folks. I mean some people even like shows on PBS.

Gosh, I really am ignorant of weight lifting. :blushing: Isn't the purpose of adding weight to increase intensity? Do both increase or maintain muscle equally?

I'll admit that the HIIT workout ninerbuff posted above appeals to me because it has a cardio type exercises included (burpees, jump squats). I will always be a cardio bunny at heart. But I want to be a buff bunny. :laugh:

It's all about stressing the muscle. There are many ways to do so...increased weight, decreased recovery, increased volume, increasing the need to stabilize the weight(dumbells rather than a machine). One is not neccesarily better than another, although I would say for pure strength building, going very heavy with adequate recovery between sets is probably better, but that's a whole different debate.
I've always found I was far more tired after a lunchtime lifting session when I was limited on time and had no one to BS with, compared to my after work sessions with my buddies. I went in, cranked out my sets and was gone.

Currently I do body weight stuff. I go back and forth between full body circuits and more of a traditional split routine. When I am done with my circuits, I'm dripping with sweat, when I am done with a more traditional workout, I'm not as sweaty, but the muscles I've worked are usually more tired.

Straight up:

Either you don't really know how to do it effectively or you're moving too slow and lack intensity.

Lots of people that I've taken on who felt it was boring say it's because they don't move enough, they don't "sweat" like they do when they do cardio, or they don't like repetition (lol, like running or doing an elliptical or dance class doesn't have repetitive movements).

HIIT training. Gasp for air. Push that weight with serious effort. Short rest between sets.

The results will speak volumes on boredom.

A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

I'm doing Chalean Extreme at the moment. It's a 12 weeks program. In the second month, she makes you lift heavy (muscle failure at 6-8 reps) very very slow. I sweat like a pig and I don't think it's boring!

I don't think I will ever find lifting boring. I love the way it makes me feel and look.

ETA: I find cardio boring :P

Niner is talking about me. I am 'that' guy. I lift. I like how I feel afterwards and I like going to the gym when my son goes with me. I sometimes like being in those fancy gyms, with the steam room or other 'after' amenities.
BUT . . . . four or five sets of the same motion is monotonous. i much prefer playing a sport, or just being outside, in the fresh air, heading down the road, anticipating what I am going to find around the corner. Plus, I just feel like running is a much more basic, natural, whole body motion.
Sorry. I just do.