How to make lifting more interesting?

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Now, I don't have any problem with exercise in general. I love running and do it two-three times a week. It's interesting. There's always a scenery change round every corner, weather change, different things to see and different times of day or night.

But lifting is getting seriously boring. Stuck in the same room every time. Doing reps 4-5-6-7-8... over and over. I've reached a point where I can hardly stand to continue. I listen to music while I do it but it's still boring as hell.

What can I do to carry on? There is no variety!

Replies

  • MTBrob
    MTBrob Posts: 513 Member
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    At some point ( preferably the beginning) you want to have lifting in your weekly rotation to firm up what ever you want to improve on your body ..

    I mean at its core lifting is essentially pick heavy stuff up and put it back down Boring.. sorry but true.. BUT VITAL.. Maybe Join a gym and do it there. Nothing sexier than a girl lifting.. Get your kicks out of guys staring at you in amazement.

    If thats out why not find a work out routine either online(look up Hasfit ) or a paid one like p90x or something and follow that up it has a little variety..

    I hate cardio and look forward to lifting.. But I incorporate both to ensure I reach my goals.. I would just suck it up.. Make a game out of it. LIFT HEAVIER
  • thepetiterunner
    thepetiterunner Posts: 1,238 Member
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    You might want to try something more active like a weights-incorporated cardio class (my gym has a few of these) or maybe something more intensive/competitive like Crossfit. Those are less "stand in front of the mirror and do X number of reps", so they might keep you more entertained.

    Or just incorporate it into your running/interval workouts. Sprint a short distance or do some hill training, then at the top of the hill do some weights or burpees or whatever. Obviously this would restrict the weights you carry, but it might be a good way to just work in a bit.
  • GorillaNJ
    GorillaNJ Posts: 4,051 Member
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    I am the total opposite... I would rather lift anyday then go for a run!

    Maybe you need to find a new lifting routine, something that has a variety you enjoy. Set some goals, I want to be able to lift X amount or do X amount of reps of some lift.
  • ThereseIShere
    ThereseIShere Posts: 90 Member
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    Watch TV during it. I do that or put on ankle wrist weights and go do something outside.
  • ekztawas
    ekztawas Posts: 114 Member
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    I was the same way! I was a cardio-holic and I hated the hurry-up-and-wait-for-machines of weight training. That is until I found bodyrock.tv and subsequently Zuzka Light. Her workouts are both cardio intensive AND focus on muscle building. I have quit my $60/month gym and only work out at home now. There is no need for it! The workouts are pretty much HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training). You're either doing an exercise for a set amount of time with a small recovery or you complete a set amount of reps for each exercise.

    an example workout would be this workout (ZWOW #31):
    10 Push Ups
    20 Burpees
    30 Jump Squats
    40 Mountain Climbers
    50 Sit Ups

    You would do this circuit 3 times as fast as you can. I really recommend looking into it. I've seen great results and best of all it's not boring in the least! Her website is zuzkalight.com or there is a fan website with a better format for viewing the videos, warriorz.us
  • FITnFIRM4LIFE
    FITnFIRM4LIFE Posts: 818 Member
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    Change the days , the reps, the weight size and the routine.

    Switch it all up..Set different goals, challenge yourself to increase strength.

    Try a trx class or try Cathe lifting dvd's never a dull minute- Love slow and heavy series.

    Invite a friend, put up a mirror and watch your progress.

    I love to lift and change it up every 4-6 weeks to keep new..Good luck ;-)
  • Iron_Lotus
    Iron_Lotus Posts: 2,295 Member
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    Lift heavier, put on some music, watch tv…

    I don't understand how anybody can find it boring.
  • bokodasu
    bokodasu Posts: 629 Member
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    Lift heavier things, then you can lift them for less time and it's over quicker.

    Make sure you're doing a progressive program - if you're just doing the same thing over and over, of course that's boring. Meeting and beating goals is more fun. Switch up your splits, try different techniques for increasing your weights - do pyramids, pause-reps, whatever.

    Or find something to train for - I like lifting weights, so I don't *need* any other reason to do it, but training for a competition has really stepped everything up, and it's a lot more fun than I thought it would be.
  • megalin9
    megalin9 Posts: 771 Member
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    Lifting heavier than I did last time tends to change things up for me and keeps it interesting. Addicting, in fact. If you're not PROGRESSIVELY lifting heavier, then I bet you ARE bored.
  • Desterknee
    Desterknee Posts: 1,056 Member
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    Going heavy makes it very interesting.
  • toutmonpossible
    toutmonpossible Posts: 1,580 Member
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    Where do you lift? I find strength training boring too. It's slightly better at home when watching the TV, but it's less convenient than the gym and I get distracted.
  • TR0berts
    TR0berts Posts: 7,739 Member
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    boku and megalin probably hit the nail on the head.


    Doing better than last time, IMO, keeps lifting from getting boring. I remember 20 years ago, when I had absolutely no clue what I was doing, I went to the gym and did the same things just about every day, but wasn't progressing. As such, I got bored. Now that I more-or-less know what I'm doing (I don't have it all figured out), I started a progressive loading program and have since switched to 5/3/1. The progressive loading kept things interesting, with PRs for weights. 5/3/1 - while still increasing weight PRs - has me lifting for more reps with the same weights each month*.

    As others have mentioned, maybe you just need a new routine. This is where NROL is good, as it changes things up every month or so. You'll have new lifts, variations of lifts you've been doing, and different rep ranges to keep things fresh.



    * - Sort of. It all depends on where the weights end up with the percentages used. Some months, I end up using the same weight(s) for certain lifts, but do 5+ reps, whereas last month, it was only 3+ reps and so on and so forth.
  • Lysander666
    Lysander666 Posts: 275 Member
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    Thank you everyone for your fantastic and very helpful replies.

    TR0berts you were right, boku and megalin nailed it. I went to the gym tonight and lessened my amount of reps but upped the weight. It definitely was more interesting and actually felt like I was DOING something. I suppose that's when it gets boring, when you feel like you're not actually doing anything and going anywhere anymore, just running through the motions.