Great video and interesting question.

I've actually liked lifting for a long time even though I hadn't done it much over the years. We didn't do lifting in sports really but I did get my first taste in beginning of high school while doing track since I was a thrower instead of a runner. I got to bench and do some other lifts, though didn't get to do the fun ones like snatch or power clean as only the ones the coach helped all of the time got to do those. I didn't do squats cause he didn't make me, lol. Then in college I took a lifting class because my first college had a physical education requirement. I like the feeling, the activity and the goals I can work to achieve. Like, I can't wait to get to 225 on deadlift and since I made bodyweight on squats, next up is 1.5x body weight. It's fun and I can zone out with music.

Plus, it's helping my body shape come along quite well (bonus). I may still have flab and bingo wings but there are factors that counter those minor factors. Like with my arms, I had the skin that hangs but I also have my shoulders shaping up nicely and a little bit of bicep that shows.

In addition to this, lifting helps me be capable of doing other things. I can lift things around at work without trouble and help others who can't lift the totes or cases. I hope to get my upper body strength decent so I can try kayaking. Next on my list also is learning some combat and weaponry to improve my writing of action scenes. All kinds of fun stuff are influenced by the quest for strength.

I like feeling strong and challenging myself. It definitely gives me confidence. For fitness, with lifting I can feel and see progress so much faster than with cardio alone. Plus, I get a thrill when someone mentions how kickass my arms and shoulders are! Great video, I am going to share it!

i just like it. i mean sure, other reasons as well . . . but when it comes down to it that's really the reason i'm in the gym on a given day. i like doing it.

I'm loving all the responses! As for me, this article pretty much sums it up perfectly: 9 Reasons why everyone should life heavy things on purpose.
http://www.drunkgenie.com/blog/2015/6/25/8-reasons-why-everyone-should-lift-heavy-things-on-purpose

I like the sound the plates make. You know, the way you like the crunching fresh snow makes under your feet? I enjoy the competition with myself to set new PRs, much like I enjoy getting a new trick when pole dancing. To be honest, I haven't found many forms of exercise I don't like. I love cycling, boxing, running...I even like burpees!!!

After doing lots of cardio and HIIT classes using light weights, I never saw any changes to my body. If anything I seemed to gain more weight. My thinking at that time was that the more I exercised, the more I could eat. Big mistake.

I knew that at my age, I needed to start incorporating heavy weights to increase metabolism, gain bone strength, lose fat, and increase strength.

Initially, I was very intimidated by the weight section where all the lean, buffed and the young were, but I sucked it up. 13 weeks later, I'm still at it. It's a slow process, but I feel much stronger and still not bored yet. I hope that the next 3 months, wills how more changes to my body.

I lift because it scared me. I lift because I didn't think I could do it, I didn't understand it. I lift to continuously prove myself wrong.

I had lost over 40 pounds in a year, and all I accomplished was becoming a smaller, squishier version of the same me. And even after losing the most weight I've ever lost in my life, I wasn't happy. I need to lose body fat, uncover the muscle that was so comfy hiding behind said fat and become the best version of myself.

I lift because nothing is more satisfying and nothing makes me feel more strong than breaking gender roles, lifting more than a 5 pound dumb bell, and completely exhausting yourself.

So, I've found myself coming back to this thread just for the inspiration. I love all the answers!

Love that link!

I started lifting years ago when there was a snowstorm and my birdlike great aunt was stuck in the house for many days. Afterward, she told me she'd been relieved when it was over because she was running out of food. My mother suggested she buy a dozen cans of tuna fish and keep them in her pantry for those kinds of situations, and she said, I'll never forget it, "I can't carry more than one can of tuna at a time." The next day I bought dumbbells and ankle weights and got started, but I didn't start training progressively with the barbell until January of this year, and it is definitely a game-changer.

So it began out of fear of dwindling strength, but just like the young woman in the video, I like being powerful and taking up more space. I find it a bit of a pain to have to go to the gym (prefer to work out outdoors or at home), but what it has done to my body is nothing short of amazing. I discover new perks constantly. I started in order to be a faster/stronger cyclist, and it has certainly done that. The other day I realized that the low-grade back pain that I've always just assumed is part of life (I sit at a desk all day) seems to have gone away for the most part. And when I went to have a mammogram recently, the technician (who, obviously, was seeing me half-naked) said to me, "I hope this won't embarrass you, but I see a lot of women's bodies, and I just had to double-check your age. What do you do to work out? Obviously, you do something to look like that!" As a former chunky-kid-with-glasses-picked-last-in-gym-class, I almost cried.

I find cardio really really boring. I did BJJ for awhile but got tired of being injured and treated poorly in class.

It's one of those "I enjoy it so I'm sticking to it" things, which I need to get some exercise in. I like beating my own lifts and a bit of competition with others, plus I find lifting helps me stick to my calorie intake as I'm fueling myself.

Once my back is 100% and I'm lifting back to normal and I cut down some more fat I'm gonna try Strongwoman. I kinda don't care if I lean out or look better.