Lost My Liking of Lifting

[Angrenp]

I lost 60 plus lbs in '14 then had a few off months including the holidays.  There were some injuries and some illnesses and some excuses.

 

Now, I'm back at exercising regularly (now 3-4x/week instead of 6).  I just find that I hate strength training now.  It's a chore to lift, i find a way to weasel my way out of it or stop before I'm through the workout I have planned and I feel this sense of revulsion every time I get ready to touch a weight.  I feel bored instead of feeling energized when I lift.  I can muscle my way through a workout but that's not a good foundation for a long-term plan. And it's no fun.

 

Has anybody experienced a loss of enjoyment of an activity like this and what have you done to re-light the fire?  Or lessen the ice that I'm feeling when I go to lift?

[JPrev]

First off, congrats on the fat loss!  60lbs is an amazing feat and you should be proud.

 

What are your goals at this point?  It could be that what you want now is different from what it was before, and therefore the routine needs to change.  Even if the goal is the same, there are many paths to fitness.  Maybe you need an entirely new routine.

[Castiel]

Are you working a program with steady progression? Seeing my numbers go up is what keeps me excited about lifting week to week.

[Eleanorsbee]

yes ME !!!!

 

I get bored quickly and find barbell and dumbbells inparticularily clinical and boring .... just standing there trying to keep perfect form and lifting the same weight through a motion just to watch a number increase ... gah ... its on a scale with the ironing for me.

 

Its too linear, its too neat, its too clinical, repetitive, .. it lacks variation ..... (this is all in my opinion before the bar lovers lynch me )

 

 

I still use a barbell for bicep curls and I still use dumbbells for the odd routine to mix things up ... but what I have found to mix things up a lot is to use the the more alternative methods ... Sandbags, kettle balls, sledgehammer ... and mix that in with callisthenics like pushups, dips, rings, pull-ups etc.

 

ITs still resistance training, it probably doesn't build neat strength as quick, but I find it more tiring, it certainly uses other muscles, the weights move around, its more tactile and you end up using more of your body to interact with your session .... i.e. I have hugged my sandbag more this week than both my kid and wife ..... my sand bag has spend more time ontop of me than the wife this week !!!!

 

It employs a lot more of the body AND the mind, than static weights ...... i.e. take the squat .. modern day squater walk into squat rack put load on back, squat, put weight back  ..... 40 years ago there were no squat racks, strongmen used to have that weight off the floor and on to there backs to even start to squat. ...... same with the sand back ...... this mornings squats, absolutely killed me .... but mostly through trying to manhandle a big cerberus bag with no handles off the floor and into a zercher/bearhug combo in order for me to squat ....... I doubt my legs were hammered as much as a straight squat session ... but after doing a 5x5 of that, I can barely hold a glass of water, my abs for some reason ache, my biceps are still burning AND I have squat shakes ... oh and mentally Its hard work as well wresting that much weight.

 

The whole thing is like a slowed down controlled cross fit.

 

So this morning I skipped, rowed, clean and press with a sandbag, deadlift, row and squat with a big sand bag, rotational lunges, barbel curls, pull-ups and pushups and dips.

 

I really hurt, I have grazes on my arms, I needed to use gloves and the release of aggression when you throw your sandbag across the garage rocks.

 

Do something that involves a lot more interaction with your body and equipment.