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Training to be better at something that you will never do for real is somehow depressing, especially if you only do it in a gym. Run or ride a bike, at least yo

Training to be better at something that you will never do for real is somehow depressing, especially if you only do it in a gym. Run or ride a bike, at least you have a chance to do something useful instead of moving a weight for the sake of moving a weight

xupybd 9y ago
No way. I love learning those lifts. I'll never compete but I'll get better. I'll have a challenge that's more than just grinding through reps. I'll get gains faster than just physiological adaptation allows for as my skill goes up. Olympic lifts can be a lot of fun.
blackguardx 9y ago
The only olympic-style lifts I've done are deadlifts. It is very rewarding to maximally focus all your mental and physical energy into one second of effort. Using your body feels good no matter if the activity has "no purpose."
freehunter 9y ago
>Training to be better at something that you will never do for real is somehow depressing I would argue with the "never do for real" when it comes to weight lifting, and I would also argue against the entire concept. You lift weights all the time. Every time you stand up, every step you take, every time you move any muscle, you're lifting weights. If you're helping a friend move, you're lifting weights. I bought a file cabinet the other day and the guy was amazed that I got it into my truck on my own even though it was 50+ pounds... but I think a normal person should be able to lift that much weight into the bed of a truck no problem. Need to open a pickle jar? Need to move a couch? Need to carry more groceries in from the car? That's what you're training for. And also, people train for things they never do "for real" all the time. Every time you play a video game you train for something you'll never do for real. Every time you play guitar but you're not in a band, you're training for something you'll never do for real. Every time you make a joke if you're not a stand-up comedian, you're training for something you'll never do for real. Every time you take a picture but you're not a photographer you get the idea. You're not really training to be an olympic weightlifter, you're training to lift that weight right there in front of you. That's just as "for real" as anything else you do as a hobby. How is running or riding a bike any more "for real" than lifting a weight? They're all things you do for exercise to be healthy. No one's running everywhere they go, running is something you do in order to run, and you run to get better at running so you can run more. You lift weights in order to lift heavier weights so you can lift more weights. Same exact thing.
mancerayder 9y ago
If you sit up and sit down regularly, that's a squat. If you pick up heavy stuff off the floor, that's a deadlift. Put something on a shelf, it's a press. These items are less a problem in your 20s, 30s and below, than above. More muscle mass means more hormone production, which otherwise declines with age. And weightlifting leads to higher bone density and stronger tendons. Now are you sure it's not useful, moving a weight for the sake of it?

xupybd 9y ago

No way. I love learning those lifts. I'll never compete but I'll get better. I'll have a challenge that's more than just grinding through reps. I'll get gains faster than just physiological adaptation allows for as my skill goes up. Olympic lifts can be a lot of fun.

blackguardx 9y ago

The only olympic-style lifts I've done are deadlifts. It is very rewarding to maximally focus all your mental and physical energy into one second of effort. Using your body feels good no matter if the activity has "no purpose."

freehunter 9y ago

>Training to be better at something that you will never do for real is somehow depressing I would argue with the "never do for real" when it comes to weight lifting, and I would also argue against the entire concept. You lift weights all the time. Every time you stand up, every step you take, every time you move any muscle, you're lifting weights. If you're helping a friend move, you're lifting weights. I bought a file cabinet the other day and the guy was amazed that I got it into my truck on my own even though it was 50+ pounds... but I think a normal person should be able to lift that much weight into the bed of a truck no problem. Need to open a pickle jar? Need to move a couch? Need to carry more groceries in from the car? That's what you're training for. And also, people train for things they never do "for real" all the time. Every time you play a video game you train for something you'll never do for real. Every time you play guitar but you're not in a band, you're training for something you'll never do for real. Every time you make a joke if you're not a stand-up comedian, you're training for something you'll never do for real. Every time you take a picture but you're not a photographer you get the idea. You're not really training to be an olympic weightlifter, you're training to lift that weight right there in front of you. That's just as "for real" as anything else you do as a hobby. How is running or riding a bike any more "for real" than lifting a weight? They're all things you do for exercise to be healthy. No one's running everywhere they go, running is something you do in order to run, and you run to get better at running so you can run more. You lift weights in order to lift heavier weights so you can lift more weights. Same exact thing.

mancerayder 9y ago

If you sit up and sit down regularly, that's a squat. If you pick up heavy stuff off the floor, that's a deadlift. Put something on a shelf, it's a press. These items are less a problem in your 20s, 30s and below, than above. More muscle mass means more hormone production, which otherwise declines with age. And weightlifting leads to higher bone density and stronger tendons. Now are you sure it's not useful, moving a weight for the sake of it?