5 ms·

You don’t find it mind-numbingly boring though?

zaroth 7y ago
It should absolutely not be boring. There are 100s of different ways to work your body, and if a trainer can’t make a workout entertaining and exhausting and help you achieve real progress towards your goals... get a different trainer.
raz32dust 7y ago
Just like some people find running very boring and others are obsessive runners, some people will find strength training boring. That's ok. Find some other physical activity that gets you in the zone and forget about the daily stresses of life - may be it is playing basketball, or tennis or whatever. I really started to love strength training once I got the hang of it. It gets less boring once you learn to be fully absorbed in it - focusing on correct form while lifting heavy weights and pushing yourself requires a lot of concentration and mind-body coordination, and I think that's what gets me into the "flow" state and generates the good feelings of accomplishment.
- ken 7y ago
  With running, the scenery constantly changes.
  - n4r9 7y ago
    With weightlifting, the number of plates on the bar constantly changes.
rc_hadoken 7y ago
Personally -- when I work out I am focused on the moment and each muscle movement. If you want to get philosophical about it..there's no room to be bored because the "me" that experiences boredom is paying close attention to each movement. Not only does this avoid injury I find it as a point of growth, self-control and meditative. Same when running.
danenania 7y ago
Not at all, but I'm also a distance runner so I'm probably not normal in that regard :P My mind gets zapped by working every day at the computer, so for me doing something totally physical (and for bodyweight workouts being outside in the sun) is the perfect antidote. I now start feeling stir crazy if I miss a workout or two for some reason.
logosmonkey 7y ago
No, I hit a level of hyper focus when lifting. It's an activity that requires a significant amount of awareness and focus on what's happening right at that moment. So it works very well for me. I'm sure some people find it mind numbing but watching my weight totals grow over time is a great motivating factor for me to focus each session.
cryptozeus 7y ago
Yes I do, I am in that category. I have not found a way to make it entertaining enough. Its not like you can watch TV while lifting weights. May be find a good group of people to do it with.
lostapathy 7y ago
If your programming is boring, switch it up to something you can stick with. There are a lot of options, and the one you stick with is the one that'll work best for you. That said - there's a lot of ways to describe a heavy squat session, but boring isn't one I'd use.
- tdsamardzhiev 7y ago
  Agreed. Full-body workouts should work better for me in theory. In practice though, I find them painfully boring, and they tire me in a weird way so that I'm completely useless for the rest of the day. I've decided to go with splits, and so far so good. It may sound like broscience (because it is), but you gotta find what works for you.
Aaronstotle 7y ago
I never listen to music when lifting and like to concentrate solely on the movement and I find that it's a very therapeutic experience, similar to meditating.
bproven 7y ago
The key to not make it boring or drudgery is to set goals for yourself. And having a plan to work toward those goals. Without either it can become boring or meaningless for some folks (outside the obvious health benefits).
sn9 7y ago
Something doesn't have to be entertaining to be good for you. And you can make it interesting. Reading about how the body works, the biomechanics of the movements, etc. can make it more interesting. Learning more about a subject tends to make it more interesting, even if you didn't begin with an interest. When you're 70 with mobility issues and no longer have physical autonomy, you'll be wishing you'd invested the few hours per week of preventative medicine that would have vastly increased the likelihood that you would still have the strength and mobility to live a physically autonomous life with the ability to play with your grandkids. Not to mention the decades of benefits you would have reaped being in better shape than you ever dreamt was possible for you.
throw0101a 7y ago
It's no more boring than being stuck at a traffic light for 2-3 minutes, or waiting for your bus/train to arrive. Your mind tends to be focused on the task at hand when doing the movements. After each set, when you're resting, you can listen to a podcast or audio book. Or, you know, just stand there and do nothing and let your mind wander: perhaps not doing something may actually be good for you. Perhaps you may wish to examine the benefits of being bored once in a while. * https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/blog/hide-and-seek/201407/the-surprising-benefits-boredom https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/blog/hide-and-seek/201407...

It should absolutely not be boring. There are 100s of different ways to work your body, and if a trainer can’t make a workout entertaining and exhausting and help you achieve real progress towards your goals... get a different trainer.

raz32dust 7y ago

Just like some people find running very boring and others are obsessive runners, some people will find strength training boring. That's ok. Find some other physical activity that gets you in the zone and forget about the daily stresses of life - may be it is playing basketball, or tennis or whatever. I really started to love strength training once I got the hang of it. It gets less boring once you learn to be fully absorbed in it - focusing on correct form while lifting heavy weights and pushing yourself requires a lot of concentration and mind-body coordination, and I think that's what gets me into the "flow" state and generates the good feelings of accomplishment.

ken 7y ago
With running, the scenery constantly changes.
- n4r9 7y ago
  With weightlifting, the number of plates on the bar constantly changes.

rc_hadoken 7y ago

Personally -- when I work out I am focused on the moment and each muscle movement. If you want to get philosophical about it..there's no room to be bored because the "me" that experiences boredom is paying close attention to each movement. Not only does this avoid injury I find it as a point of growth, self-control and meditative. Same when running.

danenania 7y ago

Not at all, but I'm also a distance runner so I'm probably not normal in that regard :P My mind gets zapped by working every day at the computer, so for me doing something totally physical (and for bodyweight workouts being outside in the sun) is the perfect antidote. I now start feeling stir crazy if I miss a workout or two for some reason.

logosmonkey 7y ago

No, I hit a level of hyper focus when lifting. It's an activity that requires a significant amount of awareness and focus on what's happening right at that moment. So it works very well for me. I'm sure some people find it mind numbing but watching my weight totals grow over time is a great motivating factor for me to focus each session.

cryptozeus 7y ago

Yes I do, I am in that category. I have not found a way to make it entertaining enough. Its not like you can watch TV while lifting weights. May be find a good group of people to do it with.

lostapathy 7y ago

If your programming is boring, switch it up to something you can stick with. There are a lot of options, and the one you stick with is the one that'll work best for you. That said - there's a lot of ways to describe a heavy squat session, but boring isn't one I'd use.

tdsamardzhiev 7y ago
Agreed. Full-body workouts should work better for me in theory. In practice though, I find them painfully boring, and they tire me in a weird way so that I'm completely useless for the rest of the day. I've decided to go with splits, and so far so good. It may sound like broscience (because it is), but you gotta find what works for you.

Aaronstotle 7y ago

I never listen to music when lifting and like to concentrate solely on the movement and I find that it's a very therapeutic experience, similar to meditating.

bproven 7y ago

The key to not make it boring or drudgery is to set goals for yourself. And having a plan to work toward those goals. Without either it can become boring or meaningless for some folks (outside the obvious health benefits).

sn9 7y ago

Something doesn't have to be entertaining to be good for you. And you can make it interesting. Reading about how the body works, the biomechanics of the movements, etc. can make it more interesting. Learning more about a subject tends to make it more interesting, even if you didn't begin with an interest. When you're 70 with mobility issues and no longer have physical autonomy, you'll be wishing you'd invested the few hours per week of preventative medicine that would have vastly increased the likelihood that you would still have the strength and mobility to live a physically autonomous life with the ability to play with your grandkids. Not to mention the decades of benefits you would have reaped being in better shape than you ever dreamt was possible for you.

throw0101a 7y ago

It's no more boring than being stuck at a traffic light for 2-3 minutes, or waiting for your bus/train to arrive. Your mind tends to be focused on the task at hand when doing the movements. After each set, when you're resting, you can listen to a podcast or audio book. Or, you know, just stand there and do nothing and let your mind wander: perhaps not doing something may actually be good for you. Perhaps you may wish to examine the benefits of being bored once in a while. * https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/blog/hide-and-seek/201407/the-surprising-benefits-boredom https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/blog/hide-and-seek/201407...