Do You Ever Get Bored Of 'Training'?

Training
41

The gym was like a black hole for me. I got sucked in, and now there is no way out (not that I am looking for one). It is probably fair to say that I am completely addicted, although to what aspect I am not sure.

I was always good at sports. Everyone told me I had a lot of potential (I was conscious of this too), but when I joined sports clubs (athletics, football, rugby and karate), I did not stick with the training for long; a few months for some, maybe a year or two for others. It was the gym and the kitchen that eventually taught me what it meant to be disciplined.

Oddly, it is also the only physical activity that has been somewhat of a struggle to progress in. I felt bulletproof until I went to the gym. Lifting weights exposed many weaknesses (psychologically and physiologically) and I got injured for the first time ever.

There are days when it is frustrating, but never boring. Going to the gym has never been a chore. I have had only six weeks (give or take) out of the gym in 7-8 years. Although that probably explains why I can’t shake some of my injuries, I just cannot stay away.

Outside of the gym I am fairly reserved and somewhat aloof, but the weights room allows me to let go and, in an odd way, relax. It’s also motivating to be surrounded by others who want to go beyond average.

I have so much regret for not pursuing sports when I was younger, that I will not allow myself to quit lifting weights. Not ever.

With that said, there is little reason to pursue something if you no longer enjoy it. Life is too short to be a slave to that notion.

Like others have already mentioned, I also enjoy working out the most when I have quantifiable goals. I ran a Smolov Jr. bench press program a few months ago and seeing a 15kg increase in only four weeks definitely added fuel to the fire.

Instead of looking for reasons to stop or take a break, perhaps look for reasons to carry on.

42

[quote]optheta wrote:
Do a cycle, it makes training way more fun hahaha[/quote]

Do you know from experience?

43

I honestly have never been bored with it, It really is a spiritual thing with me. It’s my way of Zen and I get great pleasure from it. Some people complain about how they hate working certain body parts, I like working them all. What’s more gratifying then changing your body and improving yourself? No matter what happens I know I can fall back on my family and my weight set. Please don’t think I’m being Kai greeneish lol.

44

I am bored of training.

I am tired of people feeling inadequate around me because I am muscular and they are not.

I am bored of going to the same place and doing the same boring stuff with boring people.

I am bored of thinking that I am better than other people because I lift more weight or because I am more muscular than them.

I feel I could spend my energy more wisely.

I am tired of thinking about the gym.

I feel like there is something better in life I am missing.

Infortunately now I feel like shit if I don’t do it so I go on.

45

[quote]LankyMofo wrote:

[quote]optheta wrote:
Do a cycle, it makes training way more fun hahaha[/quote]

Do you know from experience?[/quote]

Yes.

46

I got bored with lifting once when I was about 20-21 years old. So, I took a 20 year break. Tried to be a professional golfer. Finished college. Finished law school. Passed the bar. Got married. Had 4 kids. Started back lifting after all that. It’s not so boring now.

47

[quote]jasmincar wrote:
I am bored of training.

I am tired of people feeling inadequate around me because I am muscular and they are not.

I am bored of going to the same place and doing the same boring stuff with boring people.

I am bored of thinking that I am better than other people because I lift more weight or because I am more muscular than them.

I feel I could spend my energy more wisely.

I am tired of thinking about the gym.

I feel like there is something better in life I am missing.

Infortunately now I feel like shit if I don’t do it so I go on.[/quote]

I feel like that sometimes. It typically hits me when I’m in the gym and my whole body hurts from squatting/deadlifting for the 5th time that week. Then I ask myself why the fuck I am doing that to myself. I never find a good answer to that. Can’t quit either though.

48

[quote]optheta wrote:
Do a cycle, it makes training way more fun hahaha[/quote]

This. Or so I’ve heard.

49

[quote]infinite_shore wrote:
I feel like that sometimes. It typically hits me when I’m in the gym and my whole body hurts from squatting/deadlifting for the 5th time that week. Then I ask myself why the fuck I am doing that to myself. I never find a good answer to that. Can’t quit either though.[/quote]
When you’re attacked by a massive wolf and you grab its jaws in your hands and wrench them asunder leaving a dead mangled ruin where the body of a savage beast once stood then you’ll thank yourself for getting so strong. Bound to happen to you one of these days.

50

[quote]csulli wrote:

[quote]infinite_shore wrote:
I feel like that sometimes. It typically hits me when I’m in the gym and my whole body hurts from squatting/deadlifting for the 5th time that week. Then I ask myself why the fuck I am doing that to myself. I never find a good answer to that. Can’t quit either though.[/quote]
When you’re attacked by a massive wolf and you grab its jaws in your hands and wrench them asunder leaving a dead mangled ruin where the body of a savage beast once stood then you’ll thank yourself for getting so strong. Bound to happen to you one of these days.[/quote]

Is this a metaphor or did that actually happen?

51

[quote]bdocksaints75 wrote:

[quote]csulli wrote:

[quote]infinite_shore wrote:
I feel like that sometimes. It typically hits me when I’m in the gym and my whole body hurts from squatting/deadlifting for the 5th time that week. Then I ask myself why the fuck I am doing that to myself. I never find a good answer to that. Can’t quit either though.[/quote]
When you’re attacked by a massive wolf and you grab its jaws in your hands and wrench them asunder leaving a dead mangled ruin where the body of a savage beast once stood then you’ll thank yourself for getting so strong. Bound to happen to you one of these days.[/quote]

Is this a metaphor or did that actually happen?[/quote]
It kind of happened in that King Kong movie when he killed the T-Rexes. That was badass.

52

I sometimes find myself bored with my routine, but changing it up always solves that. I’ve never been bored of training in general, there are just so many things I love about it.

Most of all I just enjoy feeling physically capable too much to give it up, I’m addicted to that.

53

Like a few have already said, it’s hard to be bored when you have a concrete goal.

Personally, I’m a little more than 5 Weeks out from Raw Unity. I don’t have the luxury to be bored with training.

54

[quote]infinite_shore wrote:

[quote]jasmincar wrote:
I am bored of training.

I am tired of people feeling inadequate around me because I am muscular and they are not.

I am bored of going to the same place and doing the same boring stuff with boring people.

I am bored of thinking that I am better than other people because I lift more weight or because I am more muscular than them.

I feel I could spend my energy more wisely.

I am tired of thinking about the gym.

I feel like there is something better in life I am missing.

Infortunately now I feel like shit if I don’t do it so I go on.[/quote]

I feel like that sometimes. It typically hits me when I’m in the gym and my whole body hurts from squatting/deadlifting for the 5th time that week. Then I ask myself why the fuck I am doing that to myself. I never find a good answer to that. Can’t quit either though.[/quote]
Really?

Dang guys. Lifting weights/working out/training shouldn’t be a chore. If you’re body is feeling beat up, sore, run down… Take the day off. Take two days off. Go have some nachos, drink a beer and watch some sports with your friends. Do something else.

Unless it’s your job, IMO, you shouldn’t be thinking about the gym all day long. You shouldn’t be obsessing about what you eat or when your next meal is or how much longer you have until you get into the gym. You need to have balance in your life.

Lifting, for most of us, is a hobby. Hobbies shouldn’t consume your life.

But to answer the question… I don’t get bored of lifting weights. I may get tired of doing the same routine so I change it up and do something a little different but I never get bored of moving some weight around, breaking a sweat and getting a pump. It’s a great outlet and it’s my only “me time.”

55

[quote]MattyXL wrote:

If you over think things almost everything becomes meaningless.

The mind can be a terrible thing…sometimes.
[/quote]

100% agree, whenever you dissect things ‘‘too far’’ you end up feeling (maybe realising?) that almost everything can be deemed pointless.

56

[quote]bdocksaints75 wrote:
No, I don’t but I often wonder if I would still train and lift if I knew I would never get any stronger or bigger. Would you still lift and train if you already had achieved the level of strength and physique you wanted or it was not possible to get any stronger or bigger. [/quote]

Interesting qs, though it only addresses the physical aspects of training. I feel there are a ton of mental benefits too, though I can’t quite tell you if those too have a limit. Like if you accrue all you can MENTALLY from training, would you go on?

I know for a fact that I wouldn’t enjoy lifting as much if I could get to a 600lb raw bench in 2 yrs or something like that. I agree on finding joy in the process.

57

[quote]Spock81 wrote:
OMG NO ! Training is the most exciting thing in the whole world to me !!

And there are so many super fun new things to learn and incorporate into your routine !

Like holds, drop sets, partials, partials plus normals then back to partials again, rest/pause sets, and many, many more !
And new exercises to learn and try.

Tinker tinker tinker!! It’s the tinkering that makes it so fun.
Especially if you have a body part that is bugging you. Reading about it and learning new ways to hammer at it is so rewarding.

EEEEEEEEeeeeeeeeee

I spent two hours at work today typing out exercises for each body part that I consider “fun extra’s” to throw in at the end of my workouts if I have time that I might have otherwise forgotten about.

TOmorrow at work I am going to laminate it !!!
EEHEHE[/quote]

Your boss better not find out thats what you’re doing in the office :smiley:

58

Honestly, I am so deeply in love with training I cannot even fathom waking up and not being completely ecstatic everyday to go to the gym.

Cyber hugs for all of you who don’t feel that way

tear

59

[quote]csulli wrote:

I agree. The idea of getting bored of weight training feels equivalent to me like getting bored of having sex or something lol. [/quote]

Being a pr0nstar must suck in that regard

[quote]
There’s nothing wrong with not being as into it as other people though like you said. You know what’s funny? Benni Magnusson, who has deadlifted more than any other human in history (1015 raw) isn’t really that into powerlifting. He loves it every once in a while, but for long stretches of time he doesn’t train seriously or even at all. He just isn’t that into it. In fact he said once that one of the big reasons he does it is because he feels obligated since he’s so strong lol.[/quote]

Thanks for making me feel awful with that

60

[quote]gregron wrote:

[quote]infinite_shore wrote:

[quote]jasmincar wrote:
I am bored of training.

I am tired of people feeling inadequate around me because I am muscular and they are not.

I am bored of going to the same place and doing the same boring stuff with boring people.

I am bored of thinking that I am better than other people because I lift more weight or because I am more muscular than them.

I feel I could spend my energy more wisely.

I am tired of thinking about the gym.

I feel like there is something better in life I am missing.

Infortunately now I feel like shit if I don’t do it so I go on.[/quote]

I feel like that sometimes. It typically hits me when I’m in the gym and my whole body hurts from squatting/deadlifting for the 5th time that week. Then I ask myself why the fuck I am doing that to myself. I never find a good answer to that. Can’t quit either though.[/quote]
Really?

Dang guys. Lifting weights/working out/training shouldn’t be a chore. If you’re body is feeling beat up, sore, run down… Take the day off. Take two days off. Go have some nachos, drink a beer and watch some sports with your friends. Do something else.

Unless it’s your job, IMO, you shouldn’t be thinking about the gym all day long. You shouldn’t be obsessing about what you eat or when your next meal is or how much longer you have until you get into the gym. You need to have balance in your life.

Lifting, for most of us, is a hobby. Hobbies shouldn’t consume your life.
[/quote]

For me chasing performance (powerlifting) tends to get in the way of having more fun with training for two reasons:
(1) heavy strength training tends to beat me down more, and
(2) the frustration of not hitting the numbers you wanted/planned (lack of progress etc.).

Bodybuilding training is so much easier even at high intensity levels imo.