Having 'Fun' While Training

Off Topic
41

[quote]Loudog75 wrote:
@460 - no doubt I enjoy a heavy lift but don’t confuse that with a 4x10 series. While incline pressing this morning my elbows gave out well before my chest was finished.[/quote]

That 4x10 sheeet I would need a small pony to get across the gym. The weight can be a cruel bitch if she is not respected. So I understand the hate/love relationship.

If your going to stay healthy and do the minimum you can aford to chill have fun not have focus so you never have a issue with the Bitch.

But if you have a goal of any kind the Weight becomes a angry hell bitch how will slap you first chance she gets.

42

I love most of the time, but it’s the same love that makes me force myself to drag my tired butt to the gym when i don’t want even to be standing up and could just be sleeping on my couch.

43

[quote]twinexperience wrote:

[quote]Professor X wrote:

[quote]Loudog75 wrote:
You all seriously enjoy lifting heavy weight? Really?

I hate it. I only lift becuase I want to be bigger, stronger. If I could take a pill tomorrow and be 275 lean, I’d do it.

Who in their right mind would enjoy getting up at 3:30 AM?

Its a freaking job, I just like the ROI.[/quote]

Bingo.

That shit is painful…and most of us do it because the joy is in challenging ourselves, NOT in trying to have fun in the gym.

I remember seeing that often though…people claiming they didn’t like going to the gym because it was “boring”.

I could give a shit how boring it is. This is how you get really big muscles. That is pretty much all that matters.

I think you run into problems if you focused so much on “fun” that 5 years later you look the same or worse.

Getting up before 6am and hitting the gym twice a day ain’t easy and dare I say, is often NOT “fun”.

If the desire to reach a goal wasn’t there, why would I do that?[/quote]

I have to imagine you enjoy the sacrafice that goes into what you do, even if only a little. Even if I’m not the biggest squatter in the gym (lol) I take pride in the work itself… just my humble opinion. [/quote]

Dude, we all enjoy this to some degree…but the key here is that for anyone making people say, “damn, look at that guy”, this is based on RESULTS. Anyone in the gym talking about they love it without the focus on results is likely to not stick with this all out for long.

One thing that keeps me in the gym is the knowledge that I WILL look different this time next year. I always have.

I wouldn’t be spending this much time and money doing this if I was staying the same.

It seems no everyone got the same memo.

There are people who don’t even look like they lift who would likely exclaim how much “fun” they want in the gym…despite doing this shit for a decade.

If I spent ten years to look average, I would be pissed.

44

[quote]kaisermetal wrote:
I love most of the time, but it’s the same love that makes me force myself to drag my tired butt to the gym when i don’t want even to be standing up and could just be sleeping on my couch.

[/quote]

I think you’re confusing this with Lazy.

45

[quote]Loudog75 wrote:

[quote]kaisermetal wrote:
I love most of the time, but it’s the same love that makes me force myself to drag my tired butt to the gym when i don’t want even to be standing up and could just be sleeping on my couch.

[/quote]

I think you’re confusing this with Lazy.[/quote]

Yep.

46

[quote]gregron wrote:

[quote]Loudog75 wrote:
You all seriously enjoy lifting heavy weight? Really?[/quote]

I do. Really.

If there was a pill that I could take that would give me my desired physique I’d take it… but I would still lift cause I enjoy it.[/quote]

I agree with this, yeah so what I’m young but I love being in the gym, I love building myself up for a big lift, I love the feeling of being totally exhausted. I love having to dedicate myself to something, even when its tough (does that make sense)

My coach always told me “if you step in the ring with a warriors heart or a fighter brain you’ve already lost, if you step in with both he’s yours”. I think this applies to lifting too.

47

[quote]Professor X wrote:
I used to be very intense when training. It helped me stay focused in a fucking sea of non-serious people just taking up space.

Today, I will likely be seen laughing or joking with some of the other people in between sets.

You know what changed? Mostly my environment. The 24 hour Fitness I go to has grown to attract a much larger number of serious weight lifters than in the past. I’m no longer one of the only bigger dudes in the gym…which does nothing but motivate me. That air of camaraderie is back…and many of the newbs seem to be picking up on that as well so the respect is returning.

It is still a far cry from the way things were when I first hit a gym, but I don’t tend to screw around when surrounded by people who are JUST screwing around.

When around people working like me, I can afford to joke in between sets…because we both understand the game is back on in “5”.[/quote]

Pretty much same here. When I trained by myself (which was essentially always, up until 6ish months ago), since I didn’t train “with” people it was basically always game-face while at the gym. Now, virtually always training with 1-2 friends, we joke around, fuck around, and laugh between sets, then as soon as the next set is starting it’s 110% serious again. Makes the whole experience much more enjoyable.

48

^ are you sure you enjoy being exhausted. Maybe your happy you made it thru and hit your goal but I’ve never been happy to be tired.

49

[quote]Professor X wrote:

[quote]Quick Ben wrote:

[quote]gregron wrote:

[quote]Loudog75 wrote:
You all seriously enjoy lifting heavy weight? Really?[/quote]

I do. Really.

If there was a pill that I could take that would give me my desired physique I’d take it… but I would still lift cause I enjoy it.[/quote]

I would go to the gym and do one legged bosu ball squats and overhead extensions with a 2lb kettlebell. Ya know, just to fuck with the guys working their asses off. lol[/quote]

They think I do that now.

I train twice a day. The gym near my house is the one I do my lighter morning workout at.

I had one guy come up to me asking how I made that type of progress when I am in and out the gym in about 20min everyday.[/quote]

I have two gyms too, the ones at my “cardio” gym must think walking on a treadmill and doing some stretches is all I do. Fuck em, have some fun with it; next guy who asks, tell him you don’t want to get too big.

50

Training is not “fun” after a while if you do it right. Either I am anxious because I’m about to get under a weight that is heavier than the one I could BARELY do last week, or I am doing some painful shit to get my medial delts to grow. After a while everything you do in the gym has a purpose, and if you are truly trying with all you got to improve performance EVERY SINGLE TIME, I don’t see how anyone could call that “fun.”

After the workout is done and you set 5 new PR’s, now THAT is fun. For a few days… then you realize you have to top that again next time.

51

[quote]Loudog75 wrote:

[quote]Loudog75 wrote:

[quote]gregron wrote:

[quote]Loudog75 wrote:
You all seriously enjoy lifting heavy weight? Really?[/quote]

I do. Really.

If there was a pill that I could take that would give me my desired physique I’d take it… but I would still lift cause I enjoy it.[/quote]

You must be young. See me when you’re older and your joints hurt so bad you need a joint.[/quote]

For you younguns, a joint is a really really skinny blunt.[/quote]

Lol. This was too good to let it slip through the cracks.

52

[quote]Professor X wrote:

Dude, we all enjoy this to some degree…[/quote]

I mean yeah. I wouldn’t do it if it didn’t give me some satisfaction, but that satisfaction comes with a price.

But the gym is a break from life for me. It is something that I have, for me, and I show how good/bad I am at it for everyone to see, there are no excuses. No matter what a boss says to me, or how much of a pain in the ass a client is; no one can take away my progress but me, and no one gave it to me but me.

It is like that Henry Rollins rant. People come and go, but 200lbs is always going to be 200lbs, and I will pwn the fuck out of it. Some people don’t get that part. They go to the gym to go to the gym. And I do also to a degree, but I have a focus and a purpose while there, and would have stopped if I didn’t.

There is a motivation pic out there of a dude curling and it says “I will do today what you won’t, so tomorrow I can do what you can’t.” It is true. So all the elbow pain is worth it. The aches and soreness, it’s worth it. The tired is worth it. At least to me. Is it worth it because I enjoy lifting? In part, but mostly because I enjoy what I get out of it.

And, I’ll be honest here, but the irked responses from people that WON’T do this towards you because you DO do this, are part of the joy.

53

[quote]Quick Ben wrote:
Either I am anxious because I’m about to get under a weight that is heavier than the one I could BARELY do last week, [/quote]

I have worked myself up to the point of hyperventilating quite a few times, lol.

54

[quote]countingbeans wrote:

[quote]Professor X wrote:

Dude, we all enjoy this to some degree…[/quote]

I mean yeah. I wouldn’t do it if it didn’t give me some satisfaction, but that satisfaction comes with a price.

But the gym is a break from life for me. It is something that I have, for me, and I show how good/bad I am at it for everyone to see, there are no excuses. No matter what a boss says to me, or how much of a pain in the ass a client is; no one can take away my progress but me, and no one gave it to me but me.

It is like that Henry Rollins rant. People come and go, but 200lbs is always going to be 200lbs, and I will pwn the fuck out of it. Some people don’t get that part. They go to the gym to go to the gym. And I do also to a degree, but I have a focus and a purpose while there, and would have stopped if I didn’t.

There is a motivation pic out there of a dude curling and it says “I will do today what you won’t, so tomorrow I can do what you can’t.” It is true. So all the elbow pain is worth it. The aches and soreness, it’s worth it. The tired is worth it. At least to me. Is it worth it because I enjoy lifting? In part, but mostly because I enjoy what I get out of it.

And, I’ll be honest here, but the irked responses from people that WON’T do this towards you because you DO do this, are part of the joy. [/quote]

Great post.

55

[quote]Steel Nation wrote:

[quote]Professor X wrote:
I used to be very intense when training. It helped me stay focused in a fucking sea of non-serious people just taking up space.

Today, I will likely be seen laughing or joking with some of the other people in between sets.

You know what changed? Mostly my environment. The 24 hour Fitness I go to has grown to attract a much larger number of serious weight lifters than in the past. I’m no longer one of the only bigger dudes in the gym…which does nothing but motivate me. That air of camaraderie is back…and many of the newbs seem to be picking up on that as well so the respect is returning.

It is still a far cry from the way things were when I first hit a gym, but I don’t tend to screw around when surrounded by people who are JUST screwing around.

When around people working like me, I can afford to joke in between sets…because we both understand the game is back on in “5”.[/quote]

This. Atmosphere is everything.[/quote]

Agreed. For some reason people shit on the notion around here, but I think its invaluable.

56

Do I like lifting heavy? Not really.
Do I like the results and what it does to my body? Absolutely.
If I could get away with dicking around in the gym and not being at all serious and still get the results I desire would I? You be your fucking ass I would.

I would love it if I could get my arms to 18+ inches curling the 25’s and get my quads to 32+ inches squatting 135, but it just doesn’t work that way, at least for me.

57

“* As long as your main lift is properly programmed, you can be as creative (or uncreative) with your assistance work as you want. So squat and do whatever you want - battling ropes, sled, kettlebells, etc. As long as the main lift is kicking ass and planned for, enjoy what you do”

  • Jim Wendler. Today. :slight_smile:
58

Like most I enjoy the added strength and physique changes. I think the biggest thing I like about training though is the progression. I can’t think of anything that gives me the high of hitting a new PR. It’s one of the few things in life you can truly gage on getting out what you put in. It always amazes me to think back to when I first started thinking certain numbers were amazing and now i’m able to do it effortlessly. The pride that i’ve accomplished something and like X said I KNOW i’m going to continue to progress and be better than next year makes it worth it.

Now I should read this at 5 tommorrow morning when I have to wake my ass up to make a big breakfast. Maybe I won’t hate waking up so much.

59

[quote]Professor X wrote:

[quote]twinexperience wrote:

[quote]Professor X wrote:

[quote]Loudog75 wrote:
You all seriously enjoy lifting heavy weight? Really?

I hate it. I only lift becuase I want to be bigger, stronger. If I could take a pill tomorrow and be 275 lean, I’d do it.

Who in their right mind would enjoy getting up at 3:30 AM?

Its a freaking job, I just like the ROI.[/quote]

Bingo.

That shit is painful…and most of us do it because the joy is in challenging ourselves, NOT in trying to have fun in the gym.

I remember seeing that often though…people claiming they didn’t like going to the gym because it was “boring”.

I could give a shit how boring it is. This is how you get really big muscles. That is pretty much all that matters.

I think you run into problems if you focused so much on “fun” that 5 years later you look the same or worse.

Getting up before 6am and hitting the gym twice a day ain’t easy and dare I say, is often NOT “fun”.

If the desire to reach a goal wasn’t there, why would I do that?[/quote]

I have to imagine you enjoy the sacrafice that goes into what you do, even if only a little. Even if I’m not the biggest squatter in the gym (lol) I take pride in the work itself… just my humble opinion. [/quote]

Dude, we all enjoy this to some degree…but the key here is that for anyone making people say, “damn, look at that guy”, this is based on RESULTS. Anyone in the gym talking about they love it without the focus on results is likely to not stick with this all out for long.

One thing that keeps me in the gym is the knowledge that I WILL look different this time next year. I always have.

I wouldn’t be spending this much time and money doing this if I was staying the same.

It seems no everyone got the same memo.

There are people who don’t even look like they lift who would likely exclaim how much “fun” they want in the gym…despite doing this shit for a decade.

If I spent ten years to look average, I would be pissed.[/quote]

Well,

a) That’s a fair point, to each his own and I can appreciate that.

b) Me ain’t a “dude” … so maybe I ain’t there to get huge. Just food for thought.

60

[quote]Professor X wrote:

If I spent ten years to look average, I would be pissed.[/quote]

So there is this forum… nah won’t go there.

The thing I really like about training for me is that its one of the only times where I am truly focused on one thing. Generally through out the day my mind is on multiple things at once, its like I’m watching three tv channels at the same time but when I train there is only the weight which is good so I don’t end up killing myself.