Lifting: Hobby or Obsession?

[Dani_Shugart]

Couldn’t you make a case for rationalizing each number on that list? (Except 5. Gross.)

Like, what if lifting IS your social event because you prefer the company of your gym friends? Or maybe you’re an introvert who doesn’t really want to be out and about anyway?

Also, wearing apparel related to your hobby is pretty normal. Is it also a problem for people to wear apparel from their favorite sports teams? You could probably make an argument that everyone’s obsessed with something: musicians, beer, social causes, etc.

Lifting regularly might seem obsessive to someone who doesn’t move her body much. Just like how a person who doesn’t eat junk food might seem like a victim of “diet culture” to anyone who can’t fathom going without it.

But that’s kinda why I think it’s so important to talk about fitness the right way in front of people who aren’t into it. Because they’ll use your dedication as an excuse to never adhere to anything.

“I can’t get fit because I don’t have time to live in the gym, like you!”

So make sure they know that living in the gym is not required or even typical. Make it seem mentally effortless. Because that’s kind of the irony: once it’s habitual, it’s not hard to work hard.

[atlas13]

You know, I actually really like the donuts at work example, because I think it can be used to show the point I’m trying to make.

At my work, someone brings in donuts about once or twice a week. So I have frequent options to have free donuts if I wanted to.

Now I could always take the donut, In which case I probably have a poor diet, but not necessarily an eating disorder. I could sometimes take a donut, sometimes not, In which case I probably would have an okay diet with some moderate junk foods In there. Or I could absolutely never take a donut.

For about the first 6 months at my job, I never took a donut. Not good for me, didn’t sound to appealing, just decided not to. Then one day, they brought in donuts, and for whatever reason a classic glazed just sounded absolutely fantastic. So I took one. And I enjoyed every single bite of it. Then I never really thought of it again until this moment, nor have I grabbed another donut in the last… idk, 7 months since the last one?

And I think that’s in my mind the difference between a diet and disorder. I “can” break from my nutritional protocol for a second, and not be racked with emotional turmoil or subsequent cravings after the event. Not saying I should or that I recommend cheating on your diet, but emotionally, I think you should be able to, especially if you aren’t in preparation for some physique/weight based competition. If someone “can’t” allow themselves the 180 calories from a Krispy Kreme because it wasn’t part of their macro plan, and have anxiety at the thought of such atrocity, or if someone can’t allow themselves to even touch one because they know it will turn into 20, that’s when I would say someone has a problem.

[BrickHead]

Good topic.

Yes, the gym was my obsession for years of my life, and I believe I’m correct that the way I went about it negatively affected it, and I’ve explained in that in several old posts. At some points I was so rigid that I would not go on a date with a woman on a week night because of the gym.

I’ll run down you list regarding those years.

1. Yes. Actually thoughts of muscle and the upcoming workout after work would cross my mind several times per day, from the moment I woke up.

2. Paraphernalia. Put it this way, in my early 20s, I worked at Musclemag International for a couple of years. Remember those old gym brands: NPC Active Wear, Perfetto, Crazee Wear? Haha.

3. Yes, some dreams about it. No, this is not normal.

4. Yes, as stated.

5. I don’t know if I can say harm, but it did hinder myself, specifically making me a gymcel. No, I’m not joking, even though this seems funny.

6. Yes!

[SkyzykS]

@FlatsFarmer

Do you dream of super strength and it’s awesome?

Throwing cars & stuff like Hulk.

[marine77]

Just flew St Louis to Vegas nonstop… didn’t even get peanuts. Im bringing sardines next time

[T3hPwnisher]

You’ll pretty much never get peanuts on a flight these days due to allergies. But I have brought tuna on board before and ate it shamelessly. Gotta get yours.

[marine77]

Fuck it… bringing a Foreman grill onboard

[Chris_Shugart]

Well said.

[Chris_Shugart]

Good points!

[EmilyQ]

@Chris_Shugart

According to psychologist Dr. Perpetua Neo, these are the warning signs that your hobby has crossed over into obsessive behavior:

1. It’s the first thing you do in the morning (or something related to it).
2. You start to wear clothes relating to your hobby. (“You get the paraphernalia.”)
3. You dream about your hobby. (“…or find it difficult to sleep because of thoughts about it.”)
4. You move social events to make time.
5. You stop brushing your teeth. (“Are you giving up the rest of your life and functioning for this? Do you find that you’re harming yourself or somebody else?”)
6. You use your hobby as an escape. (“…relief from the real world.”)

I don’t consider my workouts or focus on fitness an obsession OR a hobby. I would say that it’s an essential element of me. The core components of my life are my family (incl. home, dog), my work, my mind (pursuit of information) and my body, which comprises lifting, cardio, outside time, and just movement in general.

1. It is the first thing I do. Well, after 30 minutes of coffee and internet.
2. I mean, yeah. Of course.
3. I do dream about it. I had a dream recently that I was reporting to someone for completely unrelated reasons, and I was interrupted with “THIS is your dream situation? Wandering around the suburbs and working out at people’s houses??” Ummm, maybe?
4. Definitely, but not in a weird way. You have to make time for important stuff. I block out time for dinner, too.
5. No.
6. Of course. Who doesn’t like to work out angry to pounding music?

[Chris_Shugart]

@EmilyQ

Of course. Who doesn’t like to work out angry to pounding music?

A little aside: There’s a recent study showing that if you’re angry or upset, listening to angry music makes you feel better. I forget the details, but I tried it at the gym when I walked in with a pissy mood. Holy crap, it kinda works. Maybe the music/lifting combo purged the pissiness. (I chose Metallica’s St. Anger, even with Lar’s untuned snare.)

[QuadQueen]

@atlas13

If someone “can’t” allow themselves the 180 calories from a Krispy Kreme because it wasn’t part of their macro plan, and have anxiety at the thought of such atrocity, or if someone can’t allow themselves to even touch one because they know it will turn into 20, that’s when I would say someone has a problem.

Mic drop. This totally nails it.

[atlas13]

Well if you’ll all excuse me, I’m gonna go sit in a glow of smug after having our resident nutrition expert validate my meathead ramblings

[marine77]

Primitive Man - Scorn

Trust me

[Brant_Drake]

@Chris_Shugart

A little aside: There’s a recent study showing that if you’re angry or upset, listening to angry music makes you feel better.

One useful insight I learned was to choose music that is how you want to feel, not how you feel now. If art is how we decorate space, music is how we decorate time.

So wanting to feel agressive instead of pissy makes sense.

Actually, I remember I used to have a micromaniging boss amd I was blasting agressive music. He said something like “How do you listen to this devil shit?” I replied that it was relaxing. Long pause. “You ain’t right boy.”

But to the main question, it’s been a kind of punctuated equilibrium. An obsession when I can, and a hobby when I need.

[EmilyQ]

@Brant_Drake

One useful insight I learned was to choose music that is how you want to feel, not how you feel now.

I talk about this at work, and sometimes have people who are interested make a playlist. It’s been very helpful to me, personally.

Which coincidentally touches on what I’ve come in here to say. I’ve come to say that for me it is neither hobby nor obsession, but rather a love affair that ebbs and flows over time. I would be talking more about running than lifting or anything else, but I think it all has the same foundation. I cross train, of course, because running won’t give me the body I want. (In fact the best I’ve ever looked came after I’d come across this site and incorporated serious lifting into my workouts. I had a year off before graduate school and shifted to primary lift, secondary run. I looked fantastic. But then came graduate school and work and commutes and time was limited. Also, I was working with abused children. Running is where I find mental health benefits, so it returned to top place.)

Anyway, it probably has something to do with the week I spent nursing covid and goofing around and gathering motivation here at TN, as well as the cooler weather, but I’m in a place of joyous infatuation with all of it right now. I’ve gotten back together with my treadmill after a brief time off (no a/c, it’s upstairs) and am thinking about bringing my erg back downstairs, where it will sit awkwardly between the kitchen and living room. If it’s there, I’m likely to play rowing sprint games on it.

Going back to the music, part of the mental health and spirit benefit is because of the music. Here is a picture I took earlier this week, which makes me laugh, because WHY? Why am I photographing my goofy ass almost-20-year-old treadmill? Well, because A) the sun was rising, and B) I was overcome with joy.

In the pic you can see the Bose speakers. They’re hung at exactly my ear level after a complaint from a neighbor made us look into ways to reduce actual volume without me losing the sound I love. (We’re on 2.6 acres. The neighbor is NOT right on top of us, lol.)

Rower is behind me. It’s claustrophobic to use, whereas the treadmill has me in a tree canopy, oblivious to the space around me. Anyway, who takes pics like this who isn’t in the grips of an infatuation? I was happy with the fan because I’ve been struggling with optimal fan when I’m working out downstairs, happy with the sound, happy with the sun, just…happy.

[sweatt]

Apparently I’m somewhere in the middle,