I like when it’s over.
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Do you like competing? The physique changes?
Competing is fun, and I greatly enjoy the results of training. It’s why I do it. But I hate training.
If I could get the results of training WITHOUT training, I’d absolutely not train.
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I like competing and the results, but also enjoy the training. Not always. Squats yesterday after being up until early morning drinking at a Halloween party were particularly unpleasant.
I am training with friends, in a social setting. Still work hard, but I think that makes it more fun.
That sounds weird to me honestly.
It really was your idea (since your solipsism).
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I’m the same!
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I’m with @T3hPwnisher in that the training isn’t really fun. There is certainly nothing fun with slow tempo long pauses squats !!! I think with powerlifting you have to love the process. The programming, the way small accumulation in training builds over time and the longer term results. I don’t go to the gym to socialise and I certainly don’t have fun while I am there. But if the question was do I enjoy training then the answer is different. I like the simplicity of doing work, And enjoy the process.
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I think what gets lost here is the idea that progress is the important thing if you’re training to progress. Progressing is not about having fun. Having fun is about having fun.
Sure, general population have no desire to train for anything other than fun in many cases. So programming for them isn’t really programming. You just throw exercises at them that the enjoy, and bang, overnight success.
When you get someone who wants to progress, that’s when programming is important and when fun isn’t part of the picture. The idea that training to progress needs to be enjoyable or interesting is something that holds many, many people back. Yes, you’ll get some degree of progress as long as you work consistently but when you maintain that whatever training you do must also be fun, you leave a huge amount on the table because like as not you will frequently change how you train.
The logs here are replete with perfectly dedicated people who have themselves said that their progress is not all it could be because they prioritise enjoyment in their training. Compare that with the people who care more about results, who never consider whether training is enjoyable compared to whether it is effective.
To say that as rule all training must be fun is ridiculous. Ask any successful athlete, amateur or professional, how much fun their training is. So when someone comes in talking about having actual goals to improve, it is reasonable to advise them to cease seeking enjoyment from their training and instead seek progress.
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Check out the Greg Knuckols/Omar Isuf Bulgarian program. Serious
100%. I didn’t mean to say that training should be fun every time all the time, but you program should be tailored to your goals AND interests.
High rep barbell work is very demotivating for me. So I don’t do it. Same with doing lots of sets on one exercise, but if it’s 10x2 speed work, that’s fun. So there are workarounds to get the best of both worlds much of the time.
What happens when interests and goals don’t align?
Give an example
The time restraints were not always adhered to, since a four-year-old girl frequently visits me and wants to work in.
My squat went up by 50 lbs, hip thrust (which I typically substitute for deadlift due to lower back issues) is up to 535 (from 455), farmer’s walks and other carries have increased considerably, and I can now do multiple sets of 10 slow-eccentric dragon flags with no issues.
The program helped me become much stronger in general. One day on a whim I decided to do wide snatch-grip deadlifts and I got 405 for an easy single with just chalk (previous best was a grinding 385 with a narrower grip about a year prior, which was the last time I did SG deads).
I’ve also gained 10 lbs with no loss in ab definition and I’ve noticed some vascularity in my quads, which is new to me.
Say someone wants to get stronger on the squat, bench and deadlift (goal) but get bored when training those lifts and the relevant assistance (interest).
That’s just an example, but it’s something I’ve seen fairly frequently.
Well, my sessions became more interesting and stimulating once I started squatting in the 6-8 range instead of 3-5 range.
Maybe “fun” is the wrong word, but I enjoy the suffering. It changed my sessions from resting 3-4 minutes after a hard triple where I’d do small correctives at most or just rest (because I “needed” to) to now supersetting squats with ab-work done with pronounced effort and that just sits better with me.
“You know what I like about our sessions? I always leave feeling that I’ve accomplished something.”
— Joe Buck (source: CrossFit is Not a Fad)
So, over all I’d argue I’m having more “fun” but I get that using that word in that context may be improper depending on who you are.
And then, there are people that want things without really needing them. I want to be able to play the guitar, I’m enamoured by the idea, but I don’t need to play the guitar so I don’t pick it up to the point where I’m identified by my peers as someone that knows how to play the guitar.
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I guess it depends how this aligns to your overall goals. If the goal to specifically powerlifting as in 1RM then the lower ranges may be more productive. If that is the case then the training isn’t “fun” but it is productive and works towards the goal.
Hope this makes sense
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It does. I’m still a beginner though, so the higher reps still grant me strength,
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I’d look to exercise variation, set/rep scheme variation, and what type of split they’re on. Variation exists on a spectrum. Some people like more some people like less. It’s often not the exercise itself, but the way it’s being trained or that the person doesn’t feel successful when they do that lift.
If squats feel weird and you suck at them, doing 6 sets on one day is a terrible idea. You might be better off doing just 2 sets over 3 days instead. You’ll get better at them, and mentally it’s just 2 sets and you’re done. Less overwhelming.
If you like squats, but a 5x5 scheme is boring you another scheme can be used. Maybe it’s 8x3, maybe it’s 3x10, maybe it’s 3x5 plus more volume on a different exercise. There are many ways to skin a cat.
I would say that powerlifting probably isn’t for them. We only compete a couple times a year, and even the best lifters at local meets win a belt or something if they are lucky.
Why treat this like a job and grind through if there is basically nothing to gain from it? Again, I am not saying I enjoy every day, or every set, but overall I do enjoy the workouts.
Maybe as I progress further I will not like the process as much. Maybe I’ll give strongman a try for a while if I get in a rut. It comes down to having fun for me, but I also do get results.
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