The Gym is Boring

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How do so many people love it so much? You're literally lifting stuff and putting it down again on repeat and running on the spot. Just come over and you can do some heavy lifting for me at mine. I won't charge you.

I went to the gym for two/three months to try and tone up and was actually attending religiously but not particularly finding it enjoyable then one day I was lifting some weights, looking in the mirror and just thought "I'm not enjoying this at all..." and packed up, went home and cancelled my standing order to the gym. I've not been back since.

How do you stay motivated doing such repetitive, monotonous bluergh?

Probably a false assumption on your behalf.

I go 5 days per week and I certainly don't love the gym.

I don't go to be entertained or have a good time. I go for the benefits of putting in the work.


You're literally pushing stupid little plastic keys and making letters appear on a screen.

Every activity is completely ridiculous when reduced to factoids.

'Breathing? How stupid, just taking air in over & over again.'




Put in the work, get the gains.

...But it doesn't happen after 5 minutes.



2-3 months is nothing. Try a few years.

Even better - completely change your lifestyle.

And learn what patience means.



Again, you're assuming it's about enjoyment.


...again... it isn't about enjoyment.

If what put you off was not liking what you seen when you looked at yourself in the mirror, address your diet/lifestyle.

This - on top of a good workout regime - will make a difference.

But it takes time.

Return to your way of life prior to any changes and you'll go back to how you were.




A look at the physical mess that is the majority of society here in the UK provides more than enough motivation.

That, plus not wanting to die from type 2 diabetes 20 years before I should leave this earth.

Plus many other reasons.


PS quitting is easy. Anyone can do it.

Yes it is.
Also the music is loud and driving.
Different smells
Repetitive

I go 5 or so times a week.
Lap swim
Spin cycle and yoga groups.

Why

Dad had diabetes... I was 40 pounds over weight
Triglycerides off the chart.

Doing the right thing when I don't want to is Hard.
Back into the pool at about 6:30 A. M.

I can see why some people would find it boring. I suppose it depends on what you want to do.

When I went to the gym, I found it helpful because there was equipment which I didn't have at home, and I could do exercises which I didn't tend to do elsewhere.

Bring your own music. Listen to a podcast or an audiobook. It also helps if you're following a program and measuring your progress, so you don't feel lost or like you're wasting you're time.

For me, going to the gym is therapeutic. It's a time for me to meditate.

Maybe remembering there are people to whom the gym is an unaffordable luxury might motivate you a bit.

I see it as something profoundly undesirable the world forces you to suffer so you can have a non-contemptible body and a chance to defend yourself when a tough guy decides to beat the crap out of you, or to take advantage of you because he knows you won't have the balls to try to stop him, since you'd only get the s**t beaten out of you as a result. An evolutionary arms race.

Let me stop you there.

Many things are too often described as the 'fault of the world', 'society's fault' etc.

I think you've got it all wrong.



There's an implication in what you're saying that people work out for the benefit of others.

I can only speak on behalf of myself, but I could care less what others think of me - physically or otherwise.

I work out for a number of reasons - none of them involving pleasing others/appealing to others.


Many people take their health seriously in their 30's i.e. when they have finally reached a point of objectivity where they can see themselves as they physically are.

With most, of course, overweight and having a terrible diet.


Wanting to fix this is often preservation of life rather than appealing to some hypothetical woman at the checkout desk in Tesco.


As an ex-fighter I can tell you that it's the 'big muscle guys' who often get the trouble, as those looking for a fight often see them as a challenge, and give them trouble.


Your views seem slightly warped, rather than realistic.

PS having a good physique (or even being strong) doesn't mean you can defend yourself. Going to a gym teaches you nothing of self-defence etc.

I dont know, my friends like it, some go there to meet a partner i guess.

I couldn't take it, i started walking a couple of km every day instead and i'm happy with that. If i need strength i use science, tools or Ki (the art of budo for leverage) to move things. Muscles wont help you if you are an imbecile and like i said in another thread, knowledge weighs nothing.

Of course it is tough and boring, like so much in life. Strength is more than just pushing weights.

A strong healthy body is good for your mind and your health.

May the force and Ki be with you.

Just got off the phone with one of the spin instructors. 6:30 A. M. And going to 8. A. M. Class.

I took the day off the gym yesterday. Did a few push ups. Not my max of 94 at a time. just a few and yoga stretch.

Exercising discretion is the hardest and restraint of pen and tongue for this Level 1 guy.

Side benefit from the gym and home activities showed themselves a few minutes ago.

I had to help my elderly father up off the ground.

If my job was more physical instead of mental and spiritual I would go to the gym less or not at all.

Same for me. I alternate between podcasts and music, with really good headphones that seal out the noise. I find it socially a bit intimidating since I have problems with eye contact, but I can handle it. And ditto also for a program to follow, and especially one that constantly is introducing new exercises, so you're nearly never repeating the same thing (sounds like repetition has you down - you're not alone in this). I'm really happy using this new Fitbod app that provides a recommended regimen for every time I go, and every time it's different exercise, different techniques, so I'm always learning new stuff which keeps me interested and not bored. Plus it's better for you that way. And it also has videos of correct technique, and you can customize as well. So I'm digging it.

But the gym is hard. It's not for everyone, and if you don't dig it, don't go. Walk, hike, chop wood, garden, do whatever you want. Just do something. At least that's my thinking.

Yep. Ive recently started working out and almost everything you can do at the gym can be done else where for next to nothing in terms of money. Of course the gym has perks and advantages but for us or atleast for me socially awkward fellows the Gym to me seems to be a social thing. More so than working out but hey man, some people find solace there. Not really for me though

i'd rather exercise outside of a gym, away from all those people. now if I had friends in the neighborhood who wanted to exercise with me, that'd be close to heaven on earth. but so far that has not happened. nevertheless, solo exercising is still a tonic for the soul, makes one feel more alive.

Auntblabby, maybe you could suggest that when you attend groups, if you haven't already tried? You never know. You might find someone.

I find the gym boring too, but I've taken classes at gyms, like yoga and other classes with the weights. I find the classes to be a bit less boring.

Many of the private gyms cater to women with the classes and the music focused on cardio-based workouts, you should learn to train with your bodyweight and not be dependent on a gym. You can train in nature, it is much more refreshing than a gym and it is completely free of charge.

There are many beginner workouts on YouTube that focus on using your bodyweight to accomplish your goals and you will develop more functional strength over traditional weightlifting or powerlifting.

High intensity training is much more beneficial than low intensity training if you are training for a muscular frame and explosive power, compare sprinters to marathon runners and you will see the difference. If you are running for an hour without seeing results, it is because you are training the wrong way.