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Posted: 9/5/2016 12:25:40 PM EDT
[#1]
Sometimes I set goals, and plan out what I need to do to achieve hose goals. SMART goals (google it if that's new).
Other days if I'm feeling really beat up I'll skip a workout. A workout. Then I get back to it. Why? Because that's what I do. It's hard to explain, but I'm a weightlifter. I lift weights. It doesn't define me, however pushing myself physically partially does...it's part of who I am. Before weightlifting I was into 5/3/1. Before that crossfit. Before that running. Before that I was weak, unfit, and didn't push myself. This may sound a but dramatic, but to not push myself means I'm not being me. |
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Posted: 9/5/2016 12:37:21 PM EDT
[#2]
Set strength / fitness goals. Log your training. The nutritional intake is then just a by-product / necessity of achieving said goals.
For me, I want to hit PRs every cycle, every quarter, and every year. |
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Posted: 9/5/2016 12:51:55 PM EDT
[#3]
Goals, goals, and goals. Set short, medium, and long term goals. Have vision on how to make it happen.
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Posted: 9/5/2016 12:52:32 PM EDT
[#4]
It's just what I do. I have done starting strength in the past, but otherwise I just do what I want when I want to. I also eat what I want to when I want. I feel like enjoying what I do is the key to longevity with weight training. If you don't like your routine or it becomes a "job" then you need to do something different that you enjoy doing so there is never a thought about quiting.
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Posted: 9/5/2016 12:53:10 PM EDT
[#5]
Go to Walmart on a Sunday afternoon. Stand in the area between the racks of crap and registers, take a good look around, and ask yourself one question....
Do I really want to look like these people? If that doesn't motivate you to get your ass into the gym, nothing will. |
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Posted: 9/5/2016 4:20:41 PM EDT
[#6]
Looking good naked mostly. It's vain, but my primary motivator is looking a lot better than other guys my age or younger. I have real problems with strength goals, but I'm going to try harder this winter to set and reach a few.
I slow down a lot for periods of time, for the last two months I've only been lifting 1-2 times a week, but I still try to fit it in when I can. As far as the diet thing, that just becomes a habit. Eat clean and count calories and macros for a year, and you will set the pace forever on how you view your meals and how much you pay attention to the ingredients in the food you eat. |
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Posted: 9/5/2016 5:33:03 PM EDT
[#7]
Just drink a lot of C4. Either workout or you die.
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Posted: 9/5/2016 6:20:15 PM EDT
[#8]
Thanks...
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Posted: 9/5/2016 7:10:57 PM EDT
[#9]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Set strength / fitness goals. Log your training. The nutritional intake is then just a by-product / necessity of achieving said goals. That's what does it for me. I'm a goal driven individual. I'm doing a goruck tough and a cola warrior first quarter next year, so those are enough to keep me on point. You gotta find what motivates you. For me, without goals and specific milestones, I lose interest. |
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Posted: 9/5/2016 7:30:37 PM EDT
[#10]
I ignore myself and drink c4
But alsi finding a level that works for you. You won't stuck with it if it's too much. |
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Posted: 9/5/2016 7:37:53 PM EDT
[#11]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Before weightlifting I was into 5/3/1. what 
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Posted: 9/5/2016 7:41:57 PM EDT
[#12]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
what Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
Before weightlifting I was into 5/3/1. what Weight lifting is Olympic lifts. |
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Posted: 9/5/2016 7:51:40 PM EDT
[#13]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Weight lifting is Olympic lifts. Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
Before weightlifting I was into 5/3/1. what Weight lifting is Olympic lifts. I'm so dumb at this. |
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Posted: 9/5/2016 9:10:10 PM EDT
[#14]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
what Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
Before weightlifting I was into 5/3/1. what Before weightlifting...as in the sport of weightlifting ie; the snatch and the clean and jerk, I did 5/3/1 which is not weightlifting, but powerlifting. ETA: just so we're all on the same page: powerlifting = squat, deadlift bench weightlifting = the classic snatch and clean & jerk if you're talking about generic gym routines then it's lifting weights or weight lifting....not weightlifting though. Only in the US do we call it olympic weightlifting. The rest of the world (and US weightlifters) calls it weightlifting. |
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Posted: 9/5/2016 9:16:45 PM EDT
[#15]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Before weightlifting...as in the sport of weightlifting ie; the snatch and the clean and jerk, I did 5/3/1 which is not weightlifting, but powerlifting. ETA: just so we're all on the same page: powerlifting = squat, deadlift bench weightlifting = the classic snatch and clean & jerk if you're talking about generic gym routines then it's lifting weights or weight lifting....not weightlifting though. Only in the US do we call it olympic weightlifting. The rest of the world (and US weightlifters) calls it weightlifting. Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
Before weightlifting I was into 5/3/1. what Before weightlifting...as in the sport of weightlifting ie; the snatch and the clean and jerk, I did 5/3/1 which is not weightlifting, but powerlifting. ETA: just so we're all on the same page: powerlifting = squat, deadlift bench weightlifting = the classic snatch and clean & jerk if you're talking about generic gym routines then it's lifting weights or weight lifting....not weightlifting though. Only in the US do we call it olympic weightlifting. The rest of the world (and US weightlifters) calls it weightlifting. thx for that |
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Posted: 9/5/2016 9:54:07 PM EDT
[#16]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
thx for that Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
Before weightlifting I was into 5/3/1. what Before weightlifting...as in the sport of weightlifting ie; the snatch and the clean and jerk, I did 5/3/1 which is not weightlifting, but powerlifting. ETA: just so we're all on the same page: powerlifting = squat, deadlift bench weightlifting = the classic snatch and clean & jerk if you're talking about generic gym routines then it's lifting weights or weight lifting....not weightlifting though. Only in the US do we call it olympic weightlifting. The rest of the world (and US weightlifters) calls it weightlifting. thx for that And some of us are just here for the bulking. |
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Posted: 9/6/2016 2:31:18 AM EDT
[#17]
Quoted:
I understand nutrition well enough, and I have worked out on and off all of my life. When I am "on", my diet is lots of wild game, lots of vegetables. My work out is a pretty healthy mix of cardio and weights. But I just can't stick with it. I "start stop" so often....I truly admire you folks who stick with it as a lifestyle. How do you do it? Whats in your head that makes you keep it up as a permanent lifestyle? Much respect....and help. I'm 53....I feel like I need to make one more good run at being healthy for life. I empathize with you. In younger years I was never able to stick with my workouts. Was an off and on thing, and always much more off than on. I'm 71 now, and have been doing well at sticking with it for the last year and a half. However, I've managed to do so only because I'm in a nursing home where there is nothing else to do all day besides watch TV or sit at the computer and participate in internet forums. 
Unlike others here, I don't set goals because I find setting goals to be counter-productive. I just focus on getting a good workout, and let increases in weight or reps happen when my muscles are ready to handle the increase. (Which hasn't occurred since late last year... )
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Posted: 9/6/2016 8:44:08 AM EDT
[#18]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
And some of us are just here for the bulking. I bulked for years. Just in all the wrong places.
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Posted: 9/6/2016 9:09:07 AM EDT
[#19]
I'm an engineer, so for me delving into the science of nutrition and how the body works, and what the long term ramifications of a poor diet and lack of exercise are is enough motivation to keep me going.
I don't want to be immobile and mush minded when I'm older because I wanted to drink beer, eat pizza, and watch football instead of eating clean and getting stronger when I was young. |
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Posted: 9/6/2016 9:27:27 AM EDT
[#20]
You need to reprogram your cravings, which means eating new things. You still want to taste the old stuff. It takes time, but I'd suggest "strong" tasting healthier foods. Add spices to the meat & vegetables you eat for more taste impact. Also, drink a glass of water prior to every meal so you get to satiety quicker.
Diet really is a lifestyle choice. You have to want it more than the old habits. Stick with it & your cravings will shift towards your new chosen habits. Just takes time - months to yrs. |
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Posted: 9/6/2016 10:23:33 AM EDT
[#21]
I think about what im going to do in the gym through out the day. I think about the deep burn ill achieve with bench or the feeling of power im going to get from deadlifting.
when it comes to cardio i just watch hulu on my phone and force myself through it |
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Posted: 9/6/2016 4:58:48 PM EDT
[#22]
Depends on the person really. I don't have any particular "goals" per se except to be fit. I also compete in a lot of races and obstacle course races, so my "train up" is typically geared towards those. But in general I am just use to exercising at least 5 times per week from the military and except for a period of about 18 months as soon as I got out its just a part of daily life. You also have to make it a priority or its real easy to slack off.
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Posted: 9/6/2016 6:00:35 PM EDT
[#23]
The only thing that has ever worked for me for "working out" has been strength training and chasing more and more weight on the bar.
That is what keeps me interested. Until then, when I had no idea what I was doing, I could never make it past 6 weeks before I would quit. |
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Posted: 9/25/2016 4:29:05 PM EDT
[#24]
Getting dunked (hydrostatic weighing) every couple months has helped keep me on the straight and narrow for the past few years. I'm a 52 year old married man, so body fat and lean mass are more important to me that what I see on the scale or in the mirror. My goal is to continue to gain lean mass as long as I can, and then to fight to keep it as long as I can (most men start losing lean mass around 50). Seeing the data (good or bad) keeps me motivated. If the trend is going in the right direction, it tells me I'm doing the right thing. If it's going the wrong direction, it reminds me that I'm doing the wrong things (usually backsliding on the carbs). This works for me. YMMV.
Seeing my personal records for lifts and CrossFit benchmark workouts also keeps me motivated. I just broke 200 pounds in the Clean and 400 pounds in the Deadlift this morning 
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Posted: 9/25/2016 4:44:33 PM EDT
[#25]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Getting dunked (hydrostatic weighing) every couple months has helped keep me on the straight and narrow for the past few years. I'm a 52 year old married man, so body fat and lean mass are more important to me that what I see on the scale or in the mirror. My goal is to continue to gain lean mass as long as I can, and then to fight to keep it as long as I can (most men start losing lean mass around 50). Seeing the data (good or bad) keeps me motivated. If the trend is going in the right direction, it tells me I'm doing the right thing. If it's going the wrong direction, it reminds me that I'm doing the wrong things (usually backsliding on the carbs). This works for me. YMMV. Seeing my personal records for lifts and CrossFit benchmark workouts also keeps me motivated. I just broke 200 pounds in the Clean and 400 pounds in the Deadlift this morning 
Well done dude. I hope I'm in that good of shape when I'm in my 50s. |
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Posted: 9/25/2016 5:15:16 PM EDT
[#26]
1. The gym is my stress relief
2. I have a family to protect. I need long term durability and resilience. It is my job to make myself harder to kill. |
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Posted: 9/25/2016 6:00:10 PM EDT
[#27]
When I was in my 20's the older guys said, "I could run around like that too, we'll see if you're still bouncing around in 10 years/my age."
Now in my 30's the older guys say, "you keep running around like that you'll be like me in 10 years/my age." I have a reputation and make it a point to be able to out work anyone, anytime. I'm going to be that 50 year that can still go out and bury kids in there 20's. The reason those old fucks are broke and busted is because they tried to keep up with guys like me. Nobody ever realizes I didn't just jump off the coach like they did and don't go home from an office job and watch TV all night. While they fucked around and got soft in the off season, I never stopped training. EDIT: And I love training and lifting anyway. I'm drawn to the complexity of Olympic weightlifting because they're such simple movements and when done right are literally art in motion. Such a simple task, yet so complex. Then there's the absolute measurements, there are no if's. You're only getting better, or you're not. |
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Posted: 9/25/2016 7:09:19 PM EDT
[#28]
Lately, I haven't been sticking with it. Gotten kinda discouraged by not only a lack of progress, but even going in reverse. As a result, this month I found myself skipping nearly all of my leg days.
Really need to get motivated, and get back to it. |
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Posted: 9/26/2016 1:10:26 PM EDT
[#29]
This...and I watch a lot of those motivational Youtube videos.
Quote HistoryQuoted:
1. The gym is my stress relief 2. I have a family to protect. I need long term durability and resilience. It is my job to make myself harder to kill. |
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Posted: 10/21/2016 8:19:46 PM EDT
[#30]
Been lifting for over 50 years and I’ve learned that:
It’s so damned easy to get excited about your progress and start adding more exercises, more weight, more sets, more reps. After a while, you get burned out without realizing it. Your mind starts inventing reasons to skip workouts. Before you know it, you’ve skipped weeks or months and have to start over. My solution to this is, do 4 or 5 different exercises, 4 sets per exercise, a half hour of cardio and go home! I try to stick to compound exercises, like bench press/pushups, pull-ups, low rows, shrugs, overhead press, etc. I stay away from most isolation exercises. I’ll do some curls now and then and my “push” days include triceps extensions. Always do your core exercises! Naturally, the hard-core gym rats will give you different advice. That’s fine. I used to spend hours in the gym too, but with a job and a family, it was more than I could handle. As others have said, goals are important. My goal is to be able to do whatever the hell I want for another 40 years. That requires me to keep my weight under 140 lbs (I’m 5’9”) and my waist under 31”. I’m 70 years old now. I can do 16-17 dead-hang pull-ups and 90-100 pushups. My wife and I take an extended European vacation every year and have no trouble staying on our feet every day for weeks, including a LOT of up and down steps in ancient buildings. Last month in Dubrovnik, we spent a morning climbing steep stone steps (150-200) getting from one street to another. I used to curse the Stairmaster, but no longer! |
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Posted: 10/22/2016 10:04:21 AM EDT
[#31]
Words to live by!
I feel much the same way about goals for working out. Use to be a competitive bodybuilder. Now, I just want to be healthy yet still eat what I'd like. You're right about those steps in Dubrovnik. Those steps\path all the way around the city was something to behold! Quote HistoryQuoted:
Been lifting for over 50 years and I’ve learned that: It’s so damned easy to get excited about your progress and start adding more exercises, more weight, more sets, more reps. After a while, you get burned out without realizing it. Your mind starts inventing reasons to skip workouts. Before you know it, you’ve skipped weeks or months and have to start over. My solution to this is, do 4 or 5 different exercises, 4 sets per exercise, a half hour of cardio and go home! I try to stick to compound exercises, like bench press/pushups, pull-ups, low rows, shrugs, overhead press, etc. I stay away from most isolation exercises. I’ll do some curls now and then and my “push” days include triceps extensions. Always do your core exercises! Naturally, the hard-core gym rats will give you different advice. That’s fine. I used to spend hours in the gym too, but with a job and a family, it was more than I could handle. As others have said, goals are important. My goal is to be able to do whatever the hell I want for another 40 years. That requires me to keep my weight under 140 lbs (I’m 5’9”) and my waist under 31”. I’m 70 years old now. I can do 16-17 dead-hang pull-ups and 90-100 pushups. My wife and I take an extended European vacation every year and have no trouble staying on our feet every day for weeks, including a LOT of up and down steps in ancient buildings. Last month in Dubrovnik, we spent a morning climbing steep stone steps (150-200) getting from one street to another. I used to curse the Stairmaster, but no longer! |
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Posted: 10/23/2016 12:35:02 PM EDT
[#32]
Quoted:
I understand nutrition well enough, and I have worked out on and off all of my life. When I am "on", my diet is lots of wild game, lots of vegetables. My work out is a pretty healthy mix of cardio and weights. But I just can't stick with it. I "start stop" so often....I truly admire you folks who stick with it as a lifestyle. How do you do it? Whats in your head that makes you keep it up as a permanent lifestyle? Much respect....and help. I'm 53....I feel like I need to make one more good run at being healthy for life. Find something you enjoying doing. A suboptimal workout that you do consistently beats an optimal workout that you skip often. Food - I like to cook and I like being healthy more than I like being a giant fatass, although I could stand to lose 15 pounds. I don't have a "diet" because that implies something temporary. It's not hard for me, at least when I am not travelling. I eat whole foods and shun processed foods and sugar. There are soooo many delicious healthy things to eat, that I feel like I don't have time to get to all of them. Grilled oysters and roasted local squash last night. Bacon-wrapped chicken livers from local pastured chickens tonight 
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Posted: 10/24/2016 5:18:26 AM EDT
[#33]
Like you said, it's a lifestyle. I don't feel right in the head if I don't do something in the gym. It's like showering and brushing teeth twice a day. Just isn't right if I don't get my ass in the basement 3-4 times per week. I don't lift weights to win at any sports or to be the best looking guy on the block. I do it because it makes me feel good. It's another thing where I have a sense of personal accomplishment, where results aren't attributed to money or anyone else's efforts to help me. I get work done and the results are the purest form of success I've experienced. I don't always feel all that great when I start warming up, but regardless of what I do in the gym I always feel better when I'm finished.
All that said, I've got several friends and co-workers, some several years younger than me, that have gout, hypertension, chronic obesity, diabetes, kidney failure, etc. Some of these guys are on meds that they will likely take their whole lives. I've known a couple that have dropped dead in their 40's and 50's from heart attacks, brought on by being stressed, overweight and sitting on their ass. This is what keeps me from the McDonald's drive through and buying lean beef, chicken, rice, eggs, veggies and cooking about 95% of food I consume. It took longer to get into the habit of cooking my own food than to get into lifting weights, but once I figured it out, it became second nature. |
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Posted: 10/24/2016 8:40:26 AM EDT
[#34]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Before weightlifting...as in the sport of weightlifting ie; the snatch and the clean and jerk, I did 5/3/1 which is not weightlifting, but powerlifting. ETA: just so we're all on the same page: powerlifting = squat, deadlift bench weightlifting = the classic snatch and clean & jerk if you're talking about generic gym routines then it's lifting weights or weight lifting....not weightlifting though. Only in the US do we call it olympic weightlifting. The rest of the world (and US weightlifters) calls it weightlifting. Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
Before weightlifting I was into 5/3/1. what Before weightlifting...as in the sport of weightlifting ie; the snatch and the clean and jerk, I did 5/3/1 which is not weightlifting, but powerlifting. ETA: just so we're all on the same page: powerlifting = squat, deadlift bench weightlifting = the classic snatch and clean & jerk if you're talking about generic gym routines then it's lifting weights or weight lifting....not weightlifting though. Only in the US do we call it olympic weightlifting. The rest of the world (and US weightlifters) calls it weightlifting. I never knew that. Cool |
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Posted: 10/27/2016 6:47:22 AM EDT
[#35]
Having someone to train with helps a huge amount on those days when enthusiasm is low. DH and I train together in our garage gym 3x/wk.
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Posted: 10/27/2016 10:34:44 AM EDT
[#36]
It helps me stay motivated when I have something to train for. A strongman competition. Or a meet of some sort. A PT test. Whatever.
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Posted: 10/27/2016 4:36:05 PM EDT
[#37]
For me, lifting weights was a mandatory lifestyle change. It's either lifting to control my cholesterol or take statins and all the side effects that come with them.
I did Stronglifts 5x5 from November 2015 through September 2016. Unfortunately, it got to the point where squatting 3x per week was too much for me at the weight I was lifting, and I still have not hit my goal of squatting 315 yet.  Now, I have transitioned to a 4 day push-pull workout. Monday - Bench press and 2 to 3 chest supporting exercises (incline flyes, chest dips, crossover cables, etc.) Tuesday - Deadlift and 2 to 3 back supporting exercises (bent over row, cable row, lat pulldown, back extension, etc.) Wednesday - Rest Thursday - Standing shoulder press and 2 to 3 shoulder supporting exercises (seated shoulder press, front raises, lateral raises, etc.) I also perform another 2 lightweight rotator cuff exercises on shoulder day. Friday - Squats and 2 to 3 leg supporting exercises (leg extension, leg curl, calf raises, leg press, front squats, goblet squats, etc.) Saturday - Rest Sometimes I swap Sunday and Monday, depending on how my weekend goes. If I do Monday's workout on Sunday, then I rest Monday too. It's complicated how I do this, lol. |
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Posted: 11/2/2016 6:58:50 AM EDT
[#38]
Whats helped me stick with "it" is to keep fitness interesting and fun. I don't do just one thing for fitness, I try to do as many different activities as I can. In college I lifted weights in the school gym and we rode bikes to class and mountain biked for fun. I also have a road bike that I ride when I want to get out and let my mind wander, or jump in a group ride and try to hang on with the big boys lol. I also hike, do CrossFit, local 5Ks(even though I have running), obstacle course races, poorly executed Olympic lifts and still have some bodybuilding style meathead lifting in there too. I get in soccer practice at the local park and tried rock climbing a few times, found out im still too heavy for all that mess.
It really helps to have friends that are into stuff like that as well, as you can talk each other into doing stuff when you lack the motivation. |
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Posted: 11/7/2016 8:15:08 AM EDT
[#39]
Some pretty good motivation here, thank you
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Posted: 11/10/2016 1:46:44 AM EDT
[#40]
It took me a long time to learn how to enjoy the gym but now its my 'me' time. I genuinely enjoy it. The first thing I do after a wake up and shit/shave 7 days a week is hit the gym. Once I'm there I spend at least 45 minutes as a minimum. Assuming I have something super early in the morning going on then I go as soon as I can in the evening when I get free time. But I really try not to do that. After years of this routine/habit I physically feel drained & drag ass all day if I don't start off my day in the gym. Even if I need a rest day I'll just do some light stretching & soft cardio to pass the time and get my body moving.
The first step I had to take towards making the life change was realizing what I 'feel' like doing is irrelevant. I have to be in the gym/working out every single day for the rest of my life. I might as well learn to enjoy it. The simple truth is unless your working/non stop for 16+ hours a day. Everyone can slide in a 30-45 minute workout every day. Every now and then I might have to work a 16-20 hour day and in those cases I take off. If its just a 12-14 hour work day I'm still working out. Sure that extra hour or two of sleep would probably be nice. But being shredded and healthy feels a lot nicer. You have to be disciplined. I don't look at the aging process as my body slowly going down hill/with a steady decline as I get older. I look at it as an opportunity for my physique to mature as time goes on. I'll be hitting 30 soon and I'm leaner, stronger, and in better shape then I've ever been. I don't have any friends/associates in their 60s but the guys I know in their 40s & 50s who have a similar mindset to myself are in damn good shape as well. |
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Posted: 11/10/2016 6:19:20 AM EDT
[#41]
Everyone can slide in a 30-45 minute workout every day. I used to think that until we had kids.
I still make it a point to get as many workouts as I can in, but sometimes you just can't do it, especially that first year. Not making excuses for people, but once I had a few kids I realized why parents always looked tired, until they are big enough to wipe their own butts and communicate effectively, it's daunting. |
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Posted: 11/11/2016 12:49:40 PM EDT
[#42]
I feel kind of lucky. If I stop, my BP skyrockets. Seems odd, but lifting keeps it in check and when it is high, I feel like garbage.
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