Posted: 9/21/2009 9:17:18 PM EDT
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Everyone has their own reasons ... what are yours?
I have 3 primary reasons. 1. I never wanted my body to be the reason I couldn't do something (be it mtb, snowboard, hike, or whatever). 2. I feel better, have more energy, and stay more (relatively) sane. 3. I once was friends with a really heavy (like morbidly obese) girl ... I was always afraid she would one day voice her solidarity with me by saying, "we big girls gotta stick together." |
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The reason I started working out was to look good for the wiminz, in and out of clothes.
The reason I kept working out was I realized that I was not a good runner and that pissed me off. Plus the wiminz liked it. The reason I will keep working out is that our bodies work better when they are put to work. I work indoors for 12 hours per shift and rarely break a sweat doing so. This is a prescription for dying prematurely unless I balance it with something physical. Oh, and the wiminz like it too. |
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Quoted:
Your body needs it. Everything from your skeleton outward. I'm already busted up, I don't want to degrade further just yet.  I thought you were going to say "to increase stamina when ramming kit!" 
Seriously though, I think I work out because I have always grown up idolizing strong guys, and I always wanted to be one. I started wanting to be one of the ridiculously huge guys, that are so big that not even the girls want anything to do with them, then I realized I just liked strength better, so I have been on and off working towards a goal of becoming stronger. I have hit several road blocks/life situations that kept me away from the gym, but I am more determined now to stay consistent, and accomplish my goals. |
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Q:Why do you work out? A: To hit harder and fuck better. Strong people are generally more useful, and harder to kill. -Rippetoe I love that quote. I stay in shape for many reasons: I don't want my body to hold me back when I want to do something My job requires it I want to be healthy, not some fat slob that is morbidly obese My body is a temple, it's my responsibility to take care of it I want to remain attractive to my wife I want to be able to keep up with my kids, and be able to crush them when they become teenagers should it be required. (they see they crazy stuff I do, I don't think they'll take me on, call it a preemptive measure) |
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Health is intimately related to fitness. I want to be healthy and live so long that funeral directors scream at me as I go by, "Why the fuck don't you DIE, you ancient healthy bastard?!" I don't need to be Superman but I have no objection to reaching "Pretty Awesomely Built Man" status.  (I'm not there yet.)I have some definite strength goals. One is to be able to curl my body weight in free weights, standing or seated, in SLOW curl movements. I'm more than halfway there, being able to curl 125 and I weigh 210. I want to dump a few extra pounds and get down to lean fighting trim, which will probably be 180 to 185 pounds. At that point I'll celebrate by taking a big risk: Get back on my skateboard and hit the half pipe! That's bigtime fun for me but I need to dump surplus weight in order to be somewhat kind to these ankles and knees thatare no longer in their 20s...or even 30s. CJ |
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To keep myself from falling apart. I don't work out in the sense of pushing heavy iron weights around so much anymore though. I keep the metabolism going by cardio training about 65% of time in gym , with strength and flexibility taking the rest of the time. Some cardio work goes anaerobic too in intervals. I really only work-out consistently in the "off-seasons" though ,which are spring and fall. Otherwise I get my exercise thru lifestyle in winter and summer.
Keep the furnace stoked baby , keep it in gear. -JC |
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I work out because: first off, after doing ROTC for four years in college and then serving in the Army, it became a habit.
Second, as a teenager, I trended towards being chubby and I have found out at certain times when I backslid since then (particularly right after I got married) that I could go back to that at the drop of a chicken wing. Third, both my parents had high blood pressure, my dad had adult onset diabetes and they both wound up with heart disease near the end of their lives––-in fact, they both died of congestive heart failure (80 yo for my dad, 81 for my mom). I would like to take better care of my body and ensure that I die of something else.
Fourth, I need to stay strong and healthy so I can be intimidating to my daughter's future boyfriends. And last, because I like being fit. I like being able to do things that my fat, out of shape friends can't do. I like not getting worn out easily and I like the fact that at age 43 I still fit into the clothes I wore in college. I don't want to lose that. |
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because i want to maintain my weight, - i lost weight (50 lbs) and i dont ever want to gain it back - without exercise that will happen, just a matter of time
there are alot of other reasons as well, such as feel better, mental stability, etc.. but i think my main motivation is weight control |
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I like knowing that I am stronger than most other men I encounter daily.
I do not like being limited by my body so I work to increase that limit. I like not having anything to be embarrassed about when going shirtless at the beach. Most of the people you see anymore are disgusting fat bodies that could not climb a flight of stairs without breaking a sweat. This disgusts me so I work hard to insure I never become that guy. |
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The best answer I can give to the question is "because it allows me to do what I did this weekend." Which was....to help two friends move their shop to a new location. It's probably four full loads for a 26 foot U-Haul truck in total and right now ONE load has been completed, and it took both Saturday and Sunday. Why did it take so long? Because this first load had all the heavy stuff in it. Heavy machinery. Lathes, milling machines, engine blocks, engines, all sorts of crap that will break your foot if it lands on it. Frankly I was the only one of us who had the stamina to keep pounding it out. I got hot, I got sweaty, I drank water like mad, but I never got tired though I did most of the work and never stopped until we were done with the offloading. I took frequent mini breaks with lots of water, which is advisable, but that alone can't give you stamina that you don't already have. Good nutrition, a few of the right performance enhancing supplements (I'll swear by the DHEA/Creatine combo to the day I die!) and a workout program that has considerably increased my strength and stamina has paid off in spades for me. This is now quite obvious to me. CJ |
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So I can get a 300 on the USMC pft I hate you  ,
anything over a mile and half is for Kenyans. I have body armor and an ACOG of sorts, why 3 miles WHY!!!!
I am working on a 300 CFT that is my SHIT! cant break 250 on the run, soon though, Iraq is dusty and getting cold. Strong people are more useful and harder to kill (love that one) Helps when fighting Like to lift heavy stuff Like to tear things and bend stuff Marines requires the basics Be able to kick my sons ass when he is a teen Keeps motivation up and stress down |
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The best answer I can give to the question is "because it allows me to do what I did this weekend." Which was....to help two friends move their shop to a new location. CJ Here here on that one. When I get back I have to unpack my storage unitS, as in more than one, because the wife and I have so much shit, lots of heavy stuff, but 4 Marines and 3 trucks and two trailers will have it done before dusk. |
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So I'm not a skinny scrawny twig.
Girls love it Confidence, self esteem Stress reducer BJJ/Wrestling/Boxing Basketball Generally more healthy, happy and overall awesome. It's a rage outlet, it gives me a place to go to get away from EVERYBODY. A place to burn off some anger or steam when somebody gets on my nerves. Once you start... you just cant stop. |
| Another reason...It's cool to push yourself and see just how much you can do. I went to the pool this morning and was just gonna swim my normal 20 laps. Instead, I decided to see how far I could go and made it to 34 laps––-a mile. I'm fucking exhausted, but I also feel very good. |
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i do it for far too many reasons to list, but the main ones are ones already listed
1.) stress relief 2.) not become a fatass 3.)i want to be that old guy still water skiing, snow skiing, running, triathlons, etc. 4.) shooting, yes shooting requires fitness. if you are fat or obese your resting heart rate SUCKS, and you cant lower it for precision shooting. you also cant move and shoot, or probably shoulder anything heavier than a 1022 for longer than dumping a 30 round mag... im not a fitness nut, but i am signed up for a ironman next year.... maybe im just insane... maybe 
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1) Confidence.
2) The power to defend myself, in conjunction with martial arts training. 3) Strength to do things without help constantly. 4) Looks. 5) Clothes fit right. There's others, but my #1 is definitely confidence. If I am not happy with the way I look, it is the #1 motivator. I don't need to see other people in better shape than I, or have girls tell me they wish I was different physically. If I am not happy with the way I look, it effects how I feel about myself, so I fix it. |
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I like getting beat up, almost as much as I like beating others up. Also- confidence, happiness, anger management and intellectual fulfillment. I learn something new all the time. Forgot about anger management, I should have added that to my list. It helps manage any emotion, really. So that's definitely a benefit. |
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If i dont like something about my body, i can improve it with hard work. That said –– exercise for the sake of exercise doesnt do it for me. Right now i also care very little about how healthy i will feel when i'm 85. My training is sports specific (track cycling) I love to race, i dont love to exercise, but i have to do what i have to do to compete (usually 12 hours a week of training, split between the gym and the bike) As long as i can still be competitive at something, the training typically works itself out . If i ever lose my ability to ride a bike, well, they have wheelchair races too
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