I hate lifting

I know I'm going to get murdered here... but I absolutely cannot stand lifting.  I don't feel well while I'm lifting or after; it's just overall an unenjoyable activity for me.  I run 4 days a week and am losing weight, but I'm well aware that I don't look anything like girls who lift (they look a lot better).

Is lifting necessary for something other than aesthetic purposes?  

I'm not sure what I'm trying to accomplish with this topic.. I just notice a lot of people suggesting weight lifting as the primary way to fitness, and I feel somehow inferior because I can't bring myself to do it.   Does anyone feel the same?  Anyone want to argue reasons why lifting is the best?  Will I learn to love it if I give it a chance?

I personally think that lifting is better, not only for aesthetic reasons, but because being strong and having muscle is good for health, and good for life.

That said, I understand hating it. I used to hate it too, til I started following a real routine with free weights (I always felt uncomfortable on machines, only to find out that they were more likely to stress out my joints), and tracking my results so that I could see my improvement over time. I also started working out with my fiance, I having someone spot me and encourage me, and tell me I rock when I get done with  a really tough workout makes it even more enjoyable for me.

There are ways to do lifting that isn't just working the free weights. Some people love kettlebells, so that might be a way to get into it. But at the end of the day, if weights aren't your thing, don't feel like you are inferior - the best exercise is the one that you will do.

Ah-ha!  I clicked to respond, and amethystgirl pretty much said what I would have said. 

I love lifting.  It makes me feel good - strong and confident.  There are health benefits to heavy lifting, especially in conjunction with cardio, but if you hate it, you hate it.  Give it a fair chance, but if you don't like it that is your call.

I would like to add, though, that there are body weight exercises you could do that might not be quite so awful-feeling to you.

And I can't run - I finally got to where I can jog, slowly, for about 5 minutes.  That is a personal, lifelong best.  I feel a bit inferior about that.  Everyone has strengths (no pun intended) and weaknesses, and different interests.

Thanks ladies for the thoughtful responses.   I guess I'm kind of trying to justify not doing any strength training, when deep down inside I know I can't JUST run forever; from what I've read I'll get injured if I don't do some strength training.

Puh0suwrux--  do you know of any links to good body weight exercises I can try out?

Here's a no-weight workout from CC: http://caloriecount.about.com/article/partner /no_weight_workout

And then Your Body is a Barbell has been recommended lots on the forums: http://www.alwyncosgrove.com/bodyisabarbell.h tml.  Love the name.

I am one of the New Rules of Lifting girls - but lots of those exercises I actually started at body weight (and it was tough!)  Another book I've heard recommended is Starting Strength.

For me, enjoying lifting really came with confidence in the weight room.  Knowing how to do the lifts correctly, feeling like I didn't look like an idiot, feeling like I could actually lift some weight, that was when I started to enjoy it.  And it got rid of my knee and hip pain in two weeks that I'd had for about a year.  The treadmill didn't do that after a month.

You sound just like my husband.  We're both into endurance sports, but I come from a weightlifting background and have always loved it.  He just thought it was boring and annoying.  I think it took about three years before he finally tried it with me.  Now he won't give it up, even though he is currently training 20 hours a week for his upcoming Ironman.  It was a slow process for him to learn to like it, but it happened.  So YES, you may learn to love it if you give it a chance.

Beyond that, I feel pretty strongly that weight lifting (done correctly) benefits runners greatly in injury prevention.  Say you get an injury... your doctor is going to send you to PT, where they will most likely address your muscle imbalances with strength training.  So I think in your case, yes, there is a benefit to strength training beyond simply looking good.

Just caught up on the responses... Simplefit.org has some good bodyweight stuff too.  I can't link to the program directly because I'm at work and that site is filtered, but there is a program on there consisting of pushups/pullups/squats.  You can do the program at home if you get a pullup bar ($50ish) and some assist bands.

I hate it too, but I do it three times a week anyway.  I do like the way I feel when I get done though.  Endorphins are the greatest!

For most people a workout they don't enjoy is not one they will continue doing.  So do what you enjoy. 

That said, I love my weight workouts.  I love what they do for my body, and along with all the other benefits that have already been mentioned, it can also help to prevent osteoporosis. I don't want to be a bent-over old lady who is worried about her hips breaking.  I also want to be able to lift my great-grandkids.

puh8-  thank you for the links, and I can relate to how you used to feel in the weight room.  I tried lifting with my boyfriend last year, and I felt pretty silly with all those buff dudes (and ladies) around me.  Also, I wasn't counting calories so I was just gaining muscle under my fat, which was not so attractive.

danielle-  Yep, boring and annoying describes it for me.  The story about your husband gives me some hope that I could get into it at some point.  I'm at the point where I'm trying to push myself to lift, and once something clicks in me, I'm sure I'll go for it... just not today ;)

Also, my XC coach in high school used to have us weight train a couple days in addition to running.  I have to admit I completely half-a**ed it and didn't get much accomplished (besides crunches, I've always loved those).  But I'm sure he was making us lift for a reason, and that's always in the back of my head.

Thanks everyone for giving me different perspectives and a lot to think about.  I appreciate it!

I really do love lifting.  Besides the whole confidence thing and watching my body change, I love it for the great women's health benefits.  Lifting does WONDERS for women's bones, which tend to lose density through time, and puts us at risk for osteoporosis and proneness to breaking bones.  It's also great for posture, joint support, and metabolism.  

If you stick with it, you will start to see great results, and will be more motivated.  I got WAY more motivated when I started to see great definition in my chest and shoulders.  I also lift heavy.  There is no difference between "toning," "sculpting," "building" muscle.. Muscle is muscle.  So use some weights that challenge you, and be proud of yourself for making yourself strong!

Larissa

I hate lifting and still hate it.  I will run my legs off or StairMaster for hours but when it comes to lifting weights I simply would not do it.  So I found a good alternative:  yoga.  Yoga stretches you out and you work your core and all of the other various muscle groups using your own body weight to build strength.  I am a lot stronger than I used to be, and I am completely toned, and I haven't lifted a weight in well over a year. 

do what you love the money weight loss will follow.

i love lifting! it takes so much focus to keep your mind on your form and in your muscle. intense.

and its not cardio! i do cardio all the time but lifting days are like ahhhh...yes.

exactly what chicanamama said. its a great way to prevent muscle & bone loss, something you'll be thankful for when you get older.

and like amethyst said...i've heard good things about kettleballs, especially if you can find the right routine that's fun. technically they are just like dumbbells, but dumbbells you can dance with.

I lift while I watch tv using light weights and many repitions. It's more bearable, and I am not left in agony afterwards, or completely bored during. I started out with large soup cans and have progressed up to some 5 pound weights I bought at a thrift store for $2.

I love weightlifting because it's helped in various sports and I like the feeling of getting stronger and stronger.

Sometimes you need to find the right weight lifting program to really enjoy it.  Some prefer the bodybuilding style of bodypart splits, some prefer wholebody workouts and others prefer olympic weightlifting.

Have you ever been on a structured strength training program with goals?

Simon-  no, I haven't been on a structured strength training program before.   That may actually help me a lot because I tend to be disorganized and lifting seems to take some planning.

Thanks to everyone for responding.   I am going to try just a bit of lifting sometime this week.. probably with light weights in front of my TV like klc said :)  I'll let you guys know how it goes.

A structured program will help you to focus on goals and keep you motivated. 

Definitly give it a go and see how you get on.

I love lifting.  At least I love how it has changed my body.  Lifting is great because unlike running you can actually sculpt your body.  Within it's genetic limits of course.  I've always been (and will be) a pear shape but because of lifting I'm much less of a pear shape.  I'm hoping to eventually not look like a pear at all even though I'd still be one if I quit lifting and gained all my weight back.  I also love feeling strong and love what it does for my body.  If you absolutely hate it and don't think you can learn to like it then you may want to give pilates a try.

Oh yeah another thing to make lifting fun is to set little challenges for yourself.  Like performing so many sets within a set amount of time.  Or timing your workouts and then trying to beat that time the following week.  Of course, you'll want to make sure you are comfortable with the exercises and have good form before you try this.  

Original Post by littlesimongeorge:

A structured program will help you to focus on goals and keep you motivated. 

Definitly give it a go and see how you get on.

For sure - having a plan, writing it down, recording your progress... it all makes a huge difference.

When I started, I would wander around the gym from machine to machine, and do whatever I wanted, at whatever weight I thought I remembered from the last time. Boring!

Now, I record everything - I print up sheets of my routine, and write down sets, reps, weight - even make notes like "knee twinged", and then also make note if I'm going to up the weight the next time.

After a year+ of lifting, I've got a folder of these notes, and I can look back to the time when I was thrilled to bench press the bar, or squat 20lbs, and realize how far I've come.

Honestly, I did not have a butt until I started doing squats about 8 months ago.  And I've been a runner/jogger for about 5 years.

NROLFW has some very cogent arguements about women overdevloping the front muscles of their body as opposed to the back, thus setting us up for potential injury and poor alignment.  That was enough to get my to try weight lifting.