Weightlifting. : / (sorry, guys) Been at it on and off (mostly on) for 7 years now. It's fun being a little stronger than I normally would, but I can still wipe my ass, and I haven't done any 'roids yet, so things are going alright so far. Also, it's OK if you think less of me, it's a pretty selfish and first-world activity, in my opinion.
It's good that you still have humility in a world dominated by testosterone, but I think you'll find that what you said is true of almost every comment in this thread. Hobbies are meant to be self-fulfilling, nothing wrong with that.Also, it's OK if you think less of me, it's a pretty selfish and first-world activity, in my opinion.
i would really love it if you could expand on why you say selfish. I am worried if I phrase this question in any more specific way I might 'lead' your answer into something like my own thoughts inadventently, so I don't want to throw in any more than "Coukd you please talk about that more?" right now. I am also pretty firmly of the mindset that a certain amount of 'selfishness' is necessary and good in life.
I say "selfish" because a part of me does it because I like to feel attractive. The exact percentages of each item in the list titled "am_Unition's Reasons to Stay Fit" are pretty unclear, honestly. Regardless, it's a privilege to even have an hour every day to devote to fitness (even 30 minutes of cardio means extra laundry, packing your bags with a change of clothes, showering to get clean, etc.), and afford membership at a nice gym that's never terribly crowded. Sure, you have to maintain your sanity. I've seen people close to me do things in their lives (professional, romantic, social, etc.) where they give it so much that they end up just about killing themselves. Not like a quick suicide though. A drawn-out lifestyle over the course of years, maybe decades, where you see them burn out, quick, like the brightest stars do. I just can't decide if that's the most selfless thing to do, or maybe I'm just convincing my candy-ass that I'll do the most damage if I get to live a little longer than they did. Heh, well that was bleak as fuck. Stay healthy, kids!I am also pretty firmly of the mindset that a certain amount of 'selfishness' is necessary and good in life.
Always make sure you've got what you need first. It might not be selfless to act in such a manner but if you live a selfless life whose life are you leading anyway? More like "everyone else's" than "yours," I think. Is it selfish to want to be attractive? Think about it this way: by improving your physique you are attracting partners who care about physique, which is also an indicator of health. That means those partners also value health, so hopefully, they're also physically active. Not only do they look good now, but over the long term they're probably more likely to motivate you to continue to be physically active (maybe with them, because it's a shared interest, or just by proxy) as opposed to encourage lazy or unhealthy behaviors. Moreover, looking good serves as a relatively-easy indication to potential mates that you care about yourself, you have confidence, you consider yourself valuable (if you didn't value yourself you wouldn't spend time working out), and you're stable (enough to take care of your bod). In turn I would expect such an image would allow you to attract similar partners. To be honest I completely understand, though, that feeling that it's selfish or wrong to care about one's looks. I had wondered if that was why you'd used the term, although I figured there were other potential reasons too. I used to think it was vain to care about one's appearance/attractiveness. I dated a lot of unattractive people. Feeling attractive is good for your mental health, I think. It is not good to be obsessed with one's looks but it is healthy to want to be able to put forth your best. When you feel attractive you feel confident and that can impact a lot more areas of life than just dating. Plus lifting is just one way of taking care of your body and making sure your needs are met (I do believe we have a need for exercise). Yo'ure on Hubski for your intellectual needs and you lift for some of your physical needs. Not that different :)
I mean, if you're doing it for the sake of fitness, it's one thing. If you're doing it just to be swoll, then you're right. It is a selfish, first world activity. That said: watch this: One day I hope to work out here.
That "gym" is industrial as fuckkkkk. I love it. There's some kind of primal validation in the rawness of it all. Truthfully, I'd probably stick to shirtless, shoeless workouts, and get my tan on at the same time... weather permitting. No speedo though, I guess that's where I draw the (tan)line for me. Slightly above my kneecaps.
I also weight lift. Nothing extreme, I do legs, arms/shoulders, chest/back splits. High volume stuff mostly (4x10), mostly free weights. Trying to up the protein and number of calories in my diet so I can pack on 10-20lbs over the next few months. What's your scheduling like? Current goals?
Whaaaaat?? The most lean muscle I've ever been able to put on was maybe 2 lbs. a month, and those were pretty much "noob gains". Usually, I'd have a chest & shoulders day, a legs day, a back day, a bi's and tri's day, and a core day, not necessarily in that order. I'd usually do 4 sets of an exercise, 10x, 8x, 6x, and 4x for the last set, real heavy, used free weights most of the time. Weekends were for rest, also because my company rec center was closed on weekends. Throwing myself a real curveball though, just got a membership at a gym and working with a personal trainer, who destroys me within 20-30 minutes of beginning a workout. It's like a crossfit style workout, but without stupid shit, like "deadlifts for time". Currently, I'm 160 lbs., 13% body fat, 5'9". 210 lb. bench, 250 lb. squat, and 280 lb. deadlift. I'm trying to get my body fat down just a bit more, and shelling out these fat stacks of cash to a personal trainer to learn workouts that will accomplish in 30 minutes what usually takes me over an hour in the gym.pack on 10-20lbs over the next few months
Ehh, cuz there's better ways than just weightlifting to stay healthy. I've been doing more cardio and HIIT just in the last two weeks, and I'd recommend running when possible. It's just better to be healthy all around than the jacked guy who can't sprint 200m to save his life, or move 10+ miles in a day (zombie apocalypse). Hubski is all about improvement, no doubt, but more towards intellectual, even some spiritual improvement. Sources of those such things are harder for me to come by than a barbell or dumbells, so, here I am. :)
b_b is always touting the benefits of weight training, and for good reason. Nothing selfish about lifting weights, it's good for you. We all do things that take up time that could be allocated elsewhere, at least yours is good for you.