# Why don’t you lift weights? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Tags:** diet-weight-loss\ **Created:** [August 15, 2020, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-don-t-you-lift-weights/918144 "2020-08-15T01:48:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 9
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2022, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-don-t-you-lift-weights/918144/161 "2022-09-29T00:25:25Z")
Not sure. Do they weigh anything? ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2022, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-don-t-you-lift-weights/918144/162 "2022-09-29T01:53:52Z")
I don’t lift weights because I have yet to find any weights that needed lifting. If I ever do, I’ll hire someone to lift them. ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2022, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-don-t-you-lift-weights/918144/163 "2022-09-29T02:05:14Z")
Because access needs to be as convenient as possible or I won’t stick with it. I don’t want to join a public gym for various reasons, I don’t have room at home (yet), and the one that fit my bill the most has had access closed to me since the start of the pandemic. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2022, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-don-t-you-lift-weights/918144/164 "2022-09-29T20:43:52Z")
Exercising might make your children and grandchildren stronger? > **[How exercising now could benefit your future grandchildren](https://www.washingtonpost.com/wellness/2022/09/28/exercise-genetics-grandchildren/)** > > A fascinating new study in rodents suggests that the exercise you do now can carry through your genes and benefit future grandchildren. ---
**Author:** ![Capn\_Carl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/838e76/32.png) [@Capn\_Carl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capn_Carl)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2022, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-don-t-you-lift-weights/918144/165 "2022-10-01T00:36:25Z")
I lift 60 pound bags of concrete at work. It’s not easy, so I’m impressed that you lifted 75 pound bags. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2022, 11:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-don-t-you-lift-weights/918144/166 "2022-10-01T11:51:49Z")
I used to lift quite a bit. When fighting competitively, I put on 30# of muscle. But that was to compete in the unlimited heavyweight division where I just barely passed the minimum weight. I’m not sure I’ve lifted a weight since I stopped fighting 20 yrs ago. I never enjoyed lifting - just the result. Now that I am not competitive in sport, I have less need for that strength. I do push-ups and crunches daily - and bike quite a bit - which keeps me fit enough for household chores. Yes, as I get older (nearly 62) I realize I ought to do some work - even if with light weights. Maybe I will start some day. But like I said - I just don’t like lifting weights. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2022, 12:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-don-t-you-lift-weights/918144/167 "2022-10-01T12:04:59Z")
Only four of them. But i was astonished how much easier they were to list than the 94 pound bags, which i could only drag. ---
**Author:** ![actualliberalnotoneofthose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e79b87/32.png) [@actualliberalnotoneofthose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/actualliberalnotoneofthose)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2022, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-don-t-you-lift-weights/918144/168 "2022-10-03T04:27:46Z")
I would have trained with the 75lb sacks for awhile to work my way up to the 94-pounders. ---
**Author:** ![actualliberalnotoneofthose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e79b87/32.png) [@actualliberalnotoneofthose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/actualliberalnotoneofthose)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2022, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-don-t-you-lift-weights/918144/169 "2022-10-03T04:29:10Z")
I find walking and lifting weights to be the perfect (and I guess, complete) combination of exercises for me personally. I feel much better when I do both but walking is an every day thing. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2022, 7:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-don-t-you-lift-weights/918144/170 "2022-10-03T07:20:09Z")
> [@Dinsdale](#): > > Now that I am not competitive in sport, I have less need for that strength. I do push-ups and crunches daily - and bike quite a bit - which keeps me fit enough for household chores. If you’re regularly lifting your own body weight with pushups and so forth, then AFAICT you’re getting all the benefits associated with resistance training, as the OP mentioned in a later post. The “gym rat” goals of maximizing strength, bulking up significantly, and so on don’t really have that much in common with the basic health benefits of resistance training. You can get the health bennies with a comparatively small amount of regular moderate activities around the house. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2022, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-don-t-you-lift-weights/918144/171 "2022-10-04T21:55:44Z")
I started with Kettlebells in February. It has made a big difference in my posture and my ability to do ADLs, like carry my 36-lb son around. I don’t have back pain anymore. Sometimes, I find it really hard to get started on a strength workout. I find it much easier to just go outside for a run. With running you don’t know what you’ve gotten yourself into at first. It’s an easy transition. I find the transition to lifting much more difficult. It’s fine once I get started, but those first few sets… oof. So I had to figure out how to convince myself to lift weights, not just in the long term but in the moment, when I don’t wanna. I think Winter is going to help me out with this. “You can either hit the weights, or go run in the freezing cold.” I got the opportunity to try this method out yesterday, when it was 38F outside, and by gum, it worked! I felt lucky to be lifting weights! Imagine how much more enticing it will be in December. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2022, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-don-t-you-lift-weights/918144/172 "2022-10-04T22:08:29Z")
I didn’t really start this thread to personally motivate people, just link studies - good and bad - about my hobby. But well done! Hopefully your son will walk more too. (If he is around four and fairly healthy). ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2022, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-don-t-you-lift-weights/918144/173 "2022-10-04T22:27:40Z")
Haha. He’s 2.5. He’s very tall for his age. I don’t have to lift him that often, but when I do, the strength training makes a huge difference. ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2022, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-don-t-you-lift-weights/918144/174 "2022-10-04T22:52:32Z")
I don’t hoist because the process bores me to death. I’m good with swinging a hammer or an axe, helping friends move, going for long walks _to someplace_, etc. Not averse to physical exertion at all. But any time I’ve tried to work out for the sake of working out I have this nagging voice in the back of my head enquiring as to when I became a hamster on a wheel. ---
**Author:** ![Wolf333](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolf333/32/3460_2.png) [@Wolf333](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wolf333)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2022, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-don-t-you-lift-weights/918144/175 "2022-10-04T23:51:48Z")
I am just the opposite. I love the kettlebell and club workouts I do because they have set times, neither of which are very long. It’s easy to get motivated when the end is right there. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2022, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-don-t-you-lift-weights/918144/176 "2022-10-17T21:53:14Z")
Buzz, buzz… > **[Look to exercise to extend life, even for the oldest, study says | CNN](https://www.cnn.com/2022/10/17/health/strength-training-live-longer-wellness/index.html)** > > Most of us think of aerobic exercise when we think of adding years to our lives. A new study shows that strength training can be critically important as well. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2022, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-don-t-you-lift-weights/918144/177 "2022-10-17T22:16:24Z")
> [@Inigo\_Montoya](#): > > I don’t hoist because the process bores me to death. I’m good with swinging a hammer or an axe, helping friends move, … I remember reading an essay once where one character said something like, “Lifting weights is like loading a truck that isn’t there.” And I remember one time my wife was talking to a stone mason. She noticed how ripped he was and asked if he lifted weights. Probably the most impressive scoffing I ever witnessed IRL. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2022, 11:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-don-t-you-lift-weights/918144/178 "2022-10-30T11:52:36Z")
> [@Dinsdale](#): > > I remember reading an essay once where one character said something like, “Lifting weights is like loading a truck that isn’t there.” I’ve been growing bored with my strength routine. I’ve decided to try rucking for a while, as that’s a great, low-impact way to build strength and you get to walk around outside if you like. Apparently rucking is a whole movement, with special events and equipment, but probably anyone could start by throwing some weight in a backpack and going for a walk. There’s a reason walking around with a bunch of weight on your back is so central to military conditioning. I got the idea from a book called _The Comfort Crisis_ which is mostly about a guy who spent 40 days hunting Caribou in the Alaskan tundra. They hauled the Caribou miles uphill back to camp in 100 pound chunks. I wouldn’t go that extreme, but I do think there’s an argument to be made that we need to test our limits once in a while. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2022, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-don-t-you-lift-weights/918144/179 "2022-12-16T21:34:34Z")
Maybe you don’t like to lift weights. Found exercise - running for the bus, climbing stairs, walking - provides real benefits. > **[Carry Your Groceries, Take the Stairs: Short, Intense Movement Can Improve...](https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/08/well/move/exercise-bursts-benefits.html)** > > A new study confirms that you don’t have to do a hard workout to reap the longevity rewards of exercise. ---
**Author:** ![Paintcharge](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/paintcharge/32/7946_2.png) [@Paintcharge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paintcharge)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2022, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-don-t-you-lift-weights/918144/180 "2022-12-21T17:02:50Z")
I get enough exercise at work. I sling around sheets of 3/4" plywood (about 75#) and the various things I make from them. Occasionally, I’ll turn on the pedometer function of my phone to track a day’s walk. Usually somewhere around 5 miles a day. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-don-t-you-lift-weights/918144.md?page=8) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-don-t-you-lift-weights/918144.md?page=10)