Thoughts on weightlifting

[Digity]

What are your thoughts on weightlifting? Do you think it's bad since it can promote vanity and increase one's ego? It also involves consuming lots of food to add mass. In the past, I took up weightlifting in an attempt to improve my physique and confidence. Although, after six months of doing it I got tired of it. I wasn't overly impressed with my early results and hated focusing so much on my outer appearance.

I signed up for a gym today and plan to do cardio and weightlifting just so I can maintain my general health. Although, I wonder if after a while I'll want to start lifting seriously again and whether that's a good thing.

[LonesomeYogurt]

Attachment to the body is a recipe for suffering, but if you add moderate weightlifting to a well-rounded regime of exercise then you can improve your fitness and overall health, which is never a bad thing. But lifting solely for confidence or an ego boost is not wholesome.

[Digity]

I guess the question is where do you draw the line? If I took up a program like P90X is that wrong? The end result might be an overall more fit, better looking person. I'd be lying if I didn't admit that there's something enticing to that, but there's also the fact that I'm an early 30 year old and want to have a decent body that can handle old age. The way my life is going, I could see myself being on my own in old age and I want to be able to take care of myself. That's why, being fit is important, because I know what having health issues can be like. My mom has osteoperosis and struggles with walking, etc. If I do lifting and get fit maybe I can help avoid some of these health issues.

[santa100]

If you want a cheap and yet excellent exercise that bring wonderful benefits to your body, try jogging. Make sure to start out light and you don't have any pre-existing heart condition. Do it 3 times a week, 1 hour per session and you'll have a healthy body that'll last for a long time, chronic diseases can't touch you, and you'll have more time for Dhamma cultivation..

[Ben]

There's no problem with weightlifting.
Its just an exercise and it can be very beneficial.
But if it becomes the focus of obsession - then it becomes a problem.
Or more correctly, the problem lies in the propensity of one to focus one's obsession in a particular interest or activity.

Go to the gym and do your cardio and resistence training.
kind regards,

Ben

[marc108]

What are your thoughts on weightlifting? Do you think it's bad since it can promote vanity and increase one's ego? It also involves consuming lots of food to add mass. In the past, I took up weightlifting in an attempt to improve my physique and confidence. Although, after six months of doing it I got tired of it. I wasn't overly impressed with my early results and hated focusing so much on my outer appearance.

I signed up for a gym today and plan to do cardio and weightlifting just so I can maintain my general health. Although, I wonder if after a while I'll want to start lifting seriously again and whether that's a good thing.

lifting weights moderately, general strength training, etc, is excellent... essential for good health imo. 'bodybuilding' style weight lifting creates chronic inflammation and damages the body. if you beat yourself up everyday in the gym for vanity's sake, for sure it will create/reenforce unskillful conditioning in your mind. it doesn't have to be an ego trip though, you can make it fun & enjoyable and not be obsessed about your body.

[Yana]

Hi Digity,

I exercise and weight lift because i need my body to practice the dhamma

A wholesome mind is sustained by a wholesome body.

I realize how important it is to take care of one's body because it is like a vessel. You have to keep it running smoothly to reach your final destination.

[Alobha]

I signed up for a gym today and plan to do cardio and weightlifting just so I can maintain my general health. Although, I wonder if after a while I'll want to start lifting seriously again and whether that's a good thing.

Take care of your body, it's a wise thing to do! I used to listen to dhammatalks via mp3player while in the gym, that may be something worth trying when you get bored of training again. Also, if you find cardio in the gym boring, try jogging to and back from the gym to your home if the distance is fine for you.

If you're worried about getting obsessed with looks, how about recollecting the purpose of training (for health, for well-being, not for boosting the ego) just before starting with training every time? That would be similar to how the monks and nuns recollect the purpose of eating just before taking their meal.

Apart from that, you can also see your exercise as a chance to be a good example for others. Many people don't take care of their body and engage in self-dislike but if you exercise, you may be able to encourage others to change their habits, too.

Best wishes,
Alobha

[Bhikkhu Pesala]

I never could understand why people pay good money to join a gym unless they are seriously into body building. If exercise is just for the purpose of keeping fit, it costs next to nothing to jog or cycle, or better still, join an allotment to grow your own organic vegetables. There is a dual benefit of healthy exercise in the fresh air, and healthy food.

[retrofuturist]

You can get good exercise stair climbing!

http://www.ehow.com/way_5348597_stair-c ... rcise.html

Or fanging it up the escalators at your local train station each morning.

As for weightlifting, I think the underlying psychological motive behind the activity (as with any activity for that matter) is key.

Metta,
Retro.

[Bonsai Doug]

Attachment to the body is a recipe for suffering, but if you add moderate weightlifting to a well-rounded regime of exercise then you can improve your fitness and overall health, which is never a bad thing. But lifting solely for confidence or an ego boost is not wholesome.

Excellent distinction - weightlifting vs. bodybuilding. IMHO, once you move beyond lifting weights for fitness into the
area of lifting weights for the sole purpose of sculpting the body (for appearance), then there certainly is that attachment
danger.

[befriend]

is weight lifting good for your health? it makes you burn off fat faster.

[Digity]

is weight lifting good for your health? it makes you burn off fat faster.

Yes, it is. It increases bone density, which is important as you age. My mom has brittle bones with her osteoperosis. The more muscle you have the more energy goes there and the less gets stored on your body. Although, you need to continue maintaining the muscle otherwise it'll shrink back to it's original size. Overall, I think it's considered healthy and certainly better than sitting on the sofa eating chips.

Anyway, I'm planning to start P90X. Although, I need to improve my overall fitness before I can take it on. I want to get half decent at doing pullups before I start the program. Maybe in a month or so.

[Pacific]

I do weight lifting. I do it in the gym and I go to one of those pump classes once or twice a week that has a "feel the burn" instructor and Eurovison type music. I find it fun. Weight training is good for you. You won't "bulk up" unless want to & I think that's quite hard to do. You mostly increase your strength. it can help with weight loss especially if you do cardio first and then weights as apparently the body burns more fat that way and speeds up the metabolism. and why not use it as another condition for developing insight? You can observe the body movement and the feelings, watch craving or aversion arise. it's all good for practice.

[BubbaBuddhist]

Lean muscle is a fat-burning machine, and the more you have the more you burn. Large muscle groups are the easiest and fastest to develop. Plus, it is cool to be sixty-something and look alike this guy:


Clarence Bass


BB

[danieLion]

It gives me relief from my chronic pain, depression, anxiety and grumpiness.

It's quite scientific.

M.D., Columbia Professor & Co-author of Younger Next Year:



"We used to age, now we just rot and decay."

There's also this Scientific American article on the benefits of exercise.

[Richard]

Friends,

I do some weightlifting as part of my daily routine, often after sitting meditation. I just use light hand weights and emphasize slow, circular motions. This does have health benefits, but for me it is a good way to develop body mindfulness--real kāyagatasati.

Richard

[alan]

Weightlifting is good for your body. This fact is so obvious it should not have to be mentioned, and yet, once again I hear the same old stuff. Reminds me of the guy I saw yesterday--an older gentleman, who observed my morning Yoga. I got the universal reply:
"I'm too stiff to do that".
Well, yeah, of course you are. That's because you don't do Yoga. See? It's not complicated. If you are stiff, you should stretch. If you are thin, you should build muscle.
How do you build muscle? By lifting weights. We're all aging, and our muscles are too. Good advice to all: be nice to your body. The effort will reward you several times over.

[Pacific]

Weightlifting is good for your body. This fact is so obvious it should not have to be mentioned, and yet, once again I hear the same old stuff. Reminds me of the guy I saw yesterday--an older gentleman, who observed my morning Yoga. I got the universal reply:
"I'm too stiff to do that".
Well, yeah, of course you are. That's because you don't do Yoga. See? It's not complicated. If you are stiff, you should stretch. If you are thin, you should build muscle.
How do you build muscle? By lifting weights. We're all aging, and our muscles are too. Good advice to all: be nice to your body. The effort will reward you several times over.

Nice one, Alan!

[corrine]

There is another side to this issue. Several decades ago my late husband had cancer and the treatment was physically daunting. He lost 55 pounds in six weeks and was very weak. He needed me to physically help him. Well, he was six four and two twenty (at the start of treatment) and I was five four and about a hundred pounds lighter. I found it almost impossible to help him and physically hurt myself trying to do so. I learned a big lesson. I needed to be physically stronger. So I started lifting weights. I still do so and it has allowed me to develop enough upper body strength to take care of myself and others and do what I need to do.

Physical strength training need not be about building big bulky muscles but can be simply about taking the best care of our bodies, as we are able. I believe that our bodies should be taken care of to the best of our ability. My weight lifting allows me to be independent now that I am alone. I am strong enough to do what needs to be done and still live independently. It enables me to volunteer and really help out. I frequently carry heavy book-laden boxes and I am not injured.

So this can be a vanity issue or it can be a 'taking good care of my health' issue, especially for women. And it helps to avoid what can become debilitating injuries. I see that among my friends. They never lift and then when they have to, they seriously injure themselves. I think physical exercise of all kinds is just part of our responsibility to take care of ourselves. I highly recommend all forms of exercise. Lifting weights even helps with easing arthritis. The stronger we are, the less we stress our joints.

corrine