What is your motivation for working out?

[derivxinteg314]

I started because my brother was six years older than me and I wanted to kick his ass. I lift now because I like everything about it. When I get in the zone, there is no feeling on earth like it. After the first heavy set, the days troubles just go away. Out in the world I am calm and cool but in the gym I can let it all go.

http://reamade.wordpress.com/

lol. Are you able to kick his ass yet?

[derivxinteg314]

any others?

[tms.1978]

i think i have always been a bit neanderthal and have equated size with power and superiority, so i guess i started training because of that. now, nearly 16 years later, i just like that fact that a lot of guys want "big arms" etc but don't have the guts to work for them,
i like that fact that i can respect myself for training and eating like a freak even though its hard.

i should say too that i respect all you other guys (and gals) who train. like it said in the book pumping iron

" a bodybuilders world breaks cleanly as a saltine into those who know how to look and those who don't".

basically, i train because i wanna be huge, sorry i've rambled on a bit but i'm passionate about this sport. i'll never give up. never.

[Salo171]

I started lifting like most my age in freshman year mainly for sports (Wrestling, Football).
My main focus is still to get stronger for wrestling /football
Then when you go out people are like "that guys only 16??"

I go to the gym 6 days a week and not 4 because if i miss a day i feel like im loosing all my muscle and going back to the fatass i used to be...lol

[R_Bid]

my motivation?

1. my wife giving me lusty looks. WIN!

2. my 7 and 3 year old daughters. i want to be around and healthy enough to enjoy life when they have kids of their own.

3. setting an example for my kids! my dad has always been active--running, swimming, lifting (he benches 315 for 3 reps at age 54), etc. i'm a big believer in planning your legacy.

4. feeling strong, feeling healthy, feeling clean. kick ass.

5. people treat you differently when you're in shape. whether they *should* or not is another discussion. the bottom line is that they do. ten out of ten doctors recommend being treated with respect to being treated like a walking bowl of jello.

6. i'm deathly afraid of the idea of being frail in my old age. prevention happens now!

7. with my frame, i gain weight in the least appealing way possible. i turn into skinny guy with a belly. that's just not a good look. you add a fanny pack and grey/striped athletic socks to that and you're talking about something Seriously Unattractive.

8. etc

[AliClay]

Self defence, Confidence,to look good, Exercise makes me hyperactive, Girls!!

[derivxinteg314]

my motivation?

1. my wife giving me lusty looks. WIN!

2. my 7 and 3 year old daughters. i want to be around and healthy enough to enjoy life when they have kids of their own.

3. setting an example for my kids! my dad has always been active--running, swimming, lifting (he benches 315 for 3 reps at age 54), etc. i'm a big believer in planning your legacy.

4. feeling strong, feeling healthy, feeling clean. kick ass.

5. people treat you differently when you're in shape. whether they *should* or not is another discussion. the bottom line is that they do. ten out of ten doctors recommend being treated with respect to being treated like a walking bowl of jello.

6. i'm deathly afraid of the idea of being frail in my old age. prevention happens now!

7. with my frame, i gain weight in the least appealing way possible. i turn into skinny guy with a belly. that's just not a good look. you add a fanny pack and grey/striped athletic socks to that and you're talking about something Seriously Unattractive.

8. etc

great answers! lol

[strahd8088]

My son is six and getting bigger every day. I enjoy carrying him to bed, and lifting him when he needs help. One of my motivations is to keep my strength gains in parallel with his growth so I can prolong these special times. I know it sounds silly, but I have spoken with other father's who have voiced the same thought.

Train like an animal!
-MJ

[BloodFart]

I stay motivated because I wanna be old and still be able to screw younger women.

[TheSpectre]

Great topic! Several reasons got/kept/keep me motivated throughout the years. First and foremost, I was sick and tired of being picked on by my friends and everybody else for being skinny and weak. I was often the butt of the joke, and it really frustrated me. I'm glad to say that the tables have turned and I'm now much bigger and stonger than those same friends who picked on me. Another motivation for me was comic books (yes I'm a huge nerd!). I wanted to emulate the heroes and villains that I read about, and I admired their power. Another thing that motivated me was my wrestling career. I wanted to be able to prove myself out on the mat.

I've got to say one of my biggest things driving me today (other than a flat out desire to be big and powerful) is my beautiful girlfriend. Not only do I want to look great for her, I want to be able to protect her and make sure that no guy even thinks about hitting on her when I'm around lol.

[jhem23]

anger problems,self confidence and more anger!

[derivxinteg314]

lol. It's interesting the wide variety of answers.

[B1GinNY82307]

lots of great answers on here!

My motivation has changed, as has everything with time..

it used to be - for Baseball

- then to look good

- Now it's to get bigger, stronger, respect, and as many fathers have mentioned, for their kids and wife.
I am only 23, but my kid is constantly growing! I have to stay up with him and I don't want to be "that bum of a father" that won't be active with his child, and my wife b/c it keeps the "romance" alive and well!

[DaninSpain]

I don't know about you, but there are more than several occassions where I just don't feel like lifting. It may be the fact that I had a terrible work day or maybe my car broke down and I'm just pissed off. Who knows? So, what motivates all of you to workout? There are a lot of new weight lifters that really need to seek a source of inspiration and/or motivation.

For me it is knowing that when I wake up in the morning, I feel more energized, I "feel" healthier, and I know I am starting to look damn good. It's a win win win situation here.

As " the small kid at School " I was the one who used to get bullied. I hit the weights really to blow off some steam and build up a bit of self confidence and self esteem. A few years after leaving school I bumped into to one of the main kids who used to regularly kick my ass and he came over to chat to me ( and he was trying to pull the best mates routine / Please don?t kick my ass ?cos your bigger than me now ...etc... ) and it gave me a huge boost to simply pretend that I did?nt have a clue who he was.
It gave me a lot of staisfaction to know that I could have broke him in 2 with my bare hands , but had the power and the will to choose not to.
Every time I do?nt feel like working out I remember the lows , and beatings I used to get and the Highs from being able to be the one who is in charge of his own destiny.
A Bit wanky , but it works for me.

[OKEN]

I know this may sound a little different but working out for me is like therapy. Going into the weight room and just pumping iron makes me feel good and its just a place where i can get away from all the **** that i have to deal with during a day to day basis. I can go somewhere, where i can physically test myself and in the end i feel good because I'm obviously trying to improve my self physically too. And on top of that i just plainly enjoy lifting weights. Thats all for me.
__________________________________________________ _______________

"FEAR NOTHING AND REGRET LESS"

[mikeman20]

because i im going to get stronger and bigger, and i have progress to prove it
a bit of extra strength in sports goes a long way
plus my girlfriend just loves the ass i get from squats

[R_Bid]

plus my girlfriend just loves the ass i get from squats

yyeeaaahhhh, my wife just brought this up last night. more lusty looks = more win! on top of that, for those of us in long term relationships, marriages, etc-- it makes your wife, girlfriend, etc feel great to see you being motivated by how *she* looks at you.

[derivxinteg314]

keep em coming

[ctunnicliffe]

knowing i weighed over 225lbs and was like a whale!
Thought id join gym to do cardio. Then got introduced to the weights section. Then got the bug. The bug got worse. The working out became more frequent. and the end result is i aint stopping for no one lol!!!!

i couldnt lift 15kg per side on bench. now its 30kg perside for 4 sets of 10reps. But now i want 35 a side lol!!!!!


weird really but just want to look good and be a improvement on what i was. keep pushing . never happy with a certain weight ive lifted for to long. good physical challenge.

[dalthorn]

Everytime I see an obese person and think to myself "No way in hell" and everytime I see a bodybuilder and think "What if?" And if not that then the little bit of gut I got is enough to help too.

[QUINNY07]

my motivation is just simply training. i know excatly what you are saying about having your off days but if you find a program that is great for you,.......stick to it. I found a good program in muscle&fitness magazine.
The hardest part of training (in my eyes) is the "motivation". But once you stick to the chosen program you suddenly get to a point where you say to yourself "wow i am getting stronger", and that my friend is MY motivation.
It does take time to get to that point but once you are there you know it is worth it.
No-one like lifting heavy but everyone wants a nice body. its your call really.
James

[cheesegrater93]

i weigh 90 pounds.
that's my motivation...

and also being fitter, stronger and just generally better.

[DTB-DK-LIFTER]

There are many reasons for me -

As your body changes shape, you feel different, you feel sort of empowered and frankly superior to most guys who dont look after themselves - that makes me feel good and I want to keep that going

I love the fact that as I get older I get stronger! I thought when I was 16 that by 35 I would be going down hill - all my friends and family are 'ageing' and yet I seem to feel younger as time goes on and if you look at the guys on this board in their 40's 50's and so on, it's hopefully going to go on for a long time to come

I've learnt that I may not feel like going in the gym before hand sometimes but once in there, the music is on, the gloves are on and the weights are moving, its great! and afterwards you know you got it done and you can properly relax

Oh, and one last one, when concerned friends and family take to you to one side for a little chat about steroids (though I've never used them) that always make me smile because they never believe you when you say you dont take them! lol

Could not of been said any better............ As a bodybuilder you just force yourself to go. I have had many days where i dont feel like lifting, but i kick my self in the ass and just do it. Then afterwards i feel even better with myself for over coming an obstecle.

[s4lnj]

i train in a building that has benches, squat racks, and free weights.oh and a heavy bag. no ac, no heat. bitter cold in the winter, sweltering hot in the summer, not for the faint of heart.

i find comfort in knowing that when i'm out there with frozen snot on my face, freezing my balls off, getting a workout just getting the frozen d-bells off the rack.... most people are home sippin coco, eating twinkies and getting fat.

[Musclefever]

my motivation is simple that i want to increase my strenght and that drives me crazy sort off lol

[Pairunoyd]

Was only 130lbs for years after leaving school.

My wife bought me my first weights set when I was 27. Thought my bulked up max was 160lbs. Then, after a decade, discovered abbreviated, fullbody training, built around squat, bench and row, and got to over 190+ solid, training only two days a week.

Just when I thought I was really getting somewhere, serious illness knocked me back to 130! Years before I could lift weights again.

Well I'm back, and in spite of health related setbacks have made great progress, especially since joining bb.com! The encouragement and feedback, and examples of people overcoming problems, is an inspiration.

I've been blessed more than I deserve, and really do appreciate it.

Never say die!

Inspirational. Great stuff!

[Greg1975]

I don't know about you, but there are more than several occassions where I just don't feel like lifting. It may be the fact that I had a terrible work day or maybe my car broke down and I'm just pissed off. Who knows? So, what motivates all of you to workout? There are a lot of new weight lifters that really need to seek a source of inspiration and/or motivation.

For me it is knowing that when I wake up in the morning, I feel more energized, I "feel" healthier, and I know I am starting to look damn good. It's a win win win situation here.

I'll probably come across as pathetic and sad for being honest here...but the hell with it...I am pathetic and sad.

I was diagnosed with schizophrenia about 5 years ago. I'm 33 years old, single, I can't work, and I live with my parents. This creates many things which motivate me, I'll list them:

1) Inferiority complex vs. other men because I can't work and thus women ignore me, massive frustration.
2) General frustration with my situation, sitting indoors all day doing nothing.
3) Sexual Frustration.
4) I can go to the gym without interacting with people (just put on my headphones and go) so it's activity that I can do 'in public' that I can handle. It's important for people with my disability to get out as much as possible.
5) Somehow I've convinced myself that if I look more muscular I'll have a better chance of attracting women...of course...if I'm too scared to actually talk to them...this doesn't work...I think I'm just figuring this out. More frustration motivating 1, 2 and 3.
6) Lastly, it gives me a great space to cut loose, **** it all, and listen to 80s metal on my MP3 player while lifting (Judas Priest etc.), more of that stress and frustration outlet...this is where lifting can be really fun.

So in my particular case, the gym is a godsend. It's one of the very few places I can excel, feel 'normal', and vent a lot of frustration in a socially acceptable manner.

[GoJu]

little girls from China lift more than me.

[derivxinteg314]

lol