Weight training, whether you hate it or love it, it's one of the best ways to transform the way your body looks. I happen to be on the love side of weight training, but to say I feel thrilled about training every single day would be pure perjury. I have days when I'd rather be lying in bed sleeping, days where I'd rather be lounging, days where I'd rather be biting into the sweet, hardened, click of a chocolate bar followed by the satisfying chew of nougat and caramel (If you don't do cheat days, sorry to tempt you with a candy bar description). However, certain training days get me excited each and every time I do them. For instance, I am crazy about chest and shoulder days! On the other hand, legs and abs day completely takes the wind right out of my sails. How about you? Do you have any workout days that you loathe?
Why is that some that some people dislike certain aspects of their training? Some people don't like doing cardio, others don't like bench-pressing so chest day might suck to them, or calf day is like torture for some. I don't think the answer is as complex as people might think. The reason people don't enjoy certain aspects of their training because everyone has strengths and weakness. Everyone has some aspect of training that they're better at. It's those aspects of training where people see the biggest results, and have tendency to gravitate towards.
Why do I enjoy training my chest and shoulders? Because that's where I see the biggest bang for my buck. My chest and shoulders seem to grow more readily than any muscle group in my body (back is a close second). Bench pressing becomes like a game to me every week, I am anxious to get into the gym just to see if I can top last week's personal best. With leg/abs day it's different. I walk in knowing that leg training is going to hurt, but not in a fun way. I know it's going to hurt because of a previous knee injury. As for stomach training, it really takes a lot of effort for me to do it... so my brain has this grim outlook on stomach training.
Just because you enjoy one muscle group now doesn't mean you'll enjoy it in the future. My training is always in constant flux and now that I think about it, in my teenage years, my biceps were my favorite area to work, the grew quickly and hardened quickly. Now, biceps are one of my least favorite groups for some odd reason.
How can you save these training days? Going forward, how can the muscle group you hate to train become one that you actually enjoy?
The Ol' Training Changeup
Perhaps it's not that you hate the muscle group you're training, it might be the exercises you're doing. If you hate an exercise, change it up! There are heaps of ways to train a given muscle group. Find an exercise you do like and get some results from it. You may then find that you're wanting to train that muscle group every week.
Muscle Group Timing
I have a bad habit of putting off the body parts I don't enjoy training until the end of my training split. Chest is always first because I love it, while legs and abs get the last scraps of my energy at the end of my training split. I tried moving the groups I don't like to the beginning of my split and though it takes some getting used to, it can make a big difference.
Another strategy with timing might be to break up the muscle groups you don't like. Link these training sessions to one with muscle groups you DO like, and you might see a change. It's almost like a parent offering ice cream as a reward for child to eat their broccoli. In this case the muscle group you're not fond of training is like the broccoli and the muscle group you enjoy working, the ice cream.
Time vs Intensity
If you really don't like training a body part or muscle group, don't spend all day on it, because taking too much time will make your workouts drag that much more. Instead of long, droning workouts, shorten your routine. Make the workout quicker, more intense, and more exciting!
Get Your Head Right
Prior to hurting my knee (karate) I truthfully didn't like training my legs, but once I REALLY decided that I was going to make my quads, hamstrings, and calves bigger, things changed. I wouldn't go in the gym everyday no matter what was in front of me and say "I'm gonna give it my all today...no more, no less." I started seeing results, and I was able to have three of the big weight plates on each side of the bar, and squat it with no problem, I started to feel amazing! My tune totally changed. I started looking forward to leg training days. It's incredible what you can do if you just make some mental/attitude adjustments.
My challenge to you is to overcome any stinkin' thinkin' that you have in your mind. Whatever happens next week is next week. This week I want you to take one muscle group that's giving you trouble and work it like you're a freakin' beast. YOU CAN DO IT!
Mike Pow
Mike Pow is a fitness enthusiast who has been in love with weight training exercise and fitness for over 15 years. Learn more more about the best chest workouts, the best way to build muscle, and how have better overall fitness.
If you're struggling to reach your fitness goals, be sure to get your free copy of the 7 Secrets to Your Ideal Body at http://cnbmusclebuilding.com/
Mike Pow
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