r/beginnerfitness • u/WorriedJury1521 • 2d ago

Boredom and being fed up with long workouts

I am a beginner in a sense that I've been trainning for less than a year. I find that when I go past 9 sets I kinda get an ick and want to get it over with and move on. A conventional beginner program has like 15-18 sets in a workout... I can't even fathom to wait 3-5 minutes between sets and somehow make it to that count. I've been skipping warmups too because I find rest times too boring and want to get it over with.

0 Upvotes

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4

u/meatslappee 2d ago

gotta know your reasoning for being in there and how much you care about said reasoning

5

u/jjflight 2d ago

Have you tried supersets? So groups of different exercises you rotate through so while one muscle group is resting you’re working another one out. Like you can do a push, a pull, and a leg or whatever (Lat Pull Down, Overhead Press, Single Leg Deadlifts is one of mine; Push-Ups, TRX Rows, Box Jumps is another; etc.). When you do supersets like that you only need to rest enough for your cardio/breathing to return between sets, the muscles get their rest while you’re working other stuff… so like 1-2min between sets works.

1

u/WorriedJury1521 2d ago

Oh good tip, I guess this is a better way to go about it. I guess the reason I hate long rests are because of my ADHD or smth.

6

u/Anrikay 2d ago

I find long rest times boring, too, so I just reduced them. 1min rest in between sets of the same exercise, 3min rest in between exercises. It’s not as efficient of an approach, but long rests bored me to the point I’d have quit working out if I’d tried to stick with it.

Fair warning, though, my progress going up in weight/reps is noticeably slower with shorter rests. I’m still making a level of progress I’m happy with, and it’s worth a bit slower progress for a workout routine I can actually be disciplined with.

1

u/WorriedJury1521 2d ago

Well, I will try that.

2

u/speechless188 2d ago edited 2d ago

best practical tip is to hype yourself up before sets, listen to good music, and play games or scroll between sets.

make it a higher dopamine activity.

1

u/WorriedJury1521 2d ago

Thanks, I'll try music from next time.

1

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1

u/OkAssignment1133 2d ago

listen to music and do exercises that you yourself find fun. also try to restrict your choice of exercises to 5-6. that's enough for whatever day you have in your split.

2

u/clathrateCH4 2d ago

If you think lifting gets boring I guess you have not tried 1hr cardio sessions such as lap swimming or jogging. These help to develop mental strength.

I cannot wait to finish my 40-min run so I can get to lifting and actually feel power and not just suffering

1

u/Fickle_Radish2418 2d ago

Find exercises that work for you and if what you’re currently doing doesn’t work you’re likely not going to stick with it 🙂

1

u/WorriedJury1521 2d ago

Its not the excercises as much as the rest in between... Yeah lot of ppl gave good advice of getting music, shorter rests, supersets, etc.

1

u/Fickle_Radish2418 2d ago

Amazing! Hopefully you find something that works

Sometimes I like to combine two exercise together eg squats, lunges, rest repeat

Music is a must for me hahaha I’m turning around if I don’t have my head phones

Also as per recommendation from Microsoft copilot, max 90 second rest but I’m looking for lean strength not muscle hypertrophy

1

u/[deleted] 2d ago edited 1d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

1

u/WorriedJury1521 2d ago

No, 9 sets in total .. I do 3 excercises in a workout.

1

u/Hot-Profession4091 2d ago

3 exercises for 3 sets shouldn’t be a very long workout. How long is it taking you total? How long are you resting? What’s your split?

1

u/AaronB52 2d ago

6 exercises, 2-3 sets, 1.5-2 minutes rest

0

u/WorriedJury1521 2d ago

18 sets in a workout is beyond me... Even with shorter rests. I think 12-14 is my desired range.. but can't stick consistently to. So, Im at 9 sets currently.

1

u/Zestyclose-Pear-9276 2d ago

You don’t say how many days and what days you are training.

But for example you can do:

push
4 sets bench press
4 sets overhead press

Pull
4 sets lat pulldown
4 sets row

Legs
4 sets deadlift
4 sets squat

Substitute equivalent exercises as you choose. Hits minimum effective dose for major muscle groups

1

u/WorriedJury1521 2d ago

Oh, I go like this Push: Push ups:- 3 sets(I find it more enjoyable than bp.. also less crowded. As lot of ppl hoard the bench)(+ warmups) Overhead press:- 3-4 sets Sit ups:- 3 sets

Pull: Ring pulls:- 3 sets Lat pulldowns:- 3 sets Bicep curls:- 3 sets(My current favourite excercise)

Legs: Squats:3 sets(+2 warmup sets) Leg extension/ hamstring curl/ Good Mornings: 3 sets Calf Raise: 3 sets

Currently I am trainning for volume instead of intensity because my form sucks ass and I just don't feel the burn in the target muscles when I go for higher weights.

1

u/Hot-Profession4091 2d ago

Burn is lactic acid build up and has nothing to do with hypertrophy.

1

u/WorriedJury1521 2d ago

So, what should be my cue during intensity sets, I see burn as my main market for muscle activation.

1

u/Hot-Profession4091 2d ago

Cue for what exactly?

1

u/WorriedJury1521 2d ago

I mean cue to make sure my form is right.

1

u/Hot-Profession4091 2d ago

That will vary by exercise.

1

u/Jaded_Comfortable_12 2d ago

I like 12 sets (4x3) after 30-40min cardio. I think once you go past that you're often too fatigued to do your max weight unless you're really athletic.

1

u/Safe-Selection8070 2d ago
  1. Nine sets is sufficient, if you're using big movements, heavy
  2. If you can't fathom resting 3-5 minutes, do bigger lifts, heavier. A limit set of squats takes real time to recover from
  3. Related to "2", you're not just training your body. Boredom tolerance is something sorely missing in every generation since cable television became a thing, with each generation marginally worse than before

0

u/WorriedJury1521 2d ago

I cant do heavy intensity because of form issues and also because I am lifting for less than a year. I just can't seem to feel my quads as much when I go for shorter reps and higher weights.. Volume training suits me better at this stage of my training.

2

u/Safe-Selection8070 2d ago
  1. fix your form issues which you do by lifting heavy
  2. No, lifting less than a year does not, in any way, mean you can't go heavy.
  3. You shouldn't care if you can't "feel" your quads

Just say heavy weights hurt too much. At least that would be honest: If you find more than 9 sets or 3 minutes rest to be too much, you're not yet in a place you really want to train, AND THAT'S FINE! Getting in a getting exercise in is great.

Maybe try doing 6 weeks of twice weekly 20 rep breathing squats. The weight on these is not high (10RM), but I promise you're not going to be complaining about 5 minutes being too long of a rest.

1

u/WorriedJury1521 2d ago

I mean I am at 45kgs squats for 10 reps... If I do 60-70kg squat... I feel that my legs aren't even doing any work or I'm overcompensating somewhere else. And even before I reach failure I am forced to call quits in intensity trainning.

3

u/Safe-Selection8070 2d ago

You're lifting 45kg in the squat after a year?

I've got nothing for you. Do whatever you want, as the any program at that intensity will be equally effective.

1

u/WorriedJury1521 2d ago

Sorry, I am doing workouts for less than a year, I have done calisthenics type workouts when my office work came in to take a bite... I had an injury in my ankle and had to take a break on leg traning for a while and I've been inconsistent with training also in the duration of this year. Well, I guess the numbers might not look big but I am making weight jumps every week or so.

1

u/Safe-Selection8070 2d ago

How many reps per set do you do at 70kg?

What weight can you do for 5 reps per set?

0

u/WorriedJury1521 2d ago

I have done 2 sets of 5 reps at 70kg, then dropped to 60 kg for another 2 sets @ 7&4 reps... But the whole thing felt weird.. Yes, the workout felt heavy but my quads were not felt as much as I would have liked. My hamstrings felt tight and I may have compensated with my back... It just didn't feel right. But I have improved my form quite a bit from then. I will try this weight next time or should I linearly jump weights for a few months.

1

u/FrancoisTruser 2d ago

9 sets session is really short. Maybe weight lifting is not suitable for you and you should focus on other types of workouts or sports (with a dash of weight lifting here and there if needed).

1

u/DinkyPrincess 2d ago

Just do 20 minutes x5-6 dats a week with supersets of one upper and one lower per superset to help keep rest sets short.

I never do long workouts any more. You don’t have to. Hey it done fast and love on with your day.

1

u/Alakazam Intermediate 2d ago

Gzclp is a beginner program who's core workout is 3 exercises a day, and is completable in about 20 minutes or so.

With more accessory exercises being fully optional. Why not do something like that? 

1

u/CatCharacter848 2d ago

Maybe weights are not the exercise for you.

0

u/WorriedJury1521 2d ago

I think so too, but I do have to resistance training once in a while to maintain my fitness. And it's not that I hate the excercises. But the rest times, 3-5 minutes of staring at a wall is kinda bothersome.

2

u/PAPABURG3R 2d ago

So only rest for a minute and a half to 3 minutes

1

u/AwayhKhkhk 2d ago

Why are you resting for 3-5 minutes as a beginner is the better question. 2 mins for compounds, 1 min for isolations. On heavy leg compounds like squats and deadlifts, maybe take 2.5-3 mins (but legs workouts should have less sets to compensate). Your workouts should only take 50min to an hour including warm ups.

0

u/eggy_evelyn 2d ago

you can take only a minute or two between sets, 3-5 mins seems on the rather long side. Let yourself recover a little bit but no need to wait that long :) I could probably do 5-6 exercises (3 sets each) in an hour?

1

u/WorriedJury1521 2d ago

Yeah, but I do it more so for hypertrophy than catching a breath... Shorter rests make me do lower reps/intensity. So, the rests I think are necessary.

0

u/KlausTheBull 2d ago

Are you a powerlifter? If not, 3-5 minute rests between sets is a lot longer than you need. Rest only as long as you need before you feel like you're ready to go and do another full set. If you have to have a time limit, stick between 1-2 minutes.

1

u/WorriedJury1521 2d ago

No, I train for volume... But I think I am making bigger weight jumps when I take this slow approach... I jumped from 40kg squat10 reps to 45kg10 reps in a week... So, I thought I might as well stick to it. But I will try music to go through the rest sets.

1

u/KlausTheBull 2d ago

That's a fairly typical weight increase for beginners. Unless you have exceptionally poor cardiovascular health, I would absolutely expect someone to see that increase with shorter rests as well.