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I have a colleague who lifts with the intent to improve his single rep snatch and clean&jerk numbers. The man dissects and hones his lifts.
There is another former national tennis player who prioritises maintaining his conditioning level to be able to play fairly intense tennis.
I’ve got another colleague who’s over 50. But looks 35. A lean, mean 35 year old. And that’s what drives him.
The messy part of training is what drives you to get it done.
Not everyone wants to look like a bodybuilder.
And most folks are not trying to constantly increase their deadlift, squat or bench max for a competition.
And Hyrox is not on their radar. Neither is any form of competitive lifting.
In the absence of competitions, events, lifting for the sake of it can feel odd.
And this is something I’ve seen experienced coaches, trainees and fairly consistent trainees grapple with.
Why train?
I don’t have a straight answer.
The complicated one is to find joy in movement. Regardless of how controlled and constrained it may seem.
I really get a kick out of figuring out how different it feels when I do a pull up on 6 different implements. The muscles contract differently. That fascinates me endlessly.
I can squat with my hips leading the effort or knees leading the effort. And elevating only one leg makes the squat feel quite different.
I don’t expect everyone to train or move for the reasons I enjoy.
But my bigger point is it helps if you move with the intent to appreciate or understand what your body is capable of doing. All the many ways it can produce force. And the subtle differences when you try to interact or move differently shaped objects.
It could be to realise how much more stable you are in odd positions. Or how much more force you can produce when you are moving an object at home.
There are many ways to find joy in training. And most of those you realise not in front of a mirror or in a weight room. But in places you least expect it.