Why do you strength train Poll?

[jpez]

Another poll which I thought would be interesting. You can chage your vote in the future if you like.

Why do you strength train? What is your main goal?

Functional strength - You believe more strength will help you with your everyday chores or your sport or hobby.

Physique - You believe strength training will improve your physique and aesthetics or maybe you want to get big to intimidate people and/or draw attention.

Sport - You're a competitive powerlifter or you want to be one in the future, or you're just a hobbyist that likes to break personal records on his/her main lifts.

General fitness - You believe strength training is a natural thing to do and you train for health and general fitness.

Base strength - You'd like to build up some base strength and then continue with a body building routine.

Rehabilitation - You believe strength training will help you heal a certain injury or illness.

[jpez]

I strength train for functional strength. I believe strength training helps me generally do things better and easier in my everyday life.

[hardestgainer]

You should add 2 more options:

Inflate Ego
Fill in spare time due to redundancy

[grole]

Hmm, my answer would be to build base functional strength for general fitness, but I coulnd't see that as an option.

Before starting SL I was doing general Crossfit style GPP training and kept finding that my lack of base strength was regularly turning what should have been metconn type workouts into slow max-strength efforts.
Naturally my searches for some basic strength training lead me to both Starting Strength and SL5x5.

[Zendefone]

Functional strength. But maybe a bit of all of the above. =P I hope to do more things with more strength.

[jjay2000]

This is a tough decision picking just one. I originally started for general conditioning but now that I've gotten hooked I enjoy beating my old P/R's. The added strength made me a better hockey player as the extra power make it a little easier along the boards. I also like the changes in my physique. Great Poll, If I had to choose just one it would be general conditioning as that's what got me started but all of those choices are what will keep me going.

[Mehdi]

You should add health, that was the first I was thinking of.

[ricepower]

Functional Strength, sport & rehabilitation.

For me they are the same thing and are the main reason I lift.

Physique is a nice bonus which I am not too bothered about.

[atypical1]

Tough to pick just one. I started for general health reasons now it's morphed into a mixture of all of those reasons. It's really morphed into a lifestyle.

james

[sgtrock]

Before starting SL I was doing general Crossfit style GPP training and kept finding that my lack of base strength was regularly turning what should have been metconn type workouts into slow max-strength efforts.
Naturally my searches for some basic strength training lead me to both Starting Strength and SL5x5.

Hey this is actually very similar to what happened to me. I was doing some GPP style workouts and sucked. I ran, and sucked. I did pushups and situps, and sucked. I finally did some real research and happened to google "strength training", and one of the first hits (if not the first one) was this site. I've been absolutely hooked on it since then. I really had no idea how much actual strength I was lacking until I started SL 5x5. It blew me away.

As a result, though I haven't run much in months (injury and focusing on lifting), when I was more active earlier in the summer my runs improved quickly, and I noticed that my use of a stationary bike improved dramatically -- what had been "tough" at half full level became "easy" at 3/4+ full literally in a couple of weeks after starting barbell squats. I now warm up for lifts on a bike on level 12 of 15 and it takes me 3-5 minutes to get my heart rate up, whereas before that would have gassed me immediately.

[Pseudonym]

I guess my original reason was a combination of physique and functional strength (always sucked in sports back at school). Now I do it because it's an obsession of mine and part of my life.

[rere]

I voted for general fitness. I think it's necessary to be healthy and strong and strength training just does that. I want to continue till the day I pass on.

[itsbruce]

How about "Simply for the achievement"? I like achieving things. I lost weight, I became fit, now I'm becoming strong. Hell, just lasting out the first 12 weeks of the program is an achievement, but it just keeps on giving all the way through: squatting your bodyweight, breaking through plateaus. At some point, the gains from SL5x5 will slow and I'll have to choose a more carefully defined direction, but that's just a new opportunity to pick goals. Love it!

[luco]

I agree completely with itsbruce. It's all about keeping improving myself. I happen to measure that by PR's, so I ticked 'Sport', although physique definitely plays a role.

[vibragreen]

To get stronger, to have the strength and power to do the things I want to do in life. I have been weak and small all my life. To have a body that will serve me well and not break when I want to keep going. I don't intend to lead a pampered life so I need a body that won't die easily on me.

Also lifting has taught me a lot about perseverance, character building, and never giving up. It forges will power. Something I also want.