I'm a fat girl that 100% hates all exercise just to exercise. Cardio or strength. But being able to feel like i am "flying" up the stairs due to stronger legs keeps me going. Its a medicine for me and no joy.

Personally I love strength training (at least compared to pure cardio), but I guess different things appeal to different people. I find a lot of cardio pretty boring tbh.

Part of it, I think, involves setting expectations. I am a fairly scrawny woman. I am 28 and people still tend to think I'm a teenager because of my baby face. I acknowledge that I am never going to look like Arnold Schwarzenegger, or look physically intimidating, and that is ok. I'm working out for my own health and wellbeing, and I find that exercising regularly is just as much about my mental health as my physical health. I also don't expect to see any immediate physical changes- patience is key.

In general, in terms of progress (so far as strength goes) I look at the change in how much I can lift over time, what I'm capable of doing- not what my body looks like (although when I was training regularly I did notice an increase in muscle mass- though note that you probably wont get a visibly muscular look without a low-ish body fat %). I enjoy surpassing expectations, feeling stronger, and claiming space in the weights section regardless of what I look like.

So far as gyms go, my experience has been pretty good. For the first few months I worked out once a week with a trainer (something I know not everyone can afford to do), and sessions mostly involved strength training with some high intensity circuit stuff at the end. It was a ton of fun, taught me how to use the equipment safely/with correct form, and gave me the confidence to navigate the gym by myself later on. I also go to a gym where I'm not always the only woman in the weight section.

On a random side note: workout clothes. You do not have to wear tight/tiny 'fashionable' workout gear if you don't want to/it makes you uncomfortable!! (just in general- not specifically addressing you with this, OP) I tend to wear shorts and loose t-shirts from the boys/mens section and I am so much more comfortable in this than what's available in women's workout gear. (somebody seriously needs to start making more 'unisex' looking exercise clothing in female friendly sizing...)

I started with stronglifts 5x5 and loved it immediately. The workouts were short (5 sets, 5 reps, only three different exercises) and I saw improvements every single time, at first. I hate machines, I hate body weight workouts, dumbbells are boring, and I won't do anything if it takes too long. But barbells are the bomb. And yeah, some body weight exercises suck because they need an advanced level of strength just to start! I'm trying to trick myself into doing some cardio because I hate it but I know it's good to have a bit of both.

You don't have to do anything you don't love. But as for why it's not working, are you able to increase the weight or reps of your strength exercises regularly? Which exercises are you doing? (yeah, muscle mass changes may not be super visible under fat, but if you get stronger, that's your measurable gainz right there)

I love strength training and hatehatehate cardio. I just bought my first pair of actual running shoes and it's ONLY so I can walk around with the stroller in something other than flip flops. I am also overweight (both normally plus an empty flabby skin sac where my baby used to be -- does that go away on its own or do I have to exercise it away...?)

So... There may be some element of "you're doing it wrong" here. Except for things that put you in danger, there's no actual way to do it wrong, but, you're missing out on some of my favorite aspects of strength training.

One -- its way quicker than cardio. You get in and out of that gym so quick. I'd have to look at your routine but I'm imaging that you might be using the machines and working on more specific muscles. Instead, look into "Starting Strength". Except for the first session where you work up to find what weight you are at, you only do about 9 sets of 5 lifts. It takes me about 20 minutes when I don't warm up. Don't be like me.

Two, gains come quick, unlike cardio. Again, I'm suspecting you are working on one muscle group at a time. If you do full body exercises, which are also less injury prone btw, plus lifting heavier with less reps, you'll gain quickly. The last two times I started with SS (the first time I ever lifted, and then a return from a long lapse), I could flex my biceps and have a visible dent after about 2 or 3 months. At both times, my bmi was just barely into the obese catagory.

Three, you'll lose weight faster (if you eat the same amount of calories). Abs are made in the kitchen, not the gym, but strength training raises your basal metabolic rate. Cardio only burns calories while you're running. Muscles use more energy than fat simply to exist, so the larger your muscle cells (you never get "more"), the more energy your body needs while you're just sitting there.

So if you want to try again to get into lifting, try SS for... IDK 2-3 months. Lift heavy, with just a few full body lifts.

Or... Don't! It's okay not to like it. You don't have to lift. Maybe if it helps you exercise while you recover, then sure, push through it. But on a normal day, why do something you hate?

Also, water aerobics is not cardio and strength training because of the added resistance of the water. Try going to a class or two (or just snoop on one while swimming). A arm exercise is to hold your arms straight out, then bring them In so they're in front of you, and then back out. This is similar to chest rows with dumbbells. The longer your arm is and the more you spread out your fingers, the more resistance and strength training.

Also, have you tried deadlifting? It makes me feel so wonderful. Like I could crush the skull of the neck guy who tried to hit on me.

Have you tried fitness classes focused on bodyweight exercises? There are many places now that offer live streaming classes, you could give this a try.

I joined the track team my sophomore year of high school, and it was introduced by our coach as supplemental training to our main sport - running! I'm no marathoner, but I was a mid distance/distance runner (800m and the Mile (1600m) were my races. Had I joined my freshmen year, I know I would've been doing the 3200m (2 miles) by my senior year) so maybe one way to look at it is an aid to help you run better. It really does strenthen bones, and since running is so impactful on the joints, having stronger bones is necessary to reduce risk of injury. We also ended up doing it for the swim team, too, to help strengthen our swimming muscles. I kind of took a liking to it right away (but like someone else said, different strokes for different folks) because I liked the feeling of being strong. Im pretty short and have a baby face, so right away I'm underestimated. But it's nice to catch the eye of some weird bulgy muscle man after a heavy deadlift, knowing I blew his expectations out of the water. But you're definitely NOT weird. I think it really matters what else is going on AROUND the weightlifting. Strength training is amazing, but to see changes in your strength and/or body, it's 80-90% diet. Increasing your protein intake may help feeling stronger, since you'll have introduced more of the building blocks for repairing your muscles into your system. If discouragement is around not progressing, I'd definitely take a step back and assess your whole life rn - stress levels, sleep levels, nutrition, cardio amounts, etc. If cardio is your jam, strength training will only be a supplement to it. But if you REALLY wanna focus on strength training, then cardio may have to take a back seat, as it can easily slip from supplemental to detrimental to your strength gains. Stephanie Buttermore on YouTube is a great fitness lady to get into. Her programs are designed for the female body's specific strengths (more lower body focused, since female bodies carry their strength there more), which may help the feeling that men run the show (they do in some cases, but the best thing around that is to find women who design fitness plans, as they have the female body in mind).

But in all honesty, if you've found what you grove with fitness wise, stick to it. The best exercise is the one you love doing the most.

As a semi fat woman who used to be fat, I stick with walking until I get down to a lower size.

With the excess weight, everything is just way harder on your body, especially physical activity. Walking, biking, swimming, or playing a sport you enjoy is more effective imo, and you're less likely to get injured with the first 3.

i'm the opposite, love lifting, hate cardio, and I'm guessing we're the opposite on diet judging by your user name, i eat almost exclusively meat 😁💪🥩

I love being strong and being able to run faster or to carry heavier bags. But! TBH I find strength exercises on their own pretty boring. I started doing parkour and as a part of our training we have strength training. I wanted to do parkour tricks better - so that was motivation for me. And I've got much stronge and I love it. The problem is my parkour gym recently moved to another place and it's further away from my home and I don't want to spend time on commuting, so I am thinking of having a break from parkour, but don't know what to do instead. I love being strong and don't want to lose the strength I've gained, but as I said just push-ups, squats and jumps seem boring to me.

If I were you I would buy some light dumbells (3 lbs and 5 lbs) and just try to do some basic excercises at home, maybe 3x a week. It's easier to progress if you start off at a light weight and gradually increase resistance as it becomes too easy.

I've never been able to get into strength training either. I do the bare minimum to support my running and swimming. I'll do a 10 minute core-work warm up or stop at one of those outdoor fitness setups in parks in the middle of my run or a quick strength routine once a week.

I lifted weights in the gym for five years. At first I loved it, as it was pulling my energy back down into my body (I have a long history of dissociation), but then I started burning out. It turns out I gain muscle more easily just standing up and walking around than by lifting weights. In the gym I never made much in the way of gains and needed long recovery times.

The optimal exercise depends on your body type. Also, if you're going to run, you may be better off running barefoot if you aren't already. It takes a while to make the shift but then you are more ergonomic than in shoes.

Yana Good (my current guru, on YouTube) says women are better off dancing (especially belly dancing), rather than engaging in focussed linear goal-oriented workouts. She says a masculine approach to life (fire and air energies) is so normalized we forget there are other ways of being active (earth and water energies), and women may be better off with more feminine activities. Walking the dog, gardening, dance, flying a kite?