Hey guys,
I’m looking for a sport to do because I’m super skinny and I’d like to gain at least a bit of muscle. I’ve done cycling and bouldering in the past, but neither made me any less skinny.
The problem with sports is it’s very hard to do any sort of exercise with ADHD because beyond giving you no stimulation, it gives you negative stimulation, like when doing the plank. What’s more, it usually requires a ton of logistic prep/going somewhere, which itself is boring and becomes a barrier.
One thing I can see motivating me is doing it with other people (I enjoy chilling with people and having banter), but for that I might as well go to a pub/society where there’s no pesky ball I have to kick around. Team sports like football never really appealed to me for some reason anyway.
Has anyone had success making sports fun?
Have you tried action sports like paintball or airsoft? They’re tons of fun, get the adrenaline and dopamine flowing, and provide both cardio and a solid core workout.
Also look into fencing or the SCA. Doing armored combat in the SCA is something like HIIT, did wonders for muscle building for me without ever lifting weights.
That’s true, they sure sound fun. I guess they dont give you much muscle though, right?
My personal fitness results would disagree, but your mileage may vary. In a day at the airsoft field I spend about 6 hours running with a few kilos of gear and whipping around a yard/meter of gun weighing 6~8 kilos, maybe 15-20 lbs. Just shouldering a gun for a half hour takes a lot more muscle and stamina than one might expect, and aiming around uses a lot of abdominal, back, and oblique muscle. Meanwhile your legs get a colossal workout running between rooms, squatting up and down to dodge, take positions, fire out of windows, etc.
I’ve been playing regularly, a few times a month, for about 2 years now and while I’ve definitely gotten in much better shape because of it, at the end of a particularly intense day I still get jelly legs and full body muscle fatigue.
If you’re interested most fields offer gear rentals so you can try it out and see how it works for you without having to make a big investment in your own stuff.
Hey that doesn’t sound bad! I’ve actually been wanting to try Airsoft too!