Most of what you are talking about is physical effort. Exactly the part I dislike. I want sport to distract me from physical effort. I love it when I end up completely drained (proof that I did work out) but didn't feel it coming because I was so absorbed by the activity. Someone mentioned the endorphin hit, maybe you have it and I don't and that's why we see things differently.

But one part that stuck me is this:

> Your body fights you the entire time, preferring to put out as little energy as it can, the exact opposite of what you're trying to do.

But weightlifting should be about minimizing energy! Your goal is to snatch that bar, and I know a lot of it comes from technique, that is, let physics do the as much as possible instead of brute forcing it. And avoid injuring yourself too. In fact, olympic weightlifting seems closer in spirit to gymnastics than what people commonly do at the gym.

> But weightlifting should be about minimizing energy!

In only the very narrow sense of confining your energy within a technique to reduce injury. In other words, to minimize misdirected energy in order to maximize the rest. It's like putting tires on your car so that the energy propels it forward instead of just spinning the wheels.