I prefer rock climbing and suspension training. They are both excellent all body workouts, particularly for core strength, and I don't get bored to fucking tears as I do when lifting weights.
I used to rock climb and row competitively, injuries forced me to quit. Tried lifting, which bored me to death, moved on to swimming which is just fine for me. Just you and the water for a good hour or two. I have a gripboard mounted above my office door, colleagues are used to seeing me do L-hangs and pull-ups while on conference call by now.
I was in a rope pulling team for half a year too, greatest workout for my legs and back (climbing gave me awesome grip strength), also never been so sore in my life. Two teams of five guys in ski boots, pulling inch by inch in unison, exhausted after a few minutes.
Lifting is a giant waste of time in my opinion. If you have a demanding physical job, simply doing that job should be more than enough training. If you don't, you're much better off with something that doesn't shorten your muscles and doesn't improve your cardio. Most gym-going guys I know hardly improve their functional strength, too, they're just in it to look bigger. Which is fucking hilarious, nothing screams insecure like guys trying to look big. If that's your goal, lifting and juicing would be your best bet. For any other benefits, I'd say try a sport or two.
