Earlier quoted context omitted.
Interesting. Never encountered volume training before. Seems like the benefits could go beyond aesthetics. Is medium weights + high repetitions all there is to it, or is there some more theory here? Got any links? :) Can only find references to German volume training - not sure if that's the same.
"Seems like the benefits could go beyond aesthetics." They do. Volume, usually defined using tonnage (weight x reps x sets) at a certain intensity (% of your maximal strength) is the main predictor not only of hypertrophy but also of strength gains in training. That is why all of the strongest powerlifters, who are only interested in moving as much weight as possible, train in that way (medium/heavy weights). Coach/p…
Ask HN: What are you doing to improve your health?
281–290 of 370 posts
Re: Ask HN: What are you doing to improve your health?
#282Strength training 3x a week. Why strength? Strength is the most generalized adaptation there is. Training to be strong improves every component of fitness: strength (duh), power, agility, balance, flexibility, endurance (all 3 types) and coordination. I would also make the argument that in day to day life strength is the most important attribute of fitness for someone in the western world. The ability to carry a bunc…
Would you say strength in general would be a better (more healthy in the long term) goal than just endurance/condition? Training to be strong improves every component of fitness: ... and coordination Do you mean eye-hand type of coordination? Anyway it sounds a bit odd to me: training coordination (as in a basketball shot, a frisbee throw, a bunnyhop with a bike) to me always seemed to be pretty much seperate from tr…
The other benefit, especially of a barbell program like Starting Strength, is stronger stabilizer muscles (both core and others), which provide a better "platform" for whatever skill you're exercising.
I'm not sure if it applies to all skills, but intuitively it makes sense to me that you can use more muscle for finesse without sacrificing power if you're stronger.
Re: Ask HN: What are you doing to improve your health?
#283tl;dr if the above doesn't apply to you.
Annoyed by increasing workouts and limited results I took to data cataloging my metabolism to find weak points in my diet. What I found was that I burn less than 2000 Cal in one day when I'm just doing my regular day to day activities. Meaning if I eat the typical diet I gain weight steadily until my mass is actually consuming all those extra calories and I'm slightly overweight.
Procedure:
Take about 1 week of data, don't change your lifestyle for that week do what you normally would do. Your body responds in about a 1 day cycle and you need about a week to get a clear trend.
Record your weight/date-time once to twice a day at the same times, like morning and evening. Preferably without too much clothing so it doesn't throw off the numbers.
Use some app or a notebook and note every single thing you eat, and I mean everything. You eat a peanut that counts, you have coffee that counts, all of it.
Record any excess exercise you do as well, like a 20min run or biking. Things you do as extra to work out. Compute the Calories this is worth.
End of the week plot your weight and draw a trend line, the slope/day is what you want to know how many pounds per day are you gaining or loosing.
Compute the Calories per day you ate minus the calories burned on exercise, and get the Average. Hopefully you didn't eat wildly different amounts each day that can throw things off a bit.
"3500 calories equals one pound of body weight" => compute the calories from the slope (lb/day) computed earlier if it's positive subtract that from the average caloric intake, if it's negative add it.
This is you're baseline Caloric burn rate per day. Meaning if you do your day to day stuff and eat this much you will neither gain or loose weight. If you're trying to loose weight and don't have time or interest in working out you can just cut anywhere from 100-300-500 Cal from your day to day diet and it'll slowly go down. More than 500 Cal is typically difficult unless you balance it with also working out. Anything over a deficit of 1000 Cal is usually considered unsafe.
The only reason for cardio is to strengthen your heart and keep your blood vessels clear (and so you don't get winded going up stairs), but a 20+min run 2-3 times a week or even some sport activity can solve that.
Re: Ask HN: What are you doing to improve your health?
#284Earlier quoted context omitted.
I think most people will find Strong Lifts 5x5 to be a better choice than Starting Strength, as it does not require power cleans, which are usually forbidden in most gyms. They are both more or less the same though, and focus on compound lifts.
I think the point about power cleans is fair (although if you read the book they aren't really required, many reasons why you wouldn't do them), but the 5x5 progression is way too much volume way too early.
You can be out of the gym in 30 minutes or less. It's 3 exercises 3 times per week. 15 sets total per gym session (not counting warm-up sets).
The whole point is to start with a very low weight (empty bar) and work your way up by adding 2.5lbs to each side every time you go back in. It's the fastest linear progression workout for beginners.
From my experience, Strong Lifts 5x5 is the recommended beginner's workout. You need a solid base to start off with. and 5x5 gets you there the quickest, because you are doing compound lifts. Biggest gym noob mistake is to go in there and start doing isolation exercises, when you are already lacking a base. That causes muscle imbalances which can then result in tendon and joint issues.
Edit: Just wanted to add that the 5x5 can transition into 3x5 and then 1x5 as you move up in weight and plateau. This can keep you going until you squat 400-500 pounds and deadlift 500-600.
Re: Ask HN: What are you doing to improve your health?
#285Earlier quoted context omitted.
As someone who loves to walk, loves beer, and has been going to bed early, but doesn't necessarily make a point to exercise, your post is encouraging! ...but I really should also make a better effort to exercise.
It really helps to do it in small steps. It is really hard to try to do everything at once. My first step was to be more active. I take breaks at work and I spend my entire 1 hour lunch walking around outside. Lately, I've been doing speed-walking and a bit of running too now that weather is getting nicer. Once I got into that habit of moving more, I started looking at my diet and changed a few things around. Started…
Now, life has gotten in the way a bit, but I try to make sure I'm still moving during the day, eating well, and getting enough sleep.
Re: Ask HN: What are you doing to improve your health?
#286Strength training 3x a week. Why strength? Strength is the most generalized adaptation there is. Training to be strong improves every component of fitness: strength (duh), power, agility, balance, flexibility, endurance (all 3 types) and coordination. I would also make the argument that in day to day life strength is the most important attribute of fitness for someone in the western world. The ability to carry a bunc…
there is also no evidence for the preventative benefits of heavy lifting. for the average person who starts lifting to feel and look better, starting strength makes no sense: it is sub optimal for increasing mass, is hard and not that enjoyable compared to less intense weightlifting routines, increases the length of workouts, interferes with training for other sports, is incompatible with serious participation in sports (outside of powerlifting), requires rapid and unhealthy weight gain for progression for many trainees...
even if you don't agree with all my points, at least ask yourself if it makes sense to recommend a highly specific sports training routine to everyone looking for basic fitness advice.
Re: Ask HN: What are you doing to improve your health?
#287Strength training 3x a week. Why strength? Strength is the most generalized adaptation there is. Training to be strong improves every component of fitness: strength (duh), power, agility, balance, flexibility, endurance (all 3 types) and coordination. I would also make the argument that in day to day life strength is the most important attribute of fitness for someone in the western world. The ability to carry a bunc…
I've been doing strength training as well. As a skinny kid during high school weighing ~116lbs or so, it was a shock when I turned 27 and was hit 150lbs. I was getting tired more easily, stairs were harder than they used to be... I decided then that it was time to do something about it. I use Mark Lauren's You Are Your Own Gym program (book + companion app), and it's been great. The program is 10 weeks long, it's all…
Also, you can lurk http://www.reddit.com/r/bodyweightfitness and http://www.reddit.com/r/yayog. Every question has already been answered.
Re: Ask HN: What are you doing to improve your health?
#288Earlier quoted context omitted.
I agree with you completely, just adding my two cents: I've done strength training for 5 years and am just now getting into volume training(strength is basically moving high weights for low number of reptitions, volume is moving medium weights for a high number of repititions). If I could go back, I would do a mixed routine from the beginning. Strength gains are nice, but the aesthetic gains from a volume routine are…
Interesting. Never encountered volume training before. Seems like the benefits could go beyond aesthetics. Is medium weights + high repetitions all there is to it, or is there some more theory here? Got any links? :) Can only find references to German volume training - not sure if that's the same.
Re: Ask HN: What are you doing to improve your health?
#289Strength training 3x a week. Why strength? Strength is the most generalized adaptation there is. Training to be strong improves every component of fitness: strength (duh), power, agility, balance, flexibility, endurance (all 3 types) and coordination. I would also make the argument that in day to day life strength is the most important attribute of fitness for someone in the western world. The ability to carry a bunc…
I agree with you completely, just adding my two cents: I've done strength training for 5 years and am just now getting into volume training(strength is basically moving high weights for low number of reptitions, volume is moving medium weights for a high number of repititions). If I could go back, I would do a mixed routine from the beginning. Strength gains are nice, but the aesthetic gains from a volume routine are…
[0] https://www.t-nation.com/workouts/531-how-to-build-pure-stre... Scroll to the very bottom for the program.
Re: Ask HN: What are you doing to improve your health?
#290Eat well, sleep enough and walk plenty. Sleep is something which is seriously overlooked in general. From personal experience, getting enough sleep and eating well are requirements that need to be met first before exercise. There is nothing is worse than exercising whilst you are deprived of sleep and mal-nourished. Speaking about exercise, don't get hung up on dogmas and "this is the only way" personality that is co…
There is nothing is worse than exercising whilst you are deprived of sleep and mal-nourished. Which is my personal battle. I don't want to sleep the 9 hours I seem to need, and my eating habits are insufficient, to the tune of 1k+ cal on some days. (young male, active) My latest revelation has been a good fitness tracker that estimates the caloric cost of my various activities, and is finally forcing me to get enough…