11–20 of 376 posts
Just go out there, experiment and see what works for you.
That's right because us hackers really care about fitness
It just takes too much energy to go hard enough to achieve big things, I wouldn't even consider it practical if you don't have some degree of physical fitness.
I get the logic and intent behind these kind of articles but at the same time they infuriate me, because this is the kind of crap that people read and use as yet-another-reason as to why they don't try to get fit. Sure, machines aren't perfect, and they railroad your form, but it's better than nothing. I train on machines, _and_ with free weight, _and_ doing bodyweight / crossfit stuff. They all have their place. The…
Why not? So long as you're not being stupid, a spotter and/or the safeties built into the cage/rack or bench should do fine.
These links to auto-printing pages are unacceptable. Link me to the normal display article in these cases. I'll take it from there.
As for me, I prefer the version on one page, with no ads. Clicking "cancel" is not too high a price to pay (for me).
That's right because us hackers really care about fitness
As it happens it's a pretty popular subject. Hacker Diet ( http://www.fourmilab.ch/hackdiet/ ) is a book written by Autodesk's Founder, there's a pretty active corner at Reddit ( http://www.reddit.com/r/fitness ), and this is definitely not the first post on the subject I've seen on HN.
I get the logic and intent behind these kind of articles but at the same time they infuriate me, because this is the kind of crap that people read and use as yet-another-reason as to why they don't try to get fit. Sure, machines aren't perfect, and they railroad your form, but it's better than nothing. I train on machines, _and_ with free weight, _and_ doing bodyweight / crossfit stuff. They all have their place. The…
There's no way I'd try to pull the rep max on a free barbell that I would on a smith machine Why not? So long as you're not being stupid, a spotter and/or the safeties built into the cage/rack or bench should do fine.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
There's no way I'd try to pull the rep max on a free barbell that I would on a smith machine Why not? So long as you're not being stupid, a spotter and/or the safeties built into the cage/rack or bench should do fine.
You'd be almost guaranteed to fail the lift. Smith machines let you use higher weight because you don't have to spend energy stabilizing the barbell. With safety bars failing isn't a huge deal, it's just pointless.
The article's conclusion: Lift big with classic lifts. Gain strength. What I actually do: Take walks and do isometrics on convenient bars, poles, etc. Max power, 5-10 second holds, multiple angles. The better I am about those rules, the more progress I make. More effective than any gym I've ever been in.
But don't confuse those results with the results from classic big lifts. Like I said, I do isometrics all the time, but squats, deadlifts, benchpress and pullups are going to develop your musculature in ways isometrics never could.
What I'm doing now is a class lift style of back squats, deadlifts and benchpress 5x5 program for strength. Progress 5 pounds each session (make sure you start very low so you can build up) and end the each session with a circuit of your choosing x 3 (I normally do something like BW to failure of pullups, pushups, dips, plank, bridge/mule kick, ...then break and do it all again). Total workout including warmup takes 45 minutes max (I warm up for about 20 minutes).
This will build tons of muscle and you will gain strength very quickly. Though, make sure you eat right (Paleo) and cut out the crappy foods like grains/glutens/sugars and you will see fantastic results (if you still eat grains and the like, you'll gain weight, but you likely won't lose any fat .... some people call this "shitty weight" akin to drinking 2 gallons of milk a day).