51–60 of 376 posts
Given he calls Crossfit sadistic it's ironic he's basically describing it. Free weights, core strength, a focus on overall fitness and all aspects thereof over abstract weight numbers. It's not complicated and plenty of people know it. Hyperbolic headlines are intensely irritating.
In Crossfit times and reps matter more than form. Just take a look at some gyms. The exercises and the philosophy behind is awesome, but the practical appliance is far from great.
Prisoners are among the most fit people in the world, despite an absence of good machines, good diet, coaches, and instructional material. If you want to be fit, start exercising--a nice way to get started is to truly understand that any kind of exercise is very much better than doing nothing.
I have read on various weight lifting forums that at least some prisoners smuggle in steroids, protein powders/bars and also steal extra food when they can. This would certainly lead them to getting into great shape if all they do is workout and get the needed supplements. Also, I don't know about you, but I don't personally know anyone in jail, so other than perception that guys in jail are huge, I'm not really sure…
Training Behind Bars Pt. 1: http://goo.gl/epno3
Training Behind Bars Pt. 2: http://goo.gl/ppvHU
Easily two of the best articles on T-Nation.
If you really want to get fit, there's one easy thing you can do that actually works: Take up a sport that gets you fit as a side effect. I have two obsessions in life: Rock Climbing and Surfing. I'm pretty good at the first, and borderline hopeless at the other, but I'm committed to the point where I've arranged my life so that I can travel for months at a time to pursue one or the other each year. When I'm working…
If you really want to get fit, there's one easy thing you can do that actually works: Take up a sport that gets you fit as a side effect. I have two obsessions in life: Rock Climbing and Surfing. I'm pretty good at the first, and borderline hopeless at the other, but I'm committed to the point where I've arranged my life so that I can travel for months at a time to pursue one or the other each year. When I'm working…
All of a sudden I even enjoyed planning my diet just on the chance that it would make me strong/faster in the next workout.
So, yes, like all in things in life, put the right incentives there (and just getting fit/healthy, obviously doesn't cut it for millions of Americans) and make it fun and it's a piece of cake.
And for those of you who haven't found your muse yet, I urge you to give crossfit a try. It lets your inner 5 year old run wild. You'll get to run/jump/climb/swing/throw heavy things until you crumble in a sweaty heap at the end. It is pure unadulterated fun. Plus, fat will run screaming from your body (but that's just a happy side effect).
I think a lot of the comments here are missing the point of this article. Free weights are vital for muscle strength, mass and edurance. That doesn't mean free weights take the place of your other activities such as skiing or mountain climbing. That doesn't mean that you cut out cardio, that's something else entirely, even though some people work on cardio in the gym along with strength training. Free weights are als…
As well, you should exercise 'weak muscles' to avoid injury, for people sitting in front of computers a lot it really helps to exercise the back muscles.
I sometimes wish we could delete the entire fitness industry from the world and replace it with a few lines of text, something like this: eat right, exercise, get adequate sleep, reduce stress, get variety, use natural motions, breathe deep, get yourself winded intentionally from time to time, when in doubt walk, etc. The vast majority of people probably never need to go near a fancy weight machine or even lift artif…
The fundamental business model of most gyms is to sign up as many members as possible, irrespective of whether those members then attend (that is why you have membership 'contracts', direct debits, etc...)
Hence, gyms are optimised for increasing sign-ups - not for getting you fit. So things look shiny, modern, relaxing, appealing to some imagined lifestyle. Then in reality you end up sitting on your couch eating crisps ('chips' Americans) and feeling guilty.
I have one bit of specialized weight training advice. We all spend entirely too much time in front of our computers, typically hunched or slouched back, deep in thought. Ten years of doing this professionally led to shoulder/neck problems, culminating in a pinched nerve between my C6 and C7 vertebrae. It improved with physical therapy, but was never truly fixed, and has bothered me off and on for two years now, despi…
If you really want to get fit, there's one easy thing you can do that actually works: Take up a sport that gets you fit as a side effect. I have two obsessions in life: Rock Climbing and Surfing. I'm pretty good at the first, and borderline hopeless at the other, but I'm committed to the point where I've arranged my life so that I can travel for months at a time to pursue one or the other each year. When I'm working…
It's a bit opposite of what you are saying, in the sense that you want to do alternative/strength training next to your sport to improve your game. This mentality and way of training has radically improved my own game the last year.
Here's another anecdote: No lifting weights, only running & cycling and lately swimming. Pretty much the opposite of what the article is arguing. Since I started this I'm doing I'm doing fairly well, six pack included. I went to the gym once, and saw bulked up guys getting 5 pull ups. So I tried that and could easily do 30. Lifting weights may make you look like a bodybuilder, but are you really fit?