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Everything You Know About Fitness is a Lie

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Re: Everything You Know About Fitness is a Lie

#161

Post by rubashov »

ilovecomputers wrote: post #46
jasonkester wrote: post #42

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…

Also, don't eat boxed foods or foods that went through multiple stages of processing. In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan spells it out very well, but I'll just give you my simple definition: Eating healthy is as close to eating dirt without actually eating dirt. Produce, grain, cheese, 1/2 pound to a pound of meat a week[1], and whatever else Marion Nestle recommends[1.5]. Just imagine what primitive man would eat.…

> don't eat boxed foods or foods that went through multiple stages of processing

What's wrong with cheese, or butter? Or sauerkraut and pickles? All processed food. Also, powdered mashed potatoes and puffed rice are just conveniently preserved starch. They're perfectly healthy.

The "processed food" and "mostly plants" stuff is just marketing psychology that taps into SWPLs' inner hippie. The real diet rules aren't mystical:

* Avoid sugar, especially fructose

* Avoid vegetable oils

* Don't be afraid of saturated fat

* Prefer rice and potatoes to wheat/rye/etc

* If you're fat, try cutting out starch, but don't worry about it if you're not fat.

Re: Everything You Know About Fitness is a Lie

#162

Post by Splines »

tomjen3 wrote: post #47
Dylanlacey wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Because I can't downvote you, I'll comment. We do. A lot. Because we're not sitting in our parent's basements eating pizza and chugging mountain dew, we're not hacking the gibson and we're not sweaty, unbathed, pimply losers. We're motivated, we're not planning to die anytime soon, we're concerned with being able to do things, we're social, we're active and we're sick of the stereotypes. I'm going to make a massive a…

Looking at your comment, I can't understand why it got upvoted since you are just replacing one set of stereotypes with another, which may fit better with what society wants you to but is still a stereotype. Now if you want that thats perfectly alright, but I at least only want to spend as little time as possible caring about my body and as little time as possible with normal people since both things are utterly bori…

as little time as possible with normal people since both things are utterly boring

I hate to break it to you man, but we're all normal people around here.

Re: Everything You Know About Fitness is a Lie

#163

Post by joshklein »

jasonkester wrote: post #66
tfh wrote: post #64

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> But put me on the beach in Thailand for 5 months and holy crap, what a difference. That's my dream right there.

Best stop dreaming and start saving then. Book your flight for the end of November. Round trip to Bangkok before the peak will run you $600-$800 from the west coast. Make your way to Tonsai and negotiate yourself a good monthly rate for a bungalow. If you show up before the main tourist season and plan to stay until March, you can usually get them down to around $200/month. Even with all the Beer Chang and Massuman G…

How comfortable would a person who only spoke English be in getting around these areas?

Re: Everything You Know About Fitness is a Lie

#164

Post by noodle »

msy wrote: post #34

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.

having done crossfit and workouts similar to the ones planned in the article, i disagree.

crossfit does make use of some of the principles outlined in the article, yes. but you could say that about almost any workout scheme, including 20lb weights balancing on a bosu ball. there are bound to be some similarities.

crossfit is frenetic, with exercises that vary daily. this routine is advocating a more static set of consistent core exercises.

crossfit mixes up the styles of exercises pretty frequently -- some are strength, some are endurance, some are timed, etc.. again, this routine is more about slow, steady, consistent improvements on a single set of exercises.

crossfit is a single workout track that gets everyone "fit", while this routine is pointing out that you need to approach the exercises differently based on your personal goals.

etc etc.

Re: Everything You Know About Fitness is a Lie

#165

Post by jerf »

jasonkester wrote: post #42

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…

Every time there's an article on exercise or diet, there's a pileon of people promoting their own beliefs, with no apparent sign that they read the original link.

How do you address the fact that your point is actively contradicted by the article? Did you even know your point is actively contradicted by the article? I'm not even saying that proves you're wrong; what bothers me is that you just ran off to post your own stuff with no apparent engagement of the topic. That's not a recipe for learning anything.

Re: Everything You Know About Fitness is a Lie

#166

Post by JoelMcCracken »

jshen wrote: post #149
JoelMcCracken wrote: post #139

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That isn't evolution, it is a diversification of our genetics. There are lots of things that many humans are intolerant to which would have probably been a really big weakness in the past. Humans are no longer subject to natural selection. There needs to be significant culling pressure for real evolution to happen.

"Humans are no longer subject to natural selection." What? Are you sure? Because we most certainly are subject to natural selection.

Yes. But not to any significant degree that will cause a change as a species.

Re: Everything You Know About Fitness is a Lie

#167

Post by rubashov »

adolph wrote: post #121
yummyfajitas wrote: post #101

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So no Indian/Chinese/Japanese/Mexican food? No avocados? No seafood, unless your grandparents are from the coast? (Food diversity sucket in our grandparent's era. )

I think that one of the weaknesses of Pollan's saying is how it can be interpreted by people who haven't read his other stuff. Taken literally, someone much younger than Pollan might think that Pollan advocates for broccoli to be boiled and smothered in Velveeta.

What would be wrong with steamed/blanched broccoli smothered in Velveeta? That's perfectly healthy.

Re: Everything You Know About Fitness is a Lie

#168

Post by rubashov »

keeptrying wrote: post #83
mmaunder wrote: post #43

This is a one sided view of fitness. e.g. there is zero focus on cardio. Would be interesting to see one of these guys do a light 5 mile run. Look into real world training: running, hard hiking with a pack, mountain biking, swimming/surfing. These types of exercise have been the most rewarding for me in terms of skeletal, muscle and cardio fitness. The only thing I agree with in the article is that cardio machines in…

I once trained for a 5k race by doing just squats. I beat most of my "cardio" friends. When you start squatting above your BW then you'll be just as out of breath after 8 reps as after a full-on 5k run. Your heart will beat just as fast, and youll be sweating about the same. Also squats will improve your bone density. Don't be fooled that suffers like Laird get their physique from surfing. All of them dead lift and s…

I mostly exercise with a barbell, including snatch and clean & jerk. It's ridiculous to claim a barbell workout will give you much aerobic endurance. I also do cycling and I assure you barbell fitness does not much carry over. It's very different metabolic pathways. I've also found the carry-over from weights to sub 400m sprint speed to be pretty weak. Come on. Barbells are not magic.

Re: Everything You Know About Fitness is a Lie

#169

Post by omnigoat »

zizee wrote: post #41
dagw wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For what it's worth I've never heard what you describe called "winded". To me winded means getting the wind knocked out of you. I wonder if it is a regional thing.

In .au "getting winded" means getting the wind knocked out of you.

It also means running out of breath from doing too much.

Curiously, in my karate dojo, we are taught to learn to fight whilst being winded - as in, having the wind knocked out of you.

Re: Everything You Know About Fitness is a Lie

#170

Post by jasonkester »

jerf wrote: post #165
jasonkester wrote: post #42

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…

Every time there's an article on exercise or diet, there's a pileon of people promoting their own beliefs, with no apparent sign that they read the original link. How do you address the fact that your point is actively contradicted by the article? Did you even know your point is actively contradicted by the article? I'm not even saying that proves you're wrong; what bothers me is that you just ran off to post your ow…

The author talks about his experience or getting fit by going to a gym and lifting free weights. I countered with my approach, which revolves around setting your life up so that fitness is merely a side effect.

I'm not contradicting anything that he says. I used to lift weights in much the manner that he describes, and it'd be difficult to deny that it works.

The thing that he misses is motivation. Most people simply have none of it. I certainly don't for weight lifting.

In my experience, climbing rocks and surfing, while possibly suboptimal as workouts, will absolutely get you into great shape. And they have the added benefit of providing their own motivation.

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