Squats can boost brain activity [video] • Hacker News Board

Re: Squats can boost brain activity [video]

#31

Post by blueprint » Fri, Sep 10, 2021, 3:17 AM UTC

deviation wrote: post #23

mmaunder wrote: post #6

Funny how people become obsessed with specific movements, specific exercise styles, etc. I’ve done it all including becoming obsessed with Mark Rippetoe and the derivatives, cardio like running and mountain biking, swimming 2km a day (80 lengths) etc. The one thing that has absolutely transformed my life is yoga. No more back pain, insane strength I never had, no more injuries from eg lifting a 100 lbs propane tank a…

Interesting- The benefits you mention are primarily physiological. I would argue that if building strength, clarity, and focus is someone's main goal then this could be just as easily achieved by regular routine exercise like a calisthenics or bodyweight program with a healthy diet to boot. At least this way you can realise the benefits much quicker than a year or two. I can't speak to the rewarding 'zen' nature of Y…

most yoga does plenty of things not accessed by 99.9% of bodyweight and calisthenics

Re: Squats can boost brain activity [video]

#32

Post by blueprint » Fri, Sep 10, 2021, 3:17 AM UTC

sjf wrote: post #14

londgine wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

there are 2 types of yoga that I found. one focusing on strength and flexibility, like you talked about. and one that feels like meditation, with a pagan ritual to the sun. when looking for a yoga program, how can I specify the former?

Look for a yoga class with power, core, ashtanga or vinyasa in the name. Avoid hatha.

bikram aka hot 26 is the sh too

Re: Squats can boost brain activity [video]

#33

Post by mmaunder » Fri, Sep 10, 2021, 3:21 AM UTC

londgine wrote: post #13

mmaunder wrote: post #6

Funny how people become obsessed with specific movements, specific exercise styles, etc. I’ve done it all including becoming obsessed with Mark Rippetoe and the derivatives, cardio like running and mountain biking, swimming 2km a day (80 lengths) etc. The one thing that has absolutely transformed my life is yoga. No more back pain, insane strength I never had, no more injuries from eg lifting a 100 lbs propane tank a…

there are 2 types of yoga that I found. one focusing on strength and flexibility, like you talked about. and one that feels like meditation, with a pagan ritual to the sun. when looking for a yoga program, how can I specify the former?

I'd encourage you to try the 3 week yoga retreat I mentioned on the beachbody app (I'm not affiliated - I run a cybersecurity biz). It isn't a specific flavor of yoga - it's a nice mix of strength, balance - and the meditation you get for free. Yoga was created to get you into a meditative state through a series of movements that incorporate breathing. Do the movements with breath and you're already meditating.

Re: Squats can boost brain activity [video]

#34

Post by mmaunder » Fri, Sep 10, 2021, 3:22 AM UTC

sjf wrote: post #14

londgine wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

there are 2 types of yoga that I found. one focusing on strength and flexibility, like you talked about. and one that feels like meditation, with a pagan ritual to the sun. when looking for a yoga program, how can I specify the former?

Look for a yoga class with power, core, ashtanga or vinyasa in the name. Avoid hatha.

I'd actually encourage everyone here to avoid classes. There has been quite a bit of controversy around instructors exploiting students for money or otherwise. The culture is a bit zany. And there's pressure to become an instructor which requires spending more money. But primarily, classes are inconvenient. Do it on your own and you can just roll out of bed and straight onto the mat, and 30 mins later you're done and set up for the day.

Re: Squats can boost brain activity [video]

#35

Post by mmaunder » Fri, Sep 10, 2021, 3:24 AM UTC

colechristensen wrote: post #7

mmaunder wrote: post #6

Funny how people become obsessed with specific movements, specific exercise styles, etc. I’ve done it all including becoming obsessed with Mark Rippetoe and the derivatives, cardio like running and mountain biking, swimming 2km a day (80 lengths) etc. The one thing that has absolutely transformed my life is yoga. No more back pain, insane strength I never had, no more injuries from eg lifting a 100 lbs propane tank a…

One thing I think yoga does particularly better than many other activities is target really broad sets of muscles. I don’t do it much but after a few initial classes it was so strange for muscles i didn’t know existed to be sore.

Yes this is what I've found. In particular, I've found that it strengthens the smaller muscles, tendons and ligaments that often get injured. It has also realigned my body into a more balanced state. I know that last sentence sounds like some kind of zen BS, but what I mean is, my muscles are now developing in a balanced way, my spine is straight and I have symmetric strength.

Re: Squats can boost brain activity [video]

#36

Post by monetus » Fri, Sep 10, 2021, 3:25 AM UTC

blueprint wrote: post #32

sjf wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Look for a yoga class with power, core, ashtanga or vinyasa in the name. Avoid hatha.

bikram aka hot 26 is the sh too

The movie about the creator of that was pretty disturbing - I read that his former lawyer now owns the brand

Re: Squats can boost brain activity [video]

#37

Post by mtalantikite » Fri, Sep 10, 2021, 3:25 AM UTC

londgine wrote: post #13

mmaunder wrote: post #6

Funny how people become obsessed with specific movements, specific exercise styles, etc. I’ve done it all including becoming obsessed with Mark Rippetoe and the derivatives, cardio like running and mountain biking, swimming 2km a day (80 lengths) etc. The one thing that has absolutely transformed my life is yoga. No more back pain, insane strength I never had, no more injuries from eg lifting a 100 lbs propane tank a…

there are 2 types of yoga that I found. one focusing on strength and flexibility, like you talked about. and one that feels like meditation, with a pagan ritual to the sun. when looking for a yoga program, how can I specify the former?

The former is largely calisthenics, which entered into yoga asana practice in the 20th century [1]. If you’re looking for something that focuses more on the calisthenics I’d suggest checking out Dylan Werner’s True Strength series [2]. When things locked down in NYC last year and I wanted to switch things up from practicing Ashtanga in my room alone I practiced through a bunch of his stuff and he definitely has a lot to teach. I’d try out true strength evolution as well as his elasticity/plasticity flexibility series.

[1] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yoga_Body

[2] https://www.alomoves.com/instructors/dylanwerner?instructors...

Re: Squats can boost brain activity [video]

#38

Post by shortsightedsid » Fri, Sep 10, 2021, 3:25 AM UTC

londgine wrote: post #13

mmaunder wrote: post #6

Funny how people become obsessed with specific movements, specific exercise styles, etc. I’ve done it all including becoming obsessed with Mark Rippetoe and the derivatives, cardio like running and mountain biking, swimming 2km a day (80 lengths) etc. The one thing that has absolutely transformed my life is yoga. No more back pain, insane strength I never had, no more injuries from eg lifting a 100 lbs propane tank a…

there are 2 types of yoga that I found. one focusing on strength and flexibility, like you talked about. and one that feels like meditation, with a pagan ritual to the sun. when looking for a yoga program, how can I specify the former?

Unfortunately type 1 is a classic case of cultural appropriation. Yoga is fundamentally a spiritual exercise that aims to strengthen not just the body. Therefore, practices like Surya Namaskara are not just a series of exercises for strength and flexibility but also a must for spiritual improvement.

Re: Squats can boost brain activity [video]

#39

Post by pstuart » Fri, Sep 10, 2021, 3:28 AM UTC

dehrmann wrote: post #20

I disagree with doing a crossword puzzle (or other mentally stimulating activity) mid-squat if you're working with any interesting amount of weight. Once you're at a weight that's challenging, things get potentially dangerous, and the last thing you want to be thinking about is what's a four letter word for a small quantity of whiskey.

dram?

Re: Squats can boost brain activity [video]

#40

Post by thinkingkong » Fri, Sep 10, 2021, 3:29 AM UTC

Any heavy lifting exercise will dramatically help. Squats and deadlifts are unique in that they engage so many muscles at the same time. The size of the muscles also boosts testosterone production. If you do these exercises earlier in the day so you arent too excited you’ll be really relaxed. To me, being relaxed helps my brain the most because Im calm enough to let my subconscious “bubble up”.