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Squats can boost brain activity [video]

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Re: Squats can boost brain activity [video]

#141

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sounds like you fixed your hip flexors, because thats been my issue lately. Besides having some back problems from sports + lifting, getting strength back in my hip flexors has been relieving my backpain the most. I kinda did the same thing with Mark Rippetoe's starting strength / guides on lifts. Which led me into powerlifting for maybe 1 year. Honestly its all great but I ultimately agree that yoga should be a fund…

What are the best ways to fix hip flexors? I've always had bad hip flexor activation even while running pretty fast for 800m.

What's been working for me is a series of exercises and stretches. I think what's working is the actual exercise rather than the stretch. I'll use bands while performing leg lateral raises and also lifting my knee to my chest (with bands as well). This way I'm actually forced to use my hip flexor muscles. Funny enough from my experience tight hip flexors are usually weak hip flexors that caused other parts of your body to compensate, which then causes you pain. Stretch wise, I do the standard pigeon pose, piriformis stretch, and butterfly stretch.

Re: Squats can boost brain activity [video]

#142

This article really motivated me to go do a quick set of squats this morning and now I feel so much better already. (work from, gym set up in basement right next to my office) Can't wait for the next time one of these stories to pop up on my feed so I can get motivated to do another set. But in all seriousness... my problem (as is the case with almost all the proactive things I should be doing in my life) is that I l…

Even if you had it, the real problem is time. Lifting eats up a huge, huge part of the day.

6 - leave work 6 - 6:15 Get dressed and drive to (very nearby) gym 6:15 - 6:30: Warm up 6:30 - 7:30: Lift 7:30 - 8 Mobility work 8:00 - 8:30 Shower, change, etc

More food needed, more meal prep, more sleep. Staying fit seriously cuts into "real life" - I could be passing an extra cloud / K8S / ML exam every 3 months if I studied instead.

Of course, lt health benefits, getting out of chair, etc all make it "worth it", but there is a huge cost.

Re: Squats can boost brain activity [video]

#143

This article really motivated me to go do a quick set of squats this morning and now I feel so much better already. (work from, gym set up in basement right next to my office) Can't wait for the next time one of these stories to pop up on my feed so I can get motivated to do another set. But in all seriousness... my problem (as is the case with almost all the proactive things I should be doing in my life) is that I l…

I just got back from a session with a personal trainer, for exactly this reason.

On any given day, I cannot find the self-motivation to go to the gym and do a real workout. Even if I have a good gym in the building I live in.

But once I'm paying someone- pre-paying no less- for training sessions, then I do not ever miss a day. So all I need is the motivation to get fit one time, and then drop a huge amount of money at that one time.

Oh, what's that? Sunk cost fallacy you say? Doesn't seem to impact this process in me and I'm not about to convince my lazy brain that it should.

Re: Squats can boost brain activity [video]

#144

This article really motivated me to go do a quick set of squats this morning and now I feel so much better already. (work from, gym set up in basement right next to my office) Can't wait for the next time one of these stories to pop up on my feed so I can get motivated to do another set. But in all seriousness... my problem (as is the case with almost all the proactive things I should be doing in my life) is that I l…

Even if you had it, the real problem is time. Lifting eats up a huge, huge part of the day. 6 - leave work 6 - 6:15 Get dressed and drive to (very nearby) gym 6:15 - 6:30: Warm up 6:30 - 7:30: Lift 7:30 - 8 Mobility work 8:00 - 8:30 Shower, change, etc More food needed, more meal prep, more sleep. Staying fit seriously cuts into "real life" - I could be passing an extra cloud / K8S / ML exam every 3 months if I studi…

My answer: get up earlier. Morning work outs seem to make my brain a lot more alert all day.

I get up at 6:30, leave home at 7:15, get to the gym at 7:30, 30 minutes of cardo, 1 hour of strength, then get back home and quickly shower, starting work at 9:30 (WFH benefit right there). I do that 3 days per week.

Re: Squats can boost brain activity [video]

#145
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…

Funny because I did yoga for years and I've never felt better since doing olympic weight lifting and other forms of strength training.

My own theory is that it takes a few years to develop the mind muscles connections, and for all the neglected muscles to be correctly worked and reach a whole body equilibrium. After that you know how to use the exact muscle group for a specific activity or movement, and every muscle is trained. Weight lifting or Yoga can both get to that, or any activity as long as you are mindful about movements and muscles involved, and every muscle is worked. It seems obvious but a lot of people don’t know and feel their muscles and their relative action when they do a movement like getting up or grabbing something.

Re: Squats can boost brain activity [video]

#146

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Funny because I did yoga for years and I've never felt better since doing olympic weight lifting and other forms of strength training.

My own theory is that it takes a few years to develop the mind muscles connections, and for all the neglected muscles to be correctly worked and reach a whole body equilibrium. After that you know how to use the exact muscle group for a specific activity or movement, and every muscle is trained. Weight lifting or Yoga can both get to that, or any activity as long as you are mindful about movements and muscles involve…

Yoga will never produce the same amount of body strength or power that a good, sustainable, compound barbell program can.

I do think there is a place for Yoga in giving our bodies different kinds of movements so we experience our body in different ranges of motion and positions but Yoga is nothing like compound barbell training (whether it's powerlifting or olympic weightlifting).

Re: Squats can boost brain activity [video]

#147

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

Is 5-a-side, or soccer golf cultural appropriation? Or can we just celebrate new options evolving and enriching the lives of those who like it that way. How do we know your classic yoga is the real original and it didn’t come from some kind of stretch routine for an ancient dance?

There are ancient texts that describe Patanjali's yoga and the reason behind it.

Re: Squats can boost brain activity [video]

#148
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…

Funny because I did yoga for years and I've never felt better since doing olympic weight lifting and other forms of strength training.

my own theory: they all provide the same thing - me time.

I've tried them all too, and found success from most for my mental health.

I effectively meditate when exercising, and that is what I think gets these results.

Re: Squats can boost brain activity [video]

#149

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What? A good weight lifting routine which incorporates squats, deadlifts, dumbbell rows, bench presses and little more, will absolutely strengthen every single part of your body. As for mind benefits, I can't speak to the scientific evidence of either, but in a physiological level I don't see why weights should be any worse.

Weight lifting doesn't train balance, whole-body coordination or flexibility as much as yoga or calisthenics would.

Are you kidding? Have you ever snatched heavy? thrown around kettlebells ?

Re: Squats can boost brain activity [video]

#150

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They have really different outcomes though. There's absolutely no way you can stress the nervous system and build muscle and bone density as efficiently as with lifting weights. Calisthenics, which is what Yoga is, body weight exercises, can never achieve the same results. You can come close in a lot of ways, one legged squats etc, but ultimately, you cannot work your back and your core as effectively as with a 1.5x…

I don’t think either Calisthenics or Yoga people would agreed with you that they are the same. I mean even within different Yoga types there are huge differences.

Yeah, if you want to do calisthenics then the best thing to do is to follow a calisthenics routine. Some yoga routines have a decent amount of calisthenics in them, many don't. Also, progression is going to be much better with a good calisthenics routine - most yoga routines and classes have a very poor sense of progression.

Same goes for stretching as well. A good stretching routine is going to get you much more flexible faster than doing yoga. Yoga has stretching in it, but again, it's unfocused and tends to have a very poor sense of progression.

Yoga is probably more akin to a sport. You can keep fit by playing sports, depending on how much work you put into it. But if you're trying to build strength, cardio, or flexibility, you're going to get much better results with a routine that focuses on those.

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