Less gym time, same results: Why ‘lowering’ weights is all you need to do • Hacker News Board

Re: Less gym time, same results: Why ‘lowering’ weights is all you need to do

#151

Post by brailsafe » Sat, Jan 07, 2023, 4:38 AM UTC

tuatoru wrote: post #121

malshe wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Thanks for this tip! I am trying to build upper body strength and pull-ups kill me

> pull-ups kill me To build volume with pullups, complete your sets with negative pullups as gp describes (nb: at least three seconds down from chin over bar to full hang) when you fail the full pull-up (at least two seconds up, from full hang to chin over bar) any more.[1] >> I am trying to build upper body strength 1. Keep a diary recording every session. 2. Stay away from the bench press. Focus on your back chain,…

That's a lot to recommend based on less than a sentence.

Sure some of this might be worthwhile to try, but if you just want to work on your upper body strength, you can do a lot less than this. Way more important to just do something with your muscles and experiment a few times a week, a long with increasing the amount of weight over time.

Just because someone is trying to gain strength, doesn't mean they don't know how.

I've been going to the gym for years, love pullups, vary in strength over time, and have never and will never likely take notes. But for some, that could be your type A thing to do.

Re: Less gym time, same results: Why ‘lowering’ weights is all you need to do

#152

Post by 0xcde4c3db » Sat, Jan 07, 2023, 4:44 AM UTC

syntheweave wrote: post #138

Octabrain wrote: post #40

From my personal experience, for the majority of people, I would recommend to stay away from classic body building weight trainning. I trainned that way for several years in my early twenties (back then, I was even a certified body bulding trainner) and the overload in my joints was a recipe for disaster + the kind of body I developed was disfunctional for activities other than weights themselves. The excercises I've…

My personal anecdotes agree, somewhat. A genuine full-body movement(like the various modes of crawling, my go-to for general exercise) involves more joints and stabilization than bodybuilding motions, which tend to be isolated. Training naturally, it's easier to experience overall healthy results with a balanced approach since everything supports everything else. At the same time, bodybuilders tend to be as big as th…

> Advanced natural bodybuilders will top out around the physique of a Steve Reeves, which is big, but nothing like a Schwarzenegger or later pros where the drugs are in play.

It's also worth keeping in mind that many "natural" bodybuilders are also using drugs, just less aggressively. Apart from the rampant "fake natty influencer" phenomenon, there is simply no way for competitions to catch every possible stack/cycle (especially stuff like HGH or insulin).

Re: Less gym time, same results: Why ‘lowering’ weights is all you need to do

#153

Post by missingrib » Sat, Jan 07, 2023, 4:53 AM UTC

atchoo wrote: post #133

pcthrowaway wrote: post #90

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There are professional climbers who are 'heavy'. Finger strength, overall strength, flexibility, coordination, balance, and technique all play a massive role as well. I don't know why the bodybuilders I've climbed with seem to be worse than overweight/obese people I've seen climbing for their first time, but I've had this observation as well.

I have never rock-climbed, only briefly messed about enough to know it's not happening despite my pull-ups peaking with +50kg added weight. The "not happening" was that my weight distribution feels like it was ripping me off the wall. I just can't get much percentage of my bodyweight supported by my toes because my big back, ass and quads are going in another direction. Turns into an upper body exercise and one-arm p…

It's most likely just climbing technique, keeping with it for a few more months would have yielded pretty good results I think.

Re: Less gym time, same results: Why ‘lowering’ weights is all you need to do

#154

Post by monkeyshelli » Sat, Jan 07, 2023, 4:58 AM UTC

peter_l_downs wrote: post #95

davidvarela_us wrote: post #86

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I strongly disagree. Weight training is one of the best gifts you can give your body. It keeps you healthy and event prevents injury if done correctly. What you did wrong was not weight training but following an unbalanced training regimen. No judgement there, I was guilty of the same when I was younger. I think younger/uninformed lifters tend to "ego lift" and focus on size over aspects of physical training. It is e…

I will second the endorsement for AthleanX and KneesOverToesGuy. They have both helped me recover from injuries I suffered due to imbalances created by poor training practices. They've helped me improve both strength and mobility (turns out they're related!) and stay healthy. KOTG has been most helpful for injury recovery; Athlean X is mostly just fun. But they both promote learning about your body and the kinetic ch…

I also suggest checking out Squat University and Citizen Athletics.

Re: Less gym time, same results: Why ‘lowering’ weights is all you need to do

#155

Post by joshschreuder » Sat, Jan 07, 2023, 5:02 AM UTC

malshe wrote: post #33

mrob wrote: post #15

I used eccentric muscle contractions to gain enough strength to do pull-ups when I was too weak to do even one. I stood on a chair to get into the top position, then lowered myself as slowly as I could. The exercise was effective, and after a few weeks I could do full pull-ups without the chair.

Thanks for this tip! I am trying to build upper body strength and pull-ups kill me

There's a lot more to upper body strength than just doing pull ups. You can absolutely work up to it in many ways (including negatives as mentioned).

Recommend giving this video a look, and the channel in general. Lots of good vibes and solid advice for working up through a progression without the muscle bro wankery.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fO3dKSQayfg

Re: Less gym time, same results: Why ‘lowering’ weights is all you need to do

#156

Post by xedrac » Sat, Jan 07, 2023, 5:03 AM UTC

brailsafe wrote: post #146

naet wrote: post #58

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Doing "negative" pullups also helped me build up from zero to a max of about ten regular pullups in one set. Unfortunately I took a long break from strength training and can now barely do 1-2. Was just thinking of going back to negatives to start rebuilding my strength.

I'm in the process of doing that right now. It goes away surprisingly quickly. I'm finding that rebuilding grip strength is crucial

It also comes back surprisingly quickly, unless it's been decades.

Re: Less gym time, same results: Why ‘lowering’ weights is all you need to do

#157

Post by bsder » Sat, Jan 07, 2023, 5:12 AM UTC

1) I thought the current science is that "knee extensions" and "leg curls" were considered to be particularly bad for you and highly prone to injury.

2) Did this go out of style and come back? I remember hearing about the benefits of "isometric overload" like this the whole way back in the late 1980s.

Re: Less gym time, same results: Why ‘lowering’ weights is all you need to do

#158

Post by faithcsc » Sat, Jan 07, 2023, 5:13 AM UTC

cameronh90 wrote: post #136

Has anyone else had a complete lack of success with any kind of weight lifting? I find that whenever I try to lift, it starts well, but after a few weeks, the amount I can lift over time begins to decrease and I start getting pain in my tendons. I've tried low reps low weight, high reps low weight, 1 day a week 3 days a week, etc. had my form checked by a personal trainer and there doesn't seem to be any obvious reas…

I had the exact same experience and have recently given up. Tried to lift less, eat better, etc. No matter what, I would randomly get really exhausted for 3-4 days. It just wasn't sustainable.

My new years resolution is to quit lifting and find any exercise routine that's sustainable and doesn't drain my energy.

Re: Less gym time, same results: Why ‘lowering’ weights is all you need to do

#159

Post by bigDinosaur » Sat, Jan 07, 2023, 5:39 AM UTC

ckardat123 wrote: post #139

bigDinosaur wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

While it's the same amount of mass, the distribution of force on your body will change as will the muscles engaged etc. no?

The mass would halve, because you are now only lifting one dumbbell with one arm instead of two dumbbells with two arms.

The issue at hand I believe is how the descent of your lift (eccentric muscle contraction) is more beneficial than the opposite, so to optimise for this you'd lift one dumbbell with two arms and then bring it down with one (i.e. minimise the effort required to lift, maximise effort required to descend).

Re: Less gym time, same results: Why ‘lowering’ weights is all you need to do

#160

Post by fnordpiglet » Sat, Jan 07, 2023, 6:07 AM UTC

mrob wrote: post #15

I used eccentric muscle contractions to gain enough strength to do pull-ups when I was too weak to do even one. I stood on a chair to get into the top position, then lowered myself as slowly as I could. The exercise was effective, and after a few weeks I could do full pull-ups without the chair.

I assume this works for push-ups too? Lower yourself then reset and lower again? That’s amazing. I guess it makes sense. If the research in the article holds true this makes strength building much simpler and a lot less grueling.