191–200 of 343 posts
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I was all ready to come on here and trash this article. The headline and the first few paragraphs had me rolling my eyes. But I kept reading and changed my mind. I've now bookmarked this article. People seem eager to find some magic, half-hearted shortcut to reaching certain goals. There really aren't any. The best advice is often the kind you don't want to hear. To really improve, look at the people who are the best…
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Absolutely. It's amazing how time-efficient resistance training is. Strength training in particular where you're using the higher weights and lower reps.
Agreed. I have found a total of 10 reps (divided by 2 or 3 sets) or less for each lift is enough to see gains. The point is to keep setting a slightly higher max and go to failure.
If you progress enough, you will eventually need more complicated programming.
Going to failure is not a good idea in general. You do not want to train your body to fail. Going for slightly higher maxes each time is excellent advice for beginners, though.
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Thanks for the crux of it. The first page was so much intro filler that I gave up. Free weights as better than machines was fairly well known at least as far back as the early 90s. "Machines don't work your stabiliser muscles" was the phrase I generally heard.
Depends what you are trying to do and your situation. Machines are safer , so if this is a concern for some reason (injury rehab, age, etc.), then machines in some cases can be better for lifting heavy weights.
Cardio machines are innocent enough, as they won’t actually make you any less fit, but maintaining cardiovascular fitness doesn’t really take much more than breathing uncomfortably hard for about 20 minutes, three times a week. And we all know that swimming, hoops, bike riding, and even Ultimate Frisbee can get the job done, and that treadmills or elliptical trainers are a pale substitute. I think the author is overl…
There are alternatives to cardio machines that are far less expensive. A jump rope or kettlebell can provide ample and safe workouts for most. The advantage of activities (basketball, cycling, Ultimate) is that they're engaging, getting past the "but it's sooooo boring" issue of just grinding out your 20 minutes. And at the high end of the out-of-shape scale, just getting out of the house and walking would be a great…
Or just the floor (burpees). Or sprinting up stairs.
This is one of the best fitness articles I've read. Of course, that's me suffering from confirmation bias, because in 3 years of being on a health kick, I came to the same conclusions after talking to various people with a similar interest. My progression went:- Cycling -> Running -> Machines -> Body Weight Exercises -> Discovering Rippetoe/SS -> Barbell (Power Rack) The barbell is the king, and the great thing is in…
Get some gymnastic rings some day. Even if you just do dips and pull ups in them, they will be worth their small purchasing price.
So what do you do if your gym only has a smith machine and dumbbells? It's dangerous and hard to bench without spotter.
You don't need to bother benching without a spotter, if you feel uncomfortable. You can load those muscles with body weight exercises. (Push up variations, dips, handstand push ups, etc.)
Alternatively, benching dumbbells won't leave you trapped below a barbell, even without a spotter.
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If you're goal is fat loss, not cardiovascular health, then lifting weights works just as well as running or using the elliptical, and it is easier on your body if you learn the correct form.
> if you learn the correct form That's a big if. I don't trust myself to do it properly by myself based off a diagram from the internet. What's my alternative? The evil big box gym and overpriced personal trainer?
I was all ready to come on here and trash this article. The headline and the first few paragraphs had me rolling my eyes. But I kept reading and changed my mind. I've now bookmarked this article. People seem eager to find some magic, half-hearted shortcut to reaching certain goals. There really aren't any. The best advice is often the kind you don't want to hear. To really improve, look at the people who are the best…
Women generally stick to cardio machines. The skinny guys trying to get strong are all on the weight machines, and the big guys are all using free weights. I'm more interested in what exercises decagenarians performed.
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There are alternatives to cardio machines that are far less expensive. A jump rope or kettlebell can provide ample and safe workouts for most. The advantage of activities (basketball, cycling, Ultimate) is that they're engaging, getting past the "but it's sooooo boring" issue of just grinding out your 20 minutes. And at the high end of the out-of-shape scale, just getting out of the house and walking would be a great…
> A jump rope or kettlebell can provide ample and safe workouts for most. Or just the floor (burpees). Or sprinting up stairs.
KB swings are surprisingly aerobic and very low impact.