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Association between muscular strength and mortality in men (2008) [pdf]

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Re: Association between muscular strength and mortality in men (2008) [pdf]

#91

Post by bargl »

chollida1 wrote: post #5
richardlblair wrote: post #3

I've never been one for strength training. I just like to run really hard for a short period of time... Guess I will need to change that.

Well it depends on how hard and how long you run. Sprinting is one of the best muscle building activities you can do. I thought it was crazy to try, but I swear it's added 50lbs to my deadlift with one sprint work out a week for 3 months. Going from 475 to 525 is a pretty incredible increase in my deadlift considering I was adding about 5lbs a month before.

I've found the same thing, if you do a repetitive workout for too long you miss a lot of the other muscles that you need to train, so switching it up for a few months or adding complexity to a workout can help boost your gains.

Re: Association between muscular strength and mortality in men (2008) [pdf]

#93

Post by martythemaniak »

drexel wrote: post #47
unoti wrote: post #4

I've been doing strength training (the program is called Stronglifts 5x5[1]) with freeweights for about 9 months now. I just turned 44, and I've never felt better, and I'm stronger now than I have ever been. The program I use describes 3 simple exercises to do 3 times a week, and each workout takes me 30-45 minutes. Very little equipment is needed. It's hard to find good information about this on the net that covers…

The book "Starting Strength" by Mark Rippetoe (book and author pretty much universally lauded by the strength training community) is also a great starting point. Beginners can often become overwhelmed by all the differing viewpoints and training methods presented to them when researching strength training but (besides avoiding injury by maintaining proper form and generally listening to your body to allow sufficient…

Actually, the stronglifts 5x5 workout is pretty much the same as Mark Rippetoe's program in Starting Strength (squat, deadlift, press one day, squat, bench, clean, back extension the next)

I'm about halfway through the book and I would highly recommend it.

Re: Association between muscular strength and mortality in men (2008) [pdf]

#94

Post by hackinthebochs »

nnq wrote: post #30

Related brain-snack concerning muscle tissue and cancer: http://www.ted.com/talks/eva_vertes_looks_to_the_future_of_m... From it: "skeletal muscle tissue is resistant to cancer, and furthermore, not only to cancer, but of metastases going to skeletal muscle" (not entirely true, you have rhabdomiosarcomas, though they are rare and may originate in connective tissues, but she's definetely on to something).

I would guess its almost all because of the hormone myostatin. It's a negative growth regulator in muscle (perhaps other tissues as well). Myostatin is precisely why our muscles don't grow wildly out of control, and why it is so hard to grow a significant amount of muscle. Cell growth is tightly controlled by the level of myostatin and the levels of positive growth regulators. I wonder if myostatin or an analogue could have an affect as an anti-cancer compound.

Re: Association between muscular strength and mortality in men (2008) [pdf]

#95

Post by ellyagg »

tokenadult wrote: post #65

The most statistically astute comment posted here so far is the top-level comment by micro_cam https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5493772 pointing out that the study design here doesn't involve random assignment to strength training of any kind, but rather just observation of the study population over time. Sure, it's a good idea to be stronger rather than weaker. Moreover, it is plausible that exercises that tend…

Can you list some things that weren't controlled for that you think would lead to both increased one rep max and longer life expectancy?

As Edward Tufte says, "Correlation is not causation but it sure is a hint." That increased strength improves life expectancy should be the null hypothesis. At least at the one end, extreme frailty is a common eye test for poor health. Since this isn't a scientific journal here, but a discussion, I think most of us would agree that stronger people often have more resources to ward off disease, cope with temporary reductions in nutrient bioavailability longer, can defend themselves from threats more easily, and can avoid more dangerous falls by maintaining their center of balance. And that's not a comprehensive list.

Personally, I'm satisfied that increased strength reduces all cause mortality and I believe the link is strong enough to be actionable now. I'm an evangelist for it among my older friends and relatives. One way strength reduces deaths is by preventing common injuries, e.g., falling and breaking a hip. A recent study showed that a simple graded test of sitting on the ground to standing could differentiate mortality risk sharply. While we can't measure how much strength and how many years it adds, not least because that's just a vague question, the link here was almost an order of magnitude from the lowest grade to the highest grade for one repetition of standing from the ground.

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-204_162-57559095/sitting-and-sta...

http://cpr.sagepub.com/content/early/2012/12/10/204748731247...

Re: Association between muscular strength and mortality in men (2008) [pdf]

#96

Post by speric »

drexel wrote: post #47
unoti wrote: post #4

I've been doing strength training (the program is called Stronglifts 5x5[1]) with freeweights for about 9 months now. I just turned 44, and I've never felt better, and I'm stronger now than I have ever been. The program I use describes 3 simple exercises to do 3 times a week, and each workout takes me 30-45 minutes. Very little equipment is needed. It's hard to find good information about this on the net that covers…

The book "Starting Strength" by Mark Rippetoe (book and author pretty much universally lauded by the strength training community) is also a great starting point. Beginners can often become overwhelmed by all the differing viewpoints and training methods presented to them when researching strength training but (besides avoiding injury by maintaining proper form and generally listening to your body to allow sufficient…

"Starting Strength" is a great book. You learn a lot about technique, how to properly execute each lift, and common mistakes to watch out for. 5/3/1 from Jim Wendler (http://www.flexcart.com/members/elitefts/default.asp?pid=297...) is also great. I made my best gains on 5/3/1.

Re: Association between muscular strength and mortality in men (2008) [pdf]

#97

Post by hackinthebochs »

3327 wrote: post #35

here is my 2 cents. Im a coder, developer but I am ripped (sorry for the self love) I work out like crazy and actively surf / kitesurf, rockclimb. So my gym sessions have always had a purpose - to make myself stronger per the requirements of those sports. So my 2 cents - get of the whey protein. don't take it do not touch it. I have no scientific evidence but way too many people are on that and no long term studies.…

Whey and creatine are the two most studied supplements in history, and both of them have reams of studies that support their use. There is simply no question that they are a benefit. And no, whey will not give you a heart attack. Now, you don't need whey to get big, but it is a supplement for those that are unable to eat enough protein through other means.

You were starting to touch on a really important point, and what ultimately is good advice: don't workout to get big, train to reach a goal. Take up a sport, and then workout to get better at that sport. This will give you the motivation to keep pushing yourself and helps stave off the inevitable boredom that doing the same thing day after day will bring.

Re: Association between muscular strength and mortality in men (2008) [pdf]

#98

Post by jtms »

kyllo wrote: post #25
JPKab wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've been on Starting Strength for 3 months, and although I initially gained some fat (due to not getting a lean enough source of protein) I've gained a lot of muscle. I feel much healthier, and like you my knee pain has dissappeared. Squats and deadlifts are awesome, and the overhead press is a highly underrated exercise. (I'm a big distance runner, and I think too much distance running over time atrophied all of my…

Yeah, I used to only jog (2-6 miles at a time) for exercise, but I had lots of knee problems. Then I picked up Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and that also kept me in good shape but gave me different knee problems, until I started lifting. Lifting is clearly good for the knees and back. The myths that squats will hurt your knees and deadlifts will hurt your back need to be dispelled.

I do BJJ as well and at my school we do tons of strength training as part of regular classes. Instead of squats with a barbell we use another person!

Re: Association between muscular strength and mortality in men (2008) [pdf]

#99

Post by john_b »

archon wrote: post #61
drexel wrote: post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The book "Starting Strength" by Mark Rippetoe (book and author pretty much universally lauded by the strength training community) is also a great starting point. Beginners can often become overwhelmed by all the differing viewpoints and training methods presented to them when researching strength training but (besides avoiding injury by maintaining proper form and generally listening to your body to allow sufficient…

> Beginners can often become overwhelmed by all the differing viewpoints Yeah, I'm in this position. I've been using the machines at my gym (more for variety than any other reason) and when I started looking into strength training, I was swamped with competing methods, many of which instantly sent up red flags in my brain reading "SCAM". It's difficult for someone from outside the fitness world (me) to judge whether…

Like software development, fitness has many methods and plenty of adherents that will swear by each one. Unlike software, however, human physiology doesn't change very quickly. Generally, simpler is better.

In general, you should mix cardio work with lifting heavy things. The ratio will depend on your goals, as will the kinds of lifting you do. All things being equal, exercises that involve more muscle groups and larger ranges of motion will burn more calories than isolation lifting (which is what most machines are set up to do). If you have weak joints or other physical constraints, machines can be a good place to start, as they will provide you some degree of support and help with your form.

Part of the reason you hear about so many methods is that so many of them work. Most are greatly oversold, and in the long run you'll find out what works best for you and ignore the cookbook-style exercise plans, but anything that motivates you to create a fitness plan and stick to it in a disciplined fashion is a good place to start. In fitness, consistency creates more progress than efficiency, and premature optimization is still the root of all evils.

Re: Association between muscular strength and mortality in men (2008) [pdf]

#100

Post by [deleted] »

archon wrote: post #61
drexel wrote: post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The book "Starting Strength" by Mark Rippetoe (book and author pretty much universally lauded by the strength training community) is also a great starting point. Beginners can often become overwhelmed by all the differing viewpoints and training methods presented to them when researching strength training but (besides avoiding injury by maintaining proper form and generally listening to your body to allow sufficient…

> Beginners can often become overwhelmed by all the differing viewpoints Yeah, I'm in this position. I've been using the machines at my gym (more for variety than any other reason) and when I started looking into strength training, I was swamped with competing methods, many of which instantly sent up red flags in my brain reading "SCAM". It's difficult for someone from outside the fitness world (me) to judge whether…

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