Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Why Are Americans So Fascinated with Extreme Fitness?

nytimes.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

21–30 of 71 posts

Re: Why Are Americans So Fascinated with Extreme Fitness?

#21

Post by anthony_d »

Keats wrote: post #16
TheSpiceIsLife wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I was under the impression aerobic exercise has benefits for the heart, lungs, and circulation, at least? Can you elaborate on the "barely anything" bit?

Classes are either not long enough or not enough intensity (look up HIIT) for good benefits (you will get some initially but will quickly stall).

I think that's the mindset the author has an issue with. You said "you will get some (benefits) initially but will quickly stall" like it's a bad thing. Fitness doesn't improve forever with any program, you're still going to die.

If you view fitness as a means to an end (health/long life) then you've got to realize there are diminishing returns. There have been many studies showing the diminishing returns kick in very quickly (http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/07/30/running-just-5-minu...).

If you want to be an elite athlete that's fine, but you should at least acknowledge it's its own reward and not claim it's about health.

Re: Why Are Americans So Fascinated with Extreme Fitness?

#22

Post by jiggy2011 »

dewarrn1 wrote: post #10

Earlier comments are already critiquing the author for suggesting that exercise is a bad thing or that particular exercises don't work, but that perspective misses the point. The author isn't criticizing exercise itself, but she is instead observing the almost religious focus on suffering that happens to be embodied by approaches such as Crossfit. I admit to being puzzled as well. I am perplexed by the degree of what…

I think the purpose of crossfit is to get a full body workout that you don't get with running or biking. A lot of the motivation behind exercise is as much about looking good as it is being healthy.

Re: Why Are Americans So Fascinated with Extreme Fitness?

#23

Post by Anderkent »

shin_lao wrote: post #6
Mithaldu wrote: post #3

> It looks exhausting. It's meant to be exhausting. What does the author think working out is about? > It also looks fruitless. Why not join a roofing > crew for a few hours instead? The author is fairly disconnected from reality, and has also failed to do the very basic research to answer her own title. People do high weight, low rep workouts because they take little time and provide high value. (Also for a segment…

I'm also disappointed by this article. High intensity workouts are actually the golden way toward strength building. Of course like any sport you need a certain degree of supervision to prevent injuries. Where's the author getting at?

> Where's the author getting at? > High intensity workouts are actually the golden way toward strength building.

Well, this. Why is strength building considered worthwhile?

Re: Why Are Americans So Fascinated with Extreme Fitness?

#25

Post by Anderkent »

lotsofmangos wrote: post #17
Meowseth wrote: post #9

When a man sees an ideal male, he aspires to be that man, like James Bond When a woman sees an ideal woman, she makes a tumblr about how that ideal is not real, or not what men want, or a crazy obsessed person who hates themselves, etc. Men climb the mountain to reach the top. Women complain that there is a mountain top, and declare wherever they are to be the new mountain top

James Bond is an utter tosspot though. Emulating him in real life is unlikely to end up with much other than liver cirrhosis and repeatedly being punched in the face.

He does end up punched a lot in the movies too, doesn't he.

Re: Why Are Americans So Fascinated with Extreme Fitness?

#26

Post by pnt12 »

Mithaldu wrote: post #3

> It looks exhausting. It's meant to be exhausting. What does the author think working out is about? > It also looks fruitless. Why not join a roofing > crew for a few hours instead? The author is fairly disconnected from reality, and has also failed to do the very basic research to answer her own title. People do high weight, low rep workouts because they take little time and provide high value. (Also for a segment…

The thing about cross fit is that it usually pushes for the "if it's hurting, it's good" mentality, which is not true at all. I find conventional weightlifting gets it much better - lift heavy, watch your form, don't break your back.

Re: Why Are Americans So Fascinated with Extreme Fitness?

#27

Post by codygman »

Meowseth wrote: post #9

When a man sees an ideal male, he aspires to be that man, like James Bond When a woman sees an ideal woman, she makes a tumblr about how that ideal is not real, or not what men want, or a crazy obsessed person who hates themselves, etc. Men climb the mountain to reach the top. Women complain that there is a mountain top, and declare wherever they are to be the new mountain top

My you are sexist. Ideal is relative. Generalizations are generally not useful.

Re: Why Are Americans So Fascinated with Extreme Fitness?

#29

Post by omegaham »

pnt12 wrote: post #26
Mithaldu wrote: post #3

> It looks exhausting. It's meant to be exhausting. What does the author think working out is about? > It also looks fruitless. Why not join a roofing > crew for a few hours instead? The author is fairly disconnected from reality, and has also failed to do the very basic research to answer her own title. People do high weight, low rep workouts because they take little time and provide high value. (Also for a segment…

The thing about cross fit is that it usually pushes for the "if it's hurting, it's good" mentality, which is not true at all. I find conventional weightlifting gets it much better - lift heavy, watch your form, don't break your back.

This. I have no problem with people who do reps to failure, but I do have a problem with reps for time. As you get tired, your form gets worse and worse. This is fine for calisthenics, (hard to tear something while doing push-ups) but it's bad for heavier weight, and it's ridiculously dangerous for technical lifts like clean and snatch.

I do enjoy joking about WODs, though. "Okay - I'm gonna do AMRAP snatch on a bosu ball, and then do box jumps onto another bosu ball!"

Re: Why Are Americans So Fascinated with Extreme Fitness?

#30

Post by hessenwolf »

What is the name for the rhetorical device where somebody manufactures a fake thing just to attack it? I think it is a special case of straw man.

First to be proved:

1. Americans are fascinated with extreme fitness.

2. That is either internationally or historically unusual and therefore noteworthy.

Post reply on HN