Ask HN: What are you doing to improve your health? • Hacker News Board

Re: Ask HN: What are you doing to improve your health?

#211

Post by ngoel36 » Fri, Apr 10, 2015, 5:14 PM UTC

jere wrote: post #166

wdewind wrote: post #9

Strength training 3x a week. Why strength? Strength is the most generalized adaptation there is. Training to be strong improves every component of fitness: strength (duh), power, agility, balance, flexibility, endurance (all 3 types) and coordination. I would also make the argument that in day to day life strength is the most important attribute of fitness for someone in the western world. The ability to carry a bunc…

I tried Starting Strength a few years ago. I was really pumped about the program, but I had a lot of trouble with it. I read the how-to sections multiple times, watched Rippetoe videos, and even sought out a trainer at one point. No matter what, the exercises always felt awkward and I never felt like I was doing them correctly. I tried power cleaning a few times I simply didn't get it . It made me feel like a complet…

How much do you weight? 280 lb squat isn't terrible - what was your bench? You should be aiming for 2x body weight for squat, 1.5x for bench

Re: Ask HN: What are you doing to improve your health?

#212

Post by makeset » Fri, Apr 10, 2015, 5:14 PM UTC

wdewind wrote: post #9

Strength training 3x a week. Why strength? Strength is the most generalized adaptation there is. Training to be strong improves every component of fitness: strength (duh), power, agility, balance, flexibility, endurance (all 3 types) and coordination. I would also make the argument that in day to day life strength is the most important attribute of fitness for someone in the western world. The ability to carry a bunc…

I started out this way, and eventually got into the sport of powerlifting, which is competition in the three main strength training movements (squat, bench press, deadlift).

I train 4x/week, 1.5-2 hours each. Being a weight class athlete keeps my diet in check, and I lean down to six-pack abs for the summer months when I compete.

Pushing eye-popping weights for maximal singles will get you injured (yes, even with perfect form), but I've found that's what it takes to get me off the couch.

Re: Ask HN: What are you doing to improve your health?

#213

Post by herve76 » Fri, Apr 10, 2015, 5:15 PM UTC

Yoga and Raw food diet. Plus I live on the beach in Costa Rica. Pura Vida.

Re: Ask HN: What are you doing to improve your health?

#214

Post by ZitchDog » Fri, Apr 10, 2015, 5:16 PM UTC

mertd wrote: post #182

jere wrote: post #166

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I tried Starting Strength a few years ago. I was really pumped about the program, but I had a lot of trouble with it. I read the how-to sections multiple times, watched Rippetoe videos, and even sought out a trainer at one point. No matter what, the exercises always felt awkward and I never felt like I was doing them correctly. I tried power cleaning a few times I simply didn't get it . It made me feel like a complet…

You deadlifted less than a 12 year old girl but squatted 280lbs? Something doesn't add up.

A 12 year old girl weighs about, what, 80 pounds? But sort of awkward to pick up, so I think it checks out :)

Re: Ask HN: What are you doing to improve your health?

#215

Post by paintnp » Fri, Apr 10, 2015, 5:16 PM UTC

Nelkins wrote: post #204

paintnp wrote: post #194

I am 42 and the single best advice I can give you is to invest in a treadmill desk. This WILL change your life as a software developer. You'll start blessing the day you made this as a career choice because this is one of the only jobs that'll allow you to workout while working and end up being more productive than if were not doing so. Here are the readouts for the steps that I walked just on the treadmill (not coun…

Can you provide some details about your setup? Also, do you work remotely or onsite?

I have a lifespan fitness TR1200DT machine. Got it off Amazon. I had it in my office for the first couple months, but then moved it home.

Re: Ask HN: What are you doing to improve your health?

#216

Post by Ma8ee » Fri, Apr 10, 2015, 5:18 PM UTC

nether wrote: post #181

wdewind wrote: post #9

Strength training 3x a week. Why strength? Strength is the most generalized adaptation there is. Training to be strong improves every component of fitness: strength (duh), power, agility, balance, flexibility, endurance (all 3 types) and coordination. I would also make the argument that in day to day life strength is the most important attribute of fitness for someone in the western world. The ability to carry a bunc…

> Why strength? Strength is the most generalized adaptation there is. Training to be strong improves every component of fitness: strength (duh), power, agility, balance, flexibility, endurance (all 3 types) and coordination > People may have different fitness goals, but for someone who is untrained by far the best thing they can do is a strength program for 3-5 months before training more specifically for their goals…

Are you confusing SS with something else? It's not at all high-intensity like cross-fit and similar. It is just as heavy weights you can manage (with good technique) for 3 sets of 5 reps for most excercises.

Re: Ask HN: What are you doing to improve your health?

#217

Post by salgernon » Fri, Apr 10, 2015, 5:18 PM UTC

Get a colonoscopy now. Don't wait for them to test you in your 50s.

Re: Ask HN: What are you doing to improve your health?

#218

Post by chuckcode » Fri, Apr 10, 2015, 5:18 PM UTC

wdewind wrote: post #9

Strength training 3x a week. Why strength? Strength is the most generalized adaptation there is. Training to be strong improves every component of fitness: strength (duh), power, agility, balance, flexibility, endurance (all 3 types) and coordination. I would also make the argument that in day to day life strength is the most important attribute of fitness for someone in the western world. The ability to carry a bunc…

Starting strength and similar routines are great but be very careful of starting light and maintaining proper technique as getting injured can really impact your health and happiness in a lot of ways especially as we get older.

It is very easy to get injured doing squats or power cleans with any kind of sizable weight. For example the injury rates in CrossFit are estimated to be between 20-75% [1,2] of participants which means you're more likely to get hurt than to get fit. Personally I don't think this is due to the exercises being more dangerous but rather that the excellent group motivation of CrossFit working a little too well and people overreaching in their lifts.

For people starting out I highly recommend taking it slow, being patient and giving your body time to adapt. Start with a basic fitness class or trainer and work your way up to more strenuous exercises.

The fitness subreddit getting started guide [3] and FAQ [4] have a lot of excellent information and links to other resources.

[1] http://ojs.sagepub.com/content/2/4/2325967114531177.full [2] http://journals.lww.com/nsca-jscr/Abstract/publishahead/The_... [3] http://www.reddit.com/r/Fitness/wiki/getting_started [4] http://www.reddit.com/r/Fitness/wiki/faq

Re: Ask HN: What are you doing to improve your health?

#219

Post by jere » Fri, Apr 10, 2015, 5:21 PM UTC

ngoel36 wrote: post #211

jere wrote: post #166

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I tried Starting Strength a few years ago. I was really pumped about the program, but I had a lot of trouble with it. I read the how-to sections multiple times, watched Rippetoe videos, and even sought out a trainer at one point. No matter what, the exercises always felt awkward and I never felt like I was doing them correctly. I tried power cleaning a few times I simply didn't get it . It made me feel like a complet…

How much do you weight? 280 lb squat isn't terrible - what was your bench? You should be aiming for 2x body weight for squat, 1.5x for bench

At the time, I weighed 180 and benched about the same. I was less concerned with the numbers than just how it felt like I was hitting a brick wall and at huge risk for injuring myself.

Bench and overhead press were the two exercises in SS that were very straightforward though.

Re: Ask HN: What are you doing to improve your health?

#220

Post by Eric_WVGG » Fri, Apr 10, 2015, 5:22 PM UTC

0x5f3759df-i wrote: post #210

Eric_WVGG wrote: post #164

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As a fellow bike commuter, it blows my mind that other people pay money (in the form of fuel+payments+insurance) to get in worse shape, while we get healthier for effectively “free”.

You are ignoring the amount of time saved from motorized travel

In Portland, Austin, and New York City, I have found it exceptionally rare when friends in a car would arrive at destinations before I would on a bicycle. That only gets flipped when the trips go suburban.