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Hacking strength: Gaining muscle with least resistance

matt.might.net

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Re: Hacking strength: Gaining muscle with least resistance

#101

Post by streetwiseherc »

bearwithclaws wrote: post #85

Matt Might is the new Tim Ferris. Only better :)

Tim Ferris's second book, the 4 Hour Body is a decent starting place for beginners who want to lose weight, increase muscle mass, get stronger and a bunch of other performance/fitness related topics. There's a chapter called 'The Harajuku Moment' where he outlines the steps that he used to help Rails-nerd Chad Fowler lose 70+ pounds of weight and increase his strength. I'd highly recommend Tim's book (The 4 Hour Body) to anyone who's interested in "hacking your body".

http://www.fourhourworkweek.com/blog/2009/07/28/the-big-ques...

Another book/person I'd recommend HIGHLY is Kelly Starrett. He recently did a 2 day seminar on Creative Live about resolving pain, preventing injury and optimizing athletic performance. He's also coming out with a book at the end of April called "Becoming a Supple Leopard". You can check out a 50 page preview of the book below:

http://www.allthingsgym.com/50-page-sample-of-kelly-starrett...

Re: Hacking strength: Gaining muscle with least resistance

#102

Post by aaxe »

dkarl wrote: post #63

Nice classy article, HN. - Links to over $500 dollars worth of equipment on Amazon, and over $1000 overall (I guess the Marcy device isn't sold on Amazon?) but no links to any sites with good information about lifting weights. - Recommendation of specific supplements and lifting program (including suggested numbers of reps and sets) but only a haphazard list of random exercises and no information about how to perform…

> - Recommendation to use creatine with no discussion of what it does. Creatine does not in itself make you stronger, but it makes it possible for you to sustain a harder pace for a longer time in your workouts. Even if you're experienced in the gym, you have to be careful about overuse injuries when you start using creatine, because the sudden ability to work harder, longer, allows you to put more strain on your connective tissue than you're used to.

That is literally flat out wrong/bullshit.

Re: Hacking strength: Gaining muscle with least resistance

#103

Post by xkcdfanboy »

rdouble wrote: post #65
huherto wrote: post #64

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think the recommendation of using Dumbbells first is to have a less expensive home gym before making the commitment to buy more expensive equipment.

However, he has linked to some of the most expensive dumbbells one can buy.

No shit, every single link there is an affiliate link.

Re: Hacking strength: Gaining muscle with least resistance

#104

Post by goostavos »

aaxe wrote: post #102
dkarl wrote: post #63

Nice classy article, HN. - Links to over $500 dollars worth of equipment on Amazon, and over $1000 overall (I guess the Marcy device isn't sold on Amazon?) but no links to any sites with good information about lifting weights. - Recommendation of specific supplements and lifting program (including suggested numbers of reps and sets) but only a haphazard list of random exercises and no information about how to perform…

> - Recommendation to use creatine with no discussion of what it does. Creatine does not in itself make you stronger, but it makes it possible for you to sustain a harder pace for a longer time in your workouts. Even if you're experienced in the gym, you have to be careful about overuse injuries when you start using creatine, because the sudden ability to work harder, longer, allows you to put more strain on your con…

I don't mean to sound like a Melvin, but, "That is literally flat out wrong/bullshit" is a remarkably poor thesis. Why is it bullshit?

I just got into the whole exercising thing a few months ago. The entire culture/industry around weight lifting is so hard to figure out. Everyone has different opinions -- usually really strong ones too -- but few actually defend their assertions on factual grounds. So, it's purely out of self interest when I ask "Why is it bullshit"

I just want to know about these things! Hell, I still don't even know if I should be holding my breath or breathing out while squatting... The pool of information about weight lifting is that muddled.

Re: Hacking strength: Gaining muscle with least resistance

#105

Post by guga31bb »

goostavos wrote: post #104
aaxe wrote: post #102

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> - Recommendation to use creatine with no discussion of what it does. Creatine does not in itself make you stronger, but it makes it possible for you to sustain a harder pace for a longer time in your workouts. Even if you're experienced in the gym, you have to be careful about overuse injuries when you start using creatine, because the sudden ability to work harder, longer, allows you to put more strain on your con…

I don't mean to sound like a Melvin, but, "That is literally flat out wrong/bullshit" is a remarkably poor thesis. Why is it bullshit? I just got into the whole exercising thing a few months ago. The entire culture/industry around weight lifting is so hard to figure out. Everyone has different opinions -- usually really strong ones too -- but few actually defend their assertions on factual grounds. So, it's purely ou…

For creatine, while it is true that the supplement serves to help you push out an extra rep or two, I've literally never heard of anyone getting "overuse injuries" due to starting creatine. It's just a scare tactic on one of the best-studied supplements out there. Read up on it here: http://examine.com/supplements/Creatine/

For breathing: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valsalva_maneuver

[If it matters, I'm a not very competitive powerlifter who has been lifting for nearly two years]

Re: Hacking strength: Gaining muscle with least resistance

#106

Post by aaxe »

PhilandTim wrote: post #16

A lot of what he advocates still displays that he's largely a novice, just one with more knowledge than your average programmer. But still a novice. Research (I'm not finding the studies, sorry) has indeed shown that protein intake is minimally correlated to muscle growth. He was on the mark by mentioning that only certain amounts of protein can be used in one setting, while the rest is wasted by the body. It's not o…

> Research (I'm not finding the studies, sorry) has indeed shown that protein intake is minimally correlated to muscle growth. He was on the mark by mentioning that only certain amounts of protein can be used in one setting, while the rest is wasted by the body. It's not one hard and fast number; individuals bodies vary greatly according to metabolic rates, capacity to grow, and ability to gain strength.

Please keep your incredibly-incorrect-opinions to yourself.

Re: Hacking strength: Gaining muscle with least resistance

#107

Post by jacques_chester »

jami wrote: post #84
dkarl wrote: post #63

Nice classy article, HN. - Links to over $500 dollars worth of equipment on Amazon, and over $1000 overall (I guess the Marcy device isn't sold on Amazon?) but no links to any sites with good information about lifting weights. - Recommendation of specific supplements and lifting program (including suggested numbers of reps and sets) but only a haphazard list of random exercises and no information about how to perform…

I opened the article in hopes of advice on improving my "hacking strength". Alas, it was about actual weightlifting, which... maybe I'll have time for again some day. But I clicked the "my son" link in the post, and might.net has a free pass forever on making me accidentally spend ten seconds scanning something irrelevant to my current interests. Fascinating story, and I hope the tenacity they showed in getting a bra…

Nitpick: "actual weightlifting" is the biathlon, contested at the Olympics and elsewhere, consisting of the Snatch and the Clean & Jerk.

Re: Hacking strength: Gaining muscle with least resistance

#108

Post by monkeyspaw »

tomjen3 wrote: post #94
DenisM wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Also, yoga. It's ubiquitous, you can start small, and although you may, you don't have to interact with people so it's a great stepping stone for a shy person.

What do you get out of it, though? Sure a high chance of meeting women (which is nice if you don't want to be Forever Alone), but other than the ability to strech a little more what is the gain?

I've been doing yoga for about 6 months now.

I've gained strength, flexibility, and feel fantastic every time I leave a session. I also believe I'm less stressed and can focus better.

The classes I attend present the physical aspects as a gateway into meditation and relaxation.

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