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Which type of exercise is best for the brain? (2016)

well.blogs.nytimes.com

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Re: Which type of exercise is best for the brain? (2016)

#51

Post by throwawayboise »

bosswipe wrote: post #18
PragmaticPulp wrote: post #2

Rodent studies aren't really great for measuring this because it's nearly impossible to control for the rodents' enjoyment of each exercise. We know that rodents enjoy running wheels because they use them voluntarily. It's not surprising that the exercise they enjoy is the one that seems to produce the most benefits. For humans: Doing any exercise is better than doing no exercise. Doing frequent exercise is better th…

I've always hated the idea of gyms or solitary exercize because of the social/fun factor. Why do a boring workout when you could play basketball or tennis or a hundred other active social activities. Admittedly it was easier to find sports partners when I was in college but it's still not that hard to find as an adult with a bit of effort.

That's you and that's fine but others prefer more solitary passtimes.

Re: Which type of exercise is best for the brain? (2016)

#52

Post by Jtsummers »

bosswipe wrote: post #18
PragmaticPulp wrote: post #2

Rodent studies aren't really great for measuring this because it's nearly impossible to control for the rodents' enjoyment of each exercise. We know that rodents enjoy running wheels because they use them voluntarily. It's not surprising that the exercise they enjoy is the one that seems to produce the most benefits. For humans: Doing any exercise is better than doing no exercise. Doing frequent exercise is better th…

I've always hated the idea of gyms or solitary exercize because of the social/fun factor. Why do a boring workout when you could play basketball or tennis or a hundred other active social activities. Admittedly it was easier to find sports partners when I was in college but it's still not that hard to find as an adult with a bit of effort.

Depends on what you're getting out of the exercise. I never found sports (except when I played soccer regularly) to get me the kind of workout and results I was after (even then I was in great cardio condition and could run for hours, but my upper body was weak). Even my friends who prefer sports still spend a few hours (2-5) a week doing other training, including strength or even just more focused cardio, often selected to support or complement their preferred sport.

Re: Which type of exercise is best for the brain? (2016)

#53

Post by jacksonkmarley »

mcorning wrote: post #44

My father has run every day for almost 10 years, a combo pack of speed and distance, but at least a 5k every day. One thing we talked about regarding thinking and running really stuck with me. He sometimes listens to music and audiobooks so that he wouldn't get bored during his runs. Then one day, when his headphones were dead, he went without any music. He found himself having a conversation in his head, addressing…

Yeah I enjoy audiobooks while walking but if I'm on a walk at lunch and I'm engaged with some interesting thing at work it can be quite interesting to let my mind play with the problem while I'm on walking autopilot

Re: Which type of exercise is best for the brain? (2016)

#54

Post by PragmaticPulp »

conistonwater wrote: post #15
PragmaticPulp wrote: post #2

Rodent studies aren't really great for measuring this because it's nearly impossible to control for the rodents' enjoyment of each exercise. We know that rodents enjoy running wheels because they use them voluntarily. It's not surprising that the exercise they enjoy is the one that seems to produce the most benefits. For humans: Doing any exercise is better than doing no exercise. Doing frequent exercise is better th…

> even if it's just getting outside and seeing other people in passing as you run past There is nothing social about that at all, that's just not what the word means.

Social exposure is a broad definition that doesn't necessarily require talking to someone.

Obviously having a conversation with someone is more of a social interaction than sitting quietly in a room with your peers or walking past another person, but any amount of being around people is still more social exposure than being isolated alone in a room.

It's the same reason that coding alone in a private office is different than coding quietly in an open office: Being around people is social exposure.

Re: Which type of exercise is best for the brain? (2016)

#55

Post by tomjakubowski »

swader999 wrote: post #16
tomjakubowski wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What do you normally do to get to a 155 bpm heart rate? Not an expert but when I've done HIIT workouts, they've always started with a mild warm up to elevate the heart rate. Maybe you'd benefit from something more strenuous to start.

Sprint up hill or grab onto straps and try repeated jumps into the air from a deep squat. Try adding a weighted vest if this isn't enough. If that doesn't work you should join the Navy Seals.

Thanks, however I have no issue getting my outta shape heart to 155 bpm! Was wondering if OP needed a stronger warmup to get their heart rate in the "target zone" for the HIIT work.

Re: Which type of exercise is best for the brain? (2016)

#56

Post by tomjakubowski »

johnohara wrote: post #25
tomjakubowski wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What do you normally do to get to a 155 bpm heart rate? Not an expert but when I've done HIIT workouts, they've always started with a mild warm up to elevate the heart rate. Maybe you'd benefit from something more strenuous to start.

Continuous fartlek style running will get you to 155+ bpm. Back off the pace to actively recover to 120 bpm, then go after it again. Problem is, you need to be fit to do this right, reducing the risk of injury. Always preferred fartlek to repeat intervals on the track. Both have their place however.

Oh yes, I remember giggling at Fartlek in high school.

Re: Which type of exercise is best for the brain? (2016)

#57

Post by p1mrx »

If you want to overclock a CPU, you need a decent power supply. If you want to overclock a brain, you need a decent heart and lungs. The point of cardio is to improve your body's power delivery, so it's one of the more accessible human upgrades.

For me, the biggest blocker was that I perceived sweating as a bad thing to avoid, until I realized that I could buy clothes to sweat in, and shower at arbitrary times, not just in the morning.

Re: Which type of exercise is best for the brain? (2016)

#58

Post by Swizec »

hnrodey wrote: post #13
Swizec wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I find HIIT doesn’t do it for me. Can’t push myself hard enough in such short bursts because I have ridiculous cardio conditioning* from running. Boxing is great because it’s hiit but with technique and tactics and strategy. * ridiculous conditioning in that I can keep average heart rate at 155bpm for 2 hours no problem. Most hiit isn’t long enough to get me above 110

I have a lengthy background in hiit (specifically CrossFit). And I say this in the most polite way possible. You're doing HIIT wrong if you cannot elevate your heart rate beyond 110 bpm. Whatever you're doing, there's a huge gap in the training programming/protocol. Everyone suffers in CrossFit. Everyone.

I agree. My problem is that I am unable to push myself hard enough for such short periods. My explosivity isn’t good enough.

And I have fast recovery which makes typical rest periods too long compared to how hard I’m able to push myself during the thing.

Probably would work better if I got a personal trainer to push me specifically rather than in a group/video setting

HIIT with heavy weights works very well for me, but I don’t have those available at home. When gyms are open I prefer boxing anyway :)

Re: Which type of exercise is best for the brain? (2016)

#59

Post by Swizec »

tomjakubowski wrote: post #11
Swizec wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I find HIIT doesn’t do it for me. Can’t push myself hard enough in such short bursts because I have ridiculous cardio conditioning* from running. Boxing is great because it’s hiit but with technique and tactics and strategy. * ridiculous conditioning in that I can keep average heart rate at 155bpm for 2 hours no problem. Most hiit isn’t long enough to get me above 110

What do you normally do to get to a 155 bpm heart rate? Not an expert but when I've done HIIT workouts, they've always started with a mild warm up to elevate the heart rate. Maybe you'd benefit from something more strenuous to start.

2 hours of running at 4:45/km keeps your heart rate nice and high.

When I ran a marathon in 3:24:xx my average heart rate was 170bpm.

Re: Which type of exercise is best for the brain? (2016)

#60

Post by hi41 »

hluska wrote: post #48
hi41 wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It was my close family who told that. I told him that I got an Peloton bike for exercise. At that point he told me what I wrote above. It was part of a conversation and not a webpage that can be linked. Sorry about that.

Hey friend, you have no reason to apologize. That idea comes from a former endurance athlete turned fitness blogger named Mark Sisson. It’s quite a famous article amongst competitive long distance athletes, mostly because it ignores how we actually train. Mark Sisson’s entire idea is based off of the idea that long distance athletes train at what’s called tempo pace. Tempo pace is about 80-85% of maximum heart rate.…

Wow, I didn’t know there was so much backstory to this one. Thanks!
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