How going to the gym makes you stronger

http://leostartsup.com/2012/01/how-going-to-the-gym-makes-you-stronger/

by LeonW • 14 years ago

113 72 14 years ago

This article does not only talk about being strong because of the muscles being built during gym session. It also speaks about dedication and strong determination to get into the target. This tells that focus is necessary to achieve those things we want to achieve. Gym session does not only build muscles but the whole personality perspective as well.

LeonW2• 14 years ago

Hey Mitchie, great to see you here and thanks for the kind words. Yes, that is absolutely what I tried to put across, making yourself stronger as a person and not at all focusing on the aspect of gaining muscle or losing weight. Making it a habit can be far more powerful I believe.

ap0rnnstar• 14 years ago

Just to give you a heads up, you spelled weight incorrectly in the third to last paragraph. Great article!

jacques_chester6• 14 years ago

For me, the most important lesson from Olympic-style weightlifting is that you can't cram for a competition. No amount of natural talent can make up for failing to invest the hours over the course of weeks, months and years.

I could go on, but I've already put my thoughts into words: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3431621

There's a proverbial bit of wisdom that has been attributed to various sources: The will to win is important. The will to prepare is essential.

fingerprinter2• 14 years ago

I just went and read your link above. Have to say you captured my progression perfectly as well. I was a typical HNer, getting by on raw intelligence without putting in a whole bunch of effort. I am lucky that I caught this before it caught up with me professionally, but I DIDN'T catch it in my athletic endeavors. I ended up tearing an Achilles because I wasn't prepared.

Now, years later, I've applied what I learned professionally to my athletic life and am going through the same olympic stuff you talked about. Spot on. Good write up.

vimalg26• 14 years ago

I didn't realize i'd changed the same way until i read your synopsis of your situation. Thanks.

Growing up, effort was given a back seat to my natural intelligence. Also, too much praise early on can trip you up in the RealWorld.

konstruktor3• 14 years ago

For me the first big lesson was that the body really needs time to recover after training hard, and the second was that training "no matter what" doesn't work if you're trying to improve maximum strength. Lifting is a neuromuscular activity requiring maximum activation, and if I'm very exhausted or sleep deprived, I won't be able to train hard enough to matter, so doing a less intense core workout and lift the next day is more reasonable.

jacques_chester6• 14 years ago

The Bulgarian system of training is built around daily 1-rep maxes, then backing off for work sets.

The nice thing about it is that this means that if you're having a crappy day, you accept it and train what you can. If you're having an awesome day, you squeeze more out of it.

Learning to give-and-take with your "recovery budget" is definitely an important lesson. I train less hard than I'm capable of because my employers don't pay me to be a zombie.

ecaroth3• 14 years ago

Great article, I have been meaning to write something similar to this myself! I became a health & fitness nut about 5 years ago, and though developing and designing is my biggest passion in life, working out and bettering myself physically is a close 2nd. Every day I work knowing that an awesome workout session is coming right after has done wonders for keeping stress levels down, helping me sleep well, and making me focus more during my workday. Having the gym after a crappy day of work DOES make the day turn around, and if you have a great day of work and a great day at the gym afterwards it makes for one HELL of a good day!

csallen• 14 years ago

I've been programming and lifting weights for years now, and I can attest to how well they work together. The two times I'm most excited to code are consistently (1) when it's late and I know I should be sleeping, and (2) immediately after finishing a good workout at the gym. Interestingly, I got off to a similar start with both activities:

"I don't know about this, I've always been pretty small guy. I'm not just a weightlifter." "Dude, shut up and come with us."

"I don't know about this, I've always just done design stuff. I'm not really a back-end guy." "Dude, shut up and read this PHP guide."

Easily two of the most transformative conversations I've ever had.

llimllib4• 14 years ago

I'm a programmer and an athlete as well, and I find that I absolutely cannot code after coming home from the gym, I'm too exhausted to get in a groove.

(My workouts these days are weightlifting ones as well, so it's not that I'm not doing comparable workouts.)

Just want to throw that out there. I still recommend going to the gym, and love it.

hartror• 14 years ago

Just to add to the anecdotes I find myself quite motivated to code after a weightlifting session.

ecaroth3• 14 years ago

Obviously don't know much about your situation, but this might have a lot to do with your diet & pre/post/peri workout nutrition. You should never feel exhausted and drained after a workout, but should feel invigorated and alert. Maybe something worth investigating more.

vimalg26• 14 years ago

Actually, i work quite the opposite.

My tinker-genes get hyper after an hour of heavy lifting(starting strength 3x/week). I do hardly any cardio most days.

Heavy lifting has a small 30 min downtime after the session. (where you can shower in warm water to freshen up)

But, after that i'm raring to go and won't feel tired until about 4-5 hrs later.

This is my best productivity hack of 2011 - well worth the time spent.

konstruktor3• 14 years ago

Are you doing actual weightlifting (mostly near maximum strength) or bodybuilding? Doing 3x10 sets I can easily exhaust myself to a point where I'm mentally unable to do anything serious afterwards and need days to recover. After weightlifting (powerlifting/olympic), I usually have a lot of mental clarity and recover more quickly. Also: are you taking long enough breaks between sets?

weaksauce• 14 years ago

Rock climbing is another thing that is hugely motivating to get more fit and it can be a very regular thing to do if you have a climbing gym nearby that you can go after work.

climbing tends to attract the people that like to solve puzzles because each route is a physical puzzle in how you should contort your body best to get up it. When is the best time to rest on a route if you can? where should take a stance to clip the next quickdraw? am I going to fall and is it going to be a safe fall? is my leg behind the rope and is that going to flip me upside down? You think about everything and nothing all at once. It's amazing.

It also has a very social aspect to it as well because you see the same people over and over again at the gym or local crag and there is a lot of downtime while you are resting. Bouldering is especially communal as people tend to shout out encouragement and help you figure things out if you want it.

Give it a go and you will probably like it.

edit: if you are interested go to http://www.reddit.com/r/climbing for more info.

appcolumn2• 14 years ago

Interesting that this post comes up after I watched the CCC video about depression/suicide and geeks.

I train 5 days a week - Monday to Friday. I'm not being dramatic by saying I'd probably kill myself if I didn't do this. Usually by Sunday afternoon, thoughts start to creep in about how I'm a failure and should just end it now.

I'd love to train 7 days but it's overkill.

jacques_chester6• 14 years ago

While exercise is a useful and important tool in controlling depression, if you're having any kinds of thoughts of suicide then seek professional attention immediately.

appcolumn2• 14 years ago

Thanks for the concern. I already see a psych once a fortnight. Just so it's clear, nothing I said was a cry for help or suicide threat.

mannicken• 14 years ago

Do they help?

awm• 14 years ago

Another parallel I've experienced with going to the gym and coding is that its far more fun doing it with somebody else. You work out harder, and push yourself in a better way than doing it by yourself - something I've found also while I code.

nosequel2• 14 years ago

I don't go to the gym with someone, but there is a big group of people there when I go, and we all know each other. I particularly like that we all have different jobs and come from different backgrounds. Like you mentioned, we all push each other, but more important to me is I get some time talking with non-engineers everyday.

markbao• 14 years ago

Great post. I like how this talks about the other ways going to the gym makes you stronger.

I've been falling into a similar second-day routine, though some weeks I try to go every day (and it usually doesn't go that well.) What is the best/most effective routine to get into? Every second day? Five days a week?

dsri• 14 years ago

It depends what your goals are and what kind of shape you're in to begin with, but rest is important. If you've been working out for a while, the generally accepted wisdom is that you should have 1-2 rest days each week, though in my experience you can maintain pretty well and even see gains with just a couple of workouts a week.

ethank• 14 years ago

My gym time is diminished because a year and a half ago I moved a considerable distance from where I then worked, and still a bit further from where I now work.

However I typically run 6 miles a day during the week at around 9PM, which serves the same purpose.

What it really comes down to me is a few things:

1) It forces me away from the computer for about an hour a day. 2) It clears my head from the day, and prepares it for tomorrow. I find that also helps me sleep better as I'm not cycling through things in my mind. 3) It is good exercise. I've never been fat, but it keeps me fit and that in and of itself makes me feel better

I think mostly its just something that doesn't require me to be wired in and hyper vigilant while doing, which I feel managing/coding/reading/hacking does.

fam• 14 years ago

Don't forget to work on flexibility too: "the key to youth". I actually picked up a foam roller a few weeks ago to use on my recovery days and it's been a great supplement to weight training. Helps with recovery, prevents injury, increases mobility... the list of benefits is huge and it's really an investment in your future health. After all, who wants to sit be old and sit around when you could be out running a marathon, hiking, or something extreme?

rikf• 14 years ago

Another advantage of hitting the gym is that there is plenty of evidence linking cardio fitness to brain functioning.

http://scholar.google.com.ar/scholar?q=cardio+fitness+brain&...

thesz• 14 years ago

I did a little investigation on the matters.

The key ingredient here is BDNF: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brain-derived_neurotrophic_fact...

It is produced when exercising, either cardio or anaerobic.

And as a side note - prolonged cardio is detrimental for health. It puts body into inflammation state (inflammation markers are present in blood of those exercised daily about 90 min with medium to high intensity). You have to have to do resistance training to make hormonal levels more balanced.

So the best training for mind is an interval training.

saryant• 14 years ago

One of the best things I ever did was get a door frame pull-up bar and stick it right next to my desk. Whenever I'm stuck on a problem I hop up and do a few sets of pull-ups. Clears my mind and helps me focus.

For $25 it's a no-brainer investment.

thret• 14 years ago

I have a boxing bag next to mine, helps enormously with frustration.

nosequel2• 14 years ago

Great tip. I have something similar, I have a kettlebell right next to my desk (standup, so don't even have to get up to get it) and a set of rings hanging from the ceiling. My office looks a bit weird, but it gives me a great break.

guard-of-terra3• 14 years ago

Is there a way to get by without going to the gym?

The whole idea is loathsome to some people including but I expect not limited to me that think a sentient being investing in its meats is infeasible. Boring, too.

robinwarren• 14 years ago

Do whatever exercise works for you. For some it'll be lifting weights in the gym, for others it's something else. I've tried the gym but it didn't really work for me. I enjoy mountain biking, running and for a long time went swimming every lunchtime. Those activities just worked better for me. Someone was suggesting climbing which is another good activity if you want to involve your mind as well as your body.

You'll still get the benefit of being away from your work for a short while, doing something physical and focussing on improving at something else.

guard-of-terra3• 14 years ago

I personally like hiking, swimming and long walks. I'd like to see whether that can really produce any results and how to optimise it.

boofar• 14 years ago

Working out at home is a possible answer then. I regularly use and therefore highly recommend the simplefit[1] routines. It consists of 3 different "days" (endurance, strength and judgement) which all consist of different combinations of pull-ups, push-ups and squats.

All you need equipment-wise is a pull-up bar. I have a wall-mounted pull-up bar which is very stable. Maybe a cheap one for the doorframe will do the trick as well.

simplefit consists of progressively harder levels[2]. If you manage to finish "day 3" (judgement) in under 5 minutes, you go to the next level.

[1] http://www.simplefit.org/ [2] http://www.simplefit.org/workout.html#workouts

EDIT: forgot to mention that the simplefit exercises are done with bodyweight only. Also, they are laid out in a way that will keep your heart pumping and thus you will get fit pretty fast and in a time-efficient manner. No routine takes longer than 20 minutes. In fact, only "day 1" is ultimately bound by time (20 mins), the others are to be finished "as fast as you safely can". This is key for me and the reason I stuck to it over many weeks now. It doesn't take long and I still see results.

grk• 14 years ago

Check out the kettlebell swing. 10 minute full body workout that can be done at home and is also a cardio workout.

tripzilch• 14 years ago

I get you. I used to think it's boring too. No wait, I still think it's boring.

I mean, you're just standing/sitting there, pumping weights going through the repetitive movements. It's absolutely mindnumbing, boring, and you can't help but going through every single other thing you'd rather be doing with your time.

Right?

My solution is audiobooks.

I usually pick a book that's already a favourite, that I've read once or twice (because it's different than reading, if your attention drifts for a moment, you miss a bit--so pick a book you already know but enjoy re-reading so you don't have to rewind all the time).

Also get some good earphones because sometimes the music in the gym can be loud. For running I have those things that clip behind your ear, but in the gym those plugs that actually go in your ear might be best for shutting out the music (get cheap ones from a dollar store/K-mart type of place, you're not getting them for sound quality and I wouldn't spend much on something that's going to get crudded with earwax real quick).

You can also try podcasts. I find that because they're usually in a bit more loose/radio DJ/interview style, it's no problem if you miss the occasional bit, because people talk quite redundantly in general, unlike a book where every sentence counts.

guard-of-terra3• 14 years ago

Interesting idea but still I would prefer an outdoor way of working out even if I forced myself to.

For example, during summer I come home/go to work on kickboard sometimes. I do listen to podcasts en route.

arguesalot• 14 years ago

You can do it at home. For me and other hardgainers it's actually recommended that you do short, intense workouts, where you can scream and gasp without worrying that you are being ridiculous. It takes up very little time and the feeling is incredible. If you need to lose weight, i would recommend biking.

Think about it as a way to improve blood circulation to your most valuable organ: your brain.

You might find this guys' videos fun: http://www.youtube.com/user/scooby1961?blend=1&ob=4 ; He sounds geeky enough to be trusted

andyakb2• 14 years ago

I would just like to add that for hardgainers, the biggest thing to change is the amount of food you eat [i.e. eat a lot more than normal]

psychopaf• 14 years ago

I decided to do a small set of bench press and basic weight lifting in my basement at 6:30am monday, wednesday and friday: the gym, i go once a week during winter to work the cardiac system with bike/running (things to help me go there are the pay per visit fees - no yearly subscription AND doing intervals, and its next to my work place). That's my Minimum Viable "gym" schedule - i do other sports as well but those aren't routine

freehunter3• 14 years ago

Go to Home Depot, buy a couple bags of sand. I wrap mine in duct tape to keep them from exploding if/when I drop them. Lifting and throwing bags of sand is a great workout because the sand it always shifting. It helps build stability and real-world strength muscles, not show-room muscles. Grab a duffel bag and throw in a couple sandbags. Put it on your shoulders and trudge up and down the stairs until you can't anymore.

Really easy to do at home and cheap. By the time your strength outgrows the sandbags, you should be motivated enough to invest in free weights or get to the gym. Or not, but you'll still have the sandbags and the muscles that result.

Evgeny• 14 years ago

Just a few days ago I read a book called "Convict Conditioning". In essence, it's about bodyweight exersices. You won't need a gym, but you'll need a place to hang from.

Copying a part of a book review:

Convict Conditioning is a book of bodyweight only training. It utilizes six training exercises, each having ten different variations. The six exercises are called "the Big Six", and they are one-arm pushup, one legged squat (pistol squat), one-arm pullup, hanging straight leg raise, stand-to-stand bridge, and one-arm handstand pushup. You don't start with these exercises, but rather easier versions, and they represent the ultimate goal of the workout.

The workout is structured so that each exercise of the Big Six is divided into ten steps, the final step being the exercises listed earlier. As a general rule, the first steps are the easiest and you move gradually to more challenging variations. For example, you start the pushups series with standing pushups against the wall, and progress from there into incline pushups against a table, then kneeling pushpus, and so on until you reach the one-arm pushup.

http://www.amazon.com/Convict-Conditioning-Weakness-Survival...

I personally love to lift weights, but for the next year I'll be lifting less and doing bodyweight exercises more as an experiment.

mbesto• 14 years ago

Ever since training for triathlons (mainly HIM and Ironman), my business life (and personal life) has never been the same. Highly recommend this.

raju• 14 years ago

Anyone (like myself) thinking of looking at joining a gym, this article is a great lesson into what (not) to do.

http://www.mensjournal.com/everything-you-know-about-fitness...

HN Discussion here - http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2287213

DrMcFacekick• 14 years ago

I'm a competitive powerlifter, and to me the most awesome thing about going to the gym on a regular basis is that nothing I come up against in a normal week is going to be as hard or as mentally taxing as what I do in the gym. It's helped me put my life in perspective and to realize that no matter what happens outside of the gym, it's nowhere near as hard or as awful as it seems.

freehunter3• 14 years ago

I'm the complete opposite. Early in college I got into powerlifting for fun (not competitive). Once I got into the working world, my days got harder and my energy disappeared. Getting up at 5 to hit the gym made it really difficult to get involved with what I was working on all day. I tried switching to going at night, but the thought of working all day then hitting the gym was unbearable.

I'm really glad you see it as the hardest challenge of your day and are able to keep that mindset all week, I really wish I could do that. Instead for me, it's just one more taxing and brutal aspect of my day. I love my job and I love lifting, but for me it's one or the other...

ta12121• 14 years ago

I wish I knew how to express my dismay at the pointlessness of this article and its presence on the front page without being down modded.

"Regular exercise has psychological benefits."

This is news? Give me a break.

dkarl• 14 years ago

The comment about excelling really rubs me the wrong way. I wish he would check finishing times for some local races, see how much the powerlifters at his gym are lifting, or visit a local Crossfit affiliate. Where did he get the idea that it is so easy to "excel" these days? The word can be used without an object, but it is inherently comparative. The gym provides me a lot of satisfaction and physical benefits, but comparing myself physically to other people is a not a benefit but a pitfall. It's the one thing at the gym that can ruin my day. "Why do I come here? I will never be like that guy... or that guy... or that guy." I will never be 6'4" and have an eight-pack. I will never squat 500 lbs. I will never have a killer Murph time (look it up.) I will never qualify for the Boston marathon. Well, that last one I could perhaps do, but only by giving up many other things I value more highly. The impulse to excel argues against working out the way I want, which is to work out three times a week and enjoy the health and appearance benefits.

So I will continue to go to the gym, reap the benefits, and try to keep my impulse to compete in check. Be warned that excelling is not something you simply decide to do as a third or fourth passion. It's best not to compete and expect to win against people whose first priority is fitness when your first and second priorities are something else.

phatboyslim• 14 years ago

I agree that comparing to others is mentally unhealthy. This applies not only to the gym/fitness but all areas of life. On the other hand, measuring progress is a good motivator, and I feel a proper way to do that is to challenge yourself. If you were able to shave X seconds off your mile time, or improve your squat weight by Y pounds, then I feel it is a proper motivating factor as well as one that could assist in keeping your mental attitude in the right place when other facets of your life are troubling.

Psyonic• 14 years ago

I believe comparing yourself to others can be healthy, as long as you don't let it get out of control. How else do you know what's possible? If your friend is progressing much faster than you, almost certainly he is doing something different than you are. If you weren't keeping track of him as well, you might miss out on chances to improve.

If everyone was just racing against themselves, I really don't know that we'd ever have seen a 4-minute mile.

How going to the gym makes you stronger

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