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For anyone here interested I can’t recommend https://stronglifts.com https://stronglifts.com enough. I sleep much better since starting it (and wake up feeling

For anyone here interested I can’t recommend https://stronglifts.com https://stronglifts.com enough. I sleep much better since starting it (and wake up feeling great rather than groggy) and there is loads of information on how to get started lifting weights. It’s all free apart from some extra features on the app which is a £9.99 one off fee. My mind is much clearer and it’s very quick to do... it’s much more enjoyable than dragging myself around the park.

otherdave 9y ago
I second the sentiment but would also suggest https://startingstrength.com/ https://startingstrength.com/ :) Mainly for the wealth of online videos & other training materials I've found to help learn the lifts. I do recommend the book and the app costs a few bucks if you want it.
- bproven 9y ago
  Both of these are excellent. Even if you don't want to follow these programs exactly at least grab Rippetoe's book "Starting Strength" (3rd edition). It is a great reference for all the big lifts - very well illustrated with detailed explanations. Getting stronger (especially as you get older) is critical to good quality of life. Once you have hit your limits on those two programs move to Wendler's 5/3/1 :) I've done SS and now 5/3/1 for the last 4-5 years and I'm the strongest I've been in my life in my early 40s! EDIT: Also another great thing about Starting Strength or Stronglifts 5x5 is that it doesn't require much of a time commitment. You can easily be in/out of the gym in an hour or less - if you are not goofing off, 40-45 minutes is pretty typical.
  - ryanchants 9y ago
    I just finished my second week of my first cycle of 531 Triumvirate + FSL and I'm loving it. In the next week or two I'll probably start tacking on some conditioning(prowler/ropes/kettlebells) after cause I still feel pretty good.
- andy_ppp 9y ago
  Great site! I’ll have a good read, this stood out: https://startingstrength.com/article/the_first_three_questions https://startingstrength.com/article/the_first_three_questio...
  - bproven 9y ago
    Yes, I found as you get older (if you start when you are older at least) it might be a good strategy to bump the weights in lower increments. For example, instead of adding 10lbs to the bar every workout which works well for younger folks add 5lbs instead. This is not a sprint, but a marathon. Slow steady progress is what you want.
- vinceguidry 9y ago
  What I want before I start lifting again is rock-solid advice on avoiding injury. I have Starting Strength and have trained it before with a trainer who went through Rip's program. Stopped after a couple of injuries in a row. Rip's injury advice is "you're going to get them, train through." Fuck that. It's just not worth it. Injuries are massive, debilitating events and having even a minor one makes all the previous months useless. Only a pro or someone desperately trying to believe that strength training is the key to being a man or whatever would train past that. Being able to deadlift 325 is in the "nice-to-have" bin of life achievements. The other thing I want is to be able to do it without making my hands all rough. Eventually I think I'll just build a t-handle kettlebell* and just go super slow on the weight increases. When I finally get back into it, I plan on doing it for the rest of my life. Without a single injury. I do not think this is possible with barbells. At least not without a lot more study than is currently being done on it. * http://www.instructables.com/id/T-Handle-Kettlebell/ http://www.instructables.com/id/T-Handle-Kettlebell/
  - rjeli 9y ago
    I do quite a bit of strength training and have near-baby hands. Rippetoe has videos on how to hold the bar. You should never be cinching skin against skin.
    - always_good 9y ago
      I'm not sure how you can lift and not get rough hands without using gloves. I also don't see why someone would care about their baby hands in the gym. It reminds me of Costanza's hand modeling. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZxX3-rJoNI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZxX3-rJoNI
  - drumttocs8 9y ago
    http://www.gymnasticbodies.com http://www.gymnasticbodies.com may be interesting to you. So many people focus on strength or cardio, while mobility is just as important.
  - Gatsky 9y ago
    I can't recommend Michael Boyle's books enough - "Functional Training for Sports", and "New Functional Training for Sports". He trains athletes at a national and olympic level, and injury prevention is a key theme running through everything he says. In contrast to Starting Strength et al, he actually makes the point that heavy bilateral squats and deadlifts are often too hard to teach and do well. He doesn't recommend doing back squats at all. The programs they use for athletes focus on single leg work, the argument being this is both safer and more 'functional' (how often do you back squat heavy stuff in the real world?).
- drharby 9y ago
  Rippetow ftw
lev99 9y ago
3-5hrs/week of exercise provides a huge ROI on mental performance and health. Find a program that works for you and stick with it. In my opinion not exercising is as short sighted as not using an employer matching 401k program.
- Swizec 9y ago
  7-10hrs/week here. Exercise is great, definitely helps me think, makes my brain feel fresher, and gives me the stamina I need to keep up with my sleep schedule. But ho boy does it often feel like it's eating into how many hours are available in the day. One problem is that the more exercise you do, the more you want to do.
  - lev99 9y ago
    There are diminishing returns on exercise. A person doing 3 hours of exercise a week will see more benefit per hour than a person doing 9. I've gone into 10+ hours/week to try to reach a personal fitness goal before. Reaching the goal was more about satisfying my own ego than living a healthier life or investing my time wisely.
    - oligopoly 9y ago
      >There are diminishing returns on exercise. A person doing 3 hours of exercise a week will see more benefit per hour than a person doing 9. Just like for someone who is morbidly obese to walk few blocks then.. Personally I workout 9-10h a week and have been for years. What changes is the amount of cardio I do. The mental clarity, energy, feel of accomplishment, getting fresh air (running), being in great shape, coming up with business ideas or solutions to problems etc make it easily worth it. In regards to how to make time. There are natural amateurs working out twice a day 2 hours a pop and still working full day jobs. At some point you just have to prioritise what you want to do.
yodsanklai 9y ago
I've noticed that "lifting weight" seems to be the most popular physical activity on HN. I wonder if this is an American bias. I can see the appeal and the convenience but I personally dislike gyms. Loud music, A/C, TVs everywhere, little social interaction etc... and lifting weight is very artificial. I much prefer practicing sport outside and/or with other people. There are a lot of fun sports, such as boxing, climbing, hiking, swimming, running, martial arts, dancing, skiing... I see a lot of people who want to start exercising going straight to a gym because they are unaware of other options.
- deleted 9y ago
  [deleted]
- mandeepj 9y ago
  > lifting weight is very artificial. Please explain Have you tried group classes? A lot of the activity that you mentioned can be done in a gym but at the same time I would like to say there is no match to being outdoor. Short on time then hit a gym otherwise outdoors are worth it. Weight lifting also makes you stronger and less prone to injuries.
  - grzm 9y ago
    One thing to make clear here (which I think you intend but don’t make explicit) is the difference between free weights and machines. Lifting free weights engages large groups of muscles and their coordination in balance and stabilization through the movements, which contributes greatly to injury prevention. Machines tend to isolate muscles and provide stabilization and restriction, so you don’t get these benefits.
    - mandeepj 9y ago
      Agree. Working out with machines is similar to sitting on a chair :-). For newbies, machines are great to improve their form
      - grzm 9y ago
darkerside 9y ago
I'm a big advocate of strength training, and becoming strong has impacted my life in ways I never expected before I was strong. That said, it's likely that when it comes to impact on memory, aerobic exercise is the way to go. [1] Only somewhat related, but besides finding this to be anecdotally true (big improvement in memory since I started running), I've also noticed that running certain routes--or perhaps past certain landmarks--will dredge up a memory that I've somehow linked with that specific place. [1]https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/regular-exercise-changes-brain-improve-memory-thinking-skills-201404097110 https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/regular-exercise-changes...
simplify 9y ago
Are there any strength training apps that don't require going to the gym / using equipment?
- faitswulff 9y ago
  Plenty. Look at the FAQ on /r/bodyweightfitness: https://www.reddit.com/r/bodyweightfitness/wiki/faq https://www.reddit.com/r/bodyweightfitness/wiki/faq EDIT - ah, didn't realize you said app. There is at least one: https://www.reddit.com/r/bodyweightfitness/comments/3bmwzf/introducing_bodyweight_fitness_rbodyweightfitness/ https://www.reddit.com/r/bodyweightfitness/comments/3bmwzf/i... and I've seen a few others but haven't tried them.
- pux0r3 9y ago
  I'm still in the free trial period for Aaptive. Overall good, but they don't show any diagrams or videos for the exercises making it somewhat difficult for a n00b like myself. https://aaptiv.com/ https://aaptiv.com/

otherdave 9y ago

I second the sentiment but would also suggest https://startingstrength.com/ https://startingstrength.com/ :) Mainly for the wealth of online videos & other training materials I've found to help learn the lifts. I do recommend the book and the app costs a few bucks if you want it.

bproven 9y ago
Both of these are excellent. Even if you don't want to follow these programs exactly at least grab Rippetoe's book "Starting Strength" (3rd edition). It is a great reference for all the big lifts - very well illustrated with detailed explanations. Getting stronger (especially as you get older) is critical to good quality of life. Once you have hit your limits on those two programs move to Wendler's 5/3/1 :) I've done SS and now 5/3/1 for the last 4-5 years and I'm the strongest I've been in my life in my early 40s! EDIT: Also another great thing about Starting Strength or Stronglifts 5x5 is that it doesn't require much of a time commitment. You can easily be in/out of the gym in an hour or less - if you are not goofing off, 40-45 minutes is pretty typical.
- ryanchants 9y ago
  I just finished my second week of my first cycle of 531 Triumvirate + FSL and I'm loving it. In the next week or two I'll probably start tacking on some conditioning(prowler/ropes/kettlebells) after cause I still feel pretty good.
andy_ppp 9y ago
Great site! I’ll have a good read, this stood out: https://startingstrength.com/article/the_first_three_questions https://startingstrength.com/article/the_first_three_questio...
- bproven 9y ago
  Yes, I found as you get older (if you start when you are older at least) it might be a good strategy to bump the weights in lower increments. For example, instead of adding 10lbs to the bar every workout which works well for younger folks add 5lbs instead. This is not a sprint, but a marathon. Slow steady progress is what you want.
vinceguidry 9y ago
What I want before I start lifting again is rock-solid advice on avoiding injury. I have Starting Strength and have trained it before with a trainer who went through Rip's program. Stopped after a couple of injuries in a row. Rip's injury advice is "you're going to get them, train through." Fuck that. It's just not worth it. Injuries are massive, debilitating events and having even a minor one makes all the previous months useless. Only a pro or someone desperately trying to believe that strength training is the key to being a man or whatever would train past that. Being able to deadlift 325 is in the "nice-to-have" bin of life achievements. The other thing I want is to be able to do it without making my hands all rough. Eventually I think I'll just build a t-handle kettlebell* and just go super slow on the weight increases. When I finally get back into it, I plan on doing it for the rest of my life. Without a single injury. I do not think this is possible with barbells. At least not without a lot more study than is currently being done on it. * http://www.instructables.com/id/T-Handle-Kettlebell/ http://www.instructables.com/id/T-Handle-Kettlebell/
- rjeli 9y ago
  I do quite a bit of strength training and have near-baby hands. Rippetoe has videos on how to hold the bar. You should never be cinching skin against skin.
  - always_good 9y ago
    I'm not sure how you can lift and not get rough hands without using gloves. I also don't see why someone would care about their baby hands in the gym. It reminds me of Costanza's hand modeling. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZxX3-rJoNI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZxX3-rJoNI
- drumttocs8 9y ago
  http://www.gymnasticbodies.com http://www.gymnasticbodies.com may be interesting to you. So many people focus on strength or cardio, while mobility is just as important.
- Gatsky 9y ago
  I can't recommend Michael Boyle's books enough - "Functional Training for Sports", and "New Functional Training for Sports". He trains athletes at a national and olympic level, and injury prevention is a key theme running through everything he says. In contrast to Starting Strength et al, he actually makes the point that heavy bilateral squats and deadlifts are often too hard to teach and do well. He doesn't recommend doing back squats at all. The programs they use for athletes focus on single leg work, the argument being this is both safer and more 'functional' (how often do you back squat heavy stuff in the real world?).
drharby 9y ago
Rippetow ftw

lev99 9y ago

3-5hrs/week of exercise provides a huge ROI on mental performance and health. Find a program that works for you and stick with it. In my opinion not exercising is as short sighted as not using an employer matching 401k program.

Swizec 9y ago
7-10hrs/week here. Exercise is great, definitely helps me think, makes my brain feel fresher, and gives me the stamina I need to keep up with my sleep schedule. But ho boy does it often feel like it's eating into how many hours are available in the day. One problem is that the more exercise you do, the more you want to do.
- lev99 9y ago
  There are diminishing returns on exercise. A person doing 3 hours of exercise a week will see more benefit per hour than a person doing 9. I've gone into 10+ hours/week to try to reach a personal fitness goal before. Reaching the goal was more about satisfying my own ego than living a healthier life or investing my time wisely.
  - oligopoly 9y ago
    >There are diminishing returns on exercise. A person doing 3 hours of exercise a week will see more benefit per hour than a person doing 9. Just like for someone who is morbidly obese to walk few blocks then.. Personally I workout 9-10h a week and have been for years. What changes is the amount of cardio I do. The mental clarity, energy, feel of accomplishment, getting fresh air (running), being in great shape, coming up with business ideas or solutions to problems etc make it easily worth it. In regards to how to make time. There are natural amateurs working out twice a day 2 hours a pop and still working full day jobs. At some point you just have to prioritise what you want to do.

yodsanklai 9y ago

I've noticed that "lifting weight" seems to be the most popular physical activity on HN. I wonder if this is an American bias. I can see the appeal and the convenience but I personally dislike gyms. Loud music, A/C, TVs everywhere, little social interaction etc... and lifting weight is very artificial. I much prefer practicing sport outside and/or with other people. There are a lot of fun sports, such as boxing, climbing, hiking, swimming, running, martial arts, dancing, skiing... I see a lot of people who want to start exercising going straight to a gym because they are unaware of other options.

deleted 9y ago
[deleted]
mandeepj 9y ago
> lifting weight is very artificial. Please explain Have you tried group classes? A lot of the activity that you mentioned can be done in a gym but at the same time I would like to say there is no match to being outdoor. Short on time then hit a gym otherwise outdoors are worth it. Weight lifting also makes you stronger and less prone to injuries.
- grzm 9y ago
  One thing to make clear here (which I think you intend but don’t make explicit) is the difference between free weights and machines. Lifting free weights engages large groups of muscles and their coordination in balance and stabilization through the movements, which contributes greatly to injury prevention. Machines tend to isolate muscles and provide stabilization and restriction, so you don’t get these benefits.
  - mandeepj 9y ago
    Agree. Working out with machines is similar to sitting on a chair :-). For newbies, machines are great to improve their form
    - grzm 9y ago

darkerside 9y ago

I'm a big advocate of strength training, and becoming strong has impacted my life in ways I never expected before I was strong. That said, it's likely that when it comes to impact on memory, aerobic exercise is the way to go. [1] Only somewhat related, but besides finding this to be anecdotally true (big improvement in memory since I started running), I've also noticed that running certain routes--or perhaps past certain landmarks--will dredge up a memory that I've somehow linked with that specific place. [1]https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/regular-exercise-changes-brain-improve-memory-thinking-skills-201404097110 https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/regular-exercise-changes...

simplify 9y ago

Are there any strength training apps that don't require going to the gym / using equipment?

faitswulff 9y ago
Plenty. Look at the FAQ on /r/bodyweightfitness: https://www.reddit.com/r/bodyweightfitness/wiki/faq https://www.reddit.com/r/bodyweightfitness/wiki/faq EDIT - ah, didn't realize you said app. There is at least one: https://www.reddit.com/r/bodyweightfitness/comments/3bmwzf/introducing_bodyweight_fitness_rbodyweightfitness/ https://www.reddit.com/r/bodyweightfitness/comments/3bmwzf/i... and I've seen a few others but haven't tried them.
pux0r3 9y ago
I'm still in the free trial period for Aaptive. Overall good, but they don't show any diagrams or videos for the exercises making it somewhat difficult for a n00b like myself. https://aaptiv.com/ https://aaptiv.com/