11 ms·

Do you get good, exhausting exercise? I've found that's the magic formula for me.

newsbinator 7y ago
Great question. I suppose not exhausting enough! Getting my heart rate up from walking rapidly up steep hills, doing low-weight squats, pushups/bicep curls, etc seems to have no effect. I guess I should try lifting heavy, consistently over weeks, and see if that does anything.
- notus 7y ago
  I've found certain types of martial arts to be one of the most exhausting activities I have ever done. Boxing, Muay Thai, BJJ, Wrestling, no amount of lifting has gotten me as exhausted as those have. Slept like a baby.
- hhanesand 7y ago
  I’d also suggest some interval training. If you have access to stair steppers, I highly recommend them. Easy to get started, and not too tough on your joints. 2 minutes at a pace that’s tough to sustain, and then 2 minutes off. I have a max HR of ~200 and I tend to level off at 180-188 during the interval section. Once you get accustomed to it you can play around with the timing ofc.
- PKop 7y ago
  Higher intensity, which doesn't have to come from heavier weight per say, but increased power, work/time meaning total work, higher weight up or time down. HIIT/interval/crossfit style are prime examples of in my opinion the most efficient way to achieve "exhausting" workouts (lowest time commitment, and with group gym style, lowest mental effort to formulate workout plans; it's all left to the trainer).
- lenzm 7y ago
  I would think that more strenuous cardio would be more effective than lifting heavy.
- porknubbins 7y ago
  Watch out for that spikes your adrenaline like sprinting or heavy lifting in the evening though. That said I always get amazing sleep after heavy deadlifts as done properly they fatigue your CNS much more than the individual muscles so its like your brain forces a shutdown to recover. Squats and bench just wake me up though.
dsaavy 7y ago
The magic exercise for me is jogging at least 3 miles at about a heart rate of 150-160. I consistently get 3 hours deep sleep according to the AutoSleep app and dream heavily. Otherwise I’m usually getting 1-1.5 hours deep sleep with other exercise and less than 1 if I don’t do anything all day. Just an anecdote for comparison.
- agumonkey 7y ago
  I tried running / jogging (lower HR because my heart is bad) but beside this I worked at a recycling factory. Handling truck parts, crouching to unscrew frames etc etc. This kind of evergoing physical activity drained me deeper and smoother than jogging.
  - TaylorAlexander 7y ago
    This is why I wish there was a job where I could work at a computer part of the time and do some strenuous physical activity part of the time. I am so useful sitting at a desk but it’s not so useful to me to always be sedentary. Sadly nobody would want to pay my engineering rate for picking weeds in the garden or taking out all the trash.
    - agumonkey 7y ago
      I did this in June, 39h/week on trucks. Paradoxically I was pumped by this because having regular activity and financial safety freed me from a ton of issues. So much that during lunch pause I was doing pushups and before bedtime I'd learn Django to make an application for this job. Unfortunately the boss did me wrong so I quit. To babble a bit more: in August I tried taking a part time morning delivery gig (4-8m 24h/week) thinking it would feel the same but not at all (newspaper delivery is physically stressful), so I quit drained after a month, even though it required no effort and was less time per week than the truck thing. Right now I have a 30h/week food delivery gig, it's just right to keep me active and the rest of the day I'm writing vue code now. I may try to find something that would make my body more fit. Maybe having a woodworking shop or something similar.
    - 7y ago
pixelbash 7y ago
I've found that it works this way for a while, but as fitness rises getting that same bone deep exhaustion gets quite difficult (at least without spending hours on it). Is there a way to switch things up and keep that going long term?
- alonmower 7y ago
  Higher intensity interval style exercises can get you there no matter your level of fitness. If you’ve never tried sprint intervals on an assault bike I’d recommend giving those a shot.
  - _Microft 7y ago
    What's working for me right now is 'running' up hills. Running not in the 'fast' sense yet but it works. I found a nice route, 7-8km, 250m up and the same down in three climbs and descents each and will keep running it for now. As I can always increase speed to make it more demanding, it will be fine for a long time most likely.
hnick 7y ago
Heavy exercise makes me very hot at night for some reason. It's nearly impossible to sleep or stay still. It's worse if I do it later in the day, but if it's intense enough it doesn't matter when. I wonder why...
- ip26 7y ago
  Do you shower off? The layer of salt makes me sticky & hot right up until I rinse it off.
  - hnick 7y ago
    Yeah always. Usually I go to the gym in the morning so I shower after getting back.
- tcoff91 7y ago
  Perhaps get a chilli pad sleep cooling system for your bed
  - hnick 7y ago
    Quite expensive but maybe worth it, thanks for the tip
blondin 7y ago
curious how do those apps know when you are having deep sleep? also seems that being exhausted works for me as well. thanks for mentioning.
Aaargh20318 7y ago
For me it has the opposite effect. After intense exercise I feel more awake and energetic than before, and this lasts long enough to disrupt my sleep.

Great question. I suppose not exhausting enough! Getting my heart rate up from walking rapidly up steep hills, doing low-weight squats, pushups/bicep curls, etc seems to have no effect. I guess I should try lifting heavy, consistently over weeks, and see if that does anything.

notus 7y ago
I've found certain types of martial arts to be one of the most exhausting activities I have ever done. Boxing, Muay Thai, BJJ, Wrestling, no amount of lifting has gotten me as exhausted as those have. Slept like a baby.
hhanesand 7y ago
I’d also suggest some interval training. If you have access to stair steppers, I highly recommend them. Easy to get started, and not too tough on your joints. 2 minutes at a pace that’s tough to sustain, and then 2 minutes off. I have a max HR of ~200 and I tend to level off at 180-188 during the interval section. Once you get accustomed to it you can play around with the timing ofc.
PKop 7y ago
Higher intensity, which doesn't have to come from heavier weight per say, but increased power, work/time meaning total work, higher weight up or time down. HIIT/interval/crossfit style are prime examples of in my opinion the most efficient way to achieve "exhausting" workouts (lowest time commitment, and with group gym style, lowest mental effort to formulate workout plans; it's all left to the trainer).
lenzm 7y ago
I would think that more strenuous cardio would be more effective than lifting heavy.
porknubbins 7y ago
Watch out for that spikes your adrenaline like sprinting or heavy lifting in the evening though. That said I always get amazing sleep after heavy deadlifts as done properly they fatigue your CNS much more than the individual muscles so its like your brain forces a shutdown to recover. Squats and bench just wake me up though.

dsaavy 7y ago

The magic exercise for me is jogging at least 3 miles at about a heart rate of 150-160. I consistently get 3 hours deep sleep according to the AutoSleep app and dream heavily. Otherwise I’m usually getting 1-1.5 hours deep sleep with other exercise and less than 1 if I don’t do anything all day. Just an anecdote for comparison.

agumonkey 7y ago
I tried running / jogging (lower HR because my heart is bad) but beside this I worked at a recycling factory. Handling truck parts, crouching to unscrew frames etc etc. This kind of evergoing physical activity drained me deeper and smoother than jogging.
- TaylorAlexander 7y ago
  This is why I wish there was a job where I could work at a computer part of the time and do some strenuous physical activity part of the time. I am so useful sitting at a desk but it’s not so useful to me to always be sedentary. Sadly nobody would want to pay my engineering rate for picking weeds in the garden or taking out all the trash.
  - agumonkey 7y ago
    I did this in June, 39h/week on trucks. Paradoxically I was pumped by this because having regular activity and financial safety freed me from a ton of issues. So much that during lunch pause I was doing pushups and before bedtime I'd learn Django to make an application for this job. Unfortunately the boss did me wrong so I quit. To babble a bit more: in August I tried taking a part time morning delivery gig (4-8m 24h/week) thinking it would feel the same but not at all (newspaper delivery is physically stressful), so I quit drained after a month, even though it required no effort and was less time per week than the truck thing. Right now I have a 30h/week food delivery gig, it's just right to keep me active and the rest of the day I'm writing vue code now. I may try to find something that would make my body more fit. Maybe having a woodworking shop or something similar.
  - 7y ago

pixelbash 7y ago

I've found that it works this way for a while, but as fitness rises getting that same bone deep exhaustion gets quite difficult (at least without spending hours on it). Is there a way to switch things up and keep that going long term?

alonmower 7y ago
Higher intensity interval style exercises can get you there no matter your level of fitness. If you’ve never tried sprint intervals on an assault bike I’d recommend giving those a shot.
- _Microft 7y ago
  What's working for me right now is 'running' up hills. Running not in the 'fast' sense yet but it works. I found a nice route, 7-8km, 250m up and the same down in three climbs and descents each and will keep running it for now. As I can always increase speed to make it more demanding, it will be fine for a long time most likely.

hnick 7y ago

Heavy exercise makes me very hot at night for some reason. It's nearly impossible to sleep or stay still. It's worse if I do it later in the day, but if it's intense enough it doesn't matter when. I wonder why...

ip26 7y ago
Do you shower off? The layer of salt makes me sticky & hot right up until I rinse it off.
- hnick 7y ago
  Yeah always. Usually I go to the gym in the morning so I shower after getting back.
tcoff91 7y ago
Perhaps get a chilli pad sleep cooling system for your bed
- hnick 7y ago
  Quite expensive but maybe worth it, thanks for the tip

blondin 7y ago

curious how do those apps know when you are having deep sleep? also seems that being exhausted works for me as well. thanks for mentioning.

Aaargh20318 7y ago

For me it has the opposite effect. After intense exercise I feel more awake and energetic than before, and this lasts long enough to disrupt my sleep.