19 ms·
Squats can boost brain activity [video]
- carrolldunham 5y agoWhy is there BBC pap on HN every day?
- kiba 5y agoNo explanation of the benefit doing squats, I am afraid. My guess is increased BDNF and maybe neurogenesis(scientifically disputed)? I heard sleep is a mechanism in which the brain clear out debris, so that might be a potential benefit of doing squats.
- jt2190 5y agoIt is explained, although in very general terms. Exercise is used to stimulate the body’s “countermeasures” (my word) against neuro-degeneration. Squats are called out here for a few reasons: They’re relatively easy for most people to do, and they seem to do a good job of triggering the “countermeasures”, as best as they can tell. This is not a prescription to drop your exercise routine and only do squats, it’s really just pointing out that squats are a good first choice for sedentary people who want to keep their brains healthy.
- dehrmann 5y ago> They’re relatively easy for most people to do There were a few people in the video squatting with their knees way too forward rather than squatting like they're sitting down. It's a pretty common beginner mistake. I agree that they're easy enough--it's not like they're suggesting the snatch.
- rhines 5y agoIn all the squat videos I've watched, knees go forward almost to the maximum that the ankles can sustain. For example, Jeff Nippard's tutorial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bEv6CCg2BC8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bEv6CCg2BC8
- klipt 5y agoI definitely sleep longer the night after a good workout. Not sure if that's universal?
- koolba 5y agoThe best part of a squat workout is when it’s over. The second best is going to sleep that night like a baby. I bet that’s the real secret to it’s supposed brain boosting. It just knocks you out enough that you have to sleep. And sleep definitely boosts your brain.
- tomcam 5y agoNever helps my sleep. Sometimes hurts it.
- tppiotrowski 5y agoSame effect for me. Wish I knew why this works.
- julianlam 5y agoBDNF... The Boyce... Dodd... Normal Form? Yes, I always knew additional normalization was the solution. My tables are normalized like you wouldn't believe..
- mmaunder 5y agoFunny how people become obsessed with specific movements, specific exercise styles, etc. I’ve done it all including becoming obsessed with Mark Rippetoe and the derivatives, cardio like running and mountain biking, swimming 2km a day (80 lengths) etc. The one thing that has absolutely transformed my life is yoga. No more back pain, insane strength I never had, no more injuries from eg lifting a 100 lbs propane tank at an awkward angle onto a truck, and unbelievable mental clarity and focus. I do it daily for 30 mins. Never been to a class. I got into it via the 3 week yoga retreat program on the Beachbody app. Been doing it for about 4 years now. Takes about a year or two to fully realize the benefits.
- colechristensen 5y agoOne thing I think yoga does particularly better than many other activities is target really broad sets of muscles. I don’t do it much but after a few initial classes it was so strange for muscles i didn’t know existed to be sore.
- deviation 5y agoStabilisers! People take them for granted. Typical strength training is usually lack-lustre in building these. This benefit is not unique to yoga, though.
- vkk8 5y agoDepends on how you do it, I guess. Squatting low weights or just body weight indeed doesn't involve stabilisers very much. But try squatting 2x your bodyweight on the bar and you find that it takes everything you've got to keep the body stable. (Note: don't actually try to squat 2x your bodyweight unless you have some years of experience in squatting and know what you are doing)
- janekm 5y agoThat's... kind of the point. Building your stabilisers with heavy weights only can be risky (especially if ego comes into play). Implementing accessory exercises to build stability / balance / flexibility alongside your heavy lifts is a great insurance policy for beginners. (whether Yoga is the greatest source of those is another topic, especially when considering the many different forms of Yoga many of which have a not very evidence based origin)
- vmh1928 5y agoMy theory is that anaerobic exercise, like squats, uses up ATP in the muscles. To replenish the ATP, muscle cells pull glucose from the bloodstream thus lowering your blood sugar level which leaves you feeling relaxed. If done prior to sleeping it can help you sleep through the night rather than wake up at 2am. There may be other benefits as well. That's my theory and I'm sticking to it.
- ses1984 5y agoI think at least one study has shown that strenuous exercise before sleep is not good for your sleep.
- abalaji 5y agoThis is conjecture--but there might be a difference between aerobic and anaerobic exercise in this case.
- tartoran 5y agoWhat does before mean in this context? Half hour or 2-3 hours? Unwinding is necessary and half hour is not enough.
- vmh1928 5y agoWhen I do it it's not strenuous. With dumbbells. Arm lifts (to the side and front) and military press using 5lb, bent over rows with 20lb, curls with 5lb, shoulder shrugs with 20, squats with 20. Followed by laying on the floor dumbbell presses with 20lb and pushups. Some sit ups too.
- ycombinete 5y agoThis has been my personal experience as well.
- poorjohnmacafee 5y agoAnything that raises your body temperature is not good before sleep. Your body temperature has to actually drop a bit lower from normal before all your regular sleep cycles can kick in.
- dehrmann 5y agoI disagree with doing a crossword puzzle (or other mentally stimulating activity) mid-squat if you're working with any interesting amount of weight. Once you're at a weight that's challenging, things get potentially dangerous, and the last thing you want to be thinking about is what's a four letter word for a small quantity of whiskey.
- pstuart 5y agodram?
- woleium 5y agodamn.. I mean dram...
- fb03 5y agoToday I have learned. thank you :)
- MengerSponge 5y agoYou don't say "this is too dram heavy" to yourself when you walk out the weight?
- jimt1234 5y agotoot?
- almost_usual 5y agoSquat, Deadlift, Press
- rpmisms 5y agoI like to do the powerlifting exercises on a powerlifting program, and then do arms and back on a bobdybuilding program. Keeps it interesting.
- justrudd 5y agoI’m sure you’ve heard of it, but for others - check out powerbuilding. It is the combination of power lifting and body building. https://www.nifs.org/blog/powerbuilding-the-middle-ground-between-powerlifting-and-bodybuilding https://www.nifs.org/blog/powerbuilding-the-middle-ground-be...
- rpmisms 5y agoThis is approximately what I do. I don't like eating a ton, so I try to strike a balance between aesthetics and deadlifting a lot. Edit: for a balanced approach, the Youtuber Jujimufu is a great watch. He's a bodybuilder who also does acrobatics and competes in powerlifting, and will often spring a backflip after a really impressive lift (https://youtu.be/_ydPYzYCpgU https://youtu.be/_ydPYzYCpgU). Truly impressive.
- fieryskiff11 5y agovertical or horizontal, we don't care about planes - we're freaks
- throw1234651234 5y ago+ pull ups, rows, planks/hip thrusts, calf raises, some abwork (despite what everyone says about not needing to do additional ab work)
- scruple 5y agoTwice weekly: Squat, Press, weighted Pull-ups. Once weekly: Squat, Press, Deadlift. This has done wonders for my back, especially my upper back, and my posture.
- thinkingkong 5y agoAny heavy lifting exercise will dramatically help. Squats and deadlifts are unique in that they engage so many muscles at the same time. The size of the muscles also boosts testosterone production. If you do these exercises earlier in the day so you arent too excited you’ll be really relaxed. To me, being relaxed helps my brain the most because Im calm enough to let my subconscious “bubble up”.
- paulcole 5y agoLet’s all just blindly comment with our own personal favorite workouts like we do in every discussion of exercise on HN.
- ddeyar 5y agosquash and boulder
- HatchedLake721 5y agoDumbbell chest press. I used to hate it, I barely could do it. After doing it a few weeks with a PT it became my favorite exercise.
- ogma 5y agoSprinting.
- jimt1234 5y agoFunny, back in my powerlifting days, I used to get asked a lot about "plateauing". My advice was almost always the same: do squats. The conversation usually went like this: - I'm benching all the time, but I can't get past 275. - How often do you squat? - Huh? I'm talking about bench press!
- justrudd 5y agoI’d always ask “How much are you eating?”
- ramoz 5y agoI've maxed squats while also losing 10% body weight (~8% BF) + low carb. Granted, I had maxed the same in HS football (~420LBS).
- justrudd 5y agoThat’s awesome. I wish I could cut at the same time. But alas my old man body has 3 modes - cut, maintain, or build. And never will the 3 overlap. But I’m past the point of worrying about it. I’ll never get rid of that last 3 or 4% body fat. But as long as my cardiologist is happy, I’m happy.
- ramoz 5y agoGetting to 8% body fat didnt seem sustainable. Unless I threw everything away and worked in a gym the rest of my life. I havent tried to max squats since, 2y. Now, I just do my 5x5 every 2-4 days using the same weight.
- vkk8 5y agoWhat if you plateau on squats?
- mabbo 5y agoDo deadlifts.
- justrudd 5y agoI think Dan John said it best (and I can’t recall nor find which essay he said it in) - “everybody needs to squat. But not everybody needs to squat heavy”.
- bob1029 5y agoSquats are fantastic. They force your brain to recruit a tremendous number of muscle fibers and coordinate them simultaneously. The impact this has on how your brain/body works is really cool. If you want to take it to the next level, look into the [power] clean (and press) or the snatch. These take the power profile of a squat, and add explosive speed to the mix. If you think simply engaging all your muscles is good, wait til you add in the speed component and/or the upper body... Definitely higher-risk exercises, but you get what you pay for in my experience. Just think about the kinematics of moving a barbell from the ground to as high as you can possibly hold it within 1~2 seconds. These are the most incredible exertions your body can possibly make. Some athletes can put out in excess of 4kW of power [1] when performing these movements. Imagine the adaptations the human brain would have to make in order to properly manage this amount of power. [1] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/7392903/
- reportgunner 5y agoBut can your brain activity boost your squats ?
- NwtnsMthd 5y agoAsking the real questions! But on a more serious note, I find that I'm able to push myself significantly harder when I am able to get myself into the right mental state. This may look like hyping myself up before working out or working out with friends who "have no chill".
- egor2820 5y agoIt can also burst a spine disc for older people
- hackerNoose 5y agoIt's also the best protection for your spine and maybe the only well established way of mitigating back pain. I've noticed a lot of older people are afraid of weight lifting because they think it will lead to injuries, however the science shows that it's one if the safest forms of exercise. Personally I don't understand how people function without it.
- phekunde 5y agoWhen you squat for morning dump, creativity increases multi-fold. It is the best way to get lot of startup ideas. Just sayin ;)
- randomopining 5y agoGet one of those stools to raise your legs up, and wow does the creativity just flow out.
- chrisjc 5y agoThis article really motivated me to go do a quick set of squats this morning and now I feel so much better already. (work from, gym set up in basement right next to my office) Can't wait for the next time one of these stories to pop up on my feed so I can get motivated to do another set. But in all seriousness... my problem (as is the case with almost all the proactive things I should be doing in my life) is that I lack motivation.
- throw1234651234 5y agoEven if you had it, the real problem is time. Lifting eats up a huge, huge part of the day. 6 - leave work 6 - 6:15 Get dressed and drive to (very nearby) gym 6:15 - 6:30: Warm up 6:30 - 7:30: Lift 7:30 - 8 Mobility work 8:00 - 8:30 Shower, change, etc More food needed, more meal prep, more sleep. Staying fit seriously cuts into "real life" - I could be passing an extra cloud / K8S / ML exam every 3 months if I studied instead. Of course, lt health benefits, getting out of chair, etc all make it "worth it", but there is a huge cost.
- mabbo 5y agoMy answer: get up earlier. Morning work outs seem to make my brain a lot more alert all day. I get up at 6:30, leave home at 7:15, get to the gym at 7:30, 30 minutes of cardo, 1 hour of strength, then get back home and quickly shower, starting work at 9:30 (WFH benefit right there). I do that 3 days per week.
- mabbo 5y agoI just got back from a session with a personal trainer, for exactly this reason. On any given day, I cannot find the self-motivation to go to the gym and do a real workout. Even if I have a good gym in the building I live in. But once I'm paying someone- pre-paying no less- for training sessions, then I do not ever miss a day. So all I need is the motivation to get fit one time, and then drop a huge amount of money at that one time. Oh, what's that? Sunk cost fallacy you say? Doesn't seem to impact this process in me and I'm not about to convince my lazy brain that it should.
- amriksohata 5y agoThis reminds me of Superbrain yoga https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KSwhpF9iJSs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KSwhpF9iJSs Which guess what? Is just a variation of a Yoga move from India that the teachers used to give to improve cognition in children who were not focussing in class https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murga_punishment https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murga_punishment The idea is that squats or moving your head up and down rushes blood to your head. Further if you hold certain activation points like your ears whilst doing it, it activates certain parts of the brain that improve coordination and brain power. All ripped from Hinduism, what I suggest to those who love Yoga and feel they benefit from Yoga is explore the other types of Yoga mentioned in the Gita. After all, if the Rishis/Sages were right about Yoga, Hinduism is clearly onto something in the Gita about the other types of Yoga.