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A lot of programmers get bored with normal exercises, but a lot of us seem to have affinity for both dance (especially swing) and rock-climbing. The correlation

A lot of programmers get bored with normal exercises, but a lot of us seem to have affinity for both dance (especially swing) and rock-climbing. The correlation is uncanny, in my experience. Both of these are more mentally stimulating than most exercises, so it makes a certain amount of sense, though dance might be difficult right now with covid. Personally I also enjoy just taking walks. I can daydream the whole time and it breaks up the work day. It may not seem like much, but if you walk for 30 minutes a few days a week it adds up. If you're already battling burnout, don't turn exercise into another source of pressure. Just see if you can find something physical that you enjoy for its own sake, and then roll with it.

Graffur 5y ago
Programmers and dancing is something I have _only_ ever seen mentioned on HN.
- aloisdg 5y ago
  I have a bunch of dev friends who takes dance class like salsa. Some of them are there to date but some are really into it.
- brundolf 5y ago
  When I was in college we had a swing dance society on campus that met twice a week and it was about 70% CS majors. As an adult in a different city I've met probably half a dozen coworkers or peers in software who are or have been into one kind of dance or another; my engineering manager at my last company was prominent in the blues dancing scene and when I told him which company I was going to, he told me my new CTO is like a master ballroom-dancer. Even Jonathan Blow has said that he enjoys swing dancing.
wink 5y ago
Maybe I've simply doing it wrong, and while I never went rock-climbing properly, but I've been going bouldering regularly for a long time and basically... I've not felt any change except a little bit of increase in arm/hand/finger strength, but also only for the muscles used in bouldering and nothing else. Nothing for stamina or general fitness, more like doing a single strength exercise with dumbells every day.
- brundolf 5y ago
  Yeah I don't think it's the best as cardio. Mainly strength, and mainly in certain muscles. But if it's the only exercise you can enjoy enough to keep doing it, it's better than nothing.
- bakuninsbart 5y ago
  With bouldering routes it is almost never your biceps or abs giving in, but usually the stabiliser muscles or your forearms and fingers. So yeah, these muscles will get used and improve a little bit, but if you want to get really fit with bouldering, you need to end your session with dips, pull ups, push ups and something for abs. Ironically, my bouldering improved immensely after switching to a workout that had less bouldering and more targetted exercise in it, and I was finally able to crack the 7c (V9ish). Stamina is not improved by bouldering, but having stamina improves bouldering. I think some cardio just makes your body function better in every way.
matt_s 5y ago
I also get bored with normal exercise and found, when I was a teenager, that martial arts motivated me enough to do exercise. Motivated probably isn't the correct word because I wasn't thinking about becoming good at fist fights or tournaments. Now that I think about it, the key for me might be exercise being a side product of some activity, with some authority telling me what to do. Fast forward to now and I've tried running programs like Couch to 5k and tried walking and it just doesn't "stick". Fitness trackers annoy me because I can just dismiss things. Pandemic has me in worst shape I've been in, I'll blame pandemic but really I have had ample opportunity to exercise over the last 18 months. > Just see if you can find something physical that you enjoy for its own sake, and then roll with it. I think this is the key for software people.

Graffur 5y ago

Programmers and dancing is something I have _only_ ever seen mentioned on HN.

aloisdg 5y ago
I have a bunch of dev friends who takes dance class like salsa. Some of them are there to date but some are really into it.
brundolf 5y ago
When I was in college we had a swing dance society on campus that met twice a week and it was about 70% CS majors. As an adult in a different city I've met probably half a dozen coworkers or peers in software who are or have been into one kind of dance or another; my engineering manager at my last company was prominent in the blues dancing scene and when I told him which company I was going to, he told me my new CTO is like a master ballroom-dancer. Even Jonathan Blow has said that he enjoys swing dancing.

wink 5y ago

Maybe I've simply doing it wrong, and while I never went rock-climbing properly, but I've been going bouldering regularly for a long time and basically... I've not felt any change except a little bit of increase in arm/hand/finger strength, but also only for the muscles used in bouldering and nothing else. Nothing for stamina or general fitness, more like doing a single strength exercise with dumbells every day.

brundolf 5y ago
Yeah I don't think it's the best as cardio. Mainly strength, and mainly in certain muscles. But if it's the only exercise you can enjoy enough to keep doing it, it's better than nothing.
bakuninsbart 5y ago
With bouldering routes it is almost never your biceps or abs giving in, but usually the stabiliser muscles or your forearms and fingers. So yeah, these muscles will get used and improve a little bit, but if you want to get really fit with bouldering, you need to end your session with dips, pull ups, push ups and something for abs. Ironically, my bouldering improved immensely after switching to a workout that had less bouldering and more targetted exercise in it, and I was finally able to crack the 7c (V9ish). Stamina is not improved by bouldering, but having stamina improves bouldering. I think some cardio just makes your body function better in every way.

matt_s 5y ago

I also get bored with normal exercise and found, when I was a teenager, that martial arts motivated me enough to do exercise. Motivated probably isn't the correct word because I wasn't thinking about becoming good at fist fights or tournaments. Now that I think about it, the key for me might be exercise being a side product of some activity, with some authority telling me what to do. Fast forward to now and I've tried running programs like Couch to 5k and tried walking and it just doesn't "stick". Fitness trackers annoy me because I can just dismiss things. Pandemic has me in worst shape I've been in, I'll blame pandemic but really I have had ample opportunity to exercise over the last 18 months. > Just see if you can find something physical that you enjoy for its own sake, and then roll with it. I think this is the key for software people.