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Brain-Health Benefits of Weightlifting
- Unbefleckt 2y agoNothing surprising about improved circulation improving the performance of an organ.
- ricc 2y agoSomething that might be obvious to some but not to all: "Weightlifting" here means "resistance training" in general, which therefore includes bodyweight training, which therefore is relatively easier to get into, at least compared to the "hassle" of going to the gym.
- diego_moita 2y agoTo better explain, there are 4 kinds of resistance training: 1. Bodyweight: where you lift your body: squats, pushups, etc. 2. Elastic bands: like those used in pilates 3. Weights: like dumbbells and barbells 4. Machines: like the ones in gyms.
- ricc 2y agoThanks! By the way, I think `3. Weights` should be `3. Free weights` to set them better apart from machines. :-)
- sk11001 2y agoAnother distinction is that “weightlifting” typically refers to the sport of Olympic weightlifting which includes two movements - the snatch and the clean and jerk. It’s not the same as “lifting weights”.
- smallerfish 2y agoThe article suggests that you shouldn't skip the legs. What's the best equivalent of pullups for leg muscles?
- SamBam 2y agoIf you mean in the sense of pulling, probably Nordic curls, although they're a pretty advanced movement. Usually, though, pushing strength is enough for most people for their legs, so if you mean in terms of hard, difficult movements, then working your way up to pistol squats is a good goal for most people.
- alan-hn 2y agoBarbell squats or deadlifts, squats will hit hams, quads, and glutes along with supporting muscles and spinal erectors Deads hit mostly glutes and hams, almost no quads, but a bit more back involvement I recommend doing both, personally If you want bodyweight only then probably pistol squats but it's difficult to work the legs that much with just bodyweight because they already carry your body weight every day
- abakker 2y agoSomething that many people can do is add weights to a backpack. If you have a good backpack and you can add books/water/rocks etc you can squat with that. If the balance of the movement gets a little unwieldy, a slight heel lift block can help. Also, goblet squats with a kettlebell.
- dilap 2y agoI found my pistol squats got better after a few months of just training boxing -- so I think even just hopping around and doing jump-rope is probably pretty decent exercise for your legs.
- alan-hn 2y agoA large part of pistol squats is balance and the strength of supporting muscles, general movement like boxing training would absolutely help with that
- brycethornton 2y agoProbably "air" squats, just squatting to parallel or below without any weights.
- green_dee 2y agoI don't think bodyweight training is relatively easier get into neither to perform. I really enjoy bodyweight movements and I include them in my routine, mainly splits squats, pushups, pull ups and abs, but I still think one of the best things you can do to yourself is trying to get over what you call "hassle of going to the gym". If done properly, the gym will teach you periodization and allow you to: - practice different repetition patterns - you can't perform useful 6's, 10's and 15's if you can't change the (body)weight variable - you can't perform useful < 15reps (for strength or hypertrophy) if you can do 100 repetitions of it (like abs or pushups) - want to work the delts? Just get into a rack and press the bar up, get a minimum weight dumbbell and do some raises, facepull a rope. Now try it in bodyweight movements. - form a habit (you have to go to the gym, if you hate exercises, being at home will just be a "I will a do pushup and it's over). It's always about preferences, but honestly, I find that creating and maintaining a bodyweight workout routine will always be harder and a last-case option compared to the gym.
- criddell 2y agoIs more always better? If your routine is maintenance focused and you can do 100 crunches and pull-up and pushups and body weight squats, wouldn’t you be getting most of the brain-health benefits or do they only come by getting stronger and stronger and stronger? Are there not diminishing returns?
- 127 2y agoIf you train for health instead of body building, going from sedentary to a regular body weight routine is a colossal improvement.
- strken 2y agoI think the point is that a regular body weight routine is harder than using weights. If you're sedentary, doing a push-up is like starting out with bench presses that are more than half your bodyweight, finding an inclined surface to do push-ups against is not always possible, and using your knees can be painful, whereas if you're in a gym you can go bench press the 20kg bar or lighter dumbbells and know exactly how much weight you're using each session. Doing a chin-up on a tree in the park means you can't grab an assisted pull up band or use a machine to help you, so you're stuck trying to scramble up the tree with your feet + use bad sideways technique then lower yourself down slowly, which is risking injury. These concerns are especially relevant for the elderly.
- maliker 2y agoI bought a pair of adjustable dumbbells that each go from 10 Lb up to 50. About $100 bucks. Pretty much my entire home gym. Worked great for me.
- ykonstant 2y agoFor me, that hassle is essential. It allows me to get into a dedicated workout mindset that I cannot get at home or in neutral locations; I keep it up for one or two or five days, then it fades away. With the gym, I have this dedicated physical location for workouts.
- itsoktocry 2y ago>at least compared to the "hassle" of going to the gym. Even a small set of weights-in-a-box, or adjustable dumbells, are fantastic supplements to bodyweight exercise. 90% of the population don't need anything else to get fit, and you can do it in your bedroom.
- the_snooze 2y agoYou can do so much with just a couple dumbbells and an exercise mat. This got me through the early pandemic when my regular gym shut down: https://darebee.com/workouts.html https://darebee.com/workouts.html
- grvdrm 2y agoAnd let's not forget - bands. Very versatile. They saved me during early COVID. But if I were - unwilling to gym it - I'd buy a few bands and use them for all sorts of push and pull exercises as well as mobility, stretching. Highly recommend.
- agumonkey 2y agoVery subjective opinion: there's something special about deadlift methinks. I used to be an runner and doing all kinds of sports. My health went low, and there's a particular sensation about finally being able to carry more than your own weight off the ground and stand up. No other workout exercises give this (pushups, planks, situps, pullups, you name it) It's probably a very primitve neural pathway and balancing need.. I don't know.
- ricc 2y agoIt's because it literally targets your whole body. The weight is pulling down your arms, which itself is pulling down your back and shoulders. And since you are carrying the weight, it's putting compressive forces on your legs via gravity. Even your neck muscles will hurt if you position your head the wrong way. XD One of my personal best gym moments is when I deadlifted about 25% more than my bodyweight, which I was not able to repeat since.
- grvdrm 2y agoTry again! (to hit that PR) Some weeks you'll have the right combo, some weeks you won't. But my general approach is to work toward a PR of some sort every 6 weeks or so. I don't always get there, but, I keep trying!
- spacemadness 2y agoIs that a goal of yours to hit or exceed that? I’m nearing 3x my bodyweight in DL which I attribute to simply following a program that starts with linear progression then moves to more wave based strength training like 531. I can share more if you’re interested, but it depends on your goals.
- runamuck 2y agoI despise the gym. I "lift" heavy weights with a premium, portable resistance band set. You can load it to over 400 pounds of force and do dead lifts and squats.
- ricc 2y agoAre you also a fan of James Grage? :-)
- yjftsjthsd-h 2y ago> which therefore is relatively easier to get into, at least compared to the "hassle" of going to the gym. I can finish a workout in less time than I would spend driving to and from a gym. Putting hassle in scare quotes doesn't actually dismiss the massively higher friction involved.
- ricc 2y agoI had to put them in quotes because some don't really see it as a hassle... And it also depends on the situation. I for one live 500 meters away from a gym, so that takes away a lot of the normal friction. :-)
- Etheryte 2y agoThis feels rather blogspamish. The numerous benefits of weightlifting are widely known and this article doesn't add any new insights or interesting takes.
- Edd1CC 2y agoIt’s from 2010
- tpoacher 2y agois it? it references a 2022 study
- FrustratedMonky 2y agostill good to re-iterate known data. lot of people on HN i'm sure like me, sit at desk all day. good to be reminded to get up and workout.
- joenot443 2y agohttps://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20101012/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20101012/ This is the referenced study, I was impressed with the results. 12.6% is notable!
- vanderZwan 2y agoOliver Sacks would probably have agreed with this conclusion [0] https://www.sciencefriday.com/articles/the-bodybuilder-oliver-sacks-days-on-muscle-beach/ https://www.sciencefriday.com/articles/the-bodybuilder-olive...
- briHass 2y agoIt's worth reading to the end to catch an important note about overtraining/lifting too heavy. Gym/weightlifting culture has an unsurprising amount of 'macho' nonsense attached to it. An example might be doing deadlifts with a traditional barbell vs a hex bar. The latter is a safer lift, because it involves less shearing forces on your spine and the more natural hand positioning. You get most of the benefits, with less risk, but it isn't the traditional lift, so it's looked down on.
- monero-xmr 2y agoIf there was a pill that provided all the scientifically proven health benefits of exercise - from life extension to mental health improvements to being more physically attractive to improved immune system and on and on - every single person would take it, and it would be the discovery of the century. But require physical exertion and effort to do actual exercise, and alas, suddenly people choose to ignore this amazing drug.
- admissionsguy 2y agoI go to the gym more than once a week and have been for years. It is a massive effort and trade-off and no fun at all, and I can definitely see how one might very reasonably choose to live as a blob instead.
- ngai_aku 2y agoNo fun at all?? My wife used to feel that way, but she made a couple of changes that have totally reversed her feelings to the point where she genuinely looks forward to going to the gym: - work out with friend(s) - start tracking your progress. It’s fun to see growth!
- inanutshellus 2y agoOn the days I meet friend at the gym, I work harder and leave happier, and it just feels like I'm hanging out with a buddy. TL;DR - Bring a buddy. :)
- wonderwonder 2y agoSurprised at this. I love the gym, its the only place I can go and just turn off the rest of the world. Everything goes away. Its just me and the weights. If I fail or succeed, its all on me. Headphones on, music up. I set myself goals at the gym and then just work towards beating them, my only competition is me. Used to go religiously before I had kids and then once I had them, stopped going for probably 10 years. Started again a couple years ago and my entire demeanor has changed. I'm calmer, and better able to deal with the stress of life. Nice thing is your body remembers and my strength came back quickly, I'm 45 and the strongest I have ever been. I feel like myself again. Makes me a better father and husband.
- nervousvarun 2y agoTangentially related: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6093191/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6093191/ As western society skews older and resistance training becomes even more common as a means to combat the effects of aging, I wonder if more people will adopt creatine as an essential supplement? Combined with weight training, the benefits seem easily worth the relatively low costs (creatine is about as cheap as supplements get). It's very beneficial for older adults: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21394604/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21394604/ Anecdotally, both my parents are in their 70s and I've finally managed to get them to take creatine (along with regular resistance training in the gym)...the results are really incredible. Both have noticeably improved their functional strength and my mom in particular has had a bit of a transformation. A lot of women don't like creatine (water bloat is generally a much bigger drawback for women than men) but at my mom's age she doesn't care and has really taken to it. Haven't even considered mental benefits of their training frankly but in retrospect it seems obvious as well. If you have elderly people in your life: encourage them to take up resistance training...the benefits are undeniable. And just as a bit of lagniappe once you do that, you might also convince them to try creatine.
- hackernewds 2y agoWorried about hair loss with creatine
- nervousvarun 2y agoHa yes but in context here the elderly are generally less worried about that :) But for "the rest of us" yes...maybe the closest thing to a consensus out there is if you're sensitive to DHT and have experienced hair loss (common male pattern baldness) creatine could possibly impact you. The effect isn't even universally acknowledged to exist so it seems safe to assume it's minor enough that if you're treating DHT hair loss (finasteride) already it wouldn't impact you.
- xenospn 2y agoGenetics took care of that for me
- nightowl_games 2y agoI feel like AI healthcare is probably where we will see the largest benefit in the long term. Being able to analyze a large amount of the chemical interactions in the human body, and correlating those interactions to the emergence of disease and disorder seems like a good fit for the technology. And this is coming from someone who's more skeptical of AIs incoming dominance.
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- jb1991 2y agoWhy the emphasis on lifting weights vs. pushups or pullups? Is there a different effect from actually using weights?
- xenospn 2y agoProgressive overload. There’s only so much resistance you can get by using your body weight alone. Weights allow you to increase resistance over time.
- jb1991 2y agoWith your body or with fixed weights, you can still progressively push the muscles harder and harder by simply increasing the duration and the frequency of the sets. The article even states that the benefits don’t require heavy weights, that even light weights will do. This suggests that actually using weights is not so important.
- giantg2 2y agoNot a lot of info in here. And no, whoever wrote the title, the results are not surprising. "Resistance training is linked to boosted brain health, especially in the elderly. Lifting weights helps balance metabolism, which may reduce Alzheimer's risk. Regular weightlifting may improve immune health and lower inflammation." These are all things that other types of exercise also tend to provide. I think it's probably getting too granular to say a specific type of exercise is best. There are tons of studies out there touting one exercise type over another for one reason or another. Moderation and variation doesn't just apply to food (although with food you're generally moderating down, but with exercise most people need to moderate up).
- dukeofdoom 2y agoThere's also walking which is like weightlifting for your legs. I got a dog after my dad passed away. I've been taking her with my elderly mother for 3km 50 minute walks everyday for over a year now. The exercise has helped my mother lose 20+ lbs and the conversation, sunshine and contact witn nature has helped with mood as well. I do go to the gym to lift weights, but while it grows muscles also increases my overall appetite and body mass. Not really sure if that's a net benefit for my heart, probably not. Intuitivly Maintaining extra weight is probably not healthy for you even if it's muscle, beyond a certain point. But walking is free and fun, and humans have been doing it a lot more for all our existence
- washadjeffmad 2y agoWhen I incorporated creatine into my morning routine, after just a week, I felt like a teenager again when exercising. It was a great motivator to continue to push myself, and I still haven't stopped seeing and feeling the impact. Feeling more capable has driven me to do quite a few uncharacteristic things, lately. I'm not sure this counts as a direct benefit on brain health, but I've been made happier by it.
- jl2718 2y agoWe always hear about the benefits, but never the etiology. One theory suggested here is insulin sensitivity of muscle mass. Here is another. Leg muscles help to pump blood to your brain. You can actually die from being suspended vertically in a harness with blood pooling in the legs and nothing to push against. Either way, I’d suspect that strengthening the legs captures the bulk of the effect.
- djhn 2y agoSo they need a control group of sedentary people who lie in bed all day or own one of those futuristic fully reclining workstations with displays and peripherals that tilt with you.
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- Workaccount2 2y agoLift the bar, and the bar will lift you.
- maxglute 2y agoI know it's liability hell in the west, but I wish we have more junk yard weightlifting playgrounds. There a lot of cheap small resistence cable machines. Would be nice to have bunch of them in a pull up jungle gym in every park.
- MrSkelter 2y agoI think the reason people respond to weights is simply because exercise generally confers benefit but for people who aren’t yet fit cardiovascular exercise is impossible. Weights allow you to move and be active without overstressing your heart. They are a great gateway to general health. However getting regular exercise running, swimming or rowing isn’t possible for most unfit older people.