12 ms·

Hacking strength: Gaining muscle with least resistance

173 points by jergason 14y ago

diminoten 14y ago
Doing basically anything will show improvement over not doing anything. Very frequently you find various fad exercises gaining momentum because of this fact - these people go from doing nothing to doing something, and when it does work they become huge proponents of a system that basically works solely on the fact that it's not nothing.
- larsberg 14y ago
  Strength coaches call this the "novice effect." It's why you can see an untrained person's squat increase if they ride the exercise bike a few times a week. If your goal is optimality, the question is: is your training program the most effective use of your time? On the other hand, not everybody cares about optimality, but more whether they can actually show up regularly. It takes a certain craziness to follow linear progressions, especially since it can take a mental toll (fuzzy headed all day) if you push too hard, which is sub-optimal in this field.
hkmurakami 14y ago
I don't disagree with the overal theme of the article, but I have to disagree on some particulars. Some thoughts: >Habit First Absolutely agree, especially when you're trying to get out of morbid out-of-shapeness. I personally find that mixing it into a pre-existing daily routine works well. I personally do core work and pullups/chinups before my morning and evening showers, and stretch exercises while I'm in the shower. >Diet IMO the Diet section is way too detailed as a first step. For someone who is trying to improve from very poor nutrition, I would advise the following: 1. Get rid of all processed sugar products from your house: candy, juice, soda, cookies, etc. (imo all processed items are bad, but again it's about keeping the barrier low) 2. Only walk around the outside lanes of a Grocery store (where the meats, dairy, and vegetables are). Don't go into the middle aisles where they have all the sugary, salty, processed goodies. Keeping bad food out of the house is the easiest, lowest friction way to keep a healthy diet. > Dumbbells first Totally disagree with this one. Compound lifts using Barbells are vastly superior to isolation lifts using dumbbells, particularly for beginners. And for beginners, Starting Strength has proven time and time again to be the most effective program. [1] If you're "starting out", then bodyweight exercises like pullups, chinups, bodyweight squats, planks, pushups, situps, are going to be low barrier to entry, good-habit inducing work that can be leveraged to take the person to the next level when they're comfortable. Once they're at this stage, they can buy whatever barbell setup they're comfortable with (I personally really want an Olympic Lifting platform in my garage...), which is going to be much much cheaper than that complicated Nautilus weight thing anyway. >Safety >Even with dummbells, I was able to put loads on my back that felt uncomfortable within about three months. That' because dumbell lifts don't engage the stabilizer muscles. As a result, those support muscles are going to be underdeveloped and you won't have developed the coordination to engage them when you need them. > Padded lifting gloves with wrist support helped keep my wrists in a stable, safe position and alleviated wrist pain. IMO using outside assistance like this promotes bad form and bad habits. >Str training machines Ugh these machines are terrible. They (a) don't engage your auxiliary muscles well, and (b) move weights in an unnatural path relative to your body and tend to cause more injuries than just plan barbell work. A great example is squatting on a smith machine, which puts you into very dangerous positions. (yet every single small'ish gym believes that they are somehow safer than regular squat racks) --- I find it odd that the article started out with the premise of helping very novice people get into a healthier routine wrt both diet and exercise, yet evolved into a fairly intermediate article. IMO most people don't need to optimize strength training to this extent. Just getting in any kind of routine and eating well will go a lonnggggg ways. [1] http://startingstrength.wikia.com/wiki/The_Starting_Strength_Novice/Beginner_Programs http://startingstrength.wikia.com/wiki/The_Starting_Strength...
- gdubs 14y ago
  "That' because dumbell lifts don't engage the stabilizer muscles. As a result, those support muscles are going to be underdeveloped and you won't have developed the coordination to engage them when you need them." Untrue. Dumbbells offer a completely free range of motion, which is what activates the stabilizer muscles. (source: google for "stabilizer muscles dumbbells" and you'll find a ton of information on the subject.)
  - tensor 14y ago
    I would also add that there are plenty of compound dumbbell exercises. A compound lift is simply one that uses more than one joint.
    - gdubs 14y ago
      Totally. You can do a clean and jerk with two dumbbells, for instance.
      - monkeyspaw 14y ago
        Yes, but I believe the stabilizer muscles (rotator cuff) can't continue to support the forces placed on them at a high enough weight. Generally, people "max out" stabilizers before muscles like pecs. So you plateau with dumbbells before barbells. According to "starting strength", at some point you can't hold the dumbbells due to limitations in grip strength.
  - dvfb 14y ago
    Barbells are simply bigger and heavier dumbbells. However most dumbbells in the context the comment was referring to aren't heavy enough to actively engage the stabilizing muscles to any great effect. The exercise also makes a big difference. Doing chest flys with dumbbells may feel like you are using a lot of stabilizers but actually you are no where near using as many as a free standing squat. And of course you're using bigger muscles when doing more compound exercises so correspondingly the weight have to be bigger. I believe that's why in general most people would say barbells > dumbbells.
klodolph 14y ago
It looks like "least resistance" here means, "I don't want to have to go to the gym, so I bought equipment so I could exercise at home." No shit, Sherlock. You don't need much equipment to get a good workout at home. Most of the machines at the gym are for isolation exercises. They serve three purposes: they help sell memberships, they're useful if you're injured, and they're useful for serious bodybuilders. This is, I think, common knowledge. But I think it bears repeating that if you have an injury, free weights might not be for you. As a side note, Schwarzenegger did an AMA over on /r/fitness yesterday. He was a powerlifter before he was a bodybuilder, and his advice is simple. http://www.reddit.com/r/Fitness/comments/1brg0z/im_back_ama_about_fitness/ http://www.reddit.com/r/Fitness/comments/1brg0z/im_back_ama_...
- ahelwer 14y ago
  Problem with buying your own equipment: I'm in my early 20's, so haven't settled into a permanent residence yet. I move around fairly often; I doubt this is uncommon. Exercise equipment is difficult to move (often by intention!) so buying it is just cause for headache. I do own one 15 lb sandbell, which is basically just a more versatile medicine ball. I can do enough exercises with it to avoid not being able to move for three days after a game of ultimate. Anything more would be much too inconvenient.
  - shawn-butler 14y ago
    I have found kettle bells to be both effective and mobile.
    - xaritas 14y ago
      Seconded, they are extremely versatile, but make sure you do some research on how to use them effectively (books, videos, or trainers). Their unconventional shape, which makes them so effective, also makes it easy to lift in a way that is bio-mechanically unsound. Also, there are a huge number of compound lifts that you would never think of on your own (e.g., the Turkish Get Up—not a beginners' move for sure: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uGRBvom4Zrw http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uGRBvom4Zrw)
lutze 14y ago
Some of this is terrible advice. You want strength, you do high weight, low rep sets of compound barbell lifts. Dumbbells are a body-building tool, not a strength building one. Press machines are horrid horrid horrid. At best they don't target the important stabilizing muscles that compound lifts are supposed to. At worst they can pull your movements into unnatural ranges of motion, causing lasting damage to your joints. If you have no one to spot you, buy a power rack. It'll work out cheaper, and you'll be better off. Honestly though, the best way to get in shape is not to MAKE yourself exercise, it's to find something that you ENJOY and do that. Judo, BJJ, boxing, squash, tennis, football, badminton... join a sports club, have fun, and you won't even notice yourself getting fitter.
- DenisM 14y ago
  Also, yoga. It's ubiquitous, you can start small, and although you may, you don't have to interact with people so it's a great stepping stone for a shy person.
  - tomjen3 14y ago
    What do you get out of it, though? Sure a high chance of meeting women (which is nice if you don't want to be Forever Alone), but other than the ability to strech a little more what is the gain?
    - DenisM 14y ago
      It's excercise like any other, it's just using the body's own weight instead of dumbbells to create load. Stretchin is a lesser part of yoga than strength.
      - tomjen3 14y ago
        Oh, that makes more sense, then.
    - monkeyspaw 14y ago
      I've been doing yoga for about 6 months now. I've gained strength, flexibility, and feel fantastic every time I leave a session. I also believe I'm less stressed and can focus better. The classes I attend present the physical aspects as a gateway into meditation and relaxation.
D-Train 14y ago
Habit is pretty much the biggest thing here. Looking at the success of P90X and others, it's all about working out REGULARLY. Everything else pretty much builds on the habit factor -- motivation through competition/ finding exercises that are fun, diet to enhance, etc.
rayiner 14y ago
I've plugged this here before, but so what: http://stronglifts.com/stronglifts-5x5-beginner-strength-training-program http://stronglifts.com/stronglifts-5x5-beginner-strength-tra.... The key observation here is that your average person doesn't need a particularly sophisticated routine to get "average in shape" (if that makes sense). I think the conventional wisdom that you need to be eating health food all the time and running an hour a day makes people feel like it's just not worth the effort. If you're like most people and not even getting 7-8 hours of sleep, an hour a day of working out isn't in the cards. But: "eat lots of protein and work out 3x30 minutes a week" is so much more approachable.
- seles 14y ago
  I started with stronglifts 5x5, but switched to Mark Rippetoe's Starting Strength. Starting Strength is a little harder to get into because it is based off of a paid book instead of a free pdf. But it is a better program in my opinion. Stronglifts is basically a ripoff of it but with better search engine optimization, hence its popularity. Differences: -Stronglifts starts with minimal weight. Starting Strength starts with weight that is hard. I think it is advantageous to do lower weight if you need to figure out form, but if you can get proper instruction there is no reason to start so low, you are just wasting time. -Starting strength does 3x5 instead of 5x5. 5x5 is too many if the weight is truly difficult (Stronglift agrees and goes down to 3x5 when you get failures) -Stronglifts has a bunch of instructions and rules to follow, but there really is no explanation as to why, for form or the program. Starting Strength's book is extremely thorough (almost too verbose). -Starting Strength does power cleans instead of barbell row. Power cleans are essential because they develop speed, while all other exercises in both programs only develop strength. Work the lats with Chin-ups. -The author of Starting Strength seems more credible since the programs are so similar yet his came earlier, he has been around a long time coaching, and has lift much higher weights than the author of Stronglifts). Both programs will be a million times better than nothing, but I think if you are serious about getting strong Starting Strength will serve you better.
  - rayiner 14y ago
    Fair enough. I haven't looked at Starting Strength. I do think Stronglifts is "good enough" for people just looking to get in reasonable shape, and I think there are "transaction costs" benefits to having a short free PDF and a routine that starts with low weights to learn form as opposed to a thorough book and getting professional instruction.
aliston 14y ago
> I hit 90 pounds per hand on the flat bench press (up from 25 per hand at the start). I call BS unless he's tinkering with terminology. 50 lbs max bench press to 180 lbs max in 5 months is impossible.
- Almaviva 14y ago
  It's very possible his strength max in the beginning was much higher (100+) but a big part of learning to bench press with dumbbells is the balance and coordination.
- rdouble 14y ago
  It's a 6.5lb per week gain, which is within the range of a linear progression program.
Evbn 14y ago
Finally an article relevant to Matt's website domain.
crusso 14y ago
You can quibble with some of his techniques or equipment. I found that they weren't objectionable and not far from what I've put together over the years. The main takeaway from the whole article is to minimize the difficulty in getting your workout done. Easy equipment to setup, adjust, and maintain in a convenient environment are critical factors. I set up a DVR with some news/interest shows that record for me every day. I used to sit on my butt in the evenings and watch them. At some point, I figured... why am I not lifting weights while I watch these shows? A few trips to the sporting goods store later, and I was rocking and rolling. My favorite pieces of equipment: 1. A good, versatile bench. 2. A bar for pullups (with some extra weights that I hook my feet under for extra resistance) 3. My dumbells 4. A multi-angle-grip curl bar. With minimal equipment and an entertaining setup, working out can be easy to accomplish without feeling like you have to drag your ass to the gym for interminable hours every week.
- Evbn 14y ago
  Seems bad for your neck to have eyes on a fixed TV during a moving exercise.
  - crusso 14y ago
    Mostly news shows with people talking, so I don't have to glue my eyes to the set while doing reps. Besides, a DVR is great for pausing and rewinding if something sounds interesting while I can't look.
PhilandTim 14y ago
A lot of what he advocates still displays that he's largely a novice, just one with more knowledge than your average programmer. But still a novice. Research (I'm not finding the studies, sorry) has indeed shown that protein intake is minimally correlated to muscle growth. He was on the mark by mentioning that only certain amounts of protein can be used in one setting, while the rest is wasted by the body. It's not one hard and fast number; individuals bodies vary greatly according to metabolic rates, capacity to grow, and ability to gain strength. After going from zero resistance training to 90 minutes a week, as was his case, anybody is obviously going to get much stronger. In the strength community these are just referred to as beginner gains. When you've been lifting for a few years, 90 minutes of strenuous resistance training a week is only going to help you maintain your current body, at best, even at maximal resistance levels and training until failure. This is why it's so common to see guys who go to the same gym for years and never look any different. Over time, your body acclimates and it takes more resistance AND more volume to continue growing. Genetics and the aforementioned variability between individuals does play a large difference, but for nearly anyone, doing three 30 minute workouts a week (at maximum intensity) for more than a couple years won't result in any noticeable difference. If you're focusing time efficiency, go for it, else there are far more reputable sources for how to gain strength and muscle mass than one guy's anecdote of how he did half a year of strength training.
- kemiller 14y ago
  I don't think anywhere in there did he suggest this was a professional's regime. This is how he went from weakling (struggling to lift his son's wheelchair) to putting on 35 lb of muscle. For, I'm thinking, LOTS of HN readers (myself included) that would be a radical change in life experience. The most interesting tips are the time savers, and the programmer's viewpoint, not the specifics of lifting technique, which you can find lots of places.
- aaxe 14y ago
  > Research (I'm not finding the studies, sorry) has indeed shown that protein intake is minimally correlated to muscle growth. He was on the mark by mentioning that only certain amounts of protein can be used in one setting, while the rest is wasted by the body. It's not one hard and fast number; individuals bodies vary greatly according to metabolic rates, capacity to grow, and ability to gain strength. Please keep your incredibly-incorrect-opinions to yourself.
deleted 14y ago
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ams6110 14y ago
My problem is I just do not enjoy exercise. I grant that some level of exercise is probably healthy, but I just don't enjoy it. At all. Not long ago I made myself run 3 or 4 days a week, for about 4 months. I did build up my ability to go longer distances but it never made me feel any better. After running I never felt energized or more productive; I felt tired and wanted to go to bed. I had similar experiences with strength training, tennis, raquetball, cycling... I don't think you can form a habit out of something if you don't enjoy it. You can keep doing it out of sheer willpower, but it will never become a habit.
- X-Istence 14y ago
  I used to hate working out, specifically because I absolutely hate cardio (looking at you treadmill, running, walking, biking, elliptical) but I found great joy in lifting. I started off slow, but even now I can really get into it. I look forward to going to the gym and getting a work-out in when I get home from work. I used to absolutely hate it, because people told me that I should do cardio to lose weight ... now most of what I do is lifting. A little cardio and the inches keep coming off, and I keep getting stronger. Find something you enjoy doing (I love swimming) and find pleasure in doing that, even if it is for a short period of time per day. Running clearly isn't for you, and it isn't for me...
- Evbn 14y ago
  Of course you are tired after you exercise. But a day or two later you should feel more energetic, after sleeping better. You have to do the sleeping too. And eating well. Don't pile on greasy calories to feed your exercising body, that will drag you down more as you eat note. It's all synergistic.
dmatlack 14y ago
Congratulations on your success. There so many comments here on what you could or should have done differently. I know you'll read it and maybe you'll give some of it a try. But if what you are doing works for you, then keep at it. When you stop making gains or want to switch up your program, you know what to do. Thanks for documenting all your tips and what you have learned. Keep lifting.
dez 14y ago
Just my 2c here as a national level powerlifter - This article is terrible. If you want to get fit/strong/whatever your goal, just do it properly. Go to a gym, go and run, whatever. This is an awful article. The general theme is good, and there is some good info in there, but I wouldn't expect much result or progress from it.
Detrus 14y ago
Reads a bit like an ad for some popular products. Most equipment junkies agree that SelectTech dumbbells are the worst choice. Cheap spinlocks are better because they're sturdier, can take some abuse. Regular handles are 14" and you can get 18" handles. With Bowflex and their copycats, the dumbbells are an annoying length at any weight. Ironmasters are the best dumbbells you can quickly adjust, followed by Powerblocks. They get shorter with less weight. Quick adjustment is not very important once your weights get above 50 lbs because you're taking long enough breaks to switch weights and get bored.
- mayneack 14y ago
  Not only that, but unless you get a few optimal weights, they are unbalanced, so you are limited by what you can do. Sure, some things it doesn't matter if the right side of the weight is the same weight as the left side, but when I tried it I couldn't get past this.
ezl 14y ago
make exercise a a habit. lift heavy objects. consume calories and protein. supplements may help.
MCem 14y ago
Buying a pressing machine is terrible advice. I'm sure it cost him hundreds or at most a few thousand. He could have gotten a set of heavier dumbbells for that money, or a barbell. For the record, any lifter should know how to either dump the weight on a barbell or roll it down the chest. It isn't particularly dangerous to bench without a spotter if you're not going to failure
dave1619 14y ago
The blog post had some decent information but I think it was a bit scattered to me. Here are the key principles to gaining muscle with the least resistance (in my opinion): 1. Lift heavy as possible - you'll have a difficult time stimulating lots of muscle growth with light weights which I've personally tried. 2. Use proper form - tons of people get injured on heavy resistance exercises because of improper form or lifting too much without a spotter. 3. Go to muscular failure - the final rep where you can't lift the weight no more is the most important. It contributes the most to kick starting your muscle growth mechanism. 4. Don't overtrain - you need to give your body ample rest and recovery for your muscles to grow the most. (Personally I'm training once every 3 days and currently this is working well for me). 5. Train the full body - building stronger/bigger legs will help build mass everywhere in your body. Don't think you're get strong just doing push-ups. You need to work all the major muscles in some way - quads, hamstring, glutes, calves, pecs, lats, delts, triceps, biceps, etc. 6. You only need to spend 25 minutes 2-3 times a week. Tip: look into High Intensity Training principles from Arthur Jones, Mentzer, Darden and others. They promoted short, intense workouts (usually one set to failure per exercise) that stimulated arguably more muscle growth than longer workouts.
- ironchef 14y ago
  One quick note 1. Lift heavy as possible and 2. Use proper form. Part of the reason people often are started with lighter weights is to get proper form in a safer manner. This is why crossfitters (for example) often first are taught to perform the various olympic lifts using pvc pipes (and progress to bar with light weight at first). Learning form with heavy weights tends to encourage bad habits without someone there to coach form.
- georgeoliver 14y ago
  Training to failure seems like a core principle of HIT but is there consensus on its general effectiveness? I'm two months into the basic program of Starting Strength, lifting solo at home, so for lifts like the squat I don't really want to go to failure. Is this just something to apply if you want maximum return on time?
  - 14y ago
transfire 14y ago
I followed the link to your weight loss suggestions where I learned about BMR. I don't get it. I must be a very abnormal human being. My BMR worked out to be 2660 * 1.2 = 3192 calories. But I tracked my caloric intake using MyFitnessPal for over a month and I was averaging abut 2000 calories a day and often pushing myself down as low as 1500 calories a day. Yet I barely lost a pound.
deleted 14y ago
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giardini 14y ago
blogspam pure and simple.
akandiah 14y ago
This article has some good points, but doesn't explain some of the basics. If you're after a good read on fitness, try this article: http://www.mensjournal.com/magazine/everything-you-know-about-fitness-is-a-lie-20120504 http://www.mensjournal.com/magazine/everything-you-know-abou... The recommended reading list at the end of that article is extremely valuable.
dkarl 14y ago
Nice classy article, HN. - Links to over $500 dollars worth of equipment on Amazon, and over $1000 overall (I guess the Marcy device isn't sold on Amazon?) but no links to any sites with good information about lifting weights. - Recommendation of specific supplements and lifting program (including suggested numbers of reps and sets) but only a haphazard list of random exercises and no information about how to perform them. - No discussion of how his suggested total time and set count imply very short rest periods, which isn't necessarily wrong but deserves some comment, especially for beginners who might wonder "WTF is going on?" when they try to do five sets to failure in ten minutes (that's 15-20 sets split into three sessions totaling thirty minutes per day.) - Come to think of it, very little discussion of how beginners should work their way up to such an effort, especially since they should be much more slow and careful until they're comfortable with good form. Beginners working to failure? You'd better be very specific about what exercises you're talking about before you suggest that. - Recommendation to use creatine with no discussion of what it does. Creatine does not in itself make you stronger, but it makes it possible for you to sustain a harder pace for a longer time in your workouts. Even if you're experienced in the gym, you have to be careful about overuse injuries when you start using creatine, because the sudden ability to work harder, longer, allows you to put more strain on your connective tissue than you're used to. - The section on safety includes nothing about safety, except, in the last sentence, a weak suggestion that a single session with a personal trainer might be helpful. No warning that many personal trainers know little about weights. No tips on how to find one who does. NO OTHER SAFETY INFORMATION. And, again, no links to better sources of information. - Bizarre recommendation of a belt for safety, despite suggesting dumbbell exercises only and suggesting that no instruction is needed beyond a single "fix-up" session with a trainer. What the heck is a person with no instruction and a bunch of dumbbells going to do that makes a belt a good idea? - Recommendation of working out in the morning with no mention of the possible danger of working your back within one hour of getting out of bed. - Many links to his own articles but no links to external sources of information about weightlifting (of which there are many) except for a calorie calculator. - Come to think of it, no acknowledgment of the people or information sources who helped him get started and influenced his choices. - Finally, seriously, given the choice between creating all those links to equipment and supplements on Amazon and creating a decent list of suggested exercises with links to instruction on how to do them, we got the Amazon links. Odd priorities, there. Very odd.
huherto 14y ago
Can anyone recommend a good reference for dumbbells training with compound/functional movements? Something like this but with better explanations. http://www.mensfitness.com/training/build-muscle/dumbbell-workout http://www.mensfitness.com/training/build-muscle/dumbbell-wo...
- tomkinstinch 14y ago
  This site is good. It has a list of exercises listed by muscle group and instructions on how to do them with different equipment along with .gifs of proper form and a bunch of other information: http://www.exrx.net/Exercise.html http://www.exrx.net/Exercise.html
kyllo 14y ago
Hacking things is good, but for some things, there just is no shortcut. Getting strong is not something you can hack. You need to do progressive resistance training using compound movements and consume a large amount of protein. That's it. There are different methods for achieving this, and they are not all equally good, but if you ask someone who is legitimately strong, they can point you to a proven routine. If there's any "hacking" left to be done in this space, it's probably diet-related (nutrient timing techniques like intermittent fasting, carb back-loading, etc) and not workout-related.
bearwithclaws 14y ago
Matt Might is the new Tim Ferris. Only better :)
- streetwiseherc 14y ago
  Tim Ferris's second book, the 4 Hour Body is a decent starting place for beginners who want to lose weight, increase muscle mass, get stronger and a bunch of other performance/fitness related topics. There's a chapter called 'The Harajuku Moment' where he outlines the steps that he used to help Rails-nerd Chad Fowler lose 70+ pounds of weight and increase his strength. I'd highly recommend Tim's book (The 4 Hour Body) to anyone who's interested in "hacking your body". http://www.fourhourworkweek.com/blog/2009/07/28/the-big-question-are-you-better-than-yesterday/ http://www.fourhourworkweek.com/blog/2009/07/28/the-big-ques... Another book/person I'd recommend HIGHLY is Kelly Starrett. He recently did a 2 day seminar on Creative Live about resolving pain, preventing injury and optimizing athletic performance. He's also coming out with a book at the end of April called "Becoming a Supple Leopard". You can check out a 50 page preview of the book below: http://www.allthingsgym.com/50-page-sample-of-kelly-starretts-book-becoming-a-supple-leopard/ http://www.allthingsgym.com/50-page-sample-of-kelly-starrett...
MortenK 14y ago
If you are considering starting out with weight lifting and muscle training, get some proper instruction from an actual strength trainer, rather than a random CS prof. While "hacking your body" sounds appealing to CS people (work smarter not harder!), the reality is there is no shortcut. You'll have to lift a lot of iron regularly, for a lot of time, while eating correctly, for anything serious to happen. Following advice like in this post, will most likely end you up with a lighter wallet and a garage full of unused Flexotronic Bulkmaster 2000 machines and expired supplements. In worst case with a serious injury, you'll carry around for a long time. Today everybody's an expert on everything, but do consider taking CS advice from a CS prof, and strength advice from a strength trainer.

173 points by jergason 14y ago

Doing basically anything will show improvement over not doing anything. Very frequently you find various fad exercises gaining momentum because of this fact - these people go from doing nothing to doing something, and when it does work they become huge proponents of a system that basically works solely on the fact that it's not nothing.

larsberg 14y ago
Strength coaches call this the "novice effect." It's why you can see an untrained person's squat increase if they ride the exercise bike a few times a week. If your goal is optimality, the question is: is your training program the most effective use of your time? On the other hand, not everybody cares about optimality, but more whether they can actually show up regularly. It takes a certain craziness to follow linear progressions, especially since it can take a mental toll (fuzzy headed all day) if you push too hard, which is sub-optimal in this field.

hkmurakami 14y ago

I don't disagree with the overal theme of the article, but I have to disagree on some particulars. Some thoughts: >Habit First Absolutely agree, especially when you're trying to get out of morbid out-of-shapeness. I personally find that mixing it into a pre-existing daily routine works well. I personally do core work and pullups/chinups before my morning and evening showers, and stretch exercises while I'm in the shower. >Diet IMO the Diet section is way too detailed as a first step. For someone who is trying to improve from very poor nutrition, I would advise the following: 1. Get rid of all processed sugar products from your house: candy, juice, soda, cookies, etc. (imo all processed items are bad, but again it's about keeping the barrier low) 2. Only walk around the outside lanes of a Grocery store (where the meats, dairy, and vegetables are). Don't go into the middle aisles where they have all the sugary, salty, processed goodies. Keeping bad food out of the house is the easiest, lowest friction way to keep a healthy diet. > Dumbbells first Totally disagree with this one. Compound lifts using Barbells are vastly superior to isolation lifts using dumbbells, particularly for beginners. And for beginners, Starting Strength has proven time and time again to be the most effective program. [1] If you're "starting out", then bodyweight exercises like pullups, chinups, bodyweight squats, planks, pushups, situps, are going to be low barrier to entry, good-habit inducing work that can be leveraged to take the person to the next level when they're comfortable. Once they're at this stage, they can buy whatever barbell setup they're comfortable with (I personally really want an Olympic Lifting platform in my garage...), which is going to be much much cheaper than that complicated Nautilus weight thing anyway. >Safety >Even with dummbells, I was able to put loads on my back that felt uncomfortable within about three months. That' because dumbell lifts don't engage the stabilizer muscles. As a result, those support muscles are going to be underdeveloped and you won't have developed the coordination to engage them when you need them. > Padded lifting gloves with wrist support helped keep my wrists in a stable, safe position and alleviated wrist pain. IMO using outside assistance like this promotes bad form and bad habits. >Str training machines Ugh these machines are terrible. They (a) don't engage your auxiliary muscles well, and (b) move weights in an unnatural path relative to your body and tend to cause more injuries than just plan barbell work. A great example is squatting on a smith machine, which puts you into very dangerous positions. (yet every single small'ish gym believes that they are somehow safer than regular squat racks) --- I find it odd that the article started out with the premise of helping very novice people get into a healthier routine wrt both diet and exercise, yet evolved into a fairly intermediate article. IMO most people don't need to optimize strength training to this extent. Just getting in any kind of routine and eating well will go a lonnggggg ways. [1] http://startingstrength.wikia.com/wiki/The_Starting_Strength_Novice/Beginner_Programs http://startingstrength.wikia.com/wiki/The_Starting_Strength...

gdubs 14y ago
"That' because dumbell lifts don't engage the stabilizer muscles. As a result, those support muscles are going to be underdeveloped and you won't have developed the coordination to engage them when you need them." Untrue. Dumbbells offer a completely free range of motion, which is what activates the stabilizer muscles. (source: google for "stabilizer muscles dumbbells" and you'll find a ton of information on the subject.)
- tensor 14y ago
  I would also add that there are plenty of compound dumbbell exercises. A compound lift is simply one that uses more than one joint.
  - gdubs 14y ago
    Totally. You can do a clean and jerk with two dumbbells, for instance.
    - monkeyspaw 14y ago
      Yes, but I believe the stabilizer muscles (rotator cuff) can't continue to support the forces placed on them at a high enough weight. Generally, people "max out" stabilizers before muscles like pecs. So you plateau with dumbbells before barbells. According to "starting strength", at some point you can't hold the dumbbells due to limitations in grip strength.
- dvfb 14y ago
  Barbells are simply bigger and heavier dumbbells. However most dumbbells in the context the comment was referring to aren't heavy enough to actively engage the stabilizing muscles to any great effect. The exercise also makes a big difference. Doing chest flys with dumbbells may feel like you are using a lot of stabilizers but actually you are no where near using as many as a free standing squat. And of course you're using bigger muscles when doing more compound exercises so correspondingly the weight have to be bigger. I believe that's why in general most people would say barbells > dumbbells.

klodolph 14y ago

It looks like "least resistance" here means, "I don't want to have to go to the gym, so I bought equipment so I could exercise at home." No shit, Sherlock. You don't need much equipment to get a good workout at home. Most of the machines at the gym are for isolation exercises. They serve three purposes: they help sell memberships, they're useful if you're injured, and they're useful for serious bodybuilders. This is, I think, common knowledge. But I think it bears repeating that if you have an injury, free weights might not be for you. As a side note, Schwarzenegger did an AMA over on /r/fitness yesterday. He was a powerlifter before he was a bodybuilder, and his advice is simple. http://www.reddit.com/r/Fitness/comments/1brg0z/im_back_ama_about_fitness/ http://www.reddit.com/r/Fitness/comments/1brg0z/im_back_ama_...

ahelwer 14y ago
Problem with buying your own equipment: I'm in my early 20's, so haven't settled into a permanent residence yet. I move around fairly often; I doubt this is uncommon. Exercise equipment is difficult to move (often by intention!) so buying it is just cause for headache. I do own one 15 lb sandbell, which is basically just a more versatile medicine ball. I can do enough exercises with it to avoid not being able to move for three days after a game of ultimate. Anything more would be much too inconvenient.
- shawn-butler 14y ago
  I have found kettle bells to be both effective and mobile.
  - xaritas 14y ago
    Seconded, they are extremely versatile, but make sure you do some research on how to use them effectively (books, videos, or trainers). Their unconventional shape, which makes them so effective, also makes it easy to lift in a way that is bio-mechanically unsound. Also, there are a huge number of compound lifts that you would never think of on your own (e.g., the Turkish Get Up—not a beginners' move for sure: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uGRBvom4Zrw http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uGRBvom4Zrw)

lutze 14y ago

Some of this is terrible advice. You want strength, you do high weight, low rep sets of compound barbell lifts. Dumbbells are a body-building tool, not a strength building one. Press machines are horrid horrid horrid. At best they don't target the important stabilizing muscles that compound lifts are supposed to. At worst they can pull your movements into unnatural ranges of motion, causing lasting damage to your joints. If you have no one to spot you, buy a power rack. It'll work out cheaper, and you'll be better off. Honestly though, the best way to get in shape is not to MAKE yourself exercise, it's to find something that you ENJOY and do that. Judo, BJJ, boxing, squash, tennis, football, badminton... join a sports club, have fun, and you won't even notice yourself getting fitter.

DenisM 14y ago
Also, yoga. It's ubiquitous, you can start small, and although you may, you don't have to interact with people so it's a great stepping stone for a shy person.
- tomjen3 14y ago
  What do you get out of it, though? Sure a high chance of meeting women (which is nice if you don't want to be Forever Alone), but other than the ability to strech a little more what is the gain?
  - DenisM 14y ago
    It's excercise like any other, it's just using the body's own weight instead of dumbbells to create load. Stretchin is a lesser part of yoga than strength.
    - tomjen3 14y ago
      Oh, that makes more sense, then.
  - monkeyspaw 14y ago
    I've been doing yoga for about 6 months now. I've gained strength, flexibility, and feel fantastic every time I leave a session. I also believe I'm less stressed and can focus better. The classes I attend present the physical aspects as a gateway into meditation and relaxation.

D-Train 14y ago

Habit is pretty much the biggest thing here. Looking at the success of P90X and others, it's all about working out REGULARLY. Everything else pretty much builds on the habit factor -- motivation through competition/ finding exercises that are fun, diet to enhance, etc.

rayiner 14y ago

I've plugged this here before, but so what: http://stronglifts.com/stronglifts-5x5-beginner-strength-training-program http://stronglifts.com/stronglifts-5x5-beginner-strength-tra.... The key observation here is that your average person doesn't need a particularly sophisticated routine to get "average in shape" (if that makes sense). I think the conventional wisdom that you need to be eating health food all the time and running an hour a day makes people feel like it's just not worth the effort. If you're like most people and not even getting 7-8 hours of sleep, an hour a day of working out isn't in the cards. But: "eat lots of protein and work out 3x30 minutes a week" is so much more approachable.

seles 14y ago
I started with stronglifts 5x5, but switched to Mark Rippetoe's Starting Strength. Starting Strength is a little harder to get into because it is based off of a paid book instead of a free pdf. But it is a better program in my opinion. Stronglifts is basically a ripoff of it but with better search engine optimization, hence its popularity. Differences: -Stronglifts starts with minimal weight. Starting Strength starts with weight that is hard. I think it is advantageous to do lower weight if you need to figure out form, but if you can get proper instruction there is no reason to start so low, you are just wasting time. -Starting strength does 3x5 instead of 5x5. 5x5 is too many if the weight is truly difficult (Stronglift agrees and goes down to 3x5 when you get failures) -Stronglifts has a bunch of instructions and rules to follow, but there really is no explanation as to why, for form or the program. Starting Strength's book is extremely thorough (almost too verbose). -Starting Strength does power cleans instead of barbell row. Power cleans are essential because they develop speed, while all other exercises in both programs only develop strength. Work the lats with Chin-ups. -The author of Starting Strength seems more credible since the programs are so similar yet his came earlier, he has been around a long time coaching, and has lift much higher weights than the author of Stronglifts). Both programs will be a million times better than nothing, but I think if you are serious about getting strong Starting Strength will serve you better.
- rayiner 14y ago
  Fair enough. I haven't looked at Starting Strength. I do think Stronglifts is "good enough" for people just looking to get in reasonable shape, and I think there are "transaction costs" benefits to having a short free PDF and a routine that starts with low weights to learn form as opposed to a thorough book and getting professional instruction.

aliston 14y ago

> I hit 90 pounds per hand on the flat bench press (up from 25 per hand at the start). I call BS unless he's tinkering with terminology. 50 lbs max bench press to 180 lbs max in 5 months is impossible.

Almaviva 14y ago
It's very possible his strength max in the beginning was much higher (100+) but a big part of learning to bench press with dumbbells is the balance and coordination.
rdouble 14y ago
It's a 6.5lb per week gain, which is within the range of a linear progression program.

Evbn 14y ago

Finally an article relevant to Matt's website domain.

crusso 14y ago

You can quibble with some of his techniques or equipment. I found that they weren't objectionable and not far from what I've put together over the years. The main takeaway from the whole article is to minimize the difficulty in getting your workout done. Easy equipment to setup, adjust, and maintain in a convenient environment are critical factors. I set up a DVR with some news/interest shows that record for me every day. I used to sit on my butt in the evenings and watch them. At some point, I figured... why am I not lifting weights while I watch these shows? A few trips to the sporting goods store later, and I was rocking and rolling. My favorite pieces of equipment: 1. A good, versatile bench. 2. A bar for pullups (with some extra weights that I hook my feet under for extra resistance) 3. My dumbells 4. A multi-angle-grip curl bar. With minimal equipment and an entertaining setup, working out can be easy to accomplish without feeling like you have to drag your ass to the gym for interminable hours every week.

Evbn 14y ago
Seems bad for your neck to have eyes on a fixed TV during a moving exercise.
- crusso 14y ago
  Mostly news shows with people talking, so I don't have to glue my eyes to the set while doing reps. Besides, a DVR is great for pausing and rewinding if something sounds interesting while I can't look.

PhilandTim 14y ago

A lot of what he advocates still displays that he's largely a novice, just one with more knowledge than your average programmer. But still a novice. Research (I'm not finding the studies, sorry) has indeed shown that protein intake is minimally correlated to muscle growth. He was on the mark by mentioning that only certain amounts of protein can be used in one setting, while the rest is wasted by the body. It's not one hard and fast number; individuals bodies vary greatly according to metabolic rates, capacity to grow, and ability to gain strength. After going from zero resistance training to 90 minutes a week, as was his case, anybody is obviously going to get much stronger. In the strength community these are just referred to as beginner gains. When you've been lifting for a few years, 90 minutes of strenuous resistance training a week is only going to help you maintain your current body, at best, even at maximal resistance levels and training until failure. This is why it's so common to see guys who go to the same gym for years and never look any different. Over time, your body acclimates and it takes more resistance AND more volume to continue growing. Genetics and the aforementioned variability between individuals does play a large difference, but for nearly anyone, doing three 30 minute workouts a week (at maximum intensity) for more than a couple years won't result in any noticeable difference. If you're focusing time efficiency, go for it, else there are far more reputable sources for how to gain strength and muscle mass than one guy's anecdote of how he did half a year of strength training.

kemiller 14y ago
I don't think anywhere in there did he suggest this was a professional's regime. This is how he went from weakling (struggling to lift his son's wheelchair) to putting on 35 lb of muscle. For, I'm thinking, LOTS of HN readers (myself included) that would be a radical change in life experience. The most interesting tips are the time savers, and the programmer's viewpoint, not the specifics of lifting technique, which you can find lots of places.
aaxe 14y ago
> Research (I'm not finding the studies, sorry) has indeed shown that protein intake is minimally correlated to muscle growth. He was on the mark by mentioning that only certain amounts of protein can be used in one setting, while the rest is wasted by the body. It's not one hard and fast number; individuals bodies vary greatly according to metabolic rates, capacity to grow, and ability to gain strength. Please keep your incredibly-incorrect-opinions to yourself.

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ams6110 14y ago

My problem is I just do not enjoy exercise. I grant that some level of exercise is probably healthy, but I just don't enjoy it. At all. Not long ago I made myself run 3 or 4 days a week, for about 4 months. I did build up my ability to go longer distances but it never made me feel any better. After running I never felt energized or more productive; I felt tired and wanted to go to bed. I had similar experiences with strength training, tennis, raquetball, cycling... I don't think you can form a habit out of something if you don't enjoy it. You can keep doing it out of sheer willpower, but it will never become a habit.

X-Istence 14y ago
I used to hate working out, specifically because I absolutely hate cardio (looking at you treadmill, running, walking, biking, elliptical) but I found great joy in lifting. I started off slow, but even now I can really get into it. I look forward to going to the gym and getting a work-out in when I get home from work. I used to absolutely hate it, because people told me that I should do cardio to lose weight ... now most of what I do is lifting. A little cardio and the inches keep coming off, and I keep getting stronger. Find something you enjoy doing (I love swimming) and find pleasure in doing that, even if it is for a short period of time per day. Running clearly isn't for you, and it isn't for me...
Evbn 14y ago
Of course you are tired after you exercise. But a day or two later you should feel more energetic, after sleeping better. You have to do the sleeping too. And eating well. Don't pile on greasy calories to feed your exercising body, that will drag you down more as you eat note. It's all synergistic.

dmatlack 14y ago

Congratulations on your success. There so many comments here on what you could or should have done differently. I know you'll read it and maybe you'll give some of it a try. But if what you are doing works for you, then keep at it. When you stop making gains or want to switch up your program, you know what to do. Thanks for documenting all your tips and what you have learned. Keep lifting.

dez 14y ago

Just my 2c here as a national level powerlifter - This article is terrible. If you want to get fit/strong/whatever your goal, just do it properly. Go to a gym, go and run, whatever. This is an awful article. The general theme is good, and there is some good info in there, but I wouldn't expect much result or progress from it.

Detrus 14y ago

Reads a bit like an ad for some popular products. Most equipment junkies agree that SelectTech dumbbells are the worst choice. Cheap spinlocks are better because they're sturdier, can take some abuse. Regular handles are 14" and you can get 18" handles. With Bowflex and their copycats, the dumbbells are an annoying length at any weight. Ironmasters are the best dumbbells you can quickly adjust, followed by Powerblocks. They get shorter with less weight. Quick adjustment is not very important once your weights get above 50 lbs because you're taking long enough breaks to switch weights and get bored.

mayneack 14y ago
Not only that, but unless you get a few optimal weights, they are unbalanced, so you are limited by what you can do. Sure, some things it doesn't matter if the right side of the weight is the same weight as the left side, but when I tried it I couldn't get past this.

ezl 14y ago

make exercise a a habit. lift heavy objects. consume calories and protein. supplements may help.

MCem 14y ago

Buying a pressing machine is terrible advice. I'm sure it cost him hundreds or at most a few thousand. He could have gotten a set of heavier dumbbells for that money, or a barbell. For the record, any lifter should know how to either dump the weight on a barbell or roll it down the chest. It isn't particularly dangerous to bench without a spotter if you're not going to failure

dave1619 14y ago

The blog post had some decent information but I think it was a bit scattered to me. Here are the key principles to gaining muscle with the least resistance (in my opinion): 1. Lift heavy as possible - you'll have a difficult time stimulating lots of muscle growth with light weights which I've personally tried. 2. Use proper form - tons of people get injured on heavy resistance exercises because of improper form or lifting too much without a spotter. 3. Go to muscular failure - the final rep where you can't lift the weight no more is the most important. It contributes the most to kick starting your muscle growth mechanism. 4. Don't overtrain - you need to give your body ample rest and recovery for your muscles to grow the most. (Personally I'm training once every 3 days and currently this is working well for me). 5. Train the full body - building stronger/bigger legs will help build mass everywhere in your body. Don't think you're get strong just doing push-ups. You need to work all the major muscles in some way - quads, hamstring, glutes, calves, pecs, lats, delts, triceps, biceps, etc. 6. You only need to spend 25 minutes 2-3 times a week. Tip: look into High Intensity Training principles from Arthur Jones, Mentzer, Darden and others. They promoted short, intense workouts (usually one set to failure per exercise) that stimulated arguably more muscle growth than longer workouts.

ironchef 14y ago
One quick note 1. Lift heavy as possible and 2. Use proper form. Part of the reason people often are started with lighter weights is to get proper form in a safer manner. This is why crossfitters (for example) often first are taught to perform the various olympic lifts using pvc pipes (and progress to bar with light weight at first). Learning form with heavy weights tends to encourage bad habits without someone there to coach form.
georgeoliver 14y ago
Training to failure seems like a core principle of HIT but is there consensus on its general effectiveness? I'm two months into the basic program of Starting Strength, lifting solo at home, so for lifts like the squat I don't really want to go to failure. Is this just something to apply if you want maximum return on time?
- 14y ago

transfire 14y ago

I followed the link to your weight loss suggestions where I learned about BMR. I don't get it. I must be a very abnormal human being. My BMR worked out to be 2660 * 1.2 = 3192 calories. But I tracked my caloric intake using MyFitnessPal for over a month and I was averaging abut 2000 calories a day and often pushing myself down as low as 1500 calories a day. Yet I barely lost a pound.

deleted 14y ago

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giardini 14y ago

blogspam pure and simple.

akandiah 14y ago

This article has some good points, but doesn't explain some of the basics. If you're after a good read on fitness, try this article: http://www.mensjournal.com/magazine/everything-you-know-about-fitness-is-a-lie-20120504 http://www.mensjournal.com/magazine/everything-you-know-abou... The recommended reading list at the end of that article is extremely valuable.

dkarl 14y ago

Nice classy article, HN. - Links to over $500 dollars worth of equipment on Amazon, and over $1000 overall (I guess the Marcy device isn't sold on Amazon?) but no links to any sites with good information about lifting weights. - Recommendation of specific supplements and lifting program (including suggested numbers of reps and sets) but only a haphazard list of random exercises and no information about how to perform them. - No discussion of how his suggested total time and set count imply very short rest periods, which isn't necessarily wrong but deserves some comment, especially for beginners who might wonder "WTF is going on?" when they try to do five sets to failure in ten minutes (that's 15-20 sets split into three sessions totaling thirty minutes per day.) - Come to think of it, very little discussion of how beginners should work their way up to such an effort, especially since they should be much more slow and careful until they're comfortable with good form. Beginners working to failure? You'd better be very specific about what exercises you're talking about before you suggest that. - Recommendation to use creatine with no discussion of what it does. Creatine does not in itself make you stronger, but it makes it possible for you to sustain a harder pace for a longer time in your workouts. Even if you're experienced in the gym, you have to be careful about overuse injuries when you start using creatine, because the sudden ability to work harder, longer, allows you to put more strain on your connective tissue than you're used to. - The section on safety includes nothing about safety, except, in the last sentence, a weak suggestion that a single session with a personal trainer might be helpful. No warning that many personal trainers know little about weights. No tips on how to find one who does. NO OTHER SAFETY INFORMATION. And, again, no links to better sources of information. - Bizarre recommendation of a belt for safety, despite suggesting dumbbell exercises only and suggesting that no instruction is needed beyond a single "fix-up" session with a trainer. What the heck is a person with no instruction and a bunch of dumbbells going to do that makes a belt a good idea? - Recommendation of working out in the morning with no mention of the possible danger of working your back within one hour of getting out of bed. - Many links to his own articles but no links to external sources of information about weightlifting (of which there are many) except for a calorie calculator. - Come to think of it, no acknowledgment of the people or information sources who helped him get started and influenced his choices. - Finally, seriously, given the choice between creating all those links to equipment and supplements on Amazon and creating a decent list of suggested exercises with links to instruction on how to do them, we got the Amazon links. Odd priorities, there. Very odd.

huherto 14y ago

Can anyone recommend a good reference for dumbbells training with compound/functional movements? Something like this but with better explanations. http://www.mensfitness.com/training/build-muscle/dumbbell-workout http://www.mensfitness.com/training/build-muscle/dumbbell-wo...

tomkinstinch 14y ago
This site is good. It has a list of exercises listed by muscle group and instructions on how to do them with different equipment along with .gifs of proper form and a bunch of other information: http://www.exrx.net/Exercise.html http://www.exrx.net/Exercise.html

kyllo 14y ago

Hacking things is good, but for some things, there just is no shortcut. Getting strong is not something you can hack. You need to do progressive resistance training using compound movements and consume a large amount of protein. That's it. There are different methods for achieving this, and they are not all equally good, but if you ask someone who is legitimately strong, they can point you to a proven routine. If there's any "hacking" left to be done in this space, it's probably diet-related (nutrient timing techniques like intermittent fasting, carb back-loading, etc) and not workout-related.

bearwithclaws 14y ago

Matt Might is the new Tim Ferris. Only better :)

streetwiseherc 14y ago
Tim Ferris's second book, the 4 Hour Body is a decent starting place for beginners who want to lose weight, increase muscle mass, get stronger and a bunch of other performance/fitness related topics. There's a chapter called 'The Harajuku Moment' where he outlines the steps that he used to help Rails-nerd Chad Fowler lose 70+ pounds of weight and increase his strength. I'd highly recommend Tim's book (The 4 Hour Body) to anyone who's interested in "hacking your body". http://www.fourhourworkweek.com/blog/2009/07/28/the-big-question-are-you-better-than-yesterday/ http://www.fourhourworkweek.com/blog/2009/07/28/the-big-ques... Another book/person I'd recommend HIGHLY is Kelly Starrett. He recently did a 2 day seminar on Creative Live about resolving pain, preventing injury and optimizing athletic performance. He's also coming out with a book at the end of April called "Becoming a Supple Leopard". You can check out a 50 page preview of the book below: http://www.allthingsgym.com/50-page-sample-of-kelly-starretts-book-becoming-a-supple-leopard/ http://www.allthingsgym.com/50-page-sample-of-kelly-starrett...

MortenK 14y ago

If you are considering starting out with weight lifting and muscle training, get some proper instruction from an actual strength trainer, rather than a random CS prof. While "hacking your body" sounds appealing to CS people (work smarter not harder!), the reality is there is no shortcut. You'll have to lift a lot of iron regularly, for a lot of time, while eating correctly, for anything serious to happen. Following advice like in this post, will most likely end you up with a lighter wallet and a garage full of unused Flexotronic Bulkmaster 2000 machines and expired supplements. In worst case with a serious injury, you'll carry around for a long time. Today everybody's an expert on everything, but do consider taking CS advice from a CS prof, and strength advice from a strength trainer.