5 ms·

Being stronger is a good thing. Weightlifting (with free weights) 3x a week did wonders for my posture. Archery sounds a bit more fun

e40 13y ago
If you live in a city, like I do, then it will be considerably harder to find a place to do archery. There are clubs, but the nearest for me is a good drive away.
- russell_h 13y ago
  For what its worth, for those in SF there's an archery range in Golden Gate Park. Its at the Ocean Beach end, so not the most convenient for most, but biking to an archery range could be a good way to get a fun workout.
  - zenbowman 13y ago
    There's a bunch of clubs close to SF, there's a great one called Bowhunters Unlimited in Santa Clara. There's a good one in Los Angeles as well - Pasadena Roving Archers.
- arethuza 13y ago
  Note that if you are in the city of York and a Scotsman then you can be legally killed if you carry a bow and arrows: http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2007/nov/07/uk.queensspeech20072 http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2007/nov/07/uk.queensspee... :-)
rbellio 13y ago
Or be like me and do both. Deadlifts, both regular and Romanian, will do wonders for your lower back. Archery gets you out and moving.
- korethr 13y ago
  Not just your lower back, but just about every muscle group along the back side of the body. I used to have no strength or definition in either my latissimus dorsi or posterior deltoids. After a few months of regular deadlifts, I now do.
lrem 13y ago
This whole thing boils down to: exercise is good for you. How long/intensive was your workout to get the "wonders"? I bought myself some free weights, but seemingly lack the motivation to get any results with those...
- jlgreco 13y ago
  A few minutes with a kettlebell every morning before my shower has done wonders for me. It is cheap, quick, effective (far more coverage than is practical with dumbbells for instance) and pretty fun.
  - miles 13y ago
    Do you just need one kettlebell? What is your routine like?
    - jlgreco 13y ago
      I have a single 35lb (16kg) kettlebell. Usually I spend 10-15 minutes doing kettlebell snatches and swings (switching between them as I tire, trying my best to keep moving continuously). I throw in a few other assorted exercises too, but those two exercises are the core of what I do and seem to have helped significantly with my lower back in particular. There are a lot more exercises you can do if you have two kettlebells. I'm probably going to get a second sometime in the next few months; right now I'm still going pretty strong with just one though. Also, the 35lb kettlebell I had was probably too heavy for me for the first week or two I had it. It is the advised starting weight for men but it was a rather difficult ramp-up for me. I don't really have trouble with it anymore though.
      - miles 13y ago
        Awesome - thanks so much for sharing that!

e40 13y ago

If you live in a city, like I do, then it will be considerably harder to find a place to do archery. There are clubs, but the nearest for me is a good drive away.

russell_h 13y ago
For what its worth, for those in SF there's an archery range in Golden Gate Park. Its at the Ocean Beach end, so not the most convenient for most, but biking to an archery range could be a good way to get a fun workout.
- zenbowman 13y ago
  There's a bunch of clubs close to SF, there's a great one called Bowhunters Unlimited in Santa Clara. There's a good one in Los Angeles as well - Pasadena Roving Archers.
arethuza 13y ago
Note that if you are in the city of York and a Scotsman then you can be legally killed if you carry a bow and arrows: http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2007/nov/07/uk.queensspeech20072 http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2007/nov/07/uk.queensspee... :-)

rbellio 13y ago

Or be like me and do both. Deadlifts, both regular and Romanian, will do wonders for your lower back. Archery gets you out and moving.

korethr 13y ago
Not just your lower back, but just about every muscle group along the back side of the body. I used to have no strength or definition in either my latissimus dorsi or posterior deltoids. After a few months of regular deadlifts, I now do.

lrem 13y ago

This whole thing boils down to: exercise is good for you. How long/intensive was your workout to get the "wonders"? I bought myself some free weights, but seemingly lack the motivation to get any results with those...

jlgreco 13y ago
A few minutes with a kettlebell every morning before my shower has done wonders for me. It is cheap, quick, effective (far more coverage than is practical with dumbbells for instance) and pretty fun.
- miles 13y ago
  Do you just need one kettlebell? What is your routine like?
  - jlgreco 13y ago
    I have a single 35lb (16kg) kettlebell. Usually I spend 10-15 minutes doing kettlebell snatches and swings (switching between them as I tire, trying my best to keep moving continuously). I throw in a few other assorted exercises too, but those two exercises are the core of what I do and seem to have helped significantly with my lower back in particular. There are a lot more exercises you can do if you have two kettlebells. I'm probably going to get a second sometime in the next few months; right now I'm still going pretty strong with just one though. Also, the 35lb kettlebell I had was probably too heavy for me for the first week or two I had it. It is the advised starting weight for men but it was a rather difficult ramp-up for me. I don't really have trouble with it anymore though.
    - miles 13y ago
      Awesome - thanks so much for sharing that!