Comment by vidarh | Hacker News Reader

Comment by vidarh | Hacker News Reader

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I don't know if you've ever done any weight training, but if you lift heavy enough and/or enough volume, and get "the pump", that's the reason. Basically your muscles swell up and harden as blood flow increases into the fatigued muscles and you feel bigger, stronger, more powerful than ever. Couple that with the rush of whatever drugs your brain gets flooded with, and you pretty much feel like superman for a while.

Schwarzenegger at one point famously (in "Pumping Iron") described it as better than having an orgasm, and it's hard not to agree.

I haven't done much running, but when I have, I've never felt anything similar - breaking personal records when running would leave me wanting to collapse in a heap on the ground. Breaking personal records when lifting tends to make me walk around like I'd just broken a world record and everyone was watching.

I've read that the rush you get from "the pump" is a function of steroid use I haven't done a ton of weight training, but I've never felt this euphoria. I've definitely felt the runner's high - but only once after a very very intense run

I've never used steroids, but I most certainly feel that kind of rush regularly.

I'm going to put this one down to interpersonal variation because I'm at best an intermediate lifter (BW 90kg, BP62.5 3x5, SQ85, DL 110 3x5) and I feel awesome after lifting weights. Same thing after doing Ashtanga Yoga. I just feel euphoric after really using my body, like, yeah, I just did that.

The variety of human experience is massive, some people are tetrachromats, some can't visualise at all, some can't experience romantic love.

"some can't experience romantic love"

Completely unrelated, but this struck me.. is this an actual thing? I have a lot of difficulty believing it

yet the description was quite obviously a joke by schwarzenegger and was thought to get the attention of the public/media, no one seriously into weight lifting would ever say that. if you don't believe me watch the making of pumping iron - the 25 anniversary version.

As someone seriously into weight lifting, though it's a bit of an exaggeration, I found the description quite apt, and I know plenty of people seriously into weight lifting who agree with that. It's a different feeling, and not the rapid, massive rush, but it also last far longer. I had to choose, I'm not so sure I'd choose the orgasm.

He talked about the "better than sex" quote. It was hype for the movie. It worked, though.

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