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Comment by johnfn | Hacker News Reader

Really? I'm not sure if I agree or not.

It's certainly not related to hacking, but on the other hand, there's always that broad "satisfies our intellectual curiosity" banner that you have to hold things to. Although it was short and to the point, it caused me to reevaluate something I had taken for granted, so personally I think it fit the bill.

Plus, I have a suspicion that the overlap between people who work out and people who go to hacker news is larger than you might think. I know that jogging, for instance, helps me focus, and I've heard other coders say the same. But I think I'm getting a bit tangential.

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Weight lifting has been my primary form of workout for the last 9-10 years. I've found that its the only way of training I can do and still keep half a brain focused on a code / architectural issue.

As with biking / jogging / rowing, I find that a proper weight workout also helps me stay focused after finishing up.

Jogging I can see, but body-building and "working out" to me seems sort of the diametrical opposite, something I associate more with jocks. Being healthy and in reasonable shape is one thing, but obsessing over reps, weights, and muscle tone?

I think that largely depends on the gym. Some are really just show-off spots, I agree, but my experience is that the less mainstream, often kinda run-down joints have a much friendlier, less cocky and pretty intelligent under-tone to them.

I guess I have no opinion on that, never having stepped foot in a gym. =]

Mostly, the idea seems oddly artificial to me. I use my muscles when I want to do something with them, like go for a walk, or go hiking, or swimming, but not just for the sake of using them. Sort of how I approach coding, too...

What ever sport you want to do, you will benefit from weights. Runners cross-train, rowers, boxers, football players, you name it.

I can see that, but I was coming more from the perspective of someone interested in being a healthy/in-shape layperson, not a sportsman. If you don't care about sports, will weight-training improve quality of life? I can definitely say "yes" to recreational hiking for that (it's enjoyable in itself imo), but I can only imagine that being true for weight-lifting is if it were necessary to avoid health problems (and there were no outdoor alternatives that worked).

A CrossFit guy I know says, squatting when you are 30 means when you are 80 you can go to the bathroom unassisted.

I don't know what you mean by recreational hiking, but it's hard to see how greater strength wouldn't help. For me, that means a load of 25-50 lbs on my back, moving swiftly across rough terrain. Core stability is paramount, and with weights you can develop that and be ready when you go on a trip.

>A CrossFit guy I know says, squatting when you are 30 means when you are 80 you can go to the bathroom unassisted.

I wouldn't be surprised if that were true, but I haven't been able to track down any solid information on it. There are a lot of articles talking of research showing elderly runners and elderly former runners suffer less disability in terms of doing those sorts of daily tasks than their non-running cohorts.

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0NHF/is_2_21/ai_10117...

Yes. Past about 30, muscle you don't use is muscle you lose. We don't have to become frail in our old age. Regular strength training is a way to prevent it.

Gah. I find this really irritating. You have never stepped foot in a gym, clearly have no idea what happens there, but are perfectly willing to pass judgement on it. I find weightlifting itself immensly enjoyable, what I like to do with my muscles is to lift heavy things. I enjoy the fact that this strength is useful throughout the other aspects of my life. (Think yardwork, sex, sports, etc.) I have solved more difficult problems both personal and intellectual while weight training that anything else that I do. I also enjoy the long term challenge of planning my training. Once the easy gains are completed, advancing in strength becomes a rather difficult exercise in planning, discipline, execution, creativity, etc.

If you enjoy weightlifting, that's fine, but I don't see what it has to do with hacker culture. Some people enjoy literary theory too, and I don't begrudge them that, but I would be pretty surprised to see it here.

We are no longer in high school. We don't need to separate the world into "jocks" and "nerds."

Yes, but it's still useful to not make HN about every possible thing. If "weightlifting is hacking your body", then "being into cosmetics is hacking your appearance", "political activism is about hacking government/society", and every possible interest is hacking something. Isn't the point of this site to be tech-focused?

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