Comment by keyle | Hacker News Reader

Comment by keyle | Hacker News Reader

90 minutes gym sessions? That's ridiculous. 45 and you should be out of there! You're on the way to over train which will lead to negative results on your body. 45 max and you will feel so much more energized. Not to mention that there is no way a geek can keep up with 90 minutes of gym 3 or 4 times a week without loosing his mind and dropping the idea.

Also dropping carbs is a very bad idea, reducing it is good. But dropping them in the long term is going to affect your bone structure, the muscles will eat themselves for energy and you might land some heavy calcium supplementation in 20 years.

Also the fact that you're german/english does not explain a slow metabolism. Com'on. Have you seen europeans? Do they look fat to you? Generations of cold weather does not dictate your endomorphism. It's the food you eat, with bad habits and a high sugar intake that results in turning into a fat slob. Sure we all have genetic predispositions but it can be kept in the balance. Our bodies were never designed to eat what the american market has to offer.

Here's where I get 90 minutes: stretches, about 30 minutes on an elliptical, another 25 on an exercise bike, then weights, then crunches, then stretches. I mean 90 minutes for the entire gym-going process, not like 90 minutes of flat-out cardio or heavy-duty lifting. That would indeed be ridiculous for someone who isn't a professional athlete. Like I said, that routine works for me; it's what I need to feel like I got a good workout. But I also want to try other techniques. Part of the appeal of CrossFit is that you get a "better" workout in a shorter period of time.

You can find sources that say dropping carbs is bad idea, and you can find sources that say dropping carbs is a great idea. Again: it's what works for me. I'll still eat some whole grains and other "good" carbs.

If you noticed, the bit about the German/English heritage ended in a joke, suggesting that I was exaggerating a bit there. But since you bring it up: yes, I've seen plenty of portly English and German folks, and also some quite fit ones. Like you say, it's all about diet, and that's why I'm being careful about mine.

First, numerous studies have shown that combining aerobic and anaerobic exercise is less efficient than just doing anaerobic excercise. Combining the two makes the exercise worse, not better.

Second, assuming you can do at least 20-30 crunches in one set, (normal) crunches are basically a waste of time as the resistance is too small.

Third, that you feel you've had a good workout at the time you're doing it doesn't mean it is. For instance, sweat, tiredness, or an elevated heart rate isn't even an indication that you've actually had a good workout.

Just lift heavy weights. That's the most efficient use of your time and effort. Everything else you do in a gym can be good for the purpose of keeping you motivated, or whatever, but it's all quite a bit less efficient than just lifting weights. Keep it under 60 minutes, followed by intake of protein and carbs. The science behind this is well established.

Jack Lalanne does 2 hours a day and he is 95 years old. Short workouts are in vogue but hackers are so sedentary that 90 minutes seems like the minimum needed to offset 10 hours in a chair. I manage to do 45 min cardio + 45 min weights 3x per week, then 45 min cardio + 45min yoga or other stretching type thing 2x per week. Not a big deal IMO.

"Have you seen europeans? Do they look fat to you?"

Well you should check out this one, it seems Europeans are not that far behind...

http://www.iaso.org/

In addition to the "zero work commute" lifehack another one I like is the "zero gym" exercise hack. The idea is you find ways to exercise (cardio, strength and agility) that don't require going to some fancy gym facility. Just exercise in your home, or near it, or in or near your place of work. The hack is that you cut out #1 the membership costs and #2 the time spent traveling to/from the gym. By cutting out the money & time costs you reduce the number of possible excuses you have for not doing it. Plus, you decrease the amount of non-productice/wasted time you spend each day. And if you save time driving to/from a gym, you also reduce expose to accident risk, reduce contribution to traffic, pollution, etc. as a bonus.

Just by the fact that you're in a body of fresh air (which is all that your lungs require), and in a gravitational field, and can move your body around (all your body/muscles require), there are plenty of exercises accessible to you. And they require no special separate equipment or paid services. Walking is dead simple, it's practical, you have to do it anyway, and it buys you a lot. Pushups are simple, they exercise a lot of muscles, require no fancy equipment, and buy you a lot of effect. Kicking. Lots of other motions and activities like this. I highly recommend people first try incorporating this sort of exercise into their life first, and only if that utterly fails for them should they consider moving on to a subscription-and-commute-requiring gym.

Oh it also has the benefit of requiring greater willpower and time management, so it has psychological self-improvement benefits as well.

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