
The Zen of Weight Lifting - UrbanPiper
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/22/well/move/the-zen-of-weight-lifting.html
======
danenania
I've been doing strength training for the last few months with both bodyweight
and dumbbells and am really loving it. It's amazing how fast you can go from
feeling completely hopeless as a beginner to making significant improvements
with almost every workout if you stick with it, are consistent, and don't get
hurt. It has fixed my back pain, neck pain, wrist pain, hamstring tightness,
and improved my posture. The desire to keep improving has also motivated me to
eat a lot better.

One thing that has made it more enjoyable for me and helped me avoid injuries
(I initially had some nagging shoulder issues) is to stop caring about the
number of reps. Obsessing about hitting a certain number causes form
breakdown, injury, a stunted range of motion, and discouragement when you
can't reach your goal. It's far better to just do as many as you can on each
set with good form and not focus too much on what number you hit. As long as
you're pushing yourself on the last few reps, your muscles won't know the
difference, and if you're consistent in your workouts and diet, the numbers
will take care of themselves over time.

~~~
cabernal
Any recommendations on how to get started?

~~~
danburbridge
Stronglifts or starting strength

~~~
bernardom
I'll second stronglifts. I used the app too. Super simple- three times a week,
35-45 minutes each time, and super gradual.

------
01100011
For all you middle-aged keyboard jockeys ready to grab a bar and start
lifting, make sure you take the time to learn about proper form and stick to
it while lifting. Our bodies are generally shit by middle age, so you're
probably already experiencing joint degeneration and bone spurs. You should
still lift, but do it wisely.

I just had shoulder surgery on Friday. The problem was more than likely caused
by other things, but weightlifting made the issue obvious and forced me to fix
it.

Also, FWIW, don't neglect cardio. I know lifters will tell you that lifting
gives your heart a workout, and it does, but from personal experience I felt a
lot better as a whole when I was cardiovascularly in shape. Lifting, for me,
helps with things like posture, back pain, self image and weight control. It
does not, IME, increase average daytime energy level, help in the bedroom, or
make climbing a few flights of stairs feel effortless. Look to cardio training
for that.

Edit:

"For most, the plateau is a form of purgatory."

I can't agree less. Sure, there are lots of folks who go to the gym and pursue
literally endless gains until some form of injury comes along and derails
them. Personally I find having some realistic goals to be a much better
approach. I hit a 400 pound deadlift and decided that's enough. Why the hell
would I want to lift more? I'll never use it, and those gains will just
require even more maintenance.

~~~
lostapathy
At the same time, don't be so obsessed about form you don't let yourself make
any progress. Overload is a key part of "progressive overload" \- if you're
doing that, your form won't be 100% picture perfect all the time. Learn to
know the difference between a rep that's a little off and a rep that's
dangerously off, and accept that some ugly (but safe enough) reps are part of
the process.

------
flyGuyOnTheSly
I've learned something recently that I wish I learned long ago:

That it feels really good to move.

A sedentary programmer I will no longer be!

I walk to a local yoga studio to practice for an hour every day now and have
literally never been happier in my entire life.

I literally break out into a wide smile every single time I begin preparing to
go to yoga... and trust me... I was never that kind of happy go lucky guy.

It's no surprise that moving makes you feel good.

Science has documented countless examples of exactly how it does that.

Endorphins are released as a direct result of moving.

Moving is my favorite nootropic.

It's easy to get stuck sitting in a chair day after day.

It's just as easy to keep the momentum of movement going if you can get the
ball rolling.

I really wish I knew that earlier, but I am happy to know it now.

Get out there and move around HN!

------
zaroth
One thing I love about lifting is the stats. Being able to track my progress
in the main lifts, and seeing the small progressive improvements add up to big
changes overall is very rewarding.

I’m also the kind of person that started off saying, “I’d like to be able to
do a body weight pull-up” which soon became, “I’d like to be able to do 4 body
weight pull-ups” which eventually became... you definitely get addicted to the
gains and even if you plateau in one lift or another, there’s always another
muscle you can train.

Once you start moving real weight there’s also a euphoria to hitting those big
PRs which you can work yourself up for and then it’s a blast when you finally
hit them.

I lift 3x a week - push, pull, legs. I do 6 week cycles of 12 reps, 8 reps, 5
reps (for the main lifts). And at the end of each 5 rep cycle I test my 1 rep
max on bench, deadlift, and squat. 14 weeks ago I just missed adding those up
to 1,000 lbs (a big milestone) and fully expect to exceed 1,000 when I test
again in 3 weeks.

I was never a weight lifter / body builder. Aside from a brief stint trying
CrossFit I had basically never touched weights aside from a class in high
school. If you looked at a picture of me 5 years ago I was a completely
different person. It took 2 years of cardio and yoga just to work up the inner
strength and basic flexibility to feel like I could safely approach weights.

I like that it’s the _number one priority_ for one hour, 3 times a week. The
rest of the week you never ever have to think about it. Well, you will _feel_
it, but it takes no mental strain. Then you get in and get it done and feel
awesome that you’re just a little bit better than last week, and go on with
your day.

The most important thing is doing it right, doing it effectively, and most of
all doing it safely. Getting injured will set you back hard.

Pay a trainer once a week to do one of the three workouts with you, critique
your form, and tweak your program. Go for the big milestones when you have a
pro watching you, and listen when they tell you stop. Best investment of time
and money I’ve ever made.

~~~
travelton
100% agree - hiring a trainer was the best investment in my weightlifting
journey. Sure, you can watch videos and try to nail proper form, but when you
hit the gym floor solo, nobody is going to correct you.

------
dogman144
mandatory plug for Starting Strength novice program if you want a can't-miss
first 12 weeks of starting lifting. Regardless of what you do after it, it'll
establish a base of strength and safe movement patterns to go down whatever
body building, strength, powerlifting, cardio direction you want.

------
kaesar14
Weightlifting's been the only constant of my life the last 3 years, becoming
the first thing I do in a day 6 to 7 times a week. I can't recommend it enough
as a habit that can draw you out of the deepest recesses of your mind. Not to
mention the physical and aesthetic benefits :)

------
maest
This article severly downplays one of the main attractions of weight lifting,
explained by that one scene in American Beauty:

'I need to shape up - fast!'

'Well are you looking to just lose weight or do you want to have increase
strength and flexibility as well?'

'I want to look good naked.'

~~~
buboard
Lifters can look bulky. I m sure other forms of fitness make you look even
better

~~~
red2awn
Most people will never get to the stage of being bulky, especially for a woman
due to the lower testosterone levels. Those big dudes and gals you see on the
internet are on steroids.

------
gavanwoolery
I was mostly sedentary until about 1.5 years ago.

I have tried almost every form of exercise, but the only thing that has truly
hooked me so far is circuit/interval training (for both cardio and
resistance). I have done almost 400 sessions so far, almost without fail at 5
days per week (which is the real testament to how addicting it is).

Actually I find the cardio classes to be more interesting and challenging than
the resistance / weight lifting classes. Although the focus is cardio, they do
not neglect training your muscles, they just tend to rely more on body weight
than barbells (burpees, jump squats, sprawls, etc) with the occasionally
machine thrown in (rowers, bikes).

I have not lost much weight (that requires a better diet) or gained a huge
amount of muscle but my body feels way more tuned. The classes are pretty
intense and burning 1000 calories/hour is common. My heart rate used to max
out at 180 and my resting heart rate was 80-90. Now my max heart rate is 160
and my resting gets as low as 50. I used to struggle to do 50 push-ups now I
can do 100 without much struggle.

The real benefit though is that I feel healthy and less afraid of things like
heart disease.

~~~
nradov
Congratulations on your progress, but those numbers don't look quite right.
Most people can't sustain 1000 kcal/hr for a full hour, especially not when
doing circuit training. Consumer fitness tracker devices commonly overestimate
calorie consumption by a significant amount.

Max heart rate doesn't really decrease with fitness unless there's some weird
pathology going on. As fitness increases you can generate more power at the
same heart rate, but max heart rate remains roughly the same.

------
rc_hadoken
If you're a beginner in this thread focus on going to the gym/your favorite
workout environment first. Don't listen to all the people giving rep counts.
If you go everyday for a month and do 1 effortful rep its better than going 2
times a week--getting sore and forgetting about it after soreness goes away.
Also listen to your body, we are all different. The similarities--id even
suggest only focusing on body weight stuff for a year or two and the only
weight you lift is a deadlift(just the bar--about 45lbs in most gyms) or air
squat.

------
robomartin
[https://startingstrength.com/](https://startingstrength.com/)

I did this with a coach for about a year. After that I installed a squat rack
in my backyard and train on my own (with occasional one-on-one coaching
sessions every six months or so to make sure technique hasn't gone to hell).

There's nothing like gaining strength. It doesn't have to be monster strength
either. Most people can't lift 250 lbs off the floor. Going from struggling to
lift a 60 lb bag of dog food with two arms to carrying one bag in each hand is
massive improvement for 95% of people. The funny thing is that this isn't a
crazy goal at all and it is attainable within a year for almost anyone.

One of my favorite things to do once I got to 250 lb deadlifts was to go to
the regular gym every so often, pick up a 120 lb dumbbell with each hand and
go do standing rows. I don't look like a bodybuilder at all. All the big huge
guys doing 70 lb dumbbells could not understand what was going on. I'd
literally grab 240 lbs of dumbbells and go to the bench to do a bunch of reps.
A few asked what the hell was going on.

There's a difference between strength training and bodybuilding. It is my
opinion that, for the average person, strength training is what brings more
benefits, particularly as you get older. Bodybuilding can look good (in terms
of body shape) but I am not sure it carries with it the same benefits. This is
just my opinion, never really researched the topic beyond the basics.

As others have said: If you are going to do this, get a coach. It is critical
to ensure you are using proper technique. Without this you could get stuck and
struggle to make progress, get hurt or both.

------
potshot
Henry Rollins' "Iron and the Soul" is a fantastic take on this as well:
[https://www.oldtimestrongman.com/articles/the-iron-by-
henry-...](https://www.oldtimestrongman.com/articles/the-iron-by-henry-
rollins/)

------
Cougher
I'd like to offer something a little different. People who are interested in
starting an exercise routine will often be inundated with conflicting
declarations about how it must be done. You have to lift this way and you have
to eat "clean". What is often missing is this: one of the great things about
exercise and eating is that there are so many ways that can be used with great
success. And one of the single most important factors to consider when
choosing a routine/diet is what makes you happy enough to want to continue
rather than quit. And if you get bored, you can switch to something slightly
different or completely different.

------
dkarl
I deeply despise the picture that goes with this article. It's superficial, I
guess, but the idea dragging a fake barbell to the top of some photogenic
rocks and waiting for the perfect lighting for a photo op is antithetical to
everything positive in the article and perfectly captures the off-putting
assumptions about fitness that keep many of my friends out of the gym.

Also I thought we were past using the word "Zen" as a label for any kind of
temporary abatement of stress or neuroticism. Not that we knew better, of
course, but that it was thankfully out of fashion. I'm sad to see that is no
longer the case.

------
neogodless
This is something I'm pretty sure I'm missing right now.

Since I got started in cross country running in high school, which included
just the most modest of weight training, I've been interested in it. I'd often
have gym memberships, and dabble with the various machines, trying to cover
muscle groups.

Eventually, I joined fitocracy.com when it was young and full of active
members. It was there that I learned about Starting Strength, and where the
programming rewarded logging barbell activities much more than running or
using a machine. Before long, I had bought the Starting Strength and began
teaching myself the movements. I began with little or no weight, and using
videos I took of myself to improve my form. I also paid more attention to
dietary intake, and used If It Fits Your Macros (IIFYM) to design my daily
goals for macronutrients.

The results were manifold. Of course I got stronger - barbell lifts done right
are so much more efficient and effective than any chaotic routine, or even
somewhat organized attempts with machines. I was visibly in better shape. But
I was also naturally more confident, more in tune with the world around me. As
the article mentions, I was seeing how my own decisions were affecting my
life, and I would direct myself in other areas to zero in on decisions within
my areas of control and concern. My energy increased and my focus improved on
the job. I was able to find a healthy relationship that continues today.

However. I lost my way. Eventually the habit was interrupted and was never
fully restored. Today, I'm distracted, procrastinating on a task I've
procrastinated for too long already. I'm irritable and I don't want to waste
my day at the office, but I'll go home, and I won't make good use of my time
their either. I'll snack too often and grab unhealthy things.

Of course I'm not saying that this one habit will fix all of your problems,
but it is a bit of a foundational habit, and it can leak into other areas of
your life. And, of course, strength is helpful! You can move furniture and
chop wood and have the bad posture on your office chair you were going to have
anyway, but with a stronger back, you'll find yourself injured less often. So
I recommend it, and I hope I can take my own advice!

------
Antoninus
I wrestled in college so my knees and back are terrible. I swear that the one
thing is that has kept my posture and back from degrading while I live life in
terminal is the barbell. I highly recommend 5x5 and after a few weeks adding
in complex olympic lifts.

[https://stronglifts.com/5x5/](https://stronglifts.com/5x5/)

Complex:
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AqZ_ol0piKM](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AqZ_ol0piKM)

------
neonate
[http://archive.is/vm7SE](http://archive.is/vm7SE)

------
playing_colours
Doing sport is what I started to recommend recently to all my friends who are
30+ based on my experience. It improved my life, my body, happiness, energy,
sexual drive and I feel and look better than 10 years ago. For a consultant
and engineering lead it had an additional benefit to look fit and dynamic for
my clients and co-workers :)

Working full time and (if you want to do more) studying or coding at home
becomes hardy sustainable and a problem in 30s. It is in our interest to
prioritize the health of our only body, the holder of our brains, a thing we
so heavily rely on for basically every activity.

It is so amazing how our bodies can reshape and adopt to physical activities
we do! You can pick sport to shape your body in a desired way. My example: I
am quite small, sturdy, with tendency to become fat if I do not do enough
sport. I did bjj + gym for a few years - I looked like “squared”, the mixture
of wide shoulders, muscles, and fat - a bit like Fedor Emelianenko. A few
months ago I fully switched to running (2-3 times a week 10-15 km) plus
endurance 1-2 times a week of bodyweight exercises. Within 2 months my body
adopted to my new activities - I became slimmer, lighter, with stronger legs.

------
sophacles
There's a lot of good advice in this thread. One thing I'd like to suggest to
anyone new to lifting is: get a trainer.

I spent a lot of years trying to get in shape, but never getting there,
because I would hurt myself. I finally decided to get a trainer a few years
ago for other reasons[1], but the biggest benefit has been a total lack of
injury. Injuries often come from bad form, not working on small stabilizer
muscles and/or over-doing it - a decent trainer will be able to correct for
these cases. I'm almost 40 but I'm in as-good or better shape than I was in my
late-teens because I've been consistent and working with someone who knows how
to get good results.

A trainer does add to the expense, but at least for me, I'd rather pay more
for a workout that I actually do regularly, than paying for a gym membership I
can't use half the time because I'm injured.

[1] The other nice thing about a trainer is that they provide some
accountability. It's much easier for me to blow off a workout day if I'm not
also screwing up someone else's schedule/income.

------
rhema
I like lifting weights. It reminds me of coding. Both are mostly solitary
activities. At this point, I just enjoy the activity even if the physical
benefits don't improve much.

If you want to nerd out lifting theory, I suggest
[https://www.barbellmedicine.com/](https://www.barbellmedicine.com/) .

~~~
kejaed
Interesting to see this here. I got some internet coaching from Jordan when he
was still affiliated with Starting Strength. I'm curious, if you don't mind,
how did you find Barbell Medicine?

~~~
weeznerps
Not that guy but I bought one of their strength templates. I found them
through Alan Thrall's YouTube channel.

~~~
logosmonkey
Thralls channel is a lot of fun!

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wheresvic3
This sounds like something that I could have written, heh.

I've been lifting for around 10 odd years now with a break of a few years in
between. The hardest part for me was stepping back into the gym and trying to
figure out what had worked in the past. After trying out a few other workout
apps, I just decided to bite the bullet and build my own. It was a really fun
exercise and tracking my workouts now really motivates me to keep upping my
game.

I've also opened it up to the public - registration and use is absolutely free
- it's been around for 2+ years so the chances of it going dark are slim:
[https://ewolo.fitness](https://ewolo.fitness) :)

------
RickJWagner
I started weight lifting in my Air Force days, about 35 years ago. I've kept
at it regularly since then and am convinced it's good for overall health.

About a year ago, I got a shoulder injury doing bench press. (Not the first
time, but this one was from a lighter weight and it lasted longer.) I saw an
older gentleman in the gym this week and thought I'd ask him how he keeps from
getting injured.

The older gent (his name is Ralph) said he recommends lots of warmups. He was
benching pretty good, about half of what I was, I think I do ok for a mid-50s
weightlifter. Ralph looked pretty fit, but his hair was totally silver. I was
floored when he mentioned he has a son that's 61!

I remain committed. I think it's really good for health.

------
sergiotapia
If you're a beginner I recommend starting with 5 sets of 5 reps using
dumbells, bars or cables. Use as much weight as you can without hurting
yourself and MAINTAIN FORM.

Check your ego at the door and maintain form, otherwise you are fucked when
you start lifting real weights. You will get hurt. You will learn the bad form
and fuck up your shoulder or joints. Don't do it.

Those beginner gains are crazy fast, and in six months you will be totally
changed. You will be stronger. Push yourself.

------
jazzabeanie
Something I wish I knew 10 years ago:

"To minimise injury risk, practitioners should aim to maintain the
acute:chronic workload ratio within a range of approximately 0.8–1.3."

Figure 6,
[https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/50/5/273](https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/50/5/273)

------
cgrealy
Just to give an alternate viewpoint:

[https://youtu.be/wlLpCh-lE54?t=71](https://youtu.be/wlLpCh-lE54?t=71)

(for the record, I also sometimes pick heavy things and put them back down,
but it is an inherently silly activity :D )

------
jenkstom
Strength training has changed my life. I did martial arts a bit over the
years, but this has made more difference (for so much less effort) than
anything else I've done.

------
deskamess
Anyone have a recommendation for a good protein shake? Most of them taste
horrible. I found a strawberry one but can no longer remember the brand as we
recycled the jar.

~~~
gbaygon
I like ON Gold Standard specially the “Double Rich Chocolate” flavor, it’s
also one of the most recommended protein powder on bodybuilding forums.

------
ken
This is such a strange article. To a lot of the world, physical labor is just
what you do every day. There's a reason you call it a "farmer’s carry".

I wonder what people will do in 25 or 50 years for recreation that we today
consider work.

