
Show HN: No Bullsh*t Guide to Fitness (for Men) - J-H
https://andhart.github.io/hartsguide
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bobrocket
A few recommendations. I have been working out with a few breaks for 7 years
and will try to refrain from bro science (ironic as I have no sources)

Diet:

Telling people to not snack is counterproductive to what that section is
saying if I am reading it correctly. Everyone is different. Some fast and have
one huge ass meal. Some have two meals. Some more. I eat almonds as snacks
throughout the day. Perhaps for simplicity of starting it is more work to
count snack calories. Maybe say that?

Mention the importance of hydration throughout the day. Most people do not
drink enough water throughout the day - no source but I firmly believe it is
true.

Lifting:

Mention the dichotomy of strength vs muscle growth. Lower rep range focuses
more on strength while higher rep range focuses on muscle growth. Some workout
for strength exclusively (me), while others work out for physique exclusively.
I do like how you combine strength and physique in the Big 4, but let the
reader understand how.

Additional FAQ information:

How do I get abs? Abs are insulated by fat, reducing their visibility. Bodyfat
reduction reveals them. Eat a deficit of TDEE, maintain proper protein intake,
and consistently workout. Cardio exercise increases the TDEE deficit.

That is all I can come up with at the moment. Writing was fine! Thanks for
working on this!

~~~
nostalgiac
> Mention the dichotomy of strength vs muscle growth. Lower rep range focuses
> more on strength while higher rep range focuses on muscle growth.

As far as I'm aware there's still no conclusive evidence for rep ranges
affecting muscle growth vs strength. I'm well aware of all strength program
routines and follow this method myself, but would love a source.

~~~
bobrocket
This study has some interesting findings backing the claim:
[http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00421-002-0681-6](http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00421-002-0681-6)

~~~
nostalgiac
Honestly, the first 3 words ("untrained men") of that study make me instantly
reject any validity of the study.

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J-H
Hey HN!

I'd love to hear what you think, especially about my writing style, as I
realize I'm not the world's best writer.

I tried to keep the design simple, and somewhat crude. I wanted something that
looked different than the majority of fitness websites/blogs today. But let me
know if I achieved that or if it could use some work.

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DrScump
I didn't see a single source referenced, which may be why so many of the
claims are totally wrong. When I saw claims such as, "(low-carb diets) simply
trick you into eating foods that are _less calorically dense_ ", I gave up
altogether.

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J-H
Can you explain why you gave up? Low-carb diets cut out sugar, flour, etc
which greatly reduce caloric intake. It's not a far stretch to call them a
"trick" to reduce your calories, is it?

Take a look at [https://examine.com/nutrition/will-carbs-make-me-
fat/](https://examine.com/nutrition/will-carbs-make-me-fat/) if you need more
proof that carbohydrates are not what make people fat.

What other claims did I get wrong?

I don't disagree with you that I should put in some sources. Thanks for the
input!

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DrScump
I gave up on _the article_ because of its inaccuracies and lack of current
sources. I've been a successful lowcarb dieter for over 17 years.

~~~
J-H
I guess the key that I'm trying to get at here is find a diet approach that
works for you.

Low-carb diets "trick" you (again, I'm going to use that phrase) into eating
less calories. When you eat less calories, you will lose weight. So, sure,
it's great that it worked for you, but there's easier ways for most people to
lose weight.

What other inaccuracies were you talking about?

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bbcbasic
So sugar, carb and fat intake don't matter? It's all about the total calories
plus getting the amount of protein you recommended?

That surprises me.

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J-H
I should probably be more clear. In overall health, fats, carbs, and protein
do matter. However, I find it's hard to convince beginners to make drastic
changes to their diet.

So thats why I recommend tracking only calories at first. Get used to tracking
food and hit your weight goal. Then, when already used to being mindful of
your diet, you can adapt it to be more overall healthy.

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JHof
Change fitness to "bro-fitness".

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J-H
Why is that? I realize I should probably provide my sources at the bottom, but
everything was derived from personal experience and research.

If you have something specific to point out, I'd be happy to provide you a
source for it.

~~~
JHof
I used to be quite into doing exactly what you've written here. Even wanted to
compete in an NPC competition. Your guide is the exact same stuff that's
written about ad nauseam everywhere. That's fine, because it works for
achieving this type of "fitness". Just seems to me that this is a very narrow
definition of that. I don't look great shirtless, but I'm becoming a decent
trail runner and can do 25-ish pull-ups. My 70 year old dad can't run, but he
walks 1500 miles per year. Are we not fit/healthy? This is a standard
bodybuilding routine, and seems like a very 20-something, American college
male, Instagram idea of fitness. No problem, it's a good, concise guide.
There's just a lot more to fitness than bodybuilding.

