# Why don’t you lift weights? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Tags:** diet-weight-loss\ **Created:** [August 15, 2020, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-don-t-you-lift-weights/918144 "2020-08-15T01:48:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 20
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2023, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-don-t-you-lift-weights/918144/381 "2023-05-01T16:23:35Z")
> [@Dr\_Paprika](#): > > Push-ups are a very good exercise, but once capable it might be better to increase the difficulty by trying wall push-ups, archer push-ups, one handers, etc. depending on goals. I’m also inviting @Stranger_On_A_Train for this self serving advice question. Working towards my pistol squat well and good but comments in the “core” thread have me wanting to get to good firm one arm push ups too. (I gave up on planche progression) I’ve read various progression plans. But not clear on how to best proceed. Current status: can do sets of seven reps wall supported handstand pushups; can do about the same number of archer pushups but my form is not with perfect straight arm; dozens Swiss ball supported decline pushups; and one each side incline single arm (supported on a 10” step stool). Currently doing thrown into complete body strength training once to twice a week each taking an hour with short rests, rest of time is cardio focused from erg to elliptical to runs outside with the dogs, various intensities and time lengths. Better to focus on either archer or incline single arm (and which) or doing both? Do just the pushups portion more than the once to maybe twice a week, adding it on a cardio day? I feel full unassisted pistol squat is still a big step away, maybe I’ll get it maybe not, and I failed to ever get to muscle up or full planche … but I think I can get to this! Yeah the journey is the fun more than the destination - but I want _one_ win! ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2023, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-don-t-you-lift-weights/918144/382 "2023-05-02T13:09:11Z")
> [@DSeid](#): > > I feel full unassisted pistol squat is still a big step away FWIW I just found the below and its progression gives me more hope. It helped me identify that I need to work on ankle dorsiflexion and gives the rolling squat step which helps. > **[A Guide to Mastering the Pistol Squat](https://www.outsideonline.com/health/training-performance/how-do-pistol-squat/?scope=anon)** > > To perform the ultimate lower-body move, you need to follow this progression Wide based legs in incline single arm is helping there. Not giving up yet. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2023, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-don-t-you-lift-weights/918144/383 "2023-05-14T21:49:55Z")
> **[Strengthen your heart, bones – and maybe even your brain: a beginner’s guide...](https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2022/dec/08/strengthen-your-heart-bones-and-maybe-even-your-brain-a-beginners-guide-to-weight-training-at-any-age)** > > A resistance workout is not just about adding muscle: it can bring a host of other proven benefits as well. So what is stopping you? ---
**Author:** ![Wolf333](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolf333/32/3460_2.png) [@Wolf333](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wolf333)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2023, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-don-t-you-lift-weights/918144/384 "2023-05-15T16:13:18Z")
I just received the add-on kit for my club. It can now go up to 46.25lbs. Taking the fasted route, that’s 3.2 years of workouts. I can also use the weights and add-on kit with a mace handle. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2023, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-don-t-you-lift-weights/918144/385 "2023-05-16T15:03:14Z")
> **[How Long Does It Take to Get Fit Again?](https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/30/well/move/fitness-loss-exercise.html)** > > We all stray from exercise sometimes. Here’s how your body will bounce back. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2023, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-don-t-you-lift-weights/918144/386 "2023-05-16T16:54:46Z")
I looked up on club workouts. They sound fun! You obviously recommend them. I’m not looking for a new thing to do right now but when I get bored or frustrated with my current stuff maybe something to try? My basement, which is where I exercise mostly, has a low ceiling. How much space overhead do I need? (short guy) Sounds like a pair of 10 # and one 25 is enough to start with? Yes? ---
**Author:** ![Wolf333](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolf333/32/3460_2.png) [@Wolf333](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wolf333)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2023, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-don-t-you-lift-weights/918144/387 "2023-05-16T18:25:55Z")
You don’t really swing them far overhead. I’m 5’6” and use them in a bedroom with a low ceiling. You need more space laterally than anything else. I started with a single-arm program and a 5lbs club. I was (kind of am) overweight and have several old injuries. I ended up liking it so much that I bought an adjustable club and worked my up to 16.25lbs. I also recently started a longer 2-hand program that is much more of a full body workout. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2023, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-don-t-you-lift-weights/918144/388 "2023-05-16T19:13:54Z")
As an alternative, you can use kettlebells, swing sledgehammers at tires, or use light dumbbells to do a “shoulder progression” - doing a few sets of four quick shoulder exercises: making big or small circles, Cuban presses, making your arms in the shape of the letters like T and Y, etc. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2023, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-don-t-you-lift-weights/918144/389 "2023-05-17T00:48:18Z")
They don’t look as fun. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2023, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-don-t-you-lift-weights/918144/390 "2023-05-17T01:21:47Z")
That’s true. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2023, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-don-t-you-lift-weights/918144/391 "2023-05-17T01:37:21Z")
Do you have access to the full version of this study, showing the least fit 20% had a mortality risk of 4.1 compared to the fittest 3% of 750,000 older veterans? ( _J Am Coll Cardiol_ 2022 Aug, 80 (6) 598–609 ) [https://www.jacc.org/doi/abs/10.1016/j.jacc.2022.05.031](https://www.jacc.org/doi/abs/10.1016/j.jacc.2022.05.031) ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2023, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-don-t-you-lift-weights/918144/392 "2023-05-17T02:29:58Z")
The abstract is free. (From the above link. Stuff I added is in italics.) ## Abstract ### Background Cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) is inversely associated with all-cause mortality. However, the association of CRF and mortality risk for different races, women, and elderly individuals has not been fully assessed. ### Objectives The aim of this study was to evaluate the association of CRF and mortality risk across the spectra of age, race, and sex. ### Methods A total of 750,302 U.S. veterans aged 30 to 95 years (mean age 61.3 ± 9.8 years) were studied, including septuagenarians (n = 110,637), octogenarians (n = 26,989), African Americans (n = 142,798), Hispanics (n = 35,197), Native Americans (n = 16,050), and women (n = 45,232). Age- and sex-specific CRF categories (quintiles and 98th percentile) were established objectively on the basis of peak METs achieved during a standardized exercise treadmill test. Multivariable Cox models were used to estimate HRs and 95% CIs for mortality across the CRF categories. ### Results During follow-up (median 10.2 years, 7,803,861 person-years of observation), 174,807 subjects died, averaging 22.4 events per 1,000 person-years. The adjusted association of CRF and mortality risk was inverse and graded across the age spectrum, sex, and race. The lowest mortality risk was observed at approximately 14.0 METs for men (HR: 0.24; 95% CI: 0.23-0.25) and women (HR: 0.23; 95% CI: 0.17-0.29), with no evidence of an increase in risk with extremely high CRF. The risk for least fit individuals (20th percentile) was 4-fold higher (HR: 4.09; 95% CI: 3.90-4.20) compared with extremely fit individuals. _[Other cohorts: least fit(0-20%):4.09, low fit(21-40-%): 2.88, moderate fit (41-60%): 2.13, fit(61-80%): 1.66, highly fit (81-97%): 1.39 mortality risk compared to extremely fit (98-100%).]_ ### Conclusions The association of CRF and mortality risk across the age spectrum (including septuagenarians and octogenarians), men, women, and all races was inverse, independent, and graded. No increased risk was observed with extreme fitness. Being unfit carried a greater risk than any of the cardiac risk factors examined _[including chronic kidney disease (1.49 mortality risk compared to fruit test 3%), smoking (1.40), diabetes (1,34), all cancers (1.33), cardiovascular disease (1.28) and hypertension (1.14)]._ ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2023, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-don-t-you-lift-weights/918144/393 "2023-05-17T02:35:06Z")
A little google fu … full pdf. > **[artigo%20Kokinos%202022.pdf](https://edisciplinas.usp.br/pluginfile.php/7200522/mod_resource/content/1/artigo%20Kokinos%202022.pdf)** > > 784.12 KB Interesting. I’m off to give a good read! ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2023, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-don-t-you-lift-weights/918144/394 "2023-05-17T02:56:02Z")
Not sure how “fittest” became “fruit test”. Also, the mortality risk for comorbidity “age” was just 1.06 (compared to the fittest 3%) and “BMI” 0.98 [I don’t sprint according to a Bruce protocol, with much shorter times and higher effort, but I try to get my METs above 30; my record is above 50.] ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2023, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-don-t-you-lift-weights/918144/395 "2023-05-17T03:34:20Z")
Very impressive! ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2023, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-don-t-you-lift-weights/918144/396 "2023-05-17T03:59:13Z")
What are METs? ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2023, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-don-t-you-lift-weights/918144/397 "2023-05-17T04:07:08Z")
[What Are MET Scores and How Are They Used to Improve Fitness?](https://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/what-is-a-met-score#:~:text=MET%20scores%2C%20or%20metabolic%20equivalents,a%20person%20is%20at%20rest). Basically a “MET score of 1 represents the amount of energy used when a person is at rest.” The rest are multiples of that. An interesting point the authors of the study make is that excessive exercise has to be considered relative to level of fitness. The big point though is that even into ‘70s and ‘80s the big gain is going from lowest fitness to next lowest, and returns continue even if they diminish even into the absurdly highest fitness group. ---
**Author:** ![Wolf333](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolf333/32/3460_2.png) [@Wolf333](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wolf333)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2023, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-don-t-you-lift-weights/918144/398 "2023-05-17T16:03:50Z")
The clubs aren’t just for “shoulder progression.” That’s actually just a side benefit. When done properly, club exercises will also work your grip, core, mobility, etc. I’d also really like to see someone do a reverse mill with a kettlebell. (I also use kettlebells. There is some overlap, but still very different). ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2023, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-don-t-you-lift-weights/918144/399 "2023-05-17T17:40:55Z")
So it kinda means metabolic output. And applied to a operation, maybe the maximum metabolic output they can sustainably do? ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2023, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-don-t-you-lift-weights/918144/400 "2023-05-17T18:20:17Z")
I don’t think the last. In this context it is _peak_ METs. They also assessed exercise treadmill testing, that’s the Bryce protocol mentioned above. Honestly though I have no idea how I’d even assess what mine _is_. I know some treadmills give a number. I don’t have access to one and would be skeptical of it anyway! More spitballing about the study. Of note: average BMI even in the super fit group? Over 25. In range labeled as “overweight”. Just a reminder that BMI is not worthless but it is a bit problematic. Cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) is (and this is discussed in the paper) BOTH a function of how much and what sort of exercise you do, AND genetics. Extremely high CRF probably needs both. The study does NOT directly bear on whether there is an amount of cardio exercise that goes negative. Yes getting extremely high CRF likely requires lots of exercise BUT overtraining can clearly REDUCE CRF. They mention caution about inadequate recovery relative to fitness level but even implying that this proves there is no upper limit is unjustified. OTOH, again, there is a limit after which more strength training becomes a negative, with small to moderate amounts being very helpful. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-don-t-you-lift-weights/918144.md?page=19) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-don-t-you-lift-weights/918144.md?page=21)