# 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:** 21
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2023, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-don-t-you-lift-weights/918144/401 "2023-05-17T18:46:28Z")
Advice time. I have 15 minutes a day and a set of kettlebells. What are the most essential and useful exercises I can do in that short time period? Goal: increased mobility and strength ---
**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, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-don-t-you-lift-weights/918144/402 "2023-05-17T20:15:05Z")
I looked into buying some clubs, after seeing them recommended in one of Thibaudeau’s books, never having actually used them. The ones I liked were surprisingly expensive online, at least during Covid. They look fun to use, but I will have to settle for imperfect substitutes for now. I am sure they are versatile. ---
**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, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-don-t-you-lift-weights/918144/403 "2023-05-17T20:23:50Z")
I am assuming a set of kettlebells includes one(s) that are relatively light and one(s) that are uncomfortably heavy. There are many excellent exercises that can be done with only bodyweight. If I just had access to kettlebells, the best exercises would include: 1. Kettlebell swings (light to heavy, start light) 2. Suitcase carry (start light) or farmers walks 3. Goblet squat (light to heavy) 4. Turkish Get Ups (light) 5. Shoulder exercises (make large or small vertical or horizontal circles, body shaped like the letters T, W or Y, lifts over the head - light) There must be lots of websites showing these. ---
**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, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-don-t-you-lift-weights/918144/404 "2023-05-17T23:51:30Z")
I’ve no kettlebell experience but would be cautious with your tendonitis … start very low especially on things like swings. ---
**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 18, 2023, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-don-t-you-lift-weights/918144/405 "2023-05-18T01:19:25Z")
This is good advice for any weightlifting. Going slow works the muscles and the connective tissues. Having big muscles is unhelpful if the tendons and ligaments are not also strong. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2023, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-don-t-you-lift-weights/918144/406 "2023-05-18T01:33:51Z")
Thanks. When you say light to heavy, do you mean vary the load in different sets during the same session? Or start light in one session and work up to future sessions with a heavier load? ---
**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 18, 2023, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-don-t-you-lift-weights/918144/407 "2023-05-18T01:50:11Z")
It depends what you can handle. You are always best going too light when starting. Things like Turkish getups and shoulder exercises are tricky and you could not likely do them with heavy weights. Things like carries and goblet squats should start using light weights and over time progress to heavier ones. I alternate light and heavy weights for swings but only after being comfortable with the former. ---
**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 18, 2023, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-don-t-you-lift-weights/918144/408 "2023-05-18T15:39:17Z")
In context of returning from a slow to resolve elbow tendinitis - any specific modifications? ---
**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 18, 2023, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-don-t-you-lift-weights/918144/409 "2023-05-18T16:26:25Z")
For example: I’m also doing a kettlebell clean and press program. After one year I will have gone from 12kg-16kg. I’m not in any hurry. ---
**Author:** ![x-ray\_vision](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/x-ray_vision/32/351_2.png) [@x-ray\_vision](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/x-ray_vision)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2023, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-don-t-you-lift-weights/918144/410 "2023-05-22T16:19:59Z")
“But if you don’t have time for both, you get more health benefit from cardio than from lifting weights.” Brad Schoenfeld is my go to guy for all evidence based exercise information. He is a professor of exercise science at Lehman College in the Bronx, has a PhD in health promotion, an M.S.in Kinesiology and Exercise Science, and is THE exercise scientist others want to work with. He seems unbiased about the cardio vs resistance debate, but has consistently stated if one had to choose one or the other, he would go with resistance training for overall health. Here’s a quote from an article in _Time_ and there’s more info in the short article linked below. _“To me, resistance training is the most important form of training for overall health and wellness,” says Brad Schoenfeld, an assistant professor of exercise science at New York City’s Lehman College.”_ > **[Why Weight Training Is Ridiculously Good For You](https://time.com/4803697/bodybuilding-strength-training/)** > > For strength and longevity, resistance training may be the best kind of exercise ---
**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 22, 2023, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-don-t-you-lift-weights/918144/411 "2023-05-22T17:10:58Z")
One can debate these things, and few do it better than the above exercise physiologist who is among a few scientists I credit with bringing _methodology_ to the meatheads. But rather than arguing how many angels there are dancing, it is better to **do** any form of exercise. A little exercise is drastically better than none. Walking counts. A mix of exercise styles is best. People were made to move. ---
**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 22, 2023, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-don-t-you-lift-weights/918144/412 "2023-05-22T18:44:40Z")
> [@Dr\_Paprika](#): > > it is better to **do** any form of exercise. A little exercise is drastically better than none. Walking counts. A mix of exercise styles is best. People were made to move. For someone who “doesn’t have time for both” the best exercise choice is very clear: it’s the one they’ll do, consistently, even a little bit of. ---
**Author:** ![Galactus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/galactus/32/3581_2.png) [@Galactus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Galactus)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2023, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-don-t-you-lift-weights/918144/413 "2023-05-23T01:45:29Z")
The advice I would give is, to find an exercise you enjoy. There is a reason so many treadmills and stationary bikes become clothes hangers. ---
**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 27, 2023, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-don-t-you-lift-weights/918144/414 "2023-05-27T22:41:10Z")
I guess the best way to start a habit of jogging really is to use zombie apps… who knew? > **[For a Better Workout, Trick Your Brain](https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/26/well/move/exercise-workout-motivation-brain.html)** > > Sometimes getting on the bike or hitting the pavement is more a mental game than a physical one. ---
**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 29, 2023, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-don-t-you-lift-weights/918144/415 "2023-05-29T23:51:29Z")
Guess you shouldn’t skip leg day? Though probably just a general indicator of overall strength, rather than the main thing. Not the best study nor yet published. It says: _The researchers analyzed the strength of the quadricep muscles – in the fronts of the thighs – of 932 people ages 57 to 74 who had been hospitalized due to heart attack between 2007 and 2020. They found that the incidence rate of subsequent heart failure was higher, at 22.9 per 1,000 person-years, among the patients whose quadriceps measured as having low strength, compared with an incidence rate of 10.2 per 1,000 person-years among those with high quadriceps strength. Person-years are a measurement that represents the number of people in a study multiplied by the years following them._ > **[Strong leg muscles may be linked with better outcomes after heart attack,...](https://www.cnn.com/2023/05/29/health/leg-muscles-heart-attack-study-wellness/index.html)** > > Growing evidence shows that building muscle strength can have benefits for your heart, even leading to better outcomes for heart attack patients. ---
**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 30, 2023, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-don-t-you-lift-weights/918144/416 "2023-05-30T03:54:17Z")
And… > **[Exercise can cut women’s chances of getting Parkinson’s by 25 percent](https://www.washingtonpost.com/wellness/2023/05/28/parkinsons-disease-women-exercise/)** > > The study found that as a woman’s exercise level increased, her risk for Parkinson’s decreased. ---
**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:** [June 1, 2023, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-don-t-you-lift-weights/918144/417 "2023-06-01T02:43:28Z")
If you are a mouse, maybe lifting weights burns fat using vesicles containing genetic instructions. On the other hand, I haven’t seen this view expanded over the last two years. > **[Lifting Weights? Your Fat Cells Would Like to Have a Word. (Published 2021)](https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/21/well/move/weight-training-fat.html)** > > A cellular chat after your workout may explain in part why weight training burns fat. ---
**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:** [June 2, 2023, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-don-t-you-lift-weights/918144/418 "2023-06-02T17:27:20Z")
Fascinating stuff. If you want more in the weeds here’s a good review about communication by way of extracellular vesicles (EVs). > **[Muscle and Adipose Tissue Communicate with Extracellular Vesicles](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9266961/)** > > In numerous body locations, muscle and adipose tissue are in close contact. Both tissues are endocrine organs that release cytokines, playing a crutial role in the control of tissue homeostasis in health and diseases. Within this context, the... > [@](#): > > … Recently, it was discovered that cells from tissues, including adipose tissue [[5](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9266961/#B5-ijms-23-07052),[6](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9266961/#B6-ijms-23-07052)] and muscles [[7](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9266961/#B7-ijms-23-07052)], can release information embedded in lipid-derived nanovesicles, which can modulate the phenotype and the homeostasis of recipient cells [[8](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9266961/#B8-ijms-23-07052)]. This discovery has highlighted a cytokine-independent pathway by which muscle and adipose tissue exchange information to control the respective mass of each tissue. In addition, other studies have demonstrated that extracellular vesicles (EVs) participate in the development of metabolic diseases [[9](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9266961/#B9-ijms-23-07052)]; therefore, understanding the message conveyed by these EVs is very important and is the subject of more and more work. … The cross-talk using EVs seems to be bidirectional. See section four for discussion about skeletal muscle derived EVs impact on fat tissue. And below for other details. > **[MicroRNAs in Obesity-Associated Disorders: The Role of Exercise Training](https://karger.com/ofa/article/15/2/105/825730/MicroRNAs-in-Obesity-Associated-Disorders-The-Role)** > > Abstract. Obesity is a worldwide epidemic affecting over 13% of the adult population and is defined by an excess of body fat that predisposes comorbidities. It is considered a multifactorial disease in which environmental and genetic factors... This is very cool stuff! ---
**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:** [June 5, 2023, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-don-t-you-lift-weights/918144/419 "2023-06-05T13:21:51Z")
Thanks for this links. Interesting. The following isn’t my motivation, but whatever floats your boat, I guess? > **[The People Who Love to Work Out Drunk](https://slate.com/human-interest/2023/06/work-out-exercise-alcohol-tipsy-drunk.html)** > > With a Gin and Tonic down the hatch, I can pump iron like no one's freakin' business. ---
**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:** [July 9, 2023, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-don-t-you-lift-weights/918144/420 "2023-07-09T00:30:26Z")
A transcript and podcast by Gupta summarizing the value of exercising as a senior. > **[Making the Most of the Bodies We Have - Chasing Life with Dr. Sanjay Gupta -...](https://www.cnn.com/audio/podcasts/chasing-life/episodes/5e582942-0d1d-49d8-b3c2-b02900b1dbbe)** > > It’s no secret that our bodies change as we age. We can see it in decreased flexibility and endurance, and older folks can become more susceptible to injuries due to falls. However, experts say there are ways to overcome those challenges and unlock... [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-don-t-you-lift-weights/918144.md?page=20) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-don-t-you-lift-weights/918144.md?page=22)