Fitness

Last updated: Dec 20, 2024

When it comes to exercise, the 3 most important things to me are:

1. Overall health.
2. Longevity.
3. Performance.

Based on that, I believe the 3 areas that are the biggest bang for the buck, and thus the ones I choose to focus on are:

1. Strength.
2. Mobility.
3. Cardiorespiratory fitness (VO2 max).

Notably, I intentionally choose to ignore things like hypertrophy (see reasoning below in "Why strength?").

I mostly cover stength with barbell training, mobility with stretching, and VO2 max with running.

Barbell Training

Barbells have some key advantages compared to other implements (dumbbells, kettlebells, machines, etc.):

• It’s the the only way to maximize overall strength because the upper limit on weight is so much higher.
• It doesn’t require as much space.

Lifts and Exercises

The main lifts I do are:

• Squat.
• Press (a.k.a. overhead press or strict press).
• Deadlift.

Less frequently, as assistance, as variations, or just for fun: barbell curls, squat variations, pull variations, press/jerk variations, barbell row, power clean, chin ups.

Programming

My only goal is to get stronger. Thus I prioritize strength training: 1-5 reps per set with heavy weight, a.k.a. low “volume” high “intensity”. But when I hit a plateau, have an injury, or experience any discomfort, I do incorporate higher “volume” (total reps) and lower “intensity” (weight) to varying degrees.

Why strength?

It’s easy to find studies showing that greater muscle mass and/or strength correlates to an increase in longevity. It’s also the case that while muscle mass correlates with strength, it’s not directly proportional, muscle mass is just one of many factors—but likely the biggest one the more trained you are. There's even some evidence of muscle size having no impact on strength[1]. It’s thus hard to say which is more important for longevity: muscle mass or strength. Recent research[2][3][4] indicates strength is more important. For convenience, I choose to focus on strength, given that it’s easier and cheaper to increase and maintain than muscle.

Why not bench press?

I don’t really have a strong reason for not incorporating the bench press as a main lift in my training. It’s just a combination of small things:

• I think pecs are overrated both functionally and aesthetically. Functionally, there are very few activities, sports, and daily movements that require strong mid and lower pecs. Aesthetically, overdeveloped pecs are a recent phenomenon[5][6] (look up greek statues as well).
• Its carry over to daily activities and sports isn’t as much as the overhead press, so I’m comfortable just doing the overhead press.
• I’m satisified with how much the tricep gets developed with just the overhead press. Some claim the overhead press alone might even be able to maximally develop the tricep.
• The bench press is one of the few lifts that’s potentially fatal, specially without spotting or safety arms. If you fail and drop the bar with the other lifts, worst case scenario you’ll get some bruises. With the bench press, it could land on your neck—or even your chest—and asphyxiate you.
• Some believe the bench press limits shoulder mobility [7][8].
• The bench press takes longer to set-up.

Stretching

I don't have a particular routine or set of stretches. Instead I focus on finding tight muscles or joints with limited range of motion.

Running

I do all of my running on a treadmill. Everything else, I'm still trying to figure out.