10 facts to help you take a fresh look at fitness

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

It's worth remembering that there is always a more effective way to achieve your fitness goals. Tim Ferriss, writer and author of The Tim Ferriss Show podcast, interviewed renowned experts, athletes and scientists to learn a lot about exercise, healthy eating, and injury recovery. Lifehacker gives several tips from Tim Ferris, each of which he tested on himself.

Over the course of two years, Tim Ferris interviewed over 100 world-class experts for his podcast, The Tim Ferris Show. The guests of the show were celebrities like Arnold Schwarzenegger or Jamie Foxx, and athletes from various sports: powerlifting, gymnastics, surfing, and legendary special operations commanders and black market biochemists.

The podcast has been downloaded over 100 million times, has been featured on iTunes twice, and Tim Ferris has learned more every month than in all previous years combined.

His show focuses on real-world tactics and detail. Ferris himself approached the interview not as a journalist, but as a researcher. He asked only about what he himself could apply in everyday life.

The knowledge gained from the interviews made Tim take a fresh look at many things. For example, he learned that slow muscle contractions can help increase strength, stretching the gluteus muscles can help solve many lower body problems, and Olympic coaches advise getting protein from goat's milk.

Below are some ideas that will give you a fresh perspective on fitness. Train smart and experiment constantly.

1. Strength - in gymnastics

Christopher Sommer, the founder and coach of the US gymnastics team with 20 years of experience, visited the Tim Ferris Show. Following his advice, Tim Ferris achieved impressive results in less than eight weeks.

Try some gymnastic exercises and you will find that gymnasts use muscles you never knew existed.

J-twist

This is a controlled, slow deadlift with a rounded back and straight knees. The exercise is performed with light weight, increases the flexibility of the thoracic and mid-back, and stretches the hamstrings.

1. Stand up straight with your legs together, hold the barbell high, and your hands on the bar shoulder-width apart.
2. The chin is pressed against the chest, you begin to bend slowly, rounding your back, vertebra by vertebra. Keep your arms straight, the bar literally slides over your legs. Lower yourself in this way to your limit of flexibility. Over time, you can make the exercise harder by standing on the box - the bar will sink below the level of your feet.
3. Straighten slowly, vertebra by vertebra. The chin remains close to the chest; lift it up last. Repeat the exercise 10 times.

Twist

This is a great exercise for developing shoulder mobility and stretching your pectoral muscles. Do it at the end of your workout when your muscles are warmed up.

1. Take a wooden stick or lightweight bar. The grip on the bar is twice shoulder width.
2. Without bending your arms, slowly raise the bar or stick over your head, and then slowly lower it behind your back. In the final position, you should hold the bar in outstretched arms behind your back. Do not bend your lower back during exercise.
3. Move your hands forward. Repeat the exercise 5-10 times.

Lifting the body by weight

This is an excellent finishing exercise for the trapezius muscle (very important for the handstand and essential for gymnastics) and the rotator cuff. It works the shoulders better than most other exercises.

1. Adjust the rings so that they hang about 30 centimeters above your head when you sit on the floor.
2. Sit on the floor, grasp the rings, sit back and lift your knees off the floor. The heels remain on the floor. Make sure that the body is stretched in one straight line.
3. Pull yourself up to the rings so that the body is upright. The legs do not move at the same time. In the final position, the body is perpendicular to the floor.
4. Slowly return the body to its original position. Repeat the exercise 5 times.

2. Every athlete needs a massager

Every athlete needs a massager, for example "". Working at maximum power, the device allows you to relax chronically tense muscles. This method was advised by a Russian masseur.

Place the massager on the muscle (just not where it connects to the tendon) for 20-30 seconds, this is enough. This is a great option for athletes with constantly tense muscles.

If you feel tension in your upper back or neck, try placing the massager on the suboccipital muscles at the base of your skull.

3. Use Instagram to Conquer Your Weaknesses

This concept was proposed by Noan Kagan, a tech entrepreneur at web tools company AppSumo. Among his achievements is a set of 18 kilograms of muscle in six months.

One of Nohan's tricks is to follow people whose images and videos contradict his ridiculous excuses.

Here are some examples:

You think, "I am too old."

: This man started training at 48, now he is 53.

You think, "I was not created to be strong."

: This slender break dance girl does strength exercises that will make most men give up (for example, one arm stand).

You think, "I'm too muscular to be flexible."

: This muscular "anabolic acrobat" does capoeira aerial tricks, splits and other crazy flexibility exercises. Strength and flexibility are not mutually exclusive qualities.

4. Fly like yoga

In 2015, at a party in Los Angeles, Tim Ferris met Jason Nemer, one of the founders of acroyoga. Ferris said that his back hurt, and Nemer invited him to fly.

Jason lay down on the floor, lifted Tim on his feet so that he seemed to "fly" parallel to the floor, and twisted him for about 15 minutes. After that, the back pain went away.

Akroyoga is very different from yoga. It is more like a combination of strength training with dancing (a person lying on the ground leads in the dance, and a partner who is spun in the air follows), falls and therapy to treat hip problems.

Moreover, it is a real antidepressant. In a culture where touching friends (or even exercise partners) is forbidden, acroyoga allows you to experience sensual, but not sexual, contact with a person, and at the same time become stronger and more flexible.

Try one of the basic acroyoga exercises, the hippie twist.

1. The "base" lies on the floor on its back, arms and legs in the air, elbows and knees slightly bent. The "pilot" lays down on the "base" in a downward-facing dog position, placing his hands just above the shoulders of the lower person.
2. The “base” puts his feet on the base of the “pilot's” hips, and holds his shoulders in his hands. Then he lifts the pilot into the air. The "pilot" takes his hands behind his back, and connects his feet together, as in a "butterfly" stretch. The feet should be below the hips.
3. The "base" turns the "pilot" at the waist, slowly bending and unbending one leg. At the end of the exercise, the "base" slowly returns the "pilot" to the downward facing dog position.

5. Heat helps build endurance

More specifically, hyperthermia conditions can be used to increase athletic endurance. This was reported by Rhonda Patrick, a biochemist who works with renowned scientist Bruce Ames at the Oakland Research Institute Children's Hospital in California.

She talked about the benefits of "self-browning" at The Tim Ferris Show in 2014, citing the results of one study.

Athletes who spend half an hour in a sauna at a temperature of about 87 ° C for three days a week for two weeks have become more enduring. It took them 32% longer to reach exhaustion while running.

How it works? When the body adjusts to heat, blood flow and plasma volume increase, which makes you sweat even in cooler conditions and increases your ability to regulate temperature.

In addition, the sauna increases the level of growth hormones and provokes a strong release of prolactin, which, among other functions, plays an important role in wound healing.

Tim Ferris tried going to the sauna after exercise (or taking a hot bath, which provides the same benefits) five to seven times a week for 20-30 minutes. If you decide to try it, the first couple of minutes in a hot bath will have to be patient. During this time, dynorphin, an opioid peptide, is released when you feel uncomfortable and want to crawl out. Of course, for any signs of dizziness or nausea, you must immediately leave the hot water or sauna.

6. Beneficial effects of ice

Wim "the Iceman" Hof, surf king Laird Hamilton and performance coach Tony Robbins use the cold. It helps you recover from exercise. According to many proponents, it also improves immune system function, helps speed up weight loss and boosts mood.

“All the problems of everyday life disappear,” says Hof, the man who has set several records for being in extreme cold conditions. "It's a great cleansing, cleansing power."

1. Place 13-18 kilograms of ice in a tub and then fill it with water.
2. Wait for the water temperature to drop to 7 ° C (this usually takes 15 to 20 minutes). If you are afraid, you can start by swimming in warmer water.
3. Slowly lower yourself into the bath, keeping your hands above the water - this way you can withstand the low temperature for longer. Focus on slow breathing and keep the timer visible. On the first dive, set a goal to stay in the water for 2-3 minutes, and then gradually, over 1-3 weeks, increase the time to 5-10 minutes. When you can handle it for ten minutes, try placing your hands in the water for the last 60-120 seconds.

7. Find "your" soundtrack and put it on repeat

Tim Ferris considers 10-20 minute meditation to be the best mental workout. Despite this, he recognizes the effectiveness of other exercises similar to meditation.

For example, many podcast guests have tried this technique: one piece of music or an album is put on repeat. It works like a mantra to help you focus on the present moment, both during training and in non-sports work. Here are some examples of what guests of The Tim Ferris Show listened to:

1. Amelia Boone, three-time winner of the World's Toughest Mudder - a 24-hour race with various obstacles:

• Smashing Pumpkins - Tonight, Tonight.
• Needtobreathe - Keep Your Eyes Open.

2. Alex Honnold, world renowned climber:

Soundtrack for the film "The Last of the Mohicans"

3. Matt Mullenweg, Lead Developer at WordPress.org, CEO of the billion-dollar startup Automattic:

• A $ ap Rocky - Everyday.
• Drake - One Dance.

And here are the "mantras" of Tim Ferris himself:

• Sevendust - Splinter.
• Beats Antique - Circulation.

8. Travel recovery

Tim Ferris takes several things with him on all trips. Some he even keeps in hotels of the frequently visited cities. By saving on baggage fees, storing things on site pays off after a few flights.

Rogue Fitness VooDoo Floss Elastic Band

This compression tape was introduced to Tim Ferris by Kelly Starrett, creator of the definitive guide to managing pain, preventing injury and improving athlete performance.

Fitness VooDoo Floss is an effective rubber band that provides compression and helps warm up stiff or damaged muscles and joints. The compact tape fits easily into a jacket pocket, helping to reduce pain and extend range of motion better than other, much more expensive instruments. Tim Ferris often wears it on his elbows and forearms during challenging gymnastic workouts.

Spiked Roller

This instrument of torture was recommended by Emilia Boone. By rolling your muscles on such a roller, you accelerate recovery from workouts.

An important point: start gradually. When Tim Ferris first tried the spiked roller, he tried to follow Emilia and rolled the body for 20 minutes. The next day, he felt as if he had been tucked into a sleeping bag and rolled on a tree for several hours.

Nayoya acupressure mat

This mat was suggested by Andrey Bondarenko, artist of Cirque du Soleil. His coach, a former Ukrainian acrobatic athlete, forced athletes to use the mat for at least an hour a day.

Tim Ferris found that just 10 minutes on the mat in the morning worked wonders. The mat is especially good for treating pain in the middle of the back. After an injury to his latissimus dorsi, the mat helped Ferris to return to his studies in many ways.

9. Portable fuel

Seafood for breakfast

Breakfast by Dominic D'Agostino, professor of pharmacology and physiologist at the University of South Florida's Morsani College of Medicine, fits both the ketogenic diet and the simple diet.

The professor is one of the world's leading experts on ketones. Among his athletic achievements - 10 repetitions of the deadlift with a weight of over 226 kilograms.

Here's a breakfast recipe: One can of sardines in olive oil and half a can of oysters (carbohydrates from non-glycemic phytoplankton). Tim Ferris traveled with boxes of this food, as they can be stored for months without a refrigerator. Thousands of fans of his show have tasted this breakfast and love it. In fact, it is not as disgusting as you imagine.

Gelatin for joints

Tim uses gelatin cocktails to produce collagen that is good for connective tissue and skin. The problem is that gelatin, when mixed with cold water, acquires a nasty liquid consistency, similar to the excrement of seagulls.

Emilia Boone offered him another version of the gelatin cocktail - Great Lakes, which mixes easily and evenly. And the unpleasant odor can be eliminated by adding a teaspoon of beetroot powder.

Goat milk protein

Legendary strength coach Charles Poliquin, who trains Olympic athletes and professional athletes, suggested goat whey. If you are lactose sensitive, this can be a lifesaver.

Goat milk whey is also suitable for those who tolerate dairy products well - it is better absorbed in the body.

10. Meditation is the primary skill

More than 80% of world-class professionals interviewed for The Tim Ferris Show used meditation daily as a practice to increase concentration. This applies to everyone from neuroscientist Dr. Sam Harris to musician Justin Boreta of Glitch Mob.

This is the most common habit among Tim Ferris' guests. Meditation is a meta-skill that improves everyone else. You can think of it as a factor in increasing efficiency in general.

Tim Ferris mainly uses transcendental meditation or Vipassana techniques, but that doesn't mean they'll work for you - everyone has to find their own. Try different types. It is not necessary to immediately choose one meditation and devote all the time to it.

Here are some ways you can get started:

1. The app seems to be a simple guide to meditation. 10 courses will charge you for 10 minutes for 10 days.
2. Free instructor-led meditation sessions. You can try on the sites (Sam Harris) or (Tara Brach).
3. To feel the effect of mantra-based meditation, try the following: take a comfortable position on a chair (you don't have to fold your legs like in yoga), repeat one short word of two syllables in your thoughts for 10-20 seconds. Do this immediately after waking up.

Meditate at least five days a week, Monday through Friday. If you need a really good kick to get started, try goal achievement services like.