You Are Your Own Gym
by Mark Lauren · first published 2011
94% recommend6% critical
Why HN recommends it
Beginner-friendly bodyweight training that needs no gym or equipment, with exercise progressions, training plans, and basic motivation and nutrition advice. A companion app makes the workouts easy to follow at home.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
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…a shock when I turned 27 and was hit 150lbs. I was getting tired more easily, stairs were harder than they used to be... I decided then that it was time to do something about it. I use Mark Lauren's You Are Your Own Gym program (book + companion app), and it's been great. The program is 10 weeks long, it's all bodyweight exercises using stuff you have around the house. There are 4 difficulty settings, and program is…
on “Ask HN: What are you doing to improve your health?” ↗Have you considered bodyweight training? I much prefer it to weight lifting. I can do it in my home without a bunch of space-hogging equipment. You Are Your Own Gym by Mark Lauren is a good place to start. http://www.amazon.com/dp/0345528581
on “Lost Posture: Why Indigenous Cultures Don't Have Back Pain” ↗I’ve been using Mark Lauren’s material for a few years. He has a few books with exercises and progressions - You Are Your Own Gym, Strong and Lean, Body by You. There’s also a subscription video service which I’ve gotten a ton of value out of, Mark Lauren on Demand, which has a bunch of exercise programs from beginner to advanced.…
on “Darebee – A database of workouts” ↗Our goals seem very alike, so I'd recommend this Book: You Are Your Own Gym: The Bible of Bodyweight Exercises -- Mark Lauren I actually read its German translation (AFAICT) called "Fit ohne Geräte". The book starts with some useful insights about basic motivation and eating…
on “Ask HN: Advice from people who strength train from home” ↗…a start to learn exercises beyond the basic push ups and sit ups (although you can get along way with those), particularly (for me) lower body ones like squats and lunges. [0] http://www.amazon.com/You-Are-Your-Own-Gym/dp/0345528581
on “Association between muscular strength and mortality in men (2008) [pdf]” ↗…commercialized as to bear little resemblance to anything "ancient" or "mystical". I can buy a book, get some videos or take a class and hear nothing spiritual at all. (Side note: Mark Lauren, in his fairly good _You Are Your Own Gym_ covers yoga a bit). This isn't to say there's not lots of people selling the "spiritual enlightenment" line. I think all exercise programs tend to have a something to sell, because otherwise how do…
on “The Drug of Choice for the Age of Kale” ↗I recently picked up You Are Your Own Gym, by Mark Lauren, which seems to be good for that.
on “Too much sitting, too little exercise may accelerate biological aging” ↗For the mind: "One small step can change your life" by Robert Maurer For the body: "You Are Your Own Gym" by Mark Lauren
on “Ask HN: What was the one book that you read and it actually changed your life?” ↗I liked “You are your own gym” by Mark Lauren when I started out with body weight training back around 2010. There is a companion app that is free and still updated called Bodyweight Training by Mark Lauren. There are many offerings…
on “Select a muscle and it provides the exercises to workout the selected muscle” ↗Bestselling "You are your own gym" (YAYOG) by Mark Lauren is a good book to get started as a beginner. Good list of example excercises with progression plans and training regimes, overall good writeup of fitness basics.
on “Ask HN: What's a good program for calisthenics for beginners that YOU have tried” ↗…basically intervals of intense cardio separated by rest. For an introduction, see Couch-to-5K or the Zombies Run training app. Bodyweight exercises can be done anywhere. One reasonable introduction is You are Your Own Gym, but there are others. If you raise your exercise intensity high enough to force your body to adapt, you can do a lot in 20 to 30 minutes several times a week without a health club membership. I'm not…
on “What happens when you sit at a desk for 13 years and also exercise” ↗Read "You are your own gym". All you need to get started for the first 1-2 years.
on “Ask HN: What are the changes you made in your life and never look back?” ↗…eliminated the pain completely. The solution was simple strength training. Not weight lifting (I think that was a major contributor early on.) Within a few weeks of starting the beginner program in the book "You Are Your Own Gym" the pain was gone. I fully expected to have severe wrist pain and nerve damage for the rest of my life. I hope this helps someone. The solutions to this problem are overblown (granted I suspect a combination…
on “Full-time Geeks Shouldn't Ignore Physical Impact of the Craft” ↗Bodyweight fitness. You are your own gym! Don't spend the money on a gym membership until you have it. Another couple things I'd add to what others have said: Get enough GOOD sleep. Read. It will help you both with focus, and give your mind…
on “Ask HN: I'm depressed, what should I do?” ↗…part of the day. #3 Walk every day for at least an hour (much easier if you are in a walkable city; if I wasn't, I might consider a treadmill desk) #4 Start doing body weight exercise - I recommend "You Are Your Own Gym" for an easy start. This means you can't make up an excuse to not go to the gym because you can do it right by your desk. In this case, it cured my RSI within weeks. Definitely one of the most incredible…
on “Too much sitting, too little exercise may accelerate biological aging” ↗