Why is physically exerting yourself to the point of exhaustion at the gym good for you but various jobs involving manual labor seem to cause permanent damage in the long term?
In: Biology
Exercise and the body work in this way. The body needs some stress (exercise) to prompt it to adapt, grow and get stronger. So Stress + Rest = Growth. This is good for you, even if in the stress stage of things your muscles for example, are being broken down. During the rest bit they get a chance to build back up stronger than they were before. If it’s just Stress + Stress the body never gets a chance during the downtime to adapt and get stronger. So it just breaks down, and down, and down and this can cause permanent damage.
Physically exerting yourself to the point of exhaustion at the gym isn’t exactly good for you either.
The points made in this thread are totally correct, in a physical aspect.
Hope is another factor in this equation. Going to the gym to get in shape gives you hope, which can really improve your health. Working a manual labor job for life can make a person lose all hope which can really destroy your health.
Exercising on your own for health usually involves a wide range of activities done in balance with one another.
Manual labor is often about performing the same task over and over again in the same way. A guy in a warehouse picking up heavy boxes over and over again. On an assembly line making the same motion with your arm/shoulder thousands of times in a workday. That’s how repetitive motion injuries occur.
If you do gym exercises wrong, you can easily cause permanent damage in the long term. The advantage of going to the gym should be that you get to pick, choose and regulate what exercices you do, and how often, to avoid wrecking yourself. Manual labor jobs rarely give you that kind of option.
8+ hours per day versus 1-2 hours?
Also, need versus want?
The manual labor is very good in many ways, if it means you’re on your feet, or if it means you’re moving.
Cardiovascular, and all the other benefits of say, walking long distances.
But at the same time it can be repetitive and leave other parts of you’re body fucked.
So it’s a mixed bag.
Anyone who stands most of the day instead of sitting, big advantage there.
However poorer ppl in such jobs generally have eating/drinking/drug habits that offset any benefits long term, so that’s why you don’t see them living 10 years longer than cubicle folks.
Do you go to the gym 8 hours a day? 40 hours a week?
I work out on the daily, but it is controlled. Today was chest and triceps, tomorrow back and biceps, the day after legs, and the day after that other miscellaneous supporting muscles. This might vary a little bit. Support muscles day might not be there. Or I will take a day off completely. But I will not do triceps and chest again for at least 3-4 days. This gives them ample time to recover. Now let’s just say you have a hard labor job that works exclusively chest and triceps.( most manual labor jobs would use much more but this is for the example.) you are now using those muscles groups 8 hours a day 5 days a week. The break and weekends you do get are not enough for full muscle recovery. Extend this over years and years and well…you know what happens.
Shortest answer: injuries need time to heal.
Repetitive stress injuries come from not giving the joint or muscle time to heal.
Latest Answers