The gym for the 3d artist ?
polycounter lvl 9
Ok sooo...I know the title may look silly 
But since this work require people to keep the same position for extended periods of time,clearly the thing could be dangerous for one's health,especially for your spine,I think :poly122:
So I was wondering,how do you guys work around it? What do you do to prevent yourself from physically suffering by doing this job?
"Exercise." also is not a valid answer,I am curious to know what do you guys do specifically
Discuss. :thumbup:
But since this work require people to keep the same position for extended periods of time,clearly the thing could be dangerous for one's health,especially for your spine,I think :poly122:
So I was wondering,how do you guys work around it? What do you do to prevent yourself from physically suffering by doing this job?
"Exercise." also is not a valid answer,I am curious to know what do you guys do specifically
Discuss. :thumbup:
Replies
I also find I'm not sitting in the same position long. I often change my seating position and every so often I get up and walk around for a min or two. But that's not something I try and do. It's just a habit maybe from high metabolism and having a lot of energy, can't be still for very long.
Sitting down with your hands at the keyboard/mouse makes you end up having weaker rhomboids/ rounded shoulders. So strengthening that with close grip seated row is great. I'm a personal trainer and there are tons of exercises I could tell you but what I've already mentioned are probably the most critical for an ordinary person.
I've been doing weight training for around four months now six days a week (hour/hour and a half with varying splits), and it's eliminated any kind of pain I used to feel from marathon sitting. I don't ever feel like slouching and it's amazing.
Get up from your desk at least every hour or two as your body shouldn't be sedentary ever, and follow the usual work environment ergo tips that get shared around.
Also, make sure you're sitting with proper ergonomics. Specifically monitor height. You should be staring at the center of the screen when sitting upright. We've got 30" monitors and I still have to use a monitor riser. Most people keep theirs far too low.
I road bike in the warmer months 5 to 7 days a week about 17 miles a night after work.
In the winter I weight train much heavier increasing my calories. I also love spinning classes and also I'm a sucker for loading up viking metal and hitting the row machine. I walk to work each day but I live so close I might as well not even count it haha.
Probably the major problem with me is that I am kind of lazy in this regard :poly141: ,or that I am missing "a plan" that let me say "I have to do this,this and this".
I went to the gym for one and half month,the problem in there was that the instructors where not really professional from my point of view,this because they gave me a "generic" schedule of excercise not actually based on my needs,wich I attempted to explain but in the end during that month the resoult was that I was suffering more back pain than before or after it,so...if I pay them,I expect them to fix my problem,not to take my money and just aggravate my situation x_x
Definitively the gym we have here is not the place that can help me,also because there is no choices of gyms beign this a small town (around 10k citizens)...
I think I will just try doing exercise in home and see what actually work well for me,in fact I am going to try some of those you guys mentioned
start small, run up your street and back for a week or two. say about 6-700m total.
after the first week or two, increase the distance to about 1km, and do that for a week, and then start increasing it with 5-10% every week, maintaing your 3x a week routine.
if you keep it up, in a few months, you'll be doing a few km no probs/
I tend to use my stationary cycle a lot now, but if I had the time lately I would do jiujitsu again, used to do it 3 times a week, its good to do something physically arduous that you enjoy, its just the same reason I wouldn't go to the gym the amount of time it takes to get there, then workout then get back is far too valuable to me, really there is not enough time in a day for me to be off wasting it on traveling to a place to workout.
For me it works as a great way to refresh my mind and my posture while at work has improved a lot since I started. I would definitely recommend it to everybody, even if it's only 3 times a week.
if your finding it hard to motivate yourself to go to the gym, try to find another activity that you might actually find rewarding. a sport like climbing or swimming, as they both exercise the major muscles, and can be more fun than pumpin iron in the gym for some people, and they can also be quite low impact.
I'm not a 3d artist but I'm in the same boat - I'm a programmer. To work against possible health issues I use my bike to cycle to my workplace and back home every day (each ride takes about 15-20 minutes). I also have a ergonomical workplace with a good chair and a sit-stand desk from Biomorph [1] which I use to stand between 25 and 50 percent of the day, instead of sitting all the time.
On top of that I try to go to the gym every other day. Not only to keep my health up, but also because I feel much more productive and in balance if I exercise. Thankfully the gym where I go to also has a small swimming pool which is really good for the back etc.
[1] [ame="
Skamander: omg that desk XD You HAVE to build a spaceship or Japanese Mech cockpit around it or something on those lines,otherwise you are not using it at it's full potential xD
You could start with a few exercises at home. Some to strengthen your back and others to relax it. [1] On top of that you could take a stroll around the block every day and if you could motivate yourself to do that for a while go to a gym etc.
Hehe, yeah, that would look cool. Or at least something like these guys at Nvidia have. [2] :poly142:
[1] http://imgur.com/WMFdtBz
[2] http://youtu.be/rh58Ee1Sw-U?t=6m48s
Lol just kidding,I'll definitively do excercises for the lower back,I am already doing something,just got to keep it constant though x_x
is this for real?! O_O
Are those guys even working of all the screens are just to see more stuff in planetside 2?!!! O_O
I also use a standing desk but you'll want a sitting contingency. Most advocates of standing desks who actually use one don't pull game dev hours there.
I lift and strength train 5 days a week. Basic compound movements ... bench, overhead press, squat and deadlift. Getting stronger can only help you.
Running on pavement destroys your knees. Running/jogging on grass is more difficult, but easier on the legs.
Yoga for overall flexibility.
A healthy diet is a must too.
...none of which I am currently doing and so i am paying for it bigtime right now...
You can hit every body part twice a week and see great progress.
What I do varies, really. I start off with a 5k(3.1mi) run on the elliptical; ~20 minutes. I then go into my core workout and weights. I work my core every day, but vary up my weights between shoulders/chest/triceps/biceps. I finish up with another mile run and hit the shower. I try to workout 6 days a week, with Saturday off. I've been doing this for about 10 months now. I can't imagine going back to a sedentary lifestyle. I feel so very sluggish on the days I miss my workout. The biggest thing I can say is find your routine and stick with it... even on the days you don't want to.
Absolutely. Not one single time have I thought to myself "Man, I really regret working out today." Not even on the days where I can barely open a door afterwards.
I saw too many people on youtube failing with that item (and almost smashing their head on the floor),that item is not safe enough,I'll pass xD
maximumsproduction: That's what I used to do most of the times in the gym (running till I felt nauseous),thanks to that random/generic schedule plan they gave to me =_=
Again,thanks everyone for all the feedback
I'm not going to lie, I disagree with both of the quotes.
I have a pull-up bar on my bedroom doorway. It's not going anywhere. If I enter/leave my bedroom, I have to do a set. It's also great for stretching. Get one! Max load is typically 250 lbs, mind you.
Working until failure is sometimes a good thing. I do it often. If you're serious about losing weight and/or gaining muscle, you're going to need to push yourself to failure. Otherwise you're just maintaining.
You feel healthy and powerful, and not so sure if thats all that relevant for a 3D artists, but as a gamedesigner it is ridiculous - all my best ideas and solutions come from the gym or random trips, things where you dont need your brain actively, it is such a boost. Theres nearly no gym run where I dont come back with a spectacular solution to a problem or a good new concet, its like Im thinking at 300% capacity of the normal state.
I guess if you dont need to find solutions or good mechanics, you can focus on things that are relevant to you,
but its a really refreshing change of pace, and I cannot miss it anymore. I go every second, well now every third day for little over an hour, and thats fine for me.
The trick is to do it long enough so it becomes routine and you feel wrong if you skip it.
95% of people who say they'll do it at home rather than a gym give up within the first 3 weeks.*
*I've just made that up but it's probably true.
i double that
find some sport that u like or u find interesting
and start doing it
search for people around ur area doing it . and train together
in short ( community )
when u start dropping out on training ull find some friend calling motivating u to get back to training .
i personally do parkour
train 6 days a week
keeps my body fit and away from that computer
still sometimes my eyes hurt from staring at that screen
that i cant solve
id say this is probably the absolute most important thing to getting started with any type of training.. finding someone to do it with you. i used to go to the gym by myself and i hated it, i barely went. then a friend asked me to try out a kickboxing class with him, and i ended up doing that for about 8 months, and now also we have a run group at work where we'll run up to 5 miles every other day.
It's not about the failure, it's about doing the most work.
Yes, AA3D's suggestions is great indeed for any human beign,but I am fairly sure wouldn't work out well with me :shifty:'
Going outside is a bothering,creating bonds is too heavy of a task for me. So even if is a great suggestion,unfortunatelly doesn't fits my person :poly141:
I'll just stick with the other plan for now
Very true, fight smarter, not harder.
I push myself too far I will blow out my knee for sure, but beyond that I might pull a muscle in my back or tear my external oblique like I did once in jiujitsu and not be moving on one side for 6 weeks.
working to the point of failure is the surest way to fail, don't overdo it, its just about the grind, chipping away at it constantly, thats how you get anywhere, if you were to start out on CG and go well im going to make a whole games worth of assets and my week one project is to complete a level and get a rigged character into UDK you are doomed to fail badly, you need to ease into things to get to the point where you have acquired the skill through the constant chipping away to actually get something decent done.
Becoming good at anything is essentially always going to be the same.
I finish with a quick shower and 20 minutes in the sauna, followed by another quick shower.
I sleep reeeeeeeally well after that and feel awesome the next morning.
Yoga with controlled, slow, purposeful breaths is also really revitalizing.
If you work out long enough you won't need muscular reference photos anymore. :poly121:
for a few years now, at 1st i couldn't even do 1 pull up palms facing, so no one should feel bad, but i fought it and can do 20x3 last year and 10x3 facing away, this year i screwed up big time, it is just horrible but i guess a lot of factors play into how you do things or what you do so lets just say been off doing anything for 6-7 months.
I hope to get back into things again, i really burnt a lot of muscle when i started last year, also something worth mentioning is not to run like a marathon runner, they are skinny as hell for a reason, you can burn muscle also. Might want to look into that one if you like using your legs a lot.
I'd also recommend giving more attention to your WEAK areas the most and not things you enjoy, you enjoy those cause you can do them you should target things you hate and dislike, so someone said running you should do more then.
It is screwed up but will help in other areas, like my shoulder suck and holding up my arms for long periods of time bother the hell out of me and i am required to do that a lot where i work, ergo i should workout my shoulders.
I've read that too.
It's funny this thread came up because I just finished reading Joe Manganiello's book. He plays Alcide the werewolf on True Blood, is 6' 5", naturally very thin and lanky (making it VERY hard to build mass), and claims to have never touched a steroid.
His workouts are all based around intensity, not failure. So moderate to heavy weight with slightly more reps than you'd expect and VERY little rest in between sets. He also eats like crazy and avoids sugar like the plague.
The book is largely based around breaking down mental barriers and developing focus (which actually applies really well to art as well) but he also gets very specific as to how he handles his health and why. Here's a link if anyone's interested...
[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Evolution-Cutting-Breaking-Mental-Building/dp/1476716706"]Evolution: The Cutting Edge Guide to Breaking Down Mental Walls and Building the Body You've Always Wanted: Joe Manganiello: 9781476716701: Amazon.com: Books[/ame]
[ame="http://www.amazon.com/dp/1476716706/?tag=googhydr-20&hvadid=31140525770&hvpos=1t1&hvexid=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=18290425221444712272&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=b&hvdev=c&ref=pd_sl_5j5epig900_b"][/ame]
I ride my bike a lot (strava). But I've seen lots of people use standing desks and they look like a great idea to combat posture problems. Standing at your desk will also help burn calories when you otherwise wouldn't.
You could also try something like this:
http://www.desk-cycle.com/
And about this item(wich should be called iron gym),I can mount it on any type of doorframe? I was reading about it and if I have understand it,there is a metal piece that enters...under the top piece of the doorframe? :poly122:
So I was wondering,do you know of people wich destroyed the doorframe while using it??
Also I saw different versions of it on amazon,I should look for something in specific or just the one on the image here?
Also,is it possible to remove this thing from the door frame accidentally,while training?
You really want the secret? Exercise and diet are both like a car driving at 100mph down the road ( aka your habits) now if you were driving that car and tried to turn your car around your car would flip over and explode. Slow your car down (habits) one at a time and once its at a controlled speed you can start to accelerate in the new direction.
Basically, it's plague. A legal, very harmful and bad drug, that is making people more and more obese and suffering of serious conditions, like diabetes, hypertension, heart diseases and much more. Since 20th century, food industry is increasingly adding sugar to everything, so obesity epidemic is growing alarmingly. Causing more and more deaths every year. Just Google about sugar and diseases, you'll find tons of articles. Take a look on these pages too.
http://thetruthaboutsugar.org/
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/04/20/sugar-dangers.aspx
About working out, if you have a small park near to you, with some bars, calisthenics (or Street Workout) can be a great choice for you.
[ame="
If you jerk around on it yea i think it can come off, but if you just place it where it belongs and use the handles as intended then all should be fine.
It hangs off the backside of the door frame but most of your weight goes to the door frame sides (left and right "beams") which is where your arms sit depending on which position on the bar your using.
I'd put this puppy on the best door frame in the house though it seems to do fine everywhere i am just cautious as anyone would be if using this thing.
Also i have to add i didn't start with pull ups, i did free weights which is the best for your stability muscles.
Machines are alright but they give you a false sense of power and grip, the weight your pushing is not really the weight you can do.
If you don't believe that, remember your last bicep curl weight on the machine of your choice, then walk over to the free weights and grab that same weight and do it however you do on the machine.
(word of caution prepare to not do it so be-careful, i.e. wrists.)
You can't look at someone else and say, "Well, he did A, B and C and he looks great so if I do what he did, I'm set!" It rarely works out that way. Your body is your body, and it will react in it's own unique ways to things.
Gotta see what works for you. If something isn't working, try something else. But be prepared to give things at least 4-6 weeks before dumping them. This shit takes time and the body is often slow to change.
Every bit of mechanical leverage or pulley action on a machine takes away from what you're trying to achieve ... you don't have to use stabilizer muscles and pretty much you're working one or maybe 2 muscles, intensely. Which sounds good but isn't useful for achieving functional strength. And functional strength is what you need when you move through your life and especially as you get older.
What I mean is, you should train your muscles as you intend to use them. It's rare in life that you'll be using your bicep exclusively, or your quads, or whatever. The body uses muscles in groups, so the best results are gained by training them in groups.
The leg extension machine might build up your quads over time, but squatting with a bar will build up your entire posterior chain.
You need to do a lot of research as everyone is different. I have been into my health and fitness for around 6 years now and it's a constant learning curve which changes to fit your current life style.
When I was at Uni I was doing weight training 5 - 6 times a week to get away from the computer screen. For the past 3 years I have been in a long term relationship and started working full-time so I had to mix it up so that I could see the gf, friends, work on personal work and keep fit.
I eat well mon - fri then have the weekends off to eat whatever I like which is always good.
My day to day diet is as follows:
Small bowl of bran flakes at around 8am, 3 egg whites at around 9am, protein shake and apple at around 11, tuna and light salad cream sarnie with wholemeal bread and diced onions at around 1pm, protein shake at around 3pm, small pot of mixed veg at 5pm with a protein shake, chicken breast with a tiny bit of seasoning at 6pm then that is me done for the day.
On gym days I will have the chicken breast in a sarnie and have a banana as I have a 40 min commute home so it allows for me to get the energy from them.
I also have around 3 green teas in between the meals, as well as taking a cod liver oil, odorless garlic and milk thistle pill each day.
I have Monday evening for personal work/ socialising, Tues is chest and back at the gym (super sets), weds is cardio in the morning then have the evening to see the gf/socialise, Thurs is shoulders and arms and Fri is early morning cardio.
I suggest ringing a doctor or nutritionist before starting any kind of programme, I rang mine and was advised to stop taking omega 3, multivits and glucosamine chondroitin & MSM.
It all depends what fits in with your life style to be honest though.
Mine works well because the cardio before breakfast is easy on your joints and you get the after burn for the rest of the day which is ideal and it burns fat right off the bat instead of using up your tea as energy.
I find the results much better than aerobiking and circuits combined as I used to do them too, but then you don't really get much time for the other aspects of your life.
Apologies for rambling on haha
I'm going to leave you with a few good sayings,
'Train smart, not hard'
'Don't train like a racehorse if you're going to eat like a jockey'
'Abs are made in the kitchen'
'If the bar ain't bending, you're just pretending'
I usually ride the exercise bike for about 10 minutes
and then I go in for some heavy lifting for about an hour