Hey Mwod kids,
Today we’ve got a discussion about making peace with your desk and how to create a better, more powerful typing position
Oh, and collect 10min a leg would you?
Kstar
9 Responses to “Episode 170: Death by desk? More powerful typing”
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Way to keep it real K-star- Love the "bear" asides!
Great to meet you last week in Brooklyn. Thanks for everything- the mobility cert is awesome.
Standing desks are awesome. I've been using one for about 4 years, standing 6-8 hours a day most days, and it's the *only* way I could survive an office job.
There are some cheap, manual ones out there for about $350 but I suggest one with an electric lift (like the desk Kelly demos here-$995).
Find a used one online (try oneworkplace.com and go to their preowned section) and you might spend as little as $500. Or hack together your own, non-adjustable standing workstation from a standard Ikea desk.
In any case, it's money well spent, considering you're at it 40 hours a week.
A couple of phone books taped together make a decent foot rest in a pinch. You may want an "anti-fatigue" floor mat (about $40) too-standing is *much* easier on the legs that way.
Standing takes a while to get used to for some, but once you try standing it's hard to go back to a chair. And with an adjustable desk and a stool/chair, you can always mix it up!
This is offtopic from the video, but, I get pain in the cubital fossa area when im doing pullups and chinups. Can anyone recommend anything?
I would like to recommend the alternative of sitting crosslegged (Indian Style). In the office, it definitely helps to have a chair with no side arms rests. At home, the best method is to set your laptop on a chair, or similar oject, that allows you to keep your chest up while typing (computer on floor or in lap doesn't work well because you hunch over). Interested in everyone's thoughts.
Another ultra-cheap alternative - a board on top of a big plastic crate, up on top of your desk.
I've been going back and forth from sitting to this configuration for years. Takes about a minute to transition, even with hoisting my mac up and down. Piece of cake, and costs about $10.
Have a quick question, I was doing this stretch where you put your leg up on the desk and I heard a loud pop . It did not hurt, it just felt tight and now I am not able to do the stretch with that leg. It feels like it is going to pop out of place if I push it. I walk, crossfit, and run ok, however I cannot bend my leg in to put my socks or shoes on comfortably. Did I hurt something up in my knee?
Per Kelly's advice, I just got a standing desk (I found a great one at http://www.geekdesk.com). I have some "serious issues" in my left hip and have had surgeons suggest I undergo Birmingham Hip Resurfacing surgery. Before, when I stood with my hip in a neutral position, with my feet pointed straight ahead and then squeezed my butt, I would experience meaningful pain through my left Iliopsoas. After a week at my standing desk (combined with dedicated MWOD work), that pain has all but disappeared. I can't tell you how much of a dramatic change this has made, not only in alleviating chronic pain but also in improving my posture. If you are thinking of getting a standing desk, do yourself a favor and order one tomorrow!
I still have a chair in my office and I alternate between sitting and standing but I spend most of the time standing. As for a stool to rest my feet, I just turned my garbage can upside down. At home, I stole my 3 year old son's Baby Bjorn toilet stool. Works like a charm!
Many thanks Kelly! Getting a standing desk was life changing advice.