Fitness Training : More is Not Always Better

   Fitness Trainers should already know this.

• Muscles don't grow when you work out!   
• Muscles grow when you sleep!
• Your cardiovascular system doesn't improve while you run, cycle or swim. 
• The cardiovascular system adapts to the imposed workload and improves in efficiency as you rest.  

   This of course is all in accordance with the good old S.A.I.D. principal -  Specific Adaptation to Imposed Demands! The adaptation occurs during the rest, rejuvenation, and recovery phase. Positive adaptation doesn't occur if you keep hammering that bodily system.
   During my younger days as a weekend warrior and aspiring athlete, I often disregarded this basic principal. Being the work out fanatic that I was I wanted to believe in the workaholic's credo. More is better ! A hard hour or more of interval running would be immediately followed by a hard hour plus in the weight room. The next day might be a longer but less intense run followed by a hard hour or more in the weight room working on different muscle groups than the previous day.
   Day 1 may have been lower body resistance training while day 2 might have been upper body resistance training. My philosophy at the time was that since I was training different energy systems and different muscle groups every day I would survive to train another day. Even though my calf muscles would be so seized up that I could barely jog I failed to recognize the connection to lack of recovery time.
   What I should have known was that the Central Nervous System and the human body as a complete organism requires up to 48 hours or more to recover from intense overload!
 I was often flirting with illness, injury and fatigue. I was also missing out on the improvement that could have occurred with proper recovery time allowing me to increase the intensity the following workout. I was settling for the mediocrity that comes from over training.
  There is an economic  theory known as 'the Law of Diminishing Returns'. After a certain level any additional increase of one component may cause productivity to stagnate and possibly decrease. There can be a 'Law of Diminishing Returns' in exercise, as well. 
   For the record, I was not a complete fitness hard head. I did have the presence of mind to take two full days off before races, wrestling tournaments or beer league playoff hockey games. I usually had a surge of energy that I likely lacked during workout or practice time. I would have been well served to apply this tactic to my workout schedule. Maybe I could have been a contender - or at least the conqueror of the tier 2 division !
     
   As a Fitness Trainer you will likely have some clients at two opposite ends of the spectrum.

1. Clients who do the minimum. They will do only what you supervise them for during their paid sessions. Despite your cajoling and encouraging, they do little that is active between visits to the Fitness Trainer. Take comfort in the fact that what little exercise they get with you is still better than if they did nothing.
2. Clients who become exercise fanatics. These clients are the subject of this discussion. They may be less common than other types of people that seek your Fitness Training services. Make no mistake - these people do exist.They will do everything that you prescribe for them between sessions. On top of that they may pile on more cardiovascular work and extra weight training sessions. They become the classic example of those who over train.

     Over trainers become convinced that more is better! At first they may attain their fitness goals at an an astounding rate. They then start to believe that adding to your program will keep the fitness party going. However they will invariably hit a plateau and may even start to regress with their fitness gains. Opportunistic ailments such as head colds and flu bouts may become common as the over trainer's immune system gets suppressed by the lack of recovery time. Muscular and joint soreness become the norm. They may start quoting the famous phrase from German philosopher Neitzche "That which does not destroy me - strengthens me!" These are warning signs.
The fitness party can lead to a big time hangover!
 
These clients can be a major challenge. Your job is to convince them that sometimes less is better! Once a client is bitten by the exercise fanatic bug they become a hard sell for moderation!  They essentially become exercise addicts! You can't stop them from doing too much. You may feel like a Dr. Frankenstein that has lost control of the monster that you have created.
   There are some things that you can do to try tame the fitness beast:

• Educate your client. Give them literature to try and sway them from the 'more is better' exercise trap.
• Try and steer them towards off day activities with less impact and wear and tear on the body. If they refuse to slow down at least try and sell them on the merits of activities such as swimming, yoga, thai chi, walking, or recreational cycling.
• Paint them a hypothetical picture of their greater strength and fitness gains if they only stick to your exercise prescription. 
• Use my story as an example and ask if they wouldn't rather be a contender than the king of the consolation round.

   You may run into some super serious situations that could prove to fall beyond a Fitness Trainer's scope of practice. 

1. Anorexia Nervosa can be a dangerous disorder. A person with anorexia thinks that they are overweight even though they may be down to skin and bones. They may even eat and purge or eat hardly at all. Aerobic exercise may be taken far beyond the extreme. They may resort to amphetamine type drugs to keep losing weight. If your client gets to this point it is out of your hands. Refer to a medical professional. Trying to deal with this yourself is a good way to have a client die on you!
2. The opposite of anorexia is Muscle Dysmorphia. This is more common in men but not totally exclusive to them. Think Women's Ms. Olympia bodybuilders. Muscle Dysmorphia sufferers think that they are always too small and must add more muscle. They often live in the weight room and may resort to questionable substances to increase muscle size. Once again, if your client gets to this level you must refer to a medical expert. Otherwise danger lies ahead!
3. Workaholic athletes that believe 'More is Better' at the risk of compromised health and injury. Professional athletes usually have team doctors to keep them in line. Amateurs and weekend warriors may push far beyond their limits. You may be able to reach such clients. If you feel you are losing them.....REFER TO A MEDICAL EXPERT! 

   It may not be easy to sway clients from the path of doing to much. Fitness Training sometimes throws you major challenges. That's why you made this career choice, isn't it?

For the record - as you hit those significant age milestones your required recovery time after intense activity may increase to much more than 48 hours. Listen to this aging sage! I've been there!

Until next time,......keep fit!

Little Bobby Strong 
                                               

Your muscles grow when you rest!
Gadzooks! Look at those guns!
Obviously this aspiring muscle man doesn't miss much sleep.

Fitness Trainer Hall Of Shame : Pain and Gain with the The Sun Gym Gang!

It's brilliant!  Why didn't they teach this at college where I took my Fitness Training course.
This all went down in Miami, Florida, USA in 1994 and 1995. Daniel Lugo was a convicted health fraud embezzler. He managed a hard core weight room called the Sun Gym. He also fancied himself a Fitness Trainer. Back then any weight room muscle head could call themselves a Fitness Trainer. (Has anything really changed on that matter?)
   That's when Daniel Lugo hatched a less than conventional get rich quick scheme, It would require the help of a few of his pumped up and juiced up bodybuilding weight room cronies. This is what he proposed and they finally acted upon:

• You kidnap a wealthy client. They kept screwing up the abduction before they actually got it done.
• You torture the client for a full month and coerce him to sign over all of his wealth. 
• You then attempt to knock the victim off . 
• You blow it all on fast living. You actually occupy the victim's house until you basically trash the place.
• Repeat the procedure with another wealthy mark. This time you accidentally kill the victim. Your steroid fueled co-conspirator pumps the victim's girlfriend with animal tranquilizer in order to loosen her tongue and get a safe combination. Whoops! He gives an overdose and kills her. Since nothing was signed over and no information was passed on, the killings were for absolutely no financial gain.
• Buy a chainsaw to cut up the corpses to dispose of evidence. Return the bloody chainsaw for a more powerful one. 
• That chainsaw also breaks. Use hatchets. Put the body parts in buckets. 
• Ditch the buckets in the Florida wetlands known as the Everglades. Let the hungry alligators do the rest. Leave the dead couple's Lamborghini in the woods.
• Go back to life as usual and assume that you won't get caught.

  Doesn't that sound more exciting than trying to determine a client's body mass index for a modest fee. Believe it or not, this really happened. Well, something similar happened depending on which sources that you go by.  It was all very nasty!
   Daniel Lugo and his musclebound accomplices did not realize at first that they had left a loose link.
They had forced alcohol down the gullet of their first victim then tried to stage what appear to be a fiery, drunk driving fatality. The victim escaped from the car and tried to flee. The murderous muscle heads chased him with their car and ran him down. They assumed that they had finally killed him and fled the scene.
   Amazingly the victim, Marc Schiller, was one tough dude. He still wasn't dead!  He woke up in the hospital. He tried to tell the doctors and nurses about his ordeal. None of them paid it much heed. After all this guy had been totally inebriated and ran his car into a post. The police also seemed to disbelieve Schiller's tale.Schiller also had a past history of financial impropriety that shadowed his credibility.
   Schiller contacted a private investigator, Ed Du Bois. Du Bois was also skeptical of such an incredulous story. However he eventually began to uncover a paper trail of peculiar documents involving vast transfers of wealth and property. Unfortunately by the time the police became seriously involved, the second caper with the double homicide had already occurred. Both cases were linked to the Sun Gym Gang.
   A massive police raid ensued. Daniel Luca was arrested hiding in the Bahamas. Overwhelming evidence was found in the police raids. The ditched Lamborghini was discovered. Witnesses included:

• Marc Schiller. His testimony was riveting. Ironically, after testifying Schiller was arrested for his past financial impropriety. The victim and star witness served 2 years in prison even after all that he had been through.
• Sabina Petrescu - Daniel Lugo's girlfriend. The exotic dancer believed Luca when he told her he was a C.I.A. operative.
• Jorge Delgado. This member of the Sun Gym Gang turned rat and gave evidence against the gang.
• Neighbors of  Frank Griga and Krisztina Furton, the murdered couple. They had actually met the members of the gang who were posing as potential business partners. 

      Daniel Lugo and Noel Doorbal are now on penitentiary Death Row. Jorge Delgado got a 15 year sentence. Other Sun Gym members got prison terms ranging from 30 years to 8 years.

   Marc Schiller wrote a book about his ordeal. CBS 48 Hours did a documentary on the Sun Gym Gang. The documentary was a major reference for this blog.
    The movie 'Pain and Gain' was released in 2013 based on the Sun Gym Gang crime spree.
The movie was a black comedy starring Mark Wahlberg, Dwayne 'the Rock' Johnson, Anthony Mackie, Tony Shalhoub, and Ed Harris.  Marc Schiller and family and friends of victims Griga and Furton felt that the movie made light of what were heinous and gruesome crimes by evil sociopaths.

My final verdict is in on Daniel Lugo and the fast twitched muscle fibred fiends known as the Sun Gym Gang. They have moved to FRONT AND CENTER of the 
Fitness Trainer Hall of Shame! They are the worst examples that I've heard of - so far.
    Don't kidnap, extort and murder clients or other people. It gives Fitness Trainers a bad reputation! We have enough trouble being taken seriously.

Until Next Time,.......Keep Fit

Little Bobby Strong

Kidnap a rich client!    Coerce him to sign over his hard earned possessions !
Spend the rest of your years in prison and maybe even death row !
You also get a seat of honor in the Fitness Trainer Hall of Shame !

Links
schwabe27.uwmfatloss.hop.clickbank.net
AudienceBuilder.ca
www.fitnwell.com
www.rabbitview.com/rabbitview-crossfit


                                      

Fitness Training: The Extreme Home Gym

   He didn't earn the nickname 'Mad Dog' by sticking to the status quo!
Jeremy Podlog is a married father of two, a competitive amateur wrestler, a digital media entrepreneur,  and an award winning documentary film maker. All of these titles require an extensive commitment of effort and time.
   Jeremy's 25 year plus wrestling career was capped with a Canadian Championship bronze medal and an appearance in the wrestling World Cup on the Canadian National team. His tenacity and attacking style led to the Mad Dog moniker. Many a wrestling tournament announcer lauded these legendary exploits with trembling, tongue-tied reverence.

 Jeremy still has the fire in his belly to keep on wrestling. He is addicted to the sport. In his own words "The wrestling mat is my crack pipe! I gotst to have it!"  

   Jeremy's dilemma is a familiar one to many a working person.

• His wife is a successful and busy career woman
• His children are getting involved in sports and arts
• His film making career is beginning to boom. He is well on his way to becoming Canada's answer to Michael Moore or Morgan Spurlock.

   This mushrooming success of family and vocation has left less available time for his avocation - wrestling. However for a think-out-of-the-box type of genius like Jeremy this is not a deterrent. It is just another challenge! Rather than take valuable time to travel to the wrestling venues to practice,  he has built his own wrestling room in his garage. With some mats and some constructive ingenuity the Mad Dog is back in business - big time!
    Jeremy is also fortunate to live in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, a city with no shortage of current and former internationally and nationally experienced amateur wrestlers. He is able to entice these warriors over with promises of tea, muffins and post workout grog in exchange for an hour or two of combative exercise. In this way Jeremy can work around his hectic business and family schedule.
Since Calgary can experience the full wrath of a northern prairie winter, the garage can be heated.
   Jeremy also has a home gym in his basement to supplement his wrestling with weight training.
Occasionally he is able to slip away for CrossFit sessions at a nearby club where he also provides digital media consulting services.

   Jeremy's personal wrestling studio should not be confused with an infamous 'Professional Wrestling' institute known as the 'Hart Dungeon'. The Hart family are Pro Wrestling icons who ran a school for aspiring Pro Wrestlers out out the basement of their Calgary mansion. Rumors of the family patriarch, Stu Hart, physically torturing ex-football payers turned wannabe pro wrestlers are tales of horrific local legend. The Mad Dog's garage dungeon is more about competitive fitness and fun.

   Hopefully this home studio can keep one of amateur wrestling's most charismatic and colorful characters in the game for a few more years.  
   

Don't try this at home! Then again - he did!
Mad Dog Podlog and his garage wrestling studio.
Mess with him at your peril!

Until next time,..Keep Fit

Little Bobby Strong


                                   













P.S. Check out Jeremy Podlog's CrossFit website at www.rabbitview.com/rabbitview-crossfit

Links
schwabe27.uwmfatloss.hop.clickbank.net
AudienceBuilder.ca
www.fitnwell.com

Fitness Training and the Home Gym

   The home gym business is booming! There are many reasons for this:

• People today are busy and pressed for time!  Kid's soccer, gymnastics, hockey, or music lessons can eat away at the free moments in each day. Throw in work commutes, differing spousal schedules, social commitments, household duties, and other family obligations and the first thing to get dropped could be a fitness club membership. A home gym could appear to be be the answer.
• Fitness club memberships can be costly!  Home gyms can vary in price but once paid off there are no more monthly fees as with a club membership. 
• There are no parking expenses or other travel issues with a home gym.
• There are no periods of peak usage and wait times to get on certain apparatus or equipment.
• Some people feel uncomfortable working out in a public gym. They feel that they are being compared to fitter people and being judged negatively. This may be only a figment of their imagination but it can still be a powerful perception. 
• The home gym owner can work out when the mood strikes them. In theory there should be fewer excuses to prevent this from happening,

  Can we safely say that for a time challenged person the home gym is the answer? 
  This is not necessarily so. 

• Many home gyms collect dust and cobwebs, become indoor clothes lines, or get stashed in a neglected corner of the garage or basement, never to be used.  I have always believed that someone who will not take the time to actually go to a gym or fitness center to work out is more likely to give up on a program with a home gym. 
• Some home gyms will be junk that breaks easily and does not provide a full range of motion for the exercise.
• There can be distractions at home! Kids, computers, televisions, phone calls, pets, other family members, ringing doorbells and friendly neighbors bearing six-packs of craft beer can conspire against a successful home work-out.

How can someone who is serious about exercising at home insure that they are buying a suitable product? The best way is to stick to brand names such as LifeFitness, Nautilus, Bullworker or Livestrong. (There is the former Lance Armstrong cancer foundation Livestrong but there is also the business part of Livestrong that posts fitness information and makes fitness equipment.) For free weights the best choices are Weider or York. Television infomercial gadgets or home gyms from 
Walley Mart likely won't fit the bill!
   Since many people with home gyms give up the ghost rather quickly there will be bargains on E-bay, Kijiji, Craigslist or the want ads. 

The entrepreneurial Fitness Trainer will think outside of the box! Tap into the home gym demographic. Cultivate house call Fitness Training sessions with the home gym owners.
Some of the home gym buyers just may realize that they could use some expert help to reap the full benefit of their investment.
It may require some tips from Fitness Equipment dealers to track down recent buyers. The Fitness Trainer will have to network and establish such relationships.  It could prove fruitful.
Working out of a Fitness Center is not the only career option!

Until Next Time, ......Keep Fit

Little Bobby Strong
                               

No travel time!  No crowded weight room!
No sneers from boorish muscleheads!
Maybe even a potential client!

PS: Kudos to Germany at the soccer World Cup!
I tried to stay neutral but my Mom does have German blood.
Her maiden name was Schwabe.
Little Bobby Strong could have almost become
Little Bobby Schwabe! 








Links
schwabe27.uwmfatloss.hop.clickbank.net
AudienceBuilder.ca
www.fitnwell.com

Fitness Training and Late Night Infomercials

   Sometimes I get those nights. I can't sleep. It doesn't happen if I've spent that the day being active outside. However, on those other days it can occur. I can try thumbing through a muscle magazine from my old stack in the closet. I can try reading a chapter from my college exercise physiology textbook. If I can't read I can always turn on the tube and be entertained - or be bored.
   If I click to the right channel I can find it - that special channel showing the fitness equipment infomercial. Then I have an epiphany. This is it! This is the ultimate answer to finding the perfect exercise.
   Get super fit with the Titanic Toner! You don't have to leave the couch. You just sit there and put the Titantic Toner on your lap. Then you proceed to pull on the handles and perform crunching movements for 10 minutes. Repeat every day as you watch your favorite sit-com.  Observe as the pounds melt away. Gaze in amazement as your muscles become toned cables of sinewy steel in just a few short workouts. Observe as your abs transform from rolls of quivering jelly belly to looking like a farmer's plow ran over your midsection. There is no longer any need to hoist weights or cycle around a park or run like a rat on a treadmill. Stop wasting vast amounts of your valuable time by working out.
All you need is the Titanic Toner!
   The person on T.V. demonstrating the Titanic Toner is a super ripped model or even a former Olympic champion. Wow, do you think that that's how they got their world beating physique .It couldn't have been from hours in the weight room and countless intervals of hill runs, 400 meter repeats or numerous lengths in the swimming pool. No way! It was from performing the same movement on this innovative device for 10 minutes while never leaving the couch!
   Fitness Trainers will invariably get asked about the validity of such gimmicks by their clients. People like shortcuts. If these products actually worked, our profession could become obsolete like VHS tapes and Polaroid cameras. Don't worry. Fitness Training is safe, for now. Such infomercials make claims that can be quite misleading. There are some common issues that make the promise of these super gadgets very unlikely:

• The exercise movements are overly simple and repetitive
• There is usually no method of adjustment for increasing overload to make the exercise more difficult
• The equipment is often poorly constructed and easily broken
• The exercise movements are rarely specific to any functional range of motion required for sports or normal activity  

   These infomercials are targeting a specific type of person. This is not a hard and fast rule but it is a strong belief that I have. People that will not leave home to work out are probably not going to adhere to a workout commitment. Of course, there are always exceptions. However, the ones that will stick with it at home will buy a weight set or a treadmill or they will do yoga. They do not rely on the infomercial super exerciser.
   If you haven't pounded back too many brews in front of the tube, you may have noticed the disclaimer that reads  "The results shown may also depend on diet, extra exercise and other variables."  That is the equipment maker's legal out in the likely event that the buyer does not get ripped and fit by sitting on the sofa.
   Some exercise is better than no exercise!  However in most cases ,taking a walk, or going up a few flights of stairs, or house cleaning, or gardening will produce better results than a T.V. wonder gadget.
   There is a famous story about a legendary, medicated  insomniac taking his gun and blowing out the television screen one sleepless night. Maybe Elvis Presley was watching the Titanic Toner commercial when he pulled that trigger.

Until next time,...........keep fit!

Little Bobby Strong

Just squeeze the handles of the Titanic Toner together to attain 'total fitness' with just 10 minutes a day.
Hmmm. Maybe I'm not doing it right!  

Links
schwabe27.uwmfatloss.hop.clickbank.net
AudienceBuilder.ca
www.fitnwell.com

Fitness Training and the Three Body Types

There is a theory that classifies the human body into 3 physical types.

1. Skinny
2. Muscular
3. Fat             

William Herbert Sheldon was a psychologist, eugenicist and medical professor who developed a theory that there are 3 predominant body types or somatypes:

1. Ectomorph: This body type is slight and lean. Ectomorphs are low in visible muscle and fat but may be high in endurance capacity. The ectomorph could excel in sports such as distance running, cross country skiing or endurance cycling. Think of Jim Ryun, Greg Lemond, or Bjorn Dahlie. Since we're talking Sheldon's Theory - yes Sheldon from 'Big Bang Theory' is a perfect example of an ectomorphic  physical build.
2. Mesomorph: This body type is muscular and built for speed and power events.The star quarterback , the track and field sprint star, or the champion bodybuilder usually fit this mold. Real life examples might be football's Tim Tebow, sprinter Usain Bolt, and bodybuilder and later California Governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger. 
3. Endomorph: This body type stores fat easily and may tend towards obesity if the lifestyle is unchecked. However endomorphs can combine strength and mass to excel in sports requiring these traits. Football offensive linemen, weight throwers in track and field, heavyweight powerlifters, and 'Worlds Strongest Man' competitors are usually endomorphs, Think of Olympic weight lifter Vasily Alexeev, strength champion Magnus ver Magnesson or Canadian shot putter Dylan Armstrong. Throw in a ZZ Top beard and some hard core tattoos and you get your typical Biker bar bouncer. Mess with these guys at your peril!

   I first came across Sheldon's theory when I was in High School. I stumbled upon a copy of Popular Mechanic magazine from the late 1960's. According to the article, each person has some characteristics of each somatype on a scale of 1 to 7. The dominant body type has the highest. The article profiled hockey players. Bobby Hull - nicknamed the Golden Jet- was a perfect mesomorph scoring a 1-7-1. He rated 1 in endomorphic qualities, 7 in mesomorphic - and 1 in ectomorphic. Bobby Hull was hockey's fastest skater and terrorized goalies with the world's fastest slapshot.

Bobby Hull was a fast twitch muscle, mesomorphic beast!

   There appears to be a logical correlation between two body somatypes and muscle fiber characteristics.

• Ectomorphs tend to be lower in explosive fast twitch muscle fibers but higher in slow twitch muscles that are efficient in cardiovascular endurance.
• Mesomorphs are lower in slow twitch fibers and dominant in fast twitch fibers.
• Endomorphs can be dominant in either muscle fiber type. It is less common to see endomorphs excel in endurance events but not unrealistic. I personally know people with round shaped body types who compete successfully in full length Ironman Triathlons. An endomorph with dominant fast twitch muscle fiber can become a human wrecking machine on a power/strength program.

      People can have characteristics of all body types with varying degrees of dominance. Bruce Jenner was a mesomorphic track and field decathlete almost 40 years before his back-up role on 'Keeping Up With the Kardashians'. The decathlete is almost often a mesomorphic monster. Jenner also ran a smoking 1500 meters race indicating strong ectomorphic tendencies as well.
   This does not mean that people can't change their physical shape. Ectomorphs can slowly add muscle with proper resistance training. Conversely, they can morph into round, overweight body shapes with a sedentary lifestyle. Inactive mesomorphs can pile on fat quickly or shed visible muscle with extensive endurance training, Endomorphs can shed weight and add muscle.

   Numerous scientist have tried to critique Sheldon's theories. In terms of the physiological aspects, the theory seems to have survived much official scrutiny.
   What does this mean for Fitness Trainers? It might help to have an idea of your client's dominant body type. A visual assessment should give you an idea. Obviously you want to work on the client's weaknesses. An overweight endomorph should  work on weight reduction and cardiovascular issues. However, remember the golden rule of Fitness Training.   Set your client up for success.
 The same client may respond enthusiastically to strength training exercises.
An ectomorph will likely perform better at endurance work than strength work. A mesomorph will respond physically to a strength and power regime. Gauge the body type!
Develop according to strength as well as weakness. Coordinate the goals of the client with their physical attributes. Use the body type to their advantage. 

The 3 body types from left to right
Endomorph.............Mesomorph...........Ectomorph
Publisher's note: No, the one on the right is not the 'Golden Jet'!

Until Next Time,..
Keep Fit!

Little Bobby Strong      

   

Links
schwabe27.uwmfatloss.hop.clickbank.net
AudienceBuilder.ca
www.fitnwell.com

Fitness Trainer Hall of Shame : Jillian M.

I really do try to avoid judging other Fitness Trainers.
 However there are instances in which those in the public eye give a negative impression. I can no longer hold back from  a written rant. As usual, the names of the perpetrators have been abbreviated to buffer the criticism.

    There is a popular reality television show called "The Biggest Loser". The premise of the show is that extremely overweight contestants compete to lose weight for a cash prize.  The contestants get all hyped by these drill sergeant type Fitness Trainers who cajole them to push themselves physically and expose themselves emotionally.
Contestants have been known to lose half their body weight in six months. 

    The so called Fitness Trainers on this show use questionable tactics to get the contestants to lose such massive amounts of weight. The number one offender is Jillian M.

• Jillian M. is heralded as a celebrity 'Fitness Trainer to the Stars'.
• Jillian M. has best selling fitness books on the market.
• Jillian M. has been on two reality T.V.shows, 'The Biggest Loser' and 'Losing It With Jillian'.  

    A Google search of Jillian M. turns up all of the celebrity praise. However it also turns up a few controversial issues. Well, maybe more that a few. Lets see what the search turns up:

• Jillian M. endorses questionable supplements. I'm usually willing to cut some slack on this one. She is far from the only Fitness Trainer pushing supplements. My current opinion is that unless someone is deficient in a certain vital ingredient, the addition of a mega dose of that ingredient is pointless. Internet rumor has her being sued for promoting unsafe supplements. In fact, this is the 4th time that she has been sued for this sort of promotion.  
• Her credentials as a Fitness Trainer have been often questioned. She has actually threatened a defamation suit against the sources of this doubt. Her credentials and certificates supposedly are current and up to date. When you are a public figure you CAN be a target of haters! But why so many haters and why all these lawsuits? 
• Countless Fitness Trainers on the Internet deride Jillian M. for having reality show contestants perform unsafe exercises for people of such massive weight. Having reluctantly watched the show, I concur. The show's producers may be somewhat to blame as well. They want action and conflict. That's what sells!
• Internet sources also accuse our beleaguered Jillian of teaching improper technique. I will assume that she is not in total control of what exercises are prescribed.The Hollywood powers that be likely dictate the terms.
•  Jillian M. acts like a profane, foul mouthed bully according to on line fitness pundits. I don't think I can defend her on this one.
• Jillian M. is a disgrace to the fitness profession because she crashed and burned at a triathlon competition. Ease up you haters. She's human - not Wonder Woman! I've bonked on a few marathons and almost succumbed to the soul sucking succubus of glycogen depletion on a run-bike-run race. I give her a mulligan on this one.

 Make no mistake. Jillian M. is attractive!  Jillian M. is super fit and super ripped! Women want to look like her! Men want her as their Personal Trainer! That's why Hollywood wooed her for 'The Biggest Loser". Jillian M. has that rare quality known as charisma. They don't want some boring exercise fanatic who rhymes off muscle attachments and muscle mechanic movements during every exercise challenge. Hollywood wants star quality!

    I went on line and watched the first episode of 'Losing It With Jillian'. Jillian M.  is invited to work with a fitness challenged and likely emotionally dysfunctional family. True to form, Jillian M. cajoles, encourages and even bullies this family to eat properly and get up and move before the deadline of a daughter's wedding.  Jillian got the family to shape up after a few emotional breakdowns. That is my major issue with this episode. This family obviously had some major emotional issues and psychological dysfunction.Maybe the show used professional resources to help Jillian M. deal with this. However the show made it seem as though our super Fitness Trainer solved everything herself. Such obvious dysfunction requires a referral to nutritional and medical professionals. 

   The beauty of television is that we have options.

1. We can turn the channel and choose not to watch a particular program
2. We can seek out only educational or enlightening shows - if you can find them
3. We can turn the television set off and do anything else

Since I am a fitness aficionado I did watch a few episodes of  "The Biggest Loser".  I saw many actions unbecoming to what I believe is the essence of Fitness Training. I got annoyed and switched to more inspiring fare such as "Breaking Bad". However I kept hearing about such negative blow back towards the Trainers that I went on line and watched some more recent episodes. This is what I observed.

• The Fitness Trainers were all guilty of putting severely overweight and unconditioned contestants through an exercise program that seems beyond their initial physical capabilities. The prescribed programs could be injury inducing and potentially dangerous. Explosive, ballistic movements or road running on hard concrete for such clients is a recipe for physical undoing. Jillian M.was only one of the violating Trainers. Remember also that the mandate of the show may dictate the plot line. The Fitness Trainers may just be complying with the producers.
• Weight loss is emphasized over health, fitness, and safety. Once again, Jillian M. was not the only violator.
• Jillian M. shouts, intimidates and verbally bullies the contestants under her charge. In group exercise boot camp classes the drill sergeant instructor  seems to be a trend. In a real life one on one scenario, severely overweight clients may have been bullied for much of their life. They may take offence to once again being treated in such a manner. The 'tough love' approach can be a tactic that can backfire. 
• Jillian M. seasons her drill sergeant approach with a great propensity for throwing F-bombs at the contestants in her care. The T.V. show obviously feels that this is a ratings boost. For a real life Fitness Trainer to do this could spell lost clients or lost jobs. Best to leave that language back at the oil rig.
• Jillian M. set up a contestant to fail! This particular episode really rankled me. A woman 'Biggest Loser' contestant was making considerable progress. Then  Jillian went to work on her. Jillian M. commanded the contestant to jump up onto a box that was about 2 plus feet off of the ground. The contestant was psyched out by the height and would not attempt the jump. This induced a crying spell. I suppose she wanted to 'get to the emotional root' of the woman's weight issues.  Why does this bother me? 

1. Trying to make such a jump and missing could lead to injury
2. A single box jump will have no effect on weight loss - or fitness
3. A golden rule of Fitness Training is to "Set your client up for success." Jillian M.  could have used a lower box that the contestant could land on. She wanted a reason to break the contestant. Once again, this makes for good T.V. drama but sets a terrible example for real life Fitness Trainers. 

   It is now time to see if this person deserves to be sentenced to the Fitness Trainer Hall of Shame.
I will deal with Jillian M. as two distinct entities.
There is Jillian M. the celebrity trainer, author, digital media sensation and training video star. This Jillian M. has attracted more than her share of controversy and has many detractors. This may be just the price to pay for being in the public eye. She has garnered financial success and book sales.
She also has legions of admirers. She seems to have weathered the controversies and kept on going.
She has also earned more than most Fitness Trainers can even dream about. There doesn't appear to be enough to sentence her to the Hall of Shame without seeming like sour grapes. This Jillian M.  gets a pass.

Then there is Jillian M. the Trainer of the 'reality' television shows. As role model for proper procedure and protocol for a practicing 'real life' Fitness Trainer' this Jillian M. is a bad example! In her defense, are we seeing the real Jillian M. or are we seeing a caricature created for the viewing audience by the Hollywood factory? In my opinion reality shows are more fabrication and manipulation than actual reality. Jillian M. is not claiming to be a role model for Fitness Trainers and should not be held up as such! This Jillian M. is an entertainer. I also believe that she really does care about the people that she works with.
This entertainer is a ratings money maker - a television icon.  She gets a pass!
The Fitness Trainer caricature goes into the Hall of Shame! There are just too many cringing situations to be used as examples of what a Fitness Trainer should not do!

Bullying your clients until they vomit!  Bad Idea!
Leave that for the reality TV. Trainers!

So there you have it.
I should be nominated to the Supreme Court for that 'split' decision.
Keep raking it in Jillian.
I'll probably turn the channel to watch
'Just Call Saul'!

Until next time,.....Keep Fit

   
Little Bobby Strong   





   


Links
schwabe27.uwmfatloss.hop.clickbank.net
AudienceBuilder.ca
www.fitnwell.com