Wednesday 071107

REST!

It must be a luck day with the 11 surrounded by the 7's...

A few days ago I felt a little twinge in my lower back while dead lifting. The "twinge" occurred because I rushed my workout trying to get it done before any member arrived. I'm fine, thanks for asking, but it reinforces the need for good mechanics and form for everyone.

Because of the "twinge" I spent some time in bed watching TV. Got to love TV, but that story is for another time and another place. Anyway, while letting my brain and back rest, I saw a home gym infomercial. "Pumped arms. Ripped abs. Legs of steel," it said. "Twelve pounds of muscle in six weeks," and "Results are easy, with just one simple workout, 20 minutes a day, three times a week." All for $25 a month.

The New York Times reported that this little home gym company spent $16 million for paid programming on national cable channels in 2005 - more than any other company spent on a piece of home exercise equipment. Their source was the Infomercial Monitoring Service.

As a former Marketeer, I love this infomercial. It is clear and simple. Like all commercials the more the message touts a huge difference the less likely there is a difference. Think about the cola wars, lite (or light) beer, plasma TV, flame broiled versus frying and the like. The more they spend telling you about how they are better, the more likely they are the same as their competitors.

Think about the CrossFit model. We don't have commercials. We say try it and if you like it keep coming. OK, truth be told we do have business cards and we are in the process of ordering t-shirts, but that's about it as far as advertising goes. This CrossFit thing is a grassroots movement. We are people that are interested in being fit over having ripped whatever. No special bikes or treadmills, just a barbell and your willingness to put forth the effort.

More to the point, what the infomercial does not say - but the manufacture of the home gym's literature does is, for maximum fat loss, (while using this equipment) one needs to stick to a daily diet of 1,500 calories. I think I had that many calories today at lunch, but again that's another story for another time and place.

Nor does the infomercial mention that to get their satisfaction guarantee refund, one needs to disassemble the equipment, pack it into its original boxes and pay for its shipment back to the manufacture. With CrossFit, the satisfaction guarantee is based on how hard you are willing to work. Like in life, one gets the results they work for. If CrossFit is not meeting your needs, you are free to go back to the big box gyms.

All in all, I think I will stick with CrossFit. My fitness gains have been steady and measurable. I may not have achieved the pumped arms, ripped abs, blah, blah, blah as outlined in the infomercial, but I do have real fitness. Fitness that will last a lifetime. I can lift things over my head. I can lift things off the ground. I am more flexible, agile and have more stamina that I did 10 years ago.

While not an infomercial, check out what the LA Times said about CrossFit...“The regimens are short and brutal, replacing ordinary weight lifting and steady-state aerobic training with mixed-up, amped-up, double-espresso workouts that leave you reeling — and quickly begin melting fat, building muscle, increasing flexibility and giving you measurable increases in both aerobic capacity and strength.”
-The Los Angeles Times

OK, it is time for me to turn off the TV and grab a barbell. How about you? Are you looking for "fool's gold", the quick fix, or are you willing to work hard and have a life changing experience? Do what you will, but to paraphrase, The CrossFit Revolution Will Not Be Televised!

Come to Indy's most personal training facility and discover what Mo' Better Fitness is all about.