Opinion of "Fitness Made Simple"?

So far I've been doing pretty well w/ the fairly simplistic exercise
routine recommended by the Hacker's Diet. I've actually resisted putting
it to too much close public scrutiny, because it seems to be working but I
know it seems ultimately limited. (It's a laddered routine getting a bit
tougher every week or so, w/ toe-touches, crunches, backbends, pushups,
and "run and jump"... it seems particularly light on the muscle training
I'd say)

So the other night at that bar/danceclub they had infomercials going (PS:
WTF?) and one was for "Fitness Made Simple", which of course I've heard of
before. I think "simplicity" is crucial for me in exercise. And in a
reverse-psychology kind of way, the dorkiness/ugliness of the host kind of
appeals to me. The exercise they show on the infomercial seem to be pretty
good stuff, and I think I could get used to the idea of working along to
the TV... at any rate the whole set was less than a session w/ the trainer
I was seeing for a while, so it wouldn't be THAT much of a gamble...

Anyway, I think for now I'm sticking w/ hacker's diet's routine but might
consider branching out at some point. Any thoughts on this particular guy?

--
QUOTEBLOG: http://kisrael.com SKEPTIC MORTALITY: http://kisrael.com/mortal
"Dixie to Cicero: The Jazz Migration" [...] Songs include: "She Be Big,
Maybe Too Big Blues," "Can I Has Yo Fish?", and the classic
"Wha's Dis on Yo Shoe?" --Humans

OSPAM wrote:
He's also not a certified trainer nor does he have any apparent
credentials in fitness, nutrition, exercise science, physiology, etc.
There's a reason his crap costs less than one session with a
*qualified* trainer.

BFD as they say ..
I've seen lots of socalled 'qualified' trainers who are useless and not
worth a dime.
Paper credentials are meaningless if you dont back em up.

To the OP , any kind of exercise program will give you 'results' if you
stick to it and DO it.
Consistancy, determination and perseverance are needed ;-)



joanne

joanne wrote:
BFD as they say ..
I've seen lots of socalled 'qualified' trainers who are useless and not
worth a dime.
Paper credentials are meaningless if you dont back em up.

About the trainer I used, who was a very decent guy...
he pushed me harder than I'd otherwise be inclined to do, while at the
same time prevented me from straining myself as I seem wont to do when
trying new things on my own. So from that point of view I think he was
pretty good. On the other hand he was rather pricey, and didn't address
what was probably my main problem at the time, my weight. (I guess part of
it was I didn't want to shell out for a special "lets talk nutrition"
session.)

To the OP , any kind of exercise program will give you 'results' if you
stick to it and DO it.
Consistancy, determination and perseverance are needed ;-)

And I think that's a good point in general...

Readers of this group aren't here because great nutrition and optimal
fitness routines come easily or instictively to them. But so much, say,
nutrition advice here gives more regard to the Best Nutritional
Principals than to what will be more feasible and sustainable changes.
(Now, the other side of this argument is that you probably shouldn't aim
too low, and at least some people find it easier to be REALLY GOOD than to
hang around the "slippery slope" of just better.) Same for exercise.
Actually today a coworker sent me http://tinyurl.com/lgav7
which mentioned figures like 210-420 minutes of exercise weekly-- which
seems like an awful lot.

I've tried some various things over the years:

daily gym -- this went well for 9-12 months in the 90s, and had a
nice mix of cardio and nautilus. (Though, perhaps coincidentally, my blood
pressure went from being notably good to middling-fair.) These days it
seems that I won't find the time to go even a few blocks on a daily basis.
Plus, I'm sick of all the paperwork a nautilus routine seems to entail.
I'm dumb and can't remember how many of what at what setting I should do.
(This goes back to the appeal of "made simple"... any gym instructor can
show me a ton of exercises, and I'm sure the diversity is great, but I
can't remember all the correct forms and intervals and weights and what
not... I'm a smart geek in some ways but terrible at that kind of minutae)

stairmaster -- probably the longest sustained thing I've done, but it was
the ex-wife's purchase. And lacking in weight training.

Dance Dance Revolution -- fun, and engaging (which is important-- exercise
is, at its core, very boring to me) but I never found a mode that A. went
straight from one track to another without making me select AND B.
didn't stop if i started screwing up, as I will at the good paces.

Yoga Sun Salutations -- would do a bunch of these daily. Kind of poetic,
not sure how thorough a workout though.

Fitness Trainer -- local guy seemed really good, and thorough, but
expensive, like $70-$80 a pop. And depsite a seemingly thorough "what are
your goals" talk early on, didn't really take me where I most needed to
go.

Hacker's Diet Routine -- kind of digging on this lately. I like its "get
tougher every week" laddered approach, has some cardio (maybe not enough,
though can be intense) and some muscle building (albeit mostly pushups) so
I know it might be limited in the long run. It's also a small number of
excerices, and sometimes that's a big plus for me.

So I'm kind of looking for something I might want to work in place for the
last on that list. I've never worked out to videos before, aerobic or
otherwise, and I'm hoping I might find that engaging (and hopefully not
feel too stupid doing it) in a way that most exercise isn't.

In general I need something "interesting" (or that I can watch TV with)
and indoorsy, and not too heavy on the props, and that can be done in
15-20 minutes a day (rather than a longer period every other day.)
Fitness Made Simple seemed like it migh be some of that, but I don't know.

Suggestions?

Kirk, 227/208/180

--
QUOTEBLOG: http://kisrael.com SKEPTIC MORTALITY: http://kisrael.com/mortal
You Shall Not Subject Your God To Market Forces!
--Book of Om, Chap. IV v.6b ("Small Gods",Terry Pratchett)

"Kirk Is" wrote in message
...
So far I've been doing pretty well w/ the fairly simplistic exercise
routine recommended by the Hacker's Diet. I've actually resisted putting
it to too much close public scrutiny, because it seems to be working but I
know it seems ultimately limited. (It's a laddered routine getting a bit
tougher every week or so, w/ toe-touches, crunches, backbends, pushups,
and "run and jump"... it seems particularly light on the muscle training
I'd say)

So the other night at that bar/danceclub they had infomercials going (PS:
WTF?) and one was for "Fitness Made Simple", which of course I've heard of
before. I think "simplicity" is crucial for me in exercise. And in a
reverse-psychology kind of way, the dorkiness/ugliness of the host kind of
appeals to me. The exercise they show on the infomercial seem to be pretty
good stuff, and I think I could get used to the idea of working along to
the TV... at any rate the whole set was less than a session w/ the trainer
I was seeing for a while, so it wouldn't be THAT much of a gamble...

Anyway, I think for now I'm sticking w/ hacker's diet's routine but might
consider branching out at some point. Any thoughts on this particular guy?

--
QUOTEBLOG: http://kisrael.com SKEPTIC MORTALITY:
http://kisrael.com/mortal
"Dixie to Cicero: The Jazz Migration" [...] Songs include: "She Be Big,
Maybe Too Big Blues," "Can I Has Yo Fish?", and the classic
"Wha's Dis on Yo Shoe?" --Humans

I don't know a darned thing about the routine, but I really can't stand John
Basedow.

"joanne" wrote in message
oups.com...

OSPAM wrote:
He's also not a certified trainer nor does he have any apparent
credentials in fitness, nutrition, exercise science, physiology, etc.
There's a reason his crap costs less than one session with a
*qualified* trainer.

BFD as they say ..
I've seen lots of socalled 'qualified' trainers who are useless and not
worth a dime.
Paper credentials are meaningless if you dont back em up.

To the OP , any kind of exercise program will give you 'results' if you
stick to it and DO it.
Consistancy, determination and perseverance are needed ;-)



joanne


There are bad trainers as there are bad anything.

I've seen a lot of self appointed trainers, with no certifications who
caused severe injuries, and then some.. not to mention that the results of
their "training plans" weren't anything to be talked about.

At least a certified trainer has been educated in safety, proper training
etc. You want to check who certified them, and how often they "update"
themselves and keep up with new training techniques...

I don't work with a trainer, mainly cause I can't afford it... but if you
want to... make sure they know what they are talking about. The average joe
from the neighborhood gym will quickly disapear if you end up hurting
yourself.
Will~

oregonchick wrote:
Anyway, I think for now I'm sticking w/ hacker's diet's routine but might
consider branching out at some point. Any thoughts on this particular guy?

I don't know a darned thing about the routine, but I really can't stand John
Basedow.

Neither can I, but in a weird reverse psychology kind of way that might be
some of the appeal.

--
QUOTEBLOG: http://kisrael.com SKEPTIC MORTALITY: http://kisrael.com/mortal
BAR JOKE #11 A man walks into a bar. He has a few drinks and chats with the
bartender. Later that night, he goes home and reflects on the poor decisons
he's made in life.

"Kirk Is" wrote in message
...
oregonchick wrote:
Anyway, I think for now I'm sticking w/ hacker's diet's routine but
might
consider branching out at some point. Any thoughts on this particular
guy?

I don't know a darned thing about the routine, but I really can't stand
John
Basedow.

Neither can I, but in a weird reverse psychology kind of way that might be
some of the appeal.


What, like Richard Simmons?

"oregonchick" wrote in message
. ..

"Kirk Is" wrote in message
...
oregonchick wrote:
Anyway, I think for now I'm sticking w/ hacker's diet's routine but
might
consider branching out at some point. Any thoughts on this particular
guy?

I don't know a darned thing about the routine, but I really can't stand
John
Basedow.

Neither can I, but in a weird reverse psychology kind of way that might
be
some of the appeal.


What, like Richard Simmons?


Oh c'mon, I loooooooooooooove Simmons.. he's so...

huh... happy?

I wouldn't do his work outs, but I love the guy!
Will`

wrote in message
...
On 25 Jul 2006 09:00:03 -0700, "joanne" wrote:


wrote:
He's also not a certified trainer nor does he have any apparent
credentials in fitness, nutrition, exercise science, physiology, etc.
There's a reason his crap costs less than one session with a
*qualified* trainer.

BFD as they say ..
I've seen lots of socalled 'qualified' trainers who are useless and not
worth a dime.
Paper credentials are meaningless if you dont back em up.


But at least it's a starting point -- and is far superior to some dude
who figured out something that works for *himself* and tries to
superimpose it on everyone else without any knowledge of *why* it
worked for him.

For one thing, something I've noticed in his advertising is a heavy
reliance on single-joint/single-muscle exercises, which are great for
those who want to do bodybuilding (like huge biceps/triceps, bulging
pecs, etc.) , but not so good for most people (esp. women) who are
trying to lose weight and be smaller.

To the OP , any kind of exercise program will give you 'results' if you
stick to it and DO it.

Not true.

Consistancy, determination and perseverance are needed ;-)

So is knowing what you're doing. Go ahead and do FMS. You may see some
results in the beginning, but you'll plateau out in no time flat.


--
"Every one of the innocents who died on Sept. 11 was the most important
person on earth to somebody.
Every death extinguished a world." -- President George W. Bush, 12/11/2001

www.hillary-watch.org

Not sure that's true really. If the person is unqualified but his client
relies on him, there is a huge risk of the client thinking "this hurts like
hell but it must be okay because my PT says so" with a consequent injury
causing months of lay off. The average joe setting his own programme is a
lot more likely to do the sensible thing and stop when it hurts!


--
Rachael

176/116/119

www.justgiving.com/rachaelreynolds

Rachael Reynolds wrote:
Not sure that's true really. If the person is unqualified but his client
relies on him, there is a huge risk of the client thinking "this hurts like
hell but it must be okay because my PT says so" with a consequent injury
causing months of lay off. The average joe setting his own programme is a
lot more likely to do the sensible thing and stop when it hurts!

As someone more on the average joe side of this, I'd have to disagree.
Things that are guided and somewhat methodical, yoga, personal trainer,
random gym trainer, I'm generally fine with. I've hurt myself a bit
though, even with some humble dumbells and poor form, and I had to get a
rebounder for even the Hacker's Diet stuff.

I guess a real musclehead idiot trainer can be trouble, esp. if the client
is like "I WANNA GET *CHISELED*", but in general Ive seen less of that
type and more of the other.

--
QUOTEBLOG: http://kisrael.com SKEPTIC MORTALITY: http://kisrael.com/mortal
"Stupid people see beauty only in beautiful things."
--Oliviero Toscani quoting Dadaist Saying