The latest rage on Facebook among my fitness friends on Facebook is an article in the LA Times about Jillian’s latest kettlebell video.
Look, every educated fitness trainer I know realizes Jillian Michaels is a poor, I mean, bad trainer and role model. The yelling and swearing routine just doesn’t work for the vast majority of clients.
I, however, realize it’s just TV.
A few years ago, the producers of The Biggest Loser even tracked me down and asked to be a trainer for their show.
I declined.
You see, I realized they were merely having a short lived bout of conscience and sense of responsibility I knew wouldn’t last long. Once they realized I didn’t yell or swear at clients, they’d conclude I wouldn’t make for “good TV.”
Intelligent progression didn’t matter. Program design didn’t matter. Technique didn’t matter.
It’s Style over Substance.
The whole principle of losing weight in the shortest possible amount of time is patently ridiculous. The empirical evidence is overwhelming. The faster you lose weight, the less likely you are to keep it off.
[Aside: If you want to find out how quickly you can lose fat – not just random weight – use this Weight Loss Calculator from Precision Nutrition (just scroll about 2/3 of the way down that page).]
For a short time, I had romantic, heroic thoughts of fooling NBC long enough to finally spill the truth on a live episode of The Biggest Loser or sell my story to 60 Minutes.
[That sounds like a reality TV plot in itself. I need to find that producer’s number again.]
But, as my accountant can tell you, it never happened. They stuck with Jillian. And that other one – you know, whats-his-name.
The Biggest Loser even has auditions for trainers advertised by, “We don’t want trainers who are entertaining. We want entertainers who happen to train,” (or words to that effect).
It’s a TV show. It’s like watching South Park and taking Cartman seriously. (But wouldn’t he be a great Biggest Loser contestant?)
