MetaFilter posts tagged with Fitness

The Mr. Olympia Contest

Joe Beese — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 15:03:26 -0800

(all links possibly nsfw) This weekend, Jay Cutler tries to win back from Dexter Jackson the greatest prize in professional bodybuilding - the title of Mr. Olympia. [You may have heard of one of them.] The best news coverage of the event will be at Bodybuilding.com. The liveliest fan discussion will be at the notoriously free-spoken GetBig. (previously)

What am I doing, I don't even LIKE beets!

Monster_Zero — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 06:51:20 -0800

Many TV-savvy Canadians will be familiar with the distinctive painted exclamation mark of the Concerned Children's Advertisers. For nearly 20 years, the CCA has partnered with broadcasters across the country in order to produce and air PSAs aimed at kids. This has resulted in some classic spots on such topics as drug use prevention, media literacy, and more recently a series on the importance of fitness. A personal favorite: the alternately endearing and terribly creepy Don't You Put It In Your Mouth (feat. Scary, Anemic Lion). (The CCA has a Youtube channel and also provides a great deal of extra material and higher-quality video at their website. The final spot is thanks to the inimitable RetroWinnipeg.)

Stumptuous: From Dork to Diva to YouTube

maudlin — Thu, 07 May 2009 12:36:53 -0800

Mistress Krista says: Only YOU can stop gym dorkery! Stumptuous, one of AskMe's favourite fitness sites, has both a spiffy new design and a bunch of new content (Why your excuses are crap; Lies in the gym; Things you should not lift if you want to look like Madonna). Beginners will find plenty of smart and blunt information about eating, starting and refining a training program, avoiding and recovering from injuries, and developing a home gym one way or another. But Stumptuous has also extended its domain to YouTube. Part of the original Dork to Diva web series on correct technique is now up at YT (deadlifts; biceps curl) thanks to the support of The Prevention of Gym Idiocy Society (Ladies' Auxiliary), but you can also find some more unorthodox exercise ideas.

5BX: When wishing is not good enough

rongorongo — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 17:52:27 -0800

Bill Orban developed the "Five Basic Exercises" or 5BX program for the Royal Canadian Air force in the late 50s. Apart from the primary aim of getting people into shape it was designed to be simple to perform, to work on all the body, to require nothing in terms of special equipment or large spaces, to accommodate enough progression to cater for reformed couch potato and budding athlete alike and to fit into a time slot of 11 minutes including warm up. [Women, for whatever reason, were prescribed 10 exercises in 12 minutes with XBX]. The book of the exercises was translated into 13 languages and sold 23 million copies around the world before falling into obscurity in the 80s. Because so many people did these exercises over several decades there is quite a lot of medical research published on their effectiveness. Sports Science and litigation have moved on since the 50s so there are now some caveats about the detailed method for performing some of the exercises. Jon Walker incorporates a simplified version of the program into "The Hacker's Diet".

A short history of the bench press

jason's_planet — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 10:37:46 -0800

A History of the Bench Press, by Sean Katterle (includes a list of 600+ pound classic bench presses)
All three variations of the press on back – prone floor press, belly toss and bench press – persisted relatively unchanged through the 1940s, but a hierarchy among them quickly developed. For bodybuilders the bench version gained dominance, and by the 1950s it was the king of upper-body movements

Jump stuff

Smedleyman — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 14:39:50 -0800

Parkour, it’s easier than you think to get started and you can keep your workout lively. Ryan Ford has a training center in Colorado , and there’s probably one right near you . Or DIY. Parkour has been on metafilter previously

WiiFit vs. WiiFat

jbickers — Thu, 22 May 2008 04:42:56 -0800

"You don't tell kids that they're overweight ... This can have such a negative effect on young girls especially, that they can focus on eating and develop eating disorders." A professor of nutrition takes on WiiFit. At the core of the issue is the program's use of BMI as primary indicator of physical fitness. But BMI isn't entirely reliable as a benchmark; by the BMI standard, more than half the players in the NFL are obese, and according to one opinion, BMI can play a role in over-diagnosis of anorexia. Previously.

Gyminee!

jbickers — Mon, 19 May 2008 13:49:42 -0800

Gyminee is a truly excellent web app that lets you track workouts, nutrition and fitness goals. Prints grocery lists, lets you find workout buddies, etc. Very aesthetically pleasing, too. Considerably easier to use than Fitday, which a lot of people swear by.

Marathon a day for 100 days

joelf — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 11:47:03 -0800

Running a marathon a day for the next 100 days, across Africa. Two students, Erin and Ruben, from the University of Victoria will be running 26 miles a day to raise money for Athletes for Africa in Namibia, Zambia and Tanzania and "to demonstrate that Africa too is a place where real people live real lives, and where, if you want to go for a 4,200km jog, you are more than welcomed to."

The Third World Squat

jason's_planet — Sat, 29 Dec 2007 17:24:29 -0800

The Third World Squat (Some images not 100% safe for work) When it comes to training someone who's new to the world of squats, deadlifts, and the fine art of picking up heavy stuff, I've found a substantial disparity in the learning curve between North Americans and those from third-world countries . . . There are a variety of possible reasons for this, but there's one dominant variable that's a great predictor of a trainee's immediate potential before they even step foot in the gym: The third-world squat.

Nicole Carroll doing bodyweight x15 in the Overhead Squat

jason's_planet — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 10:40:37 -0800

Nicole Carroll is a CrossFit trainer who works out of Santa Cruz. Here is a video of her aiming for 15 reps of her bodyweight in the Overhead Squat, which is a very impressive lift. (In .wmv format) Just to give you some idea of how strong she is . . . I have about a hundred pounds on her and there’s no way I could do an overhead squat with that kind of weight. (If you try this at your local gym, please don’t throw the weights down unless you are using special bumper plates.) SquatRx on the Overhead Squat (starting at 2:20 in this video). Peaches -- Boys Wanna Be Her

SquatRx

jason's_planet — Tue, 30 Oct 2007 13:49:32 -0800

SquatRx is a series of videos focusing on proper form and technique in the Barbell Squat. Topics include how to correct lower back rounding, the use of bands and chains, and how to set up a Westside regimen.

November on the treadmill

randomination — Sat, 13 Oct 2007 03:35:24 -0800

Perhaps before a refreshing spa, why not let your kitty enjoy a vigorous workout? [via b3ta]

Hey fatass play some wii

PostIronyIsNotaMyth — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 12:02:55 -0800

Hey fatass get off the couch and play some videogames.

What is Fitness?

jason's_planet — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 08:46:58 -0800

“What is fitness?”(large PDF) is an essay by the leaders of the CrossFit movement. The ideal they propose is an athlete who is “equal parts gymnast, Olympic weightlifter, and multi-modal sprinter or ‘sprintathlete.’ Develop the capacity of a novice 800-meter track athlete, gymnast, and weightlifter and you’ll be fitter than any world-class runner, gymnast, or weightlifter.”

The High Plains Heavy Metal Iron Master

jason's_planet — Tue, 27 Mar 2007 17:03:33 -0800

I'M THE HIGH PLAINS HEAVY METAL IRON MASTER, BOY!

World-class pianist, figure skater, linguist, diplomat ... and buff babe?

rob511 — Tue, 28 Feb 2006 22:11:07 -0800

Rice, the rocket. Secretary of State shares fitness tips with early-morning DC news. Next week: Cyclin' with POTUS (schedule subject to change).

Turn Fat into Fit!

evilcolonel — Tue, 24 Jan 2006 22:41:24 -0800

The ParticipACTION Archive Project "The average 30 year old Canadian is in about the same physical shape as the average 60 year old Swede." That was the wake-up call provided by ParticipACTION, a non-profit organization created in the early 70's to nudge Canadians into getting into shape. Its history is chronicled in this site, including the story of how Saskatoon became ParticiPACTION City, competing with Umea, Sweden. You can also relive those memorable PSAs that ended with the distinctive logo and sounder. (Embedded QT in links)

nap 2 3

raaka — Mon, 15 Aug 2005 13:53:12 -0800

I can do that! The latest excercise craze sweeping LA! It starts with light stretching and breathing excercises for half an hour. Then assume the "corpse pose" and wait for the neck massage. If you can stay awake.

usa fitness

thisisdrew — Tue, 02 Aug 2005 14:11:18 -0800

This is why we're a fat country

Licenced to.........sing???

bap98189 — Thu, 31 Mar 2005 06:01:43 -0800

Fitness to Practice is a collection of songs written and performed by Amateur Transplants, two practicing doctors from the UK. The album consists of original songs as well as witty parodies of songs originally performed by among others Tom Lehrer and The Jam (mp3 links). The lyrics contain a lot of medical in-jokes, but the humour is broad enough to appeal to everyone.

kettlebell hype

the cuban — Thu, 31 Mar 2005 03:48:19 -0800

With girya or kettlebell training you can hack the fat off without the dishonor of diet and aerobics.

fast food fitness

me3dia — Thu, 30 Dec 2004 09:03:13 -0800

An unholy union of fitness and fast food: Bally Total Fitness teams up with Yum Brands to offer free four-month gym memberships to people who eat at Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, KFC, Long John Silver's or A&W restaurants.

Poodle-robics

Down10 — Wed, 24 Nov 2004 15:07:31 -0800

Mariko Takahashi's FITNESS VIDEO for being appraised as an "EX-FAT GIRL" A most peculiar entry from Panasonic's Olympic Games in Action summer promotion in Japan. From the artist: "This video expresses the joy of excercise. ...While I was trying to find something that both adults and children could enjoy, I saw a poodle with its 'muscle-like' hairstyle and I thought, how about a girl with muscles in the same places?" ...Possibly the most bizarre video I've seen all month. (38MB - QuickTime/Real/Windows Media Player req'd)

Here's the Beef (cake)

dobbs — Sat, 09 Oct 2004 14:22:33 -0800

The Golden Age of Iron Men - Online Physical Culture Musem

Complete scans of an odd and very large collection of muscle/fitness publications and profiles of the authors, all from the early part of the century.