(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.] [more inside]
posted by Joe Beese on Sep 25, 2009 - 42 comments

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). [more inside]
posted by Monster_Zero on Aug 19, 2009 - 13 comments

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.
posted by maudlin on May 7, 2009 - 21 comments

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. [more inside]
posted by rongorongo on Mar 25, 2009 - 34 comments

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
posted by jason's_planet on Feb 4, 2009 - 44 comments

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. [more inside]
posted by Smedleyman on Oct 14, 2008 - 47 comments

"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. [more inside]
posted by jbickers on May 22, 2008 - 73 comments

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.
posted by jbickers on May 19, 2008 - 15 comments

Running a marathon a day for the next 100 days, across Africa. [more inside]
posted by joelf on Apr 14, 2008 - 22 comments

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.
posted by jason's_planet on Dec 29, 2007 - 48 comments

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) [more inside]
posted by jason's_planet on Dec 6, 2007 - 55 comments

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.
posted by jason's_planet on Oct 30, 2007 - 12 comments

Perhaps before a refreshing spa, why not let your kitty enjoy a vigorous workout? [via b3ta]
posted by randomination on Oct 13, 2007 - 28 comments

Hey fatass get off the couch and play some videogames.
posted by PostIronyIsNotaMyth on Jul 12, 2007 - 50 comments

“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.”
posted by jason's_planet on Jun 20, 2007 - 51 comments

I'M THE HIGH PLAINS HEAVY METAL IRON MASTER, BOY!
posted by jason's_planet on Mar 27, 2007 - 15 comments

Rice, the rocket. Secretary of State shares fitness tips with early-morning DC news. Next week: Cyclin' with POTUS (schedule subject to change).
posted by rob511 on Feb 28, 2006 - 17 comments

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)
posted by evilcolonel on Jan 24, 2006 - 29 comments

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.
posted by raaka on Aug 15, 2005 - 36 comments

This is why we're a fat country
posted by thisisdrew on Aug 2, 2005 - 145 comments

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.
posted by bap98189 on Mar 31, 2005 - 9 comments

With girya or kettlebell training you can hack the fat off without the dishonor of diet and aerobics.
posted by the cuban on Mar 31, 2005 - 19 comments

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.
posted by me3dia on Dec 30, 2004 - 51 comments

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)
posted by Down10 on Nov 24, 2004 - 21 comments

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.
posted by dobbs on Oct 9, 2004 - 6 comments

Scientists know that being fat reduces your lifespan, making you more susceptible to heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and a host of other bad things. However they are only beginning to understand why. "Fat tissue is now recognized to be the body's biggest endocrine organ," producing 25 known signaling compounds and a variety of proteins.
posted by ilsa on May 12, 2004 - 37 comments

The Arnold Schwarzenegger Total Body Workout (MP3 clips). You'd think the classic Arnie cover was entertaining enough.
posted by boost ventilator on Jan 20, 2004 - 6 comments

Nerd Gym (43 pages o' flash) is about 80% hackneyed obvious jokes, but there's some gems here and there. Which is dissapointing, because I don't get enough of the "Cleaning the Spitten Coffee off of the Monitor" workout. It also has very little to do with driving a tricycle drunk or throwing a javelin limpwristed against the Alpha Betas.
posted by Stan Chin on Sep 4, 2003 - 7 comments

Let's get in shape 'cause we never know when we'll have to defend ourselves.
Later we can go dancing!

That Friday Flash thing you all like so much 'round here!
posted by LouReedsSon on Apr 4, 2003 - 6 comments

Heart surgery in our family has triggered something of a crisis of fitness with everyone vowing to loose weight. Ironically its the runner in the family that has suggested the most sensible solution: buy a pedometer and increase the number of steps per day you walk to 10,000. (Although some say to just increase.) The idea supposedly started in Japan. The idea is to add a bit of activity here and there (the first site recommends going to a restroom on a different floor) rather than trying to lump the 30 minutes per day all ot once. So far with a desk-potato lifestyle 3,000 is easy but adding the extra few miles every day will require some extra work. Less social than a Volksmarch but compatable with a mall walk. And definitely less hazardous than freestyle walking.
posted by KirkJobSluder on Feb 21, 2003 - 24 comments

Inside the JFK medical files. Very interesting article from Sunday's NY Times (reg. req'd) about the long-term health of John F. Kennedy, from World War II to his death. Corresponding Yahoo News item here also. [more inside...]
posted by PeteyStock on Nov 19, 2002 - 11 comments

Finger Weights You you read that right. I think people are taking "whole-body" work outs a BIT far. As Comic Book Guy would say, "Worst product ever!"
posted by Dome-O-Rama on Sep 12, 2002 - 16 comments

Couch potato lifestyle is worse for your health than smoking Poor diet and lack of exercise cause more illness than smoking, new figures show. The lifestyle of couch potatoes has overtaken smoking as the major cause of ill-health in EU countries for the first time, the World Health Organisation says. Great, now reading Metafilter is bad for me.
posted by Coop on Sep 4, 2002 - 12 comments

Jazzercise Eats Its Words after being accused of weight bias. MeFites may recall the heated discussion this story originally garnered (and the associated firestorm in Metatalk) when Jazzercise refused to hire an instructor that did not meet their "fit appearance" criteria. They have since changed their policy "based upon the information and research that perhaps it's possible for people of varying weights to be fit." The barred instructor has gone on to start her own successful aerobics franchise based on her "fitness-at-any-size" philosophy.
posted by johnnyace on May 8, 2002 - 46 comments

Michael Kelly to America: We are some kind of fat. Never mind what we consider to be beautiful; the sad fact is that many, many Americans are slobs who cover their guts with spandex pants and think they look good. If only they knew. Amen to this op-ed, and down with dress-down, too, while we're at it.
posted by werty on Aug 2, 2001 - 96 comments

Have you ever noticed that the line between the NYT and MF is blurring?
Today I found a whole article about the strange and amazing fact that <a href="http://charlesatlas.com">The ninety-pound weakling company</a> is still in business, and on the Web! I can easily imagine a day when storeis are one paragraph long, and "Abuzz" comments let you know the rest of the details, y'know, like a Hamlet written by 1000 locusts on typewriters, or something...
posted by rschram on May 31, 2001 - 7 comments

The Ab-Doer? I guess they ran out of verbs.
posted by highindustrial on Oct 22, 2000 - 2 comments