How USA Today Got It Wrong (And What They Got Right)

I just came across an article from USA Today about 2011 Fitness Trends ==> Boot camp, strength training will top 2011 fitness trends

What they got right...

• "everyone from teenagers to the elderly should be strength training"

• "Boot-camp workouts, strength training and core exercises are among this year's top 20 trends."

• Regarding boot camp workouts: "These structured, high-intensity workouts, modeled after military-style training, include cardiovascular, strength, endurance and flexibility exercises." 

What they got wrong...

• Regarding boot camp workouts: "Expect the workout to be led by a drill sergeant who has little to no patience for people lagging behind."

Someone didn't do their homework. There ARE boot camps run that way, some led by former military members and there's nothing wrong with that. They cater to those who are looking for a certain kind of atmosphere and are most likely more physically active than the average American. However, the majority of fitness boot camps are not like that.

My boot camp, No Pink Dumbbells, has members in their teens up to the late 50s but it's far less about age than the desire to challenge yourself and improve.  My regular boot campers could put people half their age to shame, not because they came in fit but because they worked at it and persevered. 

Yes, it's a tough workout; it's supposed to be! But it's tough at YOUR level. The best boot camp instructors can adapt an exercise if it's too tough or offer a substitute. As you get stronger, you'll challenge yourself at your new level of fitness. That's how you get the body you want.

• "some fitness professionals now use such novelties as kettlebells and stability balls."

Stability balls and kettlebells are not novelties. Kettlebells originated in Russia and have been around since the 1700s. Stability balls (also known as "Swiss balls”, "physio balls”, “fitness balls”, "resistance balls", "exercise balls", etc.) have been around at least since the 1960s, originally used primarily in rehabilitation settings.

The Shake Weight is a novelty. 

  

Vibrator Belts are a novelty.

The Hawaii chair is a novelty. (If you haven't seen it demonstrated on "Ellen", you need to check out this video. You'll definitely burn a few calories laughing.)

All the electronic muscle stimulators are novelties...

as are the myriad of ab gadgets...

but kettlebells and stability balls are definitely not novelties.
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