"Pump the Dumbbells 'Til My Arms Look Ignorant"

This is stuck in my head:



Now who's going to step up and create a CrossFit rap video?

[Source]

Golf Workout

Ben Crane shows off the hardcore fitness regimen that helped make him one of the best pro golfers in the country:

Treadmills Are Just Humongous Clothes Hangers

A couple of weeks ago, the New York Times' "Bucks" blog offered tips on how to get in shape without breaking the bank. Suggestions included:

• Running/walking outside,
• Joining a "local no-frills gym,"
• Working out with fitness DVDs and/or shows on the Exercise TV channel,
• Taking advantage of free passes to local gyms, and
• Setting up a home gym with used equipment.

In response, Matthew Thibeault of Urbana, Illinois proudly shared with the Times how he used Craigslist to assemble a dirt-cheap gym in his house. His online purchases included:

• A $75 stair machine,
• A $145 weight bench with “great hex dumbbells,”
• A $450 treadmill "outfitted with a laptop stand for Web browsing," and
• A $15 exercise bike.

Okay. So the guy saved a bunch of money by not joining a big globo-gym (which folks are abandoning en masse anyway).

But given that the "Bucks" blog is supposed to help readers "Mak[e] the Most of [Their] Money," shouldn't it have pointed out that Thibeault wasted his $685?

After all, cardio equipment is unnecessary; in fact, chronic cardio is ineffective and counterproductive. And if you're on a budget, why bother with dumbbells when you can just lift your bodyweight? (Oh, right: So you can do endless bicep curls and triceps extensions in front of a mirror.)

A tip for Mr. Thibeault: If you really want to maximize your fitness while minimizing costs, sell off the stuff in your "Craigslist gym" (fine -- you can keep the dumbbells), and reallocate a small fraction of the proceeds to the purchase of a good jump rope ($10 - $40) and a pull-up bar ($20 - $35). Then, print out this list of bodyweight workouts. And do 'em.

Don't like that option? Here's another: Get yourself a kettlebell and use it.

Either way, you'll save another $600, free up valuable space in your house, and whip yourself into shape more efficiently and effectively than you ever will by TRUDGING ALONG ON A TREADMILL WHILE SURFING THE WEB.

A Buffet (of Articles) for Fitness Buffs

With the exception of the inane and largely information-free P90X/CrossFit article, Slate's Fitness Issue is jam-packed with entertaining reads about all sorts of health-related stuff. If you have time to kill on this lazy Sunday, check out the articles on:

• Whether exercise is as addictive as drugs;
• Those perfectly-toned fitness models in magazines and ads, and what they do on the job;
• The "Müller technique": The P90X of the early 20th century that's still practiced today;
• A behind-the-scenes look at the Soloflex home gym -- the first fitness product hawked on late-night infomercials (and did you know you can brew beer with it?);
• Exercises for your face;
• The search for the perfect fitness DVD by a self-described "fat girl";
• All you ever wanted to know about all those stupid fitness magazines;
• Popular fitness programs in other countries;
• Jack LaLanne versus Jane Fonda versus Jillian Michaels (what -- no Richard Simmons?).

Grab your coffee and dig in.

Douche-ier Than Thou

Does it get any worse than this?

The answer is yes. Yes it does. Much, much worse.



(Source: Health Habits)

67 Years Young

This guy rocks. The weighted sit-up / squat / push-up / burpee / overhead press thing he does at the end of the video looks awesome -- can't wait to try it.



(Source: Conditioning Research)

Barbarella's Back!

Jane Fonda is 72! And she's releasing new workout videos!

Assuming you haven't sustained crippling injuries from years of Fonda-esque aerobicizing, I'm sure you can't wait to get reacquainted with your pastel tights and leg warmers.