Complex Solutions; the biggest scam in Fitness

We live in complex times, Elon Musk is sending cars into outer space, 3D hearts are being printed, and crypto-currency is on the rise. You would think with all the these social, medical, and technological innovations our health as a collective group of human beings would be at an all time high. You could paint a picture in your head of a society filled with healthy, vibrant, physically capable people but instead we look more like the picture below. A crowd of goons, grinning like idiots over the coolest newest gadget that Dr. Oz says works.

Sorry that was rude, however the shake weight IS a real product. The fact that people purchase it is more telling of our societies ignorance when it comes to health and exercise then any study or research will ever show. "The revolutionary new way to shape and tone the arms you'll love" Really?! Have you noticed how jacked and toned John Santos legendary player of the Maracas arms are? You haven't? Probably because shaking your arms like a jackass for any reason other then making cool music won't give you any real benefit. None of this even

touches on the fact that if you believe its even possible to "get in shape" by doing arm exercises alone then you are totally misguided. But here we stand as a society, somehow we've gotten to the point where people do yoga with goats, wear shoes with ramps on them, and take "air drumming" classes (THESE ARE ALL REAL THINGS) all because of the "complexity" these products pretend to offer. As a culture we sometimes have an assertion that complex equals better but when it comes to health and fitness nine times out of ten that is the furthest thing from the truth.

(Destroy your hips, while wearing the ugliest shoes possible, new slogan?)

The part that bothers me the most is that somehow useless products, gadgets, and online fitness coaches have become the norm. The more complexity the seller can convey in his/her message by throwing up ridiculous claims the more people buy into it. It's everywhere you look big companies, small companies, instagram, youtube, and every other public outlet is loaded with con artists selling you the next best that gives you 32.7% more efficiency then the piece of garbage the other guy is selling. Social media and particularly instagram takes the cake for the biggest blackhole of garbage. It's amazing to me how many people sell products or offer their services as "online fitness coaches" based solely on the fact that they are in good shape and know what exercises work what muscles. Would you trust a random person who's not a barber to cut your hair based on the fact that they have good hair and the ability to use scissors?? Probably not right? do I need to finish my point.....

Lets switch over to everyones favorite, group fitness classes. Aerial yoga, can anyone fill me in on any real reason for doing this aside from you wanting a picture to put on your social media page? Seriously i'll wait. Cardio kick boxing, awesome way to destroy your wrists, knees, elbows, and hips while simultaneously letting people know you can't fight to save your life. If times ever get desperate don't be surprised if you see me outside the nearest CKO gym waiting to mug people for money. The craziest part to me is you can literally stay in your house, put music on, and do jumping jacks or just run in place while throwing "punches and kicks" and you will get the same workout you get from cardio kickboxing without any risk of getting hurt, plus its free!!

However if you need the motivation because you won't do it in your house, by yourself, then I can understand your need to sign up and commit to something. Just be aware of the movements you are doing, classes you are taking, and how they might affect you specifically. Whenever something is generalized, like a group class, your specific situation and needs go out the window. I work primarily with athletes, most of which are young, strong, and conditioned physically. However often times with them I still have to take two steps back and work on foundational fixes before we can progress to more complex movements. So when I hear my friends mom who's 60 start telling me she's doing complex lifts in her group fitness class I cringe and exit the conversation as quickly as I can. The ten percent of non athlete clients I have at first meeting are usually so confused with conflicting information and bad advice that it takes an intervention of information just to get them to snap out of the haze of crap they have been bombarded with. For some its too late.....

This industry is filled with people shining up shit and calling it gold all to try and make a profit because they know that the average consumer is lost when it comes to health and fitness. For these people at no point is your physical health or any negative impact that might result from you doing (fill in the blank product or program) factored into the equation. Don't even get me started on the supplement industry.....Rant finished