The newest trends and fads, even if you try to avoid them they are everywhere. Whether it's fashion, technology, or even the fitness industry there is always going to be someone out there pushing a product that is absolutely worthless and in some cases potentially dangerous. So what do you do?
My recommendation is to become your own advocate. Educate yourself on the popular trends you decide to follow, and with that spirit in mind, I give you ten of the worst fitness trends I’ve come across while working as a trainer over my career.
#10.) Seated workouts
I hate to be the bearer of bad news but you need to get off your butt if you want to see the benefits from working out. Sitting is terrible for you according to leading research and is actually being attributed to higher mortality rates and a long list of other negative effects. Don’t get me wrong, there are certain populations who may need to stay seated while they workout: the elderly, recently injured or paraplegics for example. What I’m saying is if you can stand up during an exercise you typically should and if you have the option between the recumbent bike and a spin cycle you should probably go with the more challenging option.
#9.) CrossFit
Okay now before any CrossFitter’s out there reading this fly off the rails and start sending me hate mail let me say that CrossFit is great for certain populations. Now here is the thing, CrossFit isn’t a workout or training program it is a sport and should be classified as such. What I mean is that just like with any sport you need a proper training program before you participate if you want to be able to compete and/or not hurt yourself out there, the same can be said about CrossFit. Also when you play a sport; whether recreationally or professionally, you don’t play every day. You have programmed rest days and off seasons worked into your training program. This is something CrossFit seems to neglect and why they have a very high rate of injuries within their sport. CrossFit has its place and that is as a sport, not a training program.
#8.) Training like a bodybuilder
#2.) Weight loss pills & powders
Are you familiar with the term “snake oil”? Storytime. Back in the days of the Wild West, you would see these traveling "doctors" who would go from town to town peddling their medicines and services. It became practice with some of these gents to peddle a substance known as snake oil. Snake oil was known to cure any disease! "No matter what ails ya, snake oil can fix ya right up!" Or so they’d say… Weight loss pills and powders are just that. Snake oil. Remember our rule? It should also be mentioned that many of these products can be unsafe and potentially dangerous as well.
#1.) Sauna suits
Another Old School throwback. Back in the day, when a fighter needed to lose weight fast for a fight to meet weight requirements they would bundle up in multiple lairs during training or employ one of these suits. Now the reason they did this is that it works but there are two catches. Catch number one, all weight loss is water weight. You’re basically forcing your body to sweat profusely while wearing this thing which is not only really uncomfortable it also leads to catch number two. These things are potentially dangerous. There is a reason athletes hydrate while they train and perform. It’s necessary.
To willingly dehydrate your body to lose meaningless water weight is not only dangerous it’s also incredibly stupid.
My recommendation is to become your own advocate. Educate yourself on the popular trends you decide to follow, and with that spirit in mind, I give you ten of the worst fitness trends I’ve come across while working as a trainer over my career.
#10.) Seated workouts
I hate to be the bearer of bad news but you need to get off your butt if you want to see the benefits from working out. Sitting is terrible for you according to leading research and is actually being attributed to higher mortality rates and a long list of other negative effects. Don’t get me wrong, there are certain populations who may need to stay seated while they workout: the elderly, recently injured or paraplegics for example. What I’m saying is if you can stand up during an exercise you typically should and if you have the option between the recumbent bike and a spin cycle you should probably go with the more challenging option.
#9.) CrossFit
Okay now before any CrossFitter’s out there reading this fly off the rails and start sending me hate mail let me say that CrossFit is great for certain populations. Now here is the thing, CrossFit isn’t a workout or training program it is a sport and should be classified as such. What I mean is that just like with any sport you need a proper training program before you participate if you want to be able to compete and/or not hurt yourself out there, the same can be said about CrossFit. Also when you play a sport; whether recreationally or professionally, you don’t play every day. You have programmed rest days and off seasons worked into your training program. This is something CrossFit seems to neglect and why they have a very high rate of injuries within their sport. CrossFit has its place and that is as a sport, not a training program.
#8.) Training like a bodybuilder
Once again let me begin with a disclaimer here. If you ARE an actual bodybuilding competitor then just keep doing your thing. Bodybuilding, much like CrossFit, is a sport and not a training program for everyone. One of the main reasons that a bodybuilder’s training protocols shouldn’t be followed by general populations is because many of their exercises and programming focuses on a muscle by muscle approach which in a word is very “old school”. Simply put, the muscles in the body work in concert with each other, isolation isn’t really a thing and it’s more appropriate in most cases to focus on the movements of the body and not muscle groups when building a training program for not only athletes but your average Joe as well. Another point I will touch on is the importance of working within a full range of motion while exercising, something many bodybuilders don't do in order to go heavier and their form typically suffers. Each joint within the human body has a range of motion it should be able to move within for the body to move properly and to avoid injury. Many bodybuilders will lack this range of motion in certain joints when tested. The last point I will make on why a bodybuilder's training program is not a good idea is the diet. Now every athlete, regardless of their sport, will make sacrifices and suffer for their sport in order to compete and bodybuilders are no different. What they do to themselves and their metabolic systems with their diet and supplements is their business but it’s not practical and definitely not healthy for someone outside of the bodybuilding competitor’s world.#7.) Waist trainers
Didn't we learn anything from corsets in the 1600s? Forcing the human body into a device to try and shape your waist is not a good idea. Not to mention these things do not work. Period. There was even a class-action lawsuit that was filed against one of the major manufacturers of these pieces of junk because customers felt duped by false claims of fat burning. Moral of the story, save your money because waist trainers are a waste of time.
#6.) Altitude training masks
Every time I see a guy in the gym wearing one of these things I can’t help but picture Bane, the infamous Batman villain, and not in a cool way. Just like waist trainers, altitude training masks are completely bunk and do not produce the results that they promise. To understand why these masks can’t live up to their promises, you’ll need to understand a bit about how altitude training works. The goal of altitude training is to temporarily increase the body’s production of red blood cells in order to increase oxygen utilization and in turn increase performance. The human body adapts to altitude high altitude on a hormonal level, and those changes take up to weeks or months of 24/7 exposure to occur. Not only that but the effects are short-lived and don't last long. The worst part is how many athletes and trainers promote these things without any knowledge of how altitude training works. The bigger concern should be the lack of performance during training that occurs while wearing these things that will, in turn, affect your training results.
#5.) Toning shoes
This is just another waste of money. I mean if these things are your style, by all means, shell out the extra cash for a pair of these bad boys. Spoiler alert though, they don’t do a damn thing different than your other pairs of workout shoes. They won’t tone your butt or burn extra calories. General rule moving forward, if it sounds too good to be true it generally is.
#4) Shake weight
I still remember the first time I saw this thing. A colleague showed me the commercial for this god awful device and I didn’t think it was a real thing. I swore it had to be a spoof… Then he showed me the actual spoof video. I laughed, he laughed. Oh yeah, good times. Seriously though that’s not how strength training or muscle development works. You’d be better off using one of those vibrating lap belts form the 1950s, oh and FYI those don’t work either.
#3) Trend DietsOkay, class. Do we remember the rule we established at the end of #3? That’s right! If it sounds too good to be true it generally is. That’s a good rule of thumb here too. The real problem with most of these trend diets is, not only do they not work (Statistically if you do see results you gain the weight and then some back after the diet ends) they can also be dangerous. Often restricting the body of necessary calories, macro and micronutrients it needs to function. Not to mention they’re expensive and just when one is proven to be fake or goes out of style two more pop up in its place. They’re kinda like cockroaches honestly.
Didn't we learn anything from corsets in the 1600s? Forcing the human body into a device to try and shape your waist is not a good idea. Not to mention these things do not work. Period. There was even a class-action lawsuit that was filed against one of the major manufacturers of these pieces of junk because customers felt duped by false claims of fat burning. Moral of the story, save your money because waist trainers are a waste of time.
#6.) Altitude training masks
Every time I see a guy in the gym wearing one of these things I can’t help but picture Bane, the infamous Batman villain, and not in a cool way. Just like waist trainers, altitude training masks are completely bunk and do not produce the results that they promise. To understand why these masks can’t live up to their promises, you’ll need to understand a bit about how altitude training works. The goal of altitude training is to temporarily increase the body’s production of red blood cells in order to increase oxygen utilization and in turn increase performance. The human body adapts to altitude high altitude on a hormonal level, and those changes take up to weeks or months of 24/7 exposure to occur. Not only that but the effects are short-lived and don't last long. The worst part is how many athletes and trainers promote these things without any knowledge of how altitude training works. The bigger concern should be the lack of performance during training that occurs while wearing these things that will, in turn, affect your training results.
#5.) Toning shoes
This is just another waste of money. I mean if these things are your style, by all means, shell out the extra cash for a pair of these bad boys. Spoiler alert though, they don’t do a damn thing different than your other pairs of workout shoes. They won’t tone your butt or burn extra calories. General rule moving forward, if it sounds too good to be true it generally is.
#4) Shake weight
I still remember the first time I saw this thing. A colleague showed me the commercial for this god awful device and I didn’t think it was a real thing. I swore it had to be a spoof… Then he showed me the actual spoof video. I laughed, he laughed. Oh yeah, good times. Seriously though that’s not how strength training or muscle development works. You’d be better off using one of those vibrating lap belts form the 1950s, oh and FYI those don’t work either.
#3) Trend DietsOkay, class. Do we remember the rule we established at the end of #3? That’s right! If it sounds too good to be true it generally is. That’s a good rule of thumb here too. The real problem with most of these trend diets is, not only do they not work (Statistically if you do see results you gain the weight and then some back after the diet ends) they can also be dangerous. Often restricting the body of necessary calories, macro and micronutrients it needs to function. Not to mention they’re expensive and just when one is proven to be fake or goes out of style two more pop up in its place. They’re kinda like cockroaches honestly.
#2.) Weight loss pills & powders
Are you familiar with the term “snake oil”? Storytime. Back in the days of the Wild West, you would see these traveling "doctors" who would go from town to town peddling their medicines and services. It became practice with some of these gents to peddle a substance known as snake oil. Snake oil was known to cure any disease! "No matter what ails ya, snake oil can fix ya right up!" Or so they’d say… Weight loss pills and powders are just that. Snake oil. Remember our rule? It should also be mentioned that many of these products can be unsafe and potentially dangerous as well.
#1.) Sauna suits
Another Old School throwback. Back in the day, when a fighter needed to lose weight fast for a fight to meet weight requirements they would bundle up in multiple lairs during training or employ one of these suits. Now the reason they did this is that it works but there are two catches. Catch number one, all weight loss is water weight. You’re basically forcing your body to sweat profusely while wearing this thing which is not only really uncomfortable it also leads to catch number two. These things are potentially dangerous. There is a reason athletes hydrate while they train and perform. It’s necessary.
To willingly dehydrate your body to lose meaningless water weight is not only dangerous it’s also incredibly stupid.
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