Fitness Insights by Jamie Atlas

Jillian Michaels (or is it Gillian?) from the tv show worlds biggest loser has started to reach a crucial point.  Her publicity machine is working overtime right now, she is featured in exercise tv videos, has a world of product out there with her name on it and is the trainer that the general public knows as the name to go to.. the expert you can trust.

But Houston… we have a problem.

Ever watched a sporting movie and the actor they cast actually cannot play that sport?  Think old Disney movies or “Teen Wolf”.  I could hardly watch that movie without feeling sick every time Michael j fox took a foul shot.  Its amazing how bad these actors are at basketball (well, in general really).  Or maybe I’m spoiled coming off all this March Madness.

trivia tip: the movie ‘teen wolf’ features the wave – the first movie to do so.. now you know who to thank (or blame)

So now that you have a frame of reference, allow me to segue seamlessly to the Kettlebell demo that rocked the world:

If you knew kettlebells then you would know that this is actually incorrect form (watch the wrist)

Being tough and professional, I know she can take it.   So I am going to let her know she should have done her homework ahead of time and not decided to ‘wing it’ like she did on worlds biggest loser the other night.

Because Jillian did something wrong.  She squandered a great opportunity.

Amazing article here by the talented and brutally honest Sarah Rippel of “fitprosarah” that reveals the full story about Jillian:

http://fitprosarah.wordpress.com/2009/04/09/wanna-learn-kettlebells-dont-watch-jillian/

More links that expose her being generally panned by the Kettlebell community (I don’t necessarily agree with everything they say, but needless to say, these guys are worked up into a tizzy!:

http://fullthrottleathletics.com/blog/frisco-kettlebell-instructor-laughs-at-jillian-the-biggest-loser-trainer/

http://bradrants.com/blog/biggest-losers-jillian-michaels-fails-miserably/

So what did Jillian Michaels do wrong?

She gave the Kettlebell world a chance at fame and butchered it.

She had an opportunity to show the world how to use kettlebells and she decided to go the ‘Jillian method’ rather than the method taught across the world by the masters of the kettlebell.

So why is that so bad?  Well, because people will go to their kettlebell instructors who will tell them to do it differently than Jillian, people get confused and retreat back to their safe happy cardio-land.

I don’t often mention kettlebells here, and that is in part because I don’t use them much, part because my knowledge of kettlebells is limited especially in comparison to some of the experts on the internet today.

But I respect the kettlebell knowledge base enough to not pretend that I can tell the world how to use them.

It’s funny, because I don’t get passionate about football, but when Worlds Biggest Loser is on, I have been known to jump up and down and throw cushions at the television screen out of pure anger and dismay.

I know they get results, that is great – but at what risk?  Sometimes I think of extreme weight loss as trying to ride a motorcycle up the side of a very steep hill.

if you lose a contact... just keep going!

If you make it to the top of your weight loss goal in high gear and high volume training without slipping/getting injured/damaging internal organs, then you look great and nobody recognizes you due to the sudden change…

but if you slip or take a wrong step… then you end up another injured battered rider at the bottom of the hill.

I much prefer taking my clients on a slow donkey ride the long way up. Safer, more secure, and you learn more about yourself on the way up.

You know you will get there, you just got to have the patience to keep at it!

Whatever you do, make sure you give the machine (your body) a checkup before you try to take it up any mountain, regardless of the path you choose.

A faulty wheel alignment (or tight hips, low back or poorly rotating spine) might not show itself in the first push, but over time your imbalances become impossible to work through.

Unfortunately as humans we have a ‘more is better’ mentality so we get to what I call a ROB point where “the risks outweigh the benefits”.

So kudos to you Sarah for writing such a great article, Jillian lets hope you do your research and a bit of off screen practice/expert consulting next time and to everyone watching biggest loser – think about what you might be able to achieve if you had 3 months of doing nothing but focusing on losing weight.

Now, since you actually have a job and need to pay the bills/look after your kids/go to school/find a cure for cancer….  snap yourself back to reality and try starting on something more realistic…  And don’t beat yourself up if you dont lose 20 pounds a week like those guys.

Yours in health,

Jamie Atlas

PS Want to know the real secret to weight loss?  Your friends.  Click here to know why

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