Jillian Michaels Butchers a Kettlebell Exercise Demonstration April 10, 2009
Posted by jamieatlas in fitness, personal training, weight loss, worlds biggest loser.Tags: biggest loser, fitness, gillian, jillian michaels, kettlebell, kettlebells, personal training, weight loss, worlds biggest loser
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Jillian Michaels 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://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
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Jamie-
You rock, and I thank you for contacting me a few months ago! You are the “real deal” and it’s hard to find guys like you these days! I am not afraid to speak MY truth and it makes me happy to know I’m not alone in my beliefs.
Yours in health,
Sarah
Sarah you are too nice. I am the one who is glad to have met you. Keep the faith sister – we must meet other trainers that understand “the value of understanding”.
By the way, if anyone reading this lives in the Baton Rouge Area they would be well served to look up fitprosarah and check out her bootcamp happening April 20th 2009.
Here is the clip
I am myself a big fan of Jillian and have been inspired by her to lose some of my overweight, I am currently at 115 kgs (230 pounds I guess) and I am sorry to hear that Jillian is not as good instructor as she is as an inspirator.
I reacted more to the sequence with Bob having Shione doing that balanceact on the balanceboard.
I dont get it that the producers not take in external instructors to the trainers when they do stuff they apparently dont know anything about. And its of course tragic that the show doesn’t take the full advantage of its span by actually trying to show how its supposed to be done.
wow Joel. I havent heard such a well phrased comment on my site for a long time! Thanks for your input – Jillian does some things great – dont get me wrong on that. I do wish that these shows could have more than just one person be the assigned expert for everything. However, part of me thinks she is being pressured into doing these spots without having a choice…. We can only hope that others will learn and think for themselves as to how things should REALLY be done.
Thanks again Joel.
I am working in featurefilm production myself and the little insights I have got from the TV-world is that its really important to have roldemodels and Icons. That’s probably the easy answer to why Jillian an Bob are so central in the show.
I can understand that but they (Jill and Bob) should have better support then. For instance I read in an interview with Jillian that she has her own coach training her in her private life, that sounds to me like she is not a stranger for others input.
I also feel that its really strange that they dont have assigned psychologs on the show. This is also something that especially Jillian
tries to do with very different results. I think it would be great if she pulled the problem out like she does now and then let the psychological people take over.
Finally, I dont understand why they go for circus training acts at all? How can they believe that makes for a bigger audience I dont get that? I understand casting (selection of certain sterotype characters Joelle season 7, etc), twists etc. But not doing the work right sounds just stupid. I am a big fan of the series and have been really inspired but even I who haven’t excersised in years can se how stupid some of these circus acts are.
I am glad you liked my response and I am sorry for my eventual grammar or spelling mistakes since I am swedish.
Hater. Yes, we know who Jillian is and don’t have a stinkin’ clue who you are. (You’ll never see a button at the top of her page saying “Who is Jillian Michaels” LOL!!!)Get over it and stop hating her for her wild success. It is always sad when losers like you try to bring down others who are more successful to(hopefully) make themselves look all powerful and all-knowing. FAIL. You will never be a pimple on her well-defined ass. She has motivated and touched more people’s lives than you and your third generation of great-grandkids will ever even see. Now go ahead and post more hater shit on me, because I won’t be visiting again to even see it. I simply stumbled upon this garbage while searching for something useful: Jillian’s adjustable kettlebell. Blast away; I sure as hell blasted you.
I ain’t hatin – I wasn’t trying to put her below me, however I do see how this post can be seen as straight up hatin’. I thought I did a good enough job of saying that she had done lots of good stuff.
What I really do think is that if she is in the public eye (check) and is respected and admired by many (double check) that she should take 5 minutes to learn the proper technique to do an exercise using HER OWN EQUIPMENT before she goes on TV demonstrating it. I won’t deny the influence she has had, but that demonstration took a wave of experts and put them against her.
All Jillian had to do was a bit of homework and put a bit more attention into the details of what she was trying to present. Much like I perhaps could have done with this email, or perhaps what you could have done when reading this posting.
If you search the internet a bit more you will find other experts supporting this perspective. I hope you do, because if you do purchase her adjustable kettlebell (which is, I agree, a great piece of equipment) then I hope you find your instruction from an expert, and not from Jillian.
She’s great at some things… but she missed the ball here. Again, I ain’t hatin’. Just calling it like I see it.
To a ‘nonnyMoose’
Settle down Beavis! Jamie is protecting the industry with his comments on Jillian. Jamie is someone who is an authority on how the body moves. The easy question regarding Jillian is this: Would I have my MOM train with Jillian or Jamie Atlas? Especially considering all of her pre-existing conditions like 5 Hernia operations….Jamie Atlas would win HANDS DOWN.
Just saying
Ryan
Wow Jamie she sure told you! Nice, concise, honest reply.
I have been a fan of the show since it started. I don’t criticize what they do or how they do it because I wasn’t there. A good bit of stuff ends up on the cutting room floor. The show is done to sell advertisement not specifically show people “how to get fit”.
As far as the kbells are concerned…hell that itself can be a rabid community.
Adam Glass said it well on his blog:
http://www.adamtglass.com/2010/01/08/my-complete-thoughts-on-kettlebells-kb-training-and-other-stuff/
Jamie,
Great article and even better response to “moose”. It never ceases to amaze me how much lack of depth there is in this industry. I have seen trainers set their clients back because of their lack of knowledge and impulsiveness to try something new without a fundamental understanding of it.
Are kettlebells great? Sure, in the right hands (pun intended). However, we cannot lose sight that IT’S A PIECE OF METAL. Getting caught up in the technique without being anchored to our principles of function is where we get into a grey area.
Thank you for your diligence. I do not think you were “hatin” on Jillian. She should do her homework. Heck, we all should. Now where did I put my anatomy and physiology book???
Peace,
Will
[...] Jamie Atlas at Fitness Insights laments Jillian’s squandered opportunity to make kettlebells famous by showing they’re properly used. [...]
Have you seen all the recent stuff that has come out? She has a kettlebell DVD and is under a lot more fire now. The LA Times just did a piece on it and someone called her an actress and questioned her credentials. I tend to agree. Your thoughts?
Jillian Michaels has the KB community up in arms! Oh my god! You mean “The WHOLE KB” industry! Holy crap! What is that a whole whopping 10 – 20 people! Get over yourselves. Ohh certified kb trainers are blasting her form. “Certified”, you people make it sound like its a 4 year doctors degree you need to swing a cannon ball with a handle on it. For the love of god get over it!
Anytime a person reaches any level of success they become a target. She’s at the top of her field right now so she’s got a big x on her back. I’m willing to bet half of those “certified” kb instructors (ohhhhh I’m so impressed) don’t look anywhere near the shape she’s in. And if she did give some bad tech advice, like she would be the first professional to make a mistake. Have you ever heard of doctors? Thats the problem with the internet. Anybody can make fancy web page and start a blog and make it look like a legit place for info. When in reality, its just people who aren’t as good and never will be to try have their moment. You go Jillian!
Seems to me these people are the real biggest losers!
Wow Roger – awesome that you are big into Jillian. While I agree she is in awesome shape, you do agree that whats most important is that she understands how to get people in shape and not how to get herself in shape, right?
And you do agree that if someone is going to be swinging on some kind of heavy weight that there are right and wrong ways to do it. And that if you were to act as an authority you should probably do a bit of homework before you go out there talking about what to do. I’m not going to argue that we have all given bad advice without knowing, the mistakes she made could have been avoided with about 5 minutes of research.
Also to your point, I have heard of doctors, and if I was a doctor making a DVD I would make sure I knew what I was talking about before I stepped forward to act as an ‘implied’ authority.
I’m not trying to hate on Jillian, I think the real sad thing here is how low a standard of knowledge we have come to expect from fitness experts.
I’ll go back to my earlier point. Would I rather my mom with her hernia surgeries and high BP work with Jillian or Jamie Atlas.
Drumroll…
Jillian may look good, but Jamie is the ONLY choice for my mom (and he looks pretty damn good too
)
BTW, I’m still trying to get my sis to work with you, she is stubborn and poor…but one day!
Happy THanksgiving.
Ryan
Thanks Ryan
have a great turkey day matey 