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Seven Silly Fitness Fads 7-10-08
From strippercise to circus-trapeze aerobics, gyms and fitness gurus keep
coming up with new ways to make working out less of a chore. But though these
whimsical classes and instructional DVDs can reinvigorate your gym routine, some
of the glitziest (and goofiest) new trends can also put you at risk for sprained
ankles, pulled muscles and overexertion. And some don't even give you much of a
workout.
Here are seven of the silliest fitness fads—with the lowdown on whether or not
they really chisel and tone. (For other workout tips, check out our earlier
story on "Six of the Worst Ways to Work Out.")
1. Weighted Hula Hooping. Maybe it was the 50th anniversary last month,
or maybe it's the buzz over the new Wii Fit version, but Hula Hooping, the
backyard mainstay from the 1950s, is back—and a whole lot heavier. National gym
chains like Bally Total Fitness now offer hooping classes to kids and seniors
alike, with weighted Hula Hoops that participants wheel around their
outstretched limbs and torso.
Will the toy-based hybrid of strength and cardio give you the toned curves of
Beyonce, who says she hoops to stay svelte? "The unweighted, traditional ones
definitely work your core, and you can actually get the cardio system up," says
Jim White, certified fitness trainer and spokesman for the American Dietetic
Association (ADA). "I would recommend staying with the normal ones—with the
weighted [hoops], beginners could pull a muscle."
The verdict: If you can do it, join the hoopligans. But avoid weighted
hoops if you're new, and be advised of the gender divide—White says women are
far more likely to be able to hoop well than men.
2. Strippercise. Toned celebrities like Kate Hudson and Carmen Electra
started shilling this female-only fad five years ago, boasting both body and
boudoir benefits from sensual "aerobic striptease" classes. Several variations
caught on—pole-dancing classes, chair-centered lap-dance routines and floor
exercises (the latter a Pilates-like workout that involves a combination of ab-stimulating
moves and seductive hair-tossing). Let's forget the existential questions about
whether pretending to be a stripper is empowering or degrading, can it get you
in shape? "When my girlfriend first said she was going, I was kind of
concerned," laughs the ADA's Jim White. "But it really increases your
confidence, and you get a great workout."
However, those with weak ankles or shy spirits, beware: strapping on the
eight-inch-heeled exotic-dance platforms that some classes use can result in
serious injury, says Dr. Cedric Bryant, chief science officer for the American
Council on Exercise. "The stiletto heels ... don't really put the foot and ankle
in the most advantageous position," says Bryant. "It's part of the shtick, but
purely from the biomedical standpoint, you really want to exercise caution."
The verdict: Sure, it's fun, but it's probably better as a novelty
activity at bachelorette parties and group outings than something for dedicated
gym rats.
3. The Bodyblade . Take the long, swordlike plastic bar, hoist it
overhead and shake vigorously for a trunk-targeted workout that supposedly
causes up to 270 muscle contractions per minute, giving you washboard abs and
ropey shoulders that are rounded, not chiseled. The device uses physics as its
premise: once set into motion, the oscillating bar must be stopped by your
effort to overcome its inertia. That straining is the workout. Though it's
making the rounds as the "new" thing, Bryant says Bodyblade-like bars have been
around in physical therapy practices for years. "It helps you challenge the
neuromuscular system—how the nerves communicate with the muscles, and relearning
that process," he says. What if you're just looking for core stability? White,
who's never tried the Bodyblade, says he has one client who bought into the
trend—for a while. "To be honest, I think she used it for about a month and then
moved on," he says.
The verdict: Can be good for physical therapy but otherwise a fickle fad.
If you don't mind looking like an idiot, and not knowing how many calories it
burns (the makers disclose no numbers, saying it's "difficult to calculate"),
give it a spin.
4. Cirque du Soleil-Inspired "Aerial Aerobics." The breathtaking stunts
of the world's best-known circus acrobatics troupe first inspired workouts at
trendy gyms like Crunch and Equinox and have now spawned "aerial fitness
studios" where you tone up by defying gravity. The premise of "fabric aerobics"
is simple: just shimmy to the top of a cloth lanyard, wrap it around your feet
and hang, limbs dangling. Sounds easy, right? Maybe not: "They told me it was
Pilates but with hanging hammock things," says my colleague Jessica Bennett, who
tried it, "but you seriously had to be an acrobat." The bare-minimum skill level
for a workout like this—the class is called "Fabric" at Crunch—might be good
enough to get you into the circus.
The verdict: The greatest of ease? Yeah, right. "It can backfire from the
standpoint that you feel really inadequate," Bryant says—and who needs one more
reason not to exercise?
5. Wind-Relieving Asana . Thought fiber was the only natural remedy for
expelling excess gas? Think again: this series of yoga postures assumed in
asana-based classes assists air in exiting your digestive tract—in a room full
of people. The motions involve lying flat on your back and pulling your left,
right or both knees into your tensed stomach, squeezing out the stale air or, in
instructor's lingo, engaging your abdominal region to assist with elimination.
The poses are also said to enhance supine strength and flexibility, making them
optimal for those with both bad backs and Metamucil in their pantries (read: old
people). "It could certainly be helpful with some individuals in terms of
[their] low backs," says Bryant. "But the whole flatulence aspect—I'm not so
sure that there's a great deal of physiological support for that being a need."
The verdict: Group flatu-fitness? We'll pass. Comment: You'll
always want to be in the front row of this yoga class!
6. Wii Fit Ski-Jump. Some of the applications for Nintendo's latest
gee-whiz gadget are gathering a cultlike following for their fitness-is-fun
virtual workouts, all centered on a floor pad that senses your movement. The
"Two-Person Run" lets you jog around a lush digital island, for example, without
leaving your living room, and White says it's very popular with his clients. But
others, like "Ski Jumping," require extra vigilance to get the full fitness
payoff—meaning, holding the poses for the right amount of time and managing your
breath correctly. Marked as a balance-improver, the ski jump requires the jumper
to remain in a slight squat position for a few seconds before quickly
straightening up. But White says: slow your release in any squat to get the
toning payoff. "Make sure you're not holding your breath, and hold the release
for anywhere from four to five seconds," he says. The other requirements?
Ponying up the $90 for the Fit (plus about $250 for the Wii console).
The verdict: Wii workouts can be virtually sweat-free, but hold it right,
and you could improve your rear view. Click here to watch NEWSWEEK's Brian
Braiker give Wii fit a whirl.
7. Dorm Room Workouts . College-geared fitness guides like "Dorm Room
Diet Workout," by Daphne Oz (daughter of oft-quoted health guru Dr. Mehmet Oz)
say the freshman 15 is an elective, not a requirement—and with just 20 minutes
of milling around your 9-by-10-foot room, you can stave off the creeping pudge.
But when just about every college in America has a gym, why do pushups under a
backpack of textbooks? Lack of time, says Oz, whose 20-minute fitness DVD shows
a series of room-based stretches and leg lifts that profess to be a shortcut to
a toned physique.
But by itself, it's not enough, says Bryant. A Cornell study of college diets
suggests that freshman gain over a third of a pound per week during their first
semester—meaning a calorie intake that commercial-break chair dips alone won't
cancel out. "You can't spot reduce, and everything has to be combined—cardio,
weight training and the proper diet," says White. "That's the bottom line with
respect to all of these fads—it comes down to hard work."
The verdict: 20 minutes alone in your room won't justify pizza and
beer—or win you lasting college memories. But when combined with other healthy
habits, it earns high marks.