Fitness PR Division

The front page of Abercrombie and Fitch's web site is seen Friday, Oct. 6, 2006, in New York. Researchers say that body image is not just an issue for women and media images can have adverse effects on male self-esteem also.

That guy in the Abercrombie & Fitch ad doesn't have a head, but does it really matter? His upper body is as sculpted as Michelangelo's David - all chiseled muscle, washboard abs and not a follicle of chest hair.

You don't just see him in the provocative ads for Abercrombie, the youth-oriented clothing chain: On billboards and in magazines everywhere, it seems, there's a male Adonis - buff, sleek, hairless. Like that famous 500-year-old statue, it's nice to look at. But how does it make the average guy feel?

If you have ever been one to make that New Year’s resolution to lose weight and head right over to your local gym on January 2nd (or really any time of the year), you may know about the steps a good gym puts into place to customize your workout to achieve maximum results. Now there is an improvement on this customization called Functional Fitness to tailor make a fitness program specifically designed to help you incorporate it into your life, whether it is at the gym or a Saturday at home.

A while back I had joined Bally’s Total Fitness and a personal trainer went over my fitness and weight loss goals with me and designed a plan that I would follow each time I came in to work out; 2 miles around the track, 12 shoulder press repetitions, 12 leg curl repetitions and so on. While the program helped me focus on what I needed to do at each workout once I walked through the door, it certainly was difficult to apply on the days I was not in the gym. This is where Functional Fitness steps in and has made the individualized fitness program even better.

From PRWeb: Today, SPORTSMITH, the nation’s largest supplier of fitness equipment parts and personal training products, announced the addition of Rubber Coated Kettlebells to their product line up for the 2007 spring fitness season. Kettlebells and Kettlebell Training have a long and rich international history beginning in Russia. In the early 1900’s Kettlebells became the training tool of choice for early bodybuilders and strongmen. Now Kettlebell competitions are becoming a major sport throughout the world as the popularity of Kettlebells and Kettlebell Training increases.

SPORTSMITH Kettlebells are the ultimate tool for all-around fitness and cross-training benefits. Kettlebell workouts increase strength, endurance, agility and balance, challenging both the muscular and cardiovascular system with dynamic, total body movements.

"Our goal is to help the health and fitness industries grow and retain their customers by continually looking for the products that help health and fitness clubs grow and retain their customer base by stocking the latest products health and fitness club members need to reach their fitness goals.” Brad Schupp, SPORTSMITH President.

SPORTSMITH Kettlebells are encased in a solid rubber coating to help improve the users grip and help protect fitness facility floors. The kettlebells are extremely durable and available in weights of 8kg/17.6lb, 12kg/26.4lb, 16kg/35.2lb, 20kg/44lb, 24kg/52.8lb, 28kg/61.6lb, 32kg/70.4lb and 40kg/88lb. Traditional non rubber coated Russian Kettlebells are known for ruff ridges on the under side of the grip, resulting in the users hand becoming ruff or callused.

The SPORTSMITH kettlebells are available for order now via the SPORTSMITH website. Visit www.sportsmith.net for more information.

We all lead busy lives and time going to a weight loss meeting could easily be time spent at the gym. Convenience is a hot commodity and with obesity on the rise, more people looking to lose weight and implement a fitness program around their lifestyle are turning to the internet for support and inspiration, and these online programs are capturing the attention of a determined market.

Many states are beginning their own diet and fitness programs and featuring them online for residents to participate in such as INShape Indiana’s 10 in 10 Challenge. Where I live, Blue Cross of Northeastern PA has collaborated with local television affiliates WBRE (NBC) and WYOU (CBS) to create a program called, “The Million Pound Meltdown.” Residents sign up online and follow tips for better eating and fitness habits. By committing to the program, you feel you are part of a collaborative effort to reach the goal of one million pounds lost in the region. The goal is to make you feel like a team player and keep you on track with a diet and fitness plan that is right for you.

Other online programs include Weight Watchers online, e-diets, Changing Shape, Fitness Online and even The Biggest Loser based on the television series. My girlfriend and her husband chose to commit to Weight Watchers online and implemented a fitness routine that included jogging and swimming laps. In 10 months time her husband lost 110 pounds and she lost her goal of 30 pounds. Now that she feels healthy and physically fit, she is training to run a Triathalon this June in Philadelphia through the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Team in Training.

When you think of running, do you envision pushing your body to the limit of exhaustion or even that Boston Marathon winner who is basically crawling across the finish line? Whatever happened to running just as a relaxing way to exercise? Reebok has decided to try to bring back the fun to running with their new Run Easy campaign.

Run Easy is about reminding us that running doesn’t have to be a competitive sport. There was a time when it was deemed exercise that was open to anyone; from running solo on the beach to an enjoyment of social time with a running buddy, running was easy at one point and not something that you had to be competitive at.

One of the Reebok Run Easy ad campaigns states: Run + Puke + Run = Crazy. A little over the top, a little gross when you think about it, but isn’t that the point? Running shouldn’t have to be exercise to push us to our limits, and honestly, it really doesn’t need to be involved in the “No pain no gain” theory of fitness. Running should be fitness that is open to people of all athletic abilities.

This polar opposite approach to the fitness gear industry involves many well known athletes such as Allen Iverson, Vince Young, Chad Johnson and Nicole Vaidisova, among many others.

The main question Reebok asks consumers is, “What are you just doing?” which is obviously a stab and/or take on Nike’s “Just Do It” motto. The campaign began this week with Reebok’s launch of the website GoRunEasy.com and will begin with digital advertising and print ads in select major cities, by the end of the month we will see the commercials beginning to air.

So will it work? Tell us what you think in the comments.

Just as the Leapster gave children fitness for the mind, some of the latest video games for your console have video games geared towards getting your couch potatoes up and moving. One of the most popular being Dance Dance Revolution, which made its way from the arcade into living rooms and now even gym classes across the country.

With child obesity rates rising, it is games like Dance Dance Revolution that can make fitness fun for kids. Schools are taking note of the benefits of incorporating this video game into the gym class curriculum. It gives the children the best of both worlds, incorporating the technology of video games in with physical fitness to keep them active and healthy.

PowerGrid Fitness is another innovator when it comes to video games and fitness. They designed the KiloWatt in 2004, which was very large and very expensive. They have now come out with the Exer-station which is little less expensive than the original KiloWatt and geared towards home use. The Exer-station is a full body video game controller made to work with just about any game. So if you are playing a race car game, the harder you push, the faster your car goes. The Exer-station utilizes their ISOCOR technology, which allows isometric muscle contractions to control computer and video games. While you never have to get up and put any pressure on your joints, you still endure a muscle strengthening work out.

The Sony Playstation EyeToy is another video game component meant to be a fitness-related game. The EyeToy is a camera you attach to your television and Sony Playstation 2 while you use your body to play the games such as Play, which incorporates Kung Fu and dancing; Play2 which has 12 different physical games such as blocking soccer balls and hitting homeruns. There are several other games in the series, all meant to be interactive, fun and worthy of being deemed exercise.

As gaming continues to be part of our culture, it seems only natural to allow the transition from sedentary game play into one that can become part of your child’s daily exercise routine.

I’ll never forget the day several years ago when Curves arrived around the corner from my house. My membership at Bally’s Total Fitness was coming to an end and I was unsure if I wanted to renew it. The advertisement for Curves was intriguing: 30-minute workout, no men, no mirrors, no makeup. The price for membership was about the same as the one I had at Bally’s, but the idea of a convenient workout without worrying about my insecurity over my body in front of men at the gym is what drove me to finally go check out the facility for myself.

Pace is another facility that offers a 30-minute workout on hydraulic equipment otherwise known as circuit training. Pace was the original circuit training center, however, Curves for Women’s star has shown much brighter through all of their advertising campaigns and PR. These 30 minute circuit training fitness centers are becoming very attractive to those of all walks of life, from the business woman with a hectic schedule to the senior looking to keep in shape without a strenuous fitness regimen, Curves and Pace are becoming their fitness clubs of choice.

30-minute fitness centers offer many benefits both mentally and physically. Many women are intimidated by all of the different exercise equipment the typical gym has to offer. With circuit training, there are only approximately 10 pieces of equipment which offer strength training and sustained cardiovascular activity through safe and effective hydraulic resistance. There is no wondering which piece of equipment you need to use for what, you simply begin on one machine and make your way around the circle in 30 second timed intervals. The guesswork is taken out of the equation with a “follow the leader” type workout.

30-minute fitness centers make exercise convenient and easy to fit into a busy schedule. With Curves, there are 10,000 fitness centers worldwide, adding to the convenience of the business traveler looking to stay fit even when on a business trip. While you won’t get that muscle definition or body builder look that you would at gyms like Bally’s and Gold’s, a 30 minute fitness center is ideal for those who are already in shape looking to maintain it and for those looking to lose weight and inches and build stamina in order to divulge in a more rigorous workout at the gym.

With the guilt of holiday over-indulgence, people are pledging weight loss and hitting the gyms. In that spirit I have compiled a list of what everyone in the fitness industry is talking about as the hottest fitness trends for this year:

1. Technology Based Workouts. I've talked a lot about this over the past year. Some posts you may want to review: Garmin's Edge, Expresso Fitness's S2, Star Trac Elite and Video Game Fitness.

2. Express Workouts: Everyone is busy these days, which is why we have been seeing the programs that focus on 30 minute workouts become so successful.

3. Functional Fitness: Fitness programs tailor made to you through everyday activity.

4. Social Networking: Fitness enthusiasts find that there is strength and accountability in numbers. Posts I've written that discuss it are: Fitfiend.com

5. Fusion fitness: Blends of pilates, yoga and tai chi will all be popular. I also think the ever growing franchise of LA Boxing with its kickboxing and mixed martial arts programs will do very well this year.

There are plenty more forecasts for fitness trends floating around, but I would love to hear you give your forecast for fitness trends in the comments.