This is what is wrong with the fitness industry
Replies
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I am taking a co-ed boxing class and got these:
I want the guys to think I'm just a soft girl before I smack them in the head with a hook.
I was sad, I already bought my black ones before I realized they had them in pink. :sad:0 -
It cracks me up when people blame certain industries, manufacturers and marketing/advertising for the availability or lack of availability of certain products. Pissed off that there aren't enough pink weights that are above 10lbs? Then start getting large numbers of women in the gym who lift some serious weight. There is no conspiracy to "hold women back" in the fitness industry. There aren't manufactures out there saying "what can we make that people don't want?". Advertising teams aren't saying, "Hmmm, let's create an ad that will humiliate and infuriate our target market.". It's simple, the majority of women out there are buying the lightweight cutesy pink crap, gimmick gear and apparel that is wrapped in a packaging that displays some unrealistic woman having an absolute blast with her pink 2lb kettle bell, matching sport bra in some swanky home gym. If it bothers you, there are two options. One, start your own company producing what YOU think the people want, packaging it with YOU on the box working your buns off and advertise with YOUR own commercial. Hey, maybe you’ll make a million, maybe you’ll go bankrupt in a week. Option two is start slapping the fools who buy this crap and educate them. </rant>
^This^
Pink bells exists because people buy them. 10 lb bells exists because people buy them.People buy them because they see Jillian Michaels (among others) using them/coaching others to use them (and don't get me started on her kettlebell form!). TVs toughest trainer, my foot! Role models like this perpetuate the myth that women shouldn't lift heavy.
Silly bodybuilding courses exists because someone can convince a large number of people that this is the "best way" to train...until the "next great way discovery" comes along, usually written by the author of the previous "way". 75 different flavors of toothpaste exists in the US because people buy them. If you feel insulted by the pink vinyl bells, then select option two above and be ready to get pinched each time you go into any store with a sporting goods section. As I told my sons when they were growing up, "Don't do anything you haven't got bond money for". Poor grammar, but they got the point.
If I had no moral compass and felt it was okay to take millions of dollars from people through not-quite-honest and lowest common denominator advertising, I could come up with the greatest thing since snake oil, find a way around the FDA to market it, and be warming my cold bones in the Bahamas, instead of freezing them today in mid-Michigan. If it gets any colder, I might just chuck my morals...
That rant off my chest, weight is weight; pink vinyl or black cast iron. Lift. Something. Heavy (segue into my next rant)!
A 10 lb weight might be needed when first starting out, but any able bodied human should be able to move past that in short order unless you're doing pinky toe lifts to recover from an injury. My MS stricken wife lifts heavier bells than that! My grandson could deadlift my 53 lb bell when he was 3. Don't let images like the ones posted previously guide you down the wrong path.
And in closing, the way to avoid callouses when using kettlebells has nothing to do with what they are made of. It's all about how you hold them. Chances are the vinyl kettlebell will blister and tear your skin more quickly and certainly than the cast iron one.
That is, if you're not lifting along with a Jillian Michaels video...0 -
i happen to love the color pink as well - so much so that when we started demo on our house, i went out and bought myself a sledgehammer and a can of pink spray paint
no confusing my sledgehammer with my husbands! :bigsmile:0 -
i happen to love the color pink as well - so much so that when we started demo on our house, i went out and bought myself a sledgehammer and a can of pink spray paint
no confusing my sledgehammer with my husbands! :bigsmile:
I wanted a pink toolbox with pink tools. I saw them at Lowe's. They had them in purple too.0 -
The fitness industry has long known that females will spend more money than males on personal self improvement. This is actually how the word "TONED" came about. Rather than saying "weight lifting" (which was associated with building huge muscles with males) "toning" sounded much softer and more feminine and didn't reek of muscularity. This help to create many "toning" programs out there catering to females and yes it's made the fitness industry BILLIONS.
Unfortunately lots of females out there are under the impression that female muscles can grow at the same rate as male muscles and that's why there is so much confusion on how to train. Good thing is that sites like this help to dispell the myths of muscle gain (especially on a calorie deficit) and how hard it actually is to put on pounds of muscle with moderate training.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness industry for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
When I met with the trainer at my gym last week, he wanted to know what I had done previously. After I explained what NROLFW was, he said he didn't know women were supposed to train differently from men. I like that guy! He never used the word "tone", either.
I guess I never got the memo about girls training differently than guys either. But then I never went to the 'fitness centers'. I got into weight training at a sweaty gym owned by a married couple who were both competitive BBs. We all trained together on the same equipment.0 -
when women start painting their nails "dumbbell gray" instead of pink I'm sure the advertisers will respond accordingly.
So.... I paint my fingernails gray on a regular basis. Should I call ****'s and update them about it?0 -
Laugh if you like, but don't let them hear you doing it:
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It cracks me up when people blame certain industries, manufacturers and marketing/advertising for the availability or lack of availability of certain products. Pissed off that there aren't enough pink weights that are above 10lbs? Then start getting large numbers of women in the gym who lift some serious weight. There is no conspiracy to "hold women back" in the fitness industry. There aren't manufactures out there saying "what can we make that people don't want?". Advertising teams aren't saying, "Hmmm, let's create an ad that will humiliate and infuriate our target market.". It's simple, the majority of women out there are buying the lightweight cutesy pink crap, gimmick gear and apparel that is wrapped in a packaging that displays some unrealistic woman having an absolute blast with her pink 2lb kettle bell, matching sport bra in some swanky home gym. If it bothers you, there are two options. One, start your own company producing what YOU think the people want, packaging it with YOU on the box working your buns off and advertise with YOUR own commercial. Hey, maybe you’ll make a million, maybe you’ll go bankrupt in a week. Option two is start slapping the fools who buy this crap and educate them. </rant>
^This^
Pink bells exists because people buy them. 10 lb bells exists because people buy them.People buy them because they see Jillian Michaels (among others) using them/coaching others to use them (and don't get me started on her kettlebell form!). TVs toughest trainer, my foot! Role models like this perpetuate the myth that women shouldn't lift heavy.
Silly bodybuilding courses exists because someone can convince a large number of people that this is the "best way" to train...until the "next great way discovery" comes along, usually written by the author of the previous "way". 75 different flavors of toothpaste exists in the US because people buy them. If you feel insulted by the pink vinyl bells, then select option two above and be ready to get pinched each time you go into any store with a sporting goods section. As I told my sons when they were growing up, "Don't do anything you haven't got bond money for". Poor grammar, but they got the point.
If I had no moral compass and felt it was okay to take millions of dollars from people through not-quite-honest and lowest common denominator advertising, I could come up with the greatest thing since snake oil, find a way around the FDA to market it, and be warming my cold bones in the Bahamas, instead of freezing them today in mid-Michigan. If it gets any colder, I might just chuck my morals...
That rant off my chest, weight is weight; pink vinyl or black cast iron. Lift. Something. Heavy (segue into my next rant)!
A 10 lb weight might be needed when first starting out, but any able bodied human should be able to move past that in short order unless you're doing pinky toe lifts to recover from an injury. My MS stricken wife lifts heavier bells than that! My grandson could deadlift my 53 lb bell when he was 3. Don't let images like the ones posted previously guide you down the wrong path.
And in closing, the way to avoid callouses when using kettlebells has nothing to do with what they are made of. It's all about how you hold them. Chances are the vinyl kettlebell will blister and tear your skin more quickly and certainly than the cast iron one.
That is, if you're not lifting along with a Jillian Michaels video...
There are plenty of ways to stay fit, no? I use my bodyweight, and now that my shoulder is fractured I'm doing quite well with pistol squats. Before I started breaking bones I was climbing trees, doing chin-ups and pull-ups quite easily, planks, doing handstand pushups along with yoga, etc... I'd rather play outside than be in a gym. Just me.
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WANT!Laugh if you like, but don't let them hear you doing it:
I've been begging my husband for a pink S&W .38.0 -
Who wants to tell former heavyweight boxing champion Pinklon Thomas that his trademark pink boxing trunks were obviously made for a girl because of their color?
Anyone?0 -
that woman in the advertisement is PHOTOSHOPPED. nobody has that long arm except apes, monkey, orangutanges and many other animals NOT human. LMAO0
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NROLFW got written for the same reason NROL for Abs and for MidLife did. They can't just leave a good book alone. They have to rewrite it in endless sequels to milk it for every dime. Next will be NROL for Europeans or NROL for Gays.The fitness industry has long known that females will spend more money than males on personal self improvement. This is actually how the word "TONED" came about. Rather than saying "weight lifting" (which was associated with building huge muscles with males) "toning" sounded much softer and more feminine and didn't reek of muscularity. This help to create many "toning" programs out there catering to females and yes it's made the fitness industry BILLIONS.
Unfortunately lots of females out there are under the impression that female muscles can grow at the same rate as male muscles and that's why there is so much confusion on how to train. Good thing is that sites like this help to dispell the myths of muscle gain (especially on a calorie deficit) and how hard it actually is to put on pounds of muscle with moderate training.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness industry for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
When I met with the trainer at my gym last week, he wanted to know what I had done previously. After I explained what NROLFW was, he said he didn't know women were supposed to train differently from men. I like that guy! He never used the word "tone", either.0 -
Pink bells exists because people buy them. 10 lb bells exists because people buy them.People buy them because they see Jillian Michaels (among others) using them/coaching others to use them (and don't get me started on her kettlebell form!). TVs toughest trainer, my foot! Role models like this perpetuate the myth that women shouldn't lift heavy.
Silly bodybuilding courses exists because someone can convince a large number of people that this is the "best way" to train...until the "next great way discovery" comes along, usually written by the author of the previous "way". 75 different flavors of toothpaste exists in the US because people buy them. If you feel insulted by the pink vinyl bells, then select option two above and be ready to get pinched each time you go into any store with a sporting goods section. As I told my sons when they were growing up, "Don't do anything you haven't got bond money for". Poor grammar, but they got the point.
If I had no moral compass and felt it was okay to take millions of dollars from people through not-quite-honest and lowest common denominator advertising, I could come up with the greatest thing since snake oil, find a way around the FDA to market it, and be warming my cold bones in the Bahamas, instead of freezing them today in mid-Michigan. If it gets any colder, I might just chuck my morals...
That rant off my chest, weight is weight; pink vinyl or black cast iron. Lift. Something. Heavy (segue into my next rant)!
A 10 lb weight might be needed when first starting out, but any able bodied human should be able to move past that in short order unless you're doing pinky toe lifts to recover from an injury. My MS stricken wife lifts heavier bells than that! My grandson could deadlift my 53 lb bell when he was 3. Don't let images like the ones posted previously guide you down the wrong path.
And in closing, the way to avoid callouses when using kettlebells has nothing to do with what they are made of. It's all about how you hold them. Chances are the vinyl kettlebell will blister and tear your skin more quickly and certainly than the cast iron one.
That is, if you're not lifting along with a Jillian Michaels video...
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Paying $80 for a $50 sledge because it's pink = dumb *kitten*i happen to love the color pink as well - so much so that when we started demo on our house, i went out and bought myself a sledgehammer and a can of pink spray paint
no confusing my sledgehammer with my husbands! :bigsmile:
Paying $50 for a sledge, $2 for pink spray paint and making your own = Like a Boss!
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Tools designed for women also tend to have smaller handles for our generally smaller hands. My mom has that pink set and she loves it.i happen to love the color pink as well - so much so that when we started demo on our house, i went out and bought myself a sledgehammer and a can of pink spray paint
no confusing my sledgehammer with my husbands! :bigsmile:
I wanted a pink toolbox with pink tools. I saw them at Lowe's. They had them in purple too.0 -
yay for pink lol0
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That color pink reminds me of Pepto Bismal. No thanks
I never liked it even as a kid. I do like ballerina pink (even now).that woman in the advertisement is PHOTOSHOPPED. nobody has that long arm except apes, monkey, orangutanges and many other animals NOT human. LMAO
Hey! My arms are monkey-like My legs are long for my body, too. I think I was supposed to be several inches taller and stunted my torso growth with gymnastics (or something). Why yes my fingers nearly go to my knees, lol. I could donate to poor Matthew Mcconaughey! 0 -
I snapped this shot at a local ****'s Sporting Goods. This was the heaviest of the "pretty" kettlebells clearly being marketed to women, and the lightest of the one's being marketed neutrally (or to men for that matter). Yes, they are the same exact weight.
Additionally, here's the model used in the marketing campagin:
The woman has absolutely ZERO muscle. That has to be the first time she even though about lifting a kettlebell. And is it just me, or are those arms a bit to Gumby-like to be natural? For her sake, I hope there is some photoshop occurring....
Are you on a calorie deficit, it sounds like it lol.0 -
I guess I'm a monkey, my arms are halfway down my thighs. Long legs for my height too. lol0
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"Are you on a calorie deficit, it sounds like it lol."
I think she's just jealous of thin women.
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"Are you on a calorie deficit, it sounds like it lol."
I think she's just jealous of thin women.
Hardly. I'm thin myself. Being as skinny as that model is easy. I'm much more jealous of fitness models. That's a look that takes work.0 -
The photo on the kettlebell ad is definitely Photoshopped. She's taller than a full-sized window and if she opened her hands she could touch the ceiling...0
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Is that 10 pounds or kilos?0
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Tagging to read later0
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Ok a lot of peoples’ comments in this thread are ridiculous, but this one takes the effing cake.It cracks me up when people blame certain industries, manufacturers and marketing/advertising for the availability or lack of availability of certain products. Pissed off that there aren't enough pink weights that are above 10lbs? Then start getting large numbers of women in the gym who lift some serious weight. There is no conspiracy to "hold women back" in the fitness industry. There aren't manufactures out there saying "what can we make that people don't want?". Advertising teams aren't saying, "Hmmm, let's create an ad that will humiliate and infuriate our target market.". It's simple, the majority of women out there are buying the lightweight cutesy pink crap, gimmick gear and apparel that is wrapped in a packaging that displays some unrealistic woman having an absolute blast with her pink 2lb kettle bell, matching sport bra in some swanky home gym. If it bothers you, there are two options. One, start your own company producing what YOU think the people want, packaging it with YOU on the box working your buns off and advertise with YOUR own commercial. Hey, maybe you’ll make a million, maybe you’ll go bankrupt in a week. Option two is start slapping the fools who buy this crap and educate them. </rant>
No. Pissed off that as a female, I am expected to use oversized pink 10lb kettlebells? Yes in-f*cking-deed I am. OP said that that was the HIGHEST weight they went to. And somehow, nobody has said ANYTHING about the size variation between the male and female 10lb kettlebell. Apparently, its totally cool to make the female version 4x bigger because, like, ew, as if you would want to get ‘bulky’ by lifting anything heavier than a handbag.Pissed off that there aren't enough pink weights that are above 10lbs?
Bulldust. Just google ‘how to tone up without bulking up’ and your page will be flooded with advice for how women can tone up without gaining muscle mass. Some examples:“There is no conspiracy to "hold women back" in the fitness industry”
“You want to slim and tone, so you're eating right and working out. But how can you slim and tone while avoiding gaining muscle weight?” http://www.fitday.com/fitness-articles/fitness/toning/slim-and-tone-without-gaining-muscle-weight.html
“One of the main concerns that women have when they begin to weight train is the fear of getting too big and looking too manly.” http://christinasfitness.com/fitness/how-to-tone-up-without-bulking-up/
And HUNDREDS MORE. All female-centric. I have never, ever seen a male ask how he can tone up without gaining muscle mass. Why does this obsession exist? It’s become a self-perpetuating myth. Programs like NROL4W are trying to break through the barriers, but its going to take a lot of time to get there.
Its called social conditioning. Why does pink = feminine? Because it’s been shoved down our throats for the last 50 years. Anything with a female target base is cutesy pink. And we are expected to gravitate towards that.t's simple, the majority of women out there are buying the lightweight cutesy pink crap, gimmick gear and apparel that is wrapped in a packaging that displays some unrealistic woman having an absolute blast with her pink 2lb kettle bell, matching sport bra in some swanky home gym0 -
I just can't believe nobody gives a damn about this. It is essentially saying that men's absolute minimum is women's absolute maximum. It's infuriating! The problem isn't the colour, its the mentality behind the entire thing.
This was the heaviest of the "pretty" kettlebells clearly being marketed to women, and the lightest of the one's being marketed neutrally (or to men for that matter). Yes, they are the same exact weight.0 -
In defence of bright colours- In uni I had a (male) friend who would use yellow, pink and purple highlighters on his assignment sheets. He was a psych student and was using the positive colours to make the negative activity feel less negative.
I thought it was rubbish until I realised how much better I felt when using my bright purple and yellow handweights. (Admittedly, I only use them during ad breaks to work while I'm on the couch, and when I go to the gym I use the same gun metal and black as everyone else).
While I think its rubbish that the pink option only runs till 10 pounds(/kilos?), and the bad photoshopping on the model shows a worrying preoccupation with being very thin, and impossibly long limbed, I have no issue with products that are more aesthetically pleasing.0 -
What happens if a man chooses to buy the pink one?
I just can't believe nobody gives a damn about this. It is essentially saying that men's absolute minimum is women's absolute maximum. It's infuriating! The problem isn't the colour, its the mentality behind the entire thing.
This was the heaviest of the "pretty" kettlebells clearly being marketed to women, and the lightest of the one's being marketed neutrally (or to men for that matter). Yes, they are the same exact weight.0 -
they are breaking their social conditioning and will be frowned upon by society for picking small girly weights. duh.
What happens if a man chooses to buy the pink one?
I just can't believe nobody gives a damn about this. It is essentially saying that men's absolute minimum is women's absolute maximum. It's infuriating! The problem isn't the colour, its the mentality behind the entire thing.0 -
I just can't believe nobody gives a damn about this. It is essentially saying that men's absolute minimum is women's absolute maximum. It's infuriating! The problem isn't the colour, its the mentality behind the entire thing.
This was the heaviest of the "pretty" kettlebells clearly being marketed to women, and the lightest of the one's being marketed neutrally (or to men for that matter). Yes, they are the same exact weight.
Except the gray one doesn't say anywhere on it that it's for men. They're both 10 pounds, and one is pink. That's all the picture shows. The only sexism apparent in this picture is one that is created by bored people who have a pathological need to get bent out of shape over nothing at all.0
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