"What do you think about BL" article

HealthyChanges2010

Found this interesting, thought I would share, "about.com" has many good articles on fitness, health etc.

http://exercise.about.com/b/2010/01/18/vote-in-this-weeks-poll-what-do-you-think-about-the-biggest-loser.htm


Exercise Blog

By Paige Waehner, About.com Guide to Exercise

Vote in This Week's Poll: What do you think about The Biggest Loser?
Monday January 18, 2010

I confess, I've only watched a few Biggest Loser episodes, but I'm regularly updated by many of my clients, who watch the show with a combination of fascination, inspiration, horror and skepticism. There is something compelling about watching people lose so much weight in a short period of time, but there are also aspects of the show that leave a bad taste in my mouth and I'm not the only one.

Many other trainers and pros in the fitness industry have strong opinions about the show, something Amanda Vogel wrote about in the September 2009 issue of the IDEA Fitness Journal. In "Weighing in on The Biggest Loser," Amanda asked a variety of fitness professionals what they thought about the show. Below is just a snapshot of some of the major issues:

* Overweight and sedentary contestants doing too much too soon. During some scenes, participants were doing things most pros wouldn't dream of doing with beginners, such as plyometrics, sprints and other explosive movements that could easily cause injury if done incorrectly.
* There appears to be no progression based on the principles of exercise, which caution beginners to move slowly through different phases of training to build strength, endurance and conditioning. If you watch the show, you'll see participants being pushed, sometimes well beyond their limits, which may be one reason some contestants have actually collapsed and been rushed to the hospital.
* Safety. Watching some of the shows and seeing some of the bad form and awdward movements, I wondered if contestants were doing a level of exercise they simply weren't ready for. Many pros also worry that viewers may think it's appropriate for a sedentary person to jump into high intensity, high impact exercise without any transition.

These are just a few concerns and I highly recommend Amanda's article for more insight into what the pros think and what the producers on the show say about it.

That said, what about you? Do you watch the show and, if so, what do you think about it? Does it inspire you? Do you think it's dangerous? Do you think it helps the fitness industry or does it hurt? Vote in this week's poll and leave a comment to tell us what you think about The Biggest Loser.

HealthyChanges2010

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