Why are we Anti Diets But Swear But Fad Workouts????

The fad exercises I am wary of are the ones where you buy an expensive piece of equipment which lies dormant after a few weeks (at best)
or exercise plans which are not tailored for the person correctly causing injury.

Fad exercises like these are everywhere, even in gyms and suck up your money.

If you work out at home or the gym that is not a fad in itself. It's what you do that's important.

Please don't get defensive about things which you really know the OP is not talking about.

I think anything that gets you moving is NOT a fad.

This!!!!

I think the point is how these forums are loaded with fad diet bashing and curiously asks why the same standards are not applied to workout programs that could be perceived as fads because those who follow/participate in/endorse them act similarly to those who believe strongly in their favorite diet.
Its a valid point
The examples chosen were probably not the greatest.

My personal opinion is that the best method is to find whatever works for YOU, that makes YOU happy and gets YOU the results YOU are looking for and DO IT!

I have done Insanity and I agree it is not something you would do lifelong. However, it is something to give you that boost of confidence of "if I can do this, then I can do a any workout" and also a boost in endurance to do what ever it is you would like to. Shortly after Insanity I began to run and I feel Insanity has totally helped my running.

Fad diets and dad workouts are really two different things, However if you go for weird exercise stuff like wrapping yourself in saran wrap to exercise then you have a point.

Exercise, any movement that gets your heart rate up is awesome. Fad diets are not nutritionally balanced and not sustainable.

You can't compare fad diets with what you call "fad exercise"

You can't live without food. You can live without exercise.

What about fad meats like chicken and turkey! See what I did there? Just cause you can add "fad" infront of something doesn't make it so.

:laugh:

First of all, let me say that I'm VERY critical of Beachbody, the corporate monolith in the exercise world, and all they stand for. I think they are MUCH more interested in clever marketing and grubbing for money from their customers than they are in anyone's health and fitness. I do just fine with free videos and programs from the Internet. In fact, I've gotten into much better shape and lost more weight in the past year that way than I did during the year I went to the gym at least 3 times a week. So I am not by any stretch of the imagination an apologist or shill for these video exercise program packages.

Having said that, my wife has gotten FANTASTIC results from a combination of several of Chalene Johnson’s workouts, Insanity/Asylum, and P90X. Much better than she got from a year of “busting her behind in the gym 3, 4, or more days a week,” most of that time with the help of a personal trainer. Your entire post is based on false premises. These workouts are in no way the equivalent of fad diets, they can be sustained over a long period of time, and while using them you also “don’t have to work about running out of levels on the videos.”

They are not the same because fad diets tend to be very unhealthy and usually based on focusing on one thing to the exclusion of everything else: Eat nothing but bananas and water for 7 days. Have Special K cereal for 2 meals every day. Replace 2 meals with some kind of shake. Eat no carbs. And so on. But these programs are actually quite well rounded. Most people go into the gym and do the same thing every day—often because they don’t know what else to do. These video programs tell you what to do and how to do it. One day you’re working cardio and speed. Another you’re building strength. Another you’re stretching and/or doing yoga to improve your flexibility. Then some workouts focus on endurance. These programs are not unhealthy; they are actually far healthier than what average people would come up with on their own.

As I said, my wife has been following these programs for over a year. And many of these programs are based on the types of workouts done by professional athletes, who do these exercises for their entire careers (and often beyond). So I don’t know why you think they can’t be sustained; what, exactly are you basing that on? And how are they different from a program you come up with at a gym? If my program says to do push-ups, dead lifts, and rows in my living room, why is that not sustainable, but doing the same thing in the gym (according to your statement) easily sustainable? This doesn’t even make sense.

As for “running out of levels,” again, I don’t see the difference between these programs and what you do or could do in a gym. If you reach the point where what you are doing is maxed out, you increase the weight or resistance or push a little harder to get in a few more reps. It doesn’t matter if you are following P90X or a program you got from a book or a plan from your personal trainer or something you came up with on your own at the gym. In fact, one could argue that you are less likely to “run out of levels” with the programs than you are on your own. Have you maxed out what you can do with Insanity? Then get Asylum or Asylum II. Have you maxed out what you can on the training circuit at your local gym? Well, if that’s all you know, you’re kind of screwed.

As I said, I would never say that everyone should run out and buy these programs. They’re not for everyone and I think there are plenty of other options available if you fall into this category. But if the programs are working for someone, I say more power to them and keep up the good work.

PS Sorry for the long post, but I really felt that this topic justified it.

I shudder at the idea of a "diet." I would much rather people make changes in their eating habits that they can stick with long-term - that is ultimately easier and safer than going with any sort of fad diet.

I don't swear off fad workouts as much, especially those of higher intensity - I can definitely say that I got my kick from P90X (yeah, I ultimately haven't stayed on it non-stop, but would be a far from impossible task). While I did jump on the fad of P90X, I learned how to really push myself from it, and that plus my commitment to eat better has really made over my whole body.

Long story short.. my opinion, fad diets suck, fad workouts are all right. Long term sustainable dietary and activity changes are ultimately the best.

I'm opposed to both. Pick something sustainable and moderate, people.