5
Oct

SPARTAN PERFORMANCE                                  CROSSFIT SUFFOLK

 

4 rounds for time of:

400 meter run

15 kettlebell swings

 

 

Observations On The Health and Fitness Scene

By George Demetriou

 

One athlete was asked how she was staying in shape.  "I do something called CrossFit", our athlete replied.

Other woman: "Oh I've heard of that–I was thinking of doing that or Lucille Roberts.  Do they have nice treadmills?"

Our athlete:  "Ugh no…no they don't.  They have barbells, dumbbells, kettlebells, ropes, rings and pull-up bars."

Other woman:  "Oh…oh…umm I'll try Lucille Roberts."

Fat chick on treadmill
Comment:  What is the fascination with paying a load of money to walk on a treadmill?

 

One of our athletes recently spent some time in Atlantic City.  While there, he figured he'd visit the local Bally's to get a quick workout.  The crossfitter looked across the vast space filled with all types of machines and asked the employee behind the counter where the free weights were located?  The Bally's employee looked at the crossfitter as if he asked what the average rainfall is during the winter season in the Amazon?

"Ughgggg…free weights?  There's a small corner in the back with some stuff.  You have to stay in that corner though."

The corner was about 100 square feet with a single bench, an olympic bar, some dumbbells and some metal plates.  The floor was covered with the typical rubber flooring made for gym use.

 The crossfitter decided to do a workout that contained deadlifts.  Shortly after the crossfitter began his workout the Bally's employee frantically ran up to him.

Bally's DB (DB can mean a couple of things–use the one that best works for you):   "Hey, hey, you can't do that."

CrossFitter:  "Do what?"

Bally's DB:  "That thing you're doing there—smashing the bar into the floor."

CrossFitter:  "You mean deadlift."

Bally's DB: "Yes.  You'll damage the floor."

CrossFitter:  "I'll damage the rubber floor?"

Bally's DB: "Yes.  You can't do that here."


Comment:  Imagine a "gym" where the deadlift is unheard of and can't be performed?  Scary, futuristic stuff that nightmares are made of actually happening right in Atalntic City.  Next thing you know someone will come along and institute big box gyms that offer candy, use escalators or install alarms for grunting, dropping weights or the greatest threat to modern society–judging!  Scary, but too far-fetched to actually happen.

 


Escalator at gym

Lunk alarm at PF

 

 

One athlete/ real kettlebell-trainer happened to be in a fitness club watching another trainer teach the kettlebell swing.  The gym member asked the trainer teaching the swing, "What muscles does this work?"

  "The front delts", was the reply.

Comment: Seriously? 

No mention of the core at all.  No abs, lower back, hip flexors, glutes or hamstrings.  The mind is a terrible thing to waste.  Some gyms buy kettlebells to look the part and don't hire trainers that have kettlebell experience or certification.  This is dumb and dangerous. 

Baby-kettlebell

 

One of our athletes went for a follow up visit to the doctor monitoring her gestational diabetes, post partum.  The visit included a consultation by the office's registered dietician.  When the crossfitter walked through the door of the dietician's office she observed a woman, roughly 5'2", with a waist size of approximately 45".  The crossfitter was conservative with her measurement guess.  What really stood out in our athlete's mind was how the fat of the dietician's ankles seem to gather up around the top of the foot and how the fat of her feet were spilling over the sides of her shoes.  The dietician, according to our athlete was probably in her 50s, but she looked like she was in her 60's.  She reminded her of the late Anne Ramsey, the actor from Throw Momma From The Train.  The dietician was shorter and heavier though.

Anne_ramsey

The dietician didin't appear to have a neck, just a large piece of fat, under her chin.  Furthermore, the dietician reeked of cigarette smoke.  As she imparted her dietary wisdom, the dietician weazed and tried to get more oxygen.  She was apparently out of breath from walking about 30 feet. 

Comment:  You don't have to be young and beautiful to offer good diet advice, but it would be nice if an attempt was made to look like you should be taken seriously.  There's so much info regarding diet and nutrition, why doesn't the medical community take a look?  How can doctors not keep up with the latest research?  How can a doctor who is grotesquely out of shape and cigarrette smoking seriously offer any health advice?  If you follow your own nutritional advice shouldn't you be in decent shape?  If you're not in decent shape should you be offering health advice to anyone?

 

Of course I know about diet and nutrition…..I'm a doctor….oh and ask me about my fashion sense!Fat_doctor_pediatrician

Don't forget to check out the comments below.  That's right…click on the word "Comment" and comments will appear before you like magic.  Leave a comment or two if you'd like.  Share your own experience or link….please! 

10 Responses

  1. Totally agree, I have been saying this for years too. at least look the part. Who wants to learn from a gym teacher who looks like they need a gastric bypass surgery. i am not hating them, I am just saying practice what you preach. live what you believe. Then again, ultra sensitive people would call me mean spirited or discriminatory for my comments. well my comments to those people… TAKE PRIDE IN YOUR LIFE, NOT PITY.

  2. Lisa Demetriou

    its the most baffling thing to me..how could the very people who study health care be soo out of shape and out of touch? I know nutrition ,as Im told anyways ,isnt a large part of their trng but tht doessnt mean you shouldnt go out to educate yourself to better a better health care professionals?? Emergency workers are just as bad and from wht I have seen especially the EMT’s, they smoke, are generally very heavy and a lot of them smoke..you see thm at the ambualance entrances smoking with Nurses..yuucck!

  3. George

    Oh….Joe…re: being considered a hater. I understand what you mean and quite frankly, I’m a bit tired of hearing, “Stop hating”, when someone offers criticism, especially facts, about someone or something.
    When did being honest about someone turn into “hating”. Does society really need a “No Judging” sign hanging in a gym? We think not!
    If someone disagrees with me or feels it necessary to “judge” me I don’t take it personally and in most situations I don’t give it much thought. I certainly wouldn’t consider being criticized or judged as “hatred”.
    Hating someone means placing as much emotional investment into a relationship as “loving” someone. I, personally, don’t have the time or energy to do a lot of hating.

  4. Ken

    I thought of something that the man who taught both George and me to shoot handguns said, about people who are said to be great teachers although they are not very good at what it is they teach. If they are such good teachers, why couldn’t they teach themselves?

  5. Indeed George. we live in a theraputic society. “If it doesnt feel good it cant be good.” DISAGREE! grueling workouts dont feel good (excluding the, as i call them “post crossfit workout euphoria trances”); they do not feel good while you are doing them or the next day your soreness hurts too. but they are worth it. like anything worth anything in life “good things dont/shouldnt come easy”.

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