Video: Don’t fall victim to the fake gym membership!

In a follow up to an earlier post, this time The Real Hustle demonstrates how the scam artists get people on the street to give out their bank account information in exchange for a gym membership – to a fitness center that will never exist! For more education, visit their YouTube page.

Technorati Tags: BBC, Gym, Membership, Hustle, Hustlers, Scams, The Real Hustle, Thiefs, TV, Video, YouTube

Video: American Gladiators on Family Feud in 1994

Richard Dawson returned to the Family Feud after a nine year absence for a special week of charity shows. In this full episode the American Gladiator men (Saber, Nitro, Laser, and Hawk) are playing against the American Gladiator women (Sky, Ice, Zap (mad sexy), and Panther):

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Technorati Tags: American Gladiators, Family Feud, Gladiators, Richard Dawson, TV, Awesome

Video: Ellen Degerenes’ appearance on American Gladiators

Here’s links to clips from the second season of Ellen, Ellen Degeneres’ 1994-1998 sitcom, that features her character appearing on American Gladiators. Ellen dates Nitro after trying out for the show in this episode. Appearances by Hawk, Nitro and Ice. Here’s a longer synopsis:

Ellen tags along with Adam when he goes to try out for “American Gladiators”, but the only way she can get into the arena is if she tries out. So she does. Unfortunately for Adam’s dreams, Ellen makes the cut and he doesn’t. As they are leaving, Ellen is approached by Nitro, who proceeds to ask Ellen on a date. She says “yes”, even though Nitro isn’t really her type.

After they go out a couple of times, he dumps Ellen, claiming there was no chemistry. When Ellen arrives for her competition, Ice (Nitro’s female equivalent) makes fun of Ellen because Nitro dumped her and because Ellen is a scrawny little thing. This taunting makes Ellen angry, and when the two women square off in the pugil-stick competition, Ellen lets Ice have it.

Watch part 1 on YouTube | Watch part 2 on YouTube | Watch part 3 on YouTube

Technorati Tags: American Gladiators, Ellen, Ellen Degeneres, Gladiators, TV, YouTube, Awesome

Video: Don’t get ripped off in the locker room!

The BBC Three program The Real Hustle educates viewers about how hustlers, scam artists, thiefs and swindlers do their dirty deeds. In this episode they demonstrates a simple way for a thief to help their self to your valuables, which you thought you had safely locked up in the locker room cabinets. For more education, visit their YouTube page.

Technorati Tags: BBC, Gym, Hustle, Hustlers, Locker Room, Locks, Scams, The Real Hustle, Thiefs, TV, Video, YouTube

NBC Holds Open Casting Calls For New ‘American Gladiators’

Open casting calls for American Gladiators to take place in Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Miami and Dallis starting Saturday, September 8 according to an NBC press release from September 6, 2007:

NBC is bringing back the classic competition series “American Gladiators” and will be auditioning both contenders and gladiators for the upcoming season beginning Saturday, Sept. 8 in Los Angeles before moving onto four additional cities around the U.S including New York, Chicago, Miami and Dallas.

The show’s contenders are “weekend warriors” who have excelled and take pride in their level of fitness and want to test their physical ability in the Gladiator Arena. The “gladiators” are a charismatic and eclectic group of warriors who are ready to take down our everyday challengers with hard knocks and explosive attitudes.

As in the traditional “American Gladiators” franchise, the everyday athletes compete against the professionals in physically challenging contests. Classic events such as the joust, The Wall, Hang Tough and the Eliminator will be played in front of an arena filled with thousands of rabid spectators.

Open castings will be held at the following locations:

• LOS ANGELES, CA Saturday, September 8
  9:00am 5:00pm
  Gold’s Gym
  360 Hampton Drive
  Venice, CA 90291
• BROOKLYN, NY Saturday, September 15
  10:00am 3:00pm
  PAERDEGAT ATHLETIC CLUB
  Sports Field
  1510 Paerdegat Ave. N
  Brooklyn, NY 11236
• CHICAGO, IL Sunday, September 16
  9:00am 5:00pm
  Windy City Fieldhouse
  2367 W. Logan Blvd.
  Chicago, IL 60647
• MIAMI, FL Saturday, September 22
  10:00am 3:00pm
  The Ice Palace Film Studios
  STAGE 1
  1400 North Miami Ave
  Miami, Florida 33136
• DALLAS, TX Saturday, September 22
  10:00am 6:00pm
  ARLINGTON COURTS
  2500 E. Mayfield Rd.
  Arlington, TX 76014

All contestants must come dressed in workout attire and appropriate footwear to be considered. They will be tested on physical ability in areas such as strength, speed, balance and agility. We recommend bringing a workout towel and water with you to the audition. All contestants must be at least 18 years of age and a legal US resident.

• Please bring a non-returnable photo of yourself along with a completed application to the open call.
• Open Call Lines will begin forming 2 hours before the start time. Please do not line up prior to that.
• Time is limited and there is no guarantee that everyone will be seen-so please arrive early.

Viewers unable to attend the casting call but still want to be considered can log onto www.nbc.com/casting, and click “American Gladiators” to apply.

Technorati Tags: American Gladiators, Gladiators, TV, NBC, Awesome

Video: Max Weinbergs’ unusual lockerroom behaviour at the gym

Saturday Night Live’s Will Forte visits Late Night with Conan O’Brien to talk about his new film, The Brothers Solomon. But first he tells us about one persons unusual behavior in the men’s locker room at the NBC gym. Band leader Max Weinberg blow dries his nuts!

Technorati Tags: Conan, Conan O’Brien, Late Night, NBC, Max Weinberg, Gym, Locker Room, Will Forte, SNL, Saturday Night Live, Video, YouTube

Video: European Commission and UEFA promotes physical activity

Yesterday the European Commission and the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) kicked off football season with a campaign promoting physical activity. From the press release:

The advert encourages viewers to get out of their armchairs and be physically active, using the slogan “Go on, get out of your armchair’. Millions of Europeans are expected to view the advert, as it will be screened free of charge during the half-time break of this season’s televised Champions League football games.

EU Health Commissioner Markos Kyprianou said: “Europeans are eating too much and exercising too little, which explains why more than half of European adults are overweight or obese. Through this TV advertising campaign we aim to help viewers better understand the importance of physical exercise in living healthier lives and encourage them to introduce physical activity in their daily routines.”

In related news a Danish pilot project has shown that regular football practice is much more successful at boosting fitness than regular jogging. The blog Conditioning Research (publishes summaries of scientific research on fitness, strength, diet and performance) explains the effects of interval training:

I have put up a few posts about the benefits of interval training – short intense intervals of work separated by rest periods. I’ve also mentioned some problems with respect to the standard prescription for aerobic exercise of long slow endurance type training / “cardio”.

The researchers examined the effect of training on a football team, comparing their performance to a group who were just jogging. The sport – the power law application with high intensity work and lots of low intensity stuff too – led to improvements in insulin sensitivity, balance, muscle mass and body composition.

Technorati Tags: Advertising, EU, European Commission, European Union, Exercise, Health, Fitness, Obesity, Video, YouTube

American Gladiators about to return to take names, kick asses

Variety.com reports that NBC is about to bring back American Gladiators for a new generation of TV viewers. At least six episodes are expected, depending on the popularity:

NBC is getting into the ring with “American Gladiators,” which has been revived by the Peacock for mid season.

The competition skein — which featured players with names like Nitro, Turbo and Laser in its campy, early ’90s syndie incarnation — will be updated for the 21st century with new technology and twists.

Even more focus will be on the contenders, their back stories and their training:

Contestants, both male and female, will also be extremely fit but as an added bonus, will also have the chance to train for the match, displaying their physicality, coordination and cunning to viewers in advance of the competition.

Each challenger will also have a unique story to tell — and a compelling reason why they need to win. These unsung heroes combine brawn and heart in their effort to be worthy competitors, which the audience can cheer for against the villainous gladiators.

Interested in becoming a Contender or a Gladiator? NBC is accepting applications.

American Gladiators became a worldwide phenomenon and besides an international edition locally produced series became successes in Denmark, Finland, Nigeria, South Africa, Sweden and United Kingdom. In Sweden the series ran for five seasons in 2000-2004. The set used was actually the UK set, which was transported to Sweden…

Technorati Tags: American Gladiators, Gladiators, TV, NBC, Awesome

SHREDDED.TV – Bodybuilding movies on demand

Australia’s GMV Bodybuilding har the largest selection of bodybuilding movies on DVD. Their new venture with UK’s Globalfibre.tv enables you to rent streaming titles from GMV. They also plan to offer selected movies from other producers. 500 titles is planned by the end of the 3rd year, yikes!

SHREDDED.TV is a new joint venture between GMV and Globalfibre.tv presenting the world’s first internet TV station devoted exclusively to bodybuilding and fitness. This website is like a TV station on the internet and features both professional and amateur athletes. It will also include contests from around the world. Shredded.tv is not a video download site, it is a streaming media internet TV station.

Also note that all the people involved in this project either currently is or has been a competitive bodybuilder. A guarantee for a dedication to the hardcore soul of bodybuilding…

Video: Advertisment for weightlifting – Can you do that?

USA Weightlifting promotes itself and its activities with a funny tv commercial, that will run 25 times on CSTV (College Sports TV, Wikipedia article).

According to the comments on Youtube the lady who cleans the bar is Natalie Woolfolk (profile at Washington Post), the USA Weightlifting National Champion aims to compete in the 2008 Olympic Games. The weights are props, so instead of 145 kilograms, the bar “only” weighs 46 kilograms…

Via Fitsugar.com

Phil Pfister, World’s Strongest Man, appeared on The Late Show With David Letterman

This Thursday, firefighter and 2006 World’s Strongest Man, Phil Pfister, 35, appeared on The Late Show With David Letterman. Phil got to show his strength by flipping a car in front of Letterman’s studio. Phil is the first American to win this competition since Bill Kazmaier in 1982, ending a 24 year drought:

“Bill Kazmaier, a Wisconsin native who now lives in Alabama, was the last American to own the title, winning from 1980 to 1982. Kazmaier watched Pfister’s performance and called Saturday “one of the greatest days of my life, without a doubt.”

“I’ve watched him 10 years now develop and gain strength, both in body, mind and spirit,” Kazmaier said Tuesday. “It couldn’t have happened to a better man.”

In an interview prior to the Late Show event with Charleston Daily Mail Pfister was unsure if he was to be interviewed inside the studio (he wasn’t) by Letterman:

“In one sense it’s very exciting, but in another it’s potentially disappointing that I may or may not sit in the studio,” he said. “I’d prefer to sit down and have a reasonable conversation with whoever’s show I am on. I’d rather be a person than a spectacle.”

Pfister plans on competing at the Arnold Classic Strongman during Arnold Sports Festival, during Arnold Fitness Weekend in February in Columbus, Ohio. Next year he also hopes to defend his World’s Strongest Man title. The 6-foot-6, 325-pound Charleston firefighter was back at work three days after winning the 10-day competition in Sanya, China…

The contest will be broadcast on ESPN2 on Dec. 23, in a six-hour marathon from 6:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. American Strongman Corporation has more recent updates about Phil Pfister.

Become America’s Next Fitness Star

ExerciseTV is holding auditions for a new show called America’s Next Fitness Star, where you can launch yourself into fitness fame, and receive a one-year paid contract with ExerciseTV to appear in an original series. Entering the contest can be done August 1st – November 30th, 2006:

“Calling all trainers, fitness instructors and health gurus, I’m looking for the next generation of fitness stars. Think you’re the most exciting and motivating fitness talent in America? Think you have the personality to inspire millions to get in shape? Then you could be America’s Next Fitness Star! ExerciseTV presents a nationwide search to launch one innovative instructor into fitness fame.”

ExerciseTV is a television network dedicated to fitness, motivation and sports training and is designed exclusively for video-on-demand (VOD) and emerging media platforms. ExerciseTV was developed by Comcast and Jake Steinfeld of Body by Jake.

Hat tip: The Eye of FitSights

Arnold Classic on Outdoor Life Network in August 2006

Arnold Sports Festival Newsletter tells us (update: OLN has resheduled the broadcast of the Arnold Classic. It is not being presented as announced. We will let you know the new dates when they are announced.):

Beginning Saturday, August 5 at 3:30 p.m. Monday, August 7 3:00 p.m., Outdoor Life Network (OLN), the home of the world’s greatest sporting events broadcast to more than 69 million homes nationwide – will televise the Arnold Classic Semi-Finals and the Arnold Classic Finals from Columbus, Ohio’s legendary Veterans Memorial stage.

The Arnold Classic – the Mecca for professional bodybuilders – showcases the greatest physiques in men’s bodybuilding. Some of the sport’s biggest names including Lee Haney and Tom Platz have said that their decision to compete as bodybuilders was inspired from first sitting in the back row at the Arnold Classic. Each went on to become champions in the sport and of the Classic.

The Arnold Classic – the elite event in men’s bodybuilding – features top competitors who have endured years of grueling training to be honored with an invitation to this annual competition and the chance to win the richest purse in men’s bodybuilding.”

You can sign up here for email show reminders from OLN.

TV: Reality-TV series about LA gym makes it’s debut

On Wednesday July 19 Work Out, a six-episode series detailing the weighty dramas and conflicts at an elite Beverly Hills gym debuted on Bravo. Starting Tuesday, July 25, WORK OUT will move to its regular timeslot at 9 pm (8 central). Quote from the episode guide on TV.com:

“Jackie Warner, owner of Sky Sport & Spa, is determined to be the best in the competitive fitness industry in Los Angeles. Jackie has pulled together an elite team of trainers to attract an A-list clientele to her exclusive gym. But tough bodies and strong personalities lead to conflict among the staff. And Jackie, already under pressure trying to run a successful business, gets more pressure from her tempestuous girlfriend, Mimi.”

If you missed an episode, AfterEllen.com has ambitious recaps of everything happening in episode 1, episode 2, episode 3, episode 4, episode 5, and episode 6 (season finale)…

You can also download the show on iTunes: episode one (101) is free, and episode two (102), episode three (103) and episode 4 (104) can be downloaded for $1.99 each.

One fact that hasn’t (so far) come up on the show is that the (current?) co-owner of Sky Sport & Spa is none other than Jillian Michaels, trainer on “The Biggest Looser”:

“Sky Sport and Spa co-owner Jillian Michaels is best known as the strength trainer and life coach for the Red Team on NBC’s hit series “The Biggest Loser”. As a motivator and role model, Michaels has a unique connection with her audience that stems from her own personal journey for wellness.”

Jillian’s daily newsletter with weight-loss and fitness tips is one of the most grounded and motivating newsletter I’ve come across. Sign up, it’s free!

Entertainment journalist Lydia Marcus writes about the party Bravo had for the release of “Work Out” at I Candy Lounge in West Hollywood:

“I got to hang out a bit with the star of the party, Jackie, who was super-sweet and approachable — not the snarling, tough-ass trainer I’d expected after watching those promo spots. Jackie was attired head to toe in black, and wore a distressed racer back tank top, shorts and motorcycle boots. She emphatically noted that those boots weren’t just for show: Not only does she ride, but Harley Davidson recently gave her a $10,000 bike and will feature her in a print ad campaign.”

The high-profile blog “Livin’ La Vida Low-Carb” has Exclusive Bravo ‘Work Out’ Videos & Giveaways:

“As an EXCLUSIVE just for the readers of the “Livin’ La Vida Low-Carb” blog, Bravo has offered two videos clips featuring exercise advice from two of the trainers appearing on “Work Out.” As promised last week, I have some exclusive limited edition “Work Out” merchandise to give away to THREE LUCKY WINNERS this week!”

Not one to mince words, TC Luoma of Testosterone Nation, goes head on with the type of personal trainers he sees on “Work Out” in an article called ‘Kill the Personal Trainers!‘. TC mentions that he once was a (bad) personal trainer himself, but that he evolved by continuing to read and learn:

“But that’s where I was different. Most personal trainers today, once they get their joke of a certificate from some lame organization, don’t read anything outside Muscle and Fitness. They remain lame brains. They remain sucky!

They don’t chart their clients’ progress. The workouts are entirely arbitrary. They spend most of the time working their clients’ freaking core when their clients would be better off learning how to squat.”

Jackie Warner has been profiled several times before for the series debut, here are a few interviews and profiles:

AfterEllen.com: The Sky’s the Limit for Jackie Warner:
“The star of Bravo’s Work Out discusses fitness, her girlfriend, Mimi, and why being gay has helped her succeed.”

The Advocate: Power lesbian:
“Jackie Warner, owner of Beverly Hills gym Sky Sport and Spa, is blazing trails as the out lesbian star of Work Out, Bravo’s hot new reality show.”

The New York Times: Sex and the Gym: ‘Work Out’ and the Gaying of Bravo: [Requires login]
“Personal trainers are the new dental hygienists: health professionals who prattle on about how they spent their weekend while their clients are under physical duress and most vulnerable.”

AfterElton.com interviews the senior personal trainer at Sky Sport & Spa, Doug Blasdell (one of the more grounded persons on the show), in an article called “Work Out’s Openly Gay Role Model“:

“At forty-three years of age, Doug Blasdell may be the oldest trainer working at Sky Sport and Spa, the setting of Bravo’s latest entry into the reality show sweeps, but it’s the younger trainers who work to keep up with him. AfterElton.com recently had the opportunity to talk with him about the kind of role model he wants to be, the sexual tension permeating the gym, and which trainer got fired from the show. “

Another personal trainer at Sky Sport & Spa, Brian Peeler, is profiled by a local newspaper:

Charlotte.com: Salisbury native competes with other trainers in ‘Work Out’:
“Salisbury native Brian Peeler is one of seven personal trainers vying to be the best at the Sky Sport and Spa in Beverly Hills, Calif. The trainers were chosen from around the country to work for Jackie Warner, the whip-cracking spa owner and trainer whose life is being documented on Bravo’s new show “Work Out.”