Get-Fit Guy's Top 10 Fitness Questions and Answers

Back in August of 2010, the OG Get-Fit Guy, Ben Greenfield, wrote an article called Which Exercise Machine Burns the Most Calories? Even back then, the takeaway tips were probably not what the audience was expecting. The answers are rarely (I would even go as far as to say never) as clear cut as “Do X, Y, and Z and you will be fit!”

Instead, in the pursuit of cutting through the hype and fads, the advice in that very first episode was:

If you always walk, try switching to cycling or using the elliptical; or if you always run, try the rowing machine. Keep throwing those cardio curveballs at the body ... Of course, most importantly, have fun when you’re exercising.

So, although the Get-Fit Guy host has changed to yours truly, the messaging hasn’t. If you are not challenging your body, pushing your own boundaries, and—most importantly—having fun doing it, you're missing a large part of getting and remaining fit.

With that in mind let’s dive into the top ten most popular Get-Fit Guy articles and their potentially unexpected takeaway messages.

#1 - Does BODYPUMP Work? The Science Behind the Workout

This surprisingly popular low-weight, high-rep resistance workout claims to have science in its corner. But as we found out, those claims don’t exactly hold up to independent research.

Plus, as the study showed, even the participants who were doing BODYPUMP twice per week for 12 full weeks barely saw any meaningful results.

After going through the science, I concluded that if you enjoy it, and if attending a BODYPUMP class is the one thing that gets you to move more of your body more often, then I think it is fine to do a class once every seven to ten days.

But my concern is that doing a workout as repetitive as this one (some of the classes include more than 800 reps) could cause overuse issues. Plus, as the study showed, even the participants who were doing BODYPUMP twice per week for 12 full weeks barely saw any meaningful results.

All of the evidence I found and experienced led me to conclude that “If I had a rating scale for the risk of injury from 'too much, too soon' with a dash of 'too repetitive,' BODYPUMP might just bump CrossFit out of the top position. Eight-hundred reps are just too many.”

#2 -...

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