Does SOCIAL MEDIA even know what FITNESS is?

Bit of a rant on social media's idea of what is fit and healthy and also details of Hyrox, my new sporting challenge for January 😁💪🏃🏻‍♂️
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[@karstencollins6966]

"When I was a kid, bodybuilding was bodybuilding, it wasn't regarded as the peak manifestation of health and fitness". Absolutely spot on.

[@TheLily97232]

When I said to people that you don't need that much of muscles and abs to be healthy, people got mad

[@incurableromantic4006]

True enough. I've recently got into body-building in my late 30s and I'm loving it. But I'm very clear that ultimately I'm training to look good and also get some solid long-term health benefits from reduced fat and stronger musculature. It's not a training regime for outstanding athletics performance, and I'm OK with that. Happy to leave doing 2 hour marathons to the skinny boys and girls who have made that their priority.

[@syasyaishavingfun]

Yeah bodybuilding is certainly not healthy. Weightlifting is great, but bodybuilding is not.

[@karstencollins6966]

@@syasyaishavingfun Recreational bodybuilding (without the use of drugs or stepping on stage) is actually quite healthy, it's just not appealing to people as it takes a shitload of work for minimal results compared to pro bodybuilders.

[@Leonhart_93]

@@syasyaishavingfun You are thinking about drugs. Otherwise there is nothing unhealthy about it, you just life weights and eat food in a systematic way.

[@christins.1481]

As one fitness coach stated. "Going hardcore isn't how many reps you can do at one time. Or how heavy you're lifting is. It's going for a walk everyday. Or the 80-year-old woman who's been swimming everyday for the past 30 years. That's hard core."

[@saldiamond]

I'm saving this as a reminder for myself when I get too caught up on stats. Thank you 😊

[@christins.1481]

@canthemum The definition of Hardcore: •The most active, committed, or strict members of a group or movement. •Highly committed in one's support for or dedication to something. There is nothing that states going hardcore means until you burnout. Hardcore means dedication, like there are hardcore fans because they are dedicated. Going hardcore means you are strictly dedicated. So the 80-year-old woman who has been swimming everyday for the past 30 is hardcore.

[@incurableromantic4006]

That's a great insight. Consistency over time beats intensity in the short term every time.

[@johanrg70]

Yeah, hardcore is consistency.

[@Magnulus76]

Exactly right. According to Dr. Stephen Seiler, a leading sports and exercise physiologist, consistency is fundamental to physical fitness. It beats out volume or intensity. Lack of consistency is the single biggest obstacle most people have to meeting physical fitness goals.

[@neversaw]

This version of "fitness" is creating so much body disphoria and eating disorders in men. I'm looking into it for my psychology thesis because i keep finding men bringing their secret suffering to me full of shame and it's like you are an above average athlete but the look of an (edited and facetuned) instagram posed photo is derailing their self value it's awful

[@tylerrose4416]

Exactly. This has frustrated me for a long ass time. There is so much support when it comes to women’s bodies, but men get criticized heavily if they don’t maintain shredded abs all the time. It’s ridiculous

[@ClaireEmilia]

@@tylerrose4416 I don’t know in what world you live in, but men impose those high standards on themselves. I, as well as numerous other women, do like some muscle mass on a guy but he really does not need to be shredded. Actually, I once touched an extremely shredded guy and it felt weird to me

[@tylerrose4416]

@@ClaireEmilia I did not say that a certain group of people imposed that on men. Just the fact that many men go through life thinking that the masculine look is being muscular is extremely damaging. If someone likes you because you have abs and bicep veins, they are not your friend

[@sumswaggaming]

@@ClaireEmilia its not so much as women that impose the standards, rather its society as a whole. the point of this conversation is that the fitness world view is skewed as to what a fit person and realistic standards are for each individual; not for what women find sexy or desire a man to look like. believe it or not, womens opinions arent the only one that get upholded.

[@thelourensfamily8048]

@@ClaireEmilia How is that any different from women imposing insane beauty standards on each other? Which we do. It still sucks and is bad for mental health. There's absolutely no difference so I don't understand why you brought it up

[@saintuk70]

Social Media & Fitness..... ring light, posing, selfies, thingy spandex wearables, zero sweating, and yeah WTF.... you're absolutely spot on, people need to see and wake up to more of this.

[@dislikebutton7834]

You forgot steroids

[@clarkkent1253]

@@dislikebutton7834 I AM ON STEROIDS AND EVEN I CANNOT COMPETE WITH PHTOTSHOP

[@dionysusnow]

Every time I see a reflection of one of those ring lights I think, yup narcissist.

[@Mikey__R]

And a Gymshark sponsorship. You can't be a KZbin fitness influencer if you're wearing Adidas.

[@fenzelian]

“50% of fitness is lighting, and the other 50% is the light filter on Instagram.” - Dom Mazetti.

[@machism.a]

This really hits the nail on the head. A big turning point for my relationship with my body was someone telling me to focus on all the things your body can DO as a measure of fitness rather than the way your body LOOKS. Focusing on building strength, running faster, running longer made me much happier and fitter than focusing on getting abs.

[@sumswaggaming]

yup! thats the tried and true way to think about it, i can do 20+ pullups straight but i look nowhere near a "IG fitness model"

[@hawaiiangunner]

Ok..... I think it just depends on what you are going for. A bodybuilder is not the same as a powerlifter. If your focus is on looking good and helping other people look good that's totally different then Pure Fitness. The problem is when people substitute one for the other. One is not better than the other oh, it's just where your focus lies.

[@machism.a]

@@hawaiiangunner sure but I was talking about my experience 👍

[@hawaiiangunner]

@@machism.a I come from both worlds. I'm 50 now. In my younger days, I Was a state record holder in Olympic lifting, boxer then mma. These are all about performance not looks. Now that my body has been destroyed I can no longer perform anywhere near at the level I was. So now I just focus in on looks. Because that's all I'm capable of doing. I'm just happy when I see people exercising at all. Whether it's for looks or for fitness I'm just glad to see people getting up off of the couch and doing something. I see way too many Bonbon and Pringle Warriors.

[@fakeFeetus]

My coming to this was when I was 1o working in a corrections/rehab facility where handling violent altercations was a constant occurrence. I quickly learned that I didn't need to be bigger or "stronger" ... I needed to be faster, more flexible and have a bottomless gas tank. I used to take my clients to the in house gym twice a week, just so I coukd track their gains and modify my own accordingly but the high point was listening to the young tuff guys mock me for benching so little. Meanwhile the clients who had been in it with me a few times would stfu and chuckle.

[@rhidiandavies1991]

Bodybuilding, or at least the idea of being "jacked", "swole", "shredded" etc got me into exercise in general as a 17 year old. What really shook me was when my cousin, who wasn't even into fitness, invited me out for a 5k run and I almost died. I felt absolutely pathetic and moreover idiotic that I'd fooled myself into thinking I had any athletic ability just because I'd put on a few kilos of muscle. After that I found crossfit and, say what you will about the culty-ness of it and some of the less well thought out exercises, it was in general great for in terms of shifting my goals from looking a certain way to actual athletic ability. I don't do crossfit anymore but I've kept that mindset of blending strength training, traditional cardio, and hiit, with actual sports, hikes up mountains open water swims etc. Much more enjoyable and life affirming lifestyle if you ask me and definitely much better for your health and longevity.

[@emmao1232]

I thought this was going in a different direction when I read "crossfit"

[@duckymomo7935]

It depends on fitness Let’s put bodybuilding to the side You can have endurance or strength as a measure of fitness. Some are both.

[@vikramkoppikar4677]

That's very similar to my fitness tale

[@rhidiandavies1991]

​@@duckymomo7935very true, but what about agility? Speed / power? Even flexibility? There are loads of measures of fitness so to me real athleticism/fitness is about having a good blend of all of them, even if you excel in some more than others. My main point was just that bodybuilding and fitness modelling, aren't about actually improving your body in any of the parameters of fitness, it's purely about aesthetics, which is fine but isn't actual fitness, and I don't think it's a healthy mindset in the same way that trying to get super skinny isn't either.

[@andrewshaver5800]

I ran for a few miles with a 70 year old man from Saskatchewan in the Buffalo Marathon some years ago, but he left me around mile 20 and ended up besting me by 10-15 minutes. And that was my marathon PR. It's uplifting and inspiring to see people who, in your mind, shouldn't be ahead of you getting after it like that.

[@Joghurt2499]

My grumbly math teacher with type 1 diabetes ran an ironman at 62. That was an experience, left for two weeks to Hawaii and came back with amazing stories about an exotic place halfway across the globe and him doing not too bad. I still see him out running, biking or swimming whenever I'm home, almost 10 years later. Absolutely inspiring.

[@tekrunner987]

I'm a skinny dude who's run a few ultras with over 6000m of elevation gain. My feelings about the english-speaking "fitness" world are pretty much the same as what's expressed in the video. I think that bodybuilding and weightlifting are entirely respectable activities (except for the drugs, almost no other sport normalizes them nearly as much, for good reason), which are good for health when done reasonably, but I just don't like them being equated to fitness. It becomes especially ridiculous with guys who get so big that they can barely do anything without getting out of breath. How can you possibly be considered fit when your heart can barely pump enough blood through your body to keep it functional?

[@Philipp-pz6yh]

they don't even have to do anything to get out of breath....many of them have sleep apnea

[@Arrica101]

Sleep apnea and being out of breath from extremely minor exercise are 2 very different things

[@luxinvictus9018]

thing is: those who get that big ARE the ones on the PEDs ('drugs'). The body is not such a flawed mechanism, and a natural bodybuilder or weight lifter (who did not take drugs or over-optimise the diet) would naturally end up fit, never reaching unnatural proportions or putting unnatural strain on the body. Most people who lift weights, also do cardio 1-3 times a week. Not the same as a professional runner, but most weight lifters are athletic, even the 'big' ones. As they say, it all comes down to what a person's goals are. Some people just want to look good. The majority (like me) just want to be strong and fit, and not be fat. A few, such as yourself, are the ones who train for *specific* things. Like you train for running, and some of the big guys train to compete in power lifting or body building competitions, while yet more will train for various sports etc.

[@AwesomeLifeguard]

how much can your heart pump when its pulling 1.25x of your own body weight? (Which isn't intermediate level at all).

[@THOMASCOLTON1]

Also many long distance runners with zero muscle that look emaciated and can't lift for shit.

[@bryanhawkins9418]

Great video! I’m 33, I’ve been lifting weights and other general exercise since I was 15. I’m naturally a pretty skinny dude, however through lifting and proper dieting I put on some significant muscle mass. However I never focused on being fit. Just bigger, always just bigger. It’s not until now, at 33, am I focused on my range of motion, endurance, flexibility and a general healthy feeling body. I wish I would have been on this path since day one.

[@onepunchbud1472]

As an Ironman i never understood why people just train for looks. Being actually fit feels amazing. So many guys are bulky as f and cannot even get a larger stair up without running out of breath 😳 Kinda pathetic

[@gaminikokawalage7124]

Well the grass is always greener on the other side. If you did go that route from day 1, maybe you'd regret not being as big as possible. But that said, assuming you're natural, it's not hard to reach your max in terms of muscle mass while maintaining a respectable level of fitness in other areas

[@pun15h3r.]

lol im kinda similar.. but also not.. im 34 now and have lifted since 10 years.. im also a bit on the bulkier side, to say it nice xD got good muscles but im a little to high in bodyfat.. i always wanted to look like arnie as he said in the video lol, always get bigger.. now im also more into the calisthenics and flexi and beeing fit. yeah mate some things would have been good to know decades ago, but at least we know it now. better late than never, right!? ;) keep on grinding ;)

[@beevie4081]

For some reason, I have always retained the four components of fitness from my grade school curriculum: Muscular strength Muscular endurance Cardiovascular Flexibility It's probably several decades out of date by now, but these categories still help keep fitness influencers in perspective. Muscle size doesn't make it on the list, though of course it is correlated with a few components.

[@Sabrina-wt6bc]

Yes!!! Love this video “that’s a girl meltdown” 😂 I needed this video, reminds me that more than half the shit online is fake!! I will never look like that I have had 4 kids and was pretty active for a long time until I felt so overwhelmed by the unachievable… currently trying to get out of my year long funk, slowly but surely pulling my head out of my ass lol so thank u for this video!! Love the shirt by the way!!

[@sumswaggaming]

oh its way more than half of it lmfao almost all of it is fake

[@fighterinmkiwiscience3517]

Say whatever you want but all things are not fake because when you see those girls in real life they really look good and beautiful because of their genetics and training

[@marick791]

@@fighterinmkiwiscience3517 most are airbrushed or using filters

[@fighterinmkiwiscience3517]

@@marick791i am talking about real life

[@austinado16]

First of all Sabrina, THANKS for being a mom!! And 4 kids, wow!! That takes courage, and a laundry-list of other adverbs. My suggestion; stop looking at the filtered, photo-shopped, posers...forever...and build the body, and the level of fitness that YOU want. Figure out how to make it fun, silly, and challenging, and your brain will keep being rewarded, and keep wanting to go have more fun. Take your time so that it's all very feasible, comes at a good pace, and you don't get injured, especially early on. Mark's methods here; pushing, re-evaluating, having a lot of fun, wrecking himself, dialing it back, doing fun/silly/crazy/ridiculous stuff, signing up for events and pushing towards them, is really just about the best example of how to do this. He doesn't take himself seriously, but he does. He's willing to crash-and-burn. He makes it all fun and challenging. He gives no f*cks about what others are doing (as seen in this vid). Side note: the example you will set for your kids, will be very impactful!

[@MarkLewisfitness]

I'm all for admiring great physiques...but when did that become "fitness" in the eyes of anyone starting out? Am I just too old and moany? 🤣 EDIT: And stop asking where the T shirt is from - Jen buys them for December, I have no idea 🎄 😂

[@gruensein]

No, I also find this notion of "fitness" being basically a term to describe people who look good very irritating. As you said: If those Instagram people were faced with any actual sport - be it running, swimming, cycling, martial arts, anything involving a ball, hell.. even gymnastics - they'd get smoked by all the skinny (or skinnier at least) athletes whose job doesn't involve shaving their chests.

[@saulsarry]

Completely agree. I think the word used to be more tied to cardiovascular capacity, whereas now it covers anyone who lifts a weight but nothing else

[@visjenl]

Maybe a little bit, but i get where your coming from. Social media is more of a popularity contest then to actually do something. The same could be said about "life hacks" or other channels that show DIY, nothing you will actually do but great to look at. For me the older i get the more i look for actual depth and not that shallow (that's why i stumbled upon your channel).

[@GaelyneGasson]

Thank you for nailing it with your rant! I'm a 60yr old woman that enjoys strength training and rowing. The only women I see on Instagram in the fitness category are as you described and I always back away and feel kind of embarrassed. Not for myself but for these beautiful women who are selling themselves for likes, advertising and the like. I use and post to Instagram too but just for fun or to share that I did this on the rower or did a workout when my brain wanted me to eat cheeseburgers. And if there's a product or service I actually like, I'll sometimes give them a recommendation. Not for any other reason than I liked their stuff or service. I also post cute cat photos and what new thing I've learned how to cook. I'm not super strong, I have freaking balance issues and walk with a walker or cane. But I love my home gym and it's probably saved my life many times over. Thank you for saying what I've been thinking for so long. It's now January and I don't know if you've done the Hydrox yet but boy does it look A) INTERESTING and B) Tough! I hope you did/do well! So cool to see Concept 2 rowing and ski ergs in the mix. Cheers!

[@ondineteschen901]

My trainer has said the worst thing for the fitness industry are fitness magazines for both men and women. I think he'd agree social media is right there too.

[@giodc8599]

Magazines are not really effective anymore i guess. Instagram is such a short lived but powerful tool to drill the "you gotta look like this to be cool" mantra to anyone that buys into it that it's amazing how people end up thinking that a bodybuilder on substances is actually healthy and that anyone else that works out for any other discipline and has a different body is not cool at all.

[@gutsfiend6678]

yeah social media is literally magazines on steroids, “pop” information and heavy reliance on visuals and sponsorship

[@marbaca]

Well said! I’m 57 and when i was in my 20s and 30s i looked up to the older men that were still fit and at the gym. Now I am the older guy and have had young guys say they want to be like me when they are my age. Take what social media says with a grain of salt! I admire and respect what you said and i know after a good bloody rant i feel better….do you feel better now? I thought you were ones of these fly by night guys on here that thinks they are the next fitness god but i can see your down to earth and use common sense. I have subscribed to your channel now. Looking forward to seeing and hearing more.

[@wtxohnthao2612]

When I was still in highschool, all my friends were saying we should start lifting. I went to the route of cardio and endurance. And whenever it came to every exercise tests in Gym class (Push-up, sit-up, crunches,pull-up, sprints, 1 mile run, and rope climb), I've either maxed it out or comparable score with the jocks. I didn't look athletic, fit and muscular like the jocks, but I was on par with them.

[@cr0wsnest]

Thanks for this rant. I'm not very aesthetically pleasing and what irks me is when ppl get MAD at me in the gym for crushing it but not looking ""fit"", because they come in to film and show off compared to a "lazy unfit big person" and then get embarrassed. It didn't happen as much when i started in the gym but the lookie-lucy types have somehow increased soo much in the past few years

[@Ravenousyouth]

I hear you ! I naturally have a short torso and long arms ... so weird looking , no abs . But I can run 20km non stop and do 5 pull ups with only finger tips (I'm a girl girl) People are surprised when I kick their asses at the gym

[@john6922]

Sooo true! I've always loved weights, from starting training for rugby and now for balance, longevity and the harder jobs in the garden! As a farmers son, finess was being able to do 10hrs hard work then get up and do it day after day. But physique was an outcome not a target. In my 40s did a few tough ultras and 5x Tough Guy, always beaten by the fitter and tougher old lady, heavy bloke, skinny old man, etc, etc. Real fitness does not have an instagram pose!

[@ZKTheGreat]

I had this unhealthy expectation for almost a decade. I'm 30 now and I've realized that kind of body isn't possible for me no matter how much I hit the gym. I fell for all the natty bodybuilding motivating me to be like them and get "healthy aka jacked". Then one by one they all turned out to be on Juice. Even hodgetwins were on juice. So now I focus on actual health and fitness. Social media is to blame for all of this.

[@alexfinlay5162]

They are all on steroids. All of them.

[@d7valle549]

Thank you for commenting on that theme, I think nowadays socialmedia pushes the definition of fitnes in the wrong direction and we should try to steer the definition of fitness in a healthy direction again! Thank you for your nice and content, I'am exited on upcoming content! Greetings from Germany

[@Trancefreak12]

As a track follower, I couldn't help watching Jake Paul's Challenger Games a few years ago out of morbid curiosity. What I found extremely ironic was that there were plenty of "fitness influencers" participating, yet they struggled to do something as simple as running around a track. They had no fitness at all.

[@Carftymk]

thank you. i'm also tired of couch potatoes thinking they are the epitome of fitness for having a round bottom or a 6pack despite awful performance or cyclists being called "weak" for not having huge arms despite 5w/kg FTP

[@YabbaDadADo]

So true and also worth noting that there is no snobbery in cycling either!

[@Carftymk]

@@YabbaDadADo cycling is extremely snobbish, elitist and toxic to noobs. i love it

[@YabbaDadADo]

@@Carftymk I'm surprised you had the strength in your arms to type such a long response :)

[@Carftymk]

@@YabbaDadADo im some sort of a miracle cyclist, my arms are somehow bigger than average

[@YabbaDadADo]

@@Carftymk Both arms? Be honest now!

[@kattypatty8581]

100% agree. I also find it wierd that so many feel like foods other than meat have no purpose in a human diet. I'm no vegan, but I would be in a sorry state if I didn't eat vegetables.

[@Reckoning2943]

Funnily enough, the pandemic pushed me on the running and feeling fit route. Before that, I was another “social media fit” person too and after dropping some excessive muscle mass on my legs and being able to run faster and longer now, I am still coming to terms with how unfit I just was before the pandemic.

[@markwhitton8785]

Fully agree with your sentiment re: social media fitness. Majority are full of lies, particularly the guys trying to sell their fitness programs without fessing up to their own look having been substantially aided by "supplements".

[@Coondawgwoopwoop]

I needed this today. Tomorrow I add running backing in. Running is life.

[@LL-rb8wd]

I like your content dude. I'm 43 and got into fitness 18 months ago, and for a good portion of that time I've been wading through all the fitness bs to try and make sense of it all. So grateful I'm now finding some real shit to inspire me. Cheers 😊

[@ChrisProuse]

That was a refreshing take on it. Coming from the Ironman side of things, I accidentally bumped into one of the founding members who originally franchised a number of the Ironman events, who told me (before the pandemic) that Ironman was on the decline because there were too many other events where people could get their "epic selfie" at, without nearly as much training or hard work. That always struck me. But I think it's true... people more often than not just want to look epic these days. As a sidetone, I ran 400km in October, and just before the end of the month decided to squeeze in an additional 100km ultra because I thought if you could do one without any training, then surely I could... and had a blast! So thanks! :)

[@katarishigusimokirochepona6611]

Is this a slam at Tough Mudder? 😆

[@onepalproductions]

“No man has the right to be an amateur in the matter of physical training. It is a shame for a man to grow old without seeing the beauty and strength of which his body is capable.” ― Socrates

[@TheWisdom3]

Overcome your shadow, and get out of your cave! - Plato (Probably)

[@macbruce7562]

Nowadays, fitness is scaring away men from doing cardio because they’ll ‘lose muscle’ and look like a marathon runner when they should workout to look like a sprinter. Ignoring that form will usually follow function, (elite long distance runners, sprinters, cyclists, swimmers tend to have similar physiques suited to their sport). It’s the male version of when females were scared of lifting weights and getting bulky. I highly suggest that everyone take up a sport/hobby to compete and stay fit. Instead of taking another picture under downlighting, do something with your body.

[@ARMANDMCGEE]

One thing to add to your rant is that most of these influencers are young. It’s easy for them to look like that already without much effort.

[@GuanXiaoSoul]

I loved this, sportsmanship is beautiful, I feel the same when an older person runs past me, humbles right the f* down. And running is for the heart 💓. Also I genuinely think there is less of this obsession in the UK, it's very much so an american thing.

[@lindsaylavallee5012]

Thanks … that was a darn fine rant !!! I also agree with you on “what is fitness” now .. Find something that gets you moving and enjoy it ….

[@stackbundles848]

the youtube aesthetics rabbit hole is deep and easy to get lost in. would much rather be well-rounded & mobile with a mean engine. great message here, keep up the good fight for team tall & muscular!

[@douglasherron7534]

Love you videos Mark. Daley Thompson was one of my athletic heroes too! Fully understand the "woman beating me" type thing, however, had two experiences that resolved that... (1) As an 18 or 19 y.o. I turned up for the local "Plum Pudding Plod" (10K run on Boxing Day) to find Liz Lynch / McColgan lining up with us for the gun... it was the last time I saw her! (2) In my late-20's I used to do the FNB/Investec marathons in Jo'burg, South Africa (ultra-marathon courses run by teams of amateurs). Was through 2K in under 4:30 (it was mostly down hill) but then had to watch as a young woman pulled away from me on a brutal 1K uphill slog about one and a half k's from the end of our 7.4K leg.... Humbling.

[@TheDawnofVanlife]

Thank you for this video. I am far from the fittest person out there, but ever since I started on my fitness journey people have been trying to sell me on how I can ‘lose weight without exercise’ and then looking horrified when I say ‘But I like exercise’. I won’t be winning any marathons soon, but I spin/cycle (indoor) 3 times a week and lift a couple times a week always proud of any little progress I see where I went a bit faster or further or lifted more then last week. I am proud of that. But whenever I post about it on social media it’s like ‘but if you use this (insert shortcut) you’ll lose weight faster’. I totally want to lose weight, but I also actually want to be fit. When I see fit (not skinny) fit women I am like ‘that’s cool, I wanna run like her or cycle like her or lift like her.’ Not do lame poses in a skinny body that still gets winded running uphill.

[@Ignore14]

Everybody is focused on the end result of "getting lean" without focusing on the good, healthy habits that get them there in the first place.

[@LokkesBoerlin]

You’re so right! KZbin fitness is such a dangerous rabbit hole which can so distort what our fitness goals should be. I’m starting now to pivot towards a mindset where I want to be happy, healthy, strong and flexible, and able to pursue the sport I enjoy without worrying about new muscle mass or how much extra calories I have to slam down.

[@rewild6134]

You won my subscription today. Great video mate.

[@DarenC]

You are spot on! Also, extra kudos for getting Daley Thompson and Brian Jacks in there :D

[@MarkLewisfitness]

I am single handily keeping 80’s fitness alive and well 😂😂

[@madfrosty5228]

I hear you sir , Half of the people in my local gym are on the naughty juice , it’s so easy to obtain these days. Looks are everything now .

[@AO-wg3pt]

Thank you. That’s all I have to say. Thank you!!!!!

[@FreeLancerLondon]

Totally get your message in this video. There are lots of people giving inspirational advice on running and fitness on KZbin, like ThisMessyHappy and Ben is running. So lots of good stuff out there for proper fitness. I can't help but think that Men's Health magazine has contributed to this six pack obsessed generation.

[@MarkLewisfitness]

Completely. Their face book posts are some of the worst going. It’s like they deliberately post stuff that’s complete none just to encourage comments, even if it’s people telling them they are idiots and calling themselves Men’s health is a joke!

[@FreeLancerLondon]

@@MarkLewisfitness I'm not a fan of social media. I'm the wrong generation, I guess. It's a shame as the magazine started off giving us good on advice on staying in shape. I don't think the Arnie or Sly films helped much either. Luckily plenty of good coaching out there 👍. Best of luck with your upcoming races.

[@fahim113]

A very important rant! Neck was hurting from agreeing so much. I was beaten by a 13 year old girl on a local hill last week. Hated it but not if my kid did the same, I'd be proud.

[@andershedenbjorklager5002]

I agree fully - thanks for making this rant!

[@robws007]

Great "get off my lawn!" rant LOL 100% agree ;-)

[@AndrewPawley11]

" ... after a good hour of looking at Instagram pictures of women in micro bikinis and running in thongs ... "

[@SierraTherapy]

Yup, esthetics is not fitness. But with regards to fitness the question really is fitness for what. Running Ironmans is quite different than fitness for a 100 IM in the pool, or a volleyball. Fitness for a police officer is different than for fitness of a mountain climber. Last year I made over 70 videos for YT to help people get started and the viewership is low, why? because what people like to see is hot girls by a long mile; men with muscles 💪 but far less than the hot girls, personal “fitness” inspirational journeys, and or extreme activity. Just so ya know I do have a degree in Kinesiology along with Physical Therapy and have been working in orthopedics for more than 25 years. I tell you this because It’s near impossible to find people who want to actually want to learn anything about concepts of training or work on techniques. Or Perhaps my content just outright sucks, no worries but I see same issue for others that are genuinely trying to make a high quality informed videos. I see lots of video shorts by therapists too that are frankly awful, but the goal is not information it’s views. Popular Social media boils down to Maslov’s deficiency needs. Social media with its abundance of T and A / and body building physique has indeed made performance fitness secondary to the performance of looks

[@ryand4533]

Things are not “better now” the 80s were amazing. Today everyone is an over grown child.

[@ebebebeb7283]

This is so true! Every time I look up women's fitness content on youtube, all i find is weight loss content and body transformations. I DON'T WANT TO LOSE WEIGHT! I JUST WANT TO RUN!

[@mrtinboy75]

Wow Mark thank you! I am a 46 year old dad who a couple years ago started training again after 20 years. Being out of shape I went online and was overhelm by the information. It actually made it harder for me to train since I was constantly stressed out about how I should train and if I was doing the right sets, eating correct. I was a runner before I got kids but when I started training again all videos said "no running. You won't lose fat, it will lost your muscle building" etc. Having GAD (general anxiety disorder) it was hard to process all this information and left my not running and feeling like I was doing the correct thing at the gym. Seeing this video made me get my old runners shoes on and tomorrow I be at the gym just lifting weights knowing it's good for me. Thank you again!

[@goodfitfitness2341]

As a real fitness enthusiasts, trying to become an 'influencer' has negatively affected my actual training.i spend at least 1 'workout' per week just trying to make content and ignoring my actual training program. Trying to compete with these influencers is super hard because you're just drowning in a sea of sex appeal.

[@exkalibur297]

Nice choice with Hyrox, i heard about it last year as well, and as a bigger Athlete (1,92m, 100KG) was very interested in it and did compete in november in the normal MEN category. My goal was to get under 1:30 and i did a 1:19, so i was pretty satisfied with that result. One advise, try the sled push, if you are able to, because after that , my legs were destroyed and run times got significantly slower after that. Another heartrate peaker with our weight and height is obviously the burpee broad jump part, which you should be slow and steady with. But anyways, you are a way better runner than me and I believe you will crush this event, so good luck, I'mreally looking forward to see you there =)

[@MarkLewisfitness]

Getting excited now! I have a training day booked at a hyrox partner gym in a couple of weeks so will get to play on all the gear then!

[@kenlennon]

Your comments are so true Mark. If anyone wants to see an alternative to media fitness look no further than "Tommy Hughes". He has just completed the Manchester marathon 2022 in approximately 02:30 hrs at the age if 62. He ran with the elite runners all the way to the finishing line. Unfortunately, like me, the commentators didn't seem to know who he was. An Inspirational look at fitness. See him run the Manchester Marathon 2022 on youtube. Ps, and you can forget all that good running form stuff in this case!

[@notmyrealname6272]

Good luck with the challenges! Brilliant fun. :-0

[@ugofatcat]

This is such a great video. I use KZbin to look up certain workouts, like yoga or back pain or how to do a pistol squat. I don’t do instagram because I am worried it will give me a comped about how I look even though I know most things on instagram are highly edited.

[@sonja4164]

This is excellent commentary 👌🏿 You've got a great & cheeky sense of humor!

[@Daniea3]

Hyrox looks insane to me. All the best .... You will give it your all!

[@sd3457]

Brian Jacks smashing out the gym tests on Superstars, those were the days. I'm totally with you on this, as a 50 year old in the "just one more season" zone as a footballer, with teenage boys watching Chris Hernia (ok Heria) videos and thinking neck tattoos are a sensible life choice.

[@MarkLewisfitness]

My mission for 2022 is to raise Mr Jack's profile among the under 40's 🤣

[@bigslacker666]

Fucking excellent rant! I've said the same thing myself many times. Bodybuilding has taken over the idea of fitness so much that the terms are nearly synonymous as far as the internet is concerned. Last summer I did mostly downhill mountain biking but I came off the couch in september around my 47th bday and did a 40 mile epic MTB event. Then the Goggins 4x4x48 challenge but with a variety of mountain sports including rock climbing, trail riding, paddleboarding trail running, etc. Then it snowed and I did a 50 day ski/board season. Now the resorts are closed and I'm in the gym where I can still rep 225 bench. I don't have an instagram ready 6 pack or jacked biceps that sells supplements., in fact I have a real job. But I consider myself FIT by what should be the real definition!

[@lukemitchell3056]

Absolutely on the mark👌 - cocky "fitness" guys on KZbin and Instagram who despise "cardio" and only care about their abs and having a tan

[@brianfox1612]

Looking forward for the bench training debrief (I guess you will keep the secret for the rep scheme you are using until the release..) and this Hyrox race seems so nice, wish to see it coming to France.

[@MarkLewisfitness]

I'll do an update video next week with what I'm doing in the gym for it and how its going - slow but steady I would say!

[@MehmetSevil]

You brought tears of joy to my eyes. Spot on! :)

[@roebbiej]

Thanks for saying this. Spot on.

[@heistube9556]

I totally agree with you, fitness should be about how you perform, not what you like. But then I'm also a child of the 80s

[@Allenkcw]

Have my first ultra this May and stumbled across your channel. Love this rant. Subscribed. Id say the only youtube fitness influencer is Nick Bare or Sweat elite

[@bgberkley]

Love the commentary. As a fellow Gen-Xer, I completely agree. More importantly, I love that T-Shirt!

[@robinbhairam7508]

What a great honest video … At 60 I still get suckered by some of these social media posers … 👏🏽

[@Lucy-eg6us]

As someone who grew up with this generation’s idea of fitness, I totally agree!! It’s like most people my age are aware it’s fake yet everyone still wants to look a certain way even if it means they’re less fit. It’s definitely made it hard for me as someone trying to become healthier overall and not just to look like the influencers on instagram.

[@marcf665]

Good one Mark. Some chuckles over breakfast down under with the rant and very true. No social media when grew up and played a lot of squash. Nowhere to hide when coach telling you to run faster, hit harder/smarter and recover. As for Zwift, will have to follow you and see if we end up in a Crit one time so you can tow me around the course! Have a good break.

[@tristantries9211]

There are a few body builders on you tube who say that body building isn't healthy. It's nice that they are realistic and admit it's about looks and competition not fitness.

[@jackh1548]

Couldn't agree more. Fitness now simply means = aesthetics, often at huge detriment to genuine health - ie significant defecits, lack of any cardio, mental fixation on the unattainable and of course.... Anabolics.

[@timcasey1428]

Times are not better now. Don't apologize for being right.

[@OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOq]

Back when I was a kid/teen, I always noticed that I would more often than not have more endurance than the more muscular and healthy weight people. Some times the difference in stamina was so big that some peers would be surprised and compare me to a hippo (cause I was fat yet quick on my feet). I use to think it was because others didn’t try to match me, but reflecting on it as a young adult it makes sense. I would always be doing activities that involved cardio (swimming, soccer, skateboarding, biking etc.)

[@canadiansasquatchadventures]

Great videos! I just finished going through the full lot of them. And with this one, I am right there with you, social media really doesn't know fitness. Social media knows how to sell nonsense! But that race coming up, sounds like a lot of fun. 1k runs and do some fun tasks in between! I might need to search that out over here in the US, when I'm healthy again. Cheers!

[@MarkLewisfitness]

Fair play on going through all the videos. That’s tougher work than Hyrox 😂

[@nicolecooper1569]

Completely agree. That’s why I’m very selective about which people I follow. If they’re not about improving athletic performance or keeping the body mobile and flexible, I don’t care what they have to say/show . I remember about a decade ago when cross fitters were great at being “strong is beautiful” advocates and I thought that was great bc so many women are afraid of lifting weights. I feel like nowadays the fitness sector on social media has objectified women even more. You either have to pose in a sexually appealing way in your fitness attire or record an exercise video with unnecessary angles. Some women who get plastic surgery (eg BBL) will go on social media and say their body was built in the gym or even worse, sell a workout plan on how to achieve the body that was actually created by surgeon 🤦🏾‍♀️ It’s not about being fit anymore. It’s about looking sexually attractive in fitness attire. How you get that aesthetic doesn’t matter.

[@justsomeawesomeperson6396]

I hate social media for the attention seeking culture it creates with it’s “influencers”… i mean, what’s the point in getting addicted to people liking pictures of your rear end? It’s not only annoying and showing off your overly inflated ego while people have to miss valuable time actually working out or at least getting good information, it also gets you nowhere in the end…

[@johnlibonati7807]

Just found your channel. You nailed it. At 48, living in SW Florida, USA. I am amazed how many guys at the gym are on steroids. And pretty much all the young guys get into them. When they ask what I take...eggs, beef. They ask because I’m older, but have a respectable beach ready physique and hit the weights hard. And I should after 30 years of training. Kids now all bench 3 plates (315 lbs). 400 is the goal, which was insane when I was young. 25 years ago, I knew one guy who could bench 400+, and he was shaped like a fire hydrant. These guys don’t realize the health repercussions they are going to run into, and they all eventually do. I like to say I catch them on the way down as their bodies fall apart. As for running, I’ve competed in racing from 5k to 100 mile distance. I’ve been there when the ladies pass you when you’re 28 miles into a 50K. And physique means little in running. I trained with a woman who was 20 lbs overweight, yet was one of the top 5 women in the 50 mile and 100 mile distances in the USA.

[@megsley]

I appreciated this video a lot - fitness social media is basically "all sizzle and no steak" at this point.

[@JeansiByxan]

”It will kill your gains” was the reason I cut back on weight lifting and started running. I realized once I went to the gym and a flight of stairs made me winded that lifting weights was doing nothing for my longevity. Most pro bodybuilders are on steroids anyway,

[@thekamikaze789]

All pro bodibuilder... And all pro strongman. If this is your no1 goal in life, take the roids. But accept you will die early, have other health problems

[@Ignore14]

All IFBB pros are on steroids, there is not a single exception to this rule.

[@richardmather1906]

Its not true that lifting weights does nothing for your longevity. Indeed, liftin weights is hugely important to over all health. What is true is that isolation exercises are a waste of time that could be better spent doing squats, rows, lunges, deadlifts and presses.

[@JeansiByxan]

@@richardmather1906 I might have overstated my case. What I meant is that weight lifting is still of value if you do it the right way. I still do deadlifts and upper body, but I still think conditioning is vastly underrated. Not everyone has to run ultramarathons to be fit. Only a very small percentage of the population have the time for runs of that kind. At the moment I do 10-15k four times a week and I feel a HUGE difference in my overall wellbeing that wasn't there when I only lifted weights. That was my experience at least.

[@richardmather1906]

@@JeansiByxan There is tremendous value, in terms of longevity and quality of life, in strength. And you can lift in ways that enhance your conditioning. As with full body circuits or complexes. There are myriad ways to lift.

[@littleoldmanrunning105]

Yeah actual fitness, and being passed by people is a thing. I'm 56 years old and i did a 43km (actually turned out to be just under 45km) ultra on Saturday. About 30kms in there is a long hard climb (walk). My biggest focus and motivator on that climb was to not get passed by a group of nanas out for a morning stroll. They were about 50 metres behind me at the start of the climb, and close enough to call out 'hello' by the end of it. I honestly think they were pushing hard to beat me to the top - nanas are competitive out this way. ;-) In terms of how I look - well picture an old wrinkly man the size of a smurf. So yeah.... no instagram likes for me. But at least I'm fit and healthy, and likely to be so long after their likes have vanished.

[@TimeHunter2305]

Just found out about this channel definitely worth subscribing.

[@leoaudette8210]

Great Video couldnt agree more!!! i was that body builder type work out guy back in the day .. had no cardio and carried more fat with me than now .. although all i do now is zwift ;) would love to see you in one of the Herd Races (winter series has short races

[@Ikkei-4444]

I usually skip this kinda rant stuff but I really felt that

[@benjamindover2601]

It's nice to have a realistic example of what an older man can achieve without steroids.

[@KJ-ym5hv]

Preach it man!!!

[@notmyrealname6272]

Yes! I have a huge problem with the concepts of ‘cardio’ and ‘resistance’ training. What happened to sport?? Fun? Team games? Enjoyment?? The outdoors? Challenge? I’m a triathlete (not very good) and started doing a bit of gym work to support that and got 3 PT sessions free. The guy kept saying ahhh but you’re a triathlete you’re only doing ‘cardio’ so you won’t lose any weight. I hadn’t even mentioned weight. Not even once. I’m far from perfect but my weight isn’t a stand out feature I’d say and certainly wasn’t why I went to the gym. They just assumed. Also please can someone say to any pro (or age group ) triathlete that they ‘just do cardio’??? Try doing one people. Try the training. Arghh. I don’t take my mobility for granted and am desperate to keep moving for as long humanly possible.

[@MR-fn7rw]

Just try one: so true!

[@Necrosis88]

Really nice insight. I know many guys in my gym that have hard time climbing stairs. Big, buffed, oxygen demanding machines 😁

[@jazzcat0269]

Love the rant! You are very on point! Sometimes genetics will limit the image.

[@brownmold]

Love your rant.

[@Youboremenow]

2:17 "Give me my phone back" "I'm still getting 'more annoyed'. Five more minutes" ....

[@ZoltanHercules]

Mate, hit the nail on the head. The whole idea of health and fitness is to build health and be fit - supplementation should be the polish to a decent diet. These kids man - too much of their views are tainted. That hyrox stuff looks amazing. Good luck with it all.

[@cooltroop2]

That JRE snippet caught me off guard 😂😂😂 Great video, Mr Lewis - v important topic right now

[@ccamire]

Very good video on the first part and good luck on the crossfit competition. My guess you will do 1:17. I always shoot for an odd number and people ask me how i came up with this. I tell them i have my own formulas. This avoids me to quote 1:30 as a target. Also your comments about the instagram runners was very accurate. I am surprised that you only received only 10% of positive kudos from all the views. I could only assume the other 90% did not understand or were not in agreement. Continue the great inspiring work.

[@stevemarkperry]

Spot on, Mark.

[@tddsctt]

The easy response to this video is always. “Oh you’re just jealous.” Ok let’s actually go outside and do something then is my response 😂

[@darinhorton7957]

Sounds like a super-cool event.

[@doouug]

With the number of filters and editing available, it’s good to remember that not even Instagram fitness models look like Instagram fitness models

[@tiberiancostal1358]

Rant Away and do it more! This is obsession with appearance over actual health is absolutely not harmless - the damage the drugs do is one aspect but the other, more silent and stealthy one, is the harm to self image these influences do. There is no possibility for the vast majority of people to have the aesthetic they have - the image of Daley T - an absolute athletics legend - proves that. They keep on spouting absolute cr4p about how people can look like them if only they work hard and buy their snake oil. Thanks for calling out these utter charlatans for the sake of teenagers who won't know enough to thank you for several years!

[@oliviagreen8853]

I’m sorry, but I must say your shirt is absolutely amazing lol

[@aliquidgaming1068]

Growing up as a millenial in the time when all this was shifting to what it is now really pulled me toward and away from fitness growing up. Too many influences giving information that contradicts another person's and studies always changing. It became overwhelming. All I wanted was to really have fun and do all that I could in terms of fitness, exercise, etc. Looking a certain way and getting into all the diet and supp fads set me back. But now I got a better mindset and do whatever I feel is right and fun and just eating healthy as in following the basic food groups and I only personally eat when I'm hungry and not necessarily a certain amount of meals or anything a day.

[@framedman]

Completely agree with you here. It's about look and nothing else. I'm a cyclist and I love big calves and get jealous when I see people with bigger calves than my own (most people) but it's not a necessarily an indication of cycling fitness and ability. I feel really sorry for teenagers these days with all those Love Island bodies and Instagram influencers getting loads of free stuff, 'living their best lives', when all I had in my day was Men's Health magazine which was hard enough reading for a skinny kid like myself. It was only when joining a boxing club at uni, primarily for fitness but also for hardness, that the trainer favoured someone like me, who had speed, agility and power, more than the big lads who'd spent ages in the gym benching 100kgs and moved like an oil tanker in the ring, that I realised it's guns for show, wins for pros.