Domin Munnely

Sex sells so if you want to get the truth on how to drop the fat and get in shape you should put down your glossy mag, switch off the MTV/reality TV show and let me explain how I have helped transform clients throughout 2011.

It’s a simple rule of marketing that when all else fails just put a half naked man or woman in your advertising campaign and your product or service will increase in sales.  I was flicking through the Jan 2012 copy of Harpers Bazaar (The Body Issue no less) I bought for my wife and was howling with laugher at the advice given from so called experts. It was eight pages long, four of which were thankfully given over to Linda Vojtova (below) who certainly looks like she has seen the inside of a gym more than a few times in her life.

You could have been selling sand to the Arabs with Linda V’s photos tagged alongside and you would have had buyers. Almost all of these magazine features are nothing more than a platform for selling products or services. Over the next 2-3 weeks you are going to be bombarded with TV and print ‘features/articles’ and advertisements on how to burn fat, shed the pounds or even use our NEW slimming pill and watch the fat just melt off (if you read the last part and thought “Jasus super! Where can I find this?” then you need to stop reading my site and get back to putting your head in the sand when it comes to  understanding why you are still out of shape).

It reminds me of the article I wrote called Warning – taking training advice from a celeb can damage your health, you might want to read that to get a better understanding of the dark arts of celeb recommendations.

Here is just a flavour of advice from the magazine -

• “Running is the most demanding workout – eat at least 1-2hrs before training and always eat immediately after” – My response – yes running can be demanding but have you tried any of my home workouts? Most of them have no major running component yet whenever I get a new client in that has been doing plenty of running they almost always have the following to say after a few rounds of doing some basic movements – “Wow, I feel so unfit.”

 

• Max Tomlinson had this to say about stubborn fat spots – Don’t eat white bread, rice, cereals, pasta, butter, cream etc Do eat – wholegrain bread, pasta, rice, protein and veg. ” I totally agree with eating more protein and veg but the most common mistake I see on a daily basis with clients is not enough fats and have no issue with clients eating butter and cream. Added to that, whats the point in telling someone to avoid e.g. white bread but then giving the thumbs up to wholegrain bread? Honestly, if there was just one food to avoid for the rest of your life it’s bread. Still not convinced? Go read my If in doubt cut the wheat out article. I have as of yet to work with any client that functioned well on regular consumption of wheat. Trust me you are not the excpetion.

 

Even this months Social and Personal had plenty of clangers in their ‘detox’ special (how I hate they way some people use this term). This is their intro -

“Jan is a time for getting serious about weight loss, with many resolving to shift the pounds and get in shape in the New Year. While exercise is hugely beneficial, it is diet that really makes the difference.” Dominic’s comment – praise the lord!! We are on the same page here.

The one page article then slid into complete and utter rubbish as antigravity yoga was recommended, body contouring sessions where your skin is ‘vigorously stimulated with specialised equipment’ (shoot me now please) and Cho-jung tea which is €50, yes that’s not a misprint, it’s €50 for just 30 teabags but  just two cups a day “is enough to burn fat away”.

If you want to know what fat loss products really work then click here.

Men’s magazines I find are far less likely to offer up such outrageous claims and recommendations. However, they are far more likely to push ‘bro science’ in their supplement advertising i.e. make it sound scientific or manly so it must be better than what you are doing right now. For example, here is a list of ESSENTIAL words you are sure to read in any men’s health/fitness magazine advertisements for supplements which makes me smell the bullsh1t coming -

- Anabolic, explode, superpump, get ripped, stack, shread, hardcore etc

Don’t believe me? Then you haven’t tried WARRIOR BLAZE!

Apparently it’s the most powerful fat loss product in the world. This is specifially designed for those hardcore trainees that need and demand the best thermogenics. Can you smell the bullsh1t coming through your screen yet?

Call me crazy, but guys have you tried lifting some heavy weights and eating clean yet?

God I long for the days where men actually looked like they could lift some weight rather than that pretty boy image that is pushed by many mens magazines. I have calluses on my hands that need to be filed down regularly and scars on my shins from having the bar a little too close to my body on cleans and deadlifts. So stop showing me your six pack and show me what you really got. Remember guys good abs are only shown on video and never in a picture.

I recently finished reading an amazing book called Muscle, Smoke and Mirrors which details the origins of exercise and physical culture from it’s very early days and in particular the past 100 years where it’s become a massive industry. The author, Randy Roach, has done a stunning job of putting down on paper the definitive book on weight training in particular and it’s no light read at over 1000 pages in full. After finishing book one I have come to the conclusion that the fitness/health industry is largely controlled by supplement companies that want nothing more than to make a profit off products that are no better than eating real food. From as far back as the 1940′s and 1950′s Fitness and health magazines contained adverts for ‘supplements’ supported with pseudo science yet backed by the famous bodybuilders of that time.

The fitness and health industry is fully aware that many people are just down right lazy and want someone else to -

1. Do the work for them – hence the massive interest in fat loss pills, machines that promise quicker results in less time with less effort and then the corresponding clothing you can buy to ‘cover up’ your fat areas.

Mary’s idea of concealing her wobbly bits was not as successful as she thought.

2. Think for them – there is a serious lack of critical thinking going on in the world today and advertisers take advantage of this by linking everything from the suggestion that something is missing from your life to sexy models so you are persuaded to buy €50 tea bags! I have posted a whole heap of articles and videos that should leave you in no doubt that a paleo/primal nutrition approach, regular strength training, mobility work and conditioning are the cornerstones to feeling and looking your best. Wake up people you are not all fuc$ing dead yet! You don’t need some guru to follow. You need to listen to your body more often because it’s screaming out for regular exercise, some quite time for reflection/meditation and good clean food that is grown locally and not purchased in the same place you bought your petrol today.

Nothing much has changed in the last 50-60years. We are as a nation fatter than ever before and I am disappointed to say that I have clients coming in to me in their 20′s in worse physical shape than many of my clients in their 40′s and 50′s. If you want to get in and stay in great shape then follow all the advice I dish out for free on this blog. Follow the workouts I post up on my facebook page and yes I will sex it up from time to time to make sure you read the dam articles  but hey if it keeps you entertained and ensures you stay on the road that encourages hard work and a clean diet then we can pass this information on to friends and family to do the same.

Become the change you want to see in the world today.