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Earlier this week The Famous Filson Sisters invited me to guest on their radio show - their dynamic banter and hilarious quips were as rowdy and lively as you might expect! I was happy because I got to represent a guest's perspective on my favorite subject: health and fitness in today's world.
To be specific, we played "Hot Or Not" on various fitness trends—what do you swipe left on, and what do you swipe right. Here are a few things that they asked (rapid fire):
Jump Roping: Hot – it’s a classic for a reason. Jumping is a fundamental human movement, and when you combine that with hand-eye coordination, it’s a combo of coordination and cardio that delivers. It was hot when Rocky did it, and it still is.
Peloton: Hot – people think that I'm against traditional fitness "machines" like stationary bikes and ellipticals and thighmasters. But I'm not. What I'm actually against is the delusion that buying home workout equipment will come with the motivation to do it. Peloton has one of the better apps that make it pretty easy to do at home. You can just jump on the bike, select a workout, and 40 minutes later you’ve got a pretty good sweat on. It’s kind of like what we say at the gym too – once we get you through the door, the workout is going to happen. Props to Peloton for addressing the REAL need, instead of just marketing a pretty bike with a TV Screen that turns into a clothes rack.
Biohacking: Hot BUT it's starting to get ridiculous. Exercise science and learning about your natural hormone cycles is great. Overoptimizing your life to the point where you're actually adding stress instead of subtracting it is silly and taking it too far. What started out as a reasonable call for normal people to sleep better and pay attention to gut biomes has now evolved to people devoting thousands of dollars to it and scheduling how many times they have sex. Give me a break.
Steroids & TRT: They are some kind of something right now (having a moment?). I'm seeing more and more high-level athletes be honest about steroid use— like yes, they are taking supplemental testosterone to stay competitive. It feels like how medical marijuana used to be as it shifted into the mainstream: you could go to your doctor with a medical need for anxiety and walk away with a card. There’s a similar cultural shift happening with hormonal supplements.
I actually find it refreshing because it's time to shed light on the very real differences between the two physiologies. What if many of our culture's unrealistic body and performance standards are set by people on PEDs, but it’s been too stigmatized for an honest conversation to happen? As more people open up about it, they’re saying it's because, 1) it’s an open secret at the top level, and 2) it’s their body—their choice. As more independent sports make their way into the spotlight, they are willing to challenge the traditional views on testing. Make no mistake—there are lots of health risks, but adults are free to take those risks if they so choose, and it would be better for all to understand what exactly those choices are.
Jazzercise: It ain’t it for me, but it's because I love dancing and exercise separately and don't need the crossover remix… I would probably enjoy a class (I’d just have to do it ironically).
Battleropes (the thing where you are flailing ropes around at high-intensity intervals): HOT! Many people look at battle ropes and say, "how is that a functional movement though?" To which I would say: if you ever get into a grappling match, you’ll realize how applicable grip strength, forearm power, and hand/wrist/lat connection REALLY is.
Don't discount trends as just a silly distraction though, they are useful as mirrors for reflecting what we value.
Jazzercise shows that we want to express joy and fun through our bodies, not just “do our time” on the treadmill. We know that movement is important and intertwined with our psychology, and we want to move in a way that promotes playfulness, connection, and zest for life.
Biohacking shows that we want to find undiscovered biological truths and methods of surpassing our past limitations. It shows that we're willing to question old assumptions and explore new ways of doing things. Maybe a Budweiser after work every day isn't the normal habit of a healthy and happy American human that the media says it is. Maybe certain things have just been normalized, and it's time to reasses their value.
Performance enhancers show how connected we've become to the idea of performance and productivity (capitalism influence, anyone?). They also show that our day-to-day demands are getting out of hand if normal humans are falling behind without synthetic supplementation.
Battleropes show our craving for intensity of experience and primal, wild, gritty energy. We know that life can be hard and we value challenges that prepare us by putting us on that growth edge of mental and physical toughness.
More than anything, trends are deceptive yet attractive because they say “Hey this one thing is the ANSWER and will change your life”—but it won’t. Don’t forget: behind every trend is the fact that they are only tools. They are NOT the solution by themselves. Nothing will replace the psychology of showing up, the collaboration of being coached, and the zen of revisiting the fundamentals with a beginner mind again, and again, and again.
Be joyful—do the jazzercise class! Be smart—reassess how much alcohol and caffeine you're consuming. Be wild—practice flailing ropes and climbing trees. But don’t be deceived. There are no shortcuts and no hidden movement trend that will now unlock your hidden X-man gene mutation.
Trends come and go. But real-world strength, a joyful community, and movements that make you stronger, freer, and better in real life will ALWAYS be hot.
Best,
Josh
P.S. Shoutout to the Famous Filson Sisters podcast! Available to listen HERE.