These days, the Internet makes it possible to easily and quickly access information, communicate with people across the globe, manage your finances, shop from home, listen to music, watch videos, and much, much more; there's almost no limit to what you can do online. The Internet is an open source forum where anyone can write anything, true or not. You perform a simple google search and an overwhelming amount of contradictory information surfaces. Sometimes it can feel exhausting trying to find the answer you seek. With so much “information” flooding our news feeds, the line between fact and opinion gets blurred. 

Recently while browsing online, I came upon a comment about Smith machines. The writer, without identifying credentials, uploaded the following commentary: “The Smith machine is quite honestly the worst piece of equipment any gym has. Basically, [it] limits your range of motion and allows you to perform squats with improper form, which can lead to injury. It can be a good tool, but you’re better off just hitting the squat rack.”

If you don’t know, the 11 pound bar on a Smith machine easily glides on fixed poles, which makes it a great option to learn proper form in a controlled setting. You can learn to safely add weight as you gain more control. Because the bar is fixed, you can easily lock it back in place if you begin to feel unsteady, decreasing the risk of injury.

As you can see, this “anti-Smith machine” author provided inaccurate information that can potentially become gospel. The gospel would then be preached to fellow inexperienced weight trainers who regard it as fact. And that would be a shame because the Smith machine is really beneficial to any workout routine. 

A second search lead me to this: “Skip the elliptical machine. Sure, [it] burns calories and it can improve your heart health. But it will not actually improve your fitness level for anything other than using the elliptical machine. The only reason to use this equipment is if you're injured and physically cannot walk, run, or climb stairs.” Well, if it burns calories and can improve your heart health, then your fitness IS improving when you use the elliptical. There really is no reason why you shouldn’t use the elliptical machine, as it is simply a cardio machine like any other.

It’s not just the words online we need to question, but also the photos used to market to us. If the traditional Barbie doll was a real woman, she would be 5’9” and weigh 120 pounds. Her measurements would be 38-18-34. The average woman’s measurements, on the other hand, are about 41-34-43. In the book “Ken and Barbie at Life Size,” author Kevin Norton states that only about one in 100,000 women actually match the Barbie body image. Women everywhere strove to look like Barbie. But today, men and women strive to look like the fitness gurus and celebrities who post photos of themselves online.

When it comes to selling fitness - you will often see photos of perfectly muscular, lean people effortlessly performing exercises without breaking a sweat. As we all know, photos are real, right? Well, not always. With filter manipulation, strategic camera angles, and prepped lighting, muscle mass and curves can be deceiving. We strive to be like these photos, but at the end of the day, even the person in the photo often doesn’t look like that.

With the instant viral spread of information that occurs without the news media, you must take what you read and see with a grain of salt and do your own research. If you don’t want to get fooled, be more skeptical of anything you read or see online. If it’s about fitness and health, we encourage you to come to either the Ivy studio or Studio North and ask. Our fitness professionals can guide you on your journey, no google search needed. When you’re ready we’re here for you.