Jillian Michaels Targets Popular Exercise Regimen. Fans Balk

'She's doing this for the sake of trying to be relevant,' one CrossFit devotee remarks
By Jenn Gidman,  Newser Staff
Posted Feb 9, 2019 8:30 AM CST
Jillian Michaels Slams CrossFit, CrossFit Fans Slam Her
Jillian Michaels is seen at the Santa Monica airport on Sept. 7, 2018, in Santa Monica, Calif.   (Photo by Willy Sanjuan/Invision/AP)

Jillian Michaels isn't exactly known for shying away from strong opinions on controversial topics, including a recent slam of the keto diet. The 44-year-old personal trainer's latest issue: CrossFit. USA Today reports that Michaels taped a short video for Shape last year, which the magazine posted to its site in December, but it didn't get much attention until Shape reposted it on Instagram on Thursday—and now there's been some pushback. In the clip, Michaels railed against the supposed hyperfocusing of CrossFit on power (via speed and strength), noting that CrossFit programs feature "maybe 20 to 25 movements that don't really vary" and that the workout doesn't really "[challenge] the body from various angles of push and pull." Instead, she advises, people should look for an exercise program with more balance, including one that features more endurance and agility training.

"Keep your training more holistic by hitting all modalities of fitness," she says. There's one type of exercise in particular that irks her, which she says she knows will make "so many people pissed off," per People. That would be kipping, which she says relies too much on momentum to complete various exercise moves. "Where I come from that's called cheating, using momentum to do a repetition," she says. While Michaels has some defenders in the Insta comments, many are annoyed at her take. "As someone who is a health professional ... @jillianmichaels is just taking a shot at @crossfit, without having any basis for her argument. She's doing this for the sake of trying to be relevant," one commenter notes. (Michaels once said she'd never give birth because it would ruin her body.)

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