bobharper-related stories
Biggest Loser Proves Good Trainer Can Make A Difference
Photo: NBC
Last week on "The Biggest Loser," Amanda switched trainers. She had been struggling with Jillian and posting modest four pound losses. On her first week back with Bob, her trainer at the start of the season, Amanda lost a whopping seven pounds. She credited shedding more weight entirely to working with a trainer that she "clicked" with.
Amanda perfectly demonstrates that the right personal trainer often makes all the difference. I'm not talking about a trainer with the best certifications and education -- although you should always seek that -- I mean those trainers that will "click" with you. If you resonate with a certain instructor, you'll have a better workout and, ultimately, better results.
Not everyone can afford or even wants a personal trainer, but we are constantly seeking fitness advice and leadership. When you search for your fitness guru, look at all the options: group exercise teachers, yoga instructors, even fitness DVDs and books. Somewhere out there is a person who delivers the message, just the way you need to hear it.
Here's how to find that "click."
Regis and Kelly Halloween Costumes: Hosts Dress Up As Biggest Loser Trainers
Regis and Kelly are known for going all out for Halloween. This year, they dressed up as our favorite trainers, Bob Harper and Jillian Michaels from The Biggest Loser. Click on the video below to see their hilarious impersonations.
Biggest Loser Trainers Go Too Far
Diet & Weight Loss, Celebs & Entertainment
Fans of "The Biggest Loser" excitedly tuned in to Season 8, but after a flurry of F-bombs flew from the mouths of trainers Jillian Michaels and Bob Harper on the premiere episode, it seems some viewers will be tuning out. The rude and crude Season 8 premiere has fans abuzz with disgust as editors busily added "bleeps" to cover the copious cursing from Jillian, Bob and contestants -- as if we don't know what they're saying anyway! J & B seriously lowered the trainer ethics bar at the premiere. Perhaps it's time to float a bar of soap in their water bottles.
The generally uplifting nature of past seasons deserved better than what we got this time around. No doubt, seven seasons of Biggest Loser inspiration has prompted many viewers to dig deep, change their habits and lose weight. The show shines a bright light on the bleak reality of our nation's skyrocketing obesity rates by modeling positive, life-lengthening journeys of 300-plus pound contestants shedding the pounds non-surgically. Yet after priming fans with Season 8 promos filled with hugging, crying and inspired contestants, viewers were greeted with an overload of swearing and humiliation. This has left some questioning whether "The Biggest Loser" is really a family-friendly show anymore.
This isn't the first time we've seen Jillian and Bob get tough on the contestants though. Click through the gallery below to see the trainers' biggest blow-ups and worst put-downs over the past few seasons, then let us know if you think the vulgarity has gone too far.
Check out the video below to see Bob's Season 7 rant on Joelle, which made our list.
You can also watch Jillian go ballistic on Shay this season in the gym, with hilarious commentary from our friends over at the "The Dish."
The generally uplifting nature of past seasons deserved better than what we got this time around. No doubt, seven seasons of Biggest Loser inspiration has prompted many viewers to dig deep, change their habits and lose weight. The show shines a bright light on the bleak reality of our nation's skyrocketing obesity rates by modeling positive, life-lengthening journeys of 300-plus pound contestants shedding the pounds non-surgically. Yet after priming fans with Season 8 promos filled with hugging, crying and inspired contestants, viewers were greeted with an overload of swearing and humiliation. This has left some questioning whether "The Biggest Loser" is really a family-friendly show anymore.
This isn't the first time we've seen Jillian and Bob get tough on the contestants though. Click through the gallery below to see the trainers' biggest blow-ups and worst put-downs over the past few seasons, then let us know if you think the vulgarity has gone too far.
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Bob and Jillian's Biggest Blow Ups
By Bev Sklar
The F-Bomb Scream-Fest
Nine trainer f-bombs were dropped during the Season 8 premiere's first- and last-chance workouts. Jillian, of course, had eight of them, and that's only what made the final cut. One reader told That's Fit, "I watched it once this season, but quickly decided that I didn't want to listen to all of the cursing." Perhaps this is why Week 2 .
The F-Bomb Scream-Fest
Nine trainer f-bombs were dropped during the Season 8 premiere's first- and last-chance workouts. Jillian, of course, had eight of them, and that's only what made the final cut. One reader told That's Fit, "I watched it once this season, but quickly decided that I didn't want to listen to all of the cursing." Perhaps this is why Week 2 .
Dave Bjerke, NBC
WireImage.com
Biggest Loser Blow Outs
By Bev Sklar
The F-Bomb Scream-Fest
Nine trainer f-bombs were dropped during the Season 8 premiere's first- and last-chance workouts. Jillian, of course, had eight of them, and that's only what made the final cut. One reader told That's Fit, "I watched it once this season, but quickly decided that I didn't want to listen to all of the cursing." Perhaps this is why Week 2 .
Dave Bjerke, NBC
Weighty Matters
Bob had Rebecca's heart rate soaring and ego plummeting as he yelled, "Jump Rebecca. How much do you weigh Rebecca? 279 pounds, Rebecca." Is humiliation necessary?
Chris Haston, NBC
Meanness as a Motivator
After 479-pound Shay (right) collapsed off the climbing wall, Jillian yelled, "Shay, get the f*** up!" -- bringing Shay to tears and a short-lived exit out of the gym. Jillian didn't run after her, and ultimately the confrontation strengthened Shay's motivation to return and work harder. But did the swearing garner the result?
Dave Bjerke, NBC
Bob Drops Bombs
When Joelle cut her 30-second team treadmill sprint intervals into a 20-second effort, Bob snapped. He confronted her, screaming curses scattered throughout the message that she wasn't giving it her all, she needed to just do it. We counted 10 f-bombs. Joelle did sprint the full 30 seconds, but young viewers heard an earful.
Trae Patton, NBC
Jillian's Low Blow
Remember when Jillian called Laura the weakest team member? Not only did Jillian embarrass Laura in front of her team by calling her out, she went on to put the entire team on the spot and asked their opinion of Laura, too.
Trae Patton, NBC
Post-Binge Blow Up
After Season 7's Black team turned their day of luxury into a 15,000-plus calorie binge over steaks, drinks, smokes and late night chicken strips, Jillian hit a new level of mad. "The second you leave you smoke? You get wasted?" stormed Jillian. "What the [expletive] am I here for? Why should I care if you don't care?" (Well, she had a valid point here.)
Trae Patton, NBC
Check out the video below to see Bob's Season 7 rant on Joelle, which made our list.
You can also watch Jillian go ballistic on Shay this season in the gym, with hilarious commentary from our friends over at the "The Dish."
Biggest Loser - The Criticism Continues
Diet & Weight Loss, Fitness, Celebs & Entertainment
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| Photo: NBC |
Where's The Progression? More than one fitness pro questions the lack of physical progression and safety at the ranch. Sure, you can cut calories suddenly, but should contestants be doing explosive, full-body plyometric exercises? Where's the how-to on designing an effective workout for the masses that supports a 1- to 2-pound loss each week? Instead, clients are at risk for injury/overtraining as they're pushed to the limit to lose a dozen or more pounds weekly. Koops, the show's co-creator, reminds us this is a reality TV show, not a sports-training show. The average viewer is entertained and ideally inspired toward a healthier lifestyle. Harper says there's a definite progression, but acknowledges it's in fast-forward -- however, given the four to six hours a day each contestant works out, fitness capacity increases quickly, and this speedy progression is entirely justifiable.
Win a Personal-Training Session With Bob Harper
Diet & Weight Loss, Fitness, Celebs & Entertainment
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| Timothy Norris, Getty Images |
That's Fit: This season is about second chances and a previous contestant is returning. What advice to you have for people who have lost weight in the past only to gain it back?
Bob Harper: I try to tell people not to be so discouraged when you get yourself in that situation. I've worked with so many people who have lost hundreds of pounds and then put it back on and what I try to get people to focus on is why they need to lose weight in the first place and to get healthy the goal should be to learn better habits and have new tools while you're losing the weight so whenever you have reached your "goal" you have a new lifestyle. So many people are thinking, "Once I lose the weight I can go back to the way it used to be," and that's just not the case.
The Biggest Loser - 476 Pounds, Twists and Turns
Diet & Weight Loss, Fitness, Celebs & Entertainment
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| Photo: Dave Bjerke, NBC |
What Did You Wear to the Premiere? Jillian kicked off the show with a blunt challenge to viewers, "Are you ready to listen or do you want to get fatter and sicker?" OK, did you wear workout clothes to the premiere or comfy jeans and a sweatshirt stained with ice cream? Seriously consider dressing the part for this show, and you'll start diving to the floor for push-ups and core moves. I watched half the show dripping on a treadmill, taking legible notes at a 6.5-percent incline at 3 mph. When alpha-Jillian screamed at a contestant to increase the incline to 15 percent for five minutes, I followed like a beta dog.
Beach Challenge, Helicopter Rescue. At the end of a one-mile challenge for immunity, once again, the show's intense first day put contestants in the hospital. Tracey suffered a frightening collapse near the finish line, was evacuated by helicopter and did not return to the ranch. However, Dr. Huizenga reports she's OK. Mo returned after being treated for dehydration, low blood sugar and low blood pressure. This challenge deck was stacked in Daniel's favor, he ran the winning mile in 14:17 after shedding 142 pounds during Season 7 and working out constantly ever since.
Biggest Loser Video Game Preview
"The Biggest Loser" kicks off just one week from today. The focus of Season 8 is second chances, including a former Season 7 contestant Daniel, who was the show's heaviest contestant ever at 454 pounds. But second chances aren't just for the contestants. To help fans follow along in their own weight loss journeys, The Biggest Loser Interactive game for Nintendo DSi, DS and Wii hits stores on October 6.
The game features Bob Harper and Jillian Michaels to push you through routines to help you reach your goals, just like on the show. It also offers nutrition tips and challenges. The programs have a range of exercises, from yoga and cardio to full-body circuits to tone your body. "We wanted to give people another tool," Bob says. "You're going to have recipes from the book, you can track your progress, you can put in your calorie intake so when you lost the weight you can go back and see what worked."
There are four, eight and 12-week programs. Once you enter your current weight, you can enter your goals. But unlike the show, which has raised eyebrows for its extreme weight loss that is unsustainable for many people in the real world, the game will actually limit the amount of weight you can lose in a given program. If you're looking to lose 50 pounds in four weeks, the game will set more realistic goals for the first four weeks and then you can enter new goals for the next session.
And what about the workout? At a recent preview of the game, many former Biggest Loser contestants and Bob were on hand to break a sweat with a Wii controller. And everyone did sweat. As you go through the exercises, Bob or Jillian coax you along just as they do on the show. "It's actually their voice and their personality," says Nicole from Season 7. "When you see the avatar you're like 'oh it kind of looks like Bob,' but then you hear him -- and it's totally him."
Click on the gallery below to see who wins when newlyweds Damien and Nicole take each other on in a Biggest Loser Interactive challenge.
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The Biggest Loser Video Game Preview
Tara, Damien and Nicole from Season 7, along with Jim from Season 4, were on hand with Bob to show off their slimmer bodies and break a sweat with the new Biggest Loser video game for Wii and Nintendo DS and DSi.
Katherine Tweed
WireImage.com
Biggest Loser Video Game Preview
Tara, Damien and Nicole from Season 7, along with Jim from Season 4, were on hand with Bob to show off their slimmer bodies and break a sweat with the new Biggest Loser video game for Wii and Nintendo DS and DSi.
Katherine Tweed
The game is broken up into lower-body, upper-body and full-body workouts, which you can choose, or a program will be set up for you based on your goals. Tara offered her tips for me (left) and Kelly Zyskowski from Seventeen magazine as we went through a 30-minute routine.
Katherine Tweed
The key to the workout is to mimic the trainer on screen -- not going slower or faster -- to maintain proper form. Bob and Jillian are just as encouraging (and tough!) in the game as they are in real life, according to Nicole from Season 7.
Katherine Tweed
Floor exercises oddly require you to put your Wii controller in your pocket, although many workout clothes don't have pockets. But we discovered it's just as easy to put it in your waistband so the controller can still register your movements.
Katherine Tweed
Two players, including one who is a member of the Biggest Loser Club, went head to head in a challenge. Like the real game, the challenges eliminate players one by one until there is only one winner left.
Katherine Tweed
Bob came by to cheer on Kelly and I as we go head to head in a challenge that involves doing a "mountain climb" move followed by "ax chops." After a 30-minute full-body routine and two challenges, we both got a (surprisingly) good workout. Even though Bob wasn't standing behind us the entire workout, he was with us on the screen and it kept us moving -- and sweating.
Katherine Tweed
After a technical snafu in round one challenge, where Nicole thought she was winning but the controllers were switched around, the newlyweds went for a rematch. "I don't know anything about video games," Nicole admitted. "It was Atari when I was young."
Katherine Tweed
The mountain climbing movement is meant to mimic your character moving across a pool on a tightrope. Nicole is in the lead, but Damien isn't far behind.
Katherine Tweed
Nicole wins this round definitively with good form on her "ax chops." Damien, however, claims his controller must be broken and they have a rematch to settle the rematch.
Katherine Tweed
The Biggest Loser - 100 Pound History, NASCAR and More
Diet & Weight Loss, Fitness, Celebs & Entertainment, Nutrition & Supplements
Week 12 at "The Biggest Loser Couples" was full of colored shirts, a history-making 100 pounds and a checkered flag surprise. At the outset, nine remaining contestants were handed their original colored shirts back, to everyone's relief. No more teams, we're onto singles this week. Alliances are floating around, but singles delivers a different flavor to the competition. Read on for all the juicy details, including a healthier way to bbq this summer.
Pick Your Trainer -- Like elementary school kids picking teams on a playground, Bob and Jillian's feelings were on display for all to see as contestants picked their own trainer. Obviously Filipe and Sione went with Bob, along with Kristin, Ron and Aubrey. Tara and Laura stuck with Jillian, so did Helen. Mike flipped a coin and randomly went with Jillian. If you have the money to afford a trainer, pick wisely. Don't flip a coin.
Pick Your Trainer -- Like elementary school kids picking teams on a playground, Bob and Jillian's feelings were on display for all to see as contestants picked their own trainer. Obviously Filipe and Sione went with Bob, along with Kristin, Ron and Aubrey. Tara and Laura stuck with Jillian, so did Helen. Mike flipped a coin and randomly went with Jillian. If you have the money to afford a trainer, pick wisely. Don't flip a coin.
Biggest Loser Families - NFL Style
The Biggest Loser Families started off with an NFL bang this week with a surprise appearance by San Francisco 49ers retired stars Steve Young and Jerry Rice. It was great to see these NFL Superheroes put the remaining six contestants through football drills to win $10,000 to donate to a school of their choice, but the Football Reception Challenge was boring. No contestants tackling each other, no suspense, a big yawn. Vicky continues to prove she's got game -- she swept the drill and challenge with cool strategy. Many viewers may not like her, but when there's big money on the table, honor doesn't always rise to the top.
It's About Being Better Than Yourself, says Steve Young, the guy who sat patiently in Joe Montana's shadow for years. Work toward improving your own goals instead of doing 50 push-ups like the next guy. Don't let a size double zero keep your size 10 body from striving for a size eight. Stay focused within at the gym and you won't waste energy on outside comparisons.
It's About Being Better Than Yourself, says Steve Young, the guy who sat patiently in Joe Montana's shadow for years. Work toward improving your own goals instead of doing 50 push-ups like the next guy. Don't let a size double zero keep your size 10 body from striving for a size eight. Stay focused within at the gym and you won't waste energy on outside comparisons.
Biggest Loser Families - Back In Time to the 1980s
The Biggest Losers Families went back 20-plus years this week, outfitting slimmer contestants in '80s fitness gear with all the scary trimmings -- big hair, leg warmers, boom boxes. I graduated from high school in 1985, so I recall spending hours leg-lifting with Jane Fonda in P.E. class. A hater of headbands, leg warmers and ankle-high, white leather aerobics shoes, I did adore Flashdance, Footloose and slapping on my new Sony Walkman orange headphones to jog along with Let's Hear It For The Boy. Kevin Bacon, hot. Patrick Swayze, hotter. Have any '80s fitness memories? Send 'em our way in a comment. Back to the show.
All Quiet On The Blue Front -- Of course Vicky's livid her beloved Brady was voted off by swing-vote Amy. In retaliation, a mean-spirited silent treatment ensued. It was fun to witness Vicky eat crow, but she didn't lose enough weight on that diet and was nearly voted off. Trainer Bob tried to dually break the ice and shore up Amy in her quest for the title. The way Amy consistently loses poundage, she's got a real chance.
You Heard It Here - I Predict The Winner Will Be - While many might disagree with Amy's decision not to vote Vicky off at the end of this week's weigh-in, I think it was a smart move. Vicky can't shed weight fast, top-loser Amy will have another crack at her. While Coleen's demise was painful for viewers, her departure sets Amy up for the title if challenge stars align right. Watch out for wild card Ed, he's losing big.
All Quiet On The Blue Front -- Of course Vicky's livid her beloved Brady was voted off by swing-vote Amy. In retaliation, a mean-spirited silent treatment ensued. It was fun to witness Vicky eat crow, but she didn't lose enough weight on that diet and was nearly voted off. Trainer Bob tried to dually break the ice and shore up Amy in her quest for the title. The way Amy consistently loses poundage, she's got a real chance.
You Heard It Here - I Predict The Winner Will Be - While many might disagree with Amy's decision not to vote Vicky off at the end of this week's weigh-in, I think it was a smart move. Vicky can't shed weight fast, top-loser Amy will have another crack at her. While Coleen's demise was painful for viewers, her departure sets Amy up for the title if challenge stars align right. Watch out for wild card Ed, he's losing big.
Biggest Loser Families: October 28th episode
Biggest Loser lessons: Things to remember
I love The Biggest Loser -- I've been following Bev's updates as religiously as I have the show. And I think it's great for the viewers -- all that encouragement to slim down, shape up and take back control of their health. So I was interested when I saw this article titled Biggest Loser lessons to forget. Huh?Using the show as motivation to get healthy is a fantastic idea but before you get discouraged that you can't keep up with the show, there are a few issues you should keep in mind, according to the folks over at Divine Caroline:
- Results are not typical. Normal people don't lose more than two pounds a week.
- They put their lives on hold. Contestants spend weeks focused solely on losing weight. The rest of us can't afford that luxury.
- They're probably over-training. Think about it -- they go from no exercise to working out for hours each day. This isn't healthy -- or realistic.
- They have trainers. Celebrity trainers are there with them for every workout. Can you afford that? Didn't think so.
Hmm. I never thought of it that way. But I still think the show does more good then harm. Your thoughts?
Biggest Loser Families: October 21st episode
Both waistlines and teams continued to shrink this week as The Biggest Loser Families voted off Amy P., leaving her with a dark fridge and a disappointed husband alone at the ranch. The ugly side of strategy became especially apparent as Vicki's smug 'I'm safe in my alliance' attitude diluted her effort in challenges and earned her a tongue-lashing from Trainer Bob. At least this is how the producers edited the tape. From cool new challenges, including Black's day on a high ropes course, Blue's Cirque du Soleil-ish workout at the LA club Absolution, and a visit with a doctor to celebrate the immense health benefits of losing major weight in six weeks, contestants continue to prove it is possible to say goodbye to their morbidly obese lifestyle. Here are a few lessons from the show:
Face your fear and do it anyway -- I garnered insights from this book with a similar title years ago, and it was life-changing. We all feel fear, yet it's how we manage it that matters most. When Coleen faced her fear of heights and jumped off that high ropes ledge anyway, she set herself up for a transformational moment. I used to be a high ropes facilitator in my mid-20s, witnessing dozens of clients learn they do have the strength to attempt a difficult move, even when engulfed by spine-tingling, knee-shaking fear. Just as Coleen affirmed herself on the ledge with "I control my body," you can grab the wheel and U-turn toward a healthier lifestyle.
Biggest Loser Families: October 14th episode
The Biggest Loser Families continued this week with a two-hour episode featuring the longest challenge in the show's history -- climbing up and down a mountain from sunrise to sunset. Besides being all-day mountaineers, the game took a turning point as contestants were assigned individually to Blue (Trainer Bob) or Black (Trainer Jillian) teams by Heba. She walked into the captain's role by eating a couple glazed donuts in a pitch black room -- whoever ate the most calories was awarded power to choose the teams. Heba played a good strategy -- those donuts swamped Phil's two peanut butter cups and Amy's brownie for top spot, while the rest chose inaction, swallowing nothing.
To me, the best part of the game is watching the contestants drop the weight. Ater five weeks of intense workouts and stellar eating habits, you can't miss dramatic body changes. Player strategy is critical now, but mental and physical fortitude are two wild cards that can swing the game. Here are a few fitness and weight loss lessons from Week Five:
You don't have to be happy to work out hard and lose weight: A cohesive team is powerful, but Heba proved you can still lose weight even when relationships are dicey. Heba made enemies when she resentfully sent peanut-butter-cup-thief Phil to the Black team, but she still lost an amazing eight pounds anyway. Michelle, enmeshed in her parents' divorce, is lighter by seven pounds even with a heavy heart. She nearly fled the ranch, but good 'ole Jillian's been investing major psychological energy to keep her in the game.
To me, the best part of the game is watching the contestants drop the weight. Ater five weeks of intense workouts and stellar eating habits, you can't miss dramatic body changes. Player strategy is critical now, but mental and physical fortitude are two wild cards that can swing the game. Here are a few fitness and weight loss lessons from Week Five:
You don't have to be happy to work out hard and lose weight: A cohesive team is powerful, but Heba proved you can still lose weight even when relationships are dicey. Heba made enemies when she resentfully sent peanut-butter-cup-thief Phil to the Black team, but she still lost an amazing eight pounds anyway. Michelle, enmeshed in her parents' divorce, is lighter by seven pounds even with a heavy heart. She nearly fled the ranch, but good 'ole Jillian's been investing major psychological energy to keep her in the game.
Bob Harper's 'Loser' tips for winning newbies
Diet & Weight Loss, Fitness, Celebs & Entertainment
Trainer Bob Harper has a way with the blue team on NBC's The Biggest Loser, and it has nothing to do with the blues. He's all about helping contestants find their self-worth and change their attitudes, ultimately fueling their drive for healthy eating and fitness for a lifetime.In his new book Are You Ready! Take Charge, Lose Weight, Get in Shape, and Change Your LIfe Forever, Harper suggest newbies do the following:
- Establish a routine: Harper says regularly scheduling workouts is the most important step, especially for someone new to fitness.
- Sugar-free Cardio first: A gym membership shouldn't be the first step. Just relax, buy a good pair of shoes and start walking every day. Cut sugar from your diet from the start. Ooh, sugar is my nemesis. But there's hope, I just chose red grapes over candy corn.
- Then weights: After two months of cardiovascular training, start adding in weight-training. Harper says fat and muscle don't like to hang out together. He's a fan of heavy weights and lots of repetitions, unlike other trainers who suggest heavy weights/less reps or lighter weights/more reps.
