** This thread discusses the content article:
The 5 Most Awkward Fitness Infomercials to Ever Hit the Airwaves **
Fitness, health, and dieting is a multi-billion dollar industry, so it's no surprise that there are countless infomercials trying to promote products and fitness centers. That being said, whenever you have that many infomercials, chances are there are going to be a few that really stand out...in a weird way. Here are the top 5 most awkward fitness infomercials to hit the airwaves, courtesy of Passionate Fitness:
5. Practical Fitness. In this infomercial, it looks like the writers started with a good joke, didn't know where to go with it, and then hit their deadline so just sent it out. It starts with a guy asking his girlfriend what she wants from him, then a guy in amazing shape walks by to her staring at him at which point she replies, "I just want you to be healthy."
Yes, we get it, at this point, it's sort of a cute joke. She's trying to convince him to workout, clearly so that he'll look good, and then tells him it's just so he can be healthy. If the infomercial had ended here, it wouldn't have made this list. But the next segment is a picture of a senior couple working out. What? Seriously, it's like the marketing guys couldn't decide which demographic to go after, tried to go after everyone, and ended up reaching no one. Here's the video:
4. Bellyfit. This video starts out with the words, "Biological Revolution." Biological Revolution does not sound like a good thing. In fact, it's the kind of phrase that reminds me to start stacking up on antibiotics. And by the end of the video, it convinces women that if they don't take bellyfit, the world is doomed. This infomercial takes itself so seriously (the future of the world rests on bellyfit) that it's awkward. Here's the video:
3. Chair Fitness. At first glance, the idea of being able to do an entire workout session from your chair, especially for people with disabilities, seems like a great idea. The problem with Chair Fitness though, is that it claims that even people who are at an advanced fitness level and healthy should use their product. Seriously? People at an advanced level should do workouts from their chair? This product would have been good had they focused on one demographic, but the second they tried to market it to everyone it just gets awkward. Here's the video:
2. Soloflex. This infomercial would be filed in another post under "the most epic infomercial of all time", for tweaking the emotions of every man by reminding us how we quit trying to workout when we were 12 and convincing us that we have still have a chance to get in amazing shape if we just buy their machine, if it wasn't for one huge awkward moment.
The entire infomercial focuses on men and their past, and then all of a sudden, at 4:26, for about two seconds while they discuss stretching, a women appears and then disappears. The entire thing is ridiculously weird, and you have to pay close attention to catch it. I'm not really sure what message it's trying to get across, but maybe you'll have some ideas. Here's the video:
1. The iGallop. It's like...riding a horse? What was going through the heads of the people that made this? Here's the video:
Rafi Bar-Lev is a former combat medic and the founder of Passionate Fitness.
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