Strong Is The New Skinny! (Healthy Hollywood)

Strong is the new skinny is the fitness mantra of the moment.

It’s popping up in media headlines, on T-shirts and even bumper stickers. Plus, Healthy Hollywood, who spent years striving for a size zero and a waif-thin body, has actually begun to lift weights. Yup! I have suddenly started noticing all the muscle definition and super strong females at my gym and want what they have!

Even Hollywood stars like Sandra Bullock and Cameron Diaz are into being fabulously fit.

“I found people don’t want to be super-duper skinny. They want to be fit. Strong is appealing. The aesthetic has changed in our culture and I think it is healthier. Muscles are in,” declares well-known New York City sports doctor Dr. Jordan Metzl, who is also an accomplished athlete.

Healthy Hollywood first met Dr. Metzl at Canyon Ranch in Lenox, Mas., where he was hosting a weekend of fitness education and workshops. He first led me and a small group on a major bike ride through the physically-rugged and very hilly terrain of the Berkshires. Later, he taught a class based on his iron strength workout, which utilizes all parts of the body. It includes cardio, along with strength training and balance.

And that’s when Healthy Hollywood got curious about the doctor’s take on “strong as the new skinny.” A concept he says is right on, noting, “People want a six pack. They want some muscle definition.”

Dr. Metzl created his iron strength routine to help folks develop just that — a toned body from head to toe. “The key to getting that type of body is high repetition and light weight training. It’s not pushing big weights. It’s doing multiple repetitions. It’s functional body weight training that uses own body mass to build strength.”

Healthy Hollywood caught up with Dr. Metzl here in New York City, where he runs his iron strength workout in Central Park at 6:15a AM. And, yes, I got myself out of bed to participate.

The class started with a half-hour of running, which alternated between skipping and jogging. Then, Dr. Metzl turned up the music and me, along with 30 or so others, gathered on the grass for a half hour of strength training, which included planks and jumping squats.

The workout certainly wasn’t easy, but my muscles felt pumped and ready to give it another go!

For more on Dr. Metzl, check out www.drjordanmetzl.com.

— Terri MacLeod

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