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Reel fitness: silver screen action is influencing fitness trends
American Fitness, Nov-Dec, 2004 by Toby Osborne
Fitness instructors looking to tap the latest trends would be wise to visit the cinema or a local video store. Big-budget, blockbuster movies, such as Charlie's Angels, Tomb Raider and Kill Bill, featuring tough, high-kicking, sword-wielding heroines, are inspiring women across the country to get in shape--by imitating the on-screen action. Although Billy Blanks' Tae Bo workouts have had exercise enthusiasts punching, kicking and grunting for years; the glamorized and stylized violence in recent films has given the public a thirst for more exciting, challenging and aggressive routines.
Forza
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No longer satisfied by variations on the aerobics format, people are keen to learn intricate martial arts moves and even wield a weapon. Forza is a prime example. Using custom-weighted fitness swords, followers sculpt their arms, hips and thighs with this cardiovascular workout that blends elements of Kendo and Aikijujitsu--two Japanese sword-fighting techniques.
"My Forza classes have exploded because of all the movies, like Kill Bill, King Arthur, Troy, Charlie's Angels," says Ilaria Montagnani, the creator of Forza, and an accomplished martial arts expert from Italy. She instructs classes at New York's trendy Reebok Sports Club. "I'm teaching everyday and if I can't, someone is teaching for me. My Web site is inundated with requests."
In Forza, exercisers are taught to slowly map out a choreographed "fight," featuring up to 20 moves. "Forza is based on samurai practices and the aim is to achieve speed and precision," explains Montagnani. The class acts out the one-minute fight sequence, after an hour of rehearsing with the weighted swords, while shaping the upper body and providing a cardiovascular workout.
From a safety perspective, the very idea of a sea of sword-hacking fitness fanatics can sound like a potential death trap. Just how safe is Forza? What is the likelihood of a fatal decapitation at the hands of an overzealous colleague? "No, there's no beheading," says Montagnani reassuringly. Ultimately, all martial arts training is associated with an added sense of danger. However, the swords in Forza are actually "made of a special plastic, and are not sharp or pointy. There's no contact and no danger--and thankfully there hasn't been any accidents in eight years," notes Montagnani. "It's more like moving meditation, believe it or not, empowered but respectful, quiet but intense at the same time."
Forza, Italian for "strength," may have been around for eight years, but it has seen a massive surge in popularity since the release of Quentin Tarantino's samurai sword-swinging action-rests Kill Bill, Volumes 1 and 2. In the films, Uma Thurman's character is the definitive "tough chick"--wreaking revenge on those who betrayed her--at one point slaying a team of 88 assassins.
Nevertheless, Thurman can't hog the credit for igniting interest in movie-style fighting as a great way to keep fit. Trainers have taken note of influential performances by well-toned beauties Jennifer Garner (Daredevil), Angelina Jolie (Tomb Raider 1 and 2), Halle Berry (Catwoman) and--undeniably the most emulated of all--Lucy Liu, Drew Barrymore and Cameron Diaz (Charlie's Angels 1 and 2). The swash-buckling swordplay in the historical epics Troy and King Arthur appeal to men as well. "Women and men are equally interested. Hollywood is helping by making it cool and acceptable," says Montagnani.
Powerstrike
Powerstrike is another workout that benefited from the chic of action film martial artistry. A karate-kickboxing combo, Powerstrike incorporates martial arts, yoga and dance and was co-founded in 1995 by Montagnani and Patricia Moreno, an aerobic and dance professional. Recently named one of the top 10 workouts in the United States by Shape magazine, Powerstrike teaches kicks, punches, blocks and footwork in fierce calorie-burning exercises. However, it was primarily the kicking and punching that attracted the attention of movie-goers as it bore striking similarities to the fighting techniques of the Charlie's Angels' heroines.
Krav Maga
Krav Maga, the battle-tested Israeli system of fighting skills and self-defense, is proving popular too. The training received a nod from Hollywood in Enough when Jennifer Lopez's character used Krav Maga to defend herself against her abusive husband.
Capoeira
Another case in point is the Brazilian fight-dance Capoeira, which is filling gym schedules across the country. With its graceful, non-contact movements, dancers can learn the art of the roundhouse kick without ever knocking out an "opponent."
"In Mission Impossible 2, Tom Cruise did just one Capoeira-kick, and everyone was saying: 'There's Capoeira in Mission Impossible 2.'" laughs Duane Wrenn, a Michigan-based fitness consultant. Wrenn is currently developing a new workout called Angola-style Capoeira. "Angola-style has very slow movements, which are very low to the ground. And because it's so slow there is so much control, so much power," he says.
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