Think you’ve found the ultimate fitness regime to attain the body of a Greek god? ZodBod, a new fitness startup that launched last month, wants to help you share your secrets to success – and possibly make some money in the process. The site invites users to write up and sell their own fitness guides, in which they can instruct visitors on diet and exercise regimes designed to whip them into shape.
Guides on the site run around $5 each, and are an average of 20-25 pages long. Plans can include images, diagrams and tables detailing the exercises and meals guidelines you should be following. To decide which plans to follow, you can read through an extended bio of the author, browse reader reviews, and download a sample excerpt from the guide.
My intitial reaction was that this seemed a little silly – after all, every guide (at least the ones that work) is going to be a variation on the old “diet and exercise” mantra. Then again, having seen the diet section at the local book store, it’s clear that people will pay for nearly anything that might somehow lead to some weight loss. And while there’s some risk of buying a wonky guide with no basis in reality, ZodBod claims that all guides are checked by a “health and fitness pro” prior to publication.
I’m sure the site will wind up seeing more than its share of worthless diet fads, but presumably the real quality guides will bubble up to the top. And when it comes down to it, I’d rather take dieting tips from a real person (hopefully with a similar body type to mine) who has actually had to eat the foods they’re recommending instead of relying on the word of some famous bodybuilder who probably uses liposuction and steroids to maintain their physique.
ZodBod is going to be fighting an uphill battle: it will be competing with countless other diet sites on the web, which include startups like WatchMEmelt and more established weight loss sites and forums, many of which are free. It’s also going to be facing off with self-publishing sites like Scribd, which just opened a new document marketplace last week.
Step 1: Get the P90X workout CDs
Step 2: Follow the workout routine
Step 3: Get ripped.
P90X is a joke. That DVD will make you skinny and weak, not strong and built. You need to be doing heavy compound movements (squats, deadlifts, bench press) and eating lots of clean healthy calories.
Additionally, you do not need someone to show you how to train. The secret is to flex your muscles on each repetition and ‘feel the burn’. Many people try to go too heavy when weight lifting because they let there ego’s get in the way. To do proper heavy lifting, you must be able to go all the way down and all the way up on each repetition, never sacrifice form for weight.
Eat every 4 hours, complex carbs and protein (chicken, steak, salmon, broccoli, carrots, yams, potatoes) and drink 4 liters of water a day.
Never eat before bed unless it is slow buring proteins like Cottage Cheese, and always eat right before and right after a workout to maximize gains.
Fad diets come and go (P90X, Taebo, etc) but clean eating and heavy lifting, coupled with a good hydration and sleep regime, will keep you in shape for the rest of your life.
***Put down those f’ing coffees and soft drinks!!! These are why America is obese!
@Adrian, do you do the clean and jerk?
Yes, I do some power lifting movements at times.
Go swimming an hour a day will make you slim the way you want without any diet program crap. Swimming will make your heart strong and healthy and your muscle compact. Not sure yet? Try it out. In a week, you will feel the difference.
Your diet is arguably the most important part. You obviously have no idea what you are talking about.
When I swin I sink to the bottom dude, im 250lbs of solid muscle, bodybuilders dont swim. Skinny dudes that do P90X go swimming. Nothing against swimming, just not possible for me currently.
Also, there is a difference between being in shape relative to society, eg P90X system, and being a freak show who eats, breathes, and lives weight training.
Dont believe me, watch this:
http://www.yout...re=channel_page
And no I dont tale steroids. The guy in the video does however.
hope to god this isnt you Adrian: http://www.adri...eden-corona.jpg
If it is you, please stfu you are not a body builder, dont call yourself one. 250lbs of solid muscle hahahahaha.
That is me, who said I cant have Corona? Come to my gym and see for yourself.
I’ve been relying on weight lifting most of my life for staying fit and at 50 I was out of breath when I run up more than a few flights of stairs. My bad. I now have a swimming pool — always loved swimming. After swimming for some time I started running and I was expecting to be winded after my usual 22 yards or so. Instead, I just kept going. Swimming has expanded my lung capacity enormously. I swim now about an hour a day, and try to weight train about 3/4 times a week, and run about twice a week.
I don’t really need a site like zodbod, though, for weight training. I just go to the gym and watch people who seem to know what they are doing (breathing technique is crucial in weight lifting and I avert my eyes from herky jerky lifters).
Its not about someone “showing” you how to train, its that seeing how to do something correctly and having a structure to follow helps.
i agree. ego lifing will be counter productive (though weights that are too light aren’t good for you either if you are trying to bulk up). lifting methods are a good foundation but eventually everyone has their own unique set/system of structure (much like adwords). It also really depends on what you are trying to achieve.
Well said, there is no real program that works for everyone, due to our differing genetics and regions of living.
I suggest pushing yourself, doing what feels challenging, asking for help when you need it, making friends with people in the gym, thinking positively, and all of your health concerns will come together.
You sound like an experienced body builder, the aspects of training with the correct weights was spot on, I encourage others to take heed..
@Adrian great responses, but swimming isn’t just for the skinny guys. I know it’s not for you, especially if you are a body builder because swimming tends to lean and tone, rather than build mass and cut. Then there is also the sinking issue :-p – which could actually make it more difficult and a better work out…
However, if was only able to do one thing for the rest of my life, it would be swim. For me, as a single activity, it is the most complete workout, covering strength, endurance and cardio.
I lift too, but I can’t get the same cardio, stamina and endurance results from treadmills and weights that I can get in the pool.
I don’t think either one of us wrong though, it’s exactly how you put it “there is no real program that works for everyone” – its all about genetics, geographic locations and personal fitness goals.
I’m just wanted to put in my 2 cents about swimming because I think more people should do it.
I like swimming too, its just hard for me. lol
HyperStrike.com is the answer.
When I first encountered the Long Tail term, I didn’t think they would push it this far..
Addon: Lulu.com is such a better marketplace for this.
The world simply isn’t ready for my awesome biceps.
zezactly what I was gonna say about me (but I’m adding calves and m. splenius capitis)
This site seems just a little strange to me. Although some of the girls on there are very fit
I bet some fat disgusting pig who’s never been on a diet in his life writes a guide and makes tens of thousands of dollars with this website using fake pictures.
because that is the nature of the internet.
All of the guides on ZodBod are checked over by a health and fitness pro before being published so hopefully we’d catch these people out.
There are so many inspirational people that I doubt photoshop could compete. However, if someone does go through all the effort and manages to sneak it on the site they wouldn’t do very well as if the plan doesn’t yield good results for other users then it will receive a low score and will be removed from the site.
Thanks for the feedback
They should not accept money through e transfer money should be send only by post to give them a start.. like little Baby steps
I just don’t see paying for these guides if they are coming from people who have not been trained and certified in the fitness field. There are already so many misconceptions out there and out right lies about fitness – I think this will just add to the confusion. Also there are so many great free sites and guides out there by certified pros – BodyRock.Tv for one offers video workouts and QA with a trainer completely for free. There are also quite a few YT channels dedicated to free fitness tips and routines.
I completely agree – the information in the diet and fitness arena can at best be confusing and at worst be outright lies. This is pretty much THE biggest reason ZodBod is here.
Offering the chance for different approaches to be unbiasedly rated ensures only effective approaches will float to the top. We want to bring clarity to this area.
One last point to mention is that a health and fitness professional does check over all the downloadable plans before they are published on the site.
“ZodBod is going to be fighting an uphill battle”…in addition to the competition, there’s a lot of churn in this audience.
Good since you’ll get all the New Year’s Resolution crowd…bad since they’ll cancel the next month when they realize it’s hard work.
on the plus side, fighting uphill battles burns a lot of kcals, right?
This website is pretty horrible, where did you find this?
its a slow twitter day.
lmao.
Well…
It’s not that horrible
Honestly it’s all in your head and how motivated one is to get that perfect body. Of course there is genetics to get a specific ripped type of body but for most who just want to look reasonably in shape i dont think there is much use for something like this.
honestly, if you have questions about getting fit I would recommend reading http://bodybuilding.com articles.
It is the best fitness website on the net with a huge article and forum section, and best of all its free!
Yea, but what if i don’t want to body build? What if i just want to lose a few pounds and tone up slightly?
Personally i think http://www.zodbod.com is better than the site you mention because it covers everything, and appeals to all sorts of people male/female, young/old, beginners, intermediates, experts everyone!
Not everyone has enough time to spend at the gym body building two hours every day and more to the point not everyone wants to look like a body builder!
Hi,
I’m Luke and I’m founder and MD of ZodBod. It’s great to see the comments here and thanks for your interesting feedback!
I’d just like to bring everyone’s attention to the range of conflicting opinions in this comments section about the best way to get in shape. This is one of the big reasons I started the site – there’s just so much conflicting information out there yet there is no one place you can get unbiased feedback about all the different approaches. Jason’s insight that the best methods will bubble to the top is an acute observation, and one this one of the most fundamental attributes of ZodBod.
Eventually every method of weight loss and every type of body change will be catered for and we will be able to offer a specifically tailored solution which has unbiased feedback, for everybody, and in every situation. This is a massive step forward in terms of clarity of information in this sector and we ultimately aim to help millions of people worldwide.
I hope you all enjoy the site and if you have any comments or questions you can contact me through the site!
Luke
No pain, no gain.
If you want health, you have to work for it. Buying all the guides in the world is not going to help one little bit, if you’re chained to the couch all day….
I agree. Buying a guide on its own without implementing the information to your own life won’t give any results.
One of the biggest hurdles people need to overcome is the inspiration to do something, and the belief that it IS possible.
The nature of ZodBod means that people who have made the mental transformation (as this is of course what has to come first) can share how they were able to do this, and share that with someone in exactly the same boat as they were.
In fact one of the things that differentiates ZodBod from other diet/exercise regimes is that we tackle the mental hurdles people need to overcome to transform their physiques.
I hate the infomercial look and feel + wikipedia-like content. I’m skeptical. But on the plus side, I like how plans are reviewed and rated by other users and it looks like they are not anonymous. Is there a feature where you can find people who are geographically near on the same/similar plan? Support is a key element in success.
Hi Trained Monkey!
I’m a fan of the way the site looks (but then I guess I would be:)
I completely agree that support is a key part of the process. At the moment ZodBod specializes in inspiration and information. Support groups, and a community to go with you on your journey is our next big mission.
Thanks for your feedback!
A workout routine that works for one person will not work for the other. Buying guides is pointless.
This model sounds like the ebay of diet and workout manuals. Your product is the expertise you’ve gained from losing your weight.
Besides, they could’ve lost weight through some really unhealthy techniques like crash diets, insane workouts, and crazy supplements. Does that make them an expert
To help other people lose weight, you need to be an expert, and really understand how fat, muscle, diet and exercise really works.
Diet books are sold by the dozen, but how many people do we know that can lose weight successfully, and keep it off! That’s because losing weight by yourself is really difficult.
@Jason Kincaid- We completely disagree that someone who can help you lose weight, should eat the same foods and live the same lifestyle. What’s important is for them to understand your lifestyle, and the foods that you eat.
That’s why customized diet and exercise plans can really help you lose weight and get fit.
At Fitho, we have helped multiple people lose weight through these customized diet and exercise plans.
Wonder where they got the name?
http://video.ao...-zod/3039444470
Seriously. Why is TechCrunch spending their time and energy on Zodbod when there are a few great sites out there that actually deliver and don’t get covered? Where is HyperStrike.com? Where is IFBBPROGYM.com? How about TrainingPeaks.com?
I don’t know perhaps because all of those you just mentioned look rubbish in comparison to Zodbod? And don’t have anything new to offer to teh diet and fitness industry?