Weight Training Documentary Ideas

Off Topic
1

I’m planning to make a documentary for my final project for my first year at Uni in England, and thinking of doing it on the world of weight lifting/training, or possibly about weight training myths, how people think squats are bad for your spine for example. I wuld interview members of the general public on their opinion of exercises, if any, and ask questions like how are some of the olympic lifts are performed, or if they even know what they are.

Anyone have any other myths that I could do about, or anyone able to lead me to articles here that would give some ridiculous myths.

I would be hopefully mentioning T-Nation as a ‘beacon’, showing that most exercises are good.

Anyone (e.g. the more experienced) have any possible ideas I could use. I have about two months to do this, but want to look into possibilities asap.

Alos, if there are any brave T-men (who aren’t?) that might be interested in an interview, or being filmed whislt training (as of course, we all know only a handful of people perform deadlifts properly, T-Nation being the best way of contact)? Preferrably people who live in either cambridge, or in Swindon, for ease (cheapness) of travel for me.

Any help, or insight would be much appreciated.

Monkey.

2

I think you should just do straight Docu-Drama. Take a sick, sick individual film him going to work trying to adapt to normal society, then show him animal sick-it-out in the gym, then show him getting jacked off of roids. That’ll make people go crazy right there.

3

If you were smart though you would film me because I live Iron bro. Im in the US in Md, you should move out here and settle down. We could make millions together my man !!!

4

triple-10sets: are you volunteering to be the “sick, sick individual…trying to adapt to normal society”?

2lbs:
Your idea about exercise understanding is good but I would add you should interview doctors and/or medical students about them as well. Oh, and be sure to ask if they lift.

One that might prove interesting is to interview people with Imaginary Lat Syndrome who lift about their lifts and builds, stressing where they fit in the pantheon of the everyday and body building male. Then let some of the top trainers and lifters on this site evaluate the ILS claims. It would be similar to Rate My Physique except with more going on. The piece then would be more about perception than understanding.

5

In my opinion, the myth is that bodybuilding has become more acceptable in the last 30 years. Total bullshit.

At the time Arnold stared in Pumping Iron bodybuilding was a sub-culture, and most people saw bodybuilders as freaks. The myth is that Pumping Iron and Rocky and other movies that made muscles desirable again, and as a result, commercial gyms opened up around that country and now everyone goes to the gym. But look at the people who go to the gym. Very few lift heavy weights, and probably 90% would tell you they are just there to “tone” and don’t want to get too big.

How would that translate into film? I don’t know.

You could make the story of this guy (all film story pitches start with “it’s about this guy…”) who realizes he doesn’t have a fucking clue as to what he’s doing, he knows that he knows nothing, so like Socrates, he goes around commercial gyms asking people how to train, how to eat. And the skinny granola munching personal trainers show him how to squat on the smith machine because it’s safer, but if you look at them they are skinny and weak as fuck, then you ask the guy who back squats 500 pounds ass to grass the old school way, and he’s strong as a bull.

You ask a bodybuilder about protein, show him eating a dozen eggs at once, the guy’s built, obviously healthier than 99% of the population, then you go talk to a nutritionist, who tells you protein is the devil, you should only eat the RDA of 65 grams a day, but the nutritionist is fat, sloppy as fuck. The trick would be entirely visual, comparing what people claim to know with how they actually look themselves.

You couldn’t have fat actors deliberately giving bad advice from a script. You would have to ask real people for their real advice. Like Errol Morris, you ask real people what they really think, and if they are liars, lunatics, or simpletons, that will come out, if you let them get comfortable and speak their mind. In other words, you won’t have to explain the truth to the audience, they will be able to see it for themselves.

It would take a long time, and a shit load of footage, but you would probably end up with a very good 30-45 minute piece. And you’d be able to shoot hand held with your DV camera, wouldn’t have to waste time with lighting, etc. That’s always fun.

6

Well, to begin with, its only 10minutes tops, so it doesn’t cover much, I could try and do a bit about ILS, that would be funy, get some filming in a gym, but actually film people fucking up, or being ILS’ers. Oh and definately cover upper body training only freaks.

I am planning to go for doctors especially, to get their opinion on them, and if they see them as bad, as well as some lifters. I was perhaps prepared to get a friend to go on a push/pull method for a few weeks, to see how they feel, etc. Not sure yet, its early days, so I don;t know

7

[quote]Uncle Gabby wrote:

You could make the story of this guy (all film story pitches start with “it’s about this guy…”) who realizes he doesn’t have a fucking clue as to what he’s doing, he knows that he knows nothing, so like Socrates, he goes around commercial gyms asking people how to train, how to eat. And the skinny granola munching personal trainers show him how to squat on the smith machine because it’s safer, but if you look at them they are skinny and weak as fuck, then you ask the guy who back squats 500 pounds ass to grass the old school way, and he’s strong as a bull.

You ask a bodybuilder about protein, show him eating a dozen eggs at once, the guy’s built, obviously healthier than 99% of the population, then you go talk to a nutritionist, who tells you protein is the devil, you should only eat the RDA of 65 grams a day, but the nutritionist is fat, sloppy as fuck. The trick would be entirely visual, comparing what people claim to know with how they actually look themselves.

[/quote]

Good idea about the visual depictions…

8

[quote]2lb Monkey wrote:
Good idea about the visual depictions…
[/quote]

I don’t know if it would work in the ten minute time frame. You’d probably have to hammer it in by showing it over and over again, fat doctors giving bad advice, fat nutritionists, before the audience would get it.

With just ten minutes, you should probably go for the funny. Imaginary Lat syndrome sounds pretty good.

9

I always wanted to see a pumping iron type documentary about powerlifting, showing the powerlifters downing 10k calories a day…

10

I could do a docu drama, or perhaps a mockumentary, for example someone with ILS, though mockumentaries I have hammered a bit, so want to stay away from them for this, my final project.

I think if I can get hold of some powerlifters, perhaps follow their lives, their training sessions, nutrition, etc, that would be brilliant. Anyone in Cambridge who would perhaps be interested???

I think I’ll follow some of the obsurd things, ILS, being the first one, perhaps upper body freaks, p[erhaps people who just work the mirror muscles (biceps, chest, abs), health freaks, I have a friend who is a twig, she eats nothing, andruns about twice a day.

I could also follow people who do strange things whilst working out, e.g. the screamers, the feet in the air whilst benching on the smith machine (ghastly). Those that create their own strange exercises.

Anyone think that there could possibly be any sort of contests I could do, say film average people working out agianst each other, e.g. dips, not sure. running. See how out of shape people are.

Any excercises I could get people to try and do, e.g. power cleans, or ask them.

How could I possibly find out about powerlifting contests in the area, Google I suppose would be the first place t look, anyone know of any in Cambridge, or Sweindon, or around either???

11

[quote]triple-10sets wrote:
If you were smart though you would film me because I live Iron bro. Im in the US in Md, you should move out here and settle down. We could make millions together my man !!! [/quote]

I wish I could, then at least I could get some actual dedicated lifters, and not just cardio bunnies…

12

You might find some stuff here: Hamiltons Gym, Colchester

Or you could have a look on BWLA powerlifting website for comps. I think Cambridge uni have a powerlifting team as well, but have no idea how you get in contact though.
I am from peterbouorgh (currently in Newcastle though), so quite close, I do training for powerlifting at the moment but am still a beginner.

13

If you do ILS, just remember that 99% of people won’t know what that is, and won’t think its funny, and as far as upper body freaks, that seems to be the normal gym guy. I’ve met maybe 5 guys who had serious upper body development, like 18-20" arms, but all of their legs were skinnier than mine. So most of your audience won’t think they are funny, just that they are typical bodybuilders.

So try to keep the average persons point of view first and foremost.

14

What about setting up a place to do squats and oly lifts in some public space and film people’s reactions and questions. Have people out in the crowd filming from multiple angles. You might get some fun comments “That boys gonna hurt himself” or maybe someone will join in, try to correct your form, or you will just cause a spectacle.

Your own little Venice beach of sorts.

Or it could really suck.

It would need to be somewhere with lots of foot traffic.

That might work for ten minutes.

15

[quote]Ben Jones wrote:
You might find some stuff here: Hamiltons Gym, Colchester

Or you could have a look on BWLA powerlifting website for comps. I think Cambridge uni have a powerlifting team as well, but have no idea how you get in contact though.
I am from peterbouorgh (currently in Newcastle though), so quite close, I do training for powerlifting at the moment but am still a beginner.
[/quote]

Already contacted them about filming comps and training, so just have to wait and see. I really need to do researhcd early to find out if this idea is viable for 10 minutes, so that if I need to I can pull out. Thanks for the input. If I continue with the idea, I’l try and post it here.

16

[quote]2lb Monkey wrote:
Ben Jones wrote:
You might find some stuff here: Hamiltons Gym, Colchester

Or you could have a look on BWLA powerlifting website for comps. I think Cambridge uni have a powerlifting team as well, but have no idea how you get in contact though.
I am from peterbouorgh (currently in Newcastle though), so quite close, I do training for powerlifting at the moment but am still a beginner.

Already contacted them about filming comps and training, so just have to wait and see. I really need to do researhcd early to find out if this idea is viable for 10 minutes, so that if I need to I can pull out. Thanks for the input. If I continue with the idea, I’l try and post it here.[/quote]

Taping powerlifting comps would be awesome. It wouldn’t work for the 10 minute piece for your class, but it is worth doing for its own sake.

17

I swear I have seen one , It included Sandow to Weider