A Review of Mike Sorrentino’s ‘The Situation Workout’ on Netflix Streaming
Unless you've been living under a rock for the past few years, you recognize 'The Situation' from MTV's hit reality show 'Jersey Shore.' 'The Situation' done endorsements for Devotion Vodka, Reebok Zigtech and a vitamin line for GNC. It was only a matter of time before 'The Situation' did his own workout videos, especially because he built a brand on his abs, and what better place to have 'The Situation Workout' than on Netflix Streaming.
We couldn't resist taking a look at the workout of the 'Sitch' and what we found was a mix of annoyance and entertainment. Would you expect anything less from this guy?
We asked Joseph Van Thuyne, of BeWell Fitness to watch the video with us and critically analyze the workout regimen. Before we dive into the good stuff-- here's a trailer for 'The Situation Workout.'
The first problem with this DVD is Sitch's lack of legitimate on-screen acting experience. Let's face it kids, reality TV doesn't get anybody a SAG card. The Situation presents his workouts with a number of "uh"s and "ah"s accompanying every sentence. This becomes very annoying, and he sounds like a stumbling amateur on cable access TV. Instead of saying things like "leading with your elbow" when directing people in the workout--The Situation simply says things like "This way, okay?" or "Like this, alright?" It's not very informative when it comes to the movement of your body, and it sounds like The Situation assumes everybody watching is an expert in working out.
In the middle of a set of sit ups, the viewer is bombarded by 'The Situation's' style of branding. Since Mike got his name because of his abs everything (your body, his workout, his abs) is called The Situation. "This workout is by 'The Situation' for your situation to get more of a situation while situated with the ladies after your situation workout. " We swear he said that sentence at one point during the video. We didn't count but Mike utters the phrase 'the situation' over fifty times in the hour long video.
On the plus side, there are two hot girls to help 'The Situation' properly demonstrate his workout. In fact, they probably demonstrate how to properly exercise better than the host. These girls certainly bring something valuable to this DVD, but 'The Situation' manages to ruin it. How? By letting his sidekick 'The Unit' occasionally hit on the poor ladies mid-workout. These girls probably couldn't find any other work so they settled for a workout DVD where they get hit by two idiots. A paycheck is a paycheck, right?
We know the big question is "is this workout actually a good workout?" Whoa! Whoa! This is The Situation we're talking about. Surely, he knows what he's doing...right? Well, we think the workout itself is adequate--but only if you're already a serious G.T.L-er. We know, we can't believe we just said that either. It's time to get the opinion of our trainer. His first gripe is a serious one. "There is no warm-up section of the workout. 'The Situation' expects you to jump right in. He never goes over anyone's technique just jumps from movement to movement."
Our trainer Joe points out even more issues with the workout. "He never talks about where your other body parts should be in relation to the workout. Even the way he picks up the dumbbells is dangerous. He doesn't use his legs or position his back properly. This could lead to back injuries. He also never tells the audience what muscles correlate to the workout he's showing you. You should always do that. He doesn't even give you options or modifications of the workout, and he fails to mention how you should be breathing during the exercise."
Ouch. Looks like 'the situation' could be some seriously injured people that are trying this workout for the first time with little or no exercising experience.
"You need to be a little advanced to do his workout." Joseph continues, "Someone who has never worked out before could risk some serious injury. ' The Situation' should cater to various athletic abilities. There is no way an average fitness person can do this workout without hurting themselves."
So don't depend on The Situation to help you with your situation, unless you want a serious situation involving your meatballs and an icepack.
If you're really interested, for comedic or exercise purposes, you can check out 'The Situation Workout' here.