A Year In Fitness 2019

Instagram aims to protect minors

In a move praised by body-positivity advocates, Instagram in September rolled out a feature that allows users to report posts they believe promote weight-loss products—such as Kardashian-endorsed diet teas—and cosmetic procedures to those under 18.

Two things can then happen: Either Instagram will restrict minors from seeing posts that encourage people to buy a product or procedure or, in the case of deceptive claims about a product and links to a commercial offer, such as a discount code, Instagram will remove it from the site.

A great move to restrict posts on products that don’t work. 

WrestleMania Women Head Wrestling’s Largest Event

WrestleMania’s main event is oftentimes historic for the way it ends, but 2019’s was special before the bell had even rung.

For the first time in its 35-year history, a women’s match closed out the Show of Shows. “The Man” Becky Lynch, Charlotte Flair, and Ronda Rousey put on an entertaining Triple Threat match, which ended with Lynch capturing the WWE Raw and SmackDown Women’s titles.

Although some complained Mania ran a little long this year, it was great to see women have their time to shine. 

Ray Williams and Amanda Lawrence Squatter’s rights

What do powerlifters Ray Williams and Amanda Lawrence have in common?

They both squat more than you. In March, Williams, who competes in the 120-plus-kilogram weight class, squatted 1,080 pounds wearing nothing more than a belt and knee sleeves, making it the heaviest raw squat ever recorded.

In the female division, 84-kilogram (189-pound) powerlifter Lawrence squatted 546 pounds, which was good enough to win IPF (International Power-lifting Federation) Worlds.

Mr. Olympia New kings crowned at Olympia

This year’s Olympia Weekend in September provided plenty of entertainment for fans as Brandon Curry became the 15th Mr. Olympia, while in the 212 Olympia, Kamal Elgargni took Flex Lewis’ vacated crown.

The biggest surprise was the last-minute visa granted to Iranian bodybuilder Hadi Choopan, who placed third in the open division in his first Olympia. 

Eliud Kipchoge Breaks the Two-Hour Marathon Barrier

On Oct. 12, Eliud Kipchoge completed a marathon in an impressive 1 hour, 59 minutes, and 40 seconds, shaving 45 seconds off his last best, in Vienna, Austria.

The history-making performance wasn’t counted as an official record since it wasn’t completed in an open marathon, and Kipchoge had a deep rotation of professional pacesetters.

Nevertheless, Kipchoge still made history and pushed the boundaries of human performance. 

Andy Ruiz Body Fat, Fody Schmat

Andy Ruiz, who was a 25–1 underdog in his fight against the chiseled Anthony Joshua, proved to both gym rats and couch potatoes that anyone at any body-fat percentage can become heavyweight champion of the world.

In the seventh round of their last-minute fight, Ruiz stunned the world with a knockout over Joshua and became the first-ever Mexican heavyweight champion.

Like his waistline, upsets don’t get much larger than the one scored by the then-268-pound Ruiz. 

Joshua, though, regained the title during the rematch on Dec. 7 in Saudi Arabia.

Conor McGregor Has A Notoriously Crappy Year

UFC superstar Conor McGregor is known for his stylish suits, and now as of 2019, his civil suits.

Between launching both a clothing line with designer David Heil (August McGregor) at the end of 2018 and a whiskey (Proper Twelve) at the beginning of 2019, the Irishman has also racked up multiple court appearances—first in April of this year for smashing a fan’s phone in Miami, and then last August when TMZ released a video of McGregor hitting a man in a Dublin bar for not wanting to sample his whiskey.

Hey, maybe McGregor, who is 1–3 in his last four fights, felt like he needed a win. 

Khabib Nurmagomedov ‘The Eagle’ Soars Away with UFC Gold

While Conor McGregor was off kissing babies and shaking hands (read: assaulting buses and smashing fans’ cellphones), UFC lightweight Khabib Nurmagomedov was off laying waste to his opponents before the two finally met in October 2018.

Nurmagomedov smashed Mystic Mac and choked him out in the fourth round. Since then, the Eagle has defended his title against Dustin Poirier, whom he choked out in Round 3, bringing his record to 28–0 and ascending to the No. 1 spot on the UFC’s pound-for-pound list.

Rob Gronkowski Poster Child for CBD

The Patriots bid farewell to their favorite bro, tight end Rob Gronkowski, who retired in March.

After nine seasons, he left the NFL with three Super Bowl rings and 521 receptions for 7,861 yards. But also a torn ACL, a torn MCL, a broken back, multiple hernias, and plenty of broken bones and concussions. (Gronk told CBS News that he believes the number is near 20.) So what’s his next move?

Becoming an advocate for a CBD brand (CBDmedic), of course

A-Rod and J.Lo: The Fittest Celebrity Couple

Alex Rodriguez and Jennifer Lopez redefined the term “power couple” by showing off their killer couple’s workouts on their Instagram profiles.

They even stuck together through a 10-day no-sugar, no-carbs challenge in January. In September, A-Rod announced a partnership with the Fitplan workout app to make his workouts more widely available to the public.

Old-Man Strength We love these retro film stars

2019 proved that you can never go to the well too often when it comes to action franchises, as Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger reprised their iconic 1980s roles.

Arnold is back once again as the Terminator in Terminator: Dark Fate, while Stallone returned to the big screen as John Rambo in Rambo: Last Blood. Is it the last?

We won’t believe it until we see the last drop of blood from these franchises.

Plant Eaters Can Compete With the Best

The highly anticipated documen-tary, chronicling the rise of elite athletes who eat plant-based diets, was released in September and received mixed reviews.

Vegans praised the film for showing that you don’t need to rely on steak and eggs to excel in weightlifting and other sports.

But some athletes criticized Arnold Schwarzenegger, who produced the movie, for being hypocritical, as the Oak relied on animal-based products during his prime, and some saw his participation in the film as a publicity stunt. 

Carnivore Diet

Popularized by Shawn Baker, M.D., in late 2018, the carnivore diet restricts your food intake to only animal products—meats and butters. No veggies. No fruits. No alcohol or juices. Just meat.

Though common sense would tell us to run in the opposite direction, anecdotal evidence shows carnivore dieters to be leaner, faster, and stronger. That said, the research is still out, so we’d recommend steering clear.

Meatless Burgers Explode Onto the Food Scene

A few years ago, Impossible and Beyond burgers were something of a specialty item that only hardcore vegans knew about.

Now it’s almost, ahem, impossible to not find them in just about every eatery you enter. 2019 saw several chain restaurants—including Dunkin’ and Burger King—offer the “fake meat” patties for the first time, and many others have begun testing them in specialty markets.

However, concerns have been raised over whether the patties are actually a healthier alternative to beef, or if it’s all just a marketing ploy. Either way, it’s clear these imitation burgers will be around for quite some time. 

The Keto Diet

The keto diet is nothing new to the fitness industry, but it enjoyed even more publicity in 2019.

Thousands of everyday people showed off body transformations achieved through following the popular diet, and countless celebrities also voiced support for it.

Hell, even the U.S. military has been considering making it mandatory for armed forces members.

On the other hand, various studies released this year showed that there are several health risks associated with keto, such as increased cholesterol levels and the possibility of a higher risk of certain cancers.

SARMs

You’ve heard—and joked about—steroids, of course, but are you familiar with selective androgen receptor modulators?

SARMs, as they’re more commonly known, are synthetic drugs that are designed to have similar effects to testosterone, and they’ve been appearing online and in news headlines more often this year.

SARMs have been banned by the WADA and the NCAA, and elite athletes like NFL players Nevin Lawson of the Oakland Raiders and Taylor Lewan of the Tennessee Titans have faced suspensions for using the SARM ostarine this year. 

Claw is Law, Baby

In 2019, spiked seltzer—which clocks in on average at 100 calories and 5% alcohol by volume (ABV)—made a major splash in the beverage market.

According to Market Insider, analysts at UBS predict that this $550 million beverage will be worth $2.5 billion by 2021.

Big brands like Pabst Blue Ribbon and Natty Light have hopped on the wagon, producing low-cal seltzers with even higher ABVs as a way of competing with established brands like Truly and White Claw—which make up 85% of all spiked seltzer sales.

Marvel’s Avengers: Endgame (THE END)

Chris Hemsworth, Josh Brolin, Sebastian Stan, Bradley Cooper (OK, he only voiced a raccoon), and many other ripped superheroes were all on the big screen in the biggest movie ever made.

The Russo Brothers brought the historic 11-year Infinity Saga to a tidy end with awesome fight scenes, comedic relief, and plenty of emotional moments.

This was the film Marvel fans had waited more than a decade for, and it was well worth the wait. It will also live in the history books for quite some time, as it became the highest-grossing movie ever, grossing $2.79 billion and surpassing Avatar’s decade-long run at the top.

Dwayne Johnson

It seems that every year is a good year for Dwayne Johnson, but 2019 was a great one. He starred in Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw alongside Jason Statham and Jumanji: The Next Level with longtime partner in crime Kevin Hart.

The Rock also expanded upon his Under Armour collection with the release of Iron Will.

Oh, and he announced yet another upcoming venture: his own tequila brand, which will be released in 2020. But perhaps the most exciting thing he did this year was marry longtime girlfriend Lauren Hashian in a scenic ceremony in Hawaii.