John Basedow and Fitness Made Simple suck.
John Basedow is a jackass, and Fitness Made Simple is useless garbage.
I’ve been thinking for a minute and I’ve come to the conclusion that there are really only two reactions you could possibly have to my above statement.
- LOL! I totally agree!
- Who is John Basedow and what is Fitness Made Simple?
Now you might be wondering why I didn’t have a 3rd reaction that went something along the lines of “Hey, that’s not nice. I disagree with you completely. John Basedow is awesome, and Fitness Made Simple is extremely useful for anyone with the goal of weight loss or just improving their diet and workout.”
The reason I didn’t include this 3rd reaction is because honestly, no sane person could possibly have this reaction.
See, John Basedow is a “fitness celebrity.” That is the real serious term people (including himself) use to describe him. Bodybuilder? Nah. Personal Trainer? Nope. Diet Guru? No way. Fitness Expert? No again. He is a real life Fitness Celebrity. I’m not really sure what that means or even how someone becomes one, but I do have a strong feeling that one of the main requirements is being a jackass.
John Basedow is totally a fitness celebrity!
What also makes this guy a fitness celebrity is his fitness products. He sells these workout and nutrition videos. The only reason I know this is because of the seemingly infinite amount of TV commercials that air every second of every day for the last few years.
These commercials air so often that I occasionally have nightmares where John Basedow shows up and tries to make me buy his videos. And that Fitness Made Simple theme song… words just can’t describe it. If you’ve never heard it before, be sure to turn your speakers up and visit his official site. Those lyrics haunt me.
If you went to hear the song, you probably also got a glimpse of John himself. I know what you’re thinking. This is the dorkiest looking guy you’ve ever seen.
I agree. For the first few years of Fitness Made Simple commercials, Mr. Basedow sported brown/black hair. Then one day to the delight of people around the world, he went blonde. If you weren’t hysterically laughing at his commercials before then, you certainly had to be now.
I don’t want to make fun of the guy too much. I’m sure he’s a good guy and all. So instead, let’s make fun of the useless weight loss and fitness videos (garbage) he is trying to sell.
First of all, his website calls them “best selling workout and nutrition videos.” Excuse me, workout and nutrition videos? This guy is like straight out of 1983. I can understand buying some kind of aerobic type of video, but who the hell is buying workout and nutrition videos? I’m not even sure what a nutrition video is.
I can only imagine it’s him sitting in his kitchen going “…and now I’m going to eat some grilled chicken. Chicken is good because it’s high in protein. Hey, get a close up of this.” Then 45 minutes later, “And now I’m drinking some water. Water is good to drink. Try to drink a lot of it. If you have a sink in your house you can get your water right from there. See? Just turn the knob and out comes water.”
Really, what else could a nutrition video be? It can only be John Basedow standing around talking to the camera as though he is teaching a nutrition class. I have $1,000.00 that says whatever nutrition information is given on those Fitness Made Simple videos can be found online on thousands of different web sites, for free. For example, this one.
And the workout video(s)… clips of those are shown in the commercials. It’s just John Basedow in his Fitness Made Simple t-shirt doing bicep curls and crunches and saying things like “Don’t forget to breath” and “Squeeze at the top.” Yes, we’re talking really ground breaking stuff here. Once again, you can learn how to do bicep curls and other weight training exercises just as easily online… and for free. Heck, you can even walk into a gym and have someone show you.
Really all John Basedow is doing is taking the information available for free all over the internet and reading it to a camera and making videos out of it and then selling it. Now I’m certainly not saying he got/stole/took the information from there. I’m just saying it’s available there right this very second.
In 1983 (the same year his haircut was in style, if ever) this wouldn’t be as bad as it sounds now. There was no Google then. But now? Now you can find whatever weight loss and fitness information given on those videos online and for free faster than it would take you to “get your credit card ready.”
So, in my humble opinion, John Basedow is a jackass and Fitness Made Simple is useless garbage. Nothing personal John, but you’re selling something that I (and literally thousands of others) give for free. At first I wasn’t sure if that made you a jackass or just a really good business man.
But, once you factor in that haircut… all signs point towards jackass.
August 10th, 2006 at 12:17 pm
hahahaha… I see those commercials all the time. He is most definitely a jackass. I am in full agreement.
August 10th, 2006 at 1:37 pm
Your humour kills me…I couldn’t agree more, I guess the jack asses do appeal to the masses!
August 10th, 2006 at 1:40 pm
ps… he does look like a strange cross between Wayne Gretzky and Princess Diana…spooky
August 10th, 2006 at 6:19 pm
Shawn, ever catch those rare occurrences where two Fitness Made Simple commercials air back-to-back? It’s the scariest 3 minutes of my life.
Carley, lol… nice job on the comparison. You’re never going to find anyone with a comparable haircut though.
August 13th, 2006 at 3:19 pm
You totally got me hooked on your humour, this article and the rest of this site is absolutely brilliant!
Keep it up man!
August 13th, 2006 at 7:47 pm
I have never seen this guys video (thank goodness!). Why does his head and body look so mismatched? Airbrushing? PhotoShop cut & paste? His hairdo is right up there with Flock of Seagulls. He’s way too cheesy! Stick with what you know–intense workout–and it’s free! What more could you want?
August 14th, 2006 at 11:30 am
Eiki, thanks. I will try my best.
Kristen, I seriously doubt someone took the time to airbrush/photoshop something in that picture yet decided to leave his hair as is. No graphic designer can be that crazy.
August 21st, 2006 at 11:15 am
[...] John Basedow is a jackass. That’s all. [...]
September 8th, 2006 at 10:06 am
my first initial response….
“Who is John Basedow and what is Fitness Made Simple? ”
and after reading it i thought…..
“LOL! I totally agree! ”
October 20th, 2006 at 10:41 am
[...] John Basedow and Fitness Made Simple suck [...]
October 30th, 2006 at 4:29 am
John Basedow’s myspace page says it all. This guy loves self promotion.
November 24th, 2006 at 9:08 am
i ll agree with you that the guy looks as a dork or that his advices on fittness are not groundbraking and can be found quite easily from various sources.But the truth is he accumulated many of those that work and although you can find them elsewhere his advices work.period.I prefer him than those guys and gals who advertise ab gizmos and they claim their clients obtain a washboard look just by using them.They clearly lie but i dont see you have a problem with them.Instead you mock Basedow although his advice work.
With your logic there shouldnt have been any fittness or bodybuilding video out there.Cause nothing they present cant be found on the net or in the gym from experienced trainers.
I agree that seen every five minutes basedows face (and hair lol) in the tv is not fun at all, but you are missing the point.And the point is that the dork knows what he is talking about.When someone is buying his video he buys real advice.Of course if he was smart he could find out all these for free.But then again if he was smart he wouldnt watch so much tv,thus he wouldnt watch Basedow every five minutes.Got it?
December 11th, 2006 at 6:33 pm
The guy may be dork, but he’s a wealthy dork. I doubt he gives a crap about his critics.
January 8th, 2007 at 11:25 pm
WHY HAVENT I EVER HEARD OF HIM EXCEPT FOR THE STUPIT COMMUERCALS HE DOES???????????????
c.s
February 4th, 2007 at 1:43 am
haha… He does look dorky , but… i still Bought the dvd lol… Its a video for beginners that i must say .
He isnt as bad as the guy in the “GAZel” thing that swings back and forth and he goes insane as if hes on some suped up add drug or somthing.
February 6th, 2007 at 12:15 pm
He kinda looks like Ken Barbie’s boyfriend. You know with the funky hair style and body? His head and body do not match. Personaly I think he built himself a little to much, if he bends to the side he just might fall over from being top-heavy.
May 8th, 2007 at 1:34 am
Little known secret here…John Basedow; master of “optimum fitness at home”…goes to my gym. Yup, no lie. Mr. Basedow is a frequent guest of XSportFitness on Long Island and, believe it or not, leaves ads for FMS on the machine he just used…I’ll try and snap a photo of him there, but yeah, I thought that was pretty ironic.
May 8th, 2007 at 9:46 am
Tom, that’s hilarious. Definitely try to get a picture!
May 8th, 2007 at 6:07 pm
i love your website.
youre honest and very straightforward
and thats what we need these days.
thank you so much.
your humor just adds on to it as well.
LOVE IT!
May 13th, 2007 at 3:40 am
Actually, John Basedow only looks and sounds like a jackass. The content of his videos are solid, because he’s not selling easy answers. In fact, his fitness solution is a total pain in the ass, but that’s exactly what one should expect if you want a straight answer.
July 12th, 2007 at 4:00 pm
Where is john basedow? He is my fitness idol! Rumors have been spread that he is lost in THailand. I miss you Jonh Basedow, come back!!!!
July 18th, 2007 at 6:43 pm
Tony Little is a complete baffoon. The Gazelle is the most ridiculous thing I have ever seen and I do get a laugh when he roids out on the Gazelle like a freak. Basedow, just saw his 6 pack abs video(for free) and he definitely doesn’t win any personality contests. Actually came upon this page looking for the products he claims are the 5 secrets supplements and can’t find any websites on Google for Genetic Evolutionary Nutrition but came upon this gem of a site. LMAO
July 22nd, 2007 at 1:27 pm
You’re a lamo. WHERE IS JOHN BASEDOW??? I miss singng his commercial theme song! Its John Basedow,
He’s gonna show
you how, to turn orange,
and use, alot of hairspray,
Because he is John Basedow!!!
And don’t be dissing Wayne Gretsky.He is my hockey idol.
August 3rd, 2007 at 1:50 pm
LMAO! Fortunatly I’ve never seen the videos,( I don’t visit the dollar stores much) but does he also have the girls in socks up to their knees and headbands in the videos? Just by looking at him the movie Flashdance comes to mind! Thanks for making me Laugh!
August 15th, 2007 at 10:28 am
Ditto to all the comments. That old woman on his tv commercial with the brown stripped shirt that looks like a schriveled old tootsieroll is his mother. What a fraud…..
September 8th, 2007 at 8:29 pm
Has anybody else noticed that in the “after” pictures, all of his “clients”, like him, have gone blonde? Is that some sort of requirement? “Final Lesson: Go Blonde or Dye (heh) Trying”?
October 5th, 2007 at 4:00 pm
Didn’t he do that Bowflex commercial like 20 years ago?
October 19th, 2007 at 12:08 am
the guy is hard to look at, but i got his FMS 45 min workout tape (for free) and my body looks great! it’s just good for following along….who the heck can remember exactly what exercise to do, and in what order, without a little instruction. now about the guy’s hair….what the bleep is going on?
October 26th, 2007 at 9:22 pm
I had heard a rumor that John Basedow went missing during the Katrina hurricane and is believed to be dead. Just a rumor?
Carley,
The Wayne G. and Diana comparison - I nearly split my gut. Too funny.
October 26th, 2007 at 9:28 pm
Baxter, yup… just a rumor.
October 28th, 2007 at 10:52 pm
Hey my peeps. all you out there who think Mr.Johnny Basedow is a fraud,a loser or anything you want to call him, well me and my best friend Dr.Dre think he is AWSOME!. We even found out his age and and everything but that is our secret. And guess what? We are even having our own private John Basedow lives party with orange and yellow decrorations.HE IS THE MAN AND DON’T FORGET THAT!!!
October 30th, 2007 at 7:53 pm
Yes, I am throwing that party. LEAVE HIM ALONE!!!! Johnny Basedow is like any other buff and orange guy out there. The only difference is that J.B. is way awesomer. He should be on the back of all the cracker boxes instead of Rachel Ray. Johnny B., rock on man, rock on!!!!
October 30th, 2007 at 7:54 pm
Oh and one thing, that comment about Wayne Gretsky is still not cool.
November 2nd, 2007 at 1:10 pm
He claims in his book that he can’t believe how ‘the media’ has called him a fitness celebrity- is there even such a thing? At any rate HE called himself a fitness celebrity in his atrocious infomercials, not the media. He states he has been in all the major fitness magazines..really? Which ones? and why arent those pics posted on his homoerotic shameless website? Funny also, he has never appeared on the cover of all of the magazines he states he has been in. The guy has no experience in professionally training people, or a college degree to speak of, or even a lousy certification in fitness..and it shows in his DVDs with incorrect form on most ‘if not all’ of the exercises he performs. This is just plain dangerous- Credentials and practical experience are paramount when it comes to fitness. Bottom line the guy is a con, an opportunist and really needs to do something about that hair.
November 5th, 2007 at 12:09 pm
Ok. First of all do not dis my idol, Mr. Johnny Basedow’s hair. I love it. And also he is a fitness celebrity. He’s my fitness idol. So Haywood Jablome, YOUR WRONG!! Do not dis the man. Also Nathaniel from Yo Gaba Gaba is better then Seth even if he does dance like he has ants in his pants. Seth just dosen’t know how to dance. Sorry Dr.Dre but the truth hurts. Once again Johnny Basedow is the man and don’t forget it! Stay cool my peeps. Good by for now.
November 5th, 2007 at 12:38 pm
You obviously have a man crush on this loser, and know NOTHING about true fitness. The guy is a complete jack-ass and is blowing someone to get his shit on the air. Do you know what deep knee bends are? This idiot Basedow has people do those in his horrific videos. Your grandmother probably did those.
got it?
November 7th, 2007 at 9:29 pm
What the heck is going on???? Haywood Jablome, just shut up. Johnny Basedow is way awesomer than you. You obviously don’t know what real talent is. Your grandma probably is constipated on a toilet right now. And your the one who has a man crush on him. Just don’t deny it anymore. And I have hair like J.B. too so, not cool man, not cool.
Go Ducks!!!!!!!!
November 8th, 2007 at 1:49 am
Uh, ya. He is a poser, pure and simple. We may as well take training advice from YOU, probably just as good as Basedork..complete stranger with no experience other than starving himself and doing incorrect form. Talent? sounds like youre the dude with the dirty knees. Oh, and my Grandma is dead, just like Basedork’s fanbase apparently. Why not read up on someone who knows what they are talking about..like Bill Phillips? Or Robert Marting? These guys have books and DVDs out and have consulted the Govt on obesity, adult and childhood fitness, etc..mag covers..bla bla real accomplishments.
November 8th, 2007 at 8:40 pm
Well maybe you should go crawl in a hole. Who the heck is Bill Philips? And Robert Marting??? What happened to real celeberties like Britney Spears. Gimme gimme more!!!! Haywood Jablome, you are the poser in this realation-ship. Anywayyyysssss…. It is offically 23 hours and 19 minutes until the first ever Johnny Basedow party. Yes, it will be awesome. If it means me and my pal Billy Bob Joe has ‘man crushes’ on him, then so it be. WE ARE THE BIGGEST JOHN BASEDOW FANS EVER!!!! Stay cool.
November 9th, 2007 at 1:01 am
Wow this is fun. Bill Phillips? Body for Life? EAS? Geesh you amateur. At least stalk someone with real credentials. Listen best of luck in your stalking endeavors of a wanna-be. Basedow stuff is complete garbage. Unsafe, improper form and straight out of the gay 80’s. No get back to bending over to his inc0rrect stiff legged deads and get a stiffy of your own Mr sticky pages!
January 3rd, 2008 at 1:50 pm
Hello?
Does anybody write on this anymore? Well, I’d just like to say it is a brand new year baby, so Dr.Dre and Billy Bob Joe are back for some J.B. action! We posted a comment on November 9th, the offical day of our 1st ever Johnny Basedow party, but for some reason it never showed up. But lets just say it was A-W-E-S-O-M-E !!!! Well, if oyu don’t mind, I would like to make a shout out to my idol John Basedow….
WHERE ARE YOU? I MISS YOUR COMMERCIALS!!! PLEASE MAKE AN AWESOME COMEBACK IN 2008!! COME BACK!! AND FOR ALL THE HATERS OUT THERE… LEAVE HIM ALONE!!!!
Thank you, and keep rockin on.
PS Did anyone watch the NHL Winter Classic game? It was awesome. Just thought I’d ask.
January 18th, 2008 at 2:10 pm
If my basedow develops his neck a little more his body will fit his head better.
January 20th, 2008 at 9:43 pm
Hey!!! What is up my peeps?/John Basedow fans. Me and my friend Dr.Dre/Nathaniel are HUGE Johnny Basedow fans,so if there is any one else out there who idols him and his stiff never moving hair and body , please write back. And has any one heard from Haywood Jablome? Peace Out!
February 13th, 2008 at 3:18 pm
I dont think basedork is certified in fitness, but he damn sure is a certified jack-off wanna-be. The only thing the man knows how to do is starve himself. Whoopie..what a pro. His book sux,full of over the top motivational BS and pics of himself doing exercises wrong. Look for yourself. He does leg presses with his toes! Most newbies dont even do that. What a certifiable idiot. Grade A…lets all write books on shit we know nothing about..except how to feed ourselves like a cambodian. How inspiring. Anyone that likes this idiot can F off too.
March 15th, 2008 at 7:17 pm
I just watched this commercial and then read these reviews. I never laughed so hard in my life. It’s hysterical!! What’s even more funny is all of those old ladies in his audiences thinking they’re going to end up with ‘6-pack abs.’
Hilarious!!!!!!!!!
April 12th, 2008 at 2:04 pm
John Basedow = Richard Simmonds all he needs is a sequened tank top and a sweating with the oldies room full of his mom’s friends. But ya know what they made lots of moooooola. Like no one says Chuck Norris is gay cause he’s not ….John and Richard spend to much time at the mirror. Leave John’s hair for a minute and dig Richard… a time warp. How about Tony Little.. he’s not gay just wild, and his hair..wild. But he wears eye liner.
April 30th, 2008 at 2:42 pm
Great exposure of this weirdo John Basedow. I agree that his body and head is a total mismatch. Possibly also because that ‘hairdo’ is simply a cheap wig.
And you said it right already, bro–he IS FROM 1983, because he is not as he claims ‘28′ but 46!
I did a lil research on him and there are only three ‘John Basedow’s’ in the USA.
One is 77 and we do not think that lil Johnny is looking just that old (yet), but the other two are 46 and 47. He might be even 47, if it is not JEANCHARLES’ Basedow, but he looks like a ‘JEANCHARLES’ because if you put JEAN & CHARLES together in one person, what do you get?
That’s right: John Basedow.
His commercial were one of the worst and most annoying ever. His plastic surgery is a total joke. His wig is from the early 1980’s which is cool for the 80’s fan.
But to lie about his age for nearly 20 years–dude, that is sick.
Who does this joker thinks he really is? Dracula?
May 5th, 2008 at 8:20 am
I saw the informercial and called to order the products. But after taking my credit card information, they informed me that once a month I would receive the vitamins and other supplements and my card would be billed. I hit the ceiling and said no way, cancel my order. They started a spiel about how the extra items were necessary and “Mr. Basedow” wanted me to have them. I said again no, and told them if they charged ANYTHING to my card I would sue. They canceled my order and didn’t charge me anything. Sounds like a ripoff.
June 7th, 2008 at 5:42 pm
I really dont know what took me so long to find a site like this and share because im a giver! Im also an AAPTE certified personal trainer. John basedow is a business man period! I saw in one of his informercials him being refered to as a fitness enthusiast. Its funny how one can combine 2 words and credit themselves with any legitimacy. NEWS FLASH; any able-bodied person who walks into a gym is a fitness enthusiast!Haywood Jablome you are correct to comment on his choice of exercises and technique. I personally would like to show mr.Basedow what proper range of motion is all about. When I saw in his informercials that 80-year old woman doing behind the head tricep extentions I almost pissed myself! I would recommend all of basedows products to anyone who wants to end up with joint and connective tissue issues later in life.So I would strongly suggest to anyone looking to better their fitness to “STEER CLEAR” of this “DAY GLOW QUEER!”