To think that Joe Wicks is not a hero?

[Cheeseandlobster]

Dont get me wrong, I like him and do one of his hiit sessions every day. He is a great trainer and motivator and he has raised a lot of awareness of the benefits of exercise. But a hero he is not. What he is, is an astute man who spotted an opportunity to make a lot of money during lockdown.

He raised 500k for the NHS through t shirt sales. But he also made 10 million for himself. I saw numerous comments about him being a national treasure as he got up every morning to do a 30 - 40 minute PE session for the nation. Even with planning weekly costumes, making props and planning the exercises (though often he winged it) this does not necessitate a full days work I am sure. I did the sessions on top of an 8 - 10 hour working day as did many others which is much harder.

It just annoys me when I see him being hailed as a hero when I doubt he would have done it without being able to make a ton of money for himself and to raise his own profile

@Cheeseandlobster, maybe you'd enjoy this parody .

www.facebook.com/simonbrodkin/videos/229292665100218/

Joe Wicks already also had a big 'PE with Joe' thing going on before Covid, where he was going into schools etc as well. They weren't PE lessons, he stood on stage doing a HIIT workout and the kids copied him, but he definitely had an interest in kids fitness and was working to build that up. I think it was only natural that he did what he did in lockdown to be honest, but I was quite impressed that he did it every single day and kept it up throughout, he could have just done it twice a week or something.

Can I ask?
People saying it's not P.E? Why was it not P.E.
I'm just curious why it's not classed as P.E?

I like him. He's not the only fitness personality to have gone to town with the at home workouts over lockdown but he was first out of the traps and aiming it at children was really wise.

I say fair play to him. I wouldn't call him a hero, but I don't think he would either.

Depends on how you look at it.

I mean if he gets a few thousand obese people into exercising via his free videos and gets kids involved in a better lifestyle which prevents obesity and they keep that lifestyle up longterm then he's potentially saved a few thousand lives there. 💁‍♀️

In which case I'd class him as a hero.

I used to find him pretty annoying but I found new respect for him doing the daily workouts.
Whilst I'm not sure the workouts themselves were entirely child friendly, he put a lot of effort in putting in games, quizzes, dressing up etc to keep things interesting for kids. Of course more exposure is good for him but I think getting a lot of kids and parents moving and adding a bit if structure to the day was something to be applauded.

"Hero" is a ridiculously overused word.

As is "safe" and "unprecedented".

@Cheeseandlobster I worked long hours through Lockdown supporting vulnerable and isolated people with chronic and often terminal health conditions on top of doing hiit sessions. I don't call myself a hero and nor do my colleagues.
And you were paid for your time, you are not a volunteer who did your job so well you received a paid position and then donated all your wages to the nhs. Do correct me if I am wrong?

@Cheeeeislifenow I would say that he covers some PE elements, but not all. Things like understanding of games, motor control like throwing, catching, hitting, tactics and strategy. PE is more than just fitness.

I'm one of the most cynical people around, but even I think he's a good egg. Not a hero, but he saw the opportunity to do a good thing and took it.

@Cheeeeislifenow

Can I ask? People saying it's not P.E? Why was it not P.E. I'm just curious why it's not classed as P.E?

Well P.E in schools requires teaching gymnastics, dance, attacking and defending competitive games and strategies for that, working with others, thinking about changes to your body that happen during exercise etc

As I said, Joe Wicks does adult HIIT workouts that kids can copy. It's great for fitness but it's not 'Physical Education' I wouldn't say. It doesn't really matter in the grand scheme though!

For some children, whose teachers seem to have vanished over Covid (NOT ALL) he must have been a rare friendly adult face outside their family.

Of course you're entitled to an opinion on somebody. You don't need it validated. You do have to wonder whether there is any merit in airing these opinions on the most contentious board on here whilst implying things about his marriage. If you think there isn't a speculative and cruel edge to your opinion then you're being disingenuous.

And mumsnet is a funny place. He has been slated on here before ( not by myself) where people have predominantly agreed. I have just said he isn't a hero and that he talked over his wife (watch the first session she did for him and you can see for yourself) along with some positive things and I am devil incarnate for some of you.

So you thought you knew your audience and miscalculated. Poor you.

He seemed to help a lot of people form some sort of structure in their day, especially at the start of lockdown when we were all a little lost and exercise was limited to something near your home.

If he made sponsorship deals from it and made some money out of it, i can't get upset and probably think fair play to him. Ultimately, we all still have bills to pay, and i doubt he took the self employed government grant. I also doubt when he started it he thought it would go on as long as it would, and that it would be as profitable as it was. He raised a lot for charity.
It was free for the user and thats more than can be said for Peloton etc.
We didn't do the workouts but I hope he does win sports personality of the year.

While I agree he is not a hero and the term hero is just being ridiculously over used lately, I think he does deserve massive kudos for helping people move their arses.

What Joe is doing is probably better that school P.E which generally puts the non sporty kids off exercise for life. He has done a good thing maybe not saved the world, but he certainly did his bit.

Of course he's not a hero. He's a brand and he's managed a very successful marketing strategy over the last few months.

This is a very bitchy and nasty OP.

I would be up for a discussion about the (over)use of the word ‘hero’, but to single out a guy who came up with a positive plan for families during those early mad days of lockdown for criticism is horrible.

He calls broccoli, 'midget trees' FFS. The man is obviously a twat.

He did a good and positive thing. Get over it.

What Joe is doing is probably better that school P.E which generally puts the non sporty kids off exercise for life.

Well yes, it is generally easier to do some burpees and starjumps in front of a camera in a Spiderman costume, particularly when you are already famous, than try and engage 30 unruly kids in a game of hockey in the rain on a school field!

Ah that makes sense. Thanks

He’s not a hero - but in the world of modern day language and the fawning on sm it doesn’t surprise me he’s labelled as one.

But I also don’t think the majority of NHS workers are hero’s - they’re doing the jobs they trained for

However both do go out of their way to help others. Most nurses and doctors work over their shifts, and do so in gruelling conditions (not getting a proper break for food or to use the toilet).

On a different scale - Joe made pe interesting for kids for the whole of lockdown for free (it was free because he didn’t make a profit from the views - that’s what he donated to the NHS).

Also doing a 30 min workout is different to planning the workout. Each day there were subtle differences so he’d clearly thought about each move - and even tried to make them more relatable to kids. Same with the prep and the costumes. He clearly planned a lot of it.

Why can’t we just acknowledge that he did a great thing? Why are we tearing him down for it.

Also they’re his hiit sessions - so it doesn’t surprise me he’s talking over Rosie and trying to control the session - that’s his job. And lots of people had to manage the kids while working - telling her to move them is fine IMO. He has always spoken to glowingly about her and seems to treat her very well the rest of the time. Hinting at mistreatment seems like a massive overreaction.

If you don’t like him don’t engage. Don’t follow his YouTube/SM and just avoid articles about him. It’s really not that difficult.

Just be happy for him and all the many who benefited from him during lockdown. Is this a case of Tall Poppy Syndrome?