Have you read Fifty Shades of Grey (Vintage Books, 2012)? It seems like most of the English-speaking females in the world have (as of May, rights to the Fifty Shades trilogy have been sold in 37 countries, says the New York Times). We’ve seen news snippets that the best-selling series, which has sold more than 20 million copies in the United States alone, is breaking records set by J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter and Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code, and that movie rights were recently acquired by Universal Pictures and Focus Features. The point is, it’s this summer’s must-have pool accessory. And if you aren’t familiar with the content, Google it.

What does this have to do with the general notion of wellness? If you’ve perused the books, feel free to answer that however you see fit. What I’m referring to is this: A local, certified personal trainer has developed a Fifty Shades themed workout. That’s right: Mike Manzi of the LoHi Athletic Club has created—apparently at the urging of some clients—an intense, all-encompassing, discipline-required fitness regimen inspired by the, er, intense, all-encompassing action in the books. (Don’t overthink that. It’s metaphorical.)

I had to chuckle when a friend sent me Manzi’s blog post about the workout…until I actually read the details (the full schedule is included in the post). Heavy resistance training, intensive cardio, and hardcore abs at the end; this program is no joke. Even Manzi says it’s likely one of the hardest workouts he’s ever written. I have it on good authority that the results are impressive. Who’s curious?

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