Why Physical: 100 is the most intense and unexpectedly cozy fitness show I've ever watched

Date:
Sat, 23 Mar 2024 14:00:09 +0000

Description:
Physical: 100 embodies the spirit of competition better than any other show
on TV.

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Some of my Whatsapp chats are about to get very busy once again, with heated discussions about lifting boulders and pulling ropes. Physical: 100 , the Korean fitness show that turned into an international phenomenon once it was snapped up by Netflix, is back on our screens again, and I couldnt be more excited.

The premise is simple, and good content for perhaps the best streaming
service out there: 100 contestants are picked by the producers for skill or fame in the world of fitness, ranging from rugby players and martial artists, to bodybuilders, special forces reservists and emergency service workers. Everyone, regardless of body type, gender or weight, is put through the same set of physically demanding challenges, sometimes in teams and sometimes
solo, until only one competitor is left standing.

Physical contests arent exactly new in the realm of reality TV, especially
for anyone who watched American Gladiators or similar shows growing up. However, a few elements set Physical: 100 apart from the pack; the grimy and dystopian aesthetic for one, straight out of Squid Game . The general vibe is futuristic and industrial, but themed arenas pepper the game ranging from beaches to jungles. Its a little like a fighting game that allows you to pick your battlefield, but you always return to the same serious menu screen.

The challenges are another highlight: the games are often cruel and creative, ranging from the deceptively simple (I audibly half-groaned, half-cackled
when the first challenge of Season 2 was revealed: 100 manual treadmills, which each contestant had to maintain a certain speed on for as long as possible) to the complex. Having tried many of the best treadmills over the years, I knew exactly what they were in for: a whole world of pain,
especially the heavier athletes. (Image credit: Netflix)

Another memorable Season 1 challenge involved loading a wooden ship with
heavy crates, then working together as a team to push it across the arena and up a wooden ramp. If you think it sounds hard, you should watch them try it, sweat pouring off the contestants as they haul a boat weighing 1.5 tons up an incline, without the aid of wheels, watching it move less and less with every heave.

But its the contestants that really make the show, and theyre almost all uniquely wholesome. As mentioned before, all the contestants are from a variety of different training backgrounds: strongmen rub shoulders with cyclists in sprinting tasks, while climbers match their strength against crossfitters. While one contestant might be great at moving heavy objects across an arena, another can run for much longer, while another can leap six feet in the air onto a stack of crashmats.

They openly and vocally admire each others abilities during the competition downtime, and all carry a great deal of respect for each others disciplines, asking lots of questions about the less common ones such as luging. Theres a lot of showboating, sure, and each athlete tries their best to win, but its not a display of domination. Doing your best to win is presented as a mark of respect to your opponent.

This is compounded when successful Korean athletes enter the games, such as last seasons veteran mixed martial-artist Choo Sung-Hoon. He was applauded, bowed to, and shown lots of admiration by athletes who far surpassed him in many ways. When paired with another, younger martial artist in a
ball-stealing task, the younger athlete bowed to Hoon and requested a short sparring match before they focused on the ball, as it was his dream to go toe-to-toe with the legend.

It was sweet, and I think anyone who has ever been a remotely competitive athlete in any discipline understood how the younger athlete felt in that moment.

This is Physical: 100s main hook: not the Hunger Games -style worldbuilding, not the gruelling athletic challenges, but the atmosphere of respect and camaraderie between rivals. Its a beautiful, healthy, poignant display of competitive spirit. Besides, theres nothing like ordering a lot of takeout
and criticizing a world-class athletes technique between swigs of beer and mouthfuls of pepperoni pizza. You might also like: The best running watches 7 new movies and TV shows to stream this weekend (March 22) The best anime: 36 fantastic series and where to watch them



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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/health-fitness/why-physical-100-is-the-most-intense- and-unexpectedly-cozy-fitness-show-ive-ever-watched


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