Wait ... wasn't the Folsom Street Fair LAST weekend?

I can't help it, the Hard-Style catalog put out by Dragon Door makes me giggle.

Purporting to sell "hard core tools for hard living types," the latest edition of Hard-Style features a hybrid TRX/kettlebell circuit training workout that promises to "jackhammer your heart, bludgeon your muscles, make your body scream with positive pain."  I swear I am not making that up.  Download the catalog for yourself if you don't believe me.

Wait, it gets better:

Hurtle to New Heights of Wiry Strength and Stallion-Like Staying Power When You Combine the World's Two Most Potent Portable Exercise Systems--TRX and RKC Kettlebell--Into One Relentless Juggernaut of a Workout ...

Really, who writes this stuff?  Stallion-like staying power??  Potent???  Is this meant to be a workout or a cure for E.D.?   Yeah, baby, get the new TRX/Kettlebell Iron Circuit Conditioning DVD and you can throw away your Rx for Cialis 'cause you'll be READY! 

In all seriousness, I kinda think John Du Cane et al. are missing an opportunity here, and it's a shame.  As it happens, I've been a fan of suspension training and the TRX for a couple of years now, so just seeing the words "kettlebell" and "TRX" juxtaposed on the catalog cover was enough to pique my interest and persuade me to read further.  But if I didn't already know the TRX was a good thing I imagine I'd have pitched the catalog unread, in much the same way that I automatically delete email messages that mention penis size in the subject line.  And what a pity that would be, because the TRX really is a great tool and a terrific complement to kettlebell training.

Not to mention, women are far more likely than men to buy exercise DVDs..  The good people at Dragon Door are shooting themelves in the collective foot by not tapping into this huge market.   I'm not saying they need to go all pink and frilly and start dressing Pavel up in a Sugar Plum Fairy outfit or anything, but a slightly more gender-neutral approach might not be the worst idea in the world. 

In the meantime, ladies, try not to be put off by the Viagra-ad come-ons.   Assume the Cro-Magnon posturing is meant to be tongue-in-cheek, and don't take it to heart.  You don't need to be a Viking, a convict or a Soviet superman to benefit from Dragon Door products.  All you need is the desire to improve.