In the past decade, the landscape of commercial fitness has changed drastically. It has become less dependent on stationary exercise machinery, and instead emphasizes free weights. CrossFit gyms and obstacle course races (OCR) such as Tough Mudder and Spartan Race have become mainstream fitness options. Both CrossFit and OCR have a paramilitary ethos and randomized training…. Read more →
Lenore Bell
Lenore Bell
Contributor
Originally from Brooklyn, New York, Dr. Lenore Bell completed her BA at Amherst College, her MA at Universiteit Leiden, and her MLitt and Ph.D. at the University of St. Andrews. Her doctoral work was in English Literature and Creative Writing. Her monograph, If You See Something, Say Something: The Figure of the Other in 9/11 Literature, goes beyond the false binary assumption that the racial tension in these books lies solely in the dynamic between “Americans” and “terrorists.” The work led to a wider interest in the cultural ramifications of the September 11th attacks. She is currently working on Sprinting Through the Ashes: The Rise of Neoliberal Paramilitary Sport in the Wake of 9/11, which about the early twenty-first- century fitness landscape. It will be published by Zero Books.