Hip Hop Pioneer Launches Fitness Show on BronxNet

BronxNet has launched a fitness show with a hip-hop pioneer.

Grandmaster Mele Mel and BronxNet executive director Michael Max Knobbe were on hand in the studio on Tuesday, May 17 to celebrate the launch of a new fitness initiative called Bronx Strong, part of which is the new show called Grandmaster Fitness featuring Mele Mel.

The first episode includes interviews with Tuskegee Airman Dr. Roscoe Brown and the Bronx Youth Soccer Team.

“Grandmaster Mele Mel will fill your mind, body and spirit to help you forge a path to greater fitness,” Knobbe said. “He demonstrates different exercises, shares vital health information, and takes you on a fitness journey that helps you achieve greater health.”

One of the goals Mele Mel has for the program is to break down some of the stereotypes that surround health, including misleading food labels and urban legends in a way that only Mele Mel could, Knobbe said. The program, described as a lyrical journey toward greater fitness, will focus on simple things that people can do like taking walks in their communities or having children go outside to play games that can go a long way to combat the obesity epidemic sweeping the borough, Mele Mel said.

“One of the myths that I want to expel is that it is easier to get and stay fit than it looks on the so-called reality television shows,” Mele Mel said. “Those shows actually scare you out of wanting be fit because they show people doing some really involved exercises.”

It is much more easier and fun to get into better shape, Mele Mel contends. Even walking down the street and talking on a cell phone burns fat, he said, though it might not build muscle.

“We have to show that it can be fun getting fit,” Mele Mel said. “If you get up and play basketball, play handball, and have the kind of activity level that you had when you were young, your life would be 100 percent different.”

The show will also challenge people to love themselves instead of fast food, Mele Mel said. It will also focus on nutrition, which is 70 percent of health, Mele Mel said.

The launch coincided with a Bronx Week 2011 celebration that gave the attendees the opportunity to test and make plans for raising their fitness level.

Also included in the announcement was the launch of the BronxNet program X Training With Ngo, a program hosted by two time Golden Gloves champ Ngo Okafor.

Hassan Yasin and Mr. G of the Barntendaz, a motivational fitness group, were also on hand to show participants how to do pull ups and sit ups. As part of Bronx Strong, Knobbe said that he plans to launch a show with puppets for very young children that should help combat childhood obesity.