TIPPING POINT | ROSE BYRNE + DIERDRE FRIEL

When we first heard about Apple TV+'s dark comedy, Physical, we knew that we would enjoy it. Growing up in the 80s, we remember watching countless workout videos with Jane Fonda, Denise Austin and more. What's not to love about the leotards, neon outfits and so much more.

In Physical, we meet Sheila Rubin played by Rose Byrne (Bridesmaids, X-Men: Apocalypse, Mrs. America) who is a San Diego housewife that is juggling her household while battling personal demons and an inner voice that is extremely vicious. She finds empowerment and success with aerobics as well as a friendship with Greta played by Dierdre Friel (The Sopranos, Little America, New Amsterdam).

With a second season starting Jun 3rd, we catch up with all the drama from the last season as we continue to see Sheila build her empire! We can't wait to see where we go and to see Murray Bartlett (Guiding Light, Nashville, The White Lotus) who plays Vinnie Green being added to the cast. We catch up with Rose and Diedre to talk about the new season, what drew them to this show and how they prepare.

ATHLEISURE MAG: What drew you to Physical. What drew you to the show and what made you want to be part of it?

DIERDRE FRIEL: As a plus size actress, I actually said that I don’t like to do roles that have to do with my size. Most of the time in storytelling, it has some sort of negative connotation where you’re the butt of the joke or something like that. So actually, when the show came up for me, I was a little bit anxious about that – whether or not being heavy was going to be made fun of and pointed out. But in fact, after getting the script and getting more information, I was like, this is really an empowering asset and really wonderful thing. This season, she’s super sexy and all of this stuff, so I really loved it. It actually drew me to really wanting it and that was really wonderful for me.

ROSE BYRNE: Yeah, I read the script in 2019 and then I met with Annie Weisman (Desperate Housewives, The Path, The Bold Type), the creator and I was just so drawn to it and I had never read anything like it. It’s a very candid story about her and her struggles with her eating disorder and growing up in San Diego. It just felt very intimate, raw and dark. I knew it would be funny and polarizing to some extent and I felt very drawn to the whole world of it.

AM: I mean, I agree, I love thinking back to that time of the 80s where people were working out in aerobics and there was this birth of the fitness industry that brought us to where we are today. There are so many dynamic topics and points that are talked about and I like the relationship between you guys as your characters. How did you prepare to be in these roles and to go through these awesome tensions that exist within your arcs between the two of you?

DF: To prepare to get into character, it’s different for each project. For the show, depending on the scene. If it’s kind of a light scene like a walk and talk, something like that, honestly, I really like our relationship so we can roll up and have some sort of chit chat and I feel that sometimes with those scenes, we roll into them really easily because of the natural ability of it.

If it’s something heavier or darker, sometimes I listen to some music and something like that to just get into the right kind of headspace with it – to do some thinking about it.

RB: Yes. Annie Weisman who created this is a really good touchstone in terms of Sheila. I particularly love the scenes with the aerobics. They’re very hard, but it’s great in a way, you’re less self-conscious. You don’t have the time to make too many decisions. I mean, what’s more boring then watching an actor make decisions about a performance. You know what I mean? It’s like there’s a lot more things that are more boring - but as a viewer, I think that it is when you feel that you can see people calculating what’s next. So when you’re doing a physical scene, it’s always a bit liberating in a way and less scary.

AM: With the 2nd season kicking off on June 3rd and as a bit of a refresher, where do we end with your characters from last season and where do we pick then up again?

RB: Well Sheila really ends her marriage at a crisis point with the beginnings of this affair with John Breem played by Paul Sparks (Boardwalk Empire, House of Cards, Sweetbitter) who is a very powerful and successful businessman in San Diego. We pick up and she’s also released this fitness video which has sort of caught on fire and has a local following. We meet her at this moment where she is trying to build this brand and to build this business. She’s harboring this pretty dangerous affair with this guy and she’s in “recovery” – but then there’s recovery and then there’s recovery. It’s dealt with later and I love that. I mean, it’s a true representation or a version of one person’s way of trying to recover from a terrible addiction and illness.

DF: Greta in season 1 really becomes inspired a lot by Sheila. A lot of Greta’s story is really built around her friendship with Sheila and additionally, her relationship with her husband as they went through a big change so they are exploring their marriage and their relationship. They’re adventurous together and so a lot of that plays in as well in looking at the relationships in Greta’s life.

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PHOTO CREDITS | PG 56 - 61 APPLE TV+/Physical

Read the MAY ISSUE #77 of Athleisure Mag and see TIPPING POINT | Rose Byrne + Dierdre Friel in mag.

SOMETHING YOUR SHOULD KNOW | RUGGED MANIAC

Whether you run obstacle competition courses or enjoy watching them on TV, I think we can agree that we're obsessed with this method of fitness that our friends and co-workers tell us about. We found out more about Rugged Maniac, the health benefits and how they compare and differ from other courses that are offered in this space.  

ATHLEISURE MAG: What is Rugged Maniac, how long has it been around and how many races take place a year?

ROB DICKENS: Rugged Maniac was founded in 2010 with its first event in October of that year in MA.  We now produce 30 events across the US and Canada each year.  

AM: What brought you to Rugged Maniac and what is your role there?

RD: Rugged Maniac was founded by my business partner, Brad Scudder (CEO), and I (COO, CMO). We met in law school and we both worked as attorneys for a few years before embarking on this adventure. Brad was doing insurance defense litigation at a small firm in MA, while I was at a large international firm on Wall Street doing finance. We both grew up in rural areas and had spent much of our childhoods playing outside and participating in outdoors sports (skiing for Brad and surfing for me - I'm from coastal NC), so sitting at a desk all day didn't quite feel right. We both wanted to do something more adventurous.
 

I got an email from Brad one day stating that he was leaving the practice of law to organize an obstacle course race in his hometown in rural MA.  I was intrigued and after some discussion I also left law to found Rugged Maniac.  I'm the Chief Operating Officer and the Chief Marketing Officer, which means I manage a large part of the company's operations while also overseeing all advertising, design, and PR.
 
AM: What are the similarities/differences of Rugged Maniac versus other obstacle competition companies?
 
RD: Rugged Maniac is now the third largest OCR in the country behind Tough Mudder and Spartan Race.  Our goal is to get everyone off their couches and outdoors having FUN with friends while being active. Our courses are undoubtedly challenging, but we're not going to shock you with electricity, make you jump in ice water, or punish you for not being able to complete an obstacle.  It's not about being bigger, badder, and faster than those around you. It's about pushing your own limits while helping your friends (and strangers!) over the obstacles.  This philosophy has made us the go-to event for people of all fitness levels, not just hardcore athletes.  We also have more women participants than any other OCR.  In fact, women make up 55% of our participants!
 
Speaking of obstacles, we pack more into our 3-mile course (25) than Spartan Race's 5k (20) and Tough Mudder's normal 12-mile course (20).  We also put a lot of emphasis on the entertainment in our festival.  We have a DJ on the main stage, a comedic emcee entertaining the crowd all day, a mechanical bull, pie-eating contests, dance parties, and plenty of craft beer. You simply don't see as big of a party at any other OCR.
 

As for Warrior Dash, they also focus more on the fun aspect of obstacle course racing, but they provide only 10-12 minor obstacles in a 3-mile course, which just doesn't measure up to what other OCRs offer.  
 
AM: What are the health benefits to training for Rugged Maniac and how long is training for a race of this nature?
 
RD: Rugged Maniac is a 5k (3-mile) off-road run with 25 obstacles, each of which poses a different physical challenge. This means that your training has to include not only running, but climbing, crawling, jumping, and balancing - more of a total body workout than when preparing for a normal 5k or marathon.  How long you have to train depends on (1)  your race goal and (2) your current fitness level.  

If your goal is to win the race (only about 5% of runners have this as a goal), you'll need to be able to run a normal 5k in about 16 minutes AND have the upper body strength necessary to complete The Ringer, Pull Your Weight, and The Warped Wall (see www.rugedmaniac.com/obstacles).  However, the vast majority of our maniacs aren't "in it to win it."  They come with a group of friends in order to have a ton of fun while challenging themselves physically.  It's not about beating everyone else; it's about camaraderie and fun.

So if you fall into this category, you'll likely just want to be able to complete all the obstacles.  For most people, this means working on your upper body strength and balance (The Gauntlet, Frog Hop, and Tipping Point). Again, how long it will take to reach that point will depend on your current abilities.
 

AM: How can training for this race be adopted throughout a person's life?

RD: There are no shortcuts to getting in shape, unfortunately.  It doesn't matter what you're training for, you simply have to make exercising part of your daily (or weekly) routine - no excuses. If you want to be in great shape, you need to work out at least three times a week, with the bulk of that time being spent on cardiovascular activities with some strength training mixed in. You don't need a gym membership; you can get in perfect shape by running and doing cody-weight exercises, like push-ups, pull-ups, sit-ups, etc.   
 
AM: Are Rugged Maniac courses the same and what's it like creating them?
 
RD: The obstacles at each Rugged Maniac event are largely the same nationwide (as are the obstacles for every other OCR brand). Think of an OCR event as a traveling circus, of sorts.  Everything is packed up and shipped to the next location following each event.  Variety comes from the differences in the venues; some are completely flat, some are on mountain slopes, some are in the desert, some are next to a lake. So the runner experience from event to event can vary quite a bit.  Of course, we add a few new obstacles to our courses each year to keep things interesting (while retiring some older designs).

AM: What other events are produced?
 
RD: Rugged Races, the parent company of Rugged Maniac, also owns and produces The Tour of the Battenkill cycling event in upstate New York; the Costume Dash 5k (Halloween costume run) in Boston, Chicago, and San Francisco; and 16 other 5ks/marathons/half marathons throughout New England under the Loco Races name.  

AM: What should we keep an eye out for within Rugged Races 2018?

RD: We plan to continue acquiring a variety of sports properties throughout 2018 as we grow into one of the country's largest event producers. We have some exciting opportunities in front of us so stay tuned for more announcements!

Read more from the Oct Issue and see Something You Should Know | Rugged Maniac in mag.