Jason Statham, LL Cool J, and the Search for Fitness

What's up, Internet people?

Back atcha with another post...

I was looking through some old fitness books and magazines looking towards my next routine- and came across this picture of Statham boxing. Decided to frame it and put it in my kitchen for motivation. It was from a 2013 Men's Fitness. We're coming up on Halloween again- and realized it's been 7 years since I went as Statham in Death Race 2 to a party. Had a tinfoil mask and everything...My friend, Joe, went as a 300 gladiator. We both set that Halloween as a goal about 12 weeks out. It worked ( not that either of us were movie ready). If you, gentle reader, want to accomplish something, I humbly suggest the following:

1- don't procrastinate

2- write down that goal

3- get a journal to track your progress

4- get a partner (helps a lot)- or coach (if possible)

5- tap your motivation (why the eff are you doing this? Our goals were always health and longevity- with some beach body motivation thrown in)

6- MAKE IT HAPPEN!

7- Setting a regular time and place helps too

Statham is pretty much a force of nature...At something like 44, he's still a great role model. Been reading about LL Cool J's diet and exercise plan- another kick-ass celebrity. There's similarities in many of these programs and training philosophies. Both guys emphasize sprints and interval training in their time out of the gym; also low carb eating, and starchy carbs in
the morning mostly. Both have had long-time trainers too. (I would love that. But not gonna happen this minute.) And both guys emphasize intensity. A lot of working folks are just psyched to get to the gym in the morning and hit the treadmill, catch up on emails (no joke). Those folks are probably not reading this blog.

Here's LL in the gym- check out the ab work with a hammer...uhm difficult..
https://youtu.be/2dSdQYBb1ag

It takes intensity and focus- whether you decide to do 3x a week full body workouts and 2x a week intervals, or 5x a week split routine. (note- I've read a lot recently about irregular workouts, 2x per week, but heavy, barbell lifts. That could work for some- especially if you were part of a team, like pre-season football- but a regular schedule has always worked for me. I end up skipping otherwise)

Anyways, just some random thoughts. Be well out there..

G

October 2015

Holiday season approaches...It comes up fast- Halloween, Thanksgiving, XMas, New Year's...it always flies by...Seems like a lot of people gain weight around now. It gets colder. Fall is busy...

I was traveling in NY last week. Was a lot of fun- but ended up getting sick- possibly from some major temperature changes, stress, and lack of sleep. It's been good to be back in LA and get back to routine. In August, I fell out of going to the gym. I worked out from home mostly- and did a lot of bodyweight exercises. 

Currently I'm starting month 2 of a 4 month series. Each month has a different emphasis. Month 1 was really about getting back into the habit of working out regularly. Even that was hard to maintain w traveling- and then being sick. But it's been good this past week. And it's always nice to have a plan. 

Month 2 are a series of tri-sets- so hitting 5 muscle groups w 3 different exercises. 1 min rest. And emphasis on slow lifts... Month 1 had used drop sets- kind of cool. Always a burn. The 5 muscle groups for M, F are chest, back, shoulders, tri's, bi's. Wed is leg day. Tues is sprints and Thurs is cardio. Today I surfed...which I'm counting as cardio. 

But spent Rosh Hashannah w a buddy of mine who has been doing intermittent fasting (only eats 12pm-8pm) as well as interval training 3x a week. He looks thin- but stomach has definition. So started reading about IF at leangains.com and on nerdfitness.com. Leangains is supposed to be the leading light on IF but I found the site (a blog) disorganized- and never came across a clear cut protocol. The nerdfitness article I read was very straightforward and helpful. I also like the friendly tone- as opposed to leangains, which came off as condescending to me. 

So I'm trying out IF with the 12-8pm feeding window...also trying to cut way back on beef, for ethical reasons. Was impressed by a vegan friend's argument about that lion, Cecil, that was hunted by the dentist. Her stance was that cows are equally sentient. And it's true. Chicken and fish....I'm sure they feel fear- but they're much further from us. Cows are mammals. 

Behind that, I've been reading this book, Beyond Brawn- supposed to be a classic text. Recommended highly on leangains and on Amazon. It advocates big lifts and low reps- in a starting strength way a la Rippetoe. I like the approach- and how its performance based over looks. It's like pursuing weight lifting the sport. The purpose is to get strong- and stay strong for life. It has a

Lot of anecdotal advice on working out- and also on rest, the mental game, and more. For now, I want to see this program through- but that might be good in January. Found a

gym too in SoCal that specializes in it- but wary of their prices.

Beyond that- great surf session today. Surfed Venice and it looked flat- but it was close to sundown and the water was warm. Got some fun rides on the shortboard. 

Have a great week. Stay active.. 

21 Day Challenge- part 2- body-weight, gym free workout

Texts to my buddy for his 21 Day Challenge...for anyone following along. This is a great, low-impact, gym-free workout. See the last post for more details..

Wed

"Wed is leg day. Do 3 circuits of the following:

Alternating leg lunge 

Bodyweight squat 

Push ups

Rev ab crunch 

If 20 is too hard, do 10-12. Try to minimize rest between exercises and take about 1-2min between sets. 

Get 20min walk in too. "

Thurs

"Yo- today do 20min walk in the am- and either 20min walk pm or 5 sprints. Sprints should be done 2-3 min apart and only last 20-30 seconds. Note- if you choose sprints, you will be sore and your metabolism will be boosted. You could also do sprints at 50-60% of full intensity. "

DAY 1- 21 DAY CHALLENGE

I have a friend who wants to get in shape.
So here's what I texted him today- and I'm jumping on this too, but prob beef up the workout a bit.

1- Morning cardio
"Walk 20 min every day this week before eating, before showering. Have water. Then walk."

2- Diet
"You cut out soda last week...This week, cut beer and reduce bread/rice/potatoes"

3- Afternoon/Before dinner workout
"At 4pm, MWF- do 3 sets of the following circuit:
20 push-ups
20 bodyweight squats
20 upright rows
30 sec plank
Take no rest between sets and 2 min rest after each circuit. 3 circuits total."

4- Journal
"Get a notebook...On the front, write 21 Day Challenge. Draw a line down the middle...left column, label Diet. Right column, label Exercise. Diet is 75% of fitness. On page 1- write Day 1.

5- Meals/Supplements
"5 meals a day. Whey protein in water once a day, either mid-morning or mid-afternoon. Fish oil. Pro-biotic. More on this later."

Today is August 10th...Where will you be on August 31st? What kind of shape?

Join us. Summer's not over.

4 Weeks to Beachbody- Spartacus Workout, Rachel Cosgrove

Beach season is upon us. If you want to slim down, do this:

1- Change your diet. Put a time limit on it. I did 3 weeks as of June 1. Week 3 is this week and is hardcore Paleo, no sugar, bread, low carb, as well as some intermittent fasting, reduced alcohol (only tequila), no cream in coffee, emphasis on rest. Normally I eat more like in this graph, about 80% of the time Paleo- but that 20% became 40% over time. This week it's been more like 98%.

2- Change your exercise habits...Adopted a plan to shed weight, by emphasizing cardio with weights- or a circuit. In my case, it was a 2012 Men's Health poster designed by Rachel Cosgrove CSCS. It's not an easy workout at all- usually leaves me gasping for air and drenched in sweat. I coupled that with running in the morning before eating. 4x this week, I'll do Twice a Days, meaning a morning cardio session (this is sprints btw, and possibly surfing today), and in the late afternoon, the circuit workout. (There's three different ones and also some alternate rep schemes that are like games- ex "The Lunatic Ladder)

3- Attitude....You have to have an attitude that this is the beginning. In reality, this is the end of a 3 month workout scheme, based on Owen McKibben's workouts. Month/Phase 1 was establishing the habit, 2 was Muscles or Basic Hypertrophy, 3 was Strength with heavier lifts and lower rep counts, and this is Phase 4- which is essentially Fat Loss. But you never really reach a pinnacle. Looking at some photos of myself in 2013, I was in great shape in June 2013. I was lean but muscular, and surfing a lot. There was definition emerging in my stomach...It's hard to maintain, especially not being officially in the fitness industry, or a model, or an actor. Without a real reason to enforce such discipline on yourself, it becomes hard to maintain. Additionally, stress is just a killer to staying in shape. Sleeping badly, you crave carbs. Sell your car and get a bike- you crave carbs...Or just wanting to have some beers. It's tough to deny how awesome Coronas are on a hot day, or nachos. You just have to do things in sprints and really make a dash for your arbitrary goal line. Mine has been my birthday annually- with the goal of staying in shape for life. But the point is, so I'm coming to the end of this period. Then what? You need to have another plan after this one...That's what being fit for life is about.

4- Be kind to yourself... Similar to #3, you have
to take yourself where you're at. Don't force things. Change takes a while. Yes, be disciplined. But also accept that you're out of shape and need to maybe lighten the rep scheme or skip a circuit if your back feels shakey. Just commend yourself for getting back out there. It's easier not to do anything than something. Of course, it's a slippery slope, but my point, don't beat yourself up if you have to skip deadlifts or use light weights. Most of the time you'll start with light weights, or start by just walking, and end up heavier or running. Just show up. As Tony Horton says, "Do your best and forget the rest."

Post-V Day- Phase 2 Begins

Been trying to stick to this...Had a couple late nights though that ended in pizza or burritos. Not good. Diet is 85%. Not that this should be a confessional, but its purpose is to motivate me- and maybe someone else. So gotta work harder. Think stress affects sleep and sleep affects brain chemistry. Often if I sleep poorly, I'll crave sugar. Think coffee may be a bad habit too. Definitely been drinking more coffee.On the plus side, went into Wildcard Boxing on Thursday and paid $25 to train with a guy for a half hour. Was really cool and fun to hit some mitts again. We worked on the hook as well as basic jab and cross.



Starting Phase 2 of Mario even though I'm not quite ready. Phase 2 seems to boost everything up- so now you're doing two exercises in a superset with some cardio right after in a circuit. My plan is to finish this by March 15th (4 weeks), and then restart it for another 6weeks. Lastly, the NASM materials came over the weekend.





They came in the coolest packaging-a stealthy black box with ventilation areas- as if it was some dangerous beast. Inside was the book and a bag as well as a T shirt. Very cool. Read the first chapter about the history of personal training. Interesting stuff- and some very cool dedications in the book like the NASM mission statement- "NASM's mission is to empower individuals to live a healthy life." How cool is that? Or "I applaud you on your dedication and commitment to helping others live healthier lives and thank you for entrusting the NASM with your education." Awesome.

Have a great week!
G

Fit Expo 2015 and NASM CPT cert

Went to the Fit Expo down at the LA Convention Center. I didn't know what to expect, but wanted to sign up with NASM for their personal training certification for 30% off. Gotta say- NASM was about the only thing cool with the convention. The rest were like stands selling protein bars and supplements, gym clothes, shakes, and other stuff. Reminded me a bit of like a monster truck rally or the WWF events I went to as a kid. There were a lot of muscle-y guys and scantily clad girls, and a lot of metal playing. Then there were random feats of strength- pavillions set up with guys doing max amounts of pull ups or heavy lifts. I did see Jack LaLanne's son and wife (who's 90) demonstrating a juicer and a lot of folks with excellent posture. But overall, besides signing up for the online course, not much to speak of. I will say, for a fitness expo, they offered some seriously unhealthy food choices- greasy foods like fries and typical stadium stuff. It was interesting to see how many people were eating that stuff. Anyway- I have 180 days to take the test and get AED/CPR training or I'm out $500 (reduced from $700 bc of the Fit Expo). Hopefully, this will give me a knowledge base I don't currently have, particularly about mainstream views of health and nutrition and programming; also motivate me to stay in shape, and give me some credibility. Not to mention, I might actually make money training people.





Cheers, gentle reader. Tomorrow's week 2 of phase 1 of Lopez's Knockout Fitness. It's mostly circuits of supersets. Solid program with good emphasis on clean eating. And apparently Lopez is into boxing and trained with Freddie Roach, which is cool, since I've been wanting to try his gym, Wildcard Boxing. Last week was a good intro to the program, but too sporadic with traveling. I can understand why people would scoff at exercise books like this, thinking it's more bodybuilding stuff rather than functional programming. But I disagree, at it's core, this program offers a sensible approach to diet and exercise and encourages having fun and trying new sports- including boxing, cycling, basketball, running, and even dance. So we shall see..Got this coming up too!



Have a great week!