Fall Flicks: Spectre

James Blah. Spect-meh. Bland, James Bland. This is what my mind was doing watching new James Bond outing Spectre last night, trying to think of semi-clever puns that would describe the movie. I didn't not like it but I did check my watch, my knees got tired from sitting and I was glad it was over. Of course I wasn't a fan of mega hit Skyfall either with it's dour mood and stripped down version of Bond that could have easily been billed as "English Spy Drama" instead of a James Bond picture. I'm no Bond expert but I've seen enough of them to form an expectation of a smooth yet rugged, macho hero, exotic locales, nefarious villains, cool gadgets and beautiful women. Daniel Craig's first outing as Bond in 2006's Casino Royale was a kinetic, fun and gritty outing that got a little too big between the airport scene and the falling houses finale but overall I enjoyed watching it, wanted to dress a little better, conduct myself with a little more panache and work out harder. Follow up Quantum of Solace was a short and frenetic chapter that could be deemed the Jason Bourne one with it's emphasis on unstoppable Terminator style action and hyper editing. But Skyfall with it's bad CGI, drawn out story that concluded with a Home Alone meets Batman Begins piece just lost me. It made a billion bucks but I didn't want to be Bond anymore, I wasn't inspired by this fictional cinematic hero any longer.

Spectre opens up in Mexico City where Bond is tracking a mysterious fellow, causes all kinds of destruction and the ultimate death of said fellow. Back at Mi6, new boss M (Ralph Fiennes) puts the kibosh on further unsanctioned missions and Bond has to go underground to do some revenging. We're introduced to a shadowy network of baddies and a brute of a hitman with metal thumb nails before meeting the lovely daughter of a former associate. Together they go on the run to uncover the roots of this shadowy, all seeing organization that is using personal data to basically watch over society and remove threats as they deem appropriate. John Logan, Neal Purvis, Robert Wade and Jez Butterworth tackle Ian Fleming's creation with Sam Mendes back at the helm. Like Skyfall, the film takes it's time going nowhere in particular while providing the odd set piece involving chases with cars and planes in the city, on snow capped mountains and the high desert. There's a few hand to hand fight scenes with one on a train against hitman Hinx (Dave Bautista) being a highlight. But overall I just don't understand why Mendes and crew have something against making a fun or exciting film. The scale is huge, the stunts enormous and the settings spectacular yet it all unfolds in such a ho-hum fashion. I hope Chris Nolan got a thank you note now that Royale, Skyfall and Spectre have all cribbed from his Dark Knight Batman trilogy. *Minor Spoilers* In Spectre you get the overwatching network we already saw in The Dark Knight and later Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Avengers 2. As well as a scene where Bond has to decide on who to save before things go blowed up. Also reminiscent of Knight.*End Spoilers*

Like I said, I didn't not enjoy the film, you are invested in following Bond on the trail of who the new villain is and their connection. Now that all of the character's backstories are intertwined, I thought for a second it would go Oldboy and make young love interest Madeleine Swann (Lea Seydoux) his relative just to mess with him and us. But it didn't. I can't believe that Casino Royale was nearly 10 years ago and much was made about Craig's pumped up physique on display. Shirtless scenes followed in Quantum and he spends much of Skyfall sans top attire but in Spectre he stays covered up. Is that another sign that Craig has lost interest in the character and didn't train as hard for this one? You tell me. The star has always been a bit cranky when it comes to press but for Bond he really came off not giving a crap. You can't blame him though, the film took years to develop and shoot, cost an alleged $330 million bucks and he seriously injured his knee. Coming off such a gigantic project, it's safe to say he needs a break. Mendes has already commented that he's done with the franchise so hopefully they bring back Martin Campbell who breathed new life into the series with Goldeneye and Royale.

Workout of the Day: The Power of Carl Compels You

After a month of my take on the Daniel Craig circuit routine, it was time to change things up. While it's good to lift weights to keep your bones strong and body working, as you get older, cardio and flexibility become a bigger part of the equation. So does what you eat but you know, I like to eat. It's no secret that guys like Jean-Claude Van Damme, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and Arnold Schwarzenegger start their day with empty stomach cardio. For Van Damme it's the stationary bike with some kicking and stretching, for Johnson it's the elliptical machine and for The Oak it's the bike as well. But riding a bike or elliptical for 35-45 minutes just sounds frigging horrible to me. Instead, I opt for either an empty morning weight session or Frank Zane style ab-aerobics.

For weights if I'm not doing circuits it's supersets for Chest/Biceps, Back/Triceps, Legs and Shoulders/Arms. To change things up, I'm throwing in sessions with more functional for the whole body exercises like Weight Sled Push, Battling Ropes, Step Ups and body weight favorites Chins and Push Ups. I push to get my weight sessions done in 35-45 minutes so the tempo stays high and since you're on an empty stomach, energy and focus can start to fade.

For cardio and to keep things interesting I employ Zane's method of doing any particular exercise for 1-2 minutes then moving onto an ab exercise, repeat. At home that's looking like Treadmill on an incline, Stationary Bike, Stair Climber, Jump Rope and Shadow Boxing. That way you're not getting bored and you can push it with some intervals. If you don't have access to a gym you can always get a jump rope for under $10 bucks and run sprints, do jumping jacks and mountain climbers and shadow box. A few rounds of this and before you know it, 25-30 minutes has passed. It feels good to break a nice sweat but just remember to cool off by taking a few minutes to do some focused breathing and thinking about your goals. That way you're not still frazzled and sweaty trying to get ready for the day. A few sips of ice water supposedly tells your body to stop sweating and I find sitting down in front of a fan for a few minutes while I read e-mails releases any lingering tension.

It's almost Anime Expo, San Diego Comic-Con and D23 time so keep pushing!

Workout of the Day: Less is More

What a crazy week. Got back from the Dominican Republic (going through customs sucks!) then hit premieres on back to back nights. While in the DR, kept up my workouts by swimming in the ocean (calm one day, choppy and seaweedy the next, always salty) and hitting the weights at the spa/fitness center. I opted for more or less giant sets to work several body parts so Chins, Goblet Squats, Deadlifts, Lunges and Push Ups anchored the sessions while a few bicep curls, triceps extensions and shoulder raises helped round it out.  After pushing it in March and April, it was time for a break. Guys like Arnold Schwarzenegger and Vince Gironda used to advocate training hard for three weeks then backing off for one. That would give muscles and injuries time to recover as well as provide a mental break. Thinking about working out and eating can get tedious so focusing on other aspects of your life is always a good idea. After five days of relaxing and eating anything I wanted to, I'm back on the hunt, this time with a progression plan and everything.

Taking a page out of Vince, Cro Cop and Daniel Craig's circuit book, I just started a new program that starts and ends the week with full body workouts with upper and lower body sessions in between.

Day One: Clean & Press/Knee Up/Step Up/Chins/Incline Push Up/Dip
Six exercises completed in rapid succession for three circuits. With no extraneous forearm, neck, calf or cardio, it only took me 25 minutes or so to complete. I will implement a second workout on days where time affords to clean up with some cardio like shadowboxing, ab-aerobics, jump roping and swimming.

Day Two: Incline Dumbbell Press/Chins/Incline Push Up/Barbell Row/Incline DB Fly
I generally don't advocate working upper body two days in a row due to the stress it can put on your shoulders and elbows. My shoulders and back are a little sore already from working them in similar ways two days straight but the decrease in volume and shortness of workouts should prevail. Remember, if it hurts, stop. Here I'm only doing 15 total sets whereas my last program had me doing at least 12 per body part for 24 to 36 a session. Now I can cut that down significantly and see how I feel.

Day Three: Squat/Leg Curl/Deadlift/Lunge/Calf Raise
Pretty straightforward leg day to get them quates, glutes, lower back and calves in shape.

Day Four: Incline DB Curl/Bench Dip/Preacher Curl/Triceps Extension/Shoulder Raises
With chins, push ups, presses and dips part of the program foundation; your biceps, triceps and shoulders are already getting some solid attention. Throwing in curls, extensions and raises will help target them specifically for shape, size and definition.

Day Five: Total Body Circuit a la Day One.

Technically this leaves you the weekend to kick back but I'll be throwing in some swimming and cardio to work on the ol' summer shred. My plan is to use this program for six weeks, progressing every two weeks by adding another set. So two weeks at three circuits/sets then two at four and two at five to take me into Comic-Con. Food wise I'm working on eating three solid meals and two snacks a day. So say eggs and oatmeal for breakfast, meat and veggies at lunch, maybe a little brown rice then meat and salad for dinner. Snack wise looking at a protein shake and something like almonds or cheese with fruit for a fat and protein hit.

We'll see what happens! Until then, keep pushing!

Workout of the Day: Back to (Circuit) Basics

It's been just under 2 months since I rejoined a gym and I'm starting to see the results.  At first I was going my old school routine of 2 body parts a day, Super Set style with a split looking like Chest/Biceps, Legs, Back/Triceps and Shoulders/Arms, repeat.  But of course you start to get bored, life picks up, blah blah blah.  I incorporated some Vince Gironda style volume training last week but it was just a lot on my joints.  Needing to be reinvigorated, I found new-old inspiration from one Mirko Cro Cop.  The Croatian Sensation just won his latest MMA match via a doctor stoppage after an elbow from the bottom opened up Judo specialist and Olympic gold medalist Satoshi Ishii's hairline scalp like a faucet of blood.  His preparation videos show him doing a circuit of general compound moves like kettle bell swings, chin ups, push ups, dips and the like.  Of course circuit training has always been one of my favorite ways to train as you can pump up your entire body in quick succession and the fast pace helps burn extra calories.  Over the last 18 years of training and gleaning over the methods of various bodybuilders, athletes and actors, I always come back to the basic principles set forth by Jean-Claude Van Damme and Frank Zane then more recently Daniel Craig and Mirko Cro Cop.  Basically, it's a mix of fast paced, concentrated efforts with opposing muscle groups with a focus on form rather than weight utilizing basic exercises that activate multiple muscle groups versus isolation or too many cable movements.

For today's circuit, I was after an upper body pump:

1) Clean and Press, to get the whole body involved and the testosterone flowing
2) Incline Push Up, changing hand position with each set
3) Close Grip Chins, to work the forearms and biceps more than the lats
4) Low Incline Dumbbell Curl, to take the front delts out of the movement
5) Dumbbell Hammer Extensions, still on the low incline with elbows near my head to keep pressure off the joints
6) Gironda Cable Rows, with arms outstretched and head down starting position, pulling back and up to the chest to work a different angle
7) Dips, elbows in tight with a nice stretch for the pecs and triceps
8) Preacher Curls, elbows in tight on the bench, lowering all the way down and flexing at the top
9) Cable Pressdown, elbows in tight, standing close to the pulley to ensure it was only triceps

3 sets of that and it was time for some back extensions, neck and forearms followed by a few miles on the bike done in intervals to keep my heart rate up and also to keep my attention since cardio is frigging boring.  Then I wandered into a studio and hit the bag for a few minutes followed by stretching and breathing exercises to get my mind and body to slow down.  Feeling great after a busy week and only a couple of workouts, I'm looking forward to Legs tomorrow.

Getting that summer pump:

Sneak Cinema: John Wick

Keanu Reeves.  The most unlikely movie star of the 90's?  I've always liked the guy and his performances in films like Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure, Point Break, Bogus Journey, Speed, The Replacements and The Gift show he's an actor capable of drama, action and comedy.  1999's The Matrix and it's subsequent sequels established him as one of the globe's most recognizable stars but I never got past the first installment and wasn't much of a fan.  Since then he's popped up in productions big and small while directing a documentary about film versus digital then again on kung-fu flick Man of Tai Chi which was given a small theatrical release along with Video On Demand.  His big budget samurai flick 47 Ronin got lost in the holiday shuffle after a tumultuous production and little critical or fan support.  A bit of a recluse and loner, Reeves doesn't seem to be chasing Hollywood leading man status and has been known to give up part of his salary to pay for co-stars and crew.

Lately, Reeves has upped his professional output having replaced Daniel Craig in court room drama The Whole Truth but before then audiences can see him in action film John Wick.  Written by Derek Kolstad of Cuba Gooding, Jr., Steve Austin and Dolph Lundgren team ups The Package and One in the Chamber and directed by stunt men and 87Eleven founders Chad Stahelski and David Leitch.  Stahleski has doubled Reeves in the past and served as Stunt Coordinator and Second Unit Director on films like The Hunger Games, Killer Elite and The Expendables while Leitch has doubled for the likes of Brad Pitt and Jean-Claude Van Damme then served as Stunt and Second Unit maestro on flicks such as The Wolverine, Escape Plan and upcoming Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Jurassic Park reboots.  He also played Terry Bogard in video game adaptation of The King of Fighters, which is cool.  87Eleven is the brainchild of experienced stunt performers looking to design and create safe yet uniquely violent, physical, on screen action.  They have a gym by the LAX airport frequented by the likes of Jason Statham, Gerard Butler and Ryan Reynolds while fight film staples and martial artists turned coordinators Larnell Stovall (Ride Along, Undisputed 3) and J.J. "Loco" Perry (Vanishing Son, Warrior) are among the staff.

John Wick is the story of a legendary but retired hitman who is brought back to the violent trade when some Russian gangsters mess with him.  Contracts are put on his life and Wick must fend off former friends and foes while tracking down the son of a local mob boss who did him wrong in violent, modern day The Punisher and Taken style.  With an impressive supporting cast that includes Adrianne Palicki (G.I. Joe 2), Alfie Allen (Game of Thrones) and Willem Dafoe (To Live and Die in L.A.) with appearances by Bridget Moynahan (Tom Sellack's Blue Bloods), Ian McShane (Death Race), Kevin Nash (The Punisher), Daniel Bernhardt (Bloodsport 2), John Leguizamo (Executive Decision) and David Patrick Kelly (The Warriors), John Wick might not rewrite the book on action films but looks to provide a moody, stylized, tactical rough and tumble affair that should console any action fan disappointed by the fact that The Expendables III is PG-13.

Workout of the Day: Daniel Craig

It was a James Bond kind of week after watching Skyfall on the plane and then receiving a new credit card that contained 007 among the digits.  I didn't enjoy Skyfall too much upon first viewing, it seemed a bit dark, depressed, way too long.  Its Batman Begins meets Home Alone style ending complete with mansion and crusty butler fighting home invaders was just...underwhelming.  It was missing that globe trotting, smooth operating pizazz of Casino Royale.  You know, when you actually wanted to be Bond since he's rough yet charming, knows how to play poker, pick up women and generally kick ass.  He was man enough to wear skintight light blue swim trunks and still look macho.  One thing that has carried across all three of Craig's Bond outings is his pumped up physique and in Skyfall, he's shirtless quite often showing off a less bull necked upper body than Royale and is more, shall we call it, Skinny Mass.  Like Ryan Reynolds, Craig has a great build for adding muscle with broad shoulders and a lean midsection.  Neither has the bulk of a body builder (seriously, no actor ever has a big back) so they look lean and fit whether at the beach or in a suit.

To get ready for Skyfall, it's said Craig followed a 6-Day a week program that looked like:

Monday:  Full body circuit - Clean and Press/Knee Raise/Step Up/Pull Up/Dip/Push Up
Tuesday:  Chest and Back - Incline Bench/Chin Up/Dumbbell Fly/Push Up
Wednesday:  Legs - Squats/Leg Curl/Lunges/Dead Lift
Thursday:  Shoulders and Arms - Dips/Lateral Raises/Curls/Shoulder Press
Friday:  Full body circuit - Same as Monday
Saturday:  Cardio
Sunday:  Rest

I believe his cardio consisted of swimming, boxing, machine rowing and fight choreography.

Diet wise, it's said the D Craig ate 3 high protein meals a day with complex carbs and vegetables with two snacks of fruit and nuts or a protein shake.

I've always enjoyed doing full body circuits and added Barbell Curls to the above circuit to work the biceps and up the total exercises to 7.  Repeated 3 times and you've hit 21 total working sets as I tend to do 15-20 sets when I work out with weights.  It's a great workout that really gets your heart pumping and takes less than 40 minutes to complete.  Only rest between exercises enough to barely catch your breath so it becomes a cardio workout as well.  If you're unsure how long to rest, just take in 5-10 deep breathes and move to the next exercise.  If you start getting light headed or nauseous, then yeah, you've pushed too hard.

The full body/Compound moves like Clean and Press, Chin Ups, Dips, Push Ups and Step Ups activate more muscles, thus making the body work harder and up your T (testosterone) than isolation exercises like a cable curl or pec deck BS.

Personally, I don't advise doing upper body exercises two days in a row so I would do some form of cardio or non-weight workout on the day after the circuit.  For me, lately it's been DDP Yoga, shadowboxing, cycling or jump roping. 

Getting Bonded:

Gotta Drank! Ralph's VS Costco

Monday was for math when I tried to figure out the cost difference for the world's best selling Irish Whiskey, Jameson, between Ralph's "Buy 6, get 30% off" deal and Costco's daily price for their super sized bottle. Basically, Ralph's sells 750 ml for around $22.00 with the discount. Buying 6 of those means 750 x 6 = 4,500 ml at a cost of $22.00 x 6 = $132.00 and with 1,000 ml = 1 liter that puts Ralph's at $29.33 per liter of Jameson. While Costco sells a 1.75 l bottle or 1,750 ml for $36.00. I bought 2 bottles so $36.00 x 2 = $72.00 for 3,500 ml which means Costco charges $20.57 per liter. Phew! Apparently, Jameson has been coming out of Ireland since 1708 and sells something like 48 million bottles a year. Keep it up guys.

 

 About 3 seconds before the action of this clip, Daniel Craig downs 3 shots like nothing:

 



Workout of the Day: Star Quality

I've been training hard all summer, coming off Comic-Con and headed towards my buddy's wedding I didn't let up.  Working out at home can be tough sometimes because you lose motivation but going to gyms out here is just a pain.  I'm either up at 5:00AM and not at full strength or hitting the weights at 9:00PM and temping insomnia.  At home I can get in a session before or after work in 15-60 minutes.  Generally I stick to supersets or circuit training, that way I ensure the best pump in the least amount of time possible.  Some people like to sit around for minutes on end after a set but I like to keep it non-stop so it becomes a light cardio workout as well because I loathe cardio.  Jumping rope and running have become my friends but I'd rather just slam some iron.

You don't need much in terms of equipment, I make due with a chin up bar ($20), a barbell and dumbbell set ($115), an exercise band ($10) and a jump rope ($10).  That's $155 for 5 years of workouts for all you Poindexters out there.  You can do weights in about a 5'x5' space in your bed or living room.  I push the couch over and jump rope while watching TV.

However a cold brought on by a night of whiskey took me off my routine followed by a busy week of professional and social activities before the wedding seemed to take the edge off my training.  Now that the nuptials are over I figured on having a fat week.  People always beat themselves up for falling off their eating and training plans but let's be honest, most of us aren't making a living because of how good our bodies look.  And remember that nobody is in shape all the time.  Not athletes, not actors, not anybody.

Today's one-two combo of weights and cardio was inspired by Daniel Craig and Steve Reeves.  The former played James Bond in Casino Royale and caused quite the commotion with his beach scene while the latter was a matinee idol in his own right in addition to being one of the most iconic bodybuilders of all time, inspiring the likes of Sylvester Stallone and Frank Zane.  Allegedly Craig did total body circuits 3 days a week to prepare.

My version:  1) Clean and Press  2) Chin Up  3) Push Up  4) Deadlift  5) One Arm Dumbbell extension  6) Barbell spider curl  7) Reeves Squat  8) Calf Raises - that's an 8 exercise circuit which I repeated 3 times followed by a few raises for the delts and curls for the forearms

What's a Reeves Squat?  Just the unofficial term I gave a type of squat I saw him doing in a magazine.  Instead of having the weight across your traps like a typical squat, this variation has you holding the bar behind you and your heels elevated to put emphasis on the quad.  This is easier to do at home so you don't have to throw the weight up on your shoulders then worry about getting it off.

This was followed by jump roping for 300 skips or 2 minutes of intervals for a total of 6 rounds.  All of this was done in under an hour, about 25 minutes for weights and 25 for jump rope and abs.


Check out the Bond bromance: