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!