Workout of the Day: Shape Up With Arnold Schwarzenegger

It was an Arnold filled week to end June and begin July with Dammaged Goods presenting Conan the Barbarian and Destroyer, Terminator: Genisys hitting theaters, missing a Predator screening and watching it at home. The Oak's 1982 workout video, Shape Up With Arnold Schwarzenegger inspired a few workouts as I watched to add to the week's motif. While the likes of Jane Fonda, Cher, Cindy Crawford and Claudia Schiffer have all released workout videos, only a handful of notable men have done the same. Arnold's video proceeded 1987's Dolph Lundgren's weight free Maximum Potential which was followed by the 1993 at home and in the gym routines of one Marky Mark. In Shape Up, Arnold works out with basic EZ bars, adjustable dumbbells and a shiny chrome Universal Machine. He's joined by Ms. Olympia Rachel McLish and future Chippendale's icon Roger Menache.

There's basic routines for Men and Women, weight free workouts and advanced programs. Lots of simple yet challenging routines focusing on form and progression starting with calisthenic warm up and stretching then utilizing basic exercises like Squat, Deadlift, Military Press, Chins, Rows, Bicep Curls, Pushdown, Lateral Raises and the like. Body weight wise you only need some space and a couple of chairs to do push ups, dips, lunges, etc. There's even several aerobic style finishing exercises like lying leg kicks, side bends and butt lifts. Arnold is big but not huge while McLish is slim and tan then Menache is fit and athletic. The 80's outfits are terrific with short shorts, leotards and Menache rocking same color shorts and tank. Arnold gets real handsy with both to show them proper form and bust them if they slack. Phrases like "much more energy" and "two more reps" dominate the dialog while pointing out common problem areas where flabbiness is rampant. The 80's synth soundtrack by Craig Alan Woodard is awesomely catchy in an inspiring meets porn kind of way.

I took a page from the Men's Advanced routine for Shoulders and Arms:

Shoulder Press/Lateral Raise/Rear Raise - Done as a giant set with no rest in between
DB Bicep Curls/1-Arm Triceps Extension - Arms done in supersets
EZ Bar Curls/Triceps Cable Pushdown
DB Concentration Curl/Lying French Press
Wrist Curls/Reverse EZ Bar Reverse Curls

Arnold advocates 3 sets of 10 reps for each superset then finishing with high repetition calf raises and abs in the 20-25 range after every workout. While some of the exercises are questionably outdated, Shoulder Presses and Lat Pulldowns behind the neck can shear your shoulders. There's no nutrition section for the video but remember, "shaping up is a way of life, stay positive, work hard and you will achieve all your goals. Good luck!"

Dolph Saturday

It was a randomly awesome Dolph Lundgren filled Saturday yesterday.  While watching The Director's Chair with Quentin Tarantino earlier in the morning, he mentions that before Reservoir Dogs, his only production experience was on Dolph's workout video Maximum Potential.  Then later while putting the lady through a timed workout I turned on MP for background noise, motivation and to take her mind off the grueling 20 seconds on, 10 seconds off blitz of Kettle Bell swings, jumping jacks, squats, mountain climbers and the like.  Of course you know how much I love Dolph and his workout video from 1986 as it's a solid workout and healthy lifestyle guide as well as a total time capsule from the 80's with two toned workout outfits, sweet synth and guitar soundtrack and Dolph being all tan and buff showing you how he does shit.

After returning home from seeing The Imitation Game (phenomenal: funny, entertaining and educational) I got a nice one-two punch of mail in the forms of my Dolph, I Will Break You shirt and a CD of 80's tunes from action #MovieBro David J. Moore featuring tracks from Rambo, Over the Top, Bloodsport, Best of the Best and so many more.  Perusing the Internets, there was some chatter regarding Thomas Jane talking in recent interviews about his work as Marvel's The Punisher in 2004's mild success and his love letter to the character in 2012's fan film Dirty Laundry.  Of course we couldn't talk about Thomas Jane's Mr. P. without discussing Dolph's take in the 1989 version directed by Mark Goldblatt written by Boaz Yakin and Robert Mark Kamen.  While the 2004 version has it's merits; Jane is solid as the character presented, there's some very clever scenes like the Popsicle interrogation and fight with giant hitman The Russian.  It also suffers from being uneven, trying to be a modern spaghetti western while smacking of melodrama and plenty of awkward one liners. Then the less said about 2008's War Zone, the better.  I honestly still don't know if I'm supposed to take that movie seriously with Ray Stevenson's bland interpretation of the Punisher, over the top villain Jigsaw and the ridiculous action.

Popping in the Artisan DVD, Dolph's version still remains my favorite of the cinematic attempts with it's down and dirty, straight forward action-karate motif.  After seeing Dolph blonde, coiffed, buff, positive and tan in Maximum Potential in the morning, watching his transformation into the pale, dirty, crazy and dark haired Frank Castle aka The Punisher actually says a lot about him as an actor.  From the opening minutes where we get stabbing, shooting, house explosions and car bombs, Mark Goldblatt and company really give you your action movie money's worth.  Don't forget that this was the late 80's and Richard Donner's Superman was still the only example of a successful cinematic super hero.  Batman would change the game in the same year but also had studio Warner Brothers behind it, a young, up and coming director and a budget 3-4 times The Punisher.  Coming from Roger Corman's New World Productions, the sub-$10million dollar production shot in Australia and told the tale of former cop Frank Castle who wages a one man war against the mob after his wife and kids are killed.  Said mob boss is now at odds with invading Yakuza gangsters and it's up to The Punisher to punish the guilty...and kill a whole lotta people, something like 89 individual deaths in as many minutes including explosions and mass killings.

Lou Gossett, Jr. shows up as Frank's former partner and gives the executioner a little background while trying to save his former friend.  Dolph's performance as a semi crazy vigilante who sits around naked in the sewer talking to God is admirable and not given enough credit.  Of course the action is great as you get oh so many scenes featuring shootouts, guys getting stabbed by katana swords through windshields, Dolph firing a crossbow bolt attached to a zip line through a guy then sliding down while firing an Uzi, shotguns, knives to the neck and heart as well as some gritty, rough and tumble karate fights with real life champions.  Dennis Dreith's orchestral score is big, memorable and almost out of place.  Since comic book films with costumed heroes was far from the norm as it is today, a last minute decision was made to not have Dolph don a spray painted white skull on his shirt for the final showdown.  While the skull remains on his knives and arguably on his face from the painted on beard, I think the film would be held in much higher regard today if they would have had the balls to put him in "costume".  While originally imagined to be competition to Batman, New World's financial woes saw The Punisher being released theatrically worldwide but going straight to video in the United States.  Here's hoping for a special features filled Blu Ray one day...

Workout of the Day: Traveling Man

Hopping on 5 flights across several states in as many days is kind of cool but also a little bit exhausting.  Throw in not being able to exactly eat overly clean and you're looking at dump city.  I managed to hold off jet lag and feeling too lazy by working out across America.

At a hotel gym in Des Moines with only cardio equipment available I took a page from Dolph Lundgren's Maximum Potential and new fitness book to accomplish a body weight leg routine with some cardio and abs.  Body Squat/Lunges/Sissy Squat/Standing Calf Raises all done in straight sets x 4.  Between each exercise I'd hop on the bike/treadmill/elliptical or jump rope for several minutes then use a towel for trunk twists super setted with an ab exercise like reverse crunches, hanging crunches holding myself up on the treadmill bars and toe touches.

In the 2nd leg of my trip a friend had some basic weights so I got in a quick upper body session doing Push Ups, EZ Bar Rows, Triceps Extensions and Curls before moving into Dumbbell work with Flys, Hammer Curls and Kickbacks followed up by some shadow boxing and jump roping.

Said friend is a coach at a local high school so we used the empty weight room for Legs for Front Squats, 1-Legged Leg Curl, 1-Legged Leg Press, Back Extensions, Standing Calf Raises and NECK MACHINE! Oh man I got super giddy when I saw that bad boy. In my lifetime, my high school gym and local dungeon facility had a neck machine as well as the former Koloseum in Fullerton, CA but I haven't seen one in the last 10 years at a 24 Hour or LA Fitness, Gold's or Spectrum.  2 sets of each direction and my neck was sore the next morning but will help give me that nice and strong neck/chin seen in Chew Magazine and Jawline Monthly.

My last day on the road I hit up a local health care facility for a full on Arms and Shoulders day with Chins/Cable Pushdowns/Preacher Curl/Bench Dips/Low Incline Curl and Lying DB Extensions before hammering out some Arnold Presses and raises for the 3 heads.  Followed by come interval cardio on the bike and elliptical, abs and twists.

Even though I was on vacation, that was no reason to ease back the training, especially since I was eating nothing but Taco Bell, biscuits and gravy, BBQ and the like so you gotta keep the balance.