Workout of the Day: Body Guy

This past week I spent my time in the gym by training my entire body in each session. I've always been a firm believer of circuits and throwing in total body and leg exercises gets the heart and testosterone pumping. It's also an easy way to keep symmetry in mind as like Arnold, Frank Zane, Vince Gironda and Jean-Claude Van Damme, I view weight training as building a sculpture to a degree. We all have body parts that grow fast easily and others that lag so it's up to you to keep the balance. Compound moves like Clean & Press, Chins, Push Ups and Dips work multiple body muscle groups in no time and get you out of the gym in under an hour.

5:00 AM at the gym: Clean & Press/Chin/Incline Push Up/Hack Squat/Preacher Curls/Lying EZ Bar Extensions/DB Side Raise/Leg Curl for 3 circuits followed by calves, neck and forearms

With weights covered, the next day it was cardio: 3x3 minute rounds shadow boxing/4x3 minute rounds heavy bag/5 rounds jump rope/1200 meters rowing

This actually wore me out quite a bit as each exercise is a little more intense than walking on a treadmill or riding a stationary bike.

Feeling a little sore Friday I went with: Shoulder Machine Press/Machine Rows/Decline DB Flys/1-Arm DB Spider Curl/Lying DB Extension/DB Raises

At the hotel gym before Disneyland: DB Deadlift/Goblet Squat/Step Up/DB Press/Incline DB Curl/Lying DB Side Extension x 4 followed by calves and 1.5 miles on the ol' Elliptical.

Workout of the Day: Keep It Moving

What's up super stars, how we feeling? It's been a busy month already with movies, Q&A's, brunches and planning galore but I'm still finding time to keep it moving. I'm still sticking to two-a-day workouts a couple times a week as it's easy to carve out 30-40 minutes at the start and end of a day. I've been taking it easy in the mornings with morning cardio, biking 5-6 miles on the ol' recumbent or walking on an incline or intervals on an Elliptical. Think I'll throw in some jump roping and shadow boxing this week to up the intensity. I was also seeing Creed on the big screen with Sylvester Stallone attending so I had to do my part in practicing the ways of pumpology. Feeling lazy after a long day, I mustered the energy to do a quick but pumping leg workout at the complex gym:


Deadlift/Feet Close Squat/Hip Thrusters/Goblet Squats/Step Ups/Calf Raises x 4

Inspired by some Frank Zane, Vince Gironda and Larry Scott reading it was off to the gym at 5:30 AM for Chest and Biceps the next morning:

1) Incline Push Up/Barbell Drag Curl
2) DB Pullover/Barbell Spider Curl
3) Zottman Curl/Decline DB Fly
4) Reverse Curl/Incline DB Press

Each superset repeated three times, followed up by some neck and forearm exercises I was out in 35 minutes as I moved from one exercise to another with as little rest as possible. Usually a few breaths or 10 between supersets. Since I didn't have time for cardio after weights, that night I alternated pedaling a mile with an ab and twist superset while watching Colbert six times. Might not be burning a ton of calories but it's an easy way to break a sweat while keeping your stress and tension levels low.

Workout of the Day: New Ratio Man

How's your physical and mental training in 2016 going? I've run into my fair share of would be New Years Resolution Doers at the gym lately, you can always spot newbies since the same people tend to work out at the same times so an influx of new, really intense but out of shape Don'ters is hard to miss. Last week it was a fat guy working out and grunting in a backwards cap doing curls, triceps extensions then crunches. Because crunches will work off your gut, chief. Oh wait..Then you had skinny guy lamenting about forgetting his headphones at home because they really helped him crank it up. Yeah ok buddy, crank up some shape to your noodle looking body. But hey, you want to better yourself, I'm all for it. Today it was tattoo guy with giant headphones doing curls really fast, turning his head to look in the mirror instead of just, you know, facing the mirror. I just know you won't be here in February because you had no plan or purpose to your visits and clogged it up for the rest of us. Two or ten months down the road, they'll be gone and still out of shape while I'm still doing the Damme thing simply because I like to. Working out is easy, making it a habit takes some time, just set realistic expectations like you'll work out 4 times a week, not lose 20 pounds in a month. Do some research, read some books and see what fits your body and schedule. Rome and Jean-Claude Van Damme weren't built in a day and neither will you be.

Anywho, to shake things up, I'm throwing DDP Yoga back into the mix as it's a good workout you can get done in the privacy of your own home in under 30 minutes. Plus, we all need to work on our flexibility as we age. To protect my elbows, I'm sticking to cardio or Yoga one day, weights on another. Knocking out the Diamond Dozen and workouts dubbed Energy, Fat Burner and Red Hot Core are a nice change of pace and pretty relaxing. Back in the weight room, I'm adding in an additional working set to really pump up my muscles and shock them a little bit. Size isn't my goal but I want to keep some mass. This past Sunday I hit the weights:

- Barbell back to front press/Preacher curls/EZ bar triceps extension
- Dumbbell rear delt raise/Zane incline curl/Dive triceps extensions with rope
- DB side swing/Hammer curls/1-Arm triceps extension

Each giant set was performed 4 times with reps starting at 12 and descending to 8. If you're counting, that means I knocked out 36 working sets then threw in a few extra of front delts, forearms, neck and calves just to keep things rounded. But after warming up, training, cooling off and stretching, I was still out of the joint in under an hour. Little to no rest creates the breathless state so it's taxing on your muscles and lungs.

Back at home I was discussing the Grecian ideal and how masters of muscle like Eugen Sandow, Steve Reeves, Vince Gironda, Frank Zane and Arnold Schwarzenegger referred to the body as a sculpture that should be symmetrical and aesthetically pleasing. To that end there are actual Grecian Ideal calculations based on your wrist measurement that suggest how big your chest, waist, biceps, thighs, calves and neck should be. In general, if your neck, arms and calves are the same size, you fit the ideal. In my case, each of these measured out to be 15" in a relaxed state. Now I just need to bring my waist down a few inches to really highlight the V-Taper and bring out my inner statue. Keep learning, keep laughing and keep lifting!

24 Hours: Morning Man Workout

By the time I got to the gym around 8:00 AM, I'd already been up four hours, seen nearly two movies, picked up doughnuts and hadn't eaten since 6:00PM the night before. My hands were a little shaky from low blood sugar but I figured that would be prime fat burning time in the gym. It was a bit crowded already but luckily it was all folks taking classes, not using the free weights. Shoulders and Arms were on the menu as I got in:

- Arnold Press superset with Rear Delt Raises and Dumbbell Upright Row for 3 giant sets
- Preacher Curls w/DB Triceps Extensions
- Gironda style V-Bar Dive Extensions w/Incline DB Curl
- Dip Machine w/DB Hammer Curls

To get a good pump, I tend to do 8-12 reps then add in a few half reps at the end of each set. After 3 supersets of arms I came back to Shoulders and did a few sets of Cable Raises for the medial delts then finished off with Calf Raises, Back Extensions, Abs and Forearms. No cardio today but I'll make up for it tomorrow. I weighed in a few pounds lighter than last week so the Intermittent Fasting seems to be working with no ill effects on my training.

At home cooling off I read up on Vince Gironda's Facebook kept up by former student Robert Torres. He does a great job of posting inspirational and educational stuff about Vince along with pupils and contemporaries like Frank Zane and Larry Scott. There was a great video of actor Clint Walker's home gym from the 60's which has all these great, space saving features that utilizes benches and poles to make for flat and incline as well as dips and a preacher bench. It's interesting to see something like this as the principles from back then still apply today that it's not about being a bodybuilder but simply working out to feel good, fitting it in whenever possible, eating quality food to recover, sleeping enough to recuperate and making sure you get your chins in!

Workout of the Day: Fast Man

The first time I worked out on an empty stomach was in high school. I got nauseous and hurled the glass of water I'd had earlier. As a natural morning person, in college it was hard to force some food down the gullet before training and by my late 20's, I was used to working out on an empty stomach. I believe it was Dolph Lundgren who first introduced me to the notion that as your body sleeps overnight, your blood sugar is constant and low so light or moderate exercise in the morning should theoretically go to body fat stores for energy. Guys like Arnold, Van Damme and The Rock all advocate morning cardio on an empty stomach while recently I've been hearing about Intermittent Fasting from the likes of Terry Crews and Hugh Jackman. Basically you eat within a window of 8-10 hours a day as it's thought that it takes 12 hours for the body to enter the fasted state so you'll burn more fat before your first meal. While former NFL player turned jacked actor Crews says he eats a few meals and a protein shake between 2:00 and 10:00 PM, Hugh Jackman claims he crams in 5,000 calories to bulk up for Wolverine between 10:00 AM and 6:00 PM. The cast of TV show Black Sails apparently work out at 10:00 AM, have their first meal at 12:00 PM then close up eating shop by 8:00. There's books and blogs about it so after some light reading I figured to give it a try.

Since I'm already working out mornings doing cardio or weights on an empty stomach, I figured I'd just go with it. For pre-6:00 AM cardio I'm doing the usual ab-aerobics suggested by Frank Zane where I just do 60-90 seconds on a piece of cardio equipment like incline treadmill, stairclimber, stationary bike, jump rope and a Gazelle thingy. Only doing each exercise for a minute takes the monotony out of it and before you know it, you're breaking a sweat and 10, 15 or 20 minutes in. I follow that up with some ab exercises and trunk twists, stretch, cool down and call it a workout. For weights in the AM I'm a two bodypart, three superset three times kinda guy. For chest and biceps this Tuesday morning it was Incline Dumbbell Press with Zane Incline Curls (where your chest is against the bench and arms hanging), Dumbbell Fly and Concentration Curls then Gironda style wide dips with Reverse Curls. I finished up with a single superset of Chins and Push Ups just cause. Some calves, neck and forearms and I was done in under 40 minutes.

My fasting approach so far is more or less aiming to eat between 9:00 or 10:00 AM to 5:00 or 6:00 PM. That way I'm fasting for my first workout and if I do a second session, I can have a meal afterwards. Of course like all eating plans it works better if you stick to whole foods, lean meats, vegetables and fruits. Super foods include avocado, coconut oil, green vegetables, nuts, free range chicken, whole butter and whey protein while the usual bads like pasta, bread, potatoes and deep fried goodness should be inhaled moderately. One style of fasting is to have any kind of calorie free drink, though coffee is allowed, so it's water, tea, even diet pop during your 14-16 hour fast. My energy or focus levels haven't been too effected and I've felt lighter and tighter since starting the process. They say it takes three weeks to get into a habit but so far so good!

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: Gravity Guy

After a few days off upon returning from Oklahoma City and Austin, I'm back on the training trail and just hit my 20 workouts for the month goal. Changing it up a bit I went ahead and kept a few things from Vince Gironda's training methods I liked and mixed it with some Frank Zane while putting my own personal spin on it. When possible, I'll get in two sessions in a day, quick ones under 35 minutes working generally the same muscles and then taking the following day off. That way if I do this say 3 days a week, I've gotten in 6 workouts. And they say multiple sessions of faster, shorter and more intense work is better for the body than a marathon 90 minute visit. Try it yourself and see how you feel. You could take a nice empty stomach walk in the morning then do some weights at night or do some body weight exercises upon rising then weights at night or just hit the weights twice but you'll probably need to back off the poundage for the second workout as you'll be fatigued from the morning session.

Right now I'm focused on performing 3 exercises per body part doing 4 sets of 8 reps with slow negatives to fight gravity. The added resistance will challenge your muscles in a new way as most people don't think about the negative phase.

Shoulders and Arms:
Press Machine/Bent Over EZ Bar Curls/EZ Bar Pullover and Press
Dumbbell Side Laterals/Lying DB Curls/1-Arm Side Extensions
Straight Bar Cable Front Raise/Cable Curl Preacher, 21's/Rope Extension

As you can see, I designed this workout to start heavy with basic moves to get everything pumped up then moved into Dumbbells for form, range of motion and definition then finished with cables to keep constant tension on the muscles.

While following Gironda's training methods, I stopped doing cardio after weights and felt kind of blubbery so I'm back to 10 minutes or so of bike, jump rope or ab aerobics and feeling good.

For Legs I'm employing Squats, Front Squats, Sissy Squats, Hack Slides Froggy Style, Leg Curls and Calves seated, standing or on a leg press machine:

Squat/Leg Curl/Hack Slide/Calf Raises on Smith Machine

Same thing here doing 4 sets of 8 reps to build a nice foundation except calves, you gotta go 15-20 to make them respond. Legs are arguably the most overlooked body part so you have to try and keep them strong yet proportioned to your upper body. Once upon a time, having the same size biceps and calves was the ultimate goal. Doing legs releases more testosterone and growth hormone so theoretically your other muscles would actually get bigger if you trained your lower body more often.

It's convention and wedding season so keep it up!

Workout of the Day: Etiquette

Before we get into today's workout, let's talk about gym etiquette.  For me, it's a public space so there are certain guidelines that will help everybody have a better workout.  It's simple things really like if you're not using a piece of equipment, don't sit on it.  If you need to have your phone, water and towel nearby, don't set it down on a bench that someone else could actually be using for a set.  Don't have a towel?  Wipe down surfaces your nasty sweaty ass touches. And do you know why benches tear and need replaced?  Because people are too weak to pick up dumbbells and barbells from the floor or rack and put them on the bench instead.  A big one for me is not standing in front of a rack of dumbbells while you check yourself out doing curls or shoulder raises.  There's 10 sets of DB's on a rack and if you stand in front of it, you're theoretically blocking 5-9 people from doing something.  Just take a step back and if you're too weak to hold the bells for that extra two steps, lighten the weight.

Happened to me Saturday, twice!  The first guy in my way was told by his trainer to step back, cool, maybe you just don't know any better.  Second time a guy was blocking the rack he didn't even take weights from so I just moseyed over and replaced my dumbbell to which he tried to get smart and I told him to step back from the rack.  Then he tried to joke with me like I was his friend.  I'm not your friend, pal.  I'm just here to workout and leave, not talk about golf like he ended up doing with some other don'ters.

"No pool. No chrome. No music. Just iron" was a slogan of Vince's Gym. Times have changed, sigh...

Anywho, after just over a month of Vince Gironda style training, I felt it was time to change it up.  The Iron Guru's Rut Buster sessions have really kicked my behind but they just wore me out and I was starting to chafe mentally.  That means it's time to switch gears so I went back to one of my old standby routines, Circuit Training.  I started the routine off with Kettlebell Swings to get my whole body working before going into Chest and Biceps.

Kettlebell Swings - 45, 55, 65lbs
Close Grip Chin - 10-12 reps, new hand position per set
Incline Push Up - 35 reps, changing hand position per set
DB Concentration Curl - 35, 40, 45lbs, when I couldn't complete a rep I'd do a half then an assisted full
Decline DB fly - 30, 35, 40 lbs in the 10-12 rep range to slab up the ol' chest
Low Incline DB Curl - 25, 30, 40 lbs, I like these because it really takes the front deltoids out and helps tie in
DB Pullover - 50, 55, 60lbs, just one of my favorites for chest
Reverse Drag Curl - Keeping barbell as close to my body as possible got my forearms and bi's pumped
Larry Scott Laterals - One delt exercise where you raise to the side then move to front, then raise all the way up, then do regular reps, 4 of each makes a set and will have your shoulders screaming

That's 9 exercises done 3 x each for 27 sets.  With the Rut Buster I'd usually be too tired for cardio afterwards but with a Circuit you're keeping it a bit cardio already with the pace and variation.  I could blast through this routine in under 40 minutes so I added in some forearm, neck and calves before hitting the rowing machine and stationary bike.

Workout of the Day: Sissy Squat

How's your new year lifting and working out going?  I'm still sticking with some Vince Gironda Rut Busting and it's a kicking my ass.  It's been just about a month since I started incorporating many of his methods such as 10,8,6,15 rep scheme, adding cream to my shakes and performing exercises like Wide Bar Dips, Bench Press to the Neck, Zottman Curls and today, Sissy and Frog Hack Squats.  I'd always done Sissy's as you don't need weight or much space to get a burn in your quads.  Today I tried out Gironda's 3 part style and phew, I seized up and started spasming after a couple sets!  To do these you'll need something to place under your heels.  If you've ever seen photos from old school bodybuilders from the 60's and 70's, you might have noticed them standing on wooden blocks.  Since most of us don't have 2x4's sitting around the house, just use a rolled up towel, some weight plates or a phone book to put your heels on.  Stand next to a doorway and so you can use one arm for balance as you master the movement.

With feet slightly less than shoulder width apart, heels elevated, simply drop down keeping your shoulders and hips straight until your butt is touching your ankles then press straight back up.  That's one phase.  Next phase is to lower but instead of straight down, push your hips and knees forward so your upper body leans back.  That's the second phase.  For the third, put it all together, drop down with hips and knees out then at the bottom tuck back in, press up and out then straighten out towards the end.  It's a little awkward so do a few reps of each kind as a set to get the feel.  Vince advocated holding a barbell across the collarbone in a clean position, if you can't do that, just hold a dumbbell and let it hang behind you.  Next was Frog Hack Squats, with these I got into the machine, stood straight up and put my feet under my hips and shoulders.  From there, turn your toes out and have your heels touch.  Now lower with your knees going out instead of straight ahead like a regular Hack.  Wow!  I did no weight for Sissy's and only put on a 25 and 10's for Hacks and my legs were screaming!

After that it was some basic stuff like Leg Curls, Seated Calf Raises, some abs and cardio consisting of the elliptical and the bike.  Gironda figured lifting weights and a solid nutrition plan was enough to keep you trim but I love my fast food and doing 10-15 minutes of interval cardio after a weight session just makes me feel lighter on my feet and tighter in my waist.

Keep lifting!  All the New Year's Resolution Don'ters will be clearing out soon.  Getting in shape isn't hard, it just takes a little knowledge and planning.  Read up on people with physiques you admire, it will lead you to plenty of others in the exercise and nutrition fields.  Van Damme wasn't built in a day and neither will you be so just keep going!

Workout of the Day: Rut Buster

Going to the gym in January and February is always frustrating because you have so many Don'ters taking up space with resolutions to lose half their body weight but only giving themselves a couple weeks to negate years of inactivity and shitty eating.  Don't get me wrong, if you want to change yourself, to better yourself, I'm all for it.  But do a little research, read some magazines, maybe even a book and talk to professionals before you go all or nothing into your new year workout routine.  I always say you either have it or you don't when it comes to lifting weights.  There has to be some kind of instigating incident or insecurity to propel you into spending countless hours alone putting your body under duress.  Whether it's being too fat or skinny, needing to get stronger for sports, everyone who lifts weights has a reason why they're putting on "body armor".  Arnold wanted to get stronger for soccer, Van Damme wanted to gain weight and power for karate, I was a chubby kid, etc.  When you go in guns blazing with no plan of attack, enthusiasm quickly wanes and the gym is back to being empty.  Fitness is a lifestyle and it doesn't even half to be that strict.  I eat fast food several times a week and at my last physical was told I was in excellent health.  Could I be in better shape if I cleaned up my act?  Of course!  But I don't make a living at having my shirt off so there's no need to beat myself up mentally and emotionally over some unattainable standard.

For me, December was pretty good, I worked out 23 times which is excellent because I always find myself to be in the best shape when I hit 20 workouts in a month.  That can be 5 days a week, that can be twice a day a couple days a week, a day of walking, outside activity or cleaning, whatever.  If you make time for it and or you break a decent sweat, I consider it a training session.  Having lots of time over the holidays to relax, I dug into some Frank Zane and Vince Gironda reading.  Zane of course was a master of symmetry and had a statuesque physique at under 6' tall and 200 pounds.  Always mindful of the mind and muscle connection, physical harmony, rest and nutrition, Zane was truly a guru of the sport.  But Gironda was known as The Iron Guru due to his unpredictable temper, strong opinions and unusual but effective training techniques.  Reading through some of his literature, it's crazy how guys used to eat and train back in the day.  For Gironda, he figured you should stick mostly to whole, close to raw foods including fertile hen eggs and certified raw cream.  A breakfast might consist of cream mixed with raw eggs, lunch was a salad and hamburger patty while dinner could be steak and cottage cheese.  In between meals, liver tablets and amino acid tablets in the dozens.  With no complex or starchy carbs in the mix, Gironda figured the body would derive energy from the fat and use the protein to rebuild muscle.

Training wise, Zane seemed to always be doing some form of cardio, usually bicycling around town or rowing after a weight session.  Gironda placed such a heavy emphasis on nutrition, stating that it was 85% what you ate VS 15% how you trained, that no cardio was involved since there was little rest been sets.  If you wanted to lose weight, you simply ate less and worked out more.  For me, I always feel at least 10 minutes of cardio after weights helps me feel leaner and less bloated.  Zane would usually work 3-4 exercises per body part with 3-4 sets in the 8-12 range.  Gironda believed that you had to find your perfect range by working out until you felt a pump that couldn't get any better and as soon as you started to lose it, you'd found your ideal rep/set range.  At Vince's Gym, he generally preached 3 exercises and 4 sets for each in under 45 minutes as the perfect workout.

Gironda's Rut Buster workout has been kicking my ass this month with it's 10/8/6/15 rep range but I'm feeling strong and pumped.  An example of my version of Shoulders and Arms at the gym:

1) Dumbbell Press w/ Rear Deltoid Lateral 2) Spider Curl w/Tricep Pullover and Press 3) Behind the head Rope Extensions 4) Incline Dumbbell Curl 4) Cable Upright Row w/ Side DB Laterals 5) 1-Arm Preacher Curl w/ 1-Arm DB Extension 6) Forearm Curls

As you can see, wherever I could do Super Sets, I did.  But if I would have to walk across the floor to get weights, I would just do straight sets.  The descending then ascending rep range is frigging hard but the pump I got was out of this world.  My muscles felt huge, shaped and striated at the same time.  My arms were so sore I could barely type on my laptop that day.

Zane's Ab-Aerobics are a great way to get in some cardio and midsection work.  You'll see lots of people plodding away on a bike or treadmill for what seems like hours and still looking dumpy as shit.  With Ab-Aerobics you simply pick a cardio exercise to do for one minute then hit some abs, lower back or twists then go back to cardio.  In my complex gym I opted for:

Treadmill - 3, 5, 5.5, 6, 6.5 MPH at a 10 incline with Stepper and Jump Roping 200-300 reps in about 2 minutes.  For abs I stuck to simple stuff like frog crunches (instead of knees pointing up, butterfly them out to the sides), toe touches and Swiss ball crunches.  Then I'd do trunk twists or Good Mornings as well.  So 1-2 minutes of cardio, ab/back/twist exercise, repeat for 20-30 minutes.  Boredom doesn't have a chance because you're constantly moving from one exercise to the next. 

And there you have it, new year, new pump, same old drive.  Now get out there and remember that what's cool is being cool with yourself!

Workout of the Day: Leg Man

Too many times people neglect their legs when lifting weights.  It's much easier to focus on the beach and Hollywood muscles like chest, abs and biceps.  Basically, whatever you can see in the mirror.  But training your legs strengthens your entire body, boosts testosterone, releases growth hormone and keeps you from looking like a hard boiled egg on toothpicks.  Squats were a regular part of my high school and college routine but as you get older, the ol' internal shock absorbers start to wear out so you have to train smarter, not harder.  Vince Gironda didn't allow regular squats at his gym as he thought they just gave you a big ass.  Instead he was a proponent of Front and Sissy Squats where you couldn't hulk as much weight but kept tension in your quads to make them shaped and ripped.  Frank Zane invented the Leg Blaster to relieve stress on the knees and lower back after years of heavy squats wreaked havoc on his body.

With all that in mind, I got in an early morning session of:

Front Squat - With a barbell in the rack, a little awkward with the bar in your neck but a great move
Leg Curls - To work those hamstrings and glutes (your butt)
Squat Press - On a Free Motion machine where I could load on some weight and work outer thigh
Standing Calf Raises - On Smith Machine instead of those pads digging into your shoulders on a machine

After that I followed up with 3 circuits of Weight Sled, Jump Rope, Rowing and Battling Ropes to give myself a quick upper body and cardio pump.


I felt extremely refreshed afterwards and went on to have a fantastically productive day.  Thanks, legs!

Workout of the Day: Vince Gironda

One classic bodybuilder I always admired but never really knew much about is Vince Gironda, the Iron Guru and owner/operator of Vince's Gym in North Hollywood.  A fitness competitor and professional back in the 1950's, Gironda employed various unorthodox exercises such as bench press to the neck, the drag curl, V-Bar dip and a huge dislike for squats.  Gironda also preached the importance of nutrition, claiming that training was 85% eating and suggested consuming up to 3 dozen fertile hen eggs a day, raw cream or milk and liver tablets on a high protein, low carb diet.  Mr. Olympia Larry Scott was a disciple and fellow bodybuilding luminaries like Frank Zane, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Lou Ferrigno put in time at Vince's Gym.  Movie stars Clint Eastwood, Carl Weathers, James Garner and Denzel Washington all trained at his famed gym before its doors were closed in 1995.  Gironda would pass away 2 years later.

Gironda believed in high volume training but did exercises in straight sets and employed an 8x8 set and rep scheme with lighter weight and little rest time.  After reading up on Gironda's method, I employed some of them this past week in an upper body routine.  I couldn't quite get to 8 straight sets my first time out but hit 6 with many of the following:

1) Incline Dumbell Bench - This gave me a nice pump but also made my shoulder sore
2) Drag Curl - 6 sets with a 45 lb barbell had my arms screaming
3) Tricep Extension - On a machine and my horseshoe started to spasm
4) Cable Row - Done leaning far forward and head down to start then pulling back and up had my lats cramping up
5) Wide Dips - Elbows wide to work chest versus tight for triceps, again a little hard on my shoulders
6) Lateral Shoulder Raises - Bent forward a bit to take the trapezius out with pinkies up like pouring a pitcher of water
7) Reverse Preacher Curl - Elbows in tight with hands wide
8) Seated Calf - Gironda believed in higher reps for calves so I pumped out 15-20

It was an interesting experiment but I don't think my shoulders would be able to take all of the straight sets.  Super Sets that work opposing muscle groups let the delicate joints and hinges rest between exertion which just seems to suit me better.  But I'll definitely keep reading up on Gironda's method and will have to look up some liver tablets...