REAL HOLLYWOOD MUSCLE By Chad Landers, CSCS
We've all seen Hollywood stars and Celebrities talk about their exercise and diet programs. Hollywood is filled with fads promising that you too can look like your favorite star. Well I've got news for you, a lot of what stars say they do to workout and diet is half-truth and marketing. Remember, if it's trendy, these people want to say they are a part of it. You never can be sure if you are getting the full story. I hate when celebrities use drugs and cosmetic surgery to achieve a certain look and then tell us regular folk that if you'll just go to Tae Bo and drink your wheat grass juice, you can look like them. It's disingenuous and it's a slap in the face to those of us who're busting our butts training, preparing food and working full-time, etc. I've trained the real people of Hollywood since 1993. I train the people who work insane hours, spend even more hours stuck in traffic, then have to figure out a way to get Colby to his audition and Brittany to soccer practice. These people are who really make Hollywood run. They are busy, their lives are filled with distraction, and they live in the most body conscious place on earth. These people want results! Most of our clients at the studio only have time to train 2 or 3 times a week. If they can get in some extra cardio on their own, or a day of lifting, it's a luxury. So the only thing I can count on is the 2 or 3 hours a week I see them. Therefore, the workouts have to be intense, and every rep has to count. I've trained such a wide variety of clientele over the years that you would think their workouts would have little in common. I've trained pregnant women, competitive athletes, elderly clients, handicapped clients, post-gastric bypass clients, teens and even coaching Powerlifting for the Special Olympics. The type of people I train has really run the gamut over the years. You might be surprised to know that these people have more in common than it would seem at first glance. Except for the presence of a pre-existing injury, I treat all clients the same way. Now that's not to say that they do the exact same workout or even the same exercises, but the principles are the same. First, you've got to get into their head. What makes them tick? How hard can you train them and how soon? In my experience, women can be some of the hardest working, competitive people on the planet; on the other hand, young teenage men can be some of the whiniest people you've ever seen. Either way, my job is to get them in shape in spite of themselves. Secondly, they are all athletes, some just don't know it yet. Many of these folks are tops in their field in Hollywood, but they haven't been physical since high school. Others hike and ski and surf and bike and compete in sports. It doesn't matter to me which category they fall into when they first train with me because they're both headed to the same destination. In Hollywood, the aesthetic is what everyone thinks is important. I try to persuade them that it's the least important. If I can get them more athletic, their physiques will - with a sound eating plan - transform. How do I do this? First, I address any existing injuries, and I also address the potential for future injuries due to muscular imbalances. I send almost everyone out for Active Release Therapy (ART). (Luckily, my chiropractor is a 30 second stroll from my studio). Most need mobility work in some areas and stability work in others. We may start out on Hammer Strength machines and progress to free weights and bodyweight exercises as their bodies improve. For the overweight, we do a lot of interval work in between each weight-lifting exercise. It could be 60 second sprints on the Airdyne or jumping rope, or up to 5 minutes on the elliptical or stairclimber. It all depends on their current conditioning level. For people who have trouble adding muscle, we leave out the cardio. I prefer full-body workouts for my clients who train twice a week, and an upper/lower-body alternating split for my clients who train three times a week. Although, my most fit clients sometimes get an upper day, a lower day, and a full-body "conditioning" day. A classic example of this type of client is Chris Jargo. Chris has been a friend of the family for a number of years. In fact, he works with my wife. After seeing some of the results I'd achieved with my wife and some of their other co-workers, Chris decided it was time to get back in shape.  Chris had never really been obese, but from his 30's into his 40's, he didn't have much muscle and was covered in a cuddly layer of fat. He hadn't worked out seriously in several years and ate a fairly typical North American diet. He had a stressful job with long hours and had gone through some family crises when he finally came to train with me. When we started, he couldn't do a single pull-up and had never trained his legs in his life - that's right, he had no idea how to squat or deadlift or anything! He also had an existing small tear in his rotator cuff. Not enough to warrant surgery, but bench pressing and dips were out of the question. Chris today:    He's 6' tall and 198 pounds in the photos. The best part is, Chris is 48 years-old and he's a grandfather! Aside from the goofy faces, the rest is awfully impressive. So how does a busy grandfather go from an "Extra" to a "Star"? Obviously he had to start training his legs. Even though you can't see his thighs in the photos, you can tell by his calves that he now has a good set of wheels. We also had to completely make over his diet. THE WORKOUT I'm gonna give you the keys to the Cadillac in this section! I'm going to be honest with you, I never do the exact same workout with Chris. I keep meticulous record of all of his workouts, so I can look back on any exercise we haven't done for awhile and have a really good idea of what he can handle on a given day. But this section will give you a really good insight of how we train each week. We train few exercises, but brutally hard for less than an hour. The following is one of our Saturday conditioning sessions:
I highly recommend seeking professional instruction before using kettlebells. Chris actually went with me to a kettlebell seminar out here in L.A., and it was invaluable for both of us. In the video, Chris is using a 70 lbs. kettlebell. If you are going to swing that kind of weight, you'd better know how to brace your body and you'd better slowly work your way up to it. Exercise #2: Super Killer Burpees (2 sets of 8 reps with a pair of 35 lbs. dumbbells) This is one of my all-time favorite full-body blasts! Even though Chris is using 35 lbs. dumbbells in the clip, I've had him do these wearing a 40 lb. X-vest as well. However, we leave out the curl-to-press at the end due to the confining nature of the vest (and we call it a Killer Burpee without the "Super"). Also note, Chris' shoulder injury feels fine on overhead pressing, but rotten with full-range chest presses. His chest development is due to a lot of pushup variations we do, just like those in the Super Killer Burpees. Exercise #3: Glute-Ham Raises (2 sets of 8-10 reps,usually very close to failure) I told you he had some wheels under those shorts. Sure, he's not going to be confused for a young Arnold Schwarzeneggar, but to do this movement correctly you'd better have a strong set of hamstrings! Exercise #4: Left/Right Pull-ups (2-3 sets of 5-6 left/right reps with bodyweight) Remember when I said Chris couldn't chin when he started. Well, now chins/pull-ups are so easy for him that we almost always do a variation of the movement. Left/Rights are great, but we also do sternum chins, weighted chins, etc. From 0 pull-ups to multiple sets of 10 wearing a 40 lb. X-Vest is an amazing accomplishment! Exercise #5: Windshield Wipers (2 sets of 10-12 reps with bodyweight) Admittedly, we don't do these very often. Chris likes to do these when he goes to commercial gyms to train because of the inevitable jaw-drops that are produced. Hey, even old guys like attention! Exercise #6: Wheel of Death (2 sets of 10-12 reps with bodyweight)
Ah, the "Wheel of Death". By the time Chris finishes this movement, his face looks like an eggplant. Why these don't bother his shoulder is beyond me, but they don't, and he loves them. This is by no means an exhaustive look at all the exercises and combinations that I do with Chris, but it gives you an idea of his capabilities. Not bad for a Grandpa, eh? I give him just enough rest to keep him from puking. Sometimes his forearms get so pumped after all this that he starts to sweat blood! (Just kidding, but they do get a wicked pump with his veins having baby veins of their own!) Here's what the preceding Tuesday and Thursday workouts were like: Tuesday 1-arm KB swing (1 set of 15 each side with 53 lb. KB; 2 sets of 15 each side with 70 lb. KB) Glute/Ham raise (2 x 10) Alternating Lunge with Twist (12 lb. med ball x 2 set of 15 each leg) Med Ball Woodchoppers (12 lb. med ball x 2 sets of 15) 2 Kettlebell Serratus crunch (35 lb. KB's x 2 sets of 25) Thursday 1 arm KB Snatch (1 set of 15 each side with 53 lb. KB; 2 sets of 15 each side with 70 lb. KB) Sternum Chins (2 sets of 8-10) Side-to-Side Plyo Pushup on Med. Ball (2 sets of 10 left/right reps) 2 KB clean to press (35 lb. KB's x 2 sets of 12) Hanging Leg Raise (2 sets of 10 Left/Right/Center reps)
REAL HOLLYWOOD FOOD Believe it or not, this is pretty simple. He eats 6-7 times a day, lots of lean protein, fruits and veggies, oatmeal, flax seed meal, coconut oil and yams. He supplements with Biotest's Surge, Greens +, a multi-vitamin/mineral supplement, creatine and fish oil. Since he's so busy he buys and prepares his food in bulk and takes it with him every day. He always has a cooler in the car. And yes, he enjoys eating out every week. He loves tacos and Kobe beef burgers with sweet potato fries. But he's smart about it. He usually does it Friday night and then comes in for a full-body blast on Saturday morning. He's usually a little bloated from the indulgence, but it doesn't do much damage beyond that. He eats big, but he also trains big. This is the best way to keep his metabolism high and maintain his muscle mass AND get lean! Here's a real training day food diary for Chris: 6 AM: 1/2 cup Oatmeal with 20 grams protein powder with 1 tbsp. greens +; 1tbsp. Flax meal 7AM: Workout (We don't count calories per se, but he does control his portions as you can see.)
Alright people, if this 48 year-old grandfather doesn't motivate you to get in shape, I don't know what will. Chris doesn't let the fact that he's busy or 48 years-old stand in the way of reaching his physique goals and neither should you! You can achieve as good as or better results than Chris if you are willing to be as consistent with your training and diet as he is. Chris doesn't make excuses, he does what I tell him without complaint, and he's always ready for a challenge. In fact, I'll put him up against any of the Hollywood stars you might be trying to emulate. |
