Tip of the Day #2 – Up the Intensity

It is HARD to blog consistently. But I promise I’ll try to get better at it. Here’s the long awaited second Tip of the Day (or Tip of the Last Two Weeks). P90X is an incredible workout program. But sometimes I like to kick things up a notch. Currently, I’ve started adding a second Chest+Shoulder workout towards the end of my week. Typically on a cardio day like KenpoX. It’s a really quick 25 minute workout that really targets these two muscle groups and will help improve your performance, size and look in no time flat. Here’s the routine:

+ Shredded Shoulder Workout

Low Weight – 64-80 Reps (8-10 each)

1. Bent Over Row – Feet shoulder-width, squat, bend forward, back straight, arms hang down in front, backs of hands facing knees. Bring arms back and up till parallel to the floor. Repeat.
2. Standing Row – Stand up straight, one leg slightly in front of the other, arms hanging straight down in front, pull upwards to shoulder height, back down. Repeat
3. Straight Arm Shoulder Flyes (forward) – Bring arms straight up in front of you, back down, repeat.
4. Alternating Straight Arm Shoulder Flyes – Same as 3, but alternate left and right. Bring one arm up as the other is going down. 16 total reps here, 8 on each side.
5. Straight Arm Shoulder Flyes (side) – Bring arms straight up and away from the body. Don’t bend your arms! Repeat.
6. Upright Row, Outward Circles and down – Same as 2, but when the weights are at the top, circle them out away from your chest and back in to the starting position, then lower back down. Repeat.
7. Back to Front Dumbell Raise – start with dumbells touching behind lower back, bring up and touch them together in front of your face, and lower them back to starting position. Repeat.

+ Killer Chest Workout

Immediately following the first set of the Shredded Shoulder workout (all 7 moves) go into this beast.

3 Sets, Repeat 3 Times

1. Max Push ups – Self explanatory
2. Lying Down Dumbbell Flyes – Lie down on your back, arms out to the side, bring weights together in front of your chest, keeping arms straight the whole time.
3. Lying Down Dumbbell Press – Same position, but bend your elbows and press the weights up together in front of your chest.

Repeat, Repeat – NO BREAKS! It’s INTENSE!

+ Now go back and repeat the Shredded Shoulder Workout, all 7 moves, and you’re done! This shouldn’t take very long. Like I said, about 20-25 minutes.

How’s THAT for spicing things up!? Or you could always try THIS move: (skip ahead to minute 17 and watch while Tony Horton makes up a challenging move)

Watch the Video Here (Fast Forward to about 17 minutes)

Tip of the Day #1: Wanna Slim Down? Eat Some Fat.

I love The Biggest Loser. The show’s been running for 13 seasons, and I’m just getting into it. This was the first season I’d ever watched. It’s pretty inspiring to watch these contestants work so beautifully hard to achieve the health they never dreamed they’d have. That said, the fact that such a show exists and is so damn successful signals something about America. Obviously the market for the show is huge. Also there are a lot of them. We’ve all heard the scary statistics, but they’re worth repeating ad nauseum. 68% of Americans are classified as either “overweight” or “obsese”. TWO THIRDS! 34% of those are in the obese category – meaning their Body Mass Index (BMI) is 30% or higher. Lastly, 17% of children are obese – a 300% increase from 1980. Why is this? Well the answer is simple:

Bacon Hotdog Burger Turtles.

So with all this knowledge, the immediate reaction would be to cut fat out of your diet right? It makes sense, after all. But let’s see what happens when such action is implemented. I have another P90X-er in my workout group who came to me with a question. He had been working out for five weeks, eating super healthy, and yet he had actually GAINED body fat! He couldn’t figure out what was wrong – why his body wasn’t responding to this sudden influx of healthiness. Well I asked him to send his daily food intake log to me, and this is what I saw.

Phase I        CAL.  P         C          F
5. april 2012 1423  61.28% 26.11% 12.61%
6. april 2012 1538  61.59% 25.20% 13.22%
7. april 2012 1712  63.12% 28.62% 8.26%
8. april 2012 1684  61.78% 28.71% 9.51%

Etcetera. It continued on in that vein. What stood out to me is that he’s going for a 50/30/20 Protein/Carb/Fat plan, but his macros are at 60/30/10. What’s lacking? Fat! He’s only eating HALF the amount of fat that his body requires. What that does, is cause the body to actually start producing MORE body fat, since there isn’t enough coming into the body through his diet! In this guy’s case, cutting back on the fat so drastically is actually causing the exact opposite thing to happen in his body. You need fat. Fat assists the body with the absorption of fat soluble vitamins like A, E, S, and K and keep us from having a deficiency of these vitamins. Fat also provides an energy back-up when we use up the sugar in our blood, which can happen if we don’t eat for 4 to 6 hours. Without it your body goes into “survival mode” and stores nutrients as body fat.

While there are people, like those in my Beachbody Challenge Groups, who seek out advice and guidance before embarking on a weight-loss plan, many who decide they want to lose weight attempt to do so without getting all the proper information. They stop eating fat (because that seems logical) and when they don’t get results, they get discouraged! They figure – “even when I eat HEALTHY I can’t lose weight… so why even bother trying?”

Thus, the moral of today’s story, is always make sure you’re taking in approximately 20% of your daily calories from fat, or you may be hurting rather than helping.

Get Comfortable Being Uncomfortable

Man, we hate being uncomfortable, we Americans. We have big comfy lazy boy chairs, comfort food, and we HATE doing anything that makes us uncomfortable. Well one of my clients in my P90X workout group said something today that really triggered me:

“Week 6 is feeling great…really found my comfort zone. (and by that I mean I am comfortable being uncomfortable.) It’s weird the emotions that are brought up as you subtract vices from your life. I’ve learned to just be uncomfortable. Being happy or comfortable all of the time, 24/7 is a very American notion that is simply unreal. That’s why it’s damn easy to be a fat, addicted American. But now, I am feeling a weird freedom from all of that desire.”

It’s completely true. That’s why the majority of Americans hate yoga. When someone decides to start P90X, they say they love all the workouts… except… well… for the yoga. They say it’s long. It’s hard. It’s boring. As Tony says in the Fountain of Youth video, Americans are extremely impatient, and don’t enjoy holding difficult postures for long periods of time because they get uncomfortable. It’s been so beaten into our collective psyche that comfort is everything. But you know what? That couldn’t be further from the truth!

How do we grow as human beings? We have to be willing to step out of our comfort zone. Try new foods, visit new places, and yes – be willing to try new ways of approaching our daily lives, so that by the time we hit 80 – we’re still going strong! Can you imagine a life where you never tried something that scared you? Or something that you weren’t quite sure if you were going to like? I’d have missed out on so many amazing things, if I had let my comfort zone be the be-all-end-all of my life. As a kid I was an incredibly shy person. Now I’m an actor. That’s not to say I’ve completely conquered that demon. I’d still rather e-mail someone I don’t know then call them on the phone – but the fact that I realize it, and am working to overcome it – that’s all you have to do!

Getting back to my client’s quote, she said she has learned “just to be uncomfortable”. But here’s the little secret – that level of discomfort? It goes away. If you’re willing to accept the discomfort and keep going – keep working through it – eventually it frees your body and mind – and leads to a better quality of life. This is something we can use in all our daily pursuits, not just fitness, but when you’re faced with that choice mid-set, of whether to give up on that last push-up, or grit your teeth and give it hell, just know that if you do it – if you don’t quit on yourself – you will be a better version of yourself for having done it. And do your damn yoga!

Alrighty. As a side note – in an effort to beef up this blog, I’m going to make like Tony Horton and release my Tips of the Day. To be fair, they will probably only be three times a week, MAX, but you get the point. They’re going to cover the three main topics surrounding getting your butt in shape – Weight Loss, Muscle Building, and Nutrition.

Starting tomorrow – Nutrition.

The Last Twenty Percent

Listen up all you actors out there! Yesterday I had the fortune of being able to snag Jason Scheff (lead singer of the band Chicago) for 30 minutes to talk about my new venture as a Beachbody Coach. Wait what? What does a rock star know about Beachbody? Well turns out, Jason has been friends with Tony Horton for over 25 years, and four years ago, Jason decided to change his life with P90X. Since then, he’s been a Beachbody Coach as well – and now ranks as one of the most successful coaches to date. So we got to talking about the ins and outs of making this work, and along the way, Jason said something that struck a chord with me:

“Listen, we’re in the same industry man. In our industry you can’t just be good. You can’t just be great. You have to work to give yourself every POSSIBLE advantage over the next person. You need be the total package. If you’re lacking in even ONE area – that’s enough. Now, some people get lucky. They just happen to be in the right place at the right time. But for the rest of us – it’s our job to work as hard as we can perfecting every aspect of ourselves, so that when that right moment comes, we’ll be ready.”

I’m like… whoa. I mean – I knew this… technically… but not until he put it in those terms did I fully come to realize it. For me, it’s being skinny. I just had an appointment for a production of Aladdin. I didn’t get it. What if I’d had that extra 10lbs of muscle and actually looked good in a vest-no-shirt scenario? Who knows. Maybe I might have had more of a shot. But that’s the thing. If that’s ALL I need to bring myself up another notch on the totem pole, that’s something I CAN CONTROL! So I’m gonna bust my ass to make it happen.

We all have different goals, but in this industry where you have so, so little control over your own life – you need to grab those areas that you CAN control by the horns and squeeze the ever-lovin’ life out of em. Make things happen for yourself and the rest of the pieces will fall in to place. Use a bad audition or a crappy weak as fuel to your fire and just hit this thing THAT much harder! Who knows what might happen…

Essentially, talking with him made me realize that I need to become a personal trainer. And what I want, is to be a personal trainer who specializes in helping actors and entertainers achieve their fitness goals. As Jason told me, “so many people are already 80% of the way there – maybe it’s just losing that last 10 pounds – but they’re stuck at that 80%”. Well damnit, 80% ain’t good enough. It’s not good enough for me, and it shouldn’t be good enough for you. And if any of this has resonated with you, and you feel inspired to start making a difference in your life – achieving that last 20% – get in touch with me and lets make it happen.

Product Review: Fountain of Youth Yoga – Tony Horton One on One

We know. You hate Yoga X. It’s long. It’s boring. Yadda yadda yadda. Let me be the first to say that I LOVE yoga. After a week of body-crunching workouts, the yoga helps you realign yourself and stretch out your skeletal system. And believe me, it needs it. I’ve got a bit of scoliosis in my back, so I wouldn’t dream of skipping it. Yoga also helps with strength, flexibility, and massaging your nervous system. I love yoga and I love Yoga X, but I do understand the gripe. Committing an hour to an hour 15 a day to workout is already tough, so for a workout to last a whole 90 minutes – especially given that it’s many people’s least favorite workout – that’s pushing it. Well, fear not, I’ve found an answer.

Fountain of Youth Yoga, from Tony Horton’s One on One Series. If you’re new to the One on One series, it’s just Tony and a camera man in his Santa Monica home gym. He’s vintage Tony – and I guarantee you’ll laugh at least a couple times as he goofs his way into shape. The other thing that will happen, is your jaw will hit the floor when you see how FLEXIBLE this 50+ year old muscle man is! Proof yet again, that thanks to yoga you can be fit and flexible, and you can literally negate the effects of age. The very best part? It’s only 45 minutes long! Half the length of Yoga X!

The workout is familiar, as it’s Vinyasa based. Vinyasa is the same style used in the first half of the Yoga X DVD – a series of sun salutations into the warrior poses, but instead of wasting time holding poses till you feel like you’re going to die, he moves through them relatively quickly – which is a nice change of pace. He also scatters some new moves throughout the workout, which help to mix things up a bit and keep the workout fresh. You spend a lot less time in Right-Angle pose, which a lot of people will thank Tony for – as that was probably the most painful of the bunch in X. That’s not to say this workout is a complete walk in the park – I still was soaked in sweat after 20 minutes or so, but he does ease back on some of the more difficult postures. However, Warrior 3 and Half Moon are still here to kick your butt, if balance is a weak point.

He finishes up with some really great stretches and twisting postures. Overall, since the original P90X, Tony himself has learned a lot more about the practice of Yoga, and updates the workout accordingly. He gives extra advice on getting the most out of certain poses that wasn’t present in Yoga X, and it’s a welcomed addition. All in all, it’s a good little yoga workout, that calorie burn wise, doesn’t stack up to Yoga X, but I’d recommend it to anyone who’s having trouble with the current yoga regimen in P90X. Use this one to start, then see if you can graduate to Yoga X. Or, if you already can handle the X, use this one to mix things up so you don’t get bored of doing the same workout every week!

You can purchase it HERE! (Just make sure you select Fountain of Youth Yoga on the pull-down menu)

Till next time.

 

Re-Branding!

It’s been a year and a half since I posted, and now, this blog is being re-branded! It obviously hasn’t worked as a keep-you-all-up-to-date-on-my-acting-career blog, so it’s going to be transitioning into a fitness and Beachbody blog with a smattering of acting career.

About a month or so ago, I got started as a coach for Beachbody.com. As you all probably know, I’ve been hawking P90X for years, so I decided to actually do something with that passion! My new goal is to use my position as a Beachbody Coach to start learning about the business and get accustomed to answering common fitness and nutrition questions, with the hope to become a certified personal trainer within the next year. So far, I’ve got my first Challenge Group up and running, and I’m coaching a number of clients along their P90, P90X, Insanity, and Turbo Fire journeys. I hope to use this blog to post program reviews, interesting and up-to-date nutrition information, recipes, and my clients’ transformations. Check out my Beachbody Coach website here!

So what about me? I’m right there with my clients! I started my third round of P90X on March 19th. I’m finishing up my third week of the program, and man – I missed this workout! It had been about two years since I’d completed my last round, and it’s good to be back. I hope to follow this up with Insanity’s new program The Asylum.

Alright y’all. Let’s get the fun coming. First review in 3… 2… 1…

Return to the Windy City

Yeah, except it’s been gorgeous here. Today was finally november-esque, but for the last week it’s been mid to high 60s. Unreal. Not that I mind it too much.

But yes, I’m back in Chicago returning to Drury Lane Oakbrook Theatre for A CHRISTMAS CAROL. About half the cast is the same as last year, including Bill Dick as Scrooge, and it’s been great working with them all again. I’m doing the same track as I did last year, but this time ALSO playing the coveted role of Turkey Boy. Lemme tell ya, best role in the show bar none. It’s funny though – I’m adding a role (total of 4 now) but my show is actually LESS hectic than last year, because I’m not used on nearly as many set changes. Fantastic.

It’s been fun seeing my Chicago friends, eating my Chicago style pizza from Art of Pizza (best in the city!), and getting my Panera every morning before rehearsal. All things New York lacks. Though on the flip side, I’m finding Chicago a little boring in comparison. Don’t get me wrong – I love Chicago, but being back here is pretty much validation that I made the right decision. There’s just so much more energy in NY. So much more going on. I’m having a good time out here, but I really can’t wait to be back. Oh, and there’s the driving thing… I love driving and I missed it in New York. But damn, the hour commute both ways just to do an hour long kids show can take a toll on a person! Haha. And really, getting anywhere in Chicago is a lot more of a pain in the ass than it is in NY, even with the MTA being a nightmare.

Anyway, lets see… what else… The reading of THE BOWERY BOYS went great. It was a blast working with all those people and revisiting the show, albeit from the perspective of a different character. I think we did a great job highlighting what the show could be if picked up by one of the 650-odd producers who saw it. I mean, it sounded sick. (In a good way!) There was a lot of talent up on that stage. 🙂 Speaking of which, we performed on the set of Avenue Q, so that was kind of fun too. But I can’t say enough how grateful I am to have been a part of this show to this point, and thanks to David, Jeremy, Aaron, and in this production, Dom and Brad for giving me the opportunity!

Down the line, just have some Classical Kids gigs coming up – three in January – which is great because I can delay getting a real person job until February! Score. Indiana and Buffalo are the less exciting ones, with Vancouver the headliner. Can’t wait to see that city. We’re only there for a couple days, but hopefully we’ll get to have some fun exploring at least a little bit.

Oh! Last but not least, my brother Greg just got a play of his accepted into a One Act Festival produced by The Riant Theatre in NYC! I’m really excited for him. Between this and his internship at New York Theatre Workshop – things seem to be going pretty well for him too! Guess leaving Iowa was a good choice… 😛

How am I so bad at this?

Updating a blog that is… damn. I feel like “oh hey, I haven’t updated the blog in a while, I should do that.” I look, and it’s actually been over two months. What? … oh well. Lot’s to tell.

TOGETHER THIS TIME went great. It was an amazing production to be a part of. The music was fun, the people were cool, and getting to perform in such a storied theater as the Lucille Lortel was an honor. Safe to say though, skateboarding (which I had to “do” in the show) won’t be going on my ‘special skills’ list any time soon. Thanks to everyone involved. It was really a blast. But, as with everything, it ends and you’re left thinking… now what?

Well first, I left Planet Hollywood. Thank god. It was awful – long hours, little money, breaking my back… not worth it. So NOW I’m working at Eataly – a venture headlined by Mario Batali and Joe and Lydia Bastianich. Yeah not too shabby. Bobby Flay even stopped by last week. It’s quite the experience though, so if you have the cash (little pricey) you should stop on down to 23rd and 5th and get a taste of… Eataly. Get it? See what they did there? Brilliance.

Some more exciting news: I’m going back to the Bowery! THE BOWERY BOYS, by David H. Bell, Jeremy Cohen and Aaron Thielen, is coming to New York! I was involved with the world premiere production at the Marriott Theatre in Lincolnshire a couple years back, and now a reading is being put up at the National Alliance for Musical Theatre’s (NAMT) Festival for New Musicals. The Festival has been a launching point for countless other musicals to receive further productions, including shows that moved to Broadway, like THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE. It’s essentially a chance for the writers to sell the show to an audience of industry members, and I’m so excited that I was asked to be involved. In the original production I played the role of Paolucci, but for the reading I’m going to be reading Mickey McGuire – the antagonist amongst the boys. Should be fun!

I’m also going BACK TO CHICAGO (!!!) for the holiday season to reprise my role as Peter/Dick/Ghost of Christmas Future in A CHRISTMAS CAROL at Drury Lane Oakbrook. I can’t wait to be back in the Chi. I love it during the holidays. All lit up and pretty like. Speaking of which I should probably change the backdrop of this blog… seeing as how I no longer live there… eh. Maybe someday. (meaning I’ll never get around to it)

Aaaand lastly, in a couple days I’m heading down to DC to see my friend Greg Maheu in CHESS at the Signature Theatre. Hope he doesn’t suck. 🙂

It’s Hot. Seriously…hot.

Yeah it’s been hot. Y’all know it. But hey, who doesn’t love sweating through a shirt 4 times a day? Oh… wait, you mean other people have normally productive sweat glands? I wish I knew what that was like. And I bet you wish you didn’t know that. Well too bad – I’m a sweaty person.

ANYWAY…… It’s been an exciting couple weeks out here in the NYC. Exciting and busy and overwhelming. I’m apartment hunting, which is always a blast. I think I’ve found a place up on 181st but just waiting for things to get approved/finalized/etc. I’m stoked about having my own place so I can stop subletting. That said, my roomies for the past 3 months have been really great and I really couldn’t have asked for a better place to crash while I got settled. I also have officially started as a server at Planet Hollywood. That’s right – super corporate, super touristy, and potentially super money. A tad better than the job I had at Argo Tea making $8/hr… in New York… yeah that doesn’t fly. Alright, alright, but all this is boring stuff. Here’s the excitement:

1) I’m taking part in a cabaret on August 24th produced by Seth Bisen-Hersh at Don’t Tell Mama, a piano bar/theater space. I’m doing a quick little set but y’all should come out! It’s sure to be a good time.

2) For all of you who think mass agent mailings and self-submissions don’t work, you’re wrong. They do. I’ve gotten Bway auditions, Off-Bway auditions, and yesterday, I had an audition for an agent who responded to my mailings. It WORKS y’all. So take the time, make the effort, and do it! And the audition yesterday went very well – despite the 4 hours of sleep, no rehearsal with my accompanist (we had to bring our own), work keeping me late, and battling a sinus infection – I killed it. So we’ll see.

3) And this is the big one – I’m excited to announce that I’ll be appearing in Together This Time, a new rock musical performing at the Lucille Lortel Theater as part of the 2010 NYC Fringe Festival. I’m playing the role of Jamie, and the show runs August 18th – 26th. I’m so excited to start working on another project so quickly. Like I said, moving to New York has been a great, great experience so far and I’m very grateful for the amazing opportunities I’ve had in the short time I’ve been here. I’m sure the well will dry up – it always does – but I’m enjoying the ride for now! More information will follow!

Going Down a Different Road

First. Day. Off. In a month. Assassins closed yesterday and I didn’t have rehearsal for BJ, so I took advantage of it. Returned my uniform to the barista job I quit, signed up with a gym, got prints of my headshots, and am currently putting together a mega-mailing to send out to agents. Now that I have half my life back I can finally hit the bricks and try and get things moving on that front. I love productive days. 🙂

Assassins went great. Really great actually. So many wonderful, talented people, and I’m going to miss working with all them. For two days. Because actually a lot of us are all going to be working on a workshop reading of a new musical called Oil Change for MRC with a performance on Saturday. So really I only have half my life back for today and tomorrow. But I’m ok with it. Otherwise it’s time to shift my focus to getting BJ ready to go. We open a week from tomorrow and lemme tell you, the show is going to be a riot. Everybody is just so brilliant. Go down a different road and check out http://www.bjamusicalromp.com and get your tickets NOW because… you do NOT wanna miss this. And if you’re up for Beer Pong, we’re having a BJ Beer Pong Tourney/Fundraiser on Wednesday night at Pat O’Brien’s pub. Come on out and show your support!!

I love this city. Seriously things are just amazing out here. I’ve come across an incredible writing duo – Carner & Gregor. Their work is gorgeous and poignant and witty and ridiculous, and they’ve been awesome enough to share some of it with me. And just like working on new plays is one of my favorite things, so is listening to, learning and performing fresh, new music. Please surf on over to http://www.carnerandgregor.com. Here’s a video of one of their songs:

And I may also be performing in a cabaret coming up too, so stay tuned!