This is the physique I've been trying to achieve (what do you think?)

J

Jason Salamone

0
I have always wanted that lean/cut look, and have made some great progress this past year. I always thought the massive bodybuilder physique was just too way over the top, and in the long-run not good for your heart anyways. So this is the look I have always been shooting for...



I have been eating (overall) really good, but I have my moments where I slip up with that. Overall, I'm getting better and better.
I won't get into my diet, because it's too much detail. Maybe in the future I will, but just assume that it's 90-95% healthy, and improving.

Here is what my work out for the week is like:

Monday: 15 min cardio warm-up, Back, 45 treadmill, static stretching
Tuesday: 15 min cardio warm-up, Shoulders/Abs, 45 treadmill, static stretching
Wednesday: 15 min cardio warm-up, Legs/Lower back, 45 treadmill, static stretching
Thursday: 15 min cardio warm-up, Chest/Abs, 45 treadmill, static stretching
Friday: 15 min cardio warm-up, Arms (biceps,Triceps), 45 treadmill, static stretching
Saturday: 3 sets of Dips, 3 sets of Abs, 45 min Spinning Class, 1 set of Dips, 1 set of Abs, static stretching
Sunday: Depending on what is going on I either go on this 8 mile power walk outside, or I'll simply take the day off altogether.
I try to remember to at least do my static stretches, even if I take Sunday day off.

Just to clarify...

- The 15 min warmup is done on the elyptical
- The weight training involves HYPERTROPHY focusing on 1 muscle group a day.
- The 45 min post hypertrophy treadmill workout is at a moderate pace, steep incline, and every 5 mins I do a minute long interval burst, and then bring it back down to the original moderate speed that it's at once that minute is over.

Note: I'm thinking of working in a double workout on Tuesdays and Thursday by adding spinning class in the afternoon on those days, but I don't know if I want to do any intense cardio more than one day a week. I am still working on getting my body fat percentage down, so I can get lean, cut, and my 6 pack back. I don't want to deplete any of my muscle mass by doing intense cardio yet until I get to the weight and body fat percentage that I want to be at. My body fat percentage is at around 18-20%. I'm not sure where it needs to be to look like that picture I just posted and have rock hard 6 pack, but I'm thinking I need to get it down under 10%. I don't know, what do you guys think? Also, I'm at 180 pounds right now, and would like to get at 160 pounds too.

So again, what do you guys think?
Feedback, tips, suggestions are ALWAYS greatly appreciated!

Jason Salamone
 
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how long have you been training? your split looks like a bodybuilder split, which is not what Ryan Reynolds body looks like in Blade3 or Wolverine (but damn he looks good in those doesn't he?)

If i were you I'd try to hit each muscle twice a week, instead of single-muscle-group split. push/pull split or upper/lower split i feel will give you better results, unless you've been lifting for years and actually NEED a day per bodypart.

the reason huge bodybuilders do single muscle splits is because they damn near have to. their bodys have adapted so much that it takes 45-60 minutes just to induce enough hypertrophy in the biceps to incite growth.

For the 'usual' trainee, that gets accomplished in just a few minutes/sets.

many people are amazed at the increased muscle mass they see when they start doing a fullbody workout 3x a week. hit the muscles 3x a week! its rough at first, and you can't do a ton of volume or you won't recover before the next workout.

but daymn it'll kick your ass and give you a new perspective on things.
 
malkore said:
how long have you been training? your split looks like a bodybuilder split, which is not what Ryan Reynolds body looks like in Blade3 or Wolverine (but damn he looks good in those doesn't he?)

If i were you I'd try to hit each muscle twice a week, instead of single-muscle-group split. push/pull split or upper/lower split i feel will give you better results, unless you've been lifting for years and actually NEED a day per bodypart.

the reason huge bodybuilders do single muscle splits is because they damn near have to. their bodys have adapted so much that it takes 45-60 minutes just to induce enough hypertrophy in the biceps to incite growth.

For the 'usual' trainee, that gets accomplished in just a few minutes/sets.

many people are amazed at the increased muscle mass they see when they start doing a fullbody workout 3x a week. hit the muscles 3x a week! its rough at first, and you can't do a ton of volume or you won't recover before the next workout.

but daymn it'll kick your ass and give you a new perspective on things.
Click to expand...

malkore nailed it...

well except liking the guy a bit much - dont make us wonder buddy :angry3:
 
malkore said:
how long have you been training? your split looks like a bodybuilder split, which is not what Ryan Reynolds body looks like in Blade3 or Wolverine (but damn he looks good in those doesn't he?)

If i were you I'd try to hit each muscle twice a week, instead of single-muscle-group split. push/pull split or upper/lower split i feel will give you better results, unless you've been lifting for years and actually NEED a day per bodypart.

the reason huge bodybuilders do single muscle splits is because they damn near have to. their bodys have adapted so much that it takes 45-60 minutes just to induce enough hypertrophy in the biceps to incite growth.

For the 'usual' trainee, that gets accomplished in just a few minutes/sets.

many people are amazed at the increased muscle mass they see when they start doing a fullbody workout 3x a week. hit the muscles 3x a week! its rough at first, and you can't do a ton of volume or you won't recover before the next workout.

but daymn it'll kick your ass and give you a new perspective on things.
Click to expand...

I definitely do NOT want to look like a huge body builder, but more like somebody who could be on the cover of Men's Health magazine.
I've been lifting and working out for many years, and I have had times in my life though where I have fallen off the wagon for extended periods of time, but I have always maintained my core muscles.

I needed something that would not only obtain my goals in terms of getting that lean cut physique, but something that would also jack my metabolism way up, so if I ever fall off the wagon like during the holidays or a vaction, I wouldn't put on any weight. Usually during the holidays, I would put on 5-6 pounds from the holiday eating, but now the most I ever put on (and I eat the same as I always did during the holidays) is 0-1 pound. This is a beautful thing, especially as one gets older.

Also, I tend to spend way too much time in the gym to the point where I tire myself out and don't give myself the time and energy to stretch afterwards or to do much of anything else, so other priorities suffer. I have only very recently been figuring out ways to cut my gym time down, and still achieve the results that I'm looking for. Also, making sure I do my static stretches every day, well I can't even communicate how much better you feel, and how well it enhances your progress with your workouts. And like most people who are busy, I need to get a lot of other things done in my life too...

So doing one muscle group a day helps me get more out of my weight training in less time, and doing cardio with interval and incline also helps me get more out of my cardio in less time. I recently knocked the time I spend in the gym by half the time, and I'm seeing better results that are also more consistent too. I was at a plateau for several months where I wasn't losing any weight or body fat percentage. Now, I'm consistently losing around 3 pounds per week.

On a side note: One thing I noticed about Ryan Reynolds, and I notice this in more than one of his fitness photos, is he has an issue with his arms/biceps. Even though he is lean, cut, and muscular, one of his arms is a lot larger than the other. It looks very disproportionate.
I wonder if that's genetic, and if that can be fixed through any kind of weight training?

Jason Salamone
 
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it could be genetic. many people have non-symmetrical abs, and it frustrates them (meanwhile I'd love to see my abs, however asymmetrical they might be).
 
Hey Jason,
From a cardio perspective I suggest doing short but really intense sessions to help elevate your metabolism as much as possible. True you may burn more calories in a 45 minute treadmill or spin class over a 15-20 minute intense cardio session. However, your short intense cardio session will elevate your heart rate for a lot longer period of time after you have actually finished. After a 45 minute moderate cardio session your heart rate will drop a lot quicker. What you need to understand - when you are doing cardio you are not burning fat. When performing cardio, the main energy source your body uses is glycogen. Your body actually uses very little fat stores during exercise for energy.
From a fat burning perspective, cardio helps elevate your resting metabolic rate which in returns helps your body become more efficient at burning fat while resting.
 
Also stick to the one main body part a day training - you wont bulk up like a bodybuilder if you are not eating the amount of calories required to put on that much size.
By doing one body part your workout will be quicker and more efficient.
 
matk said:
Hey Jason,
From a cardio perspective I suggest doing short but really intense sessions to help elevate your metabolism as much as possible. True you may burn more calories in a 45 minute treadmill or spin class over a 15-20 minute intense cardio session. However, your short intense cardio session will elevate your heart rate for a lot longer period of time after you have actually finished. After a 45 minute moderate cardio session your heart rate will drop a lot quicker. What you need to understand - when you are doing cardio you are not burning fat. When performing cardio, the main energy source your body uses is glycogen. Your body actually uses very little fat stores during exercise for energy.
From a fat burning perspective, cardio helps elevate your resting metabolic rate which in returns helps your body become more efficient at burning fat while resting.
Click to expand...

Hmm, this is interesting. My personal trainer has a Masters degree in Exercise Physiology, and has a lot of success stories behind his belt with many clients. You, Matk, also seem to know a lot and know a lot about what you're talking about, so this is confusing...

My trainer told me that moderate cardio (keep my heart rate around 120-125, as it indicates on the treadmill) not only helps keep your metabolic rate up consistently throughout the day, but it also burns more of your fat stores than your energy stores. He said that the more intense cardio you do, the more you will deplete from your muscle tissue than fat stores, and that I don't want that because (and to your point) it's the muscle that is what burns the fat and calories.

In the beginning I was doing more intense cardio and the wieght wasn't really coming off and it was making my weight training harder too, because my energy was more zapped from doing the intense cardio. He said once I get down to the weight and body fat percentage that is as low as I can get without it being at a dangerous level, then I can incorporate more intense cardio to deplete a little muscle tissue to achieve more of a leaner look, if at that time I wanted to. So I took his advice, and within just a couple weeks my weight started coming off, and my body fat percentage starting dropping too.

So like I was saying, both you and my personal training are in awesome shape and seem to really know what you're talking about.
So when both of you say kind of opposite things, it becomes both a bit confusing and frustrating.

matk said:
Also stick to the one main body part a day training - you wont bulk up like a bodybuilder if you are not eating the amount of calories required to put on that much size.
By doing one body part your workout will be quicker and more efficient.
Click to expand...

Thanks Mat, I'm actually one step ahead of you on this one. I used to do 2 body parts a day, and along with cardio, I would be in the gym way too long. I'm always looking to get more out of my workouts in less time in the gym, because I have so many other things I need to take care too. So please, by all means keep the ideas and suggestions coming.

Jason Salamone
 
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matk said:
Hey Jason,
From a cardio perspective I suggest doing short but really intense sessions to help elevate your metabolism as much as possible. True you may burn more calories in a 45 minute treadmill or spin class over a 15-20 minute intense cardio session. However, your short intense cardio session will elevate your heart rate for a lot longer period of time after you have actually finished. After a 45 minute moderate cardio session your heart rate will drop a lot quicker. What you need to understand - when you are doing cardio you are not burning fat. When performing cardio, the main energy source your body uses is glycogen. Your body actually uses very little fat stores during exercise for energy.
From a fat burning perspective, cardio helps elevate your resting metabolic rate which in returns helps your body become more efficient at burning fat while resting.
Click to expand...

not so sure about this one

the better shape you are in the quicker your heart rate with recover
 
In regards to muscle loss during high intensity cardio here is an interesting piece of research that should ease your fears:

A high level of fitness ensures high growth hormone and IGF-1 secretion.
by Paul Cribb, B.H.Sci HMS
Most athletes know that intense exercise triggers the release of growth hormone (GH) and anabolic growth factors such as IGF-1 within the body. Now research shows that men with high fitness levels secrete more of these potent anabolic hormones in response to exercise, and they have higher resting levels compared to sedentary men.

In this study, seven men who perform regular, intense exercise were compared with seven age-matched sedentary men during two exercise trials (cycling 60 minutes) at varying intensities. Circulating GH, IGF-1, insulin and glucose levels were monitored during and after the workouts.

Results showed that the men who perform regular, intense exercise had greater insulin sensitivity and glucose regulation. These men also exhibited higher levels of GH and IGF-1 in response to the bout of exercise. Consequently, these men also showed higher resting concentrations of these hormones compared to males who didn't exercise regularly. The scientists concluded that exercise training increased the activity of the GH/IGF-I system in men and this results in greater GH/IGF-1 output.

Although this study was performed on older men (mean age 51), I see no reason why these results would not apply to men aged in their 40s or even 30s - the age when circulating levels of these anabolic hormones start to decline. The fit men in this study performed regular intense cardio work. So keep at that Max-OT cardio, the research is providing more and more health benefits from intense aerobic exercise.
American Journal of Physiology. 283 5 E929-E936 2002.
 
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matk said:
In regards to muscle loss during high intensity cardio here is an interesting piece of research that should ease your fears:

A high level of fitness ensures high growth hormone and IGF-1 secretion.
by Paul Cribb, B.H.Sci HMS
Most athletes know that intense exercise triggers the release of growth hormone (GH) and anabolic growth factors such as IGF-1 within the body. Now research shows that men with high fitness levels secrete more of these potent anabolic hormones in response to exercise, and they have higher resting levels compared to sedentary men.

In this study, seven men who perform regular, intense exercise were compared with seven age-matched sedentary men during two exercise trials (cycling 60 minutes) at varying intensities. Circulating GH, IGF-1, insulin and glucose levels were monitored during and after the workouts.

Results showed that the men who perform regular, intense exercise had greater insulin sensitivity and glucose regulation. These men also exhibited higher levels of GH and IGF-1 in response to the bout of exercise. Consequently, these men also showed higher resting concentrations of these hormones compared to males who didn't exercise regularly. The scientists concluded that exercise training increased the activity of the GH/IGF-I system in men and this results in greater GH/IGF-1 output.

Although this study was performed on older men (mean age 51), I see no reason why these results would not apply to men aged in their 40s or even 30s - the age when circulating levels of these anabolic hormones start to decline. The fit men in this study performed regular intense cardio work. So keep at that Max-OT cardio, the research is providing more and more health benefits from intense aerobic exercise.
American Journal of Physiology. 283 5 E929-E936 2002.
Click to expand...

Ok, well I'm willing to mix it up and try new things. You suggested that instead of me doing 45 minutes of moderate cardio, I cut it down to 15 minutes of high intense cardio? Can you be more specific in terms of what cardio exercises, what pace/speed, and heart rate I should be at while doing these intense cardio sessions?

Jason Salamone
 
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Jason Salamone said:
Hmm, this is interesting. My personal trainer has a Masters degree in Exercise Physiology, and has a lot of success stories behind his belt with many clients. You, Matk, also seem to know a lot and know a lot about what you're talking about, so this is confusing...

My trainer told me that moderate cardio (keep my heart rate around 120-125, as it indicates on the treadmill) not only helps keep your metabolic rate up consistently throughout the day, but it also burns more of your fat stores than your energy stores. He said that the more intense cardio you do, the more you will deplete from your muscle tissue than fat stores, and that I don't want that because (and to your point) it's the muscle that is what burns the fat and calories.
Click to expand...

UGH. That's so horse crap! Your trainer is wasting your time. I was taught the same ***** when I went to school. This moderate long duration cardio is just takes WAYYY too long.

Compound Resistance training coupled with High Intensity Interval Cardio is THE BEST WAY to lose fat. Point Blank Period. Think I'm the only one who was "taught wrong" or thinks that the "education system" is teaching crap that's outdated? Take a look at this post from Will Brinks:

Note what I said, unlike others who say that long duration cardio doesn't work, I'm saying its out right inefficient. It's exercise, of course anything that gets a body moving and burning calories works but is your time precious? Mine sure as hell is.

There is so much information coming out in terms of exercise physiology that getting a masters degree in it will be (in my opinion) outdated in a few years. The human body is so complex that there are literally hundreds of different ways that you can achieve the results you want... it's just a matter of finding the shortest and most efficient route.

Good luck.
 
fitslug said:
UGH. That's so horse crap! Your trainer is wasting your time. I was taught the same ***** when I went to school. This moderate long duration cardio is just takes WAYYY too long.

Compound Resistance training coupled with High Intensity Interval Cardio is THE BEST WAY to lose fat. Point Blank Period. Think I'm the only one who was "taught wrong" or thinks that the "education system" is teaching crap that's outdated? Take a look at this post from Will Brinks:

Note what I said, unlike others who say that long duration cardio doesn't work, I'm saying its out right inefficient. It's exercise, of course anything that gets a body moving and burning calories works but is your time precious? Mine sure as hell is.

There is so much information coming out in terms of exercise physiology that getting a masters degree in it will be (in my opinion) outdated in a few years. The human body is so complex that there are literally hundreds of different ways that you can achieve the results you want... it's just a matter of finding the shortest and most efficient route.

Good luck.
Click to expand...

I trained under this particular trainer I mentioned for about 5 months. Within that time, gained more muscle mass with a more cut up look including V-shape torso and a peak effect on my biceps that I could never seem to achieve before. I also experienced my resting metabolic rate rise quite a bit. I also lost 35 pounds within that time period, and decreased my body fat percentage by nearly 10% less than what I started with.
I accomplished all that under his plan he set up for me, and I slacked off (to no fault of his) on it at times during those 5 months too.

Jason Salamone
 
Other than the physique Ryan Reynolds has, I think the only ohter person I can think of that has a very similar physique that I'm working towards is pro wrestler John Morrison. Here's a Youtube clip of him doing an very challenging ad exercise, and you can see how lean and cut he is...



I would pay money for his entire workout and nutrition routine.
He should write a book...

Jason Salamone
 
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