Get ULTRA RIPPED with the MAN OF STEEL Workout

I was fortunate enough to be invited to the movie premier of Man of Steel before the rest of the world. I was shocked to see how ripped Henry Cavill (Superman) got. After some research I discovered his secret for packing on massive muscle in such a short time. Let me share with you my findings.

First, let me state that Henry Cavill worked with a top fitness expert named Mark Twight.  He owns a gym called Gym Jones in Salt Lake City. Mr. Twight is the same person who worked with the cast of 300. Guys, if you haven’t seen this movie, ask your girlfriend/​wives, I guarantee you they remember this movie fondly. The movie 300 had more six packs in it than Animal House.

Ok, let’s go through Henry Cavill workout routine that got him huge for Man of Steel, then we will discuss his meal plan.

ASVAB Test: Working Out Your Brain

Before military training comes the ASVAB test. The better prepared you are, the more opportunities you’re going to have. It’s that simple.
Some people naturally do well on tests. Others struggle. Not so much because they’re not capable of answering the questions, but because it may be hard to focus or they just get nervous at the thought of a written test.

Luckily, the same thing that help you prepare for physically for military training can help you prepare mentally for the ASVAB.

Competitive Sports Military Training: Can Cross Training Improve your Skills?

Competitive sports training whether it’s on a military sports team or for recreation requires ability and skill. Some argue that skills can be learned; but, ability is something more innate.

This may or may not be true. After all, there are plenty of zero to hero stories out there that tell how someone with little skill or ability was able to overcome the odds and win an event as a results of their desire and passion.

There is no doubt that cross training can build muscle and endurance. But does that transfer to making you better at your sport? In fact, some studies suggest that training programs like the use of weighted objects (such as wearing a weighted vest when you run to make you run faster once the vest is removed) actually do little more than provide the perception that you’re running faster once you’re lighter.

Finally! Proof that Soldier ARE Athletes

Before Columbus, the world was flat. But that crazy Italian just didn’t buy it. He went against “common” knowledge of his day and sailed unchartered waters…literally!

Well, just like any solid idea it sometimes takes a little bit of time for “common” knowledge to be overturned and then for it to rock established guidelines. It seems like the value of sports training being embraced by our military. In a recent news article it was reported that Joint Base Lewis-​​McChord and Madigan Healthcare System have begun setting up a clinic that will enhance the care of soldiers.

Swimming Intervals and Open Water Training

Running and swimming are great for cardiovascular improvement when training for the Navy Seals. We’ve talked in previous articles about the benefits of running so in this article we’re going to cover swim training with intervals.

Since you’re goal is to be prepared for duties as a Navy Seal then you want to create a fitness training program that uses the principle of “specificity of training.” This is just a fancy way to say workout and practice doing what you will actually be doing on the job. And when you’re training for the Navy Seals, you’ve got to swim.

Overtraining? Pissed Off? Military and Personal Sports Training Gone Wrong

Are you getting ready for military bootcamp? Navy Seal Buds Training? Or an endurance event like the Marine Marathon or Ironman event? Or are you simply trying to stay in shape so when you strap on that Kevlar vest you know you’re ready for anything that comes your way?

In any case, guys that try too hard, too fast with their personal sports training programs can end up tired, fatigued, burnt out, and actually have trouble concentrating when it matters the most.

These are just some of the signs that you might be overtraining.

De-​​Stressing Routine for Anyone

Here is an email from a security officer I have known for a few years who primarily does personal security details nearly everyday of the week.

Stew, I am trying to get back into workouts but with 18–20 hour travelling security details, I barely have time to sleep before I am up again preparing for the next day.  This last month has been brutal with travel, daily security details, and eating like crap.  I am ready to turn this around and start working out hard again. What do you recommend and where should I start?

Have you ever heard the phrase, ” Your nerves are shot?”  Basically you are over stressed and need to focus on the basics right now.  Truly though, your central nervous system takes a beating when you are not sleeping well and having long stressful work days which can negatively impact your personal life (thus more stress), and not eating right.

Office Workouts: The Co-​​Worker Drop

If you are like most people, you spend most of your days sitting in a cubicle or office with your only exercise being a trip to the bathroom.  This constant sitting literally takes years off your life.  Even though the gym may be only a couple miles away, it seems like a hundred miles while stuck in the office.  Don’t worry, I have invented the perfect solution, I call this workout the Co-​​Worker Drop. All you need are some co-​​workers to play along.

The Mini Workout Plateau Buster– We Put it to the Test!

By Sergeant Michael Volkin (aka: The Volkinator) of Strength Stack 52

A typical gym workout lasts 30 minutes to 1 hour, and often includes significant weight-lifting. If exercises are performed incorrectly, the load on the muscles and stress on the joints of these repeated movements causes both short and long-​​term damage to your body.

Most people continue to work out despite a known injury, aching back, or sore muscles because of the improved appearance of their physique as a result of the working out. However, over time, the improved appearance becomes harder to maintain and a “plateau” eventually occurs.

A workout plateau is when someone continues to exercise and sees diminishing returns on the improvement of their physique.  In addition to these hardships, a gym workout causes a time constraint for many would-​​be gym goers. In addition to the 30 to 60 minute workout, the average gym member has to factor in the time for driving and parking.

Recently, several scientific studies – see Further Reading below – have been conducted which analyzes the optimal duration and intensity for a proper workout.  Some experts claim high intensity and fast workouts are the most beneficial, others claim slow meticulous movements with heavy loads is the easiest way to maintain a great physique and optimal health.

Warriors are Elite Athletes: Train Like One!

“The warfighter is an elite athlete, it is time that training approaches that are scientifically based are updated within the military to match the functional demands of modern warfare…”

This was the observation in an abstract published in the US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health as they talked about strength training for the warfighter.

Military Fitness Training and tests like the APFT (Army Physical Fitness Test) or “PT Test” and the PFT (Physical Fitness Training) are going to make a leap into the 21^st century…finally! Beginning last year, studies in select areas began for the use of updated testing criteria through the Army Physical Readiness Test (APRT) and Army Combat Readiness Test (ACRT).

The idea behind these changes is that soldiers will be better prepared physically if they train how they fight.

Training for Military Fitness: Are You Ready for 8 Weeks of Hell?

Eight Weeks. Is that enough time to get your butt into shape?

That’s what a lot of people wonder after the nerves settle, the farewell and good luck parties are just a memory, and the trash talk has passed. They wake up and suddenly realize they are two days into their first week of military fitness training and the cold harsh reality is that it’s only just begun…and secretly they wonder what the hell they’ve gotten into.

Yep…it happens to the best of us.

You wonder if it’s all worth it. And, at the end of the day, when the dust has settled, the muscles have been stretched, the body re-​​hydrated and belly filled with more (quality) calories than you thought anyone could eat…you think, yeah, maybe this will work…but first you have to get through eight weeks of Hell.

Military Training Tip #154: Nobody Ever Drown in Sweat

You’ve seen the movies and military bootcamp training clips, right? A staff sergeant up in your face yelling and screaming for you to do more, push yourself harder and insulting your mama and her combat-​​boot wearing ways.

Most guys respond with an “I’ll show you, you S.O.B.” kind of attitude, fight back and kick it in gear building mental toughness and physical endurance.

For some, this works. For others it’s a recipe for disaster. They actually do push themselves beyond their physical limits and their body quits…way sooner than their mind, pride, ego and spirit do.

If you are entering military bootcamp training with a body that’s not fully conditioned, then you could be setting yourself up for a setback in training. And that sucks.

Military Bootcamp Training Begins with the ASVAB Test: How to get Mentally Sharp

Before you get the opportunity to do a single pushup or run a single mile in military bootcamp training, you have to pass the ASVAB test. This is the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery test and is given at schools and processing stations across the country.

For some, the mental preparation is more of a workout than P.T. After all, you can’t really see you brain muscle grow when you do several repetitions of study, right? You just have to trust that memorizing all that stuff is going to matter at some point.

So how can you give yourself a mental advantage when you’re studying for the ASVAB test? Well, some studies would suggest that the right dietary supplements that include a dose of Ginseng may help.

Health Screening 101 (Part 2 of 3)

Previous Article in the Series:  Health Screening 101: Blood Testing (Part 1)

In this article, we will discuss the recommended courses of action to obtain healthy screening numbers posed to us by an officer with recent blood screening questions.   The goal of the recommendations below is to turn the subject’s next blood test into fewer RED LIGHTS and eventually ALL GREEN LIGHTS.

Exercise, Diet, & Medication Recommendations

An exercise program should help you burn the glucose from your body as well as reduce your fat stores.  To effectively do both, it is recommended that you start off your workout with resistance training (weight training or calisthenics) for 20–30 minutes to burn your blood sugar (glucose) and glycogen first.  The higher your heart rate the more sugar you are using for energy.  This is anaerobic training which requires your body to burn glycogen in order produce energy for the challenging demands of this high intensity exercise.   Follow your anaerobic training with an easy paced, “fat burning”, aerobic training program like walking, jogging, biking, swimming at a pace that you can still hold a conversation but just barely.   See below for a sample full body workout with cardio program:

Health Screening 101 (Part 1 of 3)

Health Screening 101: Blood Testing (Part 1)

Without a better understanding of Health Screening Tests, looking at blood screening paperwork can be both overwhelming as well as invoke attitudes of apathy for borderline healthy /​ unhealthy numbers. Here is an email from an officer who is 33 years old who admits he needs to lose a few pounds, but is concerned with his recent blood work numbers:

Stew, I know you are not a doctor, but can you give me your opinion on these numbers? The left column is my most recent numbers from last week (Nov 2012) and the numbers on the right are the ranges I should be in to be considered healthy. I know I need to eat better, exercise, and get more sleep, but where do I start? Should I be overly-​​concerned and start taking medication to deal with this?

Wow, great question. I too get overwhelmed when I look at all the different blood test elements and ranges when some are good, bad, or borderline. And, yes, I am not a doctor, but I know several and have interviewed them to help me write this response to your questions. But to help demonstrate where you need to focus, we are going to use the TRAFFIC LIGHT System created by Specialty Health in Reno NV, to help drive home the importance and understanding of these scores as everyone thoroughly understands the standard traffic light:

Specific Training of the Tactical Athlete

A question posted about the training of the Tactical Athlete this week sparked some debate and with the help of Dr. Steve Erle, we came up with a very thorough answer.  Nutrition will be addressed in a following post:

THE TACTICAL ATHLETE:  How specifically does a tactical athlete train?

Here are some specifics on the physiology of training, example tactical specific exercises, and design of a tactical athletic program.

The tactical specific program is going to revolve around high capacity for muscular endurance, cardiovascular endurance and elevated cognitive function under high stress, elevated heart rates and often depleted nutrients.

Preventing Shoulder Injury during Military Fitness Training

There’s nothing more frustrating during military fitness training than getting injured. It interrupts your progress. It tests your patience because you have to rest the injury. Then when you can get back to training, it’s going to feel like you’re starting all over again. Any muscle gain you had will be quickly lost.

It’s exactly this frustration that pushes people to return to their military fitness training before they’re really ready.

So what can you do? The best advice is to prevent injuries by practicing the best form in your weight training, running and overall physical routines. True, you will push your body beyond its limits and accomplish things that you never thought were possible. However, you have to watch out for overtraining and overstraining.

Eating Sugar to Build Muscle?

Not everyone agrees that you can get everything you need to build muscle before, during and after military training simply by eating regular food. But most people would think that you lost your mind if you suggested that sugar is a great way to build muscle.

But did you know that an early study revealed that sugar in its raw, natural state contains chromium?

Yes…chromium!  I know that you’ve heard of the “magic” of chromium picolinate to build lean muscle mass. And while there is some evidence that it works, the question is whether or not you should be taking a dietary supplement that contains chromium to give you the best results when you’re training for a military sport, getting ready for bootcamp, or just want to stay fit.

Men’s Vitamins and DHEA: Building Muscle like a 20-​​year Old?

DHEA is a steroid. Military Grade’s Multipurpose Formula and Super Army & Professional Sports Formula contain DHEA. Should you be concerned? Is it Safe? Does it hold up to non-​​doping standards?

Say the word “steroid” and most people are ready to run the other way, suspect you of illegal activity, or harass you for tricking the sports training system. However, when we’re talking about DHEA, or Dehdroepiandrosterone as it’s formally known, we’re talking about a different kind of steroid.

Heart Health and Energy Tips for the Military from Sports Nutrition

Can the science behind nutrition in sports help build a better military force? Does it really matter what’s included in your three squares? Or is the goal at chow just to get through the meal?

Well, considering the amount of research that is conducted by the military in the field of what can be referred to as “nutritional fortification”, it wouldn’t be hard to conclude that the military is interested in how the quality of your food and dietary supplements can improve the health and quality of our military during training, during combat, and in their life at home.