The 2012 Shape Up
Given up on your New Year’s resolution already? Maybe it’s time for a different approach to getting that six-pack.
February 15, 2012
Given up on your New Year’s resolution already? Maybe it’s time for a different approach to getting that six-pack. So hit the gym with Next Magazine to learn our favorite tools and tips for better fitness and healthy living in the coming year.
Gimmick or Game Changer
It seems like every year there is a new fitness trend making waves throughout gay New York. But can they actually get you those elusive abs you’ve always wanted? We investigated three current fitness phenomenons to find out how—and if—they work for you.
Barry’s Bootcamp
What is it? Native New Yorker Barry Jay was a gay party boy turned fitness instructor who’s created what he calls “The Best Workout in the World,” a combination of interval cardiovascular and strength training that he and his team have taught for the last 14 years in upbeat classes in Los Angeles, New York and even Europe. “People are looking for a quick solution that works,” says New York instructor Joey Gonzalez, who explains that Barry’s pushes people past their normal fitness threshold. “Once you take a Barry’s Bootcamp class, just going to the gym makes you feel guilty.”
Gay Angle: “Barry Jay and I are both gay,” says Gonzalez. “For that reason, we’ve been attracted to gay neighborhoods during our expansion. Also, gay men tend to understand what really works when it comes to the body and looking great.”
Gimmick Verdict: While classes like their Saturday Night Dance Party—which features live DJs, go-go dancers and non-alcoholic antioxidant shots—are meant to distinguish Barry’s from the monotony of traditional gym-going, there is science behind the group-fitness mentality.
Crossfit NYC
What is it? One thing certainly comes across when watching a CrossFit video: intensity. Founded by a former gymnast and his wife in the mid ’90s and long relegated to the worlds of professional and Olympic athletes, the cult of CrossFit has exploded in the wave of quick-fit, push-it-to-the-max phenomenons like P90X. Think of it like the World’s Strongest Everyman.
“Most trainers and all the fitness magazines have the public believing that lateral pull-downs, bicep curls and leg extensions combined with 20–40-minute stints on the elliptical are going to lead to some kind of amazing fitness,” says CrossFit coach Will Lanier. “At CrossFit NYC we work exclusively with compound movements and shorter, high intensity cardiovascular sessions.”
Gay Angle: “You won’t find Kiehl’s products, a steam room or big bouncy balls,” says the openly gay Lanier. “But you’ll find scores of shirtless sweaty hard bodies doing handstand push-ups against the walls.”
Gimmick Verdict: Though CrossFit-ers may appear a little cultish, make no mistake—this is a serious high-fitness lifestyle.
Kangoo Nation
mariothetrainer.com/kangoo
What is it? Somewhere between a pogo stick and moon shoes lie Kangoos, the rebound sport shoes that local fitness expert Mario Godiva Green has championed all over the country as a high intensity, low-impact workout-aid. “People in general are tired of treadmills, ellipticals, stationary bikes and other tedious forms of exercise,” says Green. “Kangoos give you this super rush of endorphins that puts a smile on your face and actually makes you look forward to working out in them.” More than just the fun factor, Green also points out that while Kangoos may look “funny,” using them is a serious workout that can burn up to 50% more calories than normal.
Gay Angle: Besides the balls needed to bounce around the streets of Manhattan on a pair of futuristic-looking Kangoos, the openly gay Green has attracted a buff crowd of local hotties looking to avoid knee pain.
Gimmick Verdict: Kangoos increases the intensity of even the most basic exercises (walking!) without wearing down the body. As Green is quick to point out, “Kangoos are available starting at $179—which is cheaper than a knee replacement.”
A Supplemental Supplement
What’s really in that protein powder stuff anyway? Out fitness professional Jude Colangelo had been selling a variety of protein supplements to a mostly gay clientele through his North Jersey-based company Eat The Bear (ETB) for a few years but was never truly satisfied with the supplemental powders themselves. So eventually he decided to just start making his own. “Have a look at the ingredients in leading whey protein shakes, powders and bars. You will notice about 30 to 40 ingredients,” Colangelo points out. That’s why the solution ETB launched last month, Grizzly Protein, has only four ingredients. But what are these magic components? We asked Colangelo to explain what goes into his product—and exactly what was taken out.
- Pure Isolate Whey Protein
Whey protein contains the highest biological value of any type of protein. It offers the body essential amino acids that it can’t always produce on it’s own, which enables more protein to be consumed by muscles. In ETB’s Grizzly Protein, as much as 27.8g of a 30g scoop contains the pure isolate whey protein.
- Sucralose
Trace quantities of this sweetener also help it taste better.
- Xanthan Gum
This food additive is used to give the powder texture, which is why your protein shake thickens when mixed.
- Natural Flavors
Without the chocolate, vanilla—or in ETB’s case, cinnamon bun—flavoring, any powder would be hard to swallow.
- What’s Not In It
Colangelo says that ETB’s Grizzly Protein does not use heavy metals. The concern with these types of ingredients is the potential for chronic low-level exposure to such metals that, once metabolized, stay with the body for a long time.
The One Thing You Need to Know About Getting in Shape...
Actually, there are no fast tracks to fitness—any trainer or dietitian will tell you that. But there are a few golden rules to live by. So we asked a cross section of local health professionals to share with us some of their tried and true lessons about achieving health goals.
“Rather than basing your cardio by time, your goals should be based on distance. For instance, if you had a test on a subject it would not be [based] on the amount of time you studied. It would be based on the chapters that you have read.”
—Courtney Paul, Personal Trainer and Fitness Director of Bootcamp Republic (BootCampRepublic.com)
“Don’t judge the efficacy of your workouts by how sore or tired you get. A monkey with a stopwatch can make you puke with wind sprints and push-ups. Educate yourself on the safest and most effective way of getting your results, and if you need help, find someone with a proven track record of getting results.”
—Mark Fisher, owner of Mark Fisher Fitness (MarkFisherFitness.com)
“Usually the healthiest way to lose weight is to cut 500 calories from your daily diet for a week. You may lose about one pound.”
—Joschi Schwarz, master teacher at Joschi Lounge Yoga and Pilates (JoschiNYC.com)
“Employ variation in all aspects of exercise [and] consistency with your workouts; always increase [the] intensity [of] your regimen and most importantly, do it properly.”
—Cory M. Mead, trainer at Vebo Fitness (VeboFit.com)
How I Lost The Weight
Two recently skinny ’mos share how they took off all that weight—and why it worked this time around.
Tim
Lost 25 lbs in 14 weeks.
I was at 206 pounds, and it was starting to affect my physical and mental health. I did some research on effective weight loss and found that people who count calories not only lost the weight, but kept it off. I got the app MyFitnessPal for my phone to track my calories each day.
The app is easy to use. You enter your information, [end] goal weight and how much weight you want to lose each week. I picked 1.5 [lbs] a week. It told me [that] to reach my goal of 40 pounds in three months, I would need to stick to 1540 calories each day.
Tracking your calories is easy because the app looks up the calorie and nutrition information when you enter what you eat. You can scan bar codes as well. Over two months, I came to realize I couldn’t lose weight before because I wasn’t aware of how much I was eating.
It also tracks your exercise for you. I decided to do walking, because it’s the simplest thing to do. I got a pedometer and did 10,000 steps a day, which is about 86 minutes burning around 400 calories.
I learned [that] you need to know what you are currently doing so you can make a plan. Once you start that plan, you can monitor the results and make adjustments if you aren’t getting the full results you want.
My plan was “eat less, move more.” It was a simple plan and it’s working. Because I saw what I was eating before, and what that was doing, I’ve made a permanent change to how much I eat. So I won’t be putting the weight back on.
Patrick
Lost 90 lbs in 32 weeks.
I’ve always been a fat kid. I was the kid who always had junk food and candy bars in his backpack, who faked illness to get out of gym class, who burned with shame when the school nurse would have to whisper my weight during health checkups. By college I was close to 300lbs.
After college I came out and dropped over a hundred pounds in six months, but I did it all the wrong way—starving myself; partying every night; living on a diet of cigarettes, coffee, gin and other substances. Slowly but surely the weight piled back on, and just a few years later I was back at my college weight. Last summer, my doctor told me I had high blood pressure and wanted to put me on medication. Blood pressure medication. At 34.
That was it. First I cut out soda and all refined sugar and high-fructose corn syrup. I’d become accustomed to drinking five or six 20 oz bottles of cola a day. This alone cut over 1,000 calories a day from my intake. Also gone was fried food, and meat is limited to three times a week. I joined a gym, hitting the treadmill for an hour a day and toning exercises for another 30 minutes. I’m not going to say I love vegetables and working out, because I hate it. But I love the way I feel when I’ve eaten well and worked out.
Now I buy clothes with sizes that don’t begin with X. Friends won’t stop marveling at my new physique. I’ve even noticed the occasional guy checking me out, which is nice. I’m not at my goal yet, but I am certain I will get there. This is important for me, because this isn’t a diet I get to stop. This is how I take care of myself now.
Parting Inspiration
In case you need one last reason to hit the gym.
Photo/Artwork:
Issue:
