Where could I get an "Actor's Workout" and how much would it cost?
January 30, 2010 12:08 AM Subscribe
Where could I get an "Actor's Workout" and how much would it cost?
You know how guys like Will Smith, the cast of the movie 300, and Rain from Ninja Assassin all go through these intense workout regiments in preparation for their movies? They go from normal to extreme in like 30 days.
Where could I get the same experience, and how much would it cost me?
I'm talking about everything: coaching, diet, equipment, facilities, etc. I am willing to work for however many weeks needed as long as someone pushes me. I know I won't have the willpower to do such an intense workout on my own.
I don't think a personal fitness coach is enough. Does anybody have an idea?
You know how guys like Will Smith, the cast of the movie 300, and Rain from Ninja Assassin all go through these intense workout regiments in preparation for their movies? They go from normal to extreme in like 30 days.
Where could I get the same experience, and how much would it cost me?
I'm talking about everything: coaching, diet, equipment, facilities, etc. I am willing to work for however many weeks needed as long as someone pushes me. I know I won't have the willpower to do such an intense workout on my own.
I don't think a personal fitness coach is enough. Does anybody have an idea?
I think it's important to note that celebrities of that level don't face the same pitfalls that you and I do. They most likely won't be in a supermarket having to choose between buying a donut or steal cut oats. They'll have a nutritionist plan their meal plan. The nutritionist will communicate this to the personal chef and the food will be prepared or delivered to them each day.
With the training, they'll already have a great gym at their house. The trainer will show up each morning and force them to workout. All they have to do it roll out of bed and do it. It's still work, but they don't ever have to leave their house. So unless you already have those resources, you're not going to have the same experience.
But if you want to have a similar experience, you could probably cobble together something like that with a nutritionist consult, throwing out all the junk food you have and buying only the food they tell you, and getting a personal trainer or going to place like crossfit. At the end of the day, the regular person's experience will always contain more choice-- choice to cheat on the diet or not, choice to drive to the gym or not, etc.
posted by sharkfu at 1:12 AM on January 30, 2010 [1 favorite]
With the training, they'll already have a great gym at their house. The trainer will show up each morning and force them to workout. All they have to do it roll out of bed and do it. It's still work, but they don't ever have to leave their house. So unless you already have those resources, you're not going to have the same experience.
But if you want to have a similar experience, you could probably cobble together something like that with a nutritionist consult, throwing out all the junk food you have and buying only the food they tell you, and getting a personal trainer or going to place like crossfit. At the end of the day, the regular person's experience will always contain more choice-- choice to cheat on the diet or not, choice to drive to the gym or not, etc.
posted by sharkfu at 1:12 AM on January 30, 2010 [1 favorite]
Just happened to be reading about that earlier this week. Maybe you could contact the guy in this article.
posted by BoscosMom at 1:20 AM on January 30, 2010
posted by BoscosMom at 1:20 AM on January 30, 2010
The Biggest Loser Resort is weight-loss oriented, but I'd imagine it has it has similar infrastructure to what you're talking about. It costs 1-2 grand a week, depending on where you sleep. There are lots of similar programs, such as Camp Technique (which has an "advanced" program). Here's a massive list of "budget" fitness spas. Personally, I've always wanted to go to the spartan, hardcore, star-friendly The Ashram, but I don't have $4,250 for the week.
If this sounds like too much, then why don't you try a bootcamp program plus a trainer (4-5 times a week)? Here's a bunch of celebrity workouts from Men's Health for inspiration. Or!! You could join a Crossfit gym. On the left side of this page there's a list of Crossfit affiliates.
posted by acidic at 1:24 AM on January 30, 2010
If this sounds like too much, then why don't you try a bootcamp program plus a trainer (4-5 times a week)? Here's a bunch of celebrity workouts from Men's Health for inspiration. Or!! You could join a Crossfit gym. On the left side of this page there's a list of Crossfit affiliates.
posted by acidic at 1:24 AM on January 30, 2010
If you don't have the vast amounts of money and free time required to hire a team of people to yell at you, the P90x program is a good compromise. It's highly structured, with workout calendars and diet plans, so there is a sense of being pushed. By default I'm a pretty lazy bastard, but once I managed to overcome my inertia and get into the flow of the program I started to get impressive results.
If you want results, though, you have to put in the effort, and it all comes down to your own determination. I can't see that paying some guy to stand over you and scream at you to do one more pushup is that much more effective than telling yourself to do one more pushup. Speaking as an inveterate dodger, I suspect that if you're that lacking in willpower you'll find some way to duck out of the hard work regardless of the situation.
posted by boosh at 3:45 AM on January 30, 2010
If you want results, though, you have to put in the effort, and it all comes down to your own determination. I can't see that paying some guy to stand over you and scream at you to do one more pushup is that much more effective than telling yourself to do one more pushup. Speaking as an inveterate dodger, I suspect that if you're that lacking in willpower you'll find some way to duck out of the hard work regardless of the situation.
posted by boosh at 3:45 AM on January 30, 2010
My son produced 300, and worked out with the cast for a couple of months prior to the start of filming. The guy they brought in to do the workouts was Mark Twight of Gym Jones . You might want to check out his website. He offers a seminar (which, for two days might give you a heads up on how his philosophy works).
It pretty much boiled down to grueling workouts for hours each day.
And, it worked. The first day I walked onto the set and looked at the cast ( before closer examination ) I would have bet good money that the definition I was looking at was some sort of body suit...nope, that was the real thing.
posted by HuronBob at 4:21 AM on January 30, 2010 [2 favorites]
It pretty much boiled down to grueling workouts for hours each day.
And, it worked. The first day I walked onto the set and looked at the cast ( before closer examination ) I would have bet good money that the definition I was looking at was some sort of body suit...nope, that was the real thing.
posted by HuronBob at 4:21 AM on January 30, 2010 [2 favorites]
I could be wrong but I believe the 300 guys got that way with Cross Training. There are gyms for this type of training in many major cities. I also believe that most Cross Training trainers (and certainly the ones I know), recommend a Paleo Diet. Amazon has books on it, but it's simple: eat a pre-agriculture diet:
- only lean game meats (no beef, for instance, yet venison, bison, skinless chicken/turkey/duck breast is okay), fish, and non-starchy vegetables (no potatoes or potato related products (fries, chips, etc.))
- no cereals or grains (no rice, breads, wheat, etc)
- no legumes, lentils, peas (snow, snap, or otherwise)
- nuts in moderation
- no prepackaged or prepared foods including frozen meals, condiments, etc.
Eat as much as you want whenever you're hungry.
posted by You Should See the Other Guy at 5:53 AM on January 30, 2010
- only lean game meats (no beef, for instance, yet venison, bison, skinless chicken/turkey/duck breast is okay), fish, and non-starchy vegetables (no potatoes or potato related products (fries, chips, etc.))
- no cereals or grains (no rice, breads, wheat, etc)
- no legumes, lentils, peas (snow, snap, or otherwise)
- nuts in moderation
- no prepackaged or prepared foods including frozen meals, condiments, etc.
Eat as much as you want whenever you're hungry.
posted by You Should See the Other Guy at 5:53 AM on January 30, 2010
The trainers who trained Rain are the same trainers who trained the 300 spartans, Gym Jones. Gym Jones is a private training facility but it is heavily (understatement) based off of Crossfit. Mark Twight was a Crossfit trainer before starting Gym Jones and there was actually speculation of a lawsuit because of Gym Jones being so similar to Crossfit.
However, it would be naive to think that actors like this (especially in Rain's case) do not have pharmaceutical assistance, and the question becomes whether their results are from an extraordinary workout or extraordinary injections.
posted by robokevin at 7:46 AM on January 30, 2010
However, it would be naive to think that actors like this (especially in Rain's case) do not have pharmaceutical assistance, and the question becomes whether their results are from an extraordinary workout or extraordinary injections.
posted by robokevin at 7:46 AM on January 30, 2010
The T-Muscle article that snorlaxx linked to is good, although if you don't know much about training it's probably a little overwhelming to read.
But as the article bears out somewhat, I think you're approaching this the wrong way. Are you planning on making your physique a full-time job? Are you going to quit working or going to school to focus on your physique? And what's your goal? Do you have a competition (or movie shoot) to do, after which you'll revert to a more sustainable regimen? Because of course many/most movie actors with great physiques don't sustain those physiques once the movie shoot is over. Do you want to create the illusion of being strong and fit, like an actor, or do you actually want to be strong and fit?
It also depends on where you're coming from. Have you trained before? What is your height and weight? A skinny novice can easily put on 20 pounds of muscle (or more) in 3 months with a barbell program like Starting Strength and lots of food. Or are you a fat guy who wants to get lean? In that case something like Crossfit or P90x can be effective, although there are cheaper ways to get lean, too. But it's important to pick the right approach. A skinny guy doing P90x to try and get big is barking up the wrong tree.
But you really don't need to go to some retreat or spend a bunch of money or hire a personal trainer to accomplish these things, and I'm not sure you're correct to chalk it up to "not having enough willpower" to get results. It seems more likely to me that it's about not knowing enough about training, like most folks in the gym. Think hard about what your specific goals are, educate yourself, and you'll probably find yourself in a much better position to approach this problem.
posted by ludwig_van at 10:06 AM on January 30, 2010
But as the article bears out somewhat, I think you're approaching this the wrong way. Are you planning on making your physique a full-time job? Are you going to quit working or going to school to focus on your physique? And what's your goal? Do you have a competition (or movie shoot) to do, after which you'll revert to a more sustainable regimen? Because of course many/most movie actors with great physiques don't sustain those physiques once the movie shoot is over. Do you want to create the illusion of being strong and fit, like an actor, or do you actually want to be strong and fit?
It also depends on where you're coming from. Have you trained before? What is your height and weight? A skinny novice can easily put on 20 pounds of muscle (or more) in 3 months with a barbell program like Starting Strength and lots of food. Or are you a fat guy who wants to get lean? In that case something like Crossfit or P90x can be effective, although there are cheaper ways to get lean, too. But it's important to pick the right approach. A skinny guy doing P90x to try and get big is barking up the wrong tree.
But you really don't need to go to some retreat or spend a bunch of money or hire a personal trainer to accomplish these things, and I'm not sure you're correct to chalk it up to "not having enough willpower" to get results. It seems more likely to me that it's about not knowing enough about training, like most folks in the gym. Think hard about what your specific goals are, educate yourself, and you'll probably find yourself in a much better position to approach this problem.
posted by ludwig_van at 10:06 AM on January 30, 2010
Oops, I typed Cross Training but meant to type Crossfit.
In addition, for the paleo diet, no dairy.
posted by You Should See the Other Guy at 1:24 PM on January 30, 2010
In addition, for the paleo diet, no dairy.
posted by You Should See the Other Guy at 1:24 PM on January 30, 2010
I echo robokevin's remark about not underestimating the level of "pharmaceutical assistance" these people have. Hollywood types in general aren't known either for being leery of taking drugs or doing risky things to modify their appearances. When they're getting paid millions to look unbelievably good in a short amount of time, they don't have much reason not to begin taking steroids.
posted by decoherence at 2:44 PM on January 30, 2010
posted by decoherence at 2:44 PM on January 30, 2010
Response by poster: Hey guys, thanks for the great comments all around.
Ludwig, you're right - I should give a little more background. My goal first and foremost is to be stronger and in better shape. Looking better is a nice secondary benefit.
I'm not an actor, I'm a recreational competitive athlete, so any muscle development would have to be functional. I'm also quite thin - 5'10, 140 lbs, and while my goal isn't to get huge, an extra 5-10 pounds of lean muscle wouldn't hurt.
I'm just wondering what my options are because the only thing I've done in the past is weight trained at a gym, and I usually get bored with it and eventually quit.
I am self employed so I MIGHT in the future have the opportunity to devote lots of time to something like this. While the several-thousand dollar bootcamps are currently out of my range, I think some professional help would be a good investment (especially with regards to nutrition). So, "get in extremely good shape, then maintain it" is what I'm trying to do.
posted by jeff1010 at 5:41 PM on January 30, 2010
Ludwig, you're right - I should give a little more background. My goal first and foremost is to be stronger and in better shape. Looking better is a nice secondary benefit.
I'm not an actor, I'm a recreational competitive athlete, so any muscle development would have to be functional. I'm also quite thin - 5'10, 140 lbs, and while my goal isn't to get huge, an extra 5-10 pounds of lean muscle wouldn't hurt.
I'm just wondering what my options are because the only thing I've done in the past is weight trained at a gym, and I usually get bored with it and eventually quit.
I am self employed so I MIGHT in the future have the opportunity to devote lots of time to something like this. While the several-thousand dollar bootcamps are currently out of my range, I think some professional help would be a good investment (especially with regards to nutrition). So, "get in extremely good shape, then maintain it" is what I'm trying to do.
posted by jeff1010 at 5:41 PM on January 30, 2010
I'm also quite thin - 5'10, 140 lbs and while my goal isn't to get huge, an extra 5-10 pounds of lean muscle wouldn't hurt
No, it wouldn't hurt at all, although at 5'10" 150# you'll still be skinny and probably still weak. Fortunately, getting there will not be difficult at all on a proper strength program -- you could gain 10 pounds in a few weeks. I'd recommend doing a program like Starting Strength until you exhaust your novice gains and see what it does for your sport performance, then re-evaluate. If you eat right you could get to 190#-ish by that point, and you'll be a helluva lot stronger. Or you could go to a gym and hire a personal trainer and do whatever they tell you to do, but in all likelihood it'll be something less effective that will just take longer to make you strong.
posted by ludwig_van at 5:53 PM on January 30, 2010
No, it wouldn't hurt at all, although at 5'10" 150# you'll still be skinny and probably still weak. Fortunately, getting there will not be difficult at all on a proper strength program -- you could gain 10 pounds in a few weeks. I'd recommend doing a program like Starting Strength until you exhaust your novice gains and see what it does for your sport performance, then re-evaluate. If you eat right you could get to 190#-ish by that point, and you'll be a helluva lot stronger. Or you could go to a gym and hire a personal trainer and do whatever they tell you to do, but in all likelihood it'll be something less effective that will just take longer to make you strong.
posted by ludwig_van at 5:53 PM on January 30, 2010
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by snorlaxx at 12:40 AM on January 30, 2010