Doing Something CRAZY This Summer!

Thursday, July 8, 2010

Fitness-wise, that is. Every day in Hollywood is pretty much crazy so that’s a given. I’m talking about my fitness regimen and the biggest change I’ve ever made to it. First off let me tell you where I currently stand:

At 5’10″, I’m weighing in at 167 lbs @ 6.8% body fat. My waist is 30″ and my chest is 40.5″. Compare this to last summer, where I was 155 lbs @ 5% body fat with a 29″ waist and 39″ chest.

Over the course of the last year, I put on some muscle, but also some fat to go along with it. I did want to add a bit of mass, which I have now achieved. The reason for the change I’m about to let you in on, is more experimental than anything. I just want to see what happens to my body when I do what I’m about to do. Prior to this, my workouts consisted primarily of heavy resistance workouts and circuit training for cardio, with hill runs and long walks on the beach thrown in occasionally.

My goal is to drop body fat and a little weight this Summer, but I’m happy I gained some muscle and am pretty much where I want to be, physique wise. I’m aiming for 160 lbs at 5% body fat, which I feel would be perfect for my body type and size. Remember we want to work with our genetics. So now onto the big bang… what am I changing this Summer?

A wild night in Santa Monica last week :)

I’m dropping my gym membership through September!

I know it sounds crazy, but it’s time to switch up the gears I feel. If I ever get bored of the same old routine, I love changing things up. Don’t worry, I’ll still be working out as hard as ever, but in a much different fashion. I’m taking the more “old school” approach and am definitely going to be working out outside for the majority of the time this Summer. While I’ll miss the heavy weights for a few months, I’ll pick them back up in October. I also believe I’ll retain most of my strength throughout this process. I’ll be taking progress pictures to see how things go.

My gym-less Summer routine

Darrin over at Lean Mean Virile Machine is taking a similar approach to his workout plan, using mainly bodyweight exercises and outdoor cardio.

The mainstay of my workout will revolve around the following:

  • Lots of bodyweight exercises, mainly pushups and pullups, as well as handstand pushups
  • Resistance band exercises
  • Outdoor cardio: jogging, HIIT sprints, hiking
  • Light weight intervals; Spartacus Workout
  • Sports; pickup basketball games, soccer league, racquetball, surfing… if I learn :)
  • A lot of walking around Hollywood

I’ve been curious to see how my body reacts to such a routine. Since I’m going for the athletic and lean look over the bulky bodybuilder look, I feel this regimen actually fits the mold better than my previous routine, although I am pleased with the results I’ve achieved. I gain strength quickly, but gaining muscle mass has always been a challenge for me. I’ve been consistently lifting weights for about 3 1/2 years now but results have slowed as far as muscle gain goes, which is totally fine by me. Now my main goal is to hone in on body fat and knock it out of its seat to get back down to 5%.

Of course, diet is going to play a huge role in the matter here as well…

My Summer diet plan

I’d be lying to you if I said my diet for the next few months is going to be perfect. My summer in Hollywood will include many social events, including happy hour restaurants with friends, beach BBQs, and a party or two here and there, which yes, will likely include a few beers!

The key is finding balance to the matter. If I know I’ll be splurging on Friday night, the 3 days or so prior to that will probably revolve around chicken and veggies. As you know, I like to track calories over the course of a week, not day to day. So as long as I am disciplined Monday through Thursday, there’s no guilt in my mind for letting loose on the weekend and indulging in some good food and drinks.

Key points to my diet this Summer

  • Following the 80/20 principle… good behavior 80% of the time, letting loose 20% of the time
  • Cutting out refined/added sugars and refined carbs, except the weekend
  • Following Eat Stop Eat, one 24 hour fast per week
  • Incorporating many Paleo foods into the diet – a more natural diet
  • Throwing in a few cheat meals over the weekend
  • No liquid calories, water only… except if parties call for it over the weekend
  • Usually won’t be eating breakfast

These are the basic principles that I know to work well at maintaining a great physique while still being realistic, having a life, and enjoying it. I could go the next few months eating only steamed chicken and fish and broccoli, and drinking nothing but water, and lose body fat a little quicker. But at what cost? I would miss out on a ton of social events and situations, a lot of fun nights and good memories, and people thinking I’m a food nazi. There’s always a balance to be found in the matter of diet. You need to find the place on the scale where you lie in order to achieve that balance.

My top 3 Summer goals are as follows:

  1. Maintain most of my strength and size with bodyweight exercises and light weights
  2. Drop body fat down to 5% at 160 lbs, through a combination of high activity level, fun but intense cardio, and a solid diet
  3. Have fun while staying in beach ready shape, all Summer long!

I would love to hear your guys’ feedback on this matter, and also what your Summer fitness plans look like!

Tags: , , , , , , ,

Posted in Healthy Living, Nutrition

About the Author

Hey guys, this is Craig Avera and Cesar Flores. We run Hollywood Body Fitness - which is geared toward achieving a lean athletic A-List Physique!

  • http://www.fitnessbreakout.com Alykhan

    Craig,

    Going gym-free for the summer is definitely a bold move! I think you’ll enjoy it though – especially the soccer league!

    For my summer, I’m continuing with the weights as I am currently in Phase 3 of Visual Impact. I’m also mixing in Craig Ballantyne’s Crazy 8 workout once a week, HIIT and pullups once a week, and soccer twice a week. I’m currently at around 7% body fat and I’d like to drop down to 6% by the end of summer. My eating plan is very similar to yours: Primal low calorie during the week, higher calorie cheat meals on the weekends, and ESE once a week.

    Let us know how the new routine goes! I’m sure I’m not the only one who is curious!

    Alykhan

  • http://leanmeanvirilemachine.com Darrin

    Welcome to The Dark Side, mwahaha!

    Just kidding, Craig. I’ve been loving my gymless summer so far. No waiting for equipment, no driving out of my way, and I’m in better shape than when I started! (Those kettlebells are tougher than they look.)

    Now if only these damned clouds would clear up so I could stroll out to the beach on a nice, sunny day so I can take advantage of all this extra time I have!

  • Marc

    Hi Craig!

    Funny because I started the same routine 2 weeks ago. I can already tell you that it’s working well! Skipping breakfast and following the Eat Stop Eat once a week really help in losing body fat.

    The only problem I encountered so far is a bit of ‘overtraining’… this one came with huge hunger ^^ Let me explain : I was alternating between HIT (Crazy 8 Workout) and Bodyweight (Pushup, pullup variation and more) workout about 30 – 45 minutes maximum. I took 1-2 days rest per week… But, in my case, when you really hit these bodyweight exercise hard your body gets some cumulative fatigue over the week!! Still trying to find that soft point of balance between resting, eating and exercising ;)

    I’d be really interested to read your end summer review of this workout’s type !

  • Matt

    Hey buddy,

    Im at 5-6% BF at the mo and follow two ESE 24 hr fast per week and eat Paleo Monday to Friday, taking in about 1000-1200 cals per day.

    I have one cheat meal on a Thursday then drink moderately on Friday and Saturday nights.

    That nutritional regime keeps my body in check.

    Love the Bodyweight training!

    Try Scott Sonnon’s TACFIT programme. It will kick your ass!!

    Have a good one!

    Matt

  • Marc

    I also tried the TACFIT and think it’s a pretty good way of training! :)

  • http://www.zenmyfitness.com Raymond- ZenMyFitness

    Good Luck! I hope you get there cause I love to know if it works without a gym.
    Craig Ballantyne in his famous abs shoot says he is at 10% so you will be totally ripped at 5% look forward to the pics. but even he adds at least 1 day per week of weight training to retain strength.
    Those are insane bodyfat % you are chasing but you sound pretty committed getting there ..
    The guys I’ve seen in body building comps can barely hold 4-5 % throughout the days competition so it will be interesting how long you maintain through summer when you reach it.

    best regards
    Raymond

  • http://www.notyouraveragefitnesstips.com Dave – Fitness Training Tips

    Craig,
    Definitely looking forward to hearing your results. I’m trying to ramp up my intensity with strength training and HIIT this month, but next month I want to switch gears and go back to functional bodyweight training. I’m planning on giving Convict Conditioning my full attention. Your diet plan is spot on.
    Dave

  • http://hollywoodbodyfitness.com Craig Avera

    Alykhan,
    Your summer plan looks solid! I love the Crazy 8 workout, very good bodyweight routine! And I’m glad you’re playing soccer as well. I played 2 hrs of pickup soccer in the park yesterday followed by 100 pullups and 200 pushups. Good fun workout! Good luck with your routine and congrats on 7% BF!

    Darrin,
    You’re the man who sparked this gym-less summer idea into my head, so thank you :) I’m enjoying every minute of it so far, and I love kettlebell workouts!

    Marc,
    Great routine! And I know what you mean about finding that balance to avoid over training. Obviously over time you will be able to do more work without the side effects of over training, but yes, it’s a steady process getting there. You don’t want to push too too hard all at once. You’ll dial it in though by feel. Haven’t heard of TACFIT but am definitely going to Google it now!

    Matt,
    Dude, you are going awesome! 5-6% BF and your diet plan is extremely disciplined, that’s some solid work right there man! Am definitely going to look into TACFIT, I’m curious as hell now! Keep up the awesome work!

    Raymond,
    You’re right, I’ve been at 4-5% BF but it’s incredibly hard to maintain. I can eat pretty much whatever I want and stay around 8%, but to dial it down to 4-5% takes a very restricted diet approach. Matt(above) is following the diet I would follow for the fastest route to reach that low of BF levels. I’m definitely going to add weight training back into my routine in a few months, but really want to see how much strength I retain using only body weight exercises.

    Dave,
    Awesome plan. I like to alternate between workout styles as it looks like you plan on doing. Obviously both heavy weights and functional body weight movements have their advantages.. it’s good to get a good mix of both in. Let me know how that Convict Conditioning goes for you – I’m yet to try it out.

  • http://crudefitness.com Clint @ Crude Fitness

    Nice one Craig,

    I’ll be keen to hear about your progress with this new strategy. Post some pix if you can.

    Im impressed that you can maintain a 6% bodyfat level (or there abouts). I just don’t have the genetics and have an issue with eating rich foods :)

    C.

  • http://www.moreprimetime.com/ Darren

    Craig,

    Your story is amazing – look forward to hearing about more success from a gym-less summer.

    I envy your LA environment – for your outdoor cardio you should post pictures of Runyon Canyon workouts. I was there a few weeks ago and loved it.

    Darren@moreprimetime.com
    Darren´s last [type] ..Muscle Oblique – Is Zuzana Aspirational or Alienating

  • http://hollywoodbodyfitness.com Craig Avera

    Clint,
    I’m looking forward to seeing the results as well :) Love your site man.. it looks great! Reading a post right now – keep it up!

    Darren,
    Great idea on the Runyon pics! I had a few but they went missing. Hmmm… I’m up there a few times a week so I’ll replace them soon :) Thanks for the post Darren!

  • http://www.moreprimetime.com/half-training/higdon-training-hollywood-style Higdon Training Hollywood Style | More Prime Time

    [...] want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!Craig at Hollywood Body Fitness is planning a gym-less summer in LA. Opting instead for outdoor activity like HIIT sprints and walking around Hollywood. Sounds good [...]

  • http://www.moreprimetime.com/ Darren

    Craig,

    You inspired me. I posted a picture from Runyon Canyon and linked to your story.

    Thanks,

    Darren@MorePrimeTime.com
    Darren´s last [type] ..Higdon Training Hollywood Style

  • http://www.davidgowing.com David Gowing

    Sounds awesome Craig! I think we’re in a pretty similar situation, goal-wise anyway (unfortunately I’m not in Hollywood :( lol)
    But I have been focusing mostly on bodyweight circuits and HIIT, and doing all my workouts outdoors. I’m actually aiming to be 160lbs abd 5% bf too! I’m gonna give the Spartacus workout a go, should fit in nicely with my current routine.
    David Gowing´s last [type] ..Change Nothing About Your Diet And Still Lose Weight

  • http://hollywoodbodyfitness.com Craig Avera

    Darren,
    Thanks man! Keep up the awesome posts over there – really good stuff!

    David,
    Awesome I might bug you time to time seeing how it’s working out for you… I’m loving it over here! I miss the gym every now and then but really want to see what happens doing without. And let me know what you think of the Spartacus Workout …. it’s pretty intense!

  • http://RelativeStrengthAdvantage.com Yavor

    Craig, what up my man? Summer is almost over! Hope you had a good run with the gym-less approach. I had a goal of mastering a bunch of bodyweight exercises and actually conquered 4 out of 5. The fifth one I just didn’t practice…

    Anyway hope you are kicking ass in Hollywood man!

    Yavor
    Yavor´s last [type] ..Muscle-up Training Tutorial- The Missing Workout Manual for Your First Muscle-up

  • http://hollywoodbodyfitness.com Craig Avera

    Yavor,
    My man! I’ve been slacking here but have been busy in the movie biz. I’m shooting three films between Sept – December, so it’s gonna be crazy. But I’ve also been working out 2-3 hours a day. Can’t wait to hear about your bodyweight exercises and seeing some more videos!