SecondFocus Blog

The mysteries of Cardio…

Cardio is a subject pondered and discussed by many as well as by top trainer Charles Glass. I am certain that Charles has a lot of experience on the subject and I will talk to him about it soon. But for right now, I need to get going so I am going to draw on my experience. So what I have been doing for the last few days is “slow cardio”. And I did have this conversation with my good friend and World Champion, Bob Cicherillo…

Bob wrote a really good article about “slow cardio” that I really suggest you read. I consider Bob the thinking man’s bodybuilder. He has been lifting for a very long time and has seen a lot come and go. Bob also has a good idea as to the wear and tear you can put on yourself. So when I asked Bob about me and cardio he really had a couple of simple but smart suggestions. The first was roll out of bed and get the gym for about 45 minutes or so on the treadmill. And if I could get to the gym a second time during the day, all the better. But the issue for me was going to be when becuase I am a pretty busy guy.

Now I can do 45 minutes or more on a treadmill without getting bored thanks to the magic of the Ipod. But first thing in the morning might be an issue. Not that I am not up early. I am usually up around 4:30 but that is when I am first dealing with e-mails etc especially with the East Coast. So for me I need to be flexible but still make sure I am in that gym everyday especially at this point. So slow Cardio for me right now everyday is the job.

By the way, there is a new discussion about Slow vs Fast Cardio right here on BodyBuilding.com. So read that too. And then there was also a Super Feature on cardio you should check out…

But let me quickly tell you what “Slow Cardio” is to me. And this is not without some experience too. What works for me is on the treadmill starting out at an easy walk for a few minutes and then bumping it up and down in speed maybe every 10 minutes or so. And then I will also add in and take out some incline along the way. I try to vary it and keep it going with enough work to build up a sweat. Now in the past I have done alot of running too and really thinned out quickly. But for right now, at least for a couple of weeks I will keep it slow. But not this slow…

That is where I am for now. If you have any thoughts and ideas, speak on up. And as I get around to my friends and bodybuilders and other trainers, if you have any questions as we go along, let me know. I will get them answered and we can all benefit from it.

Thanks and keep coming back if you "Wanna See More…?

Walking in to the gym behind hot girls in skimpy clothes or Olympia sized bodybuilders you sometimes see me walking in with an entourage of assistants, makeup artists and hundreds of pounds of lighting gear and cameras. But in the last couple of years there has been something extra coming in with me that I don’t need. And that is my own extra weight!

For a long time I was in pretty good shape. I was in the gym daily pumping away at it, pushing heavy, pushing hard and driving everyone half my age into the ground. My training partner was often saddened by seeing me walk in the door becuase he was hoping he might get a break that day. And Larry is a big strong guy and a heavyweight competitor.

But I am here to admit that as my work and travel schedule got busier, my gym time went away. And all that travel and time in hotels took revenge on me with the wrong food at the wrong time. And of course the only thing you saw me lift in the gym was a camera.

So I am here today to tell you that enough is enough. BACK TO IT! I know what I am doing and certainly hang my head low having gotten to where I am which is out of shape and overweight. What happens now is back to the gym and back to eating right.

First off I am going to work at taking some pounds off and building up some stamina. How? Well a bunch of things enter into that component. But I am going to add some fun to this that you won’t see in other transformation stories. For openers I am going to ask all of you to come along with me whether you are 20 or 50, a guy or a girl, in shape or getting there. I am going to help us all along by taking advantage of my contacts in the business to bring you all kinds of interesting and informative things about trimming down and building up.

Hey, maybe I’ll take a day and go work out with my buddy Maria…

I’ll see what bodybuilders I can work out with and some top trainers. I will talk to some of the top supplement people in the business for a little insight and bring you what I learn. And I will try out some different supplements to see what I like and what seems to work for me. And maybe they will work for you.

I will not force you through any long videos but just some reports right here and some photos. Information that I hope you can use and take with you. No cooking segments by the way, I don’t cook!

So take this journey with me! I am going to update this blog very often. You will still see some of my photo stories too but the emphasis is going to be working out and getting fit. Time to get started! Thanks! Here we go…

And keep coming back if you "Wanna See More…?"

When I first saw that we had a married BodySpace couple I thought it was pretty fun. Little did I know at the time what a great story they were. Chad and Lana live a lifestyle built around health and fitness. Married for two years, going to the gym, eating healthy and good nutirtion are both of their daily regimens. So I thought it would be great fun to do our first couple BodySpace video and photo shoot.

We started the day out on the beach in Marina Del Rey CA. Then we went on to the Mecca of BodyBuilding, Gold’s Gym Venice. And finally we finished the day in an elegant hotel lounge and on the roof helipad with a 360 degree view of Los Angeles and the Pacific Ocean. You will get to see more of those photos and Chad and Lana at another time. But for right now check out their BodySpace video! It is really fun!

Thanks and keep coming back if you "Wanna See More…?"

Ronnie was knocked out and Jay was shocked and that was one of many surprises in 2006. But what do you think will happen in 2007? What are your predictions? This is where you get to shape some of the coverage I will try to bring to you. I am the photographer who is out there for BodyBuilding.com creating the coverage along with a lot of other BodyBuilding.com staff and contributors.

But there is nothing that says I think of all of it. So what do you want to see? And this covers everything from competitons, special features, shoots, interviews, you name it. Do you want different photos, more videos, multimedia, audio…? Do you want to see us come on out to your gym or go to some special location?

Just follow up with me with your comments right here. It will make BodyBuilding.com even better for all of us!

Thanks!