Max's Fitness Training and Nutrition Plan

Max puts the FIT in FITness model!...all topics here written by Max!...copyright 2005-2008!

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"Optimum Health is and ongoing process...a lifestyle not a fad.  Focus on fitness and your ideal physique will follow." - Max Wettstein

"A fitness model should be able to fit great in normal clothing, AND still look like an anatomical chart when he takes his shirt off...a fitness model should not look like a Bodybuilder." - borrowed from Icon Man and Met-Rx spokes model Greg Plitt.

"Love the workout, not the results." - again, from Greg Plitt.

"Pain is weakness leaving the body." - Unknown.

"Life is supposed to be Fun!" - from fellow Icon Man and motivator/empowerer Eric Carlson - author of the 'Fitness Model Bible' link: 'The Fitness Model Bible' E-book download

...And fitness should be fun too!

"You start going downhill as soon as you stop taking risks" - Big wave surfer Laird Hamilton on staying fit over 40.

"Happiness is not a destination, it is a method of life" - Unknown.

Now may I share my fitness-philosophy with you:)

    A healthy lifestyle is all about balance and moderation.  As we journey through life our responsibilities continue to accumulate while the amount of time we have in a day remains the same.  Before you know it we're attempting to balance family, work, fitness, eating, sleep, house projects, and social commitments.  Usually the first thing to go is exercise followed by well-balanced eating, and of course, sleep suffers.  Most of us are constantly suffering from sleep deficit.  Despite all of this we must keep our life in balance and make time for health.  There are always those who will disagree, but the cold, hard reality is there is always time for exercise each day.  We simply need to take charge of our schedule each night, and figure out when we will fit it in the next day, even if only for a 30 minute walk.  Any other attitude and we're simply making excuses.  And no, we're not being selfish with our time.  By exercising each day we are protecting our health and longevity so our family can have us around longer.  However, we can be creative and find ways to make fitness fun for the whole family.

    Ideal fitness is achieved through a lifestyle pyramid composed of exercise, rest and recovery, diet, and supplementation.  The cornerstone of exercise is composed of aerobic/endurance exercise, anaerobic/strength exercise, and stretching/flexibility exercise.  You must cross-train between all of these areas to benefit your cardiovascular health as well as your musculature and bone density, respectively.  Stretching lengthens muscles and reduces risk of tendon strain.  Cross-training is key in preventing chronic, overuse injuries caused from repetition of the same exercises.  Equally important, cross-training offsets muscle-exercise adaptation and progress plateaus.  A marathon runner may have a very healthy heart and cardiovascular system, but may suffer from IT-band syndrome or plantar fasciaitis if all he does to train is run.  This same marathon runner may also be very thin since aerobic exercise only stimulates slow-twitch muscle fibers and does nothing for the upper-body musculature.  At the other end of the spectrum, a weight lifter who only trains with weights, may have an excellent physique and muscle tone, great bone density, but may lack any aerobic endurance, and may suffer from chronic muscle strains or tendonitis.  Both aerobic and anaerobic exercise improve insulin sensitivity/glucose-uptake, among a myriad of other benefits.  Again, balance and variety in exercise choices is the goal.

(...You don't need a gym: 90% of my workouts are done in my garage, backyard, or outside.)

    At the top of this pyramid is nutrition, consisting of diet and supplementation.  It takes the proper macro and micro nutrients to fuel your muscles and to repair them.  Most of the processed food we eat today is seriously lacking in these nutrients, vitamins and minerals, thus the need for supplementation, a daily multi-vitamin at minimum.  The above links will give you some ideas for exercise, eating and supplement choices, as well as training timelines.  Always consult your primary care physician before beginning any exercise program to establish your fitness baseline and find any health risks you may have.  You could also consider body fat testing to benchmark your starting point.  Fat loss is what matters most, not simply weight loss.

    This info is not intended to be a complete exercise and nutrition guide, but just a few ideas that I have found to be useful.  In my own training plan, I use weight lifting as a foundation about 2 days per week, and mix in running, surfing, spinning, jump-rope, trampoline, yoga and stretching, skating, hiking and biking with the family the rest of week.  I really mix it up, keeping my muscles guessing about what is coming next, and making it fun when I can.  Additionally with all of these exercise options, I can really train around an injury when needed.  You hear a lot of buzz about 'core strengthening' these days.  It is my own personal opinion that just about every full-body exercise requires core strength, whether it be squats, surfing, or yoga.  On resting days I often do a routine composed of basic yoga poses, stretches and ab work, sometimes with an orthopedic (Swiss) ball.  We have a Swill ball always rolling around the house so I'm constantly rolling out, stretching on it, and engaging my abs.  Isometric flexing/posing is also an often overlooked but simple and effective tool for toning and bringing out definition. 

    Weight lifting has always been the foundation of my training.  I stick to free-weight, barbell exercises, performing multi-joint, compound lifts that recruit several major muscle groups at once, as well as the stabilizing secondary muscles required for balance.  Machine weights eliminate the role of secondary, stabilizing muscle groups, and are better for isolation movements, or injury rehab.  I keep my rep-range between 8 and 10 for upper-body and 12-15 for lower-body, failing on my final rep.  Using a lower rep range than this requires me to use a heavier poundage that increases risk of injury, and I get less of a pump.  This method of weight training also induces the greatest Growth Hormone (HGH) and Testosterone release.  In fact even in my aerobic training, I typically exceed my lactate threshold rather than go for the alleged "fat burning zone", because any time you can cause lactic acid build up in your muscles you will stimulate Growth Hormone release - essential for maintaining lean body mass and tissue regeneration.  Recovery is equally important, but I use active recovery by cross-training different muscle groups while other groups recover.  I rarely take a day off so to speak, unless I'm sick, because usually I'm having too much fun.  My problem tends to be over training.

    The older and wiser I get, even more I find I'm striving for overall health and anti-aging foremost, with physique as nice benefit.  With this in mind, I continue to eat more organic and less refined.  *Note - If you don't have the patience or expertise to read and analyze food labels, then simply start shopping at only whole-foods-type markets where you will know that you are purchasing only 'clean' and natural foods.  Additionally, I focus on alkalinizing and detoxing my body often, supplement more with herbs, and even take care of my skin more!  I take the time to listen to my body and no longer override any sign of fatigue with caffeine, but will moderate workouts more when needed.

Note: The information contained on this site is personal opinion only and not medical advice, Copyright 2005.

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