Samantha Zaino, an EMS worker for the Reedy Creek Fire Department, is a former high school swimmer and also competed in tennis and gymnastics. (Brightroom Photography)
Samantha Zaino has a simple philosophy that has helped her as she prepares to compete in her second Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon on Sunday, May 2.
“I like to go for the big stuff, because if you go for the small stuff first, the big stuff looks a lot scarier,” said Zaino, a 40-year-old EMS worker for the Reedy Creek Fire Department.
That outlook led Zaino to compete in her first marathon, in 2007 at Disney, without running a shorter-distance race beforehand. It also enabled her to compete at Alcatraz — a triathlon that includes a 1.5-mile swim, an 18-mile bike ride and 8-mile run — last year. It was her fourth triathlon, following a half-ironman at Disney and two shorter sprint triathlons.
Now it is on to triathlon No. 5, and Zaino is ready.
“If you have a goal, it just makes it easier for you togo to the gym,” said Zaino, who works part time at Disney and moved to Orlando in 2001. “And I get to eat a lot of chocolate.”
Chocolate cravings aside, Zaino always has been active. She swam in high school and played tennis anddid gymnastics during her youth.
Now she is looking forward to going to San Francisco again.
“I won’t be as nervous,” Zaino said. “Going out on the boat and knowing you have to swim 1.5 miles in 50-degree water, that’s nerve-racking.”
At least Zaino will have family to support her. Her brother, wife and their two children live outside of San Francisco.
And she can take heart in knowing her fitness pursuits have had a positive influence on another family member.
“‘Are you sure you want to do that?”’ Zaino said of the response she got from her family when they were told she would do Alcatraz last year. “My family isn’t into all the extremes. It did motivate my mom a little bit, though. She got a treadmill.”
Imagine what the family will say if Zaino pursues another fitness dream.
“Sometimes, when I’m not in my right mind, I’ll think about doing a full ironman,” Zaino said. “But then I’ll get back to reality. Maybe one day down the road.”
They don't make butt kickin' TV shows like Kung Fu anymore. The cool thing about growing up in the 70's and 80's was that everyone watched the same TV shows. Heck, we only had 3 main channels, a public channel, and one or two local channels back then. It sounds strange, but I kind of miss that. When we wasted time, we all wound up watching the same TV shows. The bummer was that most houses only had one TV set. I grew up with two sisters and we made TV show deals. They would let me watch old episodes of "Batman", "Kung Fu" and "Planet of the Apes" movies, if they could watch "Little House on the Prairie" and "Donnie and Marie" (brutal). My dad liked to watch "Lawrence Welk" (even more brutal). Anyway, this post really isn't about TV. "It is about patience in getting six pack abs, young grasshopper!"
[If you guys haven't watched some old Kung Fu episodes, you are missing out. There are some big life lessons to be learned. This is right up there with Yoda's lesson to Luke Skywalker: "Do or Do Not, There is No Try".]
"Can You Tell Me How to Get Six Pack Abs?"
So this might be the #1 question I read in the comment sections of fitness blogs. It is a great goal, but it is such a broad question that it makes it tough for someone to answer properly. It is about as broad of a question as "How do I get to California?". Off the top of my head I can thing of a dozen or so modes of transportation to get to California as well as a few dozen routes. You might be really close to reaching California…or you could be world away and it could take much longer. Getting six pack abs is a lot like going to California…given enough time doing the right things you will get six pack abs. Just like if you traveled in the right direction to California you will get there eventually.
There is a Time Element to Getting Great Six Pack Abs
If you are eating right, losing body fat, and training properly, you will be able to get sharp six pack abs. The key here is that you have to put in enough time doing the proper exercises. Some people naturally have great six pack abs (they already live in California)…or they get them after 3-4 months of training (they live in Oregon or possibly Nevada). Maybe you live in Bulgaria and your workout partner lives in Montana (figuratively)…with the same workout and diet plan, he will get six pack abs much sooner than you.
Sometimes You Wind Up With Just a Hint of a Six Pack
So lets say you do make it to California (get six pack abs), but they are just barely visible. This is like winding up in Redding, California when you really wanted to go to San Diego. They are both in California, but San Diego is nicer by a mile (in my humble opinion). Anyway, sometimes you have to stay in Redding for a few years, before you work your way to San Diego. Possibly you only hang out in Redding for a while and get to go to San Jose, which is still not as nice as San Diego…but close enough to cool places like San Francisco or Santa Cruz. This post is deteriorating quickly. "The Lawrence Welk Show" – to the rescue!
My Dad Liked This?
[You know...it wasn't like my dad forced us watch "Lawrence Welk", but with just one TV in our home...I was exposed to this on a regular basis. This is borderline abusive! I ad to share my pain and suffering with you guys. Enjoy ]
Some More Thoughts on Six Pack Abs
It is unrealistic and probably unnecessary to be obsessed with having crazy sharp 6 pack abs all of the time. What you see in magazines is largely the effect of losing water and proper lighting. Your abs will look twice as sharp when you are in a dim room with a bright light shining directly above you. The guys shooting photos for the fitness magazines use everything in their favor. I have seen those same people outside of that environment and they have visible definition…but nothing like what the photos display.
Work Your Way Down to Where Fat Isn't Covering Your Abs
Honestly…my advice is to just reduce your body fat without being obsessed. Once you get your body fat low enough you won't have a layer of blubber covering your abs. This is a great starting point. Then simply put time in the gym and your abs will gradually improve. Once you get decent abs, they will much look better on some days than others. If you aren't holding water and the light is beneficial, your abs will look outstanding…on other days you will have just a hint of definition. When you are lean enough, ab sharpness simply comes down to water retention. The best way to minimize this is to increase your intake of water (without overdoing it) and making sure you don't take in too much salt. I talk about a good strategy in insuring staying sharp on page 56 of my free report: Vacation Body Blueprint.
The Famous Pebble Snatching Scene…
[The pebble snatching "attempt" happens at the 46 second mark. He succeeds at around the 2 minute mark, but then has to get branded by lifting up a molten pot with his bare forearms. I think I would have purposely been a little too slow grabbing that pebble, because the next step is a bit extreme...just saying that they need to lighten up a little!]
The #1 Tip for Great Abs?
Answer: Keep doing the right things consistently. It is tough for me to answer when you will reach the level of definition in your abs that you are after. I can tell you what to do, I just can't tell you how long it will take. For some it will happen quickly and other people will take much longer to reach the same level. I simply don't know when you will be able to take the pebble from my hand…grasshopper…that is up to you!
I have just spent the past hour jumping around to some of my favorite fitness blogs. A few guys touch on the idea of gaining muscle and losing fat at the same time. A common practice in some circles is to "bulk up and cut down". I'm not a fan of that approach, because it just doesn't make sense to me to put fat on your body on purpose. What I want to do in this post is point out a few fitness experts who have similar beliefs. I also want to hear feedback from other people who have successfully or unsuccessfully gained muscle while getting lean.
[One of my favorite activities is dock diving in the summer and then laying in the sun to dry off. Honestly, if I crafted a "perfect day", this activity would be included...even better in the Caribbean where this picture was taken (not by me). Look at the color of that water...Wow!]
Gaining Muscle While Losing Body Fat. I Used to Be a Skeptic.
In the past I was brainwashed to believe that muscle gains required an excess of calories. Over the past 2-3 years I have changed my thinking completely. At most, I would recommend a really slight calorie excess for a short period of maybe 2 months. This goes against long-held beliefs as far as gaining muscle is concerned. Luckily, I have been exposed to some brilliant minds who are on the cutting edge in thinking when it comes to muscle gain, fat loss, etc. Let's examine some posts and thoughts by some of these guys.
* Martin Berkhan – of "Lean Gains"
Martin Berkhan is a freak show when it comes to staying lean…but I mean that in a good way. Like me and quite a few others, he likes to use intermittent fasting as a way of staying lean year round. Martin believes that there should be minimal fat gain when adding muscle. The title of his blog, Lean Gains, says it all…maximizing muscle gain while minimizing fat gain. Here are some quotes from his site:
…cycling between overfeeding (training days) and slight underfeeding (rest days) is another excellent strategy to remain lean regardless of your goal. The benefits are not only physiological, but also behavioral.
My comments: I have done this in the past with success. I have noticed these days that I just need to do a maintenance calorie day mix with an underfeeding day 1-2 times per week (basically what Eat Stop Eat teaches). I could certainly see the benefit of adding in some slight overfeeding especially if someone was far from their genetic potential in adding muscle.
…I've never been a fan of the bulk and cut approach. An approach often taken to the extreme by some of my peers, with the net result being that they only look decent during the summer months.
My comments: This is something that I have addressed a lot on this site. Why look good for just 2-3 months a year? Plus it is just healthier to avoid having a lot of extra fat on your body in the first place. One more thing I would add is this: People who use the "bulk and cut" approach more often than not underestimate how much fat they have to lose. This usually means they don't get lean until summer is almost over. There are others, who always seem to be stuck in "bulking mode" and never get lean.
A Video Intermission…
[My girlfriend just showed me a great clip from Pearl Jam's 2000 tour. I won't spoil it for you. It is one of the coolest and inspirational things I have seen done at a concert. I just had to share it.]
Over the past couple of years I have had both of these guys do guest posts…I did a collaborative ebook on supplements with them…they have made a few videos for this blog, etc. These two are WAY ahead of the curve when it comes to health and fitness. Many of their ideas are probably too far "out there" for people to take in right away. Here is a link to a video that John Barban made for this blog: Nutrition Plays A Small Role in Building Muscle Mass Controversial Video. I agree with him that muscle gain is largely an issue of training and not so much about diet (at least not as big of a part of diet as many would have you believe).
Here's that video John Barban made for this site…
[There is a lot of wisdom in this video. If you have never watched it, do yourself a favor and take a few minutes and listen to what he is saying. Good info!]
So…I won't quote Brad or John in this post, but I wanted to link to a video they made to prove a point. Brad Pilon wanted to prove a point about how supplement companies and fitness magazines can mislead us. He shows how you can gain 8 pounds of lean mass in one workout. I enjoyed the video and the webinar was outstanding. Anyway…both Brad on John are big on the idea of gaining muscle while losing body fat.
* Tom Venuto – of "Burn the Fat Blog"
Tom Venuto isn't someone I quote often, but he writes well thought-out posts over on his blog. He also has one of the best selling fitness ebooks of all-time (I think it was one of the first ebooks I ever purchased). Anyway…his latest post is aimed directly at the question of…how to gain muscle and burn fat at the same time. I suggest that you take the time to read the post in detail, but here are the parts that really jumped out at me.
…what if most days of the week you were in a deficit for the entire day, and on some days you were in a surplus? If so, then isnt it possible that over the course of the week, youd have a small net gain of muscle and loss of body fat a a result of the caloric fluctuation?
My comments: Tom has a slightly different viewpoint on muscle gain than John Barban, but suggests days of calorie deficit mixed with days of surplus. Eat Stop Eat preaches a related concept and this is close to what Martin Berkhan does as well. Tom also suggests timing your meals around your workouts in this quote…
…its entirely possible that you might pass through periods of within-day surplus where you were in a highly anabolic state (for example, you eat the biggest, highest carb meal of the day after your workout), and you were in a deficit the rest of the day.
Isnt it possible that you could gain a small amount of muscle during those anabolic hours, while losing fat the rest of the day? Granted it might only be grams or ounces – but what if you kept that up for a week? A month? Three months?
My comments: This is a strategy that I have seen people use with success. Tom also points out the 4 "X Factors" that make it possible for some people to gain muscle and fat at the same time without having rely on this nutrition strategy. His article explains the factors that need to be in place for this to happen.
So No Need to Add Fat When Gaining Muscle
All 3 of these guys have slightly different beliefs and approaches, but the main thing is that they help people gain muscle without gaining body fat. In my opinion in makes sense to learn from those who will teach you to get the results you want. I am constantly in learning mode and enjoy reading from sharp minds who are pushing the envelope.
Note: So what has your experience been with gaining muscle and losing fat simultaneously? Have you ever tried the "bulk up and cut down approach"? Would love to hear about some of your experiences in the comment section!
Tags: Main, adonis effect, brad pilon, calorie deficit, eat stop eat, fasting, fitness experts, gain muscle, john barban, lose fat, tom venuto
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