Jan 04 2009
PUT FUN BACK IN FITNESS
How Can Gigandet maintains a Hollywood physique without blowing the whole day?
FIND YOUR SWEAT SPOTYou can work out almost anywhere but make sure you can focus. Gigandet used to go to the Sports Club/LA, but it was too busy. So he joined a no-name gym. “At busy times, 10 people are there. It has everything I need.” he says.
MASTER SOMETHINGYou’ll become better, not just bigger. Gigandet is trying to master the clean and jerk, “That’s hard. But it’s something that you can do for a really long time and still not master it. It’s a skill work-¬out. I do it real light right now.”
KEEP THE CHANGEGigandet does weights, kettle-bells, and cardio machines, but also krav maga {an Israeli mar¬tial art), water-skiing, hiking— anything, really. “Every 2 weeks. I mix it up,” he says. “It’s best when I go outside and play a sport.”
BIKE EVERYWHEREIf he can do it in L.A., you can do it anywhere. It’s green, fun, and keeps you fit. “I fell in love with riding.” he says. “Yesterday I probably put 40 miles on my bike. And I’ve only just realized how many hills there are in LA.”
GET FIT, STAY FITGigandet has worked to stay fit since his teens, except for a 3-month break after filming Never Back Down. Having that basic fitness level is empowering, he says. “It’s not that hard to take myself one step beyond that base level.”
Warning: Dehydration saps testosterone, according to a study in the Journal of Applied Physiology. Scientists found that men who were dehydrated prior to a workout had lower T levels, compared with when they had consumed plenty of water beforehand. A potential mechanism: The water-depleted lifters also had higher levels of Cortisol, a stress hormone that may depress testosterone, says study author Dan Judelson, Ph.D. His suggestion; At least 4 hours before you lift, consume about 0.1 ounce of fluid per pound of body weight. (A 180-pound man would drink 18 ounces.) Water is an obvious choice, but other beverages can help keep you hydrated, too.