I am a big fan of summer and have been enjoying the (non-rainy) days lately.  I love sitting outside on my (soon to be replaced) deck reading a good book or trade journal.

As you know summer is Blockbuster season at the movies.  One of the things that you see over and over again in these movies are their very in shape and/or ripped stars.  When this happens all you hear on the gossip and talk shows and see on the covers of gossip mags are  how so-and-so achieved their new hot body.    One of these transformations that is catching a lot of attention lately is that of Jake Gyllenhall for his role in The Prince of Persia.  And rightly so

Couldn’t find any before photos.  He must have been to embarrassed to take his shirt of before.

All I am hearing and being asked is “How did he gain so much lean muscle and get so ripped”.

Well you won’t have to put a search in google  for the answer to those questions – I will reveal it to you right now:

They worked their butts off!

No there is not something else.  No secret workout they only put celebrities through.  No amazing fat loss pill that is only available to the super rich.  No super muscle building protein shake.  I am kind of sad about that last one.

Most people just don’t want to believe that hard work, discipline, dedication and determination are “The Secret.”

Another part of “The Secret” may be getting paid to be in shape.

I guessing that it’s way easier  to work your butt off when you’re getting paid millions to do so Kind of make sense makes sense. But physical effort, time invested and nutritional discipline are never easy no matter how much you are getting paid.  It takes a lot of mental and physical stamina along with extreme dedication to get results like Jake’s.  Especially in only four months.

Just in case you are interested here’s what Jake did.  Do not try this at home.

• Morning workout which consisted of 1.5 hours of interval style cardio (wearing a 20lb vest) mixed in with core exercises and stretching
• Script reading
• Sword fight training
• Evening workout which consisted of 1 hour of resistance training
• with some martial arts training, horseback riding and parkour thrown in.

To make sure he had the energy to recharge and recover and the protein to rebuild, Jake would eat six times a day.

And no, it is not this particular workout itself that gave Jake his ripped body.  I’ve seen people acheive amazing body transformation results with all kinds of different workouts.   What works for one may not work for another.

What gave Jake his new body was the time he put into it and his effort during that time.

To rap up, “The Secret” to a movie star body is the same secret that anyone can use to get the body they want.  HARD WORK. You must out in both the time and the effort.

Great bodies aren’t built with “just minutes a day, a few days a week.   Nothing is actually.

The best bodies in the world are built with long hours of dedicated training and hard, hard work.

In case they need me to replace Jake in Prince of Persia II.

When all else fails, try “The Secret”:

1.)  Get in there.  There being any place you choose to workout.

2.)  Put in the time.  Hours not minutes.

3.)  WORK at it. Work your butt off. Work harder than you ever have before.

4.)  Fuel your body.  Make sure you are giving your body the nutrients it needs to recharge, recover and rebuild.

So, if you do the above this summer will be the summer you finally achieve that body you (and others) have been dreaming of.

Your friend and trainer,

Paul F. Sweatt