By Ben Court

Three busy men. Three fitness and nutrition plans. Three strategies that changed their lives…and just might change yours.

 

With each rung he climbed on the corporate ladder, commodities and equity trader Alex Gordon also loosened his belt a notch.

Gordon served as an officer in an Israeli Defense Force paratrooper unit in his early twenties, where the strict regimen trimmed his weight to 185 pounds and his waist to 32 inches. "They train you until there is no fat left on your body," he says. "It was like wringing water from a wet towel." Then he stayed lean on a diet of triathlons and marathons. The Manhattanite clocked his personal best of 3:26 in the New York Marathon at 28 years old and 190 pounds. But with success at the trading desk came added responsibilities. "Business lunches, ideas dinners…every opportunity I had, I took clients out," says the 40-year-old. "It was steakhouses back to back to back: Smith and Wollensky's, Del Frisco, Peter Luger." Gordon's visits to the gym went from medium rare to rare, and his weight slowly crept up until it reached 231 pounds and his waist measured 38 inches. "I still went to the gym, but I didn't have a training plan, so I had no consistency, no focus."

Bill Stanton hit his forties midstride, but he, too, was tripped up by success. The former New York City policeman had transitioned from street cop to bodyguard to private detective, earning a position as a security and safety expert for a major TV network and the moniker Wild Bill. "The more successful you are, the more your ambition grows in other ways: You want to go on nicer holidays and eat in fancier restaurants," he says. "I was lulled into a false sense of security. I was doing the same old workouts, no problem, but it's the law of diminishing returns." Once a ripped 175-pounder who competed in amateur bodybuilding contests, Stanton had ballooned to 222 pounds. "I could still bench 350," he says, "but my face was puffy, my heart raced when I climbed stairs, and my clothes were too tight. One day I looked in the mirror and it hit me: I was fat. I wasn't comfortable with my body. It didn't fit me."

Mario Polit's battle with fat started in his thirties. That's when he switched career tracks, leaving his managerial job at a department store to become a New York City firefighter. Polit, who weighed 195 pounds in college, embraced the firehouse's all-you-can-eat culture and packed on the pounds. "We scarfed down huge plates of rich food: Philly cheesesteaks, chops with gravy and mash, penne with chicken parm," says the 40-year-old. "Chased by Entenmann's cakes and chocolate-chip cookies, of course!" While some of the younger firefighters stayed trim, Polit's weight increased rapidly and topped out at 240. "Some of my family members are on the heavier side," says Polit. "I realized that I could let myself go very easily. My wife had been nagging me to lose the flab, and turning 40 gave me the impetus. The alarm bell was ringing: It was now or never."

continued...

Like many guys in their forties, these three men found themselves perched precariously on a slippery slope. Science tells us that the forties are the critical decade to arrest the spread of fat and build muscle. By 40, the body's metabolism has slowed 4 percent since age 20, which means it doesn't burn as many calories. Sarcopenia, the inexorable deterioration of muscle mass that starts at 25 and advances at about a pound a year, is also kicking in, stealing the results of hours spent at the gym. Body-fat percentage is creeping up and with it our size. Muscle is about 20 percent denser than fat, so one pound of muscle is roughly the size of a baseball, while one pound of fat equals a softball. Combined, these factors cause a snowball effect, which softens the physiques of many men and deposits their bloated selves into the La-Z-Boy of middle age.  

Best Life presented Alex, Bill, and Mario with a challenge: Try to wind the age clock back 20 years in 12 weeks. Best Life teamed up with trainers at the Sports Club L.A. and Reebok Sports Club, both in New York City, to create three customized workouts; enlisted certified dietitian Heidi Skolnik, a fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine and team nutritionist to the New York Giants, to consult on each man's diet; and tapped Stephen Lamm, MD, a clinical professor of medicine at New York University and the author of The Hardness Factor, to provide medical guidance. 

The goal wasn't for these men to drop as much weight as possible, but to reshape their bodies in a healthy way by replacing fat with muscle and lowering their body-fat percentages. "Fat cells are like toxic dumps in your body. They increase inflammation and the risk of heart disease and cancer," says Dr. Lamm. "Reducing your body-fat percentage is the best way to reduce the most dangerous kind of fat, visceral fat, which marshmallows around your organs." That one-pound baseball of muscle also burns 50 calories more per day than the softball of fat. So by lowering your body-fat percentage, you rev up your metabolism, which reverses that snowball effect.

Scientists have long argued over the most efficient way to burn calories--strength training or cardio sessions--but new kinds of weight circuits and interval workouts have blurred those distinc-tions. Researchers also point out that one size doesn't fit all: Enjoyment is a key predictor to weight-loss success. Each of the following workouts blends elements of cardio and resistance training--the combination that experts say is essential to full-body health--but each achieves it in its own way. Turns out they all work. Pick the one that suits your goals and reclaim your body today.

The Power Circuit

Mario Polit: 40, 6'1", firefighter
Total Cholesterol
Before: 175
After: 150
Body-fat percentage: 29% %26gt;19%
Weight loss in pounds: 20

The Plan
The power-circuit workout: Full-body cardio strength training with boxing (or another cardio activity such as running, basketball, cycling, or basketball)
Who it's best for: Guys who are looking for an easy-to-learn weight circuit that uses common gym equipment and who also thrive doing solo cardiovascular training
The goal: Reduce body fat to 15 percent, strengthen the core, add muscle tone, and improve cardiovascular fitness
Daily energy expenditure: 3,500 calories (basal metabolic rate, or BMR, factoring in exercise)
Daily Calorie Budget: 2,500

The Results

	Before	After
Weight	240 lbs.	220 lbs.
Body fat	29%	19%
Cholesterol
Total	170	150
HDL	60	50
LDL	94	86
Triglycerides	73	69

Training Plan
To help Mario Polit reclaim the 195-pound body he had in college, trainer Jean Jourdain, who is certified by the National Academy of Sports Medicine, designed a timed full-body strength circuit with an additional boxing component, because that's Polit's favorite kind of cardio. "I wanted Mario to keep his heart rate up while exerting specific muscle groups," says Jourdain. "The combination of a timed circuit and boxing drills achieved that."

Boxing is an ideal core-strengthening and weight-loss exercise because the training demands a range of fast, intense movements. Plus, it's fun. "Mario would power through the circuit, knowing he could then lace up the gloves. With other athletes, I'd swap boxing for running or hoops or whatever it was they felt passionate about."

The program also suited Polit's desire to blend traditional 免费 weights with modern fitness devices. "Guys in the firehouse laughed when I said I was doing push-ups on a stability ball," says Polit. "But the truth is that I could bang out 30 push-ups easily on the ground, and I struggled to do 10 on the ball. Now I can do 30 on the ball, and a lot of my colleagues can't even do five." Polit says the pace of the circuit surprised him--there's no time for watching TV or chatting--while the repetitive action of the boxing drills proved meditative and honed his coordination. "Now I can race up stairs faster and I feel more energetic," he says. "Plus, my wife likes my new body and sex is great."

Nutrition Plan
"I'd often sit down for dinner and eat two baskets of bread, soaking each piece in olive oil," says Polit. "When I start eating, I go full bore." At the firehouse he's often surrounded by pasta, doughnuts, and soda. Skolnik, who regularly works with lineman-size appetites, advised Polit to eat smaller portions up to six times a day and replace soda with water. "I've found that it helps big guys to know they can eat again in a few hours," she says. "With Mario, it was a matter of explaining the portion sizes and emphasizing more vegetables and protein, and then finding snacks that would tide him over between meals."

The Power Circuit continued...

Polit's lipid profile was good at the start of the program, and it improved, thanks to the exercise and diet changes, says Dr. Lamm. But Dr. Lamm would still like to see Polit's body-fat percentage drop by a point or two. (Polit was ill for two weeks near the start of the diet and lost early momentum, but he has since edged under 18 percent.) "It was tough," says Polit. "I used to eat until I was full. Now, I eat the right portion size and I savor every bite. I sometimes chew 30 times before swallowing. If I'm still hungry, I don't sweat it, because I know I can snack again soon."

The Power Circuit
WARM-UP: (5 to 10 minutes)
Jump rope, spin on a bike, or cruise on the elliptical trainer at a gentle pace. You should be able to hold a conversation.

CARDIO STRENGTH CIRCUIT: Do each exercise for one minute (use a weight that you can lift for that amount of time, usually 60 percent to 70 percent of your one-repetition max) with no rest between exercises. Aim to keep your heart rate elevated for the entire circuit. Once you complete one cycle of exercises, rest for 90 seconds. After four weeks, reduce the rest to 60 seconds, and after another four weeks, reduce to 45 seconds. Complete each cycle three times. Aim for one rest day between Days 1 and 2, and two days after Day 3.

DAY 1
Total body with emphasis on chest, back, legs, core, and arms
Stability-Ball Dumbbell Chest Press: After one minute, reduce the weight by half or a third (depending on your fatigue level) and do another minute.
Low Row Using Dumbbell: After a minute, reduce the weight by half and do another minute.
Body-Weight Squat: After four weeks, add dumbbells. After eight weeks, try one-legged squats.
Hip Bridge: Aim for 30 seconds on each leg. If you are strong enough, you can progress to 45 seconds or one minute on each leg.
Stability-Ball Push-Up

Part 2: Boxing (or another full-body cardio workout)
Heavy Bag (15 minutes): Punching a heavy bag incorporates core movement and explosiveness and helps loosen the body after weight training, says Jourdain. A typical workout involves four three-minute rounds, with one minute of rest, and the boxer performs drills for throwing different combinations of speed and power punches.

Mitt Work (10 minutes): During mitt training, the boxer fires punches at the trainer, who also counterpunches. "It's a total-body workout," says Jourdain. "Plus, it tests reactions, coordination, and speed."

Note: Boxing can be replaced by another full-body cardio workout, such as interval training on a rowing machine, spin bike, treadmill, or elliptical trainer, or activities such as basketball, soccer, or a martial art.

DAY 2
Total body with emphasis on core
Abs Crunch on Stability Ball
Oblique Twist Right on Stability Ball
Oblique Twist Left on Stability Ball
Hanging Leg Raise
Superman

Part 2: Boxing (or another full-body cardio workout)

DAY 3
Total body with emphasis on shoulders, biceps, triceps, and core
Stability-Ball Dumbbell Shoulder Press
Dumbbell Alternating Lateral Raise
Lying Triceps Extension (a.k.a. Skull Crusher)
Dumbbell Biceps Curl
Plank on a Bosu Ball
After four weeks, start to tilt the ball from side to side, as this will fire different muscles in your abs.

Part 2: Choose from cardio menu.

The Pump and Burn

Alex Gordon: 40, 6'0", stock trader
Total Cholesterol
Before: 180
After: 160
Body-Fat Percentage: 26% %26gt;16%
Weight loss in pounds: 35

The Plan
The pump-and-burn workout: High-intensity 免费 weights and interval training with resistance
Who it's best for: Guys who want to upgrade their weight-training workouts and progress beyond standard gym machines and who have a strong cardio background
The goal: Reduce body fat to 15 percent and build a lean, powerful body with a rock-solid core
Daily Energy Expenditure: 3,400 calories (BMR factoring in exercise)
Daily Calorie Budget: 2,600

The Results

	Before	After
Weight	231 lbs.	196 lbs.
Body fat	26%	16%
Cholesterol
Total	182	162
HDL	63	76
LDL	75	64
Triglycerides	222	108

Training plan
Alex Gordon, a former triathlete, expected trainer Greg Gurenlian to stick him on a treadmill and have him slog away for hours. Instead, Gurenlian treated him like a sprinter and created a workout that's heavy on 免费 weights and intense intervals. "Alex told me he wanted to lose weight, but didn't want to look emaciated," says Gurenlian. "That requires resistance training, so I had to teach him how to lift."
Gurenlian, who previously worked as a strength trainer at Penn State University, says his mantra is effort and efficiency. "Everything Alex did was done at a very high pace, using the most amount of muscle possible for short bursts. First he pumped iron, then he burned through intervals." The workout is based on undulating periodization, which, simply put, trains the two main kinds of muscle fiber on a set schedule. It involves varying the number of repetitions (from three to five to eight to 10) over time, not every set, as in most workouts. "I have never felt this strong," says Gordon. "My energy has skyrocketed, and I feel supercreative." He also noticed another benefit: better sleep. "Now, when my head touches the pillow, I'm gone."

Nutrition plan
Skolnik realized Gordon had three major bad habits: big nights at the steakhouse, binge snacking, and beer guzzling. She taught him a smarter approach to eating out: Start with soup to curb his appetite and order lean cuts, such as filet mignon. She also helped him implement a snack strategy--stash yogurt in the fridge, trail mix in his briefcase, and instant oatmeal in his desk drawer--so that if he missed a meal, he wouldn't be scavenging for Snickers bars. "Cravings tend to last 20 minutes," says Skolnik. "Knowing that can help you wait it out. Another trick is to drink water, because it can help you feel full." Gordon also replaced the three or four beers he drank every night with two glasses of wine. After 12 weeks, Gordon had trimmed five inches off his waist and halved his triglyceride levels, factors which reduce his risk of developing a metabolic disorder, says Dr. Lamm. At the end of the program, Gordon didn't celebrate with a feast. "I had a glass of cabernet and a seven-ounce filet," says Gordon. "It's all about discipline."

The Pump and Burn continued...

Weight-Loss Secrets
The Fundamentals of Portion Control
Use this portion guide to calibrate your daily intake and find meaning in the USDA's dietary recommendations, which are often given in "servings":

1. One serving of pasta or breakfast cereal: 1 cup (a baseball)
2. One serving of cheese: 1.5 ounces (three dominoes)
3. One serving of vegetables or fruit:  1/2 cup (a lightbulb)
4. One serving of salmon, chicken, or steak: 3 ounces (a deck of cards)
5. One serving of dry oatmeal: 1/2 cup (a tennis ball)

The Pump and Burn
Gurenlian divided each session into three or four exercises followed by 15 or 20 minutes of interval training with a resistance element. The odd-numbered weeks are heavy: Do seven sets of two to five repetitions of a weight that is 85 to 95 percent of your one-repetition max. On even-numbered weeks, flip the sets and reps: Do three sets of eight to 10 repetitions of a weight that is 70 to 80 percent of your one-rep max. In between sets, Gurenlian had Gordon choose from the following core-training menu: 10 crunches, 10 incline crunches, 10 bicycle crunches, 10 hanging leg raises, or a one-minute plank.

Warm-up
Jump rope or run for five minutes at a gentle pace. You should be able to hold a conversation easily.

Day 1: Part 1
Barbell Bench
Active rest: 10 crunches
Barbell Dead-Lift
Active rest: one-minute plank
Pull-up
Depending on your ability, add weights on odd-numbered weeks. Active rest: 10 hanging leg raises

Part 2: 20-Minute Running Interval
Jog for five minutes at a conversational pace, and then increase the incline to steep and do five one-minute intervals at 85 percent of your max heart rate (or as fast a pace as you can sustain for one minute). Do two minutes of active recovery between each one-minute interval. After six weeks, cut the recovery time to one minute.

Day 2: Part 1
Incline Bench
Active rest: 10 bicycle crunches
Barbell Squat
Active rest: 10 incline crunches
Push Press
Active rest: 10 hanging leg raises
Romanian Dead-Lift
Active rest: one-minute plank

Part 2:
20-Minute Cycling Interval
Spin for five minutes at a conversational pace, and then do five one-minute intervals at 85 percent of your max heart rate (or as fast a pace as you can sustain), with two minutes of active recovery between each one-minute interval. After six weeks, cut the recovery time to one minute.

Day 3: Part 1
Dip
Depending on your ability, add weights on odd-numbered weeks. Active rest: 10 incline crunches
Leg Press
Active rest: one-minute plank
Barbell Bent-Over Row
Active rest: 10 hanging leg raises

Part 2:
20-Minute Rowing Interval
Row for five minutes at a conversational pace, and then do five one-minute intervals at 85 percent of your max heart rate (or as fast a pace as you can sustain for one minute). Do two minutes of active recovery between each one-minute interval. After six weeks, cut the recovery time to one minute.

The New School

Bill Stanton: 44, 5'8", security expert

Total cholesterol
Before: 290
After: 200
Body-fat percentage: 24% %26gt;16%
Weight loss in pounds: 25

The Plan
The new-school workout: Full-body functional strength training with high-intensity cardio-sculpt classes
Who it's best for: Guys who are bored with the traditional gym experience and who are not afraid of trying a completely different kind of workout
The goal: Reduce body fat to 15 percent, build full-body strength, and earn a flat belly
Daily Energy Expenditure: 3,300 calories (BMR factoring in exercise)
Daily Calorie Budget: 2,300

The Results

	Before	After
Weight	222 lbs.	197 lbs.
Body fat	24%	16%
Cholesterol
Total	282	205
HDL	41	48
LDL	172	140
Triglycerides	346	84

Training plan
"Bill had overtrained his arms and chest muscles for 20 years, so his posture was out of whack and he was at an enormous risk for injury," says strength and conditioning coach, athletic trainer, and physical therapist Kimberly Caspare. "He was so weak that he couldn't do a single plank. He was on his knees after eight seconds." Caspare sees many 40-year-olds who jump into new regimens and injure their rotator cuffs or herniate a disk, so she created a three-phase workout for Stanton, starting with four weeks of full-body drills to strengthen his stabilizer muscles. "The pace and the movements shocked my system," says Stanton. In Phase 2, Caspare dialed up the weights and intensity to forge new muscle mass. "Phase 1 is the jackhammer, and Phase 2 is the building blocks. In Phase 3, I break out the chisel to etch definition," she says. Through-out, Stanton also went to a cardio-sculpting class run by instructor Stephanie -Levinson, creator of the Extreme Games workout. It consists of nonstop cardio and strength-training drills that incorporate dumbbells, body bars, medicine balls, and steps. "More and more guys are trying it because they see buff women doing it and realize it works for weight loss," she says. Stanton admits it was much harder than he expected. "It's like the Spandex Thunderdome," he says. "The drills are fast, relentless, and vicious." The experience left him humbled. "It's a fast-food society, and we want immediate gratification," he says. "But it doesn't work like that with weight loss: You have to work hard."

Nutrition plan
"I knew my cholesterol was high," says Stanton, "but not 282!" In consultation with Dr. Lamm and Skolnik, -Stanton radically changed his diet and drinking habits. Before the program, Stanton admits he sometimes ate bacon at every meal: draped on waffles, layered on cheeseburgers, and wrapped around shrimp. Plus, he gorged on fast food and guzzled soft drinks. While his wine consumption was a healthy glass or two a day, he was prone to weekend binges. Skolnik recommended that he eat five or six small meals a day, replace rich foods with grilled fish or lean meat and salads, drink water instead of soda, and limit his binge drinking to once a month. After seven weeks, Stanton was on track. He had cut his body-fat percentage by 6 percent, but his schedule had become even more hectic, so he signed up with Nu Kitchen (nu-kitchen.com), a food--delivery service that offers daily, customized, calorie-counted meals and snacks in the same ratio of proteins, carbs, and fat that Skolnik recommends. "It costs $42 a day, but I saved in peace of mind, because the calories were already counted," he says. Nu Kitchen doesn't use saturated fat, highly processed foods, or high-fructose corn syrup. At the end of 12 weeks, Stanton's cholesterol had plummeted almost 80 points. "With changes in exercise and diet, I often see drops of 15 percent, but Bill exceeded that," says Dr. Lamm. "I want to monitor his LDL though, because it's still high." Stanton has also shrunk his waist from 37 to 33 inches. "Now I think of my workout and diet like balancing a checkbook. If I put in more, then I know I have to take out more. There's no way to cheat the math."

The New School continued...

The New-School Regimen
PHASE 1
Weeks 1 to 4, days 1 and 3
Muscle-Balancing Drills
These exercises are low in intensity and high in repetitions. Rest for no more than 30 seconds between sets and exercises.
Warm-up
Do five minutes on the elliptical trainer, bike, or treadmill. Then do these six exercises:

1. High-Knee Walk (20 yards)
2. Walking Backward Lunge With Arms on Head (20 yards)
3. Walking Forward Lunge With Arms on Head (20 yards)
4. Over/Under Hurdle With Lateral Lunge (20 on each leg)
5. Spider-Man Stretch (10 on each leg)
6. Push-up (10 reps)

Plank
Hold the position for 30 seconds per repetition (use your knees if need be) and build up to 60 seconds. Do three reps.
Bosu Squat With Cable Row
Do three sets of 10.
Inverted Row With Heels on a Bosu Ball
Do three sets of 12.
Stability-Ball Dumbbell Chest Press
Do three sets of 12 at 70 percent of your one-rep maximum.
Dead-Lift With Bar
Do three sets of 12 at 70 percent of your one-rep max.
Standing External Cable Rotation
Do three sets of 12 per arm.
Bridge on a Bosu Ball
Do three reps of 30 seconds or until your form is compromised.

DAY 2
High-Intensity Cardio-Sculpting (45 to 60 minutes)
Man up and take a class at your local gym: You're looking for a description that includes the key words strength training and interval workout.

PHASE 2
Weeks 5 to 8, Days 1 and 3
Building Muscle Mass and Explosive Strength
The number of repetitions is reduced, and the amount of weight is increased. Do the exercises as three supersets (i.e., do each exercise back to back with no rest in between). Rest for 90 seconds before repeating each superset two more times.
Warm-Up: See Phase 1.

SUPERSET 1
Plyometric Crocodile Bosu Push-up
Aim for 15 reps per set.
Barbell Bench Press
The first set is 15 reps at 70 percent of your one-rep max. The second set is 10 reps at 80 percent of your one-rep max. The third set is six reps at 90 percent of your one-rep max.
Squat Thrust to Pull-up
Aim for 10 reps per set.

SUPERSET 2
Side Plank With Dumbbell Torso Rotation
Aim for three sets of 10 on each side per set.
Barbell Bent-Over Row
The first set is 15 reps at 70 percent of your one-rep max. The second set is 10 reps at 80 percent of your one-rep max. The third set is six reps at 90 percent of your one-rep max.
Skater's Single-Leg Squat
Aim for eight reps per leg per set.

SUPERSET 3
Single-Leg Dumbbell Dead-Lift
The first set is six reps per leg at 90 percent of your one-rep max. The second set is 10 reps per leg at 80 percent of your one-rep max. The third set is 15 reps per leg at 70 percent of your one-rep max.
Mountain Climber
One 45-second rep.
Hang Clean With Press
Do eight reps per set.

The New School continued...

DAY 2
High-Intensity Cardio Sculpting (45 to 60 minutes) See Phase 1.

PHASE 3
Weeks 9 to 12, Days 1 and 3
Combining Toning, Endurance, and Power Exercises
The exercises are performed as three supersets (back to back with no rest). Rest 90 seconds before repeating each superset three more times.
WARM-UP: See Phase 1.

SUPERSET 1
Cable Chest Fly in Lunge Position
Aim for eight repetitions per leg per set.
Standing Cable Crossover
Aim for 10 reps per set.
Side Plank With Reverse-Fly Pulley
Aim for 12 reps per side per set.

SUPERSET 2
Kayak on a Bosu Ball With a 15-Pound Bar
Aim for 25 seconds per set.