Author: Andy

Hi guys.  I thought I'd get back to everyone through the blog, since I've gotten quite a few messages lately asking about my current training and nutrition plan.  As ever, it is nothing fancy or scientific, it is simply what I know to be effective for me.  Goal these days is pretty basic: to be as lean and fit as possible since I have a lot of things on the horizon which require me to look a certain way.  

Performance-wise: my goal is always the same, to be in the best shape of my life at any moment.  To prepare for the unknown.  More realistically, I want to be faster than the strong guys and stronger than the fast guys...  

By the way, my buddy Chuck and I are glad the TCA is over for a while.  Of course, so is the celebration- we sat on the back patio of the house on Mission Beach and laughed and talked to everyone and looked like idiots for a couple days: 

And now, back to the pursuit...

Training Plan for next 6-8 weeks (remember these are broken down into multiple workouts each day):

Monday: stretch, core, legs, shoulders, running

Tuesday: stretch, core, bis, tris, calves, running

Wednesday: stretch, core, running, biking, chest, back

Thursday: stretch, core, running, biking, elliptical

Friday: stretch, core, legs, shoulders, biking, elliptical

Saturday: stretch, core, running, bodyweight: bis tris chest back

Sunday: stretch, running

Note: on the lifting side of things, I'm hitting the whole body twice a week.  Legs are the only part I'm trying to push heavy twice (chicken legs!), the rest I go once a week heavy with weights, the next light/bodyweight/TRX kind of training... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YbkU1oA4s4Y 

Nutrition Plan :

• Wake-up, drink glass of water
• Breakfast: 2 eggs and small bowl of plain oatmeal
• GNC AMP Ripped Vitapak (I take about half with breakfast, half later)
• Handful of raw almonds
• GNC Beyond Raw Ravage Pre-Workout Supplement before A.M. workout(s)
• GNC Beyond Raw Re-Built Mass Post-Workout 2/3 serving (Seriously, I look forward to this like a fat kid dreams about cake. Delicious)
• On the way to work (I work mostly in the evening) GNC Beyond Raw Re-Power
• Lunch/Dinner: Spinach salad with a drizzle of olive oil, carrots, celery, cranberries, almonds. Turkey Sausage made on grill at beginning of week (example)
• Afternoon snack (sometimes during riding the mountain bike at work): GNC AMP Wheybolic Extreme Protein shake
• Pre- P.M. Workout: GNC Beyond Raw Ravage .5 serving
• Post-Workout: GNC Beyond Raw Re-Built Mass 2/3 serving (training 2 or 3 times a day lately, with a strict intake, the Re-Built Mass has been crucial in helping keep weight on!)
• Evening Snack: Celery with Natural Peanut Butter
• Before Bed: trying not to intake peanuts or popcorn before bed anymore- I think the sodium is working against me...  So, I'll do another shake- usually Amp 60 protein again

Remember, I still have a couple "treats" throughout the week.  These days I'm pretty strict, so it's usually not sugary stuff, but a couple glasses of red wine are a nice reward and help me let my hair down.  I still love beer, but I try to avoid it as much as possible.  Of course, sometimes you just have to:  

Again, if you're reading this and thinking to yourself, "this guy's an idiot," "this guy's a psycho," or "this guy's such an asshole," well, you might be right...  But, I've been at this for over 20 years, every day, and I feel like I have zeroed in on the training and intake that makes me feel and look the way I need to.  I am constantly trying to get batter.  I am very fortunate to have come across the GNC Beyond Raw and Sports Performance products, without their help I may weight 120 lbs right now!  

If this is extreme to you, please don't try to take it all on at once- actually, shoot me a message and I'll try to help.  Making a couple small changes at a time is always best- those changes become habits, and habits become our lifestyle...

 Nope, I didn't get any of those nachos at the circus.  Or the ice cream sandwich.  Treat day for mes enfants...

Hi Guys!  Just got back from San Diego, where I somehow managed to win the Gold Medal in the Toughest Competitor Alive event at the U.S. Police and Fire Games.  That was Sunday, I'm still pretty sore in certain spots...  Ok, real sore, and real old.  But I jogged on the beach the last couple days for recovery (nice way of saying slower than the old guys with metal detectors!), and that helped a bit.  We had fun- my best buddy Chuck competed in the 200 lbs and over group, and he won the gold as well.  There were some pretty fit dudes there from all over the country, so it was cool to rep PHX a little.  We brought the families and stayed on the beach.  Couple old dorky guys with their great-looking wives and 6 kids running around, was a blast actually.

TCA is one long day, training for it is rough because of the variety of events.  In this order:

• Cross-Country 5k: not far for normal guys, but far for us sucky runners.  This was a tough course in the hills near Mt. Carmel High School in SD.  I finished 20:22
• Shot Put: 2 attempts.  We touch the shotput once a year, at this event...  I mean who really wants to shot put? 9.9 meters (32.5feet. Embarassing, really)
• 100M Sprint: Although I can't sprint without pulling a hamstring lately.  Especially not after running a hilly 5K.  So I jogged this at about 70% to avoid injury (old man's disease)
• 100M Swim: 25 meter pool, three flip-turns.  My goal is not drown: 1:19
• Arms-only Rope Climb: another event that went unpracticed.  But I'm not sure it would have helped anyway. 7.3 seconds
• Bench Press: 2 attempts. 3 judges who make sure you don't move your body. 3 commands: Start, Press (after pausing on chest), Rack. 303 lbs
• Pull-Ups: dead hang, loud timer beeps every 3 seconds for you to pull chin above bar, no sing or kip or it doesn't count. Miserable invention. 35 reps
• Obstacle Course: just long enough that you leave the anaerobic phase and enter the throw-up phase. 1:24

So that's it.  I'm much slower than I used to be, and not as strong either, but I've managed to find the groove in training and nutrition these days that allowed me to feel pretty good all day and avoid injury.  Because of the nature of the beast- these are all firefighters and cops, remember- there are always injuries at this event.  It's just so hard on the body, and so hard to prepare for.

I posted my training plan in my last blog, but a lot of the fellas at this event asked about nutrition, so I thought it might be helpful to post just the basics of my intake these days.  Remember- you guys know my stance on advice: I'm the world's foremost expert on nothing!  Everything I know and recommend has been learned from trying it myself and feeling what works.  So, here is an example of a work day's intake, what has been working for ME.  This is spread out throughout the day, obviously:

• Wake-up, drink glass of water
• Breakfast: 2 eggs and small bowl of plain oatmeal
• GNC AMP Ripped Vitapak (I take about half with breakfast, half later)
• Handful of raw almonds
• GNC Beyond Raw Ravage Pre-Workout Supplement before A.M. workout(s)
• GNC Beyond Raw Re-Built Mass Post-Workout 2/3 serving (Seriously, I look forward to this like a fat kid dreams about cake. Delicious)
• On the way to work (I work mostly in the evening) GNC Beyond Raw Re-Power
• Lunch/Dinner: Spinach salad with a drizzle of olive oil, carrots, celery, cranberries, almonds. Turkey meatballs (made at home by Juice!)
• Afternoon snack (sometimes during riding the mountain bike at work): GNC AMP Wheybolic Extreme Protein shake
• Pre- P.M. Workout: GNC Beyond Raw Ravage .5 serving
• Post-Workout: GNC Beyond Raw Re-Built Mass 2/3 serving (training 2 or 3 times a day lately, the Re-Built Mass has been crucial in helping keep weight on!)
• Evening Snack: Celery with Natural Peanut Butter
• Before Bed: sometimes popcorn cooked on stove with olive oil, sometimes just another GNC AMP Wheybolic shake

Obviously, I have become a believer in the GNC Sports- Beyond Raw products.  The Re-Built Mass is the best post-workout shake I have ever tried in over 20 years of trying everything.  And I also swear by the Ravage pre-workout supp, to give me a boost and flip a switch before training.  

I know, I know, I know. A lot of folks are anti-caffeine, anti-supplements, anti-heavy weights, anti-running every day, anti-training outside, anti- Andy.  To those folks, I say please, do what you want to do.  That's great.  This is me, this is just what I do.  

Ok, I have 12 other things to do (none of them cool).  More videos coming soon.  As always, holler at me.  Twitter @andymcd23, FB AndyMcDermottFitness

Guys, I'm sorry it has been so long in between posts!  I promise, it's not that I am cool or anything.  Just ridiculous busy.  Several jobs, several kids, several workouts...  Hahah!  So, this is just a quick update on several fronts, with a LOT of stuff to come this summer!

FAMILY: Life is great.  Sometimes we actually get to slow down and talk to one another!  We're expecting baby 4 (and last! ha!) in a few months.  Grateful, joyful, excited, scared...  

ACTING: Did a very goofy Hyundai commercial. Then did a very goofy country music video for a young up-and-coming female singer who just might make it big- was fun being a cowboy for a day.  This week I'm filming another music video for a slightly better known artist.  I'm the male lead opposite her- the director is fantastic, her music sounds good.  Too bad they hired me, hope I don't blow it!  For some reason, I have been getting a lot of calls lately, lots of interest, some momentum...  Still the dream job.

FITNESS:  I have partnered with GNC recently to create a summer video series of workouts you can do anywhere.  I'll also be using a lot of their products and try to let you know what I love and what I don't.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rdMBjcdLTdA

I'm still working with Men's Fitness to try to bring original videos for them on an (almost) weekly basis: http://www.mensfitness.com/training/pro-tips/30-min-explosive-metabolic-circuit-video

I've been asked to serve as an "expert" (I know...ha!) for a new site called www.weighttraining.com I'll be doing short videos for them as well, quick tips- basically, if a moron like me can do it, anyone can!

A couple brands that I'm very excited to be a part of, www.inov-8.com THE best training shoes I've tried, and a new clothing company, HYLETE- which promises to have the best training gear on the planet.

There are a couple other projects going on as well, more on those later!

Finally, I've been talked into competing again at the Police and Fire Games in the Toughest Competitor Alive event.  My best buddy Chuck and I are taking a laid-back approach this time since we got a late start.  But it's an excuse to spend a couple of days in San Diego, right?  So, here is the skeleton of my training plan, and what my basic intake looks like these days:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kqDHYNutFcM

Lastly, I did a photo shoot recently with an incredible photographer named Eric Cassee, www.ericcassee.com  I posted a handful of shots on my Facebook page.

As always, please connect with me anytime- if I can ever do anything for you, I will always TRY to help!  

Updates, tips, photos, videos on twitter @andymcd23 youtube @andymcd23 and Facebook AndyMcDermottFitness

Short-Term goals are so powerful.  Setting something in your mind and your will, committing to it, is challenging and rewarding no matter the time frame.  But, the longer out you set this period, the more likely we are to falter.  

I try to tell folks to plan something, put an event on the calendar that they can look forward to, train hard for, make sacrifices for.  Plan a date night, a getaway, a photo shoot, a reward-- something special!  You want to look your best, feel your best, do your best on that date.  Set it for no more than a month away.  I find, if I am trying to be very disciplined/spartan-like with my intake while continuing to train like a madman, I can do this for 2-3 weeks.  Sometimes that's stretching it.  Always, that's difficult.  But, it can be done, when I have something that I'm trying to prepare for.

I have a couple of events coming up, and I want to see how good I can be for them.  So, I've given up a couple of my indulgences.  I even put this silly piece of paper on my fridge, so that I can cross off the date every night before I go to bed.  It's a reminder, some accountability,  and a small accomplishment.  An "atta-boy" that  I made it through the day in the way that I was hoping, and I crushed it.  Try it.  Or do whatever works for you.  

Have a partner in your goal, share it with someone.  Misery loves company!  Or, maybe accountability through social media- I don't know what will help keep you on track, but whatever silly tools you need to help out, try it!

Long term goals are great.  I'm not saying don't set any.  But, shorter timeframes are more attainable to me, more realistic, and more fun...

As always, find Tips Of the Day on twitter @andymcd23, Facebook.com/AndyMcDermottFitness, or youtube andymcd23