As if you couldn’t tell from the title of this post and the picture to the left, like most human-beings with a Y-chromosome in their DNA I went to go see the new Superman movie this past weekend, Man of Steel.
And by “went to go see,” what I really mean is that I totally picked out my t-shirt the night before and acted like a giddy school girl at a Justin Bieber concert while we waited in line to be seated at the theater.
Saving the theatrics, all I’ll say is that the movie was visually stunning. The director, Zach Snyder, of 300 and Watchmen fame, left no stone unturned in terms of the CGI and look of the film. While I could sit here and have a conniption about a few things, all in all it was an awesomely entertaining movie to watch – which is what you want in a summer “popcorn” movie anyways.
Cutting to the chase is Henry Cavill (AKA: Superman). If anyone reading needs an indication about how yoked he looked in the movie, here is the text message – verbatim – that Lisa sent her best girlfriend after the movie:
Dayuuuuuuum
She followed that with another message to her friend: “Pecs, beware of the pecs.”
At which point I was like,”Pfffffft, whatever. Okay, we get it, he’s hot. And kinda jacked. And I hate him because I’m not him. Lets turn the page shall we????”
Before heading out to go see the movie, I wrote a silly post on my Facebook page:
It’s inevitable. Since this is opening weekend of Man of Steel, I’m almost cringing at thought of the number of articles, blog posts, and threads that are going to detail “The Superman Workout” coming this Monday.
It’s going to be the “300” phenomenon all over again. All you need to do is train for five-seven hours a day, and you too can look like a superhero/diesel Spartan! Seems pretty realistic to me….;o)
But in all seriousness, Henry Cavill did get yolked up for this role (cue man crush now).
I’m not gonna lie, though: as soon as we got home from the movie I immediately busted through our apartment door and banged out like 20 chin-ups. Totally not kidding.
Upping the cheesiness factor even more, I also cued up the Man of Steel theme song – HERE – hoisted Lisa into my arms and flew around the living room as if I was Superman for like twelve seconds.
Nonetheless, my prediction was 100% spot on. Perusing the interwebz this AM I found a handful of articles discussing Cavill’s transformation. I give it a week before there’s a “Superman Workout” class offered at your local fitness club.
But here’s the kicker: most people are never going to look like Superman. Like, ever.
Stealing a quote from my Facebook page from another trainer:
Watched an interview with him last night. Said it took nine months, and his contract with Warner stated he was only allowed to eat food provided by them. I’ve recorded it, to play back to my clients who moan how ‘unfair’ it is that they can’t make the same changes the film stars do. They don’t seem to grasp the concept that getting in shape becomes the person’s full-time job, not just a couple of hours after work, if they feel like it…
For those interested, the interview is below…..
And for those looking for more of a rated R commentary, there was a detailed blog posted recently over on the Chaos of Pain website discussing Cavill’s training and diet for both his roles in Immortals and Man of Steel.
I will encourage people to read the article if for nothing else than the last paragraph:
As usual, the takeaway from a “So and So” seems to be- eat a ton, train a ton, sleep a ton if you want to look superhuman. Doing what everyone else is doing isn’t going to cut it. 45 minutes of half-assed training a day four times a week isn’t going to cut it. “Cutting out carbs a little” isn’t going to cut it. If you want extreme results, you have to apply extreme effort- quit whining about who’s taking what, who’s got the best genetics, and why you don’t have the time or energy to get what you want. If a dude who’s nickname growing up was “Fat Cavill” could do it, so can you.
All of this isn’t to poo-poo on people who watch the movie and are all of a sudden motivated to train their ass off. Hell, I’m not impervious to the same thought process. Did you not read the part above where deadlifted a tank after leaving the theater?
But a lot of what needs to happen after movies like this are released is what I like to call expectation management.
There are going to be a lot of dudes out there this week who are going to hit the gym with reckless abandon, training with some intent and purpose for the first time in a looooong time. Likewise I’m sure a fair number will hit up their local GNC and buy a year’s supply of protein powder and creatine.
This isn’t a bad thing. Anything that gets people motivated to train (hard) and to recognize that just because they were in the gym for 45 minutes doesn’t give them a “free pass” to visit Dunkin Donuts is a step in the right direction.
BUT, and this a huge but……..
You have to understand that this isn’t something you do for two weeks. Either you’re all in or you’re not. You can’t crush a six-pack because the season finale of How I Met Your Mother is on tonight. Moreover, you can’t “skip a day” because you have a headache.
You’re most likely going to hate life, and you’ll probably want to drop kick anyone who dares eat a carb in front of you.
But THAT’S what it takes. It isn’t just a matter of showing up and going through the motions like everyone else. I mean, everyone does that! You have to sacrifice a few things. Yes, even pizza night. You have to be willing to be uncomfortable.
You have to shit or get off the pot.
Like I said: I’m all for people getting motivated to train. But at the same time, we also need to be realistic. Just my two-cents this morning.
Now excuse me while I go grab my red cape…..;o)
