True Blood returns for its third season tonight on HBO. The return of True Blood also means that one of our favorite fit celebrities is back on TV: Ryan Kwanten (who plays Jason Stackhouse), whom we’ve already listed as one of the fittest celebrities you don’t know.
I’m somewhat of a masochist at heart. I like to sweat. I come from a very competitive sporting background—my dad was a world-champion surfer—so it’s always been a part of my DNA.
Despite having one of the best bodies in the business,
Ryan Kwanten did not get his physique in the gym. Indeed, he started
boxing as a teenager (and became state championship in the welterweight division for the 13-15 age group).
Since then he’s done just about every physical activity to keep himself in shape. Soft-sand running, hiking, surfing, triathlons, biking, swimming (in the Pacific Ocean) are just some of the ways he achieves “muscle confusion.” He adds, “The moment you have monotony, your muscles can fall asleep. Variety makes you much more balanced.” Oh, and he’s even a two-time biathlon winner in Los Angeles (2006, 2007).
Because Ryan has such a dynamic and evolving method for staying fit, he has no need for a specific workout. Instead, you can evolve your workout and diet routine to be like that of Ryan Kwanten on True Blood by following these tips.
[Continue Reading Ryan Kwanten's Workout and Diet Tips
Sean Faris, star of the CW’s hottest show, The Vampire Diaries, is the latest actor to grace the cover of Men’s Health. Here are some of our favorite tips from Faris’s one-on-one feature with the mag:
Be Prepared
“You don’t have to kill yourself, but when you walk into that weight room, you have to be ready to work,” says Faris.
Have Patience
“Give your body some time to adjust. If you’re just starting (or restarting), take on reasonable goals. That way you won’t overwork your body, and you’ll be inspired by early successes,” says the 27-year old actor. Definitely be aware of burn out when starting any type of fitness regimen. Proper rest and nutrition are equally important to how hard you train. Goal setting, and tracking, are also good ways to keep you on track.
Switch It Up
“When you’ve reached your goals, reset them and make them harder,” Faris says. Successful fitness plans are always evolving. Stick with what works until you plateau, then change up your routine and challenge your body in a new way.
Do a Big Set
While Faris normally sticks to traditional rep ranges, he will often perform a monster set where he will do 50-60 reps of an exercise. He aims to do as many reps as he can with perfect form until he tires out, rests for a few seconds, then repeats until he reaches his rep goal. This is also a good way to shock your body with something different and help avoid plateaus.
Play anything
Don’t be afraid to step outside the gym and try new things to challenge your body. When he visits his family’s farm in Texas, he pitches in with hours of manual labor. “It’s an incredible workout, especially in the summer when it’s, like, 100-plus degrees and humid,” he says. Try out new sports or activities occasionally to make you a more versatile athlete.
Actor and comedian Steve Harvey appeared on Good Morning America Wednesday morning to tell us about his unique fitness plan for the new year.
“This is what I’ve got to do. I’ve got to really encourage people about their fitness,” said Harvey. We always make these resolutions at the beginning of the year. And so I was trying to encourage my listeners to get fit so I said ‘well first you’ve got to lead by example.’”
In an effort to lose 25 pounds Harvey plans to ride a stationary bike during his 4 hour radio show every day for the next 3 months.
This is not Harvey’s first foray into the fitness world.
Just after turning 50 he teamed up with former Mr. Olympia Lee Haney to launch is “50 and Fly” campaign. Steve told Men’s Fitness about his plans for a DVD, book and website detailing his transformation using Haney’s diet and workout plan, and “encouraging men ages 40 and older to tone up, slim down, eat right, and, most importantly, stop using age as an excuse to let themselves go.”
Haney put Harvey through a circuit training program using functional movements (exercises that simulate real-life movement) and followed 2 main directives:
1. “Eat for what you’re about to do, not what you’ve done.” (Translation: if you’re about to work out, eat carbs; if you’re about to go to sit on your butt, eat a small meat-and-vegetables-only meal.)
2. “Stimulate, Don’t Annihilate.” (Translation: You don’t have to tear up your muscles to see results.)
We like Haney’s program much better than Steve’s current bike riding binge. Studies have shown that circuit training or high intensity interval training (HIIT) is a quicker way to burn fat and increase health then steady-state cardio.
However, we certainly won’t discourage anyone from being active and we fully support Harvey in his efforts to get people motivated to be fit.
