Wednesday, December 12, 2012

The Holiday Season

With Thanksgiving Day over and Christmas approaching, businesses have their fill of customers this time of year. However, business is dead for male stripping this time of year. It may just be my location though since I tend to strip at the beach condos along the Gulf Coast. Most women spend the holidays visiting or vacationing with their families rather than book bachelorette parties. My stripping gigs will start trickling in when spring arrives, which is around March in my neck of the woods.

Other than that, I'm going to quit my full time job (which will remain a secret until I actually quit). I have put in almost 70 hours of work last week. That is not unusual either. On the days that I do have off, I'm catching up on the stuff that I don't have time to do during the week such as work out, laundry, or house cleaning. On top of that, I had to turn down a lot of strip shows because of this hectic schedule. I'm often tired, stressed out, and too drained to write anything after work. Getting up to go to the gym requires all of my willpower, because I just want to sleep and relax on my days off. 

I have many plans. One is starting my own business. Another plan is possibly becoming a booking agent for male strippers. And of course, my other plan is to write more stories with the free time I will have once I stop working so damn much.

Edit: Scratch the business idea out for now.

Saturday, December 1, 2012

Workout Routine

Being a male stripper requires one to stay in relatively good physical shape in the very least, so exercise is very important. Many readers ask me what I do to stay in shape, or if I take supplements or go on specific diets, so I'm here to explain that I simply go to the gym, lift weights, eat healthy, and get adequate rest.

If you want to have a good body, you're going to have to put in some hard work at the gym to get it. No magic pill, diet, or special exercise tool will sculpt the perfect body for you. You're going to have to break a sweat to get there. Your training must remain consistent, meaning you can't just go to the gym for two months and expect a complete transformation. I spent years of consistent training and not giving up. In addition to that, I work out on days that I'm exhausted, moody, or busy. Even when I work over 60 hours a week, I make time for the gym no matter what, even if that means catching a quick 20 minute session of a shoulder workout at home.

My goal is to maintain an aesthetic and symmetrical muscularity while minimizing body fat, therefore I incorporated a bodybuilding routine as my workout. A bodybuilding workout places primary focus on aesthetic appeal rather than strength, speed, building a good core, or endurance. Of course, the latter can develop as a result of a bodybuilding regime, but the main goal is to look good naked in front of an audience.

I tend to switch out my routine to avoid hitting a physical plateau, or just to avoid boredom. I don't always do chest and back on Mondays followed by legs on the next training day. Sometimes I'll train back with legs. Therefore, I'll list several sample routines that I rotate. 

Sample routine 1:

 Workout # 1 (Chest, Shoulders, Triceps):

-Chest Warm Up (Fly's or pushups)
-Incline Bench (barbell or dumbbells)  x 4  repetitions
-Decline Bench (barbell or dumbbells)  x 4  repetitions
-Fly's (machine or dumbbells) x 4 repetitions

-Rear deltoids x 4 repetitions  (I train rear deltoids first because these are often neglected. Here's a link of a rear deltoid workout: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vf2fVCtcbhA)
-Upright rows (barbell or dumbbells)  x 4  repetitions
  or
 Front Raises (dumbbells) x repetitions
-Side raises (dumbbells or cable machine) x 5 repetitions

-Pullovers (machine or dumbell) x 4 repetitions
-Tricep extension x 4 repetitions
  or
-Skullcrushers x 4 repetitions

-Calf Raises x 8 repetitions

 Workout #2 (Legs):

-Squats x 5 repetitions (do leg press if you have a bad back)
-straight leg deadlift or good-mornings x 5 repetitions
-Leg extensions x 3 repetitions
-Leg curls x 3 repetitions
-Abdominal workout x 5 repetitions
-cardio

Workout #3 (Back, Biceps):

-Bent over rows x 6 repetitions
  or
-Cable rows x 6 repetitions
-Pull downs or pull ups x 5 repetitions
-Lower back extensions x 4 repetitions

-barbell curls x 4 repetitions
-dumbbell or cable curls x 3 repetitions
-forearm workout

-Calf Raises x 8 repetitions

After workout #3, take a break from weight lifting for a day or two and repeat the routine. Doing cardio or staying active on rest days is fine.


Sample Routine 2:

Workout #1 (Push Muscle Day):

-Squats x 5 repetitions
-Leg extensions x 3 repetitions
-Incline bench x 3 repetitions 
-decline bench x 3 repetitions
-pullovers x 3 repetitions
-front raises x 3 repetitions
-side raises x 4 repetitions
-rear deltoids exercise x 3 repetitions
-triceps extension x 5 repetitions
-calf raises x 5 repetitions

Workout #2 (Pull Muscle Day):

-straight leg deadlifts or good-mornings x 5 repetitions
-leg curls (machine) x 3 repetitions
-cable rows x 4 repetitions
-pulldowns (machine) or pull ups x 4 repetitions
-lower back extensions x 4 repetitions
-straight bar bicep curl x 4 repetitions
-isolated dumbbell curl x 3 repetitions
-forearms exercise x 3 repetitions
-abdominal exercise x 4 repetitions
-calf raises x 5 repetitions

---------------------------------

My routine is not the ultimate routine or perfect. It's actually very basic and prone to change depending who I'm working out with or how often I'm hitting the gym. I'm simply sharing due to requests. If you're interested in developing a routine, I strongly suggest that you research your own routines, especially ones that better suited to your style and goals. Here are two books that I found to be valuable:

- Sliced by Bill Reynolds and Negrita Jayde (thanks to the Abdominator for letting me borrow it)
- The Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding by Arnold Schwarzenegger