When André Marin, the Ontario Ombudsman, breaks from investigating such government agencies as the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp. or the property tax assessment folks, you can almost always find him at the gym, on the track or on a bike. Although he started exercising at age 26, he considers himself a late-bloomer. Now 45, the former marathoner's fitness dream has come to fruition. He recently took up weight training and running short distances, and bought a Felt race-ready bike to train with his eldest son.
My goal
"To develop lean muscle and do a sub 20-minute 5K - it's at 22 and change - and bring my body fat [to]under 10 per cent - now at 12 per cent. I need to stay as lean as possible for speed. Every pound of fat slows you down 10 seconds per 10K."
My workout
"I exercise five days a week. I do a 1.5K tempo run, five six-minute intervals, long runs are 12K and I try for more relaxed 5Ks in 24 minutes."
He follows a self-prescribed strength-training routine cobbled from the advice of past trainers. "I do a combination of compound exercises for basic mass: three sets of eight reps of dead lifts at 225 pounds, squats, flat bench, and then isolated exercises for various body parts. For example, Tuesday to Friday I rotate in chest and biceps or triceps with upper back and weighted pull-ups with 25 pounds hanging from my knees. I do core work everyday. No two weeks are identical and nothing is planned."
My lifestyle
"I'm at a desk for 10 hours a day," says Mr. Marin, who balances his job and a large family (he has six children - three children from a previous marriage and his fiancée's three). He is a stickler for nutrition with one strict rule: no processed white foods.
"The most important nutrients are liquid fish oil and protein. In the morning I have coffee and half a protein drink with 15 grams of protein one hour before my workout - no fasted cardio - and then follow the workout with a protein bar. Lunch is a whole-wheat, double protein wrap at Freshii. I order either the salmon, tuna, turkey or chicken wrap and stuff it full of broccoli, mushrooms and some aged-balsamic vinegar. Mid-afternoon I have another shake. I keep a tub of protein powder, GNC Ultimate Nutrition Iso Sensation 93, and drink 39 grams with water. Dinner's a little more relaxed, more protein and veggies, never dessert."
My motivation
"[Getting into fitness]was by accident; my way of dealing with stress. The Crown attorney's office was a pressure cooker environment, so I joined other lawyers on their runs."
My anthem
"I prefer listening to the birds and concentrating on form, and that's key because If I get injured it's hard to come back."
The critique
All in all, Mr. Marin follows an excellent, self-designed regimen with a specific, realistic goal, says Brendan Brazier, a former professional Ironman triathlete. He has a few suggestions to help Mr. Marin get there.
Add in alkaline foods
"Eating whey, chicken, salmon, wheat wraps and even broccoli is quite acidic," which feeds inflammation and stalls fat loss, says Mr. Brazier, author of The Thrive Diet and formulator of Vega Naturals.
Mr. Brazier suggests adding in get-up-and-go grains and powerhouse produce. "Lunch could be grains such as amaranth, quinoa, buckwheat, wild rice with a bit of avocado, and he can still have a wrap, but instead of the wheat wrap, he should use collard greens, which are highly alkaline." Within three days, Mr. Marin should notice more energy, he adds.
Run stairs
Mr. Marin needs to work on turnover training if he wants to run faster, Mr. Brazier says. "Running stairs is such a good way to boost muscle strength and therefore efficiency,"
He explains how: "Running every stair teaches him to land on his forefoot to mid-foot, not the heel, which acts like a braking system, as he's landing and bouncing up stairs as quickly as he can. That trains him to develop a shorter stride, but a quicker turnover, which gets his stride moving faster." Mr. Brazier recommends starting with 10 flights of stairs four times in one workout once a week.
Keep fresh, mentally
"When athletes force themselves to do exercises and workouts, the sessions become less effective, and that drive is perceived by the body as stress, so cortisol goes up, and that decreases his ability to sleep deeply, and that increases his chance of retaining fat," Mr. Brazier cautions. He reminds Mr. Marin to approach his training with a fun attitude.
Special to The Globe and Mail