The Moment EVERY Father Dreads…
AJ at 8yrs old (circa 2006) - Baggy shorts & basketball kicks...stay that way forever and stop growing up!
*****Listen, if any of you have had any experience with this, I’d appreciate it if you left a comment and let me know. I’m freakin’ out here!!! -CL*****
Well, it happened again.
With Rozanne and the kids home, there’s been a lot to do around this city to keep the kids stimulated and occupied.
Last week was no exception and much to my dismay, an event that I had written about a few months ago happened again…
…some 13-year-old punk asked my (just turned) 11-year-old daughter for her phone number!!!
So what’s the deal? Is this going to be a common occurrence? A sign of things to come?
I guess, given the fact that I’ve got 4 daughters, it’s bound to happen sometime in my lifetime.
So, I’m taking matters into my own hands. I’ve dropped some fat since I last weighed myself (I’m 172lbs w/10% BF now), but still don’t think I’ve got that intimidating look to me. So, I’ve enlisted the advice of the Baddest Man in Strength & Conditioning, my buddy, Jason Ferruggia from New Jersey.
In a panic, I dropped Jay an email with a bunch of questions and here’s what he had to say…
Jason Ferruggia
CL: Jay, I’m a big advocate of home workouts and even though you mainly deal with young, skinny guys looking to get HUGE, there’s a big population of guys like me (busy dads) who feel the need to put some good weight on before our young daughters hit the teenage years and we need to intimidate the heck out of their potential boyfriends.
Is there still hope for us to put some size on, even if we have to train at home?
Can you give me some of your essential moves/exercises and/or equipment pieces to use at home for our workouts?
JF: There’s always hope, Chris. I’ve had plenty of busy guys in their late 30’s, 40’s and 50’s make phenomenal progress.
You don’t need a fancy gym to get a great workout.
The best muscle building exercises require only free weights and a rack. Squats, deadlifts, rack deads, military presses, clean and presses, barbell and dumbbell bench presses, barbell and dumbbell rows, chin ups, pushups and dips are by far and away the best exercises you can do to pack on serious mass and get brutally strong.
I were going to equip a home gym with the bare essentials I would get a good power rack with a chin up bar, first and foremost. Of course, you will need an Olympic bar and weight set to go with that. If you wanted to keep it really cheap I would stop there. I usually prefer dumbbells over barbells for upper body movements but there is nothing that can replace squats and deadlifts; and you need a bar for those.
The next thing I would get would be some TRX straps or blast straps to do pushups, inverted rows, assisted pistol squats, abs and tons of other exercises with. Then with some dumbbells and an adjustable bench you’d be all set.
CL: I noticed that you’ve got a new program called Renegade Cardio. Dude, you know “Cardio”‘s not a very masculine word, can you dispel that myth and tell us about your NEW System?
JF: The reason I called it Renegade Cardio instead of Renegade Conditioning or Renegade Energy Systems
No elliptical trainers needed.
Training is because cardio is a more universally recognized word. That’s the only reason. But what we do to get in shape and burn body fat at Renegade Gym is anything but traditional cardio.
We don’t have any cardio machines and have never had one since I first opened back in 1994.
We use sleds, prowlers, ropes, sledgehammers, jump ropes and bodyweight circuits to get a far better and more effective workout than any cardio machine could ever provide.
Most forms of traditional cardio training will cause muscle loss and decrease power output.
This is a horrible scenario for guys looking to get jacked. The high intensity methods I prescribe will help you hold on to your size and strength and in many cases, even help you gain even faster. I’ve seen many guys experience a significant increase on their squat poundages just by adding in one properly designed sprint workout per week.
Short duration, high intensity “cardio” workouts can also give you a nice boost in your testosterone output as well.
CL: OK, sounds good. I figured it was something more than an elliptical session. So you’ve also upgraded the original Muscle Gaining Secrets Program and added an ADVANCED version.
How does your advanced system differ from the original MGS? Who is it meant for?
JF: With the advanced system I introduce more variety and begin implementing precisely timed, scientifically designed accumulation and adaptation phases. This stuff is all based on Eastern Bloc research and refined through many years of in the trenches testing at my gym on countless guinea pigs.
The Advanced system is definitely intended to be used for more advanced guys who are stuck at a plateau or who have at the very least, completed the main workouts. Using it before you need it would probably be counterproductive. It definitely tests you and pushes you to the limit in the gym for a short period. In fact, there is a week or two in each eight week phase where you will probably hate me and wish horrible things upon me. But the gains you make in the following four weeks will make it all worth it. I promise you that.
CL: Haha, I love all that Eastern Bloc training methodology (as you’ll soon see – hint, hint). OK, since you
A must have for your album collection.
and I share an affinity for good hip-hop music,what’re you listening to on your iPod these days? Any good, new hip hop stuff that I should be aware of?
JF: As you know, Chris, music is my second biggest obsession in life, next to training, and I will often listen to a very wide variety of stuff from Jack Johnson to A Tribe Called Quest to Slayer during the course of a single day. As far as new hip hop goes there hasn’t been a ton of good stuff recently but I have been repeatedly listening to Too Many Rappers by the Beastie Boys with Nas. The newest Eminem was disappointing but Underground was a great track for the gym. And I’ve been on a real DMX, Jedi Mind Tricks, and Army of the Pharaohs kick lately while training.
CL: I know, I’m not big on the new stuff these days either. Thanks for the help, though!
Add 2" to your arms in 8 weeks!
To get Jay’s New and Improved MUSCLE GAINING SECRETS PROGRAM and receive 3 exclusive bonuses – Renegade Cardio, The ADVANCED Mass Building Program and Armed & Dangerous – Click HERE…
www.tinyurl.com/JACKEDandBusyDad
Chris Lopez
The FitAndBusyDad
Nice interview. I have a baby daughter myself, so i suppose I have all this to look forward to! If you have Jason on your side you can’t go wrong though
So true, Aidan.
Just wait, you’ll see.
the good thing is that you can get started on putting some muscle on now!
Jay’s the man when it comes to that stuff.
Although my daughter is only 6 i hope I have some time before I have to face this.
Interesting interview – thanks.
Jeremy
I think you’ve got at least 4 years before you have to deal with this, Jeremy.
Jay’s views are definitely “uncommon”. But given his track record and the results he gets with his clients, I’ll trust his advice.
I have two daughters 12 & 10 (the 12 yr old looks 14), i no longer live with their dad so tend to get to deal with situations like this…. Unfortunately my daughter likes boys and i dread the day she’s big enough to go further afield. I do intend however to make sure any boys come calling know all about her big brother who is six foot plus and 10 yrs older… It’s a scary time man…….
Yeah, Julie.
It must be nice to have a Big Brother around to “take out the garbage”.
I’ve got a whole “poker party” planned for when my daughter goes out on her first date…my entire basketball team is coming over.
Chris
I think you shouldn’t be too freaked out when this happens. Before you over-react, just think about your teenage days… Do you ask other girl’s number when you are still a little punk?
Just 2 cents of thoughts here…
Thanks, johnsoncn005. I assume you have a son or are a young 13 year old?
True though, I DO remember what it was like when I was 13….
THAT’S WHY I’M FREAKING OUT!!!!!
Chris
Hmmmmm. As a young woman I cringed a bit when reading this. Your daughters will eventually develop their sexuality further. That’s the natural course of them becoming adults. (Before you flip out substitute “daughters” for “sons” in the same sentence and see if you have the same “Ack no!” reaction.)
You and her mom are responsible for the basics as well as the tougher more complicated stuff. I cannot emphasize enough how important fathers are in this; it’s not all “mom’s job”.
Getting personal: One of the things I’ve looked back on and realized the importance of later was a chat my dad had with me when I was a teen. He said that he thought masturbation was a good thing and kept kids out of trouble.
You may think “Oh my gosh I could never do that!” Or “why would I want to!?”
Think about the messages our culture gives girls and women about sexuality. They’re complicated. Again you almost would never cringe or think you “had to” have that talk with a teen boy. That’s because you make certain assumptions about his activities and desires. News flash: girls have the same raging hormone levels, they just get mixed messages on how to deal with it.
So instead of scaring off boys with your physique you should focus on shaping your daughters understanding of the challenging but wonderful years ahead. Give them a good education in life, now that will be tough (ranging from “what’s puberty?” to possibly later “how will I know I’m ready?”) but it’ll also be something very valuable to her.
And plus wouldn’t you rather have her know your views on these matters, rather than get her information from sources that don’t have her best interest at heart?