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THE VERY NEWEST TRAINER

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Last Word Ray Liotta

How has being in your 60s affected the way you exercise?

I work out more. I work out five days a week. I’m 61 now so I really need to unwind the damage I’ve done over the years. You need months to do that. I have a trainer and we do a lot of massage and stretching. I don’t lift a lot because of an old injury – instead we do circuits geared towards getting lean, always with jumping rope. We’ll always start with three minutes of jumping rope, which is a motherfucker.

When did you notice you had to change how you trained?

Right around 60. It’s unbelievable what happens to you when you hit a certain age. Even if you’ve been consistent in training, issues will suddenly come up. I’ve had to stop running so much. If I do run it’s hard for me to stop because I really love doing it. I love the runner’s high.

You’ve gone from criminal to cop in your new TV series Shades Of Blue. How did you prepare physically?

Doing the series can be such a grind. Anywhere from 12- to 15-hour days. But you just do what you have to do. Acting is one thing that helps you forget it. But press tours wipe me out. I had to go to the pharmacy when we landed and I felt like I was walking in molasses, my legs were moving so slow. I came [to the Corinthia Hotel in London] and just passed out.

Ever since 1986’s Something Wild you’ve been known for playing intense characters. How do you prepare for that?

I work out before scenes. Then I did push-ups all day. Now, I keep weights in my trailer and use the coffee table as a bench. But truthfully, I just want to be able to move without being hunched or limping. Your priorities change as you get older. I tell my trainer, “Take it easy, I just want to look good in jeans. I’m not competing for the Olympics here”.

When were you at your fittest?

Probably high school or college. I ran all the time. I was never one of those cut guys – I would have a six-pack only because I was always skinny. Really, what it comes down to is diet. You can exercise all you want but it’s your diet that really [makes the] change.

Have you always tried to look after yourself?

I love working out. I’ve been doing it since seventh grade [around age 12]. I used to be addicted to running and I think that did a lot of damage. I played a lot of sport, basketball and soccer. I prided myself on always being first when doing laps. I was just able to run. I had good lungs, I guess.

Do you bring that fight to the set opposite Jennifer Lopez in Shades Of Blue?

I’ve taken that competitiveness into my acting. I look at it as a competitive thing, like a one-on-one basketball game. It’s probably not the best thing to do [laughs].

Did you challenge co-stars Robert de Niro and Joe Pesci to bench press competitions when shooting GoodFellas ?

Well Bob was always up too early for me. He was getting ready for Cape Fear and he was all ripped up in it so he was doing extra training. I don’t think Joe did though… That’s what I’ll do too. I’ll get up an hour or two early to work out before being on set. But as soon as I get home at 7pm I’ll order room service and then boom, I’m gone, so I can get up at 5am.

Did you not join De Niro in the gym?

Well I remember throwing my back out during GoodFellas. In the scene where I lifted a girl and threw her, my back went. My mom also had cancer while we were filming so [the stress of] that made my back even worse. If you look at certain scenes I’m all hunched over.

What happened to the girl?

You know, I’m sad to say, I think she passed away. Years later somebody told me, “Remember so-and-so? She passed away”.

Oh… I was hoping you’d say she just got a couple of bruises.

Well in the scene, nothing happened. She just landed where she was supposed to land and that was it…

And years later she died…

And years later she died [laughs]. Wait, why are you laughing about that? He’s horrible, this guy. He’s nasty. He’s mean. Don’t laugh. Don’t write that we laughed that she died. I’ll track you down, motherfucker. I can still run.

Shades Of Blueis on Sky Living, Wednesdays at 9pm

Models Greg Cornthwaite, Daniel Ventura

Do you follow a traditional body-part workout split, training each muscle group around once a week? It’s a legitimate tactic, and with the right training programme you’ll add muscle size at a decent rate. But if a decent rate is too slow because you want to make big muscle gains as quickly as possible, this month’s main Men’s Fitness workout is for you. When you do this four-times-a-week training plan, you’ll work your chest and back twice each week, while working your biceps, triceps and shoulders directly and indirectly twice a week too. This additional workout volume can help you transform your torso by adding lean muscle mass where you want it to create a V-shaped torso that screams health, strength and fitness.

HERE’S HOW THE PLAN WORKS

This month’s four-week workout is made up of four sessions a week. Workout one targets your chest and back; workout two, your legs and shoulders; workout three, your chest and triceps; and workout four, your back and biceps. This approach means that all your major upper body muscles get trained directly or indirectly twice a week, and it’s this increased gym time and increased training volume that will prompt these muscles into growing bigger quickly.

Each workout is made up of six moves, split into three parts. The first is a superset comprising two big compound lifts, and you’ll do five sets. The second superset is done for four sets and the number of reps increases. The third set is a single exercise but the reps are even higher. This approach will work your more of your muscle fibres to a greater stage of fatigue by taxing them with a mix of heavy-weight, low-rep sets, moderate-weight, moderate-rep sets and light-weight, high-rep sets. Simply do the workouts in order, sticking to the sets, reps, tempo and rest periods detailed, and transform your torso with more muscle mass across the board.

TEMPO TRAINING

To get the full effect from these workouts, you need to stick to the four-digit tempo code for each exercise. The first digit indicates how long in seconds you take to lower the weight, the second how long you pause at the bottom of the move, the third how long you take to lift the weight, and the final digit how long you pause at the top. The accumulated time under tension increases your heart rate to burn body fat and break down muscle tissue so it’s rebuilt bigger and stronger. Keep each rep smooth and controlled so your muscles – not momentum – do the work, and move through a full range of motion.

YOUR FOUR-WEEK MUSCLE PLAN

Here’s how each week is structured

WORKOUT 1 CHEST AND BACK

WORKOUT 2 LEGS AND SHOULDERS

WORKOUT 3 CHEST AND TRICEPS

WORKOUT 4 BACK AND BICEPS

WORKOUT 1 CHEST AND BACK

1A BENCH PRESS

Sets 5 Reps 8

Tempo 2110

Rest 30sec

Lie on a flat bench, holding a barbell with an overhand grip with your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. Brace your core and press your feet into the ground, then lower the bar towards your chest. Press it back up to the start.

1B BENT OVER ROW

Sets 5 Reps 8

Tempo 2011 Rest 60sec

Hold a barbell using a shoulder-width overhand grip just outside of your legs. Bend your knees slightly, then bend forwards, hingeing from the hips and keeping your shoulder blades back. Pull the bar up towards your sternum, leading with your elbows, then lower it back to the start.

2A CHIN UP

Sets 4 Reps 6

Tempo 2011

Rest 30sec

Hold a chin-up bar using a shoulder-width underhand grip. Brace your core, then pull yourself up until your chin is higher than the bar, keeping your elbows tucked in to your body. Lower until your arms are straight again.

2B INCLINE FLYE

Sets 4 Reps 12

Tempo 2010 Rest 60sec

Lie on an incline bench holding a dumbbell in each hand above your face, with your palms facing and a slight bend in your elbows. Lower them to the sides, then bring them back to the top.

3 DIAMOND PRESS UP

Sets 3 Reps 15

Tempo 2110 Rest 60sec

Start in a press-up position but with your thumbs and index fingers touching to form a diamond. Keeping your hips up and core braced, bend your elbows to lower your chest towards the floor. Push down through your hands to return to the start.

WORKOUT 2 LEGS AND SHOULDERS

1A BACK SQUAT

Sets 5 Reps 8

Tempo 2010 Rest 30sec

Stand tall with feet just wider than shoulder-width apart, holding a barbell across the back of your shoulders. Keeping your chest up and core braced, squat down until your thighs are at least parallel to the floor. Drive back up through your heels to return to the start.

1B OVERHEAD PRESS

Sets 5 Reps 8

Tempo 2010 Rest 60sec

Stand tall with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding a barbell across the top of your chest with hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. Keeping your chest up and core braced, press the bar overhead until your arms are straight, then lower it back to the start.

2A BARBELL SPLIT SQUAT

Sets 4

Reps 6 each side

Tempo 2010

Rest 30sec

Stand tall with feet just wider than shoulder-width apart, holding a bar across the back of your shoulders. Keeping your chest up, take a big step forwards with your right foot, then bend both knees to 90°. Drive back through your right foot to return to the start. Repeat for six reps, then switch legs and do another six reps with your left foot.

2B BARBELL HIGH PULL

Sets 4 Reps 12

Tempo 1010 Rest 60sec

Stand tall with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding a barbell with an overhand grip and straight arms. Keeping your chest up and core braced, pull the bar upwards, leading with your elbows, until it reaches chin height. Then lower it back to the start.

3 LATERAL RAISE

Sets 3 Reps 15

Tempo 2011 Rest 60sec

Stand tall, holding a light dumbbell in each hand by your sides, palms facing each other. Keeping your chest up, core braced and a slight bend in your elbows, raise the weights out to shoulder height. Turn your thumbs down at the top, then lower them back to the start.

WORKOUT 3 CHEST AND TRICEPS

1A BENCH PRESS

Sets 5 Reps 8

Tempo 2110

Rest 30sec

Lie on a flat bench, holding a bar with an overhand grip with your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. Brace your core and press your feet into the ground, then lower the bar towards your chest. Press it back up to the start.

1B SEATED DUMBBELL SHOULDER PRESS

Sets 3 Reps 12

Tempo 2010

Rest 60sec

Sit on an upright bench holding a dumbbell in each hand at shoulder height, palms facing forwards. Keeping your chest up, press the weights directly overhead until your arms are straight, then lower them back to the start.

2A HAMMER GRIP DUMBBELL PRESS

Sets 4 Reps 12

Tempo 2010

Rest 30sec

Lie on a flat bench, holding dumbbells by your shoulders with palms facing. Drive your feet into the floor and press the weights straight up, then lower them slowly back to the start.

2B DUMBBELL TRICEPS EXTENSION

Sets 4 Reps 12

Tempo 1010 Rest 60sec

Stand tall holding a dumbbell over your head with both hands, arms straight. Keeping your chest up, core braced and elbows pointing up, lower the weight behind your head, then lift it back to the start.

3 DIAMOND PRESS UP

Sets 3 Reps 12

Tempo 2010

Rest 60sec

Start in a press-up position but with your thumbs and index fingers touching to form a diamond. Keeping your hips up and core braced, bend your elbows to lower your chest down towards the group, then push down through your hands to return to the start.

WORKOUT 4 BACK AND BICEPS

1A PULL UP

Sets 4 Reps 6

Tempo 2011

Rest 30sec

Hold a pull-up bar using an overhand grip with hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. Brace your core, then pull yourself up until your lower chest touches the bar. Lower until your arms are straight again.

2B CHIN UP

Sets 4 Reps 6

Tempo 2011

Rest 60sec

Hold a chin-up bar using a shoulder-width underhand grip. Brace your core, then pull yourself up until your chin is higher than the bar, keeping your elbows tucked in to your body. Lower until your arms are straight again.

2A BARBELL BICEPS CURL

Sets 3 Reps 12

Tempo 2010

Rest 30sec

Hold a barbell with an underhand grip with your hands shoulder-width apart. Keeping your chest up, core braced and elbows tucked in to your sides, curl the bar up to your chest, squeezing your biceps as you go. Lower it back to the start.

2B REVERSE GRIP BENT OVER ROW

Sets 3 Reps 12

Tempo 2010 Rest 60sec

Hold a bar using a shoulder-width underhand grip just outside of your legs. Bend your knees slightly then bend forwards, hingeing at the hips and keeping your shoulder blades back. Pull the bar up towards your sternum, leading with your elbows, then lower it back to the start.

3 DUMBBELL BICEPS CURL

Sets 3 Reps 12

Tempo 2010 Rest 60sec

Hold dumbbells by your sides with straight arms, palms facing forwards. Keeping your chest up, core braced and elbows tucked in to your sides, curl the weights up, squeezing your biceps as you go, then lower them back to the start.

TOTAL BOBY TRANSFORMATION

Model Andrew Tracey

Having bulging biceps and a chest as wide as a wardrobe might look good, but if your muscles hinder rather than help your day-today activities, then there’s not much point in having them. Fortunately, it’s possible to build a bigger and stronger body that’s also incredibly efficient moving around in the real world, rather than simply moving metal in the gym. And one of the best ways to build a more muscular and functionally-fit body is through suspension training. The beauty of kit like the KO8 (ko8.co.uk) is that not only can it be used almost any time and anywhere, but it also makes using your own bodyweight as resistance a real challenge.

HOW IT WORKS

“Suspension training is great because it allows you to expand your bodyweight training exercise repertoire tenfold, with kit that takes up less room in your car or travel bag than a loaf of bread,” says MF’s regular outdoor training expert Andrew Tracey (wayofthenomad.co.uk). “And in terms of increasing muscle mass and improving strength and co-ordination, there’s nothing better than getting to grips with moving and controlling your own bodyweight. It simply makes you better at moving through life.”

Find a tree branch, a set of goalposts or any secure overhead bar to hook your kit on, then try Tracey’s upper-body metabolic circuit below. The 30-minute circuit is split into two parts containing three moves each: the first half targets your “pushing” muscles – chest, front delts, triceps – and the second half your “pulling” muscles – back, rear delts and biceps. In each circuit the moves get easier but the reps increase to capitalise on accumulated fatigue to keep your muscles pumped and your heart rate high.

“This technique keeps rest to a minimum, maximum calories are burned, and compounding fatigue causes a cascade of beneficial fat-burning, muscle-building hormones to be released,” says Tracey. Go down this route to find your way to a bigger, stronger and more mobile upper body.

DIRECTIONS

This is a 30-minute every minute on the minute (EMOM) workout. After a quick warm-up, start the clock. In the first minute do five dips, then resting for the remainder of the minute (use the time to adjust the straps). In minute two do ten decline press-ups with your feet in the straps and hands on the ground, then rest for the remainder. In minute three do ten incline press-ups with your hands in the straps and feet on the ground. Repeat this for five total rounds, which lasts 15 minutes.

In the first minute of the second part of the workout do five pull-ups, then again use the rest of the minute to adjust the straps. In minute two do ten inverted rows with your feet on the ground, then rest for the remainder. In minute three do ten kneeling straight-arm roll-outs. Repeat this five times as well.