photo courtesy of Atanas Entchev licensed via Creative Commons BY-NC

In and around sorting the medical drama that has resulted from Casey taking a punch to the face (more on that later) I had an opportunity to sit down with my friend and former personal trainer Dino Masson. Dino was half the formula that made my last fitness kick a success, where I went from 215 lbs down to 175lbs. He tailored fun workouts, provided ample encouragement, was a confident, and just a great person.

Want an idea of how awesome he is? When I called him for medical advice on Casey’s condition right after the assault, not only did he give wise instructions but also said to call him the next day to provide an update, and even offered to come over and give a physical checkup. And he lived half-an-hour away.

I don’t know if he is taken ladies, so have at him.

Anyway, mid last year he landed an awesome job that takes him around the world so we had to end our sessions together. But he was in Montreal for the holidays and offered to put together a new program with me. When I asked if I could share it online, he was all for it. So here we go.

It’s a 3-day a week workout, with the same muscles exercised each day BUT with radically different goals.

Day 1
The goal is to build strength. Many sets, but with a small number of reps and heavier weight. A 1 minute rest between each set, and a 1.5 minute rest between exercises.

1. Bench Press 5 sets x 5 Reps
2. Squat 5 sets x 5 Reps
3. Chin-ups 5 sets x Max (I aiming for 3 … go me!) & 2-3 negatives.
4. Leg Curl 5 sets x 5 reps

Day 2
After a day’s rest, the next set works more for tone and targets specific muscles, as well as broken into supersets.

1. Superset 1 - 4 sets x 10-12 reps
   1. Dumbbell Press
   2. Close gripped Seated Row
2. Superset 2 – 3 sets x 10-12 reps
   1. Dumbbell Step-ups
   2. Leg Curl on Swiss ball
3. Superset 3 – 3 sets x 10-12 reps
   1. Dumbbell Seated Press
   2. Barbell Curl
4. Superset 4 – 3 sets x 10-12 reps
   1. Close grip Bench Press
   2. Crunches on Bench + Weight

Day 3
Finally, the 3rd day is plyometrikineticalsomethingsomething … well its about working movements. Much larger super-sets

1. Superset 1 – 3 sets x 10-15 reps
   1. Jump Squats
   2. Chin-ups with feet on floor
   3. Push-ups
2. Superset 2 – 3 sets x 10-15 reps
   1. Leg Press
   2. Dumbbell Push Press
   3. Dumbbell Curl
   4. Dips feet on Bench

Abs
Finally, my daily abs routine, taken from the Abs Diet.

1. ½ Crunches + weight
2. Leg raises
3. Side obliques + weight
4. Bridge
5. Superman

Whew! I am jazzed to start this today (after a goodnight’s rest). I would also be curious to see if anyone would wants to follow along and compare results.

photo courtesy of Gary Arndt under Creative Commons License BY-NC-SA

So following yesterday’s events, and a thread that has been running in my head for awhile I have decided to take up a martial art. Which one?

Now, I know that followers of martial arts can be quite fanatical about which styles are better then others, the history behind one or other, or why such and such a style is a joke. And I am going to sum it all up and say: SHUT IT!

My goals are simple:

• The martial art becomes part of my fitness program.
• The class is easy to get to and fits in my schedule.
• The course is not too expensive.
• The style is practical if I need to use it.

I do not care about history, school politics, or why this style is less real then another.

Which was why my first choice was Keysi Fighting Method, a tight fast fighting system of smashing past your opponents blocks to deliver a hard brutal hit. None of which matters half as much as it being the fighting style of Christian Bale’s Batman in the new movies. Fanboy art I. Sadly, no school has opened up in Canada or even the USA.

Real-life mentat Chris Penn suggested Budo Montreal. It looked promising, and again, geek-dar pinged at seeing the word ninjitsu. With a free session to try it out I would have gone, except it is too far out of my way. One thing I have learned about working out is that unless the gym/course is located along a frequently traveled path, you will finding plenty of excuses to skip it.

I looked into an old course I use to follow called Senshido, which was heavily focused on street fighting. Not too much out of my way BUT at 124 a month VERY pricey, and I don’t really have fond memories of it. The place was a dive (unbelievable given the costs), and while the lead instructor knew what he was talking about, I did not feel the same about half of his instructors.

So I looked to Concordia University, which is right down the street from me, between work and where I live. I am already registered at the gym, as its where I am doing my weight-training. And they have a weekend course in Jeet Kune Do, created by Bruce Lee, at $40 for 3 months!!!

Which means we have a winner! Wish me luck, or laugh at my choice in the comments!

It seems that at some point every online personality goes vegan. I did it last year though it was not a decision I made lightly; the thought was running in my mind for a few months as a solution to my ballooning weight, having gained 20lbs in a year. Only thing stopping me were my friends and family laughing at the idea that carnivorous Rudy Jahchan could survive a week going vegan.

But then I was lucky to have the brilliant, vegan, (and sexy) Sean Bonner visit us. With his encouragement, inspirational links he provided on others who had done it, and his accompaniment on a grocery shopping makeover experience, I was on my way.

I didn’t document my experience like Vu Bui is doing (slap my own wrist) but I can tell you what worked.

1. Weight Loss – Over the 4 months I was vegan, I lost over 15lbs, without hitting the gym. And I know why it worked for me. Veganism forced me to know exactly what I was eating, preventing me from the excuses I usually make ( “Of course I can have a Wendy’s quadruple; beef and cheese are protein.”)
2. Shopping & Eating out classy – Living in a metropolitan city like Montreal is a blessing for food choices. At the grocery store there is a rack of tofu options, with local success Commensal providing a wealth of ready made meals. And I lurve Yves tofu-dogs and other options. Likewise, Montreal’s many restaurants have vegan options, and I highly recommend Chu-Chai for a complete vegan menu that even non-vegans will enjoy. And thank Zod for asian foods; I did not have to abandon my favorite restaurant Le Taj.
3. Being honest why you are doing it – Like in my case, it was purely for (again) weight loss. I didn’t do in protest of the meat or dairy industries, or to help the environment. Closest cause I had was acting a bit of a futurist and live more plant based as I do think green-lifestyles will be something we all adopt.

Most importantly, I did not crack once during that entire time, something former vegan fans could not even claim!

So why did I stop? Well …

1. Don’t Go It Alone – At least not if you’re living intimately with somebody. My partner was very supportive at first. But meal planning became difficult, as my taste palette was wider then hers. The crisis point though was that she hated when I made a “bad” food choice. Not “bad” as in breaking veganism but bad as in …
2. Vegan doesn’t mean Healthy/Eating out sloppy – Due to time or trying to please my partner I would grab some fast food at McDonald’s … and discover the only choice for me were the fries. And no matter how you spin it, that is not a good choice. But I would eat it, making the same excuses like I use to (“Well it IS vegan …”) This introduced stress nutritionally and into my relationship (on top of the many other stresses that were already there).
3. Too much weight loss – I was happy when I hit 185lbs. Ecstatic when I hit 180lbs. And proud when I crossed back into 170s. Then started getting really worried at 172lbs. At 6 foot 1 inch I only have so much mass to lose. Granted, a personal crisis during that time period didn’t help. But the same way I (personally) needed a big change to stop the weight gain I needed another change to focus on the next step: maintaining and toning up.

So what am I doing now? Eating more balanced, frequent, smaller meals. In the last month (and through the Holidays no less!) I have maintained my weight in the range of 173 to 175 lbs. I’ve gone back to the gym and regularly swimming. And when the option exists, choose the lighter vegan choice.

Should you go vegan? That’s for you to decide. But I do encourage you to try it out, and don’t take the fact that I stopped to mean it doesn’t work or can’t be done.

‘Tis the season and all that for New Year’s Resolutions and there is no better way of making yourself accountable for them than by making them public. This post already fulfills …

Resolution #1.) Produce Daily – which means a daily blog entry, a daily self-portrait, and hopefully a daily photograph. I started this site late last year … and then sort of left it hanging. Which is really stupid, considering the number of things I have to talk about.

I’ll need to be organized to handle the new volume of data, so …

Resolution #2.) Get things done 4 hours a week - Last year I picked up David Allen’s Getting Things Done and Timothy Feriss’ The 4-Hour Workweek and made a half-assed to do both. I believe it can be accomplished with GTD as a pipeline and 4h as the prioritizer. Starting this weekend inbox goes to zero, replies will be automated, and I will focus on accomplishing things.

Thing like …

Resolution #3.) Sharing more - namely information on how I do things. This idea has driven me back to the video-blogging discussion group, coding for the community, and planning a making of series for Galacticast. Quiet to those who say it’s the same thing as #1.

One thing I will share is how I am performing …

Resolution #4.) Get fit – and by that I mean toned. This resolution is well on its way; so far I am my keeping weight under 175lbs through decreased my portions and eating regularly. Starting tomorrow, a daily swim and walking to work in the middle of a Montreal winter; nothing reflects UV better then snow. Weights every other day, hi-reps. And of course, twittering fitness and meal status.

All of this in hopes I can do a “Will Smith Mandatory Workout Scene” when I do …

Resolution #5.) Appear in a Movie – Technically I did this last year, in my “brother” Matt Campagna’s movie Six Reasons Why. But I want to do more walk-ons, act as an extra, or a screaming part if I can swing it, for shows, movies, or people I love. How will I do it? Not a damn clue, but I plan to make a list and post it soon, so any help would be appreciated.

Not worried if I don’t make it though, as I am also planning for …

Resolution #6.) Make a Movie – that I will appear in, though I am primarily writing and co-directing. This is the only non-seekrit fact of the seekrit project I’ve been planning for the last month. The goal is to have a draft script, pitch, and more to shop around when I head to LA early February.

That trip’s other goal is …

Resolution #7.) Enjoy Friends – Getting so wrapped up in Galacticast has not left me time to enjoy the great people I know outside of media production. Recent events confirmed just how wonderful and caring they all are. And not just in Los Angeles but in San Francisco, Arizona, Minnesota, Michigan, Boston, New York, and more. And, of course, right here in Montreal.

Not to put down Galacticast use in making new friends, which is where we have …

Resolution #8.) Open Galacticast – to more then just comments. A site redesign is on the agenda, but I want to see how much I can make it a fan-dom project. Galacticast has some really great fans and friends, and its time to let them play in the sandbox. This also ties into Resolution #2; I can teach techniques like green-screen lighting, have people shoot themselves on one in described angles, and composition them all in post, using spinxpress to shuttle the files around. More thought and people’s input is required as it’s not very clear now but I am using the next two weeks to define it, like solving a puzzle.

Which leads to …

Resolution #9.) Solve the damn Rubik’s Cube – ‘Nuff said!

Happy New Year!

I had the pleasure of meeting Neil Gorman during Podcamp Boston. He’s good people, not only for being a futurist and a comicbook lover, but also for working with troubled kids.

He shared an interesting theory regarding personality and attraction, which has been haunting me recently. I won’t go into all the details ’cause he really should get off his ass and document it on his blog. But the component I keep returning to is that people are somewhere between Superman and Batman.

Superman is invincible, gifted with great powers and spends his time reacting to crisis after crisis. Translated to a real person’s personality it’s someone skilled, but who doesn’t plan. Why should he? Like Superman, his “powers” are sure to help him out of any situation. So when something finally does break through, it hurts tremendously.

Batman on the other hand plans like crazy, 10 steps ahead, counter-measures at the ready, a bat-gadget for every scenario. A person always on top of things, and has complete control. Being human, it’s his best chance of survival in the world.

Neil’s original focus on this was tied to who we find ourselves attracted to. But looking at it as a general “how do you handle life”, can you guess who I am?

I continually am improving myself in terms of skills, sometimes proactively going after them without prompting. But despite this massive war-chest of knowledge, I have spent most of my time reacting. A promotion at work gained by a firing. Sponsorships being brought in by others (which I truly appreciate) instead of actively seeking it myself.

Hell, even the idea of doing a video-podcast was only a theoretical discussion point for me until Casey said she wanted in. I was reacting to what she wanted. Not that I regret it at all.

But I have to change. I need to develop a plan. Where do I want to go, how do I want to get there, and what do I need to make it happen? I am going to start writing it all down, and consult you for your thoughts.

I’m Batman. Or I will be.

Plus, chicks “digg” the car.

Hello again, interweb. We’ve already have had many conversations you and I, through Galacticast, or Twitter, or Facebook. But let’s start another one right here. One about me and the world I live in.

For those who don’t me, I’m Rudy Jahchan, co-creator and executive producer of popular internet shows GALACTICAST, A COMICBOOK ORANGE, and KITKAST. Writing, directing, editing, special effecting on a weekly basis out of my apartment with nothing but the rocketboom kit; a digital camera, a green construction, a few lights, and two computers.

But that’s not all. I am an avid coder, extending WordPress to deliver the content in the way I want, using the killer services of blip.tv, flickr, and feedburner. Oh, and all of this while holding down a day job directing software development.

Yes, I am the Cylon God.

Actually, I am simply the man behind the scenes of some interesting projects. But recent events have made me decide its time to step out of the shadows.

That’s a lie. Recent events have actually made me decide its time to change my life.

So I want to document those changes, and the glorious successes they will assuredly bring. Not just as a promotional tool, or as scrapbook to look back on decades (centuries?) from now, but as a way to return to doing what I love to do; share and learn awesome things.

What’s next? Galacticast will finish Season 2.0 with a couple more episodes until X-Mas, and start planning Season 3.0. I have a seekrit project in ze werks, and hopefully things will move fast enough I can tell you about it without jinxing it. I am hitting the gym again, to tone up. And more.

Hope you stick around.

P.S. - Big thanks to Lan Bui for my awesome new headshot I am using across all of my sites. The man and his brother Vu are talented lense masters. Reach out and say hi.