Celebrity Body Secrets - Mario Lopez

There is an old saying that if you compare yourself to other people, you will never be happy. Well you had better pass me the Zoloft  because I think I am destined to live a life of upside down smiley faces, dead puppies and Sarah McLachlan songs, for I would personally sell a kidney if you told me it would give the body of Mario Lopez. The guy has incredible muscle tone and minimal body fat that would have even the most self confident gym junkie looking down at themselves in comparison. But you don't have to be an A list celebrity with a ton of money to get a body like Mario, and today we are going to take a look at some of the tips and techniques he uses to remain healthy and in shape.

Let's face it, the guy is genetically blessed. Even if you look way back to when he was starring on Saved By The Bell, you could see he had great muscle tone and minimal body fat. Some people are just lucky to have good genetics. I have a friend who can eat whatever he wants; burgers, pizza, ice cream, and never puts on an once of fat, where is all I have to do is look at a french fry and I bloat. But whether you have good genetics or not, you still have to work at staying in shape, and Mario certainly does that. He works out hard, watches what he eats, and never takes what he has been given for granted. Let's take a look at some of his workout and diet specifics...



The Workout
Mario has been lifting weights for over two decades, admits to doing 500 push ups everyday, and acknowledges that not everybody would be able to follow his weight lifting routine in the gym straight away. In his book Knockout Fitness, whether you are at a beginner, intermediate or advanced level of lifting weights, Mario shows you how to workout like him via three phases;

1. Priming The Pump: Gets your body prepared for the rigorous training style that Mario uses.
2. Fueling The Fire: Mario show you how to switch gears as this phase focuses on building muscle and burning fat
3. Maxing It Out: The focus become strength and power and encourages further muscle gains and fat loss.

Mario teaches a philosophy of modern training, which incorporates compound and multi joint exercises, rather than the old school approach of isolation exercises, as well as free weights as opposed to machines.

Diet
Mario acknowledges that he doesn't count calories, but he does "graze" throughout the day on small, healthy and clean meals, every 3 hours, which help to keep his metabolism high and ward off hunger, cravings, and fat. Another trick Mario uses to fight off cravings is the occasional spoonful of peanut butter "It has some fat, and it's tasty".

Mario recently discussed a simple daily meal plan in TV Guide's Hot Body issue:

Breakfast: Fruit, yogurt and granola
Lunch: Chicken and rice
Dinner: Sushi

Mario admits that he workout our regularly and hard because he likes to eat, and indulges in tacos, rocky road ice cream or chocolate chip cookies on his cheat day once per week.

Cardio
Mario is a self confessed cardio junky because he likes to sweat to feel alive and exercises for a minimum of an hour everyday. To stop himself from getting bored, and to ensure he is constantly shocking his body into a fat burning mode, he varies his cardio routine by alternating running, swimming, bike riding, basketball, yoga and boxing. He boxes regularly with semi professional and professional boxers including Oscar De La Hoya.

So whether you are blessed with muscle building and fat loss genetics or not and want to get buff and ripped, or whether you are wanting to make some improvements with your own fitness routine, there are some tips and techniques that Mario uses and teaches that could definitely be of benefit to you. Use modern training techniques that incorporates compound and multi joint weight lifting exercises, graze on small healthy meals throughout the day to curb hunger and cravings, and mix up your cardio routine to keep your body guessing and keep you motivated.

Healthy Boy x