Mike Arone
Resides: Waltham, MA
Age: 24
Height: 5’6
Weight: 150 pounds
Favorite Body Part: Chest & Abs
Waist Size: 29"

My Training

I like to split my training into 4 week phases (compound lift split; 3 lifting days, upper/lower split; 4-5 lifting days, body-part split 6 lifting days, so that my body is always guessing and continuous changing and adapting.

For example:
Weeks 1-4 Compound Split (Strength and Mass)
Weeks 5-8 Upper/Lower Split (Hypertrophy)
Weeks 9-12 Bodybuilding Split (Hypertrophy/Fat Loss)

*As for cardio, I can’t say that I hate it…I am an endurance junky. I do cardio typically 3 days a week, with the addition of the 3 miles a day I walk for my job in Manhattan. Two days HIIT for 30 mins and 1 steady day for 45 mins. I also implement the best fat burning tool known to man….THE JUMPROPE! In between every set, superset or tri-set, I will jumprope for 1 minute. You want accelerated fat loss? Try that! You will thank me. I almost always throw some type of conditioning into my workouts depending on how I feel.

Training for Abs
I train ABDOMINALS 4 times a week.

Day 1-Upper/Lower
-Hanging leg raises
-Cable crunches
-Decline sit ups with medicine ball

Day 2-Obliques
-Woodchoppers (top cable)
-Hanging Windshield Wipers (killers!)
-Roman Chair twists

Day 3-Upper/Lower
-Hanging Knee Raises
-Planks
-Ab rollouts on wheel

Day 4-Obliques
-Woodchoppers (bottom cable)
-Side Planks
-Good Ol’ “Body Bar” Twists
*The rep range varies between high and low; low being 8-10 and high being 20+)

My Diet

(I hate calling it a “diet”)

A typical day would consist of the following:

Meal 1(Pre-workout) 1/2 c. of oats, ½ c. of mixed berries, 1.5 scoops of vanilla protein in the oatmeal or 5 egg whites, 2 yolks, some spinach with ½ oats and berries.

During Workout Sip on EAA/BCAA drink
Post-Workout 25 grams of whey with 10 grams of Casein, 2 bananas (within 30 mins of finishing workout)

Meal 2 6-8 ounces of grilled chicken, 1 medium sweet potato

Meal 3 6-8 ounces of any lean protein (chicken/fish/beef), 1 cup of steamed veggies over spinach salad, 1 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar

Meal 4 Whey/Casein MRP shake (35-40 grams of protein)

Meal 5 6-8 of grilled salmon, ½ avocado, 1 cup of steamed veggies

Meal 6 1.5 scoops of casein protein w/ 1 tbsp of all-natural peanut butter

Supplements

Multivitamin, Chromium Picolinate, EAAs/BCAAs (Controlled Labs-Purple WrAAth), Creatine (Controlled Labs-Green Magnitude), Digestive Enzymes, Whey Protein (Optimum), Casein Protein (Optimum)

Words of Advice

Now you may read the above and think “He is pretty damn serious about his fitness!” True…but on the contrary I think that you should be able have fun with fitness and nutrition. It is way too often that people associate having abs with the male model on the billboard wearing "tightie-whities" that could fit my 3 year old cousin, while giving his onlookers a stone cold glare. Hell, if I were wearing "tightie whities," I would be laughing like crazy. My point is: I made fitness fun along the way. By doing this, it never seems like a daunting task to stay lean and fit!