WHEN he was living in the US, actor Piolo Pascual got into a fitness routine based on the Men’s Health’s gym program. The hard work paid off when he started building muscles.
“I ate, slept and worked out. There was nothing to prepare for,” says the actor.
By mid-2000 Pascual was basking in show-biz fame, but he slowly got careless with his lifestyle. More opportunities were coming his way, but he was out of shape.
In February 2005, colleague Jericho Rosales introduced him to Venancio “Ace” Duque III, supervisor of the biomechanics department of Planet Infinity gym (Crossroad, 77 Mother Ignacia, Quezon City, tel. 376-4512) and Rosales’ personal trainer. One of the best-kept secrets in town, the gym offers a holistic approach to training based on research. That meeting was the start of a partnership.
“I’ve been working out for over 10 years. It’s only in the past five years that my workout has been rigid. I’ve made it part of my routine. As much as possible, I start my day in the gym. I work out for 45 minutes, max. It’s a luxury if I spend an hour,” says Pascual.
A long workout tears up the muscles and burns them for energy. If the body does not replenish itself with supplements and whey protein, the body will search from its other parts for amino acids for repair. Pascual has shown how to get a graceful, muscular physique with a short and incisive workout.
Soft body
Duque’s initial impression of Pascual wasn’t too good.
“He couldn’t do a single pull-up on the chin bar. I thought he was joking. He was soft. He had a flat chest and straight body, and a tricep injury from a stunt. His body was not V-shaped like it is today.”
Duque was at a loss on how to jump-start Pascual’s strength training and rehab program. He then devised a high-intensity program for a short duration so that the workout could easily fit into the actor’s tight schedule.
Pascual’s sculpted body is now the result of slow but sure training achieved over a long period. At 5’10”, the 32-year-old actor now weighs 165 lb-175 lb and posts 5-9 percent body fat.
Duque is amused when actors and actresses demand they look buffed or sexy for a role or a shoot in two months.
“It can’t happen overnight,” he says. “Our company wants to help improve a person’s lifestyle, not just suit an immediate need for aesthetics. We develop a long-term program specifically designed to reach your optimum function in your job. We look at what the client does daily.”
Every January, Pascual shows Duque his schedules and commitments for the year so the trainer can create a program based on the actor’s goals.
“I can’t impose what I think is right for Piolo. It might not be appropriate for his role. I have to watch his shows,” says Duque.
They look up to Brad Pitt, who customizes his physique according to the role. In “Fight Club” and “Troy,” Pitt flaunted his ripped muscles. In “Benjamin Button,” he had to be lean.
On the first year, Pascual’s program focused on total body conditioning with basic weightlifting and building core performance with 10 difficult exercises. The following year, the program highlighted specific body parts.
In 2007 Pascual bulked up for “Lobo” where he played a lieutenant. Duque gave him boot-camp training to help Pascual get into character. The most difficult part was the famous Filthy 50 by Cross Fit, where one does 10 exercises 50 times each or a total of 500 repetitions in 30 minutes. Pascual executed everything in a record 12 minutes – then collapsed.
“Piolo has a high tolerance for pain. He hardly complains,” says Duque.
Sometimes, the workout can overbuild muscle. “I don’t lift heavy weights. The heaviest would be 150 lb for a maintenance program. It looks awkward if you’re so bulky and you are doing drama or crying onscreen,” says Pascual.
Abs workout
To prepare for ad campaigns such as San Mig’s sugar-free coffee mix, Bench Overhauled Jeans or Belo Medical Group, Pascual’s program includes lifting his body weight for resistance.
“I lessen the carbohydrates and take more protein. If I need to look lean, I do more exercises where I lift my own weight like pull-ups, push-ups, core and some cardiovascular work,” says Pascual.
The etched muscles are not a product of Adobe PhotoShop. Pascual and Duque must approve the photos – they must show his form at the correct angles.
For “Lovers in Paris,” a romantic comedy, Pascual slimmed down to play a regular guy. His workout revolves around lifting moderate weights but with high repetitions. Pascual warms up with a light set of weights, then gradually increases the heaviness.
Duque cites studies that athletes who stretch before a workout become slower and sometimes develop micro injuries. Stretching is done after the weightlifting routine when the muscles are already warm. Pascual hardly does bench presses and arm routines since his exercises work several muscle groups simultaneously.
Duque reveals that Pascual’s lower abdomen lacked strength despite the photogenic ripples on his core. Pascual does an advanced workout for his abdominals. He does the hanging leg raises on the chin-up bar – touted as the gold standard in ab workout –followed by crunches on a steep plank while holding a Medicine Ball and the Ab Coaster or doing contractions on a track machine.
Pascual’s determination has reaped results. Aside from his enviable physique, the actor’s fitness level is close to an elite athlete.
Duque adds that Pascual has one of the shapeliest legs around, thanks to genes. Yet, he can run level 15 on the treadmill in half time. That’s the equivalent of doing a 5-km run in 15 minutes, while the average person can do it only in 30-45 minutes. Even marathon runners in the gym admire Pascual’s agility.
“His muscles adapt easily to the intensity. He gets bored easily so I have to keep coming up with more challenges,” says Duque.
Clean living
Pascual attributes his build to clean living.
“I don’t eat rice. It’s too heavy. I get my carbs from breads and pastas,” he says.
He adds that after watching a movie at The Farm in San Benito on the slaughter of meat, he has stayed away from beef and now sticks to chicken and fish.
Every January, Pascual eases his program after a weeklong water fast. He also starts light after fasting every Sunday.
Ever since he started working out at Planet Infinity, he has been taking whey-protein shake to build muscle.
“I lose weight easily especially if I stay up late because of taping. I drink protein shake with banana or apple when I train and during the taping,” says Pascual.
On the benefits of protein shake, he says: “I’m less exhausted. It also protects muscles and provides nutrients if you didn’t get to eat. Your body won’t be catabolic,” says Pascual.
Duque cites Pascual as a perfect example of the axiom, “Where there’s a will, there’s a way.” Whether it’s midnight, 5 a.m. or daytime between taping and interviews or straight from the airport after a transcontinental flight, the actor is back in the gym pumping iron.
“‘I don’t have time,’ is not an excuse,” declares Duque. “Piolo adopted our company philosophy of changing your mind, body and lifestyle. It’s not about ‘I have to get fit for this movie.’ He read an article on Will Smith who said he had to be fit all-year-long so that when there’s a film, he’s already in top shape.”
Pascual has let go of the habit of having an “off-season,” the period between projects when one can get slack in fitness.
Says the actor: “Even if you’re not preparing for a movie, you still have to work out. I’ve become more organized and I’m more energetic. You’re not lazy. You’re always motivated. It has helped me focus. A proper outlook in life is helpful. You have peace. It is not just all exercise, it is also thinking positively.”
By Marge C. Enriquez of Inquirer.net
