Month: May 2018

 

Avengers Infinity War and the “secret” behind superhero physiques.

So this past weekend I finally got a chance to go out and see Avengers Infinite War.  Don’t worry I won’t spoil it, but I do recommend you watch all of the movies from the Marvel Cinematic Universe before checking it out.

Now having watched it gave me a chance to discuss it with some of my clients and of the topics to come up was the topic of casting.  I think everyone was cast very well…with the exception of Black Widow and that’s mainly because she’s supposed to be a Russian agent, but doesn’t have a Russian accent.

In this discussion, came up the topic of the physiques behind the characters, notably Thor and Captain America.  When they were cast, they weren’t well-known actors.  Chris Hemsworth (Thor) had Star Trek to his credit, even though his part was short, and Chris Evans (Captain America) had Fantastic 4, which wasn’t very successful.

Basically, they were a blank slate.  They were a fresh start that could make or break the actor’s career.  The big names in their origin movies were supporting cast members.  In Thor, it was Natalie Portman.  In Captain America, it was Tommy Lee Jones and Hugo Weaving.

And following the origin stories were sequels and cameos that I’m sure were written into the contracts.  For Captain America, there were 3 movies as the leading role, plus 3 appearances in Avengers.  For Thor, there were 3 movies as the leading role, plus 3 appearances in Avengers, and a cameo in Dr. Strange.

And there are more movies to come.

But the original’s success was hinged on the actor’s physiques, which brings me to the main point of this article.

A multimillion-dollar movie career is one heck of a motivating force to get in shape.  Add to that the guidance and support system of having a personal trainer, plus nutritionist etc. and that is where their success comes from, though I can’t deny that there is a high likeliness of PEDS as well as there is always risk of this whenever money is on the line.

When people say to me “The only time I have is in the morning, but I just can’t get up.” I know it’s not completely true.  They just don’t have the same mindset.  If they were offered a million dollars to wake up at 5:30am I guarantee they won’t hit the snooze.

Now, I know you likely won’t be offered a multimillion-dollar picture deal but that doesn’t mean that a fit, powerful, capable superhero physique isn’t worth pursuing.  Life is simply better when you are all around strong, lean and healthy.

And maybe you won’t reach the levels that they do…naturally.  But with the right guidance and support system in place, you’ll surprise yourself with what you can accomplish.  If you are unsure of what to do, that’s what I’m here to teach.

If you would like to try out my program to see if I’m right for you, send me a text at 973 476 5328.  I’ll get you set up on your trial membership which includes, a movement analysis session/intro session, 3 personal training sessions done in a relaxed group environment and a goal assessment interview.  It doesn’t cost anything and the only thing you have to lose is weakness and body fat.

Do it now, because success likes speed.


Eric Moss is a world record holding professional strongman, author, speaker and personal trainer. In the tradition of the strongmen during the turn of the century, he performs feats of strength such as bending steel and breaking chains as part of a show and speaks on goal achievement for corporations, nonprofits, government as well as for schools and universities. His exclusive personal training studio is in Boonton Township New Jersey with Lewandowski Chiropractic and is close to Mountain Lakes, Denville, and Parsippany New Jersey.

What holds you back from reaching your health and fitness goals?

Earlier today one of the women I used to train reached out to me.  For her, she wanted to be able to train with me, but geographically it wasn’t really feasible and she found herself stuck.

So she did something really important, she reached out for advice.

“Can you motivate me?”

The thing with that is motivation has to come from within.  If you think about it the root word for “motivate” is “motive”. As in a reason for doing something.

When I first sit down with a person in my studio, I try to find out what the end goal that they hope to achieve is.  If they want to achieve something, then the motive is already there.  The question then becomes, “What’s holding you back?”

In my years of doing this, I have heard many reasons for not training.  Most common is lack of time, but we all have the same 24 hours so it really becomes what is the priority.

In this case, it was distractions.  I get it and that’s actually part of the value of having a gym or a training studio to go to.  When you are there, you are there to train and it helps you set your mind.

But another thing is to make an appointment out of it.  That’s half the reason people hire personal trainers to begin with.  When you have an appointment with a personal trainer, you are more likely to do it.

If you don’t have a personal trainer you can still get some of that benefit by simply making an appointment with yourself or with a training buddy.

Get a plan of attack. Write your appointment into the schedule, then have the self-discipline to actually do it. 

Start small so you don’t burn yourself out and add gradually over time.

And of course, if you need help figuring all this out, give my trial membership a go.


Eric Moss is a world record holding professional strongman, author, speaker and personal trainer. In the tradition of the strongmen during the turn of the century, he performs feats of strength such as bending steel and breaking chains as part of a show and speaks on goal achievement for corporations, nonprofits, government as well as for schools and universities. His exclusive personal training studio is in Boonton Township New Jersey with Lewandowski Chiropractic and is close to Mountain Lakes, Denville, and Parsippany New Jersey.

Why you shouldn’t wear shoes when training and Starwars

This morning after I got home from my personal training studio, my wife was feeding my daughter and asked me to grab something from the living room.  My wife routinely leaves the tv on because she likes having background noise and since this was around 10 in the morning, there was a daytime talk show on.

You know the type, the ones that show you a recipe that you likely won’t make, some celebrity talking about the latest gossip and often times has someone on to give workout tips.

Most of the time the workout tips are absolute garbage, and in this case, it was no different.

Of the advice that was given was some kind of lunge, where one of the hosts was wearing heels.  That one is a big no-no.

In my personal training studio, my clients are instructed to either go barefoot, wear socks or have shoes that are flat soled/minimalist.

Why?  Because overly cushy shoes or shoes with an elevated heel disrupt and train your feet to tense its muscles in loading patterns that aren’t appropriate for safe and proper movement.  You see there are all sorts of sensors in our hands, feet and pretty much all over your body that sense where we are and how we interact with the environment around us.  When we take a step, the muscles activated are specific to the movement and are there to keep us safe.

Doing lunges in stilettos are as our Spanish speaking friends would say “no Bueno” because they change what our body has spent thousands of years developing.

I don’t care if the modification of waving your arms back and forth as you do them works “both your body parts, your arms and your legs.” Yes, that was a quote that was said by today’s advice giver and last time I checked we have a whole lot more body parts than our arms and legs.  We have abdominals, shoulder stabilizers, hearts, lungs, and brains.

Well at least most of us do.

Oh and one more thing, don’t do lunges in a skirt.  Certain things should be left to the imagination.

Now the other thing that irked me, and literally as I heard it I said to myself “Now I know what to write about today”.  Here’s what she said.

“Women don’t need to lift heavy.”

Technically yes.  You don’t NEED it. You need food, water, and air.  But if you WANT to optimize the way you burn fat.  If you want to look great and be confident than I highly recommend lifting heavy, man or woman.

I don’t know why women are still being told to lift dumbbells that are lighter than their purse but that’s a rant for another day.

Speaking of today, the day I wrote this is May 4th.  May the 4th be with you.

Here’s a video of Daisy Ridley, the star of the new Starwars Episode 7 and 8 lifting heavy.  Notice here she is wearing shoes that are flat soled and she won’t be mistaken for a moon rock anytime soon.  The force is strong with her.

Would you like guidance on your journey?  Just like Luke Skywalker had Obi-Wan Kenobi and Yoda to guide him in the ways of the force, I’ll guide you in the ways of getting stronger, leaner, fitter and healthier.  I have a one-week trial membership available.


Eric Moss is a world record holding professional strongman, author, speaker and personal trainer. In the tradition of the strongmen during the turn of the century, he performs feats of strength such as bending steel and breaking chains as part of a show and speaks on goal achievement for corporations, nonprofits, government as well as for schools and universities. His exclusive personal training studio is in Boonton Township New Jersey with Lewandowski Chiropractic and is close to Mountain Lakes, Denville, and Parsippany New Jersey.