Bend bodybuilder: Less exercise is more
Downtown Bend Athletic Club trainer Scott Schaffer, 49, is a professional body builder, and said he works out 20 minutes a week. He’s using his knowledge to help his clients who have misconceptions about working out.
A six pack and bulging biceps is pretty normal for a bodybuilder, but it’s the way Schaffer stays fit that’s different.
“I have that question all the time: ‘You really train only once a week?'” Schaffer said Tuesday. “And yeah, I only train once a week.”
In addition to the 20-minute, high-intensity workout, Schaffer also mixes in activities like hiking or biking into his week. He is on a vegetable and protein diet, but says he does not take supplements.
He’s using his routine to erase what his clients ever knew about the gym.
“Oftentimes, people train four or five times a week,” said Schaffer. “They’re burning calories, but they’re not doing much, in terms of stimulating new muscle growth.”
One of Schaffer’s clients, Lisa Harper, 47, says she was skeptical about the plan at first. She used to spend hours in the gym, but now says with a weekly high-intensity workout, she sees better results.
“I’m leaner, I’m more muscular,” Harper said. “I feel so much better about myself, and I’m so much stronger in all the activities that I love to do.”
The 11-minute workout Harper went through featured slow, precise movements that targeted each muscle. And there’s no down time in between the short sets.
“You kind of have the guilty feeling too — you know, the day is over and you didn’t get to the gym,” said Harper. “You have that pressure all the time, and I don’t have that pressure any more.”
Schaffer says once people can make the commitment, their lives can change forever.
“One training day, a day of rest, an activity, a day of rest and then another activity and two days off,” said Schaffer. “Most people can manage it into their lifestyle.”
Schaffer recently competed in the Ironman Bodybuilding championships in Lincoln City, where he took second in the masters physique.
