The *entire* cast of American Pie is back for the latest installment – American Reunion. And, it’s pretty apparent that Mena Suvari stayed in shape – or, more accurately as it would seem – got back into shape.
Mena had mostly been in shape for the first movies doing yoga and cardio. And, like a lot of us, that was enough to stay fit when we were in our teens and twenties.
But when she was on the set for You May Not Kiss the Bride, she had a body double for a nude scene. The problem is, the body double was noticeably leaner than she was. Mena was actually asked to lose a few pounds to match the body of her body double, Daniella Frita.
Mena just walked up to Daniella and asked her to teach her how to workout to get as lean as she was!
Daniella told her that what she was doing was “all wrong” and that she needed to start strength training.
After rocking the same diet and workouts as her body double, she leaned up to have a matching wicked lean body.
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SHOCKING ANNOUNCEMENT
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If you workout and eat the way wicked lean people workout and eat,
you will actually get wicked lean too
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/SHOCKING ANNOUNCEMENT
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That being said, Mena was the big star, and I totally gotta give it up to her for being willing to be totally coachable.
It takes something to swallow your pride and ask for help, and I think it’s totally inspiring that Mena didn’t just ask for coaching – but she took the coaching and ran with it! And the results speak for themselves.
Now, one of the storylines of the new American Pie movie American Reunion is how she’s still bangin’ hot and all the other dudes are checking her out.
And for anyone that’s been to a 10 or 20 year high school reunion (or just checked out their old friends on Facebook) you know that the people that stayed in, or *got back in* shape, are the minority.
And I think most of the readers can relate to this – you could kind of get by doing whatever when you were like 20 years old, but after 30 you totally have to strength train if you want to have a lean tight body.
The older you get, the more important strength training becomes
The first time we saw Mena on film, she was 16 years old. Now, she’s 32. There is a massive switch that you’ve got to flip in your head at some point, when you realize that the things that got you the body you wanted before no longer work.
Your willingness to change strategies and try things that might work better will make all of the difference.
Working Out After 30:
You need to get smarter and more efficient. You need to do bigger movements that get more results. You need to make trackable progress (get stronger) and you need to not get hurt. Into your 40’s, 50’s and 60’s, the game intensifies; Getting stronger in your workouts is no longer optional.
Strength training for fat loss is simple: Use the four big bang movements:
1.) Pushing movements (Dips, Bench Presses, Military Presses, Pushups)
2.) Pulling movements (Pullups, Rows)
3.) Squatting/Lunging Movements (Squats, Lunges, Step Ups)
4.) Hip Hinging Movements (Kettlebell Swings, Deadlifts)
Cardio: Shorter, Faster, Better (not longer, longer, longer)
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Mena wins her age group in an Atlanta 5k race while filming American Reunion
While the common thinking about cardio has always been that more is better, the reality is that better is better.
Shorter and faster is the goal. If you are training for a marathon, I’m going to try to talk you into running a fast half marathon. If you are training for a half marathon, I am going to try to talk you into running a really fast 10k. And if you are running 10k’s, I’m going to try to talk you into running a really super fast 5k.
Most people aren’t efficient enough runners to train for marathons. You’ll get better fat loss results, and have less injuries, training for a faster 5k.
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(Update: She’s still super fit!)
Be The Fit Girl At The Reunion’s Like Mena
I think it’s wicked inspiring that Mena was willing to change it all up, and get in awesome shape for American Reunion.
Plus, in the gym pictures, she’s doing two of my favorite movements – assisted pullups and assisted dips (and she’s keeping her shoulders back and down on both), and she’s rocking the shorter faster running. Mena’s the best ever.
She took the coaching, tried a new plan, and transformed her body. If you take the coaching and are willing to try a new plan, you can transform your body too.
Josh Hillis, RKC, CPT, PES, ZMIS
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