Honestly, it wasnt so different from what I do these days. Ive been fairly consistent over these last 20 years or so. Its split muscle groupsa chest day, arm day, legs and back. Back then, I was just learning how to use the weights and move weights while getting the correct form down. Youre much more vulnerable to hurt yourself when youre an adolescent and training like that compared to when youre an adult.
How long do your workouts last nowadays?
Im usually not in there for more than an hour. I stay pretty busy and do a lot of supersets. I start losing that pump and that fullness when I go too much beyond an hour, hour and a half.
So when youre not traveling, what does an average day look like for you?
Im not so much of a morning personIll wake up around 10 oclock if Im not going to the hospital that day. Ill have a big breakfast, do some paperwork, and try to train in the evenings. But if Im at the hospital, Ill go work out on my lunch break at my local gym, which is less than a mile away. Ive got a long lunch break, so theres plenty of time to get a good workout in. It varies a lot.
You said you have a big breakfastwhat does that entail?
Ive been eating a lot of those Impossible Burgers lately. Ill have like three of those.
Are you a vegetarian?
No, I just dont eat a lot of animal products these days. I try to be responsible if I do eat them. Its tough, though, with how much I travel, to be a vegetarian. You just dont have a lot of food options in a lot of places. You have to make choices sometimes when youre in the middle of the Congo and they give you chicken soup or something.
I try to bring nuts and snacks to keep me going. My overall diet is fairly low on the carbs side, but man, when youre traveling and you only get rice and beans, youve got to ask yourself if you want to eat anything else.
Do you have a favorite local dish youve encountered on your travels?
Yeah, on my last trip to the Congo, they have this spice that they put on a lot of their dishes called pili pili. I like spicy food, and thats one of my favorite spices from anywhere in the world. I got a little carried away with it and made myself a bit sick after the first day I had it. But man, that stuff is yummy.
What about something youve tried that you had to say, respectfully, I cant finish this?
I was studying abroad in Tanzania and did a homestay with the Maasai. They had just slaughtered a goat by asphyxiation, and then they cut it opennice, lukewarm goat abdomenand gave me chunks of blood that had clotted, as well as raw goat kidney. It was a really nice gesture, and they were doing it out of respect as a guest of theirs. But yeah, I could only have so much of that before I had to respectfully decline to have more. Raw, fresh goat kidney texture isdifferent. Theres nothing else like it.
I can imagine. You mentioned you dont eat many carbsthat aside, are you tracking your calories when youre overseas? Or is that the least of your concerns?
Ive never really counted calories. Ive just been more focused on macronutrients and nutrient timingI try to focus my carbohydrates before and after working out. Spikes your insulin a little bit, gives you a nice pump; youre full and burning some calories. And after you work out, eating carbs can feed your muscles more effectively for a little bit longer. I try to eat somewhat clean, but Im not crazy clean. What that means for me is a high-protein, high-vegetable diet. Im very liberal with fats, and I really just pay attention to how many carbs Im eating.
Originally posted here:
Evan Antin: The Real-Life Diet of the Internet's Favorite Veterinarian - GQ
