Taylor Lautner – Finally a Fitness Role Model for "Generation Y"

Interesting article. I'm not sure if I agree that this movie is going to get people into fitness, but then again I don't even know what New Moon is so there you go.

Since you like going to movies, it might interest you that in Israel, we have an "intermission" break in movies for people to smoke (less Israelis smoke nowadays but still a lot do).

What happens is they stop the movie, everyone goes out, you come back and they always start it later on and you miss something important. It's actually really funny.

-Rafi

Even though Top Gun came out in the same year I was born, I still like Tom Cruise a lot – one of my favorite actors.

And while Brad was very lean, he probably weighed about 155lbs. Sure, he looked good, but I don't think the level of muscle mass he had is in any way hard to achieve. Getting that lean can be a challenge, though.

Interesting point Rusty…

300 was the last movie I remember where muscle was prominently displayed and I did notice a slight surge in gym traffic.

I haven't noticed increases in gym traffic in the last several months as this movie, more then any other I can remember, has had a huge lead-up to it with a lot of Taylor-without-shirt pics, BUT, thats certainly not to say that this movie won't have an impact! Who knows? Maybe this generation is using bodyweight exercises in the comfort of their own home. Now wouldn't that be smart for a change!

Dave

I think Jason Statham and Christian Bale are two other great examples of fit movie stars but yes, they still don't represent the Y generation. Great article, it brought back memories of being inspired to work out after watching Rocky 4, Kickboxer etc and viewing Stallone, Lundgren, Van Damme as major fitness role models. Cheers Rusty, entertaining and informative read as always.

BTW just gone below 14% bf, getting there quicker than ever now that I'm not trying to eat 6 meals a day and am working out to maintain muscle mass and not so scared of lack of protein making my muscles shrink! lol

As soon as I hit 10% body fat I'm going to start eating a bit more and doing a 5×5 routine to put on some more mass. Currently I'm approx 69 kgs at 175cm at 13.9% bodyfat so I would really like to put on a good 5-8 kg of muscle to fill my frame out a bit more. I'm eating around 1400-1500 cals/day and working out 3 days a week with HIIT 2 days/week. I would really appreciate your advice on getting down to 10% bf so that I can put some more muscle on and indeed the best way to pack on some muscle with minimal fat gain. I was thinking of upping my calories to 2000-2200 per day once I get down to 10% bf and if I find my bf creeps up to 13% + I could cut the cals again whilst still working out and maintaining what muscle I have gained.

Sorry for the long winded post, just find your info and advice invaluable and trying to give all the facts to make an informed response.

Thanks again, Tristan

Do you think Taylor Lautner took some kind of steroids to achieve that look…i mean, he is 16 years old and gained 30 pounds of muscle…..how hard is that for an adult to achieve, not to mention a kid.

Hey Rusty,

Funny you mention how people are "inspired" by Taylor Lautner because I have been working out for about 2 years now and once I found out how much Taylor gained I was shocked because I am just about his age…. So recently I have been researching about what Taylor did, but I decided to stop because he is after all a celebrity and has more time. Anyway…do you know what he did to gain those 30lbs of muscle mass or have a general idea?

Thanks,
Michael

Hey, Rusty,

How about the current pound for pound king of boxing today, Manny Pacquiao as a fitness model? He moves in different weight classes, from 106 to 145 lbs, but he's body almost look the same, very ripped and lean, which can rival Bruce Lee's.

@Tristan: if you are eating that low kcals and aren't losing body fat, something is seriously wrong. How long have you been dieting for? How much have you already lost?

@ Michael H: Maybe he took drugs? It's a serious question; after all, he is in Hollywood.

Personally, I think WILL SMITH is awsome inspiration.

Generation Y member here….

I don't believe that new moon has as much of an impact upon youth fitness as much as it emphasizes youth thin-ness and pale skin. I mean, sure, Taylor is gaining lots of popularity for his body, but the one girls desire, Edward Cullen (Robert), is not athletic at all.

In addition, there are not many guys who are twilight saga fans, so it's less likely that they'd be influence by the movie (though Taylor can influence them aside from the movie) for getting in shape.

As for the girls…well, none of the female characters really portray the image of "fit girl". I know that one of the stars that was on the cover of maxim said that her secret for her body is not having time to eat, and not lifting weights since she "builds muscle quickly", and god forbid that women may defend themselves without the help of hot vampires and werewolves!!

….just An input.

Just wanted to provide some sources….

Rob is not athletic:

Kristen: "I'm definitely claiming that one. Rob can barely jump rope. I call him Flippy because when he does his stunt rehearsals, he flips around [makes a gesture like a penguin]. And, God, when he tries to run …"

Rob: "Kristen. You notice it in the film; she looks so much more athletic than I do. And I'm supposed to be the superhero."

Source: http://www.harpersbazaar.com/magazine/cover/robert-pattinson-kristen-stewart-new-moon-1209

Interesting article Rusty. Thanks for another unique post

I like the books and Twilight wasnt my cup of tea. I still like vampyrical flicks like True Blood, though Will go to the theater tomorrow with some of my friends and lets see what New Moon has in store.

By the way, Rusty, I needed to ask you something. We always talk about Fasted Workouts and I have been doing the same for months now, reached incredibly low body fat levels, although I still have to gain a lot of muscle. Anyways, coming to the point. I was going through an Interview of leangain's Martin Berkhan ( http://avidityfitness.net/2008/01/12/interview-martin-berkhan/ ) Somewhere in the interview when he was asked about fasted workouts he talked something about mistakes people do going out in the fasted state. Since you are a fasted workout guy, just like me or any other of us here, can you please shed light on it.

To quote Marty,

"Another mistake I believe many IF’ers are doing, is fasted weight training. The research on pre- and post workout nutrition today is quite substantial and I don’t think anyone in their right mind should be lifting weights on an empty stomach – regardless of goals. I believe the protein synthesizing effect of the pre-workout meal overshadows any small benefit to be had from higher amounts of growth hormone that comes from fasted workouts and scientific evidence supports this. This doesn’t mean fasted workouts are a no go, but it means we should compromise a bit – which is why I suggest the ingestion of an adequate amount of essential amino acids or BCAA prior to the workout."

This got me thinking, Rusty. I am a hardcore ESE fan and stick with 3 fasts a week. Also, I workout in the evenings on a fasted state. And I do a lot of reading on Intermittent Fasting. I need to know what you have to say on this.

thanks for this post rusty, i find it very interesting… one of my female friend actually use taylor as her facebook profile picture… i had to send her a link to a tyler durden to remind her of the real deal (in my opinion lol)… i'm really interested to know his actual routine since hes pretty ripped but not to the level of brad pitt or cam gigandet in never back down, i guess he spent most his time bulking up though… but i guess its fair since i remember a video somewhere on your site stating that its easy gaining the first 20 odds pounds of muscle when you just started/still young… on another note im not too sure i totally agree with the impact he will have though, mainly because the target audience for the twilight saga are mainly girls, most my guy friends wouldnt even think of watching it and im 21 dont know if thats considered y generation… i had a good time though, NOTE dakota fanning looked really cool esp the eyes…

why no mention of Sly Stallone? his Rocky and Rambo movies got me into training.:)
Btw, whatever happen to Van damme and Dough "He-Man" Lundgren??

Michael

My guess is a lot of his muscle gain has to do with taking supplements like creatine and whey. Also, I am sure he had a personal trainer and nutritionist advising him.

Oh the joys of being paid millions of dollars to get in peak physical condition.

I just cannot get into this whole Twilight, vampire craze. It is everywhere you look. There has to be 12+ shows on television that are all about vampires. I thought the vampire interest ended with Buffy The Vampire Slayer. Filmmakers are certainly taking to the saying "strike while the iron is hot."

UFC falls into this category as well, IMO. I loathe UFC fighting, but am a huge boxing fan. I love the history of the sport and just really enjoying watching a good old duel.

Sorry for the rant. Just my opinion.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Dan

Cool article Rusty! Hopefully this movie and the actor have some positive effect on younger people to get in shape. I am 30 and so many of the guys I see that are younger than me already have beer guts (not necessarily from beer for the really young ones!). And a lot of young women even have bellies and "muffin tops" (where their love handles and guts hang over the belt line of their pants) as well. It was funny that for a story on New Moon in my local paper they had a picture of some teenage girls who were at the premiere and a couple of them had obvious bellies. Didn't stop them from wearing tight clothes, though. Makes me extra glad I found your site and have slimmed down so much in comparison!

Cinema always had a lot of influence in trends, and this time it's no different.

It's a good influence this time, after all that's the type of body we usually defend here, so if we'll have the next generation wanting to be fit, looking good and healthy instead of big big big, then that's just awesome.

Oh yeah i remember when Tom Cruise was cool, women of our age still really like him

hi rusty.

next time u reach your topp shape, cant you uppload a pic of your "machinary", so i can see what 5% body fat looks like, haha. for the inspiration ofc

also wanted to ask hows it going with body weight training so far?, bet u starting to miss hiiting those weights.

my last question is,, i just bought and read trough joel marions " cheat your way thin" system, and just wandet to ask what u think of hes uniqe aproach on getting lean while still eating high calorie/carb food on a regular basis ( once-twice a week) ?
if u have read it.

thx rusty, ur the man

Hi JC,

Thanks for your response, I am definitely making progress and losing BF, I started at around 23% and after stalling a bit on 17% (going a bit crazy on cheat meals, focusing too much on 6 meals/day, protein shakes etc) I am now doing really well. I feel I'm not too far away from my goal of 10% bf and just wanted some advice on getting there (prob fine the way i'm going really) but moreso on how to bulk up with minimal fat gain. Not looking to get HUUUGE, just fit, functional and athletic Cheers, Tristan

Great post Rusty! I totally agree – this movie (series) is a very well put together show. It offers a perfect balance of action, drama, suspense, love, hate, sexuality, good, evil, natural, super-natural, immaturity, maturity, foolishness and wisdom.
This series will go down as one of the greatest ever. Mark it down.
BTW – I'm a 38yr old male with wife and three young kids. I normally shrug off teen flicks but this one is much more than that.

Sorry that this is irrelevant to the current article, but I'm tired and at this point found no better way to contact you, Rusty; may I suggest another article on Workout music, seeing as there is only two and they are both from 2007?

Anyways, I do have to (sadly) agree with the posts stating that it will probably not make as much of an impact, since there are no really fit women on the scene and Rob is the one getting all of the attention :[

Hey Rusty,

This is a cool website, I'm a recent subscriber and visit the site almost daily.
I started following your "Vacation body blueprint" abou two days ago, since my summer holiday (South Africa) is around the corner.

It is already working wonders. I just came off a bulking phase (cause one needs at least a bit of muscle to have muscle definition) and I become extremely hungry throughout the day. But the funny thing is, I have more energy!

I will have my first body fat percentage check this afternoon since I began the program, hope all goes well.

Oh yeah, and my opinion of a good look, is also the one of Brad Pitt in Fight Club, or Cam Gigandet in Never Back Down!

Arthur

Funny you mention Brad Pitt – it was Mr. Pitt in "Troy" that got me to the gym.

one word steroids!you cannot got from that to that without them.most celebs use them for movies and its kinda sad this kid is too

I wish people would quit trying to rationalize why a celebrity can get into great shape but they cant e.g. money, time etc.. Nobody is forcing us to overeat and under exercise

Rusty,

It would be nice if this inspires younger americans to be fit, but I doubt that it will have substantial impact. Let's hope. There too much competition in the opposite direction. By that I mean easy access to unhealthy foods and the politically correct bandwagon that totes their anti-thin and "real women have meat on their bones" messages. At a 66% overweight or obesity rate and rising not sure if a movie can turn that around. So much unnecessary crap is taught in schools and then they cut gym class or have it one semester in 4 years. Fitness and nutrition should be mandatory throughout the curriculum from K through 12 grade. A fit lean society can work harder, longer and would be much more productive. Quality universal healthcare might be afordable if the majority was fit and ate healthy, it would eliminate the majority of americas preventable death (smoking and obesity).

Sorry I'm such a pessimist this morning.

http://www.wired.com/underwire/2009/11/twilight-lessons-girls-learn/

Damn, I prefer the gym empty, no waiting around or switching your routine around.

Not to get picky—but 15 year olds aren't part of Generation Y.

Gen Y'ers are all in their 20s right now (and possibly 30s depending on which date range you use).

If you're 15, you're Generation Z.

@Tristan: As far as losing fat, if what you are doing is working, just keep doing it.

also, keep in mind, when you aim to "bulk up" some fat gain is going to come as a result – just accept it as you can always diet it off later. You just don't want it to get out of hand(gaining more fat than muscle), therefore it's probably smart to take it slow.

I love it when people use 21 year olds as a "fitness role model" – yes, when you are young and at the peak of physiology (is that word?) have plenty of growth hormone and energy and none of life's worries (well unless you are a spoiled millionaire actor/actress and you have to worry about your investments) you are SUPPOSED to be thin and in "good shape" – the trick is maintaining that as you age. When I was 21 I could eat anything and everything and never gain an ounce. Keep in mind that these actors/actresses have access to all the very best in drugs (Sly Stallone's admitted use of steroids for example), plenty of time and training equipment, etc. Is the average sedentary teenage "gamer" going to run out and join the gym after watching this movie? Hardly.

Fact of the matter is, Taylor Lautner used to be skinny as hell. Now, he looks like a beast.

It's only been 9 months, folks.

He could still grow a lot more, but at this rate, he looks damn good. I don't know why he'd want to.

*gratuitous post* Brad Pitt…Fight Club….YA BABY!

great post.. from a female perspective it was Dirty Dancing, back in the days.. no idea about the Twilight series, but here across the pond, we have a series, Merlin, that has plenty of fit young people in it..including women that DONT need 'hot vampires' to do their fighting, and will haippily handle it themselves..

How much these leave a lasting impact though.. only time can tell!.. maybe societies that didnt tell parents its dangerous to let their kids go running round outside up and down trees and on their bikes for hours on end might help more…..

Yes he his. This is true by the fact that girls OBSESS over him, and guys like me want that even though i may be taken. guys recognize why girls are obsessed over him. HIS BODY, no one was screaming for him last year, but this year is different. What's different? his body. He is a role model for the younger community to work for a better body. He is helping me. Many people have many different motives to workout and what pushes them; and girls drooling over my body is one of mine……

i would very much like to know more about taylors gym and diet schedule he is the same age as me and after watching the movie i would like to get into shape….dont think ill have the abs like his though…

Great article! We must be around the same age, because I related to virtually everything you compared and contrasted. Especially renting The Lost Boys for my tween daughter after Twilight came out and eating my words (or were they maggots?).

My fitness motivating movie in Jr High School was actually Karate Kid. My best friend and I saw that film and we installed a speedbag in her garage, as well as all sorts of challenging, obstacle course-type stations in her back yard.

I am very impressed with Taylor's drive to get into shape so quickly, and naturally his success with it. I agree that it will inspire many others to challenge themselves and get ripped!

Honestly, I think he's a bit of anomaly for his age.

As a woman, personally, i wish more would admire someone like Ryan Kwanten of HBO/True Blood. Limited gym work, constant body weight training, controlled diet and exercise diversity.

Rusty,

Great post. I agree, it's nice to see that Hollywood is portraying someone with a fit (or ripped in this case) body as being cool.

With the way kids are these days and the growing trend of child hood obesity, Taylor Lautner makes for a great role model.

I did a lot of research on what Taylor did to achieve such great results, with your permission I provided a link to a great article at my site on his workout:

http://www.freemusclebuildingtips.com/taylor-lautner-workout-secrets.html

Sincerely,

Chris Cannon

He didn't need steroids to gain those 30 pounds. All he had to do was drink a lot of protein shakes plus carbs and he would exceed his needed calories count but turn the extra weight into muscles (with the right exercise).

Taylor Lautner has a calm, funny, enjoyable public personality, the kind a healthy person without steroids would often have. And he can throw and catch a football with finesse. He reminds me of Joe Montana.

Role model for youth? Too perfect, wholesome, typical football jock, popular guy. You know, they wear Abercrombie, like most young guys who are already fit. Not your typical teen's idea of who he could be.

So rusty… What's the most effective way to get muscle like Taylor lautner?

I agree with this one. i am 16 an Taylor has for sure gotten me to want to get in way better shape than i am. After seeing the movie, he is now my role model to get fit. And i just doing the at home stuff as of now. Being in high school yet, i don't have time to live at the gym. So i'm hoping to just lose some weight so my muscles have more definition. I know you can't always look like Taylor, but i would love to be fit so that if i was to go on vacation somewhere or something, it wouldn't be hard to get close to looking like Taylor does.

@Terb Don't be dissin gamers, they're (depending on who you go to) one of the better communities in the world. Or one of the worst, if you decide to play Halo ODST on Xbox live.

I think Taylor and his trainer did a great job in his transformation.
Were performance enhancers part of the equation? Who knows?
Firstly i think the 30 pounds of muscle claim is an over estimation. A 30 pound weight gain is more like it – along with the muscle comes glycogen and water in the muscle increasing body weight, increase in bone density. Also at around 16/17 his hormonal mileu is on par with a low level stack of anabolics and so with the right traing and nutrition advice his body would be primed for the best muscle gains possible. How many youg guys train and eat right from the offset? It's normally bench's and curls, a protein drink here and there and junk food.
Hopefully he'll spur people to get fitter I know I first got into traing after seeing Armie, Van-Damme, Bruce Lee and a host of others on the big screen and hoped to achieve the muscular look they all sported (showing my age with those examples).

Thanks Rusty.

Jacob Black has a physique to match his purpose, he doesn't portray a character who will inspire PEOPLE on a wide scale to pursue fitness goals because he is not a HUMAN character.

It would be more likely that he inspires fat teenagers to get bitten by wolves, and a more amusing outcome at that.

Tyler Durden portrayed the physical ideal of a human man. If that man envisioned his ideal body to be a wolfman we would have seen a wolfman, but because he believed in something that was HUMANLY POSSIBLE we believed right alongside him.

Likewise with the Terminator, yes he was a machine but you have to remember he also was created with the intent of FOOLING PEOPLE into believing that HE WAS HUMAN TOO.

Jacob Black has no illusions as to what he is, and neither do the viewers. He isn't inspiring because he has no grounding in achievement. He magicked his way into a nice looking body, and that's all he will be seen for.

When I went to see New Moon people kept screaming every time Taylor Lautner took off his top so I do think that overall (even if only subconsciously) it will raise people's body awareness.

One of the previous comments mentioned lack of fit famous female role models, which I don't think is true as there are plenty available such as Jessica Biel or Jessica Alba. Jessica Biel's body is amazing in I pronounce you Chucky and Larry where she takes off her wet clothes! Plenty of inspiration there! And she's toned and athletic not just thin!
Also with people like Emily Procter from CSI Miami running marathons (she was a Nike Ambassador for the Nike 26.2, a marathon and half marathon for women run in San Francisco) and Jennifer Lopez competing in Triathlons, hopefully it will also inspire girls.

Lots of young girls took up dancing after seeing films like Step UP and Make it Happen, maybe Hollywood should release a more athletic based film aimed at girls? Like, I love Never Back Down but all the girl has to do is stand on the side looking pretty!

As for my own fitness goals, they are motivated by things such as hearing that the first all female helicopter crew in the RAF are flying out to Afghanistan. Whether you are for or against their being out there, it made me feel like I could also do anything I wanted (http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/Afghanistan/article6926918.ece)

Yeah I kinda agree. This dude is to young to be seen as fitness role model by me anyway. Perhaps when I was 17, I would have looked up to the kid, but maybe he will speak somewhat for the younger crowd.

Heeeeeey Rusty =]
Ive been reading ur Blog for a while and i really like ur perspective on working out and what looks goood cz itz actually TRUE !!
There was a post abt a BodyBuilder who disagrees with u; and u also mention that u get alot of Hate, negative , bashing mails from BodyBuilders that dont support ur whole theory ….
Soo today i was googling stuff and came across something that i think will intrest u …
Itz an Fashion article that supports your whole perspective on working out and whats "In" =D

http://www.theage.com.au/lifestyle/fashion/too-fat-for-paris-20090403-9nq2.html

Lemme know what u think

Hello Rusty,

I've asked you before whether i will loose my muscle tone if i try to loose some muscle, and this is what you told me. I would temporarily loose some sharpness and when i reach the weight i want start doing the low reps high intensity resistance training again then I will be sharper than ever.

Its been about 3 weeks since I stopped lifting and only do ab workouts, interval training, and cardio, but I have not been loosing weight instead I am gaining weight. I have been eating alot, one of the reason is because i smoke weed and when i do i pig out like fat kid at a cake store. I am still doing eat stop eat but that's still not enough for me to loose weight.

My plan starting monday would be starting a crash diet, but i am not sure if i have enough discipline to do this, especially when i smoke weed. I calculated my total daily energy expenditure is about 2400, so I am planning to start eating 1400~1700 a day on average including the calorie deficit with eat stop eat. I am about 155 right now, and my goal weight is 140.

would it take me more than 3 months to reach my goal weight?
If I do loose the weight in 3 months do you think i can get my muscle definition back?

I think i have little bit of love handle, is there another way to loose them other than lowering body fat(i do a plank routine with side planks included regularly, sometimes i do renegade rows too)?

Is there anything advice you can give me to reach my goal? (other than stop smoking weed, i am gonna cut back alot cause i have absolutely no self-control when i smoke)

Thanks in advance for answering my questions.. It always gives me more motivation when I get advice from you. I love reading your posts. HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!

Very nice post. I just want to add one thought here – may be it will be a lot harder for one single movie or actor to impress the whole generation right now. The popular culture is not that aggregetated like it was in the 80s. Or at least this is what somebody born in 1989 thinks.
Greetings from Bulgaria, Europe.

Ok, let me just get this out of the way first: your appearance has little to do with how fit you actually are. You think he looks like he's in shape therefore he must be, right? These are the same people who have a 38 Vo2Max, and can barely squat 225 lb. Come on, we all know true fitness and strength does not come from aesthetics. In fact, the most well conditioned athletes couldn't give two shits abouts their appearance. As far as inspiring " an entire generation of young men and women to take an interest in fitness", that's just too funny, because most young people today couldn't be bothered to take out the trash, let alone exercise.

Beıng apart of gen y myself i have always worked out but i had missed a few sessions prıor to new moon. The mınute i saw taylor lautner ı felt like hitting the gym. İ know he worked hard but i know he worked hard but ı wish i knew where he started and how long he took him to get to that point.

hey!
im training to drop BF right now, and im going whit the "eat stop eat" method.
so my question is if i can work out on the days im fasting??

btw, i think taylor lautner will have an impakt on peoples attitude to training, i have many girl friends and they all say that they wish that the guys they know would look like him, and that is a BIG motivation for all the boys to work out

Hey, ive searched the web but i cant seem to find an actual training routine for taylor lautner, does anyone know what his actual workout routines was and his nutrition plan?

I'm a college guy and while not a huge fan of twilight, it is easy to see that Lautner does have an impact….namely on how girls respond to his body which in turns makes guys want to get in that same shape for said girls.

I don't think he used drugs or owt. He's 17 and just started lifting weights he's bound to pack on some muscle!! This is the muscle we were "meant to have" if we were hunter gatherers. I remember when I started working out the muscle packed on quite quick. He was also working out 5 times a week so he did put in somehard work!!!

I think whats keeping Taylor Lautner from being a fitness role model is that his character is kind of a dork. The reaction from the audience was more laughter because his new body did not seem to go with his nerdy character.

Tom Cruise has a cool personality in Top Gun. Brad Pitt in Snatch had a tough character that appealed to many younger guys who wish they could take a guy out in one punch. The guys in 300 were the definition of masculinity. If you watched the Twilight movies then you know that Taylor's character was always awkward with the girl-not a quality that most men want to achieve. He reminds me of the little brother that no one wants around. That being said I thought his physique was impressive, and he did give me slight motivation to keep on pushing towards a more defined six pack.

The first hour of New Moon was horrible and the rest was slightly tolerable. I am sorry Rusty but the characters in that movie are not likable. The main girl is so boring and emotional and she has no personality. I would not spend five minutes with that girl. Paying to see her complain and feel sorry for herself was a mistake on my part. The male vampire teen is more emotional than she is, and the only thing they talk about is how much in love with each other they are. Its boring and sad.

The young brown haired vampire girl is quite the treat though. Similarly the red haired vampire is also hot. When Taylors character gets those two girls then I might consider him someone to look up to.

Jason the Caveman,

You should consider the Warrior Diet for days that you smoke weed-assuming you smoke at night. Eat very low calorie before any pot sessions in anticipation for your night eating. Then try to eat a high protein dinner with some low glycemic carbohydrates(most vegetables). Put some cheese, butter, and/or olive oil on the vegetables to makea them more palatable.

check out Daniel Radcliffe's photos from the stage play Equus. He worked himself into a pretty great shape… and he is definitely Y generation. He's not as bulked up as Taylor, nor as lean as Pitt or Cam, but he looks pure awesome in those photos!

I think the comparison is a bit off, mostly because twilight is aimed toward preteen/teen girls for the most part [don't mean to step on anyone's toes here if they like the movies/books and don't fall in their category]. for the most part though, us "gen y" guys are dismissive of the series in general. Also, I don't think twilight is going to be as much of a classic 20 or 30 years from now the way Top Gun or Fight Club are.

I'm a 15 year old guy who has been interested in physical fitness for most of my teenage years. My main rold models in fitness have been martial artists such as Bruce Lee but the majority of my lady friends never found him particuarly atractive, then when New Moon came out all they have really been talking about is his amazing body, and it was new motivation for me, to try and look better than him by the time i'm 17, he did it in 9 months and i have 2 years, and i'm already in pretty good shape especially for my age.
I am not sure that it will get many people into the gym because they may see getting as butch as taylor to be quite an impossible task with school and work etc. but i think for those who already do train it offers a new motivation.

Hey Rusty,

You are great at guessing body fat %, so I was wondering what would you say Taylor Lautner's bf is?

Hey Rusty, have you seen this stuff…G-R-O-S-S…

http://artsyspot.com/what-went-wrong-synthol-victims/

I know someone who is more cut/ripped.
Look up "Bi Rain Ninja Assassin" on google or google images.

Great point! I actually just contributed to an article about fitness trends for 2010, and I cited the "Taylor Lautner Effect" – like you, I totally agree that Lautner will have an impact on fitness.

Younger guys will see the attention Taylor gets both from the Media and from women–due almost exclusively to his physique–and want to hit the weights.

This will go a long way to ending "skinny boy chic"

Thanks for posting this, nice job

-Roman

I also went to the opening night showing, and supriseingly alot of people there had " team edward " which suprised me, because no one seemed to be for Jacob at all, personally being into health and fitness, i was REALLY rooting for jacob, but was suprised no one else there shared this enthusiasm, as for the "Impact" thing, i couldn't agree more. being 16 years old i know that alot of guys i know would be mad jelous of Taylor Lautner's body. But personally for me, seeing 300 really made me want to get into better shape, it was shortly after seeing 300 extremely muscular and fit Spartans that i decided i also wanted to be in good shape, and i am very suprised that movie in itself didn't set a trend!

What type of diet and workout would you recommend to get lautner body type? I am a year older than him and have been working out but haven't gotten results like he has. And I read that he took lots of supplements for protein but I just drink raw eggs instead.

Jason G,

i don't think i can do the warrior diet, cause whenever i smoke weed all i do is pig out on high-calories snacks such as snickers, sour patches, and chips. I won't be able to do the pre-agricultural food part of the warrior diet. The weed i'll just either learn more self-control when i am high or smoke less of it.

I think Taylor lautners' body is perfectly proportioned. He has perfect shoulders and upper chest which gives him that proportionality. I have small traps and not ver big shoulders. If I develope my shoulders do I need to develope my traps also? I don't want to overdevlope them because then it looks like you have no neck. At what point do you say that's enough size in my traps? Or do I not train them at all? How do I get that proportionality Taylor lautner has?

It's NOT hard to gain 30 pounds of muscle in nine months…if you're a werewolf. I'm just saying.

Taylors body is a product of the 8 to 12 rep range philosophy and then a period of leaning out. You can get that type of body using strength training techniques, but it will take longer. Rusty backs up the strength training methods because pound for pound all new muscle will be higher quality(better at producing force). However for getting larger muscles or for shaping muscles the eight to twelve rep range is the most efficient. Actors choose the eight to twelve rep range because it will produce the best visual results in the least amount of time. They then lean out. People who train with Rusty's techniques to look like Taylor are going to have more functional muscles for lifting heavy weights. Ultimately the puffed up look that most of us are trying to avoid is caused more by a high carbohydrate high calorie diet and less by are choice of reps.

Hi Rusty, how are you? I´m making a lot of publicity here in mexico of your blog. I´m reading the vacation body blueprint and also reading your posts. I´m a little bit confused with the current one. Recently I watch the movie and i see the physique of Taylor Lautner. Is it possible to keep that looking all the year? You have mentioned in other posts, to not be fooled about hollywood actors because their look is not being held all the year. In the case of Taylor, is it possible to mantain his look for 12 months or simply for the important ocassion?

tks

Rusty,

I totally agree. Garden State… amazing sound track. good call.

I sure hope you're right. I am disturbed by the number of out of shape teens I see. I am 39 years old and I am in much better shape than most teenagers. There is something terribly wrong with that. My neighbors have kids and fortunately they are all into sports, but they often have friends over that have the bodies of middle-aged out of shape men. It's very sad.

Let's face it, young people are very impressionable. Let's hope this kid will become a positive role model for our youth and get them off their asses and the video games and in the gym and in shape.

Yeah I don't think Taylor will be a role model as much as other celebrities such as Arnie or Stallone. I don't know many Aussie guys who have watched the Twilight movie or will know who this kid is.

For boys/men role models in the area of fitness/muscle aspiration come from action films that don't involve obvious romance or vampires.

Will girls try to get fit or starve themselves to be thin as Kristen Stewart? quite possibly.

Alexis segura,

In the case of Taylor, it's definitely possible maintain his physique if he maintains his diet and not consume more than his burns while doing resistance training. It's all about discipline, but i don't think he WILL be able maintain his diet for preparing for this role. Actors don't look like that normally, they just train hard before a role so they can look good on screen. A good example of that is Rain from the recent ninja assassin (the movie wasn't that good but he was in amazing physique).

For his first main role in Hollywood, he trained for about 8 hours a day for 8 months, and his diet consisted of chicken breast, raw fish, sweet potatoes, and salad. It was a hellish time for him to go through, he even said so himself. Staying in that physique is extremely hard especially if you love food, but it's definitely "possible."

I think 300 had the biggest impact of this decade by far.

The 300 workout + Mark Twight and Gym Jones spurred much of the kettlebell/odd object workouts and have light to Crossfit.

Good article though, definitely worth reading…

- J

I was so shocked when I saw Taylor Lautner's abs. Impressive for a 17 year old! It was funny all the girls sitting around us were in their 30's and they were hooting and hollering at him. Eye Candy is what I call it, and I appreciate all those muscles on the movie stars. I know how hard they worked to get that way!

http://www.squidoo.com/taylorlautnersexyguy

Hi Rusty,

I have been reading your posts for a few days now and all I can say is WOOOW! Where have you been all my life!! I'm an avid reader of Lyle McDonald and your site is just as awesome and informative as Lyle's (and I mean that as a compliment) I have been spending countless hours reading through your posts as well as comments other people leave for you and I'm totally hooked. Your principles of training and diet align perfectly with mine and so I feel I can get a lot from reading your website on a regular basis–Thank you!

I was a runner in High School and College (ran the 100 and 200 meters) until I busted my knees (first my right knee then my left one) I must admit I was depressed when I was told I was not allowed to run anymore–That's when I discovered weight lifting. When I used to train I used to do a lot of hamstring and glut exercises (as you know that's where runners get all their power) but other than that, I didn't bother much with weights. Now I life 2 or 3 times a week with heavy weights and I love it. I was always pretty thin, but I lacked a lot of muscle definition everywhere else besides my legs. I'm 5'6 106 lbs and even though I'm lighter than I used to be when I did a lot of running (I was between 108 and 110 lbs in college) I have a bit more muscle and look a lot healthier with a little bit of muscle on my bones. My body fat distribution has also gotten better (went from 22% BF to 18% BF) by lifting weights and walking on an incline on the treadmill ( I also dance Salsa 2/week). I'm going on a vacation in about 3 weeks and I have downloaded your Vacation Body Blueprint. I will do it 2 weeks out as I'm already pretty lean and all I want is for my muscle to be a bit more toned and my abs a bit more ripped. I look forward to trying some of your programs and getting stronger without getting bigger. Thanks for all the information you provide and keep up with the awesome job!

P.S sorry for the long post–just psyched to have found your site!

1. Tom Cruise was the coolest guy since he made TAPS and lost some of his edge with the jumping couch-hidden crazyness of recent years.

2. You mention Arnold and some others talk about Stallone and Van Damme, but no one mentions Carl Weathers (Rocky and Predator…oh, and Action Jackson).

3. I think you missed three actors that created also a big buzz regarding fitness, not only among viewers but also among fellow actors: Marlon Brando, Bruce Lee and Sean Connery. Brando, specially in A Streetcar named Desired and On the Waterfront, was in amazing shape. What can we say about Lee (well, just the opposite of what we can say about Seagal when it comes to looking in shape). Connery, impersonating the perfect Bond (I must say I like Daniel Craig) fresh out of old style bodybuilding.

4. Dolph Lundgren. I had the pleasure of meeting this guy at my gym in Madrid when he was promoting Rocky IV. Huge guy that could easily send Arnold and Stallone to the hospital with just one blow (remember he is a Black Belt in Karate). Very nice guy and very bad actor. Before they gave him "whatever" to bulk up for He-Man, the guy was a rock and could move fast for his height. I remember that when he was dating Grace Jones, he taught her Karate and one day she kicked two guys butts that were trying to mug a lady in New York.

Great post Rusty. The 90's to me (because I was in high school then) seemed to have an essence of rebellion and apathy combined. Which seemed to be why you could have a show like Beverly Hills, 90210 be the number one show and Grunge rock was the number one genre of music at the same time….

As this relates to fitness, I think many people may have wanted to be in shape and look good, but the rebel in them didn't know how to go about joining a gym or seeking tutelage in something that, in their mind, would make them appear to care about what other people thought about them.

Hey Rusty,

I been browsing through your site recently and have read your "Vacation Body Blueprint" and I have a few questions. I am around the weight I want to be at, 165 lbs, but I don't have the tone "GQ" look as you say. My arms a kinda of skinny (not very toned on the arms) and I just have a little bit of belly fat (abs are pretty visible). I was wondering if following your programs and methods would help me out to, or if it only helps out people looking to lose fat? Would it still be possible for me to gain muscle mass, particularly on my arms, following your methods. Any help is appreciated and I can supply more information if it is needed. Thanks a lot.

Alex

Hi Rusty,

Long time no post just been busy lately. Anyways I don't know how many of you watch violent cheesy martial arts movies but in Ninja Assassins the main lead Rain was freaking ripped! Typical Bruce Lee body though so just average size but in scenes when he didn't have a shirt on definition to even rival Bruce's body!

New moon is definitely the rave today. Al you talk about Ninja Assassins, haven't seen it yet, but even the movie 300, they all had ripped bodies. To me that was massive definition!

Susan

Hey Rusty how's it going?
I just subscribed to your site and to the Vacation Blueprint tonight.
I just turned 18 in June, and I just started hitting the gym in June as well. I've always been in to sports, but never really working out in the gym to shape my body until now, and I am realy excited to get into the blueprints! Well I just wanted to comment on your post about Taylor (Jacob), and I think your completely rite! After I saw the movie I was like damn, I'm hitting the gym twice as hard tonight haha! And the next week I did see a greater flow of people my age at the gym! All of us guys are seeing the ladies drool over Jacob, and we want the same reaction!.. well.. atleast I do! Haha take care!

I am a huge movie buff and I agree that movies do influence people to look like characters from movies. Like someone else posted not many guys go see the Twilight Saga movies, but they know how girls are reacting to how Taylor Lautner's body looks. You can pretty much see him all over the place on magazines and such so you don't need to see the movie to really see his progress. It has worked for women aswell I believe. Look at Hilary Swank from Million Dollar Baby that is what inspired me. She had the most beautiful shoulders I had ever seen. Then you've got Jennifer Garner from Alias, her arm definition was incredible. I do believe that people get inspired by celebrities no matter how young or old. Atleast it is a possitive way and not to try to make yourself to thin inspiration that many times Hollywood pertrays to our youth.

Taylor Lautner has a healthy body that is not overdone. He is definitely an example to follow.

Being lumped into this category (born in 1989) I'd say I have to disagree. although Im a male and tons of my lady friends love the series, its mainly due to the cast and their good looks – being good looking has lots to do with being fit. they go nuts for those dudes , and that's why they go.

and contrastingly, I'd say we're pretty into our fitness! our gym at university is our most popular building. interesting read rusty.

Actually at 16 your body is that of an adult, physiologically you're adult (nature doesn't care for man-made rules) but you've actually a stronger potential for strength and leaness than someone in his 30's. So it's actually easier for someone who is 16 and at hormonal and metabolic peak.

Mike GP said:
=Do you think Taylor Lautner took some kind of steroids to achieve that look…i mean, he is 16 years old and gained 30 pounds of muscle…..how hard is that for an adult to achieve, not to mention a kid=

Actually at 16 your body is that of an adult, physiologically you're adult (nature doesn't care for man-made rules) but you've actually a stronger potential for strength and leaness than someone in his 30's. So it's actually easier for someone who is 16 and at hormonal and metabolic peak.

Hi Rusty!
Awesome site!
However, I disagree with some of what you said in this post. Your claims that being in shape is not "in" for young people, are, or at least from my experience, mistaken. I am 14 and live in Australia, and my friends and I are all interested in fitness. This is a big claim, but I think I can say that I have abs and they are considered cool. All my friends take physical fitness seriously.
That said I think that it is true that Taylor Lautner will inspire more people to work out, just like any other fit actor.
Great work Rusty!

Taylor Lautner is really hot. He must spent lots of time to work on his body.

Interesting perspective…I hadn't really thought of it till now, but who HAS been the fit roll model for generation Y? With America's obesity problem taking a toll on more and more young adults and kids, I hope you are right. Maybe Taylor Lautner will help get some people into shape!

"Tom Cruise was once considered cool"

Ha, I love it

My inspiration was Cam Gigandet in Never Back Down (I know its not the best of movies)

Me personaly i wasent diggin this whole twilight thing but my gf wanted to see it so i took her,,, and yes taylor lautner is very inspiring,,ever time he took off his shirt ther was girls screaming all over and isnt this wat all guys want for girls to scream for them so i believe he does inspire the youth to train and get in shape,,,ive been working out now for 7 months and im only 15 watchin twilight changed the way i want to look now at first i wanted a really bulky look but now im trying to get a slimer cut up look

and every guy with a girlfreind will watch the movie twilight believe me the chicks digg it and they will begg u to take them

Hey Rusty.
Taylor lautner is pretty damn impressive.I mean a teen with an 8 pack thats superhuman, anyways I have been searching everywhere for his workout plan but each time end up with the same thing…….NOTHING. So i was just wondering if you had any idea of the plan he was on, and if not would you be able to put together a workout plan and diet for me. only if its not to much trouble thanks alot.

This post was very interesting…I personally loved the book series and thoroughly enjoyed the movie. If it's any indication that your prediction is true…in the months since the release of New Moon, no actually since last summer when the trailer was released and people started seeing Taylor Lautner's new physique….I have had clients young and old talking about how fit he is and what he did to get in shape. I even had one client with a teenage daughter who got three of her high school friends to start doing personal training sessions with me because of their crushes on "Jacob." At first it made me chuckle, but I thought hey, if they think they'll get closer to a teenage celebrity by following his healthy lifestyle, then what a great role model. That pretty well speaks for itself.

aaah man was the one of the worst movies ever talk about another teeny bopper movie, im sad to see movies like this out and especially people in generation x [people around rustys age] actually think this movie is worth watching? i downloaded it and regret wasting my laptop space, my time, my friends time…. as far as taylor lautners fitness in this movie goes, he sure did look mediocre to me, not even comparible to brad pitt nor arnold… and to even compare his acting skills to those? i was sad to read this post, ive always like what you said, until..

rusty what percentage of these guys you think took illegal supplements to get in shape for a role?

I think most of them took some illegal supplements. It is nearly impossible to get in shape so fast. Their idol should be arnold.

I definitely think that the entertainment industry has an impact. I mean, if not, no one would want to lose weight and be slim and fit. I think the problem now is the lack of knowledge on HOW to keep fit, because of all the quick miracle solutions out in the market that's nothing but a fad. I think sites like yours can help people with that.