SirStefan32
Krycek, Alex Krycek
Working out the rage
Defiant Shaq in midst of offseason regimen
By Howard Beck
Staff Writer
Sometimes Shaquille O'Neal delivers his messages with bluntness and bluster. Sometimes he opts for a more subtle, symbolic approach. On this bright summer day in the Valley, O'Neal has brought his entire repertoire.
He is quoting Muhammad Ali and Cyndi Lauper. He is channeling Tony Soprano. He is laughing. He is scowling. He says enough to make his point: that he's still simmering over a season gone bad and the blame directed his way.
But a keen observer doesn't need to hear it. You can see it. In O'Neal's more toned midsection, in his lively gait and in the stark new tattoo adorning his left forearm:
There is a depiction of O'Neal dunking -- a.k.a. the Dunkman logo -- with crosshairs stenciled over it. The description reads, "Public Enemy No. 1."
"I've always been the target," explained O'Neal, relaxing outside the 24-Hour Fitness center at the Sherman Oaks Mall.
A short while later, he would resume the offseason workout regimen that has helped him lose 15 pounds (and counting) since mid-June. But first, he had to shed a little more frustration.
Yes, he has worked harder this summer than in any offseason in several years -- as Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak and coach Phil Jackson requested, and as many fans hoped. But with O'Neal, there is never compliance without defiance, and both were on display throughout the conversation last week.
He said the idea to hire a personal trainer, for the first time in his career, was his and not a response to critics. He said he would have worked just as hard the previous two summers if not for nagging injuries that needed time to heal.
Yet he hears the stinging remarks about his weight and conditioning and can't help but respond.
"When stuff is going good, you're the man. But as soon as stuff doesn't go good, instead of people taking their own blame, they want to give it to the fall guy," O'Neal said.
O'Neal played last season carrying 360-plus pounds, and one source said he reported to training camp closer to 370. By contrast, O'Neal weighed 345 pounds when he came to camp in 1999, the start of his lone MVP season, and was closer to 325 when the Lakers won their first championship in June 2000.
O'Neal said he now weighs "between 339 and 345" and has shed 15 pounds since June 12. He'll certainly drop a few more pounds by the time he reports to camp in Honolulu on Oct. 2.
But he's as defensive as ever about the issue. Recovery from toe surgery and a nagging left knee were the problems last season, not conditioning, he says.
"I'll tell you what. If I wasn't in shape last year, I must be the greatest," O'Neal said. "To have to put up with five, 10 people every night and still get 27 (points) and 10 (rebounds) and play on a messed-up foot and play on a messed-up knee, and never complain. In the words of Muhammad Ali, 'I must be the greatest.' "
He ends this rant with a smile and a chuckle, and despite the defiant tone, O'Neal has clearly rededicated himself in a manner team officials believe is long overdue.
"I knew after a bum year that I had to go back -- bada-bam, bada-bing -- and come back stronger," he said.
The task was handed two months ago to Cory Gilday, a certified personal trainer plucked from the 24-Hour chain. Gilday left his Vancouver, Wash., residence in June, moved to O'Neal's Orlando, Fla., neighborhood and began devising a new workout regimen and a better diet.
"I would say he was in need of a strength and conditioning coach," Gilday said, in his first interview. "But he wasn't way out of shape."
The pair has worked out five to six days a week, two to three hours a day. The routine will continue until mid-September, and then O'Neal will be on his own.
"He's gone through blood, sweat and tears this summer," Gilday said. "The weekend warrior wouldn't want to work out the way he worked out."
Although team officials would prefer a 315-pound Shaq, Gilday said the numbers can be deceiving. Much of the lost fat has been replaced by added muscle, and muscle weighs more than fat.
"Body fat is nothing more than dead weight. It really impedes your performance," Gilday said. "So you can weigh 350 and be 20 percent body fat or you can weigh 350 and be 16 percent body fat, you're going to have more muscle to control your own weight and just more absolute strength there."
O'Neal's body fat peaked around 20 percent last season but is now closer to 15 percent. Gilday would not discuss specific figures, but he did set a goal, which he said O'Neal is on track to reach.
"We tested him. He jumps higher, he runs faster, he's got a lower resting heart rate, lower body fat. But he's still Shaq," Gilday said.
Gilday prescribed a nutrition plan that cut down on the Krispy Kremes and fried foods, and O'Neal has taken to calling him before ordering dinner at restaurants.
"I'm trying to eat a little better. But I'm not going to be eating salad all the time," O'Neal said. "I'm not going to change my whole diet."
When the summer began, O'Neal had difficulty sprinting with Gilday. The trainer -- a former Junior Olympics skier and collegiate baseball player -- clocks himself at about 4.8 seconds in the 40-yard dash.
"He can almost run with me now," Gilday said. "I'm still beating him, but he's not getting blown away like he used to."
O'Neal's left knee, which limited him in the playoffs, is sound now. His surgically repaired toe has improved range of motion but will probably always be an issue.
The rest, O'Neal said, is up to his coach and his teammates. Yes, he is still demanding the ball -- "If I'm going to be the fall guy, I want it to be done my way: Give me the ball 40 times a game." -- and feels he's earned it.
He was irked when his conditioning was cited by Kupchak and Jackson months ago, and that hasn't changed.
"What you think?" O'Neal snapped, before assuming a lighter tone. "No, I'm not upset at all. I don't get upset. In the words of Cyndi Lauper, 'I see your true colors shining through. I see your true colors, and that's why I love you.' "
And before he got up to sign a dozen autographs and pose for camera-toting fans at the mall, O'Neal issued a flat warning to the Lakers' Western Conference rivals, all of which added marquee talent this summer.
"It's not going to matter," he said. "You know that. The whole world knows it's not going to matter. You know why? Because I'm back now. Last year, I was a little banged up. But no team is a powerhouse, and no team scares me. And I'm upset and I'm (ticked) off. A lot of people doubting me. The old Shaq will be back, talking (smack), starting fights, getting my legs up when I dunk.
"I'm back now. I'm mad now."
Howard Beck, (818)713-3613 [email protected]
Defiant Shaq in midst of offseason regimen
By Howard Beck
Staff Writer
Sometimes Shaquille O'Neal delivers his messages with bluntness and bluster. Sometimes he opts for a more subtle, symbolic approach. On this bright summer day in the Valley, O'Neal has brought his entire repertoire.
He is quoting Muhammad Ali and Cyndi Lauper. He is channeling Tony Soprano. He is laughing. He is scowling. He says enough to make his point: that he's still simmering over a season gone bad and the blame directed his way.
But a keen observer doesn't need to hear it. You can see it. In O'Neal's more toned midsection, in his lively gait and in the stark new tattoo adorning his left forearm:
There is a depiction of O'Neal dunking -- a.k.a. the Dunkman logo -- with crosshairs stenciled over it. The description reads, "Public Enemy No. 1."
"I've always been the target," explained O'Neal, relaxing outside the 24-Hour Fitness center at the Sherman Oaks Mall.
A short while later, he would resume the offseason workout regimen that has helped him lose 15 pounds (and counting) since mid-June. But first, he had to shed a little more frustration.
Yes, he has worked harder this summer than in any offseason in several years -- as Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak and coach Phil Jackson requested, and as many fans hoped. But with O'Neal, there is never compliance without defiance, and both were on display throughout the conversation last week.
He said the idea to hire a personal trainer, for the first time in his career, was his and not a response to critics. He said he would have worked just as hard the previous two summers if not for nagging injuries that needed time to heal.
Yet he hears the stinging remarks about his weight and conditioning and can't help but respond.
"When stuff is going good, you're the man. But as soon as stuff doesn't go good, instead of people taking their own blame, they want to give it to the fall guy," O'Neal said.
O'Neal played last season carrying 360-plus pounds, and one source said he reported to training camp closer to 370. By contrast, O'Neal weighed 345 pounds when he came to camp in 1999, the start of his lone MVP season, and was closer to 325 when the Lakers won their first championship in June 2000.
O'Neal said he now weighs "between 339 and 345" and has shed 15 pounds since June 12. He'll certainly drop a few more pounds by the time he reports to camp in Honolulu on Oct. 2.
But he's as defensive as ever about the issue. Recovery from toe surgery and a nagging left knee were the problems last season, not conditioning, he says.
"I'll tell you what. If I wasn't in shape last year, I must be the greatest," O'Neal said. "To have to put up with five, 10 people every night and still get 27 (points) and 10 (rebounds) and play on a messed-up foot and play on a messed-up knee, and never complain. In the words of Muhammad Ali, 'I must be the greatest.' "
He ends this rant with a smile and a chuckle, and despite the defiant tone, O'Neal has clearly rededicated himself in a manner team officials believe is long overdue.
"I knew after a bum year that I had to go back -- bada-bam, bada-bing -- and come back stronger," he said.
The task was handed two months ago to Cory Gilday, a certified personal trainer plucked from the 24-Hour chain. Gilday left his Vancouver, Wash., residence in June, moved to O'Neal's Orlando, Fla., neighborhood and began devising a new workout regimen and a better diet.
"I would say he was in need of a strength and conditioning coach," Gilday said, in his first interview. "But he wasn't way out of shape."
The pair has worked out five to six days a week, two to three hours a day. The routine will continue until mid-September, and then O'Neal will be on his own.
"He's gone through blood, sweat and tears this summer," Gilday said. "The weekend warrior wouldn't want to work out the way he worked out."
Although team officials would prefer a 315-pound Shaq, Gilday said the numbers can be deceiving. Much of the lost fat has been replaced by added muscle, and muscle weighs more than fat.
"Body fat is nothing more than dead weight. It really impedes your performance," Gilday said. "So you can weigh 350 and be 20 percent body fat or you can weigh 350 and be 16 percent body fat, you're going to have more muscle to control your own weight and just more absolute strength there."
O'Neal's body fat peaked around 20 percent last season but is now closer to 15 percent. Gilday would not discuss specific figures, but he did set a goal, which he said O'Neal is on track to reach.
"We tested him. He jumps higher, he runs faster, he's got a lower resting heart rate, lower body fat. But he's still Shaq," Gilday said.
Gilday prescribed a nutrition plan that cut down on the Krispy Kremes and fried foods, and O'Neal has taken to calling him before ordering dinner at restaurants.
"I'm trying to eat a little better. But I'm not going to be eating salad all the time," O'Neal said. "I'm not going to change my whole diet."
When the summer began, O'Neal had difficulty sprinting with Gilday. The trainer -- a former Junior Olympics skier and collegiate baseball player -- clocks himself at about 4.8 seconds in the 40-yard dash.
"He can almost run with me now," Gilday said. "I'm still beating him, but he's not getting blown away like he used to."
O'Neal's left knee, which limited him in the playoffs, is sound now. His surgically repaired toe has improved range of motion but will probably always be an issue.
The rest, O'Neal said, is up to his coach and his teammates. Yes, he is still demanding the ball -- "If I'm going to be the fall guy, I want it to be done my way: Give me the ball 40 times a game." -- and feels he's earned it.
He was irked when his conditioning was cited by Kupchak and Jackson months ago, and that hasn't changed.
"What you think?" O'Neal snapped, before assuming a lighter tone. "No, I'm not upset at all. I don't get upset. In the words of Cyndi Lauper, 'I see your true colors shining through. I see your true colors, and that's why I love you.' "
And before he got up to sign a dozen autographs and pose for camera-toting fans at the mall, O'Neal issued a flat warning to the Lakers' Western Conference rivals, all of which added marquee talent this summer.
"It's not going to matter," he said. "You know that. The whole world knows it's not going to matter. You know why? Because I'm back now. Last year, I was a little banged up. But no team is a powerhouse, and no team scares me. And I'm upset and I'm (ticked) off. A lot of people doubting me. The old Shaq will be back, talking (smack), starting fights, getting my legs up when I dunk.
"I'm back now. I'm mad now."
Howard Beck, (818)713-3613 [email protected]
