Dan Clark

Dan “Nitro” Clark – Shred Fat with the Sprint 8 Workout

Dan — Tue, 18 May 2010 11:16:37 +0000

Of all the cardio workouts I do nothing shreds fat like the Sprint 8 Workout. In fact, research shows that the Sprint 8 workout increases the body's Human Growth Hormone production by a whopping 530% for up to 2-3 hours after your workout.

Why is Human Growth Hormone (HGH) important?

It increases muscle size and strength. It helps incinerate body fat, improves skin texture, thickness elasticity. It increases sexual potency, frequency and improves energy levels and exercise endurance. Hell, increased HGH just makes you feel damn better!

How do you do it naturally?

The Sprint 8 Workout.

The principle is simple. You warm up for 2-3 minutes then sprint, run, pedal or swim as hard as you can for 30 seconds. After your gut-busting, heart burning, all out "30 second workout," you decrease the intensity to a comfortable level for 90 to 120 seconds; and then do it all over again for a total of 8 cycles.

If you are doing this correctly. You'll know. You'll be sweating… pardon my French… your ass off!

Here is a sample of how the Sprint 8 Workout would look on a bicycle. But remember you can apply sprint eight workout to any cardio workout you currently do.

* Warm up 3 to 5 minutes. This is crucial! It will raise the core temperature of your body.

* Set 1. 30 seconds of high intensity riding. (70% of max capable effort)

* Recover for 90 seconds by pedaling at a comfortable pace.

*Set 2. 30 second of high intensity. (75% of max.)

* Recover for 90 seconds.

* Set 3. 30 Seconds of high intensity. (80% of max.)

* Recover for 90 seconds.

*Set 4. 30 Seconds of high intensity. (85% of max.)

* Recover for 90 seconds.

* Set 5. 30 Seconds of high intensity. (90% of max)

* Recover 90 seconds.

*Set 6. 30 Second of high intensity. (95% of max)

*Recover 90 seconds.

*Set 7. 30 Seconds of high intensity. (100% of max)

*Recover 90 seconds.

* Set 8. 30 seconds of high intensity (100% max)

*Recover for 3-5 minutes.

I've recently done this workout with a few people. Everyone agrees – it kicks butt. The best thing about it, it doesn't matter what your level of fitness is. It works for everyone!

Don't get stuck standing still. Take action. Do something. Try the Sprint 8 Workout!

You can thank me later.

And let me know how it goes.

Be brilliant!

Dan Clark

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Warrior Dash!!

Dan — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 00:48:04 +0000

Are you ready? Every once in a while there's a crazy, killer, off-the-hook, event that lets you find out what you're made of. It's a chance for every man and woman to stand up and be counted and see how they stack up against the

I'm talking about the Warrior Dash!

It's a reason to train. It's a goal. It's an adventure.

It's happening this weekend 4/10/10 in Orange County, California.

Haven't signed up yet? Don't bother. It's sold out.

What is Warrior Dash?

It's the ultimate event for thrill-seeking athletes. It's an obstacle course from hell. There's beer. There's booze. There's babes. There's mud.

It sounds like the perfect event. And, oh yeah. Everyone who enters gets a Viking helmet, a T-shirt, and a medal.

I'll post pictures after the event. But I don't know if you'll see me in the crowd. If you go, look me up. I'll be running the 3:30 wave and hosting or judging the costume contest after.

Man, this so reminds me of college! I'm pumped up! I'm going to try and taste the glory of my youth, but will probably end up with a mouthful of mud.

Be Brilliant!

Dan "Nitro" Clark

Technorati Tags: Warrior Dash, Dan Clark, Nitro, Dan Nitro Clark, Dan Clark Gladiator, Nitro American Gladiator, Fitness run, Dan Clark Gladiator,

Being on The Tyra Banks Show

Dan — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 00:18:51 +0000

Ever wonder what it's like to be on the Tyra Banks Show, or any other major talk show? In this post I'll take you through a step by step description of the process of getting on her show — from the initial phone call to hugging her goodbye after our segment.

The first thing you need to know about Tyra is that she works her tail off and has a great, hard working staff. It's her vision, but they make it happen. A special shout-out to exec producer John Redmann. The next thing you need to do is be ready and bring your "A" game 'cause it all happens fast.

I got the call from Tyra's staff asking me if I would be interested in coming on the show on a Friday to talk about my memoir "Gladiator – A True Story of 'Roids, Rage and Redemption." Then Saturday I did the pre-interview.

Monday I'm on a plane from Los Angeles to New York. Tuesday I'm on the Tyra Banks show. The reason the pre-interview you is because the want to make sure you're lively and great on the phone — meaning you will make a great guest.

The pre-interview was a new experience for me. Most of the talk shows I've done were for the American Gladiators. There have been numerous — from Good Morning American to the Tonight Show — and I simply showed up on set and talked about Gladiators — talked about being Nitro.

Being on as an author was definitely new territory. I knew I couldn't go on and be that cocky-guy who lead with his fist — but I also wanted to be exciting, interesting with a touch of salaciousness. The pre-interview went on for nearly 90 minutes. Even though I knew I was going to be on the show, I was nervous, thinking I was going to screw it up somehow.

I think the most important thing is being true to yourself and your message and not pushing or forcing to try and be something you're not, so they'll think you're great.

I arrived in New York late Monday night for my appearance the next day. I won't bore you with my nightly rituals, except to say — I called my girlfriend, told her I missed her, then drifted off to sleep.

My publicists and I arrived at the studio in the early afternoon and were immediately buffeted into a dressing room. No sooner had I put my bag down, when a bouncy producer walked in and handed me my script and asked me if I wanted to run through it once. Huh?

Remember that pre-interview?

Well, they take all of the good stuff, put it into a question answer format, and basically hand you an outline of the show. This is what Tyra is going to ask you. This is how you're going to respond, or at least did in the pre-interview. Hint- hint. Wink-wink.

Bouncy, cute producer tells me she's going to be Tyra and I'm going to be me, and wants to run through it once to see how it plays. Alrighty, then. We go through it once and I'm disappointed because all the questions are geared around sensationalizing the side-effects of steroids.

I'm more then disappointed, I'm disheartened.

Because I know my book goes miles deeper and at the heart of it, it's about: identity, love, family, addiction and survivorship told through the prism of celebrity. I also know that to connect and really resonate with Tyra's female audience I had to find a way to work in the "human" side of the story into my segments.

I had to let her audience know this book was an emotional journey — about a little boy whose parents we're divorced when he was 5 years old and who cried inconsolably until a man told him "big boys don't cry."

That boy took those words to heart and didn't cry when he was ten years old — and his older brother died in his arms — then spent the rest of the life trying to become whole again, trying be human, trying to feel.

Yes, this journey involved drugs,women, celebrity — but I also knew even at the darkest points my humanity shined through in my life and on the page.

Suddenly a producer popped in — whisked me down the hallway to the stage area — all I can think about is how to get the story I want tell across while still satisfying the producer's needs. Now, I'm standing behind a curtain at the back of the stage while they are doing my introduction and it's really something.

"Most famous Gladiator, huge hunk, every women's fantasy." I feel myself swell up with pride until — the announcers says — "Who grew breast from steroids. Welcome Dan Nitro Clark!"

The stage manager pulled back the curtain and tells me to "Go, Go!" I stumbled on stage feeling awkward as hell, not sure whether to smile and wave, or hang my head down in shame and embarrassment. I kinda did both. I think. You'll have to watch my entrance and let me know.

So, I'm sitting next to Tyra, still a little thrown by the introduction — being in front a live audience staring, by having three cameras targeted toward at me like canons. But now, I'm more determined then ever to tell the story I want to tell and not get caught up in this whirlwind of sensationalism about steroids.

I make up my mind right then and there that no matter what she asks me — I'm going to answer her question then start talking about "human" aspect of the journey. Tyra asks me the first question, "When did you start taking steroids?" I give her the one sentence answer and dive into, "But what I really want to talk about is how we stereotype boys and girls at a young age."

I could see Tyra look at me a like, "Ahh, what??".

I keep going and tell the story about my parents being divorced, being inconsolable, the words big boys don't cry, and how it affected me. I tell her about my brother dying in my arms, and how I didn't cry.

I tell her about how I spent the rest of my life building this huge body, all to protect that kid inside.

And I'm talking FAST. Real fast, just trying to get the story out. And I'm aware that I'm talking hyper-fast which makes me even talk faster. I keep thinking at any moment they are going to "Gong me" and stop shooting and tell me to get the hell back to the script.

As the words keep spilling out of my mouth, I see Tyra keep eyes shoot down to her script then back at me with a glare that says, "What the hell are you talking about?" I now realize I've been talking non-stop for close to a few minutes when Tyra suddenly looks at me and says: "Oh my God, how did your brother die?"

Her question is sincere and her eyes are full of compassion. I take a deep breath in and tell her the story. Then we took the interview from there moment by moment.

Kudos to Tyra for letting me have that moment and being such a pro that she knew a better story when she heard it, and for trusting herself and me to go with it.

Be brilliant and please check out my book "Gladiator." I think you'll be stunned and shocked. It's actually good.

Dan "Nitro" Clark

On the Beach. Smiling. Walking toward a place I want to go in my life.

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Augusten Burroughs & Chuck Palahnuik on “Gladiator”

Dan — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 02:57:36 +0000

One of my favorite writers Augusten Burroughs of "Running With Scissors" fame had this to say about my book Gladiator – A True Story of Roids, Rage and Redemption.

“Dan Clark possesses the emotional honesty, humility and depth together with the innate literary talent and stylistic sensibility to execute this memoir with stunning eloquence and power. His lean, muscular prose never wavers off course as it leads us through his unspeakable loss, overwhelming success and ultimately into a kind of acceptance and redemption. As readers, we are fortunate that not all talented writers march automatically through grad school and into publication; some first become comics and undertakers and whalers and American Gladiators.”

-AUGUSTEN BURROUGHS

I'm pretty stunned and honored to say the least. I've been a fan of his from day one.

Another one of my favorite writer's Chuck Palahnuik, "Fight Club" and "Choke" author said this about Gladiator:

"Clark played the character “Nitro” on the television series American Gladiators, and if you read only one book on vacation this year, this has to be it. After a dark childhood, steroids launch the author into a new life as a national celebrity built from mountains of chemically enhanced muscle. The dream falls apart as he sprouts breasts he can’t conceal inside his skimpy spandex costume, then suffers high colonics in order to pass mandatory drug tests. Of course, there’s redemption, but not before a ton of laughs

– CHUCK PALAHNIUK

Only Chuck could would find this book a ton of laughs. But the recommendation of "if you read only one book on vacation this year, this has to be it" is fantastic. I'll take it.

A funny story. I remember when I finished the book and my editor at Simon and Schuster, Brant Rumble said, "I love your lean, sparse style."

My response, "Damn it. I used all the big words I know."

He also said my book was "fucking triumphant."

Hard words to live up to.

Hard words to believe.

I still struggle with it. But maybe… just maybe… it's not so bad.

Dan Clark

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How Riding a Bucking Bull Helped Me Become an Author

Dan — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 05:59:51 +0000

Raise you hand if you have a fear.

Now, raise your hand if you have tried to conquer that fear.

If your hand isn't raised, it should be. Now is the time to pick your biggest fear and kick it to the curb, beat it to a pulp, and slap into submission.

Riding a bull was one of my greatest fears. The very thought of scared the crap out me. Not anymore.

I faced my fear and jumped on the back of 2000 pounds of bucking, twisting, fury. This act of bravery, stupidity, or whatever you want to call it… helped me become an author.

How?

Because it was a building block. When you, pardon my French, kick the frigging ass of your biggest fear, everything else after becomes a cake-walk in comparison.

You've have earned that certain "je ne sais quoi." It's called confidence.

Think about it:

After you've swam with the sharks – is it really that hard to make a cold call?

After you've jumped out of a plane – how tough is it to ask that cute girl or guy in the next cubicle out?

After you've run a 100 mile marathon – is it really that rough to spend the weekend with the in-laws?

The fact is, these things all become easier because you are now an individual who's slain the dragon, stormed the castle, climbed your mountain that couldn't be climbed.

Writing a book was something that I never dreamed I could do. Either was riding a bull. But once I rode that bull writing my book "Gladiator – A True Story of Roids, Rage and Redemption" didn't seem so impossible.

And it sure as heck hurt a lot less!

This is your life, and it's ending one minute at a time.

Don't get stuck standing still. Take action. Do something. Kick the crap out of one of your fears and see where it leads you.

Be brilliant!

Dan Clark

Btw — love to hear stories of people conquering their fears and the person they became because of it.

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My Best Run. The Grand Piton St. Lucia

Dan — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 03:18:02 +0000

Do you remember your best run? I think we all have one that stands above all others. I had mine last week.

It wasn’t about distance. It wasn’t about time. It wasn’t about speed.

It was about place. The Grand Piton of St. Lucia.

This run was through a sleepy little village island of St. Lucia in the Caribbean called “Fonds Gens Libre” which means “valley of the free people.” The name of the village hints at its history. It is where the native runaway slaves (Neg Mawons) and the black freedoms fighter first settled during the slave wars in 1748.

The run started on the outskirts of my fabulous hotel the Jalousie Plantation. Within minutes I disappeared into a lush rain forest and was lost amongst giant ferns and massive bursts of green vegetation.

I charged through a clearing, ran down a long dirt road past an ancient cacao plantation through magnificent stands of cocoa, banana, and coconut. As I entered Fonds Gens Libre and raced past the small wooden shacks the speckled the hillside my heart pumped so hard in my chest I could literally hear the battle cries of the ghost of the Neg Mawons.

I thought about their battles. The blood spilled for freedom. And it made me think about our freedoms. Our great country. The things we take for granted.

It made me think about this last year. The triumphs… the failures… the dreams and the losses.

I came to an impossibly steep incline – and charged up it for all I was worth. My heart rattled against my ribs and my lungs burst, then finally hacking, spitting, grunting – I reached the top of the hill. There I stopped, took a deep breath in, and looked at the valley that spilled into view below me.

Baptized by the fire and the adrenaline that only a hard run can bring, I'm filled with the desire to be a better man. A better father. A better brother, son, companion and friend.

And that’s what a great run is.

It’s a stage to get to a better part of ourselves. To hear our inner voice. To open up that hallowed place within us that allows us to connect with God, Allah, nature, the universe or whatever you may call it.

It’s a place I yearn to return to again and again.

It’s the reason I run.

Be Brilliant!

Dan Clark

Btw — this is a shot of the hotel. It's on the beach at the base of the mountains known as the Pitons.

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Last Minute Christmas Gift!

Dan — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 03:22:52 +0000

Looking for a last minute Christmas gift? I've got something that will make a PERFECT stocking-stuffer and has zero calories. It's even kind of heavy. One could perhaps lift it over and over again and blast a few calories.

More than anything this gift will ease the eternal chatter in ones brain and ease up on the straightjacket of consciousness for a few seconds.

What is this thing?

It's a book. Humbly, my book: Gladiator – A True Story of Roids, Rage and Redemption.

My powers of persuasion are not great. Instead I share with you what others other are saying about this last minute stock-stuffer:

"This book is triumphant!"

- ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

"Nitro's respective is a ripping good read!"

- SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS

"If you read one book one vacation this year, this has to be it!"

– CHUCK PALAHNUIK (Fight Club)

"Inspiring, courageous and compelling. I cried four times."

– KAREN LUTZ (Legally Blonde, The Ugly Truth.)

-AUGUSTEN BURROUGHS (Running With Scissors)

Hopefully the words of others will entice you to pull the trigger and grab the book. I think you'll be surprised and pretty stunned by it. It's so not what you expect!

And in the spirit of Christmas — if you really can't afford the book (Amazon has it on sale) email me and I'll SEND you one. It's meant to be a GIFT. And I truly mean that!

Have a Merry Christmas! Stay safe!! And thank you for the support and friendship and good times this past year!!!

Dan Clark

Technorati Tags: Last Minute Christmas gift, last minute gifts, Xmas Gifts, best books, Augusten Burroughs, Gladiators, Dan Clark Nitro, Nitro, American Gladiators, Chuck Palahnuik best books,

From Smashing Heads on TV to Oprah.com

Dan — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 17:56:54 +0000

From Smashing Heads on TV to Oprah.com. We all go through some kind of transformational journey in life to figure out what our gift is — to figure out what our expertise to share with the world is.

Take me for example. I went from the blustery world of Red, White and Blue spandex starring as “Nitro” on the American Gladiators for 7 years to reading Oprah.com.

And yep, I take a lot of flak for it from my buddies. It usually sounds something like: "What happened to you? You used to be a man."

The truth is, I’m still a man. Just a better man.

Once I let go of the old ideology of what it meant to be a man – the transformation began. When I was young I believed a man was the toughest guy in the room with the icy stare who was impervious to feeling anything.

In the past, I often led with my ego and my fists, because violence or at least the threat of it was just easier. But then I realized I was isolated. I was a prisoner locked inside my meat-suit.

It wasn’t until I made the transformation from “man” to “human being” that I was free live as a:

Father, teacher, student, writer, friend, and a fully conscious being who could feel. My mind set went from "what's in it for me?" to "how can I help you?"

The point I’m trying to make as the end of the year rapidly approaches is:

Are you living your best life? Are you walking toward a place you want to go?

Or is there some type of transformation you need to make to become the better version of yourself?

If so, now it the time to act.

There will never be another moment like this.

There will never be a better time.

There will never be another now.

Time flees so fast it’s hard to fathom. Hopes, dreams, great ideas, become time-worn relics in the chest of “what could have been.”

Take in a stiff breath of courage. Take those first few steps. Start making that transformation. Start on that path to a happier and healthier life. Start walking toward a place you want to go.

You deserve to be happy. You really do.

Here are a couple question that may help you along the journey:

What do you love to do?
What makes time disappear?
What makes you smile when you think about doing it?
What do people say you’re good at and have a knack for?
What comes easy to you that other people find challenging?
What have been some of your most rewarding experiences in the past?
How would you finish this question: "If only I could make a living at… "

Good luck along the way. Be brilliant!

Dan Clark

Pic of Me and Kid Rock goofin' around.

BTW – about Oprah.com. I’ll take good information from anyplace I can get it! Including GQ, Men's Health, NY Times, Esquire, Best Life, and Shape.

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American Gladiators: Red, White and Blue Spandex to Big Screen

Dan — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 14:22:05 +0000

Since American Gladiators first hit the airwaves in 1989 there have been rumors that the Red, White and Blue clad super heroes would hit the big screen in an American Gladiators movie. I remember back in those first few years, Samuel Goldwyn Company (the producers of the original show), hired an "A" list screenwriter to write a draft of a screenplay.

The writer would come by the set and ask us Gladiators all kinds of questions.

"What would you do if the end of the world came?" "What would you do if you someone kidnapped a family member?" "You ever kiss a guy?"

Okay, I'm lying about the last question. I just wanted to see if you were paying attention!

But seriously I always thought given the popularity of the Gladiator franchise that a movie would get made. I just didn't think it'd be 20 years later!

Well, now it's more than a rumor. I've known about the new project for some time, but didn't want to say anything until people started spending money. In Hollywood – when they spend money it always makes it more real. Not a "given" by any mean… but at least it's now worth mentioning.

Here's the Variety (Hollywood Trade) paper Article announcing the American Gladiator Movie.

Seems they've got a producer and hired screenwriter Peter Iliff of "Patriot Games" and " Varsity Blues" fame to write a script. Peter and I've talked — and at least he didn't ask me if I'd kissed a guy. And rumor has it — there's a part in it for me.

I think my part will probably be like the Original "Spock's" in the new "Star Trek" movie. I'll be the old sage who comes back and gives the new kids tidbits of wisdom. Ha! I hope that's only a joke cause I've just got my spandex dry cleaned.

Let me know your thoughts… and what you THINK THE MOVIE SHOULD BE ABOUT or at what you think would be COOL to see in the MOVIE!

Be Brilliant!

Dan Clark

Btw — if you haven't gotten my memoir Gladiator – A True Story of Roids, Rage and Redemption – there's no time like the present. It'll make a great X-mas gift! And it's getting amazing reviews and people are saying it's the best sports memoir they've ever read and Chuck Palahnuik of "Fight Club" fame picked it as one his 5 Best Books of the Year!

Technorati Tags: American Gladiator Movie, Dan Clark, Dan Nitro Clark, Nitro, American Gladiators, Nitro Gladiator, American Gladiators Film,

My Best Friend is Dying…

Dan — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 22:26:08 +0000

Our dog Sam yelps. This is what he does when he needs my attention. It wasn’t always this way. When I’d come home I used to hear the skittering of his nails across the hardwood floor before I would see him. Then moments later 80 pounds of white fur and exuberance would barrel into me from around the corner. But it’s different now. Sam yelps to let me know where he’s at in the house, so I can come and find him. He is old. His legs no longer work. Father time has come for him. I’m just not ready to let him go. He is my friend. My best friend. At times he’s been my only friend.

The noise he makes is not a whine.

It is not a whimper. It is not a wail. It is a cry for help.

Help me… Help me friend. I cannot walk.

I remember the first day his legs gave away and he fell to the floor. He looked up at me stupefied. He looked up for me for an explanation. He looked up at his best friend for help. I remember not having the words to explain it to him.

Some days when I come home, I find him in the living room looking out on places where his legs used to carry him. When I enter the room, he looks at me and I look at him. It’s hard for me to look at him. I know his time is measured in minutes, hours, days. I know that the cancer eating away at him will soon be too much for him. But I also know he won’t let go easily. I know he will hold on longer – longer than he should – because he thinks that’s what I want. And because he’s a proud, strong dog who wants to make sure the rest of our family is okay. It’s a duty he’s carried across his broad-chest swollen with pride for the last 13 years.

It crushes me to know that when his times comes – I’ll be the one who has to make the decision for him – for us. All dog owners know this is one of the hardest decisions we have to make in life. There is nothing humane or pleasant about it. I only hope that when the time does come I have the strength to do what is right for – my friend, my best friend, at times my only friend.

There are good days. Days when he smiles and wags his tail as I pick him up and carry him to the backyard to do his business. There are bad days. Days when I can see shame tinged across his face because I do have to carry him. Days when I can’t get to him in time and he’s lying in a puddle of his own urine. The look on his face is one of complete embarrassment and humiliation. I don’t know which one of us feels worse, him or I.

I believe dogs have a sense of pride and dignity. And I promise myself I won’t let him live an undignified life. Every day I ask, “Sam, please let me know when it’s time to go old friend.”

Sadly, tragically, heartbreakingly… Sam lets us know.

Last Friday morning when we came home Sam was in the pool. The same pool he’d swam in for thirteen years. The very same pool he’d dive into and retrieve the ball over and over again. Only this time it wasn’t the same Sam that went into the pool.

The legs that would no longer carry him, were no longer enough to help him swim. They were no longer enough to let him get to the stairs. They were no longer enough to save his life. My friend, my best friend, at times my only friend… drowned.

I’d like to believe that he knew we didn’t have the strength to do what was necessary… and that his time had come… and that we were keeping him alive for us… and that this was his proud, strong, dignified way of letting go.

We’ll never know for sure, but there are empty places looming large inside of me. I… we miss him.

He is my friend. My best friend. At times my only friend.

Good night, sweet Prince.

Good night.

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