Dan Keating of
University City performs chest presses.
(Sarah Conard/P-D)
Growing up outside Chicago, Dan Keating was small in high school — 5 feet tall
and 90 pounds. "I was always a good athlete, but I was very small," says Keating,
46. "I'm an ectomorph, with a slight build, so I knew I was fighting against
nature, but I wanted to get more muscle."
Long story short: He succeeded.
Fit, trim and healthy, Keating says the biggest
lesson he has learned in more than 30 years of working out is this: "If you are
thoughtful in how you spend your time, you can achieve a superior level of
fitness with only about two hours per week devoted
to training. And by 'fitness,' I do mean the whole package: cardiovascular
fitness, muscular strength, flexibility, body weight and body-fat percentage."
Today Keating stands 5 feet 11 inches and
weighs 150 pounds. Late this past summer, he made his third visit to the Cooper
Clinic in Dallas, a cardiac center and fitness spa (
www.cooperaerobics.com/clinic ) where he underwent underwater
body-fat weighing, a treadmill test and a heart scan that detects calcium
buildup in the arteries. Keating's treadmill time of 28 minutes put him in the
top 1 percent for his age group, and his body-fat was measured at 11.9 percent.
The ideal level of body fat is said to be 15 percent.
"As a high school
sophomore, I
just wanted to get stronger," says Keating, seated at his dining room table on a
warm, sunny morning last month. "By the time I was in
my late 20s and early 30s, my motivation had evolved, and my focus shifted. At
that point, I realized how fitness and health are
very important to quality of life and longevity."
Keating's workout equipment also
has evolved — from a few rusty
machines he shared with fellow
college students in days gone by
to a complete weight room in the
basement of his home in University
City.
A quick tour reveals the following:
— Treadmill with a 30 percent incline
— Lat machine
— Leg press
— Two multistation machines for knee raises, calf raises, shoulder presses, leg
curls and upright rows
— Schwinn Airdyne bike
— Stair-stepper
— Chin-up bar
KEATING'S WORKOUT
Every Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday morning, Keating spends 40 minutes working
out. He
spends 15 minutes on his weight workout and 25 minutes on the treadmill.
Afterward, he
stretches for five minutes.
"In my weight workout, I concentrate on half my body one day, and the other half
the next, so I
hit each body part three times every other week," says Keating. He exercises his
chest,
shoulder and triceps one day, and his legs, back and biceps at the next session.
The
exercises also target the abdominal muscles and the upper and lower obliques.
"I do six exercises each day, compound exercises that hit multiple muscle groups
all at once,"
says Keating. "I do one quality set with each, using a weight that challenges
me, one that puts
me close to failure."
That "quality set' consists of eight slow, controlled reps, each lasting six or
seven seconds. "I
focus on the exercise I'm doing, using good form and making the muscle do the
work. There is
no cheating, no using momentum." Keating takes a one-minute rest in between
exercises,
while changing the weights and catching his breath.
On the treadmill, Keating walks at 3.3 miles per hour. "I start at zero grade
for the first minute,
then kick it up 2 percent — and then every minute after that, I kick it up an
additional 1
percent. By the time I hit 24 minutes, the grade is at 25 percent, and I'm going
up a big hill. It
sounds easier than it is." Keating's workout on the treadmill is based on the
test he took at the
Cooper Clinic.
A FIT FAMILY
"When I was younger, I wasted a lot of time working out, because I didn't know
what I was
doing," says Keating. "When my kids were little, I used to work out for two
hours, four times a
week. That was hard, taking that much time with little kids around."
Today, Keating's two daughters are away at school and his son is a freshman at
St. Louis
Priory School. Jane, Keating's wife, is a preschool teacher at First
Congregational Church in
Clayton. Keating reports that Jane enjoys Pilates and that all three of his
children are
interested in fitness.
Keating's parents also are in good health. His mother, 69, faithfully attends
water aerobics
classes, and his dad, 72, plays tennis four times a week and rides a stationary
bike. Keating's
brothers also are fitness buffs, but he notes, "I've always been the one who was
the most
serious about fitness and health."
At one point in his pursuit for a healthier body, Keating tried high intensity
intervals. "I would
warm up in one minute and then do a four-minute workout on the Schwinn Airdyne,
getting my
heart rate up to 175," he says. "It was just too intense, too unpleasant. Now
when I finish on
the treadmill, my heart rate is up to 186, but it doesn't feel as bad as the
high-intensity
workout."
Keating credits Clarence Bass with providing guidance and inspiration regarding
Keating's
approach to fitness. Keating says Bass, a retired lawyer, is turning 70 and
boasts 5 percent
body fat. "He's incredibly strong, he still lifts weights and he looks like a
body builder — yet he
does not spend hours a week in the gym," says Keating. "His method is based on
research,
and he has figured out how to work out efficiently." (For more information, see
www.cbass.com ) Keating says he has corresponded with Bass by e-mail, but not
met him.
A HEALTHY DIET
In addition to his prescribed workout regimen, Keating is careful about what he
eats, and he
weighs himself daily, to make sure he stays on track. "I don't eat butter or
cheese — though I
do admit to the occasional piece of cheese pizza, my favorite," he says. "I also
stay away from
greasy and fatty foods."
Here are meals that Keating typically eats:
Breakfast: A glass of juice, three bowls of Cheerios or Wheaties with skim milk.
Lunch: A turkey sandwich on whole grain bread, a small bag of Lay's baked potato
chips, a
piece of fruit, diet soda or water.
Dinner: A portion of chicken breast or a lean cut of pork or beef, fresh
vegetables, brown rice
or a baked sweet potato, skim milk.
"I do have a sweet tooth," says Keating. "I don't deny it, but I do control it."
For dessert, he
might have a chocolate chip granola bar or a Swiss Miss fudge bar. He does not
drink alcohol,
and he does not eat between meals. "If I do get hungry during the day, I have a
piece of hard
candy. The sugar lift holds me off until mealtime." Keating especially likes
Jolly Ranchers,
green apple or watermelon.
Asked if Keating hopes the ultimate payoff for all his hard work will be a
longer life, he replies,
"For me, it's more about quality of life. This level of fitness makes me more
functional. If I live
longer, well, that's just a bonus."
