How to Get Fit in 3 Months: The V-shape as Universally Attractive
May 28, 2010
It’s quite common to hear that women like guys who are good-looking, which usually includes a chiseled body and ripped abs. Well, despite the subject of this post, you don’t need to be good-looking to get great results with women. I was doing very well with women BEFORE I got a 6-pack. So don’t let this article mislead you into thinking that if you get your dream body, you’ll get your dream woman
The academic research on this is almost unanimous: Physical attractiveness in males is actually quite low on females’ attraction hierarchy. It will get you a foot in the door and help you with the opening stage, but if you don’t have the personality to back it up, you won’t get anywhere. Much more important are aspects of your personality and access to resources.
Nonetheless, when I finally got close to my ideal shape and achieved my fitness goals, I became more self-confident, self-assured, and happy with my life! So in addition to all the health and psychological benefits that come with getting fit, it will also strengthen those personality traits, like self-confidence and self-sufficiency, that will make you much more attractive to women. And the great thing about fitness is that anyone can get it with hard work and persistence. You don’t need cosmetic surgery.
Getting fit is all about increasing your passive value through leading an attractive lifestyle. It’s not a quick fix, like learning some canned lines or routines. It’s about lasting change.
In 2007, I was a skinny Asian boy. Well, skinny everywhere except my beer belly (I love craft beers and microbrews, heh). But I was still doing really well with the ladies and getting better. By the autumn of 07, I had some spare time on my hands, so I decided to hire a personal trainer in my gym in Beijing. That was one of the best decisions of my life (not to mention an amazing value at just RMB100/hour; now he is charging RMB700+/hour). Not only did I make a good friend of a northern Chinese hulk who sometimes acted like my bodyguard in bars and clubs, but I also got my first introduction to what a real workout feels like, the kind where you’re really ripping muscle, where you really need a spotter so that you can (barely) finish the last few (or several) reps or sets, where you’re completely exhausted at the end, and where you see significant growth week to week. I was finally getting compliments from girls on my body on a regular basis. I had been doing weight training since I was 14, but only when I was 31 did I realize that I hadn’t been pushing myself hard enough so hadn’t seen any major growth.
I trained with my personal trainer in Beijing for about 5 months, spread out over a period of about 9 months. But then I moved to Singapore where everything was more expensive and wasn’t as great of a value from what I could see. I had a great trainer in China, and it was hard to replace him. So I just coasted for over a year.
Then on a challenge from a friend in Shanghai, I started P90X. Below is a review of this remarkable fitness workout. You can read more about it here. Notice that this is NOT an affiliate link. I make no commission at all from this review. I’m just spreading the word on a very effective workout program for your benefit. I originally wrote this review in mid-December, when I had just finished the first round of P90X.
Be warned, though. P90X is tough. It takes discipline, perseverance, and a hard-working attitude–all traits that will stand you in good stead when you are training in the social arts, too! I know some ex-marines and even a navy seal who say this fitness program is as rigorous in physical conditioning as they’ve had to do. I’m sure that’s exaggerated, but you get the idea. Prior to this, I looked into the stuff from Body by Science, which didn’t do much for me (though a friend of mine swears by this), and Insanity, which is by the same company but is all cardio.
THE REVIEW
Overall, I’ve been super impressed with P90X. Not only was it a great workout routine, but it has rekindled in me a love of physical sport and fitness. It is a lifestyle change. I actually am doing sports again, haha. I’ve got a private trainer in Krav Maga and getting in the cage every week. I’m doing punching bag workouts regularly. I’m also even occasionally playing sports with the guys on the weekends. When I’m stressed out about work or just plain hungover, my favorite remedy now is to do a round of Yoga X or Kenpo Cardio X. Amazing. Whereas I got pretty good results in the past from 1.5 hour workouts 3 times a week, now I’m spacing them out over 6 days, and getting many times more endorphins and better, quantifiable results.
In terms of measurements, I was mainly concerned to cut my body fat percentage and improve my shoulders to waist ratio (the ideal is 0.75 or below), which are the only proven metrics tracking the factors that attract women universally.
Throughout history and between different cultures and places, what women found physically attractive in men varied a great deal. This is even more so in the case of what men found physically attractive in women. And so far, the only feature, apart from a symmetrical face, that social scientists have found to be universally attractive across places, times, and cultures is the shoulders to waist ratio in men (0.75) and the hips to waist ratio in women (0.7). The research on this is relatively easy to find. Body fat percentage is closely related to one’s shoulder to waist ratio.
Technically, the research at Cambridge cited here used two-dimensional representations and measured the shoulder to waist ratio (SWR) as straight lines rather than as typical tailor’s measurements (Dixson, et. al., “Masculine Somatype and Hirsuteness as Determinants of Sexual Attractiveness to Women,” Archives of Sexual Behavior 2003, 32.1; see also Braun and Bryan, “Female waist-to-hip and male waist-to-shoulder ratios as determinants of romantic partner desirability,” Journal of Social and Personal Relationships 2006, 23.5). Using that method, the optimal SWR was 0.6. On that measuring method, my Post-P90X measurements are 28 cm at the waist and 47 cm at the shoulders, which yields a ratio of 0.596. Assuming my body proportions are normal, then a ratio of 0.6 on the straight line measurement method is approximately equivalent to a ratio of 0.71 on the tailor’s measurement method. I owe a huge thanks to FSH for alerting me to this at the recent MYSP program.
The good news about the 0.75 ratio is that you don’t have to get huge muscles to look attractive. You can still be relatively thin and have the girls loving your body, as long you have the right waist to shoulders ratio and some muscle tone.
Here are my before and after stats on those metrics. Keep in mind that I was 33 years old when I was doing this, and I got in the best shape of my life.
Body fat percentage (measured on same machine)
Before: 17%
After: 8.2%
Waist
Before: 82 cm (32 in)
After: 74 cm (29 in)
Shoulders
Before: 101 cm (39.8 in)
After: 104 cm (41 in)
Shoulders to waist ratio (goal was 0.75)
Before: 0.81
After: 0.71
I also lost 6.5 pounds or 3 kg (I was about 67 kg in the “after” pic).
For comparison purposes, the photos are a little misleading as the lighting and distance distort the effect somewhat. But you get the basic idea.
Reflections
I took one week off because of a bad flu. I also missed a day here and there because of travel and other things. But I never did the workouts out of sequence. I never skipped a workout in that sense. I would just postpone it until I could start up again. It took me about 103 days to finish the 90 day calendar. I always did the Ab-Ripper X right after the resistance workout (no break of more than 5 minutes in between the resistance workout and the ab workout).
I followed my own diet, which was very consistent.
The bare bones DIET was the following:
Breakfast was a Muscle Milk (160 calories, 16 gm of protein, also some fiber, carbs, and good fats–google it for the details) or something equivalent, with a Mega Men multivitamin. I’d also have another meal during the day of two servings of Muscle Milk spaced out over two hours. Right after the workout and a half hour before bed, I’d have a protein shake (20-24 gm of protein, ~160 calories). I’ve since changed to taking just one Muscle Milk a day for breakfast and having a solid meal instead of the two additional Muscle Milk servings.
Within an hour of the workout–during that crucial glycemic window–I’d have a solid meal of high protein, low carb, low fat. For my solid meals, I chose one of: spinach and chicken salads, soups (tomato basil from Soup Spoon was my favorite), yong tau foo with no noodles (Singaporean boiled vegetables and tofu), or sashimi. In the second month, I ate sashimi almost every day until I became sick of it
I aimed to get 150 grams of protein six days a week while keeping the carbs to a minimum. No bread, rice, or noodles.
My snacks were limited to nuts (mainly almonds or cashews) and yogurt.
One day a week, I binged on anything I wanted: Dark chocolate, burgers, pizza, fries, gelato, ice kachang, hotel buffets, whatever. This spiked my metabolism to keep it high. It was also something I could look forward to every week. I first read about this strategy from Tim Ferriss. Worked great!
A brief note on taking protein shakes: I’m shocked at how many times I see guys fill up their shakers to the top with milk and add one scoop of protein powder, and then call that one serving. That’s 20 oz. of milk! No wonder they’re having such a hard time getting their protein.
Except for extenuating circumstances, read the instructions on the label and follow them, which for most protein powders means that you mix one scoop (20-24 grams of whey protein) with 4-6 oz. of water. That’s about two shooters. I usually down my protein drinks in a few gulps and barely taste it.
Also, the most optimum time to get your protein intake, indeed any nutritional intake, is about an hour after your workout. In comparison, taking protein at any other time is almost a waste. The next best times are a half hour before the workout and before you go to bed.
THE GOOD
The pace of all the exercises was intense. Tony Horton is unbelievably upbeat, funny in a quirky way, and an excellent motivator.
The muscle confusion here was key. I could literally feel my body plateau at the end of the third week, which is right when P90X changed things up.
The resistance days are like circuit training. You only get 30 seconds rest between sets, and a 1 minute rest in the middle of the hour. This really makes you sweat. I had never sweat so much during a weights workout. This also meant I had to lift lighter than I was before I started, but by the third month, I was lifting heavier than before. After a P90X resistance workout, I was sweating as much as I would running 30 minutes on the treadmill. I ended up burning fat AND building muscle at the same time. Also, you’re never doing the same exercise twice in a row. Tons of variety here. I don’t think I could ever go back to traditional weight lifting again. There are just too many bulk heads in the gyms with big bellies and too much fat.
The biggest surprise was Yoga X, which for the first month made me sweat as much as running 30 minutes on the treadmill. It was nothing like the Yoga that my ex-girlfriend used to do in front of the TV. Some of the poses were extreme, and I couldn’t hold the last third of the lunge poses until the second month. As with all the routines, you can always modify the exercises to make them harder. Sometimes, I skipped the balance postures and stretches to save time. I love the part where Tony says to one of the other guys, “Drop down in your stance. This is Yoga X, my brother. If you’re dogging it, I want you down in it.” The “Yoga Belly seven times” exercise was crucial for working the abs during the recovery weeks. Now I do Yoga for the endorphins, flexibility, and to burn calories!
The legs workouts are phenomenal. I hardly used to work my legs before, which annoyed my trainer. I’d do 3-4 sets of squats once a week and that would be my entire legs workout. I was more about the glamor muscles. But with P90X, I work legs in Plyometrics X (tons of squats), Yoga X (all the lunges), Kenpo X (lots of kicking), and most of all, in Legs and Back X. It turns out that working the legs makes you burn three times more calories than any other parts of the body. So this was a huge factor in the fat burning. Now, I always make sure I do a full legs workout with weights at least once a week.
The diet was even more crucial than the workouts. I’d say DIET accounts for 60-70%, WORKOUTS 20-30%, and getting 8 or more hours of SLEEP every night accounts for the rest, at least that was the way it seemed to me whenever I adjusted any one of the variables.
THE BAD (or “stuff I’d change”)
1. The chest workouts in P90X are mainly variations on push-ups. You can do push-ups forever but you won’t get big muscles that way. Midway through the second month, I started substituting my own chest workouts with barbells, dumbells, and machines in place of all the pushups. Before I did this, my chest had actually shrunk a centimeter from my original measurement.
2. I did the aerobics exercises in my living room, so I did not wear shoes (in Asia, it is wrong to wear outdoor shoes inside the house). So I was doing Plyometrics X in socks and on the yoga mat and on my rug. After a few months of this, the high impact exercises really wore out my ankles and knees. After I busted my left knee and left ankle (unrelated accidents), I took as much of the high impact out as possible. But then I wasn’t able to get as much out of it as before. If I continue with Plyometrics or Insanity (which uses a lot of plyo training), I’d have to buy gym shoes I only wear inside the house.
Overall, I absolutely loved this and got a lot for my investment of time and money. Tony Horton basically becomes your personal trainer, and he really is a gifted motivator.
If you’re outside North America, you can buy it on ebay. I saw the complete set recently for sale from a Shanghai ebay seller for about US$45.
I’ve since done P90X Plus, which has even better cardio workouts–Kenpo Cardio X and Intervals X Plus. And they are only 40 minutes long!
So there you have it. Just an hour a day, 6 times a week. That six pack was one of the best gifts I’ve ever given to myself. Many people waste an hour a day surfing the internet. Use your time wisely. How badly do you want it? It’s time to man up! 
MASTER YOUR SOCIAL POWER, June 12-13
May 9, 2010
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As featured in:
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The lifestyle coach and dating consultant whom the Asian media has dubbed, Asia’s “Hitch”—aka., Singapore’s Dr. Date (The Asian Rake)—is back for a one-time only exclusive charity event on June 12-13, 2010!
Have you seen your ideal woman walk by the Starbucks or shopping mall, but you had no idea how to even approach her, so you watched her disappear from your life forever?
Have you bought a Porsche or Ferrari just to get girls, and then wondered why women will agree to have dinners with you but still give you the dreaded “Let’s Just Be Friends” speech at the end?
Have you been spending $1000 a night on bottles and club tables hoping to impress the ladies but still find yourself home alone at the end of the night?
Do you want to achieve mastery of your social life? Do you want to acquire the power of charming the woman of your dreams whenever and wherever you might see her?
Social intelligence and charisma are things you can learn and develop. Join us for just one weekend, and we will transform your dating and love life forever.
Do yourself a favor.
Get it done.
Get it handled.
In 2007, I became a lifestyle coach and dating consultant, getting all my clients through word of mouth. After arriving in Singapore in August 08, I was fortunate enough, via various media coverage, to raise the profile of social coaching and bring it to popular awareness in Asia. As the original dating consultant and coach in Asia, I was dubbed by the local media as Asia’s “Hitch.” But not long after, I took a writing sabbatical, which I’ve been on for a while now.
In the vacuum generated, plenty of wannabes and copycats have sprung up in Singapore and the surrounding region, offering very low value and practically ripping off their students.
Unlike the fly-by-night pretenders, I’ve dated amazing women across the globe. In just the past 5 years, I’ve lived as a resident (not a transient tourist) in 4 countries on 3 continents. Born in Taiwan, raised in North America, and now having lived or worked in many parts of Asia for over 15 years, I have succeeded at the highest levels of academic study of Asian culture, with awards and fellowships from Harvard, Princeton, Michigan, Toronto, McGill, as well as national fellowship and research foundations.
I bring you real world experience and expertise in all these diverse dating contexts from East to West. I’ve personally helped well over a hundred clients in a dozen countries, in both English and Chinese, realize their dreams in dating and relationships. What I teach works, whether you’re in Singapore, Hong Kong, or New York City.
And I will take this lifetime of expertise and training and sum it up for you in ONE WEEKEND so that you will learn only what you need to know to master your social life. This is the real deal.
While I’m still on my writing sabbatical, I have decided to come back for this one occasion to help out for a worthy cause. This is a one-time event, so get in on the opportunity while seats are still available.
For one weekend only, I will be offering our newest program, Master Your Social Power, from June 12-13, 2010, right here in sunny Singapore!
Master Your Social Power was developed with the Asian, and specifically Singaporean, context in mind, and the course content is full of localized knowledge imparted directly to you.
“David Tian, the renowned Asian Rake, is as intelligent as he is charming. He makes you feel at ease just being around him, which makes you wonder how quickly and comfortably he makes women melt. It’s a pleasure to meet a fellow dating coach who is so passionate about helping his clients to meet the women of their dreams.”
–Jeremy Soul, creator of the Love Systems Day Game Workshop and Chief Day Game Instructor at Love Systems
Unprecedented in the history of the attraction community, 100% of the net profits from this event will go completely to charity!
When I say I don’t coach for the money, I really mean it. But I also know the basic fact of human psychology that people only value what they invest time and effort into. So what better solution than to donate all program fees entirely to a worthy cause?
100% of the proceeds will go to ONE (SINGAPORE), which is dedicated to raising public awareness and taking concrete steps to make poverty a relic of the past. You can find out more about this action-oriented, broad-minded beneficiary here: www.onesingapore.org
ONE (SINGAPORE) will keep a portion of the donations for its general campaign and give the rest to the Emergency Fund of the Evercare Welfare Centre, a locally registered charity that serves over 200 low-income families and elderly folks. The Emergency Fund supports individuals who fall through the cracks of public welfare services and programmes.
Despite the glitz and glamour often on display in downtown Singapore, the income disparity is huge and growing. There is a sizable poor population that is in dire need right here in Singapore. And even worse off are the elderly poor. This emergency fund from Evercare Welfare Centre was set up to help them quickly, directly, and efficiently.
I am really really excited at this opportunity to give back to our local community!
“The Asian Rake [David] is truly insightful—a world traveler, a scholar, enlightened and brilliant and charming. He’s got wild stories of his travels through North America and the Orient, and he talks with rapture about dangerous attempts of criminals trying to rob or extort him. A renaissance man, if you will, who is knowledgeable about history and art but dresses in sharp, tailored, high fashion. He combines power and charm. If you met him, you’d like him.”
-Sebastian Drake, founder of The Approach and co-founder of Master the Vibe
Previously, my services were available purely by referral. Since I don’t do this for the money, I can be very selective about the clients that I accept. I only take on guys who have healthy attitudes toward themselves, women, and the world, and who are disciplined, focused, and ready to do what it takes to master this part of their lives.
Hey look, I’m not a professional marketer or anything, so I’m just going to tell you the truth, straight up.
This isn’t for everyone. You’ve got to be open-minded and ready to do whatever it takes to transform into your charismatic, confident, and seductive self.
Being attractive to women is not something you do. It’s something you are. I commit myself completely to changing you into your ideal man.
Working with what you already naturally have is the most efficient and effective way to do this. I will help you eliminate the negative and accentuate the positive parts of your present personality.
This is truly GENUINE and NATURAL.
“I knew years ago that David [The Asian Rake] had the potential to reach the level of the top gurus and even beyond. And now he’s fulfilled all that and more! With all his unique experiences and skills, he is totally going to dominate.”
-Christian Hudson, founder of The Social Man and Hidden Mic Pickups, co-founder of Charisma Arts
“The Asian Rake [David] acts without hesitation or ego, constantly trends upwards, never succumbs to “settling” after getting success, gives a hell of a lot back sharing thoughts with me and other key people, and has a hell of a lot of other interesting stuff to talk about—stories about beating up Yakuza, the Chinese underworld, education, and of course, all the women…”
-Sebastian Drake, founder of The Approach and co-founder of Master the Vibe
My goal is NOT to teach guys how to get random hook-ups. If that’s what you’re looking for, go elsewhere.
However, if you want to attract, date, and enjoy meaningful and fulfilling relationships with the kind of women who will really satisfy you, then keep reading because you’ve come to the right place.
If you sign up to learn directly from me, you will get my unvarnished assessment of where you’re at and what you need to do to get to the next level.
You WILL learn proven, real-world dating strategies. And you WILL learn how to produce long-lasting results with deep internal transformations in how you think about yourself, others, and the world. And of course, you WILL learn how to get your dream woman.
MASTER YOUR SOCIAL POWER
Our Master Your Social Power program is for men who are ready to take real steps to master this part of their lives.
The weekend curriculum includes two full days of hands-on lessons, seminars, exercises, drills, and role-plays. There will also be plenty of break-out time for small group and individual consultations and feedback.
Starting on Saturday, we’ll discuss everything from how to open, how to vibe, how to create connections, how to take things beyond the platonic, how to have the perfect date, and more. Sunday will cover everything from building an attractive lifestyle that naturally draws in desirable women, developing high value social circles, succeeding in long-term relationships, and much much more before wrapping up with important take-home lessons for lasting improvement and progress.
We will customize the exact course content to fit the clients’ individual needs. The sessions will generally go from 2PM-8PM each day with a refreshment break in between.
You may also get coaching from guest instructors and some of my beautiful female friends, who provide a woman’s first-hand perspective.
Your program fee also includes follow-up support that will help you and me track and guide your progress over the ensuing weeks and months.
Here’s what some of my former students have said:
“The Asian Rake [David] is intelligent, focused, and really confident. A nice guy and successful man. And he’s freaking awesome with women! His suggestions and his focus on how he teaches is spot on. His analysis is quick and his application of the solution even faster.” -Kevin, Singapore
“I couldn’t believe how he kept up coming up with things to talk about. He was winging me. I ran out of conversation points about 20 minutes in. But The Asian Rake [David] was able to riff off things and keep cycling through the most no-brain stuff, but it was damn beautiful. Meanwhile, he was escalating like crazy. There are many guys who get into the community and are peevish, selfish, and petty. But the best teachers are altruistic - willing to share their knowledge and experience. The Asian Rake definitely has the right stuff in that regard.” -Mike, Beijing
“The Asian Rake [David] as a person and his program exceeded my expectations. He is a good teacher and a true dating guru. He was fun and professional. By seeing the Rake in action I was amazed how far a person can push interactions within seconds of meeting someone. By watching him in action I saw what could be done.” -Darren, Shanghai
I don’t need the money. I’m offering this because I truly derive a lot of satisfaction and pleasure from seeing people transform their lives for the better and find their way to true contentment and happiness. And together, we can contribute to a worthy cause!
We all know from social psychology about the importance of compliance. People only value things that require effort and investment. I’ve coached a lot of guys for free in the past and have seen too many of them waste their and my time.
Some well known companies are charging USD$4000 and USD$3000 for their cookie-cutter, large group weekend workshops, and they have virtually no knowledge of Asian culture and almost zero experience in Asia with Asian women.
I am offering you my highly specialized services, which you cannot find anywhere else, at a true bargain and with a 100% full money-back guarantee.
The location and course details will be sent to you once you have been accepted into the program and made your deposit.
Act fast, as we’ve already sold some seats, and space is very limited.
For registration and for further queries, contact us: admin “at” asianrake.com
All of this comes with a 100% full refund guarantee. When the program is over, if you don’t feel it was worth every cent, you get your money back. I’ve taken away all the risk. I’m absolutely certain that what I offer will help you immensely, but don’t take my word for it, come and check it out yourself, and get your full refund if it isn’t something that will change your life for the better. You’ve got nothing to lose here and everything to gain.
This is a one-time event. I’m not joking. I’m just coming out of my sabbatical for this weekend only to help out with this very worthy cause. And act fast because seats are limited and some were sold even before this announcement!
All of the net profits will go directly to ONE (SINGAPORE) and the Evercare Welfare Centre’s Emergency Fund.
Get better with women, and at the same time, help make the world a better place!
Do yourself a favor.
Get it done.
Get it handled.
“What do you think of pick up artists?” Singapore TV Interview Finally Uploaded
May 3, 2010
Wow, has it been a long time or what?! I truly appreciate your patience, as I continue with my writing sabbatical. Two major resources that have helped me along in the “art” and “work” of writing have been Seth Godin’s Linchpin and Steven Pressfield’s The War of Art. Both very highly recommended. This year will bring some major changes, which we are currently gearing up for, so keep checking back for the latest. Or better yet, sign up for my mailing list in the top right corner.
I’m going to be making a very big announcement by the end of the week, too, so stay tuned for that!
In the meantime, a friend uploaded the second half of my Razor TV interview (further split into two segments on youtube), which was taped in late 2008, and aired in January 2009. Yes, that was a while ago but better late than never 
You can see the first half from the embedded viewer in my About Me page. Feedback here is appreciated. Enjoy!
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