If you are into fitness you no doubt have heard of this famous name – Frank Medrano.
He is an American actor who actually made an absolutely incredible transformation in his body.
He went from the fat guy in the movie Shawshank Redemption to having an amazing sexy body from his calisthenics bodybuilding.
Frank has certainly been an inspiration for millions of followers, training them via his expertise as a calisthenics expert, athlete, and trainer.
Frank grew up in New York. He says how he got to love calisthenics was when he jumped up onto a pull-up bar one day and then also decided to try out some bodyweight exercises.
He says he loved the feeling he got from these. He says that he felt a rush of inner strength – it got him hooked on building his physique through calisthenics.
He loved the feeling of true strength he got and agility through functional and core bodyweight exercises. He trained to achieve superhuman abilities.
Now Frank has three programs that can help anyone no matter what shape to reach new levels of fitness.
Calisthenics is all about doing exercise without any equipment.
It means that if you want to change your body for good, you will need to follow the right workout routine that can help you achieve what you dream of.
Well, Frank’s got the perfect physique as proof!
It is hard to believe that Frank before he was 30, suffered from extreme weight problems. He suffered from being slow, tired, and weak. That meant he faced a lot of health problems too.
Frank wasn’t happy with the way he looked, nor his health. He decided there and then to get ripped and lean.
He watched a few workout videos online and decided he was going to make positive changes to his life.
He started exercising. He joined a gym and in a short space of time had built a healthy physique through his calisthenics bodyweight exercises and his healthy vegan lifestyle.
Frank is famous on Instagram too. He motivates his fans this way.
He is married to Antoinette Pacheko. She is just as much a fitness enthusiast as he is. They live in California.
Current Stats
- Weight: 70 kg. /154 lbs.
- Birthday: 20 May 1958
- Birthplace: Manhattan, New York, USA
Accolades/accomplishments:
- Check out his fantastic movie career here.
- Not only that, he has heaps of certificates from professional sports institutions. See his twitter account.
Workout Principles of Frank Medrano
Frank Medrano’s main workout principles include a top principle and that is:
“Keep your workout plan simple since calisthenics is about being simple and without any equipment.” Frank splits his workouts where he works on one body part every day for a week.
It will be separately his back, chest, shoulders and abs, arms, and legs.
Then on Saturdays, he will work on all of the different body groups together. On Sundays, he will rest and recover.
Frank Medrano’s Training Methods
Frank’s training methods will include pull-ups, push-ups, and high-intensity interval training.
For Frank, his training methods are not about fitness development. It’s much more about a self-improvement process. His training methods are mainly based on calisthenics.
This enables the body to be used appropriately using little or no equipment.
All Frank’s exercises work towards shedding extra body fat.
And of course, his vegan lifestyle further helps Medrano in getting rid of any fat.
He would remind you that the choices you make and the diet you eat will impact your training methods and workout significantly.
Basically, his training methods are like this:
- He works 6 days a week, without special equipment.
- He follows HIIT training along with calisthenics workouts.
- Each day he will focus on a single body part and do the full body on Saturdays. This will include cardio.
- On Sundays, he rests.
Frank Medrano’s Workout Routine
Frank Medrano’s workout routine is not for beginners.
It’s tough, but as Frank says, “Allow your passion to be stronger than your pain. Don’t stop.”
Monday – Chest
- ‘100 standard push-ups’
- ‘30 muscle-ups’
- ‘4 sets of 10 reps incline dumbbell press’
- ‘5 sets of 20 reps dips’
- ‘4 sets of 10 reps flat dumbbell presses’
- ‘200 standard push-ups’
- ‘50 narrow push-ups’
- ‘50 decline push-ups’
- ‘50 raised push-ups’
- ‘15 minutes HIIT cardio’
- ‘Three sets continuous 15 crunches, 15 side crunches (both sides), 15 leg raises’
Tuesday – Back
- ‘100 overhand pull-ups’
- ‘30 muscle-ups’
- ‘4 sets of 10 reps single-arm dumbbell roll’
- ‘4 sets of 10 reps pullovers’
- ‘50 overhand pull-ups’
- ‘50 underhand pull-ups’
- ‘10 muscle-ups’
- ‘15 minutes HIIT cardio’
- ‘Three sets continuous 15 crunches, 15 side crunches (both sides), 15 leg raises’
Wednesday – Shoulders
- ‘4 sets of 10 reps standing dumbbell presses’
- ‘100 push-ups’
- ‘4 sets of 10 reps lateral dumbbell raises’
- ‘100 crunches’
- ‘4 sets of 10 reps bent down dumbbell lateral raises’
- ‘50 high-intensity crunches’
- ‘50 crossovers’
- ‘3 sets of 2-minute flutter kicks’
- ‘3 sets continuous 15 crunches, 15 side crunches (both sides), 15 leg raises’
- ‘3 sets of 60-second crunch holds’
- ‘Handstands till failure’
- ‘15 minutes HIIT cardio’
Thursday – Biceps, and Triceps
- ‘30 muscle-ups’
- ‘50 underhand pull-ups’
- ‘4 sets of 10 reps hammer curls’
- ‘4sets of 10 reps preacher curls’
- ‘4 sets of 10 reps reverse grip preacher curls’
- ‘100 push-ups’
- ‘100 dips’
- ‘4 sets of 10 reps overhead triceps extensions’
- ‘4 sets of 10reps reverse grip triceps pulldowns’
- ‘20 slow dips’
- ‘20 slow pull-ups’
- ‘15 minutes HIIT cardio’
Friday – Legs
- ‘4 sets of 20-yard lunges’
- ‘4 sets of barbell squats’
- ‘100 bodyweight squats’
- ‘4 sets of 10 reps pistol squats’
- ‘4 sets of 10 reps stiff-legged deadlifts’
- ‘4 sets of 10 reps standing calf raises’
- ‘4 sets of 10 reps seated calf raise’
- ‘100 standing calf raises’
- ‘15 minutes HIIT cardio’
Saturday – Overall Bodyweight Exercises
- ‘8 100 meter sprints’
- ‘100 crunches’
- ‘100 pull-ups’
- ‘100 dips’
- ‘200 push-ups’
- ‘30 muscle-ups’
- ‘50 high-intensity crunches’
- ‘50 crossovers’
- ‘Three sets of 2-minute flutter kicks’
- ‘Three sets of 60-second crunch hold’
Sunday – Rest and Recovery Day
Because Frank pushes himself to the limits, it means he needs to ensure that he looks after himself as well.
This might mean that his recovery will take a complete day off just relaxing with friends or spending a day at the gym in the pool. Maybe he will do some light stretching exercises.
He does what works for his body.
Frank Medrano’s Diet Plan
Frank is a strict vegan, so he pays a lot of attention to his diet. He makes sure that he gets variety though; plenty of plant-based calories and proteins to support his very intense workouts.
He believes that vegan food plays a huge role in his sporting life. For him, it is very important that he knows the ingredients of each meal he puts in his mouth.
He needs to know where the produce came from.
His friends, Moel Polanco and Dan Attanasio were the ones that showed Frank how he could benefit from becoming vegan.
Frank has admitted that after starting the plant-based diet, he has become healthier. So his diet plan includes no meat, no dairy products, and no animal products.
This is what he eats:
Breakfast
- Oatmeal
- Whole grain bread
- Vegetables
- Juice
Snack 1
- Nuts
- Salad
- Vegan protein shake
Lunch
- Any veggie dish
- Mushroom and beans
- Whole grain pasta
Snack 2
- Nuts
- Soup
Dinner
- Veggies
- Beans or Soya beans
- Mushroom
- Salad with olive oil
Does Frank Medrano take protein?
Yes, but it’s vegan protein. He eats around 5 to 6 meals a day which includes his supplements. He also drinks a lot of water to keep hydrated.
Frank Medrano’s Supplements
This world-renowned vegan calisthenics guru has teamed up with TRU Supplements.
The supplements Frank takes come from his partnership with TRU Supplements.
Protein
Frank Medrano’s protein supplements include his own line.
His protein powder is usually free from any kind of artificial elements, unsweetened and unflavored that can help you in removing excessive workouts besides maintaining muscular masses.
Probiotic + Prebiotic
Probiotics and prebiotics help Frank to boost his immunity and are known for their excellent digestion power.
BCAAs
BCAA supplements help to boost muscle growth and improve your workout performance because they help to reduce fatigue.
Frank uses BCAAs to burn fat too and to build lean muscle.
Frank Medrano’s noteworthy recommendations
Frank does have important recommendations for anyone who wants to start his kind of fitness journey. He admits that he transformed himself into the strong, powerful person he is through perseverance.
He says his biggest accomplishment has been to motivate and inspire millions, helping them to make healthy changes to their lifestyles.
He says…
“I made the decision to change my life. It’s not easy; in fact, the FIRST part is the hardest! But just wait until a few weeks go by and you start to see the changes! That’s when the REAL MOTIVATION kicks in! Your results start motivating YOU! Stay humble, be positive, and support anyone who decides to put in their effort to better themselves. We all started at the bottom and inspire to better ourselves. I’m impressed with anyone who decides to challenge themselves to be a better person at any level.”
“Unplanned goals are just wishing. Get out there and get things done” – Frank Medrano