In this article: Pumped-up players: Ron Gant and Gabe Kapler How Gant gets great abs What do those guys eat? Gant and Kapler's workout routines

DIAMONDS
AND THE BUFF

Babe Ruth and the pudgy baseball boys of summers past are giving way to a new breed of pumped-up player.

By Dennis McCafferty

Several bodybuilding magazines have spotlighted "Gabe the Babe" Kapler 's physique.

We men have always liked baseball players because they look like us. Those of us, that is, who go through life with a Doritos bag, six-pack and TV remote always within reach.

An imperfect physique has never kept a diamond dweller from greatness. Legend has it that Babe Ruth scarfed down four porterhouse steaks, eight hot dogs and eight sodas one day at Coney Island. Lift weights? Mickey Mantle, like many other players, preferred bar stools to barbells. In the 1990s, All-Star John Kruk summed it up best: When a female fan scolded him for smoking, reasoning that a professional athlete shouldn't be seen with a cigarette, the quick-witted Kruk replied: "Lady, I'm not an athlete. I'm a ballplayer."

Alas, enter the modern age and a new breed of ballplayer. Today's ballclubs provide the finest in fitness centers. There are not only strength/conditioning coaches, but also "performance enhancement counselors." With his historic 70-home-run season, Mark McGwire made a household name of androstenedione, a controversial nutritional and bodybuilding supplement.

Go to top

Then there are baseball stars Ron Gant, 36, and Gabe Kapler, 25, who are taking the fitness concept to new levels. With rippling torsos and bulging biceps, both men look as if they could moonlight at Chippendale's. Kapler, nicknamed "Gabe the Babe," has posed for a number of bodybuilder publications. ("Baseball's Best Built Body," Muscular Development magazine proclaimed.) Gant's devotion to fitness has been similarly rigorous, as he has been known to bench-press an astonishing 430 pounds, with rock-solid weights.

"The game has changed drastically," Gant says just before the day's scheduled stretching workout. "Fans say that many of us look like we play football. We're changing the stereotype."

In pursuing an all-out exercise regimen, both Gant and Kapler face challenges that many non-athletes face. They work weird hours, travel often and share family responsibilities.

So, like many of us, they schedule fitness into their daily must-dos. Kapler prefers morning workouts. Gant opts out of any post-workday "happy hours" and heads to the ballpark gym at night, exercising for 40 minutes. Playing nine innings can be a physical marathon, but Gant avoids pregame workouts for fear of tightened muscles. "You gotta stay loose," he says. Each of his sessions focuses on a particular muscle -- say, forearms one day and thighs the next. He usually does eight sets, with 10 to 12 repetitions each. Which brings us to ...

Life Isn't Fair Dept., Part I: Gant always has had great abs. But he doesn't torture himself. He does 50 stomach crunches every other day. That's it. He's always been blessed with good, physical genes, he says. Grrrr.

Life Isn't Fair Dept., Part II: Gant doesn't struggle with keeping weight off. He works to keep weight on. Outfield sprinting in the heat reduces his weight from 212 to 205 pounds. He eats a light breakfast, then pasta or a sandwich at noon. "A full stomach makes you lethargic," he says. After the game, however, he loads up, downing a protein powder shake and then heading for the workout. A hearty dinner follows, often as late as after 11 p.m., given that most games start in the early evening.

Kapler sticks with morning workouts because "by the time the game is over, I don't have the energy to work out. In the mornings, it refreshes me for the entire day. I'll usually have five or seven hours between a workout and the time I arrive at the ballpark, so tightness isn't an issue."

Go to top

The main difference between now and his early years? Kapler no longer maintains a monastic devotion to his body. He'll indulge himself with a cup of coffee, or fried plate of food, without guilt. "You have to allow yourself not to be perfect all the time," Kapler says. "It's not that important to have 5% body fat, like I did before. I came into spring training at 7% or 8%, and that's fine."

AS FOR BUSINESS TRAVEL, both men doggedly stick to their routines. It helps that ballparks have fitness equipment for the opposing team to use. But "real world" professionals these days are also finding that most hotels provide gyms as well.

Still, what if the equipment isn't the same? What if you prefer the treadmill, but the hotel provides only a ski machine? Gant advises men to adapt. He's been known to alter his positioning with a pull-down machine -- intended to boost the back and lat muscles -- and use it to pump up his triceps instead. "The only one who can stop you is you," he says. "Even if there isn't a gym, there's always push-ups and crunches." Kapler, who has a harder time adjusting his routine, agrees: "I don't miss many days, even if it's just working out at the hotel gym for 20 minutes."

Muscling up hasn't hurt Gabe Kapler at the plate: His batting average improves yearly.

For both men, the off-season actually is peak season for workouts. Gant has an expansive gym in his Atlanta home so he can stick with his program even if he has to watch his three children. He lifts for 90 minutes, focusing on a high number of repetitions, as many as 20 for each set. A low number of repetitions with heavier weights builds strength and bulk. But, as an outfielder, Gant seeks endurance. He's only the third player in major-league history to post consecutive 30-home- run, 30-steal seasons -- joining the company of Willie Mays and Bobby Bonds -- so power, speed and agility are essential to his game. "I want strength, but I need to be mobile. Some days, I get in a groove and feel like I can do it all day."

Kapler also conducts marathon sessions that can last a staggering four hours. There's an hour of lifting, then sports. A native of greater Los Angeles, he may swim along a beach for a half-hour. Or conduct marathon basketball games, which is his preference. "It's the ultimate workout in my mind. You get completely competitive. You play to win. You use your entire body. It's stop-and-go, explosive movement. All of this is great for baseball conditioning."

Again, his philosophy departs from Gant's. Kapler prefers health clubs to home gyms. "I can't get as motivated at home," he explains. "Once I get into the car to go to the gym, I'm committed. I have to go and make it worthwhile."

Go to top