.38 special

Men's Fitness, Sept, 2003

If there's one thing Joe Gillie knows better than anybody, it's that you can't let anything stand in the way of your health. Not even the bullet that's been stuck in your chest for the past 26 years. "I was in a home invasion back in '77," says Gillie, "and I was shot up four times. I still have a .38 in my chest, next to my aorta. But I never even think about the fact that it's there. I'm not going to let anything like that hold me back. If anything, it should make me better."

Looks like it has. Gillie, who's been training with weights since 1996, is in the best shape of his life. He entered his first bodybuilding contest this year and has started his own personal-training business, with plans to open up his own gym in the future. Here's his story.

JOE GILLIE

Age: 53

Height: 5'9"

Profession: Personal trainer

Hometown: Riverdale, IL

Weight before: 205 pounds

Current weight: 170 pounds

Waist before: 36"

Current waist: 30"

JOB JEOPARDY

I got laid off from my job and was too depressed to work out. Joe's solution: "I got off my workout schedule for about three weeks. It was depressing, and I eat when I'm depressed, so I was doing all the wrong things. Finally I said, enough. So I got back on my routine and it made me more determined, more focused than before."

THE AGE FACTOR

I'm too old to start a workout routine.

Joe's solution: "Age is nothing but a number. It's all in your mind. Set your mind on something, decide what you want to do, and do it. I didn't start lifting weights until 1996, when I was 46. Never put any roadblocks in front of anything you want to do. You're never too old to start taking care of your body."

JOE'S WORKOUT

Workout split: Trains with weights four times per week, on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday.

Time: Two hours. Why two hours? "I just started out that way," Joe says. "Normally, you should spend no more than 90 minutes in the gym. With me, I've just always been that way, and it's showing results."

Total sets: Nine to 12 per body part.

Reps: Joe alternates between low-, medium- and high-rep workouts. For the latter, Joe will go up to 15. When lifting heavy, He'll shoot for between six and eight reps.

Workout advice: "Flexibility is the key with me. I stretch every single day. My personal opinion is that if you're just beating the hell out of the weights, you're also beating the hell out of your body."

Cardio: Joe performs 30 to 60 minutes of cardio before every resistance workout, switching machines every session to keep his body guessing.

Cardio advice: "I use alternate machines--the treadmill, the Stairclimber and the elliptical trainer--every workout to keep things interesting. And I train in intervals. On the treadmill, I'll switch between walking for 10 minutes and jogging for five."

TRAVEL TROUBLE

It's hard to find time to get to the gym on a consistent basis. Joe's solution: "It's the first thing I do when I get up in the morning, to get it out of the way. I don't let anyone or anything interfere with it."