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Manhattan’s Bowling Green Park sits a 7,000-pound bronze sculpture called Charging Bull. It has become a symbol of financial strength. About 4 miles away, in the midtown offices of ICAP overlooking Bryant Park, sits another sculpted bull—a 230-pounder. This one is called Mark Rubin, and he too has become a symbol of financial strength after winning the D10 Decathlon in New York City for the past five years and with it, the title of Fittest Man on Wall Street. Now if you think the financial world is filled with fat cats, you may want to rethink your position because this decathlon (set for June 10 in 2017) features a portfolio of blue-chip bodies. In just over four hours, competitors do a 400-meter run, football throw, pullups, a 40-yard dash, dips, a 500-meter row, vertical jump, 20-yard shuttle, bench press, and 800-meter run. That means they have to find time to train for 10 events while working 50-plus hours a week at high-stress jobs that often require entertaining clients with massively caloric steakhouse lunches. How do these guys stay bullish with their training and manage consistent growth? Whatever your fitness goal, let Rubin and other top Wall Street decathletes show you how to achieve it.
Mark Rubin
MARKET LEADER
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VP/FUTURES SALES TRADER ICAP
WORKING CAPITAL Age 31, 6'3", 230 pounds,
8% body fat 52-WEEK HIGH First place overall in the D10 Decathlon for the fifth consecutive year, raising a total of $75,000 in those five years to benefit pediatric cancer research. PROSPECTUS No matter how many more decathlons Rubin wins or how rich and successful he becomes, it’s unlikely he’ll ever eclipse his victory over Michael Phelps at age 14. “He was in my age group at a regional swim meet,” Rubin recalls. “I beat him in the 50 and 100 freestyle and was the number one swimmer in the country in those events.” Nonetheless, Rubin decided to pursue football and went on to win two Big Ten championships as a Penn State safety before briefly playing for the St. Louis Rams. Now Rubin sits behind a desk for up to 12 hours a day trading several hundred million dollars’ worth of securities in a global electronic market. “It’s a rush,” he says, one that requires mental agility, physical endurance, and focus. And that’s precisely what makes him so special. In an environment that would reduce most men to flab in less than a year, he manages to invest in his body regularly and never lets his fitness level crash. 82 MensHealth.com | March 2017
Rubin’s Rules of Smart Investment Invest consistently and incrementally. “No matter how busy I am, I do something active daily, even if it’s just a half hour of yoga, 45 minutes on the treadmill, or a 20-minute jog outside,” he says. “When you miss a day or two and then try to catch up, that’s when you injure yourself. My favorite short workout is a 2-mile warmup on the treadmill followed by 10 to 20 sprints, 30 seconds on/30 seconds off. I’m done in half an hour.” Invest for the long term. “I try to eat lots of lean protein and vegetables, but if I indulge at a client dinner, I keep the big picture in mind,” Rubin says. “One day of not eating the best food or not being able to work out isn’t going to kill my training program.” Adapt to market conditions. “Because of my schedule, I never know how many times a week I’ll be able to get to the gym and lift,” he says. “So I don’t alternate upper- and lower-body workouts like most guys. I do full-body whenever I get the chance.” Meet all regulations. Decathlon judges levy penalties for violating the rules. So Rubin is a stickler for consistency and proper form, especially as he gets older and efficiency becomes more important. “My gym has a mirror,” he says, “and I practice my form while doing dips, pullups, and rows.” Decide on an investment strategy. “I set specific goals for every event,” Rubin says. “Always have a game plan. When you’re unprepared, emotion and adrenaline take over and pretty soon you’re off track. It’s no different than a trading day.”
Insider Training WALL STREET DECATHLETES SHARE THEIR STAY-FIT SECRETS.