Paulino works hard, was fat

A new profile on Felipe Paulino by McTaggart has some encouraging news regarding off-season workouts.

Beginning last season under an ultimatum by Wade and Cooper (along with Nieve, who was dropped like 3rd period French), Paulino took his job seriously - which I find ridiculous that he might not have taken it seriously before. Now he's vowing to work harder.

Wade:
"I told Felipe that I couldn't ask for anything more, and this was an opportunity he shouldn't pass up. I told him he has a chance to take the ball every fifth day and be a dominant big league pitcher. I commend him for seeking me out and wanting to talk to me."

On those workouts:
From the beginning of November to the middle of December, he arrived to Minute Maid Park at dawn four days a week for two-hour workouts with some teammates under the direction of Astros strength and conditioning coach Gene Coleman.

Paulino teamed with catcher Humberto Quintero and was one of about 10 players who participated in the conditioning workouts, including Hunter Pence, J.R. Towles, Michael Bourn, Wandy Rodriguez and Jason Bourgeois and Minor Leaguers Koby Clemens and Ross Seaton.

What do they entail?
The workouts began with solo movement to get the players ready for three circuits of weight training with seven minutes of metabolic conditioning and 150 core-type movements in between each one. The players then have finisher exercises they have to do before they can leave. The players burned muscle mass, increased flexibility and work capacity and modified their diets to end up with a negative caloric balance. The goal was to lose 1 to 1 1/2 pounds a week. Coleman gave each player a target weight to reach by Dec. 17, and most had reached it by the first week of December.

Coleman:
"It's a good group with good camaraderie, and they have pushed each other. He changed his diet and his habits, and it worked. Typically we don't have many guys that need to lose weight, but Paulino's had weight issues ever since we signed him. Everybody's goal is to break even [on weight] between now and Jan. 4. We know that they're going to do stuff, but as long as they do it in moderation."

Wade on Paulino:
"So far he's followed through on what he said he was going to do. Humberto's wife has worked with Felipe's wife to improve his diet. They go shopping together to try to make sure he's eating the right foods. All the feedback I've gotten has been very positive."