If I’ve said it once, I’ve proclaimed it a thousand times, I have one of the best jobs in the world! As a personal trainer (and licensed massage therapist and owner of my own gym), I get to work with some of the finest and most interesting ladies and gentlemen in Fort Lauderdale. Day in and day out, I get to help them feel healthier, look better and live longer.

As a trainer, my work is not just about handing weights to clients and standing around blankly counting to “12.” It is much, much more. A CFT (certified fitness trainer) has a responsibility to provide a safe, happy atmosphere and situation where clients are challenged and pushed, but also respected and affirmed for their hard work and commitment. Is this always an easy task? No, but for the most part, life is good and my clients rock!

With that said, I’d like to remind anyone who presently uses, or is thinking of hiring a personal trainer, what they need to look for in this individual. First, make sure the trainer has an up to date certification and liability insurance. Second, if possible, watch the trainer in action with other clients.

Is he attentive and does he take notes? Or is he on the phone or always texting? If you are going to make the personal and financial commitment of hiring a trainer, get a professional who will be undyingly devoted to you throughout the entire duration of your session.

Most trainers will meet with a prospective client for a free consultation before either party makes a commitment. Make sure to write down your questions and fitness goals. Ask this person about his training philosophy, methods, style, etc., and how he would go about helping you to achieve your objectives. Inquire about the trainer’s flexibility and availability so that you both can easily coordinate your schedules.

Once you’ve found the right person, remember that you as a client have responsibilities to your trainer. If you can’t treat your trainer with courtesy and respect, as you should any other paid professional in your life, then you are wasting his time and your money.

Everyone is occasionally tardy, but some people make it a habit. Not only is this disrespectful to your trainer, but it also shows that you are not serious about attaining your fitness goals (i.e. weight loss, building muscle, staying healthy, etc.). Make the commitment to yourself and your trainer, show up on time, ready to warm up and, if you can, leave that damn phone in the car to reduce distractions.

Habitual cancellations are not acceptable. You would not put up with a personal trainer who was a constant no-show. Everyone, on occasion, has emergencies and scheduling conflicts, and these are understandable. But last minute texts and calls to cancel on a regular basis are rude and inconsiderate. If you have to cancel, at least give your trainer a 24 hour notice, or expect to be charged for the session.

If you find yourself swamped at work or stuck in traffic, simply call your trainer, apologize, and ask if you can re-schedule your session.

Hiring a personal trainer is an investment in your health and well being. Expect nothing less than the best service from your CFT. Realize also that this is a relationship, and as such you must do your part to make it successful and fruitful.

For more information or tips on fall fitness and workout routines that will do the trick for you, contact TrainerTomB@aol.com.

I have a fantastic little formula to stoke up anyone’s workout and it’s called the Five “R’s”. When you are in the gym pay attention to each of these five elements and your time there will pay off 5, 10, 20 fold! Whether you are a beginner or a pro you are sure to benefit from following these principles.

The first “R” stands for range of motion. When I speak of range of motion, I mean the complete movement capability of a joint. Every exercise from a bicep curl, lunge or crunch should be performed through the muscle’s complete range of motion from a fully stretched position to a fully contracted position. For example, during a bicep dumbbell curl, begin with your arms at your sides, then curl each dumbbell to your chin by fully flexing your elbow, contract your biceps with all your might and supinate your forearm. Pause at the top of the motion for a fraction of a second and squeeze your bicep before you slowly lower the weight back to starting position.

The second “R” stands for resistance (or, the weight that is moved). Resistance must be small enough that the exercise can be performed through the full range of motion without cheating, swinging or jerking the weight. Yet, resistance must be such that it taxes the muscles for the desired number of reps. Your 1 rep max is the most weight that you can safely raise for one rep. A rule of thumb is to keep within 55% – 85% of your 1 rep max when doing your reps and sets.

The third “R” stands for repetitions. When choosing the number of repetitions (how many times the exercise is to be done in a set), you must first decide what you want from your workouts. Generally, low reps (3-8) with heavier weights, will produce greater strength. Medium reps (10-20) with moderate to heavy weight are best for producing size. High reps (20 or more) with lighter weights are best for tightening, toning and producing aerobic strength endurance.

The fourth “R” stands for rest. A working muscle needs about 1-3 minutes rest between each set of reps before it is ready to function near full strength capacity again for the next set of reps. This period of time gives your body time to replenish ATP and phosphocreatine, the two chemicals your muscles need for every contraction. Between sets, don’t just sit there, get up, walk around, stretch and re-hydrate yourself.

Finally, the last and fifth “R” stands for recovery. Recovery is crucial for muscle growth and rebuilding. Muscles fibers cannot grow unless you allow them to rest between workouts.

As a rule, you should not exercise the same muscle group two days in a row, and usually not more than 3 times a week. Allow 48-72 hours of rest between workouts for each muscle group. For example, if you work chest on Monday, don’t work it again until Thursday. Allow yourself at least one day of rest per week, otherwise your body will become over trained or injured.

Need more sound advice on working out? Contact trainertomb@aol.com!

Tom Bonanti is a certified personal trainer and owner of Pump’n Inc Gym at
1271 NE 9th Ave, Fort Lauderdale. For more tips on how to maintain your muscular,
toned summer body, give me a shout at TrainerTomB@aol.com

In order to get stellar results in the gym you need to lift progressively heavier weights, but more importantly, you need to learn and maintain good form. To help you have successful workouts and prevent you from getting injured, allow me to identify several form abuses, as well as suggestions for fixing them.

Bench presses are crucial for developing the size and strength of your chest, but when they are not done according to proper form they can lead to all sorts of injuries. Often, I see guys arching their backs so that a small log can actually fit between your back and the bench. This will lead to low back injuries in a hurry.

Correct this by keeping your back totally against the bench so that not even a piece of paper can be slipped beneath you. Wide-grip lat pull-downs are a fundamental part of every back routine. I often see guys rushing through this exercise leaning forward, pulling the bar down behind the neck. Correct this by pulling the bar down in front of you to your chin with your back slightly arched, and your chest puffed out. After pulling the bar down, hold it steady for two seconds, then take one-to-two seconds to let it rise back up to starting position. A special note here: Wide-grip lat pull-downs and shoulder barbell and dumbbell presses should never be performed behind the neck, since this can lead to rotator cuff damage.

Biceps curls with barbells, E-Z curl bars, and dumbbells are essential for adding mass to arms, and chiseling those peaks in your biceps. But as you lift, focus on contracting biceps and not arching your back. Swinging, jerking and arching the back as you curl does not build your arms, it causes injuries. Instead, keep your body vertical. If you can’t, then use a lighter weight. Practice curling while keeping your back against a wall, or while seated on a bench.

Squats are perhaps the most effective weight training exercise you can do in the gym. They not only work quads, hamstrings and glutes better than any other exercise, but there is practically no muscle group, from abs to triceps, that don’t benefit from squatting. I am often horrified when I see guys leaning forward, knees over their toes and spines flexed. When you squat, keep your back straight, your head up and your toes pointed outward. Drop your butt down and keep the backs of your upper legs slightly less than parallel to the floor. Squat down slowly and become more explosive as you come up, using your glutes, hams and quads to push you up.

You have a lifetime to lift all the weight in the gym, but if you cheat on your form and hurt yourself, you’re liable to end up with injuries that will take you out of circulation, maybe for good!

Contact trainertomb@aol.com with your questions about workout form.

I always say that there is no need for workouts to become boring or stagnant.

Likewise, no one should ever throw in the towel if a fitness regime isn’t quite achieving the desired results. Every fitness enthusiast or body builder hits a brick wall occasionally, but perseverance is the key to success in any endeavor, as they say. Journaling your workouts at the gym, finding a reliable workout partner, hiring a personal trainer, even doing research on the Internet can help you come up with fresh techniques for your exercise program. This week let me share with you a few simple and interesting techniques that are sure to maximize your workouts by helping you to pack on quality muscle in less time. Get ready to feel the burn!

“Superset” is a widely misused term. Technically, a superset is when you train two opposing muscle groups (i.e. biceps versus triceps, back versus chest, quads versus hamstrings, etc.) with only a small break between exercises. For example, you may do a set of flat bench dumbbell presses for chest, then move quickly using the same weights into a bent over dumbbell one arm row. Go back and forth for three sets of each. Take a brief break, and then alternate incline dumbbell presses and wide grip lat pull downs. Supersets create balance and joint strength, and allow one muscle group a brief rest while you blast its opposing muscle group.

Compound sets are great, especially if you have a problem muscle group that won’t grow. These are my favorites. Compound sets are two intense exercises for the same muscle group. For example, a standing barbell curl can be combined with a preacher curl to really fry those biceps. Perform a set of barbell curls to exhaustion, then move to a set of killer preacher curls to isolate those twin peaks.

If you’re really cruising for a burn, go for trisets. This means simply that you add a third or even a fourth exercise to the above torture as you max out those mighty arms.

Forced reps are a great way to push muscles just a little harder, once they’ve been pretty much exhausted. Just when you think you can’t do another curl, press or squat, recruit someone else’s muscles to help you! That’s right, get a trainer, partner, or buddy to help you squeeze out a couple of forced reps before you rack your weights and call it quits. Make sure that your form doesn’t suffer too much as you force that last blasted rep!

Learn to accentuate the negative. I’m not talking about your attitude, I’m referring here to your reps. When I train clients, I’ll often have them focus on the negative or eccentric contraction during an exercise. For example, during a bicep curl, explode as you bring the weight to your chin (concentric or positive contraction), then as you lower the weight, slow down and focus as you push your muscles to a new level of fatigue. Try doing negatives with bi’s, tri’s, chest, legs, etc., once a month to maximize size and strength.

Remember, doing negatives every workout can lead to over- training, so once or twice a month should be enough to make you grow, but prevent you from injuring yourself.

No need to get bored or frustrated! Just check in with Guy Magazine every week for the latest information on just about any topic under the sun. Any questions about your workouts? Need a pointer or just a little direction with your routine? Contact trainertomb@aol.com!

Tom Bonanti is a certified personal trainer and owner of Pump’n Inc. Gym at 1271 NE 9th Ave, Fort Lauderdale.
For more tips on fitness, give me a shout at TrainerTomB@aol.com

A gym is not just a place where YOU go to work out. The gym is a great social outlet for people of all ages and backgrounds to go to exercise and relieve stress. As such, there are some basic and oh-so-essential rules of gym etiquette that I feel I must review.

First, remember that you are not the only one in the gym. If you have to carry around your cell phone, put it on vibrate and when you get a call, take it outside or somewhere where you don’t have to share your call with the rest of us! Speaking of not sharing, keep a towel with you to wipe down equipment after using it. No one wants to workout in a puddle of your bodily fluids.

Second, the gym is not your private space. This means that you should not push in front of others to get to equipment. Rack free weights once you have finished your sets. Don’t linger at stations while you talk on the phone or waste time. Others are waiting patiently. I was once in a gym where a famous visiting porn star was working out. His ego was bigger than his calf implants! This behemoth pushed and shoved in front of others to hog the weights, and monopolized two and three pieces of equipment at a time. What a gross turn-off for his multitude of fans. A simple “Excuse me,” or “Pardon me, are you using those weights?” is so much nicer than a primal grunt, a surly sneer, and a shove from behind. Don’t forget basic kindness and manners. You expect them from others, why not let others learn from your good example?

Another basic rule of gym etiquette has to do with personal hygiene. Primal man-scent may flip your switch at Ramrod, but three day body odor is not acceptable anywhere.

Showers can be used both before and after a workout. If your jock can stand up on its own in your locker, then it’s time to do laundry. Yes, real men bathe, wear a touch of deodorant, and wash the gym clothes. While I’m on this tirade of discussing personal hygiene, let me say a word to those phantoms of the locker room who refuse to flush their mess or wipe off a toilet seat, and those who spit, hock, and dispose of their gum in the drinking fountains. Get with the human race. Learn to flush the toilet! Stop using the drinking fountain as your personal waste receptacle! And while we’re at it, the locker room is no place to trim your toenails, shave your head, or iron your clothes. These are tasks to do in the privacy of your own salle de bain, as they say in France.

Finally, let me say a word or two about something that really irks me. The locker room and showers are not your private areas to carry on sexually, with yourself or with others. Your sexcapades are not as hot as you imagine them to be. It is illegal, and furthermore, you are putting your club and others in jeopardy for all kinds of trouble. Stop it now!

Well, I’ve gotten some things off my chest. For me, and many others, the gym is a way of life. With a few basic rules of etiquette, a little consideration and some politeness, the gym can be a great place for all of us to workout, unwind, and socialize.

Tom Bonanti is a certified personal trainer and owner of Pump’n Inc Gym at 1271 NE 9th Ave, Fort Lauderdale. For more tips on how to get bigger beefier arms by summer, give me a shout at TrainerTomB@aol.com

One muscle group that guys sometimes forget about, or simply only train routinely, are the deltoids. Whether you’re strutting your stuff on the beach or at the pool, or wearing your best suit for an interview, a great pair of shoulders will set you apart from the rest. The delts are located at the top of each arm, and consist of the anterior or front deltoids, mid or lateral deltoids, and the posterior or rear deltoids. Well-developed deltoids resemble cannonballs, but you need a variety of movements or exercises in order to develop and strengthen them properly. Also, the stronger your deltoids are, the less stress you will experience with those deeper rotator cuff muscles.

Here’s a big boy’s guide to bigger, broader shoulders:

• Seated dumbbell presses are great for front and mid deltoids as well as for traps and triceps. Sit on a bench with your back straight. Grasp two dumbbells with an overhand grip, and lift them to your shoulders, palms facing forward. Inhale and press your arms to an extended vertical position. Exhale as you lower them back to your shoulders.

• Lateral raises are great for the mid delt, and they help you to achieve a broader look to the upper body. Stand with your feet slightly spread. Keep your back straight, your arms hanging at your sides. Holding a dumbbell in each hand, raise the dumbbells to shoulder height, keeping your elbows slightly bent. Return to the starting position. You can also do this exercise seated on a bench with your back straight, and simply raise the dumbbells to your sides as if you were standing. Doing these exercises in a seated position helps you to isolate the side delts better, but yes, they are harder.

• Front raises are dynamite for the front and rear delts. Stand with your feet slightly apart. Hold the dumbbells with your palms down (overhand grip). Resting the dumbbells on your thighs or slightly to the side, raise the dumbbells forward to shoulder height, alternating each side.

• Bent-over lateral raises are great for the overall shoulder, but especially for the rear deltoids and upper back. Stand with your feet spread apart and your knees slightly bent. Bend forward at the waist and keep your back straight. Hold the dumbbells with your elbows slightly bent. Inhale and raise the dumbbells to your sides. Exhale as you complete the movement.

• The upright row is another exercise for the mid and rear delts. Holding a weighted bar in front of you with an overhand grip, pull it to your chin while keeping your elbows above the bar. Keep the bar close to your body.

• With each of the above exercises, try performing three to four sets of 10 to 12 reps with a manageable but challenging weight. So there you have it, a workout that will give you those distinctive boulder delts.

Also remember to watch your posture. A lot of guys tend to slump their shoulders and crouch over a bit, especially if they are stressed or tired. Stand up straight, chin up, shoulders back, pecs out, and enjoy the attention you’ve earned!

Tom Bonanti is a certified personal trainer and owner of Pump’n Inc Gym at 1271 NE 9th Ave, Fort Lauderdale.
For more tips on how to get bigger beefier armS, give me a shout at TrainerTomB@aol.com

It takes hard work and tenacity to build a formidable set of arms, but having great triceps will set you above the rest! Triceps make up two-thirds of your upper arm, therefore it is logical that the bigger and more defined these babies are, the more massive your arms will look.

The triceps are responsible for the movement of extension of the elbow and produce motion of the forearm. Because of their larger size you need to work tri’s a lot longer and harder than biceps. Hit triceps twice a week using three-to-four exercises of three-to-four sets, and between eightto- 12 repetitions.

Use free weights for triceps to give you a better range of motion and produce a fuller muscle. Always make sure you get a good stretch for tri’s, especially as you conclude the workout. Stretching helps bring out the separations and detail in the muscle. Here are some dynamite exercises that will leave your triceps feeling pumped after only a few sessions: Whenever you are working a muscle group, always include at least one exercise that will take the muscle group through its full range of motion. Close-grip bench presses will do this for triceps.

Lie face up on a flat bench, feet firmly planted on the floor. Take a barbell or E-Z curl bar from the rack (or have your trainer or workout partner hand it to you). Use a narrow grip so that your hands are only two-to-three inches apart. Keeping your elbows close to your body, lower the weight to your lower sternum, and immediately push upwards. Always begin with a light warm-up set. I especially like this exercise for mass building.

Triceps extensions are a classic. Start this exercise by holding a lat machine bar with your hands twoto- eight inches apart. Now press downwards from your chin until your arms are straight (just barely locking out the elbow). Return and repeat. Most bodybuilders keep their elbows tucked in at their sides during this movement. A few deliberately hold the elbows out to the sides and lean into the exercise. The choice is yours.

This exercise can also be performed with a rope instead of a straight bar or lat machine bar. Bent-over triceps kick-backs are great for isolating each triceps. Don’t be surprised if, upon examination, you find that one of your triceps is bigger or stronger than the other: This is common and this exercise will help build strength and symmetry in both arms. Hold a dumbbell in one hand and hold on to a rack or bench with the other hand. Raise and lower (kick back) the dumbbell at an even rate, keeping the upper arm in line with your torso and parallel to the floor.

Keep your upper arm tight against your waist throughout. Be careful not to over use your wrist as you kick the weight back and extend the elbow. Lying triceps extensions, or “skull crushers” as they sometimes call them, are killers. Lie on your back on a flat bench and hold a barbell or E-Z curl bar at arm’s length above you. Lower it slowly to the forehead, and raise the bar again to arm’s length above you.

This is a more advanced exercise and you may have to wait until your tri’s are ready for this one. Remember, your biceps are fun to pump, but they are the smallest muscle group of the upper body. Your triceps are a larger muscle and require more work. You may not see them, but everyone else does when you turn your back at the beach, or are your tightest muscle shirt. For more tips on pumping up your triceps —or anything else that you may fancy —contact TrainerTomB@aol.com.

Some muscle groups such as back and chest need to be exercised with many movements, some others with a few. For building biceps, the curl is just about the only exercise you can do, and it’s all you really need for mounds of upper-arm power. The four exercises I refer to this week comprise a thorough biceps workout.

I like to superset biceps with triceps and shoulders on the same day, twice a week, with three days rest between workouts. I also like to work biceps along with chest. I try not to do back and biceps on the same day because when you work back really hard (with four or five movements) you are already blasting biceps pretty well.

The front barbell curl is perfect for taking the biceps through their full range of motion. Stand grasping a barbell or EZ curl bar palms up in front of the thighs. Proceed to curl the bar up until the biceps meet your forearms. Pause, squeeze the positive upper contraction extra hard, then lower in a slow deliberate manner to starting position to get the benefit of the negative phase of the movement. Perform three sets of eight to twelve repetitions. Make sure to stretch your biceps between each set. Stretching between sets during any weight training session will aid recovery and speed growth by bringing extra blood to tired stressed muscle fibers.

Standing dumbbell curls are great for exercising each biceps separately. Stand grasping a dumbbell palm forward in the right hand. Proceed to curl the weight up until biceps meets forearm. Pause, squeeze the contraction, and then slowly lower to starting position. Perform eight to twelve reps, and then switch the weight to the left hand for another set. Perform three sets with each arm. Don’t be surprised if one biceps is stronger or bigger than the other, this exercise will help promote symmetry and allow the weaker muscle to catch up.

Concentration dumbbell curls allow you to isolate each biceps and make it work hard without the help of the other muscle groups. Kneeling on the left knee, grasp a dumbbell palm up in the right hand just off the floor, elbow against the inner right thigh. Proceed to curl the weight up until bicep meets forearm. Squeeze and pause, then lower to starting position slowly. Perform eight to twelve reps, and then switch the weight to the left hand for another set kneeling on the right knee. Perform three sets with each arm. Isometric presses allow you to stretch, work and pose at the same time! Standing, curl the right arm to a 90-degree angle, then grasp the wrist with the left hand. Press down with the left hand while the right hand pushes up, feeling the biceps contract. Hold for 20 seconds, then release. Perform five repetitions, then swap arms. Biceps are always fun to work because as the smallest muscle group of the anterior upper body, they are naturally going to show results easier and quickly. Always pay attention to form and don’t overdo the amount of weight.

I hope this basic routine will light a fire under your summer workouts and keep you armed and ready for all the season’s fun.

For more workout tips contact TrainerTomB@aol.com.

Tom Bonanti

Obesity concentrated at the waist has been linked as a precursor to many other health related diseases. The biggest concern for excess visceral and central fat is its link to type 2 diabetes , both correlated well with each other and with the waist circumference. Cardiovascular disease is not far behind as the one of the top related symptoms.

The bear community compounds their by problem by cultivating the look, while achieving this debilitating disease. Abdominal fat is no joke when it comes to your overall health and look. The proud “beer belly” that is sported by this group will in turn be the death of them. CUBS and BEARS are now warned: abdominal fat is bearly essential.

Body fat comes in quite a few different forms. Visceral fat–the one that is targeted in this article–is also known as organ fat or intra-abdominal fat. This is located at the peritoneal cavity packed in between the internal organs and the torso. Subcutaneous fat is found underneath the skin and tends to pocket itself in specific areas. Intramuscular fat is dispersed throughout the skeletal muscle, like marbling in a piece of red meat.

Of all the fats listed, visceral fat is the most detrimental to your health. The “pot belly” or “beer belly” are cute nicknames for excess visceral fat, where the abdomen protrudes excessively. There is one easy way to tell if you have too much visceral fat–use a tape measure around your waist. No need for a body mass index (BMI) test, your waist size alone will tell you if you have too much visceral fat and are putting yourself at risk to a slow, early grave.

Waist size over 38 inches is not a fashion statement , regardless of your height. If your stomach is sticking out past your chest and you can’t see your crotch, it is time to do something about it. Visceral fat can be easily avoided by eating a proper diet. Variety is the spice of life, and that is true for your diet too.

Eat a wide variety of carbohydrates, proteins, dairy products and healthy fats for a complete diet. Portion control is also another easy way to prevent and fight abdominal fat. Eating smaller meals throughout the day or “grazing” is the way a human is supposed to eat.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner are the three main times of day for eating by tradition, but eating five or six small meals a day is much easier for the body to burn the energy consumed. Large meals are like throwing large logs in a fire place to burn. It takes a long time to break down and burn up that energy.

But if we eat smaller portions, just like kindling, it takes less time to burn, leaving less unused energy to be stored as fat. Less stored fat means less visceral fat, leaving a leaner, healthier you. Exercise always helps to burn calories and helps prevent fat storage production. Light weights and resistance are all that is required when eating smaller portions, meaning less strenuous exercise and more ultimate results.

There is no need to do 500 crunches a day either, twisting the torso is the best way to achieve an all around tapered look around the mid-section, shaping the sides, as well as the front. The moral of this article, your belly of today will be your health problem of tomorrow. Eat wisely. Bear are fun to hug, but not to lift in a coffin.

For anyone who is serious about weight training, you know that “leg day” is no walk in the park. Leg routines require, above all others, attention to proper form, serious concentration, and set after set of some of the most important and grueling exercises known to Muscledom.

Lunges, dead lifts, and squats are essential for building tree trunk legs and glutes of steel. Yet squats more than any of the others are also great for abdominals— and most upper body muscle groups, as well. Some say that deep squats performed properly can actually boost testosterone production in most healthy males. All I can say is that squats better deliver results for all the pain and suffering they induce!

In nearly every sport or fitness activity, your legs are your most important asset. That’s why squats are often called the “king” of all exercises. The squat involves glutes (butt), hamstrings (back of upper legs), calves, and most especially, the quadriceps (tops of the upper front legs). Like I mentioned previously, in addition to being the best exercise for lower body, squats also involve, at least indirectly, many upper body muscle groups as well, including deltoids, lats and traps, and especially abdominals.

When you do squats, place a barbell on a squat rack, or set up the bar on the Smith machine. Doing squats on a Smith machine (at the outset at least) can be safer, but the apparatus does somewhat restrict the range of motion of your squat. Whichever you prefer, use light weight when you begin. Duck under the bar, and position it across your shoulders on your trapezius, slightly above the rear deltoids.

Grasp the bar using a grip width that is comfortable for your body, and pull your elbows to the rear. Inhale deeply, rotate your pelvis forward, keep your head up, look straight ahead, and carefully lift the bar off of the rack. Move back a step or two from the rack and set your feet shoulder width apart, keeping your toes pointed at an angle that’s slightly outward. Now, here is the most important caution regarding the squat. You must maintain a very erect body position when descending into the deep squat position.

Leaning too far forward, or flexing the spine as you squat can be dangerous for your lower back. This error, which is very common even among seasoned athletes, is the major cause of lower back injuries. Once you have descended so your thighs are parallel to the floor, extend your legs and straighten your torso to return to the starting, upright position. There you have it, the perfect squat! A couple of other pointers can help you do squats safely and effectively.

First, you should learn how to go down into the squat position so that you are low enough. The top of your thighs should be parallel to the floor in a well-executed squat. If you stop the squat any higher than that, you will lose some of the benefit to your butt and hamstrings.

Secondly, learn to breathe properly by inhaling as you descend, and exhale as you come up. Thirdly, try to lower yourself slowly and carefully, and try to more explosively return to the upright position. If you want to build legs and butt, you simply have to do squats.

I recommend that you do them twice a week. Always begin with a light set, with manageable weight.

Try three sets of 10-to-12 reps after your initial warm-up set.

For more tips on how to get legs of steel, contact trainertomb@aol.com.