Florida Agenda

Summer in sunny tropical Florida is about to turn into autumn. Sure, that means a hurricane scare or two, and maybe a little less humidity, but all in all, we still have several more months of sun and fun in store for us. If your summer workout routine has been less than sizzling, then let’s take advantage of the brand new season ahead to put some growl back into your workouts.

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

Everyone knows that cheating is wrong. Yet it’s exhilarating at times to see just how much you can get away with. If you fudge on your taxes, you may end up with more money in your pocket, but you could also wind up in prison. Two-timing on your boyfriend may be tempting, but it can also lead to a variety of problems that even penicillin won’t cure. Cheating on your form in the gym in an attempt to lift heavier weight or squeeze out a few more reps to impress onlookers can lead to stalled gains and debilitating injuries.

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.

TOM BONANTI

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

I am very lucky to have my own gym, a great private facility where I do one-onone fitness training with some of the finest guys and ladies in Fort Lauderdale. Yet when I exercise myself, I often like to go to one of the popular commercial gyms in my area just to take a break from my workplace ambience. I usually enjoy my time at these gyms, but at least twice a week I witness things that really tick me off. Before anyone tells me to go back to my own gym and STFU, allow me get up on my soapbox and vent a spell about the need for gym etiquette.

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

Most guys are in agreement about what constitutes an ideal physique – a tapered V-shaped back, bold defined triceps, biceps like soft balls, a hard bubble butt, and a sleek, well- defined sixpack. A physique with these assets is well worth flaunting anywhere! Just remember, guys, to workout your legs once in awhile… nothing looks sillier than a guy with a big upper gym body on toothpick legs.

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

When Poverello was established in 1986, its mission—and that of Father Bill—was to make sure that those South Florida men, women, and children living with HIV/AIDS were fed. Father put his talk into his walk, many times delivering food out of his car to make sure that their nutritional needs were met.

Nearly three decades later, although budget cuts have made it necessary for the Poverello Center to reduce client services, the organization’s mission and focus haven’t changed. With the assistance of the City of Wilton Manors, Poverello moved its Friends Fitness Center to a new and larger location.

CEO Tom Smith says, “We have made the gym grow from 2,000 square feet to almost 4,000 square feet. The clients are so happy to have more space. We now have a central reception area, and we have added office space that is available for other non-profits and not-for-profit organizations,” which he notes includes phone and internet capability.

Smith says that Poverello has experienced the larger economic crunch, as well as the additional costs of relocation, but he is optimistic. “It’s been a tough year with the expenses of the move, the build out—and we had to let four staff members go due to the economy, but we are on our way back. The Thrift Store income is increasing, and the whole team has pulled together. We will make it,” he adds. “As we grow, our mission will include more individuals with other life threatening illnesses.”

Poverello will host its 22nd Annual Bowl-A-Thon on Saturday, August 11, at the Sawgrass Lanes in Tamarac.

Complimentary coach services will be provided to and from the event.

For more information, including organizing a team, visit poverello.org.

Whether you are the long and lean type or a compact bear-tank, you’ve got to admit that a great set of guns (arms) will capture just about everyone’s attention. Now that summertime is upon us, its time to flex and bulge with the best of them. This week let’s devote a little time to strengthening and building biceps, the front of the upper arms.

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

Most of us know what a balanced diet should look like, but most of us don’t follow it. It does not seem to matter that eating the right foods improves your health, enhances the skin, helps lower our risk of disease, and most importantly gives you energy to perform life’s daily functions. Some of our most beneficial foods are fruits and vegetables, due mainly to their hydrating qualities and low calories. Always remember that what you’re drinking is just as important as what you are eating. Drinking the proper amount of water is essential to overall health. And no, soda does not count. It not only doesn’t cleanse the palate, it quickly overloads the body with sugar. Most Americans do not know that some of our favorite foods and drinks actually harm the body more than they help, especially when consumed in excess; just as some super-foods recharge the body more than others.

FOODS THAT HARM
Caffeine is a major contributor to upsetting the body’s delicate balance. This comes in a variety of beverages and many other foods like chocolate. Excess caffeine not only overcharges your nervous system, it can inhibit calcium absorption, and even lead to osteoporosis in time.

Salt is another ingredient that often is used in excess, and is very detrimental to your health. High blood pressure is a major side effect of a high sodium diet and can easily be prevented by moving the salt shaker from the table.

Protein, when it comprises more than 25% of your diet, can not only raise your saturated fat levels, but is also very deleterious to your kidneys. Sugar is another ingredient found in just about anything. Excessive sugar intake leads to huge spikes in your insulin response system, and, over time, can lead to diabetes. Sugar also helps add loads of calories to foods and drinks, helping in packing on the pounds, especially if inactive. Alcohol is extremely harmful to all organs of the body when used in excess on a constant basis. Alcohol loves to punish your kidneys and liver, as well as strip vital nutrients from the body.

FOODS THAT HELP
There are some foods that are more beneficial to the body than others. These are called super-foods, and some of these foods even help you lose weight faster than most.

Blueberries top the list with lots of antioxidants, phytonutrients and cancer fighting properties. Who cares if your mouth turns purple. Eat your blueberries!

Wild caught salmon is very beneficial to the body providing high doses of Omega-3 fatty acids, lowering cholesterol and aiding in preventing inflammation.

Eggs are full of choline, which helps fat from being absorbed in the liver and helps in preventing memory loss.

Almonds contain high amounts of monounsaturated fats and fiber. Monounsaturated fats are healthy fats that aid in the reduction of body fat.

Nuts are high in calories, so moderation is the key to this super-food.

Broccoil  is one of nature’s most nutrient-dense foods. Broccoli contains a ton of hunger curbing fiber, as well as lots of antioxidants that detoxify cell-damaging chemicals. Low-fat dairy products have been proven to give the body its recommended essential calcium, and helps burn fat.Think cottage cheese and you’ve got the picture. Beans are a great source of low fat protein and lots of fiber. Last, but not least is dark chocolate. Dark chocolate is known for its heart health benefits, as well as anti-inflammatory properties and antioxidants.

Good foods or bad, the choice is yours!

Andy Kress is a certified fitness trainer, yoga instructor and nutritional counselor in Fort Lauderdale, FL.

For more nutritional tips or inspired exercise routines, reach him at 954-789-3930 or via email at andyfitnesstrainer@gmail.com

Last week I wrote about calisthenics – a tried and true, surefire way to a simple, quick muscle pump. Calisthenics or body weight exercises consist of movements that use the weight of your body as resistance to work against. Using short bursts of intense training and just a few exercises, you can get an efficient muscle-building workout for just about all your muscle groups. In short, you can burn fat and calories and build muscle at the same time without leaving your home or office.

Just as push-ups and pull-ups can jack up your upper body muscle groups, so too, there are lower body calisthenics that can give you quads of steel and a butt to die for! Here are a few of my favorites.

There is no better weight training exercise for lower body than squats. Free squats are calisthenics done like barbell squats but without weights. The basic stance is feet-shoulderwidth- apart. A wider stance works the butt and inside of the thighs to a greater degree, and a narrower stance works on the outside of the thigh to a greater degree. Point your toes out laterally and do not let your knees extend over your middle toes when you squat. Now bend your knees and lower yourself with your back straight and head up until your thighs are parallel to the ground. Raise yourself up using only the power of your lower body to a position with legs nearly locked out. Perform as many of these as you like, no limit, as long as you keep good form.

Jump squats are great if you want to add a little extra punch to regular free squats. Perform these in the same manner as free squats except after you squat down, perform a jump forward as you come up. Land safely, squat again and jump backward as you come up. These are sure to make you break a sweat, even though you might feel a little silly doing them at first. Just do them; they work! For an extra kick, try interspersing a set of 12 to 15 jumping jacks between each set of jump squats.

Lunges are the best way to tighten and tone your butt muscles. If you want to pack on a little muscle to a flat or sagging booty and get a little cardio workout in at the same time, try walking lunges.

Find a flat driveway or parking lot, or a large somewhat empty room. Begin with feet together stance. Keeping your back straight take a deep exaggerated step forward bending your knees and getting them as close to the floor as possible. Push yourself back to the starting position and repeat with the other foot an exaggerated step forward. Do these walking lunges using perfect form, as many as you like and I will personally guarantee that you’ll have a booty like a 23 year old porn star! OK, maybe an exaggeration, but your posterior will surely get harder and take on that nice bubble shape in no time.

Remember, push-ups, pull-ups, jumping jacks, squats and lunges are exercises that you can do at home, in your workplace, or in a hotel room with no equipment. You can do them indoors or outdoors and in no time at all your muscles will feel pumped and ready for whatever activity or mischief comes your way. Enjoy! For more tips on how to get a good workout simply and efficiently using calisthenics, circuit training, or interval training, 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 get bigger beefier arms by summer, give me a shout at TrainerTomB@aol.com

Last month, the Brian Neal Fitness & Health Foundation announced the beginning of its 2012 curriculum. The Foundation, a 501(c) (3) not-for-profit organization seeks out financially challenged local persons who are living with HIV/AIDS or other life-altering conditions, providing free gym memberships at Island City Health and Fitness in Wilton Manors, as well as an hour-long group workout once a week, along with biweekly lifestyle education classes. The curriculum covers important aspects of daily living, from diet and exercise, to making positive life choices.

“There are a number of terrific service organizations that assist our community,” acknowledges founder Brian Neal. “I established the Fitness & Health Foundation to fill a rare but critical void in the community to help people live a healthy lifestyle through exercise combined with nutritional and life coaching.”

After a successful career as owner of an Atlanta fitness facility, Neal moved to Fort Lauderdale six years ago and opened his own personal training gym.

“I realized my motivation for training people solely for profit was misplaced. Instead, I wanted to train people who did not access our programs for various reasons.” The Foundation was quickly conceived and after discussions with business and nutrition advisors, along with future members of the non-profit’s board of trustees, it was launched in April 2011.

“Broward County has one of the highest rates of new HIV cases in the country. Here was an opportunity to help people less fortunate and HIV positive,” Neal recalls. “Medications are expensive. With government cutbacks on funding, there is an extreme need to support those people within our community, by offering tangible services in the fitness, nutrition, and life coaching areas of life.”

Garry Smythe

Garry Smyth is COO of the Fifth Street Counseling Center and a Foundation board member. “The Foundation promotes a healthy lifestyle to people who otherwise may not have the opportunity or access to it,” says Smyth.

Initially, it was the Foundation’s intention to enroll 20 grant recipients for the Winter 2012 curriculum. That was before the organization received an avalanche of requests from applicants. Although Neal and the trustees were gratified by the overwhelming response of need from within the community, a crisis quickly developed in which the numbers of applicants—a literal embarrassment of riches—overwhelmed the available grant resources.

The decision was made that 41 grants—more than twice the original target—would be extended, with an additional 100 participants being enrolled in the online Health and Wellness Management Program and the Foundation’s Weekly Walk on Wilton (Drive) each Saturday at noon.

Reece Darham, managing director of Island City Health and Fitness, applauds the mission of the Foundation and the strides it is making to improve the health and well being of the community. “I can’t stress enough what an excellent opportunity this is to introduce people into a healthy lifestyle,” Darham emphasizes. “Brian and the Foundation are doing excellent work, and the whole community is the beneficiary.”

Team work: Life Coach Markus
Lutrzykowski (left) and Holistic Health
Coach Melissa Binkley (right) bring
years of experience and a willingness to
share their talents with a grateful, and
in-need, constituency.

The Foundation has likewise done extensive community outreach to raise awareness of its mission and to put a face on the important work in which the not-for-profit engages. In December 2011, Neal and supporters of the Foundation organized “Dancing with the South Florida Stars,” billed as a “night of music, merriment, and tripping-the light- fantastic” to support the organization’s fitness, nutrition, and life coaching programs. The event was held on Monday, December 12, at The Manor Nightclub and Restaurant complex in Wilton Manors.

Using a format familiar to fans of the hit television program “Dancing with the Stars,” ten partnered teams trained for over a month in the dance and aerobics studio at Wilton Manors’ Island City Health and Fitness to ensure they were at peak performance.

The teams, which were culled from a “Who’s Who” of Greater Fort Lauderdale’s “gay-lerati,” included entertainers as well as business and community leaders. The couples were, in numbered order: Jesse Durko and Andrea Lytle, John Zieba and Nicholette, Bobby Blair and Deja Devonair, Michael Driscoll and Cashetta, Bruce Bogan and Electra, Sean David and Dimitri, Reece Darham and Velvet Lenore, Billy Bowser and Misty Eyez, Dean Trantalis and Michelle Verdi-Knapp, and Vince Clancy and Liene Dilorenzo.

Afterwards, Trantalis, a former Fort Lauderdale city commissioner and the Foundation’s attorney, echoed the sentiments of other present. “The people! The energy! The fun! And of course the Brian Neal Foundation cause. The generosity of our community is overwhelming. And we all had a great time being a part of it.”

The next “Dancing with the South Florida Stars” fundraising event is scheduled for Monday, May 21 at 7 p.m., to coincide with the season finale of ABC’s hit television series “Dancing with the Stars.” Moving forward into 2012, founder Brian Neal has announced that Felix DeBruin, who helmed the not-for-profit Pet Project as that organization’s executive director for six years, has been brought aboard to serve as executive director for the Foundation effective this week.

“With Felix’s experience and in-depth understanding of the grant application process, we are extremely confident that more deserving persons will be able to benefit from the Foundation’s curriculum this year and for many years to come,” Neal offered. H For information about the Brian Neal Fitness & Health Foundation, and about making tax-deductible donations, visit: www.BrianNealFitness.org

 Brian Neal Fitness & Health Foundation Services Available

• Saturday, 9:00 – 10:00 a.m. Group Workout
• Saturday, 10:15-11:15 a.m. Group Workout
• Island City Health & Fitness gym membership
• Online Health & Wellness Program
• Wednesday, 4:30 p.m. Biweekly Nutrition Class,
Pride Center at Equality Park
• Wednesday, 5:00 p.m. Biweekly Life Coaching Class,
Pride Center at Equality Park
• Saturday, 12:00-1:00 p.m. Weekly Walk on Wilton (Drive)