Florida Agenda

Tom Bonanti

Just when you think that you can hardly lift another pound for one more rep of your last set, that’s when you need to give it just a little more. This is the point when real muscle growth can take place if you are up for the challenge. That’s the idea behind forced repetitions – one of the best ways to power through a plateau and gain size. A knowledgeable spotter, workout buddy, or personal trainer can help you go the extra mile and assist you when you lift heavy weights.

By far the best partner training strategy is forced repetitions. This mode of training is based upon the idea that when you lift weights, the final few repetitions of your last set, which you have to summon all of your energy to complete, are the most beneficial, because the muscles targeted are being pushed to exhaustion. While one guy does the lifting, his partner places his hands in the proper position to help him finish one or two more reps he couldn’t have completed on his own. If you’ve got a partner you can count on, try this program once a week. Using this strategy on a daily basis is too much and may result in overtraining and injuries like tendonitis. You’ll see gains in muscle size and strength in no time if you are safe and consistent. Here’s an example of a forced reps exercise for each muscle group.

Barbell Squats:

Grasp a barbell on the upper back, with feet shoulder width apart. Lower until your thighs are parallel to the ground, pause, then rise to starting position. At the end of your last set, have a partner stand behind you with hands around your torso and have him assist you in completing 2 more reps. Squats are one of the most effective exercises for the lower body, but make sure to keep you back straight and your toes pointed outward as you squat down.

Triceps Skull Crushers:

Lie on a bench and grasp an EZ curl bar at arms length over the chest. Lower the bar to just above your forehead, pause, then return to starting position. For your last set, have a partner stand over you and help you raise and lower the bar for 2 more reps.

Biceps Partial Curls:

Grasp an EZ curl bar with arms bent at 90-degree angles. Curl up until biceps meet forearms, pause, then lower to starting position. For your last set have a partner face you and help you curl 2 more reps.

Barbell Bench Press:

Lie face up and grasp a barbell with arms bent at 90-degree angles. Press it overhead, pause, then return to starting position. At the end of your last set have your partner stand over you and help raise and lower the bar for one or two more reps.

Pull Ups for Shoulders & Back:

Grasp an overhead pull up bar and pull yourself up so that your chin is at or above the bar, pause, then lower yourself. At the end of your last set have your partner grasp your feet and help you do just a couple more reps.

Forced repetitions once a week for each muscle group will really maximize muscle size and strength.

Break through that plateau in 2012 and tap into your inner brute.

Choose a partner and go that extra mile with your workout!

For more workout tips, contact TrainerTomB@aol.com.

Tom Bonanti

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 Christmas, give me a shout at TrainerTomB@aol.com

By Tom Bonanti

Ahh!  The holidays are upon us!  Before you make your list and check it twice, prior to indulging in your first holiday party, do me one favor. Make a resolution not to let your fitness goals suffer by becoming lax with your training.
Of course you can’t turn down every invitation just to keep your bodybuilding regime. But you do need to be aware of your potential to slide, and plan for those situations. Have some fun over the holidays, but don’t overdue it. Remember, it’s not uncommon for most guys to pack on a whopping 5 to 10 pounds during this season of yuletide cheer!

Use moderation when drinking and by all means avoid the costly and even deadly mistake of drinking and driving. Make healthy choices at the buffet table. Don’t let holiday stress or lack of time keep you from training. Here are some pointers to help you stay strong, fit and in control in spite of the holiday havoc ahead.

1. Exercise first! Worried that you won’t have time to squeeze in your workout? Consider shifting your training. Evenings and weekends are too busy with obligations

? Try weights and cardio first thing in the morning. You may have to get up earlier, but you have the satisfaction of knowing that you’ve jumpstarted your metabolism and burned off some serious calories.

2. Consolidate your workouts. Train two body parts with a continuous superset technique. For instance, you can train your tris and bis with alternating sets. Pair dumbbell curls with dumbbell triceps extensions for three to four sets. Work at one station with the same weight if you can, so as not to waste time changing weights.

3. Kick some ass! You may not have a full hour to train because of errands and obligations, but you can have a kick-ass workout in 20-30 minutes. The key here is to use less weight and perform more reps and sets in rapid succession. Move from station to station quickly and avoid distractions.

4. Recuperate. Take the holiday season off. Many pro bodybuilders follow a tough five months-on, one month-off routine. One of the best ways to build muscles is to give them a chance to rest, recover and grow; but remember, stay active and eat wisely.

5. Train on the road. One of the biggest problems during the holidays and even at other times of the year, when you are traveling, is a lack of access to a gym. Consider joining a gym for a day. Training for a day or two in another gym can be inspiring!

6. Simplify Workouts. If you’re on the road and you can’t get to the gym, you can still do crunches, lunges and leg lifts for the abs and butt. Try using your own body weight to do push ups and chair dips for chest and tris. Use the stairs when traveling or sightseeing.

By Tom Bonanti

A couple of weeks ago I shared with you some excellent tips and gave you a dynamite routine to develop beefier biceps by Christmas. Follow my advice and I can guarantee your success. No doubt, bulging biceps with those to die for peaks are impressive! But the real secret to having great arms is to work harder and longer on your triceps (the back of your upper arms).

Triceps make up two-thirds of your upper arm, therefore it is logical that the bigger and more defined these muscles are, the more massive your arms will look, from the front, to the sides and from behind. The triceps are responsible for the movement of extension of the elbow and produce motion of the forearm. Because of their larger size, triceps require more effort and time than the smaller biceps muscles. Hit triceps once a week using 3-4 exercises of 3-4 sets of 8-12 repetitions for strength and maintenance. Work them at least twice to three times per week using the same formula to add mass and to build them.

Use free weights for triceps to give you a better range of motion and to produce a fuller muscle. Throw in a machine exercise every now and then for isolation and to break up monotony. 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. Use a narrow grip so that your hands are only 2-3 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.

Triceps extensions are a classic. Start this exercise by holding a lat machine bar with your hands 2-8 inches apart. Now press downwards from your chin until your arms are straight. 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 of the triceps. Hold a dumbbell in one h

and 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 called, are killers. Lie on your back on a flat bench and hold a barbell or E Z curl bar at arms length above you. Lower it slowly to the forehead and raise the bar again to arm’s length. This is a more advanced exercise and you may have to wait until your tri’s are ready for this one.

During your workouts, do not waste time. When you’re working triceps or any muscle group, remember to stretch and move around between sets. For more tips on how to get bigger, beefier arms by Christmas, give me a shout at trainertomb@aol.com!

Tom Bonanti, is a certified personal trainer and owner of Pump’n Inc gym at 1271 NE 9th Ave., Ft. Lauderdale, FL, Email: TrainerTomB@aol.com  Facebook: TrainerTomB.  www.pumpnincgym.com

By ANDY KRESS

Smoking in society is one thing that has been around for hundreds of years. People still continue to smoke despite all of the precautions that are on the label of the product, advertisements on TV and billboards, as well as many doctors’ recommendations.

Cigarettes and cigars are one of the easiest legal drugs to obtain, and they can be found just about everywhere.

Most of us are aware that smoking increases your risk of heart attacks, respiratory diseases and various types of lung, throat and mouth cancer. The evidence is quite clear with the more than 419,000 deaths from smoking each year in the United States, and over 3 million worldwide. Over 30% of all cancer patients that die each year (about 166,000) can be linked to death from their smoking habits. Don’t forget about the kiddies too. Smoking during pregnancy accounts for many health problems that young babies face, a direct consequence of their mothers’ smoking habits, that’s presuming of course that they even make it at all. Many of those babies die each year due to miscarriages, low birth weight, or prematurity.

But did you know that you can fight some of these deleterious effects of smoking through your diet? I am guessing probably not.

There is no diet that completely prevents all of the detrimental effects on your health, but there are ways to escape the Grim Reaper’s hold and at least limit the damage.

There is strong evidence in a number of studies that show smoking can affect your metabolism and nutritional status. Substantial lowered levels of vitamin C, vitamin A, calcium and beta-carotene have been found in the blood of smokers. Vitamin C is a vital antioxidant that slows tumor growth in the body. Having at least one daily serving of any citrus fruit or vegetables is a great way to ensure that our body is getting what it needs to fight off disease and prevent any nasty tumors from forming. Thinking of skipping out on eating those fruits and veggies and just take a vitamin C supplement instead? Think again. This can actually do more harm than good. Taking vitamin C supplements in large doses of 1000 mgs or more causes the nicotine that smokers so desperately crave to be excreted even faster through the urine, creating a more profound sensation for the body to want another cigarette or puff off of that cigar.

Vitamin A and beta-carotene may also have implications in helping to fight off cancerous cells. Increasing your consumption of the antioxidants vitamin A, beta-carotene and vitamin E can reverse some of the deficiency throughout smokers’ bodies. You can find an ample supply of beta-carotene in orange fruits and vegetables, as well as green leafy vegetables. Vitamin A can be found in liver, oily fish, eggs and fortified milk.

A daily serving of nuts, seeds, vegetable oils, leafy green vegetables or wheat germ are great sources for getting a dose of vitamin E.

Scientists are unsure why calcium levels can drop in smokers, but an easy way to prevent this is by eating low fat cheeses and tofu, or if eating these foods is not to your taste, you can drink your calcium with fortified orange juices and milk. Be sure to get at least 2-3 servings of calcium each day to keep your body at optimal health. Calcium is extremely important for women who smoke–even, more so if they have reached menopause.

Eating cruciferous vegetables is yet another way to help prevent some of the effects of cancer that smoking can cause. Broccoli and other cruciferous vegetables provide sulforaphane, which may help cut the risk of smoking-related cancers through your diet. Don’t be afraid to consume 3-4 servings of these vegetables a week for best results.

This article is not written to condone your smoking habit. I recommend stopping immediately, if at all possible. Many have tried and failed to quit, and for those folks, this column is written to help you be the best you can be. Remember, your best defense is to remove the addiction from your life.

Your health quite likely will depend on it.

Andy Kress, CFT, SET, is a nationally certified fitness trainer and nutritional counselor in South Florida. He can be reached at andyfitnesstrainer@gmail.com or 954-789-3930.

By Tom Bonanti

Over the past few weeks, I have received several requests from clients and avid readers of Mark Magazine and the Florida Agenda to write a column on how to get bigger biceps. Since biceps are the smallest muscles of the anterior upper body, they are the easiest to work and develop almost immediately. They are also a favorite to show off and flex, not that anyone I know would ever be into such a shallow display of vanity. Anyway, here’s the lowdown on how to get bulging beefier biceps by Christmas!

First, if you want to put on size, do free-weight exercises. Using barbells, E-Z curl bars, and dumbbells will give you a better chance to take your biceps through their full range of motion

and fill out the muscle bellies. Hit biceps twice a week employing three different exercises using 3-4 sets of 8-12 reps.

Second, I never work biceps on the same day that I work the back, because by the time you’ve really exhausted lats and traps, etc. you’re not going to give biceps your all. Try working shoulders with biceps because neither muscle group suffers with that combination.
Third, make sure to lift using proper form as with training any muscle group, to prevent injury. Don’t try to lift too much weight or do too many reps.
Fourth, stretching helps bring out the separation and detail in a muscle beside being great for your whole body. Stretch briefly before your workout, periodically between sets, and always afterward.

Here are four sure-fire bicep exercises.

Standing barbell curls are the king of all bicep-building exercises. With you feet hip width apart and your knees slightly bent, take a shoulder width grip on a barbell or E-Z curl bar and then fully extend both arms in front of you. Keep your abs tight and back straight. When you start the exercise use a hinge motion, keeping the areas from your shoulders to your elbows locked so that the only movement taking place is from your elbows to your wrists. Bring the weighted bar up to your chest, and then return the weight along the same path in one smooth, continuous motion. Perform this exercise without rocking or swinging your shoulders and back. This exercise is a sure way to take bi’s through their full range of motion.

Alternate dumbbell curls allow you to give each bicep its due. Perform the movement sitting erect on a bench and first curling one dumbbell up to your chin; then, as you lower it, curl the other arm. Lower slowly and don’t swing the weights up with any added motion.

Preacher or Scott curls are my favorite way to isolate bi’s. Adopt a position with your arms over a preacher (Scott) bench. Hold either a barbell or a pair of dumbbells. Curl up to the chin, and then lower slowly – without bouncing or jerking.

Under-grip close-hand chin ups are a terrific biceps building exercise with a difference. Instead of the arm moving from the body, your body gets curled toward the arm. Grasp an overhead horizontal bar with an under grip so that your pinkies are 6-12 inches apart. Start from “dead hang” position with arms entirely straight, pull upwards until your chin is above the bar.

There you have it – the ammo you need to load those guns to the max! For more tips on how to develop bigger arms, contact TrainertomB@aol.com.

Tom Bonanti, is a certified personal trainer and owner of Pump’n Inc gym at 1271 NE 9th Ave., Ft. Lauderdale, FL, Email: TrainerTomB@aol.com Facebook: TrainerTomB. www.pumpnincgym.com

By Tom Bonanti

So you want to turn up the heat under your current fitness regime a few notches? What’s the first thing you should focus on? Should you start lifting mammoth weights to overload your muscle groups? Maybe sign up for yoga a couple of nights a week to increase flexibility? Perhaps you could start your day off with an hour of cardio on an empty stomach to jump start your fat loss program.

With so many choices, where does a sane person start?

Most fitness professionals have, for some time now, promoted developing core strength as a foundation for any fitness regime. If you have a strong trunk or torso, which is considered your core, you can simply go farther more safely and successfully with your fitness goals. Good core strength is also essential for such popular Florida past-times as swimming, tennis and biking.

Core strength begins with your posture. Stand up straight and tall – keep your shoulders back, don’t slouch, pull your belly button into the spine and lower back. Ask your workout partner, trainer or massage therapist to evaluate your posture honestly to give you pointers. Improving poor posture is like starting a new habit. It takes time and practice and a sense of self-awareness, but you’ll catch on if you persevere.

It’s crucial to develop core strength since the muscles of this area protect your spine and help prevent dreaded back injuries. By the way, back injuries and lower back pain are the main reason why people miss work and workouts! So, which are your core muscles? Your abdominals including your obliques (your sides), upper and lower back (deltoids and rhomboids), hips (gluteals, hip flexors, psoas), outer and inner thighs (abductors and adductors), hamstrings, the pectorals and triceps to some extent, and a whole host of deeper muscles you’ll never see, make up your core.

Training your core should be an essential part of everyone’s program.

Just as maintaining good posture is vital for core strength, so too is maintaining good form when you are stretching or doing cardio and especially pumping iron. What good is it to be able to curl a 100 pound dumbbell if you rock back and forth and throw out your lower back? Review your form with each weight training exercise.

Make sure you know which muscle groups you are training. Be careful not to rush, jerk or swing your weights. Significant core strength can be achieved simply by maintaining good form when you’re lifting weights.

To focus on the core, start out simply by working out on a Swiss Ball. Exercising on an unstable surface can help develop strength and steadiness in several muscles of the core at once. For example, instead of doing overhead dumbbell presses seated on a bench, steady yourself on a Swiss ball and then perform the exercise. When performing dumbbell flies, situate yourself by lying across the ball and then do the exercise. There are tons of ways to work abdominals on a Swiss ball, crunches, reverse crunches, bent knee leg lifts, you name it! There are literally hundreds of ways to strengthen your core with one of these Swiss Balls. Just make sure that you get used to steadying yourself before you add heavy weights to your exercises.

Now that I have introduced you to core training, you can download different exercises and regimes from the internet. With a little creativity and hard work, you, too can be hardcore! For more information on core strength, contact TrainerTomB@aol.com!

By TOM BONANTI

Staying fit takes more than just pumping iron and downing protein shakes. You must have patience and practice persistence and consistency. Whether you’re a bona fide pro, or just an average guy trying to get into shape, there comes a time when you feel a little frustrated, burned out and, yes, even a little bored. Just as there are a zillion ways to get fit, there are the same numbers of ways to keep up your mojo in the gym.

Make working out your special “me” time. Pressures and hassles abound at work and even at home. When you’re at the gym, you are building your body first and foremost for yourself. Shut out all mental distractions. Limit conversation. If you’re working out with a partner or trainer, make sure that accomplishing your routine comes before socializing.  Lock your cell phone away somewhere. Tune in to some high energy music and kick ass in the gym – your ass! Stay focused on using correct form and feeling the burn with each muscle contraction. Stay in tune with your body, how you feel, what you are thinking as your body goes through the marvelous changes that accompany working out.

Everyone needs short-term and long-term goals to work toward while in the gym. Otherwise, you’re left spinning your wheels.

Periodize your training by setting long-term goals for the year.

Break up the year into shorter two or three month periods, each with its own goals. A short-term goal might be wiggling that hot ass of yours into a new bathing suit. There’s no better long-term goal for working out than anticipating all the new friends you’ll make on the Atlantis Cruise you’re taking early next year. Whatever it is, give yourself something to look forward to! And hell, while you’re sculpting that gorgeous body, you may even be improving your health by lowering your blood  pressure and building cardio-vascular strength!

Insanity has been defined as doing the same things, the same way, all of the time–and expecting different results. The same can be said about your workouts as well. Think of ways to vary routines without losing the progress you’ve made. Check out the strides you can make with interval training or circuit training. Change from the same old machines you use at the gym to more free weights. Change the days you work out and the time of day you hit the gym. Change gyms if necessary. Just remember, change can be a very good and exciting thing.

Book your workouts into your schedule. Your workouts are as essential and vital to your well being as business meetings, power lunches and conference calls. Furthermore, any boyfriend, boss or co-worker that doesn’t understand your commitment to working out needs a reality check. A fit spouse makes a better lover and happier companion. A healthy employee is less likely to have “down time” being puny and sick.

Try to make each workout fun and productive. Remember to set goals and stay consistent. Fitness is a lifetime commitment. You owe it to yourself, Gorgeous! For more inspiration, contact TrainerTomB@aol.com!

 Photo courtesy, XTG

Tom Bonanti, is a certified personal trainer and owner of Pump’n Inc gym at 1271 NE 9th Ave., Ft. Lauderdale, FL, Email: TrainerTomB@aol.com  Facebook: TrainerTomB.  www.pumpnincgym.com

By Andy Kress

“Eat or drink more protein!” This seems to be the motto of every bodybuilder and gym buff on how to get and keep big muscles. They seem to consume protein drinks like a magic elixir with untold powers of gaining and maintaining muscle mass. But does this really work?

It’s certainly true that protein builds muscle. So the more protein we consume, the more muscles we can achieve in the shortest amount of time, right

? Wrong, and I will tell you why. It’s easy to get too much of a good thing.

Health food stores, supermarkets and gyms alike sell thousands and thousands of dollars worth of shakes, smoothies and nutrition bars loaded with protein. A protein bar alone typically contains 20 to 30 grams of the stuff. It seems like a great deal with all of that health in an easy-to-carry chew treat.

Or perhaps you prefer to drink a wonderful smoothie after a hard workout. Twenty grams of protein – ice cold and blended in a cup to carry right out of the gym and into the light of day. Convenience in Styrofoam.

And what could be simpler than a 51-gram protein shake, canned or bottled, to power a workout or chug after an exercise class.
Most people tend to consume these products in about 10-15 minutes. That is a huge dose of protein entering the system that needs to be broken down before it can be utilized. So what happens to this 20-51 grams of protein when it enters your body? To be sure, some of these proteins are going to repair and grow new muscle tissues to those worked muscles. That is what proteins do, of course. They are the building blocks for our muscles.

Yet, as good as they are, proteins cannot be absorbed in unlimited amounts by the body. And therein lies the problem. Whatever your system does not use is going to be ultimately wasted. According to the National Academy of Sciences, the daily requirement for an average man is only 56 grams of protein. Women need even less – 46 grams. Wow! Not a whole lot more than a single smoothie, bar or protein shake.

The body can only break down five to nine grams of that protein in an hour. This means there is a tremendous amount of extra protein that the body cannot absorb. Continually trying to eliminate the excess, the body places unnecessary stress on the kidneys, a pair of organs that tend to be less productive with age. Constantly having to remove excess protein is extremely hard on these organs. Yet that is exactly what you’re doing when you consume shakes, bars and smoothies in short periods of time.

A diet of more than 30% protein consumption is very deleterious to the body. Excess protein builds up toxic ketones within the body, which the kidneys must filter out through the urine, leaving  the potential for possible dehydration. Additionally, with the elimination of protein comes loss of calcium. Losing calcium through urine could be potentially harmful for bone turnover, since the body tries to make up for the loss by stripping the bones of the very calcium they need to remain strong.

Don’t get me wrong. I am not against any protein shakes, bars or smoothies, but do your body a favor and pace your protein throughout the day – rather than in massive doses. You will achieve the same effect without the harm or the waste of money. And your body will thank you as your muscles grow.

Andy Kress, CFT, SET, is a nationally certified fitness trainer and nutritional counselor in South Florida.

He may be reached via his email at  andyfitnesstrainer@gmail.com or 954-789-3930.

DEAR EDITOR,

Two weeks ago, I began advertising my fitness, nutritional and yoga services in your publication. The response has been nothing short of overwhelming! Not only has my customer base for private training sessions increased, I have received and accepted invitations to do group yoga session at the Pineapple Point Guesthouse & Resort, speak on fitness and health at the monthly meeting of a nudist club, conduct multiple private yoga sessions, do exercise rehabilitation on a senior citizen with a shoulder injury, and teach a class in nutritional cooking. Each of these opportunities was directly related to the responses to my advertisements. In these days of economic strife, and increasing customer dissatisfaction, I wanted to take a moment to compliment not only your professional staff and the help they provided, but also the amazing reach of your multiple publications.

Again my thanks, many times over.

SINCERELY,
ANDY KRESS, SET, CFT

Dear Editor,
I found last week’s cover story on the local historian extremely fascinating. I think it is wonderful that someone wants to take the time in preserving our history. At the end of the day without this much of what we have achieved and done here in Florida will be forgotten. Organizations like Stonewall and what Fred Frejes is doing are what will be around for the future generations to see what life was like here. I for one remember when Wilton Manors wasn’t the cosmopolitan area it is now but rather a ghetto, an outsider’s area that was rough and raw and now look at it. To have that chronicled and reported will show the future and other communities what happens to benefit areas and to benefit people when the community works together.

Thank you, Stan Hart

Please send all your comments and letters to Editor@FloridaAgenda.com

In this week’s Style & Entertainment, we find out how Joe Esposito has kept Café Seville, family orientated, relevant and loved within the community for 25 years in Community Profile.

Michael French asks where civility has gone in Home, and we take on “the big taste of small plates” at PL8 Kitchen in Dining.

Warren Day examines the “Good and LGBT” offerings for this season’s movie line-up in Film. Tom Bonanti shows us how “Free Weights Rule,” but that machines still have their place in your workouts in Fitness, and Jean Doherty traces the history of Banana Bread in Recipe.

We also have your favorites, Out in Florida and our statewide Bar Guide.

Enjoy! H – AV

To Every Movie There Is a Season

Café Seville 25 Years and Going Strong

The Loss of Civility in America

PL8 Kitchen Is What Modern Diners Want – “Small Plates for Big Appetites

Free Weights Rule! But Machines Aren’t So Bad Either!