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Even serious fitness enthusiasts and body builders need some variety in their training sessions in order to prevent boredom and guarantee solid results. Supersets (working two opposing muscle groups at the same time) and compound sets (using two or three exercises for the same muscle group until fatigue) are great ways to insure a burn. Intersperse heavy training days with lighter training days now and then to prevent burnout. Experiment with different exercise routines and if you like them add them to your regular workouts. Experienced trainers and athletes alike, however, agree that free weights–namely dumbbells and barbell–are the best and most versatile way to train!

Here are a few reasons why free weights should be the basis of everyone’s resistance training regime no matter what:

When you workout with dumbbells and barbells, it’s easier to take your joints through their full range of motion as you work out the muscles. Standing, with your feet spread apart at shoulder width, back straight and head looking straight ahead is the preferred stance when lifting weights. This way you are more effective in developing the smaller synergistic (helping) muscles and stabilizer muscles when you are targeting a muscle group as you perform your rep.

Barbells and dumbbells are more versatile and convenient. You can easily grab two 35 pound dumbbells and do three sets of curls for biceps and then move a few inches down the rack and do triceps kickbacks with the 40 pound weights. Just make sure you rack your weights when you’re finished!

Power is improved more efficiently and to a greater extent through the use of free weights.

Other crucial aspects of fitness including lifting for size, improving flexibility, reducing body fat and muscle toning are all achieved more efficiently through the use of few weights.

There are a couple of disadvantages to free weights. Dumbbells and barbells are sometimes clunky and have to be maintained and stored (if you pump up in your apartment or garage). Most importantly, in certain exercises, it is a little more difficult to derive maximum isolation of a muscle or muscle group.
Here are a few good reasons to use machines:

Some machines, like the pec deck for the pectoralis major, are more efficient in isolating the muscle group. For group use, some machines are better in terms of space utilization. A case in point: one jaunt around the Universal machine and you can practically get a full body workout. Plain and simple, machines are more convenient to use, and therefore faster workouts are possible. Less time is wasted changing plates and waiting for your spotter to get his butt out of the locker room.

The disadvantages of machines are many. Most machines are very large to store, extremely pricey and tend to isolate only one muscle or muscle group at a time. The majority of these muscle building contraptions are built to serve an average sized person. Very short or very tall people find it almost impossible to use many of the machines currently on the market.

Finally, the space-age appearance of many machines lulls users into believing that high technology equals maximum efficiency in achieving fitness goals, a sentiment that is definitely not true. Nothing beats hard work and good old fashioned sweat!

For more tips on how to maximize your time in the gym, 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

Besides being fun and essential to your health, there is a science to working out. With some planning, a little skill and concentration – and some good old fashioned sweat – you can get one hell of a great workout in less than an hour. The trouble is that most guys fall into ruts by wasting time. Try leaving your cell phone and iPad in the car. Conduct business and chart your social calendar when you get back there. Stay focused on what you wish to accomplish during your workout and try to ignore other distracting stimuli. Save the gossip for the juice bar or the water cooler at work. You can cruise the parking lot, steam room and internet after you’ve performed your sets in the gym.

There are also other ways to waste time in the gym. Certain commonly used exercises and techniques are ineffective and just plain unsafe. Here is my list of some time-consuming mistakes and bad habits to avoid in the gym. Let me share just a few of them and save you not only time, but also injury as well.

• Jerking heavy weights on the leg extension machine in an attempt to blast your quadriceps (the muscles on the front of your thighs) is a recipe for a knee disaster. Besides straining knee ligaments, this exercise can over-develop your quads causing your hamstrings (the muscles on the backs of your thighs) to become excessively tight and inflexible. Tight hams in turn can cause low back pain and contribute to injuries. Avoid all this lower body “drama” by sticking with squats, presses, and lunges.
•  I’ve said this before: Any exercise where you push or pull a bar that’s positioned behind the neck can damage the rotator cuff muscles that attach your humerus (arm) to your scapula (shoulder). Once you strain or sprain these muscles, you can expect a royal pain in your neck or back. When you do wide grip lat pull downs or barbell or dumbbell shoulder presses, sit up straight, point your chest outward and pull or press the weight in front of you.
• Doing cardio can be a boring waste of time, especially if you set your cardio machine too slow each and every workout. Actually varying your pace and intensity during your hour or so of cardio is a more successful fat-loss strategy. The best way to burn calories is by mixing fast and slow speeds.
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  This is also the best way to address the body’s different energy systems and muscle groups.

• Sit-ups are as useless and ineffective as a high school phys. ed. teacher. Locking your feet under a rack or bench and rolling up on your lower back as you pull for dear life on your seven cervical vertebrae will only give you a sore back. Instead, you must do crunches. Keep your feet flat on the floor or slightly elevate your legs over an exercise ball to stabilize your hips. Extend your arms and crunch your torso, bringing your elbows to your knees. You can feel the burning in your abs already!

•  When you go to the gym, your main goal is to lift weights, so for goodness sake, use a weight that’s heavy enough so that your muscles feel worked by the end of a set of eight to 12 reps. Pyramid your weights up with each set, but be careful to maintain good form with each rep.

For more tips on how to maximize your time in the gym, please 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

Athletes and bodybuilders concerned about getting enough high quality protein often grab first for chicken breasts and lean beef, leaving fish to flounder in their nutritional regiments. In reality, fish should be an essential part of any body building diet, because it is loaded with protein, nutrients and the world’s healthiest fat. Let’s take a look at this gift from the sea and how eating fish can leave you with bigger muscles and a healthier heart.

While it may be necessary to trim the fat from your beef, pork or chicken, with fish, it’s the fattier the better. The  predominant fat in fish is the type that will keep your arteries clear and healthy. Fatty fish like salmon, sardines and mackerel are the only reliable sources of eicosapentanoic acid (epa),and docosohexanoic acid (dha), two important omega-3 fatty acids with a broad range of health benefits. Both of these miraculous omega-3’s help to lower blood triglyceride levels, making fish a heart-healthy choice in anyone’s diet. As an added benefit for those who work out, fish fat may also help to reduce the residual muscle soreness that accompanies working out.

For the protein punch your muscles crave, fish will give you more bang for the buck. Most fish is a lean protein source with a superb protein-to-fat ratio which will keep you in an anabolic state – key to muscle growth. Whenever possible, it is great to eat whole food protein an hour or two before your workout – and certainly within an hour following your workout. Guess what? Fish is digested and absorbed faster than beef, pork or chicken, and its amino acid profile makes it useful in muscle recovery as well as building mass.

Besides those tremendous omega-3 fatty acids and the rich source of clean, lean protein fish provides, there is more good news.

The iron in fish helps to carry oxygen to your working muscles; vitamin B6 assists in red blood cell formation; selenium can keep your prostate healthy; and zinc will boost your testosterone level.

The down side to fish is that it often contains mercury. This neurotoxin is deadly to pregnant women, children and even the toughest muscle head. As a  general rule, the larger the fish (like shark, tuna, swordfish and king mackerel) and those that have longer lives (like grouper and sea bass) can accumulate plenty of mercury. Salmon, catfish, shellfish, pacific halibut, sardines, tilapia and rainbow trout are safer options. And remember: The American Heart Association recommends at least two 3- ounce servings a week, but no more than 12 ounces on a weekly basis.

Here are some healthy hints about cooking fish. A good filet will have no odor. Reputable fish markets are your best bet for the good stuff. Handle your fish as little as possible. Let it cook undisturbed for a few minutes and turn only once during cooking. This allows for browning of proteins on the surface, which contributes to its flavor.

When it comes to seasoning, a good quality sea salt and pepper rub is all that a filet really needs. If you marinate, do so only for 30 minutes. Fish is more tender and porous than meat, so it requires less time to soak up the flavor.

Over-cooking any food can rob it of important nutrients and vitamins.  Delicate fish, like flounder, cook quickly (about two minutes per side if grilling or broiling). For thicker fish, like salmon and swordfish, just wait for the color to change from translucent to opaque, remove from heat and serve immediately.

For more nutritional tips to help your workouts, please send an email to 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

Facebook: TrainerTomB.  www.pumpnincgym.com

By Tom Bonanti

I have been working out all my life. In that time, I have read a lot, heard a lot and I’ve seen everything. Everyone has an opinion about how to bulk up, cut up and trim down.

Some of this information has proved invaluable; some of it is pure bull. Let’s look at some common myths that just may be holding you back and/or even totally derailing your workouts.

Myth #1: If you want to build mass, cut out the cardio.

Aerobic fitness is achieved through regular cardio-vascular training and it is among the most preventative medicines available. What good is having gorgeous muscles if you drop dead of a stroke or heart attack! While building solid lean muscle is important, cardio vascular fitness is essential. And the best way to “pump up” the lungs and heart is by exercising aerobically. According to the International Sports Sciences Association, three to four 30 –45 minute sessions of cardio per week will definitely help to build cardiovascular fitness. Whether it’s running, swimming, biking, doing the precor or treadmill in the gym, you’ve simply got to
do cardio in order to stay healthy and live longer.

Myth #2: I’m hurting, but if I just keep training, I can work through the pain.

Only a real horse’s ass or the former governor of California still believes the adage, “No pain, no gain.” This long-running myth can potentially have dangerous effects on your body. There is a difference between pain, and the soreness and discomfort you feel after a really “kick-ass” workout. The latter is called ‘delayed onset of muscle soreness’ and it is a natural reaction to a really tough workout. Stretching, rest, massage and contrasting hot and cold showers can help ease this discomfort. Any indications of real pain (joint sprains and swelling, chest pains and difficulty breathing, etc.) should signal you to see a doctor. Working out with such serious symptoms could cause major damage to your body. See a physician as soon as possible.

Myth #3: I can only get “big” if I take the latest, most expensive supplements and steroids.

Just because a prominent bodybuilder is pitching a particular supplement or pro-hormone in one of the muscle rags does not mean that you need to buy it  or use it. You can achieve greatness in “muscle-dom” by working hard in the gym, eating healthy and clean, and getting enough quality rest between workouts. Always consult a doctor before taking any supplement and, by all means (especially for guys over 40), have your testosterone levels checked.

Myths #4: Drinking enough water during exercise is not important; in fact it can cause cramps.

Drinking enough water during workouts is vital. Most of us never get enough water. You need water throughout the day, especially before, during and after  a workout or other physical activity. Lack of water can lead to headaches, fatigue, body aches – and even death!  The International Sports Sciences Association recommends 8-12 glasses of water per day. On strenuous workout days, drink 16 ounces of water for every pound lost during exercise.

If you’ve got questions about your fitness routine, please send an email to  TrainerTomB@aol.com today!

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

Ways to Avoid this Unwanted Baggage

By Tom Bonanti

It’s a given that most guys consider a six pack to be sexy. Yet a strong, toned midsection is also important because  it helps to anchor your lower back. Exercises like crunches and leg raises are essential to developing killer abs and a healthy lower back, but that’s not all you need. The obliques (although they are so deep that you’ll never see them even on the leanest physique) are also an important part of your core as they  girdle the abdomen on both sides of  the body. As such, these babies require a program of their own.

“Love handles” are the term “affectionately” used to describe those problem areas where fat accumulates around the waist and oblique areas. To avoid the unwanted baggage, you must, of course, watch your nutrition –that’s 80% of the battle! In addition, you must keep these muscles strong and toned with such movements as twists, bends and lunges. The following exercises employ a broom handle or a smaller weight-free barbell. Perform repetitions slowly. Put 2 or 3 of these exercises into your ab routine and complete 25 to 50 reps on each side and you’ll soon see and feel the difference.

Standing twists are the most basic. Stand grasping a bar behind your head on the upper traps, with feet shoulder-width apart. Keeping the lower body stationary, proceed to twist to the right, pause, and then twist to the left.

For variation, try bent-over twists. Stand grasping a bar behind your head on the upper traps, with feet shoulder-width apart. Bend over carefully until your torso is parallel to the floor, then proceed to twist to the right, pause, then twist to the left.

Seated twists help to isolate the obliques a little better than the above. Sit on a bench – or better yet, an exercise ball. Grasp a bar behind your head on the upper traps with legs together. Keeping the lower body stationary, proceed to twist to the right, pause, then twist to the left. You can also do these holding a medicine ball in front of you. From the same position, twist your torso as you pass the ball rapidly from one side to the other side.

Twisting lunges allow you to put your ass (more technically, your glutes) to work as well as your obliques. Stand grasping a bar on the upper back, with feet wide apart. Proceed to bend the left knee and twist down that side. Pause, then rise to starting position and perform the next repetition to the right.

Twisting waves get your upper body more involved. Stand grasping a bar out in front of you with feet wide apart. Proceed to bend the right knee and simultaneously lower the left hand across your body while raising the right hand. Pause, then rise to starting position and perform the next rep to the left.

While the terms “love handles” and “muffin top” may sound cute, the realities are not. If you watch your nutrition and perform these oblique routines regularly, you will build a healthy core and tight lean midsection. For more tips on core fitness contact Tom?Bonanti 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

In this week’s issue of Style & Entertainment we continue our Entrepreneur Series of Profiles throughout August with Ron Locke, ‘ChuckWagon Cowboy’, Author, Chef and CEO of Chuckwag Productions, Paul Rubio shows us Philadelphia’s new Gay Attitude in Travel and it is undoubtedly time to get some spa action and what better place to do it than at Home.
We also take a look at the new breed of Wedding Singers, gone are the days of a cheesy band, now you can expect to see Kristine W, Sariah and Aiden Leslie plus many more at the most stylish Gay Weddings, the hottest new venue for their musical styling! Tim Slivinski takes us to one of Florida’s premier bistros, Sage in Dining, Tom Bonanti helps you eliminate love handles in Fitness, and Jean Doherty teaches us to be the chef with a delicious Vichyssoise in Recipe.

We also have your favorites, Out in Florida and our State-wide Bar Guide.
Enjoy! H – AV

Click on the Links Below to View the Full Articles

Gay Wedding Singers

Eliminate Loveless Love Handles

Create Your Own Spa Retreat

SAGE – Dine at a Delectable Bistro With French Flair

Philadelphia Funhouse -The Metropolitan Underdog Has a New, Gay Attitude

Healthy Pointers for Eating Out

TOM BONANTI

Whether you are searching for the right career, scoping out a new place to live or on the make for a new boyfriend, life is all about making right choices. Building your body also requires you to make key decisions. Finding the right gym, making the time to workout and varying your routines all require proper planning. While these are crucial factors, it’s your nutritional choices that will make or break you.

As every fitness enthusiast knows, eating “right” requires knowledge, preparation and planning. Certainly the best nutritional strategy is to shop for and prepare your own healthy meals, consisting of good clean organic foods. There is nothing better than a diet consisting of complex, low-glycemic index carbohydrates, lean fresh protein sources and very low amounts of poly-unsaturated fat.

While the above plan is a surefire method for success, the reality is, most of us spend a lot of time eating out or eating on the run in restaurants and fast food joints. A few visits to these places every week will pile on the pounds in no time!

Here are a few pointers about healthy restaurant eating that can keep you lean and on track with your fitness goals.

Breakfast or brunch on the weekend with friends can be a pleasure. But in one sitting you can literally consume your daily calorie requirements of fats and carbs. Ask for egg beaters when ordering.

Avoid bagels and Danish and opt instead for an English muffin or a couple of pieces of whole grain toast.

Try unbuttered grits with a little fresh salsa instead of hash browns. And if you have to have bacon or sausage, try not to go overboard. The salt and fat from these processed meats are killers in more ways than one.

Grabbing a sandwich for lunch sounds so simple and light doesn’t it? Yet, it’s not just the burgers that are lethal; those deli sandwiches can be just as deadly to your diet. Between those slices of bread lurk some serious calorie pitfalls like mayo, salad dressing, several servings of salty cold cuts and loads of fattening cheese. Choose whole-grain breads or, better yet, a wrap and grilled chicken instead of ham, roast beef, tuna or chicken salad. Order sandwiches dry or with mustard, and instead of cheese, pile on the veggies. Order only half a sandwich and ask for a simple green salad on the side to help fill you up.

You don’t have to avoid pasta at your favorite Italian eatery, but do request a half portion and you’ll save hundreds of calories. Eat pasta earlier in
the day so that the carbs fuel the rest of the day’s activities. If it’s available, choose a healthy whole-wheat pasta or spinach pasta for a more fiber-rich dish and pair it with a lean protein grilled portion of chicken or fish. Avoid dishes like ravioli, manicotti and lasagna, where the calorie-dense cheeses will do you in. Order marinara sauce verses high fat choices like alfredo, vodka or Bolognese. Deep six the bread sticks and opt for a green salad or healthy minestrone soup for an appetizer.

Sushi is a healthy choice when dining out. Broiled fish, steamed veggies, edamame and tuna, yellowtail and salmon sashimi are all tasty and light Japanese fare. But unless you want to look like a sumo wrestler, steer clear of tempura and agemono, which indicate deep-fried. Avoid sushi rolls made with cream cheese and excess avocado.

The time you choose to put into your workouts is crucial. Yet it’s what you put into your mouth that will make or
break your physique.

Dining out doesn’t have to mean pigging out. For more tips on healthy choices, please contact TrainerTomB@aol.com!

Keep Your Routine Challenging, Rewarding and Fun!

By TOM BONANTI

Like every hobby, bodybuilding and weight training can become boring and routine. Doing the same old thing the same way every time is monotonous and counter productive even in the gym. That’s why it’s important to read about new routines and the latest findings on muscle growth, etc., so that your workouts remain challenging, rewarding  and fun! This week, I’d like to go over a
few common but often misunderstood terms/techniques that can put some fire under your workouts and some burn in those muscles.

“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) with only a small break between exercises. For example, you may do a set of flat bench barbell press for chest, then move quickly using the same barbell for a bent over row for back. 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. Compound sets employ 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. Compound sets bombard a muscle group working it to exhaustion.

If you’re really cruising for a burn, go for tri-sets.

This simply means 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.

Learn to accentuate the negative – at least with 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 (eccentric or negative contraction), 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.

Don’t overdo negatives, or you may risk injury or overtraining.

Have a great summer and take advantage of these techniques to add variety to you training regime. For more tips like these, contact TrainerTomB@aol.com by email.

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. On the Internet at: www.pumpnincgym.com

In this week’s issue of Style & Entertainment we introduce our Entrepreneur Series of Profiles for August. This week we talk to Jack Atwell, Chef at Moments in Time Catering & Gourmet, as New York plays host to a rush of weddings for the LGBT community, Paul Rubio offers you a look at the hottest honeymoon destinations in Travel and we get Crazy and Stupid for this season’s romance “Crazy, Stupid Love” by Warren Day in Film.

This week we get the skinny on the skinny jeans fad that has become a trend in Style, in Dining we sample the ‘Sublime’ and welcome guests in Home by Michael French.

Don’t worry we also have your favorites, Recipe, Fitness, Home, Out in Florida and our State-wide Bar Guide.

Enjoy! H – AV

What’s Inside LINKS Below:

Far and Away Exotic Destinations

Crazy Stupid Love

Skinny Jeans

Get That Extra Hard Pump

Sublime Restaurant & Bar

Click on the Links Below to View the Articles

In this week’s issue of Style & Entertainment, we talk city  beautification and good business with Wilton Manors Main Street President & CEO Krishan Manners in Profile, Paul Rubio offers you a front seat for the feeding frenzy of Sharks in Travel and take in the SUPER eye candy of “Captain America: The First Avenger” with Warren Day in Film.

This week we go bold and beautiful with the hottest jewelry accessories for men in Style, applaud a philanthropist in The Scoop and enjoy an old friend in the Hi-Life Café in Dining.

Don’t worry we also have your favorites, Recipe, Fitness, Home, Out in Florida and our State-wide Bar Guide.

Shark Feeding, Osprey Reel Australia

Captain America

Fitness: Get Out of Your Rut!

Bold & Beautiful Accessories

Home: Reinvent Your Castle

Hi-Life Cafe