Florida Agenda

By Tom Bonanti

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

By Andy Kress

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

By Tom Bonanti

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

By TOM BONANTI

Ever wonder if all that hard work in the gym is really paying off?

Do you ever doubt your progress because you always seem to look the same in the mirror, even though others tell you that you look marvelous? Why not consider taking your measurements and chart the course of your workouts?

Such vital statistics as Body Mass Index (BMI), your weight relative to your height, Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR), the baseline amount of calories you need each day for your body to function, and body fat percentage are important for you to know and they can be tabulated with formulas you can get on line, or better yet, get a skilled personal trainer to take them for you. It may take a little time to calculate them accurately, but it is important for you to know these numbers so that you can gear your training accordingly.

There are other important measurements you need to know and you can take these on your own very simply. Here’s how to go about it. First, get a full-length mirror if you don’t already have access to one.

Second, buy a flexible tape measure available in the sewing department of most stores. Third, take off all your clothes and be ready to be perfectly honest with yourself as you stand naked in front of the mirror.

Make mental notes of areas or muscle groups that need work, i.e. droopy butt, jiggly belly, the dreaded man boobs, etc.

Don’t be overly harsh or critical. You’ve also got some good points to your physique.

Note them also: broad shoulders, beefy forearms, etc. Take note of your posture as well and how you can look better by simply standing straighter, throwing your shoulders back, keeping your head up, stop slumping, etc. The more confidant you are in your appearance, the better you will look to the rest of the world!

Aware now of the raw material you’ve got to work with, use the flexible tape and measure each muscle group.

Measurements should be taken before working out on relaxed muscles. It is best to measure in the morning after you shower, before you get dressed. No tensing up or flexing, please! Be sure the tape is held snugly and evenly against the skin at all times. Write each measurement down and keep them on file.

• Measure your neck right under the Adam’s apple all the way around.

• The shoulder measurement is taken at the widest point.

• Measure the chest across the nipples while breathing normally.

• Measure upper arms around the widest point without flexing your biceps or tensing triceps.

• Forearm measurements should be taken at the widest part of the arm below the elbow.

• The waist is measured at the naval.

• Hip measurements should be taken across the widest part of the buttocks.

• Calves should be measured at their widest point. Ditto your thighs.

These assessments can be done solo or with a friend if you are prepared to handle some honest criticism. Retake these measurements every three months as you change your workout routine. Knowing whether or not you’re making progress by honestly charting your results can help you to set new goals or re-evaluate old ones.

Remember your body (you’ve got to love it!) is a work of art in progress. Training, eating right, measuring honestly, etc. are the tools you use to become the best that you can be.

Contact TrainerTomB@aol.com today with any or all questions regarding measurements, fitness or anything about your daily workouts.

By TOM BONANTI

It’s easy to skip the gym and make lame excuses about being too tired or too busy to get up off your glutes and lose weight and tone up. But unless you prefer living under a rock, you’ve got to see that the summer sizzle is nearly upon us and everywhere guys are looking leaner and hotter than ever. If you’re going to make the grade, you’ve got to have a plan. Plus you should never play the procrastination game when it comes to living a healthier happier life.

Here’s a few training strategies that will pump new vitality into your training regime and help you to spring into a new season of sun and fun in South Florida. Shake up your routine and shock those muscle fibers into growing bigger – now! If you are bored with your same old weight training and cardio routines, chances are so are your muscles…and when they’re bored they refuse to grow bigger and stronger.

Never rely on only one type of free weight equipment or cardio station during a workout. In every workout, combine dumbbells, barbells and cables. Your muscles need a variety of forms and movements in order to be challenged, breakdown and grow. For example, when blasting chest, you may want to do barbell flat bench presses, dumbbell incline presses and cable crossovers.

As far as cardio goes, begin with a recumbent bike, switch to a Precor and try out the stair stepper when you are bold enough. Calculate your target heart rate and work your way into the fat burning zone and keep it there for 20 minutes or so. Often when my schedule is very busy, I like to workout twice a day. “What’s that?” you say! Sometimes in the morning, I may have only half an hour between clients. That’s a sufficient time for a pretty decent workout especially if you want to target one muscle group or do a dynamite cardio routine. Later in the day when time allows work another muscle group or do some more cardio for 20 minutes or so.

Be consistent with your workouts and keep track of what you do and when you do it. Stretching your muscles is great for injury prevention and it can actually help you build muscle. Like any muscle movement, stretching helps in its own way to break down stubborn muscle fiber, prevent the build up of painful adhesions, and build new muscle. Remember to stretch and tightly flex after each set of exercises the muscle group you have just worked.

Light overall stretching session before and after your workout, is a must. Turn the heat up on your cardio by adding a burst of power and speed at brief intervals. This is basically what interval training is all about. If you’re on a treadmill or Precor, for example, this will mean bumping up to a minute of intense activity at a higher speed every 10 minutes or so according to your ability.

These high intensity intervals interspersed into your already challenging routine will help you reach a higher level of cardiovascular fitness. As with any form of hard work, it is good to reward yourself as you see progress happening. Therefore, go shopping! Replace those tired, baggy, sweat stained, workout clothes with gear that shows off that body of yours. Make the most of your workouts. Enjoy the beautiful body you’ve worked so hard to create and stay healthy!

For more tips on making your workouts fun and exciting contact TrainerTomB@aol.com.

OAKLAND PARK – A local health and fitness entrepreneur is throwing down the gauntlet, metaphorically speaking, to motivate residents to shed their excess weight, and to do it for a good cause. “One in three Americans is either overweight or obese, making us the fattest nation in the world,” says Peter Jackson of Push Fitness.

To get residents off their couches and onto their feet, Jackson has organized the “Body Beach Challenge.”

“This is a grassroots effort to get people in our community to lose weight safely and make changes to live a healthier lifestyle,” Jackson says.

The Body Beach Challenge is an eightweek- long community-wide weight loss program targeting men, women and children aged 15 to 80 years old, whom Jackson would like to see shed their excess weight. The Challenge will kick off on April 7 and run through June 2–just in time for the arrival of summer.

Part of the event’s proceeds will benefit the 2012 Florida AIDS Walk and Music Festival. In addition, prizes will be awarded to the winners.

Jackson says his goal is to set up the participants to succeed, with an April 7 initial meeting at Push Fitness, at 1098 Floranada Road in Oakland Park. Participants will have their weight recorded and body fat measured. Those measurements will be taken again on Saturday, June 2. The individual with the most dramatic improvement— which will include average weight loss and body fat percentage decrease–will be declared the winner, with the grand prize including a $400 personal training package at Push Fitness.

“The $25 registration fee benefits the 2012 Florida AIDS Walk and Music Festival,” notes Jackson. Those who take part will also receive a Body Transformation Guide with weight loss and healthy living guidelines, as well as a spiral bound Daily Exercise and Nutrition Guidebook. For more information and to register, visit pushfitnessftl.com.

By TOM BONANTI

I have been a certified personal trainer for nine years. In that time I have read a lot, heard a lot, and I’ve seen most everything. Everyone has an opinion about how to build the best biceps, how to bulk up, cut up and trim down. Some of this information has proved invaluable and some of it is just plain bull! When I work with clients, I want them to know the truth. Let’s look at some common myths that just may be holding you back, or worse yet, could cause you harm.

Myth # 1: If you want to build mass, cut out the cardio. Aerobic fitness 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. Tabulate your target heart rate (220 minus your age), then try to get your heart rate to within 65 to 85 per cent of that number and keep it there for 20 minutes or so!

Myth #2: I’m hurting, but if I just keep training, I can work through the pain. Only Neanderthal 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 real pain and the soreness and discomfort you feel after a really “kick-ass” workout. Experiencing pain during any fitness endeavor is a sign that your body is in trouble. Any indications of real pain should signal you to see a doctor. On the other hand, some muscle soreness can be expected a day or two after a really intense workout especially after you’ve experienced a lay off. This is called residual muscle soreness. Stretching, rest, massage and contrasting hot and cold showers can help ease this discomfort.

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 prohormone in one of the muscle rags does not mean that you need to buy it or use it. You can achieve greatness in “muscledom” only by working hard in the gym, eating healthy and clean, and getting enough quality rest between workouts. Testosterone replacement therapy should be administered and monitored by a physician only, and should not be confused with juicing on anabolic steroids.

Myths #4: In order to get “big” I need to workout everyday.

Cumulative micro-trauma is the technical term for overtraining and it is nothing you should take lightly. Weight training every muscle group everyday without proper rest will result in muscle tears, joint pain, gross fatigue and eventually some serious injuries.

Train each muscle group no more than twice a week for 20 minutes and make sure that muscle group gets 48 to 72 hours rest between training sessions. Take one to two days off from the weights each week, but stay active, do your cardio and eat properly.

So there you have it – the bare-naked truth. The best way to get the body you want is through hard work, healthy eating and reading the fitness column in this publication weekly! Contact TrainerTomB@aol.com for the real truth!

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