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

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

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

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 Tom Bonanti

Do you ever get the feeling that you’re spinning your wheels and getting nowhere “doing your cardio?” It’s bad enough that life can seem like the proverbial treadmill, you don’t need to be frustrated and bored when you go to the gym too! This week, let the Florida Agenda give you some tips that will put the mojo back into your cardio and help you to go from feeling sluggish and bored to super charged and rearing to go!

First, let’s answer the above question with a decisive YES! Cardio work-outs are indispensable to any effective training program. They can be any activity that raises and maintains your heart rate over a predetermined amount of time, such as power-walking, biking, swimming, wrestling, martial arts and elliptical machines. By doing this, you strengthen your cardiovascular system and lower your resting heart rate. Doing regular and monitored cardio will help you live longer PERIOD!

Cardio workouts burn fat. Weight training builds muscle. Any fitness regime must include both to be effective and successful! A bout of cardio will use up more calories than lifting weights over a prolonged period of time.

Yet the more quality lean muscle you build, the more calories your body will burn all the time, even in a resting state. Bigger muscles make you stronger, but cardio fitness gives you endurance.

Although cardio training programs can vary from individual to individual, here are some pointers that can benefit everyone.

• Drink water before, during and after any cardio workout. Stay away from sports drinks that are loaded with sugar and caffeine.

• You can perform cardio on an empty stomach, preferably early in the morning if you need to jump start fat loss. But remember that early in the a.m. your body is already in a catabolic state, so you may need to eat an hour and a half or so before you hit the treadmill so that you won’t pass out from hunger or lapse into a hypoglycemic episode.

• Always include a 5-10 minute warmup and cool-down, consisting of a brisk walk, slow jog and some stretching with each lifting session.

• Many cardio machines have heartrate monitors that are built into the equipment. Use these to monitor your heart rate. Or, consider investing in a heart-rate monitor. Purchase a model with a timing device, especially helpful for interval training sessions.

• Learn to calculate your target heart rate range in order to maximize the benefits of your workout. Ask a certified trainer about the Karvonen Method which is the most effective, but more complicated way of determining target heart rate range. In general, anyone can approximate maximum heart rate or “MaxHR” by subtracting your age from 220. For example, 220 – 40 = 180. This is the starting point for all your calculations. Depending upon your age and fitness level, determine a safe, but challenging range to work with. For example, a beginner may try a range between 55-65 percent of his maximum heart rate range for best cardio and fat burning results.

• Remember to consult your physician or health care provider before beginning any new exercise, nutrition or supplementation program, especially if you are on medication or being treated for a medical condition.

Need a few more tips on cardio effectiveness? You can always contact TrainerTomB@aol.com!

Tom Bonanti is a certified persinal 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

You’ve probably been there before, or maybe you’re there now: you just can’t get into your workouts. The exercises seem boring, the weights are too heavy and you feel like you’d rather be anywhere else but in the gym.

You are experiencing a performance slump – a frustrating, seemingly inexplicable drop in performance which typically lasts for an extended period of time. In nearly every case, though, a source can be found. Slumps are often traced to a lack of recovery time from stressful situations, insufficient sleep, overtraining – or just a general feeling of malaise over life in general.

The good news is that no matter what the hell the problem is about – job stress, a breakup with your boyfriend, a let down after vacation, or overtraining itself – there are mechanisms of recovery that can have you back in the gym doing battle with the weights in no time. A number of these tips come from Jim Loehr, a sports psychologist, in his book, Stress for Success.

First of all, you’ve got to rest. And by that, I don’t mean lying on the couch watching episodes of the “The Biggest Loser”. Active rest refers to recovery methods that involve movement. For example, walking, stretching, yoga and golfing are all types of active rest that can help you recharge your batteries. If you simply can’t stay out of the gym, incorporate a wide variety of low weight, high rep weight training exercises for each of the various muscle groups. You’ll be amazed how you’ll grow once you resume more intense training habits.

Passive rest is also essential and it can help rejuvenate your soul as well as your body. Examples of passive rest include meditation, napping, sitting in the park, or catching up with an old friend for some conversation. (Note: passive rest does not include sitting on a bar stool drinking for six hours.)

Understanding your nutrition and how it affects your body is crucial, not only to successful training, but also to your recovery process. During a slump, a lot of guys either eat like birds and lose size or they binge out and get as big as cows.

Whatever you’re going through, you’ve got to eat! Eat your meals at consistent times throughout the day.

Eat light and often. Consuming smaller meals every 2-3 hours raises your metabolic rate and stabilizes blood sugar and energy levels. Never skip a healthy breakfast and stay away from quick, sugary, fatty comfort foods that will ultimately leave you feeling worse than ever.

The dedication necessary to succeed at body building is substantial, and it requires focus and intensity. When you’re in a slump, you’re often frustrated and negative about your drop in performance. Look for opportunities to lighten up and laugh. Avoid negative people who drag you down. Listen to music that can calm and soothe as well as energize and rejuvenate you.

Psychological changes associated with positive emotions occur that directly oppose the chemicals that accompany negativity and frustration.

Finally, a good night’s rest is by far the most natural and essential recovery activity. Depriving yourself of sleep is like depriving yourself of food. A sleep debt of as little as three hours has been shown to significantly reduce physical strength in weightlifters. Lack of good, quality, uninterrupted REM (rapid eye movement) sleep can cause paranoia, migraines and violent mood swings, as well as unwanted weight gain.

Busting out of your slump doesn’t happen automatically – it takes planning and effort. Remember, recovery in your training and everyday life is just as important as the hard work you put into them. For more tips on how to fire up your workouts this summer 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. On the Internet at: www.pumpnincgym.com

By Tom Bonanti

Over 80% of all Americans will experience low-back pain at some point in their lifetime. Many of these people will miss work and incur sizeable medical expenses. If you have poor posture, sit most of the day and are overweight, you are definitely a candidate.

A healthy, pain-free back is often something you take for granted until an injury occurs. You don’t have to be a trainer or sports doctor to realize that taking a few preventative measures each day can keep your back strong and healthy.

Training your abdominal muscles regularly not only helps you achieve a six pack, it can also strengthen your low back. Weak abs are the root of many lower-back problems, ranging from acute spasms to chronic low-back pain. Flabby, out of shape abs force the low-back to work harder in a variety of strenuous and mundane activities, straining the supporting musculature and ligaments of the spine.

Weak abs combined with excessive abdominal weight (a big gut!) can lead to an exaggerated lumbar lordotic curve (sway back). This, in turn, can cause postural problems while sitting, standing or walking, increasing the chance of inflaming and irritating your nerves, discs and muscles.

Weak abs, a big belly and sitting on your butt all day in front of a computer can trigger one hell of a bad backache. Unfortunately, this seems to have become the American way of life – and so has low back pain. On the flip side, toned abs, proper exercise and a low-fat diet can provide a healthy, rock-hard defense against 80% of all lower back ailments.

The abdominal muscles are like other muscles in your body – you should train them hard and then allow them to rest and grow and strengthen outside the gym. Hitting abs hard three times a week is preferable to 100’s of sets of reps day in and day out. Leg lifts, straight leg sit-ups and excessive twists are a prescription for a bad-ass backache.

Crunches will isolate your abs better than anything else, because they tax your trunk flexors (rectus abdominis or “6 pack”) rather than your hip flexors (iliopsoas muscles or deep muscles in your pelvis).

A proper crunch is performed flat on your back, knees bent and legs elevated over a bench, sofa or exercise ball. Place your hands behind your head, but do not interlock your fingers. Cradle your neck and head as you crunch up, bringing your elbows to your knees. Do not pull up with your hands on the back of your head, as this will place undue strain on your seven cervical vertebrae. Do not roll up on your tail bone. Simply crunch bringing your elbows to the knees, pause and contract your gut muscles, and return to starting position. Variations of the crunch can effectively isolate, strengthen and build strong abdominals. The number of sets and reps you do depends on how much time you have and your endurance level.

Both your abs and lower back muscles support your spine; treat these muscles as equals. An imbalance adds stress and strain on the supporting musculature of the spine. If you work your abs, make sure to stretch your lower back while you are down there with simple cat stretches or by bringing your knees up to your chest a few times.

Make sure to work your lower back into your regular back routine.

Remember, you can do crunches till the cows come home, but one trip through a drive-thru fast food dive can put a damper on your progress. Combine healthy, low fat eating with cardio and weight training and your sexy defined abs will knock them dead.

For more information on ab training, 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. On the Internet at: www.pumpnincgym.com

In this week’s editionof Style & Entertainment we talk past, present and future with power fundraiser AJ Cross in Profile, take a journey through the “Barefoot Luxury” of the Ritz-Carlton in St Thomas in Travel and get the skinny on the benefits of ‘Cross-training’ in Fitness.
Warren Day shows us that a fantas- tic night can be had watching “The Pillow Man” at Fort Lauderdale’s Empire Stage in Theatre, and ques- tions the power of comedy in this year’s summer joke fest, “Horrible Bosses” in Film.
We look closely at the 2011 collec- tion from power brand, Dsquared in Style, follow in Popeye’s footsteps with a great spinach pasta in Recipe and celebrate the fantastic launch of MyGayRadio. com and the Summer in The Scoop!

Don’t worry we also have your favorites, Home, Out in Florida and our State-wide Bar Guide.
Enjoy! H – AV

Click the Links Below to Read the Articles!

Caribbean Queen
The Ritz-Carlton, St. Thomas
Travel PAGE 40

Dsquared
Spring/Summer Men’s Collection
Style PAGE 41

HORRIBLE BOSSES
Miss Unemployment?
Film PAGE 39

TRY CROSS TRAINING Feel the Burn!
Fitness PAGE 37

You’re Not Over the Hill!

By TOM BONANTI

So you’re over 40? Even though some in our youth-oriented, megalomaniac society may consider you to be over the hill, there’s no need to retire to your rocking chair – not yet! Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve probably noticed that, more and more, men are staying healthy and looking hotter and sexier way beyond 40, 50 and even 60. What are their secrets? No secrets at all; they’ve simply learned the importance of living wisely and taking care of themselves step by step, day by day. Here are some tips and preventative measures you can take right now to get your body ready for 50 more years of health and happiness.

Consider your prostate. At 40, the prostate gland begins a growth spurt, a condition called benign prostatic hyperplasia. If you’re peeing a lot at night, this may be happening to you. Don’t worry. Benign prostatic hyperplasia is rarely life-threatening. To treat this condition, see your doctor and get a prescription for alpha blockers which relax the prostate smooth muscle. In conjunction with this, a regular prostate exam is a must for all guys over 40. Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men, according to the American Cancer Society.

Weight training is a must! Once you hit 50, you begin to lose muscle mass by as much as 15% per decade. In fact, one recent study states that at about the age of 25, guys begin to lose a half a pound of lean muscle per year!

To stave off decreasing muscle mass, prevent back, hip and knee injuries, and protect against heart disease and high cholesterol, incorporate strength training into your exercise program. If you’re already lifting, keep up the good work. If you think it’s too late to start pumping iron, remember that you can still build lean muscle by lifting weights into your 80’s.

Watch your gut. As guys age, their bellies tend to expand, resulting in dangerous amounts of visceral abdominal fat that can increase the risk of colorectal cancer and heart related problems, including heart attacks and strokes. If your waist exceeds 40 inches, you are asking for trouble!

To prevent this dangerous girth, stay active, use the stairs at work. Take a walk before or after supper. Try implementing a half-hour of cardio into your workout plan at least 3 times a week. Do your crunches at night while watching TV.

Watch what you eat. To reduce your risk of obesity, Type II Diabetes, hypertension, cancer and heart disease, be aware of good nutritional principles. Eat more high fiber, complex, low glycemic index carbohydrates such as whole grains, nuts, fresh fruits and vegetables to fuel your body. Get your protein from lean chicken and fresh cold water fish, which are high in Omega 3 fatty acids, the good fats that keep cholesterol levels in check. Deep six all processed fast foods and trans fats from your diet.

Drink less. According to several studies, drinking beer and wine in moderation can deliver protection against heart attacks, strokes and hypertension. But, before you race off to Happy Hour, get the whole truth. Drinking more than one drink per day, defined as a 5 ounce glass of wine, one 12 ounce beer or 1.5 ounces of 80 proof liquor can increase your risk of liver disease and stroke, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Fit, fabulous and over 40? Show them your stuff, you hot, smokin’ Daddy.

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