Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Some Cool Art Work


Why?

Are you following a set of rules simply because "they say" or mimick what "they do" because you saw, read or listened to someone? Ask "why", understand "why", and most importantly, make sure the guidance you are receiving is from a source that truly understands "why". Make sure your information is from someone who has experience and isn't just regurgitating information without knowing "why" themselves.

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Time Marches On

As we progress through life, we must take time to reflect and understand where we’ve been, where we are at this moment and where we are headed. This holds true on many levels of our personal lives of which training is a part of. We need to sit back and take stock of our current physical, mental, emotional and spiritual situation and figure out what we are trying to achieve for ourselves through exercise. Basically, we need to set realistic goals and expectations based on our current levels of wear-and-tear from years of training and what life has done to us through the course of time. This is not designed to be some part of a “gloom and doom” approach but an honest and realistic means to which you can achieve the improvement of your health through selective endeavors. Essentially, it boils down to making the correct choices through your determined needs and not being diluted through your wants. At times, it’s a hard pill to swallow when you can’t do what you used to do, but when one door closes another opens and new goals can (and should) be established.

As you meander down the road of physical fitness, alterations will more than likely need to be made so you can exercise safely, efficiently and effectively. This necessity will dictate the need for change so you can further enhance your health. Since exercise and health are very personal things, your approach should be one that satisfies your individual needs based on protocols that suit those needs. Massaging aspects of this modus operandi is vital to your success, please use the following as a consideration and make adjustments based on the overall concepts. Proceeding on any recommendation verbatim is a mistake since a “cookie cutter” approach to anything – exercise routines, diets, protocols, etc. - are less than beneficial if they do not suit your needs so tweak them accordingly.

Below are just a few suggestions that may help further your quest for aging fitness. They are not detailed as in doing so would be a lengthy process and one that would need to be addressed on a more one-on-one level. Each has merit based on your needs as I’ve tried many of these approaches for particular reasons with success. You will see that most offer less compressive forces with greater stimulus to the musculature and cardiovascular systems.

*Slower Rep Speeds
*Higher Repetitions
*Calisthenics/Bodyweight Movements
*Static Contraction
*Less Volume Per Workout
*Less Frequency
*Intermittent Intensity
*Interval Training
*Maximum Contraction
*Less Endurance Work
*Reduced Caloric Intake
*Organic Foods
*Reduced/Zero Gluten
*Ample Hydration
*Nutrient Dense Foods
*Straight Line Activities
*Relaxation Techniques
*Chiropractic/Acupuncture/Massage Therapy

These are simple considerations and more investigation will need to be done on your part. Anyone interested in more detail on any of these aspects and more can contact me for consultation. – Fred Fornicola

fred@premierepersonalfitness.com
908-433-4542

Sunday, March 21, 2010

Natural Ways to Deal With Seasonal Allergies

Here are a couple recommendations I have found to be beneficial in coping with seasonal allergies along with the links to their products:


Really Raw Honey: Raw honey contains the pollen, dust and molds that cause allergies - by consuming this honey you will build a resistance to the allergens. Start off with 1 teaspoon and work up to a full tablespoon over a two week period than continue daily.


Vitamin C is a natural antihistamine and can be very useful during allergy season. Start off with 1-2 grams per day and work up to 5-7 grams over the course of a couple of weeks. Take one gram at a time throughout the day. Too much Vitamin C is determined when you experience digestive disturbances.


To help cleanse and moisturize sinuses, try a Ocean Brand saline spray. Use this non-addicting spray once or twice a day to help irrigate and purify your sinuses.


When sinus headache or sneezing strikes, try Sinus Buster. With its main ingredient, capsicum (an ingredient found in different types of peppers), will get your eyes tearing a little but clear your head up in no time.

And finally - exercise. Exercise has been proven to boost the immune system and a strong immune system can help fight seasonal allergies.

For more information or a free consultation, please contact me at 908.433.4542

Fred Fornicola

Saturday, March 20, 2010

Premiere Personal Fitness - The "Elite Lite" Training Program

NO CONTRACTS – NO MONEY DOWN – NO EXCUSES!

Premiere Personal Fitness – The “Elite Lite” Training Program

The “Elite Lite” Training Program is for those looking to achieve a high level of strength and fitness. This program is similar to the “Elite” program in that it focuses on safe, efficient and effective applications but does not offer all services as expressed in the “Elite” program. The program is detailed as follows:

*Very specific exercises and modalities will be utilized to give you a personalized approach to developing your overall level of strength and fitness.

* A highly individualized program will be developed to satisfy your personal and physical needs/goals.

*We will work closely as a team for your success in this project, so communication is imperative.

*An extremely high level of effort from both trainer (me) and trainee (you) is required to benefit from this program, and commitment must be made to the program by adhering and complying with all aspects involved (a strong work ethic, focusing on improving, not missing a workout, etc.).

*To increase the strength of your heart and to efficiently burn body fat, little rest will be taken between exercises. This fast-moving application stimulates the metabolic system and increases your fat burning metabolism. It is, without a doubt, one of the best ways to improve cardiovascular health, build muscle and improve your physical appearance.

*All exercises will be performed with a high level of effort. Due to the high level of intensity on each exercise at each workout, total sets will not exceed 10-12.

*Training session will be intense with a focus on working hard.

*Some exercises will involve the use of slow repetition speeds and will be performed with a 10/10 cadence. This means you will raise the weight over a 10 second period and lower the weight in 4 seconds - never allowing it to stop moving during the set. Each rep will offer NO REST PERIODS - so it's continual workload. Static Contraction Training (pushing against an immoveable resistance) will be used as well to intensify the training session as will traditional training methods.

*Training sessions will last approximately 25-30 minutes.

*Each training session is $55.00. An individual would benefit with two (2) weekly workouts or a training schedule of once every three (3) or four (4) days.

*As always, we can discuss additional ways of improving your heath but the main focus is PROGRESS AT THE GYM!

All Training Programs Come With a FREE Consultation and Health History Evaluation.


**Additional Add-On Services Available Under This Program:

Body Fat Analysis - $5.00
Stretching - $10.00

Premiere Personal Fitness - The "High Performance" Training Program

NO CONTRACTS – NO MONEY DOWN – NO EXCUSES!

Premiere Personal Fitness – The “High Performance” Training Program

The “High Performance” Training Program is for those looking to achieve a very high level of cardiovascular fitness and burn excess body fat through intense conditioning principles. The program is detailed as follows:

*Very specific exercises and workloads will be utilized to give you a personalized approach to developing your cardiovascular and fat burning systems.

* A highly individualized program will be developed to satisfy your personal and physical needs/goals.

*We will work closely as a team for your success in this project, so communication is imperative.

*A high level of effort from both trainer (me) and trainee (you) is required to benefit from this program, and commitment must be made to the program by adhering and complying with all aspects involved (a strong work ethic, focusing on improving, not missing a workout, etc.).

*To increase the strength of your heart and to efficiently burn body fat, we will use specific interval periods to maximize your efforts to improve cardiovascular health and improve your physical appearance.

*All workloads will be performed with a high level of output. Due to the level of effort on each work effort, actual total work time will not exceed 8-10 minutes after appropriate warm-ups and recovery periods are implemented.

*Heart rates are monitored and evaluated for peak performance.

*Training sessions will last approximately 25-30 total minutes (or less) due to the high level of effort.

*Each training session is $40.00. One (1) or two (2) sessions per week are enough to stimulate improvement in cardiovascular health and body fat reduction and make for a good addition to one (1) or two (2) strength sessions.

*As always, we can discuss additional ways of improving your heath but the main focus is PROGRESS AT THE GYM!

All Training Programs Come With a FREE Consultation and Health History Evaluation.


**Additional Add-On Services Available Under This Program:

Body Fat Analysis - $10.00
Stretching - $15.00

Premiere Personal Fitness - The "Essential" Training Program

NO CONTRACTS – NO MONEY DOWN – NO EXCUSES!

Premiere Personal Fitness – The “Essential” Training Program

The “Essential” Training Program will focus on a safe, efficient and effect approach to strength and fitness. The program is detailed as follows:

*A variety of exercises and modalities will be utilized to give you a personalized approach to developing your overall level of strength and fitness.

* A highly individualized program will be developed to satisfy your personal and physical needs/goals.

*We will work closely as a team for your success in this project, so communication is imperative.

*A high level of effort from both trainer (me) and trainee (you) is required to benefit from this program, and commitment must be made to the program by adhering and complying with all aspects involved (a strong work ethic, focusing on improving, not missing a workout, etc.).

*To increase the strength of your heart and to efficiently burn body fat, little rest will be taken between exercises. This fast-moving application stimulates the metabolic system and increases your fat burning metabolism. It is, without a doubt, one of the best ways to improve cardiovascular health, build muscle and improve your physical appearance.

*Each session is will last 30 minutes or less. If you are truly working to your fullest, 30 minutes or less will be all you need to stimulate your body in a positive way.

*Each training session is $40.00 and best results under this program have been proven with two (2) to three (3) sessions per week under my guidance.

All Training Programs Come With a FREE Consultation and Health History Evaluation.


**Additional Add-On Services Available Under This Program:

Body Fat Analysis - $10.00
Stretching - $15.00

Friday, March 19, 2010

Premiere Personal Fitness - The "Elite" Training Program

NO CONTRACTS – NO MONEY DOWN – NO EXCUSES!

Premiere Personal Fitness – The “Elite” Training Program


The “Elite” Training Program is for those looking to achieve a very high level of strength and fitness and a strong focus on weekly progression through safe and efficient applications. This program is very quantitative and improvement is strived for on every exercise of every single workout. Documentation is kept for all exercises at every single workout along with additional, pertinent data. The program is detailed as follows:

*Very specific exercises and modalities will be utilized to give you a personalized approach to developing your overall level of strength and fitness.

* A highly individualized program will be developed to satisfy your personal and physical needs/goals.

*We will work closely as a team for your success in this project, so communication is imperative. We will contact each other frequently to keep updated on aspects of recovery and the effects of the workout with an emphasis on monitoring progression.

*An extremely high level of effort from both trainer (me) and trainee (you) is required to benefit from this program, and commitment must be made to the program by adhering and complying with all aspects involved (a strong work ethic, focusing on improving, not missing a workout, etc.).

*To increase the strength of your heart and to efficiently burn body fat, little rest will be taken between exercises. This fast-moving application stimulates the metabolic system and increases your fat burning metabolism. It is, without a doubt, one of the best ways to improve cardiovascular health, build muscle and improve your physical appearance.

*All exercises will be performed for one “all-out” set to muscular failure/fatigue (when you cannot perform another repetition in good form). Due to the extremely high level of effort on each exercise at each workout, total sets will not exceed 8-10, and in most cases, will be less.

*Training session will be "all-business" when we're working out - socializing will be for before/after the workouts.

*We will review and evaluate the previous week’s results and discuss our goals for the current workout as well as subsequent workout goals.

*Exercises will involve the use of varying repetition speeds, static contractions, negatives, hyper reps and many other intensifiers, as well as traditional training methods.

*Training sessions will last approximately 15-20 minutes (or less) due to the high level of intensity.

*Body fat composition will be measured once per week to help monitor progression.

*Each training session is $75.00 - you are only required to come once a week due to the extremely high level of effort required. That will be all you need to gain improvements in strength and cardiovascular fitness if 100% effort is given and you follow the above guidelines.

*As always, we can discuss additional ways of improving your heath but the main focus is PROGRESS AT THE GYM!

All Training Programs Come With a FREE Consultation and Health History Evaluation.

Premiere Personal Fitness Training Programs

Listed below are the available programs at Premiere Personal Fitness. These programs will enable you to train within your own personal capacity to increase your strength, improve your cardiovascular system and lose body fat. Please click on each program for more detailed information and feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns at 908.433.4542.
- Fred Fornicola, Fitness Professional

Premiere Personal Fitness - The "Essential" Training Program

Premiere Personal Fitness - The "High Performance" Training Program

Premiere Personal Fitness - The "Elite Lite" Training Program

Premiere Personal Fitness - The "Elite" Training Program

Thursday, March 18, 2010

Be One of the "Elite"

Took in the second of my two strength workouts for the week this morning. Started off with a couple organic dates about an hour before I trained and 8 ounces of water. I performed 1 compound "pulling" exercise (one movement that works the back, biceps and forearm muscles), 1 compound "pressing" movement (one exercise that works the chest, shoulders and triceps) and 1 compound lower body exercise (the area of the hips and thighs). The muscles of the calves, lower back, upper back and abdominals are thoroughly worked as ell with these particular movements and in the way that they are performed. My total workout time was under 10 minutes. I really like this workout approach because it meets my physical needs and gives me time back in my day. Basically, I'm not a slave to the gym.

This, and similar one's are part of the "Elite Training Programs" offered at Premiere Personal Fitness. Call or email for more information.

Fred Fornicola
908.433.4542

Monday, March 15, 2010

The Core

My interpetation of the "core" differs greatly from conventional thought. The core, for me, consists of the entire body from top to bottom, left to right and front to back. There aren't many activities - recreational, athletic or functional - that don't include the whole body to some degree so why just make one area a priority.

Friday, March 12, 2010

TrapBar Deadlift

This exercise works all the muscles of the body...and then some...no need for cardio training after a set of these babies.

GIve Up Some TV Time

According to Nielsen Media Research, the average person watches four hours, 35 minutes of television each day (275 minutes). To me, those numbers seem excessive, but I’m sure most people catch at least 60 minutes each day (and more on the weekends). If an individual were to give up 60 minutes a week (and I’m allowing for some drive time here as well) of their TV time and engage in a properly planned exercise program, they could achieve significant strength and cardiovascular benefits – as well as an all-important better shaped body.

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Buddy Rows with Resistance Bands

Buddy Rows with Resistance Bands

This exercise works the muscles of the back, biceps, forearms as well as the legs and midsection.

Sunday, March 07, 2010

Natural Interval Training


Sunday’s I usually darn my weight vest and take my dog, Angel, for a walk at one of the local parks by my home. I use a vest primarily because I gain no real value of just meandering along on a walk and prefer a little more of a stimulating challenge. It’s also a great reminder to me of how it felt when I was lugging around all that extra weight years ago….but that’s another story for another time.

At this time of year (winter) and because Angel and I go out so very early morning, there are very few people in the park and therefore, I let her off the leash to romp around as I walk the park. If it snows (which we’ve had a ton of this year), we’ll trudge through the accumulation and encounter one helluva an adventure. As we take in the fresh air and sunrise, I watch her innate behavior as she sniffs this and that, pees here and there, sprints to here next spot and just has a good ‘ole time being outside and moving around. Interesting are her instinctive movement patterns that enable her to do our 3+ miles without her ever really getting tired as she is now pushing 9 years of age. Because of her intermittent bouts of sniffing, peeing, walking and sprinting so naturally, she has a built-in capacity to handle this workload as she would otherwise not as proof of when my wife takes her for a two mile run and she’s “dog tired”. However, when we’re done, she comes into the house and heads right outside the back door to play around some more. It’s apparent that she recovers well from her exercise as she isn’t panting when we’re done and she is able to be relaxed and breathing normally as soon as she lay’s down. In addition to her ability to have this recovery ability, this exercise pattern is a lot less stressful on her joints, pads and of course, her heart.

Now don’t confuse increased heart rate as not being stressful, I’m referring to a good stress that strengthens the heart and not a pattern that add strain to the heart in an ineffective way. It seems apparent, then, that this stop-and-go pattern (from the research I’ve read) offers a greater value to strengthening the heart rather than adding unproductive stress to it. Those who partake in some type of high level effort, high intensity training are already reaping the benefits of this exercise pattern, those who are not may want to consider some form of interval training to enhance their cardiovascular and muscular systems to improve their heart, lungs and musculature. Hmm, I guess you could say that maybe an old dog can teach us new tricks.

Fred Fornicola
Fitness Professional

Thursday, March 04, 2010

60 Minutes a Week



“Heart attacks don’t occur because of a lack of endurance. They occur when there is a sudden increase in cardiac demand that exceeds your heart’s capacity. Giving up your heart’s reserve capacity to adapt to unnatural bouts of continuous prolonged duration only increases your risk of sudden cardiac death.” – Dr. Al Sears, MD

We’ve all been told to do our “cardio” to improve our hearts, but as Dr. Sears has suggested in the above quote, long duration/low intensity exercise may be counterproductive to one’s health. So how does someone go about improving the efficiency and effectiveness of their heart? Well, interval type training has been shown to have many positive results for building strength, improving the cardiovascular system, decreasing body fat and reducing the amount of time exercising. A very simple, yet highly successful approach can be found in using a high level or intensity when you exercise. For instance, when you train intensely (working at a very high level of effort), you can’t go for long periods as opposed to lower level efforts that may be found in endurance training. The key to interval type training is to significantly elevate your heart rate for a short time period then allow for your heart rate to come down a bit by taking a brief respite. This type of training has become more and more popular among elite athletes, high level recreational participants as well as body builders for purposes of improving their sport, activity and/or reducing body fat levels. You can find most individuals performing this type of work on a bike, elliptical, rower or via running/sprinting efforts for instance. There are many benefits derived from this type of training – most of which, however, does little for overall strength building in the traditional terms.

Interestingly enough, an individual can get the best of both worlds by strength training with a high level of intensity and moving quickly through their workout. When you train with a high level of effort your heart rate climbs as you are exerting more and more energy (effort) to perform an exercise. Once you terminate your exercise due to muscular exhaustion or fatigue you then take a brief reprieve (but not too long) and then proceed to the next exercise. This interval type manipulation benefits your muscular and cardiovascular systems to their fullest and can be accomplished in a very short period of time.

Believe it or not, many people thrive on two – three intense training sessions per week with each session lasting 30 minutes or less. This is exactly how we train at Premiere Personal Fitness and if you are interested in getting stronger, leaner and in really, really good condition, feel free to call to set up a free consultation with me.

Fred Fornicola,

Fitness Professional

Wednesday, March 03, 2010

Figure 8's with Kettlebell

A great way to work the lower body and abdominals...not to mention the cardiovascular benefits