Blog

SPRING Into ACTION! By: John M. Di Fazio II I live the Fitness lifestyle year round, 360 days per year, 7 days of every week, and 24 hours of every day. I understand that not everyone does that. But, if there are seasons to regroup and apply great Nutrition and Fitness guidelines, Spring is one of them. People are generally more active at this time of year, getting outside after a long, cold Winter. It’s the perfect time to create an aggressive plan of attack to shed the excess weight and body fat that accumulated over a less than stellar display of discipline throughout the combined cold weather and Holiday celebrations. It’s especially an opportune time after the malaise that was thrown upon society over the last two years. It’s time to restore yourself. It’s time to emerge from the self-imposed rut. Climb out, dust yourself off, and begin. One […]

THE SELF RELIANT GARDENER By: John M. Di Fazio II We find ourselves in a very precarious situation. There are serious disruptions to the supply line that many have become all too comfortable with and reliant upon. This is one concern that will begin to grow as the days proceed. The other concern is the actual food that entered the supply line within the last fifteen years. The companies that adopted genetically modified methods of growing and processing foods have done severe damage to the human population who consumes their genetically modified items. The natural state of vegetables and grains is a perfect genetic sequence that was tailor-made for our bodies to digest. The current state of GMO foods is a tampered-with genetic sequence that is wreaking havoc on digestive systems, especially on the developing digestive systems of children. Our bodies were not made to digest genetically modified food sources. […]

  AMAZING ABDOMINALS By John M. Di Fazio II Contrary to popular belief, abdominal muscles needn’t be trained more than one or two days per week. Overtraining abdominals is just as harmful and counterproductive as overtraining any muscle group. Overtraining abdominals can actually weaken your abdominal wall, possibly leading to an abdominal strain or tear. I personally suggest training abdominals no more than twice per week. I usually only perform isolated abdominal training one day per week, but certain exercises engage them as a secondary muscle, so they are receiving strength and conditioning while training other muscle groups. Firstly, the truth is that the old adage that, “Abs are made in the kitchen,” is 100% true. Without a proper diet, you may strengthen your abs, but the chances of displaying a chiseled six-pack are slim to none, unless you’re blessed with ideal genetics. So, if your mission in life is […]

WINTER WORKOUT By: John M. Di Fazio II As we enter into the depths of Winter, our bodies naturally seek a hibernation state. Many face the thought of exercise with an avoidance mindset, unmotivated and rolled up under a proverbial blanket until the Spring sunshine arrives again. It’s important to defy those hibernation urges and fight back against that sluggish mindset. There are plenty of indoor exercise activities to do, whether it’s at home or in the gym. Both my wife and I are dedicated to exercising daily with weight training and cardiovascular exercise, but it’s often a nice change of pace to make exercise an outdoor adventure. A few years ago, we received two pairs of snow shoes as a gift. It was a wonderful gift and we put them to good use the very first chance that we had. It was not only great cardiovascular exercise, but also […]

BREAK FREE of the COMFORT ZONE By: John M. Di Fazio II There’s an old saying, “Comfort wants you dead.” I know it sounds extreme, but it’s true when you really think about it. Comfort dulls the senses. It makes one complacent. It may not kill you suddenly or swiftly, but it eats away at one’s strength one day at a time. I’m not saying that we must eliminate all comfort in our lives. I’m simply suggesting that it is often beneficial to experience hardships and discomfort. When we are uncomfortable, it agitates us. It drives us to better our situation. In this process of bettering ourselves we grow. At different times in our lives we might be challenged to grow physically, spiritually, intellectually, mentally, and emotionally. Think about how often you procrastinate and put off until tomorrow what can be done today. There are countless examples of this in […]

DISCIPLINE THROUGH THE HOLIDAYS By: John M. Di Fazio II “There is only one type of discipline, perfect discipline.” ~ General George S. Patton Jr., United States Army If you want to stay in shape through the Holidays, you have to have the discipline and self-control to not over-indulge.  One must set parameters to eating to prevent the overconsumption of unhealthy treats and rich foods that circulate the many parties throughout the season. There are constant temptations for tasty foods that are prevalent around this time of year. People often ask me how I stay in shape amid the bombardment of parties and events at this time of year. I set the necessary boundaries and rules with myself. I simply tell myself that I am only allowed to indulge one day per week. If there are two parties, indulge at one, and make healthy choices at the other. If you […]

PECTORAL DUMBBELL ISOLATION By: John M. Di Fazio II An excellent way to develop the pectoral muscle group is through proper isolation. While power movements like the traditional bench press are foundationally important, dumbbell exercises performed with isolation are equally beneficial in the development of the pectoral muscles. Dumbbells provide the opportunity to approach different angles that affect the pectorals from origin to insertion in a way that places precise stress on the muscles.  It is also a way to engage the pecs while working around shoulder injuries because of the flexibility of the positioning of the dumbbells grips.   Dumbbell Presses mimic the overall motion of a traditional bench press while allowing hand variations that that alter the contraction of the muscle as the pressing motion is executed. Dumbbell Flies give the pecs a deep stretch, pulling the muscle’s attachments from the sternum, creating the micro tears that provide […]

CONSISTENCY and SELF-DISCIPLINE By: John M. Di Fazio II A client recently pointed out that she has found that many people who formerly had good, healthy eating and exercise habits have seem to have fallen into a complete rut.  They are not making the effort to break free of the bad habits that they’ve created over the last year and a half. I understand that many people have had a difficult time with the circumstances in which we are living, but it’s time to put that behind us, and get moving again. And, that goes for more than just a healthy diet and exercise. It’s time to get motivated again, and recreate the good habits that you once had. It is time to write down your plan, make the time in your schedule for improvement, and execute the plan so that it becomes second nature for you once more. You […]

AMAZING BICEPS DEVELOPMENT By: John M. Di Fazio II From the dawn of weight training, the most sought after muscle group has been the Biceps. There is nothing like the peak of a Biceps muscle towering over the body like a mountain peak. It is admired as such. Perhaps it is because our arms are the most exposed of all the muscle groups that they should be the most desired to build. They are actually the smallest in comparison to the other muscle groups of the body. The Biceps consist of two heads, the long head and the short head. Both heads are generally engaged in Biceps exercises as well as several Back exercises such as chin-ups. The long head is developed to bear the weight load of heavier Biceps exercises, while the short head is that much desired peak that is built as the muscle fibers tear each time […]

MIGHTY TRICEPS By: John M. Di Fazio II Over the years, I’ve seen people neglect certain muscle groups while focusing only on their favorites in regards to weight training and calisthenics. While the winner of the neglected body parts in most gyms is “Legs,” another muscle group that is often overlooked is the Triceps Brachii. Biceps are great, and they’re definitely a focal point of a well developed arm, but the Triceps are technically a larger muscle group that when trained properly can become one of your best features. The Triceps consist of 3 separate heads of the muscle group: the Lateral Head, the Medial Head, and the Long Head. I have a specific approach to my training method, so I will discuss how I apply it to my Triceps workouts. My monthly workout regimens progress from a Thirties Week, (30 repetitions on all exercises,) to a Super-set Week, to a […]

GETTING ENOUGH GREENS? By: John M. Di Fazio II Part of creating Individualized Nutrition Plans for clients is supplying them with the proper amount of nutrients. A large percentage of clients select a good number of green vegetables from the lists that I provide on my questionnaire, such as spinach, asparagus, broccoli, kale, string beans, Romaine lettuce, and other nutrient dense vegetables. Though most enjoy a wide variety of green vegetables on a regular basis, I will often receive a questionnaire in which the client likes few vegetables.  Once in while, I’ll receive a questionnaire from a client who does not like any vegetables at all. There are ways to disguise vegetables such as omelettes, homemade meatloaf, and blended shakes. These are good ways to provide the nutrients that are important for digestion, cellular health, and a natural vitamin and mineral intake. Spinach or broccoli can be easily disguised in […]

SUPERB V-SHAPE LATS By: John M. Di Fazio II One of the most sought after looks in the bodybuilding and fitness world is a developed V-shape latissimus dorsi. The back is a large muscle group consisting of different muscles layered upon each other. While it is important to train the entire back and all of its different areas, I would like to zero in on the lats and the best exercises for superb development. Throughout my career, people have always inquired as to how I developed my back, and specifically may lats. While I attribute much of my back development to performing Deadlifts, my lat development can be specifically attributed to basic movements such as pull-ups, chin-ups, and wide-grip angled pull-ups. When I was 11 years old, I had an early morning routine at the park in which I incorporated pull-ups and chin-ups. These two movements helped me to create […]