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CAN-DO CORE: 3-Day Split Core Challenge! By: John M. Di Fazio II The dog-days of Summer are here, and it’s time to sharpen the weapons of your physical arsenal! It’s time to reclaim the ground that you’ve lost in the Summer party battlefield! Of course it means getting back on the right path with proper Nutrition first, but as you’re strategizing your victory plan, here is a decisive plan of attack for the abdominal muscles and core muscles. It’s an excellent challenge to flank the body fat enemy as your Nutrition infiltrates the enemy on a cellular level. You’ll finish the Summer with a strengthened core and a strengthened mindset. You’ll be primarily engaging your Erector Spinae, Obliques, Rectus Abdominis, Transverse abdominis, and Multifidus muscles.  I recommend at least one day of rest in between days of this 3-day split. DAY ONE: 30 repetitions per exercise. Rest for 30 seconds […]

Cardio and Conditioning: The Benefits of Low Impact Cardio By: John M. Di Fazio II There are multiple reasons for a cardiovascular exercise conditioning regimen. One may engage in cardio to improve their circulatory system.  Others might do so for specific sports conditioning, while others might seek to challenge themselves in a healthy way. Over the course of my 29 year career in the Nutrition and Fitness industry, (29 years this June,) the primary reason of interest in cardio that I found most people desired had to do with fat burning, or to increase their body’s ability to burn fat efficiently. I found that most people had an approach to cardio that could be considered overtraining. It was the “more is better” approach that led them to over-do it with their cardiovascular training. It’s understandable if one is training for a marathon or an Iron-Man competition, but for entering a […]

Life throws plenty of curveballs. We may strike out occasionally, but that doesn’t mean that we quit. We do whatever it takes to improve. We learn, we seek, we strive, we pray, we practice, we work diligently for as many hours as it takes, even if it means that we reinvent ourselves completely. Hannibal once said, “We will find a way, or we will make a way.” That is the mindset that everyone should strive to have. There are times in life that force us to step back and evaluate our direction. It can be at any stage in life, from school to work, from relationships to faith, from health to finances, from where we live to where we would like to travel. Life’s curveballs can throw us off balance temporarily, but we must regain our stance in the batter’s box. We must adapt to certain situations or circumstances and […]

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 […]