First Gym Characters Post

This is the First Gym Characters post

First Fitness and Sports Post

This is the first fitness and sports post

Get Serious

I can’t believe what I am seeing at the local gym. Many of the clients look better than the staff training them. What are they thinking? One guy was following his client around with a clipboard and in her face as she exercised. This has to be annoying if you are giving a supreme effort. One of my pet peeves as a student athlete was the coach screaming in your face as you exercised. This was relegated to my high school years, but there are only so many sprints and push-ups you can do before the muscles give out.

My philosophy as a trainer and instructor was to exercise with my clients so I could feel what they were feeling. This way they can gradually improve their body in the proper time frame. It is essential to have proper form when you are training, but you don’t need a man or woman within five inches of your sweaty body measuring the angle of your arms. Your body normally tells you if you are more than a few inches off cue.

The haphazard workout is the opposite of the over-indulgent personal trainer workout. This is when a new member enters the gym and feels he needs no assistance when he or she is the one who should acquire 10 lessons. If you can’t employ a proper fitness routine after 10 sessions, then you aren’t trying and you’re wasting your hard earned dollars. The haphazard guy will usually jump from machine to machine without any plan as to what he or she wants to accomplish. Normally, they will use the lat machine and do some curls, then finish with a walk on the treadmill. If they want to waste some more time, they might do a set of abdominal crunches so they can brag to their friends or spouse they spent ninety minutes at the gym, albeit with nothing to show for it.

I encouraged my clients not to use the scale because I wanted them to work hard so they could see the improvements in the mirror and by the positive comments of friends and associates. You want to encourage your friends in fitness not to take themselves too seriously, but to always have a goal and don’t leave the gym until mission accomplished.

Yours in health……“Dennis Reilly, The Blue Collar Guy”

Port Richmond High School 40th Reunion

Over one hundred alumni from the class of 1970 attended the reunion. The organizers did a fabulous job (Donna Calano, Al and Jo Cipoli, Pati Smith, Pam Mauro and Patricia Willis). Let’s be real, for without them there would be no reunion. It was great catching up on old times and renewing old ties. Everybody looked fantastic and Al demonstrated some of his old footwork on the dance floor without having the luxury of running behind the devastating blocks of Deacon Dalconzo. Joe was a no show but I’m certain a man of his fame had previous engagements.

The time flew bye and I know I didn’t get to speak with everyone. I still owe Hank Shostchuck a drink and didn’t see Vincent Pizzo who is listed in the directory. The group picture is a keeper even with the absence of Jeff Paul and Deacon Dalconzo. I found some new neighbors in North Carolina in Greg Jensen and Barbara Smiechowski and saw grade school classmates Cathy Clark and Donna Calano.

Just to demonstrate how many times I have been hit in my fight career I wore jeans, sneakers and a pull-over shirt which I though constituted cocktail attire while everybody else was dressed appropriately in jacket and tie. You don’t get a face like mine without being hit alot! I’ll be posting more pictures as time goes by. I’ll email all with the web addresses I have. I want to leave everyone with some words of wisdom from my good friend and alumni who recently passed away, Dean Fiorella. “Mailman, Mailman, Don’t be slow! Be like Elvis! Go man! Go!”

Where is Witte?

Where have you gone, Witte Halle? The nation turned it’s brain to “Thinkersize” and now it’s lonely eyes to you. Where have you gone, Witte Halle? He invented a class called “Thinkersize” at the end of the 1980’s, which was the rage of New York City. He was able to exercise the brain and the body in one fell swoop, and packed the old time aerobic studios with attractive females and the men who followed them. Jerry Goldstein savored his hard earned place amongst the ladies, as Witte nourished his razor sharp brain to unforeseen heights.

Workout fanatics thought of him as both Simon and Peabody on the “Rocky and Bullwinkle” program. The voice and facial similarities were strikingly similar to fans of the popular show. At the zenith of his fame, he dismissed himself like a fading comet, and his innovative “Thinkersize” went the same route. No one could duplicate the class program or it’s benefits, so our only hope is that an older and even wiser Witte will return. Mark (featured) is keeping a sharp eye for the return. “Where have you gone, Witte Halle? America turns it’s lonely eyes to you!” Remember, if one person walks in a room, but it’s really two, you can be certain it’s Witte.

Gym Etiquette Please!

There must be a manuscript on this planet somewhere to give earth dwellers a hint on gym etiquette. I’ve yet to discover it, but will embellish on some of my pet peeves in the world of exercise.

First and foremost, please do not be a stinker. Wear fresh, clean workout gear, rather than sweaty garments that can walk on their own. If you must fart, go to the toilet and let loose.  Why should others have to endure the unpleasant aroma? It is both hazardous and annoying while breathing heavily on fitness machines and becoming engulfed in silent gas. An unhealthy cough in your vicinity can make you ill for a week and introduce others to hepatitis. They are airborne particles, so at least attempt to cover your mouth.

Wiping down the apparatus you finish working on is healthy and considerate and will make the next user feel comfortable and germ-free. Most individuals do not cherish wiping down somebody’s perspiration. A sanitizing liquid is provided at fitness establishments.

Please don’t fall asleep and dominate a machine for an abnormal amount of time. It is not kind to be using two and three stations at one time and get annoyed when others ask to work in with you. Cell phones are distractions for both yourself and membership. If I’m focused on meeting a goal on the Stairmaster, it’s counterproductive and distracting listening to a phone conversation on ectopic pregnancy. This is significant when the individual on the cell is a loud talker.

Talking, staring, grunting, yelling, interruptions, and giving out unwanted advice are all unwarranted and unacceptable. Unless the individual is going to kill him or herself, let them do their own thing. You have no idea what their goal may be.

Bring your own towels to the facility, as sometimes the supplied paper variety just doesn’t suffice. All equipment should be returned to its proper position. Don’t stand over someone while they operate with weights and machines.

There are so many more, but these will suffice for now. Please e-mail my website with your favorites, and the many I must have overlooked.

Intensity!

Anyone who has accomplished anything of significance realizes you must put in the effort. Just showing up is what it is, absolutely nothing! The theory of no pain and all gain is a misnomer, unless you enjoy looking like Sponge Bob Square Pants. Considering a warm-up a workout will not accomplish your goals. I know we all would like to just glide along which is acceptable on bad days, but for the most part, if you want to obtain the body you truly desire, you must intensify!

The benefits are substantial. Blood flow redistribution, arteriovenus oxygen difference, sweat gland activation, lower blood pressure will stay with you longer if you add the zip to your workout. Of course, there are the same benefits from mild exercise, but if you miss a few days, you are back to square one; contrary to intense exercise, which remains with you longer.

My recommendation is to add at least one tough workout to your routine per week. If you can add more, fantastic. I get my heart rate up to maximum (you can’t hold a conversation) and level off to about 80% for at least twenty minutes on a cardio machine or running workout. Another way is to do a quick warm-up of a minute, and do two minutes of maximum work, and thirty seconds of recovery (walk or jog). This is much more efficient than a slow jog or walk for sixty minutes because the muscles work harder and you will be burning fat long after you complete your exercise.

Please leave comments if you want specific routines spelled out for you.

Skunk Man

Ollie Van stands 5’10” and weighs 165 pounds. He happens to be an eccentric fellow with a slender physique and no muscle tone to speak of.  Upon entering the weight room of the local Y.M.C.A., he will hear the snide remarks of, “Skunk man. It’s skunk man.” The unkempt wisps of dark black hair under his chin and funky smell emanating from his unconventional gym attire give rise to the whispering chatter. Wrinkled black slacks and a yellow stained white T-shirt don’t help his cause for gym fashion. Ollie has no problem letting out some gas as he explodes on the bench press.

The members in the room, when he arrives, will attempt to stay as far away as possible from the skunk’s position. Everyone just stares and tries to ignore him when he asks for a spot with the weights. Sometimes he’ll respond with a yell of, “Who’s calling me skunk man?” when frustration sets in. He does aid your workout as you move a lot faster with your exercises when he arrives.  It’s either that, or your lungs might go.  The added fact that he wears a fur coat in the summer makes this workout regular a total mystery.

I always try to look for the silver lining. On days I go to the gym and feel sluggish, I may hope that the skunk man will appear. I will work a lot harder and be finished sooner, rather than later. One last note is to never do cardio next to this man unless you are wearing a Scott Pack.

Mysterious Moynidouche

The year is 1970, and the 18 year old is named Steve. He is a bona fide member of the Staten Island Y.M.C.A.  His last name was Moynidouche. I’m sure he had taken a lot of abuse for the family name. His gym wardrobe consisted of a muscle T-shirt, blue scrubs, and a pair of flip-flops. Mr. Moynidouche was 5’9” tall and 160 pounds. You could tell he may have worked out a little, but was not noteworthy in that respect.  He lived one mile from the gym and would march there in his weight garb while pumping a baton. He called it his weightlifter’s day parade. You would realize this eclectic teen had been at the gym by a set of rags he would leave on the lat machine. He used these as handgrips.

Steve is most noted for approaching new gym members as they were exercising and enhancing them with words of wisdom. Freaky sayings, such as, “Benjamin Franklin said you are more nervous than she.” He would also engage members in conversation and walk away in mid sentence. He would bother knowledgeable members for exercise routines which he had no intention of following. A number three was pasted on his blue tank top because he said he was within three.

This strange teen never liked doing reps or sweating. His workouts consisted of three sets of two for everything.  Bench press, inclines, curls, bent over rows and triceps. Crunches were done on a bench for abdominals. Beware of the blue scrubs if you find them in a weight room near you.

Crotchless Sweats

The ‘Iron Den’ was the noble name of the N.Y.C. establishment where Matt DeDumit stimulated his physique and ego. He plodded around the workout metropolis with no plan or direction. Pumping weights here, some basketball there, and football sprints from a three-point stance in and around the clientele. His physique was characterized as strong, and body aroma powerful. At 5‘9” and 190 pounds he was considered a weight widget. His gym gear consisted of a white plastic top to stimulate perspiration, high top Kangaroo footgear, baseball cap with no logo, and his trademark crotchless sweat bottoms.  Neither rain, sleet, snow, nor terrorist attack altered his wardrobe. He was a horrific handicap for single gym goers as he frightened away the adorable women when performing leg lifts. He is around your gym. Just look below the waist for the hole in his crotch.