He worked harder than most people with all the standard parts and proceeded to lose the weight and win his little bet with his friend Gary. When he came to me to tell me about a video he had seen on You Tube about a young man who had a similar situation as his, benching 400 lbs., he asked he could possibly do that.

I explained to him he would have to have prosthetics designed, which would be heavy-duty, with a locking device that would not allow the bar to roll off.  He took the idea to the people who make his prosthetics and about four weeks later came in with new “benching hands”.  After twenty minutes we finally figured how to put the device on and started to bench.

Now, those of you have benched any significant amount of weight realize how important the lower body is, so Danny was already two strikes down.  No big deal!  We strapped his lower body to the bench and attached the device to the bar. By the end of the workout, he had bench pressed 205 lbs., with room for improvement. I told Danny that by September he will be bench pressing between 250 and 285 pounds.

So for those of us who feel that your workout is too tough or you can’t stay on your diet one more day, just remember Danny.

He presently checks in at 270 pounds.  He was persistent and consistent with his daily workouts and even withstood the many changes as the gym became South Shore Fitness.   Congratulations Jeff!

“Good Morning Connie – Just a note to thank you.  I needed to go shopping for real clothing.  I was stunned!  All the numbers are going in the right direction.  Have a great day. ” – T.L.

To find out what your BMI is multiply your weight in pounds by 703, divide the total by your height in inches, then divide it again by your height in inches. The results according to the American Heart Association are:

CATEGORY BMI
_________________________________
Underweight less than 18.5
Healthy 18.5 to 24.9
Overweight 25.0 to 29.9
Obese 30 or higher

Decrease your risk of disease by exercising more, don’t smoke and eat well.

South Shore Fitness Medical Exercise Specialist, Lauren Renda, was interviewed by the American Academy of Health, Fitness and Rehab Professionals.  The following link is the interview in it’s entirety.

“Spotlight Member for this edition is Lauren Renda, MFA, MES of Oceanside, NY. Lauren followed a very unique journey to become a Medical Exercise Specialist. She recently completed our Medical Exercise Specialist workshop and certification and currently works at South Shore Fitness Center on Long Island specializing in post rehab fitness.  Click the link below to listen to my interview with Lauren.” – Dr. Mike Jones, AAHRFP

http://medfit.audioacrobat.com/download/Interview_Lauren_Renda.mp3

One of my favorite muscle groups to work are shoulders and delts.

Dumbbell lateral raise is perfect for shaping deltoids, then try a shoulder press, front raises to an upright row.  Bent over lateral raise will help target rear delts.

Do one set of each to start, working your way up to two then three sets.    Try working one arm at a time, this will allow for heavier weight while maintaining proper form.   However, don’t over stress shoulders, go light and work your way up slowly.

While jumping rope as a child is fun, many young and older adults are starting to incorporate it into their fitness routines as do many athletes.  According  to the American Heart Association, jumping rope is an excellent exercise for cardiovascular fitness.   Incorporate it into your gym routine by jumping 3-4 min. then hop onto a few machines to work upper body strength, jump again 3-4 min. then go onto lower body, etc.  When first building up your  stamina,  jump for 3 min. 3 times a day, then go to 4 min. and so on.  In no time you’ll be jumping for 15 – 20 min at a time.  Just 10 minutes of rope jumping is equivalent to a ONE-MILE RUN.

To make sure your rope fits you, stand on it with two feet,  pull the handles up tightly.  The handles should come to the underarms.  Have fun.