Archive for November, 2006
Hello Again! I see you came back for more, GREAT!…
Well, as you’ve all seen if you’ve been reading my recent training blogs, I MAKE NO EXCUSES. I’LL DO WHATEVER IT TAKES TO GET IT DONE!!
In this blog I’ll be going through my extraordinary tricep routine that has everyone at my gym SPEECHLESS as they watch me crank out 50 and even 100 rep sets! ARE YOU READY? HERE WE GO AGAIN!
As with my bicep routine, I only perform three exercises for triceps. Your triceps also fall in the small muscle group category so they DON’T need alot of work. I do three exercises that give you that horseshoe shaped tricep that many people are trying to acheive.
As a general rule when training my triceps, my objective is to “sculpt” my triceps NOT BUILD. What I mean by that is that since arm size comes fairly easy to me, my current routine is designed to focus on strict form and on bringing out certain qualities of the tricep such as the horshoe shape, that lateral head of the tricep that juts out when you hit the side tricep pose, and the long head of the tricep that gives it the sweep under the arm when you do a front double bicep pose.
My first exercise I love to start off with is called SKULL CRUSHERS. I like to use the barbell with this movement and ISOLATION is the key. I’ll lay on the flat bench keeping my elbows inward which will isolate the tricep BIG TIME, and keep other muscles from taking over! (the way some people do these, they work more chest or lats than triceps!)
Here’s how it’s done… I’ll perform three sets. First set 50 lbs 15-20 reps here are those high reps, again keeping my elbows inward, bending my arms, bringing the bar to the top of my forehead and then back to full extention. The second set 60 lbs 15-20 reps. For my final set are YOU READY FOR THIS… I’ll jump up to 80 lbs and go until failure which is usually 30-40 reps.
I jump right into the next exercise which are CLOSE GRIP PUSHUPS. Alot of people hate doing pushups and close grip pushups are even harder than the regular way. In my case, I LOVE THEM! To those who avoid exercise variations that are “the harder way”, ask yourself if you are just making EXCUSES AGAIN! the exercises that are the most challenging are almost always the ones that give you the best results.
I’ll do three sets of 50 reps on close grip push ups - that’s right there’s that number AGAIN - FIFTY REPS! It took me a while to work up to that, it surely didn’t happen over night, so be patient when you first start doing these.
Then it’s on to my FINAL exercise which are DIPS! I’ll do three sets until FAILURE! By the way I will NEVER use the assisted dip machine NO matter how fatiqued my triceps are! I do them the hard way - with body weight on regular dipping bars. The first set 30 reps… I’ll count 10 seconds before I begin my second set of another 30 reps. For my FINAL set I ask GOD to give me strength to do as many as I can, until I can’t push myself up anymore! Are you ready for the number? No it’s NOT 50, BUT 100 reps IN A ROW!
My message today for you and for people all over the globe, is that in order to be successful in life, we can’t always go by what we feel like doing. We can’t always do what’s fun and easy; we must do what is difficult and necessary. The path of least resistance is the path to failure. If I lived my life the easy way, I would not be where I am today. Where do you get the strength to do what is difficult and necessary? My strength comes from within!
November 29th, 2006
Hello again! I hope by this time you are realizing by reading my recent blog entries, that I allow absolutely no room for excuses in my life!
We all make excuses from time to time - that’s just human nature -but we have to realize it when we are making excuses and then stop ourselves and admit that our excuses do not hold water!
You cannot come up with an excuse good enough that I cannot give you a answer for! Oh, I know that You might be trying to think of one where you can say it’s legit, but let me save you the trouble — there is NEVER an excuse good enough, because I’ve heard them all and they are all lies!
Thats right - Making excuses is rationalizing your failure to succeed or your failure to attempt and rationalizing is “rationing lies!”
Here are two of the most common:
“I don’t have time”
or this next one tops them all
“I’m too tired!”
How can you say you don’t have the time? Ridiculous! We all have all the time in the world - 24 hours a day! I have 24 hours a day and so do you. So does Donald Trump, The President, Tiger Woods, Oprah Winfrey, and Bill Gates. Why do some people succeed and others don’t? It’s not about time. It’s what you do with your time and how you prioritize your time that matters.
You’re too tired? how do you know that? have you tried to see just how much eating properly and exercising will Increase your energy!
While others try to come up with more excuses about why they’re not doing anything to help themselves achieve their goals, I WILL BE MOVING FULL STEAM AHEAD TOWARDS FULFILLING MY MISSION, and I urge you to do the same.
My message to you and other people around the globe is simple… three words for you. NO MORE EXCUSES… no matter what!
so it’s time to get on the action track and off the excuses track because before you know it, life will pass you by and you won’t be able to get it back. You only get one shot at life. If you don’t get past excuses, at the end of your life, you will suffer with regrets and questions.
Even if you’ve been an excuse maker your entire life, don’t worry. It’s never over until God calls upon you. It’s not too late. Begin now!
would you rather keep on making excuses or find out what kind of potential you truly possess, but are not using yet? Would you rather keep on making excuses, or find out what Mission God has in store for you? I could have made excuses, but instead I made plans. They say God helps those who help themselves and as I had the courage to move past excuses and take action on my plans, God revealed to me my mission and purpose, which I could not see until I had climbed over that first obstacle that appeared to block my way.
November 27th, 2006
Welcome Back! As you’ve seen in my two previous training blogs, my training methods are quite unusual with my high reps and taking almost no rest at all in between my sets and exercises. In this next blog I will be explaining my AMAZING shoulder routine that has made me well known for having some of the thickest, roundest shoulders in the gym.
ARE YOU READY? HERE WE GO AGAIN!
I will do three excersises, 3 sets a piece, shoulders are a very small muscle group you don’t need to do ALOT for them. I will start with the ARNOLD PRESS, made famous by Arnold schwarzenegger, who is one of the reasons why I started bodybuilding. I like this movement because it really focuses on hitting the 3 parts of your deltoid muscle: front, side and rear - all in one shot!
On the first set I use 3 lbs dumbells for 15-20 reps, allowing myself 30 seconds in between sets. For the 2nd set I increase the weight to 40 lbs for 20-25 reps. I KNOW WHAT YOUR’RE PROBABLY THINKING… as the weight increases, its only normal to drop your reps. Well, I don’t follow what is “normal” or what everyone else is doing. I’ve done plenty of heavy lifting, powerlifting and even bench press competitions before. But when it comes to bodybuilding, I go by feel and I trust my instincts in the gym to find what works best for MY body. This is where GOD takes over. He has been my coach with everything that I have done and I’m not going to let him DOWN!
On the 3rd and final set I will bring the weight back down to 35 lbs and go until FAILURE… are you READY FOR THE NUMBER? OK…. 50 REPS!! At this point I’m just getting WARMED UP
The next two movements I do are primarily for “shaping,” which means I keep it LIGHT and I really focus on STRICT FORM! My second exercise is the standing barbell front raise. There’s that word - standing - AGAIN! Nothing will hold me back when it comes to MY TRAINING - I MAKE NO EXCUSES! To do an exercise standing up, I simply balance myself against the wall and do 3 STRICT sets. 1st set 40 lbs barbell 15-20 reps, 2nd set 50 lbs 15-20 reps, 3rd set until FAILURE I will go back to 40 lbs 25-30 reps. Let me tell you, my shoulders are SREAMING at this point to QUIT, but I know I have ONE MORE exercise to do.
My 3rd and FINAL exercise is the rear delt machine. I like to finish with this always because this will stretch out my shoulders to help AVOID tightness after I just put them through the RINGER! 1st set: 45 lbs, 20-25 reps, 2nd set: 50 lbs, 15-20 reps, 3rd set until FAILURE (about 40 lbs for 50 REPS!)
Well there you have it. Now you know how I achieve outstanding shoulder development! If you’ve been wondering why you’re not getting the shoulder development YOU want, then remember my training tips: choose exercises that hit all 3 parts of your deltoid, trust your instincts (trust god!), if you feel like trying high reps, give it a try, even if other people tell you “it’s wrong”, and make absolutely NO EXCUSES!
November 21st, 2006
Setting big goals is important. We all need goals, lots of them, and lots of BIG ones. I have many of them, not just for myself and my training and how many reps I do and how much weight I will lift, but also for others, through “Ninos mission.”
“What are my goals I want to achieve through Nino’s Mission?
First, let me say that THE WORLD NEEDS MORE ROLE MODELS. So…
My goal is to be a role model to as many other people across the globe as I can. I’ll also say that even if I know I was a role model and positive influence to just one other person, then my “mission” woluld be worth it!.
My goal is to attract more opportunities to help other people
My goal is to change non-disabled people’s attitudes and perceptions about DISABLED PEOPLE!
Everyone has heard the saying, “DON”T JUDGE A BOOK BY IT’S COVER,” well take if from me, disabled people get judged by their covers! People take one look at me and they assume, “He can’t do this and he can’t do that.” Well, put me on the cover, but don’t judge me! I can do anything I put my mind to.
My goal is to help people who are disabled to change their attitudes and perceptions about what they can do. I’m saddened when I see disabled people who are convinced that they are useless! If someobody ever told me I was “useless” I would just have a GOOD LAUGH! How do you know what you can and can’t do if you don’t even try?
My goal is to encourage everyone - the disabled an non disabled alike - to stop making excuses!
So be prepared, if you judge people by their “covers,” if you don’t even try and see what you can do, or if you make any excuses at all, then the next time you go answer your doorbell it just might just be ME standing in your doorway saying to you, THE EXCUSES STOP HERE!
November 17th, 2006
Many of my fellow bodybuilders realize that nutrition is the most important part of your bodybuilding regime in order to win a competition.
I usually start my diet 12 weeks out from a contest, and let me tell you, they are longest 12 weeks of my life! I will start with eating five small meals throughout the day, one meal about every three hours. I live with my Italian mom who loves to make homemade pasta, bread and all kinds of other dishes that are tempting and delicious… but which I can’t have before a competition.
While I watch the rest of my family eat all the good Italian stuff, a lot of people ask me how I stay on my diet. My answer is simple: DETERMINATION! I am determined to be in the best shape I can be on contest day, so I never make excuses like, “The food was there in my house, so I had to eat it”… or, “I don’t want to upset my mother by not eating what she cooks!”
For the first 8 weeks, I will keep my carb intake at about 200 grams, the protein at about 200 grams and the fat intake is about 35-40 grams. If you’re doing the math, you may realize that this is not a lot of calories - in fact, this adds up to a little under 2,000 per day - it’s not a lot of food. But keep in mind, my body weight is only about 135-140 lbs off season and 130 pounds on the day of the contest, so my calorie needs are a bit lower than some other bodybuilders who weigh more than me. Everything is relative.
Three times a week I will carb load to about 300 grams (which adds another 400 calories to my diet on those high carb days), and I keep my water intake to 2 gallons in a day. I eat complex carbs such as brown rice, sweet potatoes, plain oatmeal and broccoli.
My protein food sources are chicken, fish and eggs whites. I don’t eat much fat, except the fat that’s already in my chicken breast, etc., but I do eat some natural peanut butter for fats.
At 8 weeks out, I will cut down my carbs to about 175 grams and that’s when my family knows to avoid me, LOL! The diet is so strict at this point, I’m usually not a very happy person, it has to be done. No matter how it affects my mood, there is NO looking back at this stage in the contest prep period.
At 4-6 weeks out I’m getting down to the nuts and bolts of my diet. My carbs are down to 100 grams and this is where my HEART and WILL are put to the TEST!
Ten days out I start carb depletion. For six days I will drink up to 3 gallons of water and eat almost nothing but protein! In this time, I’m doing cardio twice a day, running on the treadmill 45 minutes in the morning and 30 minutes at night. At this point I’m ready to drop to the ground, but I know GOD will give me his STRENGTH to make it through this!
Four days before the BIG DAY, I carb load to about 300 grams and let me tell you - eating those carbs feels like HEAVEN at that point because my body is STARVING FOR CARBS!! The BAD NEWS is I also start DEHYDRATION PROCESS cutting down my water down the last couple days and only having SIPS on contest day!
That’s my contest prep, in a nutshell. So, the next time you’re tempted go for that extra slice of pizza that you know you’re not supposed to have, just think of Nino, eating broccoli and chicken and egg whites, while surrounded by sumptuous, tempting, home-made Italian food and ask YOURSELF WHAT’S MY EXCUSE? I know one thing “I MAKE NONE FOR MYSELF SO WHY SHOULD YOU?
November 14th, 2006
As you can imagine, I’m constantly being approached in the gym by people with questions about my workout programs and my training philosophy.
I’m pretty sure you have heard the saying, “NO PAIN NO GAIN!” That does a good job summing up my philosophy.
I believe in totally working every body part to the maximum and I’m not afraid to train through the pain barrier. I will keep pushing until I cannot possibly squeeze out another rep and I have a lot of endurance, so I train with a lot of high reps. Sometimes I will even work a body part so hard, that I can hardly walk or drive afterwards, depending what I’m training that day!
This type of training is not for everyone. But for me, it’s important because I train for competitive bodybuilding. It’s also important to me personally - I suppose it’s just the way I have to prove something to myself. Most importantly, it works for me. I thrive on very intense, high rep workouts - physically as well as psychologically.
Many people tell me that they think my biceps are one of my best body parts. So in today’s blog, I will be explaining my current bicep workout!
HERE WE GO AGAIN!
I do 3 bicep excercises and perform 3 sets of each exercise. I begin with seated incline dumbell curls, all drop sets with no rest in between. On the first set, I start with 40 lbs for 15-25 reps, on the 2nd set I drop to 35 lbs for 25-30 reps, and on the 3rd set I do 30 lbs for as many reps as I can, which is usually 50 reps! YES, FIFTY!
At this point I’m just getting warmed up. The second exercise is standing barbell curls. YES I Do THESE STANDING! I could easily do all my bicep work on machines or sitting down, but I MAKE NO EXCUSES. If I CAN do it, I WILL do it. If there is a way, I will find it!
For standing curls, I simply support myself against the wall and curl. The first set is 60 lbs for 15-20 reps, then 50lbs for 20-30 reps and then 40lbs for 100 reps. Pretty crazy, huh? Believe it or not, my biceps are still fresh after that and there’s still one more exercise to go.
My final movement is the preacher curl. This is not a drop set. I go as heavy as I can while still hitting high reps, and I continue until failure. The first set is 60 lbs for 15-20 reps, the second set 70lbs for 15-20 reps, and then I like to really to do something really CRAZY. The last set is 90lbs - and are you ready for the number - for 25-30 reps!
When I was just 13 years old, I had become overweight as a result of sitting around doing nothing. At one point, my weight ballooned to 240 pounds. I easily could have continued to comfort myself with food and turned to alcohol. Instead, I decided to change my life and I hit the gym instead. As a result of that decision many years ago, I have built up my body and become a successful competitive bodybuilder.
The “Average Joe” sits at home every night doing 12 oz curls (that’s beer - in case you didn’t catch that)… Now you know how I do my curls. If I can do this, so can you. NO EXCUSES! Here is a phrase I came up with when I feel like QUITTING “IF YOU THINK YOU CAN”T YOU PROBABLY WON”T BUT IF YOU PUT FORTH THE EFFORT YOU MIGHT JUST SURPRISE YOURSELF”!
November 9th, 2006
I’ve been asked by many people what is the true motivation behind my mission and my success. Well, it all starts with my belief in GOD… he has been the driving force behind everything that I have accomplished to this point in my life!
One point I would like to get across with my mission is to allow people to understand that GOD has a special purpose for all of us no matter what situation or circumstances you are dealing with!
When others say to me, “How can you be so motivated with what you have to deal with?” My response to that is simple: when I feel like giving up - and yes, even I have those negative thoughts pop into my head at times - there is a phrase I always say to myself:
“GOD CHOOSES WHO HE USES AND USES WHO HE CHOOSES.”
God has given me a gift and I would like an opportunity to share with people the AMAZING GIFT that he has given me.
I believe that God has chosen me for a special MISSION with the purpose of teaching other people about how he can work in their lives, in a positive way. No matter what someone is dealing with in their life, which makes them feel as if they have nothing to offer, they DO have something to offer, something to teach others, something to live for.
It takes courage to look for the gift or benefit in adversity or disability and even more courage to share it with others. All I can say is, no matter what you are going through, find your gifts, discover your purpose and MAKE NO EXCUSES! I MAKE NONE, so WHY should YOU?
BELIEVE IN YOURSELF, but most of all, BELIEVE IN GOD!! HE WILL NOT LET YOU DOWN!
November 7th, 2006
There is a lot about my training that can leave anyone’s imagination guessing. So many people have been curious and asked me exactly how I manage to train my whole body with so much intensity, as they have preconceived notions about what someone in my situation can and cannot do.
I’m here to tell you that you can achieve anything if you just put forth the effort and determination and if you are willing to go through the pain barrier in the process.
In this blog, I will explain a typical training session for me that leaves everyone asking, “How do you do that? That seems impossible to do.” As I explained in my first post, nothing is impossible if you just believe in what you are doing! It begins with belief.
Here we go. Are you ready?
I first start with a 45 minute run on the treadmill. Yes, I run! All I need to do is hold on to the side rails for balance and stability. I set the incline all the way up to level 15, which is the highest it can go. I start my speed at 2.5 mph for about two minutes of warm up, then gradually increase it to a maximum of 4.5 mph.
This may not be a sprint speed for some people, it’s more like a slow jog speed, but it’s a good pace for me and keep in mind I still have the incline set at 15 and it will remain there until the end! Try it and see for yourself what that’s like.
Once my cardio is finished, it’s time to hit the weights! Today was a chest workout. I did three major exercises and hit them with enough intensity that it might make some people get sick!
The first movement was the bench press. All guys seem to love to bench press as it builds those “T-shirt muscles” and they say it impresses the ladies! Actually, it’s not a good idea to train for your ego or train to impress others, but there is no doubt this is an effective, enjoyable and satisfying exercise to perform.
By the way, I hold the New York State Bench Press record of 300 pounds. Of course, lots of people who are serious lifters have bench pressed 300 pounds, but to put this in perspective, I did it while my body weight was only 130 pounds (I benched 2.3 times my bodyweight!)
For today’s session, I performed 4 sets of bench press in total: 2 sets @ 185 lbs for 15-20 reps, then down to 165 lbs for 1 set of 25 reps. On the last set, I dropped drop down to 135 lbs for 30-40 reps.
It may seem unusual that I go so high in reps, but over the years, even after spending a lot of time doing power lifting and low reps, and comparing results from both, I have found that high reps is what my body responds to the best for bodybuilding purposes.
It may be the standard “rule” to perform 8-12 reps on every exercise, but if you only follow everyone else’s rules and don’t experiment to find out what works best for you, then you will never know, will you? My body thrives on high reps and I love this kind of training.
The next exercise was incline dumbbell presses. I did not go heavy on this movement, as my goal on this was to try to shape the muscle, more than build mass. I like to have good muscle separation, and although muscle separation and definition comes mostly from dieting off the body fat, I am convinced that training is also a big part of it getting good muscle separation.
I performed three total sets, with very strict form, squeezing and flexing with every rep, starting with 40 lbs for 15-20 reps, then I moved it up to 45 lbs for 15-20 reps, and then back down to 40 lbs for 20-25 reps. By this time, my chest was on fire.
My final exercise is flat bench dumbbell flyes. I usually do 3 total sets. I start with 40 lbs for 20-25 reps, then up to 50 lbs for 15-20 reps on my last set I like to do something crazy so I bump to 65 lbs on my last set for about 15 reps. At this point my chest was exploding!
Oh, I almost forgot to mention, I don’t rest more than 15 seconds between sets. That always seems to blow everyone’s mind when they hear it!
My training may seem unconventional with the high reps and low rest periods, but it works for me and I enjoy this type of training the most.
This is just the beginning, too. Next time, I will explain my “crazy” shoulder workout. Thanks for visiting today. I’ll see you again soon!
November 5th, 2006
Hello. My name is Nino Savona, I am from Clifton Park, New York, and I would like to welcome you and thank you for visiting my new website, Nino’s mission.com.
My primary objective for Nino’s Mission.com is to inspire and teach people with physical disabilities — as well as people without disabilities — from all around the world, that they can achieve anything in life if they just believe in themselves. I also believe, given the opportunity, that I can motivate and help change the world’s perception about people with disabilities, because if someone like me can do it, then what could YOU achieve?
No matter what life throws at you, there are NO EXCUSES! Do the best you can with what you have. Making excuses will only rob you of the richer life that you can lead if only you will take responsibility, believe in yourself and go make things happen. As you will see by my photos and my accomplishments, and you will see in my upcoming posts to this weblog, I make no excuses for myself, so why should you?
Here is one I keep hearing: “IT’S IMPOSSIBLE.”
When you hear this, coming from others or from yourself, I urge you to think about the fact that everything was impossible before it became possible. Automobiles were impossible, until they became possible. Flying in airplanes was impossible, until it became possible. Putting a man on the moon was impossible, until it became possible. Climbing Mt. Everest and running a mile in under four minutes were said to be impossible — until someone made them possible.
I could go on for pages about achievements in technology, engineering, medicine, business sports and every other field of endeavor, that people said couldn’t be done. Someone did them anyway. And the more you think about it, the more you realize that virtually every achievement was “impossible” until someone came along and did it.
Almost everyone told me that competing in bodybuilding would be impossible. Well, I made it possible and became a huge success, thanks to GOD and my belief in possibility! Sometimes it may take a little longer or require more work, but I believe anything is possible — all you have to do is cast aside your doubts and limitations, stop making excuses, and take action to make it happen!
Thank you again for visiting and for giving me the opportunity to share my life experience with you. In the days, weeks and months ahead, you can visit this site often to learn more about me, my philosophy on life and overcoming adversity, to learn more about my approach to health and fitness, and follow along as I train for my next competition.
November 2nd, 2006