Angela Romano is a vibrant, enthusiastic fitness facility owner who espouses a new and different approach towards all things health and fitness related: her approach is subtle and based in psychology. “I want to reintroduce the concept of fun back into fitness – I hate that word, “fitness” and prefer “wellness.” Angela feels the critical first step in changing a client’s body is to first change their psychological mindset. “Fitness/wellness succeeds when particip¬ants come to enjoy ‘the process,’ the hard training and disciplined eating.”
Angela’s facility is called Beyond Fit and is the complete opposite of the classical impersonal franchise gym. “At Beyond Fit we are strong believers in making the process fun without diluting any of the necessary effort and discipline.” Angela’s goal is to meld effectiveness with enthusiasm. She has a natural dynamism that would have made for a perfect cruise ship director and she has, over time, developed a very intricate approach towards her tradecraft. “I spent many years in the world of corporate fitness both as an instructor and as a facility director. I graduated college in 2001 with a degree in exercise physiology and went to work for one of the nation’s top commercial fitness firms: this was a very corporate approach towards fitness; nothing was spontaneous or intuitive. For every fitness situation we had to consult our guidelines, find the pre-ordained solution and apply it without any variation or allowance for individual circumstance. I eventually became a facility direc¬tor but found the rules and app¬roach very confining and ultimately lacking.” Angela eventually bailed out of the straightjacket world of corporate fitness world and set up her own shop; one that offered her unique approach towards the art and science of fitness and personal training. Beyond Fit is a 4,000 square foot fitness facility located in Harford County, Maryland and since opening a year ago the public has been beating a proverbial path to Angela’s door.
Angela’s approach combines intense physical training with disciplined Parrillo-style nutrition (and supplementation) and infuses the entire process with fun and enthusiasm. Every client at Beyond Fit has a personal trainer; no walk-in business. She feels it her solemn duty to ensure that each and every client progresses in the shortest amount of time. Since opening in 2007 this facility has been cranking out successfully renovated clients right and left. The best advertising for any fitness facility is a dramatically rebuilt client and when asked, Angela related her unique fitness philosophy. “I prefer the word “wellness” over the word fitness. Our goal at Beyond Fit is about wellness; we get clients into shape physically, emotionally and mentally. Beyond Fit is a personal training facility. Every one of my clients works with a personal trainer. Realistic goals are established and then, as a team, we work together to achieve those goals.” Every member of Beyond Fit has a plan of attack, a customized game plan individualized and tailored to the client’s unique needs. After an in-depth initial consultation, Angela (a certified Parrillo trainer) devises a custom training and nutrition program that jives with the realities of the client’s life situation. A resistance training and cardiovascular training regimen are constructed and one of Angela’s expert personal trainers is then assigned. “I put a lot of thought into matching up the right personal trainer with the right client. I currently have nine personal trainers, three cycling instructors and one nutritionist: me. It is important that the personalities mesh; the ideal PT inspires the new client and a client needs to know that their PT is involved and sympathetic. The client must trust us. If they do as we ask they can expect to make dramatic gains.”
The word is out in Harford County: if you are up to the challenge of a real fitness/wellness regimen, Beyond Fit is the place to train. The facility was awarded one of Harford Magazine’s vaunted “Reader’s Choice Awards” in 2007. One huge reason for the success of Beyond Fit is the profusion of Parrillo modes, methods, procedures. There are a lot of potent Parrillo supplements being consumed daily, weekly and monthly by the ultra-serious clientele of Beyond Fit. New clients are given a Parrillo BodyStat body fat test to establish body composition benchmarks. “I am a Parrillo certified nutritional expert and at Beyond Fit we use the Parrillo multiple-meal, low saturated fat, ‘clean eating’ approach. New clients are flabbergasted when I tell them how much food they are expected to eat under our nutritional guidelines. A lot of overweight clients have been brainwashed by fitness “experts” that tell them that a low calorie approach is the only way to successfully pare off the pounds. When I tell them about eating more to burn body fat, and how and why we are going to build their metabolism, many are dubious and hesitant. After a week or so of multiple-meal eating they are converted. The idea is simple: select foods carefully and eat a lot of these approved foods. Our clients are encouraged and expected to eat a lot! This is a complete revelation for the normal person.” Angela personally squares up every client’s nutrition. She will work up potential menus based on client food likes and dislikes. She will recommend certain Parrillo supplements depending on individual circumstance and goals. “Obviously the supplements I would recommend for a 22-year old preparing for a Figure Competition would be significantly different than the supplements I would recommend for a 48-year old male business executive who needs to lose fifty pounds and get into basic shape.”
Angela is dead serious about injecting fun into fitness. “I find that in my case that if the processes or procedures are not fun then you are going to lose me quick. My goal is to make the process enjoyable and I think a lot of that relates to adding variety. I teach people how to learn to love fitness: I want to put the fun back into effective fitness.” The key word being effective: anyone can have fun playing golf or bowling, but on the fitness effectiveness meter these activities register about a 2. Angela is all about making hard and rugged weight training fun; she wants clients to come to love sweaty, result-producing cardio. Call it the “endorphin factor.” While the well-meaning ladies over at Curves might “work out” and might have fun doing it, the benefits are way less than optimal. Too many hobbyist trainees spend more time talking to their neighbors than actually lifting weights or performing cardio. When they actually do train the payloads and intensities are usually insignificant, and as a direct result these folks never realize any significant progress. Most fitness participants might as well take up bowling or golf. Angela introduces regular people to “real” fitness: tough result producing fitness. She helps them experience first hand the absolute joy of weight training so hard and intense that endorphins are released into the bloodstream. Angela and her cohorts introduce new trainees to the magnificent feeling of performing cardio with such effort that poisonous toxins are expelled through sweat glands and endorphins are released, creating the mythical “runner’s high.” The secret is that these hormonal-related feelings of exercise-induced well-being only visit those that train intensely.
Angela has her nutritional approach down pat: she will show clients how to prepare nutritious, delicious meals. She is a wellspring of tasty, innovative recipes. To her way of thinking the way to put the fun into disciplined, effective diet¬ing is to make the diet foods taste delicious: if diet foods taste fabulous – then dieting ceases to be dieting. When you cannot wait to eat your next diet meal, the battle is all but won. “It is critically important that food taste terrific.” She says. “It is critically important that we empower ourselves by learning how to prepare healthy, nutritious, app¬roved foods. We need to prepare foods ahead of ti¬me and in sufficient quan¬tities to keep us supplied throughout the workweek. Proper meal preparation can be effective, efficient and incredibly tasty.” Parrillo nutritional supplements round out the corners, gaps and rough edges that occur within every multiple-meal eating plan; Angela gives an example, “Think about it: we try and eat 40 to 50 meals, each and every week. That’s a lot of meals! Not missing a single meal is highly unrealistic. So what do you do when forced to miss a meal? A Parrillo BarTM is an absolute lifesaver. This is portable nutrition that can be carried anywhere: stash them in your gym bag, locker, desk drawer, glove compartment…regardless the circumstance (and assuming you have a bar or two or three handy) you will be able to consume quality nutrients at the appointed time: refuel the machine and stay right on course.” Angela outlined her current eating schedule for us and suggested that this particular template is subject to change, depending on her activity level. “My food selections at any point in time will be influenced by what sport or activity I am training for. Food is functional and depending what I am training for determines what my food selections will be and what amounts I will eat. At all times my food sources are “clean” and provide me optimum energy.”
Angela Romano’s Baseline Diet
Meal I 5am: 1/2 cup oats, 5 egg whites
Meal II 8am: Parrillo Energy BarTM
Meal III 11am: 5 oz of lean protein, 6 oz of starch carbs, 8 oz of fiber carbs
Meal IV 1pm: Parrillo Power Muffin
Meal V 5pm: 6 oz lean protein, 4 oz starch carbs, 8 oz fiber carbs
“I typically eat a lot of food and all the food selections are “clean. I like to add blueberries as antioxidants to my oats. Mix up your food selections. Food variety is a hidden key to nutritional success. I make what I call a ‘Parrillo Power muffin.’ I mix one scoop of maple or banana flavored Parrillo Muffin mixTM with one egg white. I add 1/2 cup of oats and add cinnamon to taste. Add water as needed to make mixture the same consistency as a thick batter. Bake the muffin at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes. This makes 1 big muffin. I’ll always ‘heavy up’ on starchy carbohydrates if I have a race or cardio activity the next morning.”
Strength Training Schedule
Sunday Legs/abs
Monday Cardio/abs
Tuesday Shoulders/ cardio
Wednesday Back/ cardio/abs
Thursday Chest
Friday Cardio/abs
Saturday Arms
Sunday off
“I usually will perform 3 to 4 sets using 2-3 exercises per body part. I keep the reps in the 8-12 range and use heavy weights.”
Cardio: “I blast away at cardio four days per week for 40 to 60 minutes per session and always use high intensity. I love to work! I like to perform my cardio outside if at all possible. I mix my cardio modes up and never perform the same cardio type two days in a row. They say ‘Variety is the spice of life’ and I paraphrase that, ‘Variety is the spice of cardio.’ I currently rotate between the following activities: high intensity Spin Cycling classes, track running, trail running, running up stairs, road cycling, plyometrics and circuit cardio. I am in preparation to participate in a 5K mini-triathlon; swim, bike, run. I will hit cardio six to seven days a week.
Angela’s email address is angelaromano@gobeyondfit.com. Her website is gobeyondfit.com.