Robert Ciresi’s 25-plus-year fitness tenure is a model of evolution. The California-based personal trainer began working out at age 23. Since he had little knowledge of exercise science, his routine in those days was one most young guys know well: six days a week in the gym for up to two hours a session, combined with an eat-whatever-you-want diet.

“Back then, I’d go to Burger King, eat fried chicken, and not even think twice about it,” says Ciresi, 49, who trains clients at A Taylored Body in Riverside. “But when I changed my diet, everything started to make sense.”

Same thing with his training. Those two-hour marathons have morphed into four 45-minute workouts a week, focusing on one major compound exercise per body part in a periodized split utilizing four-week mesocycles: endurance, strength, power, and then a two-week deload before restarting. Of course, maturity means he’ll deviate from the plan as needed.

“I don’t have any guilt about taking time off from the gym if I’m feeling rundown,” Ciresi says. “When I was younger, I used to just push through pain. I don’t do that anymore.”

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“First, look at your diet. Write down everything you’re eating so you can see where the calories are coming from. Keep a journal for your workouts, too. I document everything I do to see how I’m progressing.”Robert Ciresi’s 25-plus-year fitness tenure is a model of evolution. The California-based personal trainer began working out at age 23. Since he had little knowledge of exercise science, his routine in those days was one most young guys know well: six days a week in the gym for up to two hours a session, combined with an eat-whatever-you-want diet.