Joseph Villano - SB Fitness Magazine

As an experienced personal trainer, a model, and an educated health professional, Joseph Villano has become a major player in the fitness community over the last several years. He incorporates the important aspects of balance, knowledge, flexibility into strength training workouts and values discipline and body awareness in both his own workouts and with his clients as well.

Occupation: Health and Fitness Professional

Resident of Santa Barbara since: 2000

Favorite Local Restaurant: My home kitchen. I don’t trust where other peoples’ hands have been. I’ve evolved into a pretty good chef…..basic, healthy and flavorful dishes!

Favorite Workout Music: My breath and body! I get really Zen when I train and focus strictly on the exercise I’m performing… If I had to choose some background music it would be some good rock n’ roll ranging from Guns N’ Roses to U2.

Favorite Sports/Hobbies: Hoops is my favorite sport …hands down!

How I spend a typical Sunday: It goes something like this…I sleep in, make tea for my girlfriend, meditate, eat a killer breakfast and then take our dog “Mango” for a walk on either Summerland beach or Wilcox preserve. Then the rest of the day turns into a haze, but I’m usually mentally preparing for the beginning of the new week.

My idea of a dream vacation: Any vacation is a dream vacation! No agenda, beautiful location, limitless budget, original, and lots of R&R! I’ve been to a lot of amazing places ranging from Italy and Spain to Morocco and Alaska. The phase I’m in right now would be something of the beach persuasion like Carmel.

Where I see myself in ten years: In good health, living in my estate in Montecito! I will continue with my work in the health industry writing books, making DVDs and acting as a consultant/ director for wellness programs around the world especially for an amazing product called BioIQ.

How I first get involved in the fitness industry: I have always been involved in athletics and followed a solid exercise regimen my whole life. In Addition, my father was a Physical Therapist for 41 years. I had a lot of exposure to sports related injuries and it inherently rubbed off on me. Straight out of college I was hired as the head personal trainer at a local gym in Tucson, AZ and I’ve continued with my evolution ever since.

What I like best about being a trainer: Enhancing the lives of my clients. The rewards are boundless.

My definition of healthy: Balance. Following the middle road without excess. Having a mind free of clutter, a strong connection to the divine and being able to perform daily activities/ sports with a pain free, functionally strong body.

A common mistake I see people make while working out: Most people work out too hard too fast. They don’t build their bodies from the inside out. I take all my clients through a systematic and progressive system that strengthens the body’s core stabilization system first. This prevents a breakdown at the postural level which needs to be strong to counter the force of gravity and any additional stress placed upon it with exercise. The other major mistake I see is a lack of flexibility training. An intense workout requires the muscles to constantly shorten and contract to move the weight of the body or the dumbbells. Following a workout the muscles need to be elongated and relaxed to improve range of motion and help reduce muscle soreness. This is why my training sessions are 75 minutes because stretching/flexibility is an essential component of any solid workout routine!

How I would like to see the fitness community of Santa Barbara evolve over the next ten years: I think Santa Barbara is already ahead of it’s time. With the diversity of the mountains and ocean in such close proximity it has become the birthplace of a a lot of progressive programs such as Night Moves, Mom’s in Motion, and a variety of Boot Camps to name a few. It’s great on that level but I would like to see personal training being covered by health insurance companies.