Secret Ingredients

Have you ever been to a restaurant while you were on a diet or trying to stay fit? Chances are, that diet was broken by the time you walked out. Now, imagine working there and having to be around that amazing food every single day. How do you not end up overweight? Find out how chefs from four of New Jersey’s top restaurants resist temptation, stay fit, and stay calm in their notoriously high-stress profession.

Phil Campanella, 33, Chef, Liberty House Restaurant, Jersey City
 
Q:Describe your exercise regimen.

A: My exercise regimin consists of weight training, tabata, and mixed martial arts.

I regularly do weight training 3 times a week for about an hour. Tabata is a high-intensity interval-style training. For example, you do as many pushups as you can in 20 seconds, then rest 10 sec. You repeat this for 8 sets and then do the cycle again with a different exercise. Because of the intensity of this workout, I limit it to one day a week. I also train with friends doing mixed martial arts, which incorporates kick-boxing, wrestling, and jiu jitsu. I try to do this twice a week for a few hours each day. Then I give myself a rest day. It’s the different types of workouts that help me continue to burn fat and develop new muscle.