Weekly Split

To stay fit, English teacher, Mr. Cerchio lifts at the gym. When you go to the gym, you train a different muscle each day. The schedule of which day you train a specific muscle is called a weekly split. Cerchio’s split is made up of five days. On Mondays, he trains shoulders and triceps. Tuesdays, he trains his back, traps, and forearm muscles. Wednesday is one of few rest days. On Thursday Cerchio explained is “glamour muscle day” or chest and biceps. By “glamour muscles” he means the first muscles everyone notices when you work out. Fridays are leg days. Full body workouts and cardio are on Saturdays. Lastly, Sunday is a rest day.  Biri on the other hand, focuses more on upper body and cardio type training.  Biri trains full body most of the time and sometimes focuses on upper body.  Cuozzo does total body workouts three times a week and goes for a long run two times a week.

Diet

In addition to keeping fit by working out, Cerchio also tries to stick to a healthy, “clean” diet. Eating “clean” means generally sticking to things that are healthy and not greasy or processed. Cerchio exclaimed that he, “eats clean unless on a date.”  Biri also is strict about eating “clean.”  Cuozzo eats clean during the week and likes to indulge on the weekends.  She said, “everything is fine in moderation.”

Personal Records

As a frequent gym-goer, there are certain major lifts that are almost considered mandatory. These lift include flat benching, squatting, and deadlifting. Benching is an exercise that works the chest and triceps. The person performing this lift lies on their back on a bench with weight in both their hands. They push the weight upwards from their chest until their arms are extended. Then lower it back down. Cerchio’s bench press personal record is 245 pounds. Squatting is one of the best exercises for your legs. Weighted barbell squats are the norm, so to perform this lift the person places a barbell with weight on it on their traps, and proceed to squat until their legs make a ninety degree angle, then they push back up until they are standing straight. Cerchio’s squat personal record is over double his body weight at 315 pounds. Deadlifts are a lift that basically determines overall strength, but focuses on the lower back and legs. You put weight on a barbell and just pick it up. Also at over twice his weight, Cerchio’s personal record is 315 pounds.

Lifting Lifestyle

Cerchio stated that working out is important to him so he can keep healthy. He started working out his junior year in high school but wasn’t so serious about it. It wasn’t until around two years ago that Cerchio got really serious about working out. Cerchio is a member of the Crunch gym in Garwood. Drew Biri is also a teacher at Colonia High School that values physical fitness. Biri is a member of New York Sports Club and trains 5-6 times per week. He is strict with his diet, also “eating clean.”

Cuozzo played basketball in high school and college and that’s what really sparked her love for fitness.  She said she started working out after college when basketball stopped and that she focuses more on plyometric and circuit workouts which is more like how Biri trains.  She has lots of weights and a treadmill in her home so she is not a member of to a gym.

When asked who is more in shape, Biri, Cerchio, or Cuozzo, Biri responded with, “Cerchio lifts more heavy and trains legs while I focus on upper body and Crossfit,” so they have two different training styles. Cerchio is more into strength training which means mainly lifting heavy weights. Biri is more into Crossfit. Cuozzo is more into circuit training. CrossFit is like a strength and conditioning program that aims to improve cardiovascular endurance and muscular strength, speed, coordination, and balance. Biri is not a fan of training his lower body and asked, “What is leg day?” jokingly.

Cuozzo responded saying that she does not lift as much but thinks she can definitely out run Biri and Cerchio.

Friendly Competition

Cerchio and Biri appear to be good friends in the workplace so a little competition is to be expected when doing the same thing. When asked if there was a competition for most fit teacher between the two, they both laughed and Biri responded jokingly with, “I don’t consider Sal [Cerchio] a rival.” Biri and Cerchio have never trained with each other but Biri said it has been talked about before and that they may have a “lift off” in the future.

Fashion Rivalry

One thing that the two male teachers used to be known for rivaling in is fashion. For the past couple of years, Cerchio and Biri have been battling it out as to who was the best dressed teacher in Colonia High School.  Cerchio would wear cardigans and nice button down shirts, while Biri went with ties and snazzy sweater vests. In fact, last year there was a best dressed teacher event and Cerchio and Biri were two of the top finalists. Although the two dress sharply every morning, Biri stated, “we used to have a competition until he [Cerchio] stopped wearing ties so I assumed he gave up.”

Role Model

Being healthy is definitely something one could admire in a person. Being healthy as a teacher is something many people look up to. Students think it is more inspiring when you can be a teacher and remain fit at the same time. Suchini Shah and Malcolm Franklin, both seniors at Colonia High School and former students of Cerchio, commented about Cerchio’s teaching style saying, “since he’s fit and healthy, he’s more energetic in the classroom and makes his teaching more enjoyable and less boring.” On the topic on who is best dressed, Shah and Franklin both say Biri takes the cake. Being fit and one of the best dressed teachers in Colonia High School, it is no surprise Cerchio is popular with the students who attend this school. Cerchio is an interesting person inside and outside of school. From being a serious weight lifter, dressing fashion forward to school, and being a role model and inspiration to students, Cerchio is also just a regular teacher at Colonia High School.