Nino’s Story

The Amazing “No Excuses” Nino
The Most Inspirational Bodybuilder I Have Ever Met
By Tom Venuto

Nino Savona is a man on a mission: To prove to himself and others that the crutches he’s walked with since he was eight years old cannot stop him from doing anything he wants to do — even training and competing in bodybuilding — and to inspire and motivate a lot of other people along the way.

When I sat in the audience watching Nino’s posing routine at the 2006 National Physique Committee (NPC) Dutchess Classic bodybuilding championships in Poughkeepsie, New York earlier this year, I knew that Nino had already started fulfilling his mission. Not only did his physique look amazing by any standard, he also inspired an entire auditorium full of bodybuilding fans to the point of applause, tears and standing ovation.

As Nino accepted his trophies, I was deeply moved, impressed and inspired, and I’m certain that a lot of other people were also inspired and began to question their own excuses and doubt their own limits that night.

Nino’s Upbringing

Nino was born in Schenectady, New York on June 28th, 1970. He was a normal healthy boy in a loving, close knit Italian family, with a mom who loved to cook! When he was eight years old, Nino’s family decided it would be wise to get corrective surgery for his legs, which were slightly turned in from birth (Nino was born prematurely). Unfortunately, that was the decision that changed the course of Nino’s life forever.

The surgery turned his feet out too far and left him with limited use of his legs and dependence on crutches to walk. At the time, Nino’s friends, family and those who loved him the most were very over-protective. Their misconception was that because Nino walked on crutches, he could do not things by himself. He proved them all wrong.

Around the age of 13, Nino blew up to almost 240 pounds as a result of living such a sheltered life and not doing much of anything other than sitting around and watching television. One day he made the decision that this type of lifestyle was not acceptable to him. Rather than wallowing in self pity or getting involved in drinking or drugs as so many of his teenage peers did, he started working out and changing his eating habits. Once he had set his mind to adopt a healthy way of life, he never looked back.

Taking On The Bodybuilding Challenge

Nino’s interest in health and fitness began when he decided to lose the weight he had gained as a young teenager. He got so interested in fitness that he even became a personal trainer. In 2002, he decided to challenge himself in a different and greater way by training for and competing in a bodybuilding competition: the International Natural Bodybuilding Federation (INBF) Northeast Bodybuilding Championships.

At a body weight of 150 pounds, he still called himself a little “chubby,” but he said that his first competition wasn’t about the type of shape he was in; his first competition was simply about getting up on stage and doing it just to prove that it could be done. He wanted to show through his actions that just because someone has to walk with crutches, doesn’t mean that they are unable to achieve top physical condition or that they are weaker — in body or spirit — than a non-disabled person. As Nino’s trainer Vanessa Cambria said, “If you take the time to look beyond someone’s physical appearance, you might find out that true strength comes from someone’s soul, not just the body that stands in front of you.”

After his first competition, Nino admitted, “I knew I wasn’t in my best condition — I did that first show just for the experience. I always wanted to do one show, just to prove that I could do it and see what would happen. After I did it, people said they couldn’t believe I actually went through with it!” Then he added, “I do a lot of amazing things that even make ME say to MYSELF, how did I do that?” Walt Disney once quipped, “It’s kind of fun doing the impossible.” After his first competition, Nino said that’s a major part of what motivated him: “I like to do what other people think I can’t do!”

Nino was pleased that he had done what everyone said was impossible, but he was not satisfied. After one bodybuilding competition, Nino was hooked and developed an insatiable desire to see how much more he could improve. He continued his competitive streak with competitions in 2003, 2004 and 2005. Then, he set his sites on a bigger goal for 2006: entering an open competition in the NPC.

The quest for an all time best

In October of 2005, Nino met personal trainer Vanessa Cambria when they were introduced to each other at the health club where they both trained. After they connected for the first time, a special type of bond was formed, and Vanessa agreed to train Nino for a June 2006 competition.

This time, for his 5th show, it was more than getting onstage for the experience or just for fun, it was about “doing it right.” Nino’s goal was not only to achieve his lifetime best condition, but to gain as much muscle as possible, come in “ripped” and hit a perfect contest peak, which is what all competitive bodybuilders strive for. From October 2005 through June 2006, Nino trained his heart out and dieted with absolute focus for that one big day.

In May 2006, I received a phone call from Mark Cambria, a long time friend, fellow bodybuilder (and Vanessa’s husband). For about 10 minutes, I listened with rapt attention as Mark raved and raved about Nino Savona, this “amazing guy” that his wife was training, who I “simply HAD to meet.” Mark told me that despite a physical “disability,” Nino had become a competitive bodybuilder, developed a tremendous physique, and was just weeks away from competing in an NPC competition in the best shape of his life. He promised me that I wouldn’t believe my eyes when I saw him.

Mark explained that Vanessa had spent the last six months training Nino and that he had been helping Nino with his competition diet — with great success. He invited and urged me to come to Poughkeepsie to see the show and meet Nino in person. After hearing Mark speak so enthusiastically about Nino, I didn’t need any more convincing — there was no way I was going to miss it!

Competition day

Bodybuilding competitions are “prejudged” in the morning. The contestants are compared to one another in a lineup for “symmetry” and in seven compulsory poses. All the weight class winners are chosen at the morning prejudging. The evening show is mostly for the fans and the awards presentation. At night, each competitor performs an individual posing routine to music. The trophy winners for each class are announced after the individual routines and then at the end of the night, the overall winner is selected.

When the competition day arrived, I drove up to Poughkeepsie for the evening show. When I got there, the auditorium was packed from front to back with enthusiastic bodybuilding fans. Immediately I saw Mark up in the front rows waving me down. I made my way up front and joined Mark and Vanessa and that’s when I met Nino for the first time.

Mark introduced me to Nino and I was immediately struck with Nino’s “can-do” positive attitude and positive energy. I was also immediately impressed with his physique! I have to admit, having not seen any photos of Nino prior to that evening, I did have some preconceived notions. I’ve met wheelchair athletes before, so I figured that someone who had to work around training on crutches could develop a “good” physique, but when I met Nino in person, what I saw was a GREAT physique! I couldn’t help but notice the awesome set of biceps popping out his shirtsleeves!

After chatting for a while with Nino, Mark and Vanessa, and after watching some of the first competitors do their routines, Nino made his way back stage to start pumping up. I sat on the edge of my seat, as the contestants from each division went through their posing routines. Finally, it was time and the MC announced #23, Nino Savona.

First, I saw Vanessa walk out and place a stool at center stage where she waited for Nino. Nino strolled out confidently, took a seat and Vanessa walked offstage. As Nino’s song “Right Now,” by Van Halen began to play, Nino struck a most muscular pose and the whole auditorium erupted in a huge roar of cheers, whistles and applause. Nino spun his chair to the right and started hitting left side poses, showing outstanding chest, shoulders, biceps and triceps muscles. Then he spun to the rear and hit his back double biceps and lat spread poses. He was looking good from every angle! He spun again and flexed for his right side poses and then turned a final time to face the front.

Amidst the cheers of the crowd, I heard Mark shout out, “Stand up Nino!” As Nino stood up from his chair to hit his final poses, the entire auditorium stood up with him. This was definitely one of those “goose bumps moments,” and for some, a teary-eyed moment. That standing ovation — the only one of the evening, and a rare occurrence at bodybuilding contests — was probably a greater feeling of reward for Nino than any of the trophies he ever won.

The Results

There are some NPC bodybuilding competition promoters who sponsor wheelchair divisions, where only the upper body is displayed, but amazingly, Nino had long before contest day decided to compete with everyone else. Nino placed 4th in the men’s division, but if the class were judged on upper body alone, he certainly would have had a shot at top honors. For Nino, this wasn’t about where he placed. He was competing with himself, while at the same time making a statement and setting an example.

After he received his award, they brought Nino back out onstage to accept another trophy - for first place! Much to Nino’s surprise, the contest promoters had created a special division just for him. And they didn’t stop there either. The special guest poser for the evening was David “Jumbo” Palumbo, who is well known for being one of the most massive top amateurs on the NPC bodybuilding circuit. When David finished his solo posing routine, they pulled Nino backstage again, and then led Nino onstage to “pose down” with Palumbo. The MC egged on the audience and asked by show of applause, to vote for their favorite. “Jumbo Palumbo” may have been 120 pounds bigger, but the applause-meter indicated that Nino won as crowd favorite!

It was quite a show and kudos go to the promoters and expeditors of the NPC Duchess Classic for being a class act.

Nino’s Motivation

Training and dieting for bodybuilding is difficult, tiring, time-consuming and grueling hard work. It requires discipline, determination, willpower and inner strength — and that’s if you’re healthy and able-bodied. When you look at what Nino had to do to make it onto the contest stage, his achievement takes on nothing less than an “other-worldly” dimension.

Backstage after the show, I had the opportunity to speak with Nino about his training and diet, and I was especially interested in what motivated him to persevere through what appeared to be great hardships. When I asked him what drives him to do this, he said, “I just think back to before I competed in my first competition when I was told by people that it was impossible.”

When I asked him what else motivates him to do this, he simply looked up, pointed up and said, “Him.” Nino’s faith in God gives him the confidence to know that he has a purpose and mission for being here on Earth.

There’s a saying that when God wants to give you a gift, he wraps it up in a problem, and the bigger the problem, the bigger the gift. Nino believes that his challenges make it possible to be a special kind of role model and example to others. He sees his condition as a gift and bodybuilding and fitness training are his pathway to carry out his mission.

He is reminded of his mission every time he wakes up and steps out of his bed in the morning, every time he falls, every time he showers, gets into a car, climbs a flight of stairs or ties his shoes.

Overcoming Training Challenges

When I met Nino and saw how fantastic he looked, a lot of questions popped into my mind about his training, such as: How did he get so ripped? How does he train? Does he do any cardio? If so, how, what kind and how much? Does he train his legs? If so how? For two perspectives, I posed these questions both to Nino, and to his trainer.

After training him for six months, NASM-certified trainer Vanessa Cambria said she thinks there’s nothing Nino can’t accomplish:

“As far as Nino’s training goes, there are times when I cringe during a session because I have to catch him on the way down from a pull up or I panic as he balances and jumps off a machine when he is done. The other part that is so incredible is to see the dedication and determination in his eyes when he’s on the gym floor. Just when I think he’s exhausted, he comes back for more. His endurance at times is superhuman and when you ask him what got him through another grueling workout, he always points up to God. Nino’s believes that his disability has given him a great gift and that is the ability to inspire other people. I saw for myself Nino’s gift for inspiring others the night of the show. I was amazed how humbled some of the biggest bodybuilders in the show were by Nino’s achievements.”

It’s truly remarkable just how much Nino can do in the gym. At first, you might think that there are certain exercises, such as squats, that Nino wouldn’t be able to do, but Nino said he was determined to squat any way — he simply got creative by using a Smith machine or hack squat machine which took care of the balance and stabilization issue. He has no trouble at all on the leg extension or leg press machines.

Although Nino doesn’t have the range of motion for full hamstring curls (flexion), a recent check up with his doctor revealed that he was showing improved hamstring muscle development for the first time ever as a result of the other compound movements like the squats and leg presses.

“Sometimes I have to think out of box for new and challenging ways to do some of the basic exercises that the average bodybuilder takes for granted,” said Vanessa, “We also use high reps to compensate for less time under tension due to Nino’s shortened range of motion in some exercises and also because Nino has great endurance and gets great psychological satisfaction from pushing high reps.”

Nino also has a challenge with scapular retraction, such as in the final portion of rowing exercises. This is due to a rounded-forward posture that developed over time as a result of leaning forward on crutches for so many years.

After Nino’s 2006 competition, he asked for a critique and one of the NPC judges said that Nino’s upper body is well developed enough that with a little improvement to his lat spread pose, he could be very competitive in the wheelchair divisions, if he chose to compete in them. As a result, Nino has made back development a high priority, and is continually working on his back poses.

Nino wears long pants and displays only his upper body in competition, but he says he loves training legs and he works them as hard as possible. Even though NPC judges told him he has what it takes to be highly successful in the wheelchair competitions (where he could keep his legs covered in long pants and display only the upper body), he is planning to keep competing in the open divisions and even contemplating competing in shorts or trunks in the future.

Nino’s Bodybuilding Workout

Nino trains on a conventional bodybuilding split routine, usually four days a week, working two major muscle groups per workout. Each workout lasts about an hour. Regardless of which muscle groups he is training, every session has one thing in common - Nino works incredibly hard! In fact, when I heard about his workouts — sometimes with up to 4-5 exercises per muscle group and nearly every set pushed for high reps to all out to muscular failure — I got the sense that he was overtraining.

Nino insists that not only is he not overtraining — he says he HAS TO train this way. “I train like an animal! I could probably train for hours! I can just keep going; I don’t have to stop. How I train is more of a personal thing. It’s how I am and it represents how I live my life and how I’ve always been. I don’t care what I have to do, I will push to the end. I won’t stop until I can say that was an awesome workout. What I do may be overtraining for most people, but I don’t think it’s overtraining for me — I can handle it.”

When Nino told me about his beyond-intense workouts, I couldn’t help but think of Five Time Mr. Universe and bodybuilding legend Bill Pearl. Now in his 70’s, Pearl still gets up at 4:00 am every morning and trains for two hours in his home gym, just as he has for decades. He admits that he does more training than he has to. But for Pearl, it’s not just about the so-called “ideal” amount of training for physical results — his routine is about keeping his “edge”, his mental discipline and the feeling that doing it gives him. It’s personal. So it is with Nino.

Nino relies heavily on variety and the “muscle confusion” principle. Left to his own devices, says Vanessa, Nino tends to move his body the same way all the time. Out of the gym, his gait and posture has developed certain patterns to compensate for the rotation of his feet and the leaning forward posture from walking on crutches. “My job is not only to shock his muscles and change things up so his muscles grow and he doesn’t adapt,” she said, “but also to challenge him to move his body in ways that he normally would not do on his own, inside or outside the gym. The whole point in me being there is to think out of the box for him.”

Nino’s “Full-Blast” Cardio

I was especially curious about Nino’s cardio program. At first, I incorrectly assumed that Nino wouldn’t be able to do much cardio. I had envisioned him being limited to something like a recumbent bike and I thought he had to depend on extremely strict diet to get as lean as he did. Was I ever wrong! Nino explained that he can do any cardio machine. “My handicap is not an issue” declared Nino. “If I put my mind to something I’m going to do it.” He simply holds onto the side rails as he goes all-out with as much intensity on cardio training as he puts into his weight training.

A typical cardio session is at least 30 minutes on the treadmill, stepper or elliptical. He does three days of cardio all year round and then increases that to six days a week and up to 45 minutes a session before competitions to increase fat loss. He cranks up the treadmill or elliptical angle to a steep incline and runs full blast the entire time. Seeing him doing high intensity cardio is a sight to behold. Most people would never be able to keep up with him.

Nino says, “I take it to the extreme each and every day even if I don’t feel like it. Even if I’m tired, I don’t make any excuses, I just do what I have to do. I will never say impossible, I can’t or I quit.”Vanessa was quick to second that: “Nino NEVER quits! There were times that he would come to see me and he would be all banged up and I asked what the heck happened and he said he fell on the treadmill. But you know what? Then he told me that he got right back on and finished his workout.” Nino’s Diet

When it comes to nutrition, there are no ifs ands or buts. Nino’s pre-contest diet philosophy is simple and straightforward: Perfection. Nothing less. “I stay away from starches and sugars,” said Nino. “I eat a lot of steak, chicken, egg whites, broccoli and other vegetables. I don’t drink alcohol at all.” He also said he rarely eats any junk food even in the off season. He just doesn’t want it. “I always stick to what it takes to succeed. I won’t eat anything that’s not good for my body.”

“By the way,” Nino also added, “If you think you’re surrounded by temptations, you should see my house! I live in a house where my Italian mom makes a lot Italian food so there is always temptation. But guess what, I won’t even have a bite before a contest. Not one bite! And you know how Italian moms are!

Nino had a great support team behind him for this competition. In addition to his trainer Vanessa, he was also very pleased to have Mark Cambria, a competitive bodybuilder and nutrition expert, help him with his pre-contest diet from start to finish. Together, Mark and Nino meticulously planned the final week peaking strategy day by day. The final week is the trickiest part of the entire contest prep period and is a time where many bodybuilders second guess themselves or make critical mistakes that cause them to miss their peak and come in too “smooth” or too “flat” on contest day.

For this contest, Nino followed the plan to a “T” and nailed the contest peak perfectly and in the process, achieved one of the goals he set many months earlier when he chose this competition. After the contest was over, Mark said that “Nino is the most inspirational bodybuilder I have ever met in my life, and I thank God that I had the pleasure of meeting him.”

The Bodybuilding Lifestyle

Most bodybuilders will tell you that bodybuilding is not just a sport, it is a lifestyle. For Nino, bodybuilding is even more than a lifestyle — it’s part of his life’s purpose and something he lives for. It is what drives him and keeps him going day to day despite his challenges. When he has a moment or a day that he feels like nothing is going his way, instead of getting angry, he goes to the gym, “blows off some steam” and finds himself feeling great again.

Nino was a personal trainer for nine years. Now he is ready to touch the lives of many more people than he could as a one to one trainer. By continuing to compete and set an example and by sharing his experience on the Internet, he now intends to inspire and motivate thousands all across the world to take up the fitness and bodybuilding lifestyle themselves — no matter what their physical condition.

“Nino is going to achieve much bigger things,” predicted Vanessa, “And it all started the night he stepped on that stage in Poughkeepsie. When I saw him sitting on the chair that he had to use to get through his posing routine on stage in an auditorium packed full of people, I couldn’t help but be overcome with tears of joy. I knew, just like his posing song said, ‘Right Now Means Everything.’ That song really spoke for the outcome of that evening; it DID mean everything to Nino. There were so many doors that opened to bigger things for him that night and they could not have been opened to a more deserving person.”

A positively contagious attitude

Nino’s attitude and accomplishments have positively impacted everyone around him. He has impacted and influenced his friends, his family, the members of his gym, the audiences at bodybuilding competitions, other bodybuilders disabled men and women and just about everyone else who meets him and hears his story. His can-do attitude is nothing short of “positively contagious!”

In a trainer-client relationship, often it is the client who is the greatest beneficiary, but Vanessa explained that training Nino benefited her as much as him: “For everything I did to help him, he was helping me in return because he let me see excuses I was making for myself like, “I only gained weight because I had two kids and it’s harder to lose that baby weight,” or “It’s only because of my thyroid,” or whatever other nonsense I was rationalizing to myself. And then I would watch Nino and I’d say to myself, “I’ve got some nerve making these excuses while Nino put down his crutches, stepped onto that treadmill and ran like nothing would ever stop him. He made me get my own butt in gear.”

“I know that Nino has the ability to change the lives of bodybuilders and other people everywhere, whether they are young or old, male or female or just one of those people who simply needs a kick in the butt and someone to remind them that there really are NO EXCUSES!”

Nino’s Mission

One of the most beautiful things in life is when someone consciously realizes their purpose and engages in the journey of fulfilling that purpose. Nino knows his purpose and mission is to inspire others and he says he is just beginning. Nino says he wants to spread his message to as many people as possible. He wants to broaden his horizons and expand his reach and positive influence on other people. He not only wants to lead by example by continuing to train and compete, he wants to write and says he would love to speak in the future. “I just want the opportunity to help other people in any way that I can. I would like to tell people about the importance of staying healthy and teach people that it doesn’t matter if you have a handicap or not.”

Nino has worked to overcome some speech challenges. This made him realize that his training and competing was an ideal way to begin realizing his mission so that he could let his actions and results speak louder than any words could say. Now, Nino’s new website, www.ninosmission.com is giving him the ability not only to spread his positive message through his physique and his actions - onstage and in the gym - but also by writing to men and women all over the world. Nino’s mission is to inspire those with physical disabilities, by personal example, how much can be achieved with belief, a solid spiritual foundation and the will to succeed. He hopes that those who are able-bodied will be equally inspired and count their blessings which they may take for granted.

Nino is grateful for what he has and for what he has been able to achieve. He says that there are men and women who do not have any use of their legs at all, who would give anything to be able to go for a run. Yet sadly, there are millions of fully-able-bodied people who say that exercise is “too much hard work” or that they “don’t have the time,” while in the same breath, complaining about their health or their weight.

As I reflected on the lessons I learned from meeting Nino Savona — and there are many — I was first truly thankful that there are people like Nino in the world who have the courage to pursue their goals despite great hardships. I was also reminded to count my own blessings, to avoid taking things for granted, to stop making excuses and to always remember the words of rocket science pioneer Werher Von Braun: “Use the word impossible with the greatest caution.”

Nino Savona lives in Clifton Park, New York. He can be reached online at www.ninosmission.com  and by email at nino@ninosmission.com or ASAVONA1@nycap.rr.com

Vanessa Cambria, Nino’s trainer, lives with her husband Mark and their two boys, in Saratoga county, about 30 minutes North of Albany, New York. She is a health and fitness consultant to individuals and corporations and she trains clients one on one in her studio and in their homes throughout the capital region. She can be reached by email at info@wellbalancedtraining.com , on the web at http://www.wellbalancedtraining.com/ or by telephone at 518-859-5858.

Tom Venuto is a competitive bodybuilder, freelance writer and publisher of numerous fitness-related websites. You can reach Tom online at http://www.tomvenuto.com/