By Jonathan Coronel
Tonio Hernandez Jr. jumps into the air, grabbing onto the pull-up bar, as his father, Antonio Sr., catches and steadies his body in place.
Helping just enough, the elder Hernandez pushes his son upward to perform a pull-up. Then he lets go, instructing Tonio to slowly descend back into the starting position.
Tonio’s sister Haille takes a breath and pushes down on the treadmill harder with each step, her dad lowering the speed on the moving platform so that she has to power it manually, and gives her a minimum time to walk. He then walks back to check on how Tonio is doing.
It’s all part of a vigorous exercise regimen Hernandez performs with his kids three to four times each week.
Hernandez and his children—Tonio, 14, and Haille, 12—have been working out at BR Fitness for eight months now, as Tonio prepares to play football at Marcos de Niza High School and Haille gets ready for softball.
“You have to make it enjoyable for them; it’s not punishment; it’s supposed to be fun,” Hernandez says as he sits next to the two kids.
For Hernandez Sr., working out is never a chore—far from it in fact. He started exercising around age 14 to help with his training for football and wrestling. Even though his playing days are behind him, his workout habits have stuck with him and are trickling down to his kids as well.
“I love it. It’s a great way to get your mind off things like work and to stay productive and off the couch.”
Though some parents may be worried about introducing their kids to weightlifting for fear of injury, Hernandez is careful in crafting workouts for both Tonio and Haille.
“For Tonio, he started weightlifting this year, when he turned 14, and I just made sure to keep the weight low and have him focus on perfecting the movement first,” Hernandez says.
Hernandez watched Tonio closely when the boy previously worked out with a trainer and implements that with other knowledge he has attained from working out his whole life. For his daughter, Hernandez also has her focus more on lightweight movements with kettlebells or resistance band workouts.
Though he works out with his kids in order to make them better athletes, Hernandez is also instilling valuable habits that can last a lifetime.
“I’ve been in the fitness industry 12 years and in that time I’ve seen a lot of kids Tonio Jr.’s and Haille’s age who grow up and continue using the gym and living a healthy lifestyle, and that is because their fathers set the precedent.
Every kid looks up to their father and when a father takes the time to teach his kids about health and fitness, and sets a good example himself, it’s a safe bet his children will continue on with that healthy lifestyle,” says Dominic Balistriere, owner of BR Fitness.
It’s clear his kids appreciate the extra time with dad…well at least Haille does. Tonio smiles sheepishly and shares a laugh with his dad, informing me that he already works out at Marcos de Niza with the football team during the week, but that he also doesn’t mind the additional workouts.
“We do different workouts when we come here, more focused on bulking Tonio up for football season”, Hernandez tells me.
For Haille, who is not yet in high school, working out with her dad is really important.
“He definitely inspires me and I want to be fit and strong when I grow up, just not as big as my dad,” she says with a grin as she glances at her father’s arm that’s about as big as her torso.
Haille probably doesn’t have to worry about waking up one day with her father’s arms, but with his time and patience what he does pass to his son and daughter are the values of hard work and physical fitness, values that will serve them for the rest of their lives.
