Dr. Vincent (Ben) Bocchicchio, Founder & President of "Dr. Ben’s Metabolic Makeover, SMART™"
A leader in exercise science, fitness and health for 40 years, Dr. Vincent (Ben) Bocchicchio has built his success by combining science with effective body conditioning and technology to produce optimum health, fitness, rehabilitation and weight loss for every body type. Bocchicchio grew up in New York where he was an award-winning high school and college athlete. His involvement in athletics inspired Bocchicchio to pursue a career in exercise science. He graduated in 1971 from Ithaca College with a bachelor’s degree in physical education, health and science. Bocchicchio went on to earn a master’s degree in exercise sciences from Florida Atlantic University, a doctorate in exercise physiology from North American University, and a doctorate in health services, with a specialization in physical exercise, from Walden University. He also completed a post-doctoral program at Columbia University in body composition analysis and weight management.
In 1973, at the age of 24, Bocchicchio founded Sports Conditioning in Staten Island to condition professional and world class athletes. Soon after, he was approached by a wider scope of clientele seeking fitness and conditioning. Bocchicchio’s slow resistance training techniques changed the way people exercise and proved successful for weight reduction, cosmetic enhancement, fitness and health for the general population. By 1978, Dr. Ben was lauded by the N.Y. Press as “The Guru of Fitness.”
He has served as an expert consultant to professional and college teams, including The U.S. Olympic Committee, The National Football League, Major League Baseball, World Team Tennis, major college athletic programs, and the training program developer for Total Gym™ In the 1980s, Bocchicchio founded Cardio Management Systems and used his resistance training as an integral part of Phase 2 Cardiac Rehabilitation. This was the first formally documented use of such exercise in the industry, and is now commonplace protocol.
Bocchicchio instituted his resistance training program and became one of the leading consultants in the area of corporate fitness. He’s consulted for Cardio Fitness Centers and The Vista Health Clubs, serving the fitness club at the World Trade Center, N.Y. Health and Racquet Clubs, Gold’s Gyms and World’s Gyms International. Bocchicchio was also commissioned by Lutheran Medical Center, Staten Island University and a number of other teaching hospitals as the exercise physiologist for health, wellness and weight loss programs.
In addition, Bocchicchio developed an adjunct exercise regimen called Opti Fit, associated with the famous weight loss program owned by Sandoz Medical. Using Opti Fast patients as subjects in his second doctoral dissertation clinical trial, Bocchicchio established for the first time in scientific literature that long term weight loss could not be accomplished without the incorporation of exercise. His paper, “The Development of Obesity and Fat Related Disorders” (1989) still stands as one of the only documents that accounts for the multi-dimensional nature of obesity problems and addresses the proper application of exercise.
In the 1990s Bocchicchio formally named his Slow Maximum Resistance Training program, SMART and trademarked the system, which is licensed and in use throughout the world.
Today, Bocchicchio continues his research work in the fields of fitness, wellness and health. The owner of numerous fitness centers throughout the U.S., Bocchicchio currently maintains a private fitness and health practice in Phoenix, Ariz. called Doctor’s Fitness Center. Services include a Metabolic Makeover program incorporating Dr. Bocchicchio’s proprietary exercise regime, nutritional counseling and EECP (Externally Enhanced Counterpulsation) treatment. His programs have been scientifically presented and have proven to be among the most effective available for body fat reduction, increased muscle tissue, metabolic rate levels, cardiovascular conditioning and strength.
Dr. Bocchicchio recently conducted and published health and exercise studies he presented to International Meetings of The American College of Sports Medicine and The American Physiological Society. Bocchicchio has authored more than 200 articles, studies, and professional presentations and been cited as an expert source in numerous books, articles and studies. In 2009, he presented a study using his Metabolic Makeover technique and demonstrated a reversal of the diabetic profile in 12 weeks with Type II diabetics. He is currently working with Johns Hopkins medical school as an investigator and consultant on two studies utilizing his SMART concept for Juvenile Arthritic patients and elderly patients with inflammatory disorders.
In his 60s, Bocchicchio continues to train regularly using his revolutionary SMART™ training system and maintains a high level of strength, significant muscle mass, and single digit body fat.
The Metabolic Makeover Plan for Every Body Type01/06/2012 Two of the most common New Year’s resolutions are the vow to shed unwanted pounds and to start exercising, find out what challenges keep most people from achieving these two goals. Get tips to help make 2012 the year that you succeed from a leader in exercise science, fitness and health for 40 years. Dr. Vincent (Ben) Bocchicchio has built his success by combining science with effective body conditioning and technology to produce optimum health, fitness, rehabilitation and weight loss for every body type.
