Miami Kettlebell Doral, FL- Anta Bio

Julio Anta the co-owner along with his wife Elena and Master Instructor of Anta’s Fitness and Self Defense one of South Florida’s most successful martial arts/fitness centers was born in Cuba in 1957. He arrived in the USA with his parents in 1962. As a sick, small and weak child he loved watching Tarzan, Hercules and Swashbuckler movies. At the tender age of 7 years old he told his father who had boxed in Cuba that he was going to be a martial artist and a bodybuilder when he grew up. His father supported the idea 100%, even though no one else could ever believe that this sick, shy and weak boy could ever accomplish this. As a boy walking to a relative’s house he picked up from the street some photos of bodybuilders and told his father that he wanted to look like that when he grew up. One day watching the Tom and Jerry cartoons he saw a mouse wearing a white pajama looking outfit flip the cat. He asked his dad if that was possible. His father replied yes if you learn Judo. Later Bruce Lee in the Green Hornet inspired him. Yet, in the 70’s after seeing the Kung Fu TV series and the Bruce Lee movies he knew that he had to do Kung Fu. Anta has been a practitioner of the martial arts since 1972 and began serious bodybuilding in 1975. Julio's first martial art training began with Judo at the Florida Judo Kai in Hialeah under the tutelage of Cuban Judo champion Montpellier. Anta a competitive bodybuilder in the eighties who was a runner up in the Jr. Mr. Florida and Mr. Miami still stays in excellent training with kettlebells and Indian clubs. He is featured in the bodybuilding web site Muscle Memory Bodybuilder Search, the Internet Bodybuilding Database that preserves the history of bodybuilding.

He later studied Karate under different instructors. In 1974 he witnessed his first Kung Fu class and began training in Hung Gar Kung Fu. When his instructor returned to NY Anta trained in numerous styles of Karate Japanese, Okinawan and Tae Kwon Do. Yet, his true love was the reality based style of Hung Gar Kung Fu. In the early nineties Anta found his instructor Master Perez and began training in Kung Fu until he earned his Black Sash and began teaching. Today he holds the rank of Master directly under Hung Gar Grand Master William J. Chung and owns one of South Florida's most successful martial arts and fitness centers fulfilling his childhood dreams.

Anta’s interest in Kettlebell started in 2003 when he saw a photo of a kettlebell practitioner in a magazine. He remembers that as a kid all the barbell/dumbbell sets that sold in the muscle magazines brought handles to convert the dumbbells to kettlebells. He also remembered the photos in the old Strength and Health magazines of the old time strongmen lifting kettlebells. After getting certified as a Pilates instructor in 1999 his interest for old style functional training grew. In 2003 EZ Defense instructor Kathy Marlor from Clearwater FL asked Julio to assist her in a self defense class at the ECA World Fitness Conference in Miami Beach. When he checked the web site to learn about the conference he was amazed to read that one of the presenters was Dave Ganulin of Kettlebell Concepts. Anta took the class which he considered the hardest fitness class he had ever taken and met the Kettlebell Concepts crew. At the conference he bought 2 kettlebells yet feeling that his technique was off they gathered dust for a year. He kept in contact with Dave and finally they were able to do the first kettlebell certification in Florida at Anta’s Fitness and Self Defense. Anta was certified and started the first group kettlebell and Indian Club Swinging class in Miami Dade County which he calls XFT (Xtreme Functional Training) Challenge. In less than a month this class was full. Julio is also certified as a kettlebell instructor in Elite Kettlebells. He has also trained and hosted a Mike Mahler Kettlebell Workshop at this center. Mahler was one of seven original Senior RKC instructors under Pavel Tsatsouline who popularized kettlebells in America.

Muay Thai Instructor (Trans Muay Thai Association)
Haganah F.I.G.H.T. (Fierce Israeli Guerrilla Hand to hand Tactics)
SABER Edge Weapons Combatives.
Fitness Kickboxing
Kardio Karate
ISSA Fitness Instructor (Personal Trainer)

Kettlebell Concepts Kettlebell Instructor
IYCA (International Youth Conditioning Association) Youth Fitness Specialist
National Security Agency certified Child Safety Agent
Dr. Terrence Webster-Doyle Martial Arts for Peace Bully Buster instructor
ACMA (American Council of Martial Arts) certified Martial Arts Instructor by the Copper Institute
Dr Ben Lerner’s Maximized Living Mentor
ICS Fitness and Nutrition Instructor
Pilates Physical Minds Institute
All American Pilates
Authorized Steal Proof Master (Anti Child Abduction and Safety) Presenter
Serrada Escrima Apprentice Instructor

He has also crossed trained in Karate, Tae Kwon Do and boxing. He trained under Boxing and Kickboxing World Champion James Warring and under Boxing and Kickboxing instructor Eufracio Gonzalez who is currently the trainer of numerous professional World Boxing champions.

-2008 ICSDA Florida State Representative
-2007 ICSDA (International Combat Self Defense Association) Advisory Board
-2006 United States Martial Arts Hall of Fame Kung Fu Master
-2006 World Martial Arts Union Hall of Fame Life Achievements
-2006 Miami Dade County Certificate of Appreciation
-2006 Captain of the runners up in the South Florida Dragon Boat Festival 250 Meter Kung Fu Cup
-2005 EFC Black Belt Schools “Outstanding Martial Arts School”
-2005 EFC Black Belt Schools “Hero Award”
-2005 Proclamation “Anta’s Fitness and Self Defense Day” City of Doral
-2004 Miami Dade County “Martial Arts Excellence Award”
-2003 Florida Martial Arts Hall of Fame “Instructor of the Year”
-2003-2004 Co-holders of the World Simultaneous Kicking Record
-1998 Florida PBA Certificate of Appreciation
-1983 2nd runner up Jr. Florida Bodybuilding Championships
-1983 2nd runner up Miami Bodybuilding Championship

Mr. Anta was inducted in the Florida Martial Arts Hall of Fame in Orlando in 2003 as the Instructor of the Year. He was also awarded the County Commissioner Jose “Pepe” Diaz, Miami Dade County Award for Martial Arts Excellence in 2004. Anta was awarded the EFC Black Belt School’s “Hero Award” for service to his students and the martial arts and the “Outstanding Martial Arts School Award” in 2005. In 2005, The City of Doral Proclaimed October 15, as “Anta’s Fitness and Self Defense, National Martial Arts Day.”

Anta served as a Sergeant in the United States Marine Corps Reserves. He served ten years as a Florida State Department of Corrections Officer and was a certified FDLE (Florida Department of Law Enforcement) Instructor.

In 2004 Julio Anta hosted Aleph TeVe's Self Defense Tip on Pax TV and as a fitness expert on Quireme Descalzi on Ch 41 America TeVe. He has conducted demonstrations and seminars at numerous schools, churches, festivals, Boy Scouts of America, Parrot Jungle, Southern Command, movie theaters and Pro-Player Stadium, From South Florida to North Carolina to Detroit. Anta was a speaker at the annual NAPMA World Martial Arts Conference. Mr. Anta was also a speaker at the 2003 ECA World Fitness Conference in Miami assisting in EZ Defense. His instructional martial arts and fitness videos can be seen on www.expertvillage.com. He is also the video author of "Anta's Shaolin Physical Conditioning."

He has been featured on the cover of Fytness Fanatik magazine and Martial Arts Professionals magazine and numerous local, national and international newspapers and magazines. Julio has also been a guest on Univision’s Control, Despierta America, Noticias 23, Al Amanecer, Primer Impacto, mun2 Fuzion, Galavision, Telefutura, CV Network, CBS 4 News, WPLG TV 10 News on ABC. Channel 7 Fox News, NBC 6 Today in South Florida, Telemundo’s News, Diseno Modelo, TVC's Una Hora Contigo, Ch 41 America TeVe News, Show De Fernando, Miami Contigo, Pax's Aleph TeVe, TBN Joy in our Town and on UMTV News. Mr. Anta currently writes a column for the Doral Tribune and Ciudad Doral. His articles have been published in the Tae Kwon Do Times, Journal of Asian Martial Arts, Doral Planet, Martial Arts Professional Fytness Fanatks, Dragon Boat World and the Trumpeter Magazines. You can also read some of Anta’s articles in his blog martialartsandfitness.typepad.com. Also go to www.myspace.com/antakungfu and on Facebook search for Anta’s Fitness and Self Defense Group and Julio Anta.


Julio Anta New York 1964	With Mike Mentzer Mr. Universe and creator of the Heavy Duty System 1980

Julio Anta 1983 2 nd Runner Up Junior Florida Bodybuilding Championships	With Mr. Olympia Franco Columbo 1985

Training with Billy Blanks in 1999	Training with Matt Furey in 2002 a the NAPMA World Conference

2003 Florida Martial Arts Hall of Fame Instructor of the Year	With Adam and Michelle Khai-Cronin at Kettlebell concepts certification training 2004

with Mike Lee Kanereck Haganah F.I.G.H.T. certification 2004	With Master Mario Perez after Red Sash promotion 2004
Training with World Champion Boxing Trainer Eufracio (Franco) Gonzalez 2006.	With Mike Mahler at Kettlebell Workshop 12-10-05


Julio Anta with Iceland Kettlebell pioneers Gudjon Svansson and Vala Mork 2009	Julio Anta with Frantz and Yoana Snideman


ECF and Elite Kettlebell certification with Moni Aizik 2009	Muay Thai Certification with Master Tran 2009