Bodybuilding magazine free download. IRONMAN

Transcription

HOrson e!
EE Eve nsid
FR ry er I
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MR. OLYMPIA’S BICEPS • HOME-GYM MUSCLE
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Page 118
OCTOBER 2005
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www.ironmanmagazine.com \ APRIL 2006 261
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150 DECEMBER 2009 \ www.ironmanmagazine.com
October 2005
Vol. 64, No. 10
Big-Time Arm
Training,
page 126
Real Bodybuilding Training, Nutrition & Supplementation
FEATURES
72 TRAIN, EAT, GROW 72
They say change is good, but at every workout? Our TEG
men give variation implementation a test drive.
82 A BODYBUILDER IS BORN
Ron Harris teaches his young bodybuilding protégé how to
eat large to get as big as a barge. Pass the cow, please.
90 TOP-10 DIET FALLACIES, PART 2
Ori Hofmekler explodes more mealtime myths.
118 RESEARCH TEAM
It’s time to pack on serious muscle in your home gym.
126 BIG-TIME ARM TRAINING
Christopher Pennington gives you the tools for gargantuan
guns. Plus, a look at Mr. O’s biceps programs.
144 SPECIAL K
Jerry Brainum’s mineral analysis.
160 PAIR OF ACES
David Young talks to Mike and Holly
Semanoff, the Fittest Couple in the
house at the ’05 FitExpo.
Fat by
Pollution,
page 222
Pair of Aces,
page 160
178 ORDINARY TO
EXTRAORDINARY
Performance guru Pete Siegel tells
you how to push your size and
strength to the limit via mind power.
190 ANGLING FOR DELTS
David Dorsey, Carmen
Garcia and Federica Belli
(inset) appear on this
month’s cover. Hair and
Makeup Kimberly Carlson.
Photos by Michael Neveux.
Eric Broser helps you reel in a pair of shocking shoulders.
206 HEAVY DUTY
John Little delves into Mentzer’s triceps-training tactics.
214 REP-RANGE REVELATIONS
How to blast every last fiber for ultimate hypertrophy.
Angling for Delts,
page 190
222 FAT BY POLLUTION
Can food additives and toxins be keeping your rippedness
under wraps? Jerry Brainum says yes.
238 MAXIMUM MUSCLE, MINIMUM TIME
C.S. Sloan’s innovative two-day fast-mass program.
256 X FILES
Muscle-building info from our online e-zine.
274 HARDBODY
Is Federica Belli our hottest Hardbody ever?
312 ONLY THE STRONG SHALL SURVIVE
Bill Starr’s back-to-the-rack odyssey, part 4.
Rep-Range Revelations,
page 214
DEPARTMENTS
34 TRAIN TO GAIN
Five ways to get the most out of your squats—and the
secret to mega motivation.
52 CRITICAL MASS
Steve Holman has the goods on how to fill your deltoid
void. There’s also info on neck work and Bowflex.
56 NATURALLY HUGE
John Hansen’s advice on how to have wilder workouts
on a weird work schedule.
60 EAT TO GROW
New studies on protein and muscles. Plus, creatine
cranks up anabolic hormones and the NO pump.
Research Team,
page 118
106 SMART TRAINING
Charles Poliquin’s hardgainer healers and his twisted
look at pressing issues.
262 NEWS & VIEWS
Lonnie Teper and Ruth Silverman crash the best body
bashes—and emerge with plenty of cool buzz and hot
pics. And speaking of steamy photos, Jerry Fredrick’s
Hot Shots are here too.
298 MIND/BODY CONNECTION
Randall Strossen, Ph.D., says to be innovative with the
iron, while Dave Draper debates: To bulk or not to bulk?
Sean Jones stars in our Serious Training segment.
Hardbody,
page 274
308 BODYBUILDING PHARMACOLOGY
The fat-loss formula-one race is on, and Jerry Brainum
says there’s an ingredient that could be the fat-free key. Is
it better than ephedrine? Start your engines.
320 READERS WRITE
News & Views,
page 262
Pump & Circumstance,
page 268
Web Alert
For the latest happenings from the
world of bodybuilding and fitness,
read the Hot News at
www.ironmanmagazine.com and
www.graphicmuscle.com.
Cover kudos, bodypart art and ab obsession. Also, one
reader reports on how frequent layoffs have given him
bigger gains.
In the next IRON MAN
Next month we’ve got an exclusive report on an
independent research project conducted by John
Little. Is it possible to pack on 100 pounds of solid
muscle in one year? According to some of Little’s
findings and test-subject results, the answer is a
resounding yes. This is exciting stuff! And speaking of mega mass, we have a wild analysis of
Ronnie Coleman’s training in the Texas heat. You
won’t believe what Mr. O does in the gym to get
his Jurassic size—and there’s plenty for you to
experiment with to send your own size skyward.
Plus, we have another righteous episode of “A
Bodybuilder Is Born” from Ron Harris, a look at
chiseling your chest from Eric Broser and an
interview with new bodybuilding sensation Sagi
Kalev. Watch for the gnarly November IRON MAN
on newsstands the first week of October.
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Squats*
Stiff-legged deadlifts
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John Balik’s
Publisher’s Letter
Founders
1936-1986:
Peary & Mabel Rader
From Sex to
Survival
What gets you into the gym? What makes
you want the pain? Is it an emotional need? Is
it the muscle that attracts the opposite sex or
the confidence the muscle helps to create?
The truth is that the reason is different for
different people, and it changes at different
times in their lives.
In a very real sense sex is survival. From
puberty forward the need to procreate is
undeniable, but as we pass through those
very good years, survival of the species evolves into personal survival. That’s also the way the bodybuilding lifestyle evolves. Ask a
young man why he trains, and being more attractive to the opposite
sex is usually among his top three reasons. Being attractive to the
opposite sex is always important, but priorities change. All of a
sudden “functional strength” becomes a part of your vocabulary.
Being strong is replaced by being strong for your age. The true
wonder of the barbell and dumbbell is that the same tools work for
all ages and goals. With their adjustability and physical simplicity
they not only last a lifetime but also enhance and extend that lifetime.
Even if you do the same workout regularly, it’s always a different
workout because you’re different every day. Each day brings its own
challenges and solutions, stresses and rewards. Not every workout
is a great one, but every workout is valuable. I tend to measure my
workouts not so much in poundages lifted but in the level of involvement I feel. Did I really get into the workout? Did I feel the bar
in my hands, the edge of the knurling against my calluses, that first
delicious rush of blood to the hungry muscle? Little pleasures but
pleasures none the less.
I read Dave Draper’s Bomber Blast in our Mind/Body section and
Larry Scott’s Success Secrets in Train to Gain—both are barbell
lifers, by the way—and I hear the same murmurs of pleasures experienced in the workout. At the other end of the spectrum is my
teenage son who exults in every personal record he makes. He is not
focused on the nuance but on being bigger and stronger—now!
We here at IRON MAN understand that you have a relationship
with your workout—and that it will change just as all relationships
do. Our challenge is to give you the information that will help you
adjust your training to meet your needs.
With that in mind, please let me know how IRON MAN can help
your workouts. You may want to start by identifying what gets you
into the gym, what gives you the most pleasure from your workouts
and why you train. Send e-mail to me at [email protected]. IM
Publisher/Editorial Director: John Balik
Associate Publisher: Warren Wanderer
Design Director: Michael Neveux
Editor in Chief: Stephen Holman
Art Director: T. S. Bratcher
Senior Editor: Ruth Silverman
Editor at Large: Lonnie Teper
Articles Editors: L.A. Perry, Caryne Brown
Assistant Editor: Jonathan Lawson
Assistant Art Director: Christian Martinez
Designer: Emerson Miranda
Ironman Staff:
Denise Cantú, Vuthy Keo, Mervin Petralba,
David Solorzano
Contributing Authors:
Jerry Brainum, Eric Broser, David Chapman, Teagan
Clive, Lorenzo Cornacchia, Daniel Curtis, Dave Draper,
Michael Gündill, Rosemary Hallum, Ph.D., John
Hansen, Ron Harris, Ori Hofmekler, Rod Labbe, Skip La
Cour, Jack LaLanne, Butch Lebowitz, Stuart McRobert,
Gene Mozée, Charles Poliquin, Larry Scott, Jim
Shiebler, Roger Schwab, C.S. Sloan, Bill Starr, Bradley
Steiner, Eric Sternlicht, Ph.D., Randall Strossen, Ph.D.,
Richard Winett, Ph.D., and David Young
Contributing Artists:
Steve Cepello, Larry Eklund, Ron Dunn, Jake Jones
Contributing Photographers:
Jim Amentler, Reg Bradford, Jimmy Caruso, Bill
Comstock, Bill Dobbins, Jerry Fredrick, Irvin Gelb,
J.M. Manion, Gene Mozée, Mitsuru Okabe, Rob Sims,
Leo Stern, Russ Warner
Director of Marketing:
Helen Yu, 1-800-570-IRON, ext. 1
Accounting: Dolores Waterman
Director of Operations: Dean Reyes
Subscriptions Manager:
Sonia Melendez, 1-800-570-IRON, ext. 2
E-mail: [email protected]
Advertising Director: Warren Wanderer
1-800-570-IRON, ext. 1
(518) 743-1696; FAX: (518) 743-1697
Advertising Coordinator:
Jonathan Lawson, (805) 385-3500, ext. 320
Newsstand Consultant:
Angelo Gandino, (516) 796-9848
We reserve the right to reject any advertising at our
discretion without explanation. All manuscripts, art or
other submissions must be accompanied by a selfaddressed, stamped envelope. Send
submissions to IRON MAN, 1701 Ives Avenue,
Oxnard, CA 93033. We are not responsible for
unsolicited material. Writers and photographers
should send for our Guidelines outlining
specifications for submissions. IRON MAN is an open
forum. We also reserve the right to edit any letter or
manuscript as we see fit, and photos submitted have
an implied waiver of copyright.
Please consult a physician before beginning any diet
or exercise program. Use the information published in
IRON MAN at your own risk.
IRON MAN Internet Addresses:
Web Site: www.ironmanmagazine.com
John Balik, Publisher: [email protected]
Steve Holman, Editor in Chief: [email protected]
Ruth Silverman, Senior Editor: [email protected]
T.S. Bratcher, Art Director: [email protected]
Helen Yu, Director of Marketing: [email protected]
Dean Reyes, Dir. of Operations: [email protected]
Jonathan Lawson, Ad Coordinator: [email protected]
Sonia Melendez, Subscriptions: [email protected]
28 OCTOBER 2005 \ www.ironmanmagazine.com
SEXY ROCK-HARD ABS FAST
The Secret to Etching your Granite-Carved Abs in 10 Short Minutes
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The contraction takes place all
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Using the Ab Bench is the
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MASS MOVES
Neveux \ Model: Gus Malliarodakis
5 Ways to Get the Most Out of Your Squats
Since squats have served me well over the years as a
means of developing overall mass and power in the thighs,
it irritates me when guys with big upper bodies and small
legs claim that squats do nothing for them. That’s nearly
impossible. Squatting is such a basic and natural movement
that hard work on squats virtually guarantees results. If you
haven’t been getting the most out of squats, here are some
suggestions that could instantly turn the situation around.
1) Do not use a spotter. You read that correctly. I was
like many other lifters for many years, relying heavily on
spotters when I attempted a challenging weight. Looking
back, I am ashamed at how much I relied on them—needing a bear hug from behind with the spotter’s arms under
my armpits to help lift me up, even at one point asking
spotters to set their thighs under mine! Without a spotter
you’ll find out what you can actually do on your own. Let me
tell you, there’s a world of difference between getting good
reps with 405 on your own and depending on the generous
assistance of a spotter. Not only will you feel a much deeper
sense of pride and achievement, but your quads, hams and
glutes will receive far more growth stimulation.
2) Squat in a power cage. I’m sure that the first suggestion elicited panic in some of you, as taking away a
spotter would be tantamount to removing all sense of safety. How can you put a heavy weight on your back without
fear of getting stuck at the bottom? Enter the power cage.
IRON MAN writers like Curtis Schultz and Bill Starr laud the
virtues of that simple steel apparatus, and with good reason. All you need to do is set the safety pins just under the
point where the bar will descend, and there’s nothing to
worry about. If you can’t get up from your last rep, sit down
a little deeper and rest the bar on the pins.
3) Perform full squats, not half-assed half reps.
Every gym I’ve ever been to had at least a few guys who
could squat four or five plates on each side of the bar. In
most cases, though, they weren’t full reps, not even approaching parallel. While those who don’t know any better
look on in awe at that kind of display, I’m a lot harder to
impress. Unless you’re going down to at least parallel, I
wouldn’t count a single rep. I believe full squats are the
most beneficial. In fact, I’ve tried a few times to squat just to
parallel, and I couldn’t even do it. It didn’t feel right. At rock
bottom it’s your hamstrings and glutes that reverse the
movement of the bar, while at parallel or above it’s the
tendons and ligaments around the knee. So when people
say that squats are bad for the knees, they’re partly right.
Go all the way down, or don’t bother squatting.
4) Do not use knee wraps. Another practice that
takes away from the effectiveness of squatting is the use of
knee wraps. My feeling is that unless you’re a competitive
powerlifter, you have no business even owning a pair of
knee wraps. They enable you to lift more weight, but that’s
not what bodybuilding is about. Bodybuilding is about
working the muscles as hard as you can and stimulating
growth. I like Dorian Yates’ remark about knee wraps, explaining why he didn’t see the point: “I could put a giant
spring under my ass too, but what good would that do my
quads?” Knee wraps can compress the patella and make it
more susceptible to injury. Besides, they take a long time to
put on and take off and draw out your workout. It shouldn’t
take you 40 minutes to do four sets of squats.
5) Use a belt only for your heaviest sets. A lifting
belt is a worthy accessory for squatting but only for your
heaviest sets. Until you’re using weights that limit you to
less than 10 reps, you should leave the belt off. Once you
get to your top weights, cinch it on for that extra bit of
support and blast out some killer reps. By saving it for when
you really need it, you’ll make the belt a far more effective
tool.
6) Wear very sturdy shoes or boots. Years ago I
couldn’t understand why some of the big guys liked to
squat in work boots or army boots. It looked so uncomfortable, and I assumed they were just trying to look tough or
something. When I started squatting heavier, I understood.
Those types of shoes were perfectly suited to the lift. The
soles are sturdy, and there’s support all the way up the
ankle. In contrast, running shoes or even high-top basketball shoes are too springy (especially since they all have
some sort of air bubble in the heel these days) and don’t
keep the ankle stable enough for heavy weights. On squat
day you’re better off with boots. Any Army-Navy surplus
store will sell the version used by SWAT teams all over
America. They’re what big Ronnie Coleman, a man who can
squat 800 and leg-press a full ton, wears on leg day, so that
should tell you something.
—Ron Harris
Editor’s note: Check out Ron Harris’ Web site,
www.ronharrismuscle.com.
HE WANTED TO FIGHTUntil I Crushed His Hand!
He was big. He was pissed. And
he wanted to kick my butt. There
was no way out, so I extended my
arm for the opening hand shake—
and then I crushed his hand like
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You’ll want your forearms to be
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TRAIN TO GAIN
BOOK EXCERPT
Big Jay
Cutler’s
MUSCLE RESEARCH
study on
All-Over Bi’ Size New
regional biceps growth
Bodybuilding dogma has it that different exercises affect different parts of a
muscle. That explains the reason for varying your exercises. Not everyone agrees
with that concept, noting that muscles have distinct nerve connections and that
making minor changes in angles or exercises does little or nothing to
change the function of any particular muscle.
A study presented at the 2005 meeting of the American College of
Sports Medicine, however, seems to confirm that muscles can be activated at different points.1 The muscle in question was the familiar biceps.
The purpose of the study was to determine whether varying biceps exercises, as commonly used by bodybuilders, produces a differential growth
pattern in three regions of the muscle: near the origin (top of the arm), the
belly (middle of the upper arm) or near the insertion (at the bottom of the
upper arm).
Sixty-eight subjects trained with weights for 12 weeks on a biceps
program. They used a progressive, periodized protocol, doing four weeks
of 12 reps using 65 to 75 percent of one-rep maximum, or 1RM, weight;
five weeks of eight reps using 75 to 82 percent of 1RM; and three weeks
of six reps, using 83 to 90 percent of 1RM. Thus, the training required a
gradual increase in poundage coupled with a decrease in reps. The exercises were preacher curls, concentration curls and standing barbell curls.
To determine changes in the subjects’ biceps as a result of the training,
the researchers used magnetic resonance imaging, or MRI.
After 12 weeks all areas of the biceps showed growth, with the greatest change appearing in the lower biceps, near the insertion of the muscle. Investigators thought that was because it’s the part of the biceps most affected by
maintaining the hand in a typical curl position. The next most affected portion was
the belly, followed by the top of the upper arm.
The study lends weight to the long-held notion that different exercises affect
different portions of a trained muscle, despite a common nerve supply. Once
again, science has born out the experiences of countless bodybuilders over many
years.
—Jerry Brainum
1 Price, T., et al. (2005). Biceps brachii regional growth in response to 12 weeks
of resistance training. Med Sci Sports Exer. 37:S131.
“Jay’s training style can be
described as high volume
with high intensity. He flies
through approximately 20 to
25 sets per bodypart, taking
only 30 to 45 seconds between sets. Back is the only
exception to the rule, as he
does 25 sets in the morning
session and another 25 in the
afternoon session. Each session takes about 40 minutes,
and his reps are usually in the
six to 12 range.”
—Larry Pepe
The Precontest Bible
Editor’s note: The Precontest
Bible contains the exact precontest
blueprints of the world’s best bodybuilders, including Dorian Yates, Jay
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Neveux
Neveux
Training
YOU CAN BENCH BIG
Add 20 Pounds to Your Bench Press Almost Overnight!
How would you like a surge in
upper-body power and a bigger
bench press—say, 20 extra pounds
on the bar—after only a couple of
workouts? Sure, adding 20 pounds
to your bench in two or three training
sessions may sound crazy, especially
if your bench press poundage has
been stuck in neutral for a while.
But nine times out of 10 this stall is
due to an easily correctible muscle
weakness—not in the pecs, delts
or triceps but in a group of muscles
known as the rotator cuff.
The rotator cuff muscles stabilize
the shoulder joint. During the bench
press and almost all other upperbody movements these muscles
protect the shoulder joint and
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©2010 Home-Gym.com
One of my favorite pieces
of reading material is the
magazine The Physician and
Sportsmedicine. I like it because occasionally I run
across some excellent research that can be very helpful in my own training and in
training our clients.
I always look at one column
in particular. It’s written by Dr.
George Sheehan. He’s a
marathon runner and preaches the benefits of running.
What’s captured me is his
ability to find pleasure in the
running discipline. In days
past his own running times
were quite respectable; consequently, the main focus of
his earlier articles was how to
improve runners’ marathon
efforts. Now, however, he runs
with the arm of Father Time
hanging on his shoulder. Even
though his times are not record breaking, he continues to be
excited about his running and the progress he’s making.
Running has not been my exercise of choice, but Dr. Sheehan’s ability to stay enthusiastic about his daily battle with
the pain of tired muscles keeps me interested. Frankly, I
wonder how he manages to stay excited about running after
all these years, yet when I reflect on my own training and the
excitement I feel about my workouts, I guess it’s not so
amazing. In fact the other day I was thinking about my next
workout, and the thought occurred to me: “How do I personally stay motivated after all these years?”
It was more than 35 years ago that my feeble arms first
lifted a barbell, yet I still get excited by my training. Realistically, you can’t expect to get bigger forever. Nor can you
expect your maximum lifts to continue to increase. So what
is it that helps me continue to train with such motivation? It
isn’t the competition because I have retired from that. I think
what drives me is the same thing that drove me when I was
pounding the iron for the Mr. America or the Mr. Olympia
contests. It’s a sensation that we can all experience. The
feeling is so great that often I can’t help exclaiming out loud
during my workout, “This is so great.” Often heads will turn in
my direction and shake a couple of times, as if to say, “It’s
that crazy Larry again, finding happiness in all this misery.”
I feel the ebullience especially on a Monday workout when
I’ve had two days of weekend rest. Just last Monday I sat
down to start my shoulder workout with seated presses.
Prior to starting, my mind had done most of the work. My
brain had carried my body to the office, placed me at my
desk and taken care of the morning’s activities. Most of the
day had been attended to by my brain, and my body was just
the vehicle for getting it into the different positions required
for carrying out the day’s responsibilities. Now, however, I
was seated under the press machine with chalk on my
hands, grasping the rotating handles. Rhythmically, I pressed
the bar overhead. My shoulders creaked, groaned and complained about being awakened. The reps continued as the
Neveux \ Model: Luke Wood
The Secret of Mega Motivation
weight increased for the next set.
I could hear them say, grudgingly,
“Hey, this is pretty good.”
On the next set I increased the
weight. “Oh, man, this is great,”
they purred, as thousands of
oxygen bubbles danced on nerve
endings. Just as a slight tremor
on the outer reaches of a spider
web sends a message to the
builder, a message was sent to
my brain: “You can’t believe how
good it feels down here!” My
brain, reading and feeling the
message, said, “Yes, yes, it does
feel good.” In less than a millisecond, scanning through its vast
storehouse of cataloged experiences, it continued, “I recognize
it; it’s the beginnings of a pump.
It’s good for the body. I can trust
the sensation. I’ll go on automatic
pilot while the body takes over. I’ll
just relax and coast in the glow of
sensation coursing up from the
muscles.”
More sets after some rest, and the sensation of warmth
was joined by a feeling of fullness. The skin started to get
tighter, come alive and grab the baton to lead the orchestration of growth. Soon a melody of warmth and fullness was
joined by power and confidence. The skin, ever the leader of
the senses, directed the music to a higher pitch. Gradually,
the maestro was challenged for the lead by lactic acid. The
intensity lessened, replaced by a soft fullness. Finally, the
music finished, and the players laid down their instruments
and basked in the afterglow of a piece well played. The brain,
roused from its rest, licked its lips and said, “My, that was
pleasant. Let’s try that on another bodypart.”
A bit allegorical, I’ll admit. But how else can one describe
a sensation like a pump or the pleasure that comes from it?
Perhaps it’s more important to be aware that it exists. Just to
speak of it brings greater life to the pleasure of training.
Shortly after writing the first draft of this column, I went to
the gym full of anticipation for my workout. Casey Adams,
one of my training associates, couldn’t help but notice the
extra excitement I had in my training. “Boy, you are sure
wired today,” he said. “What’s happened to you?”
I know most of you are aware of the good feel that comes
from training. Perhaps this reminder will inspire you to go to
the gym and brush the cobwebs off your instruments. Isn’t it
a wonderful thing to have been given a body upon which we
can play such a lovely melody?
—Larry Scott
Editor’s note: Get All 33 of Larry
Scott’s reports. Thousands of words of
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www.ironmanmagazine.com \ OCTOBER 2005 41
TRAIN TO GAIN
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Risks and rewards of training with a stability ball, part 2
That’s
supposed
to
“strengthen
the core.”
Balance is
certainly
involved in
performing
those
exercises,
but how
much core
strength do you think is actually achieved by balance work
alone? It certainly has a place in training, particularly in training
for sports. I’ve included it in programs for elite athletes. Balance training, though, is just that. It’s different from what you
need to do to improve core strength.
The difficulty of balancing on the ball compromises your
ability to perform the exercises. The amount of weight you
handle is reduced, so how effective can the curl, military press
or triceps extension be? If you go back to the fundamental
questions—What do I want from training? What will I achieve
by doing this exercise?—you’ll see that the ball exercises may
not achieve your goals.
You get core strength by placing a progressive-resistance
demand on the abdominal and back muscles. That can come
from squats, deadlifts, Romanian deadlifts, hypers, glute/ham
raises, variations of the Olympic lifts, abdominal training and
various medicine ball throws. You can do those types of
movements with as little weight as the situation requires.
Beginners are taught them with a PVC pipe that weighs a half
pound, and that can be used for postinjury patients as well.
They can be incorporated into traditional stability ball exercises.
Anyone who’s performed those exercises has felt the increased stability of the core muscles. The abdominal and
back muscles fire to protect the spine while the exercise is
performed. There’s a reason that elite weightlifters do their lifts
wearing wooden-soled lifting shoes while standing on a wooden platform. They need a stable surface to support maximum
effort in the muscles firing during the lifts. The core stability of
weightlifters is superior.
My advice is to use the balance board if you wish and to
develop balance without performing other exercises at the
same time. Train on a stable surface (athletic shoes on the
floor) so you can safely push your lifts harder—and make
better gains.
—Joseph M. Horrigan
Neveux
Last month I addressed some of the issues and risks surrounding the popular fad of weight training while standing on
stability, or Swiss, balls and hemiballs. The original use of the
Swiss ball was to develop activation of back and abdominal
muscles in patients who had chronic and acute lower-back
injuries or who’d had surgery. There’s no question that some
patients improved with the approach. It’s also true that some
did not improve, and some actually aggravated their symptoms. That’s not a condemnation. Any procedure or treatment
has three possible outcomes: improvement, worsening of
symptoms or no change.
The problem is the widespread use of the Swiss ball in socalled stability and core exercises that were never meant to be
“core” exercises. The true core-strengthening concept is
mostly valid, and for decades, particularly when patients used
it following episodes of low-back pain, its focus was on
strengthening the abdominal muscles. The ab work helped
some patients but caused others to have more back pain.
(The many causes of lower-back pain are a topic for a future
column.) Finally, the back muscles, or erector spinae—or
simply paraspinal muscles—were recognized as muscles that
need to be strengthened to help stabilize the spine, or core.
The approach with stability balls is to have trainees perform
curls, laterals, front raises, military presses, triceps extensions,
bench presses, flyes and more while standing on the ball.
You don’t need a
stability ball to
train your core.
Ab Bench crunches provide comfortable
full-range rectus
abdominis work.
Neveux \ Model: Lee Apperson \ Equipment: Ab Bench, 1-800-447-0008 or www.Home-Gym.com
TRAIN TO GAIN
SPORTSMEDICINE
Editor’s note: Visit www.softtissuecenter.com for reprints
of Horrigan’s past Sportsmedicine columns that have appeared in IRONMAN. You can order the book Strength, Conditioning and Injury Prevention for Hockey by Joseph Horrigan,
D.C., and E.J. “Doc” Kreis, D.A., from Home Gym Warehouse,
(800) 447-0008 or at www.home-gym.com.
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Steve Holman’s
Critical Mass
Q: My delts are just not rounding out. I know
you’re a hardgainer, as I am, and the drive to develop full, round delts probably pushes your shoulder
workouts as it does mine. In my case my medial
delts seem to be coming along, but my front delts
aren’t. When I raise my arm for a double-biceps
pose, my front delt is just a thin strand of muscle,
and there’s hardly any separation between the
front-delt head and the biceps. I know you say to
focus almost all attention on the medial head, but I
need help with the front. Also, my outer-biceps
heads don’t have much pop to them. When my arms
are down close to my sides and flexed, as yours are
in some photos I’ve seen, the short inner heads and
tendons stand out, but the long heads are nowhere
to be seen. What did you do to help fill in your outer
biceps heads?
A: Thanks for the questions. You’re proof that very few
blanket recommendations work in bodybuilding. We all
have different attachment positions, muscle lengths, bone
lengths and so on, so what works for me might not work for
you. You have problems with your front-delt heads; most
Q: What are the best exercises for bringing up the
neck muscles? I’m pretty strong and strict when I
do dumbbell shrugs and bent-over rows, but my
neck is still thin. I’m having a hard time looking in
the mirror because of my pencil neck. I like the
neck development and overall muscularity that
you have. Lastly,
considering my
narrow clavicles, is it going
to be really
hard for me, an
ectomorph, to
get sweeping
lats like Frank
Zane’s? Every
time I do pulldowns and
chins, I really
feel the muscles
burning, especially doing
drop sets and
supersets. But
my lats aren’t
improving that
much. Do I have
to be patient
with it, or is it
genetics again?
Bent-over lateral raises hit the posterior-delt heads, but they also work the rear fibers
of the medial head, which can help give your shoulders more width and roundness.
Neveux
Deltoid
Void
trainees have difficulty building medial-head mass. That
said, let me answer your questions:
Although you say your medial-delt heads are coming
along, you also say your delts aren’t rounding out. I’ve
noticed that bodybuilders often develop new width when
they add some rear-delt work. Bent-over laterals work the
rear head, but they also bring in the back fibers of the
medial head, so you get more delt fullness. You may want
to consider one or two drop sets, either right after your
midback work or at the end of your delt routine.
As for your front delts, overhead pressing should get the
job done. I suggest using a Smith machine so you can
concentrate on pushing without balance issues. You may
want to do two sets somewhere in the middle or near the
end of your delt workout. Follow that with a drop set of
thumbs-up dumbbell front raises on an incline bench. You
sit back on an incline, about 70 degrees, in order to get
resistance in the low, semistretched position. Stop the
movement when the dumbbells reach eye level, then
lower. Keep tension on your delts throughout the set,
reversing the downward movement when your arms are
even with your torso.
As for your biceps problem, you may have a short attachment on the outer heads; however, you can still develop them to a great degree. Hammer curls or incline
hammer curls are great for hitting the brachialis and the
lateral head of the biceps. Close-grip barbell or cable curls
also work well, lighting up both heads and the brachialis.
A: Heavy exercise on big movements like squats
and deadlifts
should increase
your neck size. If
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More Wicked Muscle Size and Serious Blast-Off Power On Every Set
Steve Holman’s
Critical Mass
Heavy low-rep work on the big exercises like
deadlifts and squats can spur neck growth, but
you may need some direct exercises if it’s a
stubborn muscle group.
sure you’re not tossing and turning when you
should be sleeping soundly.
Q: What’s your opinion on naps in terms of their
effect on bodybuilding results? If they are beneficial, what’s the best time and duration?
A: IM publisher John Balik has caught me napping at my
desk a number of times, but I couldn’t convince him it was
for the good of my physique and the magazine. Seriously, I
believe a 15-to-30-minute nap in the afternoon can be very
beneficial to your bodybuilding efforts under one condition—that it doesn’t disrupt your nighttime rest. If you nap
and then get restless during the night, it can make hormone release erratic.
Most people need eight or more hours of sound sleep at
night; however, a nap may reduce that amount. Just make
New! The sharp black POF T-shirt with the original
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Editor’s note: Steve Holman is the author of a number of bodybuilding
best-sellers, including Train,
Eat, Grow: The Positions-ofFlexion Muscle-Training
Manual. For information on
the POF videos and Size Surge
programs, see page 195. For
information on Train, Eat,
Grow, see page 80. Also visit
www.X-Rep.com. IM
Neveux
you want to target it specifically, you can use
manual pressure on your head. Work each direction for about 20 hard reps, resisting with your
arm. Or get a head strap and hook it to a cable or
attach plates to it. That’s a favorite of wrestlers
and football players, who need sturdy necks.
Nautilus used to make a great four-way neck
machine, but I believe it was discontinued. Too
bad. It should be in every college weight room.
As for sweeping lats à la Frank Zane, I’ve always
had problems with my lats because of my ectomorphic structure and high insertions; however,
I’ve recently noticed those muscles jutting out
more down low on my rib cage, thanks to beginning my lat
routine with V-handle (close, parallel-grip) pulldowns done
with X-Rep partials at the end of the set near the top,
semistretched point—close to lockout.
A: A Bowflex is just okay as a stand-alone home
gym. Some exercises are good; others aren’t so
good. My main gripe is that the max-force point for
most muscles is near the semistretched point—for
example, near the start of an incline press when
your hands are close to your shoulders. The way
the Bowflex is designed, with rods that increase
pressure as you extend, there’s less resistance at
that key point and more at the top of the movement, where the rods are maximally flexed. It’s the
same with pulldowns and rows. From that standpoint it’s mandatory to incorporate X Reps at the
max-force point when you hit nervous system
exhaustion on most sets to
stress the muscle optimally.
Otherwise, you’ll be getting
even less max-force-point
overload than if you used
standard barbells and
dumbbells (because the
most force occurs at the
top of the stroke on most
Bowflex exercises).
If I had to use a barebones home gym, I’d get an
adjustable bench and the
heaviest selectorized
dumbbells available—like a
PowerBlock. That gives you
the most versatility—even
though the setup doesn’t
look nearly as cool as a
Bowflex. [Note: For more
on the PowerBlock, see
page 118.]
Neveux \ Model: Noel Thompson
Neveux \ Model: David Yeung
Q: What are your thoughts on the Bowflex?
I’m thinking about buying one. Can it deliver
a workout good enough for someone using it
to gain muscle and look better?
Steve Holman
[email protected]
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©2009 Home-Gym.com
Mr. Natural Olympia John Hansen’s
Naturally Huge
Weird Work,
Wild Workouts
A: You definitely have a challenging schedule, but as the
saying goes, Where there’s a will, there’s a way. I believe you
can create a program that will effectively train each bodypart without getting too much rest between muscle groups
and build the body that you want.
My first suggestion is to buy some dumbbells and an
adjustable incline bench in place of your Bowflex machine.
[See the Research Team on page 118 for information on
selectorized dumbbells.] In all honesty, I’ve never used a
Bowflex machine, but I’ve also never heard of a successful
bodybuilder who built his physique exclusively with that
piece of equipment. In order to progressively build muscle
mass, you need to continually increase the resistance you
use in your workouts. If you can do that with the Bowflex
machine, you could possibly use it to build your physique.
If you can’t, purchase some dumbbells and a bench.
Considering the amount of time it takes you to travel to
work plus the fact that you’re working 12-hour days, I
suggest that you leave your workouts for the days you’re off
work.
So, if you train on the days you don’t work, your twoweek schedule will look like this:
Week 1: Monday, work; Tuesday, work; Wednesday,
train; Thursday, train; Friday, work; Saturday, work; Sunday, work
Q: I’m trying to get fit, but I’m not having much
luck. I work 12-hour days, and I drive about an
hour to work, so I’m away from home at least 14
hours a day. By the time I get home, it’s time to get
some shut-eye. I work two days, am off two, then
work three. The following week is the opposite. I
only have time to work out on my days off. I currently use a Bowflex. I also try to take 20-to-30minute walks on my days off. I work all bodyparts
every day that I’m off, even though they say you
should give bodyparts a day of rest before working
them. If I did that, though, sometimes I’d only
work out one day a week. Should I work upper
body the first day and lower body the second day
and do that every time it comes to my days off?
How would I do it on my three-day weekends? Or
should I keep my same routine and work each
bodypart every day? Should I do that but change
my routine every day by doing different exercises
for each part? My workout currently takes about
30 to 45 minutes. Am I using too much weight or
trying to do too much? I ask because sometimes
my shoulders and lower back feel torn up by the
time I’m done.
Week 2: Monday, train; Tuesday, train; Wednesday, work;
Thursday, work; Friday, train; Saturday, train; Sunday,
train
Since your training time is limited, I suggest you split
your muscle groups over two days, training half your body
on one day and the remaining bodyparts the next day.
When you have the three-day break from work, you can
split your body up over three days instead of your normal
two-day split. Here’s the split:
Day 1: Chest, back and shoulders
Day 2: Legs and arms
That split gives you four to five days of rest between
bodyparts, which is ideal for the routine you’ll be following.
When you have the time to train three days in a row, you
can change your routine slightly:
Day 1: Chest and arms
Day 2: Legs
Neveux \ Model: Derik Farnsworth
Day 3: Shoulders and back
Different training splits can help you make better gains
when you’re on a weird work schedule.
The three-day break from work will enable you to devote
more time to each bodypart by not having to train so many
muscle groups in one workout.
Regarding how heavy to train and how many reps to use,
the six-to-10-rep range is best for building muscle. Your
shoulders and lower back are no doubt hurting so much
because you’re overtraining by working the same muscle
groups every day. You need rest after you perform resistance training, especially when you train the muscles intensely. The split that I recommend will help you build
muscle without overtraining.
You can use approximately two exercises for each muscle group for an average of three to four sets each. Begin
with a moderate weight for 10 reps, and then increase the
resistance on the second set and do eight reps. Finish off
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Whatever You Need—Wherever You Train™
Mr. Natural Olympia John Hansen’s
Naturally Huge
Workout 1
Chest
Dumbbell bench presses
Incline flyes
Back
Dumbbell pullovers
One-arm dumbbell rows
Deltoids
Seated dumbbell presses
Lateral raises
Dumbbell shrugs
Abs
Crunches
Seated knee raises
4 x 10, 8, 6, 6
3 x 10, 8, 6
3 x 10, 8, 8
3 x 10, 8, 6
3 x 10, 8, 6
3 x 10, 8, 6
3 x 10, 8, 6
2-3 x 30-40
2-3 x 30-40
Workout 2
Legs
Dumbbell squats
Dumbbell reverse lunges
Dumbbell leg curls
Dumbbell stiff-legged deadlifts
Calves
One-leg dumbbell calf raises
Triceps
Seated dumbbell extensions
Bench dips
Biceps
Seated dumbbell curls
One-arm preacher curls
4 x 12, 10, 8, 8
3 x 12, 10, 8
3 x 10, 8, 6
3 x 10, 8, 8
4 x 15, 12, 10, 10
3 x 10, 8, 6
3 x 12, 10, 10
3 x 10, 8, 6
3 x 10, 8, 6
Q: I’m 48 years old and have followed bodybuilding on and off for more than 20 years. Recently, I’ve
noticed natural bodybuilding getting more publicity, and I’ve taken an interest in it. I’ve always
trained six days a week, working each bodypart
twice a week. Lately, I’ve been using a three-on/one-
off routine and was wondering if that’s too much.
Would a four-on/one-off routine be better? I am 6’1”,
220 pounds and would like to compete in a natural
contest in the next year or so—by age 50.
A: I think training six days in a row is too much for a
natural bodybuilder. If you’re training hard, with weights
heavy enough to limit your repetitions on each work set to
six to 10, you won’t be able to train six consecutive days
without a lapse in your intensity. You also aren’t giving your
body a chance to rest—and to grow.
The three-on/one-off routine is a better choice, as you
give your body a rest after training three days in a row.
When you return to the gym after your rest day, you’ll have
much more energy. In addition, the day away from the gym
will give your body as a whole a chance to rejuvenate.
As we get older, our recuperative abilities decline, so
taking more days off from the gym is a wise choice. The
added rest days will allow your muscles and joints more
time to recuperate from the heavy, intense training. After
20 years of training, I’m sure your joints need more time to
recover than they did when you were 28 years old.
The four-on/one-off routine will give your body one
more day of rest. Your decision to use one routine or the
other depends on how well you feel you’re recovering from
your workouts. I’m sure you noticed a difference in your
training when you switched from a six-days-a-week routine to the three-on/one-off workout. If you feel you need
more time to recuperate, by all means switch to the new
routine.
The best way to determine which training program to
use is to record and analyze your workouts. If your training
poundages are increasing and you’re getting bigger, then
you’re definitely on the right track.
I recently switched from training each bodypart once a
week to using a four-days-a-week schedule. I train two
days on/one off. So instead of giving each muscle group
seven days of rest, I’m only giving them six. At times I felt
that I was getting too much rest, training each bodypart
only once every seven days. My work schedule and the
work schedule of my training partner have permitted this
change, so I thought I’d give it a try and note the results. I’ll
keep you up to date on what happens in this column.
Editor’s note: John Hansen has won the Natural Mr.
Olympia and is a
two-time Natural
Mr. Universe winner. Visit his Web
site at www
.naturalolympia
.com. You can
write to him at P.O.
Box 3003, Darien,
IL 60561, or call
toll-free (800) 900UNIV (8648). His
new book, Natural
Bodybuilding, is
now available from
Home Gym Warehouse, 1-800-4470008 or
www.HomeJohn Hansen
Gym.com. IM
Neveux
Neveux \ Model: Jeff Dwelle
with a heavier
resistance for
six reps. Keep
track of each
of your workouts, and try to
make them
progressive by
using either
more resistance or more
repetitions
each successive workout.
It’s only by
pushing yourself that you’ll
get the muscles to respond
and build the
physique
Adjustable dumbbells and an adjustable
you’re striving
bench are all you need for incredible
for.
home workouts.
If you’re
using dumbbells
and an adjustable bench for your workouts, here’s an example of how you could structure your two-day training
routine.
[email protected]
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EAT TO
NUTRITION SCIENCE
Protein and Muscle Size Increase
New studies answer the question: Do you need more aminos to grow?
It may seem on par with those
who insist that the earth is flat, but
some self-styled nutrition experts
insist that bodybuilders need no more
protein than a couch potato does.
Two recently published studies that
examined protein use specifically for
building muscle, however, show that
protein type and timing are of fundamental importance.
The first study lasted 14 weeks
and compared the results of taking
protein or carbohydrate after
training.1 The participants were 22
Neveux \ Model: Tamer Elshahat
Protein does
make a
difference
when it comes
to packing on
muscle.
men, average age 23, none of whom
had trained in the six months prior to
the study. Nor had they used any
food supplements that could be
construed as having “anabolic” properties, such as creatine or protein
drinks.
The men were divided into two
groups, with one group getting protein, the other carbohydrates. The
protein serving contained 16.6 grams
of whey, 2.8 grams of casein, 2.8
grams of egg white protein and 2.8
grams of L-glutamine. The carb
serving contained 25 grams of maltodextrin. Both supplements contained an equal number of calories,
and both were heavily flavored with
vanilla to disguise which was which.
The subjects took them before and
after each workout and in the morning on rest days.
All the men trained only their legs
during the study, using standard
exercises, such as leg presses, leg
extensions and leg curls.They did the
workout three times a week for 14
weeks, doing three to four sets of
each exercise.
The results were hardly surprising.
Only those in the protein group
showed gains in muscle size and
strength. The training and additional
protein led to an 18 percent size
increase in the type 1, or slow-twitch,
muscle fibers, and a respectable 26
percent increase in the size of type 2,
or fast-twitch, muscle fibers. Despite
using an identical training program,
those who got only the carb supplement gained nothing.
Why would anyone compare
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Train ™
\ JULY 2006 181
GROW
Nutrition With a Get-Big Mission
research (reported in this column) showing that when you
increase whey protein intake, its
efficiency drops, likely due to
greater oxidation in the liver. The
efficiency of soy, though, drops
even more. So if you get
amounts of protein that exceed
the requirement for muscle
protein synthesis, most of the
excess will be oxidized in the
liver.
Some scientists who study
protein metabolism think that
suddenly limiting protein in
those who, like bodybuilders,
have a habitually high protein
It’s difficult for active people to get
intake can result in a negative
fat with excess protein.
nitrogen balance—again, because of upgraded liver oxidation of excess protein. The scientists
did. Another part of the study found
think that the body gets so used to
that milk protein was far more effioxidizing protein that if you take in
cient than soy in promoting muscle
less, the body will increase the breakgains.
down of existing protein—as in musClearly, there is no reason to add
cle. That’s a controversial theory that
soy to a milk protein blend. Soy offers
isn’t supported by a large body of
no advantages from an anabolic
proof.
perspective, and it tends to promote
The other fate of excess protein is
internal organ protein synthesis
conversion into fat, though that
instead of skeletal muscle. Soy does
doesn’t happen in
offer one advantage: It’s cheap and a
active people. That
good filler, so you can use less of the
Soy is a rapidly absorbed protein source
doesn’t keep “exhigher-grade milk proteins.
comparable to whey, but speed is where the
perts” from saying
—Jerry Brainum
similarity ends. Soy is vastly inferior.
that “eating too
much protein can
References
make you fat.”
1
Well, yes, but only
Andersen, L.L., et al. (2005). The
if you do nothing
effect of resistance training combined
more physical than
with timed ingestion of protein on
press buttons on
muscle fiber size and muscle
your TV remote.
strength. Metabolism. 54:151-56.
2 Phillips, S., et al. (2005). Dietary
In the new
study, intake of
protein to support anabolism with
milk protein led to
resistance exercise in young men. J
a markedly greater
Amer Coll Nutr. 24:134S-139S.
uptake of amino
nitrogen than soy
protein with carbs as a way of encouraging muscle gains? Past studies show that taking in carbs after a
workout appears to blunt the effects
of cortisol, an adrenal catabolic
hormone that increases with exercise. Blunting the effects of cortisol
would tip the balance toward muscle
growth, and carbs promote an insulin
release that drives amino acids into
muscle. Amino acids must be present as protein, however, for that to
occur. As the study shows, carbs
without protein do nothing to promote muscular gains.
The second study compared the
effects of milk and soy proteins in
promoting muscle growth in young
men.2 Some authors have mistakenly
identified soy as a slow-acting protein, but like whey it is, in fact, a
rapidly absorbed protein source.
That, however, is where the similarity
ends. Whey supports muscle protein
synthesis because of its rapid uptake, while soy protein more rapidly
degrades in the liver and supports
liver protein synthesis more than
muscle.
The study mentions previous
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Eat to Grow
NUTRITION NOTES
Food Facts
H E A LT H M E A S U R E S
Fast Food, Faster Death?
Heating oil to frying temperatures produces toxic chemicals
Next time you happen to visit a fast-food joint, check out the frying
section. That crackling grease can’t be good for you, despite the banners noting that the hot oils contain “no saturated fat.” A new study
shows that the heated oils contain something far worse than saturated
fat.
The study results were presented at the 2005 American Oil Chemists’
Society meeting in Salt Lake City by researchers from the University of
Minnesota. They found that when highly unsaturated vegetable oils are
heated at frying temperature—about 365 degrees Fahrenheit—for as
little as 30 minutes, a highly toxic compound forms in the oil: HNE, or 4hydroxy-trans-2-nonenal. The chemical is produced when soy, sunflower and corn oils are heated. Heating soy produces three additional toxic
compounds.
The toxins are highly reactive with the body’s proteins and nucleic
acids, such as DNA and RNA. HNE results from the oxidation of linoleic
acid. Several reports have linked the chemical to various diseases, including atherosclerosis, stroke, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, Huntington’s
and liver abnormalities.
Repeatedly heating an oil—that’s what happens in fast-food joints—
increases the content of HNE. No wonder Morgan Spurlock, who lived
on fast food for a month and then documented it in the film “Super Size
Me,” experienced such a rapid health decline. The stuff is so bad that
you should avoid it at all times, even during so-called junk food days. It’s
not just junk food; it’s death food.
—Jerry Brainum
•Frozen vegetables can often
contain more nutrients than so-called
fresh. Why? Vitamins and phytochemicals start breaking down when
the vegetables
are harvested. If
they’re frozen
immediately,
those nutrients
remain; if
they’re shipped
long distances
and then sit on store shelves, nutrient
content can degrade.
•Microwave cooking may help
retain nutrients better than other methods of preparation because the cooking
time is far less and nutrients don’t leech
from the vegetable.
•Hard
cheese is generally more nutritious than
softer varieties
because it has
less moisture.
That means it’s
denser, with
more calcium and protein ounce for
ounce.
•Vitamin D
supplements
may be necessary if you
don’t get
enough sunlight. By the
way, glass
blocks ultraviolet B (UVB)
radiation, which
is the type that
stimulates
vitamin D production. So
don’t think
what you get
through your car window is doing the
job.
—Becky Holman
www.X-tremeLean.com
Neveux
Toro
That can affect your
workouts and health
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Eat to Grow
AMINO AMMO
Let the NO Flow
L-arginine is a conditionally essential
amino acid, meaning that it’s essential in the
human diet under certain conditions—
among them periods of rapid growth, pregnancy and after injuries. The liver
synthesizes arginine during the urea cycle,
which is involved in the excretion of proteinmetabolism waste products. The arginine
the process produces, however, isn’t available to the rest of the body. Instead, an arginine metabolite amino acid called
L-citrulline circulates in the blood to the
kidneys, where it’s converted back into Larginine.
L-arginine is present in most protein
foods, and the average person consumes
about five grams a day. It first became
popular with bodybuilders about 25 years
ago, after the publication of the book Life Extension by Durk
Pearson and Sandy Shaw. They quoted studies showing that
arginine is a potent stimulator of growth hormone release. An
Italian study published a few years later showed that taking a
supplement containing 1,200 milligrams of both arginine and
L-lysine produced a 600 percent increase in GH release in 14
young men. The results of that study, however, have never
been replicated. Most scientists discount the use of oral
arginine as a GH promoter because most studies that have
shown significant GH release involved a 30-gram intravenous
infusion.
More recently supplemental forms of L-arginine have been
promoted as a nitric oxide booster. L-arginine is the immediate nutritional precursor of nitric oxide, which is a free radical
and a type of gas that, among other things, acts as a potent
dilator of blood vessels. The dilation of blood vessels gives
you greater muscle pump during a workout, as well as in-
What’s the best L-arginine dose
for pumping you up?
creased nutrient and oxygen delivery to
muscle.
Absorption of L-arginine in the body
isn’t straightforward, however. An enzyme
in the liver called L-arginase degrades a
large oral dose of arginine, which helps
explain why an infusion is more effective in
GH release than an oral dose. Another
problem, more directly related to nitric
oxide synthesis, involves the presence of
methylated forms of arginine that actually
inhibit nitric oxide synthesis during protein
digestion. Thus, for arginine to effectively
increase nitric oxide synthesis, you must
get an oral dose sufficient to overcome the
formidable barriers to its uptake.
A new study sought to determine the
optimal oral dose of L-arginine for purposes of nitric oxide synthesis.1 Twelve healthy people took free
L-arginine for four weeks—free not because of price but
because it wasn’t complexed with anything else, such as
hydrochloric acid. (Oral intake of too much HCL causes gastrointestinal distress.)
The subjects took increasingly larger doses of arginine—
three, then nine, 21 and 30 grams a day. Researchers measured not only arginine levels but also insulin, creatinine and
several other substances. Five subjects reported side effects
that included diarrhea, vomiting and nosebleed at the 21gram dose. At the 30-gram level two of the subjects refused
it, while nine subjects reported diarrhea, one had a headache,
and another complained of dry mouth. The lower doses
produced no side effects except with one person who had a
nosebleed.
Arginine levels peak 60 minutes after oral intake and are
still elevated after eight hours, though how much arginine is
absorbed varies considerably. Based on their findings, the
authors suggest that the best dose for ensuring nitric oxide
synthesis is nine grams a day but caution that dosage must
be tailored to each person. One way of doing that is to note
the level of arginine that leads to side effects, then reduce it
until the effects subside.
Unlike previous studies, this one found that arginine—at
any dose—didn’t promote the release of insulin, nor did it
affect glucose metabolism in any way. The only amino acid
arginine lowered was glycine. The authors think that since
both glycine and arginine are precursors of creatine synthesis,
the arginine may have increased that. (Creatine helps build
muscle and is good for the neural and cardiovascular systems.) On the other hand, the lack of effect on levels of creatinine, a metabolic waste product of creatine synthesis that is
excreted through the kidneys in urine, appears to discount
that theory.
—Jerry Brainum
1Evans, R.W., et al. (2004). Biochemical responses of
healthy subjects during dietary supplementation with L-arginine. J Nutr Biochem. 15:534-39.
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Eat to Grow
SKIN
The Zit List
Milk may be an acne accelerator
Illustration by Christian Martinez
In years past diet was thought to be a significant factor in
the onset of acne, particularly in teenagers. As research continued, however, dietary factors were largely discounted. That
was based on the discovery that acne formation involved two
primary mechanisms: an excess level of sebum, a
fatty secretion that both moisturizes the skin and
clogs skin follicles, and a type of bacteria called
P. acnes that feeds on the excess sebum.
Sebum formation is promoted by androgens, such as dihydrotestosterone
(DHT) and DHEA. The bacteria produce irritating by-products that lead
to inflammation and subsequent
blocking of the skin follicles.
A recent study suggests that
diet may be a factor in acne
flare-ups after all.1 A longitudinal
study of 47,355 nurses begun in
1989 looked at female health
and diet habits. The women
answered questions about their
diets during their high school
years, and the effects of various foods
on the incidence of acne was examined
in that population. The foods included
typical teen favorites, such as french fries,
pizza and chocolate.
Skim, or fat-free, milk showed the highest
relationship to acne, as did instant-breakfast
drinks, cream cheese and cottage cheese, as
well as saturated fat and trans fat. Supplemental
vitamin D showed a relationship to acne, yet the
natural form of the vitamin found in food did not.
What is it about milk that may lead to breakout? The
authors suggest that the
culprit is the hormonal content of milk—estrogens,
progesterone, androstenedione, 5-alpha-androstenedione and DHT. Milk also
contains glucocorticoids,
insulinlike growth factor 1
and other active peptide
hormones. The big controversy is whether those
substances survive the
digestive process. Some
studies show that native
milk proteins, including
casein, appear to promote
hormone uptake by protecting them from the usual
enzymatic digestive process.
Milk also contains testosterone in amounts that vary
from 0.02 to 0.15 micrograms per liter. The average
young girl produces about
32 micrograms a day of
testosterone in her body. Testosterone, however, would not be
a likely factor in acne because all oral testosterone undergoes
rapid first-pass metabolism in the liver. Indeed, the behavior of
oral-dose testosterone led to the development of oral anabolic
steroids, which are forms of the hormone structurally altered to
resist initial liver breakdown.
Milk’s content may be a more significant
problem. Studies show that IGF-1 can be
absorbed orally by newborns, but there is
scant evidence to show that adults can
absorb it orally. As a long string of amino
acids in a specific sequence, IGF-1
should degrade like any other protein
supplement. On the other hand,
some studies show that native milk
proteins shield IGF-1 from digestion, and what’s absorbed drives
the effects of other hormones,
such as glucocorticoids and androgens, that are linked to acne
incidence.
High serum levels of IGF-1 and
androgens show up in adults who
have acne. In teens the primary hormonal
culprit is DHEA, an adrenal androgen secreted by both sexes. Many formerly acnefree women who use DHEA food
supplements report developing it.
The finding that skim milk shows a greater
relationship to acne than whole milk leads the
authors to suggest that its metabolism may somehow increase the bioavailability of factors in milk
that promote acne. Whole milk may be a lesser factor
because of its higher estrogen content, but it’s hard to
understand how skim milk could have more active hormones,
since so many are removed with the fat content of milk. If
anything, the processing of skim milk would tend to inactivate
hormones.
The study raises some interesting questions. The authors
contend that milk products contain active hormonal factors
that survive digestion, though that’s never been shown to
occur in adults. If milk did contain active hormones, such as
androgens and IGF-1, it would affect diseases related to them.
For example, breast and prostate cancers are accelerated by
IGF-1, which promotes rapid cell division, and cancer is a
disease of uncontrolled cell division and mutation.
And another thing: If milk does contain active prohormones, shouldn’t it fall under the ban on pro-hormone food
supplements that went into effect last January? A good argument against the ban is that those hormones exist naturally in
milk and aren’t added. That, however, was the same rationale
that enabled pro-hormone supplements to be sold in the first
place: They, too, occurred in natural forms in many foods.
The dairy industry has thus far remained silent on the issue
of milk and acne. Doubtless it’s reluctant to change the advertising slogan from “Milk is for every body” to “Milk is for every
pimple.”
—Jerry Brainum
1 Adebamowo, C.A., et al. (2005). High school dietary diary
intake and teenage acne. J Am Acad Dermatol. 52:207-14.
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Eat to Grow
WARRIOR NUTRITION AND EXERCISE
Keep Gaining Without Overtraining
Professional athletes, bodybuilders, martial artists, cops
and soldiers often face the risk of overtraining. Tough training programs that incorporate long, intense exercise sessions or brutal split routines five to seven times a week
typically increase the chance of overtraining. An overtrained
individual may suffer from subtle or profound adverse
symptoms, such as fatigue, weakness, irritability, lowered
resistance to stress and vulnerability to disease. So overtraining may lead to severe metabolic setbacks and impaired performance.
The question is, What can be done? How do those who
can’t afford to take long breaks, such as professional athletes, cops or soldiers, avoid overtraining? The answer is
not simple; variables like mental condition, nutritional state
and age can affect the ability to resist overtraining. Even so,
one thing can substantially help: a postexercise protein
meal.
Elevated postexercise amino acid availability enhances
muscle protein synthesis and overall recuperation. Recent
studies at the Department of Food Science and Human
Nutrition at Iowa State University investigated the effects of
long-term postexercise protein supplementation. They
revealed that even small recovery meals—i.e., 10 grams of
protein, eight grams of carbs and three grams of fat—
provide huge benefits in the long run. The researchers
found that a group of trainees with postexercise protein
supplementation profoundly outperformed
a group who didn’t supplement. The
supplement group experienced 33 perPrevent bodybuilding
cent fewer total medical visits, 28 percent battle fatigue.
fewer infections, 37 percent fewer muscle
and tendon problems and 83 percent less heat exhaustion.
The researchers concluded that postexercise protein supplementation not only enhances muscle protein deposition
but also has a positive impact on health, muscle soreness
and tissue hydration during prolonged intense exercise.
In practical terms, fast-releasing proteins, such as whey,
in a postexercise recovery meal facilitate amino acid availability in the muscle tissue right after every workout. If you
incorporate split routines or are under prolonged physical
stress, you should also incorporate small protein recovery
meals between physical bouts.
—Ori Hofmekler
Editor’s note: Ori Hofmekler is the
author of the books The Warrior Diet and
Maximum Muscle & Minimum Fat, published by Dragon Door Publications
(www.dragondoor.com). For more information or for a consultation, contact him at
[email protected], www.warriordiet.com
or by phone at (866) WAR-DIET.
SUPPLEMENT SCIENCE
Creatine Cranks Up Anabolic Hormones
Creatine offers many benefits to bodybuilders, and research continues to illuminate the versatility of
this popular food supplement. Its effects on muscle growth remain controversial. While several studies
show that creatine may exert anabolic, or growth-promoting, effects in muscle, other studies claim the
added bulk may consist mostly of water.
Creatine promotes intracellular water retention, but that’s considered beneficial, since one potent
signal of anabolism is cellular swelling due to hydration. Some scientists even suggest that it may be the
mechanism through which creatine exerts its anabolic effects. Another theory suggests that merely by
providing energy, creatine fosters an anabolic effect when combined with exercise. The protein synthesis
process is energy intensive, but that energy is mainly supplied by fat.
A recent study takes a different approach to the question of how creatine may promote muscle gains.1 The premise
was that creatine may promote an anabolic response in muscle by upgrading certain anabolic hormones—specifically, the
activity of insulinlike growth factor 1 in muscle. When produced locally in muscle under the impetus of intense exercise,
IGF-1 promotes the activity of a number of substances actively involved in the muscle growth process. In addition, IGF-1
promotes satellite cell activity, which is required for muscle growth and repair after hard training.
Six healthy young men were divided into two groups. One group got 21 grams a day of oral creatine monohydrate for
five days, while the other group got a placebo (maltodextrin, a carbohydrate). The maltodextrin placebo was mixed with
protein and given three hours after exercise.
In the subjects who got creatine, IGF mRNA, a marker of increased IGF-1, increased by 30 to 40 percent under resting
conditions. IGF-2 also increased in the creatine group. Exercise alone increased those hormones, and the effect with
creatine wasn’t cumulative, but the creatine group experienced elevated resting IGF-1 levels, an effect not seen in the
placebo group.
The researchers who conducted the study think that the elevation of IGF-1 is responsible for the creatine-related anabolic effects in muscle.
—Jerry Brainum
1Deldicque, L., et al. (2005). Increased IGF mRNA in human skeletal muscle after creatine supplementation. Med Sci
Sports Exer. 37:731-36.
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Train, Eat,
GROW
Muscle-Training Program 72
From the IRON MAN Training & Research Center
o force a muscle to grow, you must
change something in your workout for that
bodypart. Growth is an adaption to new
stress. It used to be so easy in the beginning, remember? All you had to do was keep
adding weight to the barÑand you could do
that at almost every workout. But after years of
training, poundage increases are few and far
between. Just ask Mr. Olympia Ronnie Coleman.
ColemanÕs one of the strongest and biggest
bodybuilders alive, yet he still managed to pack
on pounds of muscle prior to his past few
Olympia victories. Did he get a lot stronger
during that time? No, heÕs been damn strong
for a while, using close to the same poundages.
So whatÕs his secret? Well, one of his key strategies for continuous mass gains is the old bait
and switchÑhe has two distinct training routines
for each bodypart that he alternates. So he
baits a bodypart with one program, then switches it completely at the next workout.
Obviously, ColemanÕs strategy works well for
him, but for those of us who donÕt have superhuman genetics that include heightened neuromuscular efficiency and superior coordination, doing
key exercises only once every week to 10 days
can be a problem. For example, if you do
squats at one quad workout, switch to leg presses at your next and then go back to squats a
week and a half after your previous squat workout, the squatting movement is going to feel
awkward, almost foreign. Why? You have to
relearn the movement pattern somewhatÑget
your nervous system back in the groove of creating the best muscle synergy during the exercise. The same goes for bench presses.
Models: Jonathan Lawson
by Steve Holman and Jonathan Lawson • Photography by Michael Neveux
PERFECT POSTWORKOUT MEAL
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Breakthrough research in
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The biggest mistake many
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©2009 Home-Gym.com
GRIND OUT THE GROWTH REPS™
Beta-Alanine Gives Your Muscles More Grow Power™
The biggest bodybuilders know that
the last few grueling reps of a set are
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mass-building machinery. But sometimes
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Fortunately, there’s now a potent new
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Red Dragon is a new beta-alanine
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Muscle biopsies show that the largest
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carnosine in their fast-twitch muscle
fibers than sedentary individuals for good
reason: Carnosine buffers the burn to give
muscles more “grow power” on every set.
The bigger and stronger a muscle gets,
the more carnosine it needs to perform
at higher intensity levels. You must keep
your muscles loaded with carnosine to
grow larger and stronger. It all boils down
to intensity and the ability to buffer waste
products—hydrogen ions and lactic
acid—so the muscle doesn’t shut down
before growth activation.
Straight carnosine supplements degrade
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©2009 Home-Gym.com
Train, Eat, Grow /Program 72
We’ve found that for us mere
mortals a better strategy is to keep
the key exercise for each bodypart
the same at every workout and then
swap out the exercises that come
after it. That usually means isolation exercises because there’s a lot
less relearning involved with singlejoint movements, like pushdowns
for triceps, for example.
Incidentally, using different exercises can also attack some different
fibers, and the more fibers you can
get growing at once, the bigger
you’ll get. So, by continually switching between exercises, you stimulate more of the muscle.
You probably want some scientific proof of what we’re saying. We’ve
used the following quote before,
but it bears repeating because it’s
IRONMAN Training & Research Center Muscle-Training Program 72
Monday and Thursday:
Delts, Midback, Biceps, Forearms
Rack upright rows or seated laterals
(first set is a drop; last set with
X Reps and X/Pause)
2 x 10(6), 10
Forward-lean laterals (X Reps)
1 x 8-10
Superset
Forward-lean laterals
1 x 8-10
Standing laterals
1 x 8-10
Smith-machine behind-the-neck
presses (second set with X Reps)
2 x 8-10
Superset
One-arm cable laterals (X Reps)
1 x 8-10
Behind-the-back cable laterals (X Reps)
or incline one-arm laterals (X Reps)
1 x 8-10
Superset
Cable upright rows (X Reps)
1 x 8-10
Shrugs or Nautilus shrugs (X Reps)
1 x 8-10
Machine rows (second set with X Reps)
2 x 8-10
Behind-the-neck pulldowns
(X Fade or staged)
1 x 8-10
Superset
Bent-arm bent-over laterals
1 x 8-10
Bent-over dumbbell rows (X Reps)
1 x 8-10
Bent-over laterals or standing
uncrossovers (drop set; X Reps)
1 x 10(6)
Preacher curls (X Reps)
1 x 8-10
Cable curls with Biceps Blaster (X Reps)
1 x 8-10
Concentration curls or one-arm dumbbell
spider curls (drop set; X Reps)
1 x 8(6)
Rope hammer curls (drop set; X Reps)
1 x 10(6)
Superset
Reverse wrist curls (X Reps)
1 x 15
Forearm Bar reverse wrist curls
or dumbbell reverse wrist curls
1x8
Aftershock superset
Wrist curls (X Reps)
1 x 15
Forearm Bar wrist curls
or dumbbell wrist curls
1x8
Rockers (drop set every other workout)
1 x 15-20
Tuesday and Friday: Chest, Lats, Triceps, Abs
(Friday Add Calf Work)
Smith-machine incline presses (second set
with X Reps)
2 x 10, 8
High-low cable flyes (drop set to high
cable flyes with X Reps)
1 x 10(6)
Superset
Decline-bench presses or wide-grip dips
(staged)
1 x 8-10
Flat-bench dumbbell presses (X Reps)
1 x 10, 8
Middle cable flyes (drop set to low
cable flyes with X Reps)
1 x 10(6)
Narrow, parallel-grip pulldowns
(second set with X Reps)
1 x 8-10
Superset
Chins (X Reps)
1 x 8-10
Dumbbell pullovers
1 x 8-10
Superset
Pulldowns (X Reps)
1 x 8-10
Rope rows or machine pullovers (X Reps) 1 x 8-10
Decline extensions (second set flat with
X Reps in press position)
2 x 10, 8
Tri-set
Rope or elbows-flared pushdowns (X Reps) 1 x 8-10
Stiff-arm kickbacks
1 x 8-10
Bench dips (X Reps)
1 x 8-10
Tri-set
Cable pushouts (X Reps)
1 x 8-10
Stiff-arm kickbacks
1 x 8-10
Bench dips or parallel-bar dips
1 x max
Incline kneeups (X Reps)
1 x 15
Superset
Incline kneeups
1x8
Bench V-ups
1 x max
Ab Bench crunches
1 x 8-10
Tri-set
Ab Bench crunches (drop set; X Reps)
1 x 8(6)
Freestyle twisting crunches
1 x 15
Bench V-ups
1 x max
Friday only
Seated calf raises (X Reps)
2 x 8-12
1 x 20-25
Wednesday: Quads, Hams, Gastrocs
Smith-machine squats (second or third set
with X Reps)
Leg extensions (drop set; X Reps)
Leg extensions (X Reps)
One-leg leg extensions
Hack squats (feet high and wide)
or leg presses (feet high and wide)
Leg curls (drop set; X Reps)
Leg curls (wide with X Reps)
One-leg leg curls (X Reps)
Hyperextensions (X Reps)
Leg press calf raises (last set Fade X)
Superset
Hack-machine calf raises (X Reps)
Standing calf raises (X Reps)
Machine donkey calf raises
or leg press calf raises (X Reps)
Seated calf raises
Low-back machine (X Reps)
3 x 10-12
1 x 10(8)
1 x 8-10
1 x 8-10
2 x 10, 8
1 x 10(8)
1 x 8-10
1 x 8-10
1 x max
1 x 10-12
2 x 15-20
2 x 8-12
2 x 8-10
1 x 12-15
2 x 20-25
1 x 10-15
From the IRON MAN PRO Style Store
20th ANNIVERSARY
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FREE Mass-Packing Secrets to Get You Growing!
ITRC Muscle-Building Tactics Delivered to You Every Week—FREE!
•How the Pros Pack on Extreme Mass
•Arnold’s Size-Stretching X-ploits
•The Forgotten High-Intensity Growth Trigger
•A Muscle-Building Mystery Solved
•Pounds of Muscle in Days
•Bodypart Bloodbath for Super Size
•Monster Arms: Torching Your Tri’s
•Time-Bomb Training
•Lean-Machine Ignition
•Drop the D Bomb for Bigger Bodyparts
•Pre-Ex vs. the Post-X Mass Jack
•Less Training, Big Gaining: The Truth
(You can
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past editions
free at www.XRep.com in the
X Files section.)
It’s exciting
stuff! You’ve
gotta subscribe Learn how to make curls three times more effecitve
at building eye-popping bi’s. See issue 03/04/05.
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w w w. I ro n M a n M a g a z i n e . c o m
© 2005 IRON MAN Magazine
It’s a big blast of workout information, motivation and muscle-building science in your e-mail
box every week—and it’s all free! Tons of practical
training tips, analysis and size tactics are jam-packed
into this e-zine from the IRON MAN Training &
Research Center, where there’s more than 50 years of
training experience to get you growing fast! Here are a
few of the latest editions’ titles (online now):
important to understand why
changing exercises creates more
size gains, not to mention the fact
that multiangular training, like the
Positions-of-Flexion system, is a
key to complete muscle development. It’s from Designing Resistance
Training Programs by Steven J.
Fleck, Ph.D., and William J. Kraemer, Ph.D.:
“If the body position is changed,
the order of recruitment can also
change (Grimby and Hannerz,
1977). The order of recruitment can
also change for multifunctional
muscles from one movement or
exercise to another. Recruitment
order in the quadriceps for the
performance of a knee extension is
different from that for a squat. The
variation in recruitment order provides some evidence to support the
belief held by many strength coaches that to completely develop a
particular muscle it must be exercised with several different movements or exercises.”
On that note, let’s discuss how
we’re alternating exercises for our
bodyparts. In our program on page
74 the word or between exercises
indicates that we alternate the two
exercises from workout to workout.
Note that we do X Reps at the end
of most exercises in order to completely tax the muscle.
Delts. Okay, we lied. The or on
the leadoff exercise here doesn’t
mean we alternate between the two
movements listed. Jonathan does
two sets of rack pulls while Steve
does two sets of seated laterals.
Steve has a forearm injury that prevents him from doing heavy freebar upright-row movements, so he
opts for a seated-lateral move that’s
something between an upright row
and a lateral raise. The switch for
delts occurs further down the list,
on the final shoulder superset. At
one workout we do one-arm cable
laterals as a drop set; at the other
we superset one-arm cable laterals
with incline one-arm laterals.
Traps. Here we usually start with
close-grip cable upright rows supersetted with barbell shrugs or
shrugs on the Nautilus multi-exercise machine. The machine enables
us to pull up and back, squeezing
our scapulae. At the other workout,
when we use barbell shrugs in-
stead, it’s just a heavy up-and-down
movement.
Midback. We get some midback
variety with the shrug variations
mentioned above. For a little more
we depend on two rear-delt moves
that bring in the midback. At one
workout we do strict bent-over laterals, and at the other we do uncrossovers. What the heck is an
uncrossover? Stand in the crossover
machine and grab one of the upper
handles with the opposite hand,
holding it at the opposite shoulder.
Now step over to the other side and
grab that handle with the opposite
hand, bringing it to the opposite
shoulder so your arms are crossed
over your chest. Move to the middle
of the crossover apparatus, step
back about a foot, and extend your
arms out in front of your face,
hands together and cables crossing.
With a slight bend in your elbows,
pull the handles back. Use your
midback muscles, squeezing your
scapulae together as you pull, and
your rear delts to get the handles
back. In the finish position you
should look like you’re doing a back
double-biceps pose with bad form.
Biceps. We can’t decide between
preacher curls and cable curls for
our opening biceps exercise, so we
do one set of each, both with X
Reps. You may notice that we do
cable curls with the Biceps Blaster
device, a metal elbow support that
hangs around your neck by a
leather strap (an old Arnold
favorite). It makes X Reps much
more effective due to the elbow
stabilization it provides.
We alternate exercises on the contracted-position movement. We do a
drop set on either concentration
curls or one-arm spider curls (performed on the vertical side of a
preacher bench). To perform concentration curls, you bend over and
curl the dumbbell to the opposite
shoulder. On spider curls you rest
your arm against the vertical side of
a preacher bench and curl the
dumbbell up to the working-arm
shoulder. That’s an example of a
slightly different angle that should
hit some different fibers.
Forearms. We do one superset
for flexors and one for extensors,
alternating the second exercise for
each. We do barbell wrist curls for
flexors and barbell reverse wrist
curls for extensors as our mainstay
first exercises. For the second exercises in the supersets we alternate
between the dumbbell form of the
first exercise—dumbbell wrist curls
and dumbbell reverse wrist curls—
and a movement done on the Forearm Bar. What’s a Forearm Bar? It’s
a V-shaped bar with a pin in the
middle for barbell plates. You grip
the bar with an overgrip or undergrip, stand up straight and do wrist
curls. It’s a very cool device that hits
your lower arms from a new angle.
Chest. We alternate between
decline presses and wide-grip dips.
Whichever exercise we choose, we
always superset it with flat-bench
dumbbell presses.
Lats. Here the exercise switch
takes place in a superset at the end
of our lat routine. We do regular
pulldowns, hands slightly wider
than shoulder width, then move
immediately to bent-over rope rows
on the low cable or machine pullovers. Notice that both those exercises involve pulling your arms into
your torso; however, the machine
pullovers are more isolated and you
get a full range of motion—with
stretch—another case of a slight
alteration that causes different
fibers to react.
Triceps. We switch two exercises
here. The first is on the initial triset. On the first exercise, pushdowns, we do them either with a
rope or with a straight bar and our
elbows flared. The second version is
more of a power move and gives us
a completely different feel from the
strict rope pushdowns. The other
switch comes on the last tri-set. We
do overhead cable pushouts, stiffarm kickbacks for long-head action
and either bench dips or standard
parallel-bar dips. We usually do the
Equipment: Forearm Bar, 1-800-447-0008 or www.Home-Gym.com
Jonathan
reps out with
the unique
Forearm Bar.
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Almost 10
pounds
heavier and
just as
shredded
as last year.
Model: Steve Holman
dips—whichever version—in nonlock style.
Abs. Here it’s a subtle change. On
the last tri-set we do the middle
exercise, full-range twisting crunches on a bench press bench,
freestyle. That means that sometimes we work one side first, seven
reps pulling right elbow toward left
knee and then seven reps pulling
left elbow to right knee. At other
times we alternate from rep to rep.
And sometimes we come up, hold
in the contracted position and twist
back and forth four to six times
before lowering to full stretch. We
try to make it different every time.
Quads. We use a subtle change
here, but we get more quad variation on the leadoff hamstring exercise, as you’ll see in the next
section. For quads the change is on
our three sets of Smith-machine
squats, the leadoff exercise. We do X
Reps on either the second or third
set. We also alternate between
nonlock-style squats or full lockouts, depending on our mood—and
pain tolerance. We get more reps
with the lockout style, but the nonlock style is better at searing our
quads. (Coleman uses a nonlock
style on all his squats, in case you’re
interested.)
Hamstrings. The reason we’ve
been alternating exercises on the
ITRC Program 72, Abbreviated Home-Gym Routine: Monday Through Friday
Monday and Thursday:
Delts, Midback, Biceps, Forearms
Rack pulls or seated laterals
(second set with X Reps)
2 x 8-10
Superset
Forward-lean laterals (X Reps)
1 x 8-10
Standing laterals
1 x 8-10
Dumbbell presses or Arnold presses (X Reps) 2 x 8-10
Incline one-arm laterals (drop set; X Reps) 1 x 10(6)
Dumbbell shrugs or barbell shrugs (X Reps) 1 x 8-10
Bent-over rows or chest-supported
dumbbell rows (X Reps)
2 x 8-10
Bent-arm bent-over laterals (drop set)
1 x 8(6)
Palms-down bent-over laterals or palms-back
bent-over laterals (drop set; X Reps)
1 x 10(8)
One-arm dumbbell rows (X Reps)
1 x 8-10
Preacher curls (second set with X Reps)
2 x 8-10
Concentration curls or drag curls
(drop set; X Reps)
1 x 8(6)
Hammer curls or incline hammer curls
(X Reps)
1 x 8(6)
Superset
Reverse wrist curls (X Reps)
1 x 15
Dumbbell reverse wrist curls
1x8
Superset
Wrist curls (X Reps)
1 x 15
Dumbbell wrist curls or behind-the-back
wrist curls
1x8
Rockers (drop set every other
forearm workout)
1 x 15-20
Tuesday and Friday: Chest, Lats, Triceps, Abs
(Friday Add Calf Work)
Incline presses (second set with X Reps)
Incline flyes (drop set)
Bench presses or dips (X Reps)
Decline flyes (drop set)
Narrow, parallel-grip chins (X Reps)
Superset
Chins (X Reps)
Dumbbell pullovers
2 x 10, 8
1 x 10(6)
2 x 8-10
1 x 10(6)
2 x 8-10
1 x 8-10
1 x 8-10
Undergrip rows or one-arm dumbbell
rows (arm close to torso)
2 x 8-10
Decline extensions (X Reps in press position)2 x 8-10
Superset
Kickbacks
1 x 8-10
Bench dips
1 x 8-10
Overhead dumbbell extensions or
one-arm overhead extensions
1 x 8-10
Incline kneeups (X Reps)
1 x 15
Superset
Incline kneeups
1x8
Bench V-ups
1 x max
Superset
Ab Bench crunches or full-range crunches 1 x max
Bench V-ups
1 x max
Friday only
2 x 8-12
1 x 20-25
Wednesday: Quads, Hams, Gastrocs
Squats (second or third set with X Reps
near top)
3 x 10-12
Leg extensions or hack squats (X Reps)
2 x 10-12
One-leg leg extensions or one-leg squats
2 x 8-10
Leg curls (drop set; X Reps)
2 x 10(8)
One-leg leg curls (X Reps)
2 x 8-10
Hyperextensions (X Reps)
1 x max
1 x 10-12
Standing calf raises (second set with X Reps) 3 x 15-20
2 x 15-20
One-leg calf raises (bodyweight)
2 x max
Note: Train Monday through Friday, following the
sequence of workouts as listed. Also, it’s best to have
a selectorized dumbbell set, such as the PowerBlock,
if you don’t have a rack of fixed dumbbells of various
weights. If you don’t have a leg extension machine, do
old-style hacks with a two-second contraction at the
top of each rep instead. Use partner resistance, towel
around the ankles, if you don’t have a leg curl machine.
leadoff movement for this bodypart
is that we can’t decide which we like
better, leg presses done with feet
high and wide or hack squats done
with feet high and wide. Both give
us a lot of quad involvement as
well, so there’s total upper-leg variation. Our hams have been getting
sore after every leg workout, so that
could be a good sign.
Calves. Here we make the switch
on the last gastroc exercise, alternating machine donkey calf raises
and a return to the leg press for
stretch-position calf work.
And on the subject of calves, note
that we’ve added a miniworkout for
calves to Friday’s session. Even with
all the cardio we’re doing, we’ve
noticed that calves recover quickly,
much faster than quads and hams.
That’s probably because they’ve
adapted to all the work they go
through on a daily basis. In other
words, they’re resilient bastards.
Friday’s calf work is two heavy low-
rep sets of seated calf raises followed by a high-rep set of standing
calf raises. That prioritizes the
soleus, something we need because
the soleus muscles get hit last, after
gastrocs, on Wednesday with two
high-reps sets. On Friday we can
blast them hard and heavy without
prefatigue from gastroc work.
Photo Shoot Update
We did our annual photo shoot
in mid-June, almost three weeks
earlier than last year. It’s a testament to our X-Rep strategy, which
apparently has helped us get bigger
and leaner faster over the past two
years. This year we included new
hybrid techniques, like X/Pause
and Fade X, which could be the
reason our results came more
quickly once again. We were both
between five and 10 pounds heavier
than last year but in the same
ripped condition. That’s especially
impressive for Steve, as he was right
at 200 pounds the day after the
shoot. He’s never weighed that
much in such shredded condition
in his life—and he turns 46 soon.
By the way, we’re still adding to
our training blog at www
.X-Rep.com, so for up-to-theminute reports on what we’re doing
in the gym, log on and click on XBlog.
Editor’s note: For the latest on
the X-Rep muscle-building method,
including X Q&As, X Files (past enewsletters about X Reps), our
before and after photos and the
new X-Blog training journal, visit
www.X-Rep.com or www
.X-tremeLean.com. For more
information on Positions-of-Flexion training videos and Size Surge
programs, see page 195. To order
the new Positions-of-Flexion training manual Train, Eat, Grow, call
(800) 447-0008, visit www.HomeGym.com, or see the ad below. IM
AD
TEG book
A
Bodybuilder
andy had been training
with me for just more than
a week, and he was learning a lot in the gym. Still, I
knew that at least half the battle of
building the kind of physique he
wanted would not be waged at the
bench press or squat rack but at the
dinner table. We had just finished
working chest and triceps and had
slugged down our postworkout
shakes. I told him to go home,
shower and meet me at Grassfield’s,
a local restaurant that served
healthy fare in large portions. When
I eat out, nothing pisses me off
more than waiting a half-hour for
my food only to get a plate that
looks like a kiddie meal.
The shower was necessary be-
cause while Randy didn’t seem to
produce an offensive odor during
training, I sure do. Since I perspire
as freely as the late Chris Farley in a
sauna, a pungent mix of ammonia
and sour sweat permeates my person after any workout. My wife has
compared it to the aroma one experiences near the monkey cages at
the zoo. Fear not, however. It’s
Is Born
Episode 3: Eating Is a Job
by Ron Harris
Photography by Michael Neveux
nothing some hot water and Ivory
soap can’t fix in a jiffy.
Freshly washed, I found my
young charge waiting by the hostess’ desk. The hostess, a pretty
dark-haired college girl, was sneaking glances at him while catching
up on her reading assignments.
Randy was a good-looking kid and
not much older than she was. Thir-
ty-three isn’t quite middle-aged, but
she probably still thought I was his
dad as I walked up. She was new
and didn’t recognize me from the
many times I’d eaten there with my
family. My son was known for
throwing crayons and forks at the
other patrons, the adorable little
scoundrel.
“Two, please.”
She led us over to a table and
handed us menus, smiling to herself as she returned to her post.
“I think she likes you, young
buck,” I teased Randy.
“Yeah, right,” he replied, dismissing the idea as absurd. Yes, I had
gotten hold of this guy at a perfect
stage for learning, before brash
arrogance had taken hold of him.
Model: Ken Yasuda
A Bodybuilder Is Born
way. We don’t want fat in the posttraining meal; you need the food to
digest fairly rapidly if we’re going to
take advantage of the window of
opportunity to replenish glycogen
and amino acids.”
He didn’t argue any further.
The waitress came by to take our
order, and a little more than 15
minutes later returned with two
enormous platters piled high with
chicken and rice. I checked my
watch.
“We finished training and had
our shakes just over an hour ago,” I
said. “You don’t ever want to go
much longer than that after a workout without eating your next meal,
and the meal should be of considerable volume.” I motioned to the
dual masses of food laid out on the
table. “Just like this.” Randy was
looking distressed.
“I’m supposed to eat all of this
right now?” he asked.
“What do you weigh, Junior?”
“Um, today I was 172 in clothes.”
“Okay, what would you like to
weigh?” Randy got a gleam in his
eye at this question.
“Man, somewhere around 230 or
240 would be awesome.” He was
Most guys his age who trained with
weights—the ones I knew anyway—
were convinced that the female
population of planet Earth was
universally paralyzed, lusting over
their buffed bodies. That self-satisfaction made them less than receptive to any form of guidance
whenever they were within 20 yards
of any reasonably attractive
woman.
Randy was already looking at the
menu, but I never opened mine. I
knew what I was getting, or should I
say, I knew what we were both
getting.
“We’re having the teriyaki chicken stir-fry,” I informed him. Randy
looked up, puzzled.
“But this double burger looks
pretty good,” he suggested.
“No, what you need right now are
protein and complex carbs to get
your recovery process well on its
Model: Ken Yasuda
“We finished our training and had our shakes just over an hour ago. You
don’t ever want to go much longer than that after a workout without eating
your next meal.”
Model: Tamer Elshahat
“[Eating for
muscle size] is a
lot like weight
training. Week by
week, month by
month, you try to
eat just a few more
calories a day.”
staring off into a dark corner of the
ceiling, no doubt envisioning himself with a heavily muscled body,
probably oiled up on a beach somewhere with a harem of Britney
Spears look-alikes.
“So you’re looking at about 60 or
70 pounds of weight to gain. That’s
a hell of a lot of muscle weight for
an adult to put on. And as hard as
you’re training, it will never happen
without some very dedicated eating
on your part. Now dig in.”
Some time later my plate was
bare except for a few clumps of
chicken gristle I had spat out.
Randy’s plate was still about half
full, and he was chewing each bite
with the deliberate slowness of a
cow. He looked miserable, and it
was apparent he had passed feeling
full some time ago.
“Where’s your appetite?” I asked
him, trying to keep the sarcasm out
of my voice—which is very hard for
me to do.
“I’m not hungry anymore. I can’t
eat all that food at once.”
“Do you think I really wanted to
eat all that food?” I queried. He
shrugged.
“You’re a lot bigger than me,” he
retorted.
“Now we’re finally getting to the
chicken or the egg question,” I
grinned. “Did I eat all that food
because my size gives me more of
an appetite, or did I get to be this
big because I’ve been forcing myself to eat like this for years?” He
was clearly confused.
“I’m going to let you in on a little
secret, and I don’t want this to get
out. I really don’t have the monster
appetite that everyone thinks I do.
In fact, I have been forcing myself
to eat the amount of food that I
know my body needs to grow, even
when there were hundreds of times
I felt like barfing if I took another
bite.”
“So you’re telling me I have to
cram all this food down now or else
I won’t grow?” Randy was already
“Becoming an elite
bodybuilder is not a fast
process. You’re in this
for the long haul, or
you’re not in it at all.”
Model: Derik Farnsworth
turning a little green at the thought,
looking to see how far we were from
the men’s room should he need to
make a mad dash.
“No, but you do need to start
training your body to eat greater
volumes of food. It won’t happen
overnight. It’s actually a lot like
weight training. Week by week,
month by month, you try to eat just
a few more calories a day. Didn’t
you figure out that you usually only
average around 2,500 calories a
day?” Randy nodded with guilt.
“I hate to say this, but you’ll
never put on more than a few
pounds eating like that, no matter
how hard and heavy you train. That
caloric total has to at least double if
you want to start really gaining. You
need to treat eating like a job, getting all those nutrients and calories
in on schedule whether you like it
or not. You have to think of it as
absolutely essential to reaching
your goals.”
Randy looked glum now. “Relax,
you’ll be able to eat more soon if
you make an effort to gradually
increase the size of your portions.”
“I know; it’s just that I know it’s
going to take a while.”
“Hey, I’ve been trying to make
you understand that becoming an
elite bodybuilder is not a fast process. You’re in this for the long haul,
or you’re not in it at all.” To my
amazement, he started eating
again.
“Holy moly, did you get a second
wind or something?” He tried to
answer, but his mouth was full. The
waitress came back with the check.
I saw my chance. While Randy’s
cheeks were still stuffed like a chipmunk’s with the now cold rice and
chicken, I patted him on the shoulder as I got up and shoved the
check toward him.
“You’re on your way now,
champ.” And before he could swallow enough food to say anything, I
was off. My work here was done for
now, and lunch was on my young
friend.
Editor’s note: You can contact
Ron Harris at his Web site,
www.ronharrismuscle.com. IM
Model: Markus Reindhart
Top
10
Diet
Fallacies
Exploding Mealtime
Myths and Nutrition
Superstitions, Part 2
by Ori Hofmekler
I
n the conclusion of his
myth-busting exposé,
Ori Hofmekler, author
of The Warrior Diet,
tackles the final five
controversial beliefs
about nutrition.
Top
p 10 Diet Fallacies
Fallacy 6
The best way to
control your weight
is to count calories.
Calorie counting has been widely
regarded as a reliable method of
weight management. Some of
today’s most established diet plans
use calorie counting as a principal
way of controlling energy intake.
Yet, in spite of its reputation and
wide appeal, calorie counting fails
to provide the long-term benefit of
staying lean and healthy.
The reason: Real life involves
dynamic changes that aren’t included in the typical calorie-counting
calculation. You cannot overlook
the profound effects of life changes
on your body. For that matter, humans (like other animals), carry
survival mechanisms that regulate
fuel use and energy generation, in
response to changes in environmental conditions.
Your basal metabolic rate fluctuates according to changes in physical activity, food availability and
overall calorie intake. For instance,
lower calories generally promotes a
BMR decline, whereas higher calories generally promote an overall
increase in BMR. (Many health
clubs provide machines that check
BMR.) Since calorie counting is
based on a fixed BMR, it often fails
to provide a real-life measurement
of energy balance; that is, the surplus or deficit of calories.
Athletes and bodybuilders who
use calorie counting to improve
body composition should be aware
of the downside. A calorie isn’t a
calorie. Calories coming from sugar
cause more fat gain than calories
coming from grains or nuts. The
human body has adapted to use
calories derived from certain food
combinations better than from
others. The same calories that
cause fat gain in one food combination can induce fat loss in another
(see fallacy 4 in the September ’05
IRON MAN).
Timing is another factor that’s
often overlooked by calorie counters. The same carb calories that
could be very beneficial when eaten
right after exercise to increase protein synthesis in the muscle may be
harmful if eaten before exercise due
to excessive cortisol release.
One of the most controversial
diets today is the calorie-restriction
diet. The CR is based on the assumption that chronic calorie restriction increases life span. That
dietary approach has been
endorsed by anti-aging advocates
who are convinced that CR reduces
overall metabolic stress and thereby
increases life span. There are, however, a few concerns regarding CR.
1) CR can lower body temperature, which may be a sign of lower
thyroid activity and a total metabolic decline.
2) CR may cause a substantial
loss of libido. It’s often associated
with declining sex hormone levels
and an impaired ability to maintain
The human body has
adapted to use calories
derived from certain
food combinations
better than from others.
Top
p 10 Diet Fallacies
The same carb calories that
could be beneficial when
eaten right after exercise may
be harmful if eaten before.
vigor, potency or fertility.
3) CR compromises the ability to
endure intense exercise and, for
that matter, build muscles.
Recent studies on intermittent
fasting—one day of fasting followed
by one day of overeating—at Johns
Hopkins University in Maryland
found that such feeding cycles
provided superior benefits to those
A calorie isn’t a calorie. Calories coming from sugar
cause more fat gain than calories coming from grains
or nuts.
gained with CR. According to Dr.
Mark Mattson, professor of neuroscience and head of the research
team at Hopkins, intermittent fasting increases the resistance of mice
to degenerative diseases—such as
diabetes, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s
and stroke—while improving body
composition and increasing life
span more than what occurs with
mice that are fed a CR diet. More
studies are required before we can
fully understand the effects of similar feeding cycles on humans.
All that said, calorie counting can
still be an accurate way of evaluating food-energy intake. If used
correctly, it can help measure the
effect of calorie intake on nutrient
use. Indeed, studies by the Food
and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
have established that overall calorie
intake affects protein use. A highcalorie intake (about a 20 percent
surplus) maximizes protein use and
vice versa. Low-calorie intake decreases protein use. Active individuals should take advantage of that
by incorporating a specially designed high-calorie meal, preferably at night (see last month’s
Recent studies suggest that
even small changes in the
macronutrient content of
the diet affect skeletal
muscle performance.
installment).
So you can use calorie counting
as a standard measurement of food
energy intake, but you shouldn’t
apply it as your principal dietary
approach if you want to avoid
metabolic setbacks and impaired
performance.
answer is that it’s not okay to eat
everything in moderation, and this
idea is particularly misleading for
athletes and bodybuilders.
Model: Allen Sarkiszadeh
Top
p 10 Diet Fallacies
Moderation does not go hand in
hand with scoring and achieving.
Real-life superiority requires extremes. Some of the greatest figures
in history—including Alexander the
Great, Julius Caesar, Napoleon
Bonaparte, Ludwig von Beethoven,
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Albert
Einstein and George Patton—had
extreme personalities.
All classical training methods
since the days of the Roman army
have been based on one master
principle: Adaptation to extreme
conditions. It’s been established
that the human body can adapt to
environmental changes as well as to
physical and nutritional changes.
The more intense the change, a.k.a.
the stimulant, the more likely it is to
trigger the so-called thrifty genes,
the genes that force the body to
adapt and better survive.
The most important actions of
the survival genes are those that
lead to an improvement in fuel use.
The capacity to generate energy
from diet is critical for survival.
Studies at the Food and Agriculture
Organization revealed that the
human body does better on food
combinations than on a single food
source. Researchers believe that
humans have adapted to changes
in food availability due to periods
of famine or seasonal or climate
changes. In other words, the body
Fallacy 7
It’s okay to eat
everything but in
moderation.
The term “being moderate” typically refers to the opposite of being
extreme. Moderation is a buzzword
when people talk about living a
balanced lifestyle. Many health
experts recite the moderation
mantra to make people feel good:
Everything is allowed in moderation.
The result is that millions of
people who fail to manage their
weight or sustain health are trying
to figure out what went wrong. The
An athlete who wishes to excel can’t afford to eat even small
amounts of junk, especially before exercise, when it may
adversely affect postexercise cortisol level.
Top
p 10 Diet Fallacies
Indeed, though the
body requires
dietary protein for
the buildup of
muscle tissues,
that’s only one of
several major
variables that affect
the body’s capacity
for growth.
responds better to extreme feeding
cycles that somewhat mimic cycles
of famine and feast—undereating
and overeating—alternating between fat fuel and carb fuel. Similar
to physical exercise, such feeding
cycles force the body to survive on
either fat or carb fuel and thus
improve the use of both.
The idea that everything is okay
in moderation typically refers to
bad stuff, like junk food or alcohol.
But is it okay? Not really.
What may seem to be a moderate
serving does not translate into
anything moderate when it hits the
body. Recent studies at the University of Wollongong, Bandoro, Australia, reveal that even small
(moderate) changes in the
macronutrient content of the diet
affect skeletal muscle performance.
Small dietary changes in fat intake
exerted a major influence on muscle cell membrane fatty acid composition. For instance, unbalanced
high-fat diets that include large
amounts of omega-6 fatty acids and
moderate amounts of hydrogenated fats—the trans fats abundant in
junk food—can lead to severe deficiencies in muscle omega-3s. That
type of deficiency is often associated with chronic inflammation,
impaired recuperation and muscle
waste.
Moderation doesn’t apply to reallife sport nutrition. An athlete who
wishes to excel can’t afford to eat
even small amounts of junk, especially before exercise, when it may
adversely affect postexercise cortisol level. Insulin sensitivity is necessary for the maximum anabolic
impact of meals. Note that even a
single sugar binge can lower insulin
sensitivity, compromising the
body’s ability to recuperate and
build tissues.
Do not fall for tricky words like
moderation. Even moderate
amounts of junk food can adversely
affect your capacity for exercising,
recuperating and excelling.
Fallacy 8
Low-carb products
will help you lose
weight.
We’re living in an era that may be
remembered as the dark ages of
human diets. Even though more
people than ever before are on
diets, obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease are at all-time
highs. Ironically, the worst time in
human diet history involves the
Carbs are also important. A low-carb intake adversely
affects the body’s capacity for generating energy, building
tissue and maintaining optimum health.
Top
p 10 Diet Fallacies
Protein reaches
maximum utilization
when taken within
the first 30 minutes
after exercise.
greatest production of purported
health products. Among the most
popular are low-carb foods.
Low-carb products appeal to
those who desperately believe that
carb consumption is the villain in
the fat-gain scenario. Yet most lowcarb dieters fail to maintain a lean
body. Statistically, they suffer from a
fat-gain rebound, gaining more
weight than they initially lost. Lowcarb products fail to promote fat
loss for two reasons:
1) A low-carb intake adversely
affects human capacity for generating energy, building tissue and
maintaining optimum health (see
fallacy 5).
2) Low-carb products are often
made with low-grade carb-substitute chemicals, artificial sweeteners,
sugar alcohol and/or hydrogenated
oil.
Low-carb products, in particular
some protein bars, typically have a
funky aftertaste—not to mention
the fact that they often bring on
adverse side effects, such as indigestion, bloating and nausea.
Due to their often inferior nutritional composition and high content of chemicals, low-carb
products may increase the overall
metabolic stress on the liver. That
may lead to accumulation of
metabolites such as coenzyme A
and acetate, as well as estrogen
chemicals, in the liver, which causes
insulin resistance and the accumu-
lation of stubborn fat with the former and the accumulation of abdominal fat with the latter.
Don’t attempt to fool your body.
Stay away from products that are
loaded with chemicals or cheap
carb substitutes. They could be your
worst choice, especially if you’re
already fat.
Fallacy 9
To build muscles,
you need to eat a
fixed amount of
protein based on
your bodyweight.
General George Patton certainly wouldn’t tell you that
moderation is a key to success.
One of the trickiest fallacies is the
notion that there’s a fixed amount of
protein, based on your lean bodyweight, that you’ll need to eat in
order to gain muscle. Indeed,
though the body requires dietary
protein for the buildup of muscle
tissues, that’s only one of several
major variables that affect the
body’s capacity for growth. In fact, it
isn’t even the most important.
The amount of protein required
for muscle gain depends on critical
variables such as hormonal balance,
intensity and frequency of exercise,
timing of meals and the overall
nutritional state, including protein
biological value, or BV. Since protein
requirements can change as the
variables change, the idea of a fixed
amount of protein intake just
doesn’t work. Here are the major
variables that directly relate to protein intake:
Hormonal Balance
The body requires a certain hormonal balance in order to build
tissues. A low ratio of androgens-tocortisol or a low ratio of IGF-1-tobound IGF-1 may weaken the
body’s ability to create the kind of
anabolic state required for muscle
gain. If untreated, hormonal imbalance can jeopardize any chance of
gaining muscle mass, even if protein
intake is high.
Exercise Intensity
and Frequency
Muscular development relates to
the intensity and frequency of exercise. Numerous studies reveal that a
Top
p 10 Diet Fallacies
high level of exercise intensity, such
as occurs during resistance training
or sprint intervals, increases levels
of growth hormone as well as androgens and maximizes the muscles’ capacity for adapting, gaining
mass and performing. A recent
study done at the University of
Western Ontario, in Canada, reveals
that intense prefatigue exercise
(without a moderate warmup)
boosts VO2 max in older individuals
to near young-adult levels. Moderate aerobic exercise just doesn’t do
it.
Long-distance runners would fail
to gain total-body strength and
muscle mass even if they took in a
lot of protein. Furthermore, when
the frequency of training is too high
and trainees don’t get enough rest,
the body may be prone to muscle
waste. Recent studies done at the
University of Alabama found that a
hormonelike metabolite called IL-6
may be chronically elevated due to
overtraining. That can lead to a
long-lasting inflammatory process
that may cause muscle loss.
Model: Skip La Cour
Studies reveal that the
human body does better on
food combinations than on
a single food source.
Timing of Meals
Protein reaches maximum utilization when taken within the first 30
minutes after exercise. Any delay
beyond that will gradually slow
down the rate of protein synthesis in
the muscle. Thirty grams of protein
eaten right after exercise equals 60
grams eaten five hours later. So
meal timing is critical, and the same
protein that is so beneficial after
exercise may cause adverse effects if
you eat it before exercise.
Even a single sugar binge can lower insulin sensitivity,
compromising the body’s ability to recuperate and build
tissues.
Overall Nutritional State
To be fully used, protein must not
be eaten on its own in large
amounts. Studies by the FAO reveal
that a high-calorie intake positively
increases protein bioavailabity, and
vice versa. The higher the fat or carb
intake—effectively, the higher the
calorie intake—the less protein is
required for muscle gain. Besides
being a source of energy, carbs and
fats play additional important roles.
Carbs are necessary for critical
anabolic actions—enhancing
growth hormone and IGF-1 impact—in particular after exercise.
Fat is necessary for supporting a
healthy hormonal balance.
So, while there is no fixed amount
of protein required for muscle gain,
protein intake is important and
should be adjusted according to
other variables. For instance, young
people who have a superior hormonal balance require less protein
than older people who have inferior
hormonal balance. Another example: When protein has a higher
bioavailability, the body requires
less of it to build muscle than when
the protein has a lower BV. If ap-
Top
p 10 Diet Fallacies
plied correctly, the strategy of eating
small protein meals after exercise
can yield the same net-protein use
as double-size protein meals that
are eaten either too early or too late.
Carbs are
necessary for
critical anabolic
actions—
enhancing
growth hormone
and IGF-1
impact.
Model: Michael O’Hearn
Fallacy 10
Your diet should
consist of certain
percentages of
protein, fat and carbs.
Don’t attempt to fool your body. Stay away from products
that are loaded with chemicals or cheap carb substitutes.
The suggestion that there is one
set of macronutrient percentages
that fits all humans is ludicrous. So
is the notion that there’s an ideal
“zone” in which all humans reach
peak performance. No scientific
evidence substantiates that. Quite
the opposite: There is substantial
evidence that humans have primarily adapted to seasonal foods and,
thus, different percentages of
macronutrients. Furthermore, due
to the primal necessity of surviving
on accessible food sources—i.e.,
vegetable- and animal-based—
humans were forces to cycle their
diets and adapt to different
macronutrient percentages. No one
formula fits all.
It has even been established that
people who live in different
climates differ in their capacity for
using foods. For example, due to
their adaptation to the Arctic climate, Inuits do better on raw fish
and blubber than Africans, who live
in a tropical climate and survive
better on grains or fruits.
The notion of fixed percentages
of macronutrients is another attempt to oversimplify diet theory
for people who are desperate for a
quick fix. When it comes to nutrition, there’s no such thing.
Editor’s note: Ori Hofmekler is
the author of the books The Warrior
Diet and Maximum Muscle & Minimum Fat, published by Dragon
Door Publications (www.dragon
door.com). For more information or
for a consultation, contact him at
[email protected], www
.warriordiet.com or by phone at
(866) WAR-DIET. IM
Charles Poliquin’s
Smart Training
Q: I’m a so-called hardgainer. The older guys at
the gym say that I’m too nervous to grow. Is that
possible?
A: Yes, it’s possible, and the good news is that it can be
easily remedied. When someone is anxious or nervous, the
corresponding demands on the neuroendocrine system
lower the training response in various ways, such as producing too much cortisol late in the evening.
Managing the condition with supplements is rather easy.
Here are some options:
•Phosphatidylcholine: Three grams of phosphatidylcholine in the evening will help bring down the sympathetic nervous system. Your quality of sleep will improve, and
you’ll find yourself more mellow. It’s also a great liver
detoxifier, which may help with IGF-1 production.
•Reishi mushroom extract. Referred to as “the
mushroom of immortality” in Chinese medicine, Reishi’s
active ingredients include sterols, coumarin, mannitol,
polysaccharides and triterpenoids called ganoderic acids.
Ganoderic acids may lower blood pressure as well as decrease low-density lipoprotein, or LDL, and triglyceride
levels. It’s a strong anti-inflammatory antioxidant that
lowers cortisol levels.
Phosphatidylserine (PS). This is another brain nutri-
The cause of
slow muscle
gains for
some
bodybuilders
is linked to
excessive
stimulation
of the
nervous
system and
too much
production of
cortisol.
Supplements
like
phosphatidylserine, or
PS, can help
(see page
200).
Neveux \ Model: Steve Kummer
Hardgainer
No-Brainer
ent that’s of great benefit to the hardgainer. Oral supplementation of PS has been shown to positively influence
neuronal membranes, cell metabolism and neurotransmitter systems, including acetylcholine, norepinephrine,
serotonin and dopamine. Numerous studies have demonstrated that PS exerts significant benefit on cognitive functioning, especially those that tend to decline with age,
including memory, learning, vocabulary skills and concentration. PS is made in the body from the amino acid Lserine, glycerophosphate and two fatty acids. Some PS is
converted to phosphatidylethanolamine, which is in turn
converted to phosphatidylcholine.
Probably the best way to use PS is postworkout in a
dosage of 800 milligrams or so. It helps rapidly lower cortisol levels, thus assisting the shift from a catabolic to an
anabolic state much more readily. It is my experience that
dosages greater than 2,400 milligrams per week may lower
cortisol too much and thereby increase inflammation in
the body.
Another tip for helping your gains in the gym: Avoid
watching violent stuff in the evening. Studies show that
watching violent TV shows or films depletes the nutrients
responsible for the synthesis of acetylcholine, an important neurotransmitter that regulates the amount of force
you can produce in the gym.
I also suggest you get some relaxation tapes that you can
listen to before retiring at night. They’ve been shown to
help lower blood pressure and cortisol levels. Ask your
local massage therapist to recommend the better ones.
Since they diminish the activity of the sympathetic nervous
system, they’ll help you keep your energy reserves for
growth.
Stretching may help too. For the past two decades I’ve
been a strong opponent of stretching before weight training, which has been supported in the most recent scientific
literature. For the same reason I hate stretching before
Smart Training
Semipronated, or palms-facing,
dumbbell bench presses can give
your pecs new growth power and a
burst of strength. Try them on your
dumbbell overhead presses too, and
watch your upper-body mass soar.
Neveux \ Model: David Dorsey
pronated-grip presses. Pronated presses tend to shorten the pectoralis and
the subscapular muscles, which leads
to impingement syndromes. Supinated is a more natural position for the
shoulder. Bruce Lee even indicated
that punches were far more powerful
when delivered with a semisupinated
than a pronated grip. Biomechanical
studies have corroborated his opinion.
They permit a far greater range of
motion because in that grip the dumbbells don’t make contact prematurely
with the front delts. The increased
range of motion promotes dynamic
flexibility and hypertrophy in the same
way that a full squat is superior to a
half squat in developing structural
balance and functional strength.
Functional strength built through a
greater range certainly leads to greater
punching power. Semisupinated grip
presses give you strength that you can
use on the field. They’ve helped jolt
the careers of NFL players like Na’il
Diggs of the Green Bay Packers.
The greater range of motion greatly
involves the serratus muscle group,
which helps stabilize the shoulder
long-term and avoid one of the causes
of shoulder crepitus (in layman’s
terms, the cracking and popping of the
shoulder). The enhanced range of
motion also gives better function to the front deltoids.
One word of caution regarding dumbbell presses: I
recommend that you get partners to hand you the dumbbells in a synchronized manner. It will pay off long term for
your shoulder health. Many individuals have done themselves serious damage trying to rack dumbbells on various
types of presses. I also strongly recommend that strong
individuals do six to eight warmup sets of low reps before
doing the first work sets. Let’s say you want to do five sets
of four to six with 110 pounds. Here’s the sequence:
training, I like it before sleep, as it calms down the nervous
system and helps the recovery process.
If you apply the above information, you’ll be able to
convert that wasted nervous energy into better training
drive in the gym.
Q: I’m a bit confused about how to do dumbbell
presses. What’s your suggestion for grip placement
during pressing exercises? Should my hands be
pronated or semisupinated?
A: I’ve believed in doing presses in a semisupinated
(palms facing each other) grip since early in my career as a
strength coach. The late Iron Man author Anthony Ditillo
turned me on to the concept of doing the presses with the
palms facing each other. Ditillo was always a proponent of
honest hard work and believed that the semisupinated
presses were a key tool in developing a massive physique.
For one thing, they’re safer for the shoulders. Over the
past few years I’ve rehabbed many NFL football players
who came to me with a host of shoulder injuries that in my
opinion were partly caused and certainly not helped by
Warmup set 1: 45-pounders x 5
The warmup doesn’t take much energy, and it teaches
the muscles the range of motion, gently preparing all the
stabilizers for the upcoming load.
The effectiveness of semisupina- (continued on page 112)
Smart Training
Too fatigued to finish your
workouts? New research says
branched-chain amino acids
before you train can help.
Neveux \ Model: Mike Morris
HTP, which makes you drowsy and tired.
As you may be aware, 5-HTP is sold as a
supplement to improve sleep, particularly for those with fibromyalgia.
But there’s a solution to your problem
in the form of a readily available supplement. My suggestion is based on recent
studies done in Sweden and in Japan on
the effects of branched-chain amino
acids, or BCAAs, on delaying fatigue.
Those studies were presented at the
second annual symposium of the International Society of Sports Nutrition in
late June in New Orleans. Take a dose of
five grams of branched chain amino
acids at the beginning of your workout.
The BCAAs will compete with the tryptophan, and the fatigue symptoms won’t
show up. Then you’ll be able to put in the
intensity necessary to make gains.
Q: When I train, I seem to get fatigued mentally
after only 20 minutes. The muscles seem to want to
keep going, but I just can’t keep it together. Any
suggestions?
A: What you’re experiencing is probably central nervous
system fatigue, but there could be other factors, such as
hypoglycemia caused by eating too many high-glycemicindex carbs before the workout. Make sure that the glycemic index of your preworkout meal doesn’t exceed the
value of 50, which should help your concentration during
your workouts. Many clients of mine who drop the preworkout oatmeal with a banana and raisins and switch to
steak and cashews report an immediate escape from the
midworkout blahs.
Assuming that your nutrition is correct, you may be
experiencing some problems with your neurotransmitters.
One of the causes of fatigue during exercise is the
enhanced conversion of the amino acid tryptophan into 5-
Editor’s note: Charles Poliquin is recognized as one of
the world’s most successful strength coaches, having
coached Olympic
medalists in 12 different sports, including
the U.S. women’s trackand-field team for the
2000 Olympics. He’s
spent years researching
European journals (he
is fluent in English,
French and German)
and speaking to other
coaches and scientists
in his quest to optimize
training methods. For
more on his books,
seminars and methods,
visit www
.CharlesPoliquin.net.
Also see his ad on page
Charles Poliquin
199. IM
w w w. C h a r l e s P o l i q u i n . n e t
Bradford
(continued from page 108) ted dumbbell presses is far underestimated as a tool for rapid strength and mass gains.
Use the information given here, and watch your upperbody mass soar.
IRON MAN Research Team
Home
Gym
MUSCLE
Your In-House Solution
for Maximum Mass
t was almost like slow motion. I
vividly remember the time I nearly
split open my head doing flyes in my
home gym. I was clanging my adjustable dumbbells together at the
top of each repÑI hadnÕt discovered ArnoldÕs continuous-tension
technique yetÑwhen one of the collars
came loose and sent a plate plummeting
toward my cranium. Luckily, only the 2
1/2-pounder on the end slipped off with
the collar. It left a small red-and-purple
impression on my forehead, but no stitch-
es were necessary. It also gave a whole
new meaning to the term Òdrop set.Ó
That was years and years ago. I
havenÕt had to use adjustable dumbbells
in a long timeÑeven if I choose to train
at homeÑthanks to recent innovations in
selectorized dumbbells like the
PowerBlock. The entire set takes up only
a two-square-foot area and replaces an
entire wall of fixed dumbbells. ItÕs truly an
extraordinary piece of equipment, and it
may be the most revolutionary advance in
home training in the past 20 years.
Model: Dan Decker
by Steve Holman •
These futuristic rectangular
dumbbells sit on a sturdy threefoot-high stand and look like something Captain Kirk would train with
on the Starship Enterprise (“Spock,
spot me on some X Reps, you unemotional bastard!”). But don’t let
that throw you. The PowerBlock is
heavy-duty, hardcore weight-training equipment, and you can do any
dumbbell exercise in the book
without fear of collars and plates
reeling toward your noggin.
The safety factor is only one of
the advantages of using the
PowerBlock, though. The biggest
benefit is the selectorized feature.
To change the poundage, you simply return the dumbbells to their
racks and move a U-shaped pin on
each to select the weight. When you
pull the dumbbells away from the
stand, the poundage you choose
comes along for the ride, and the
rest of the plates stay on the stand.
So it’s not just an ingenious spacesaving innovation but a rapid-fire
weight-change solution.
That’s extremely important from
where I sit, and rep, because I’m a
firm believer in drop sets for building more mass. A drop set has nothing to do with that plate dropping
on my head I mentioned earlier. It’s
doing a set to nervous system exhaustion, quickly reducing the
poundage and then doing another
set to exhaustion, a key mass-building technique that’s pretty much
impossible with a standard
adjustable dumbbell set unless
you’re overdosing on ephedrine.
Do you really need drop sets? I
say absolutely, if you want to max
out your muscle size. They are ideal
for isolation exercises that you do
after your big compound, or multijoint, mass move. Drop sets are
almost mandatory for taking your
muscularity to the next level. Let
me explain:
Let’s say you train a big, heavy,
multijoint exercise like upright rows
for delts with two sets, and on the
second you include X-Rep power
partials at the max-force point at
the end of the set. That does a number of good things that will contribute toward your packing on
more fiber size, including maxforce overload. Now you move to
drop sets on a continuous-tension
isolation exercise, like dumbbell
laterals, which will stress a few
more pure fast-twitch fibers but,
more importantly, also hit loads of
intermediary fibers for extra potential growth.
That’s why a good mass strategy
is to finish off a muscle with drop
sets. After you blow out your big
exercise, you want to go for serious
occlusion along with fatigue and
more fiber activation. Occlusion, or
blocking blood flow, and fatigue
create a secondary level of growth,
with capillary bed enlargement
(and engorgement) and unique
muscle fiber stress.
So here’s the drill: After your
upright rows you go to lateral raises
and rep out, hitting failure at
around nine reps. You reduce the
weight as quickly as possible and
immediately rep out again, getting
about six reps. If you’re really
brave—and motivated—you may
want to decrease the weight one
last time and go for a third set immediately after the second. But
even with only two back-to-back
sets you should feel an incredible
burn (if you didn’t, do another
round). That helps trigger growth
hormone release and signifies that
you’ve occluded the muscle and
attacked that important next level
of growth.
Unless you have an entire rack of
Why You Should Have
a PowerBlock Minigym
at Home
1) You can train on a split routine at a commercial gym during the week and do a full-body
workout at home on the weekends. (All you need is a
PowerBlock set and an
adjustable bench.)
2) You can split your program
so you train your big bodyparts
at a commercial gym and work
your arms and delts at home.
3) If you don’t feel like coping
with the commercial-gym
crowd, you can opt for a private home-gym workout to
keep the muscle-building machinery fired up. (It’s much
better than skipping a workout
just because you don’t feel
social.)
4) You can give stubborn bodyparts extra work in your home
gym on the weekends.
5) It may motivate your spouse
or other family members to
start training and set the tone
for a healthful lifestyle. (It’s
always good for kids to see Dad
and/or Mom hitting the
weights regularly; it helps get
the exercise habit ingrained in
them.)
Powerblock
selectorized
dumbbells are
secure. No chance
of collars and
plates coming loose
and falling from the
sky like with
adjustable ’bells
(those should come
with a crash
helmet).
varied-weight
dumbbells, the
drop sets on laterals will be impossible and your mass
stimulation will be
far less efficient.
With drop sets you
get a bit more fasttwitch-fiber activation at the end of
the first set to
failure, but the real
size stimulation
occurs during the
second reducedpoundage set,
when your delts
are screaming for
mercy. That hits
the enduranceoriented fibers,
expands the need
for more capillar-
Full-Body PowerBlock
Minigym Home Workout
You can change
the poundage in
seconds, which is
indispensable for
drop sets.
ies to fuel the muscle and can increase the supercompensation
effect (you’ll end up with bigger,
fuller muscles, as you’ll load more
glycogen to suck up fluid during
recovery). It’s one of the most efficient mass-boosting techniques
around. The ability to do drop sets
alone is a reason to own a
PowerBlock set.
You say you train in a commercial gym and don’t need this type of
equipment at home? Think again.
The PowerBlock could be your
secret weapon for more muscle.
With an adjustable bench and a
PowerBlock set—a veritable home
minigym—you can schedule hometraining sessions along with your
commercial-gym workouts during
the week. That way you’ll look forward to the change of scenery on
specific days.
For instance, you can do commercial-gym workouts during the
week, be they full-body programs
on Tuesday and Thursday or a split
over three or four days, and then on
Saturday do a special workout at
home, in which you only train the
bodyparts that need extra work.
Another option is to do your
upper body on Monday, your lower
body on Wednesday and then a
full-body workout at home on Friday with your selectorized dumbbells and bench. Mixing up split
training with full-body workouts is
a tremendous boredom-breaking
muscle-making strategy.
If you’re a beginner, a
PowerBlock-and-bench setup is an
ideal place to learn the ropes and
build some respectable muscle
before you start repping in public.
Yes, commercial gyms can be
motivating, and they pulsate with
excitement. Sometimes, though,
you just want to focus on you, your
effort and getting a burn in the
target muscles, not on distractions
like the overweight guy sweating all
over the flat bench you were going
to use.
On a personal note, we have two
PowerBlock sets in the IRON MAN
Training & Research Center—no
more individual fixed dumbbells—
and they’re all we use for every
dumbbell exercise. We have much
more space and drop sets on
dumbbell exercises are but a pin
move away.
The PowerBlock comes in three
models, the Elite Trainer ($349
plus shipping), which goes from
five to 50 pounds per dumbbell in
five-pound increments. Or go heavier with the Elite Set 1 ($588 plus
shipping), which goes from five to
90 per dumbbell or Elite 2 ($848
plus shipping), which goes from
five to 130. That’s not bad, considering you’d pay in the neighborhood of $2,000 to $3,000 for a rack
of fixed dumbbells. And to make
this offer even more enticing,
you get free bonus gifts with
any one of those sets: “Beginning
Bodybuilding” video ($20 value),
“Critical Mass” Positions-of-Flexion
video set ($35) and a 20-packet box
Dumbbell squats,
one-leg squats or
lunges
2 x 10
Dumbbell stiff-legged
deadlifts
2 x 10
One-leg calf raises
2 x 15-20
Seated calf raises
1 x 20
Dumbbell bench presses 2 x 10
Incline dumbbell flyes
(drop set)
1 x 10(6)
One-arm dumbbell rows 2 x 10
Dumbbell shrugs
2 x 10
Dumbbell upright rows 2 x 10
Lateral raises
(drop set)
1 x 10(6)
Lying extensions
1 x 10
Kickbacks (drop set) 1 x 10(6)
Dumbbell curls
1 x 10
Concentration curls
(drop set)
1 x 10
Incline kneeups
1 x max
Full-range crunches
1 x max
of Muscle Meals meal replacement
($65 value). That’s $120 worth of
cool stuff absolutely free!
The appeal of these dumbbells is
obvious. What home-gym enthusiast wouldn’t want to have 4,000
pounds of dumbbell power in a
two-by-two-foot area? The
PowerBlock set is one small footprint for home gyms, one giant step
for home trainees. Put it on your
equipment shopping list pronto, or
get on the phone right now and call
(800) 447-0008 to take advantage
of the IM Research Team
PowerBlock Special and all those
free gifts. (Note: optional stand
for any of these sets is $119.)
PowerBlock Pluses
•It takes up a small, two-by-twofoot area, as opposed to a rack of
fixed dumbbells.
•The dumbbells’ rectangular
shape prevents them from rolling.
•The unit is fairly inexpensive
when compared to an entire set of
fixed dumbbells.
•The ’bells are sturdy and safe—
the plates can’t fall off, as they can
with adjustable dumbbells.
PowerBlock Minuses
•Captain Kirk and Spock may
want to work in with you. IM
126
OCTOBER
Big-Time
Arm
Training
An Insider’s Look at MassDevelopment Techniques
by Christopher Pennington
Most people would agree that
arm day is the one workout
day above all others that gets
them excited about going to
the gym. There’s nothing like
feeling your biceps engorged
with blood after you perform a
hard set of curls. The problem
with so many arm-training routines, however, is that they
don’t work forever. Unfortunately, gains eventually come
to an end. Fortunately, it’s not a
permanent situation. The fact is
that after a while the usual arm
routine just doesn’t get it done
anymore. At that point you
need a new training stimulus to
jolt further growth. Once
you’ve shaken things up a bit,
you can return to your previous
program and expect new
gains in size and strength. Let’s
look at several important but
often overlooked aspects of a
successful arm routine.
Big-Time Arm Training
The Exercise/
Repetition Link
Although I have yet to see any
scientific literature on the topic,
plenty of empirical data from
coaches and athletes point to the
idea that certain exercises seem to
work better in specific rep ranges.
For example, preacher curls seem to
work well when done for eight to 10
reps per set, concentration curls in
the 10-to-12 range and standing
biceps curls in the three-to-six
range. A general rule of thumb is
that isolation movements work
better with higher reps and compound movements work better
with lower reps.
You may have experienced
gains using rep ranges that differ
from those observations. The
main point here is that you need
to monitor your training and
determine which combinations of
exercises and rep ranges produce
the best gains for you and spend
the majority of your time working
within those parameters.
Biceps Blast From the Past
There’s been a lot of discussion lately about the best biceps exercises.
We’ve talked about Arnold’s cheat-curl technique and how it forced
critical size-building stress right at the max-force point, near the bottom
of the stroke. Below the midpoint, arms extended just out of a 90-degree
bend, is the key semistretched point where the biceps can generate the
most power and therefore fire the most fibers.
Cheat curls can be dangerous, however, so we suggest doing strict,
full-range curls till nervous system exhaustion and then tacking on X
Reps, doing power partials near the bottom of the stroke. It’s a safer
solution and a more sensible way of hitting that key hypertrophic sweet
spot. The problem is that the leverage shift on barbell curls makes bottom-range partials impossible, so we often suggest preacher bench curls
instead. While it’s possible to do X Reps near the bottom on those, they
can be difficult because of the arms-forward position.
We’ve recently discovered a much better solution, and it’s a back-tothe-future, Arnold-esque answer. We dusted off the old arm-blaster
device, that piece of curved metal that
hangs from your neck on a leather strap
The old Biceps
and keeps your elbows in place for curls.
Blaster can make
Once you’ve got it in place, do your blaster
X Reps much
curls on a low cable. When you reach
more effective.
exhaustion, you’ve got the perfect setup
X-Rep developer
for attacking X Reps. The elbow support is
Steve Holman
the key.
demonstrates.
We’re only doing one set of cable curls
with the Biceps Blaster, and the arm pump
is amazing after we crank out about five X
Reps at the end of a regular set. Arnold
was obviously on to something.
Incidentally, the Biceps Blaster is not a
one-trick pony—it’s also fabulous for
triceps pushdowns. It keeps your elbows
anchored and makes end-of-set X Reps
much more effective on that move as well.
—Steve Holman and
Jonathan Lawson
www.X-Rep.com
Editor’s note: The Biceps Blaster has
been out of production for a while, but
Home Gym Warehouse has located a few
of the devices. If you’re interested, call
(800) 447-0008 for details.
Changing Angles
This is an easy yet very effective
way to stimulate new mass gains.
Many people incorporate this principle into their training without
even realizing it. The logic behind it
is quite simple: When you perform
an exercise, specific muscle fibers
are preferentially recruited within
that movement pattern. By varying
the angle of motion of an exercise,
you can tap into new motor units
and promote further gains.
For example, most people perform biceps curls with their elbows
tucked in close to the body and
forearms straight ahead. Try flaring
your forearms out at an angle away
from your body and curling the
weight up along that plane. It may
seem like a minor change, but don’t
let that deceive you. Sometimes the
littlest adjustments make the
biggest impact.
Another way to vary the angular
pathway of an exercise is by using
cable movements. Cables give you
unlimited variations on an exercise.
For example, by changing the position of the cable handle on the slide
rail, you can change the starting
point of an exercise. That forces the
muscle to adapt to a new training
stimulus.
At first it
may feel a
little awkward. Stick
with it. As
long as
you perform the
motion
safely and
you aren’t
doing
anything
to harm a
muscle or
joint
structure,
the awkwardness
is just the
normal
effects of
learning a
new
movement
pattern.
128 SEPTEMBER 2005 \ www.ironmanmagazine.com
Grip-Width Alterations
Firing Your Guns With Mr. Olympia
No question that Ronnie Coleman, the current Mr. Olympia, has a pair
of the greatest arms of all time. If you have your doubts, just watch “The
Cost of Redemption” DVD. Your jaw will hit the floor, guaranteed. Coleman’s gigantic, vascular and dense—even when he’s just puttering
around in the kitchen making breakfast (watch in awe as he gets more
vascular while whipping up his grits).
So how can you pack that type of incredible mass onto your own guns?
Well, first and foremost, you gotta have the genetics, but that doesn’t
mean we normal mortals can’t learn a thing or two from the big R.C.—
techniques that can get our arms bigger and more gnarly than ever.
For example, Ronnie changes his workout every time he hits the gym.
That’s lesson one: change things often. In the book The Precontest Bible
Coleman lists the following as his biceps program, noting that he alternates the two workouts:
Workout A
Standing dumbbell curls
Standing alternate dumbbell curls
EZ-curl-bar 21s
Workout B
Seated concentration curls
Barbell preacher curls
Standing barbell curls
Narrow-grip machine curls
Alternate dumbbell curls
Cable curls
Neveux
And on the DVD he uses this program:
Comstock \ Model: Ronnie Coleman
Here’s another underused
method that you can adopt to stimulate muscle growth. The next time
you perform a set of standing biceps curls, use a different grip
width from the one you normally
use. That could mean taking a
wider or narrower grip on the barbell. It depends on what your normal spacing is. Play around with
both options and see what response
you get. So much of training is
individual in nature—what works
for one person doesn’t always work
for someone else.
Different bar types have an effect
on how an exercise works for you.
Using both straight bars and EZ-curl
bars on an exercise is a great way to
change things up and shock the
muscle. A little trick I like to use is to
vary the bar type on each set of a
three-set run of barbell curls. For
your first set use a straight bar, on
the second use an EZ-curl bar, and
on the third use a thick bar if you
can access one. Your arms will be
screaming for mercy after this shock
(continued on page 132)
sequence.
On each exercise he does three to four sets of eight to
12 reps, but that’s not the most interesting part. On the
DVD it’s as plain as day—this mass monster loves heavy
poundages and partials. I was shocked to see that on
almost every exercise he uses exaggerated X Reps, partial reps down through the semistretched position,
which is between full stretch and the midpoint on the
stroke, and he curls to just barely above the midpoint.
You see it on narrow-grip machine curls first, but it
was especially obvious on cable curls. And to make that
cable move even more max-force-point friendly, he
faces away from the weight stack and positions himself
so the cable runs back between his legs. He bends over
slightly and curls from the semistretched point—arms
slightly bent—to about halfway up, repping out like a
piston. And his biceps swell up like the Goodyear
blimp.
It’s not just biceps that get the partial-rep attack from
Mr. O; it’s almost every exercise in his mass-building
arsenal—but I’ll have more to say on that in a future
issue when I analyze his training, as depicted on his
DVD. Since I’m a staunch proponent of X Reps, it’s very
exciting stuff!
—Steve Holman
Editor’s note: For more on X-Rep mass training,
visit www.X-Rep.com. To order Ronnie Coleman’s “The
Cost of Redemption” DVD or the Precontest Bible by
Larry Pepe, visit www. Home-Gym.com or call (800)
447-0008.
One-arm work can
help activate more
muscle fibers.
Model: John Hansen
This method is popular among
bodybuilders, and it goes by different names. The basic idea is to completely wipe out a muscle group by
performing an isolation movement
for it and then moving immediately
to a compound exercise that heavily
stresses it. A favorite grouping is a
set of lying triceps extensions followed immediately by close-grip
bench presses. Be prepared for a
deep burn in your triceps.
It’s usually best to use a freeweight exercise for the isolation
movement and a machine for the
compound exercise. You use the free
weights first because you’re fresh
and can better control the weight.
Once fatigue sets in, you don’t want
to be worrying about balancing a
free weight, so a machine exercise is
the way to go. You want to avoid
injury—obviously—and the best
way to do that on this type of sequence is to move to a machine for
your compound exercise. That
should initiate a fierce pump, which
triggers a growth response.
Model: Skip La Cour
Isolation to Compound
SUPERSET
Model: Cesar Martinez
One of the best ways to
coax new arm growth is
with reverse curls.
Model: Jonathan Lawson
Be prepared for a
deep burn in your
triceps with this
combination.
You can even do
21s on
concentration
curls for a
wicked burn.
Model: Ken Yasuda
Model: Jamo Nezzar
Cables can
provide
effective new
angles of
attack.
21s
No article on arm training would
be complete without a look at this
old standby. Bodybuilders have
been employing 21s for ages, and
their popularity is only surpassed
by their capacity for inducing
growth. Many variations exist, but
I’ll describe the version I’ve found
to be the most productive.
Try 21s with barbell or cable
curls, as follows:
•Reps 1-7: full-range reps
•Reps 8-14: half reps done from
the top, full-curl position to the
midpoint.
•Reps 15-21: half reps done
from the bottom, stretch position
to the midpoint.
That’s 21 reps: seven full range,
seven half reps from the top and
seven half reps from the bottom.
Grip weakness
can stall your
quest for
massive arms.
Reverse Curls
How many times have you walked
into the gym and seen someone
performing reverse curls? For many
readers the answer is probably
never. If you don’t know what reverse curls are, you’re not alone.
They’re one of the most avoided
arm exercises in existence. It’s too
bad because they’re also one of the
best and easiest ways to coax additional growth from your arms.
You do reverse curls with your
palms down instead of the normal
palms-up grip. That works a different portion of the biceps and also
stresses the forearm muscles.
I prefer to use dumbbells instead
of a straight bar on these. A straight
bar can force the wrist into an unnatural position during the stroke.
You may also want to try using lifting straps on this exercise. The
palm-down position puts the wrist
at a mechanical disadvantage, so
the strap may help you avoid excessive joint stress.
Model: Todd Smith
Heavy work
is mandatory
for big,
gnarly arms.
Grip Training
Often people don’t make progress
with their arm training because they
have weak grip and forearm muscles. There are lots of remedies for
that. One of the best is to incorporate some thick-bar grip training
into your routine. Or you can simply
perform three sets each of wrist
flexion and wrist extension exercises
at the end of your arm workout. Do
as many reps as possible on each
set. Forearms are a stubborn muscle
group, so you need to work them
very hard to force an adaptation
response.
Model: David Dorsey
Continuous
tension creates a bigger
pump.
X Reps
If you haven’t tried these yet,
you’re really missing out. After reading the info at X-Rep.com, I decided
to give it a go on cable curls. I was
blown away by the intense, fullblown pump in my arms. Do full
reps, and when you reach failure, do
partials near the bottom of the
stroke. (See page 128 for more on
arm training with X Reps.)
If you’re serious about building
big arms fast, you owe it to yourself
to try this effective technique. It just
doesn’t get any better than this for
Grip changes
can hit new
fibers.
growth stimulation.
There you have a few new ideas
to spice up your arm workouts.
With just minor variations to your
normal routine you can start experiencing new growth and filling out
those shirtsleeves with lots of new
big-time arm mass. IM
Special
K
Potassium Is More Important
to Your Muscles and Health
Than You Realize
by Jerry Brainum
The ride from the competitors’ hotel to the
venue of the Arnold Classic in Columbus, Ohio,
isn’t a long one. But for Mike Matarrazo that
ride must have felt like a thousand miles. Or so
it seemed, judging by the expression on the
veteran pro bodybuilder’s face that cold day in
March several years ago. The normally ebullient
Matarrazo seemed unusually quiet and tense.
He looked to be heading to his own execution,
not a bodybuilding contest. When asked how
he felt, Matarrazo’s terse reply was simply, “I
feel like I’m going to die.”
Potassium = Muscles & Health
Neveux
Special K
Although he didn’t realize it at
the time, Mike’s discomfort was
self-inflicted. Since competitors at
the major contests are judged heavily on muscular definition, Matarrazo and his fellow competitors
resorted to various techniques in an
effort to lose every bit of extraneous
water under their skin. Water reten-
tion obscures muscular definition,
and a highly defined look often
separates the winners from the
losers in top shows.
Mike had done what many bodybuilders have done: He’d taken
pharmaceutical diuretics. The one
he used in preparation for this
contest was known as a potassium-
Potassium-sparing diuretic
drugs eliminate several minerals
known to retain water in the
body, especially sodium. While
they can help create that shredded look, they can be dangerous
and have contributed to the
death of competitive
bodybuilders.
Special K
sparing diuretic. While most such
drugs eliminate several minerals
known to retain water in the body,
especially sodium, potassiumsparing drugs, as the name implies,
not only prevent the loss of potassium at the expense of sodium but
also retain potassium in the body.
Under normal circumstances
drug-induced potassium retention
isn’t a problem. The hidden danger,
though, is combining such diuretics
with potassium supplements, and
that was Matarrazo's mistake. He’d
taken large doses of potassium with
potassium-sparing diuretic drugs
because he had been told that diuretics cause loss of all minerals.
Losing potassium, calcium and
magnesium can lead to muscle
cramps, the last thing you’d want to
experience during a posing routine
onstage.
Mike’s malaise was later found to
be hyperkalemia, or excess potassium in his blood. While the condition is easily treatable,
your heart can stop
beating if it isn’t
caught in time. In
fact, the lethal injection given in capital
punishment contains a certain dose
of potassium. Injected directly into the
heart, potassium
can stop the heart
like a bullet. For
those with normal
kidney function, it’s
difficult to overdose
on potassium because a large dose
leads to nausea,
vomiting and rapid
excretion by the
kidneys.
On the other
hand, without sufficient potassium you
couldn’t contract
your muscles, your
nervous system
couldn’t function,
and you wouldn’t be
able to store glycogen, the complex
carbohydrate that fuels bodybuilding workouts. Nor could you secrete
anabolic hormones, including
testosterone.
Estimates are that prehistoric
Meeting Your Fruitand-Vegetable Quota
Wondering how you can possibly consume the minimum suggested intake of five servings a day
of fruits and vegetables? It’s not
that hard. A serving of fruits or
vegetables can consist of the following:
•3/4 cup (six ounces) 100 percent fruit or vegetable juice
•One medium fruit (apple, orange, banana, pear and so on)
•1/2 cup cut-up fruit
•1/2 cup raw or cooked vegetables
•1/2 cup dried fruit (raisins,
apricots, mangoes)
•1 cup raw, leafy vegetables
•1/2 cup cooked or canned peas
or beans
Don’t forget: While five servings
is the minimum suggested for
health, the ideal number of servings is about 11 a day.
—J.B.
man ate up to 10 grams of potassium a day on average, or about five
times more than most people get
today.1 Sodium was rare in that
period, and the human body
evolved to conserve sodium and
eliminate potassium. The kidneys
regulate the process, which is why
those with failing kidneys must be
aware of their potassium intake.
Aldosterone, a hormone secreted by
the adrenal glands, helps retain
sodium while eliminating potassium.2 Potassium-sparing diuretics,
such as the one Matarrazo used,
block the effects of aldosterone.
Although it represents a mere 5
percent of the body’s mineral content, potassium is the major intracellular electrolyte. It has a yin-yang
relationship with sodium and chloride: As potassium exits a cell, sodium enters it. Those reactions,
which are powered by the sodiumpotassium ATP pump, are involved
in several important mechanisms,
including nerve conduction, water
balance and muscle
contraction.
Cells need potassium for normal
growth and protein
synthesis. That
alone should make
the mineral of extraordinary interest
to anybody who
wants to build muscle. Lesser known
functions include
its involvement in
glycogen synthesis
and the process
that degrades
glycogen into glucose to release
energy. People on
low-carbohydrate
diets often experience weakness and
fatigue due to a
low-potassium
intake combined
with the natural
diuretic effects
associated with lowcarb diets. Those
effects lead to general water loss,
especially notable during the initial
stages of the diet. But along with
water, various minerals, including
sodium and potassium, are also lost
Special K
Neveux \ Model: Jonathan Lawson
Losing potassium, calcium
and magnesium can lead to
potent muscular cramps.
from the body.
Heart patients on
pharmaceutical diuretics that treat heart failure and hypertension,
or high blood pressure,
are also often prescribed
potassium supplements
to replace what’s lost.
The heart cannot properly function without
When injected directly
into the heart, potassium is capable of stopping it as fast as a
bullet.
potassium; it’s vital for the electrical
conduction system that regulates
heartbeat. Too much potassium,
however, can lead to equally serious
disturbances.
Several studies have demonstrated potassium’s benefits. It appears
to help prevent the most common
form of stroke.3 By opposing the
action of sodium, potassium helps
lower elevated blood pressure, a
major cause of stroke. In addition,
potassium functions as an antioxidant, limiting the activity of a destructive free radical called
superoxide.4 Free radicals, by-products of oxygen metabolism, cause
the major damage to brain neurons
after a stroke.
The vital sodium-potassium
pump mechanism sets off an electrical charge that leads to a series of
reactions that send nerve impulses
from brain to body and back. Without the sodium-potassium pump,
glands couldn’t secrete any hormones, including testosterone and
growth hormone.
You’ve likely heard that the popular food supplement creatine is best
absorbed when taken with simple
sugar, which causes a release of
insulin. The insulin, in turn, positively influences the actions of the
sodium-potassium pump, which
then powers the transport protein
that actually pushes creatine into
muscle.
Certain hormones influence
potassium activity in the body. Socalled sympathetic hormones, such
as epinephrine, promote the entry
of potassium into cells. Users of the
drug clenbuterol, structurally similar to sympathetic hormones, have
often noticed such side effects as
hand cramps and muscle twitching;
clenbuterol lowers blood levels of
potassium and pushes it into cells.
The temporary imbalance that
results leads to nerve conduction
and muscle contraction abnormalities, hence the side effects.
Any drugs that either mimic or
promote the release of sympathetic
hormones, such as epinephrine,
can lower blood potassium levels.
Special K
Since potassium is vital for both
muscle contraction and energy
release, it’s easy to understand
why excessive loss of potassium
leads to muscle weakness.
Many drugs used to treat asthma,
besides clenbuterol, lower potassium. The most popular inhaler for
treating asthma attacks, albuterol,
lowers blood potassium for four
hours, though not to dangerously
low levels. The OTC decongestant
pseudoepinephrine also lowers
potassium levels, as does ephedrine,
the popular fat-loss ingredient that
was removed from sale last year.
Caffeine, a common ingredient in
fat-loss supplements and the active
ingredient in coffee, lowers potassium. An overdose of the asthma drug
theophylline, which is sometimes
included in fat-loss supplements,
can cause severe hypokalemia. Even
eating lots of black licorice will
result in potassium excretion and
sodium retention—an aldosteronelike effect.
Insulin potently promotes the
entry of potassium into cells. One
standard treatment of hyperkalemia
is a dose of insulin, which rapidly
pushes potassium from the blood
into cells. The pH—acidity or alkalinity—of the blood also influences
potassium levels. High acidity,
which you get on a high-protein
diet devoid of alkaline foods like
fruits and vegetables, pushes potassium out of cells, while an alkaline
state favors cellular sodium retention.
Recent animal studies show that
excessive acidity blunts protein
synthesis. In fact, high acidity can
lead to muscle catabolism, or
breakdown. Potassium is an effective buffer against the effects of
excess acidity caused by a high
protein diet. One study published a
few years ago showed that when
women following a high-protein
diet took potassium bicarbonate,
which contains two buffer substances, muscle protein breakdown
and calcium losses were inhibited.
Dietitians frequently warn that a
high-protein diet is hazardous to
health because it promotes calcium
loss. The culprits here are amino
acids, mainly the ones containing
sulfur, such as methionine and
cysteine. The body compensates for
the increased blood acidity by releasing various buffers, including
calcium, which disappears from the
body during the process. When the
subjects of some studies increased
their fruit and vegetable intake
from 3.6 to 9.5 daily servings, however, calcium excretion decreased
by 30 percent. Much
of the protective
effect is due to the
alkalinizing effects
of the potassium
found in fruits and
vegetables.
Compared to
most other minerals, potassium is
easily absorbed
into the body and
at about 90 percent
efficiency; potassium is highly watersoluble. There is,
however, a flag on
Fun Fact: When a
lethal injection is
given as part of a
death sentence,
the lethal injection
is a certain dose of
potassium.
Special K
the play. Because of
the dangers associated with high-potassium intake,
especially in relation
to heart function,
the government
prohibits direct
over-the-counter
potassium supplements from providing more than 99
milligrams per dose.
That doesn’t mean
you can’t get higher
amounts of potassium in other food
supplements, such
as meal-replacement products.
Another form of
potassium, which
combines potassium
with chloride, is sold as
a salt substitute.
The most popular food
sources of potassium are bananas and baked potatoes,
both of which contain
respectable levels of potassium
minus excessive sodium. Other
potassium-rich foods include
fruits, vegetables, almonds,
raisins, avocado, figs, dates,
yams and dairy products. Since
potassium is ubiquitous, it
Caffeine, another common
ingredient in various fat-loss
supplements, as well as the
active ingredient in coffee,
lowers potassium.
seems unlikely that
you’ll suffer from
a deficiency of the
mineral—unless
you resort to some
extreme measure,
like diuretics.
Most Americans
get 2.9 to 3.2
grams of potassium daily, which is
below the acceptable intake of 4.7
grams a day. That
pales in comparison to the 10
grams our Stone
Age ancestors
took in. Diets that
eliminate the best
food sources of
potassium—fruits
and vegetables—
could lead to
problems. That’s
particularly true
of high-protein,
low-carb plans
that call for no
fruits and vegetables. Such diets
tend to produce
high acidity in the
body, which can
lead to muscular
weakness during
exercise and suppression of protein synthesis.
As a diet low in
natural potassium
continues, the
kidneys become
less effective at conserving the mineral, and the
body excretes more of it. That
occurs when you consistently
take in less than 1,000 milligrams daily. Eventually some
form of hypokalemia, or low
potassium, may occur. Symptoms include muscular weakness, heart rhythm
disturbances and glucose
intolerance, all of which add
up to lousy workouts.
Taking OTC potassium pills
isn’t the best way to deal with a
potassium-deficient diet. Such
supplements, which often
contain potassium chloride,
have a caustic effect on the
lining of the gastrointestinal
Neveux \ Model: Luke Wood
Inside cells,
potassium is
required for
normal cell
growth and
protein
synthesis. That
alone should
make this
mineral of
extraordinary
interest to
everyone who’s
interested in
building muscle.
Special K
Special K
tract and may even cause a type of
ulceration and perforation.5 Fortunately, healthy kidneys eliminate
excess potassium, so it’s difficult to
suffer a potassium overdose unless
you have some type of kidney
failure.
Bodybuilders often use potassium supplements because of the
notion that they prevent muscle
cramps. There’s some truth to that,
since potassium is vital for muscle
contraction and nerve conduction,
each of which plays a role in the
onset of muscle cramps. Besides
potassium, however, a sensible
supplemental cocktail should also
include magnesium and calcium.
Without magnesium, your cells
can’t retain potassium.6
One thing to avoid is taking a
potassium supplement on an
empty stomach. That signals the
adrenal glands to secrete aldosterone, which helps the kidneys
excrete potassium and retain sodium.7 Then human evolution kicks
in and leads to edema, or water
retention. Maintaining a higher
ratio of potassium to sodium promotes the excretion of excess sodium, which equals less water
retention.
You should aim for about five
grams of potassium a day to help
maintain an alkaline state in your
body, thereby reducing muscle
catabolism, and replenish muscle
glycogen for better workouts. The
easiest way to get your potassium
quota is to eat at least five (nine is
better) servings of fruits and vegetables daily.
References
1 Frassetto, L.A., et al. (2001).
Diet, evolution and aging: the
physiopathologic effects of postagricultural inversion of the potassium-to-sodium and base-tochloride ratios in the human diet.
Eur J Nutr. 40:200-213.
2 Meneton, P., et al.
(2004). Sodium and
Without sufficient
potassium, you
couldn’t contract
your muscles, your
nervous system
couldn’t function,
and you wouldn’t be
able to store glycogen, the complex
carbohydrate that
fuels bodybuilding
workouts. Nor could
you secrete anabolic
hormones, including
testosterone.
Estimates are that
prehistoric man took in up
to 10 grams of potassium a
day on average, or about
five times more than most
people get today.
potassium handling by the aldosterone-sensitive distal nephron:
the pivotal role of the distal and
connecting tubule. Am J Physiol.
287:F593-F601.
3 Khaw, K.T., et al. (1987). Dietary
potassium and stroke-associated
mortality: a 12-year prospective
population study. New Eng J Med.
316:235-40.
4 McCabe, R.D., et al. (1994).
Potassium inhibits free radical
formation. Hypertension. 2:77-82.
5 Debs, A., et al. (1988). Perforation of the small intestine caused
by tablets of potassium chloride.
Press Med. 17:696-97.
6 Kobrin, S.M., et al. (1990). Magnesium deficiency. Semin Nephrol.
10:525-35.
7 Field, M.J., et al. (1985). Hormonal control of renal potassium
excretion. Kidney Int. 27:379-87.
IM
’05 FitExpo’s Fittest Couple:
Mike and Holly Semanoff
Pair of
Aces
Utah Team Takes Pasadena by
Storm to Win the ’05 FitExpo’s
Fittest Couple Competition
by David Young
M
ike and Holly
Semanoff had no
plans to enter a contest when they came
to Los Angeles to visit
some friends during the weekend
of the ’05 IRON MAN FitExpo in
nearby Pasadena. Out shopping,
they saw a flyer about the expo
and decided to go. “We were just
walking around, checking out the
expo, when we heard there was a
competition called the Fittest Couple,” recalled Mike. “Someone
said, ‘You two should enter.’
“So on a whim we did. The next
thing we knew, we were
shopping for swimsuits so we
could compete. Then we made
the finals.”
Mike and Holly ended up taking the top spot at the contest,
and I was assigned to find out
more about this wonder couple.
(When you see their list of
accomplishments, you’ll
understand why I’m calling them
that). These two are on a natural
high, so buckle up, kids, because
it’s quite a ride.
Pair of Aces
DY: Mike and Holly, how old
are you, and what are your
height and weight?
HS: I’m 21, 5’4” inches tall and
weigh 120 pounds.
MS: And I’m 27, 5’11” and weigh
205.
Pair of Aces
DY: [Thinks for a second he
has a shot] So, Holly, you like
older men, huh?
HS: Well, this older man.
DY: Drat! How long have you
been training?
MS: Since I started playing football and running track, about 14 or
15 years.
HS: I didn’t get serious until
about 2 1/2 years ago.
DY: Do you both have backgrounds in athletics?
MS: I was involved in college
athletics before and after the
Army. Before the Army I played
football for a school that is now
called BYU Idaho, and after the
service I competed in track and
field. I did the 100 meters, 200 meters, 4x100-meter relay, shot put and
discus. I went to the NJCAA nationals with our relay team in 2002. I
also competed in various triathlons
with the school’s team. I took a
silver medal for my age group in the
’02 Utah Summer Games.
HS: I have been pretty active my
whole life. I played various sports,
including softball, soccer, football
and track. In high school I was a
sprinter, running the 100 meters,
200 meters and 4x100-meter relay
and doing the long jump. Unfortunately, in my junior year I tore my
hamstring in the 100, and in my
senior year I broke my back. Those
injuries nagged me for years, prohibiting me from doing a lot of
things. It was only when I started
doing yoga that the pain and tightness started to go away, and eventually they were gone completely. I
became a yoga instructor because of
that. I’m currently training for a
triathlon and hoping also to do my
first figure competition soon.
DY: Mike, what about when
you were in the service: Did you
continue your training?
MS: I served in Saudi Arabia with
the 82nd Airborne Division for six
“We’re in the gym six
days a week, three days
of heavy training and
three days of light.”
Ad
“I’m currently training for a triathlon and hoping
also to do my first figure competition soon.”
months. The environment was
perfect for training. We had a lot of
time, food and motivation. I
weighed 215, benched 315 for 18
reps, squatted for three sets of 15
with 405 and still managed to run
two miles in under 12 minutes. To
this day I don’t know how I did that.
DY: [Jokes] From the sound of
it, you two are real underachievers. How did you get
started in fitness and bodybuilding?
MS: My family are all very competitive athletes, so fitness has been
a way of life for me from the beginning. I haven’t been involved in
bodybuilding until recently, when
Holly started competing in figure. I
guess as life changes, so does your
reason for training.
HS: As I said, I’ve always been
active, but I didn’t really get into
fitness completely until I met Mike.
He taught me how to train, and I
just went from there.
DY: What do you do for a living?
MS: I’m a microbiologist at Electric Aquagenics Unlimited, a company that specializes in electrolyzed
oxidative water technologies, and a
free-fall photographer for Skydive
Utah. I paid my bills through college by videotaping people on their
first skydives.
HS: I’m a yoga instructor and
love it! I’m currently teaching at
Utah Valley State College, Novell,
and the It’s Yoga studio in Provo.
MS: Also, we’ve recently been
working with GAGA fitness and
GotGAGA.com, owned by Tom
Wright, a former outfielder for the
New York Yankees. He’s going to be
hosting his own fitness TV show,
“GAGA for Healthy Living.” It will
only be avail- (continued on page 168)
Pair of Aces
“Training is more like a
lifestyle—it’s our recreation.
We don’t own a TV, so we’re
forced to do something more
constructive with our time.”
Ad
“We stay pretty lean year-round; the seasons seem
to dictate what training and diet strategy we’re on.”
(continued from page 165) able in
Utah and surrounding states, but
it’s still cool. He’s going to have us
on as guest trainers once or twice a
month. By the way, GAGA stands
for Greater Awareness for Greater
Achievement.
DY: Do you play any sports?
What about hobbies?
MS: Holly and I enjoy rock
climbing, and last season we were
both climbing “5.12”. If the conditions are right, we paraglide in the
evenings after work. We bike 80 to
100 miles per week because we try
to bike instead of driving everywhere. We both thoroughly enjoy
various forms of marksmanship,
whether it is with handguns, rifles
or archery.
DY: What motivates you to
keep training and eating
right?
MS: Training is more like a
lifestyle—it’s our recreation. We
don’t own a TV, so we are forced to
do something more constructive
with our time. Our not buying a TV
is probably the best thing that has
ever happened to us.
HS: As for our diet, eating junk
makes us feel sluggish and moody.
We generally just eat clean because
it makes us feel better and perform
better.
DY: What’s your diet strategy—
on-season and off?
MS: We stay pretty lean yearround; the seasons dictate what
training and diet strategy we’re on.
During the winter we’re in the gym a
lot more, trying to build muscle, and
our diet is geared for muscle development. The rest of the year allows
us to be outside more, which puts us
into cardio mode, just in time to cut
down for the bodybuilding season.
Pair of Aces
DY: Do you have a cheat day?
HS: Yes, we allow ourselves a
cheat meal—not a day—on the
weekend. That’s what we consider
our date night.
DY: Can you list a sample
day’s meals?
MS: Sure. Here’s a precontest
meal plan.
Meal 1
1 banana
8-ounce protein shake
Meal 2
1 cup Eggbeaters
1/2 ounce cheese
2/3 cup dry oatmeal
Meal 3
1 1/2 cups string beans
10 ounces sweet potato
3 ounces chicken
Meal 4
1 cup string beans
3 ounces chicken
Meal 5
1 1/2 cups string beans
3 ounces chicken
Meal 6
1/3 cup dry oats
4-ounce protein shake
DY: What are your favorite
supplements?
HS: Tahitian Noni Juice. It’s amazing how much it helps with our
recovery time.
MS: Holly and I have been working with a company called Aquagen.
They specialize in liquid, stabilized
oxygen supplements. I’m taking a
product called Oxytime®, which is
something that you take when
you’re preparing for hard cardio—it’s
great for endurance and recovery. A
lot of marathon runners really love
the stuff. I like Muscle Milk for protein.
and three days of light work:
DY: How do you overcome
training plateaus?
MS: I take a full week off of training and totally change my strategy
when I start up again. If I’ve been
doing high reps, I’ll come back after
a week and hit it real heavy for a
while, or vice versa. I can usually put
on an easy five pounds after I bust
my plateau.
HS: I mix it up. If I’m beginning to
feel drained in the gym, I allow myself time away. Instead of hitting the
weights, I’ll go biking or rock climbing. When I feel I’m ready for the
gym again I usually overcome the
plateaus on the first few days back.
DY: Can you list a typical
week’s program, bodypart by
bodypart?
MS: These are just in general. We
modify whatever we want depending on the mood. On any given day
some things just feel better than
others.
DY: How do you stay on track?
HS: It’s almost a game with us. We
don’t let each other fail. If someone
wants to cheat, the other calls them
out.
MS: You can’t be called weak by
your better half.
Pull: Back, biceps, rear delts
•Pullups
•Wide-grip pulldowns
•Narrow-grip pulldowns
•Seated rows (narrow and wide
in the same set)
•Cable pullovers with a rope
•Cable pullovers with a bar
•Cable lateral raises
•Cable upright rows
•Cable curls (bent bar, narrow
and wide grip)
DY: How do you organize your
training week?
MS: We’re in the gym six days a
week, three days of heavy training
Heavy work, 3-4 x 6-8
Monday: Legs
Tuesday: Push
Wednesday: Pull
Light: 3-4 x 10-12
Thursday: Legs
Friday: Push
Saturday: Pull
Push: Chest, triceps, front
delts
•Flat-bench dumbbell presses
•Incline dumbbell bench presses
•Dumbbell shoulder presses
•Cable flyes (high)
•Cable flyes (middle)
•Cable flyes (low)
•Dips
Holly is a yoga instructor, so
it’s easy for her to get bent
out of shape.
Pair of Aces
Legs: Quads, hamstrings,
calves
Squats
Lunges
Leg presses
Leg extensions (light)
Leg curls (light)
Inner/outer thigh machines
Barefoot calf raises (toes in, toes
out, toes forward)
We do a lot of indescribable
things for our abs. Most require a
lot of core strength; we get very
creative.
DY: And what about cadence
(speed of movement)?
MS: On push exercises we come
down slowly and under control, and
then I push explosively as we exhale. On pull exercises we pull
steadily and hold for a second at
full contraction, really get a good
squeeze.
DY: What about rest periods?
HS: Two to three minutes.
DY: What do you do for cardio?
HS: As we said, we do a lot of
cycling or running, but if we can’t
be outside, we hit the stair stepper
or treadmill. Precontest we do one
to two hours of cardio. When we’re
outside cycling, it’s easy to knock
out two hours. Cardio takes real
dedication when you’re stuck inside
looking at a TV screen. If I do cardio
in the morning, I’m charged up all
day. I love it.
DY: Do you have any role
models?
MS: Justin Dees. He won the
Utah Spring Classic a couple of
years in a row and has helped us
both with our diets, posing, backstage, as well as helping us mentally
prepare for shows. Not only is he a
great bodybuilder, but he’s also a
great father to his children, which
we admire.
DY: What are your future
goals in bodybuilding and fitness?
HS: We really want to promote
couples fitness. Training is so much
easier when you have the full support of your spouse. Fitness to us is
a fundamental part of our life together, our success as a couple
depends on each other’s support in
and out of the gym. We hope to
compete together and win together
and motivate others in the process.
[Update: In June Holly took best
of show in figure and Mike took first
in the heavyweight division at the
North West Natural Bodybuilding
Championships.]
DY: What’s your life philosophy?
HS: Do what you love to do! Take
time to enjoy life, and live it to the
fullest.
DY: What’s your training philosophy?
MS: We listen to our bodies. We
like to train hard in the gym, but
because of our other activities, we
have to be careful about burning
ourselves out mentally as well as
physically. We sometimes run into
the problem with leg workouts. For
example: We do a hardcore leg
workout in the gym, but then for
the next couple of days we might
bike hard or run more than usual.
Then before you know it, leg day
comes around, and we can hardly
walk. So we just take the day off,
swim laps and hit it hard the next
day.
DY: What’s the toughest thing
about bodybuilding?
HS: Sometimes we can’t stand
even looking at the gym, especially
when it’s nice outside, and you have
a room full of toys that need some
attention.
DY: What’s the best thing
about being a bodybuilder?
MS: The respect you earn as you
better yourself as well as the people
around you.
Editor’s note: Mike Semanoff’s
Web site is
www.naturalhighphoto.com. Visit
the Aquagen Web site, too, at
www.aquagen.com and the Tahitian Noni Juice Web site at
www.noniusers.com/floyd. IM
“Do what you love to do!
Take time to enjoy life,
and live it to the fullest.”
Your State of Mind
Ordinary to
Extraordinary
The Mental Set of Greatness:
Muscularity Begins With Your
State of Mind!
by Peter C. Siegel, R.H.
T
here is a certain attitude, philosophy and
ideology that, in those of my clients who’ve
embraced it, has resulted in their reflecting an
advancement-inducing dominance outlook—the
outlook I call the mental set of greatness. It entails an unbending perception of control, conquest expectation and continual maximum power
generation—it encompasses a stalwart conviction
that they can, should and will surpass existing performance levels. Not only that, they will:
a) Generate and sustain overwhelming, triumph-directed performance intensity in every workout with
every set.
b) Exercise authority and commanding control over
the weights used and their muscular progress.
c) Generate supremacy and superiority over every
challenge and competitor they face.
When the mental set of greatness informs training
and competitive outlook, the level of emotional, personal and competitive mastery generated is extraordinary.
A person who reflects this perception regularly feels
totally in control, ready, primed, focused in the moment—seeing clearly the specific success he knows he
can get, the success he unconsciously generates his
full power toward accomplishing, the success he senses represents his very destiny.
This compelling unconscious framework is, perhaps
more than any other factor, the basis from which
championship effort and accomplishment emerge. By
using your power to tap latent resources and access
and control factors you’ve allowed to lie dormant,
you can unleash the force-promoting advancement
that represent the champion within you.
Illustration by Jake Jones www.Bodtbuilding Universe.com
(continued on page 182)
Ordinary to Extraordinary
Your Unconscious
Belief Framework:
Your Action
Command Center
You’re supposed to advance and
further develop because you are life.
And because you are life:
Whether your thoughts are commanding or limiting, life
will respond accordingly.
Your unconscious thoughts and belief system are responsible for channeling how your life potential is shaped.
Model: Skip La Cour
Your unconscious thoughts and
belief system are responsible for
channeling how your life potential is
shaped, formed and expressed
through you. That applies to how
you approach every facet of your
training, the muscularity you incite
and your rate and level of personal
gain.
Whether your thoughts (ideas,
beliefs, expectations, images) are
commanding or limiting, life will
respond accordingly and will become the physical and experiential
manifestation of your internal
state—the shape, quality and development of your body are essentially
a physical extension of your state of
mind.
Reread the preceding
paragraph—slowly and thoughtfully
so you grasp its impact and significance. When you accept, believe
and comprehensively think in line
with its premise, you become and
stay the big you, the powerful you,
the dominant you, the maximum
you—all the time! That’s when a
force of tenacious conquest ferocity
fuels every set you perform and
your effort in each workout you do.
Model: Joe DeAngelis
Your State of Mind
•You have all that
life is as your potential.
•You have all the
properties, qualities
and characteristics of
life as your potential.
•You have all of
life’s nature, purpose
and tendencies as
your potential.
By aligning your inner state to embrace and reflect the mental set of greatness, you will become more than you ever considered possible.
Model: Steven Segers
Your State of Mind
Life continually strives to
advance you. By aligning your
inner states to embrace and
reflect the mental set of greatness (the overall ideal reinforcing
your purpose as one of being
more and developing more ex-
pansively), you will become
more than you ever considered
possible.
Reconstructing your unconscious framework compels a
dimension of creative force
that’s within you. The dimension is naturally designed to
increase you, advance you and
drive you toward ultimate triumph.
The mental set of greatness
moves you from just “considering” what you’d like to taking
charge and feverishly acting to
become more, better and
greater with every successive
workout.
Model: Daryl Gee
Your State of Mind
Structuring
the Mental Set
of Greatness
Reconstructing your unconscious framework compels a
dimension of creative force that’s within you.
186 OCTOBER 2005 \
You can establish the mental
set as your approach to training
by the following idea scripting
process. Read through it in its
entirety, and then apply as outlined.
In bed at night before drifting
off to sleep, imagine you’re
standing in front of a full-length
mirror, experiencing yourself as
a physical reflection of majestic,
triumphant, compelling muscular power. Next, imaginatively
step into that body, feeling yourself as possessor of its superior
development—all of it.
Then, seeing yourself as that
force, notice reflected in the
mirror your facial expression,
your posture, your overall degree of development—every cut,
groove, peak and the total representation of thick, cut, flaring
density.
Next, as you’re fully engrossed
in envisioning and experiencing
yourself at peak development,
mentally exclaim the following
sequence of ideas, making the
commitment to think, speak,
expect, imagine, act out and
work out from those ideals exclusively—in every aspect of
your training. I recommend that
you commit them to memory so
you can express them with authority.
www.ironmanmagazine.com
Your State of Mind
After you mentally exclaim each
idea, pause momentarily and f-e-e-l
its overall meaning. Feel its meaning penetrate down to the deepest
level within you, lodging as a foundation in an evolving power attitude structure.
Next, imaginatively project yourself standing atop a rugged mountain peak—addressing the whole
world as this maximum muscular
power. Forcefully mentally exclaim
what I call the vow of dominance.
Again, I suggest you memorize the
following sequence of ideas so you
can smoothly mentally project it.
a) I strive to create
the physique I know
represents my
destiny—what I know
is mine to claim.
b) I am driven by the
unchained will to
triumph—I now take
charge of every rep.
c) I now see
dominance intensity!
d) I now f-e-e-l
dominance intensity!
e) I now take full
control, and I make it
happen for me.
Make your personal power become reality.
After you mentally exclaim each
idea, pause momentarily and f-e-e-l
its overall meaning—feel the meaning penetrate to the deepest level
within you, lodging as a foundation
in an evolving power attitude structure.
Then, f-e-e-l-i-n-g, expecting and
perceptually b-e-i-n-g this force of
dominant, commanding muscular
power (and all of what you sense
that entails), slowly let the mental
impression fade and let yourself
easily drift off into a deep and restful slumber.
Alternate this mental set of greatness process with the four-step
presleep success motivation process presented above. (One night
perform the success motivation
process, the next the mental set
process.) Doing that will make personal power and striking size increases stop being wished-for
fantasies and start becoming your
demonstrable reality.
Editor’s note: Self-help author,
seminar leader and personalchange specialist Peter C. Siegel is
America’s foremost sports and peakperformance hypnotherapist. You
can review his acclaimed self-help,
personal-success-development,
mega-confidence-building programs at www.incrediblechange
.com, or call the PowerMind order
desk at (310) 280-3269. The programs come with Siegel’s unique,
results-guaranteed assurance. IM
Model: Michael Ergas
a) I am created to
succeed. My purpose
is to triumph.
b) I’m primed for
excellence; whatever
must be done, I
instantly do.
c) I believe in me—
I’ve got what it takes.
d) I am the force of
magnitude conquest
fury.
Angling
for Delts
How to
Reel In
a Pair of
Shocking
Shoulders
by Eric Broser
ook up the word angling in the dictionary, and you’ll likely find something pertaining to the art or sport of fishing. Since most of us are
“fishing” for shocking shoulders, I guess, in a way, it kind of makes
sense. Still, angling, as I’m using it, means attacking the muscle from
a variety of angles and/or planes of movement with different grips to generate new muscle growth.
If you’re new to weight training, using a very standard program and
repeating the same exercises week in and week out for months will be highly effective at stimulating hypertrophy. As time goes on, however, the body
makes it increasingly difficult for you to make steady gains. Most trainees
respond by adding some fresh exercises or simply adding more sets to existing exercises, and that can set the muscles on the path to new growth. Keep
in mind, though, that the human body is highly adaptive—eventually it will
fight against even your best efforts in the gym.
L
Models: Marcus Reinhardt and Hubert Morandell
Model: Skip La Cour
ad
Seated
Presses
Delts
Foward-Lean Laterals
Model: Jon Lawson
Angling means
using various
angles, grips and
planes of movement
to better stimulate a
muscle to grow.
Lots of techniques can be helpful
once you reach a plateau, but most
of them are designed to make you
work harder in the gym. Forced
reps, negatives, drop sets, partials
and so on are all certainly going to
raise your intensity level—and
perhaps that’s exactly what you
need to get on the road to progress;
however, those same techniques
also make greater inroads into your
recovery ability and could end up
backfiring on you by pushing you
into an overtrained state. In other
words, you may actually be working
hard enough in the gym, but your
central nervous system and muscles might just be, well, bored.
Though most trainees change
exercises occasionally, they usually
have a core of five to six movements
per muscle group that they use
most of the time. Unfortunately,
your body can get tired of doing the
same exercises in the same manner,
over and over, and your muscles
may be firing off fewer and fewer
fibers each time you perform the
movement, even if you increase the
weight. You may also find that
Model: Darrem Charles
Bent-Over Laterals
Model: Marvin Montoya
Delts
Arnold Presses
you’re having a problem
getting a pump from your
workouts and that your
joints are starting to bug
you. That’s because doing
the same exercises from
workout to workout can,
over time, cause what’s
known as an overuse injury.
On the other hand, what
if it’s not your muscles that
are bored but your brain?
Perhaps you’re simply looking for a way to make your
workouts more interesting,
which will help to keep your
enthusiasm higher and your
time in the gym more productive. Either way, angling
is the answer.
As mentioned above,
Model: Daniel Gwartney
Standing Laterals
Delts
angling is my system of
using various angles,
grips and planes of
movement to better
stimulate a muscle to
grow. My guess is that
right about now you’re
probably saying, “But I
already do that—I use
three or four different
exercises for each bodypart, hitting the muscle
from different angles.”
And I am sure you do, but
I’m talking about taking
the concept a step further, performing each
exercise from several
different angles.
We’re applying the
technique to shoulder
training here. Very, very
few trainees build complete deltoids from front
to back—most usually
lack development in one
or two of the delt heads.
In my years of training
clients, I’ve found angling to be an excellent
way of overcoming the
problem. The deltoids
seem to thrive on this
technique, probably
because of the nature of
the shoulder joint and
the many planes of
movement it allows.
Let’s look at a typical
workout for shoulders
that has probably been
performed thousands of
times by trainees all over
the world:
The
The deltoids
deltoids
seem
seem to
to thrive
thrive on
on
this
this technique,
technique,
probably
probably
because
because of
of the
the
nature
nature of
of the
the
shoulder
shoulder joint
joint
and
and the
the many
many
planes
planes of
of
movement
movement itit
allows.
allows.
One-Arm Cable Laterals
Model: Jay Cutler
Seated dumbbell
presses
3 x 8-10
Lateral raises 3 x 8-10
Upright rows 2 x 8-10
Seated bent-over
laterals
2 x 8-10
It’s an excellent delt
workout that hits all
three heads. You torch
the shoulders from front
to back. After performing
the same exercises for
years on end, however,
the body begins to get a
been-there, done-that
attitude, becoming increasingly less responsive
Cable Upright Rows
to them—and that equals little to
no growth.
Now, let’s look at the same workout for shoulders with angling
added to the mix.
Seated dumbbell presses
•Perform the first set in the standard manner, with your palms
facing forward; simply press upward from just above your shoulders to just before lockout.
•Perform the second set with
your palms facing in toward your
head at the beginning of the rep.
Press upward with an arcing mo-
tion, driving the dumbbells overhead and toward each other to a
point just short of where they
would touch. Make sure the dumbbells follow the same arced path on
the way down as well.
•Perform the third set with your
palms facing toward your chest and
your elbows tucked into your body
in front of you. As you press upward, rotate your palms inward so
that just as you get to the top of the
movement, they are facing away
from you, as in a standard dumbbell press. Reverse the rotation of
the palms on the way down.
This exercise is also know as the
Arnold press, as it was popularized
by Governor Schwarzenegger during his bodybuilding years.
Lateral raises
•Perform the first set in the standard manner, standing or seated,
with your torso erect, raising the
dumbbells out to the sides to shoulder height with your palms down.
•For the second set grab an adjustable incline bench and set it up
with the pad facing you. The angle
of the bench (continued on page 202)
Model: Berry Kabov \ Equipment: Motion Transfer Cable Attachment, 1-800-447-0008 or www.Home-Gym.com
Delts
Delts
(continued from page 198) should be
about 75 to 80 degrees. Grab a set of
dumbbells and, while standing,
lean into the bench so that your
chest is on the pad and your head is
just over the top of the bench.
Holding that position, raise the
dumbbells out to the sides without
allowing your chest to leave the
bench at any point. These are harder than standard laterals, so go with
only about two-thirds of the
weights you’d normally use.
•On the final set turn the incline
bench around and drop the angle
back maybe another hole or two. Sit
on the bench and lean back on the
pad. Perform a strict set of lateral
raises.
Upright rows
•Perform the first set with a
shoulder-width grip and raise the
bar in a plane just a few inches
away from your body.
•Perform the second set with
your hands just a few inches apart
and raise the bar while keeping it
very close to your body.
Seated bent-over lateral raises
•For the first set lean over and
hold the dumbbells with your
palms facing in under your thighs.
•For the second set lean over far
enough that you can start with the
dumbbells in front of your shins.
Instead of your palms facing in,
however, they should be facing
back, so that the inside plates of the
dumbbells are actually touching at
the beginning of the movement.
Doing bent-over laterals in this
manner is very difficult, so be prepared to go very light if you expect
to use a full range of motion.
There you have it, my fellow
hypertrophy hounds! A run-of-themill delt routine is morphed into a
cannonball-creating, melon-making, deltoid-demolishing workout
with four different exercises and 10
different angles. It’s guaranteed to
smash your shoulders from front to
back, top to bottom, inside and out.
Give angling for delts a try, then go
home and get in a good meal—
maybe a nice piece of fish.
Editor’s note: For individualized programs, online personal
training, nutritional guidance or
contest-prep coaching, contact Eric
Broser at [email protected]. IM
Model: Skip LaCoure
There you have it, my fellow
hypertrophy hounds! A run-of-the-mill
delt routine is morphed into a
cannonball-creating, melon-making,
deltoid-demolishing workout with four
different exercises and
10 different angles.
Heavy Duty
Heavy Duty
Heavy Duty
Heavy Duty
Heavy Duty H
Heavy
Duty
Building Triceps
A Scientific Approach
h, to have triceps like Mike
MentzerÕs! How many of us growing
up in the late 1970s and early Õ80s
longed for such development, making our upper arms the envy of all
we knew? Overall, MikeÕs physique was one of
the greatest and most inspiring of all time, but
itÕs safe to say that his arms were perhaps its
most striking feature. Not only were they huge,
taping in excess of 20 inches at the peak of his
career, but they had incredible shape and definition as well. His triceps in particular were
awesome, looking like watermelons when
viewed from behind and splintering into thou-
sands of fibrous explosions whenever he exercised or flexed them.
Being impressed with MikeÕs arms, IÕve since
learned, is well nigh universal (recently at Nautilus North Strength & Fitness Centre, the gym
owned and operated by my wife, Terri, and
me, a 56-year-old retired high school principalÑwho has no interest in bodybuilding per
seÑtold me, ÒMentzer had the most impressive
body IÕve ever seen; IÕd love to have arms like
his!Ó). Indeed, the one thing about bodybuilding
that will be true till the sun cools off is that the
upper arms are the most universally admired
and desired bodypart.
Mozée \ Photo Illustration by Christian Martinez
by John Little
Heavy Duty
Heavy Duty
Heavy Duty
Heavy Duty
Heavy Duty
Heavy Duty
Building Triceps
Mozée
you.’ I knew I had arrived.”
Unlike so many other
young bodybuilders, Mike
didn’t make the mistake of just
training his arms and neglecting the rest of his body. As he
once put it, “You wouldn’t put
a Mack truck tire on a Volkswagen. Nor would you expect
to build a 19-inch arm on a
150-pound body.” One would
Mentzer do well to remember that
when growth in any muscle is
was a
big pro- stimulated, growth is also
stimulated—though to a lessponent
er degree—in the rest of the
of mabody. That indirect effect
chine
seems to be proportional to
training. the size of the muscle being
worked. To get the most out of
your triceps training, then, it
would be logical to train your
legs as hard as possible—since
the leg muscles are the largest
in the body, their growth will
have the greatest indirect
effect on stimulating growth
In their desire to build their
in the triceps and throughout the
arms, however, bodybuilders conrest of the body.
tinue to make the same major mistake in their training: They focus
Triceps Anatomy:
most of their effort on the “show
Three Heads Are Better
muscle” of the upper arm, the biThan One
ceps, often neglecting the triceps.
As the prefix tri implies, the triThe largest single muscle of the
ceps muscle has three separate
upper arm, the triceps has a greater
heads. They originate at different
cross-sectional area than the biceps
points on the scapula and humerus,
and the rest of the upper-arm flexand insert in a common extensor
ors combined. Any bodybuilder
tendon at the elbow. They are:
who wants to build his arms to their
1) The lateral head, which origimaximum potential, therefore,
nates on the side of the humerus
must focus equal attention on the
near the shoulder joint and is most
triceps—just as Mike did. He once
readily seen on the outside of the
related this story:
arm in the side triceps pose.
“I recall how I measured my
2) The medial head, which origiprogress in the early stages of my
nates about halfway up on the
training career. The degree to which
underside of the humerus and is
my triceps were growing was an
partly covered by the other two
index of my overall rating as a
heads.
bodybuilder. I remember standing
3) The long head, which origiin front of the mirror by the dumbnates on the scapula and is seen on
bell rack at the old Lancaster, Pennthe under side of the arm in a front
sylvania, YMCA after a particularly
view of a double-biceps pose.
grueling workout, checking out my
The triceps has essentially two
thoroughly pumped triceps. One of
functions: to extend the forearm
the Y’s more tactful habitues felt
and to bring it closer to the torso.
compelled to issue a statement on
the state of the Mentzer triceps to
the world at large: ‘God damn,
The Need to Train Heavy
those things are downright ugly!’
During the course of Mike’s
Knowing a compliment when I
anatomy studies, one of the
heard one, I replied: ‘Why, thank
anatomists he came to respect
quite highly was the late Professor
A. A. Travill (1925–1996), who was
the head of the anatomy department at Queen’s University in Ontario, Canada, from 1969 to 1978.
By all accounts Dr. Travill was an
excellent teacher, physician,
philosopher and historian. Said
Mike:
“According to the research of A.A.
Travill, the three heads of the triceps contribute different degrees of
work, depending upon the level of
resistance imposed on the muscle.
During the course of normal activities and light weight training, the
medial head of the triceps does
practically all the work, with the
lateral head adding a little and the
long head doing virtually no work.
Interestingly enough, Travill discovered that after the resistance exceeded a certain threshold, the
lateral and long heads become
much more heavily recruited, with
the medial head still heavily involved.”
While no one knows exactly
when the threshold is reached, it
appears that it’s very high. Tom
McLaughlin, Ph.D., once pointed
out in an article in Powerlifting USA
that, of all the muscles, the triceps
often show the least improvement
in beginners. He attributed it to the
fact that the medial head, which
remains largely invisible under the
other two heads, is doing most of
the work. Mike concurred:
“My own observations support
much of what Dr. McLaughlin says.
I often hear bodybuilders remark
how difficult it is to develop the
long head and especially the lateral
head, which McLaughlin called the
‘totally lazy’ head of the triceps.”
In order to exercise all three
heads, therefore, you must impose
a very heavy workload. In addition,
it’s important to train both functions of the triceps.
Selecting Exercises
According to Function
Putting the above information
together, you can see that the most
productive triceps exercises will be
those that involve heavy resistance
and that straighten the arm from
about a 90 degree bend at the
elbow. The exercises that come
closest to filling those requirements
are pressdowns and dips, which,
not surprisingly, formed the core of
Mike’s triceps workouts during his
competition days and were prescribed for his clients throughout
his years as a personal trainer. It’s a
testament to Mike’s logic and consistency that in approaching triceps
training, he first explored their
anatomy and function and then
looked for additional scientific data
to apply to his workouts. Of all of
the triceps exercises he surveyed,
however, Mike believed one in
particular to be the most effective:
“My favorite exercises for triceps
are pressdowns or Nautilus extensions and dips. I think the dip is the
best triceps exercise. It’s also the
best overall upper-body exercise—I
call it the upper-body squat. Dips
are by far the best, as you can use
extraordinarily heavy weights—
especially in the negative phase. My
brother Ray and I have found
throughout our training careers
that when we needed triceps mass,
heavy dips never failed.”
Building Triceps
Don’t Overtrain
According to Mentzer, “The formula is brief training, intense training and infrequent training. Young
bodybuilders reading this should be
cautioned against doing too many
sets on too many days for all bodyparts. Their enthusiasm is often a
hindrance; they’re so willing and
able to train marathon-style to
acquire a muscular physique that
they often overtrain. I see this as
probably the most pervasive mistake of all bodybuilders, including
advanced bodybuilders—they
grossly overtrain.”
Knowing the best exercises to
perform is one thing, but other
issues, such as volume (or how
many sets you perform in a given
workout) and frequency (how many
workouts you perform in a given
period of time, which affects how
much time you allow for the production of optimal muscle growth),
also factor heavily into the bodybuilding equation. With respect to
volume, Mike found that it was, at
best, unnecessary to do more than
one set per bodypart—or more
than two to three sets, depending
on the muscle group being trained.
He pointed out that if it were sheer
volume of work that created muscular mass, common laborers who
perform highly repetitive tasks and
distance runners would have the
largest muscles.
Since any amount of training,
whether it’s of short or long duration, makes inroads in the body’s
recuperative abilities, the intense
training has to be infrequent as well
as brief. Sufficient time must elapse
between training sessions to allow
for a complete recovery. Mike had a
lot to say on this important subject:
“Only after the body has recovered all of the energy it expended
during a workout and other daily
activities will growth take place. If a
bodybuilder spends endless hours
in the gym needlessly overtraining,
then all of his energy will be spent
in an attempt to overcome the
exhaustive effects of the workout,
with nothing left over for growth.
The acquisition and preservation of
energy are the most pressing concerns of all living bodies, as energy
is necessary for survival in fending
off enemies, finding food and reproduction, while large muscle
growth contributes little if anything
to chances of survival. So, while
intense training is a requirement
for rapid muscle growth, such training must be brief and infrequent to
allow such growth to take place.”
When Mike was training for competition (and remember he had
tremendous genetic advantages
that many of us do not), at most he
trained once every three or four
days and performed a maximum of
five sets for his triceps. When training clients with average genetic
ability, he recommended that they
work out no more than once every
five to seven days and perform no
more than two sets for their triceps.
Since the triceps receive a lot of
stimulation whenever you perform
any sort of pressing exercise, like
bench presses and shoulder presses, too much stimulation—say,
from performing too much direct
triceps work—can actually dig a
deeper hole that will require even
more days off before growth can be
produced. So why delay the gains
you want so badly? As you grow
Neveux \ Model: Henrik Thamasian
Heavy Duty
Heavy
dips were
a Mentzer
favorite
for arm
mass.
stronger, the demands on your
body’s resources will grow greater,
with the result that you’ll need to
factor additional rest days into your
bodybuilding schedule so the
growth you’ve stimulated with your
workout can be produced.
When to Train Triceps
One of the most frequently asked
questions at Mike’s seminars was,
What’s the best sequence in which
to train the various bodyparts during a workout? As a rule of thumb,
he said, the protocol is to train the
largest muscles first, since they
demand more energy, and, obviously, you have more energy at the
start of a workout. So the triceps
would be worked toward the end,
after you train the torso muscles. As
the triceps are used in many of the
exercises performed for the delts
and pecs, you should always train
triceps after those two. As Mike
asked, “Why limit the amount of
weight you’d be able to use on your
Heavy Duty
delt and pec exercises by training
triceps first?”
Because of the direct stimulation
they receive from their involvement
in many of the movements associated with the chest and shoulders,
the triceps are prone to becoming
overtrained. Limit your triceps
exercises to relatively few sets, and
give yourself ample recovery time
afterward.
Building Triceps
Proper Exercise
Performance
Triceps exercises—like all exercises—should be performed with
slow, deliberate movements, continuous tension and an emphasis
on full contraction. Keep the movement under control from start to
finish. When you start an exercise
with a sudden jerk and continue it
rapidly to completion, your muscles get resistance only at the beginning and the end of the
movement. Yanking and jerking
heavy weights out of the starting
position can traumatize the joints
and connective tissues. Initiate all
triceps exercises slowly and carry
through to the fully contracted
position, and then pause momentarily before lowering slowly and
under control. The deliberate motion reduces outside forces and
makes sure the triceps do all the
work.
In performing two super triceps
builders, pressdowns
and dips, Mike had
specific instructions for
milking the most out of
them:
Pressdowns. This
exercise is very valuable
because it requires that
the triceps perform
both of its functions:
straightening the arms
and keeping the upper
arms close to the body.
Do the exercise with a
high-cable apparatus,
with your hands held a
shoulder width apart or
slightly closer and your
elbows stationary at
your sides. Do not allow
your elbows to travel
away from your sides; if
they go out wide, your
pecs and lats come into play.
Begin the movement deliberately
from the extended position and
continue by straightening your
arms, pressing the handle downward until your elbows are fully
locked. In the locked position make
an effort to pull the bar as close to
your body as possible. Pause momentarily, and then lower the
weight stack—that is, return to the
starting position—slowly and under
full muscular control.
After I’ve done six to eight reps in
that fashion, my partner will help
me force out two or three more
reps, in which I exaggerate the
negative portion even more, taking
up to four seconds to lower the
weight. Then, taking no rest at all, I
proceed directly to the next exercise.
Dips. After exhausting my triceps with pressdowns, I go to a
compound exercise, such as dips,
which enables me to continue
working my triceps beyond normal
failure by using my front delts and
pecs. When doing dips for the triceps, be sure to keep your elbows
tucked in as close to the body as
possible. Although I usually perform reps to positive failure, then
continue with several forced and
negative reps, every third workout
or so I just do pure negatives on the
dips—that is, I do no positive reps
at all. I stand on a bench that allows
me to start in the top, or fully con-
tracted, position. From there I
lower myself very slowly all the way
to the bottom. I get up on the
bench again and lower once more,
repeating for five or six reps. When
you perform pure negative reps on
dips, be sure to use a weight that
lets you lower yourself all the way to
the bottom under full control. If
you find yourself dropping quickly
into the bottom position after you
reach the halfway point, the weight
you’re using is too heavy.
When formulating a triceps routine, make pressdowns and dips the
core of your workout. Since maximum-intensity training is the best
for building mass, keep your sets
fairly low so that each set is maximal.
Mike Mentzer’s
Heavy Duty
Triceps Workout
Superset
Pressdowns
1 x 6-10
Dips
1 x 3-5
If you can do more than five reps
with your bodyweight on dips, add
weight.
Train your triceps at every fourth
workout, giving yourself five to
seven days between workouts to
allow for full recovery and growth to
take place.
Editor’s note: For a complete
presentation of Mike Mentzer’s
Heavy Duty training system, consult his books Heavy Duty II and
High Intensity Training the Mike
Mentzer Way, available through the
ad on page 211 of this issue, from
Home Gym Warehouse, (800) 4470008, or by visiting Mentzer’s official Web site,
www.mikementzer.com or
www.Home-Gym.com.
John Little is available for phone
consultation on Mike Mentzer’s
Heavy Duty training system. For
rates and information, contact
Joanne Sharkey at (310) 316-4519 or
at www.mikementzer.com, or see
the ad mentioned above.
Article copyright © 2005, John
Little. All rights reserved. Mike
Mentzer quotations that appear in
this series provided courtesy of
Joanne Sharkey, © 2005 and used
with permission. IM
Rep
Range
Revelations
Avoid Repetition Ruts
for More Size and Cuts
ad
Model: Quincy Taylor
by Eric Broser • Photography by Michael Neveux
lmost every day IÕm asked the
same question by fellow weighttraining fanatics: ÒWhy canÕt I
grow anymore? I used to grow consistently, but it just stopped!Ó Although the
answer to that question can be quite
complex and the result of many factors,
I find a commonality among those who
have hit the wall on muscle growth:
They use the same rep range day in
and day out, week in and week out,
year after year.
Model: John Hansen
Rep Range
While it’s largely accepted that
performing one to five reps builds
strength, six to 12 reps build size
and 13 to 20 reps builds muscular
endurance, that’s far too broad a
generalization—and also not entirely accurate. You probably know
that muscle fibers are divided into
two basic categories, fast and slow
twitch (also known as type 2 and
type 1), but it’s also important to
remember that there are several
subtypes of each, a few of which
share some characteristics. So while
it’s true that fast-twitch fibers have
the greatest capacity for growing in
size, unless you fully tax all available muscle fibers, you’ll never
succeed in reaching your full muscular potential. Furthermore, if you
use only one rep range, your body
will adapt to that specific form of
Model: Jeff Dwelle
Keep in mind that muscles get larger through mechanisms other than
actual fiber hypertrophy—such as capillary bed enlargement.
stress rather quickly and stop responding to your efforts. That’s
when you’ll start asking, Why am I
not growing anymore? You must
realize that the human body is a
master of adaptation and a lover of
homeostasis, so you must stay one
step ahead if you want to continue
to grow.
Keep in mind that muscles get
larger through mechanisms other
than actual fiber hypertrophy.
Higher repetitions can increase
capillary beds and enhance the
ability of your cells to store more
nutrients like glycogen, amino
acids and creatine, which can actually swell them to a greater size. In
addition, the various rep ranges can
set off various hormonal cascades,
causing you to release greater
amounts of testosterone, growth
hormone and/or IGF-1. Doesn’t it
make sense that you would want
every available muscle-building
hormone flowing through your
veins in the greatest possible quantities? You bet! That should be a
major concern of every ironhead
interested in packing on lean mass.
While I could continue this little
lesson in physiology for a few more
pages, I’d rather hammer in the
take-home message here: Vary your
Rep Range
rep ranges. You should do the majority of your sets in the range of
seven to 12 reps (which several
studies have shown to be the most
effective for muscle hypertrophy);
your program should also include
one rep range, several weeks with
another rep range and so on. I like
to get the unique feel of each rep
range during a single workout. A
three-to-five-rep set makes your
muscles feel entirely different from
what you feel with a 12-to-16-rep
set. The pump you get from that
type of training is outrageous, and
plateaus rarely occur because
you’re constantly changing the
stimulus.
Here are samples of how you can
structure workouts for each of your
bodyparts using different rep
ranges in one workout:
lower-rep sets of three to five reps
and higher-rep sets of 12 to 16.
You can use various rep ranges
within the structure of each workout, or you can use a periodization
plan—training several weeks with
Chest
Bench presses
3 x 3-5
Incline dumbbell presses 2 x 6-9
Incline flyes
3 x 7-12
Cable crossovers
2 x 13-15
Back:
Bent-over barbell rows
3 x 3-5
Close-grip seated
cable rows
2 x 6-9
Undergrip pulldowns
3 x 7-12
Dumbbell pullovers
2 x 13-15
Model: Chris Cook
You can use
various rep
ranges within
the structure of
each workout.
Legs
Squats
Leg presses
Leg extensions
Lunges
Lying leg curls
One-leg leg curls
3 x 3-5
2 x 6-9
3 x 7-12
2 x 13-15
2 x 6-9
3 x 7-12
3 x 13-15
Shoulders
Military presses
2 x 3-5
Wide-grip upright rows
2 x 6-9
Lateral raises
3 x 7-12
Bent-over laterals
2 x 13-15
Arms
Barbell curls
Preacher curls
Alternate dumbbell curls
Close-grip bench presses
Lying extensions
Pushdowns
2 x 3-5
2 x 6-9
3 x 7-12
2 x 3-5
2 x 6-9
3 x 7-12
Remember, when it comes to
bodybuilding, doing the exact same
things over and over and expecting
a different result is tantamount to
insanity. So, if you’re feeling stale
and not getting much out of your
workouts, try throwing off your
muscles and CNS with some new
stimuli. When you see the new
gains you make while using a variety of rep ranges, you’ll be glad you
had a rep-range revelation. IM
Rep Range
Positions of Flexion and the Rep-Range-Overlap Technique
Model: Ron Harris
Model: Steve Mcleod
Scientists say that different exercises can recruit
different muscle fibers. For example, leg extensions
bring in fibers that squats don’t. It has to do with angle
of pull and order of recruitment. Here’s a quote from
Designing Resistance Training Programs by Steven J.
Fleck, Ph.D., and William J. Kraemer, Ph.D., that substantiates that fact:
“If the body position is changed, the order of recruitment can also change (Grimby and Hannerz, 1977).
The order of recruitment can also change for multifunctional muscles from one movement or exercise to
another. Recruitment order in the quadriceps for the
performance of a knee extension is different from that
for a squat. The variation in recruitment order provides
some evidence to support the belief held by many
strength coaches that to completely develop a particu-
lar muscle it must be exercised with several different movements or exercises.”
That gives credence to the Positions-ofFlexion training method, which is a multiangular mass-building approach that has
you work each muscle in three distinct
positions: midrange, contracted and
stretch. For example, a POF quad program
is squats (midrange), leg extensions (contracted) and sissy squats (stretch). A POF
biceps program may consist of preacher
curls (midrange), concentration curls
(contracted) and incline curls (stretch). A
POF triceps program could be close-grip
bench presses (midrange), kickbacks
(contracted) and overhead extensions
(stretch).
So varying angles and exercises is important, but so is repetition number. If at
each of those positions you use a unique
rep range, you can affect different fiber
types and trigger exceptional muscle
growth—the more fiber types you hypertrophy, the bigger the muscle—with more efficiency
than the random, shotgun approach most
bodybuilders use. In fact, if you use a different rep
range on each set, you will take the multiangular approach to training to a new level, hitting a multitude of
fiber types across the board.
Midrange. Because most midrange exercises allow
you to overload the target muscle with the heaviest
weight, that is the movement best suited to lower
reps—in the four-to-seven range—and recruitment of
the type 2 power fibers. After a few progressively heavier warmup sets, pick a poundage that allows you to get
four to seven reps. That will hit your pure power type 2
fibers. For your second set reduce the weight so you
can get nine reps. That moves you into the mediumrep-range category, so you hit some type 2 power
A POF biceps program hits the muscle from three specific angles: midrange, contracted and stretch. To get the most
muscle fiber recruitment possible, you can overlap rep ranges at each position—low, medium and high—emphasizing
the medium-rep range (eight to 12), which is best for hypertrophy.
Rep Range
Stretch. Your last quad exercise is sissy squats, a
movement that places your front thighs in an ultimate
stretch—thighs and torso on the same plane as you
squat, hamstrings touching calves, knees out in front
of your toes (as if you were doing the limbo). That’s a
rather precarious position for the target muscle, which
is why it initiates an emergency response from the
central nervous system that can engage dormant
fibers. The myotatic reflex, as it’s known, can help you
create bigger muscles, but the stretch position can be
dangerous. That’s why it’s best to use higher reps and
lighter weight. On your first set shoot for 15 to 18 reps.
On your second set add weight so you get only 10 to 12.
Altogether you’ll engage more fast-twitch fibers and
train a number of other subtypes as well. A stretchposition exercise is a great way to finish off a muscle
and activate an enormous number of muscle fibers of
all types.
Model: Jeff Hammond
Stretch-position
exercises usually
require higher reps.
Heavy
squats: quad
midrange
work.
Model: Derik Farnsworth
fibers, but you also bring in type 2s that have an endurance component and even type 1s at the beginning
of the set.
Contracted. Next you do leg extensions. Contracted-position exercises usually isolate the target muscle
and provide continuous tension. That makes them
ideal for medium-range reps and recruitment of both
type 1 endurance fibers (early in the set) and
endurance-oriented type 2, or fast-twitch, fibers.
Choose a weight that allows you to get 12 reps on your
first set, rest for two to three minutes, add weight and
do a second set so you get six to eight reps. That takes
you back to hitting more type 2 power fibers, but some
different ones from what you hit on squats.
The overlapping-rep-range technique is a great way
to get maximum fiber recruitment in as few sets as
possible while still using multiangular training. Notice
that it emphasizes the medium range—as that’s the
range that is most conducive to hypertrophy. Strength
athletes would include more sets in the lower-rep
range.
Keep in mind that you can vary the rep range for any
exercise to the extreme to shake things up—like high
reps for squats or low reps for sissy squats. Just be
careful, as performing lower reps on some exercises
can set you up for injury (doing it in the stretch position is dangerous when a muscle is fatigued).
—Steve Holman
www.X-Rep.com
Model: Lee Apperson
Continuous-tension
isolation exercises
are tailor made for a
medium-rep range.
Editor’s note: For more on the Positions-of-Flexion
mass-building method, see the book Train, Eat, Grow
(go to page 80). To learn about POF and X-Rep training,
visit www.X-Rep.com, the Web site dedicated to your
muscular transformation.
Fat
by Pollution
How Environmental Toxins
May Be Making You Fat—and
What You Can Do About It
by Jerry Brainum
Toro
L
osing excess bodyfat appears to be a straightforward process, involving correcting an out-of-balance energy equation. Superfluous fat represents
an excess of stored energy, and if you have too much
fat, that means you haven’t
balanced your physical activity with your daily calorie
intake. Since we know from
the laws of physics that energy can be neither created nor
destroyed, the basis of all fat-loss diets is to take in
fewer calories than you burn through physical activity.
That’s what taps into your fat stores.
Fat
Scientists point to two
particular elements
that are causing
obesity: trans fats and
high-fructose
corn
syrup,
which
increase
shelf life
and
lower
processing costs.
Neveux \ Model: Daryl Gee
If losing fat is just a matter of
eating less and exercising more,
why are Americans fatter than ever?
Look at the plethora of foods targeted at dieters, such as lowfat and
low-carbohydrate products. Some
scientists suggest that an upsurge
in processed-foods intake is the
enemy in the weight-loss battle.
They point to two particular elements: trans fats and high-fructose
corn syrup, or HFCS, which
increase shelf life and lower manufacturers’ processing costs.
The molecular structure of trans
fats is manipulated to a form that is
unnatural for the human body. The
body handles such fats as if they
were saturated fat, which is linked
to cardiovascular disease, but
they’re even worse for you. Saturated fat doesn’t lower the protective
cholesterol carrier in the blood
called high-density lipoprotein
(HDL), but trans fat does, making it
even more potent than saturated fat
in promoting cardiovascular disease and cancer.
The production of high-fructose
corn syrup starts off with a natural
sugar, fructose. Adding glucose
produces a rapidly absorbed simple
sugar that wreaks havoc in the body
by causing an outpouring of insulin. That leads to a dramatic rise
in blood triglycerides, or fat, which
act as a substrate for increased lowdensity-lipoprotein cholesterol.
When LDL oxidizes in the blood, it
promotes atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease.
The evidence for the fat-promoting effects of trans fats and HFCS is
so extensive that many people
avoid such processed junk. Still,
they either have trouble losing
bodyfat or seem to rapidly gain it.
Others successfully lose fat through
strict dieting and exercise only to
see it return. In cases like that a loss
of muscle through excessive calorie
restriction or lack of weight-training exercise is often to blame. A loss
of lean tissue, or muscle, practically
guarantees fat regain, since muscle
Neveux \ Model: Tomm Voss
Some toxins are
absorbed through
the skin. The
important point is
that nearly all such
chemicals are fat
soluble, meaning
they’re stored in
bodyfat.
Neveux \ Model: Robert Hatch
Drinking more water
during dieting helps
flush toxins that are
released from bodyfat.
Those toxins become
water-soluble in the
liver.
Some toxins exert
hormonelike effects.
Various plastics
mimic the effects of
estrogen, and excess
estrogen is linked to
breast and uterine
cancer in women.
Excess estrogen in
men results in
increased water
retention, increased
bodyfat and
gynecomastia, or
male breasts.
is what maintains the resting
metabolic rate.
There’s no shortage of explanations for why so many people are
fat. One theory suggests that obesity is an infectious viral disease.1
According to that hypothesis, at
least six known pathogens stimulate obesity in animals. Canine
distemper virus causes serious
disease in dogs but makes mice fat.
A virus found in chickens, Rousassociated virus-7, leads to fat
chickens if the birds become exposed. A Borna disease virus will
fatten a rat, as will scrapie agents.
At least two viruses, SMAM-1 and
Ad-36, are thought to promote
obesity in humans. Sound convincing? The trouble is, no one can
explain how those infectious agents
promote obesity.
A more plausible theory is that
many forms of obesity are related to
common toxins that humans are
frequently exposed to. Most people
are unaware that their bodies harbor countless potentially toxic
chemicals. Tens of thousands of
such chemicals exist as dyes, pigments, medicines, flavorings, perfumes, plastics, resins and
rubber-processing chemicals. Humans get pesticide residue, preservatives and additives in food and
water and inhale polluted indoor
and outdoor air. Some toxins are
absorbed through the skin. The
important point is that nearly all
such chemicals are fat-soluble,
meaning that they’re stored in
bodyfat.
Organochlorines, DDT, lindane,
organophosphates, carbamate,
polychlorinated biphenyl, phthalate, bisphenol A, cadmium and
lead, as well as various solvents, are
all linked to weight gain because
they inhibit activity in the body’s
hormonal systems. One animal
study showed that the pesticide
dieldrin doubled the bodyfat levels
of treated mice. Another pesticide
led to significant fat gain in mice
that ate 50 percent less food!
Toxins cause fat gain by interfering with the activity of hormones
involved in body composition and
fat oxidation—for example, catecholamines such as epinephrine
and norepinephrine, which exert
thermogenic effects in stored fat.
ad
Fat
The evidence for the
fat-promoting effects
of trans fats and highfructose corn syrup is
extensive, but many
forms of obesity are
related to common
toxins that humans
are frequently
exposed to.
Neveux \ Model: Todd Smith
The chemicals also prevent the
conversion of relatively inactive T4
thyroid hormone to the five times
more active T3 form, which lowers
resting metabolic rate.
Some toxins exert hormonelike
effects. Various plastics mimic the
effects of estrogen, and excess estrogen is linked to breast and uterine cancer in women. Excess
estrogen in men results in
increased water retention,
increased bodyfat, and gynecomastia, or male breasts. Some studies
show that the toxins short-circuit
the testosterone synthesis system,
leading to lowered testosterone
levels. The same is true for growth
hormone. The lowering of both
those anabolic hormones means
less muscle gains for bodybuilders
and other athletes.
The toxins reduce training intensity and even the desire to exercise
by lowering the levels of such brain
neurotransmitters as dopamine
and norepinephrine, which stimulate the brain. Toxins also promote
direct damage to both nerves and
muscle. Net effects: changes in
appetite, food metabolism and the
Fat
desire to exercise.
One system particularly hit hard
by toxins stored in fat is the sympathetic nervous system. The SNS is
especially involved in fat mobilization through the actions of the
catecholamine hormones,
epinephrine and norepinephrine,
which exert a thermogenic action
in fat, leading to a loss of energy as
heat, and promote fat oxidation in
concert with thyroid and other
hormones. When animals are exposed to the various toxins, their
excretion of catecholamines increases by 50 percent.
Several drugs promote weight
gain. Antidepressants, which happen to be the most prescribed in
the world, promote weight gain by
affecting brain chemicals that con-
Some evidence
shows that fiber
speeds
elimination of
accumulated
toxins released
during fat loss.
Neveux \ Model: Berry Kabov
Fat
Various nutrients
support the liver’s
detoxification
system. These
include the Bcomplex vitamins.
trol appetite. Prozac was so powerful that it was suggested as a
weight-gain stimulant.
Pesticides stored in fat promote
fat gain by interfering with oxidative enzymes in muscle—the same
enzymes that burn fat in muscle. By
inhibiting their activity, toxins blunt
fat burning during exercise. A recent study confirmed that toxins
negatively affect thermogenesis in
humans.2 At the cellular level they
block the activity of mitochondria,
the portion of the cell where a process called beta-oxidation burns
fat.
Another recent study found a
significant increase in plasma pollutant levels in obese men and
women who lost weight through
dieting.3 It led to a decrease in resting insulin levels in the men but not
in the women. Typically, a decrease
in resting insulin levels would be
considered favorable, but this study
found an interference with normal
insulin metabolism. One littleknown effect of insulin is that it
potently suppresses appetite after
meals, and interfering with it may
promote increased hunger and
excessive eating.
Plasma pollutants may interfere
with normal metabolism of longchain fatty acids. They block the
actions of enzymes that convert
linoleic acid, an omega-6 fatty acid,
into arachidonic acid. Arachidonic
acid is the main precursor of a
series of hormonelike chemicals
synthesized in the body that are
collectively known as eicosanoids.
While many eicosanoids mediate
inflammation in the body, others
are essential to both health and
muscle—for example prostaglandin
F2A, a potent promoter of muscle
growth. Arachidonic acid is also
involved in testosterone synthesis,
and plasma pollutants may interfere with that. The estrogenlike
structure of many plastic pollutants, meanwhile, lowers testosterone levels.
Plasma pollutants may explain a
frequently encountered problem
during fat-loss diets: the dieting
plateau. What happens here is that
after a few weeks on a decreasedcalorie diet, fat and weight loss
suddenly stop. The plateau is often
attributed to a lowering of the ac-
Neveux \ Model: Berry Kabov
Cruciferous
vegetables contain
natural liverenzyme stimulants.
Eating those while
dieting will
diminish the toxic
effects of plasma
pollutants by
promoting their
rapid degradation
in the liver.
tive thyroid hormone, T3, and its
conversion into a metabolically
inactive form called reverse T3. The
usual explanation is that the body
perceives a loss of mass and interprets it as a starvation alert. So the
body protects itself by lowering
metabolism and thus preventing
the catabolism, or breakdown, of
lean muscle tissue: Production of
reverse T3 increases, metabolism
drops, and weight loss ceases.
Fat loss brings on a dramatic
release of plasma toxins stored in
fat. Since they blunt thyroid output
and prevent effective SNS hormone
activity, it seems reasonable that
perhaps the plateau may actually
result from the toxin release. The
question then becomes what to do
to offset the effects of toxin release.
The first thing to do is to avoid
becoming fat altogether, since the
fatter you are, the more toxins you
store in your body. Lean people
ingest toxins, but studies show that
they release them from their bodies
far faster than obese people do.
Lean athletes have the lowest levels
of stored toxins in their bodies,4
clearly a reflection of their lower
bodyfat levels.
If you have a lot of bodyfat, it’s
prudent not to attempt to lose more
than two pounds a week. Losing
weight too rapidly will increase
plasma pollutant levels and may
interfere with fat loss and oxidation
during exercise.
The frequent admonition to
increase water intake during dieting
serves two purposes: It staves off
dehydration and flushes released
toxins, which become water soluble
in the liver. Make sure, however,
that you drink pure water. Drinking
water laden with toxins will only
add to the problem.
Some evidence shows that fiber
speeds the elimination of accumulated toxins released during fat loss.
Soluble fiber, found in such foods
as oatmeal, beans and fruits, is
especially effective because it directly binds to toxins and shunts
them toward the exit.
Make sure to include detoxifying
nutrients in your diet: the B-complex group of vitamins, such antioxidants as vitamins E and C and
selenium and all essential minerals.
Nutrients that increase glutathione
levels in the body may help the liver
detoxify plasma pollutants. Nutritional precursors of glutathione
include N-acetyl cysteine, lipoic
acid and whey protein
supplements.
A primary function of the liver is
detoxification. All drugs are degraded by liver enzymes, including
hormones, and the liver converts
fat-soluble plasma pollutants released from stored bodyfat into
water-soluble waste that goes to the
kidneys for excretion.
Various nutrients support the
liver’s detoxification system. These
include the B-complex vitamins;
sulfur-containing amino acids,
such as cysteine and taurine; and
various elements found in fruits
and vegetables, such as the ellagic
acid found in grapes, strawberries
and pomegranates. Cruciferous
vegetables, such as broccoli, brussels sprouts and cabbage, contain
natural liver-enzyme stimulants
such as sulforaphane. Eating foods
like that while dieting will diminish
the toxic effects of plasma pollutants by promoting their rapid
degradation in the liver.
Since plasma pollutants interfere
with the metabolism of essential
fats, you need to balance intake of
both omega-6 and omega-3 fatty
acids. That means you need supplements such as flaxseed and fish oil
blends. Supplemental amino acids
that are precursors of body chemicals blocked by plasma pollutants
may also help. Examples include Ltyrosine, the precursor of
catecholamine hormones.
In today’s society, it’s difficult to
avoid pollutants. The best way to
avoid health problems linked to
their accumulation in the body is to
exercise and stay lean, and try to
eat as clean as possible.
References
1 Dhurandhar,
N.V. (2001). Infectobesity: Obesity of infectious origin. J Nutr. 131:2794S-2797S.
2 Trembley, A., et al. (2004). Thermogenesis and weight loss in obese
individuals: A primary association
with organochlorine pollution. Int J
Obes Rel Metab Disord. 28:936-939.
3 Imbeault, P., et al. (2002). Increase in plasma pollutant levels in
response to weight loss is associated with the reduction of fasting
insulin levels in men but not in
women. Metabolism. 51:482-486.
4 Pelletier, C., et al. (2002). Plasma
organochlorine concentrations in
endurance athletes and obese individuals. Med Sci Sports Exerc.
34:1971S. IM
ad
Maximum
Muscle
Minimum
Time
A Power-Packed Program
for Busy Lifestyles
by C.S. Sloan
Ad
Maximum Muscle Minimum Time
I
This program works because it
meets all the requirements for
building strength and power—in
only two workouts. Let’s start by
reviewing some of the basics that a
routine must incorporate if you
want to optimize strength and muscle growth. Whether you train twice
a week or five times, you can’t stray
too far from these basics.
This rule is the hardest to adhere
to when you’re using a two-day
schedule, but it’s not a problem
when you do a whole-body workout. Most lifters make the mistake of
using a split routine when they’re
training only twice a week. The
result is that they don’t get in
enough work for each bodypart—a
problem in itself—and then they
compound that by taking too long
off before training the bodypart
again. A host of good things happen
to you hormonally after you train a
bodypart, and the only way to take
proper advantage of that is by training all your bodyparts at least twice
a week. On this program you do a
whole-body workout twice a week.
Rack Squats
Warmup
thoroughly
before
hitting the
heavy iron.
•Train explosively.
If you want to be at least as strong
as you look, you must incorporate
some explosive-rep training into
your regimen. And if you want to be
stronger than you look, speed-rep
training is an absolute must.
•Train heavy.
And I mean heavy. Most bodybuilders think that six to eight reps
is heavy, but if you’re after maximum gains in strength, six to eight
reps is going to be your light stuff.
Sumo Deadlifts
Model: Eric Domer
Power-Packed Program for Busy Lifestyles
•Train frequently enough
to stimulate gains.
Some
explosive
work is
necessary
for building
maximum
muscle size.
Model: Andre Nielsen
hear it all the time: I
would lift weights if
only I could fit it into my
busy schedule. Well,
that’s no longer an excuse. Here’s a training
routine that requires
you to work out only
two times a week. And
you know what? It’ll be
damn effective too.
You need to do very-low-rep work of
one to three per set every week in
order to keep making progress.
When you’re after mass as well as
strength, you do your higher-rep
work after your low-rep stuff.
•Change your program
frequently.
A lot of lifters find it hard to inject
enough variety into their training
when they’re doing whole-body
workouts. That’s because they frequently do too much work—that is,
too much volume—at each session,
wanting to do multiple exercises for
every bodypart. The routine outlined here avoids that problem: You
change exercises every week.
•Keep your sessions
relatively short.
It’s the problem most advanced
lifters have with twice-a-week training: How do you do enough work for
each bodypart and still limit your
workouts to around an hour or an
hour and a half max? I think that
most lifters, especially strength
athletes, simply take too long between sets. On this program you
keep rest periods to a minimum.
Those are the basics; now for the
workouts. Since you do only two
workouts a week, you want to take
at least two days off after the first
session and three days off after the
second. Most lifters like to train on
Monday and Thursday. Just make
sure your schedule fits the following
model:
Day 1:
Day 2:
Day 3:
Day 4:
Day 5:
Day 6:
Day 7:
Day 8:
Workout 1
Off
Off
Workout 2
Off
Off
Off
Cycle begins again.
Changing
from
barbells to
dumbbells
can
stimulate
faster
gains.
Incline Presses
Model: Jay Cutler
Ad
Speed squats
10 x 2
Always start your whole-body
workouts with leg work, preferably squats. Some people like to
save the leg work until the end of
the session, but I think that’s a big
mistake. For one thing, when you
save the squats for last, you also—
without thinking about it—save a
lot of your strength as well. When
you do the hardest work at the
beginning of your session, however, you don’t try to save anything.
For me it makes the rest of the
session a breeze when I know that
I’ve already knocked out the hard
stuff. Once I get through the
squats, there’s nothing I can’t do.
Go as low as possible on the speed
squats, almost to rock bottom.
Lower fast but under control, and
explode out of the hole as quickly
Model: Jay Cutler
Workout 1
Explosive Day
Decline Presses
Ad
Bench Presses
Rotate rows
with chins from
week to week.
Model: Noel Thompson
Power cleans
5x3
Do five progressively heavier
triples, working up to your maximum weight on the final set. The
Speed benches
build strength
quickly.
T-Bar Rows
Change your bench
press assistance work
every week too.
Parallel Dips
Model: David Dorsey
Speed benches
9x3
As with the squats, you lower
quickly but under control. Pause
on your chest for no more than
one second and explode to lockout
as quickly as possible. Do these
with three different hand placements. On the first three sets use a
close grip, with your hands touching the smooth part of the bar.
Move the next three sets out a few
inches, and for the last three sets
use a grip that’s just inside the
power rings.
Model: Greg Blount
as possible. Use a medium stance
and place the bar fairly high to
optimize the quadriceps; powerlifters may want to use a low
placement and wide stance for
more power. Take no more than a
minute’s rest between sets.
Hit different parts of
the target muscle
with grip alterations.
Wide-Grip Chins
Ad
This is a key
exercise for
chest mass.
Dumbbell Presses
Model: Michael Ergas
Ab Bench Crunches
Model: Joe DeAngelis
Pick any ab
exercise and
get a tough
20 to 30 reps.
Model: Lee Apperson
Alternate dumbbell
pullovers with barbell
pullovers weekly.
Dumbbell Pullovers
nature of this exercise makes it an
explosive movement.
Incline dumbbell presses,
parallel-bar dips or close-grip
decline presses
3 x 6-8
These are among my favorite
assistance exercises for the bench
press, and each has its benefits.
Rotate them on a weekly basis.
Work all three sets to failure.
Straight-arm dumbbell
pullovers or bent-arm
barbell pullovers
2 x 8-15
These are really great upper-body
movements. Alternate them from
week to week. George Turner likes
to call the pullover the upper-body
squat. Pullovers work your back,
triceps, rib cage, chest and shoulders. Rotate your repetitions on
both movements as well, using a
different rep range within the
broader range (8-10, 10-12 or 1215) every week.
Ad
Barbell curls, dumbbell curls
or preacher curls
3 x 6-20
Once again, rotate the exercises
and the rep range on a weekly
basis. These exercises are among
my favorite biceps movements,
though there are other good ones.
Just don’t leave out the barbell
curls. There isn’t a better biceps
builder out there.
Ab work
3 x 20-30
I’m not too picky about abdominal exercises. As long as you train
your abs hard, use whatever you
like. Pick an exercise that makes it
very tough to get 20 to 30 reps.
Weighted incline crunches, hanging leg raises and hanging kneeups are all good choices.
Workout 2
Maximal Day
Squats, bottom-position
squats or sumo
deadlifts
5-8 x 1-3
These movements are good for
building your leg muscles and are
all equally good for boosting your
numbers on the squat and deadlift. The first two are quadricepsdominant exercises, and the sumo
deadlift is a hamstring-dominant
one, so you should get good allaround development.
Bench presses, incline-bench
presses or flat-bench
dumbbell presses
5-8 x 1-5
For me these are the best chest
exercises you can use. If you prefer
another, feel free to add it to the
rotation. As with the leg work,
rotate exercises from week to week
and rotate the reps as well, working up over five to eight sets to a
one-, three- or five-rep maximum.
Wide-grip chins, bent-over
rows or T-bar rows
4 x 5-8
Rotate the exercises from week to
week. Perform four work sets of
five to eight reps.
Superset a biceps
exercise with a
triceps movement.
Preacher Curls
Superset
Model: Will Harris
Rotate these exercises, preferably
from week to week, although the
less advanced you are, the less
often you need to switch. Rotate
the reps as well. For example, the
first time you perform the squats,
work up to a max single over five
to eight progressively heavier sets.
At the next squat session work up
to a max triple over the same
number of sets. How strong you
are will determine how many sets
to use. Someone who squats 500
pounds will need all eight sets,
while s 250-pound squatter will
only need five, possibly fewer.
Barbell curls, dumbbell
curls or preacher
curls
3 x 8-20
Skull crushers, seated pin
presses or lying pullover
and presses
3 x 8-20
Once again you rotate the exercises and the rep range. For arm
work you also alternate within the
workout, doing a set for biceps
Lying Triceps Extensions
Model: Idrise Ward-El
Skull crushers hit
all three heads of
the triceps.
Model: Eric Domer
Model: Darrel Terrell
Dumbbell Curls
Barbell Curls
and a set for triceps—essentially a
slow form of supersetting. These
are the best triceps exercises bar
none, and close-grip benches are
fine too, if your chest development
doesn’t already exceed your arm
development. To perform pin
presses, simply sit on a bench and
do front presses in the power rack
with the barbell set at about eye
level.
Ab work
3 x 20-30
Putting It Together
End your workout with one ab
exercise.
Incline Kneeups
There you have it: a fantastic
routine that builds plenty of
strength, power and muscle mass
on only two workouts a week. So
you no longer have an excuse for
not building the body you’ve been
wanting—and the strength to go
with it. You can build that body, and
you will if you put this routine to
work for you. IM
X
X FILES
FILES
Muscle-Building Excerpts From
IRON MAN’s Online E-zine
by Steve Holman and Jonathan Lawson
It’s one of IRON MAN’s most popular features, and it’s not even published in the magazine. It’s the
weekly IM e-zine that’s delivered
directly to your e-mail box free—
once you sign up (it’s easy and
there’s absolutely no charge; see the
editor’s note at the end of this feature). Each issue offers insightful
commentary, and the authors often
dissect new research or analyze how
the champs train. They explain
exactly how to use the information
to make your hardcore musclebuilding workouts more efficient—
and effective—than ever. In fact,
that’s the entire purpose of the online newsletter—to get you bigger
faster with quick blasts of useful
info.
To find out what it’s all about,
check out the excerpt below. If you
like it and you want more, you’ll
find past issues at www.X-Rep.com.
Click on X-Files for a complete list.
Remember, the muscle-building
truth is out there—and most of it
appears in the IM e-zine. Start getting yours today.
—the Editors
Arnold and X Reps
Reading about the workouts
Arnold did back in the ’60s and ’70s
is inspiring and very enlightening
Arnold instinctively trained almost
every bodypart in its stretched
position. Here he’s going to attack
biceps stretch on the down stroke of
incline curls. Studies suggest that
stretch overload may trigger
hyperplasia, or muscle fiber splitting.
Mozée
Biceps curls with a slight
cheat hit the biceps’ maxforce point, right below the
middle of the stroke. That
sweet spot is where
maximum fiber activation
occurs.
Balik
from a mass-building standpoint.
For example, who knew Arnold
used X Reps? Well, not X Reps as
we’ve defined them—power partials
on a compound exercise at the end
of a set—but he often did end-ofset partials on isolation
movements. He called them burns,
usually doing them at the top of,
say, preacher curls, where he could
flex and feel the target muscle contracting after full-range reps.
While top-position X Reps on
isolation movements do have their
place (as we discuss in The Ultimate
Mass Workout e-book), it may not be
the best position for spurring the
most muscle gain. Why? The contracted position of most isolation
exercises is the weakest point on the
stroke—for example, the top of a leg
extension. For best anabolic reactions you want to overload the
strongest point—where the muscle
can produce the most force. The top
of a leg extension is where the muscle produces the least force, which is
why you can only get the weight
halfway up on your last rep—the
weakest part of the stroke flakes out
first.
So why is the contracted position
the weakest point? According to
scientists, muscle fibers bunch up
at the fully flexed point and have a
difficult time functioning properly,
or generating power. The spot at
which fibers can function best and
generate the most power is usually
near the turnaround, where you
move from the negative phase of
the rep to the positive. That’s the
point at which the target muscle is
semistretched and power packed.
On preachers it’s near the bottom of
the stroke, not the top.
Not to chastise Arnold. He did
what worked for him, and even we
follow his lead and use X Reps in
the weakest position for a unique
anabolic stress on some exercises,
like the top of a concentration curl.
But while Arnold did favor contraction, we believe that it was his unshakable emphasis on the target
muscle’s stretch and semistretched
positions that was the real key to
what set his physique apart from
other bodybuilders of his era—and
why his size and symmetry in his
prime are impressive even by
today’s outlandish standards. His
physique was ahead of its time, and
his attention to stretch-position
overload had a lot to do with it.
Take his delt routine, for example. One of Arnold’s favorite shoulder exercises was incline one-arm
lateral raises. He’d sit sideways on a
low incline bench, lean against it
with his shoulder and do laterals
with his outside arm. That’s a
unique movement because the
working arm moves across the front
of the torso through the bottom of
the stroke, which creates delt
stretch, something most
bodybuilders don’t get (how often
do you see anyone doing that exercise?). In fact, it stretches the rear
and medial heads to a great degree.
You can really feel the muscle fibers
in those two segments twitching—
and if you’re lean, you can see it
happening.
Did Arnold realize that incline
one-arm laterals overload the sidedelt head near its fully stretched
position, providing tremendous
mass stimulation? Maybe. His use
Balik
Arnold’s
continuoustension, stretchoverload
technique on flyes
helped him create
massive, striated
pec.
of that exercise—and cable laterals,
another stretch-position delt
move—sure made it look as if he
did. Perhaps he had an inkling that
his arm had to move across his
torso for the medial-delt head to
lengthen for max-force production.
Or maybe he just did the delt exercises that felt right to him. Either
way, the result was that overloading
the stretch position helped him
craft that aircraft carrier look for
which he was famous.
How about his biceps? He had
outrageous peaks, but was it because of his attention to peak contraction? Maybe, to a degree, but
keep in mind that he almost always
used incline curls, which train the
biceps in their full-stretch position,
and he also sang the praises of
cheat barbell curls.
Cheat curls overload the
semistretched position of your
biceps, the point where your arms
are slightly bent and in front of your
torso. That’s the X-treme powergeneration point. Think about it:
Because he was able to use a heavier weight—more than he could use
for strict reps—he had to lean back
and heave the weight. That explosive action with a slight backward
lean creates the most force right
when the arms are beginning to
bend—just above the straight-arm
position. So the most overload on
cheat curls occurs smack at the
biceps’ semistretched position,
with less resistance through the rest
of the stroke.
Now, we’re not saying that cheat
curls are safe. Arnold’s use of them
was another case of a genetically
superior bodybuilder using explosive reps to accelerate growth; however, cheat curls do produce the
desired result—overload of the
semistretched position. A better,
safer solution is to do preacher
curls, with X Reps at the end of the
set near the bottom of the range.
Yes, near the bottom. We know that
sounds strange, but science verifies:
That’s where you can generate the
most force and, therefore, the most
size stimulation. It’s an incredibly
effective biceps builder if you do
the X Reps correctly and can grind
through the burn. (If you want to do
top-position X Reps to flex the
biceps—the way Arnold did—add
them to a set after the one that
includes bottom-range X Reps. It’s
best to max out the strongest position early so there’s less fatigue and
maximum power output.)
Another example of Arnold’s
using stretch overload and X Reps is
his chest workout. One of his favorite pec movements was dumbbell flyes, but he had a certain way
of doing them—only moving
through the bottom third of the
stroke. He stopped the dumbbells
when they were about three feet
apart on every rep. Why? He said
the short stroke kept tension on his
pecs, which is true, but it also
placed the most overload on his
pecs when they were elongated, or
stretched. Those partial flyes were
really just slightly exaggerated X
Reps on a stretch-position pec
exercise—and no doubt one of the
big reasons Arnold’s pecs were so
full and striated.
Arnold instinctively knew to train
every muscle near the stretch position for the fullest, most complete
development possible. If you’re
looking for the fastest mass gains
imaginable, don’t neglect that key
position. In fact, we’ve found that
overloading it with X Reps can
make each set two to four times
more effective at building mass so
you don’t waste precious recovery
time—and reserves—doing set after
inefficient set. X Reps can cut your
workout time significantly while
increasing your size and strength.
Editor’s note: You can get an
issue of the IM e-zine delivered to
your e-mail box every week free:
Visit www.X-Rep.com and click on
X-Files. Go to any of the past installments and click on the subscribe link at the bottom. IM
Lonnie Teper’s
Onstage Antics: ’05 NPC Junior Cal
Double Impact
Guest stars Coleman and Cutler
Lead the Pasadena Hit Parade
Beefsteaks. Seven-time Mr. O Ronnie Coleman and threetime Arnold Classic champ Jay Cutler delighted the crowd
at L.T.’s Junior Cal with more than 600 pounds of guestposing muscle.
Having 600 pounds between them, not to mention seven Mr. Olympia
titles (all belonging to Ronnie), four Arnold Classic wins (three belonging to
Jay) and the unquestioned status as the two top bodybuilders in the world,
Ronnie Coleman and Jay Cutler made the ’05 Junior California Bodybuilding and Figure Championships a very special day.
Jay had appeared at the event, which was held at Pasadena City College’s Sexson Auditorium, for the previous two years; it was Coleman’s firstever guest-posing stint in Southern California. Thus, it was no surprise that
perhaps the largest number of fans in the seven-year history of my annual
NPC event came to the finals to enjoy not only the contest but also the
guest-pose down between the Big Nasty and the Ultimate Beef—not to
mention the popular Timea Majorova, who performed her fitness routine.
Cutler posed first, followed by Coleman. Then Jay came out during Ronnie’s routine, and the two posed. Lance Johnson, last year’s Masters
National Light-Heavyweight winner, then appeared onstage to challenge Mr.
Olympia. At 5’5” and 210 pounds, the 44-year-old Johnson looked great
Scene at the Sexson (from left): Timea Majorova energized the house with her fitness routine;
Ray Arde dropped trou; and Masters National class champ Lance Johnson got into the action
as well, challenging Coleman to a posedown.
MORE JUNIOR CAL
Eight Is Enough
After a long absence he’s a dominator
Photography by Bill Comstock
Sting Ray Arde, winner of L.T.’s initial Cal
Collegiates in 1999, came down from San
Jose to attend the event—and gave the
crowd an impromptu guest-posing display.
but was a bit outsized by the 5’11”,
321-pound Coleman.
Coleman had the line of the night
when I was interviewing Jay and Ronnie at center stage. “You know the real
reason I came out to guest pose here?”
Coleman asked, as he looked me in
the eye. “I read in your column two
years ago that not only did Jay say he
was coming back to guest pose again
the next year, but he’d be coming back
as Mr. Olympia. So the only way you
could have Mr. Olympia onstage would
be for me to come.”
Jay, one of the classier gents in the
industry, took it all in stride, knowing
the quip was meant in fun. They have
great respect for each other, trust me.
And great confidence in their own
abilities, as well they should. Ronnie
says it’s going to be eight in a row
come October; Jay still thinks he can
unseat the champ.
What do I say? Keep reading this
space, as well as www
.GraphicMuscle.com, and you’ll know
when the Swami’s predictions hit the
streets. Also, be sure to check out the
video highlights of the Junior Cal at
GraphicMuscle.com. It’s the next best
thing to having been there.
Chris Snell hadn’t
competed in eight years,
not since he finished
second in the novice
middleweight class at the
’97 Tournament of Champions. But, he said, sitting
in the seats at the Junior
Cal and Western Collegiates for the past two
years gave him the itch
again. And, oh, my, what
a return to the stage it
was.
Snell, a 5’9”, 189pounder from Azusa,
California, dominated the
show, taking class and
overall crowns in the
unlimited, novice and
collegiate divisions. The
34-year-old, who has a
bachelor of science
degree from Cal Poly Pomona and is
getting his MBA at La Verne University,
made it a total of eight awards when he
was honored with the Best Poser and
Most Muscular trophies as well.
“Between school and work obligations I felt I didn’t have the time or
motivation to compete again until your
show,” Snell says. “I did, however, keep
training and worked
toward developing a
balanced and aesthetic physique.”
You get an A on
that project, for sure,
Chris.
Professionally, Snell
is the vice president of
Chris
Majestic Enterprises
Snell.
Inc., a company that
operates an array of
businesses, including
a financial service and
a limousine service.
He trains at World
Gym in West Covina
and at LA Fitness in
Glendora, and he is,
like national-level
competitor William
Owens, of half-Asian,
half-black descent. At
press time the latest Half-Asian Sensation said he was planning to continue
his comeback at the prestigious Los
Angeles Championships, which were
held in July.
“I need to test myself against my
peers at that level,” Chris says. I predict
you’ll score another A on that exam, as
well, Chris. Welcome back.
ADD JUNIOR CAL
Aw a rd s
Edward Bojorquez (near
right), now a member of
the Marine Corps, made it
two victories in a row in
the teen division. Far right:
Charles Turner earned
trophies for best poser,
collegiate division; and
most promising bodybuilder.
ADD FIGURE
I T F I G U R E S D E P T.
Third Time’s the Charm
Promising Start
Laura Coleman
She knew she’d get it
right, eventually
Stephanie Ilkhanoff is no
stranger to the physique events
I’ve produced; she’s competed in
the Cal Collegiates and the Western Collegiates, finishing third in
her class in the latter a couple of
years back. This time around the
5’4”, 115-pounder from Buena
Park reached the winner’s circle,
taking the Junior Cal Figure Short
and Overall titles.
Preschool teacher Stephanie Ilkhanoff,
The 31-year-old former Rockflanked by Figure pros Amy Peters and June
ford, Maryland, resident earned a
Munroe (along with Katie the Dog), can now
bachelor’s degree in sociology
add the title of Junior California Figure
Overall champ to her résumé.
from California State University,
Fullerton. Currently, she teaches
preschool but plans to graduate to first or second grade next year. In addition to
teaching, she works with abused and neglected children, motivating them to
improve their self-esteem through fitness.
Stephanie, who has also been a personal trainer for the past 10 years, knows
a lot about physiology and nutrition and has worked with people who suffer from
diabetes, hypoglycemia, lower back and knee problems.
“Fitness has always been an integral part of my life,” she says, “from playing
sports like volleyball to competing in figure shows. Fitness has made me become
my own coach, motivator and disciplinarian and has taught me self-respect and
perseverance.”
You taught yourself well, girl.
MORE WINNERS
Michael
Cairns
took the
masters
men’s
title.
Judd Lienhard
took best arms
honors.
Ruby
Kan, a
38-yearold
biologist,
won the
masters
figure
event.
Laura loves
making
progress.
Look for her
to make
some more
real soon.
This 5’7”, 23-year-old of Portuguese
and Cape Verdean descent (Cape
Verde is a group of islands off West
Africa) was raised in the Boston area
and moved to Los Angeles a couple of
years back to pursue a degree in
business administration at Mount St.
Mary’s College. And to track a career in
fitness modeling.
Laura Coleman got off on the
right foot at her first competition, taking
collegiate figure honors at the Junior
Cal as well as the tall class in the open
figure division.
“My days in Los Angeles, for as long
as I can remember, have consisted of
training, studying and remembering I
am my mother’s biggest investment,”
says Coleman. “Winning this contest
and finishing first in my class in the
Junior Cal means a lot to me for many
reasons. As a child I had so much
potential but was deprived of participating in sports due to a sick mother.
Once I could drive, I started lifting
weights and loved seeing the progress
and results I got from perseverance.
“My biggest reward from this show
was not the object I held in my hand. It
was finally building my confidence in
myself and influencing people in the
audience to live healthier lifestyles.”
I’m sure your appearance onstage
got them thinking in that direction, kid.
Winners: Meet Chris LaCascia
Total-Success Story
He knows how to go
From flab to fab
Before Shot
Chris
LaCascia,
a father of
five, grew
to 330
pounds in
his all-work,
no-play
world as a
mortgage
broker.
Photo courtesy of Chris LaCascia
As a self-employed mortgage broker serving customers all over Southern
California, Chris LaCascia was a big man. Real big. As in 330 pounds at
5’11”, thanks to poor eating habits, an
extensive work schedule and no regular exercise program. He had a 46inch waist, a bodyfat measurement
that exceeded 30 percent, and he
was ready to read for the role of Sherman Klump in the next “Nutty Professor” flick.
The realization of how bad his weight
problem was hit him when LaCascia’s
son, Max, now two years old, patted the
floor and said, “Daddy, sit.… Play, Daddy.”
Chris says, “Once on the floor, I could not get up
WELL, ALMOST NO PLAY.
unless my 125-pound wife helped me up. Having to
count on someone else to help me up or tie my shoes was
embarrassing enough; being forced to sleep on the sofa downstairs because I
couldn’t get to the bedroom upstairs was another rude awakening.”
Chris wasn’t always extra large and not in charge; he grew up in Anaheim, California, and
was heavily involved in sports at Orange High School, lettering in baseball two years. After
graduation he spent 10 years with the Cypress Police Department before retiring.
The former police office stepped
“Having 17 years of physical fitness knowledge and training behind me, I knew that I had
onstage after shedding more than
the ability to get in shape and lose weight,” said LaCascia, who now resides in Yorba Linda. “I 100 pounds.
started my quest back to the gym in July 2004 and have lost over 100 pounds. While I was
losing weight, Shawn Ray encouraged me to enter my first bodybuilding show, the Orange County Classic.”
The 37-year-old father of five placed a respectable sixth in the novice heavyweight division at that show, then followed that up
with a solid performance at the Junior Cal two months later, finishing second in the unlimited heavyweight class and fourth in the
novice division at a weight of 225.
“I’m happy with what I’ve done onstage so far,” said LaCascia, “but the greatest gift of all is knowing the chains of obesity have
been removed and that I now I have the freedom to do whatever my heart desires.”
W O M E N ’ S D E P T.
Mona Lisa
You’d better believe she’s smiling
The stomach pains Lisa Gates suffered in late 2004 proved to be much more than she bargained for. The 5’3”, 125-pound mother of Trevor, 14, and Courtney, 10, was diagnosed with
twisted and obstructed intestines and had to undergo surgery. Twice. In March, after her second
operation, Lisa found out she had been but an hour from death.
Nevertheless, she wasn’t going to allow such a minor inconvenience prevent her from returning
to the Sexson Auditorium stage at Pasadena City College, where she’d taken her class in the
collegiate-figure competition a year earlier.
Referred to by some folks as the Marilyn Monroe of the posing platform, Gates did somehow get back onstage, winning the women’s bodybuilding division and finishing fourth in the
figure short class.
Gates, 39, who works and trains at Gold’s Gym in Pasadena, is a poster child for courage and
determination. The next time you say you’re going to compete in a contest, then back out, as so
many people do, remember what Lisa went through. Then slap yourself.
A poster child for determination. Gates unlocked her courage and got back onstage.
Add NPC Shows: Onstage Tales
Coleman Classic
Big men, big show, big state
Add Coleman
June Munroe
Teper
I finally met Brian
Dobson, owner of
Metroflex Gym in
Arlington, Texas—
A
best known as
priest and
the iron shrine
a star were
where Ronnie
in the house
Coleman
at the Ronnie
crafted his
Coleman
Mr. Olympia
Classic: midbod—when
dleweight winDobson and
ner Miguel
Coleman
Paredes (top
brought me
left), who’s a
in to emcee
Catholic priest,
their annual The winners of the ’05 Ronnie Coleman Classic (from
took off the
left): Breean Loepp, Lorenzo Jones, Natalie Benson
Ronnie
collar at a local
and Marie Tullos.
Coleman
eatery after the
Classic in April.
contest. At left:
Brian and wife Brandi are great folks, and they put on good bodyNPC bodybuildbuilding shows to boot. The Coleman Classic, held at the Hilton DFW
ing ace Star
Lakes Hotel, featured a slew of outstanding performers. Hats off to the
Blaylock
champs: Lorenzo Jones, who came back to successfully defend his
showed up
overall crown, Halle Berry look-alike Natalie Benson in figure (keep
to visit L.T.,
an eye on this beauty with the 23-inch waist), women’s bodybuilding
the emcee.
winner Marie Tullos and fitness titlist Breean Loepp.
The most interesting story of the weekend, though, concerned
middleweight winner Miguel Paredes. As it turns out, Miguel is the real Priest
of bodybuilding. Originally from Colombia and now living in Austin, Texas, Paredes
A PRIEST AND A STAR
is
indeed
a Catholic priest. He informed me of that fact at a local eatery after the
PLUS L.T.
contest. As you would expect, I had Father Paredes take off his clothes and hit a few
poses—causing stunned patrons to begin saying their Hail Marys and Our Fathers.
He may not have taken the overall crown at the RC Classic, but the man certainly owns the title of
Best Built Priest in the Whole Wide World. Any doubters can contact me, and I’ll set up a posedown at the most
convenient house of worship.
MORE COLEMAN CLASSIC
Metro Flexing
Hardcore’s the word at the House That Ronnie Built
Close couple.
Brian and
Brandi Dobson
have got an
iron dynasty
going on.
Teper
Well, Ronnie Coleman didn’t actually build Metroflex Gym in Arlington,
Texas, but that’s where the Big Nasty crafted his championship physique. The
facility is the creation of Brian Dobson, and the guy loves it when you tell him
how nasty looking his iron shrine is.
“We were rated the number-one hardcore gym in America,” beamed Dobson.
“A gym doesn’t need to be pretty to bring the best results you can get.”
Dorian Yates, who won his six Sandow trophies while training in the dungeonlike atmosphere of his home gym in Birmingham, England, and Coleman
have certainly put an exclamation point on that statement, Brian.
I’ve always preferred the fancier, state-of-the-art facilities myself. More proof
positive it ain’t the gym that makes the man. To find out more about Dobson’s
intriguing establishment, check out www.metroflexgym.com.
Teper
Classic
U P, D O W N A N D R O U N D T H E ’ 0 5 N P C B O D Y B U I L D I N G . C O M
J U N I O R C A L I F O R N I A C H A M P I O N S H I P S • PHOTOGRAPHY BY DAVE LIBERMAN
Want a
Dream
Tan? See
Mohamed
Mohsen to
get the job
done.
Ron Avidan
for
d Jay Cutler
ed Kerry an
Cheesecake
rt Perry join
na
Be
d
de
sa
oo
w
Pa
lly
e
th
Ho
ntest grub at
some postco
y.
or
ct
Fa
Nutrinned the Labrada
Dave Liberman ma did grab-shot duty.
o
als
nd
—a
tion Booth
Wonder
why L.T.
isn’t
nearly as
breathtaking—and
fit—as
girlfriend
Elsa
Escobar?
Wonder
no more.
NPC stando
ut Guillermo
Escalante an
his World Gy
d
m, West Co
vina, suppor
the show.
ted
Jimmy and
Suzie
Mentis,
with
Southern
California
District
Chairman
and promoter
Jaguar
Jon Lindsay.
Jeff Cohen was on hand to let the
crowd know about his Gamma-O
testosterone booster.
Mike
Morris at
the MHP
booth.
Pro
Fight’s
Abbas
Massouwi
would
give you
the shirt
off his
back if
you’d try
his supplements.
Teper
Teper
Ron Avidan
Mary Jo Cooke (Max Muscle)
and Bob Cicherillo (from title
sponsor Bodybuilding.com)
prettied up the lobby.
Timea Majorova
and her mama
Maria, who was
visiting from
Slovakia.
Ronnie
Coleman,
all 321
pounds of
him,
could
barely fit
into the
booth at
dinner.
Hey,
Ronnie,
are those
french
fries on
your
plate?
The folks from Sharkey’s of
Pasadena, a lowfat Tex Mex
Cicherillo and Getbig.com’s Ron
eatery, were on hand to tell
Avidan, who worked the Chamthe fans about their
pion and Cytosport table.
delectable cuisine.
Ruth Silverman’s
PUMP & CiRCUMSTANCE
J U N I O R N AT I O N A L S
MORE GUNS
And “smaller” physiques on the front burner
Comstock
The NPC Junior National
Bodybuilding, Fitness and
Figure Championships, the
2005 edition of which was
held in Rosemont, Illinois,
outside Chicago, on June
17 and 18, continues to
grow under the helm of
promoter Pam Betz. One
hundred and sixty-six
women came from the far
corners of the country to
compete in the three strong
women’s events, including
35 bodybuilders.
Middleweight winner Shannon Young took the overall
crown at that one, upholding the reputation her
Gunfight at the OK Coral. Oklahoman Shannon Young
hometown, Oklahoma City,
brought her blazing guns to the Juniors.
has gained in recent years,
having produced a slew of standout flexers, including Tonie Norman, Sherry
Smith and ’04 National champ Gina Davis. She beat out lightweight winner Jennifer Chehardy, light-heavy champ Alicia St. Germaine and heavyweight victor
Bettina Kadet. Word is the judges were not rewarding the big-and-ripped look this
year at this show. Stay tuned to next month’s report to find out if they stuck to their
guns at the USA.
Grand Masters
Flash Robin takes flight
Comstock
New Faces to the Fore
Speaking of smaller, Parker, seen
here at the ’04 Nationals, earned her
pro card with a much softer package.
Robin Parker, 51, won the ’05
NPC Masters National Overall Championships on July 23 in Pittsburgh.
Parker, who finished fifth in the lightheavies at the ’04 Nationals, made
history, in addition to her new title,
becoming the first woman to earn a
pro card at the Masters. Way to go,
Robin.
MORE JUNIOR NAT’S
Babes in Chi-town
Comstock
A.k.a. fitness and figure
June blooms (from left): Amy Peters, Tammy Pies, Jessica Paxson
and Vallerie Waugaman.
Naturally, the balance of the female contestants at
the Junior Nationals—126 if I counted right—came in
search of the not-so-elusive pro figure card, four of
which were awarded at the June event. They were a
handsome bunch, headed by overall winner Vallerie
Waugaman, an Amber Littlejohn-esque brunette
from Cleveland who won the D class and overall
crowns. Texas tootsie Amy Peters made the folks
who were thinking pro card for her in ’05 feel pretty
smart by winning the A class; ditto for ’05 Pittsburgh
winner Tammy Pies, B class champ, who was featured in the August ’05 installment of this column, and
Jessica Paxson, C class.
Speaking of having class. The fitness show brought
out some class contenders, many of whom will be
twirling and unfurling at the Team Universe in August
and/or the Nationals in November in search of pro
cards. Top of that lists is C-class and overall winner
Bridgette Murray of Littleton, Colorado, but don’t
count out A-class winner Jessica Rohm and B-class
champ Corry Mathews either.
U P D AT E S
Déjà Vu
HOT SHOTS
BY JERRY FREDRICK
All over again
you
So how exactly do
al oil
become the offici
guy again?
Silverman
In the item on the ’05 Emerald
Cup Pro Fitness competition that
appeared in the August installment
of P&C, I reported on a minor
mishap experienced by East Coast
tumbler-terrific Teri Mooney during
her fitness routine. Imagine my
shock and dismay when I read at
Bodysport.com a few weeks later
that what seemed to be nothing at
all had turned out to be a whole
lotta something.
An e-mail in early July from
Mooney, who was, ironically, coming
back from an injury incurred onstage
in her Olympia debut last year when
the mishap occurred, sets the
record straight:
“On my second tumbling pass, I
landed perfectly but on a ‘dead part’
of the stage…and I actually heard
my left foot ‘crunch’ in my sneaker.”
Have heart, will model. Friends and fans
As she had at the Olympia, Teri kept
looking to contact Ms. Mooney can write
going. Finally, “I did a front flip to my
to her at www.terimooney.com.
butt, and when I landed, my right
foot actually felt like it was no longer
attached to my ankle. That is when I sat on the stage, and I started to untie my
sneaker and cry.”
Mooney’s initial round of anger, embarrassment and self-pity passed when she
saw the scores and realized that despite a last-place finish in the long routines,
she had still come in sixth. Her diagnosis, after three weeks of MRIs and consultations, was not so encouraging. “I tore my Lisfranc tendon—which is the cornerstone of your whole foot—and my second metatarsal,” she said. That translated
to the prospect of 1 1/2 to two years of surgeries and rehab “before I could even
think of returning to fitness competition” and that “I may never be able to tumble
the same due to chance of reinjury.”
The 31-year-old personal trainer was up and coaching clients—on crutches—
10 days after her surgery. “I am now five weeks post-op, and all I can say is that
these past few weeks have been very challenging. I am learning that there is more
to life than fitness.” Even so, she said, she is looking for booth work at the
Olympia Expo and planning some new photo shoots for her fitness-modeling
portfolio.
More irony: Mooney’s experience has had an interesting side effect on her
physique. “People at my gym can’t believe how ‘tiny’ I am but that I kept all my
definition,” said Teri, who hasn’t trained since before the Emerald Cup. “You gotta
love it: The judges were always telling me to tone it down a bit, and all I really had
to do was break something in my foot.”
piece of cardDang, even as a flat
and white—Steve
ck
bla
in
and
rd—
boa
w.
sho
the
als
ste
ves
Ree
J U S T A M O U S E C L I C K AWAY
For complete coverage of the ’05 NPC USA, Team
Universe and Figure National Championships and
the IFBB New York Pro Figure Classic direct your
browser to IRON MAN’S Graphicmuscle.com. And
don’t forget the www.
“Welcome to person
altraining hell. Time for
your breathing squats
supersetted with
deadlifts.”
PUMP & CiRCUMSTANCE
TESTOSTERONE CORNER
Arnold Notes
him to the United States in 1968,
and, after all, he’s Arnold.)
The bill “would have required
coaches to take a course in performance-enhancing supplements,
created a list of banned
substances for interscholastic
sports and barred supplement
manufacturers from sponsoring
school events,” said the Times on
July 14. “In his veto message, the
governor said that most dietary
supplements were safe and that
[the] bill would have been difficult
to implement. He also said the bill
unfairly focused on ’performanceenhancing dietary supplements
instead of focusing on ensuring
that students participating in high
school sports are not engaged in
steroids use.’”
However you feel about the Big
Fella as chief executive, it’s not a
stretch to think that “Steroids bad;
supplements good” is his honest
opinion. Readers who want to
have an informed opinion on this
can Google the story for more details.
Meanwhile, back in Caulifornia, having fixed the problem—and given up his financial interest in Arnold Fitness
Weekend—the gov. undoubtedly moved on to the more
important things he had to do. Still the flak, from those who
are looking for dirt on him and those who are calling for a
change in state law, continued to charge the atmosphere as
this Pump & Circumstance installment went to bed. That’s all
beyond the scope of this column, of course, although, I must
admit: I won’t lose sleep over the fact that the greatest bodybuilder who ever lived might now not be appearing so much
in certain rival publications.
Balik
The headlines screaming from the
Los Angeles Times in mid-July told
the tale in a nutshell: “Gov. to Be Paid
$8 Million by Fitness Magazines,”
“Governor Defends Magazine Deal,”
“Gov. Cancels Magazine Contract.”
The media frenzy stirred up by that
purported scoop—that California
Governor Arnold
Schwarzenegger’s contract with
American Media Inc. subsidiary Weider Publications, which the Times had In many ways
Mr. S. belongs
reported on numerous occasions, did
to all the musin fact involve money—actually
cle magazines
knocked Karl Rove off the front
that have
chronicled his
page out here in Arnold-land.
career, as this
Point one: The ad revenues of
classic John
Weider pubs Flex and Muscle &
Balik shot
Fitness—as with IRON MAN and all
shows.
the muscle magazines—depend on
the well-being of nutritional supplement companies. Point two: Last year
the governor vetoed a bill that would
have regulated performance-enhancing supplements. Point three: It was
revealed (in a filing with the Securities
and Exchange Commission in June)
that the governor’s remuneration, including allocations to a
tax-exempt physical fitness panel, were tied to ad revenues.
While the real-world news media were busy connecting
those dots, folks who know Arnold well must have been
sending a lot of LMAO e-mails regarding the notion that he
had gotten himself elected governor in order to get involved
in petty graft. If anything, perhaps a lesser sin applies: Could
his mental set of greatness (see page 178) have kept him
from noting the appearance of impropriety caused by his
arrangement with the publisher? (It wasn’t against California
law; he had been associated with the Weider magazines
since Joe Weider, who sold them to AMI in 2003, brought
Will bodybuilding get its
gov. back?
HOT SHOTS
BY JERRY FREDRICK
If this is a
tag-team
wrestling
duo, sign
us up for
the first
match!
suicide machine has
Dr. Kevorkian's new
you meet your
that personal touch—
ile on your face.
maker with a big sm
And now you
see why
backstage
passes are
so valuable.
Whew!
DOINGS
O LY M P I A W A T C H
New Shows for Old
Empowering Woman
Nita
Marquez.
More interesting developments
Silverman
Trolling the Web to see what people
are talking about the week before the
NPC USA, I came across a bulletin
board thread in which someone mentioned a “rumor” that the Olympia
promoters were adding a last-minute
Mr. Olympia qualifier on Friday, October
14, to the rapidly expanding schedule.
It was quickly confirmed by Shawn
Ray—presumably that Shawn Ray, the
one who was until recently the athletes’
rep for the pro men. When I went back
to look for more on the subject, however, I couldn’t find the thread. After an
hour of scanning through every topic
Speaking of that 10 grand to the female
flexers. In a letter to fans who protested that was remotely related to the subthe demotion of the Ms. Olympia, the
ject—and flipping past a lot of amazing
finals of which are scheduled for the
pictures of Dina Al-Sabah—I narexpo instead of the Orleans Arena stage
rowed it down to two possibilities:
with the other women’s shows, the
Either Shawn had spoken too soon and
promoters said the raise was “part of
our plan to continue investing in profes- the posts had been pulled, or I should
sional physique athletes.”
have bookmarked the page.
A phone call or two turned up the
info that the show is for real. It will be a winner-take-all battle open to athletes who
are not already qualified, all being $10,000 and the chance to compete in the big
show the following day. And get this, it’ll probably take place on Friday night,
along with the Fitness and Figure Olympias and a model search.
Yes, you read that right: The blows keep getting lower. The promotion team at
Weider/AMI wants to replace the gnarly girlies of the Ms. Olympia with a lineup of
big gnarly men. That’ll appeal to the people who might pay to see a model search.
Actually, this would be a great idea for boosting ticket sales of the Friday-night
show if they’d made it an addition to the festivities instead of a substitute for the
female flexers. How about it, guys? It’s not too late.
The real question is, Where is the the money for these financial upgrades coming from—sponsors? As always, the Internet was buzzing with speculation. The
suggestion that Weider/AMI had recently freed up $8 million in its budget and was
passing a bit on to the athletes was just too good not to pass on here.
Silverman
’04
Ms. O
Iris
Kyle.
Speaking of women who do
what they say they’re going to do.
Phoenix fitness flyer Nita Marquez
founded Women Empowering Each
Other, an organization aimed at helping
single mothers get on their feet, after
she became one herself a couple of
years back. In April WEE held its first
fundraiser, a WEE Will Rock You concert
to benefit a scholarship fund for a notso-wee $10,000 to be awarded to a
deserving single mom. And that’s just
the beginning, says Nita. For her next
WEE project, Marquez, who used songs
from her recently recorded demo in the
fitness routine she was taking to the
Team U, is executive-producing a CD of
“easy listening music from a diverse
lineup of musical artists.”
I can’t wait to see that routine, Nita.
For info on all things WEE, go to
www.weeinc.com
M O R E U P D AT E S
One lower-Manhattan site I’ll be getting a gander at is Linda WoodHoyte’s new personal-training studio in trendy Tribeca. The NPC/IFBB Big
Apple judge—and former Team Universe champ—opened Fitness Together
in late March, and before you could say, “Give me five more reps,” her
beautifully buffed body was seen demonstrating diamond pushups in the
New York Daily News. When Wood-Hoyte got into the one-on-one training
business in her home gym after a couple of decades plus as an executive
in the communications industry, she promised she’d be going downtown
big-time before long. The facility features three fully equipped privatetraining studios and an open cardio area.
“My clients are professional people, many from the corporate buildings
in our area, and local residents. I have four trainers with marvelous backgrounds, a staff nutritionist and massage therapist.”
Located at 387 Greenwich Street (between Moore and Beach), Fitness
Together is iron-clad proof that Wood-Hoyte is a woman who knows how to
reach a goal. Let her help you reach yours. For more Information call (212)
226-0012, or you can take a virtual tour at www.ftnewyorkcity.com.
Bradford
of heading
Another Openin’, Another Show Speaking
to the Team U
Another step up the
corporate-fitness ladder
for Linda Wood-Hoyte.
PUMP & CiRCUMSTANCE
STILL MORE UPDATES
Sex
goddesses
Neveux
Don’t we love it
when women of
muscle get recognized in the mainstream media as the
goddesses they can
be. Thanks to Bob
“Strong-and-Shapely” Bonham for
pointing my cursor to
the feature at
www.askmen.com
on Melissa
Coates, the Canadian cutie who roared
out of Thunder Bay,
Ontario, to win the
middleweights at the
Canadian Championships in 1994 and
the whole shebang at
the Jan Tana Pro
Classic in ’96. The
site, which calls itself
a “5 million readers a
month men’s portal,”
included “pictures,
biography, video,
Melissa got the full treatment from Askmen.com.
related news, vital
stats, commentary
and cool facts” about the one-time IM cover model in its Model of the Week
piece on Coates, who’s now a professional wrestler and made her first appearance in a WWE stunt this past May. And don’t we love an opportunity to
run a cool Mike Neveux shot of her right here.
To check out the article, go to
www.askmen.com/women/models_250/291c_melissa_coates.html.
Challenge
Round Watch
Comstock \ Models: Dexter Jackson and Gustavo Baddell
Speaking of Online
F I N A L O LY M P I A N O T E
As we slip into amateur-focus
time, a.k.a. the USA-Team U
marathon, no announcement
has been made by Olympia Central on this burning issue. Rumors of differences of opinion
at the O.C. notwithstanding, my
money’s still on it’s being O.U.T.
by October.
Neveux
Just Because
Silverman
Neveux
Neveux
Tuckered In?
Ten-week-old
Tucker Evans
is so into his
Prolab Training
Paks, he emptied the bottle.
Can a creatine
habit be far behind?
To contact Lonnie Teper about
material possibly pertinent to
News & Views, write to 1613
Chelsea Road, #266, San
Marino, CA 91108; fax to (626)
289-7949; or send e-mail to
[email protected].
You can contact Ruth Silverman, fitness reporter and
Pump & Circumstance scribe,
in care of IRONMAN, 1701 Ives
Ave., Oxnard, CA 93033; or via
e-mail at [email protected].
You can contact Jerry
Fredrick, ace photographer for
Hot Shots and Hardcore
Training, in care of IRONMAN,
1701 Ives Ave., Oxnard, CA
93033; or via e-mail at
[email protected].
IRON MAN Hardbody
Belli-ssimo!
Federica Belli Is One
Spicy Italian Beauty
by the Editors
Hair and makeup, Kimberly Carlson
Federica Belli is Italy’s premier fitness model and a
very busy lady—so busy, in fact, that we couldn’t
track her down to interview her for our pictorial. Why
didn’t we just postpone her feature? After seeing the
absolutely stunning shots Michael Neveux got of Federica in the studio, we couldn’t wait to get them in our
pages. In fact, Federica may be our hottest Hardbody
ever—her Italian accent adding considerably to her
exotic mystique, according to the crew at the studio—
and we simply couldn’t deprive our faithful readers of
the chance to see her photos right away. (Let us know
what you think, folks. Encore?)
As for her interview, we’ll have that in a future
issue—along with a few more photos of this European
beauty. Now, isn’t that something to look forward to?
IRON MAN Hardbody
IRON MAN Hardbody
IRON MAN Hardbody
IRON MAN Hardbody
IRON MAN Hardbody
IRON MAN Hardbody
IRON MAN Hardbody
IRON MAN Hardbody
Innovations in Iron
ne of the great myths in training, and in many other human
endeavors, is that you make progress inch by inch, ounce
by ounce, implying that if you’re on the right course, you
can be assured of holding a steady course to your goal. It’s an
enticing idea. Unfortunately, evidence indicates that the concept is
little more than a fairy tale. In reality, progress in the weight room,
just as in other activities, tends to come—when it comes—in leaps
and bounds, and the path upward has more dips, twists and level
spots than most people believe.
O
The MantaRay can give you a new squat variation,
blasting new fibers for renewed lower-body mass
and strength gains.
Neveux
IRONMIND
Mind
Creativity in the gym can get
you bigger and stronger faster
That might leave the impression that progress is less
under your control than you’d like. Don’t worry. The realization can point us toward keys to progress, even if they
tend to be off the beaten path. For example, one of the
most fruitful ways of boosting your gains is also one that’s
very rarely mentioned: Be creative in your training.
Back in the infancy of modern weight training the prevailing view was that the best way to make great gains
was to do tons of different movements, many of which, as
you’d guess, involved fairly small muscle groups. Along
came a guy named Mark Berry, who said something like,
“Nope. That’s not how it works, boys and girls. Concentrate on just a few movements involving major muscle
groups, and the results will blow you away.” Berry was
considered a bit of a birdbrain because of that screwy
notion, but when he made a convert in a small Midwestern town, the weight world was turned on its ear. Berry’s
follower was a fellow named J.C. Hise, and he reported
that by following Berry’s suggestions, he managed to gain
29 pounds in a month. That was back in the 1930s, when
most people training with weights were happy to gain a
few pounds in a year, so you can appreciate the revolutionary impact of Berry’s innovative training concepts.
Hise, by the way, was no creative slouch himself, and
among his enduring contributions to training is the cambered squat bar—a bar that’s slightly curved in the middle. It sat on the shoulders much more comfortably and
securely than a straight bar, enabling you to squat that
much harder and make that much more progress. How’d
Hise get the idea? The story is that his brother bent Hise’s
lifting bar while working on his car. The rest, as they say,
is history. Hise’s invention, by the way, is a perfect example of the widely accepted definition of creativity: It’s an
unusual yet appropriate response. In other words, creativity uses an uncommon approach, and it has value because it offers a suitable solution to a problem.
Arthur Jones came along in an era when the pendulum
had swung over to the side of doing a nearly infinite number of sets, and free weights were the dominant tool in
any gym. Before Arthur Jones a state-of-the-art gym
might have a lat machine, a leg extension/leg curl machine, a hack squat machine, a Smith machine and
something for doing standing calf raises. Most gyms
would have a lat machine and, maybe, a leg extension/leg
Body
curl machine. By A.J. 25 (after Jones) the weight world was so
vastly altered that gyms were defined by their machines—
machines for every conceivable purpose. Free weights became the exception in many clubs.
Similarly, for decades it was a nearly sacred concept that
you lifted weights three days a week—Monday, Wednesday
and Friday. Along the way there were side trips to split routines of different types, but the basic rule remained the
same—three training days a week, each followed by a rest
day, with two days off at the end of the week. Then the
Bulgarian weightlifting coaches said something like, “Hey,
coal miners work hard every day, and so do all the other
laborers in the world. Why do these pantywaist weightlifters
think they need so much rest?” You’ve probably heard the
stories about Bulgarians training six days a week, with multiple training sessions each day, as a result of that analysis.
The first time I heard about how they trained, I was so
stunned by their dramatically different approach that for
days, if not weeks and months, I went around muttering, “It
must be a mistake. They can’t really be doing that.” They
were, though, and in the process they produced athletes
who exploded world record after world record.
The moral of the story is that creativity and innovation
aren’t limited to the world of art. They’re just as applicable in
the world of science and the world of weights—and the
rewards can be incredibly rich.
“So that’s easy,” you say. “I’ll just cruise along the creative
side of the street from now on and plan on getting bigger and
stronger than ever.”
That’s certainly the right idea, but it’s not as simple as it
sounds. First, most people aren’t very creative. That’s one of
the reasons innovation is so rare and so special. Second, it’s
one thing to say you want to follow the creative path, but it’s
quite another, and much tougher, to actually do it. Most of us
need a tremendous amount of social reinforcement and,
conversely, have little reserve for dealing with skepticism and
criticism—especially when we’re doing something that’s different from what 99 percent of the population is doing.
Research has demonstrated that great intelligence and
great creativity don’t have the high correlation most people assume. In other words, some really creative people are sharper
than tacks, while others are dumber than doornails. To be
sure, one of the most creative trainers I know gives the impression of having a room temperature I.Q., but his ability to
generate creative training concepts would obliterate a room
filled with blue-ribbon sports scientists. Research also indicates that creativity can be fostered environmentally—in other
Man Gland
Poison Your
Prostate?
nlarged prostate glands can
mean slower and more frequent urination for older men,
not to mention intermittent flow. Help
may be on the way via food poisoning.
Italian researchers discovered that
when they inject botulinum toxin, or
Botox, which is a poison also used
to remove wrinkles, into an enlarged
prostate (ouch!), urinary frequency
can be reduced by as much as 65
percent.
Warning: Eating spoiled food will
do nothing for your peeing prowess.
—Becky Holman
www.X-tremeLean.com
E
words, if you’re given opportunities to be creative and are
reinforced for your efforts, you’re likely to have your creativity
enhanced.
Creativity and innovation are at the heart of each of the big
steps forward in building size and strength. New ideas, usually
considered revolutionary at the time, lead to major breakthroughs, producing results nobody ever thought possible
before. Put that idea to work in your own training: Follow the
herd for mediocre results; be willing to strike out on your own
if you want something really special.
—Randall Strossen, Ph.D.
Editor’s note: Randall Strossen, Ph.D., edits the quarterly
magazine MILO. He’s also the author of IronMind: Stronger
Minds, Stronger Bodies; Super Squats: How to Gain 30
Pounds of Muscle in 6 Weeks and Paul Anderson: The Mightiest Minister. For more information call IronMind Enterprises
Inc. at (530) 265-6725 or Home Gym Warehouse at (800)
447-0008, ext. 1. Visit the IronMind Web site at www
.ironmind.com.
Bomber Blast
MIND/BODY
Neveux \ Model: Eric Domer
To Bulk or Not to Bulk
’m puzzled as I observe lean and lightweight gym rats inching along in their struggle for muscle and might yet resisting
the adventure of bulking up.
Adding muscle is the point, but at the cost of the quivering
striation in the pecs or the loss of that courageous vein tracing
a solitary path across the biceps? Hmm. I dunno. Who wants
to trade his minor six-pack for a major keg?
Gaining weight requires a few adjustments, and it would be
a good idea to spend 10 minutes stirring up some basic Qs,
like why, how, when and what? No doubt we can all learn
from a review of the list.
“Why” can go around in circles and loops before the answer is clear. Inquisitive characters roving my mind line up to
be heard.
The researcher: Mr. Wonder is curious, and his goal is to
participate in and observe the bulking process, determine its
possibilities of muscle-building success and failure and report
his conclusions to the equally curious IRON MAN readers.
The bully: The big, bad and insecure child wants to growl
and flex and get huge and strong, that’s why. Got a problem
with that?
The enthusiast: The bespectacled fellow who writes the
articles says, “It’s time to stir it up and stretch it out. Let’s
prevent the workouts from freezing up in the winter. Let’s fire
up the training before the spring. Let’s get huge.”
The bomber: “Let’s put some meat on those bones. Solid
training under the power of bounteous wholesome food is the
perfect combination for serious muscle growth.” Here we
have the logical recommendation of a confident musclehead
who inhabits the thin air of the cosmic Internet.
The eager beaver: This driven creature looks forward to
blasting his way through the winter and building up his muscle
stockpile for getting ripped in the spring.
The rebel: Cuts be darned. Bulking up is a welcome
change, a hardy challenge, a worthy goal and a cool and
fascinating experience; it’s healthful and healing, stabilizing
and protective. It’s productive, unless you already register 30
on the BMI scale or have busted out your XXL sweats.
“How?” is straightforward. Eat often and well. Only a few
I
choices are available at the captain’s table—the same meal
schedule with bigger portions of protein and complex carbs.
Steak dominates the plate, and a pat of butter melts on the
vegetables. Additional servings of fruit and cottage cheese are
not denied, and the protein powder flies like sawdust in a
lumber mill. Another meal might be tossed in just to be reassuring. A flagrant option (hold onto your lifting belt) could be
the occasional inclusion of quasi-junk food like ice cream and
cheesecake. I dunno, girls and boys...this is, like, weird.
Eating becomes a primary activity, shopping an event; food
costs rise, muscles grow, and that’s that. Quality food and
careful feeding beget a quality body and superior well-being.
Protein powder must be logically assessed as an integral part
of the food budget, not as a supplement. Protein shakes are
valuable pre- and postworkout feedings and inexpensive
meals, not secondary snacks. Do what you have to do; cut
your spouse’s allowance.
“When?” is sometime in November as the winter stands on
its hind legs and paws at us like an angry grizzly. Five months
of living in sweatshirts and sweatpants can be ugly but comfortable. In March and April the cocoon is slowly shed, and
the morphed creature emerges. “What if I gained 15 jiggly
pounds of fat, it’s stuck like pudding everywhere, and I can’t
lose it?” Never happen...though life can be cruel.
How about the training? That will unfold as the food intake
and the bodyweight increase. It can be similar to your current
M.O. with an increase of the weight handled in most exercises. Strength and energy improve with the addition of nutritious
foods and quality pounds. Motivation increases in direct proportion to the increase in muscle and strength. And, unless
the mass gained is too much, too soon and too loose, endurance and energy rise favorably as well. We become ideal
muscle builders with the perfect anabolic environment: fuel to
press on and on, ingredients for extensive repair and construction, developing bodyweight to accommodate evergrowing muscle overload and the attitude amplified by
inspiration to impel us forward. Stand clear of moving parts.
Seeking personal records in favorite heavy lifts (squats,
deadlifts, dumbbell presses, thick-bar curls) that provide
systemic stimulation will frequent the agenda. Risk of injury will
be carefully monitored and overtraining avoided.
No peeking under the oversize sweatshirt—ride the spin
bike for 20 minutes three or four times a week instead. Keep
your eye on the springtime and your grip off the love handles.
Feel the power and pump and don’t scrutinize and criticize
your tone and shape. You’re not scratching an itch or rubbing
your nose. You’re a major work in progress, not a canvas to
be unveiled. You’re a construction zone, men and women at
work, a hard-hat area where machines and material are scattered around and in constant heavy use. Proposed date of
completion: late spring, early summer, 2006.
Bulking up, packing on the pounds, and getting huge on
big steaks and heavy squatting under layers of sweatshirts
sounds like the master project for this winter. Beats making
snowballs and catching a cold.
—Dave Draper
Web alert: For more from Dave Draper,
visit www.davedraper.com and sign up
for his free newsletter. You can also check
out his amazing Top Squat training tool,
classic photos, workout Q&A and forum.
Go Cardio
Proper Pulse
o many people talk
about resting heart
rate, but what’s normal? Although it varies from
individual to individual, between 60 and 80 beats a
minute is considered normal
and average—no matter
what your age or sex.
If you’re conditioned aerobically, your resting heart rate
may be 50 to 60 beats per
minute, and if you’re really a
cardio fiend or a triathlete,
you may have a resting pulse
S
of as
low as
40
beats
every
60 seconds.
By the way, a
high resting pulse upon awakening can mean you’re overstressed and perhaps
overtrained.
—Becky Holman
www.X-tremeLean.com
New Stuff
ad
Midsection Resurrection
New ripping tactics can bring your abs out of hibernation
t’s time to bring your abs out of hiding. The new
X-traordinary Abs e-book, from the IRON MAN
Training & Research Center, has all the chiseling
tools you need. These ripping tactics are honed
from decades of experience into precise advice
that will help you achieve attention-grabbing
abs—and the programs in this e-book take only
about 10 minutes (now, that’s precision!). You’ll
learn:
• The max-force concept. How to make
common ab exercises up to five times more
effective.
•Ab analysis. Why standard crunches and
hanging kneeups are lame ab exercises and how
to alter and order the best moves to supercharge your results.
•The fast-twitch switch. The latest on how to extend a set for more fiber
activation and the principle of blocking blood flow to infuse your workout with
more strength- and detail-building power via capillary expansion and muscle
fiber integration.
•Ultimate ab exercises. The X-traordinary six that will shred your abs
from top to bottom.
•Top 9 X-traordinary ab myths. Side bends? Crunches? High reps? Get
rid of the waste to muscularize your waist.
And, of course, the X-traordinary Ab workouts, 10-minute programs that get
the job done fast. (There’s even a freehand workout that’s more effective than
most ab routines you see trainers using in gyms.)
Now’s the time to turn your midsection into a classic etching. The X-traordinary Abs e-book is your guide—and you can get it free for a limited time. All you
have to do is subscribe to IRON MAN magazine for one year ($29.97), and the
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advantage of this incredible special.
I
New Stuff
MIND/BODY
Time to Go Beyond the Zone
Better-balanced nutrition for better results
et’s face it: The ultimate goal for
everyone who works out is to
increase lean muscle while reducing bodyfat. Yet many people
follow diets that limit their musclebuilding potential and make all of their
hard-training efforts go to waste. The
huge media focus on low-carb dieting
has led many to believe that it’s the
only way to get lean. Unfortunately,
you’ve probably found out the hard
way that those diets don’t give you
the results you want. Rather than
looking big and hard with full, dense
muscles, you often feel small, flat and
weak.
The Zone diet, on the other hand, is
a more sensible and effective approach. It’s based on a better balanced diet of 40 percent
carbohydrate, 30 percent protein and
30 percent fat. While that’s much
more effective for long-term weight
loss, it still falls short for anyone who
works out and is hoping to lose bodyfat while increasing lean muscle.
Now there’s a revolutionary new
diet program designed to unleash the
anabolic effects of food—Macrobolic
Nutrition. Recent research reveals that
your body needs precise nutrition to
work at maximum capacity. According
to new studies on performance nutrition and information revealed in the
L
ad
best-selling
book Macrobolic
Nutrition, eating
foods in the
precise balance
of 45 percent
carbohydrates,
35 percent
proteins and 20
percent fats
dramatically improves your ability to
build muscle, burn fat and increase
performance capacity. Macrobolic
Nutrition goes beyond the Zone by
taking into account the higher protein
and carbohydrate needs of athletes. It
also places greater emphasis on the
selection and quality of macronutrient
sources. Now you can get this precise
nutrition in the convenience of delicious meal replacements and bars.
Macrobolic-MRP and Macrobolic
Performance Bars by MHP are based
on the revolutionary 45/35/20 diet
concept and contain the highest
quality sources of carbohydrates,
proteins and fats available. Macrobolic
supplements set a new standard in
quality and effectiveness for performance nutrition. To buy or for more
information, please visit www
.MacrobolicNutrition.com, or call MHP
at (888) 783-8844. —Gerard Dente
Muscle Growth
Just Got a Big Boost!
ust when you thought you were getting the most out
of your supplements, the NxCare researchers have
created a completely new way of maximizing muscle
growth. While whey protein, creatine and nitric oxide
stimulators are well known, the NxCare Research Team
has developed something unique: the world’s first protein
synthesis stimulator, AMINOVOL. AMINOVOL’s extreme anabolic formula is
scientifically designed to dramatically increase protein synthesis, nitric oxide,
lean muscle mass and strength by working through 10 distinctive proprietary
complexes. In addition, AMINOVOL’s advanced amino acid technology delivers
a sustained release of key aminos to keep you building muscle all day long.
One of the key benefits of AMINOVOL is that it wasn’t designed to replace
whey protein and creatine but to be used along with them to make those
muscle builders work even better. IRON MAN readers are now eligible to receive a free 20-day supply (while supplies last) simply by calling (866) 6922731. (Please include $5 for shipping and handling.) Look for AMINOVOL at
GNC, Vitamin World and health food stores everywhere. For more information
about this ground-breaking anabolic innovation visit NxCare.com.
J
Etiquette
MIND/BODY
odybuilders starting out today
have an enormous advantage
over their predecessors when it
comes to acquiring information, and
it’s all because of the Internet. In days
gone by novice bodybuilders had to
explore libraries and bookstores to
learn about anatomy, weight training
and nutrition. If they wanted to ask a
specific question of a Mr. America or
Mr. Olympia, they would carefully
compose a letter, then mail it in a selfaddressed stamped enveloped and
pray for a reply. If a reply did come, it
would often be several months later.
Things are much different now,
given the vast interlinked computer
system spanning the world. Web sites
offer plenty of free information, and
even books or courses for sale can be
downloaded in a moment to your PC
or delivered overnight to your home.
Still, there are times when you want to
ask a question or two of a pro bodybuilder or an expert. Luckily, nearly all
of the people you would hope to reach
are accessible through e-mail. Of
course, asking for advice doesn’t
mean you’ll receive it. As someone
who’s both sought and given advice,
let me give you some tips to sway the
odds of your getting a reply.
Be courteous. The tone of your email is crucial. Keep in mind that
you’re asking a favor of a very busy
person. You must not be rude or demanding or insinuate that the expert
owes you something just because you
want it. You don’t have to kiss this
person’s ass, but you should be humble and polite. Try to keep in mind that
you may someday be in this person’s
position, and consider how you’d like
to be approached for advice.
Keep it all business. Experts
aren’t cold and heartless, but most of
them don’t have time to correspond
day after day with a host of Internet
pen pals. Getting too personal with an
expert or a pro bodybuilder puts him in
an awkward position. Leave it to him
to initiate friendly contact.
Respect the hard work it took
for them to get where they are.
One thing that will guarantee no reply
is discounting the hard work it took for
someone to reach an expert level of
accomplishment, as in: “I know you
got your body from steroids, so why
don’t you tell me your cycle, juice
boy?” If you’re writing to someone
who’s been training since before you
were born, you need to recognize that
B
he’s really
paid his
dues,
whether
drugs
were a
factor in
his development or
not.
Don’t
expect
Intimidated? Don’t
everyworry, he’s probably
thing for
a nice dude—if
free. We
you’re courteous.
all know
the adage
“Time is money.” It’s reasonable to
expect an expert to answer one or two
simple questions free of charge, out of
the kindness of his or her heart. Many
men and women in fitness and bodybuilding generously answer inquiries (I
get 40 to 60 a day and try to answer
each).
But if you’re asking for a personalized and detailed workout or nutrition
program, you should expect to pay for
it. Top personal trainers command
$200 to $1,000 an hour, after all, so
it’s reasonable for a phone consultation or individualized program to cost a
little money. You get what you pay for,
and if improving your physique has a
value to you, that will make perfect
sense. Finally, you need to understand
that many experts earn their living
helping people reach their physique
goals. Just as you wouldn’t expect an
auto mechanic to repair your car for
free, you shouldn’t assume someone
who can help you transform your body
will do so for zero compensation.
Gratitude is great, but it doesn’t pay
the bills.
Don’t ask for advice if you’re
too lazy to follow it. The one thing
that irks most experts more than any
other is taking the time to give advice,
only for the person to not follow it.
Nothing is more frustrating than to get
the same types of questions from
someone weeks or months after you
have already answered them. Lazy
people have no place in bodybuilding.
If you’re instructed to try training or
eating a certain way and don’t feel like
doing it, don’t have the audacity to
come back asking for an easier
method. If bodybuilding were easy,
every schmuck in the world would look
like cover material for IRON MAN.
—Ron Harris
Neveux \ Model: Jay Cutler
Asking the Big Dude
Serious Training
Sean Jones
Photography by Jerry Fredrick
Location: Gold’s Gym, Venice, CA
MIND/BODY
Serious Stats
Weight: 215 Height: 5’9” Age: 32
Age began training: 15
Bodypart split:
Monday: chest, biceps, triceps; Tuesday: legs;
Wednesday: off; Thursday: off; Friday: back,
shoulders; Saturday: calves; Sunday: cycle begins again
Sample workout (quads):
Leg presses
3-4 x 8-12
Superset
Leg extensions
3 x 8-12
Sissy squats
3 x 8-12
Factoid:
He’s a gourmet cook. Also, he won the ’05
Muscle Beach bodybuilding contest in Venice,
California, on Memorial Day weekend.
Jerry Brainum’s
Bodybuilding Pharmacology
Forskolin
for Fat Loss
Supplements purported to promote fat loss are among
the most popular sold today. The biggest-selling over-thecounter fat-loss supplements in recent years contained
ephedra or ephedrine combined with caffeine. Ephedrine
and caffeine promoted the release of catecholamines,
such as norepinephrine, which help convert fat calories
into heat. Ephedrine-based supplements also promoted
thyroid hormone activity while helping to maintain lean
mass. When used properly, ephedrine supplements
worked well for most people, with a low incidence of side
effects.
Activating catecholamines, however, also stimulated
the heart and slightly raised blood pressure. In a person
not afflicted with cardiovascular disease, the changes
were minor and produced no adverse effects. The most
common side effect was similar to that of drinking a few
cups of coffee. Prominent warnings on the labels of every
bottle warned that the supplements were contraindicated
for those with certain medical conditions, especially any
cardiovascular problem.
Despite the warnings, some people either overdosed on
the substance or should not have taken ephedrine supplements in the first place. A few suffered side effects, though
in many cases the cause-and-effect relationship between
ephedrine use and the onset of symptoms was never
definitively proved. That didn’t stop avaricious lawyers
from filing countless lawsuits against companies selling
ephedrine.
The Food and Drug Administration eventually banned
the sale of ephedrine in April 2004. A year later, however, a
federal judge said that the ban had a weak scientific foundation and ruled against it. Still, don’t expect ephedrine or
ephedra to return to the market. The legal sharks are still
swimming, and the insurance rates for a company selling
ephedrine would be enormous.
Since ephedrine and ephedra were removed from the
market, other substances have been touted for their alleged fat-loss-promoting effects. Some of them, such as
green tea, Garcinia cambogia and yohimbe, offer legitimate fat-loss effects under certain conditions. Other
natural substances, however, have been overlooked or
perhaps not recognized for their fat-loss properties.
One is forskolin, which is found naturally in a plant
called coleus. The coleus, which grows in Nepal, India and
Thailand—and on windowsills all over the United States—
has been used in traditional
Ayurvedic medicine to treat various
ills, such as skin rashes, asthma,
bronchitis and insomnia. The
forskolin in the plant can activate
cyclic AMP, which then initiates a
cascade of biochemical events that
result in everything from fat release
to hormone release.
Forskolin differs from ephedrine
in that it doesn’t interact with betareceptors in fat cells, so it has none
of the stimulation effect associated
with ephedrine. In effect, forskolin
is a biochemical shortcut as far as
fat release is concerned.
Several studies have shown
significant fat-loss effects with
human subjects who took a
forskolin-based supplement. Unfortunately, they were sponsored by
the company that holds the
forskolin use patent, Sabina Corporation. While such sponsorship may
not negate the results of the studies,
it does engender a degree of skepticism, since Sabina has much to
gain financially from them.
Some critics have noted that the
mechanism through which
forskolin works, activating cyclic
Forskolin doesn’t have
the stimulating properties
of ephedrine.
AMP, can have far-reaching effects throughout
the body. But toxicity studies have shown no
serious side effects or any adverse changes in
cardiovascular function. If anything, forskolin
appears to offer beneficial effects by lowering
blood pressure and increasing beneficial highdensity lipoprotein, or HDL.
The most recent study found an additional
bonus.1 Thirty subjects were divided into a
forskolin group and a placebo group. The
study lasted 12 weeks. Those in the first group
took a supplement containing 250 milligrams
of 10 percent forskolin extract twice daily.
Forskolin produced a significant improvement in fat loss compared to the placebo. But
those in the forskolin group also showed a
significant increase in levels of free testosterone, the active form of the hormone. Total
T levels remained unchanged, but the elevatRaspberry
ed free-testosterone levels may be a bonus of
ketones have
using forskolin.
shown promise
Another possible ingredient for an effective
as a fat-loss
OTC fat-loss supplement may be raspberry
supplement.
ketones, which are the compounds that impart the characteristic fruity odor and that
new research shows exert a potent fat-loss
effect.2 Raspberry ketones are already used as a fragrance
Raspberry ketones differ from synephrine in that they
in cosmetics and as a food flavoring agent, but scientists
enhance norepinephrine-induced fat loss not by activatfound that they structurally resemble capsaicin (from red
ing hormone-sensitive lipase but by promoting the relopeppers) and synephrine, found in the Chinese bitter
cation of HSL from the cytosol of cells directly to fat
orange.
deposits. They also enhance brown-adipose-tissue therBoth capsaicin and synephrine have thermogenic
mogenesis, though that is far more active in rodents than
effects due to their stimulation of norepinephrine release.
it is in humans.
Synephrine is a major ingredient in many current fat-loss
Another new study found that an ingredient in licorice,
supplements and is touted as the replacement for ephedglycyrrhetinic acid, fosters the loss of subcutaneous fat, or
rine. Since raspberry ketones look a lot like those other
fat just under the skin, when applied directly to the skin in
compounds, scientists tested the fat-loss effects of raspa topical cream form.3 Glycyrrhetinic acid appears to
berry ketone extract in animals.
work by inhibiting an enzyme that increases cortisol levels
The experiments clearly showed that raspberry ketones
in bodyfat; increased cortisol promotes fat deposition.
prevented the onset of obesity in mice even when the
Another version of the same enzyme is promoted by
glycyrrhetinic acid in other parts of the body, increasing
cortisol levels and leading to a retention of sodium and a
loss of potassium, which can result in rapid high blood
pressure.
The other form of the enzyme doesn’t exist in fat, however, and applying glycyrrhetinic acid as a cream to fat
can block the effects of the enzyme that does, thus preventing cortisol and fat buildup. Blocking the enzyme also
leads to localized fat loss, as the study showed. Eighteen
women ages 20 to 33 were assigned to a group that used a
glycyrrhetinic acid cream of 2.5 percent (80 milligrams) or
to a group that used a placebo cream. Both groups rubbed
the creams on one thigh for a month.
At the end of the month measurements showed that
the thighs of the women who’d used the active cream had
lost subcutaneous fat. Only the top, or superficial, layer of
fat was affected, however. That was good in a way, since it
animals were on a high-fat diet. Using a higher percentage
pointed to a lack of absorption into the internal organ
of raspberry ketones (5 percent) prevented the increase in
system. The mineralocorticoid receptors that are linked to
blood triglyceride, or fat, that occurs after you eat a highpotassium loss and sodium retention don’t exist in subcufat meal. Raspberry ketones also prevented fat synthesis
taneous fat, so no adverse effects occurred.
when rats were overfed fructose, a simple sugar linked to
None of the female subjects in this study were fat. The
the current obesity epidemic. They appear to help prevent
researchers think that the cream would produce more
fat deposition—at least in rodents.
Glycyrrhetinic acid creams
may be useful for people
who want to reduce
excessive fat in a specific
location, such as the
thighs or abdomen. They
may be good for
precontest purposes.
Jerry Brainum’s
Bodybuilding Pharmacology
In animals clenbuterol promotes a
gain in muscle mass and a loss of
bodyfat. In their enthusiasm over
those findings, however, most
athletes and various “drug gurus”
failed to read the small print: The
animals were given doses that would
kill a human.
dramatic effects in those with heavier
fat deposits. Obese people produce
more of the cortisol-producing enzyme, which helps maintain and
increase fat deposits.
Licorice itself also produces estrogenlike and antiestrogen effects in
different tissues of the body. But
they’re from components of licorice
that weren’t in the cream used in the
study. Licorice blocks androgen synthesis at the level of the adrenal
glands, which is more significant to
women than men. But that enzyme
doesn’t exist in fat either, which
makes it a nonissue with the
glycyrrhetinic acid cream.
The authors suggest that
glycyrrhetinic acid creams may be
useful for people who want to reduce
excessive fat in a specific location,
such as the thighs or abdomen. The
cream also offers some obvious bodybuilding benefits for those who experience difficulty in removing fat in
isolated areas, such as the thighs and
lower abs. You’d still need to diet and
exercise to burn the deeper-lying, or
visceral, fat deposits, but a
glycyrrhetinic acid–based cream
might be useful for precontest purposes.
Clenbuterol: Dangerous
Even at Low Doses
Clenbuterol is a beta-2 adrenergic
agonist, which means that it interacts
with adrenergic beta-2 receptors. In
plain English, clenbuterol mimics the
effects of catecholamines, such as
epinephrine and norepinephrine.
Those hormones dilate bronchial
tubes. Clenbuterol also dilates them,
explaining its primary use to treat
asthma.
Although clenbuterol is available in
other countries, such as Mexico, under various trade names, it was never
approved for use in the United States
and isn’t likely to be in the future. The
lack of interest by American drug
companies is related to clenbuterol’s
long half life in the body. Unlike other
beta-2 agonists used to treat asthma,
which degrade in about six hours,
clenbuterol takes nearly two days to
fully degrade. That considerably increases the chances of side effects.
What’s more, clenbuterol isn’t superior to other available drugs for treating
asthma.
Bodybuilders and other athletes
became interested in clenbuterol
after research showed that it promotes a gain in muscle mass and a
loss of bodyfat in various animals. In
their enthusiasm over those findings,
however, most athletes and “drug
gurus” failed to read the small print:
The animals were given doses that
would kill a human.
Despite that considerable problem,
clenbuterol quickly gained a reputation as a muscle-building fat-loss
drug. Users soon realized that its
active life could be measured in just a
few weeks. The beta-2 receptors that
clen interacts with were extremely
sensitive and shut down after about a
month. When that happened, clen
did little or nothing.
As the research continued, some
disturbing facts emerged. Case reports pointed to clen as being the
probable cause of such adverse effects as tachycardia (rapid heartbeat),
heart attack and even kidney failure
in athletes who abused it. Clen may
have played a major role in the death
of a popular pro bodybuilder a few
years ago. That bodybuilder, who died
from heart failure, was known to have
injected large doses.
Other animal studies showed that
clen and aerobic exercise were a bad
combination, since clen seemed to
interfere with aerobic endurance.
Some animals had sudden heart
failure when given clen and then
forced to exercise. Autopsies of the
animals found an abundance of collagen in their hearts, pointing to production of scar tissue, which in the
heart is a signal of failure.
While much of the damage clenbuterol causes is ascribed to using
large doses, a recent study that used
rats as subjects found that even in low
doses it promotes cellular death in
both the heart and slow-twitch muscles.4 The implication is that there’s
no such thing as a safe dose. Since the
drug doesn’t promote muscle size
increase in people and works only
short-term for fat loss, you can safely
conclude that there’s no rational
health reason for any athlete to use it.
References
1
Godard, M.P., et al. (2005). Body
composition and hormonal adaptations associated with forskolin consumption in overweight and obese
males. Med Sci Sports Exer. 37:S39.
2 Morimoto, C., et al. (2005). Antiobese action of raspberry ketone. Life
Sci. 77:194-204.
3 Armanini, D., et al. (2005) Glycyrrhetinic acid, the active principle
of licorice, can reduce the thickness
of subcutaneous thigh fat through
topical application. Steroids. (2005).
70:538-42.
4 Burniston, J., et al. (2005). B-2
adrenergic receptor stimulation in
vivo induces apoptosis in the rat
heart and soleus muscle. J App Physio.
98:1379-86. IM
Back to the
Rack
The Baby With the Bathwater
Part 4
by Bill Starr • Photography by Michael Neveux
F
ive years passed before the well-kept secret slipped out
that Bill March, Louis Riecke and others connected with
the York Barbell Club were using anabolic steroids and
that the drug, not isometric contraction, was the real
reason they were all making such spectacular progress.
Once on the iron grapevine, however, word spread rapidly.
Soon Olympic weightlifters in Los Angeles, Seattle, Chicago,
New York, Jacksonville and Winston-Salem found local
sources for the Dianabol that would so dramatically improve
their totals.
They also discovered that any routine, done consistently
and diligently, produced startling results, as long as they took
the little pink pills regularly. That’s when the systems of rack
training that Dr. John Ziegler had developed and Bob Hoffman had so successfully marketed became passé. The
weightlifting community figured that Hoffman had deliberately concealed the drug use of athletes who’d trained with isometrics and isotonic-isometrics just so he could sell courses
and racks. Which was true.
Model: Berry Kabov
Only the Strong Shall Survive
Back to the Rack
part of weightlifting and bodybuilding. Garcy, March, Bednarski, Brannum, Whitcomb, Moore, Mielec,
Glenney, Suggs, Pickett,
Bartholomew and I used it till the
end of our competitive careers, as
did top bodybuilders like Bill St.
John, Val Vasilef, Bob Gajda and
Sergio Oliva. Perhaps it was no coincidence that Ziegler’s disciples were
among the first used by professionalfootball strength coaches in the
country: Riecke for the Steelers, John
Gourgott for the Saints, Tommy
Suggs for the Oilers, and I worked
with the Colts.
When I took the position of
strength coach at the University of
Hawaii, though, I really got the opportunity to test the Ziegler system
on a large group of athletes who
were not using any form of steroids.
In the early 1970s you couldn’t get
them on Oahu anyway. That’s
changed, but during my island tour I
had plenty of pure, willing subjects.
For isotonic-isometrics to have
any real effect, the athlete has to be
past the beginning stage. The longer
he’s been training hard, the better.
My primary job was to work with the
football team, and none of them had
done serious strength training, so I
didn’t put any of them in the rack
until my second year there. I did find
an ideal subject soon after I joined
the coaching staff, however.
Rack training as designed by Dr.
Ziegler might no longer have been
considered beneficial, but it was a
case of the baby going out with the
bathwater. That’s because the system, when executed correctly, is
extremely effective—especially the
isotonic-isometric movements, in
which you shift a weighted bar a
short distance before locking it into
a 12-second isometric hold.
Before I moved to York from Marion, Indiana, I improved my clean
by 15 pounds and my snatch by 10
by using Ziegler’s system in the rack.
You’ll remember that rack training
seems to have more influence on
one area of the body than others. In
my case the positions for the pull
helped me more than the ones for
the squats and presses.
Lifters who’d been taught by
Ziegler or one of his students, such
as Bill March, continued to use his
system even after steroids became
Model: Berry Kabov
Isometric work in
the rack can get
you bigger and
stronger fast.
Model: Lee Priest
Sales for isometric courses and all
types of power racks fell like a
missed jerk. I recall going to a room
in an old warehouse in York to pick
up back copies of Strength & Health
to take to a coaches’ convention and
seeing power racks stacked from
floor to ceiling. They’re probably
still there.
Model: Ray Campisi
Model: Mike Morris
I attended an Olympic meet in
Honolulu, mainly to see Tommy
Kono, Pete George and Harold Sakata, since there was no lifter of any
note. All the lifters were Asian except
one, a transplanted Pennsylvanian
named Steve Dussia. He won the 181
class with a 220 snatch and 270
clean and jerk. After the contest we
talked about mutual acquaintances,
and I learned that Marty Cypher, one
of the best coaches in the country,
had introduced him to the Olympic
lifts. Steve asked if he could train
occasionally at the UH weight room
so I could help him with his form on
the split snatch, which was the style
I used when I competed. I agreed on
the condition that he assist me in
teaching the football players and
other athletes lifts like the power
clean, overhead press, jerk and front
squat.
Thus Steve became my unofficial
assistant, training exclusively at the
university. He’d been lifting heavy for
six years, and I quickly found out
that he was one of the rare individuals who could handle an enormous
amount of work and still recover
easily. He was a natural for power
rack training. Two-and-a-half
months after he started training with
me, he competed in another meet.
Still a light heavyweight, he snatched
270 and clean and jerked 320. Everyone in the audience and all the offi-
cials were convinced I’d given him
steroids (if I could have gotten my
hands on any, I would have taken
them myself). He was clean and had
achieved the remarkable gains the
old-fashioned way, through lots of
hard work and sweat. Without doubt
the isotonic-isometrics had helped a
great deal. Steve continued to make
progress for the three years I
coached at UH.
When you start using isos, keep in
mind that it’s like any other physical
discipline: There’s a learning curve.
The more you practice isos, the
more proficient you’ll become and
the more benefits you’ll derive. The
first thing to understand is that you
must be thoroughly warmed up
before hitting your work set. If you
apply yourself fully to that final
isometric hold, which you have to
do to get results, your muscles and
attachments must be prepared for
the stress.
Even though you may be sweating and puffing from a just-completed exercise, you still have to
make certain that the groups you’re
about to work with isos are ready.
For example, you may decide that
you want to get your squats out of
the way before doing some isos for
one or more pulling positions.
Maybe your back got plenty of work
during the squats, but it’s still prudent to do some movements for
your back before proceeding to the
rack. You don’t need to do much—a
couple of sets of power cleans or
high pulls. In fact, you don’t want to
do much; you need to have plenty
available for those work sets.
Even though you may be
sweating and puffing
from a just completed
exercise, you still have to
make certain that the
groups you’re about to
work with isos are ready.
Back to the Rack
An alternative to free-weight
movements outside the rack is to do
a couple of warmup sets inside the
rack at the position you’re going to
use first: three reps, tapping the top
pins on each rep but not holding it
for a count.
Whenever you watch someone
with iso experience doing a routine,
it looks so simple. It is, but you have
to do a lot of things perfectly for isos
to be productive. To begin with,
your grip, foot spacing, hip, back
and shoulder placement must be
exactly the same when doing an iso
and the free-weight, full-range
movement. Your form and line have
to be identical to the one used on
the lift you’re trying to improve with
the isos, or you’re wasting your time
and energy.
I often stayed with Tommy and
Karen Suggs when they lived at
Oyster Creek on the Gulf Coast in
Texas. Over time I added several
powerlifters to my list of trainees.
One of them made impressive gains,
but he wasn’t winning any meets
because he could never manage to
lock out the deadlift he needed for
the victory. The bar would explode
to midthigh, then stall—really stall,
as if hitting some invisible force
field.
We trained at Billy Neel’s combi-
nation dive shop and gym in Clute
(the hottest weight room this side of
hell), but I asked him to come out to
Tommy’s place so I could teach him
isos in some privacy. There was a
super power rack in Tommy’s garage
gym. I wanted the lifter to do isos at
only one position, the exact spot
where the heavy deadlifts always
stuck. I demonstrated the two
warmup sets and the work set,
stressing the fact that holding the
bar up against the top pin was more
important than how much weight
he used. I suggested he do isos twice
a week on the days he didn’t deadlift. He used good technique and
agreed to add them to his routine.
He worked different shifts at Dow
Chemical and went on nights right
after I taught him isos, so I didn’t see
him for weeks. When we met again,
he said he hadn’t improved. That
baffled me—until I watched him do
his isos. He loaded the bar to 495 for
When you do it
right, you feel an
electric shock
shoot up into your
traps.
his work set, and when he locked
the bar against the top pins he
leaned way back for the count of 12.
I immediately understood why he
hadn’t made any progress.
He was pulling the bar in a line
that he couldn’t possibly use during
the execution of a deadlift. I told
him that if he leaned back the way
he was doing, he’d fall over. It was
also obvious that he’d been using a
heavy weight to impress his training
mates. That wasn’t the first time I’d
observed someone letting his ego
get in the way of correct technique
on the rack. It’s a natural tendency
to move away from the correct line
during an iso hold because that
particular position is relatively
weak. But that’s why you’re doing an
iso there—to make it stronger. So
you must resist breaking form.
I had him lower the weight to 405,
set him in the proper position with
his frontal deltoids out in front of
the bar and instructed him to maintain that form while doing the iso.
He held the bar against the pins, but
just barely. I advised him to use only
385 the next time he did an iso hold
at that spot and concentrate on
maintaining the proper mechanics
for the 12-second count. Within a
month he was holding 455 on his
work set, and his newly gained
strength had moved his deadlift up
25 pounds.
Trainees doing isos for the bench
press frequently alter their technique drastically so they can hold
the bar against the pins for the
required time. They press the bar in
an entirely different line and set
their elbows in a new position. I saw
one powerlifter doing an iso for the
middle of the bench who’d fixed the
bar against the pins directly over his
eyes. I told him the isos weren’t
going to make him a better bencher
because he never brought the bar
back that far. If you don’t use the
line on an iso identical to what you
use for the lift, the rack work will be
totally ineffective.
Sometimes a lifter honestly believes he’s using correct form on his
isos, even when he’s not. So it’s
valuable to have someone with a
good coaching eye to watch you
while you’re learning to do isotonicisometric contractions. A slight
adjustment in mechanics can make
all the difference. If you train alone,
you can benefit from watching
yourself in a mirror. When you see
that your form is off, stop and make
the necessary adjustments. If you’re
unable to maintain proper technique with a certain weight, use
less. Isos will improve a lift only if
your form is perfect. Anything less
than perfect is a waste of energy.
Which brings us to the factor of
concentration. Since you’re doing
only one iso at any position, you
must focus on what you’re trying to
accomplish and concentrate on the
task at hand. You can waver on a rep
during a free-weight exercise and
still make the set successfully, but if
your focus breaks down during an
iso, you’ve failed. That takes some
time to learn, and it’s one reason
isos are more productive for those
who’ve been practicing the system
for a while. Experience is a great
asset in that form of strength training.
Here are a few tips. Never jam the
bar up against the pins in preparation for the isometric hold. Rather,
ease the bar up and press it firmly
against the pins, steadily increasing
the pressure on the bar so that at
the conclusion of the count you’re
putting in as close to 100 percent
effort as you possibly can. As you
push the bar into the pins, don’t
think about merely holding it there.
Instead, imagine that you’re pushing the bar right through them. That
will help you steadily push or pull
harder, and when you do, you can
feel more of your muscles contract.
You might be surprised to learn that
muscle groups you didn’t know were
part of the exercise get involved in
the contraction.
I’ve found that the top pull is the
best position to use for teaching the
technique; it’s a strong point for
nearly all lifters and one on which
they can rather easily maintain
form. You’ve done your warmups
and loaded a poundage that you
know you can handle, though it may
be enough to push
you to the limit.
Strap on, plant your
feet firmly, and
check your body
mechanics, making
sure that your front
deltoids are in front
of the bar. Now drive
your feet down into
the floor as you lift
the bar in a smooth
fashion up against
the top pins. Lock it
in place, and start
pulling. When the
count reaches five,
apply more pressure
to the bar. Every
muscle in your body
should be fully contracted, from your
calves to your traps.
When you do it
right, you feel an
electric shock shoot
up into your traps.
That’s what you’re
after: a maximum contraction.
Keep pulling. Try to bend the bar.
Once you hit the 12 count, don’t let
the bar crash downward. Instead,
reduce the pressure, take a couple
of deep breaths, and lower the bar
in a controlled manner back down
to the support pins.
Now we come to breathing. The
rule is simple—you hold your
breath for the duration of an isometric contraction. If you breathe,
you diminish your ability to apply
maximum force to the bar. That’s
because inhaling and exhaling causes your diaphragm to relax, which
creates negative intrathoracic pressure.
Take a deep breath as you lock
the bar up against the pins, and
hold in the air until you’ve reached
the desired count. Then exhale.
That will make sure you maintain a
positive pressure inside your rib
cage. Holding your breath during an
iso isn’t usually a problem, except
with overhead lifts, such as presses,
jerks and lockouts. Some lifters
undergo what’s called the Valsalva
maneuver—a forceful exhale effort
while keeping nose and throat
closed—while applying maximum
exertion overhead. Usually harmless
in healthy people, it hinders the
flow of venous blood to the heart
Model: Robert Hatch
Heavy partials and
isometrics can
make a good
combo for building
strength.
and can cause you to black out.
If you start feeling dizzy on any of
the positions, be smart enough to
use a lesser count—eight or 10 seconds instead of 12. Better safe than
sorry; the original course recommends holding a contraction for six
to 12 seconds. The reason I’ve always used 12 seconds for everything
but overhead exercises is that it
takes me at least six seconds to get
to the point of pushing or pulling at
maximum effort. I use the remainder of the time to gain the benefits
of the exercise.
Don’t forget that the main reason
you’re doing isos at certain positions on various exercises is that
they’re your weaker points. So
you’re not going to be able to handle
big numbers initially. It’s a truism of
strength training that it doesn’t
matter where you start; all that
matters is where you end up. Once
you master the technique involved
in isotonic-isometrics, gains will
come steadily.
I’ll get more deeply into this subject next month.
Editor’s note: Bill Starr was a
strength and conditioning coach at
Johns Hopkins University from 1989
to 2000. He’s the author of The
Strongest Shall Survive and Defying
Gravity. IM
Readers Write
Cover Kudos
on our walls, physiques we can aspire to. Not hand-painted
fantasy junk.
Daryl Dawkins
St. Louis, MO
Editor’s note: A lot of times the magazine business is
like bodybuilding training—you have to try different things
to find ideas that work. Our pictorials are the perfect place
to experiment. So far most of the comments have been
positive. By the way, we also want feedback on the pictorial
of female track-and-field athletes in our September ’05
issue and our Legends poster series. Are those things you
want to see more of in IM? Let us know.
Although the entire June ’05 issue was great, the interview with Pavel Tsatsouline, “Red Zone,” was excellent. In
fact, I may give kettlebells a try. My main reason for writing,
however, is cover model Pauline Nordine. There are plenty
of good-looking female bodies out there, but Pauline’s is
absolutely beautiful [on your cover]. ’Nuff said.
Gerald Barton
via Internet
Editor’s note: That shot of Pauline was taken by Bill
Dobbins. For more of his work, visit www.billdobbins.com.
Bodypart Art or Waste of Space?
I’ve been an IRON MAN subscriber since 1942, when I
graduated from high school. I’ve worked out almost all my
life, am in good condition, and I enjoy life. I attribute that to
my lifestyle and what I’ve learned from IRON MAN. I also do
some painting, so I have an appreciation for things artistic.
My opinion concerning
Michael Neveux’s “Bodypart
Art” pictorial in the July issue is
positive. I find that type of
thing very interesting. My vote
is to keep trying new things
like that.
Bob Heisel
Murray, UT
The “Bodypart Art” section
in the July ’05 issue was a
complete waste of space. I
found it uninspiring and basically boring. Another Hardbody would’ve been better—or
another training article. If you
want to inspire readers, show
photos of bodies we can pin up
I rolled my eyes when I got my July ’05
issue. “God, not another ab article,” I
thought to myself. It seems like every
fitness-oriented magazine has to have
the token ab-training feature that says
the exact same thing. “Out-of-Whack Ab
Attack” was the last thing I read in that
issue, and after I read it, I realized it was
the first thing I should’ve checked out.
The information was exceptional and
completely unique compared to all the other ab articles
I’ve read. Great job! I’m applying that information at the
gym, and I’m already seeing results. Thank you.
Jason Givens
via Internet
www.billdobbins.com
Ab Obsession
Editor’s note: You can find more of that type of unique
ab-training info in the new e-book X-traordinary Abs. For
more on that visit www.X-traordinaryAbs.com. You can get
that e-book free when you subscribe to IRON MAN.
More Layoffs, Bigger Gains!
I wanted to report on my results experimenting with
frequent layoffs. At the start, mid-March, I weighed 181 at
6’. I had been having trouble following the ITRC programs
in the Train, Eat, Grow series without becoming burned out
after two to three weeks. My progress would stagnate. I
tried abbreviated versions of the routines, but my results
weren’t too exciting. I decided to try following the current
ITRC programs for 2 1/2 weeks—each of the three workouts four times—then taking seven days off. In three
months my weight has reached an all-time high of 192—an
11-pound gain! And I’ve retained the same amount of ab
definiton. My training poundages are also higher than ever.
These results are very exciting. I’ve been training for 20
years, since I was 13 and weighed 90 pounds. I think I’ve
found a big piece of the puzzle—for me anyway. Steve
Holman and Jonathan Lawson are inspirations. Keep up
the great work!
Jess Perna
San Diego, CA
Vol. 64, No. 10: IRON MAN (ISSN #0047-1496) is published monthly by IRON MAN Publishing, 1701 Ives Ave., Oxnard, CA 93033. Periodical Mail is paid at Oxnard, CA, and at additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to IRON MAN, 1701 Ives Ave.,
Oxnard, CA 93033. Please allow six to eight weeks for change to take effect. Subscription
ratesÑU.S. and its possessions: new 12-issue subscription, $29.97. Canada, Mexico and other
foreign subscriptions: 12 issues, $49.97 sent Second Class. Foreign orders must be in U.S. dollars. Send subscriptions to IRON MAN, 1701 Ives Ave., Oxnard, CA 93033. Or call 1-800570-4766. Copyright © 2005. All rights reserved. No part of this magazine may be
reproduced in any manner without written permission from the publisher. Printed in the USA.

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