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JUNE 2007 / IRON MAN MAGAZINE—WE KNOW TRAINING™
GIANT PHOTOS OF THE WORLD’S GREATEST PHYSIQUES! PAGE 244
™
15
MONTHS
TO PRO
MUSCLE
How One Man
Did It—Drug Free!
CREATINE
Fact vs. Fiction
Also, How to
Take It for
Massive Results
15 MONTHS TO PRO MUSCLE
THE D.C.
TRAINING
EXPERIMENT
A Multi-Rep
Rest/Pause
MuscleBuilding
Test
JUNE 2007
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www.ironmanmagazine.com \ APRIL 2006 261
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150 DECEMBER 2009 \ www.ironmanmagazine.com
Deckard Does
Biceps,
June 2007
Vol. 66, No. 6
page 142
We Know Training ™
FEATURES
FEATURES
62 TRAIN, EAT, GROW 92
The Rep Range rotation of P/RR/S training, as applied to
the original X-Rep program. Plus, size-surge supplements.
92 CREATINE FACT VS. FICTION
Jerry Brainum reveals things you may not know about this
power-packed power supplement—and the best way to
take it.
116 A BODYBUILDER IS BORN 23
Ron Harris explains why all great athletes are not great role
models. (No, we’re not talking about you, Mr. Tyson.)
126 D.C. TRAINING EXPERIMENT
From Bodybuilding.com: Mark Subsinsky steps into
Dante’s DoggCrapp workout style.
142 DECKARD DOES
GIANT PHOTOS OF THE WORLD’S GREATEST PHYSIQUES! PAGE 244
BICEPS
Cory Crow goes head-to-head with
this new pro on building mass, peak
and detail.
™
15
158 CNS SCIENCE
Creatine Fact vs. Fiction,
page 92
CNS Science,
page 158
Jerry Robinson explains how your
nervous system controls muscle size
and strength gains.
180 MICHAEL LOCKETT
The story of a boxing champ who
decided to lift weights and in only 15
months won the Team Universe and
got his pro card—workout included.
MONTHS
TO PRO
MUSCLE
How One Man
Did It—Drug Free!
CREATINE
Fact vs. Fiction
Also, How to
Take It for
Massive Results
THE D.C.
TRAINING
EXPERIMENT
A Multi-Rep
Rest/Pause
MuscleBuilding
Test
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PLUS:
•Power-Packed X-Rep Q&A
•Hot Hardbody Abby Wolf
•Peak-Pumping Biceps Training
Sebastian Siegel and
Karen McDougal appear
on this month’s cover.
Hair and makeup Yvonne
Ouellette. Photo by
Michael Neveux
198 X-FILES Q&A
The X-men discuss stretch overload, the ultimate
exercises, abbreviated workouts, rep speed, heavy/light
training and big guns. (Whew!)
222 HEAVY DUTY
John Little on metabolic momentum, motivation and the
psychology behind high-intensity workouts.
Arnold
Classic,
page 244
244 IFBB ARNOLD CLASSIC
Big prizes for beastly bodies—and lots of big pics to give
you even bigger inspiration. Prepare for shock and awe.
268 HARDBODY
Abby Wolf will have you growling and howling your
approval when you see her Texas physique.
282 ONLY THE STRONG SHALL SURVIVE
Bill Starr’s recipe for getting strong to the core—as in hip
and lower-back strength. (Good morning, lumbars!)
DEPARTMENTS
32 TRAIN TO GAIN
Back to free weights, older men and andropause, odd
lifts and a new study on high reps vs. low reps.
46 SMART TRAINING
Charles Poliquin discusses pains, gains and deadlift
range. His take on low-carb diets is here too.
52 EAT TO GROW
Hardbody,
page 268
The nutrition/hormone link. Plus, meal frequency and
how it affects bodyfat.
82 CRITICAL MASS
Steve Holman talks bodybuilding bashes and volume/intensity clashes.
88 NATURALLY HUGE
Michael
Lockett,
page 180
John Hansen outlines a program for best chest and a
classic back-to-basics two-way-split routine.
216 BODYBUILDING PHARMACOLOGY
Jerry Brainum looks at the research to determine if yohimbe is a faster fat blaster.
232 MUSCLE “IN” SITES
Eric Broser’s found more cool Web sites, including one
from the gym where Ronnie Coleman trains. Oh, and
let’s not forget hot babe Monica Guerra and Broser’s Net
Results Q&A section.
Muscle “In”
Sites,
page 232
238 NEWS & VIEWS
Lonnie Teper, live from the Arnold Classic. Okay, he’s not
quite live, but he was a lively emcee—and he’s got some
interesting observations on the weekend from that killer
vantage point.
262 PUMP & CIRCUMSTANCE
News & Views,
page 238
Pump & Circumstance,
page 262
Ruth Silverman was all over Columbus like paparazzi on
Paris Hilton. In other words, she’s got great pics of hot
chicks, gang. (Thank you, Ironwoman!)
292 MIND/BODY CONNECTION
Randall Strossen, Ph.D., explains how to pick your personality, and Dave Draper presents another Bomber Blast.
304 READERS WRITE
Delightful Di Nino, as in Nancy; Mentis the Man, as in
Jimmy; and packing on mass, as in 3D muscle building.
WEB ALERT!
In the next IRON MAN
Next month we’ve got an interview with an over-40
pro bodybuilder who recently made a comeback.
How did he do it? Was it worth it? Will he forge
ahead or re-retire? David Young has the answers in
his chat with David Fisher. Then Jerry Brainum has
new research on a fruit that provides potent musclebuilding power. You’ll want to add this to your diet
immediately, even if you’re low-carbing it. We’ll also
have lots of hot pics from the Figure, Fitness and
Ms. International contests. Watch for the July IRON
MAN on newsstands the first week of June.
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Publisher’s Letter
Designer Genes
There’s no question that your genetic
makeup governs your bodybuilding results.
I didn’t say “success” because no matter
what your genetics, once you start weight
training consistently, you’ll gain some
muscle size and strength and improve your
health. That’s success in my book. In competitive bodybuilding, however, genetic
factors rule the winner’s circle.
Michael Lockett, the ’06 NPC Team
Universe champion, is a prime example.
Fifteen months before that competition he
hadn’t performed a single weight-training
rep. He was a boxer, and, thanks to his genetics, he’d added muscle
to his frame merely from sparring, bag work and calisthenics. He
could tell, as could others, that he had a propensity for building
muscle—and in all the right places to be competitive onstage. With
encouragement from his family and friends, Lockett decided to give
it a shot, and after less than a year and a half of serious bodybuilding
training, he’s the proud owner of an IFBB pro card.
Lockett’s story is amazing, as you’ll see when you read David
Young’s interview with this incredible drug-free athlete, which begins
on page 180. You’ll learn a lot about the mind-set of a champion, as
well as his training ideas and program—but be careful. One of the
big mistakes up-and-coming bodybuilders make is copying the programs of the genetic elite.
Even I’ve made that mistake, and not just as a beginner. I remember training with Arnold in his competitive days at the original Gold’s
Gym. When he began a serious contest-training phase, his physique
changed almost from workout to workout. I figured that he must
know the secret, so I went along for the ride, every exercise and every
set. I thought I’d get bigger, but all I got were lots of aches, pains and
a serious case of overtraining after only a few weeks. Yes, Arnold had
discovered the secret—for his body and elite genetics.
We’re all individuals, and discovering what works for you is part
of the bodybuilding challenge, part of the journey. It’s the reason we
present different training ideas and programs in every issue of IRON
MAN. Experimentation in the gym is imperative if you want to improve your bodybuilding results. You can be successful just by being
persistent in your workouts—you’ll tone up and get healthier. If you
want to take your muscular development to the brink of your genetic
potential, however, you’ll have to train harder and smarter, discovering your individual requirements for adding size and strength. It’s
not easy, but it’s highly rewarding. And like a diligent, motivating
training partner, IRON MAN is here to help you every step of the way.
IM
30 JUNE 2007 \ www.ironmanmagazine.com
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 Art Director: Aldrich Bonifacio
Designer: Emerson Miranda
IRON MAN Staff:
Vuthy Keo, Mervin Petralba,
R. Anthony Toscano
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, John Little, Stuart McRobert, Gene
Mozée, Charles Poliquin, Larry Scott, Jim
Shiebler, Roger Schwab, Pete Siegel, 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, Ron Avidan, Reg Bradford, Jimmy
Caruso, Bill Dobbins, Jerry Fredrick, Irvin Gelb,
Isaac Hinds, Dave Liberman, J.M. Manion, Gene
Mozée, Mitsuru Okabe, Rob Sims, Leo Stern
Director of Marketing:
Helen Yu, 1-800-570-IRON, ext. 1
Accounting: Dolores Waterman
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]
Jonathan Lawson, Ad Coordinator: [email protected]
Sonia Melendez, Subscriptions: [email protected]
SEXY ROCK-HARD ABS FAST
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BIGGER BODYPARTS
Free Weights First
of the men in our gym. Then it somehow withered and
looked soft and untrained. When I saw what she’d
been doing on back day, I understood why. Without
me there to nudge her toward the free weights, Janet
was doing mainly cable pulldowns and seated cable
rows, with the occasional Hammer Strength–machine
row thrown in for good measure. I had her switch
back to dumbbell and barbell rows after chinups, and
within two weeks her back was regaining its usual
impressiveness.
The lesson here is that cables and machines are
nice and can really complement the basic free-weight
exercises for back, but they should by no means
replace them.
—Ron Harris
www.RonHarrisMuscle.com
big-back attack.
Neveux \ Model: Nathan Detracy
One of the benefits of training at a large commercial gym is the plentiful assortment of equipment you
have to choose from. For many bodybuilders, though,
what seems to be a blessing can in fact be a curse.
That’s especially true when it comes to back training.
Evan Centopani, the ’06 Junior National champion
and superheavyweight runner-up at the ’06 Nationals,
learned that the hard way.
“I trained at home for a couple of years with just the
most basic equipment,” he recalls. “Then, toward the
end of high school, I joined a big gym and was blown
away by all the fancy high-tech equipment.”
His back suffered the most from the new environment, as chins and rows done with barbells and
dumbbells were supplanted by all manner of machine
simulations. Soon he
noticed something
was amiss: “My back
didn’t have that thick,
full look to it, and it
was because I was
using too many cables and machines.”
Once Evan resumed performing
rows and deadlifts
with good old iron,
his back took on that
rugged look of power
once more, and he
started to grow anew.
I saw a very similar
thing happen to my
wife, Janet, recently.
We hadn’t been training together for a
few months due to
conflicting schedules.
Normally, her back is
her most impressive
bodypart, more thickly Free-weight
developed than the
rows should be
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ones on 95 percent
A lack of barbell and dumbbell
moves can hold back your back
HE WANTED TO FIGHTUntil I Crushed His Hand!
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TRAIN TO GAIN
ONSTAGE
MENTAL MIGHT
the mind/muscle
Basic Instinct Using
connection for better workouts
Very little has changed about the way IFBB and PDI pro Lee Priest has
trained since he first picked up a weight more than two decades ago. His
winning program is based on heavy free weights and high volume—20 to
30 sets per bodypart. But as Priest has grown older, wiser and larger, he’s
learned to follow his own path when it comes to his training schedule.
“When I was younger, I did what everyone else does, which was train on
something like a three-or-four-on/one-off routine,” he says. “I’d do chest
one day; back the next; then shoulders, arms, legs and then take a day off.”
Eventually, though, he began to heed his own body rather than the calendar.
“If I feel great, sometimes I’ll train for 10 or 20 days straight before I take
a day off. If I feel tired or just not motivated, I might take off a few days in a
row or as long as a couple weeks—whatever my body needs.”
Another rule Lee routinely breaks is that he doesn’t always follow a set
sequence for the bodyparts he trains. “Maybe it’s supposed to be chest
day, but I feel like training back instead,” he explains. “Should I just go
ahead and work chest like I’m supposed to and have an average workout,
or should I train back, something I’m enthused about working, and have an
awesome workout?” That could be a problem if he were like a lot of novices
and heavily favored certain muscle groups while neglecting others, but Lee
is a professional and makes sure each muscle group gets adequate attention.
How can we use that information for our own benefit? Simple: It’s okay to
bend the rules. You don’t have to conform to a set training schedule. Train
when you have the energy and the motivation, and rest when you feel you
need it. We’re all individuals. Some of you may get the best results training
just twice a week; others may thrive on hitting the gym for seven to 10 days
in a row before taking a breather for a day or two. Listen to your body, and
pay close attention to how you feel. It could make a big difference over the
long haul when it comes to maximizing your muscular potential.
—Ron Harris
We’ve all become so fixated on who
has the lowest bodyfat and the most
striated glutes on contest day that we
mistakenly believe victory goes to the
guy who diets longest and hardest.
Certainly, preparation is critical for any
contest, because without that extremely
shredded condition, all your hard work
can’t be seen. Dorian Yates, however,
knew a secret; so did Ronnie Coleman,
and so does Jay Cutler. Contests aren’t
won the day they’re held or even in the
final weeks beforehand. They’re won in
the off-season, through workouts that
test the boundaries of human perfor
mance and pain tolerance and in meals
that feed the muscles all year long.
Dorian’s training intensity was the stuff
of legend. His workouts were fairly brief,
but he poured 100 percent into them.
No set was over until he couldn’t budge
the weight another centimeter. We’ve
all witnessed Ronnie’s work ethic in the
gym and at the dinner table in his various DVDs. Coleman pushed and pulled
weights no other bodybuilder could—or
dared to. The result
Jay
was a physique so
Cutler.
huge and freaky that
for nearly a decade
nobody could beat
him. But his archrival
Cutler understood
the value of the offseason even better
than Ronnie toward
the end. While Ronnie routinely took
a full three months
away from training following his Olympia
victories, Jay was back in the gym the
very next day, hungry to fulfill his destiny
and claim the Sandow trophy as his own.
Jay’s discipline and drive also applied
to his diet. He remained in very hard
condition throughout ’06, so getting into
peak shape was no struggle. Ronnie, on
the other hand, came into the show too
heavy, and it cost him his throne.
If you have a competition in mind and
it’s still six or 12 months or a year away,
don’t slack off now and think you can get
serious on down the line. Every workout
you do and every meal you eat have an
impact on the physique you’ll display on
contest day. The question is, How badly
do you want to win that contest? If your
answer isn’t very passionate, you can bet
that someone out there is putting more
effort into his training now than you are,
and you will probably have to watch as
his hand is held up in victory, not yours.
That contest won’t be won on that day.
It’s being won or lost right now.
—Ron Harris
Comstock
Lee Priest.
Neveux
Train Hard
Year-Round
YOU CAN BENCH BIG
Add 20 Pounds to Your Bench Press Almost Overnight!
How would you like a surge in
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bench press—say, 20 extra pounds
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workouts? Sure, adding 20 pounds
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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
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TRAIN TO GAIN
MATURE MUSCLE
What Is Andropause?
All men who live into middle
age go through it, yet many
never feel overt symptoms.
Others, however, feel symptoms to such an extent that
they’re often misdiagnosed
with a syndrome or disease.
It’s known as andropause, and
it’s the male physiological and
hormonal equivalent to menopause. Andropause is not as
drastic a change, nor does it
have as many overt symptoms
as menopause; but it can affect some men very negatively and
make their muscle-building goals impossible.
If you’re 40 to 75 and have never taken growth hormone or steroids, the following symptoms could indeed indicate andropause:
• Chronic fatigue—not due to diabetes or bacteria or virus
• Loss or decreased libido
• Erectile dysfunction
• Frequent loss of erections
• Infertility
• Sleeping disorders
• Elevated PSA and/or benign prostate enlargement
• Low to no sperm count
• A general feeling of malaise
• Difficulty or intolerance to participating in exercise
• Loss of muscle mass
• Increased bodyfat, especially around the waist and
lower back
• Hot flashes
• Night sweats
• Muscle weakness
• Thinning of bones
• Depression
The key to the severity of andropause in any man is based on
three important factors:
1) Men who never need medical intervention for andropause
usually have lifted weights and lived a fitness lifestyle—that
includes eating healthfully, drinking little to no alcohol and keeping the intake of sugars and refined foods to a minimum. (Doing
aerobics is not enough for two major reasons: It does not increase
the output of growth hormone and testosterone the way that training with weights does; and the muscle growth created by weight
training naturally increases the metabolic rate, which makes the
hormonal feedback loops to the hypothalamus more efficient and
effective.)
2) Some men have a genetic predisposition for producing high
levels of testosterone, estradiol, growth hormone and the all-important cyclic AMP, which helps hormones go from one organ to
another (directed by the hypothalamus).
3) Some men have altered the pituitary-hypothalamus-adrenal axis. That particular problem is, I believe, the cause of many
chronic illnesses, and the alteration usually happens in advancedtechnology-oriented parts of the world—living in a highly stressed,
highly aggressive society like the United States. How you react to
stress plays into the axis dysfunction. Cell-to-cell communication
and insulin penetration may also have been compromised by eating too many refined foods and not exercising. That’s compounded by too much cortisol in the bloodstream, which is the first sign
that this axis is losing integrity. Cortisol is the chemical response
How do you know if you’re going
through it, and what can you do about it?
to the limbic system’s fight-or-flight mechanism. Once the axis
has been altered, you usually cannot sleep normally or stay awake
during the day, although you feel on edge. Some have burned out
their adrenal glands, which contributes to poor cellular integrity
and therefore poor hormonal communication.
On the opposite end of the hormonal spectrum are bodybuilders, powerlifters, strength athletes, football players, baseball players, Olympic athletes and others who have used large amounts
of anabolic steroids and growth hormone. They may feel the
effects of andropause earlier in their lives. When you take synthetic
testosterone, the body shuts down its own production of the
hormone. Because of that, one-third to one-half of all the athletes
who have used steroids and/or GH chronically for many years will
have some signs of andropause early and perhaps for the rest
of their lives. Some will be diagnosed as having chronic fatigue
syndrome, chronic fatigue immune deficiency syndrome, lupus
and many other chronic diseases because their entire hormonal
communication systems are dysfunctional. The “cure,” however, is
the same for a man who is 65 and going through andropause.
I used the word cure, but there really isn’t one—only ways to
help the body better cope. Ideally, the pituitary gland—working
in conjunction with the hypothalamus—should be sending the
proper messages to all of the organs involved in the androgenic
pathways.
If you feel you’re going through andropause, your first step is
to find an endocrinologist. Sometimes you can get a referral from
your general practitioner; however, often you have to look for one
who has a more holistic mind-set—one who doesn’t believe each
symptom is the result of just one isolated area but rather a group
of organs that aren’t communicating with each other, with cells
and/or with the hypothalamus. Here are the tests advanced-thinking endocrinologists perform if andropause is suspected: free
testosterone (blood), total testosterone (blood), growth hormone
(blood), DHEA (saliva), estrodiol (saliva or blood), FSH (saliva or
blood), LH (saliva or blood). As for the tests that rule out thyroid
problems: TSH (blood); T-4, T-3, T-3R (blood); thyroid antibodies
(blood).
The main thing to remember is that if any of the levels are low,
you should only take testosterone that is considered biologically
correct for your age. An underperforming thyroid should be taken
care of no matter your age.
Usually, an endocrinologist will give you a low dose of testosterone via a patch, gel or injection—after you’ve been diagnosed with
andropause or hypogonadism. It is easiest to diagnose testicular
atrophy because of an obvious loss in size, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that you need synthetic testosterone. Blood tests
are the only definitive way of knowing. In other words, you could
indeed have hypogonadism yet have a normal testosterone level.
—Paul Burke
Editor’s note: You can contact Paul Burke via e-mail at
[email protected]. Burke has a master’s degree in integrated studies from Cambridge College in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He’s
been a champion bodybuilder and arm wrestler, and he’s considered the leader in the field of over-40 fitness training. You can
purchase his book Burke’s Law—a New Fitness
Paradigm for the Mature Male, from Home Gym
Warehouse. Call (800) 447-0008, or visit www.
Home-Gym.com. His “Burke’s Law” training DVD
is available at www.PaulBurkeFitness.com. For
more information or for information on the private-training facility he’s building outside Tampa,
Florida, see his Web site.
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Odd Lifts for Back-Blasting Variety
The back is my favorite
bodypart to train. I have dozens
of reasons, but what comes to
mind first is that it’s one heck of
a strong group of muscles, and
nothing is cooler than a thick,
wide back. The variety of movements you can use means you
never get bored.
With so many exercises to
choose from, it seems a shame
to stick with only a few. Go into
any gym, however, and you’ll
see the same old same old:
pulldowns, cable rows, barbell
rows, maybe chins and deadlifts
if the trainees are putting some
effort into the session.
Now, there’s nothing wrong
with those movements. In fact,
if you’re trying to add size,
sticking with the basics is the
best way to gain. But if you’re
an intermediate to advanced
lifter, don’t be afraid to spice
things up now and then. Even
if you’re new to lifting, remember that the chinup has many
variations (wide grip; ultrawide
scapula stretch; triangle bar;
narrow, reverse, parallel, onearm and mixed grips), so don’t
get too bogged down with only
one style. Mix it up.
Here are some of the lesserknown yet effective back blasters:
Cable cobras. Stand in the
center of a cable crossover station. Grab the upper D handles
with opposite hands, palms
facing each other. Pull the cable
down to your sides. Pause at
the peak contraction and feel
the muscles cramp along the
spine and midback. With slight
adjustments to your stance you
can hit either more midback
or lats. Try stepping out from
the machine a bit and/or leaning over slightly to see how it
affects the line of pull. Go for
higher reps. Keep this as a
finishing movement.
Incline-bench rope pulldowns. This is one I picked up
from Monica Brant. Put an incline bench in front of an overhead cable and lie facedown on it. The bench angle should be
fairly steep. Grab a rope attachment and pull it down to around
eye level. Pause and squeeze the lats, then return. Again, use
these as a finisher for a high-rep burn and pump.
Face pulls. Stand facing an overhead cable. Attach a
rope handle and step back. Pull the rope toward your forehead
with elbows flared wide—a high
row. That hits the upper back and
rear delts hard and is a staple of
powerlifters.
Cable pullovers. Not the
oddest of the odd but something you don’t see every day,
these are also known as stiff-arm
pulldowns. Stand in front of an
overhead cable stack and use
either a rope or straight bar. To
do the lift correctly, stand back far
enough to get a prestretch in your
lats; slowly bring the bar down
to your upper thighs with only a
slight bend at your elbows. Hold
for a contraction and release back
to the top. Feel the stretch and
move to rep number two. I prefer
pullovers done on a Nautilus machine, but many gyms don’t have
one, so cable pullovers make a
good alternative.
45 degree hyperextension
bench barbell rows. The boys
at Westside Barbell in Columbus,
Ohio, taught me this one. It’s as
odd as they come but can really work
the back
effectively
once you
get the
hang of
it. Warning: Start
light at
first. It hits
the hamstrings,
glutes,
lower
back, lats,
grip, biceps and
midback
hard. Lock
your torso
in place
parallel
to the
ground on
a hyperextension bench, and then perform normal barbell rows. This
variation can give your upper-back muscles a massive blast
and really add some meat once you get up in weight, but, like I
said, take your time.
There you go—some odd lifts to give the gym rats a reason
to scratch their heads and point. I bet you’ll get some confused glances, but give it time. You’ll also see others giving the
lifts a try to emulate your new back mass and detail.
—William Litz
Neveux \ Model: Jonathan Lawson
TRAIN TO GAIN
MASS MOVES
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How to Avoid Injury
Over the past three columns I’ve given you 30 techniques
for avoiding injuries. That’s important information because you
can’t make bodybuilding progress if you keep getting injured.
Here’s the final batch of recommendations:
31) Don’t hold your breath. The common tendency,
especially when training hard, is to clench your teeth and hold
your breath during the hardest part of a rep. That increases
blood pressure and may cause blackouts and dizziness. Even
if it’s for just a split second, a loss of consciousness during
training could be disastrous. Although you may not suffer
blackouts or dizziness, headaches
are a common, immediate result of
breath holding during training. Over
the long term, breath holding during
training encourages varicose veins and
hemorrhoids because of the damage
to vein walls and valves caused by the
elevated blood pressure.
A general rule is to inhale during the
brief pause between reps or during
the negative phase of the movement,
and exhale during the positive phase
(especially the sticking point). For
exercises where there may be a pause
for a couple of seconds between reps,
inhale and exhale, then inhale immediately before the start of the next rep.
Here’s an alternative way to breathe
while training: Never hold your breath.
Focus on the exercise and muscles
being trained, not on your breathing. As long as you’re not
holding your breath, you’ll automatically breathe sufficiently.
After some practice you’ll find the points during your reps
where it’s easier to breathe in or out. If you take more than
about four seconds for each positive or negative phase of a
rep, you need to breathe more than once during each phase
of a rep.
Not holding your breath also applies out of the gym. Whenever you put forth effort, exhale to avoid elevated blood pressure. During demanding exercise you won’t be able to get
enough air through your nose alone. Breathe through your
mouth. That means you shouldn’t close your mouth. Keep it
open—just slightly—and your teeth apart.
32) Avoid using knee or any other joint wraps.
Tight bandages around joints can mask injuries that are aggravated by training.
33) Avoid painkillers. Don’t use painkillers before,
during or after training, as they usually mask problems. Solve
problems; don’t cover them up and incubate serious injury.
34) Don’t wear a lifting belt. Many bodybuilders wear
lifting belts—especially while deadlifting and squatting—under
the misconception that it will protect them from back injuries.
Some wear a loose lifting belt throughout their workouts as if
it’s an item of general clothing. A loose belt doesn’t provide
any support. On the other hand, a tight belt is uncomfortable,
can restrict exercise technique, can lead to increased blood
pressure and can be tolerated only for short-duration sets.
Powerlifters use lifting belts for singles and low-rep work.
Wearing a lifting belt can create a false sense of security
that encourages the use of incorrect exercise technique.
It may let a lifter use more weight than he could otherwise
handle, which will cause greater injury if exercise technique
isn’t correct.
Build your own natural belt by developing a strong corset of
Part 4
muscle. Not wearing a belt
helps your body strengthen
its core musculature. A
lifting belt is a crutch—train
without it.
35) Don’t be foolish. Many injuries occur because a
bodybuilder has given in to bravado. Don’t try something you
know you’re not ready for, and don’t try another rep when
you know you can’t hold correct technique. Never go heavy in
an exercise you’re not familiar with or haven’t done for a few
weeks. Ignore people who encourage you
to try something you know is risky. They
won’t have to live with the consequences of
a moment of foolishness, but you will.
For exercises where the weight could
pin you, especially the squat and the bench
press, always use safety bars, such as
those of a power rack, and, ideally, a spotter as well. Squat, bench press and inclinepress stations should incorporate safety
bars that the barbell can rest on if you fail
on a rep.
36) Keep your wits about you.
Don’t just be concerned about what you’re
doing in the gym. Be aware of what’s
happening around you, and stay clear of
danger.
37) Wear appropriate footwear.
Shoes with thick, spongy soles and heels
may be fine for some activities but not for
strength training. A spongy base won’t keep your feet solidly
in position. That doesn’t mean you should train barefoot. Your
feet need support, but they need the right support.
Function comes first in the gym. Get yourself a sturdy pair
of shoes with good grip on the soles, arch support and, preferably, no height difference between the sole and heel. That’s
especially important when squatting, deadlifting and leg pressing because heel elevation increases stress on the knees in
those exercises.
Worn shoes can lead to deviations in exercise technique.
Discard shoes that have unevenly or excessively worn soles
or heels. Ideally, have a pair of shoes you wear solely for gym
work. Furthermore, when you train, keep your laces tied tightly.
Even a small change in the height of the heel or the relative difference between the heel and sole thicknesses of your
shoes can mar your training. That applies especially to the
squat and the deadlift, although a change in balance can have
a negative effect on some other exercises, too.
38) Concentrate! Be 100 percent focused while you
train. Never be casual. Never turn your head or talk during a
set or pay attention to what anyone’s saying other than your
spotter, who is giving you technique reminders or encouragement. Even a slight loss of focus leads to a loss of correct
technique and an increased risk of injury.
—Stuart McRobert
www.Hardgainer.com
Neveux \ Model: John Hansen
TRAIN TO GAIN
HARDGAINER
Editor’s note: Stuart McRobert’s first
byline in IRON MAN appeared in 1981.
He’s the author of the new 638-page
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More Wicked Muscle Size and Serious Blast-Off Power On Every Set
High Reps vs. Low Reps
Hormones during training: young and old
One reason muscle mass declines with age is that the
various anabolic hormones, such as testosterone and growth
hormone, decline, while the catabolic hormones—mainly
cortisol—rise. You have two options for dealing with significant body changes like that. You can supplement the missing hormones, or you can exercise. Weight training can help
maintain much of your anabolic hormone output.
It becomes increasingly difficult, however, to train the same
way at 40 as you did at 20. Trust me: It’s the voice of experience talking. If I were to attempt to lift the kind of weight now
that I did when I was in my 20s, I’d probably injure myself.
Certain exercises I just don’t do anymore because they’re too
risky.
Years ago I interviewed Al Beckles, who was still competing successfully at the pro level in bodybuilding, defeating
men half his age. At the time, Beckles claimed to be nearly
50 years old. I asked him how he dealt with injuries, and he
replied that he didn’t have any. He explained that he’d developed his considerable muscle mass through years of heavy
training; indeed, he’d started out as an Olympic lifter in Great
Britain. When he reached 40, though, he changed his training
style. Instead of constant heavy training, he used moderately
heavy weights and higher reps. According to Beckles, that
relieved the strain on his joints and enabled him to continue
to train hard.
A recent study confirms many of Beckle’s empirical observations. Two groups of men, one young (average age 23) and
one older (average age 69), both with training experience,
used a “strength endurance” program, lifting weights equal to
60 percent of one-rep maximum for 15 reps a set. They did
six exercises for both upper and lower body, resting 90 sec-
METABOLIC MOMENTUM
Is the deadlift the king of back exercises? Mike Mentzer used to think
so. Charles Poliquin has named the
deadlift the most underrated bodybuilding exercise. Eight-time Mr.
Olympia Ronnie Coleman pulls more
than 800 pounds. You put two and
two together.
The sheer intensity of the dead
smokes your whole back, from top
to bottom. The lats keep the bar
from getting away—through a complex anatomical rig with the unpronounceable name of lumbodorsal
fascia. They aid your erectors in
keeping your spine straight.
The muscles between your shoulder blades keep your upper back
in its proper alignment. The neck
doesn’t get to relax either. Few powerlifters do any direct neck work and
even fewer can fit their bull necks
into store-bought shirts. The traps
Neveux \ Model: Robert Hatch
Dead-On Mass
onds between
sets. They also
participated
in a control
session, in
which they
didn’t exercise
but sat quietly
while blood
was drawn at
the same intervals as during
exercise.
Measurements included
hormone and
blood lactate
levels before,
immediately
after and 15
minutes folAlbert Beckles changed his heavy
lowing the
training style when he hit 40.
workout. The
lactate increased in both groups, with the highest levels in the younger
men. Testosterone and cortisol were higher in both groups
right after and 15 minutes after the workout compared to the
inactive control measurements, showing that the exercise
had a definite effect on hormone release. Growth hormone
increased in both the young and old, with the younger men
showing greater amounts.
The study shows that you
can get much of the benefit of
lifting heavy weights with lighter
weights. That’s particularly good
news to anyone over 40. The
younger men had more growth
hormone because they also had
more exercise lactate, which
is a stimulus to GH secretion
during exercise. The older men
produced less lactate because
they had less muscle than their
younger counterparts.
One message of the study is
that you may want to consider
Beckles’ advice as you reach
middle age. Consider using
moderate weights and perhaps
higher reps. You will still get a
definite anabolic hormone effect,
and lower back—well, that’s obviwhich will help to maintain the
ous.
muscle you’ve developed over
To get the most out of the deadlift
the years. If you’re lucky, you
in the meat-building department,
may even be able to add some
start with five sets of five three times
new muscle.
every two weeks; for instance, Mon—Jerry Brainum
day, Friday and Wednesday. Start
light, with a weight you can pull at
least 10 times, and add a couple of
pounds at every workout.
—Pavel
Beyond Bodybuilding
Smilois, I., et al. (2006).
Hormonal responses after a
strength endurance resistance
exercise protocol in young and
elderly males. Int J Sports Med.
In press.
Neveux
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Charles Poliquin’s
Smart Training
Too Much
Pain to Gain
Q: I’ve had periodic elbow soreness over the years
from training. A couple of sportsmedicine doctors
said that it’s inflammation caused by years of heavy
training. Can you suggest anything other than glucosamine and chondroitin, fish oil and vitamin C
that I should be taking to help alleviate it?
A: While nutrition may help, you have to look also at
soft-tissue alignment and/or training technique. Many
times nutrition won’t relieve elbow pain. That’s when you
should try a qualified soft-tissue practitioner, familiar with
weight training, to treat the problem.
Nutritionwise, I recommend fish oils and C3-curcumin
for inflammation of the elbows. Take anywhere from 15 to
45 grams a day of fish oil, in divided doses, depending how
lean you are, and nine to 15 capsules a day of curcumin,
depending on the degree of inflammation. That should
lower the inflammation. I recommend glucosamine and
chondroitin products only if the bones are affected, not for
tendinitis. Long-term use of glucosamine and chondroitin
use can interfere with insulin sensitivity.
If that doesn’t bring relief, you may want to look into
a liver cleanse. In Chinese medicine, elbow tendinitis is
linked to liver health. I’ve worked with lifters who have
gotten rid of chronic elbow tendinitis by doing a good liver
cleanse, alternating two Japanese herbal formulas for four
to eight weeks. If you believe you need to do that, call (401)
294-2066 and order my liver cleanse.
If you still have pain after a liver cleanse, consider a food
allergy panel. In many individuals a food allergy manifests as tendinitis. I had elbow pain like yours for years, no
matter what I did. Even the lightest weight would make
me cringe. Once I figured out I was allergic to wheat and
stopped eating all gluten-containing products, my elbow
pain disappeared five days later and never came back.
Q: Coach, there’s very little written on the best
way to warm up for strength training. Any ideas on
where I could get information on that topic?
A: You’re right. There’s not much devoted to that topic. A
few weeks ago my colleague John Paul Cantarazzo released
a DVD called “Warm Up for Strength Training.” It shows
a plethora of warmup tools ranging from Swiss balls to
foam rollers to, of course, free weights. It addresses various
methods of warming up, from the correct forms of stretching to dynamic movements using the pendulum approach.
The DVD can be used by the neophyte lifter or the experienced strength coach, as it shows many techniques that
I’m sure many of my colleagues are not aware of. To purchase John’s DVD, go to www.StrengthWarmup.com.
Performing the techniques illustrated on the DVD will
boost your chances of remaining
injury free and enable you to use
greater loads in training.
Q: Why do you advocate so
many long-range deadlifts?
Neveux \ Model: Jeff Hammond
A: I have always been a believer in long-range movements
for maximum benefits in the
training room. I was first exposed
to that concept by Terry Hadlow,
who in the ’80s was the only
non–Communist bloc weightlifter ranked in the top eight
in the world, which back then
would have been the equivalent
of Guatemala having a football
team in the Super Bowl.
The man was brutally strong,
particularly in his lower back. He
gave credit to the coach he had in
his teenage years, who had him
do deadlifts using only 25-pound
metal plates to force a greater
range than the standard 45s.
Of course, a simpler solution
is to use a platform, one basically
the same size as a case of soda.
Elbow pain may be the
result of anything from
improper nutrition to bad
exercise form to food
allergies.
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Smart Training
Gustavo Badell credits a
lot of his back size and
detail to full-range regular
deadlifts. He frequently
does them on a platform
to increase his range of
motion.
Neveux
A: There are so many advantages to low-carb nutrition that I
tend to use it for about 75 percent
of my clients. Still, it’s not for everybody. Some genotypes do very
poorly on it, and the extent of how
badly they do on it is a function of
how long they are on it. Before you
look at the advantages and disadvantages, as Jonny Bowden would
say, “You need to approach your
fat-loss system the way you should
approach relationships: with daily
attention, nurturing, support,
crisis management, intervention,
focus, consciousness and mindfulness. It requires good negotiation
skills. All the things we tend not to
have when it comes to food.”
Here are some advantages of
following a low-carb diet:
1) It promotes muscle gains
while reducing fat stores. I’m
not a believer in the bulk-up/getlean approach in hypertrophy
training. I strongly believe that if
75 percent of the population wants
to gain lean body mass while losing fat, the low-carb approach will
do it better than anything, especially with supplements that enhance insulin sensitivity. Because insulin sensitivity tends
to improve on a low-carb diet, fat loss is more sustained.
2) It’s a very valuable in treating dyslipidemia.
Low-carb diets are particularly effective at reducing triglycerides and very low-density lipoprotein, or VLDL, the very
bad kind of cholesterol. They also have a significant effect
on reducing LDL. Their effect on raising high-density lipoprotein, the good form of cholesterol, is not as dramatic.
Overall, though, a low-carb diet improves the HDL to LDL
ratio in a manner that significantly reduces cardiovascular
risk.
3) It reduces inflammation. Many patients report
reduced joint pain while following a low-carb diet. High
insulin levels correlate with inflammation markers. As the
insulin output is lower with low-carb diets, another cardiovascular risk marker, Hs-CRP, goes down faster than Paris
Hilton after a few highballs.
4) Improved glycemia and insulin levels. Blood
sugar management is probably the biggest benefit of lowcarb diets. Insulin is the hormone of aging and inflammation, and 68 percent of Americans are prediabetic.
Managing insulin is one of the best ways of guaranteeing
healthy long life. An added benefit of improving glycemia is
That way you can still use 45-pound plates, and you don’t
need as many plates.
One of the biggest proponents of full-range movements
in the bodybuilding world is Gustavo Badell. He credits his
tremendous back, glute and hamstring development to
doing deadlifts on a platform. He doesn’t care that the load
he uses is 150 to 200 pounds lighter than what he’d use for
regular deadlifts, as he feels that the added range has contributed to his enormous posterior-chain development. In
fact, newer lab research suggests that exercises that overload the stretch position contribute to hyperplasia, a splitting of muscle fiber.
Another simple way to increase range is to widen your
grip. Many Olympic throwers, sprinters and bobsledders
have seen a dramatic improvement in their sporting results after adding wide-grip deadlifts to their preparation
schemes.
Whether you are interested in greater hypertrophy or
functional strength for your sport, longer range deadlifts
are a short-cut to your goals.
Q: What are some advantages and disadvantages
of a low-carb nutrition approach?
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Smart Training
Neveux \ Model: Jay Cutler
Lab research suggests that
stretch-position exercises may
contribute to hyperplasia, a
splitting of muscle fibers.
Here are some disadvantages of low-carb diets:
1) Meals tend to be bland. Even so, there are plenty
of resources, such as books like Living the Low Carb Life by
Jonny Bowden, that will provide you with a wealth of cooking tips (www.JonnyBowden.com).
2) Food prep time is greater. Since the meat content is greater, more time is needed to prepare the food.
Cooking a steak takes more time than making a sandwich.
But again, there are solutions. If you substitute lettuce for
bread, you can do low-carb wraps in a flash.
3) Constipation is often an issue. That can be offset
by taking in a mixture of ground flaxseed hulls and ground
fenugreek seeds first thing in the morning. Besides providing the body with many forms of fibers, it detoxifies xenoestrogens and improves insulin sensitivity.
4) Possible nutrient deficiencies. I recommend that
all my clients take quality multivitamin supplements. That
goes along with a plan of antioxidants that changes every
eight days. To make it simple, I change the antioxidant
colors. For example, the first product may have five to six
flavonoids like limonene, which means the base color is
yellow. The next eight days we switch to purple, so we use a
formula that has grapeseed extract, bilberry, and so on.
A-1 Front squats, 1-2 x 4-6 on a 4/0/X/0
tempo, rest two minutes
A-2 Lying leg curls, feet inward, 1-2 x 4-6
on a 4/0/X/0 tempo, rest two minutes
B-1 Sternum chinups, 1-2 x 6-8 on a 3/0/X/0 tempo,
rest 100 seconds
B-2 Incline dumbbell presses, 1-2 x 6-8 on a 3/0/X/0
tempo, rest 100 seconds
C-1 One-arm dumbbell rows, 1 x 8-10 on a 3/0/X/0
C-2 Seated dumbbell presses, 1 x 8-10 on a 3/0/X/0
Keep the workouts short. The only goal is staying
healthy. In-season is not the time to try to build strength.
Wrestling is more important now; build your strength in
the off-season. The main goals of in-season training are to
maintain levels of muscle mass and strength and ensure
balance between the muscular structures.
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 track-and-field
team for the 2000 Olympics. He’s spent years
researching European
journals (he’s fluent in
English, French and German) and speaking with
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
Charles Poliquin
page 185. IM
Bradford
reduced mood swings and less likelihood of food bingeing.
5) Lowered blood pressure. Because low-carb diets
reduce inflammation, improved blood pressure is a direct
benefit.
6) Greater energy. Before all the armchair experts lash
out and rush to burn Canadian embassies, hear me out.
Greater energy is indeed a very common report of low-carb
dieters. Psychometrics tests always report greater wellbeing of the patient after this dietary approach. It probably
has more to do with the better management of glycemia.
As Robert Crayhon says, you want more energy, take care
of your mitochondria. Lower insulin levels help with the
mitochondria’s energy-producing capacities.
Q: What number of sets and reps
would you recommend for in-season
strength training for high school wrestlers? A typical practice is very demanding, so I was thinking low volume with
high intensity. The exercises I like are
chinups or pullups, single-leg squats,
dumbbell chest presses or plyometric
pushups and a rowing movement.
A: For high school wrestlers the best approach in-season is to do one to two sets of
a four-to-10 RM weight and no more than
eight exercises that cover the whole body.
Your main concern in-season is to maintain
muscle mass. So a routine would look like
this:
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\ JULY 2006 181
NUTRITION SCIENCE
The Nutrition/Hormone Link
What you eat or
drink before and
after a workout
can change your
growth hormone
levels.
secretion, the extent of its release is
modified by certain nutritional practices.
For example, having a drink containing 25 grams of protein and
50 grams of carbohydrate before
and after weight training increases the release of GH more
than exercise alone. It also produces a rise in GH levels in the blood
several hours after the workout.
What you want to avoid is fat. Excess fatty acids in the blood block the
release of GH, and eating fat prior to
training blunts GH release. So, surprisingly, does the amino acid arginine.
(Arginine promotes GH release but
only under resting conditions, and you
have to take in quite a lot to make that
happen.) The B-complex vitamin niacin
blocks the use of fat during exercise.
Paradoxically, that increases
the GH response to exercise
because of the lower fatty
acid levels in blood.
Some people have written that GH release during
exercise doesn’t mean much
because the GH is broken
down in the liver after about
an hour. Recent research,
however, shows that there
are more than 100 forms of
GH in the body, and exercise
interacts with the hormone
to extend its anabolic effects
on muscle protein synthesis.
Insulinlike growth
factor 1. Most of the
anabolic effects of growth
hormone are attributable to
IGF-1, which is secreted in
the liver under the influence
of GH release. IGF-1 is also
produced locally in muscle,
where it participates in reactions related to muscle repair
and growth. It lasts far lonNeveux / Model: Nezzar Jamo
Both exercise and good nutrition
contribute to gains in muscle size and
strength, as well as fat loss. Various
scientific studies have examined how
specific combinations of nutrients can
influence anabolic and catabolic reactions in muscle. Nutrient and exercise
interactions have also been investigated.1 The following is an overview of
what the research has thus far shown:
Growth hormone. While growth
hormone promotes muscle growth by
positively influencing muscle protein
synthesis, it also may blunt protein
breakdown. GH provides what scientists call a nutrient-partitioning effect
that helps add muscle while also stimulating the use of fat instead of carbohydrates as fuel.
While intense exercise stimulates GH
Anabolic-diet facts
ger in the blood than GH because it’s
bound to proteins that prevent its premature breakdown. As with other hormones that bind to proteins in blood,
only the free, or unbound, hormone is
considered biologically active.
Eating doesn’t affect a person’s IGF1, although levels do decline with insufficient calorie or protein intake. What
feeding does affect, however, are the
binding proteins associated with IGF-1,
specifically insulinlike growth factorbinding protein 1. As the name implies,
IGFBP-1 can have a minor insulinlike
impact on blood glucose. When liver
glycogen levels drop after extended exercise, IGFBP-1 increases and prevents
further lowering of blood glucose.
One recent study examined the
hormonal effect of an ultralow level of
carbohydrate (5 percent) coupled with a
high protein intake (35 percent) for one
week in eight healthy young subjects.2
That diet was compared to a typical
Western diet of 60 percent carbs, 30
percent fat and 10 percent protein.
Both diets contained the same number
of total daily calories.
The measurements of blood plasma
showed a 50 percent drop in insulin
levels; a 32 percent rise in free IGF-1;
and a 14 percent decrease in IGFBP-3
(the primary protein-binder of IGF-1 in
blood). There was no change in total
IGF-1 or GH release, but the amount of
IGF-1 messenger RNA in muscle doubled, as did the rate of muscle protein
synthesis. Paradoxically, whole-body
protein breakdown (other than muscle)
increased 20 percent, apparently the
result of depressed insulin induced by
the lack of carbs. A higher protein
intake with minimal carbs seems
to provoke a positive anabolic
response in muscle because of
the upgraded activity of muscle
IGF-1.
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This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.
Nutrition With a Get-Big Mission
Testosterone. Testosterone is the
hormone that most people think has the
most potent anabolic effect in muscle.
The well-known effects of anabolic steroid drugs, which are synthetic versions
of testosterone designed to increase its
anabolic effects, illustrate the point.
You’d think that eating promotes a
rise in testosterone, but the opposite is
the case. Testosterone tends to drop
after meals, while cortisol rises. Exactly
why isn’t clear. The lowered testosterone may reflect an increase in cellular
uptake. Exercise promotes an increase
in androgen receptors, which interact
with Big T at the cellular level and thus
diminish it in the blood.
Other studies show that certain
types of fat can influence testosterone
levels. Eating saturated fat depresses
them for about two hours after the
meal. Yet saturated fat maintains
testosterone levels in the body.
So do monounsaturated fats,
such as those found in olive oil
and avocados. Lowering fat intake
to less than 20 percent of daily calories
leads to a significant drop in blood testosterone. Omega-3 fatty acids, found
in fish, nuts and other foods, lower
total testosterone but don’t affect
other hormones, including the active, or free, form of testosterone
and estrogen.
Cortisol. When cortisol levels
are high, levels of anabolic hormones, such as GH and testosterone, are low and vice versa.
For muscle growth it’s best to
limit the release of cortisol, the
body’s primary catabolic hormone.
Several studies have shown
that carbohydrates may blunt
cortisol release during exercise.
Experiments involving weight
training, however, have demonstrated that having a proteinand-carb drink before and after
training influences GH levels but
has no effect on cortisol. Having carbs
during training, however, seems to blunt
the cortisol response. One study found
that taking in carbs during a weight
workout led to an increase in muscle
size ascribed to lowered cortisol levels.
Trouble is, chowing down carbs during
training blunts the use of fat as fuel. You
also need to limit the carbs to prevent
possible gastrointestinal problems such
as nausea. That means a workout drink
should contain no more than 8 percent
carbs, along with some electrolytes,
meaning minerals, to promote greater
fluid uptake. Adding amino acids or
protein to the drink is useless, since
no muscle protein synthesis occurs
during training and protein is used as
a fuel source only after available carb
sources—glycogen and blood glucose—begin to dwindle.
From a supplemental standpoint, phosphatidylserine has
been shown in several studies to
lower exercise-induced cortisol
levels by an average of 30 percent. The effect is thought to be due
to PS’s blunting of ACTH, the hormone
that controls cortisol release from the
cortex portion of the adrenal glands.
Some recent
studies have
found no effect
of PS on cortisol but did find
that it extended
exercise endurance.
Insulin.
Although most
associated with
glucose uptake
into cells, insulin
is a potent anabolic hormone.
That explains
why healthy
bodybuilders
often use insulin
in combination
with other
anabolic hormones, such
as testosterone and GH.
All three offer
synergistic
effects. GH
tends to raise
blood glucose
levels, while
insulin lowers
it. GH primar- PS controls cortisol.
ily promotes muscle protein synthesis,
while insulin prevents muscle protein
breakdown and opposes the activity of
cortisol. Insulin also promotes amino
acid uptake into muscle, glycogen
replenishment and creatine uptake.
Most bodybuilders don’t realize that insulin has anabolic
effects in muscle only in the
presence of an abundance of
amino acids. That explains the main
mechanism of protein-and-carb drinks
consumed before and after training.
The combination boosts insulin release
more than either nutrient alone. Taken
before training, that type of drink interacts with exercise, since the increased
blood flow also boosts amino acid entry
into muscle. Adding the branched-chain
amino acid leucine to the mix further
boosts the way the drink affects muscle
protein synthesis, leading to definite
anabolic effects in muscle.
—Jerry Brainum
References
1 Volek, J., et al. (2006). Diet, exercise, and hormone interactions
in skeletal muscle. Hormone Res.
66(supp1):17-21.
2 Harber, M.P., et al. (2005). Effects
of dietary carbohydrate restriction with
high protein intake on protein metabolism and the somatotropic axis. J Clin
Endocrin Metabo. 90:5175-81.
www.ironmanmagazine.com \ JUNE 2007 53
LIFT BIG TO GET BIG
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Eat to Grow
NUTRITION NOTES
Food Facts
That can affect your
workouts, weight and wellness
Orange juice
should be a part
of your breakfast.
A study from
Vanderbilt University showed
that drinking
three glasses of
fruit or vegetable
juice every week
cut the risk of
memory loss by
76 percent.
WARRIOR NUTRITION AND EXERCISE
Better Body With Probiotics
Probiotics are the friendly (beneficial) bacteria in your digestive tract.
They’re necessary for healthy digestion and may be the first line of defense in preventing disease.
The main function of probiotics is to aid in the efficient absorption of
food, vitamins and minerals. They secrete antibiotic substances that destroy harmful bacteria, yeast and parasites and thereby help you digest
and assimilate your food (and so use protein optimally).
The human gastrointestinal tract is supposed to contain 85 percent
“good” bacteria and 15 percent
“bad” bacteria. Unfortunately, many
Westerners today have the opposite
ratio. When our ancestors ate fresh
plants hundreds and thousands of
years ago, they unknowingly took
in large amounts of the beneficial
microorganisms. With the advent of
modern farming techniques, which
use pesticides, herbicides and fungicides, however, the essential microorganisms have been greatly depleted
from our food supply. Therefore, supplementation is often needed.
—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.
Trans
fats are
bad for your
heart, and
they may
release more
calories than
other types of fat. In a new study
monkeys gained three times more
bodyfat on an 8 percent trans fat diet
than others fed the same calories
without any trans fat.
Resveratrol,
the compound in
red wine believed to
be responsible for
its health benefits,
appears to boost
endurance. A study
published in Cell
found that resveratrol-supplemented
mice could run
double the distance of the mice not
given the supplement.
Vitamin D
deficiency may
be one of the
biggest cancer
triggers. More
than 1,000
studies show
a link between
a lower risk of cancer and vitamin D.
In fact, low levels of vitamin D may
produce up to a 70 percent increase
in the risk for prostate cancer and
double the risk of colon cancer. Get
some sunshine so your body can
make more vitamin D—and/or use
supplements.
—Becky Holman
www.X-tremeLean.com
KNOWLEDGE IS POWER
The Best of Bodybuilding in the 20th Century
Here in one definitive,
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this massive volume covers
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with authority and depth.
Included is complete
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•Getting started
•Bodybuilding physiology
•Shoulder training
•Chest training
•Back training
•Arm training
•Abdominal training
•Leg training
•Training for mass
•Training for power
•Mental aspects of training
•Bodybuilding nutrition
With IRON MAN’s Ultimate
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This massive volume contains
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IM Encyclopedia
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©2009 Home-Gym.com
Eat to Grow
MUSCLE MEALS
Meal Frequency and Bodyfat
Those looking to lose bodyfat are frequentlly advised to
eat smaller meals more frequently. I’ve spoken with several
champion bodybuilders who eat six to 12 meals daily. Some
of those meals consist of nutrient drinks rather than solid food.
Eating small meals more often maintains a high level of blood
nitrogen from protein. Famed trainer Vince Gironda often
suggested swallowing several liver tablets every two hours for
anabolic purposes. Barry Sears, a biochemist who designed
the Zone eating plan, notes that your blood chemistry changes
every four hours, explaining why it’s vital to get in a meal within
that time.
Smaller meals taken more frequently also offer a number of
health benefits. The smaller the meal, the lower the release of
insulin and cortisol—both of which rise after a meal while testosterone drops. Maintaining lower insulin and cortisol tends
to limit bodyfat synthesis. Keeping a lid on insulin also leads
to a more stable blood glucose level, which, in turn, prevents
binges. Smaller but nutrient-dense meals tend to blunt the
increased fat synthesis that results from larger meals. Some
studies even suggest that the more often you eat, the lower
your blood lipids, such as cholesterol, so there’s less risk of
cardiovascular disease. Other hormones also come into play
in relation to meal frequency, such as leptin, GLP-1 and cholecystokinin, among others.
Does reducing your usual number of meals have any
adverse effects on body composition? French researchers
examined that issue in a study involving 24 young men, all of
normal weight. For 28 days half of the group ate four meals a
day, while the other half ate three. The meals differed only in
that the four-a-day group ate an afternoon meal. Over time the
subjects either added or dropped one meal from their eating
plan.
ANTIOXIDANTS
No changes resulted
from adding a meal,
but dropping one led to
increased bodyfat and
late-evening measures of leptin. Some decreased
activity accounted for fewer calories burned, but the subjects
who deleted the meal also increased their fat intake at the
other meals. That, coupled with less activity, caused them to
gain fat. Other studies show that after periods of decreased
eating, there is a tendency to eat more fat, as if the body were
attempting to make up for the calorie deficit. Since fat has a
greater concentration of calories than either carbs or protein,
the reason for the weight gain is clear.
The study did not distinguish between different types of fat
or consider the influence of increased exercise or even combination of nutrients. For example, if the subjects had upped
their activity, the added calories in the other meals would have
been oxidized, and they wouldn’t have gained fat.
Although proportions of nutrients weren’t discussed, fat
gain would also likely have been avoided if the meal-dropping
subjects had cut down on their carbs, assuming that the fat
intake increased. That would have promoted a greater use of
fat as a fuel source, again avoiding a fat gain.
Finally, some forms of fat, such as trans fats and saturated
fats, tend to stimulate insulin resistance, which fosters fat gain.
Other, more benign fats, such as omega-3s, not only don’t
encourage fat gain but help suppress it as well.
—Jerry Brainum
Chapelot, D., et al. (2006). Consequence of omitting or
adding a meal in man on body composition, food intake, and
metabolism. Obesity. 14:215-227.
G LY C E M I C I N D E X
Leaded or Unleaded?
Coffee has recently been heralded as chock-full
of antioxidants and good for most people’s health.
But what about decaf? “There is no significant
difference in the antioxidant levels between
decaf and regular coffee,” according to Joe
Vinson, Ph.D., professor of chemistry at the
University of Scranton
in Pennsylvania. If you
have an aversion to
caffeine, you can still
get coffee’s health benefits. Just go decaf.
—Becky Holman
www.X-tremeLean.
com
Careful With Carrots?
Carrots are often
said to be bad for
dieters because
they’re high on the
glycemic index.
That depends,
however, on how
many carrots you
eat. According to
Rob Thompson,
M.D., author of the
Glycemic-Load
Diet, you’d need to
eat 30 raw carrots
to get the same
glucose shock as you’d get from one bagel.
—Becky Holman
www.X-tremeLean.com
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Eat to Grow
ANABOLIC DRIVE
Brain Plasticity and Supplementation
You lift weights and eat plenty of protein, and what happens? You get bigger. Isn’t it that simple? We know that
muscles adapt to whatever exercise or nutrition you provide.
The visual aspect is certainly clear for all to see—the marathon
runner with little to no fat and not much muscle vs. the bodybuilder with a tremendous amount of muscle and a variable
amount of bodyfat. But did you know that your brain also
adapts to proper diet and/or supplementation? The evidence
for that is fairly robust. I’d suggest you treat your brain the way
you treat your muscles. If you give it the right nutrients, function is optimal. If you feed it junk, be prepared for an IQ closer
to that of an avocado than an Einstein.
For instance, one study looked at the effects of swimming
and phytotherapeutic supplementation on oxidative damage
and brain cell survival. Oxidative stress, inflammation and
neurotrophic markers were measured in the brains of Wistar
rats that did “forced, chronic” (as the researchers called it)
swimming and that got a diet enriched with leaves of dried
nettle (Urtica dioica). Nettle looks like a hairy weed with attractive little flowers. It’s been used as a medicine in Europe for
more than 2,000 years. A tea made from its leaves and stems
has been used to stop bleeding. The root is a known diuretic
and relieves prostate problems, and dried nettle has antioxidant properties. The rats were divided into groups subjected
to swimming (six weeks) or to nettle supplementation (eight
weeks) or to a combination of the two. Nettle supplementation
dispersed concentration of free radicals in two areas of the
brain, the cerebellum and frontal lobe.1
Research done with animal subjects has looked at the
effect of various nutrients on focal ischemic brain damage, or
oxygen deprivation. Adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were fed
equal amounts of food. One group got blueberry, spinach or
spirulina, the other a control diet. Animals that ate blueberry-,
spinach- or spirulina-enriched diets had a significant reduction
in the amount of damage to the brain.2 Another study examined the powerful antioxidant spice curcumin, which counteracted oxidative damage in the injured brain.3 Sesame oil may
also have a protective effect against brain ischemia.4
In an intriguing case study of a human patient, an essential fatty acid supplement rich in eicosapentaenoic acid was
given daily to a female with a six-year history of unremitting
symptoms
of chronic
fatigue
syndrome.
Cerebral
magnetic
resonance
scanning
was carried
out at baseline and 16
weeks later.
The EPArich essential
fatty acid
supplementation led to
a dramatic
improvement in her symptoms, starting within six to eight weeks. The
brain scan revealed a change in her brain’s morphology.5
It should be as clear as the Montana sky that what you eat
goes to your head as well. The best general advice your palate can take is to eat as many plants and unprocessed carbs
as possible, rather than the processed crap you typically see
on the grocer’s shelves.
—Jose Antonio, Ph.D.
Editor’s note: You can listen to Dr. Jose Antonio and
Carla Sanchez on their radio show Performance Nutrition,
Web and podcast at www.performancenutritionshow.com. Dr.
Antonio is the CEO of the International Society of Sports
Nutrition—www.TheISSN.org. His other Web sites include
www.SupplementCoach.com, www.Javafit.com, www
.PerformanceNutritionShow.com and www.JoseAntonioPhD
.com.
References
1 Toldy,
A., et al. (2005). The effect of exercise and nettle
supplementation on oxidative stress markers in the rat brain.
Brain Res Bull. 65(6):487-93.
2 Wang, Y., et al. (2005). Dietary supplementation with blueberries, spinach, or spirulina reduces ischemic brain damage.
Exp Neurol. 193(1):75-84.
3 Wu, A., Ying, Z. and Gomez-Pinilla, F. (2006). Dietary
curcumin counteracts the outcome of traumatic brain injury on
oxidative stress, synaptic plasticity, and cognition. Exp Neurol.
197(2):309-17.
4 Ahmad, S., et al. (2006). Effect of dietary sesame oil as
antioxidant on brain hippocampus of rat in focal cerebral
ischemia. Life Sci. 79(20):1921-8.
5 Puri, B.K., Holmes, J. and Hamilton, G. (2004). Eicosapentaenoic acid-rich essential fatty acid supplementation in
chronic fatigue syndrome associated with symptom remission
and structural brain changes. Int J Clin Pract. 58(3):297-9.
6 Scheff, S.W., and Dhillon, H.S. (2004). Creatine-enhanced
diet alters levels of lactate and free fatty acids after experimental brain injury. Neurochem Res. 29(2):469-79.
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Eat to Grow
AMINO AMMO
Is Your Protein Supplement Damaged?
aged. One of the more reactive
amino acids under those conditions
is the essential amino lysine. When
the Maillard reaction damages lysine, it produces a chemical called
furosine, and high levels of furosine
in a supplement indicate damaged
protein. That can lead to reduced
protein value and digestibility.
A recent study looked at what
happens when various commercial
milk-based protein supplements
commonly used by athletes are
processed. Nineteen ingredients
and 13 sports supplements from
around the world were analyzed,
and the researchers looked at the
amount of furosine in each product.
Soy contained the least, mainly
because soy isn’t a rich source of lysine. Of the milk proteins tested, casein had the least furosine because casein
is processed less than whey. That’s especially true of
micellar casein, which is naturally derived and the highest
quality available. Whey protein
isolate (WPI), which is higher in
LEAN MACHINE
protein and lower in sugar than
whey protein concentrate, had
less furosine than WPC. That’s
because WPC contains more
lactose (6 to 8 percent) than WPI
Most people know that to get leaner you have to
(less than 1 percent). The lactose
increase your meal frequency to five or six a day and
content makes the protein more
err on the side of more protein than carbs. But what
subject to the Maillard reaction,
type of protein is best when your goal is to drop fat as
leading to amino acid damage.
quickly as possible without losing valuable muscle?
What does all of that mean
Most bodybuilders have chosen whey in the past
for you, the consumer? Stick
few years because of its high biological value and fast
with higher-quality protein that
absorption; however, the tide is changing to a fast/
features whey protein isolates
slow combo—a mix of whey and casein with a helpas the primary whey ingredient.
ing of egg. Why? Casein is a slow-releasing protein,
WPI contains an average 86.8
so it protects your muscle from being used for energy
percent protein compared to the
after the fast whey has rapidly moved in and out of
13.4 percent found in WPC. The
your bloodstream. Casein sticks around and tricklehigher lactose content of WPC
feeds your muscle tissue long after the whey has beat
makes it a filler protein, which
a retreat. That’s good for metabolic stimulation and
saves the manufacturer money
satiation.
but may result in the premature
Becky Holman.
What about egg protein? Eggs have been champidegradation of the product. Note
oned as the perfect food, so having some egg aminos
that a high level of furosine rein the mix complements the other two proteins perfectly.
duces the availability of the other
A fast/slow combo protein, like Muscle-Link’s Pro-Fusion (a fusion of the above three proteins, leading to poorer nutriproteins), is great for quick between-meal feedings, as an amino supercharger taken
tional effect.
with solid-food meals and as a preworkout shake. It’s also great before bed, as the
—Jerry Brainum
Most quality protein supplements on the market consist of
milk-derived proteins, such as
casein and whey. While some
include both proteins, others
contain only whey and mixtures
of other proteins, such as soy.
There are various grades of whey,
depending on how it’s processed.
Overcooking food proteins leads
to denaturization—heat damages
the amino acids that make up
proteins. Overprocessed proteins
are far less digestible and may
interfere with the absorption of
other food proteins.
The less heat applied, the
better for protein quality. Another
factor is how much sugar the
supplement contains. When protein and sugar are heated,
the Maillard reaction occurs—a chemical version of caramelization, which breaks food down during cooking even
as the cooking adds flavor—and the amino acids are dam-
Neveux
Protein to Get Lean
slow-releasing casein feeds your recovering muscle through the night. (It was my choice
during my body transformation process; visit www.X-tremeLean.com for more on that.)
High-protein diets stimulate the metabolism and reduce hunger on low-calorie fatloss-style diets, and an anabolic/anticatabolic mix extends both of those effects. You
can thank casein’s ability to hang around for hours and hours for those lean-machine
boosts.
—Becky Holman
www.X-tremeLean.com
Henares-Rufian, J.A., et
al. (2006). Assessing nutritional quality of milk-based sport
supplements as determined
by furosine. Food Chemistry.
101:573-78.
PERFECT POSTWORKOUT MEAL
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The biggest mistake many
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©2009 Home-Gym.com
Model: Jonathan Lawson
GRIND OUT THE GROWTH REPS™
Beta-Alanine Gives Your Muscles More Grow Power™
The biggest bodybuilders know that
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Muscle biopsies show that the largest
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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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more than 20 new studies document that
beta-alanine is converted to carnosine
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©2009 Home-Gym.com
Muscle-Training Program 92
From the IRONMAN Training & Research Center
by Steve Holman and Jonathan Lawson • Photography by Michael Neveux
ast month we switched
things up and went
back to our original XRep program, which has
given us incredible gains
in the past. But we added a
couple of twists:
1) We’re training only
four days a week instead
of five—Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. We always work legs
on Tuesday. The other
bodyparts are split over
two workouts, which
alternate over the other
three days. Here’s a twoweek snapshot of the
schedule to clarify:
Week 1
Monday: Workout 1 (chest, lats,
triceps, abs)
Tuesday: Legs (and lower back)
Wednesday: Workout 2 (delts,
midback, biceps, forearms)
Thursday: Off
Friday: Workout 1 (chest, lats,
triceps, abs + soleus)
Weekend: Off (with cardio)
Week 2
Monday: Workout 2 (delts, midback, biceps, forearms)
Tuesday: Legs (and lower back)
Wednesday: Workout 1 (chest,
lats, triceps, abs)
Thursday: Off
Friday: Workout 2 (delts, midback, biceps, forearms + soleus)
Weekend: Off (with cardio)
Then repeat Week 1.
2) We’ve got a lot of X-hybrid
techniques—everything from
Double-X Overload to X Fade to
Static Xes—in our mass-building arsenal, and we’re not afraid
to use them. (Those techniques
and many others are explained in
our e-book Beyond X-Rep Muscle
Building.)
3) We’re wedging our X-Rep program into Eric Broser’s Power/Rep
Range/Shock system.
Most readers are familiar with
P/RR/S, but for those who are new
to this series and Eric’s work, here’s
a breakdown. In our version we do
one workout for each muscle group
in the specific protocol, then move
to the next protocol at the next session for those muscle groups.
Power. Train every exercise with
straight sets—no supersets, trisets or drop sets—and reps in the
four-to-six zone. We use slightly
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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
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•Bodypart Bloodbath for Super Size
•Monster Arms: Torching Your Tri’s
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•Pre-Ex vs. the Post-X Mass Jack
•Less Training, Big Gaining: The Truth
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free at www.XRep.com in the
X Files section.)
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gotta subscribe Learn how to make curls three times more effecitve
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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):
Model: Idrise W
Decline
extensions
hit all three
triceps heads
hard, while
the flat-bench
version is
less efficient,
giving less of
a blast to two
of the heads.
higher reps on endur
ented muscles like calves, abs and
forearms.
Rep Range. For the first exercise
you pick a weight that lets you get
seven to nine reps. For the second
exercise you do 10 to 12 reps. On
the third exercise you move the
rep range up to the high-end of
Shock. Here you put your muscles through the meat grinder
with supersets, drop sets and so
on. Reps for most muscles stay in
the eight-to-10 range, but extended-set techniques are a must.
We’ve
swapped
Smithmachine
incline
presses
for incline
dumbbell
presses.
Whew! Now that the
preliminaries are out of
the way, let’s get to the
meat of the issue this
month—our custom
Rep Range workouts (we
explained Power last
month; Shock will be
next month). We’re not
quite following the above
description of RR, but it’s
close.
Rep Range
Redux
We’re starting every
bodypart with a big,
midrange movement,
usually doing two sets of
seven to nine reps, and
we add X Reps and/or a
Static X to the second set.
Remember, midrange exercises are multijoint, or
compound, moves, so they have the
most potential for force generation,
a key component of hypertrophic
stimulation.
Then we move to a more isolated
exercise, either a contracted- or
etch-position movement. We do
two sets separated by a 20-second
est—as in Dante’s DoggCrapp
method. The first set we do 10 to
12 reps. Then we reduce the weight
during our 20-second rest and crank
out 13 to 15 reps—usually adding an
X Fade at the end. That means we
do X Reps in the contracted position
followed immediately by X Reps in
the semistretch position. Talk about
a killer burn and pump!
After that we do a final set on
the missing-position exercise for
around eight reps, with X Reps or an
X-hybrid technique. A good example is triceps. Here’s our current
program (M = midrange, S = stretch,
C = contracted):
M: Decline extensions
2 x 7-9
S: Rope pushouts
(MRR/P; drop) 2 x 10-12, 13-15
C: Dips or pushdowns 1 x 8-10
That’s not a lot of sets, but when
you add X Reps and X-hybrid techniques, the ache and pump are
outrageous. We smack the target
muscle down with intensity and
efficiency.
Some bodyparts get a slightly
different attack, such as supersetting two exercises for the MRR/P
rep-out sets on the second exercise.
A good example of that is lats:
M: Pulldowns
2 x 7-9
Superset (20-second rest)
S/C: Machine
pullovers
1 x 10-12
C: Rope rows
1 x 13-15
C: Undergrip pulldowns 1 x 8-10
And for multiheaded bodyparts
we sometimes add exercises to
cover all areas. A good example is
our delt workout:
M: Smith-machine wide-grip
upright rows
2 x 7-9
C: Seated laterals
(MRR/P; drop) 2 x 10-12, 13-15
M: Smith-machine behindthe-neck presses
2 x 7-9
C: Bent-over laterals
(MRR/P; drop) 2 x 10-12, 13-15
S: One-arm cable laterals 1 x 8-10
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Train, Eat, Grow / Program 92
version neglects the medial and lateral heads somewhat. In other words,
declines are more efficient.
Incline one-arm
laterals work well as
a stretch-position
medial-delt-head
movement.
Wide-grip upright rows are a
midrange move for the medial-delt
heads. We follow those with a contracted-position exercise for that
head, seated laterals done with a
slight forward lean. Then we go back
to a midrange exercise, Smith-machine behind-the-neck presses, that
focuses more on the front heads,
although the medial heads are still
involved. Then it’s rear-head work
with a contracted-position exercise,
bent-over laterals. We end with a
stretch-position move for the important medial head, one-arm cable
laterals. Once again, that’s not many
sets, but our delts are toast by the
end. It’s a very well-rounded routine—for well-rounded delts.
We won’t analyze every bodypart
routine. The point is that we’re flexible about the Rep Range protocol;
the main thing is to hit the three rep
ranges. You can see all of our Rep
Range workouts on page 68.
Energize With Exercise
Incline dumbbell presses. We’ve
been using Smith-machine inclines
for a long while. It’s a great exercise,
but you can get burned out on any
move. We’ve swapped it for incline
dumbbell presses—when possible.
Our DBs go up to only 120s, so on
Power day (four to six reps) we may
have to go back to the Smith machine.
Or we could opt for a Double-X Overload set; that is, doing an X Rep after
each full rep. That requires less weight
while overloading the key semistretch
point more than a standard set. For
Rep Range day we’re doing both sets
with dumbbells at the moment.
Free-bar squats. We always wonder why we stopped doing this great
exercise, and then—Bam!—our lower
backs go out at the bottom once the
weight starts getting heavy. That’s why
we’ve decided to use it with lighter
exercise changes and additions that weights only. To ensure that, we do
have done just that. You may have
our squats at the very end of our
noticed one in the triceps routine.
quad workout. It feels great to crank
out reps and actually feel our quads
Decline extensions. We were
working—and we can keep our tordoing close-grip bench presses as
sos upright to get better front-thigh
our midrange exercise for triceps;
activation. The Double-X Overload
however, that worked best on our old technique is also a good option here,
split, when we were training chest
double dipping at the bottom of each
and triceps at different workouts.
rep—we just have to remember to
Now we work chest and tri’s on the
keep our lower backs tight and stay
same day, so by the time we get to
in control—no bouncing. We’re using
triceps, our pressing ability is fried.
the Tommy Kono waist wrap. It’s a
Because of that we’ve moved to the
10-inch-wide elasticized belt and
more-isolated decline extensions as wrap that has a Velcro closure—very
our leadoff midrange triceps exercomfortable and pliable. New studcise. According to MRI studies, the
ies show that squatting with waist
decline version trains all three heads support helps you better engage the
of the triceps, while the flat-bench
quads. We can feel it!
Behind-the-back
shrugs give us a
unique angle for
attacking the upper
traps. They’re a Ronnie
Coleman favorite.
Sometimes you get in a rut and
don’t even realize it. It’s as if you
wake up and say, Hey, we’ve been
using this movement for almost a
year; time for a change. And that
one change can revitalize the entire
workout. We’ve recently made some
One-arm leaning laterals.
For these you hold a dumbbell in
one hand and grab an upright with
your free hand, keeping your feet
next to the base. Then you extend
your support arm so you’re leaning
out at an angle. Now do one-arm
laterals. With your torso angled, you
get the upper range of medial-head
contraction. We often superset these
with one-arm cable laterals to end
our delt workout—getting a super
stretch on the cable move and a
searing upper-end contraction with
the leaning laterals.
Behind-the-back barbell
shrugs. This is a favorite of Ronnie
Coleman’s, a man whose traps are
so large that they seem to insert into
his eardrums. You place a loaded
barbell on the long pins of a power
rack set at about knee level. Stand
in front of the bar facing away from
it. Squat down and grab the bar
so you’re holding it at your upper
hamstrings. Now shrug. It’s a unique
contraction angle for traps. We like
to do these as part of a superset with
dumbbell shrugs.
Size Surge
Supplements
With so many new supplements
coming on the market, many trainees are asking us what we’re taking
or plan to take as we move into our
ripping phase. Here’s a rundown.
Protein. To build muscle you
gotta have excess protein—no negative nitrogen balance. Whey and casein, which are dairy products, plus
eggs, which are a superb food, work
synergistically, so we use a combination powder. Muscle-Link’s ProFusion has whey, micellar casein
and egg protein in abundance—and
only six grams of carbs per serving.
Whey gives you a fast anabolic blast,
while casein’s slow release complements it with
(continued on page 74)
IRON MAN Training & Research Center Muscle-Training Program 92
Workout 1 (Rep Range): Chest, Lats, Triceps, Abs
Incline dumbbell presses (X Reps)
2 x 7-9
High cable flyes (MRR/P; drop; X Reps)
2 x 10, 15
Wide-grip dips
1 x 7-9
Wide-grip dips (MRR/P; drop; X Reps)
2 x 7-9, 7-9
Middle cable flyes (MRR/P; drop; X Reps) 2 x 10, 15
Pulldowns (X Reps)
2 x 7-9
Machine pullovers (X Reps)
1 x 10-12
Rope rows (X Reps)
1 x 13-15
Undergrip pulldowns (X Reps)
1 x 8-10
Decline extensions (X Reps)
2 x 7-9
Cable pushouts (X Reps)
1 x 10-12
Bench dips (X Reps)
1 x 13-15
Pushdowns (X Reps)
1 x 8-10
Incline kneeups (MRR/P; X Reps)
2 x 7-9, 10-12
Tri-set
Ab-Bench crunches (X Reps)
1 x 7-9
Twisting crunches (X Reps)
1 x 10-12
End-of-bench kneeups (X Reps)
1 x 8-10
Legs (Rep Range): Quads, Calves, Hamstrings
Machine hack squats (nonlock; X Reps)
2 x 7-9
Leg extensions (MRR/P; drop; X Reps)
2 x 10, 15
Leg presses (nonlock; X Reps)
1 x 7-9
Squats
1 x 10-12
Lunges
1 x 7-9
Leg curls (MRR/P; drop; X Reps)
2 x 10, 15
Leg curls (X Reps)
1 x 8-10
1 x 10-12
Hyperextensions (X Reps)
1 x 13-15
1 x 8-10
Knee-extension leg press calf raises (X Reps) 2 x 10-15
Hack-machine calf raises (X Reps)
1 x 10-15
Machine donkey calf raises (X Reps)
1 x 15-20
Machine donkey calf raises (X Reps)
1 x 15-20
Low-back machine (X Reps)
1 x 8-10
Workout 2 (Rep Range): Delts, Midback,
Biceps, Forearms
Smith-machine wide-grip
upright rows (X Reps)
Seated laterals (MRR/P; drop; X Reps)
Seated laterals (X Reps)
Behind-the-neck presses (X Reps)
Dumbbell presses (X Reps)
Bent-over laterals (MRR/P; drop; X Reps)
One-arm cable laterals (X Reps)
Nautilus rows (X Reps)
Bent-arm bent-over laterals (X Reps)
Behind-the-neck pulldowns (X Reps)
Barbell curls
Concentration curls or one-arm
spider curls (MRR/P; drop; X Reps)
Incline hammer curls (X Reps)
Dumbbell reverse wrist curls (X Reps)
Forearm Bar reverse wrist curls (X Reps)
Dumbbell wrist curls (X Reps)
Forearm Bar wrist curls (X Reps)
Rockers
2 x 7-9
2 x 10, 15
1 x 8-10
1 x 7-9
1 x 7-9
2 x 10, 15
1 x 8-10
2 x 7-9
1 x 10-12
1 x 13-15
2 x 7-9
2 x 10, 15
1 x 8-10
1 x 10-12
1 x 13-15
1 x 10-12
1 x 13-15
1 x 12-15
Add to Friday Workout (Power): Soleus
Knee-extension leg press calf raises (X Reps)2 x 12, 20
Seated calf raises (X Reps)
2 x 12, 20
Note: The leg workout is always performed on Tuesday; that is, legs are worked only once a week every
week—seven full days of recovery. Workouts 1 and
2 alternate on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, so
upper-body muscles get four to five days of recovery.
Note: Where X-Reps are designated, usually only one
set or phase of a drop set is performed with X Reps or an
X-Rep hybrid technique from the e-book Beyond X-Rep
Muscle Building. See the X-Blog at www.X-Rep.com for
more workout details.
(continued from page 68) an anticata-
bolic effect. We use a few scoops
between solid-food meals, usually
midmorning and midafternoon. Its
fast/slow combo also makes it perfect for before bed—to feed growing
muscles while you sleep. Once we
start our ripping phase, however,
we stop all food intake at 7 p.m., so
no before-bed shake. We swallow
amino capsules instead.
doing any type of cardio. Plus, we
keep a big bowl of amino acid caps
handy so we can grab three or four
whenever we think about it to keep
our nitrogen balance positive. You
may recall that the amino acid
leucine has been shown in recent
studies to have the most anabolic
effects on muscle hypertrophy, and
it’s prevalent in most BCAA supplements.
Branched-chain amino acids.
Studies show that taking about five
grams of BCAAs before an intense
workout can curb the release of cortisol, the stress hormone that eats
muscle tissue. For the same reason
we also like to take BCAAs before
Beta-alanine. Study after new
study shows that carnosine in
muscle tissue provides a buffering
effect, which allows you to grind
out more growth reps—and X Reps.
The biggest bodybuilders have more
than twice the carnosine levels of
nontraining individuals because
they’ve adapted to intense training. Scientists surmise that because
they do so many pain-zone sets,
the biggest bodybuilders stockpile
carnosine—to help them get bigger
and stronger. Beta-alanine converts
to carnosine, so by taking it you load
your muscle tissue with carnosine,
which will help you power further
into the growth zone on work sets.
We began taking Red Dragon in
its beta-test form last year and got
exceptional results. Our strength
kept moving forward at almost every
workout. Now that our calorie cuts
are starting, it will play a big part in
keeping our intensity in the growth
zone. New studies have shown that
ITRC Program 92, Home-Gym Routine
Workout 1 (Rep Range): Chest, Lats, Triceps, Abs
Incline presses (X Reps)
2 x 7-9
Incline flyes (MRR/P; drop; X Reps)
2 x 10, 15
Bench presses or decline presses (X Reps)
1 x 7-9
Bench presses or decline
presses (MRR/P; drop; X Reps)
2 x 7-9, 7-9
Flat-bench flyes (MRR/P; drop; X Reps)
2 x 10, 15
Chins (X Reps)
2 x 7-9
Undergrip chins (X Reps)
1 x 10-12
Dumbbell pullovers (X Reps)
1 x 13-15
Undergrip rows (X Reps)
1 x 8-10
Decline extensions (X Reps)
2 x 7-9
Overhead extensions (X Reps)
1 x 10-12
Bench dips (X Reps)
1 x 13-15
Incline kneeups (MRR/P; X Reps)
2 x 7-9, 10-12
Superset
Weighted full-range crunches or
Ab Bench crunches (drop; X Reps)
1 x 8-10(8)
End-of-bench kneeups (X Reps)
1 x 8-10
Legs (Rep Range): Quads, Calves, Hamstrings
Squats or front squats (nonlock; X Reps)
Leg extensions or old-style
hack squats (MRR/P; drop; X Reps)
Leg extensions or old-style
hack squats (X Reps)
Squats or front squats (nonlock; X Reps)
Lunges
Leg curls (MRR/P; drop; X Reps)
Leg curls (X Reps)
Knee-extension donkey calf raises (X Reps)
One-leg calf raises (MRR/P; drop; X Reps)
2 x 7-9
2 x 10, 15
1 x 8-10
1 x 7-9
1 x 7-9
1 x 10, 15
1 x 8-10
1 x 10-12
1 x 12-15
1 x 8-10
3 x 10-12
2 x 15, 20
Workout 2 (Rep Range): Delts, Midback,
Biceps, Forearms
Wide-grip upright rows (X Reps)
2 x 7-9
Seated laterals (MRR/P; drop; X Reps)
2 x 10, 15
Seated laterals (X Reps)
1 x 8-10
Dumbbell presses (X Reps)
2 x 7-9
Bent-over laterals (MRR/P; drop; X Reps)
2 x 10, 15
Incline one-arm laterals (X Reps)
1 x 8-10
Bent-over barbell rows
2 x 7-9
Bent-arm bent-over laterals
(MRR/P; drop; X Reps)
2 x 10, 15
Dumbbell shrugs (MRR/P; drop; X Reps)
2 x 10, 15
Barbell curls
2 x 7-9
Concentration curls (MRR/P; drop; X Reps) 2 x 10, 15
Incline hammer curls (X Reps)
1 x 8-10
Dumbbell reverse wrist curls
(MRR/P; drop; X Rep)
2 x 10, 15
Dumbbell wrist curls (MRR/P; drop; X Reps) 2 x 10, 15
Rockers
1 x 12-15
Add to Friday Workout (Power): Soleus
Knee-extension donkey calf raises (X Reps) 2 x 12, 20
Seated calf raises (X Reps)
2 x 12, 20
Note: The leg workout is always performed on Tuesday; that is, legs get worked only once a week every
week—seven full days of recovery. Workouts 1 and
2 alternate on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, so
upper-body muscles get four to five days of recovery.
Note: Where X-Reps are designated, usually only one
set or phase of a drop set is performed with X Reps or
an X-Rep hybrid technique from the e-book Beyond
X-Rep Muscle Building. See the X-Blog at www.X-Rep
.com for more workout details.
Note: For drop sets 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, nonlock
style. Use partner resistance, towel around the ankles, if
you don’t have a leg curl machine.
One-arm leaning
laterals train
the medial-delt
head’s upper
contraction
range. They
work well
supersetted
after one-arm
cable laterals, a
stretch-position
delt exercise.
beta-alanine synergizes with creatine,
making size and strength gains even
more pronounced—a muscle-building smart bomb. We take two capsules of Red Dragon upon awakening
in the morning and two before we
train.
RecoverX and CreaSol. We
believe our famous X Stack is essential to kicking off the recovery
and muscle-building processes after
a workout. It gives you 60 grams of
fast carbs and 40 grams of fast whey
protein, much of it in peptide form,
the fastest whey available.
The compounds are quickly
digested so they get into your
bloodstream almost immediately. The CreaSol provides
five grams of titrated creatine,
which is also a “fast” creatine
that’s almost 100 percent usable by the body. We each use
three scoops of RecoverX and
one scoop of CreaSol mixed
in water immediately after
our workouts.
Cort-Bloc. Any stressful
situation causes your body to
secrete muscle-eating cortisol, even intense workouts.
If you minimize cortisol, you
minimize muscle wasting
Cort-Bloc with fat burners.
and get bigger faster. We take four
capsules—about 800 milligrams—of
phosphatidylserine, a soy lipid, prior
to each workout to control cortisol
release and minimize the body’s use
of prized muscle tissue for energy. It’s
a must for high-strung hardgainer
types, who should also use two capsules before bed (cortisol release is
very high in the later hours of sleep).
It’s also a must when you start taking
fat burners that contain caffeine, as
caffeine raises epinephrine release,
which triggers cortisol surges. That
means it’s good idea to always stack
Fat burner. We’re preparing
for our ripping phase and trying
to decide between two elite fat
burners—SAN’s Blaze Xtreme and
NxLabs’ Methyl Ripped. We like
them because both contain ample
amounts of forskolin. What’s so
great about that? Several new studies have shown significant fat-loss
effects with human subjects who
took a forskolin-based supplement—with no serious negative side
effects. Positive side effects, other
than ramping up fat loss, are lower
blood pressure, more high-density
lipoprotein and—get ready—more
free testosterone! Yes, forskolin
stimulated the production of the
active form of that key anabolic
hormone. The amount in the study
was 250 milligrams of 10 percent
forskolin twice a day. At the beginning of our ripping phase we’ll take
our chosen fat burner before our
workouts infrequently at first, ramping it up to before every session for
four to six weeks, then go off for a
week or two.
L-carnitine. This compound
helps move fat into the mitochondria of the cells for energy. It helps
us dial in the last bit of detail to our
physiques, as it’s a fat shuttle that
kicks in the adipose-burning mechanism sooner. There’s mass-building
potential as well: New research says
that carnitine increases anabolic
receptors in muscle—something anabolic steroids do (J Steroid Biochem
Mol Bio. 93(1):35-42; 2005). To make
that happen, subjects took
one gram in the morning
and one at noon. Anabolicreceptor proliferation means
much faster size gains.
L-Carnitine has also been
shown to boost muscle
recovery, which we need
while we’re taking in fewer
calories, and muscular force
production. In one study
it improved the contractile
We’re doing
force in the latissimus dorsi
free-bar squats
of dogs by 34 percent and
again, but we
overall force production by
put them at
31 percent (J Strength Cond
the end of our
Res, 17:455-462; 2003). (That
quad workout
means it can give your X
to fry our
Reps more firepower, synthighs.
ergizing with creatine and
beta-alanine!)
We
usually take
three
grams a
day: one
gram
in the
morning, one
gram
Beta-alanine to help prior to
get more growth reps. cardio
and one
gram prior to bed. By the way, the
killer cardio fat bomb is three to five
amino tablets and 600 milligrams
of phosphatidylserine (Cort-Bloc),
which helps your body preserve
muscle during cardio, along with
one gram of L-carnitine to help you
tap
into fat
stores
faster.
(Some
caffeine
can
help enhance
that last
effect.) Aminos preworkout
to help minimize
We
catabolism.
also
take a multivitamin and multimineral in the morning with breakfast
and a multimineral at night, as well
as extra vitamin C. We’ll add a potent antioxidant supplement as we
progress into our ripping phase and
calories move lower. To follow what
we add and subtract, visit www
.X-Rep.com and go to our Supplement Blog.
Note: Our Rep Range week
is outlined on page 68. For the
original X-Rep routine that our
current programs are based on,
see pages 78 through 80 in the ebook The Ultimate Mass Workout,
available at www.X-Rep
.com. For more on Power/
Rep Range/Shock, see
Chapter 15 of the e-book 3D
Muscle Building, available at
www.3DMuscleBuilding.com.)
Editor’s note: For the latest
on X Reps, including X Q&As, X
Files (past e-zines), before and
after photos and the X-Blog training and supplement journals,
visit www.X-Rep.com. To order
the Positions-of-Flexion training
manual Train, Eat, Grow, call (800)
447-0008, visit www.Home-Gym.
com, or see the ad below. IM
Steve Holman’s
Critical Mass
Bodybuilding
Bash
Q: I’ve been reading IRON MAN for more than 20
years, and I’ve enjoyed your training and nutrition
insights. They’ve helped me build a stage-worthy
physique, and I love how you’ve taken Postions-ofFlexion training to the next level and merged it with
X Reps. One thing I’ve been curious about is that you
used to do a lot of bodybuilding-contest reports. In
recent years you seem to be mum about the competitive scene. Why?
A: As Body for Life author Bill Phillips once said, most
fans in the audience at bodybuilding contests have hopes
of someday being onstage or are already involved in competing. In other words, identifying with the competitors is
what makes it interesting. I found that to be true during my
high school and college years in Texas. I competed, and I
went to so many bodybuilding contests that it boggles my
mind. No complaints. Those were the days, and my passion
helped me get my dream job as editor of IRON MAN magazine (newspaper experience and a journalism degree didn’t
hurt either).
My passion for competitive bodybuilding flourished
in my first few years with the magazine. I covered and/or
attended show after show. I went to a number of Mr. Olympias and Arnold Classics and helped develop and put on
our show, the IRON MAN Pro—from driving the athletes to
and from the airport and the venue to taking tickets at the
door to manning booths to loading and unloading trophies.
But as I moved into my mid-30s and beyond, I began to see
bodybuilding as more of a competition with myself—trying
to improve every year—as opposed to viewing it as a competition against others.
In other words, for me bodybuilding evolved into a
method of discovery and betterment of self. Don’t get me
wrong; I still follow the competitive side, checking out who
wins what and marveling at the incredible mass so many of
today’s champs have. (I even take my daughters and their
friends to the IM Pro every year.) But due to genetics—not
to mention other extenuating circumstances—I don’t entertain the idea that I could ever get to that level.
You could say I’m more into bodybuilding for the health
of it, self-improvement and accomplishment these days,
which usually happens to those of us who are still lifting in
middle age. Of course, I’m still trying to build more muscle.
Am I happy with the state of competitive bodybuilding?
No, but that’s a subject for another time and place. (Don’t
get me started!)
Q: What do you think is more effective for building muscle in the Positions-of-Flexion exercise
sequence after the first midrange movement? A
stretch movement to activate the myotatic reflex?
That would better set up the fibers for the contracted-position exercise. Or is it best to follow the
midrange movement with a contracted-position
movement and then finish the bodypart with a
stretch movement?
A: The original POF sequence was stretch after midrange, to trigger that emergency response and get more
fibers to fire during the contracted-position exercise that
ended the bodypart workout. For example, a POF triceps
workout would be:
Midrange: Close-grip bench presses
Stretch: Overhead extensions
Contracted: One-arm pushdowns
Fredrick
Steve, his daughters Lindsey and Chelsea and friend Haili
Matsukawa at the ’07 IM Pro.
2 x 8-12
1-2 x 8-12
1-2 x 8-12
So the overhead extensions, with their extreme
triceps elongation and myotatic reflex action,
heighten fiber activation for the contracted-position move that follows them, one-arm pushdowns.
Now, however, I’m starting to think that there
may be a better growth response if you do the
stretch-position exercise last, especially if you’re
going to integrate static holds. The rationale is that
the occlusion produced by the contracted-position
exercise will make stretching after it more effective—the target muscle is more pumped, so elongating it will expand fiber encasements and may
even facilitate fiber splitting due to more heat and
blood flow.
We’ve been experimenting with that sequence—
midrange, contracted, then stretch—and getting
good gains. In the triceps routine above you’d do
close-grip bench presses first and one-arm pushdowns second, finishing with overhead extensions
for stretch work—and we like to use static holds at exhaustion on stretch-position exercises, what we call a static X.
We’ll see what happens as we intensify our workouts over
the spring and summer. [For a workout-by-workout log of
what Holman and Jonathan Lawson are doing in the gym,
see their X Blog at www.X-Rep.com.]
Q: I have all of your e-books, and I’ve read all of
them at least three times. Incredible information,
and I learn something new every time I reread one.
My question is, why do so many other bodybuilding trainers prescribe so many more sets than you
and Jonathan? Even drug-free guys like John Hansen often tell intermediates to do up to 15 sets per
bodypart.
A: You’ve read our e-books, so you know that we’re not
against volume training. It can work if it’s used correctly;
however, Jonathan and I can’t use it because we have to
work out on our lunch hour. That means we have to do
everything we can to stimulate muscle growth quickly and
efficiently. In my first book, IRON MAN’s Home Gym Handbook, I coined the phrase efficiency of effort, and that describes our workout philosophy—getting the most growth
bang for our effort buck at every session.
That’s why we’re constantly analyzing new research
and physiology texts—in an attempt to find better ways
to stimulate growth. It’s what led us to our most productive technique, X Reps. We ran across the size principle of
Should stretch position exercises come last in the
bodypart workout? That may be best for possible
hyperplasia activation and fascia stretching
especially if you like to use static holds to end a set.
fiber recruitment and how the low-threshold motor units
fire first in a set, followed by the mediums and finally the
high-threshold motor units, which are most conducive to
growth. But we also read about how the nervous system
and fatigue cause the target muscle to fizzle too early in
a set to stress the majority of those key high-threshold
growth fibers. The choice is to do more sets to hit more of
them, or do fewer sets but extend them to get at more of
those mass-making fibers. X-Rep partials, which encompass the point on the stroke where the most force occurs,
the semistretch point, do that job exceptionally well. That’s
why we made such spectacular gains the first month we
started using them—and we were doing only about five sets
per bodypart.
Now we’ve discovered that forced X Reps may have even
more growth-fiber-activation potential. That’s using about
a 4RM poundage and doing pure X Reps with partner assistance. It produces extreme semistretch-point overload
and high-threshold activation. We’ll have more on that in a
future IRON MAN and at our Web site X-Rep.com.
Editor s note: Steve Holman is the author of many
bodybuilding best sellers, in
cluding Train, Eat, Grow: The
Positions of Flexion Muscle
Training Manual (see page
78). For information on the
POF videos and Size Surge
programs, see the ad sections
beginning on page 146 and
278, respectively. Also visit
www.X Rep.com. IM
Neveux
Neveux \ Model: Dave Goodin
A: I consider chins better than pulldowns in most cases
because it’s too easy to use your lower back to cheat the
weight down on pulldowns. In fact, if you “hitch” at the bottom of a chin, you actually engage
more lat fibers at the turnaround,
the key fiber-activation spot on
the stroke. (Note: Hitching at the
bottom of chins can be dangerous; you get a better mass-building effect by staying strict and
adding X-Rep partials at that important bottom area of the stroke
at full-range exhaustion.)
However—and this is a big
however—with pulldowns you
can angle your torso to hit the lats
from a slightly different trajectory,
which stresses different lat fibers.
You can’t do that on chins.
So both exercises have advantages and disadvantages,
with the edge going to chins. You say you can do either, so
why not do both? Do overgrip chins for your first midrange
set, with X Reps, then do a set of overgrip pulldowns with
your torso angled back at about 45 degrees, and add X Reps
and/or a Static X. If you’re using 3D Positions-of-Flexion
protocol, you can follow with a set or two of undergrip
pulldowns as your contracted-position exercise and finish
with pullovers for stretch overload.
Neveux \ Model: Tito Raymond
Q: I recently read in one of your articles that
chins are better than pulldowns. But in your e-book
3D Muscle Building you say chins or pulldowns
are both good midrange movements for lats. So
are chins really more effective than machine pulldowns? I train in a commercial gym, so I can do
either, but I want to do the best lat exercise.
Steve Holman
[email protected]
Mr. Natural Olympia John Hansen’s
Naturally Huge
Best Chest
Neveux \ Model: Mike Morris
Full chest
development
requires a
multiangular
training attack.
Q: I’m 6’8” and about 200 pounds—thin and
ripped—but I’m having a tough time packing on
muscle and getting detail in certain areas. I’ve been
working out on and off for about 1 1/2 years and
have a fairly good base, but one area keeps lagging
in size and definition: my chest. I noticed that you
have exactly what I want—a huge, ripped chest.
Yours is one of the better ones I’ve seen on anyone,
including the top pros. The problem with my chest
is that it’s only growing in the middle and it’s not
very wide. Three things would make my chest better:
1) more delineation around the chest muscle, 2) a
lot more outer-lower-pec development and 3) more
upper-pec development—especially middle and
inner regions. Here’s my current chest workout:
Monday
Flat-bench or incline barbell presses
warmup
80 to 90 percent 1RM
70 to 80 percent 1RM
Incline or decline dumbbell presses
Flat-bench or decline flyes
2 x 12-10
3-4 x 4-6
2 x 8-10
3 x 8-10
3 x 10
I do medium to medium-heavy back work supersetted with those exercises on Monday—three
sets of wide-grip pullups, three sets of barbell rows
and three sets of either behind-the-neck pulldowns
or seated cable rows. My back is one of my strong
bodyparts. I train legs on Tuesday, shoulders on
Wednesday and arms on Thursday. On Friday I do
the same chest workout as on Monday, but I add a
few sets of cable crossovers.
A: First of all, thank you for the comments on my chest
development. To be compared to the best pro bodybuilders
is quite a compliment.
I can see you’ve really analyzed your chest development.
That’s important, and it’s something that many bodybuilders don’t do when making up a training program. They
just do exercises that they hear are good for developing a
muscle group.
Now let’s talk about the exercises that are best for developing the areas that you’re concerned about. Many
bodybuilders develop big lower pecs just from doing bench
presses, but others have to do specific lower-pec exercises
like dips or decline presses to develop that area. Dips have
always worked better for me than decline presses or flyes.
Do them bending over at the waist with elbows flared out
wide and going deep to feel the stress in your lower pecs.
Also, rise only three-quarters of the way to keep tension on
your pecs. When I was younger and in my bulking phase, I
used to do dips with a weight belt and strap on an extra 50
to 100 pounds.
Incline flyes with a good contraction at the completion
of each rep will work the inner and middle part of your
upper pecs. Keep the bench at a 30 degree incline to focus
more on your chest. A higher incline will work your front
deltoids more. I also like dumbbell pullovers for chest
development. Doing them at the end of my chest workout
really pumps up my inner-upper pecs. Although the stretch
position of the pullover works the lats more than the chest,
you’ll feel these more in your pecs at the completion, or
top, of the movement.
As for the line defining the pecs, that’s basically the outer
portion. When the outer part of the chest is developed from
the top to the bottom, a distinct line separates the pecs
from the rest of the torso. I see from your training routine
that you include dumbbell flyes regularly, and that’s the
best exercise for building the outer pecs. Follow Arnold’s
lead, as I do, and keep your feet off the floor, which helps
put more stress on the pecs. Maintain a slight bend at your
elbows, lower the ’bells even with the bench, and then
bring them up in a wide arc, beginning another rep when
there’s approximately 10 inches between the dumbbells.
That keeps your pecs under constant tension and builds
more mass in the outer pecs.
I notice that you do a lot of sets of either incline presses
or bench presses. Since the middle part of your chest is
more developed than other areas, you should concentrate
on other exercises. Bench presses will continue to build
that part of your chest more, and it will remain out of proportion to your upper and lower pecs.
I also think you’d be better off doing your chest workout by itself instead of supersetting it with back work. I
used to do chest/back supersets all the time when I was
younger, and it’s a great routine for getting an awesome
pump throughout the whole upper body; however, when
you have one strong bodypart and you superset it with a
weaker bodypart, the stronger and more responsive muscle
group usually gets the better pump than the struggling one.
For that reason I think you should do your chest workout
before your back workout to prioritize chest.
Here’s the routine I recommend for your chest workouts:
Monday
Incline barbell presses
Flat-bench flyes
Dips
4 x 10, 8, 6, 6
3 x 10, 8, 6
3 x 10, 8, 6
3 x 10, 8, 6
3 x 8, 6, 6
2-3 x 6-8
2-3 x 8-10
Q: You must get this question all the time, but I’d
like to know the best way to gain muscle mass. I
only weigh 144 pounds, and I have a very fast metabolism. I’ve been trying to gain muscle and get my
weight up to 180. Any advice?
A: I could (and should) write a longer article on how to
gain muscle mass. It’s probably the number-one question
among bodybuilders because bodybuilding is all about
getting big and putting on more muscle. The basic rules for
building muscle are to use the best exercises for the right
number of
sets and
reps. I gave a
seminar on
the subject
at the ’07
FitExpo in
Pasadena,
California,
in February because
many bodybuilders are
Hansen at his confused
mass seminar about the
at the FitExpo. best way
to design
a training
routine that will build muscle.
You need to use the basic exercises—such as bench
presses, incline presses, squats, deadlifts, barbell rows,
military presses, dips, barbell curls, stiff-legged deadlifts
and calf raises—for six to eight reps. Lower reps will build
thicker muscle fibers as well as strength. For a guy who’s
thin and trying to get bigger, that’s key.
It’s also important not to overtrain. Doing too many sets
will prevent the body from growing to its maximum potential. As I discussed in my seminar, anyone trying to add
more mass should limit the total number of sets in a workout to about 25. If you were training four days a week using
a two-day split, you could do the following routine:
Workout 1: Monday and Thursday
Barbell bench presses
Incline barbell presses
Dumbbell flyes
Wide-grip chins
Barbell rows
Deadlifts
Military presses
Upright rows
Incline situps
Total number of sets: 25
3 sets
3 sets
2 sets
3 sets
3 sets
3 sets
3 sets
3 sets
2 sets
Workout 2: Tuesday and Friday
Incline leg raises
Squats
Leg presses
Leg curls
Close-grip bench presses
Dips
Barbell curls
Total number of sets:
2 sets
4 sets
3 sets
3 sets
3 sets
3 sets
3 sets
2 sets
3 sets
26
Nutrition is also crucial. If you have a very fast metabolism, you need more calories. Exactly how many you need
is an individual matter. When I was 21 years old and trying
to bulk up, I needed to eat an average of 5,000 calories a
day.
You want to eat plenty of protein because protein rebuilds the muscle after training. Shoot for about 1.25 to 1.5
grams of protein for each pound of bodyweight. In your
case, you should try to eat 180 to 216 grams of protein each
day. It would be a mistake for you to eat low-fat protein
foods such as egg whites, fish and chicken. Go for more fat
with your protein—eggs, milk and red meats, such as sirloin steak and lean ground beef. You need that to get more
calories.
In addition to the protein, you need to eat lots of complex carbs. Carbohydrate foods like oatmeal, potatoes,
rice, pasta and bread are ideal for providing your muscles
with the energy they need to fuel your heavy workouts. You
should be eating at least two grams of carbs for each pound
of bodyweight. In your situation, I would recommend
nearly 300 grams of carbs per day to add more muscle
mass.
If you follow these basic rules, you’ll be on your way to
building more muscle. You just have to train hard and eat
consistently and never give up. Even if your gains are slower than you’d like, as long as you’re making progress each
month, you’ll eventually get to your goal weight of 180.
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.natural
olympia.com. You
can write to him
at P.O. Box 3003,
Darien, IL 60561,
or call toll-free
(800) 900-UNIV
(8648). His new
book, Natural
Bodybuilding, and
new training DVD,
“Real Muscle,”
are now available
from Home Gym
Warehouse, (800)
447-0008 or www
.Home-Gymcom.
IM
John Hansen
Neveux
Thursday
Dumbbell bench presses
Incline dumbbell bench presses
Superset
Decline dumbbell flyes
Dips
[email protected]
Things You May Not
Know About the Popular
Power Supplement—and
How to Take It
veux \ Model: Dave Fisher
by Jerry Brainum
frequent criticism of many
food supplements is that
they’re marketed with little
or no scientific proof to
back commercial claims.
You can’t say that about creatine. An
estimated 70 percent of published
studies about the ergogenic effect of
creatine are positive. Since it came
on the market in 1993, creatine has
become one of the most popular—
perhaps the most popular—sports
supplements. And yet it’s still
surrounded by misconceptions and
myths.
Neveux \ Model: Steve Namat
Many, for example, think that
creatine was unknown prior to its
introduction to the athletic world in
the early 1990s. In fact, creatine was
discovered back in 1832, although
its mechanisms were not fully appreciated until a century later. The
first evidence that creatine has
something to do with exercise occurred in 1847, when active foxes
were found to contain 10 times
more creatine in their bodies than
inactive animals.
We may have beaten the Russians
to the moon in 1969, but they were
already giving creatine to their elite
athletes that year. The pioneering
studies about the ergogenic effects
of creatine were published by a
Russian scientist named Olexander
Palladin in 1916.1 He showed that
the amount of creatine in muscle
has a direct relation to exercise. He
also found that fast-twitch muscle
fibers, the ones most linked to
muscle growth, contain the highest
amounts of creatine. In 1937 Pallidin predicted that a full understanding of creatine biochemistry would
enhance athletic performance.
The Soviet government sponsored research on creatine, finding
that it improved the running times
of sprinters and others engaged
in high-intensity exercise. Soviet
athletes got small vials containing
creatine phosphate, which they took
prior to competition.
What Is Creatine?
Creatine is a by-product of amino
acid metabolism, synthesized in
the liver, kidneys and pancreas
from the amino acid precursors
arginine, methionine and glycine.
The body synthesizes about a gram
a day of creatine, and most people,
especially those who eat red meat,
get another gram a day from food.
Studies show that 95 percent of
creatine in the body is stored in
skeletal muscle, with the remaining
5 percent distributed in the brain,
liver, kidneys and testes.The average
150-pound man’s body contains 120
grams, or about a quarter pound, of
creatine.
Thyroid hormone, growth hormone and testosterone are among
the factors that regulate creatine
synthesis. Thyroid hormone
produces a threefold increase in
creatine content, while insulinlike growth factor 1 (produced by
growth hormone stimulation in the
liver) increases creatine by 40 to 60
Creatine may
cause water
retention;
however, one
solution is to
avoid creatine
loading.
percent.2 A study published in 2000
found that when six subjects took 20
grams of creatine, growth hormone
release rose by 83 percent, mainly
during the last four hours of the experiment.3 In a later study, creatine
didn’t add any hormonal effects to a
weight-training session.4 More recent evidence, however, shows that
using creatine supplements, when
combined with exercise, increases
the activity of IGF-1, which has
anabolic effects in muscle.5
To Load or
Not to Load?
Studies published in the early
1990s showed that the best protocol for loading the muscles with
creatine was to take five grams five
times a day for five to six days in a
row. Once the initial loading period
ended, the suggested dose was three
to five grams daily to top off creatine
stores and keep the muscles loaded.
A more specific loading protocol
based on bodyweight suggests an
intake of 0.3 grams of creatine per
kilogram (2.2 pounds) of bodyweight, followed by a maintenance
dose of 0.03 grams per kilogram of
bodyweight. In a 200-pound man
that translates to a loading dose
of 27 grams daily in divided doses
for five days, followed by a maintenance dose of 2.7 grams a day
(about half a teaspoon).
Later studies suggested that taking a creatine supplement with
simple sugars would lead to a
higher absorption and retention
rate. The theory was that insulin
release triggered the activity of the
creatine transporter protein, or CTP,
which determined creatine uptake.
Achieving that, however, required a
much higher than usual secretion of
insulin. You had to eat 95 grams of
simple sugars with creatine at least
four times daily, to the tune of at
least 1,400 additional calories.
Later studies found that the insulin effect on creatine uptake was
short-lived, lasting only about one
day. Other research showed that
even the much vaunted creatine
load system wasn’t all that effective. After 48 hours on a load most
subjects were excreting 60 percent
or more of their creatine intake. One
study found that taking 50 grams of
protein and 50 grams of carbohydrate with creatine led to the kind
of muscle-creatine increases you
get from eating 100 grams of simple
carbs with the creatine.
Still later studies found that
taking only five grams a day, or a
teaspoon, of creatine for 30 days
brought about the same muscle
loading as the five-day high-dose
load system. The advantage of the
longer and lower-dose intake was
that less creatine was broken down
to its immediate metabolite, creatinine, than on the high-load system.
The usual recommendation now
is to avoid loading creatine, unless
you have an imminent competition
featuring anaerobic metabolism,
such as sprinting.
Some research shows that caffeine interferes with the ergogenic
benefits of creatine, so it may be a
good idea to avoid taking creatine
supplements with caffeine-containing beverages like coffee. On the
other hand, creatine doesn’t block
the ergogenic effects of caffeine. The
early studies showing creatine effectiveness delivered creatine dissolved
in hot tea, which contains caffeine,
with no apparent ill effect. Other
evidence shows that taking creatine
with lipoic acid may increase creatine uptake.
Once the muscles are loaded
with creatine, they stay loaded
for a month, even without more
supplementation. After that creatine
levels return to baseline. So if you
cycle creatine, take it for about two
months, laying off for at least five
weeks before beginning another
cycle.
Insulin and Uptake
Few realize that the creatine
transport protein and not insulin
is the primary impetus for creatine
muscle uptake. CTP is powered by
a mechanism known as the sodium
pump. That doesn’t mean it’s better
to take creatine with sodium than
carbs, for normal food intake easily
regulates the sodium balance of the
pump mechanism.
A more practical technique is
to take creatine with a fast-acting
protein, such as whey. Whey is rich
in several amino acids that provoke
an insulin response. That’s why a
whey-and-simple-carb combination
is often suggested for posttraining
recuperation. The combined ef(continued on page 102)
fect of whey
Studies
show that
95 percent
of creatine
in the body
is stored
in skeletal
muscle.
(continued from page 96) and carbs
provides a greater insulin response
than either taken alone. The increased insulin release that results
leads to more muscle glycogen and
protein synthesis following training. Adding creatine to a moderate
intake of simple carbs, coupled with
whey, stimulates CTP activity. As
discussed recently in IRON MAN,
research by Australian scientist Paul
Cribb showed that taking in a combination of whey and creatine prior
to and following training doubled
the rate of muscle gains compared
to a placebo.
Don’t be fooled by ads implying
that certain creatine supplements
increase blood creatine. How much
is in the blood is irrelevant. What
matters is how much is absorbed
into muscle, and that’s determined
by CTP. Various newer forms of creatine supplements, such as creatine
ethyl ester, creatine alpha-ketoglutarate, creatine gluconate, creatine
methyl ester and tricreatine orotate,
all claim superior absorption and
uptake over creatine monohydrate.
Some new version of creatine may
well prove superior to creatine
monohydrate, but independent
research has yet to prove that.
Remember, the most trustworthy research is produced by independent
researchers with no financial link to
the product.
Some creatine delivery systems
are better than others. While gastrointestinal distress, such as bloating
and gas, is rare with creatine use,
some people are more sensitive
than others. Using a product that
contains either effervescent or micronized creatine—meaning it has
smaller particles—may decrease
such problems. Some liquid forms
of creatine supplements claim not
only fewer potential side effects
but also greater absorption rates. In
fact, these formulas contain mostly
creatinine, the useless by-product
of creatine breakdown. One product
that claimed to provide 250 milligrams per dose of creatine actually contained only 27 milligrams,
or about 10 percent of the stated
dosage, according to an analysis
published by ConsumerLab.com.
ConsumerLab found that most
other commercial creatine products
were free of contaminants and did
contain the potency stated on the
label.
The body
synthesizes
about a
gram a day
of creatine.
Meat eaters
can get
another
gram a day
from food.
Keep in mind that when you’re
taking even one teaspoon—five
grams—of creatine, you’re getting some five times more than
your body normally synthesizes.
The body detects the additional
creatine and responds by shutting down its own production. In
a study of 16 healthy young men
who took a 20-gram loading dose
of creatine for a week followed by
a maintenance dose of five grams
for 19 more weeks, the precursor
substances for creatine synthesis
in the body declined by 50 percent
after the loading phase and 30 percent throughout the maintenance
phase.6 Since the precursor substances of creatine synthesis are
downgraded, there’s more arginine
in the system. Arginine, the primary
amino acid for creatine synthesis, is
a useful factor in urea production,
but it can also convert into two substances that can cause convulsions.
Fortunately, that doesn’t seem to
happen with creatine supplementation. The added arginine your system gets is applied to the synthesis
of nitric oxide.
Creatine Controversies
Several coaches have gone on
record as saying that since the
long-term health effects of creatine
aren’t established, it’s premature for
athletes to use it. They cite reports
of side effects, including muscle
cramps, dehydration, kidney disease—even cancer.
Most side effects linked to
creatine have not showed up in
controlled studies that evaluated
creatine safety. On the other hand,
water retention is a common side
effect of high-dose creatine loading. It’s usually temporary but can
add four to 12 pounds in many
users. That may cause some of the
above-mentioned side effects. One
solution is to avoid creatine loading—which isn’t effective after two
days anyway.
Besides the minor side effects
associated with creatine—often
related to something else, such as
dehydration—some more serious
side effects have been published in
the medical literature. They include
seizures and atrial fibrillation, a
heart rhythm disturbance. Those
Neveux \ Model: Daniele Seccarecci
Neveux \ Model: Buster
Creatine has
anti-aging
effects,
including
protection
from free
radicals,
which can
help skin
cells.
cases, however, often involve just
a single person and may therefore
represent an idiosyncratic reaction,
considering how many others take
creatine supplements without incident.
To be safe, it’s best to stay hydrated while you’re on creatine
supplements. That means ensuring
that you drink sufficient fluid during
the course of a day, especially when
you’re training. That should prevent
muscle cramps, strain and dehydration.
In 2001 France’s equivalent of
the Food and Drug Administration
issued a report indicating that creatine is a carcinogen, or substance
capable of causing cancer. The assertion was based on two products
created when creatine was heated,
both of which are known carcinogens. One of the substances was
activated by the presence of nitrates
in the stomach. Nitrates (used as
preservatives in some kinds of meat)
can form mutagens when combined
with creatine by-products. But the
reaction is completely curtailed by
the presence of vitamins C or E.
Besides, few athletes eat enough
nitrates to trigger that problem, and
the amount produced naturally in
the body is also too small to have
any significant effect.7
The other alleged dangerous substance isn’t produced in amounts
that could cause health problems.
Besides, the studies that identified
the problem were in vitro, or test
tube, studies, so the effect itself is
theoretical. It appears only under
conditions of high temperature in
cooked meat. So if you don’t cook
your creatine supplements under
high temperature conditions, you
have little to fear.
One synthetic analog of creatine,
called cyclocreatine, is known to
shrink tumors by displacing creatine
in tumor cells. Tumors synthesize
creatine as an energy source for
replication, though creatine itself is
known to shrink tumors. A notable
side effect of cyclocreatine is muscle
weakness and mental problems,
since it provides no actual creatine
energetic activity.
Creatine: For the
Health of It
Creatine provides likely health
benefits beyond normal energy production. Many diseases result from
out-of-control oxidation reactions
in the body,
Neveux \ Model: Hisashi Kamisawa
(continued on from page 105) including cancer and cardiovascular and
brain diseases. Creatine provides
some direct antioxidant activity, especially against a noxious free radical called the hydroxy radical, which
is implicated in many diseases.8
Another recent study showed that
by maintaining the energy production of skin cells, creatine may help
prevent skin aging and help protect
the skin from damaging ultraviolet
rays.9
The synthetic production of
creatine yields a number of byproducts, one of which is related
to cyanide, a deadly poison. They
include creatinine, dicyandamide,
dihydrotrianzines and even arsenic,
another poison. The by-products
are removed during the processing
of creatine supplements, though it’s
hard to tell how much may remain
in any particular supplement. Generally, supplements manufactured
in the United States and Germany
have a strong reputation—a high
grade of creatine with no known
impurities. One author a few years
ago suggested that anyone contemplating the use of a creatine product
should first contact the manufacturer to obtain a certificate of quality control.
The side effect most often linked
to creatine relates to its effect on
kidney function. Some isolated
reports of kidney failure in creatine
users have led to the notion that
creatine is toxic to the kidneys.
That’s been investigated and debunked by a number of researchers.
It turned out that those who experienced kidney-related side effects
after creatine use had prior kidney
problems.
Can creatine cause kidney problems? The major by-product of
creatine metabolism, creatinine, is
a minor irritant of the kidneys. On
In 1847, active foxes were
found to contain 10 times more
creatine in their bodies than
inactive animals.
One study
showed
that growth
hormone
release
rose by 83
percent
with
creatine
use.
the other hand, with normal kidney
function and copious fluid intake,
the body has no problems handling
creatinine, even the higher than
usual levels that are produced by
creatine supplementation. Interestingly, much renal pathology is
related to oxidative reactions, and
creatinine, like creatine, has some
antioxidant properties, thus possibly helping protect the kidneys.
Creatine has even been given to
people on dialysis—who already
have kidney failure.10
Creatine also may help prevent
disease by lowering levels of homocysteine, a toxic metabolite of the
amino acid methionine. Homocysteine is implicated in such varied
diseases as cancer, Alzheimer’s
disease and heart disease. Using
supplemental creatine lowers blood
levels of homocysteine by an average of 27 percent.
Creatine has shown preliminary
value in the treatment of various
neuromuscular disorders, including muscular dystrophy and
amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or
Lou Gehrig’s disease. It stabilizes
mitochondria, the portion of the cell
where energy is created. Mitochondrial dysfunction leads to cellular
failure. One review even stated that
“the neuroprotective role of creatine
may be more relevant for mankind
than the effect on muscle performances.”
Creatine on the Brain
The brain loads creatine, just as
muscles do, and in the brain creatine helps maintain energy reactions, as it does in muscle.12 The
level of creatine in the brain is related to the protection against various
brain diseases. Through maintaining the vital energy production in
the brain, creatine helps protect
the brain against traumatic injury.13
One study showed that giving rats
and mice creatine before they were
subjected to brain injury led to 50
percent and 36 percent less injury,
respectively.
Creatine may also help the brain
work better. In one study, 45 adult
vegetarians who took five grams a
day experienced improved memory
and decreased mental fatigue. Other
studies show that creatine helps
prevent the negative effects of sleep
deprivation.14 Another found that
creatine in the brain appears to help
regulate appetite and weight. Without creatine, appetite declines.15
Some ads say that creatine
monohydrate, the most common
supplemental form, is mostly degraded into creatinine in the harsh
acidic conditions of the stomach.
Curiously, no references are ever
provided for claims like that. In fact,
orally taken creatine monohydrate
is 99 percent absorbed. A study with
human subjects found that blood
creatine peaks after 2 1/2 hours following oral intake. While some creatine is converted into creatinine,
the amount is considered negligible
during the first six hours.16 Common
sense dictates that if the alleged
Some studies suggest that
caffeine may interfere with
creatine absorption.
Creatine helps protect the
brain and may help it work
better.
creatine reaction in the stomach occurred to any significant degree, creatine would provide no benefits at
all. That’s belied by the vast research
base confirming the effectiveness of
creatine supplementation.
Most important from a bodybuilding standpoint is whether the
gains that accrue from creatine
use are merely water or actual lean
mass. While creatine is known to
produce water retention, especially
following a loading phase, some
evidence does point to definite
anabolic effects. One study, for
example, showed that creatine use
after training amplified the activity
Neveux \ Model: Hidetada Yamagishi
Studies show
that creatine
blunts the
catabolic
effects of
cortisol, the
hormone that
increases due
to stress.
Stacking creatine
with your
postworkout
shake—which
should contain
whey and simple
carbs— is ideal,
as your muscles
are more
receptive after a
workout.
of satellite cells, which are stem cells
required for both muscle repair and
growth.17 Other studies show that
creatine blunts the catabolic effects of cortisol on muscle.18 Those
two effects alone would encourage
muscle growth. Other studies suggest that creatine may help increase
muscle protein synthesis, possibly
by promoting a cellular hydration,
which signals anabolic effects in
muscle; that’s a hypothesis based on
Simple sugar is believed to
increase creatine absorption,
but it takes 95 grams of simple
sugar taken with creatine four
times a day to get that effect—
that’s about 1,400 additional
calories.
creatine’s water-retention properties.
While the primary function of
creatine is to provide a backup for
maintaining ATP (the immediate
cellular energy source) activity in
cells, it also provides many health
benefits that extend beyond its
usual function.
References
1 Kalinski, M.I. (2003). Statesponsored research on creatine
supplements and blood doping in
elite Soviet sport. Pers Biol Med.
46:445-51.
2 Persky, A., et al. (2001). Clinical
pharmacology of the dietary
supplement creatine monohydrate.
Pharm Rev. 53:161-76.
3 Schedel, I.M., et al. (2000). Acute
creatine loading enhances human
growth hormone secretion. J Sports
Med Phys Fitness. 40:336-42.
4 Eijnde, B., et al. (2001). Shortterm creatine supplementation does
not alter the hormonal response to
resistance training. Med Sci Sports
Exer. 33:449-53.
5 Deldicque, L., et al. (2005).
Increased IGF mRNA in human
skeletal muscle after creatine
supplementation. Med Sci Sports
Exer. 37:731-736.
6 Derave, W., et al. (2004). Plasma
guanidino compounds are altered
by oral creatine supplementation
in healthy humans. J App Physiol.
97:852-857.
7 Derave, W., et al. (2007). Oral
creatine supplementation in
humans does not elevate urinary
excretion of the carcinogen Nnitrosarcosine. Nutrition. In press.
We may have beaten the
Russians to the moon in
1969, but they were already
giving creatine to their elite
athletes that year. They found
that fast-twitch muscle fibers
contain the highest amounts of
creatine.
8 Sestili, P., et al. (2007).
Creatine supplementation affords
cytoprotection in oxidatively
injured cultured mammalian cells
via direct antioxidant activity. Free
Rad Biol Med. In press.
9 Lenz, H., et al. (2005). The
creatine kinase system in human
skin: Protective effects of creatine
against oxidative and UV damage
in vitro and in vivo. J Invest
Dermatol. 124:443-452.
10 Poortmans, J., et al. (2000).
Adverse effects of creatine
supplementation: Fact or fiction?
Sports Med. 30:155-170.
11 Wyss, M., et al. (2002). Health
implications of creatine: Can oral
creatine supplementation protect
against neurological and atherosclerotic disease? Neuroscience.
112:243-60.
12 Dechent, P., et al. Increase of
total creatine in human brain after
oral supplementation of creatine
monohydrate. Am J Physiol. 277:
R698-R704.
13 Sullivan, P., et al. (2000). Dietary supplement creatine protects
against traumatic brain injury. Ann
Neurol. 48:723-29.
14 McMorris, T., et al. (2006). Effect of creatine supplementation
and sleep deprivation, with mild
exercise, on cognitive and psychomotor performance, mood state,
and plasma concentrations of
catecholamines and cortisol. Psychopharmacology. 185:93-103.
15 Galbraith, R., et al. (2006).
Possible role of creatine concentrations in the brain in regulating
appetite and weight. Brain Res.
1101:85-91.
16 Schedel, J.M., et al. (1999).
Acute creatine ingestion in humans: consequences on serum
creatine and creatinine concentrations. Life Sciences. 65:2463-2470.
17 Olsen, S., et al. (2006). Creatine
supplementation augments the
increase in satellite cell and myonuclei number in human skeletal
muscle induced by strength training. J Physiol. 573:525-34.
18 Menezes, L., et al. (2006). Creatine supplementation attenuates
corticosteroid-induced muscle
wasting and impairment of exercise performance in rats. J Appl
Physiol. In press. IM
Creatine,
when
combined
with
exercise,
increases
the activity
of insulinlike
growth
factor 1.
Craig Titus is currently
being held on suspicion
of murder charges.
All Great Athletes Are Not Great Role Models
Model: Craig Titus
by Ron Harris Photography by Michael Neveux
fter a fruitful off-season in which
I’d built some good size and
strength, it was time to lean
out for the summer and, more
important, for my contest in
September. That meant that
cardio, which had been minimal during those cold months of heavy lifting
and stuffing my face with obscene amounts of
food, was back as a regular part of my workout
regimen. Randy, my protégé and copycat, was
also doing cardio. Of course, his only motivation was to, and I quote, make all the babes
drool over my six-pack at Hampton Beach this
summer. I’ll be sure to bring some Kleenex
along and walk 10 steps behind him, dabbing
away at all the excess saliva on the chins of his
female admirers.
Randy preferred to walk fast on the treadmill; I like the Precor elliptical runner, as it s
easier on my knees. The two are right next
to each other in my gym. We re also differ
ent when it comes to what we do while we
perform our cardio. I put my headphones on
and blast my MP3 player, with plenty of tunes
from bands like Disturbed, Marilyn Manson
and Godsmack. There may also be some tracks
from less macho musicians, such as Avril Levigne and Britney Spears, but you don t need to
know that. Randy prefers to read, and his gym
bag is always full of dog-eared bodybuilding
magazine he pores over as he sweats and burns
fat.
Episode 23
To each his own would normally be the case,
but not with Randy and his magazines. He s
never content to merely read them; he also feels
the need to engage me in discussions about
every little thing on the pages before him. It s
the same thing every time. He calls my name,
and I ignore him, pretending I can t hear him
over my headphones. That buys me only about
two seconds of peace before he taps me on
the shoulder. Sighing to show that I’d much
rather be listening to good tunes than debating someone s calf routine or whether beef is
a better protein source than chicken, I remove
the headphones from the ear facing him and
say, What?”
Today he was really eager to talk, which had
to mean he d been looking over the latest gossip and news items about the pro bodybuilders. “Did you hear about (blank)? He just got
busted again for receiving steroids from China
in the mail! And (blank) just got out of jail for
steroids.
He flipped a few more pages in the gossip
section. “(Blank) just left his wife and kids,
and now he s with this bimbo fitness pro, he
continued, and online last night they were
talking about how (blank) looked so bad at his
last show because he s a big Nubain addict. Can
you believe these frigging guys?” Clearly, he was
waiting for some reaction from me and said the
last with genuine disgust: “Some role models
they are. Doesn t it piss you off?”
“No, I honestly don t (continued on page 120)
You need to separate the physiques
of these men and the hard work
that went into them from what
they do in their private lives.
(continued from page 117) even care
Randy actually watched
professional
sports and was
somewhat of
a fan when it
came down to
playoffs. “Does
what Kobe does
in his personal life off the
court make his
Just as in any cross section of the population,
achievements
you will always have a few who are into criminal
and skills on
the court any less activity.
“And why is that? It’s because it’s
impressive? Was he a better player
the only sport where most of the fans
when you thought he was a Boy
are trying to be stars themselves.
Scout?
How many guys watch baseball and
“Let’s broaden the scope. There
then spend two hours a day, six days
have been plenty of brilliant people
with drug problems through history. a week practicing so they can be the
next Barry Bonds? Because most
bodybuilding fans are trying to look
No matter who the
like their idols in the IFBB, they try
bodybuilder is,
to emulate them down to the last
you can still draw
detail.”
Randy tossed the magazine to the
inspiration from
floor. He wasn’t paying attention
his physique and
and almost hit the leg of the woman
dedication.
on the treadmill next to us. Luckily
she was so entranced reading the
subtitles on the TV monitor showing
Regis and Kelly that she didn’t notice.
“Okay then, so see what I mean
how these guys are letting us down
getting into legal problems and
everything?”
“Look, you can train the way these
guys train and eat the way they eat,
but it has to end there. If Jay Cutler
buys a lime-green Mercedes Benz
and enjoys foreign films, does that
mean you have to?”
Model: Ron Harris
anymore.”
Randy was mortified. “How can
you say that? We’re supposed to look
up to these guys! They’re professional athletes, aren’t they?” The kid
was on a holy roll.
“Yes, they are,” I said. “Which
means what? That they’re exceptional at their chosen sport. Nothing
more, nothing less. Charles Barkley
said, ‘I’m not a role model,’ and
I think that was one of the most
genuine and meaningful statements
to ever come out of an athlete’s
mouth.”
“Yeah, but...” Randy trailed off. He
didn’t really have any rebuttal.
“Randy, look at something like
the Kobe Bryant incident.” I knew
that would work because unlike me,
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Freud
were both addicted to cocaine.”
“Sir Arthur who? What did he do,
invent the Conan the Barbarian
character?” At least he knew who
Sigmund Freud was—I hope.
“Okay, let’s make it easier. There
have been many famous rock stars
and musicians who struggled with
alcoholism and drug addiction. But
you still love and appreciate their
music. Hemingway was one of the
greatest writers of the 20th century
and also happened to be an incorrigible drunk and a suicide. Is anything getting through to you yet?”
“Not really. Bodybuilders are supposed to be role models, at least
more than those other types of famous people.”
Not many fans watch
baseball or football and
then spend two hours
a day, six days a week
practicing so they can
be the next Barry Bonds
or Peyton Manning.
I train hard and eat right and do my
best to show as many people as I can
how they can do it too, but I’m not
an angel. I’m just a human being like
anyone else, with my good and bad
points. If some people want to consider me a role model because I have
a wife and kids, am somewhat successful in my industry and stay out
of trouble, fine. I’d never stand up on
a pedestal, though, and proclaim my
perfection to the world. Every single
one of us has faults and makes mistakes, but when you’re in the public
eye as a professional athlete, the
whole world knows about them.”
I looked down at the display on
my machine. Thirty-two minutes,
and only 410 calories. If I’d been
rocking out to my music, I would
“I work at a Ford dealership,”
Randy reminded me. “And foreign
films? They make movies in other
countries or something?”
“You’re missing the point. You
need to separate the physiques of
these men and the hard work that
went into them from what they do
in their private lives.”
Randy snorted. “Yeah, because
they’re a bunch of degenerates these
days.”
“That’s not true at all. I know
plenty of top amateur and pro body-
You shouldn’t try
to emulate your
athletic heroes
down to the last
detail of their lives.
builders, and at least 90 percent of
them are solid, upstanding men and
women with integrity and character.
I’m not saying they all have halos
gleaming around their heads, but
they are good, decent people. But
bodybuilders are human beings.
Just as in any cross section of the
population, you will always have
a few who are into drugs, criminal
activities, who are violent, whatever the case may be. That doesn’t
mean you can’t look at their photos
in a magazine or on the Internet
and draw inspiration from them. It
doesn’t mean that
they have nothing
to offer when it
comes to showing
the rest of us how
to train hard and
eat right. I know it’s
very hard to look
past the lurid gossip and appreciate
what those men
and women have
done and continue
to do as athletes,
but you really need
to try.”
Randy was pensive. He looked
over cautiously.
“What about you,
Ron—you’re not a
role model?”
That’s a question
I’m never comfortable answering.
“You know what?” I
said. “I don’t know.
Bertil Fox, convicted
murderer, great physique.
have kept a faster pace and would
have been up over 500 by this point.
I scowled, considered telling Randy,
but said nothing. Randy was now
watching Regis and Kelly with his
mouth hanging open; the Olsen
twins were the guests.
“Jailbait,” I said.
“Nah, they turned 18, dude.”
“You doing okay at work, selling
some cars?”
“Yeah,” he replied, only half paying attention.
Something caught my eye in the
newspaper someone had left on
the machine next to me. “Best Buy
is having a big sale on MP3 players
starting today,” I told him. “I think
you should go and pick one up immediately.” IM
Stepping Into Dante’s DoggCrapp Workouts
by Mark Subsinsky - Photography by Michael Neveux
One thing I’ve noticed while surfing the Internet
is a lot of bodybuilding discussion on D.C., or
DoggCrapp, training. I initially tried the standard
multirep rest/pause formula based on what was
available in posts on message boards, but as with
any training system, it needed some tinkering to
fit my needs.
What follows is my take on D.C. training,
focusing on the things I’ve found that I liked and
exploited to my advantage. What I did may differ
from what others consider “pure” D.C. training.
Bodybuilding.com
Presents
INCLINE PRESSES
The Basics
DoggCrapp is the brainchild of
Dante Bautista, and bodybuilders
appear to have a love/hate relationship with his training philosophy—people either love it or hate
it. There’s very little middle ground.
I’m not sure why because the training style really isn’t that radical. It’s
multirep rest/pause; that is, you
take a weight you can get about 10
reps with. You do a set to failure,
rest 20 seconds, do a second set to
failure, rest 20 seconds, and then do
a third and final set to failure. Reps
decrease on each succeeding set.
Is D.C. training effective? Yes. I’ve
made significant gains in strength,
size and weight.
Is D.C. training tough to follow?
That depends. If you haven’t
trained with much intensity in the
past, then it’s a difficult system. If
you’re a novice trainee, I don’t recommend it. If you’ve been training
for more than a couple of years,
then D.C. isn’t that difficult to follow.
Is the D.C. training system the
best method of training?
Let’s save the answer to that one
for the end.
The Program
Although I’m not an authority on
D.C. training, I have enough experience to provide my interpretation
and my adaptation. If you really
want the true training and diet program, go directly to Dante or one of
his trainers.
D.C. is based on the often-neglected overload principle and rest/
pause, which enables you to recruit
a maximum amount of muscle
SHRUGS
Model: Nathan Detracy
PUSHDOWNS
fibers to accomplish the work.
As I said, it’s three sets with the
same weight separated by 20 seconds of rest. I use 12 to 15 deep
breaths between sets. For the entire set, you should be performing
anywhere from 10 to 25 total repetitions. The set could look something
like this: nine reps, four reps, two
reps. For most exercises, I preferred
a higher rep total—13 to 18.
Notice that you use both low and
high repetitions. Combining the
two in a workout stimulates both
muscular growth and strength
improvement.
D.C. training also limits the
number of working sets per muscle
group—one or two exercises in the
multirep rest/pause fashion and
an extreme stretch. Static holds
are also an effective addition at the
more advanced stages, but I used
those sparingly.
The low volume of work enables
faster recuperation and a shorter
turnaround time between workouts. You can train the whole body
over two workouts, and the system
is typically set up with sessions on
Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
So every bodypart is worked twice
every eight days.
Intensity must be high. D.C.
training has a Mentzeresque or
Yates-like training feel to it—a
limited number of sets to maximum
intensity. As in other high-intensity
programs, dense muscularity is a
common result.
Important Aspects
Three other important aspects
to the program are exercise rotation, record keeping and breaks in
training. None of those are all that
radical.
Exercise rotation. The program
is set up with a three-workout rotation. Each of these three workouts
has distinct exercises. The rotation
would be A1, B1, A2, B2, A3, B3, A1,
B1 and so on, with A being the first
half of the body and B being the
other half.
Training journal. The idea
behind keeping a journal is that
more work must be performed in
Bodybuilding.com
Presents
Model: Michael Semanoff
CABLE ROWS
program. To start I used a three-day
split because of my time constraints
and recovery ability. My commitments outside the gym often take
precedence over workouts. I found
that the two-day split required too
much time at each session. Generally, the three days I lifted were
nonconsecutive and varied based
on my work schedule.
Another reason for splitting my
bodyparts into three sessions: Although I used a limited number of
working sets, I still needed adequate
warmups. Coupled with some cooldown after the workout and recovery between sets, the two-day-split
MACHINE SQUATS
each successive workout, and writing down your exercises, weights and
reps lets you see how you’re doing.
For example, if you did bench
presses and got 12 total repetitions
with 315 pounds in your first A1
workout, you should do more repetitions with the same weight or use
more weight the next time you perform an A1 workout.
You should make progress each
time you train. The exercise rotation
provides a natural break of roughly
12 days from the first performance of
an exercise to its next performance.
That should be ample time to recover, grow and overcompensate,
thus enabling you to get more reps
or increase the weight.
Training breaks.
The break, or cruising, as
Dante calls it, gives your
joints, tendons and central
nervous system time to recover. I was taking a week
off from lifting roughly
every 10 weeks. During the
week off, I usually did one
or two light weight-training sessions, no exercises
to failure.
Customization
As mentioned earlier,
I deviated from the basic
LATERAL RAISES
workouts were taking roughly 90
minutes to finish—too long for me.
With a three-way split, I was in
and out of the gym in roughly an
hour. I adapted an exercise schedule
and split more to my liking:
Model: Sagi Kalev
Round 1
A1: Chest, delts, triceps
Incline presses, lateral raises,
rear lateral raises, close-grip bench
presses
A2: Back, traps, biceps
Rows, undergrip pulldowns,
shrugs, barbell curls
A3: Legs
PRESSES
Seated leg curls, seated calf raises, squats
Round 2
posterior heads, so I added some.
I also included some direct trapezius work, which I did on back days
when I didn’t deadlift.
For most dumbbell work,
namely, lateral and curl exercises, I
often reduced the poundage—drop
sets—instead of keeping the weight
the same. The reason was to reduce
the possibility of injury. I found it
unwise to use exercises like lateral
B1: Chest, delts, triceps
Bench presses, seated Arnold
presses, rope pushdowns
B2: Back, traps, biceps
Pulldowns, cable rows, shrugs,
preacher curls
B3: Legs
Standing calf raises, hack squats,
adductor maSTANDING CALF RAISES
chine, lying leg
curls
Round 3
C1: Chest,
delts, triceps
Hammer
incline presses,
seated overhead
presses, dips
C2: Back,
traps, biceps
EZ-curl-bar
curls, Zottman
curls, chins,
deadlifts
C3: Legs
Stiff-legged
deadlifts, leg
press calf raises,
leg presses
I changed a
couple of things.
The program
didn’t include
much direct
deltoid work for
the medial and
Bodybuilding.com
Presents
(continued from page 131) raises for
EZ-CURL-BAR CURLS
extremely low repetitions.
For quads the original D.C. program calls for two sets—the first
for four to eight reps followed by
a second set of 20 reps. It calls for
quads to be done last in the session
because you should be spent after
training them. For regular squats
that’s true; however, I found I had
enough left in the tank after hack
squats, so I did them earlier in the
leg routine. Additionally, I added a
set of adductor exercises after hack
squats.
Back exercises were of two varieties, either for width or for thickness.
And like quad work, back exercises
should be done in a two-set manner to reduce the risk of injury. For
deadlifts and rows I used two lowrep sets. For pulldowns and chins I
did rest/pause sets.
Calves are also unique. D.C.
training calls for one set, but with
a 10-to-15-second pause/stretch
at the bottom of each repetition. I
modified that by doing a set with
the stretch between reps for roughly
seven to 12 reps. I followed with
a standard 12-to-20-rep set—no
stretch between reps.
Based on my energy levels I often
added an additional pure X-Rep set
to the training program. I particularly liked machines for that, usually
performing one or two X-Rep sets
per training session. For example, I
used the seated row machine at the
end of the C2 workout and focused
on the bottom half of the stroke.
STRAIGHT-BAR
CURLS
Stretching
Model: Binais Begovic
PREACHER CURLS
Stretching in the program is
unique and needs further explanation. The stretch is used at the end
of a bodypart routine to stimulate
fascia expansion, to make room
for additional size. The validity of
the technique is questionable, but
I do believe the stretch assisted my
recovery. Here are the stretches for
each bodypart. Hold the stretch position for 30 seconds to one minute.
Chest. On a flat or incline bench,
take a pair of dumbbells to the
extended lockout position. Do a
10-second controlled negative rep
into a deep stretch at the bottom of
a press.
Triceps. Perform it like an overhead dumbbell extension. From the
extended overhead position, slowly
lower the dumbbell into the stretch
position and resist the weight while
leaning back slightly.
Shoulders. Face away from a
squat rack and grab a barbell in
the rack that’s set at roughly shoulder height. While maintaining a
palms-up grip on the bar (hands
below the bar), walk out until the
stretch gets painful—then roll your
shoulders downward and hold.
Biceps. Work them the way you
do the shoulder stretch position,
but hold the barbell palms down
now (hands over the bar), and sink
down to stretch your biceps.
Back. I prefer a weighted hang
from the chin bar, lats flared out.
Hamstrings. Place one leg up
on a high barbell, grab either your
toe or the barbell, and force your
upper body toward your knee.
After a minute, repeat it with the
other leg. You can also use light
stiff-legged deadlifts.
Quads. Basically a sissy squat—
quads and torso on the same
plane—with the bottom position
Model: Richard Longworth
Bodybuilding.com
Presents
SISSY SQUAT STRETCH
held as a stretch. Stay up on your
toes, upper body leaning back as far
as you can go (head almost touching the floor).
Calves. Stretching for the calves
is done as part of the exercise routine—you hold the stretch position
for 10 to 15 seconds after each rep.
Nutrition
A specific aspect of D.C. training is nutrition and, in particular,
protein. Excess protein is the key
to repair, recovery and mass development. Most information on the
D.C. diet recommends roughly two
grams of protein for each pound
you weigh.
I was getting roughly 1.5 to two
grams of protein per pound of
bodyweight every day. That’s a good
guideline.
Supplementation was basic. My
supplements included various protein drinks, some thermogenics,
glutamine, flaxseed oil and multivitamins and minerals. No pro-hormones or pro-steroids.
Results
I trained on the program consis136 JUNE 2007 \ www.ironmanmagazine.com
Bodybuilding.com
Presents
PULLDOWNS
tently for nearly eight months. That
was a more than adequate amount
of time to evaluate its success.
My increase in gross weight was
a little more than 30 pounds. Lean
muscle increase was slightly more
than 14 pounds. That’s accurate, as
I proceeded to diet down to a similar condition I was in eight months
prior. Size increases were visible,
although I didn’t measure.
Strength gains were considerable.
I moved up significantly in each lift
I used.
Conclusion
The bottom line is that I was
very pleased with the results, doing
everything with average supplementation and average genetics.
The program was enjoyable—I liked
hitting the gym to train that way.
Do I think I could have made
similar results with other training
methods? No, not as consistently, as
my past had proven.
Why did I stop? I started a contest-prep diet and found my training results diminishing (weights and
reps dropping). My take is that D.C.
training needs to be further modified for contest prep.
Should you use D.C. training all
the time? For mass-gaining cycles,
it’s a great program; however, if your
goals vary, you should vary your
training.
So, is the D.C. program the best?
Simply put, there isn’t one “best”
training program; however, D.C.
ranks up there as one of the best
methods for building mass that I’ve
ever experienced.
My final thought is that D.C.
training principles and the various
adaptations are excellent for intermediate to advanced bodybuilders.
The D.C. style of training is systematic, and it works. If you have a good
base coming into the program—
having lifted for a few years—and
good nutrition, you can make some
significant gains.
You can stay with a traditional
D.C. program or follow what I outlined here. Or you can further tinker
with the program and adapt it to fit
your own needs and likes. To me,
that’s essential for any successful
training program—the ability to
make it your own.
The other essential ingredient for
a good training program is that you
actually perform it. If you don’t go
out and bust your butt in the gym
and then provide adequate nutrition and
recovery,
the program will
be worthless. So get
to the gym
and train
hard!
Editor’s
note:
Mark
Subsinsky
has been
Mark Subsinsky
lifting
weights
since his high school years in the
’70s. He was educated as a biochemist but currently works as a nuclear
power plant operator For more of
his articles visit www.Bodybuilding.
com. IM
BICEPS
How New Pro Omar Deckard
Blasts Bi’s for Size and Detail
by Cory Crow
Photography by Michael Neveux
O
n Saturday, February 17, the ’07
IFBB professional season officially
got under way with the IRON MAN Pro.
By the time you read this, we’ll know
who the winners are, and we’ll also know
which competitors finished in the top
five, qualifying for the ’07 Mr. Olympia.
As I write this, on the Tuesday before the
show, all we have is excitement about
the arrival of another bodybuilding
season. One thing we can be sure of: The
competitors will be hitting a front doublebiceps pose almost as soon as they hit the
stage.
DECKARD DOES BICEPS
It’s probably no accident that this
pose comes first. No other muscle is
so synonymous with strength as the
biceps. From Michelangelo’s David
to Superman, Western culture is full
of examples of well-developed biceps. They’re the first muscle group
that novice lifters focus on when
they take up lifting, and the makea-muscle command never elicits a
lat spread or a most muscular. The
first pose we hit is the front doublebiceps.
The biceps are so hardwired into
our psyche as the muscle to build,
Leading Up to the Show
Do you ever wonder what it’s
like those last few days before a
big bodybuilding contest? Here’s
Omar Deckard’s routine for the
three days leading up to the
IRON MAN Pro:
Wednesday: Posing. No
workouts are planned, but there
will be a lot of posing practice
and physique assessments with
his adviser, Hany Rambod.
Today Omar will finally get to
take in some carbohydrates so
his physique will start to fill out.
During the USA he had difficulty
sleeping due to logistical issues
and other problems and came
in at (for him) a flat 255. He
plans to be much fuller this time
out with the same crisp conditioning he had at that show.
Thursday: Rest, food and
posing. Omar plans to do a
quick full-body workout today,
doing one exercise per bodypart
of only about two sets each.
He’ll do some calf work and
forearms and use pretty light
weights. The objective here is
more to burn the food that he
eats than to work any muscle
groups
Friday: Friday is typically
hectic, as the expo gets under
way and the press conference
takes place. Omar thinks the
key will be getting plenty of rest
and making sure he’s on time
for his tanning. He also plans
to reserve time for talking business with sponsors and supplement companies.
—C.C.
DECKARD DOES BICEPS
“I’m constantly
harping on
kids to look at
bodybuilding from
a month-to-month
perspective, not day
to day.”
(continued on from page 144) we often
forget that the triceps makes up a
large majority of the arm mass. The
biceps are what we want to see—
what we want to build—sometimes
to the exclusion of other muscle
groups.
It was with that thought in mind
that I contacted IFBB rookie pro
Omar Deckard in the week just before he made his professional debut
at the IRON MAN, in Pasadena,
California. I wanted to give readers some insight into how the pros
build their mammoth arms. There’s
no hiding weak arms on a pro stage.
If they’re out of balance with the
rest of the physique, it’s obvious.
When the arms match, however, the
deltoids flow into cannonball biceps
set off by hanging triceps. The result
is a physique that is awesome to behold. In Omar’s case that physique
is big—around 6’1” big.
In detailing his chest routine in
the January ’07 IRON MAN, Omar
explained that he took things slow
and steady when building his pecs.
His philosophy for biceps is much
the same: Take it slow and build
quality muscle. “I’m constantly
harping on the kids to look at bodybuilding from a month-to-month
perspective, not day by day,” Deckard said. “You’ve got plenty of time
to build your physique and will stay
more motivated if you focus on
making long-term improvements.”
In our “fast-food” world that’s a
philosophy that would benefit many
areas of life, not just bodybuilding.
I caught up with Omar on Tuesday, four days out from the IM Pro.
His final biceps workout was scheduled for that evening, so the topic
was on his mind. It was his last day
of extreme carb depletion, and he
had some filling out to look forward
to over the next couple of days, a
process that would be closely monitored by bodybuilding nutritionist
Hany Rambod. One thing about
Omar: He loves to talk about bodybuilding, carb depleted or not.
DECKARD DOES BICEPS
Deckard’s father was a wrestler
and dabbled in bodybuilding in
the ’60s. Omar’s introduction to
weight training came at the age of
12. As you might imagine, he grew
just a little more quickly than the
other kids on the block, although
he didn’t realize that until people
remarked on how big he was. Those
old workouts consisted of grabbing
a bar and curling until he couldn’t
curl anymore. Workouts of eight
sets per exercise for high reps were
common. Of course, form and
efficiency were anything but common, although Omar thinks that
he could handle the stress of those
workouts because he was “young
and resilient.”
Today his biceps workout is a
shortened and modified version of
the one he did as a child. Gone are
the mammoth set counts and bad
form, but the exercises he performs
remain basically the same. “I don’t
feel the need to lift ultraheavy
weights for biceps anymore, since
they’re a relatively small muscle,”
he said. Instead he focuses on lifting a comfortable weight designed
to stimulate the muscle in a variety of ways. One other thing has
changed as well, he said: “When I
was a kid, I thought that by working
arms everything else would grow. I
thought that by doing curls my legs
would get bigger, etc. Of course,
now my workout is more varied.”
On the cusp of his professional
debut and what may be the biggest
bodybuilding show of his life, Omar
performed the biceps routine he’s
done for the past several years—the
one that has made his double-biceps pose a sight to behold.
“The biceps is a
relatively small
muscle than can
reach its capacity
without extremely
heavy weight.”
DECKARD DOES BICEPS
Preacher curls
3 x 8-10
Standing barbell curls
135 pounds
1 x 10
185 pounds
1 x 8-10
225 pounds
1 x 5-6
185 pounds
1 x 8-10
Concentration curls
3 x 8-10
Hammer curls
3 x 10-12
Preacher Curls
“I do preacher curls just to get
blood into the biceps before I start
working on them,” Omar said. Because of that, the weight he uses
isn’t as important as is keeping a
medium rep speed and ensuring
that he works through a full range
of motion on every rep. All too often
he sees novice lifters starting off too
heavy. “I try to help them, especially
the new lifters. When I was younger,
there wasn’t anyone around to guide
me, so I learned by doing and reading.”
The warmup was something
Omar learned from bodybuilding
books as a young man, and he believes in it firmly today. He also believes that novice lifters should read
all of the bodybuilding books and
publications they can. “There’s all
kinds of information out there if you
want to learn; you just have to be
willing to go and get it.” His advice
to new lifters is to use a weight on
the preacher curls that just flushes
the muscle; don’t worry about wearing it out—that comes next.
Standing Barbell Curls
“The focus [on concentration curls] is the
rep speed and the muscle squeeze all the
way up and down the rep.”
After Omar finished describing
this workout to me, I was curious
if he ever mixed things up by using
an EZ-curl bar. “No,” he said, “but
that doesn’t mean I don’t like to do
curls that way.” Deckard feels that
the standard Olympic bar better
targets the biceps, but he’s quick to
point out that it can put stress on
the joints. If you have shoulder or
elbow problems, it would be wise
to use an EZ-curl bar in place of a
standard bar.
My second question was about
weight—specifically, how much.
He said that the weight he uses has
been built up over time and again
stressed his belief that lifting ultraheavy weights is counterproductive
for a smaller muscle like the biceps
and lends itself more to injury than
it does muscle growth. “The biceps
DECKARD DOES BICEPS
is a relatively small muscle that
can reach its capacity without extremely heavy weight.” His weights
are based largely on feel, as is the
rep range. Omar tries to ensure that
the amount of weight he chooses
for every set. Egos and pride often
make for torn muscles caused by
excess weight or bad form. A muscle
that’s broken won’t grow, and a
’
’
’
Omar focuses on lifting
a comfortable weight
designed to stimulate the
muscle in a variety of ways.
’
’
“
“
’
’
’
’
-
’
DECKARD DOES BICEPS
rest of the workout is designed to
augment that and balance out the
stress placed on his biceps to provide multiple stimuli for complete
growth.
Omar keeps the same basic lifts,
oup of
ounded accompaniments.
eplaces
ation curls with
nate dumbbell curls just
to attack the biceps at a
ry the
stimuli. On most ocever,
’ll see him in
the gym, banging away
using the
outine
that’s
listed
re,
working
to slowly add
size
and
attain a
better shape
to his biceps.
or all lifters
d suggests
cises
k the best and
“ oo
ernight
ernight.
n about your
eact to differks and
”
ON
ookies
was heading to the gym to give his
was
ed, but feeling
’ ever felt leading up
had a good support
itionist
’ wife and his
ew
, who would be watching via
“Take your time and learn
your biceps and how they
react to different lifts. Then
take what works, and use
that to grow.”
Workout Schedule
Deckard uses a threeon/one-off split:
Day 1: Hamstrings
and calves in the
morning; shoulders
in the evening
Day 2: Quads in the
morning; chest and
biceps in the evening
Day 3: Traps and triceps in the morning;
back in the evening
Day 4: Off*
Repeat
*Depending on how
his body feels, Omar
occasionally takes a
second day off to ensure complete recovery. The second day off
is always taken in conjunction with the first
one and never between
the three working
days—barring illness.
Webcast as Omar climbed up on a
pro stage for the first time. Deckard
knew that he had to hit the gym and
get in one last workout, because he
could be the guy who would lead off
the show—with his 6’1” frame and
265 pounds squeezing into a front
double-biceps.
Editor’s note: Omar Deckard
can be reached for guest posing and
sponsorships at omardeckard2@
yahoo.com. IM
CNS
How Your Nervous System Controls Muscle
Size and Strength Gains
by Jerry Robinson •
Model: Skip La Cour
T
he nervous system is divided into two parts: the central
nervous system—the brain and spinal cord—and the
peripheral nervous system, which consists of the nerves
traveling to and from the spinal cord, serving the muscle, skin
and all organs.
Muscle contraction calls on both systems. The signal to
contract begins in the central nervous system in the brain and
travels to the spinal cord. From there it moves to the peripheral
nervous system, where it travels along nerves to the muscles.
CNS
Total strength is related to total muscle mass: The more muscle
tissue you have available for contraction, the greater strength you
can deliver. That’s only part of the story, however.
(continued from page 159)
When
a nerve nears a muscle, the nerve
splits into many tiny branches. Each
branch supplies a number of muscle
fibers. The nerve branch, together
with the muscle fibers it supplies, is
called a motor unit.
Not all motor units are activated
with every contraction. If a gentle,
slow contraction is needed, the
Past Nervous System Failure for Bigger Muscle Gains
Your nervous system is preventing you from growing. Why? It doesn t
want you to get hurt. It prevents you from overexerting, and it s also a
roadblock to unnecessary muscle, which the body perceives as excess
baggage. But we want more muscle, so we have to figure out ways to get
past nervous system failure.
Training consistently enables you to gain more neuromuscular efficiency, but scientists say that only 30 percent of the available fast-twitch
fibers ever engage in any one all-out set. The nervous system fizzles way
before total activation (it s that saving-you-from-yourself syndrome).
Right when you re on the verge of max growth stimulation in any set,
your nervous system short-circuits. The nerve of that CNS!
During a set, the size principle of muscle fiber activation sets the stage
for order of recruitment. On the first few easy reps, the low-threshold
motor units fire. As the set gets harder, the mediums engage. Finally,
near the end of the set, the high-threshold motor units kick in. Those
highs are the ones with the most growth-stimulation potential, but right
as they start to activate, your nervous system craps out, and you re left
with the vast majority of your fast-twitch fibers unused. How do you get
around that to make the set more productive in the growth-stimulation
department? There are a few ways:
1) Forced reps. When you hit exhaustion, your training partner can
apply just enough help to get you through a few more reps. Forced reps
could be called nervous system helpers, but there s also a lot of waste
and unbalanced loading and unloading throughout each forced rep—
which can actually overstress the nervous and endocrine systems.
2) Drop set. When you hit exhaustion, reduce the poundage and
continue with more reps immediately. That will engage a few more fibers
in the second phase, as the recruitment pattern changes.
3) Rest/pause. At the end of a set, rest for 10 to 20 seconds, then
continue. The break will let energy substrates recharge to a degree and
regenerate nervous system activity.
4) X Reps. At exhaustion move the resistance to a point on the stroke
at which the target muscle is slightly elongated, such as near the bottom of an incline press or leg extension, and continue with eight-inch
partial movements. That s the max-force point for the target muscle and
enables more fibers to fire. When no more partials are possible (you may
need help from a partner to get more than a couple), hold the resistance
in the semistretch position and force the muscle to continue to fire. That
improves neuromuscular efficiency and triggers more fiber activation
and mass stimulation. X Reps are much more effective than full-range
forced reps because of the concentrated movement at the max-force
point—there s no imprecise unloading over a long stroke, which has
been shown in research studies to cause cortisol, a muscle-eating stress
hormone, to skyrocket.
—Steve Holman
www.X-Rep.com
brain sends a weak signal down the
nerve, and only a small percentage
of the total motor units are activated. If a strong, fast contraction
is needed, the brain sends a strong
signal, activating a larger percentage
of the total motor units. The brain
has a great deal of control over the
number of motor units it can activate, which is why the same muscles
that can do a quarter-ton deadlift
can also perform delicate surgery.
Total strength is related to total
muscle mass: The more muscle
tissue you have available for contraction, the greater strength you
can deliver. That’s only part of the
story, however. Even with substantial muscle mass, if you can activate
only a small percentage of total
motor units, your strength will be
limited. That’s where nervous system adaptations come in: Intense
training increases how much of that
muscle mass you can activate for a
contraction, how frequently you can
get individual motor units to fire
and how long each motor unit can
sustain a contraction. Those changes lay the groundwork for massbuilding, high-intensity workouts.
Increased Muscle
Activation
Most of the evidence for nervous
system adaptations to exercise has
come from electromyographic studies. EMGs measure the electrical
activity of a muscle. Because muscle
contraction is an electrical process,
the stronger the signal from the
brain to contract, the greater the
electrical activity in muscle.
Though not all motor units are
activated with every contraction,
training increases the maximum
number of motor units that can be
activated during a contraction. So
your strength increases.
How does training increase motor
unit activation? Untrained people
may have either some kind of motor
unit inhibition or insufficient motivation that prevents full activation
under normal circumstances.
CNS
Motor Unit Inhibition
Contraction of the main muscle
motivating a movement is often
associated with simultaneous
contraction of its antagonists, the
muscles opposing that movement.
That may seem paradoxical—like
having your foot on the accelerator and the brake at the same time.
Simultaneous contraction of a main
muscle and its antagonist, however,
does have a purpose: It increases
precision. Indeed, it occurs most
prominently in movements requiring precision.
Contraction of the antagonist also
occurs when the action of the prime
mover is strong and rapid, especially
in untrained subjects. Here, the
“braking” action of the antagonist
may have a protective function. It
may limit full activation of the main
muscle, preventing the beginner
from lifting much more than he or
she is accustomed to—thus decreasing risk of injury. With training and
experience you reduce antagonist
braking, and your apparent strength
increases.
The second nervous system adaptation to strength training changes
how frequently individual motor
units fire. Motor units don’t just fire
once per contraction but repeatedly.
The more frequently they fire, the
greater the strength, with maximum
strength occurring at a firing rate
of about 50 times a second. Trained
bodybuilders are able to come
closer to the 50-times-per-second
maximum than untrained ones.
In some small muscles, such as
those of the hand, most, perhaps all,
motor units are called upon when
you contract with half of your maximum strength. To increase force to
greater than half of maximum, you
must increase the firing rate of the
motor units already recruited.
In the big “power” muscles, such
as the biceps and delts, motor units
are recruited throughout the range
of force—and force is increased by
raising both the motor unit firing
rate and the number of motor units
activated. Training probably improves strength in the biceps, delts
Model: Tommi Thorvildsen
Increased Motor Unit
Firing Rate
Contraction of the main muscle motivating
a movement is often associated with
simultaneous contraction of its antagonists.
Model: Sagi Kalev
CNS
Intense training increases how much muscle
mass you can activate for a contraction, how
frequently you can get individual motor units
to fire and how long each motor unit can
sustain a contraction.
and other large muscle groups by
facilitating both changes.
Prolonged Motor Unit
Contraction
The third neurological adaptation to exercise is an increase in how
long each motor unit can sustain a
contraction. While a motor unit may
start out contracting 50 or even 100
times per second, it can’t sustain
those rates for long. Within a few
seconds some motor units drop
to a rate of 30 to 40 cycles per second. Along with the drop in firing
rate comes a loss in overall muscle
strength.
Training, however, appears to
delay the drop in firing rates for at
least some individual muscle fibers.
In one experiment untrained subjects could keep certain motor units
active for only about three seconds.
After training, the same subjects
could keep those motor units active
for about 20 seconds. In addition,
they were able to fire the motor
units more rapidly. That kind of adaptation probably prolongs time to
overall muscle contraction failure.
Other Neurological
Adaptations
There are other neurological adaptations to training that are not as
well understood. These are changes
in strength that seem to be adaptations of the central nervous system.
Learning. The best-known of
these adaptations is learning. Everyone knows that practice makes
perfect, but how that happens is
not well understood at all. Feedback from repeated performance of
specified movements somehow gets
incorporated into the nervous system so that the movements come a
little closer to ideal every time. That
involves carefully balancing speed
and strength of contraction in both
main muscles and antagonists.
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CNS
ers seem to be better at focusing
their attention and energies on
lifting than nonweightlifers. The
increased mental focus results in activating a greater number of motor
units. Motivation can also be increased with hypnosis or with feedback during an event—for example,
when the audience shouts encouragement at a physique contest.
Cross training. Another such
adaptation is cross training. Cross
training is an odd phenomenon:
Believe it or not, training one limb
increases strength in the other. If,
for example, you do biceps curls
with just your right arm, strength
will increase in both your right and
left arms. The left arm shows increases in strength, even though it
was never trained.
In one study eight weeks of training one biceps resulted in a 36.4
percent increase in strength in that
arm and a 24.7 percent increase in
the other, untrained arm.
You can’t attribute the crosstraining effect to local changes
within the muscle or to changes
in the peripheral nervous system.
It’s probably due to changes in the
central nervous system, in the crosscommunication networks between
limbs.
Bilateral deficit. Another central nervous system adaptation is
the bilateral deficit, in which exerting one limb decreases strength in
the other.
Let’s say you squeeze a hand grip
strength-testing device with one
hand. If you retest that same hand
while testing the other hand simultaneously, strength in the first hand
will drop. The drop is usually about
5 percent to 25 percent of maximum
strength and (continued on page 170)
Model: Allen Sarkiszadeh
In the big “power”
muscles motor
units are recruited
throughout the
range of force.
CNS
Feedback from repeated
performance of specified
movements somehow
gets incorporated into the
nervous system so that the
movements come a little
closer to ideal every time.
(continued from page 166) is not at-
Model: Dave Goodin
tributable to changes in posture or
positioning.
Bilateral deficit seems to come
from the way we use our limbs. We
generally use our limbs separately,
instead of together. For example,
we use both legs separately, as with
walking, more often than we use
them together, as with the leg press
or vertical jump.
With training, however, you can
turn a bilateral deficit into an increase. For example, the deficit in
the legs is usually fairly large, except in athletes such as bodybuilders who train both legs together
with leg presses, squats and other
two-legged exercises.
Those athletes can experience
bilateral facilitation rather than
bilateral deficit. That suggests that
the bilateral deficit is a central nervous system phenomenon that will
adapt with training.
Bilateral deficit is the argument
behind recommendations to do
dumbbell movements one arm
at a time or alternating arms (for
example, to do supinated dumbbell curls first with one arm, then
with the other). Since training can
turn bilateral deficit into bilateral
facilitation, however, the argument
doesn’t hold water. So if you feel
like doing a dumbbell movement
with both hands at the same time,
go right ahead—you won’t be compromising your gains.
Note: To learn how to apply the
above information in the gym, see
“Past Nervous System Failure for
Bigger Muscle Gains” on page 162.
Editor’s note: Jerry Robinson
is the co-author of The 7-Minute
Rotator Cuff Solution, available for
$29.95 from www.Home-Gym.com,
or you can call (800) 447-0008. IM
How Boxer Michael Lockett Lifted Weights for a Little
More Than a Year to Win the NPC Team Universe
by David Young • Photography by Bill Comstock
Maybe one person in a million is born with the
genetics to become an outstanding bodybuilder.
Of those few, not many have the drive or work
ethic to realize their potential. So it’s rare to
encounter a guy like Michael Lockett, who has
the predisposition for building muscle and is also
hungry—and I do mean hungry!—to achieve his
goals.
After only 15 months of serious (gut-wrenchingly serious) hardcore training, Michael gained
27 pounds of muscle, completely clocked his
competition, won the overall at the Team Universe and became an IFBB pro. Sit down, tune
in, and listen up. Here’s how he did it.
MICHAEL LOCKETT
“I’m ver
competitive.
Once I
decide I want
something,
I don’
anything stop
me. If I have to
train harder
train harder
MICHAEL LOCKETT
DY: How did you get started in
bodybuilding and fitness?
ML: I was a boxer. But after several years it was time to leave it. My
brother Reggie and my sister Donna
influenced me to start bodybuilding.
They told me that I was born with a
natural bodybuilding physique, so
why not take up bodybuilding and
realize my full potential?
I took what they said to heart
and joined a gym called Fitworks.
It’s sort of an old-school hardcore
gym: real weights that clang, people
working out with fire in their eyes,
grunting, sweating—you know, a
real gym. When I was working out at
Fitworks, I met the general manager,
Mark Sustin, who could write several textbooks on bodybuilding. He
was a bodybuilder, and he encouraged me. He also taught me what
I needed to know about training,
nutrition and motivation. I already
had the work ethic and conditioning
from boxing.
“If I hadn’t taken
up bodybuilding,
it would be like
I was wasting
my God-given
genetics.”
DY: I love those types of gyms.
It sounds like your brother, sister and Mark were all good influences on you. It also sounds
like you did do your homework.
Give us your stats.
ML: I’m 23, 5’10” and 220 pounds.
DY: And how long have you
been training?
ML: 15 months.
DY: No, I don’t mean how long
you trained for the Team Universe. I mean how long have you
been bodybuilding?
ML: That’s it, just 15 months.
In that time I gained 27 pounds of
muscle, won the Team Universe and
got my IFBB pro card.
DY: Oh, but you used to lift
weights for boxing, right?
ML: No, never. I didn’t lift weights
until 15 months before the Team
Universe. When I was boxing, it
was just boxing training along with
pushups and situps.
DY: I’m shaking my head. That
just doesn’t happen.
ML: I know, I get that all the time.
That’s why my brother and sister
told me to start bodybuilding. They
saw the determination and conditioning I had from boxing and they
MICHAEL LOCKETT
boxing again.
DY: The passion is still there
for boxing?
ML: Yes. There’s a certain confidence that comes from being able
to handle yourself in the ring.
“If I’m in the
gym and
I need to
get 12 reps
with a new
weight, I’m
going to get
those reps
no matter
what.”
DY: Does that confidence
carry over into other worthwhile endeavors?
ML: Yes, it does. It carries over
into my business, it carries over
into bodybuilding, and it even
carries over into my personal
relationships. I’m not referring
to the violent part; I’m referring
to the fact that boxing is a series
of strategies and overcoming
obstacles and setbacks. It’s also
very motivating to know that I can
overcome those obstacles and
setbacks.
DY: Bodybuilding training
and dieting require a lot of
motivation. What keeps you
motivated for that?
ML: I’m very competitive. Once
I decide I want something, I don’t
let anything stop me. If I have to
also saw the predisposition I have for
building muscle. In fact, if I hadn’t
taken up bodybuilding, it would be
like I was wasting my God-given genetics. The way I look at it, I was given
my genetics for a reason, and it would
be almost a discredit to my Maker.
DY: Let’s go back. When did you
start boxing?
ML: When I was about 15.
DY: I understand that now
you’re a personal trainer at Fitworks. What do you like about
that?
ML: I like taking people who
aren’t getting results and completely
turning them around. When people
start getting the kind of results they
should, they get motivated. I love
motivating and influencing others in
a positive way. I loved learning about
bodybuilding, nutrition and motivation. That’s why I became a personal
trainer.
DY: Do you play any other
sports or have any other hobbies?
ML: No. But I’m thinking about
MICHAEL LOCKETT
train harder, I train harder. I set my
goals. If I’m in the gym and I need
to get 12 reps with a new weight, I’m
going to get those reps no matter
what. I fire up my willpower, I roll
up my sleeves—metaphorically—
and I dig in.
“I don’t diet.
I always stay
ripped. It comes
naturally to me.”
DY: Tell us your diet strategy
on-season and off.
ML: It’s the same on- and offseason. I don’t diet. I always stay
ripped. It comes naturally to me.
I even cheat three days a week by
having an entire bag of red licorice.
I love it.
DY: I really hate you now.
[Both laugh] Maybe we could
sell this as the new diet fad:
“The licorice way to fab abs.”
Okay, Mr. Licorice, can you give
me a sample of your eating for
a day?
ML: Oatmeal, egg whites, chicken
breast, protein shakes and brown
rice.
DY: So you eat clean except
for the licorice—you just don’t
think of it as a diet.
MY: Correct. That would be the
wrong mind-set. I love what I eat. I
just don’t have a huge appetite.
DY: Do you have a favorite
supplement?
ML: Met-Rx RTD protein shakes.
DY: How do you overcome
training plateaus? Although you
probably haven’t had too many
in only 15 months.
ML: I really feel as though it’s all
about concentration. You have to be
totally focused in your workouts and
let nothing stand in your way. You’ve
got to stand toe to toe with the
weights. They’re either going to beat
you, or you’re going to beat them.
It’s up to to you to decide which.
DY: Toe to toe—just like a boxing match. Ah, now I’m starting
to understand your mind-set.
ML: I’m a naturally self-motivated
person. No one has to force me into
the gym. No one has to push me. It’s
all on me—and God.
God is responsible for my success. It’s not me; it’s God. My goal is
to be the best bodybuilder I can be.
But more important, I want to show
people what’s really possible without drugs—no steroids, no growth
hormone, no insulin or whatever
else they’re using. You have to have
faith in your own abilities.
DY: So you want to take it to
another level without drugs
and influence people that way.
Is that your life philosophy?
ML: Yes, that’s it. Without a clear
vision, I will perish.
DY: Are there any secrets to
your training success? You
know, secrets to muscle growth.
ML: Without pain we can’t grow.
You’ve got to push through the pain
barrier. That’s what makes the difference. The pain is going to come.
The question is, Can you keep going
beyond the pain, or will it stop you?
If it stops you, you’re done. If you
can go through it, that’s the secret to
success.
I train that way all year-round.
And I look the same all year-round. I
just keep trying to improve. That’s it.
DY: How many weeks out do
you start your preparation?
ML: I’m ready all the time, so I
make only a few alterations one or
two weeks out.
DY: Do you use supersets or
forced reps?
ML: Yes, on occasion, just to mix
it up. Never as a regular training
principle, though.
DY: What kind of sets-andreps patterns do you use?
ML: On every exercise, I do either four sets of 12 or four sets of
eight. Let’s say it’s four sets of 12.
That first set or two may be relatively easy to get my 12 reps, but
the last two or three sets, it’s a fight.
It’s me against the iron. It’s cold,
hard and nasty, and I’m getting my
reps no matter what.
DY: How many exercises do
you do for each bodypart?
ML: Almost every bodypart gets
four exercises and four sets per
exercise. Back gets slightly more
because I’m trying to bring it up
into balance with the rest of my
physique, and calves and abs get
less because they are naturally my
MICHAEL LOCKETT
Michael Lockett’s Team
Universe Training
He does four sets of eight
to 12 reps on each exercise,
except where indicated. He
uses a two-seconds-up/twoseconds-down cadence and
rests about 90 seconds after
each set—slightly longer on
bench presses and squats.
Chest
Incline dumbbell presses
Flat-bench dumbbell
presses
Incline flyes
Flat-bench flyes
“It’s about
concentration.
You have to
be totally
focused in your
workouts and
let nothing
stand in your
way.”
Biceps
Barbell curls
Preacher curls
One-arm dumbbell curls
Back
Pullups (5 sets)
Seated cable rows
Pulldowns
Bent-over rows
Dumbbell rows
best-developed bodyparts. To do
more for them would be wasted effort and simply cut into my recovery
ability.
DY: How do you organize your
training week?
ML: Like this:
Monday: Back, Triceps
Tuesday: Chest, Biceps
Wednesday: Legs
Thursday: Shoulders
Friday: Back, Triceps
The following week continues the
sequence, beginning with chest and
biceps. It works out to each bodypart getting trained two times every
eight days rather than one time a
week.
DY: Yes, I follow a similar philosophy. I found that training
a bodypart only once a week
wasn’t enough for me. So I went
to twice in eight days, and it’s
worked well.
ML: I think you need to train
slightly more frequently than once
a week, especially if you’re drugfree. [Note: Michael’s complete
routine is at right.]
DY: What about cardio?
ML: None.
DY: Are there any other
training, nutrition, supplementation or cardio strategies that you think are
important to building a great
body?
ML: Consistency. One day of
training, eating right or whathave-you does not build a great
body. It’s all the days, weeks and
months put together over time.
Editor’s note: To contact Michael Lockett for appearances,
training or sponsorship, send email to thebutcher_1982@yahoo
.com. IM
Shoulders
Seated dumbbell presses
Front raises
Lateral raises
Rear-delt-machine laterals
Shrugs
Triceps
Pushdowns
Reverse pushdowns
Dips
Quads
Squats
Legs presses
Leg extensions
Lunges
Hamstrings
Leg curls
Calves
Abs
Roman-chair situps
X-FILES
Q & A: Muscle-Building Solutions
From the IM E-zine
by Steve Holman and Jonathan Lawson •
Q
: I’ve been getting excellent results with X-Rep
partials, using them at the end of a set in the
semistretch position [near the bottom of bench
presses for instance]. I’m in college, and my physiology professor agrees with the X-Rep concepts, but he
says the X spot should be at the fully stretched position because you get more fiber action there. Why do
you think it’s higher on the stroke than at the very
bottom [full-stretch point]?
Models: Markus Reinhardt and Hubert Morandell
X-FILES
Moving from near the bottom of the stroke to
near the halfway mark covers the X Range, where
optimal force and fiber activation occur.
A: It may depend on the exercise
and individual leverage points,
but let s generalize. We originally
developed the X-Rep concept to
interact with 3D Positions of Flexion
training. So in the beginning the X
spot corresponded with a particular
exercise s position. For example,
quads:
Midrange: squats—X Reps near
the middle of the stroke.
Contracted: leg extensions—X
Reps at the top, contracted position.
Stretch: sissy squats—a squat
up on your toes with the legs
and torso on the same plane—X
Reps and/or a static X at the fullstretch point.
That is described in our first ebook, The Ultimate Mass Workout,
and works well. Then we came
across findings from William J.
Kraemer, Ph.D., and Steven J. Fleck,
Ph.D., two of the most respected
researchers in strength training:
The total amount of force developed depends on the total number
of myosin crossbridges interacting
with active sites on the actin. At the
optimal length there is potential for
maximal crossbridge interaction
and thus maximal force. Below this
optimal length, less tension is developed because with excessive shortening [closer to peak contraction]
there is an overlap of actin filaments
so that the actin filaments interfere
with each other s ability to contact
with the myosin crossbridges. Less
crossbridge contact with the active
sites on the actin results in a smaller
potential to develop tension.
In other words, as you get close to
the contracted position, the fibers
are too crowded to fire optimally,
and the result is less force. So that
discounts the so-called flexed position for maximum fiber recruitment. What about the semistretch
and stretch positions? Back to the
scientists:
At lengths greater than optimal
[more stretch] there is less and less
overlap of the actin and myosin
filaments. This results in less potential for crossbridge contact with
the active sites on the actin.... Some
prestretch of the muscle prior to
initiation of an action will increase
the amount of force generated. Too
much prestretch will, however, actually decrease the total amount of
force developed.
So at the full-stretch point the
fiber alignment is not optimal, and
you get less force. That means the
full-stretch position is not the best
X spot and neither is the fully contracted position; it s the semistretch
point, in a range from just above
full stretch to the midpoint of the
stroke, which is where the actin
and myosin filaments are perfectly
aligned for max-force production.
That eight-to-10-inch range is
where you should do the X Reps.
That goes for all exercises.
Nevertheless, we suggest using a
static X in the full-stretch position
on stretch-position exercises. As we
and others have found, that can re
sult in big strides in muscle size. To
get through the pain, just remember the 300 percent size gains one
animal study achieved in only one
month of static-stretch overload.
Q: You guys suggest a rep
speed of 1.5 seconds up and
1.5 down. Wouldn’t a slower
negative be more beneficial?
It would mean lower training
poundage, but since the negative is so important, emphasizing it seems like a no-brainer.
A: Because the muscles are so
much stronger on the negative,
or lowering, part of the rep, many
fibers disengage. In other words, a
lot of fibers rest during the negative.
So if you perform it too slowly, you
lose tension on groups, or bundles,
of fibers for too long—but you still
build up fatigue products quickly,
leading to premature exhaustion,
a.k.a. failure.
X-FILES
That s why we use the same speed
on both the positive and negative—
fast, but not too fast. One and a half
seconds up and 1 1/2 seconds down
is about as fast as you can go without using momentum; however, you
should move a bit slower on both
phases of the stroke on the first few
reps because that s when the muscle
is strongest and can produce more
force—which could trigger injury.
As the set progresses, your rep
speed should increase so by the end
of the set you re trying to explode at
the turnaround—without jerking or
bouncing. Keep in mind that even
though you re thinking explosive,
the reps will be even slower than
normal due to fatigue. But attempting to move as fast as possible as the
set progresses recruits more highthreshold motor units toward the
end of a set.
What about X-Rep partials? You
should still be thinking explosive,
but with control. Luckily, on most
exercises you won t be able to heave
or jerk at the X spot, but even if you
can, don t do it! Move as fast as possible, but stay in control. That keeps
the muscle engaged and more fasttwitch fibers firing.
Q: I’m pressed for time, so
I like the idea of using the ultimate exercise for each body
part [as listed and explained in
the e-book The Ultimate Mass
Workout]. I’m using one of the
split routines you outline, but
I want to vary the rep range on
my two work sets. My question
is, Should I do my higher-rep
work set (10 to 12 reps) or my
lower rep set (four to six reps)
first? I know pyramiding is
popular, so I would guess the
higher-rep set.
A: If you do a quick, comprehensive warmup, you ll be primed for
your heavy set first, which is what
we recommend. Why the power set
first? The reason is twofold.
First, heavy weights heighten ner
vous system response, so you ll be
able to activate more fibers on your
second higher-rep growth-range set,
which should have about 30 seconds of tension time. That s exactly
what you want—the best strength
(force) activation on your first set
and the best hypertrophic (growth)
stimulation on your second.
When you reduce your weight for
your second set, you ll feel much
more powerful because of that
heightened innervation. That means
you ll glide through the size principle of fiber recruitment much more
readily and activate more growth
fibers toward the end of that second,
lighter growth set—especially if you
add X-Rep partials at exhaustion.
The other reason you should do
your heavy set first is that you deal
with less fatigue-product accumulation. You want to be as fresh as
possible so the muscles don t crap
out early. Remember, low-rep sets to
exhaustion cause your central ner
vous system to balk very early—an
emergency shutdown. If you reverse
the order and do your higher-rep
set first, residual fatigue products
make hitting that CNS wall on your
heavier set happen even sooner.
Do your lower rep set first most
of the time. You may be asking, But
won t fatigue products accumulate
with that
Models: Andre and Rune Nielsen
Forced reps
can extend
tension
time on the
muscle;
however,
much of
the range
is wasted
due to
less-thanoptimal
force
generation
and
unbalanced
loading and
unloading
from your
partner.
X-FILES
most trainees.
No—at least not enough to negatively affect your higher-rep set.
There isn t much fatigue-product
pooling on a six-rep set, and the
low-rep power set will supercharge
your second set due to heightened
nervous system response.
Pyramiding, as in doing four sets
and adding weight on each, is okay,
but keep in mind that the first few
sets are like heavier and heavier
warmups. The last, heaviest set in
the pyramid is usually the only one
taken to exhaustion, which means
there s a lot of fatigue-product pooling by then and you don t get that
CNS-turbocharging effect. That
makes pyramiding inefficient for
Q: I’ve tried a lot of quick
workouts similar to [the threedays-per-week] Phase 1 of your
20-Pounds-of-Muscle-in-10Weeks program [in 3D MB]. I
haven’t found one that’s done
much for my muscle size. Am
I just one of those people who
need more sets? Maybe I’m genetically not cut out to be any
bigger. What do you think?
A: Almost everyone should be
able to get considerably bigger in
the muscle-size department—even
with workouts that last about an
hour three days a week. We say almost” everyone because, yes, there
Inset photo from Mitsuru Okabe’s “Jay Cutler Ripped to Shreds” DVD
(continued from page 203) as well?”
are a few people who have very
low neuromuscular efficiency, or
nerve-to-muscle connections, and/
or fewer-than-average fast-twitch
fibers. But those anomalies aside,
let s outline a few things you must
do to get the most out of every set of
your quick-hit workouts:
1) Nonlock sets. You must keep
tension on the target muscle, even
on the big, multijoint exercises like
bench presses and squats. That
means you shouldn t lock out and
rest between reps. If you re after
maximum size stimulation, do
enough reps to give you at least 25
seconds of tension time—usually
about nine.
2) Continuous-tension sets. Jay Cutler
That means no
uses a lot
heaving or jerking,
of partial
as momentum can
pulses
reduce stress on
the target muscle
between
along the stroke.
full reps,
For example,
such as
bouncing the bar
off your rib cage
near the
on the bench press
bottom on
takes tension off
dumbbell
your pecs through
part of the botpresses, a
tom range—not
technique
good, as that s
we call
the most impor
tant area for fiber
Double-X
activation. Keep
Overload.
your reps under
His delts
control—about
1 1/2 seconds up
appear
and 1 1/2 seconds
to have
down. Move like a
responded
piston in an engine, but don t use
nicely to
momentum. Feel
that tactic.
the muscle working. Notice that
nine reps times
three seconds
per rep equals 27
seconds—putting
you smack in the
muscle-building
target zone.
3) Efficient
warmup sets.
We usually recommend two progressively heavier
warmup sets that
mix full-range and
X-FILES
partial reps to get blood into the
muscle quickly without creating too
much fatigue-product pooling (see
Chapter 12 of 3D MB).
4) Beyond-exhaustion sets.
Go past failure on at least one set
per bodypart. A forced rep or two
can work, but in our opinion, X-Rep
partials that encompass the semistretch, or max-force, point on the
stroke are best, followed by a static X
right at that X spot for more stretch
overload. For example, once you
reach exhaustion on incline presses,
move the bar to just off your chest
and do partial reps up to just below
the halfway point—fire up and
down through that eight-inch range
to exhaustion. Then hold the bar
right above your pecs for a static
hold.
Keep in mind that when Jonathan
gained 20 pounds of muscle in 10
weeks, he was on a two-phase abbreviated program that included
most of the above—except for X
Reps, which we hadn t discovered
yet. He did use a few forced reps,
however. We think if hed had X
Reps, he could ve gained even more
muscle.
Before you consider yourself
genetically challenged in the
muscle-building department, try
your quick-hit workouts with all of
the above. You should see a mindblowing, muscle-growing difference
immediately.
Q: You mention the myotatic
reflex in 3D Muscle Building.
I’ve seen it mentioned other
places as a way to get more
muscle fibers to fire on stretch
exercises. [Editor s note: To
activate the myotatic reflex,
use a quick twitch—but not
a bounce—to change directions. There s no pause in the
stretch position.] But I’ve also
read about fascial stretching,
X-FILES
Balik
which can loosen up
the fiber encasements
to make more growth
happen. That requires a
long hold in the stretch
position. Which is better—a long pause in the
stretch position or no
pause?
A: The simple answer is,
don t pause during sets of
stretch-position exercises,
like dumbbell flyes, so you
take advantage of the myotatic reflex for enhanced
fiber recruitment; then,
when you reach full-range
exhaustion—you can t do
another full-range rep—
hold the weight at or near
the full-stretch position for
as long as possible. (Yes, it
hurts, but remember those
animal-study results mentioned above.)
In most Positions-ofFlexion programs we usually recommend two sets
of stretch-position exer
cises—like flyes for pecs
and pullovers for lats—so
you may want to do your
second set with a reduced
poundage and use DoubleX Overload, which is per
forming an X Rep between
full reps throughout the
set. Then at exhaustion do
a static hold in the stretch
position. DXO gives you
more stretch-point stimulation throughout the set,
which can heighten fiber
activation.
We noticed that Jay Cutler, the current Mr. Olympia, uses a version of that
technique on many of his
exercises, even big moves
like dumbbell presses.
While that seems to have
worked for him in the deltdevelopment department,
we think DXO works best
on stretch-position exer
cises. But we re not going to
argue with Mr. O.
One of Arnold’s favorite biceps programs contained a
3D attack—dumbbell curls (midrange), incline curls
(stretch) and concentration curls (contracted).
Q: You talk about the
force/extended-tension
concept in 3D Muscle
Building, and you say
X-FILES
that it’s similar to the heavy/
light system bodybuilders in
the ’50s and ’60s used to get big.
Why don’t pro bodybuilders
today use heavy/light or F/Xstyle training?
A: Anabolic steroids. They have
all but destroyed the science of
bodybuilding because they distort
recovery. When you re on drugs, just
about any type of training works
and no stress-and-recovery balancing act is necessary. You can train
heavy and with loads of sets at almost every workout and do just fine.
If you re drug-free, you can still
train hard at every workout, but
we ve found that if you do, you have
to incorporate a back-off week,
which entails subfailure training
and/or less volume, every so often.
Depending on individual recovery,
you should do it about every five
weeks—sooner in many cases.
Keep in mind that when Jonathan gained 20 pounds of muscle
in 10 weeks, he was training heavy
three times a week; however, he
downshifted for supercompensation
every fifth week for at least three
workouts.
If you train with a heavy/light
system, which is a heavy, lower rep
workout followed later in the week
by a lighter, higher-rep session, you
can push that back-off supercompensation week further out—say,
seven to eight weeks.
Once again, those time frames
depend on individual recovery
ability, which is radically distorted
by anabolic steroids. If you re using,
you can train intensely for months
on end and not have to worry about
overtraining and muscle catabolism. When you go off, however,
you ll have no idea of how to train to
build muscle.
We think it s best to not use
drugs, and that means training with
heavy/light, or F/X, or working in a
downshift week after every month
of all-out training.
Q: I notice that your arm
workouts are very short. I’m
interested in building big arms,
but I’m worried that four or five
sets won’t be enough. If I want
to specialize, should I add more
sets?
A: While everyone s work capacity
Jonathan packed on 20 pounds of muscle in 10 weeks using a basic
three-days-per-week routine followed by a Positions-of-Flexion
phase. (The program he used appears in 3D Muscle Building.)
and recovery ability are different,
keep in mind that a recent study
showed that doing only three sets
of barbell curls depletes more than
70 percent of the glycogen stores in
the biceps. And that exercise has no
continuous tension!
If you re familiar with our Positions-of-Flexion mass-building
approach, you know that we follow
two sets of the midrange exercise
(barbell curls) with a stretch-position movement and then a continuous-tension contracted-position
exercise, with some X Reps or
X-hybrid techniques thrown in for
good measure (and bigger measurements). Once you try it, you ll
see that with an efficient, precise,
intense program like that, it doesn t
take a lot of volume to completely
annihilate the target muscle.
And speaking of measures and
measurements, remember that Jonathans arms measure more than 19
inches, and that s without steroids
and after using brief 3D workouts.
If you re new to 3D POF, it s basically training a muscle through its
three specific arcs of flexion so you
accomplish full-range, max-fiber
recruitment with minimal sets. For
example, for biceps you d do barbell
curls for midrange work, incline
curls (reclining on an incline bench)
for stretch and concentration curls
for continuous-tension, contractedposition work.
With those three exercises you
train the biceps in a range where
they’re back behind your torso
(stretch; incline curls), in a range
where your arms are slightly in
front of your torso (midrange; bar
bell curls) and a range where your
arms are out and up close to your
head (contracted; concentration
curls). They cover the biceps’ full
arc of flexion—and it takes only one
or two sets in each position to get
full, dense development.
That approach gives you maxforce production, occlusion (bloodflow blockage, which has been
shown to significantly increase size
and strength) and stretch overload
(which has been linked to hyper
plasia, or fiber splitting—the birdwing study that increased muscle
mass by 300 percent in one month).
By the way, one of Arnold s favorite biceps programs was barbell
or dumbbell curls, incline dumbell curls and concentration curls.
Sound familiar? Yes, he had good
genetics, but he also knew instinctively that those three exercises in
one workout were very powerful.
Editor s note: For more
on X Reps and other concepts mentioned in this feature, visit www.X-Rep.com and
www.3DMuscleBuilding.com. To
subscribe to the weekly IM e-zine,
go to www.IronManMagazine.com.
It s free. IM
Jerry Brainum’s
Bodybuilding Pharmacology
Yohimbe
Faster Fat Blaster?
Neveux \ Model: Joey Gloor
Despite inflated advertising claims, the truth is that
most over-the-counter fat-loss supplements have limited
value. The combination of ephedrine and caffeine proved
to be the most effective combination on the market, but
the Food and Drug Administration banned products containing ephedra due to dubious safety concerns. Since
that happened, a number of books and articles have implicated the pharmaceutical industry, in cahoots with the
FDA, in a plan to eliminate the competition that products
containing ephedrine plus caffeine were giving to various
weight-loss drugs. Most of those drugs are no more effective than OTC fat-loss supplements, and they have considerably greater chance of side effects.
The current crop of fat-loss supplements provides
some mild thermogenic effects, which, in conjunction
with proper diet and exercise, can result in fat loss. But
the effects are mild at best, and some studies that have
compared a few of them with placebos have found no
difference.
In an effort to tap into the lucrative fat-loss market,
various companies have produced exotic-sounding compounds that are claimed to promote relatively rapid fat
loss. The scientific evidence proving the effectiveness of
the products is either based on animal studies or simply
nonexistent.
One compound that looks good on paper and that is
an ingredient in many fat-loss supplements is yohimbe,
which is extracted from the bark of a West African tree
called Pausinystalia yohimbe. A pharmaceutical form of
yohimbine called Yacon was formerly used to treat impotence, though it has since been supplanted by Viagra and
other more effective drugs. Yacon worked for only about
a third of users and, like Viagra, had no effect on libido.
Yacon worked as an alpha-2 adrenergic blocker, increasing blood flow within the sex organs, thereby improving
erections. Yohimbine is still a major ingredient in so-called
herbal Viagra formulas.
From the standpoint of promoting fat loss, yohimbe
is thought to act through its alpha-adrenergic blocking properties. Fat cells contain two types of adrenergic
receptors, beta and alpha. Beta-receptors respond to
catecholamines, such as
norepinephrine, leading to
a cascade that culminates
A recent study
in the release of fatty acids
concluded that
from lipocytes, or fat cells.
yohimbe enhances
Lipocytes that contain a
fat burning when it s
preponderance of alphaused in conjunction
adrenergic receptors, such
with a weight
as those found in the upper
training program.
thighs, buttocks and hips,
are more resistant to the
fat-releasing effects of
norepinephrine. By blocking the function of alphaadrenergic fat cell receptors,
yohimbe helps you lose
stubborn fat deposits.
Animal studies—on dog,
rat and mouse subjects—
show that yohimbe seems
to increase fat mobilization.
The rodent studies have
little relevance for humans
because most of the fat
mobilization occurred in
brown fat, or BAT, a highly
thermogenic fat tissue that
is scarce in adult humans.
The results in human
studies of yohimbe have
been equivocal. Exercise
also stimulates catecholamine release, and an
additive effect has been
observed in human subjects
who take yohimbe. Other
studies show increased
fat loss when yohimbe is
combined with a low-calorie diet. In one study a group of
overweight women who took yohimbe supplements while
following a 1,000-calorie-a-day eating plan lost more
weight than another group of women following the same
diet minus yohimbe.
In a Polish study published years ago, a group of women
who’d been previously unable to lose bodyfat in their
upper thighs, buttocks and hips did so successfully after
taking yohimbe supplements. Despite continual dieting,
the women had never been able to lose their recalcitrant
fat stores. Those areas are hard to reduce because the
fat cells contain a preponderance of alpha-2 adrenergic
fat cell receptors. Scientists think that the female body
evolved in this way to ensure an adequate number of
calories for perpetuating the species (it takes an average of
80,000 calories to produce a human baby).
Other human-based studies, however, have come up
empty in terms of the fat-loss properties of yohimbe. One
study examined the effects of various topical creams on fat
loss in the thighs of a group of women.1 Aminophylline,
a beta-adrenal agonist, proved most effective. Yohimbe
turned out to be the least effective. Even so, several skincream products are currently on the market with yohimbe
as the primary ingredient.
In a double-blind study 33 men, average age 42, were
randomly assigned to a yohimbe or a placebo group, with
neither group knowing who was taking which substance.2
The men in the yohimbe group took a peak dose of 43 milligrams a day, considered an effective dose for fat-loss purposes. For six months researchers tested body mass, blood
lipids, bodyfat and bodyfat distribution as measured by a
CAT scan and waist-to-hip ratio. There were no differences
in fat loss between those getting the real yohimbe and
those who got the placebo.
Yohimbe has also been touted as a testosterone booster.
How that came about isn’t clear, but there’s no proof that
yohimbe has any effect on any anabolic hormones, including testosterone and growth hormone.
A recent study examined the effects of yohimbe on
body composition and sports performance in 20 toplevel soccer players.3 The athletes were assigned to two
groups, with one group taking yohimbe at a dose of 20
milligrams twice daily for 21 days. The other group got a
cellulose placebo. No significant differences in body mass
and muscle mass were found between the groups. Those
in the yohimbe group, however, did have a significantly
greater loss of bodyfat than those in the placebo group. No
performance changes occurred in either group, nor were
any side effects reported. Since both groups also trained
with weights, the authors concluded that yohimbe supplementation boosts fat loss when used in conjunction with a
weight-training program.
Some studies done
with humans show a
heightened fat-burning
effect when yohimbe is
taken before exercise
and/or combined with
a low-calorie diet.
One reason the human studies produced such divergent results may be quality control. Analysis of commercial yohimbe supplements indicates that many contain
either too little or no active ingredients. Yohimbine bark
contains 0.7 percent yohimbine, while most supplement
forms contain zero to 0.05 percent. One survey of products sold over the Internet showed a variance in yohimbe
content that ranged from zero to 9.5 milligrams per unit.
In the American products tested, two out of 18 contained
clinically relevant amounts of yohimbe. Many dietary
supplement forms of yohimbe contain 3 percent yohimbe,
which means that a 100-milligram tablet will provide only
three milligrams of actual yohimbe—if any at all. The
accepted dose for fat-loss purposes is 0.2 milligrams per
kilogram of bodyweight.
Yohimbe lasts for only about an hour before being
degraded in the body. Active metabolites, however, can
last up to six to eight hours. For best results you must take
yohimbe on an empty stomach, since food totally negates
its fat-mobilizing effects. That may explain the failure of
some studies to show yohimbe’s role in fat loss.
Since yohimbe works by triggering norepinephrine
release, it would initially appear logical that combining
it with other supplements that promote catecholamine
release would increase the effectiveness of all. Taken
alone, yohimbe isn’t considered stressful to cardiovascular
function, though it isn’t recommended for those with high
blood pressure or kidney problems. Adding it to a stack of
ephedrine and caffeine, however, put more stress on the
Yohimbe has been touted as a testosterone
booster. How that came about isn’t clear, but
there’s no proof that yohimbe has any effect on
any anabolic hormones, including testosterone
and growth hormone.
Jerry Brainum’s
Neveux \ Model: Moe El Moussawi
Bodybuilding Pharmacology
One way to contol cortisol release during exercise is to take branched
chain amino acids before training at least five grams.
heart.
As with ephedrine, too much yohimbe can bring on side effects. They
include high blood pressure, since
norepinephrine constricts blood
vessels, rapid heart rate and severe
anxiety. Blood pressure is heightened if you eat foods containing an
amino acid by-product called tyramine—aged cheeses, red wine and
chocolate. Years ago I spoke with a
martial artist who said that his use of
an OTC yohimbe supplement resulted
in a panic attack so severe that he had
to be hospitalized. His experience was
idiosyncratic and uncommon. Still,
it’s best not to take more than 40 milligrams a day.
Perhaps the best way to use yohimbe for fat loss would be to take it
in the morning before doing aerobic
exercise. Early morning aerobics
minus food increases fat oxidation
more than usual, and adding yohimbe may increase the effect.
Caffeine and Cortisol
Cortisol is a catabolic hormone
that promotes the breakdown of
protein in the body. It is the yang to
the yin of anabolic hormones, such
as testosterone, growth hormone and
insulin. In fact, they vary inversely—
when cortisol levels are high, anabolic
hormone levels are usually low and
vice versa. One key to gaining muscle
size and strength is controlling excess
cortisol release. You wouldn’t want to
completely curtail all cortisol release,
since it helps your body manage
stress; without it shock could prove
deadly under some conditions. You
also need it to control inflammation
in the body, and curtailing all cortisol
synthesis would likely lead to severe
joint pain in most hard-training
bodybuilders.
Caffeine is a popular ergogenic aid
for athletes and bodybuilders because
it promotes alertness and may help
increase fat oxidation during exercise.
Other studies show that caffeine may
increase the potency of muscle contractions during training through an
interaction with calcium ions. What’s
less well known about caffeine is that
it also increases the cortisol count.
A recent study examined the effects
of caffeine and cortisol on exercise.4
Ninety-six men and women took 250
milligrams of caffeine three times a
day—the equivalent of about six cups
of coffee. Their cortisol levels were
measured eight times a day, and they
engaged in either mental stress or
moderate-intensity exercise, followed
by an afternoon meal.
At the start of the study, both men
and women had similar resting cortisol levels. The women had a smaller
cortisol response to mental stress
than the men, and caffeine increased
the cortisol response to stress in both
sexes. The exercise alone didn’t increase cortisol, but when the subjects
took caffeine before exercising, the
same workout led to elevated cortisol
in the men.
Exercise alone didn’t activate a
cortisol response because the workout was of moderate intensity and not
long. Cortisol helps regulate blood
glucose, among other functions, so
cortisol release during exercise is usually activated when the blood glucose
level begins to fall. In this study the
men who took caffeine prior to training experienced substantial cortisol
release that persisted into the evening
hours.
One way to control cortisol release
during exercise is with carbohydrates,
as lower blood glucose signals cortisol
release. Another way to block cortisol’s catabolic effect on muscle is to
take at least five grams of branchedchain amino acids—leucine, isoleucine and valine—before training. Be
aware, however, that if you take in
carbs during training, you’ll blunt any
fat-releasing effect induced by caffeine.
References
1
Greenway, F.L., et al. (1995).
Topical fat reduction. Obes Res.
Supp4:561S-568S.
2 Sax, L. (1991). Yohimbine does not
affect fat distribution in men. Int J
Obesity. 15:561-565.
3 Ostojic, S. (2006). Yohimbine: the
effects on body composition and exercise performance in soccer players.
Res Sports Med. 14:289-299.
4 Lovallo, W., et al. (2006). Cortisol
responses to mental stress, exercise,
and meals following caffeine intake
in men and women. Pharm Biochem
Behavior. 83:441-47. IM
Balik
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The Wisdom of
Mike Mentzer
•
•
•
•
by John Little
•
•
•
Q: In his last book, High
Intensity Training the
Mike Mentzer Way, Mike
indicated in his chapter on
metabolic momentum that
“all-out effort of the highintensity variety requires
a lot of motivation and
actual physical and mental
courage.” What exactly did
he mean by that? I’ve always
looked at bodybuilding as
a physical activity—not a
psychological one.
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Heavy Duty
Balik
All-out physical
effort requires
not only ample
psychological
motivation but
physical and
mental courage
as well.
A: Mike viewed the mind and
body as interrelated. Because highintensity muscular contraction
places a large demand on the body’s
limited supply of adaptive energy
and because the body has been
conditioned over time to use such
energy only sparingly as a response
to conditions that are potentially
life threatening, one’s mind and
body do everything possible to
prevent conditions from occurring
that would warrant tapping into the
extremely potent but rare supply of
energy. As Mike once pointed out:
“Lassitude, anxiety and even a
preference for low-intensity workouts are manifestations of the
mind’s disinclination to engage
the body in such maximal efforts.
Therefore, as your muscles get
stronger and stronger, you must
exercise your will to get stronger
apace. Having been successful in my
efforts to become both muscularly
massive and very strong, I can assure
you that the principle of intensity refers almost exclusively to the human
will and the ability to command your
muscles to contract against the only
real resistance—your own mind.”
That of course has been a malefactor of human performance for eons
and has been written about and
commented on by everyone from
psychologists and philosophers to
poets and playwrights:
“Thus conscience doth make cowards of us all.”
—Shakespeare, Hamlet (III.i)
“Compared with what we ought to
be, we are only half awake. Our fires
are damped, our drafts are checked.
We are making use of only a small
part of our possible mental and
physical resources.”
—William James, “The Energies of
Men”
“I assess the power of a will by
how much resistance, pain, torture
it endures and knows how to turn
to its advantage.”
—Friedrich Nietzsche, The Will
to Power
Mike’s point is well taken, as
all-out physical effort requires not
only ample psychological motivation but physical and mental
courage as well. The mind is immensely capable of aiding muscular contractions. The strength of a
muscle is directly proportional to
its physiological or effective cross
section, which is approximately
140 pounds per square inch in the
average male and 105 in the average female.1 It’s the pull exerted
at the point of attachment to the
skeleton. Under normal conditions, however, we can’t produce
the physiological maximum. The
reason, according to physiologist
Heavy Duty
Arthur Steinhaus, is that we typically operate only to our psychological
limit, although it may be extended
via excitement, desperation, hypnosis, insanity or shock therapy.
No doubt most of us have noted a
degree of reluctance to engage in an
all-out physical effort; it’s something
that we ordinarily avoid. Over the
millennia human beings have sur-
vived by being efficient at conserving energy—rather than dispelling
it. Again, to quote Mike:
“Other than in athletic training and competition, such effort
is required only in emergency
situations. Only a person fired by a
strong, almost overwhelming sense
of purpose and meaning will be able
to train with maximum intensity.”2
Neveux \ Model: Chris Cook
The body
requires a
fairly severe
stimulus to
bring about
physiological
change.
Mike went on to cite psychologist and philosopher William James
to the effect that only the “unusual
stimulus” can fill you with the
emotional excitement to make the
“‘extra effort’ that will carry you
over the dam to optimal training
progress.”3
That point was verified scientifically by Dr. Steinhaus more than
50 years ago during experiments
he conducted in order to determine the factors that affected the
maximum expression of human
strength. As Steinhaus recalled:
“I came to try a very simple
experiment in this area. We pulled
against a scale to measure strength
of forearm flexors. Whenever the
second sweep hand came to the
one o’clock position, the individual
was to pull as hard as he could. So
we registered a maximal contraction every minute. Then without
warning to the individual we shot
a gun at various times before the
clock came to the pulling position.
Invariably, we found the individual
had more strength after the shot.
We found that the shot about four
seconds before the pull got the
greatest increase. We found the increase was sometimes as much as
30 percent. Then we tried yelling.
When they yelled, their strength
was also more than usual. Then we
tried hypnosis. Under hypnosis it
is possible to do away with inhibitions. We found up to 50 percent
improvement in strength.... We had
found three ways of crashing the
psychologic [sic] barrier that stops
us in the execution of strength. The
psychologic limit is always short
of the physiologic one. Professor
Hill of England once said that one
of the big differences between the
athlete and the nonathlete is that
the athlete has learned to close
the gap between the psychologic
and physiologic limits. He drives
himself closer to the physiologic
limit.”4
Most trainees, except perhaps
the greatest champions, rarely
summon the mental drive necessary to wring maximum contraction from their muscles. The
majority of bodybuilders who seek
to achieve maximum results have
to find a means of strengthening
their will—or to bypass their motivational shortcomings. It can be
Heavy Duty
done by applying an exogenous
training method such as forced
reps or negatives to the muscle so
that contractions can always be
maximal—exogenous means external, or initiated from outside the
body. Some believe that through
normal conscious direction perhaps only 30 percent of a single
muscle can be stimulated at any
one time. If that limiting factor
could be removed, you would effectively remove the impediment
to your stimulating closer to 100
percent of that muscle at one time.
Many years ago John Zeigler,
into the subject’s muscles.
In 1974, shortly after he returned
to the East Coast from a lengthy
trip to Deland, Florida (where he
trained with Casey Viator and talked training for many months with
Nautilus impresario Arthur Jones),
Mike began to work with Ziegler. As
he recalled:
“What made Dr. Ziegler even
more interesting was his world-famous electronic muscle stimulator.
With the assistance of an electronics engineer, Ziegler developed a
machine that could contract any
of the body’s skeletal muscles to
old friend and sometime training
partner Roger Schwab, currently
proprietor of the hugely successful Main Line Health and Fitness
Center in Pennsylvania. It wasn’t
long before Mentzer told him of
Ziegler’s machine, with the result
that Schwab decided to check it out
for himself.
“Mike told me about it, and it
sounded very intriguing,” Schwab
says, “so I went down to see Mike
and Dr. Ziegler once a month, over
the course of a year, maybe 10 or
12 times. The machine was incredible—you could put it on any body-
varying degrees—including maximal contraction where every fiber
of a given muscle is activated.
The Federal Trade Commission
investigated Ziegler’s machine and
claimed it was harmless, because
it wasn’t supposed to work. Well,
the machine most certainly did
work, since my brother and I were
giving each other treatments, as
well as administering them to injured athletes and those who were
handicapped or had lost the use of
certain limbs.”5
In almost constant touch with
Mentzer during that period was his
part—and you turned it up and it
would contract the muscle, sometimes really intensely. We put it on
our calves and abs, pecs, delts and
arms, and Mike was using it twice
a week—and I was using it once a
month—and it gave me the opportunity to spend the day with him.
“You’d sit or lie there, and he
would dial up the intensity. It felt
like you were really fatiguing the
muscle even though you weren’t
doing any lifting, but it felt afterward like you had done a workout.
It was not a continuous buildup. It
was intermittent—contract/relax,
Balik
“Only a person
fired by a
strong, almost
overwhelming
sense of
purpose and
meaning will
be able to train
with maximum
intensity.”
a physiologist from Olney, Maryland, created a muscle-stimulation machine that was used by
champion bodybuilders (such as
Mike and Ray Mentzer) and professional athletes, such as members of the Washington Redskins
football team. Both Ziegler and
the Mentzers considered it helpful because it enabled the individual to stimulate 100 percent of a
muscle via bypassing the trainee’s
motivational and neuromuscular
shortcomings. The resistance was
provided through an exogenous
source—electricity wired directly
Heavy Duty
Perhaps only
30 percent
of a single
muscle can
be stimulated
at any one
time.
contract/relax—but that was Mike;
always on the lookout for new ways
to build more muscle.”
Thus the benefit of an exogenous
stimulus. But who said that you can
get an exogenous muscle stimulating
effect only from an electronic machine? As you get bigger and stronger, many very real barriers—both
physiological and psychological—
begin to impose themselves on your
physiology. Your body doesn’t want
to change. It literally must be forced.
A high-intensity rep—all things
being equal—is the most productive
rep you can perform. That contraction, and thus the resistance you’re
contracting against, is maximal. It
becomes increasingly difficult to
psych yourself up for a maximum
effort—much as Olympic sprinters
must psych themselves up for an allout sprint every time they go to the
track. Indeed, Heavy Duty training
is even more difficult, as the inroad
into the muscle’s recovery ability is
greater than what you encounter
in sprinting. The depletion of the
body’s energy reserves is greater.
Given how slow the muscle-growth
process is, it takes an individual of
incredibly strong willpower to derive motivational sustenance from
witnessing changes in your strength
and appearance that are incremental
at the best of times. How, then, can
you improve your motivation shy
of enrolling in a course of hypnotherapy?
Moreover, as you get stronger,
your body doesn’t remove waste
products as efficiently. Contractions
become so draining and the onset
of fatigue so immediate that it gets
progressively more difficult for you
to derive full benefit from a set. Neuromuscular efficiency can also limit
the recruitment and stimulation
of muscle fibers. Some individuals
are born with a tremendous genetic
advantage in that regard; they can
contract almost all of their available
muscle fibers (providing sufficient
overload is imposed on them) at
will, while others can contract only
a small percentage of fibers, despite
their greatest conscious effort. Nevertheless, the advanced bodybuilder
must make a concerted effort to
do three things if he desires further
progress:
• He must make his muscular
contractions more intense.
• He must reduce the volume of
his workouts to enable his muscular contractions to become more
intense.
• He must adjust the frequency of
his workouts to permit full recovery
and growth to take place after each
workout.
The third point requires some
elaboration. The greater energy out-
put a trainee generates, the greater
the corresponding rest required
prior to his next workout. In some
instances it can be as long as three
to four weeks—just to let adequate
recovery take place. Then, of
course, an additional block of time
must elapse to allow for the muscle growth that was stimulated to
be produced.
Heavy Duty
At my training facility in Canada,
Nautilus North Strength & Fitness
Centre, we’re often asked whether
it’s better to train more frequently
to hasten the fat-loss and/or
muscle-growth processes. Since we
typically don’t prescribe more than
one training session per week (at
most), it is to be expected that in
an age of chronic misinformation,
many people believe that “more is
better” when it comes to their exercise habits.
While “more” may or may not be
“better” in terms of achievement,
happiness and understanding,
“more” can be downright toxic in
the case of exercise. Exercise is a
stimulus that acts upon the body
to produce a response. As with
medicine, the precise dose can and
should produce the optimal response—but too much of the stimulus administered too frequently
simply results in an overdose that
can have disastrous consequences.
The body, being very resistant to
change and very protective of the
status quo, requires a fairly severe
stimulus in order to bring about
any desired physiological change,
such as a change in body composition—that is, in bodyfat-to-muscle
ratio—whether the stimulus is in
the form of a drug or exercise. According to Doug McGuff, M.D.,
an emergency-room physician in
Seneca, South Carolina, and the
owner of Ultimate Exercise, a personal-training facility:
“The problem with most drugs
is that there is a narrow window
between an amount of stimulation which produces the desired
response and an amount of
stimulation which produces a toxic
response. Generally, the more effective a drug is at producing a
stimulus, the more narrow the
space between a therapeutic and
toxic dosage. Another critical observation is that the therapeutic
effect always plateaus so that pushing the dose higher only produces
toxicity and never produces any
additional therapeutic effect.”6
Dr. McGuff logically concludes
that there’s no point in risking
toxicity. He cites the pain-relieving
effects of ibuprofen, which max out
at approximately 400 milligrams. If
you increase that dosage, you get
no more pain relief but you will
increase the likelihood of burning a
hole in your stomach lining.
A similar relationship between
dose amount and frequency exists with exercise, with anything
above the threshold impeding or
preventing the desired physiological response from taking place.
That’s being corroborated by more
and more researchers in the field
of exercise physiology, who report
that if another stimulus (workout)
is introduced before recovery is
complete, a host of negative biochemical reactions occurs within
the body.
Sound familiar? It should. Mike
Mentzer said it first—back in the
early 1980s. He told me about it in
1986:
was required to induce maximum
growth stimulation. And if, in fact,
I had not recovered—which was
obvious—why train at all? Recovery
always precedes growth, and growth
was our ultimate goal; if we had not
recovered, then, in fact, there was
no way we could have grown from
the first workout. In that kind of
case the best thing that can happen
would be that you merely wouldn’t
Training is like
ibuprofen. If you
increase the dosage
past a certain
point, you get no
more pain relief
but you increase
the likelihood of
physical damage.
“Back in 1979 I remember meeting my brother in the gym for one
of our usual workouts. I think it was
the second day of a split routine
schedule, and we were both quite
fatigued, apparently still not having recovered from the previous
day’s workout. Just all of a sudden
it occurred to me that it would be
useless to train with anything less
than all-out intensity—since that
make any progress. You’d just spin
your wheels. Carried on for too
long, you’ll actually lose muscular
mass and strength—you’ll always be
making inroads into your recovery
ability and never allowing yourself
to recover, let alone grow, which is
secondary. You have to recover before you can grow.
“It was obvious that we were
still tired, that the forced reps and
Heavy Duty
the negatives we’d done with the
legs and the back, for instance,
were so exhausting that we hadn’t
overcome the effects of the workout. How the hell were we going
to grow unless we at least let that
happen? We knew that recovery
was important in terms of overall,
or systemic, recovery. We weren’t
worried about localized or particular muscle recovery; we knew that
happened relatively quickly after
a workout. But it was obvious due
to our general exhaustion that we
hadn’t even recovered our overall
systems’ energies and so forth—let
alone grown. And since growth was
our primary goal along with getting
defined, at that point we realized
that it would have been counterproductive—perhaps even harmful—to our progress to train.”
Science has revealed that training before recovery has taken place
creates a very negative environment for muscle growth, the result
of incomplete protein turnover,
which causes a slowing of the recovery process and creates an overstressed condition. That leads to
secretion of the catabolic hormone
cortisol, which, in turn, creates
additional tissue breakdown. The
degeneration can bring on a host of
maladies, including but not limited
to muscle soreness and stiffness,
tendinitis, a suppression of the immune system, increased frequency
of upper-respiratory-tract infections, depression, lethargy, weakness, reductions in testosterone
and greatly reduced sperm count
in men, depressed muscle glycogen reserves, insomnia, a marked
decreased in exercise performance
and symptoms of Cushing’s disease. In fact, research conducted
by Kuipers and Keizer in 1988 revealed that individuals who are so
overtrained may require upward of
three to six months off from training in order to fully recover.
That’s why Heavy Duty training calls for but one workout per
week—particularly for trainees
with more than two months of
training under their belts. As McGuff points out:
“If you work out too soon, you
will know that you have done so
because you will actually be weaker
in your workout rather than stronger. You will not be able to lift the
same amount of resistance for as
long as you did in the last workout.
If you have waited long enough, you
should be stronger on every set of
every movement in your workout.
We have found through experimentation that four days is the minimum that most average adults will
require between workouts. Some
people may require as many as
nine or 10 days. In general, the vast
majority can recover sufficiently in
seven days.”7
At Nautilus North, people have
made excellent progress training
as little as once every four weeks.
Indeed, two women at our facility were out of the gym for three
months and both went up in reps
and weight in every exercise upon
their return.
References
1 Mentzer, M. (2003). High Intensity Training the Mike Mentzer Way.
New York: McGraw-Hill.
2 Mentzer, M. (1979). Metabolic
momentum. The Revised Heavy
Duty Journal. Copyright renewed
2002 Mentzer-Sharkey Enterprises,
Inc.
3 Mentzer, M. (1979). Metabolic
momentum.
4 Steinhaus, A.H. (1961). Towards
an understanding of health and
physical fitness. Paper presented at
the 29th annual convention of the
southern district of AAHPER, Atlanta, Georgia, February 28–March
3, 1961.
5 Mentzer, M. (2003). High Intensity Training the Mike Mentzer Way.
6 McGuff, D. (2000). The dose-response relationship of exercise, part
II: The narrow therapeutic window
(www.ultimate-exercise.com).
7 McGuff, D. (2000). The dose-response relationship of exercise.
Editor’s note: For a complete
presentation of Mike Mentzer’s
Heavy Duty training system,
consult his books Heavy Duty II,
High Intensity Training the Mike
Mentzer Way and the newest book,
The Wisdom of Mike Mentzer, all of
which are available from Mentzer’s
official Web site, www.MikeMentzer
.com.
John Little is available for phone
consultation on Mike Mentzer’s
Heavy Duty training system. For
Science has revealed
that training before
recovery has taken
place creates a very
negative environment
for muscle growth, the
result of incomplete
protein turnover, which
causes a slowing
of the recovery
process and creates
an overstressed
condition. That leads
to secretion of the
catabolic hormone
cortisol, which, in turn,
creates additional
tissue breakdown. The
degeneration can bring
on a host of maladies.
rates and information, contact
Joanne Sharkey at (310) 316-4519
or at www.MikeMentzer.com, or
see the ad on the opposite page.
Article copyright © 2007, John
Little. All rights reserved. Mike
Mentzer quotations provided
courtesy of Joanne Sharkey and are
used with permission. IM
Eric Broser’s
If you find something on the Web that IM readers should know about, send the URL to Eric at [email protected].
Question: Where on earth are you most likely to
hear the following phrases uttered? “Ain’t nuthin’ but
a peanut.” “Light weight, baby.” “Yo-o-o buddy.” “Everyone wants to be a bodybuilder, but nobody wants
to lift heavy-ass weights.” Well, if you’re a serious fan
of pro bodybuilding, you know the answer without
hesitation: Metroflex Gym in Arlington, Texas, the
legendary stomping ground of eight-time Mr. Olympia,
and the very man—man? More like an alien from the
planet Freakazoid—who made the above lines famous,
Ronnie Coleman. Look up the word hardcore in the
dictionary, and you’ll find a picture of Metroflex. It’s
known throughout the bodybuilding world as one of
the most dungeonlike, sweaty, intense and pure gyms
on the planet. There’s nothing fancy, modern or pretty about the place, and that’s exactly the way the members
want it. When you walk through the doors of Metroflex, you better be ready to “go hard, or go home.” You have two
choices when training there: Pour out some serious sweat, or run away with your tail between your legs. Just talking
about Metroflex is enough to get my testosterone skyrocketing, but what has me even more pumped up is that we
all now have the opportunity to learn from the main man behind the Metroflex madness, owner and operator Brian
Dobson. Just think how cool it would be to have the same secrets in your back pocket as Brian has taught to Ronnie
Coleman, Branch Warren and dozens of other top-level pro bodybuilders, powerlifters, football players, fitness athletes and UFC fighters. What are you waiting for? Check out the Web site and find out how you too can benefit from
the insights of a man who’s spent 30 years creating champions in the iron sports. You have nothing to lose and only
slabs of new muscle to gain.
Neveux \ Model: Ronnie Coleman
>www.MetroflexGymTraining.com
>www.LiftStudios.com
Just having a great body, effective product, sexy
look or even an IFBB pro card doesn’t guarantee
financial success in the extremely competitive
bodybuilding industry. You may be exceptional
when you’re out among the general public, but
within the confines of the fitness and physique
world you’re a dime a dozen. Thus you must find
ways to promote yourself so you stand out among
your peers. That’s where a company like Lift Studios, a brand-strategy and design firm providing
branding, consulting, design, interactive and
marketing services, can be enormously valuable.
Located in Denver, Colorado, Lift Studios offers
creative solutions for everything from your advertising, marketing and public relations to corporate
identity, Web design and photography—and anything in between. With such well-known clients as
Monica Brant, Phil Heath, King Kamali and Dina
Al-Sabah, Lift Studios is trusted in the bodybuilding and fitness industry. Go to www.LiftStudios.com to learn
more about this company and how it may be able to help you get your career on the fast track to success.
>www.MonicaGuerra.com
Okay, sometimes I just got to take care of my
boys—my iron brothers. I know you guys work hard,
at school or in the office—and, of course, in the gym.
Every once in a
while it’s just nice
to relax, kick back,
sip a protein drink
and enjoy a little
eye candy. If you
agree, then let me
introduce you to
California personal
trainer and IFBB
Fitness pro Monica
Guerra. Born in
beautiful Santa
Barbara and now
residing in Redondo Beach, Monica
has a stunning,
exotic look that
causes men’s—and
women’s—blood
to boil. At 5’2” and
109 symmetrical
and not-too-mus-
cular pounds, she’s just plain hot. There’s not a lot of
information on this site, nor is it up to date; however,
the gallery is worth the trip—you know, just for the
stress relief. Consider it therapy.
Eric Broser’s
>Net
Results Q&A
Interesting queries and replies from message boards
and forums from across the Internet, answered with
precision, accuracy and plenty of outrageous opinions...
Q: I really feel the need to have a couple of
cheat meals each week—you know, something
way off the typical bodybuilding diet. Is that
horrible? Will it totally kill my progress? When
is the best time for me to have meals like that?
A: Hey, we’re all human, so I totally understand the
need to break free from the typical chicken, brown rice
and vegetables in order to eat something that lets you
focus more on your taste buds than your muscles.
That said, most bodybuilders who eat cheat meals
still take in plenty of protein and useful carbohydrates
when they go off their
diet, instead of eating
100 percent nutritionally vacant meals.
Typical cheats for
bodybuilders are burgers and fries, pizza,
fried chicken, Chinese
food and so on. What
really makes those
meals cheats is the
number of calories,
as well as the excess
sodium and fats.
So is it horrible to
eat those things a few
times per week? Will
it destroy all of your hard work in the gym? Thankfully,
the answer in no. In fact, it can be quite beneficial to
splurge once or twice per week, as the excess calories
will have a positive effect on your metabolism, serving
to rev it up a bit. More important, eating things that you
truly enjoy will give your mind a rest, which makes it
a lot easier to remain on a strict regimen the majority
of the time. Just try to make your cheats reasonable,
with at least some nutritional value. Hey, even pizza has
some important antioxidants (lutein, anyone?).
As for the best time to put away delicious goodies,
that would be at the meal immediately following your
workout. Right after you train, your body is metabolically set up to absorb more overall calories and to partition
most of these calories toward muscle cells rather than
fat cells. Because of the metabolic posttraining window
it’s best to have a cheat meal at that time—as long as
it’s a meal and not ice cream, cake, cookies and so on.
Your muscles will get what they need in terms of protein
and carbs and will be less likely to store the excess
calories as fat.
So go ahead and enjoy a guilt-free cheat meal once
or twice per week—and the extra time you’ll spend in
the bathroom (just make sure you have the latest copy
of IRON MAN with you).
Q: I really
like your
P/RR/S program, except for one
thing: You
advocate
training
each bodypart once
per week,
and I have
a couple of
weak points
(shoulders
and chest)
that I think need more stimulation. Can I do
extra work? If so, how would you arrange a
split for four days per week?
A: One of the greatest attributes of my program is
that it’s very versatile and can be tweaked to meet
the specific needs of each individual. Normally, yes,
I do advocate training each bodypart very intensely
just once per week, but there are certainly exceptions
to that rule. I have some clients with extraordinary
recovery ability who need to train each muscle twice
per week, or at least twice every five to six days rather
than every seven. I also have clients who burn out very
easily and benefit most from training each bodypart
once every eight or nine days. We all have somewhat
different needs, due to our individual hormonal profiles,
constitutions, immune systems, lifestyles, stress levels,
sleep patterns, eating habits, etc.
Now, as to your specific question, yes, there’s room
in P/RR/S for more frequent bodypart training, especially when it comes to lagging muscle groups. In fact,
I believe that one of the best ways to bring up a muscle
is to train it a bit more often. Remember, though, that
won’t always solve the problem. Some people fail to
improve certain muscle groups because they use poor
form or improper exercise selection or even have compromised nerve innervations. If none of those apply,
however, more frequent training for the lagging muscle
group quite often alleviates the problem.
Generally, I don’t recommend two full workouts per
week for lagging muscles but rather one full and one
miniworkout that’s at half your normal volume. In other
words, if your normal chest workout consists of 10
sets, then your miniworkout should be no more than
five or six sets. Usually, that’s enough to get the stubborn muscle growing without compromising your overall recovery ability.
Since your weak bodyparts are shoulders and chest,
here’s a split for you:
Monday: Chest, biceps, abs
Tuesday: Quads, hamstrings, shoulders (mini)
Thursday: Lats, lower back, chest (mini)
Friday: Shoulders, traps, triceps, calves IM
Lonnie Teper’s
NEWS &ViEWS
’07 Arnold Classic
Vic Does the Trick
As Yogi did predict
Victor
Martinez.
Arnold Classic photography by John Balik, Roland Balik and Merv
Ron ”Yogi” Avidan says his partners on “The Experts”—me and
Isaac Hinds—should get down on our knees and pay homage to him.
Dan Solomon says the Swami might need a crystal ball cleaning.
I say both of you must be sniffin’ glue.
First, Yogi. As you can see on “The Experts” video wrapup of the prejudging at the Arnold Classic on March 3—find it at www.GraphicMuscle
.com—Avidan is flowing with attitude because he feels his pick to win the
Columbus, Ohio, bash, Victor Martinez,
is a lock to take home the grand prize of
$130,000, a $20,000 Audemars Piguet
watch, a splendid Tony Nowak jacket
and congrats from the Governator.
Several hours later Yogi’s prediction
becomes a reality. What makes things even
worse is, as the emcee of the contest, I’m
the one who gets to make things official
when I read off the final placings. Isaac, I
feel your pain. This is nothing against Martinez, who is a great bodybuilder. It’s more
about losing to Avidan.
Now for the real story behind Avidan’s
pick. As executive producer of “The Experts” I wanted three different athletes to
be selected by our terrific trio. I was going
with two-time defending champ Dexter “the Blade” Jackson,
and Isaac’s choice was sophomore sensation Phil Heath.
Getbig.com’s Big Ron was confused, as usual. He was waffling between two or three contestants (who did not end up in
the top six) when I told him that his time was up and that he
would be selecting Martinez, the co-precontest favorite with the
Blade. Talk about a handout.
Now he’s acting like some legit expert and wants praise for
“his” pick? Okay, I’ll be a man about it and give Avidan his props,
tainted as they are. Well, all three of us did say Toney Freeman would win the IRON MAN Pro, so Ron is on a roll.
Let’s see just how long Yogi’s winning streak lasts. I’m picking
Dennis James to take the New York Pro on May 12. Hinds
says last year’s Nationals champ, Desmond Miller, will win
it in his pro debut. I’ve been a fan of Miller’s since I first saw
him at the ’05 Nationals, and it was hard not going with Big D
for this one. In fact, I was going with him up until the moment
that I heard that James would compete. Yogi is taking Darrem
Charles. At press time—mid-March— I’m not sure who’s all in,
who’s out of the Steve Weinberger production.
Now back to Solomon. The creator of the standout radio
show “Pro Bodybuilding Weekly” (can you believe the GoverFreeman and Badell (right).
nator was actually on for an hour before the Arnold Classic?)
Above: The Blade and Mar
danced up to me at the postcontest banquet (with Canadian
tinez compare cuts.
dance diva Nancy Di Nino doing the leading) and promptly let
HOT MOVES
Is Dan bucking
to be nicknamed
Dancezilla?
Pages 238 to
240
TRICK
QUESTION
How many
times does this
garment appear
in this column?
Pages 242 and
244
CALF
ROUNDUP
See pages
242 and 243
me know that the Swami’s predictions of late haven’t been first rate.
Hold on a minute, young man. It’s not like the Blade got stomped in
Columbus. He looked terrific, as I said he would. Count me as one of
many who thought the show was a lot closer than the final verdict—a
unanimous victory for Martinez.
Jackson was great; the judges simply thought Victor
was greater. I can live with that. In the end Vic was just
too slick. That he was selected to win the Most Muscular Award is noted as well.
You and your Webcast mate Bobzilla Cicherillo
need to get over your obsession regarding my ’Zilla
nicknames. In more than 20 years I have given the
moniker three times: to the late Paul
“Quadzilla” DeMayo in 1989, to Tommi
“Glutezilla” Thorvildsen in 2001 and to
Ahmad “Abzilla” Haidar in 2003. Okay, I
did give a gal out of San Diego the moniker
of “Boobzilla” about 18 years back, but if
you saw her, you’d understand. Gee, I’m up
to six now; you two may have a point.
Clockwise from
top: Vic with
Governor S, L.T.
at the podium,
Phil Heath,
Abzilla, Silvio
Samuel and
Markus Rühl.
ADD ARNOLD CLASSIC—Back to
the show. I felt the lineup might have been
one of the most balanced in Classic history,
and although the point totals don’t reflect
that (except for the battle between Freeman
and Gustavo Badell for third, I stand tall
on that statement. Check the pictures here
and in the pictorial that begins on page
244—as well as those at GraphicMuscle.
com—and let me know your thoughts.
I went with Dex because he’s really at
the top of his game. I know that Martinez
has perhaps the best genetics in the sport
but wasn’t sure he could peak again so
soon after coming in prime condition to last
season’s Mr. Olympia. Although he didn’t
look as good as he did at that show, he
was impressive. And, yes, he does beat Jackson in both the
front and rear lat spreads and in the back double-biceps pose.
Freeman, my ’06 Comeback Bodybuilder of the Year, is leading the pack for ’07 Bodybuilder of the Year honors after he
edged Badell for third. The 6’2”, 280-pounder out of Atlanta had
made it two for two a week earlier with a victory at the Sacramento Pro. (The X-Man was also set to compete at the Australia
Grand Prix a week after the Arnold but had passport problems
and was forced to miss the event, which, by the way, was won
by the Blade. Darn, that Swami knows his stuff! Okay, okay,
Martinez wasn’t onstage at that contest.)
Some folks had Heath as high as third early in the judging, but the 27year-old Denver phenom had slipped to fifth when all was said and done.
A disappointment? Hardly. Heath added about eight pounds to his 5’9”
frame and wasn’t tight enough in the upper body to match his awesome
wheels, calves and hams.
After the show, Heath and trainer Hany Rambod expressed disappointment and admitted they were thinking about passing on the
Olympia again to concentrate on next year’s events. “If Phil placed fifth
CORY IS THE STORY—It was great to
see Cory Everson again. The six-time
Ms. Olympia, who retired after her final
victory in 1989, was on hand to receive
the Arnold Schwarzenegger Lifetime
Achievement Award, and the Governator
himself was on hand to present it.
Not only did I get to chat with Cory at
the postcontest banquet (and meet her
husband, Steve Donia, and her two
beautiful children, Boris and Nina, who
were adopted from Russia at ages three
and five), but I did likewise with another
blast from the past—Cory’s sister, Cameo Kneuer-Bernard.
Haley
gets
down.
NPC Arnold photography by Amir Marandi
here,” Rambod reasoned, “where will he finish at the Olympia, with Jay
[Cutler], Ronnie [Coleman], Gunter [Schlierkamp], Melvin [Anthony] and other top guys competing?”
Well, I don’t think Gunter will be getting onstage in 2007, so one of
your worries is over.
I do understand Rambod’s concern that the Gift won’t have enough
time before the Big Dance—at the end of September—to make the improvements the judges are looking for. Still, Phil the Thrill will be someone
to be reckoned with in the near future. Trust me.
This season’s biggest surprise, Silvio Samuel, continues to prove
that his name deserves to be uttered when people are discussing the
best in the game. Fourth at the IRON MAN, second in Sacramento and
sixth at the Arnold, he was set to compete in Australia as well but, like
Freeman, had passport problems.
Branch Warren, Ronny Rockell,
Markus Rühl and Vince Taylor finished
seventh through 10th, respectively, and, in
the biggest upset of the night, Taylor was
beaten by Marcus Haley for the Most
Entertaining Posing award, which padded
Haley’s wallet with 10 grand. To be fair,
Marcus deserved it; Vince is one of the alltime greats, both as a bodybuilder and a
poser, but, for reasons unknown, his performance lacked the creativity and energy
we’ve become accustomed to.
Back to Branch. After finishing eighth in
his initial try at the Olympia, in 2005, WarNancy Di Nino
ren muscled his way into second place
and Dan Solomon.
at last season’s Arnold—and he won the
Most Muscular award to boot. Then, after
losing to Badell at the ’06 San Francisco Pro,
he finished fifth a week later at the Australia
Grand Prix. He had a legit excuse for the latter; he was on his honeymoon.
But Warren was way off at the ’06 Olympia, landing in 11th, and this year’s Arnold
was his “I’ll show you I’m still a contender”
contest. Branch came in a bit smaller, especially in the upper body—his wheels were still
outrageous—in an obvious attempt to bring
back his grade-A conditioning. He’s scheduled to compete in the New York Pro. A
huge performance there would put him back
where he left off a year ago.
Mark Dugdale (11th), Haley (12th), Hidetada Yamagishi (13th), David Henry
(14th), Sergey Shelestov (15th) and Luke
Wood (16th) rounded out the field.
Arnold amateur top names (clockwise from
upper left): Miguel Neil, Diane Brown, Kara
Flowers, Sara Flom and promters Lorimer and
Davies.
Sandy, Lats and
Debbie.
Photos courtesy of Cameo Kneuer-Bernard
Photography by Lonnie Teper, Dave Lliberman and Ron Avidan
Ronnie’s
pinstripes.
For those who remember, Cameo was big in the fitness industry
around the time Cory was dusting her Ms. O opponents year after year.
She was the very first winner of the very first big fitness competition, the
’87 Ms. National Fitness Championship, and held the title for two years.
The fitness business has been very rewarding to her, she said.
“I have been doing infomercials on a yearly basis ever since I competed and have made a great living from it,” said Cameo. “Cory and I live a
few miles apart, and we train as much as we can
together. We hold each other accountable and
are best friends. We help each other with our
kids, and she is so happy to be a mom.”
Cameo is married to Randy Bernard, CEO
of Professional Bull Riders, and they have three
children—Priscilla, 17, Ryan 16 and Alexandria, 14. They live in Woodland Hills, California,
Jay
and Colorado Springs, Colorado.
Reg
and
tanks it.
“Priscilla is a varsity water-polo player,” said
Mareon Park.
the proud mother. “Ryan is a varsity volleyball
Lisa
player and plays for the number-two-ranked Santa Monica
Aukland
Beach Club team. Alexandria is a freshman varsity water-polo
and Dave
player, is on the varsity swim team and also played junior
Liberman.
varsity basketball.”
Is that all? Now, what would you expect from anyone
blessed with those wonderful Kneuer genes? Have those 18
or so years been kind to Cory and Cameo? I can’t wait anLackdaddy
other two decades until we meet again, so let’s connect soon,
and Monica.
ladies. Lunch on me. Just no sprints in the pool with the kids.
MORE ARNOLD ACTION—Good thing I like to talk. Because I
certainly did a lot more than usual during the weekend in Columbus.
In addition to my usual duties as emcee of the Arnold Classic and
Ms. International finals, I was hired by Bob Lorimer and Mike Davies to host the newly revived NPC Arnold Championships,
Rockell which took place on Friday and Saturday morning at Veterans
eats
Auditorium and on the expo stage.
cake.
About 250 athletes from around the United States joined the
fray, which began on Friday at 9 a.m. and ended at 2 p.m. with
the completion of the bodybuilding prejudging and the fitness
and figure finals. Even I’m surprised I could jabber that long
(including a new all-time fill record of more than 30 minutes).
There were so many figure competitors that the fitness and
figure prejudging had to be held in a separate room (hosted by
former Collegiate National champ and current engineer/writerphotographer-emcee Mike Lackner) while I handled things at
Vets Memorial.
On Saturday morning the trophies were given out to the fitElissa
Schlichter ness and figure winners, and all the bodybuilding finalists posed
and got their medals on the main stage at the ever-expanding
and John
Tuman.
expo. When I called out the first contestant at 9 a.m. sharp, the
place was already packed.
Congrats to men’s champ Miguel Neil, a hometown guy out of Columbus, and Dazzling Diane
Brown, from Hyattsville, Maryland, in the women’s
bodybuilding category. Ditto for fitness champ Sara
Flom, a Granada Hills, California, athlete who in her
spare time doubles as an attorney. The figure winner
was Kara Flowers of Blacklick, Ohio, who I met
when I announced her as the winner of the Natural
Ohio last year. I predicted then that she’d earn her pro
card at the Team Universe in 2006, but she was unable
to compete there, so I’m making the prediction again
for 2007 here and now.
Emceeing the NPC Arnold was a fun experience,
and I hope to do it again next year. Kudos to Lorimer
and Davies for bringing the event back (it was held in a
Cory with Arnold (above) and with sister Cameo and L.T.
smaller format a couple of times about a decade ago), as well as to head
judge Gary Udit and head expediter Rick Bayardi for running such a
smooth show.
Teper’s Tales
As always, the weekend attracted an industry who’s who. Mr.
Olympia Jay Cutler and the man he dethroned, Ronnie Coleman, greeted each other warmly. The Big Nasty, known for his
wild suits, was true to form with a shiny new black pinstripe; Jay
was sporting a suit as well, but he looked more at home in his
Team MuscleTech tanker at the expo.… Don Long, who fulfilled
his wish of competing in a pro bodybuilding show again at the
Atlantic City Pro in September, told me he’s signed a contract with
ISS Research. Congrats, Don, you looked great as always.… At
the postcontest banquet I sat at the legends table, which included
Reg Park and his lovely wife, Mareon. They both looked great.
Also at the table were Mike Katz and Winston Roberts,
Dave Liberman and Linda Reho (how in the heck did they
get to sit at the legends table?—oh, I got them tickets) and my
fellow emcee Clint Richards. Clint, are they trying to tell
us something?… Liberman couldn’t contain himself when
he saw Lisa Auckland’s marvelous calves walking into the
Veterans Memorial lobby after the Ms. International finals.
“If I had calves like that, I could have been a pro,” lamented
Liberman.… A Lee Labrada look-alike was working the
Labrada Nutrition booth—none other than Lee’s 14-year-old
son, Hunter. Does he look like Pops, or what?... Chris
Cormier was at the MuscleTech booth and said he’ll probably make his comeback at the Europa in August.… The
IRON MAN staff, sans Ruthless Ruth Silverman, who was
having dinner with friends, met at Mitchell’s Steakhouse on
Friday night and sat opposite a table filled with IFBB and
NPC promoters and judges, led by Lats Manion, whose
one-liners keep me in stitches every time we meet. We
all got to see Johnny Tuman and Elissa Schlichter announce
their engagement. I got the money shot of the weekend while the two
smooched just as Jim Rockell was preparing to dive into his supersized piece of carrot cake. Elissa is a doctor, as well as an NPC figure
competitor. Also at the table was Sandy Williamson, who used to
be known as Sandy Ranalli. Here’s a belated best wishes to Sandy
and former NPC Los Angeles District Chairman Ted Williamson on
their marriage…. Mike Lackner brought along his charming wife,
Monica, who is a huge supporter behind the scenes in Lackdaddy’s
life.…
Don
Long.
Hunter (left) and Lee
Labrada with Linda Reho.
L.T. greets
Dot and Mits.
MORE TALES—I ran into ageless Jack LaLanne and his superenergized wife, Elaine, while changing planes in Phoenix, and the two
kids drew admirers as always. Also as usual, I was unable to get Jack
to spring for a free Power Juicer, the kitchen appliance that has made
him a very well-to-do man in recent years, as if he hadn’t been one
already!...Mits and Dot Kawashima made their annual trek in
from Hawaii to attend the Arnold Sports Festival. Mits said he won’t
be promoting his Hawaii Classic anymore, but the show will continue
to run.… Tony Nowak, who produced the official jackets for the
Olympia, did likewise for the Arnold. Tony has done terrific work for
many years with his handmade leather works; check them out at
www.TonyNowak.com, or call (800) 272-555.… One guy who really
loved this year’s jacket was Shawn Loevenguth, the main man
at Live Technologies, the company responsible for set design and
lighting at the Classic. In fact, Shawn cherished the coat so much
he had to be apprehended in the production office before he could
run off with the one that would eventually go to Victor Martinez.
Jack and Elaine LaLanne.
Tony Novak.
Shawn
Loevenguth.
Carol does
a Semple.
The man lost it for a moment, hitting various poses while wearing
the Nowak creation, trying to show why he was the best fit for the
garment.… I ran into Carol Semple at the Columbus airport on
Sunday, and the former Fitness International and Fitness Olympia champ (has it really been 10 years since Carol copped those
crowns?) was talked into performing her famous legs-over-shoulders pushups by some lunatic who was waiting to board a flight
to California. Semple is simply amazing.… Remember Roger
Stewart and his giant calves? Saw Roger, who’s still living in
Orlando, Florida, at the banquet, and he showed that he still has
the huge diamonds on his lower legs. Stewart edged John Romano in a calf down,
even though Romano did shock the hell out
of me with his well-developed lower leg.…
Rob Klein is getting his wish. “Since Kim
[Klein] won the show,” he said, meaning
the Figure International, “do I finally get my
picture in your column?” Yes, Rob, you do.
And are you going to congratulate me on my
correct prediction of Kim’s win on GraphicMuscle two weeks earlier? Solomon, are
you listening?... The saddest news to come
out of the Arnold Weekend: Ray “Thunder”
Stern passed away at the age of 74, according to his wife Debi Lee Stern, the
former fitness star-turned-physique judge.
Kris Gethin and
Stern, who was born Walter Bookbinder in
Marika Johannson.
Brooklyn, New York, on January 12, 1933,
became a pro wrestling star, gym owner and
avid pilot, proving successful in all three fields. In 1979 he founded Stern
Air, a charter flight service, in Dallas. Ray always had a big smile on his
face and was always very complimentary whenever we met. Debi, whom
he met 10 years ago, was the biggest reason for his happiness. Condolences to Debi and the Stern family.…
Corney’s
DVD.
Cathy’s calf.
Kim and
Rob Klein.
Chris Cormier.
Photo courtesy of Debi Lee Stern
Ray and
Debi Lee
Stern.
Neveux
Romano and
Stewart.
Neveux
Dave
Draper.
STILL MORE TALES—The San Francisco Pro, which has played
in various Bay Area venues over the years, seems to have finally found a
home. The Jon Lindsay–Steve O’Brien production, now known as
the Sacramento Pro and featuring men’s and women’s bodybuilding, was
held at the Crest Theater in that city this year, and the guys were happy
with the outcome. So the show stays in Sacramento, moving to a week
after the Arnold, in 2008.… Cathy LeFrancois, who finished second
to Tonie Norman in the women’s lightweight division at the Sac, had a
full plate, to say the least: competing in the Ms. International the following week and co-promoting her first contest, with Paco Hernandez, in
Fresno, California, a week after that.… Ed Corney was in the lobby selling pictures and his DVD, “The Master Poser,” which
features some of his amazing posing routines. I was
mesmerized watching the film; check out Ed’s Web
site at EdCorney.net.… Kris Gethin and Marika
“Da Freeka” Johansson were also greeting fans,
with Kris displaying his new magazine, Kaged Muscle,
and Marika selling her new DVD, on which she trains
with industry icon Dorian Yates. Gethin is one of the
most enthusiastic, hardworking gents in the sport—
check out his Web site, www.KagedMuscle.com
To contact Lonnie
for more details.… And, finally, Dave Draper, who
Teper about material
had a quadruple bypass and valve repair surgery on
possibly pertinent to
February 23, came home a week later and wrote his
News & Views, write
first recovery column a week after that. According to
to 1613 Chelsea
wife Laree, Dave started to feel pretty good after only
Road, #266, San
Marino, CA 91108;
three weeks and was “planning to dink around the
fax to (626) 289-7949;
gym Saturday or Sunday for the first time. No weights
or send e-mail to
allowed.” Yeah, try and tell the Blond Bomber to stay
[email protected].
away from the iron! IM
Victor
Martinez Snags a
Unanimous Win
at the ’07 Arnold
Schwarzenegger Classic
Photography
by John Balik,
Roland Balik
and Merv
Victorious
1) Victor Martinez
’07 Arnold Classic
1) Victor Martinez*
2) Dexter Jackson*
3) Toney Freeman*
4) Gustavo Badell*
5) Phil Heath*
6) Silvio Samuel*
7) Branch Warren
8) Ronnie Rockel
9) Markus Rühl
10) Vince Taylor
11) Mark Dugdale
12) Marcus Haley
13) Hidetada Yamagishi
14) David Henry
15) Sergey Shelestov
16) Luke Wood
*Qualifies for the ’07 Mr.
Olympia.
2) Dexter Jackson
ARNOLD
CLASSIC
3) Toney Freeman
4) Gustavo Badell
ARNOLD
CLASSIC
5) Phil Heath
6) Silvio Samuel
7) Branch Warren
8) Ronnie Rockel
ARNOLD
CLASSIC
See More Photos at
Top five finishers at pre-judging, Badell, Heath, Freeman, Jackson and Martinez.
Jackson, Martinez, Freeman and Heath.
9) Markus Rühl
10) Vince Taylor
ARNOLD
CLASSIC
11) Mark Dugdale
ARNOLD
CLASSIC
12) Marcus Haley—Most
Entertaining Posing Award
13) Hidetada Yamagishi
ARNOLD
CLASSIC
See More Photos at
INTERNATIONAL SHOW TIME
W O M E N ’ S B O DY B U I L D I N G
Whole Lotta Shakin’
End of an era. Hendershott calls it
quits. See page 265.
Goin’ on
Icon-ic
Another slam-bang Arnold Classic
weekend went down in Columbus,
Ohio, on March 2 through 4. They
keep adding sports and changing
the name of this mammoth meeting
of the fit and fabulous—now known
as the Arnold Sports Festival—but
when you’re on the physique beat,
it’s all about the Arnold, a.k.a.
“Columbus,” a.k.a. the Arnold
Schwarzenegger Classic World
Bodybuilding Championship and
Ms., Fitness and Figure International
competitions.
This year’s edition of the IFBB Pro
League’s early-season A-list party
was so full of fascinating developments, even the contests that were
business as usual were not business
as usual. Snowstorms in the Midwest and Northeast plus tornadoes
in the South ensured that everyone
traveling to central Ohio would have
interesting stories to swap before the
women’s judging got started at noon
on Friday. Once the fitness athletes
strode onstage in their one-piece
suits, there was plenty of other stuff
to talk about. Here’s as much of it as
would fit on five pages.
Flexing in the age of Iris
Is it my imagination, or was Iris glowing under all that muscle? See page
266.
D R E S S I N G R O O M TA L E S
Girl talk. Lisa
Aukland tells
Tonie Nor
man about
her own long,
slow climb to
the Ms. I top
five.
262
Photography by Ruth Silverman
Sage advice.
Amanda
Savell teaches Sonia Adcock how to
pose for the
money shot.
Rumors,
anyone?
Hot bods
collide (from
left): Inga,
Zena, Debbie
and Christine make
for colorful
combustion.
“Iris will win until she retires.” That
observation by one bodybuilding sage
of my acquaintance pretty much sums
up the results of the Ms. International
competition, in which defending champ
and Ms. Olympia Iris Kyle nabbed a
five-point victory over Yaxeni Oriquen
and a lineup of 16 of the world’s finest
female flexers. Yaxeni would be the first
to disagree with that assessment—she’s
beaten the 5’6”, 158-pounder with the
fab X-factor from Fullerton, California,
numerous times and no doubt expects
to do it again—but now that Kyle has
put consistency on her list of admirable
qualities, not even the Yaxinator may be
able to stop her.
Not that Oriquen didn’t try. Those
who were
wondering
if the ’05
Olympia
and Inter
national
champ’s
drop to
seventh at
the ’06 O
signaled
the end
Ms. and Fitness International photography by Roland Balik, Merv and Bill Dobbins \ www.BillDobbins.com
of the 5’8”, 170-pound
Venezuelan vixen’s own
run at the top can find
something else to stew
about. Yaxeni was back
in championship form,
meaning tighter, her
large, evenly distributed bodyparts flowing
majestically as she hit
her mandatories at the
judging.
Even so, Yaxeni is
40, and in an interview
So there. Policky declared her
published online last
self a major force in the sport.
year, she questioned
how long she would
Yaxeni is back! (Was there any
want to continue comthe judges thought she could
doubt?)
peting. Iris is 32 and
have been drier—and sharpseems to be settling in
er. I also wondered whether
for a Ronnie Coleman–like run. Queried the above-menthey were so blinded by the
tioned sage, Is anyone with the genetics to beat Iris even
beef, they didn’t actually see
coming up?
anyone who weighed under
Fans of new pro sensation Heather Policky, who
140 (Dayana is thick, but
was fresh off her win at the Sacramento Pro Grand Prix the
she’s a lightweight).
week before, clear their throats at that. Based on the first
Not for nothing did another
callout—Kyle, Oriquen and Policky—they may have a point.
wise observer say, “The conPolicky’s got all the ingredients, with jaw-dropping muscular
test was a complete waste
ity, anatomy-book definition and a vicious V-taper leading the
of time and money for the
list. The Olympia should be very interesting, eh?
smaller girls.” While that may
Rounding out the top six, in a surprising order, were Lisa
be a bit of an exaggeration—I don’t know any athletes who
Aukland, Betty
don’t enjoy competing at the International—it’s also true
Pariso and Dayathat none of the leaner, “more aesthetic” types, even
na Cadeau. (See,
among the heavier women, could break into the money
I told you you’d be
placings.
From top: Cadeau’s
surprised.) Aukland
One larger athlete who
sixth-place finis another vet who
wasn’t at her best, Annie
ish was her lowhas developed the
Rivieccio, dropped to seventh est since her Ms. I
debut in ’99, when
knack of nailing her
from third at the O in Septemshe was 11th; Pariso
conditioning every
ber. Bonny Priest, fourth at
was at her best; and
time. Now that
the O, landed in eighth. She
so was Aukland.
she’s brought her
looked good but perhaps a little Don’tcha just love
Lisa’s new shape?
waist in and, literally,
smaller than at recent shows.
changed her shape,
With the 5’7”, 173-pound
there appears to
Policky grabbing the spotlight,
be no stopping her.
however, the 5’5 1/2” 158Pariso—speaking of
pound Priest could have apveterans, Lisa is 48,
peared downright diminutive.
Betty is 51—may
Tonie Norman, the lighthave brought her
weight winner at the Sac, dialed
“Hey, don’t forget
personal-best phyit in again, only to finish ninth,
us!” cries the 5’2”,
sique to the stage in
with Cathy LeFrancois
135-pound Cathy. The
Columbus. I’ve said
much improved from the week
call for having weight
that before, but she
before but again landing beclasses at more prowomen’s shows is
actually keeps gethind Norman, in 10th. Eleventh
getting louder.
ting better.
through 16th, in order, went to
As for Cadeau’s
Lora Ottenad, Denise Masixth-place finish, I’m
sino, Kim Perez, Colette
not sure what that was about. At first glance her physique
Nelson, Rosemary Jennings
seemed on point. On closer inspection I considered whether
and Susanne Niederhauser.
MORE FITNESS
FITNESS FUN
So In-Kleined
Reporter’s
Panel says Kim’s
time has come
The revolving crown of professional
fitness took a new turn in Columbus
when Kim Klein, the runner-up at
every major competition since the
’05 Olympia, (gracefully) flipped past
Adela Garcia and Jen Hendershott to land her now-dainty derriere
on the throne at last. Fifteen of the
most amazing athletes in the fitness
universe (note lower case) came to
Columbus in tip-top condition to
perform for the industry’s most enthusiastic audience. No one expected
the winner to be other than one of the
three above-mentioned headliners,
and when it turned out to be Kim, no
one was shocked—pleased for the
5’2 1/2” former grade-school teacher
from New Jersey, but not really surprised.
Was it Adela’s coming in a bit
smaller again or Kim’s trimming her
lower body just a smidge more that
made the difference? No matter. The
point shift definitely occurred in the
physique rounds, where Kim finally
slipped past Texas transplant Garcia to win them solidly. A pair of second-place
scores in the routine rounds gave her a seven-point margin of victory.
Considering the history of pro fitness since Susie Curry retired—Garcia won
the International and the Olympia in 2004, lost both titles to Hendershott in ’05
and won them back in ’06—Klein would seem to be halfway to the double crown.
With Hendershott out of the mix at the Olympia, who’s going to stop her?
Notebook
Kim nailed her
routine—and the
title.
STILL MORE FITNESS
Best perfor
mance by a
rookie. Hollie Stewart
was the only
Columbus
first-timer to
break the top
10.
The Rest
Of the best
Tanji Johnson continued wiggling her way up the totem pole with a
fourth-place finish at the International.
Julie Palmer, who I thought had the
best physique in the bunch, picked
up the fifth-place check, and Tracey
Greenwood got the last of the top-six
places.
Julie Shipley-Childs had to
settle for seventh. That’s what happens when there are too many divas
onstage. Debbie Czempinski and
her Zorro routine took the number-eight
spot, ’06 Team Universe champ Hollie
Stewart landed in ninth, and Angela
Semsch was 10th, with Amy Villa
Nelson, Mindi O’Brien, Bethany
Gainey and Amy Haddad rounding
out the lineup.
Dancing
With the
Stairs. “Say
hello to my
little friend.”
I have to admit I was really sur
prised when Adela Garcia didn’t
win the ’07 Fitness International—
and not because I’d predicted that
she’d retain her title. After all, I’d
seen her in the past win the physique
rounds looking exactly the way she
did that morning. Plus, I thought
she had the best two-minute routine—tangoing with her silent partner.
Oh, well. Another example of why
I’ll never be invited to judge these
things. Adela, in fact, took third in
both routine rounds and third overall,
with Jen Hendershott, third last
year, moving up to second.
Hendershott, who looked her best
ever in the physique rounds, took
third in both, and aced both routine
rounds. Despite the sentiments expressed above, I don’t have a problem with her finish. These ladies are
so good, any one of them could win.
Too bad about that difference in prize
money (see item on page 265).
Who
says
cat-suit
shots
aren’t
hot?
MORE COLUMBUS
Speaking of Jen Hendershott
Cash
Concerns
Did someone say prize money?
The first big news to drift my
way in Columbus came from the
above-named gal, who greeted me
with a twinkle in her eye. “This is
going to be my last competition,”
she said.
Shut up, I replied.
No, she would not be onstage
for the Olympia in September, insisted fitness’ reigning performance
artist, who moved with hubby
Brian Kinn to Charlotte, North
Carolina, from Columbus a year
or so ago. It’s time to start making
babies.
Hendershott, who is 35, wanted
to go out with a bang in her hometown, and she succeeded. Dressed as a Girl Scout, she wheeled
a wagonload of cookies onstage and proceeded to pass them out
to the judges, shaking booty and body and thoroughly pleasing the
crowd at the Veterans with her trademark moves and grooves.
I can’t say I’m really shocked at Jen’s decision. In fact, I’ve kind
of been expecting it (and there’s another old interview favorite I
wouldn’t be surprised to hear making a similar statement soon).
Having won the Fitness International—and the Olympia—Hendershott has nothing to prove, and with her Phat Camps threatening to take over the fitness world, she’ll hardly be gone from the
scene.
Jen will be a motivating force in the industry for years to come—
you can take that to the bank. But those high-energy, high-concept, choreographed-to-thrill routines—Who else could have won
the Olympia dressed as a banana?—will be sorely missed.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Cleveland Rocks!
If reading about the Columbus festivities has you jonesing
for something to motivate your
spring shape-up, look no further
than 143 miles to the northeast:
PlanetPhysique.com’s Healthy
Lifestyle Weekend goes down at
Gray’s Armory in Cleveland on
June 9 and 10. Promoter Robert
Szarek has lined up a two-day
expo designed to knock your gym
socks off: “My goal is to have performances going on all day and try
to make it a family event.” The fun
will include an NPC fitness contest
presented by Mari Kudla; a
performance by Tanji Johnson; the Danielle Rouleau Fit
Body contest; the “Posedown in
C-Town,” with Frank Roberson
Tanji’s guest-posing routine
and “Save Fitness” seminar are and a slew of NPC and IFBB pospart of the Healthy Lifestyle
ing artists, plus tons of exhibitors.
Weekend.
“We had 50 booths last year and
expect 70 to 75 this time,” said Szarek. For the full rundown, visit
www.HealthyWeekend.com.
I usually don’t go into the prize money at these shindigs because, where the women’s sports are concerned,
there’s not much to talk about. That makes the exception
of the International competitions worth mentioning. Even
as the women’s physique
sports grew to three, Arnold
Sports Festival promoters
Jim Lorimer and Governor
Arnold Schwarzenegger
continued to support them
all. The Columbus shows are
invitationals, meaning all the
athletes’ expenses are paid
(16 men and 46 women this
year). The ladies get a royal
production at the Veterans
Memorial Auditorium on
Friday night, and the money
prizes, although nowhere
near the $130,000 Victor
Martinez earned for winMad money. Julie got
ning the Classic, are way
three grand for taking
fifth, the same as she
above the $3,000 picked
by the victor at the average earned for taking first at
the Palm Beach Pro last
women’s show. First-place
fall.
checks at the International
are $25,000 each to the
bodybuilding and fitness winners and $12,000 to the
figure champ.
Could it be more? Absolutely, but women’s bodybuilding, fitness and figure competition are by definition
don’t-quit-your-day-job situations. On the other hand, it’s
a nice chunk of change a gal could get used to having;
so don’t be surprised if you see some high-on-the-physique-chain competitors not waiting until the O to hit the
stage again. As one gal who dropped a couple of placings from 2006 said after a reporter suggested she’d be
taking an Olympia qualification away from some young
hopeful, “Honey, I gotta make some money.”
What About Figure?
P&C coverage of twoMore on
M.E. next
time Figure Internamonth.
tional champ Mary
Elizabeth Lado and the
rest of the quarter-turners continues in the July
issue, when IRON MAN
presents its eye-widening pictorial on women’s
night at the Arnold
Classic. In the meantime—if you haven’t
already—check out our
in-the-moment mediablitz coverage of the
weekend in Columbus,
including video reports
and photo galleries, at
IronManMagazine.com
and GraphicMuscle.com.
Silverman
Jenhen takes
her eighth
Fitness I
bow
and bids
adieu.
Silverman
GOOD-BYES
Photography by Ruth Silverman
TALES FROM THE ARNOLD SPORTS FESTIVAL WEEKEND
Friends.
Who said
suitmakers Cynthia
James and
Merry Christine are
never in the
same place
at the same
time? Careful, ladies,
someone
seems to be
going after
both your
clients.
A hot dressingroom shot? No
problem, says
Colette.
Questionabl
e trends. Su
sanne Nied
hauser (top)
er
and Rosem
ary Jennings
the short-h
aired route
went
an
bottom of th
d finished at
e rankings.
the
Coincidenc
e?
Peak attraction.
Mindi O hits a
personal best.
Even in
sweats,
Denise
Masino
brings a
touch of
elegance
to the
proceed
ings.
Welcome
back!
Cute Couplings
No truth to the rumor
that Betty has to be
wound up before she
does her Mike Matarazzo impression.
Did somebody say
rumor? Adela
and Tracey practic
e a not-somixed pairs fitness
routine.
Nancy and Dina get a little anxious waiting for their steaks at Morton’s. Watch it,
girls. This is how rumors get started.
Hometown honeys
in the house. Briana
Tindall and Nick
Hetterscheidt.
NPC Arnold
Figure
champ
Sara Flom
and Stacy
Cravens
threw
themselves
a surprise
wedding
last December,
inviting
family and
friends to
an “engagement
party.”
Nice way to
do it your
way, guys.
“True story,” says He
idi. “Adela
used to drive a sch
ool bus!”
Julie bills herself as Shipley-Childs these days. Not
that she ever really intended to drop her maiden
name, but after a fan told her she was a dead ringer
for a ’90s fitness star named Julie Shipley—and what
ever happened to her?—she thought it might be time
to make a statement.
You can contact
Ruth Silverman,
fitness reporter
and Pump & Cir
cumstance scribe,
in care of
IRON MAN, 1701 Ives Ave.,
Oxnard, CA 93033; or via e-mail at
[email protected].
Neveux
Speaking of rumors, here’s one
that proved to be true: Iris Kyle
and John Sherman.
Another
cute Columbus
couple.
Latisha
Wilder
and
hubby
Sam.
Austin’s Abby Marie Wolf
Packs a Feminine-Muscle Punch
Compiled by Jonathan Lawson Photography by Michael Neveux
Height: 5’6” - Age: 29 - Weight: 116
Hometown: Austin, Texas
Current residence: Austin—“The best city in Texas!”
Occupation: Medical equipment company owner for five
years and fitness and bikini model
Marital status: “Married to a very patient and supportive
man.”
Workout schedule: Five days a week—Sunday, legs; Tuesday, chest; Wednesday, back; Thursday, shoulders; Friday,
arms
Hair and makeup by Alexandra Almond
Sample bodypart workout (legs): Leg presses, 5 x 20;
squats, 5 x 12; leg curls supersetted with leg extensions, 4 x
12
Favorite foods: “Cereal—at least four kinds mixed in the
same bowl; Tri-O-Plex protein cookies, which are addictive;
well-seasoned chicken breasts; sweet potatoes; and anything sweet—especially carrot cake with a glass of milk.”
Factoid: “I have a three-year-old daughter, Kirsten Nicole
Wolf, who is the cutest kid in the world. I have a bachelor's
degree from Texas A&M. I was the floor exercise Texas State
champion in high school and a college gymnast. More recently I was the ’05 NPC Texas State Fitness champion,
the ’05 INBF Alamo Classic Fitness champion and the ’06
Southwest Regional Fitness and Bikini America champion. I
took fifth in the ’06 Bikini America Championship.”
Building Hip and Lower-Back Strength
Model: Noel Thompson
by Bill Starr • Photography by Michael Neveux
ery few
strength
athletes’ or
bodybuilders’
routines include specific exercise
for their hips. They figure if they’re working
their legs and lower
backs, they’re also
hitting their hips.
Not necessarily. If
you’re going deep on
back squats, doing
front squats, setting
your hips very low
on your deadlifts
and high pulls and
handling heavy poundage on good mornings
or almost straightlegged deadlifts, then
you’re indeed strengthening your hips.
The trouble is, few meet those
requirements. They cut off their
back squats, substituting partial
movements for full-range ones or
at most barely breaking parallel. All
they re interested in is a legal squat
in regard to powerlifting rules.
Many of those same lifters also start
their deadlifts with hips set high.
They neglect specific exercises for
the lower back or use only light
weights. They shun front squats
unless they do some Olympic
lifting. As a result, their hips start
falling behind, and that s when
problems occur.
The muscles and corresponding
attachments of the hips are
potentially the strongest in the
body. If they re not stimulated
directly and with heavy
weights, though, they become
disproportionately weaker than the
surrounding groups. What makes
the hips even more important is
they re at the very center of the
body, and that s the source of all
strength development.
Even if you re no longer trying
to see how much you can move
in the squat or deadlift, you still
need to maintain a certain level of
strength in your hips to perform
everyday tasks and keep them
from being injured. Should you
happen to be one of the million
people genetically disposed to
osteoarthritis, then it s even more
crucial that you pay close attention
to strengthening your hips.
Even though the hips can
be made extremely strong,
they re also quite complicated
and are susceptible to many
types of injuries, both large and
small—and a host of diseases,
such as rheumatoid arthritis and
osteoarthritis.
A couple of points that are often
misunderstood: Osteoarthritis
is not an inevitable part of the
aging process. It can be halted and
reversed if you catch it in time.
You sometimes hear that joint
deterioration happens because of
the stress placed on them during
strenuous physical activities, such
as weight training. Not true—just
the opposite. Studies have shown
that vigorous exercise enhances
joint integrity and is a useful
means of improving the health of
joints that are showing signs of
osteoarthritis.
I’m not, however, giving an
across-the-board endorsement of
all forms of exercise. High-impact
aerobics, for example, should be
avoided. Sloppy form, which jars the
hips, is also harmful. Whenever any
exercise continually traumatizes your
hips, knees or shoulders, you need
to eliminate it from your routine
because it’s doing more harm than
good.
Here’s why the hip is a complicated
joint. It’s formed of bone, of course,
and safeguarded by 22 muscles, not
including the lower abs and lumbars,
which are also connected to the hips
and play a major role in stabilizing
them. There are six flexors, four
extensors, two abductors, four
adductors and six outward rotators,
plus all the tendons and ligaments
that add support to the structure. An
amazing piece of work.
I’m going to list some things you
can do to maintain the health of
your hips, but first I want to deal
with exercises that can help you
to strengthen them. Most of them
you’re likely already doing, but I
want to modify them just a bit so
that they involve
your hips even
more. They should
be most useful
to someone who
is experiencing
a slight hip pain
that’s not severe
enough to visit
a doctor. Even
though it doesn’t
hurt terribly, you
know something
isn’t quite right.
I’ve given the
program to a
number of athletes,
and they were
able to remedy
the problem
completely in a
couple of months.
That may seem
like a long time,
but consider the
Good mornings may be difficult, but they’re
alternative. One
Model: Idrise Ward-El
Model: Mike Morris
Don’t shun front squats. They can do a lot to bring the
hips and lower back into strength alignment.
afternoon an older gentleman came
to see me just as I got to the Hopkins
weight room. He came to the athletic
center to swim and play squash
regularly, but his left hip was hurting
him so badly that he limped when he
walked and had trouble getting up
from a chair. He was dreadfully afraid
that he might have to have surgery
and was willing to try anything I
suggested.
I laid out a program. He came
in and worked out under my
supervision before the teams started
their programs. Naturally, he wasn’t
very strong, since he’d never weighttrained before, but that proved to
be an advantage because he hadn’t
picked up any bad form habits. He
started out using only the Olympic
bar and, for the good mornings,
just a broomstick. As he learned
the technique on the lifts, I slowly
increased the resistance. He lifted
three days a week and swam six. He
agreed to curtail playing squash until
his hip got better.
Right away I saw that his lower
back was very weak, so I put lots
of lumbar work into his program.
Prior to lifting, he did situps and
hyperextensions and after the
workout leg raises and reverse
hypers. I also had him come to the
weight room on his nonlifting days
and do situps and hyperextensions
before he swam.
one of the most productive moves in strength
training.
Model: Chris Cook
Regular deadlifts can do a lot for core strength. And because
the exercise trains so many muscles at once, it has tremendous
metabolic-stimulating powers.
When you’re setting up your program to
improve hips and lower-back strength, be
sure you give your abs plenty of attention.
There should be something for the upper
and lower abs and the obliques. True,
your midsection isn’t formed by two
separate planes but rather is a continuous
girdle of muscle. So you need to work all
parts—front, back and sides—in order to
maintain proportionate strength.
Here’s the workout
I gave him: Monday,
deep squats and low
deadlifts; Wednesday,
wide squats and
good mornings;
Friday, deep squats
and sumo, or widestance, deadlifts.
Occasionally. I
substituted almost
straight-legged
deadlifts for
good mornings
and hack lifts for
deadlifts. Once he
got comfortable
with wide-stance
squats, he did them
exclusively.
By the third week
he’d stopped limping,
and after a month
he was pain free.
While the strength
work certainly played
a major role in his
recovery, the other
two recommendations I gave him
were equally important. We’ll get
to them, but I want to stay with the
exercises for now.
The reason I like wide-stance
squats and deadlifts is that they work
the hips more than when you do
them with a closer foot placement.
In order for them to be effective,
however, you really must go low on
the squat and set your hips extra low
before you pull on the deadlift. If
you can’t go low with a wide stance,
use your normal stance and try to sit
on your heels. Also, whenever you
employ a wide stance, you activate
your adductors to a greater extent,
and they’re most valuable to leg and
hip strength.
When starting out on wide-stance
squats, stay with higher reps until
you get the feel of the different
movement. How wide? As wide
as you can set your feet and still
maintain your balance when you go
low. The key to making the lift work
for you is locking your back tight and
keeping your torso erect throughout
the up-and-down motion: no
leaning whatsoever. When you think
you’ve gone just as low as you can,
squeeze down another inch; then
another.
Four sets of 20 will give you plenty
of work. That final set should be
tough. After a few weeks doing 20s,
you can reduce the reps to five and
add a few extra sets. That will enable
you to use more weight and thus
increase your hip and leg strength.
In the event you’re not bothered
by any sort of hip problem but still
want to work them just for a bit of
insurance, do wide-stance squats as
your back-off set or sets after your
regular squat workout.
Sumo deadlifts also activate the
various muscles and attachments of
the hips in a fashion slightly different
from conventional deadlifts. So
they’re quite useful for building
strength in those joints. Be sure to
set your hips extra low at the start,
and don’t let them rise too fast. The
bar and your hips should elevate
at the same rate. Concentrate on
squeezing your hips down as the
bar breaks off the floor. It will take
a bit of trial and error to determine
exactly where to place your feet and
grip the bar, but it’s a simple exercise
to learn. I like to alternate these setand-rep formulas: four sets of eight;
Model: Daryl Gee
five sets of five; three sets of five
followed by three sets of three.
I also use regular-stance deadlifts
for improving hip strength, but with
a twist. Do the exercise with 25pound plates and, again, position
your hips extra low at the start.
That makes them do more work
at the start than when you use 45pound plates. Get in the low starting
position, tighten all the muscles of
your body, and think about driving
your feet down through the floor. If
you think about pulling on the bar,
your hips will tend to come up too
rapidly, and the exercise resembles
an almost straight-legged deadlift.
Be sure to lower the bar in the
same way—lowering your hips as
you lower the bar. Change the sets
and reps as suggested for the sumo
deadlifts.
Another excellent hip exercise
that was part of almost every
strength routine when I first started
training is the hack lift. It’s also
called the straddle lift, and for good
reason: You straddle the bar. While
it will take a bit of practice to figure
out where to place your feet and
where to grip the bar, the hack lift
is easy to master. It works your hips
in unique ways. Your upper body
must stay erect from start to finish.
Change your hand placement on
every set. If you place your right
hand in front of your body on the
first set, move your left hand to
When starting out on wide-stance squats, stay with higher reps
until you get the feel of the movement. Go as wide as you can
and still maintain your balance when you go low.
that position on the following set.
Lift and lower the bar in a smooth,
rhythmic stroke, and never rebound
the plates off the
floor. The lower you
set your hips at the
start, the more you
involve them. Use
the same rotation
of sets and reps,
changing them at
every workout.
I’ve found
that, as with my
older gentleman,
pain in the hip is
frequently caused
by a weakness in
the lower back.
That’s almost always
because the person
isn’t doing any
specific exercise
to strengthen his
lumbars, or if he is,
The muscles and corresponding
he isn’t handling
attachments of the hips are potentially the
enough weight.
strongest in the body.
The main reason so
many neglect their lumbars is that
when done correctly, lower-back
exercises are very demanding. Good
mornings may be the most difficult
exercise in strength training, but
they’re also the most productive.
Using token weight on specific
lower-back movements just doesn’t
get the job done, and when the
lumbars lag behind strengthwise,
the weakness affects the hips.
Whenever people complain to
me about hip pain, I check out their
program to see how much work
they’re doing for the lower back.
Invariably, it’s severely lacking.
Once they increase their overall
workload on lumbars, the hip pain
disappears. The increase is achieved
gradually. It’s not prudent to attack
any muscle group that’s obviously
deficient.
I have them do hypers prior to
lifting and reverse hypers to finish
off the workout. Start out with 20
reps on both, and steadily add a
couple of reps at each session until
you reach 50. Also do one or both
Model: Moe Elmoussawi
on your nonlifting days. It isn’t
that hard to figure out a way to do
them at home. I’ve done reverses
on kitchen counters and hypers on
a small table with my feet locked
under my desk.
Those exercises are useful in
helping to expand your base, but
you’ll need to do one core exercise
for your lower back in order to get it
strong. While I think good mornings
are the most beneficial, almost
straight-legged deadlifts are good
too. Neither, however, will bring
the result you’re seeking unless you
work them hard and heavy. The key
form points for good mornings are
1) once you break your knees at
the start, don’t allow them to bend
any further, and 2) the lower you
go, the more muscles you activate.
You can do them with a flat back,
rounded back or while seated. It
doesn’t matter where you start,
only where you end up. My older
gentleman, who used a broomstick
at his first two workouts, was doing
them with 100 pounds by the end
of a month’s training. Your eventual
goal is to handle 50 percent of what
you’re squatting for eight to 10 reps.
Someone who squats 300 pounds
should be doing eight to 10 reps
on good mornings with at least 150
pounds.
Many prefer almost straightlegged deadlifts over good mornings
because they think they’re
easier—not true if they’re done
right. They’re very demanding. Use
straps, and don’t stand on a bench
or block. You can get the same
benefits by using 25-pound plates
and standing on the floor. When you
stand on a bench, you have to deal
with balance, and there’s a risk of
dropping the bar across the bench.
I’ve seen it happen several times,
and it didn’t make the gym owner
happy at all.
The most important thing to
know about that exercise is you
must bend your knees slightly. I
realize that it’s generally called
the stiff-legged or straight-legged
deadlift and that nearly every photo
in fitness magazines shows the
model doing them with his or her
legs locked. Well, that’s incorrect
form. Whenever you’re working your
lower back directly, you need to
unlock your knees. Otherwise you’re
placing your hamstrings in jeopardy.
Use hypers prior to lifting and reverse hypers to finish off the
workout. Start with 20 reps on each, and steadily add a couple
of reps at each session until you reach 50.
Unlocking your knees doesn’t affect
the two lower-back exercises suits
the benefits of the exercise at all and them better than doing either one
greatly reduces the risk of pulling
exclusively. I use the same set-andyour hamstring. That applies to
rep sequence for both: five sets of
hyperextensions as well.
eight at one workout and four sets of
Keep in mind that whenever
10 at the next. Although that might
you’re working your lumbars, you’re
not seem like much of a change, it is.
also strengthening
your hamstrings—
yet another
reason to include
specific lower-back
exercises in your
hip-strengthening
routine. The
hamstrings are
crucial to the
health of the hips.
My guideline for
almost straightlegged deadlifts
is to use threefourths of your
best squat weight
for eight to 10 reps.
Our 300-pound
squatter should
aim for 200 for
eight to 10 reps.
Some find
Vitamin C and manganese increase the jointthat alternating
support formula of chondroitin and glucosamine.
Model: Ray Campisi
The hip is formed of bone, of course, and safeguarded by 22
muscles, not including the lower abs and lumbars, which are
also connected to the hips.
In addition to strengthening
the muscles and attachments
responsible for keeping your hips
stable, you can do other things to
help ensure that the joints stay
healthy as you grow older. While
genetics may finally win out, you
can prolong it as long as possible
and not succumb without a fight.
Avoid high-impact activities, such
as running. Studies have shown
that walking can bring you the
same benefits as running without
the pounding to your back, hips,
and knees. Walking at a brisk pace
for 12 miles a week helps improve
cardiovascular and respiratory
fitness, control bodyweight, reduce
cholesterol levels, enhance the
health of your heart and lower the
risk of many types of cancer. Sounds
good to me. Other useful, lowimpact aerobic activities include
biking, rowing and, maybe best of
all, swimming.
By the way, the two additional
recommendations I made to my
older gentleman (he was 72) to get
his bad hip healthy were 1) find a
competent chiropractor and 2) go to
a health food store and buy vitamin
C, multimineral supplements,
chondroitin and glucosamine
(making sure the latter two were
sulfates).
By competent, I mean a
chiropractor who knows how
to work on muscular people.
Regardless of what those in the
profession declare, some are
definitely more capable than others.
So don’t look for a chiropractor
in the Yellow Pages. Instead, ask
around in the athletic community
before making your selection.
The strength work you’re doing
in the weight room for your hips
and lower back will be much more
productive if your back in aligned
properly. Alignment, however, is
not enough to solve the problem.
If your back muscles remain weak,
they’ll be unable to hold the spine
in place as the vertebrae move out
of alignment when placed under
stress. So you need both strength
work and alignment.
Chondroitin and glucosamine
have a terrific success rate in
halting osteoarthritis, if you
catch the problem early enough.
Obviously, if the cartilage in your
Sumo deadlifts activate the various muscles and attachments
of the hips in a fashion slightly different from conventional
deadlifts.
Models: Adrian Janicke and Amy Lynn
Walk, don’t run. Studies show that walking can bring you the
same benefits as running without the pounding to your back,
hips and knees.
hips is completely worn away,
no supplement is going to help.
If the problem is slight, though,
those substances help build new
cartilage as well as the ends of the
bones where cartilage is attached,
the capsules surrounding the joints
and the muscles adjacent to the
joints. Take 1,200 milligrams of
chondroitin three times a day and
1,500 milligrams of glucosamine
every day.
Vitamin C and manganese
increase the effectiveness of
chondroitin and glucosamine.
Water-soluble, both vitamin C
and manganese are antioxidants
and assist the immune system
in destroying joint-damaging
free radicals. Manganese plays
a key role in the synthesis of
cartilage, so it needs to be taken
regularly. Take five grams of C
daily, and every time you do, take a
multimineral tablet as well. I think
taking minerals in a mixed form
rather than separately is a good
idea because of mineral synergy
in the body. Just make sure your
multimineral has an adequate
amount of manganese in it.
Another product, ASU, has been
used successfully for the treatment
of osteoarthritis in France since
the early ’90s, but it’s only recently
become available in the United
States. It’s derived from avocado
and soybean oils and works well
with chondroitin and glucosamine.
It may be hard to find. If you do,
take 300 milligrams a day. To
learn more about taking care of
your joints, read The Arthritis
Cure by Dr. Jason Theodosakis
(St. Martin’s). It’s changed the way
people deal with joint pain and
osteoarthritis.
Even though your hips feel
strong and healthy, it’s a smart idea
to include specific exercises for
them in your strength program.
You may be able to avoid future hip
problems by taking the nutritional
supplements I mentioned. An
ounce of prevention.…
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
Pick Your Personality Is it time to re-create yourself?
o into any gym and you’ll see people who attack their
workouts. They don’t coast through the tough exercises. They make each set count. They have an air about
them—they expect to succeed. You can almost feel it. It’s the
same outside the gym, too, and other people can’t help but
notice it. They describe such people as winners, attributing all
manner of good things to them and summing it up by saying
that they have terrific personalities.
You know the other side of this story: the people who lose
at everything they try; the people for whom failure seems to
be a required result no matter what they are doing—building
biceps, taking a test, handling a job. It’s always the same, and
it isn’t good. Once again, others notice and write those people
off as chronic losers.
G
Neveux \ Models: Clark Bartram and Michael O’Hearn
IRONMIND
Mind
The truth is, the so-called permanent personality characteristics are extremely malleable; they can usually change with the
social situation we’re in. That means you can change who you
are and become what you want.
Before we touch on how to make the changes you want,
let’s take a minute to explore just how flexible our personalities
are. We’ll begin by considering the importance of the social
situation in determining how we think and act.
Twenty-some years ago Stanford research psychologist Phil
Zimbardo and his colleagues recruited students and randomly
assigned them to be either prisoners or guards in a study.
Conditions were as realistic as could be managed, from the
time the students were “arrested” by the local police to their
incarceration in cells. Very quickly, the stereotypical relationships and behaviors of prisoners vs. guards developed. The
prisoners became passive and depressed, while the guards
became aggressive and abusive. The first prisoner had to be
released in less than a day and a half due to his uncontrollable
crying, disorganized thinking, fits of rage and so forth. It wasn’t
pretty. Things became so strained that what originally had been
planned as a two-week experiment had to be terminated after
six days. Remember, only random assignment determined who
was a prisoner and who was a guard.
Not so startling but just as telling was a body of psychological research demonstrating that, lo and behold, people weren’t
as consistent as you might think from one situation to another.
They might be honest here, dishonest there and somewhere
in the middle in a third situation. That posed a big problem for
classic personality theories that would have us expect people
to behave very predictably across a variety of settings. Now it
was clear that particular situations influence a person’s behavior
in a very particular way.
The moral of the story is that you might think you’re destined
to waste away as a wanna-be or a wallflower, but you really
don’t have to. You can re-create yourself in whatever image you
want, Viking warrior, Amazon queen or anything in between.
Less dramatic but more to the point, you don’t have to be the
person who misses workouts, makes a halfhearted effort when
in the gym and always finds the best reasons for not sticking
with a program. You can be a winner.
The first step in your transformation is to pick the type of
personality you want to have. In our example you’d want to be
someone who isn’t just enthusiastic about training when he’s
lying on a couch watching his favorite muscle video. You’d
want to be the type of person whose deep-rooted enthusiasm
motivates and sustains each workout. You look forward to
training and can’t wait to get started. You can’t wait to get to
Body
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.
Hormones
Laugh Ends With GH
I
n a new study
volunteers who anticipated watching
a funny movie had 27
percent more endorphins and 87 percent
more human growth
hormone. Both of
those substances
enhance the immune
system, and GH can
help boost fat burning
and muscle growth
[Bottom Line Health,
March ’07].
Neveux \ Model: David Yeung
your heavy sets, and you welcome the chance to set a
new personal record, no matter how hard the required
effort or how small the step forward. After training, it’s
natural to get the nutrition and rest required for optimum
recovery and progress. You’re brimming with energy, and
it seems as if the harder you train, the harder you want to
train. It’s great—you’ve become a self-sustaining training
machine.
To reach that state, you need to cultivate the right
thoughts and behaviors. Gone are the people who tell you
that lifting weights is a waste of time. Gone are the people
who tell you that you’re genetically suited to be a wimp.
Gone are the people who say that they never built more
than a 16-inch arm, so why should you expect any more?
Gone are the people who always say “no,” “can’t” and
“never.” Gone are the thoughts of everything that could
possibly go wrong along the way. Gone are the late-night
binges that cripple the next day’s training. Gone is the
junk food that can undo your best efforts in the gym.
In their place are the elements you need to build the
successful you. Here are the people who always believe
that you can do what you dream about. Here are the
people who are in charge of their own lives. Here are
the people who like to challenge themselves and never
settle for yesterday’s best. Here are the people who do
the things that others said were impossible. Here are the
thoughts of how to make the next step forward. Here is
the discipline to eat, sleep and think in a way that almost
guarantees progress.
As you can see, building a winning personality isn’t just
a bunch of emotional cheerleading or fanciful visualization—it’s serious work. Along the way you have to keep
your eyes and ears open, trying to learn things that will
help you reach your goal. You have to keep your sleeves
rolled up to do the work that will get you there. It’s a challenge, but look at what you stand to gain.
It’s your choice, winner or loser: Pick your personality.
—Randall Strossen, Ph.D.
—Becky Holman
www.X-tremeLean.com
Mental Health
Flax or Fishin’
For omega-3s
Y
ou may know that omega-3
fatty acids are good for your
heart and can even relieve
depression, but are you eating
more fish? If not, you may want to
consider flaxseed. Two tablespoons
of ground flaxseed provides 1,000
milligrams of omega-3s—and only
25 calories. You can get the same
amount of omega-3s in two ounces
of cooked salmon, but that has a
little over 100 calories, not to mention a fishy taste. You may want to
try adding ground flaxseed or flaxseed oil to your protein
drinks to get more of those important omega-3 fats.
—Becky Holman
www.X-tremeLean.com
Bomber Blast
MIND/BODY
Lost-and-Found Department
S
clutter of things only you risk touching—battered
water bottle, frayed wraps, chalky towel, sticky loose
change, squashed MRPs, smeared phone numbers
on Post-its and business cards, and that brown
paper sack of training tricks ’n’ treats—tells the story
of a long, arduous and worthy journey. The knowing and persistence with which you approach your
dilemma defines a responsible, purposeful individual.
Each step, sure or uncertain, takes you forward and
makes you more, better, tougher and smarter. You’re
a creator, an innovator, an improviser, a battler. You
are dauntless.
Ah-ha! What’s this? A dusty, retired slumpbuster
created to blast the arms and spirits out of their stinky
socks. Had you not paused to refresh yourself with a
tug on the ole flask of gratitude, you might have entertained frustration and displeasure, doubt and surrender. Unlikely, really. That’s the
course of a loser, and a loser
doesn’t know a good slumpbuster from a ham-and-cheese
sandwich. You’re a bomber.
The bi-tri slumpbuster is neither retired nor old, but another
dirty trick to remind you of my
favorite builder of big guns, or,
in the case of gals and fitness
rascals, developer of strong and
shapely arms. I resort to tricks,
smoke and mirrors and teensy
exaggerations (lies) to effect the
growth of healthy muscle and might. Watch closely.
The slumpbuster is standing barbell curls supersetted with
lying barbell extensions. I like five sets with reps ranging from
10 to six for bi’s and 12 to eight for tri’s. The mass, density,
shape and strength of the arms and assisting muscles improve
in proportion to the maximum-muscle intensity applied—each
set, every rep. Work equals improvement.
Remember, intensity is relative. I work harder today—focusing, exerting, forging and burning—than I did 10, 20, 30
and 40 years ago. I move a fraction of the weight with less
freedom, I search for an agreeable groove to facilitate muscle
engagement with solid effort and I use a frazzled elastic wrap
where and when necessary, but I blast it. With one eye on risk
and both eyes on the goal, I get what I can while I can. See
my crooked mouth? That’s a smile.
Whadaya know...the end of the runway. I have one ole
battered body to get this tin can off the ground and high in the
sky before it’s too late. That and a
lot of heart is all it takes.
—Dave Draper
Neveux \ Model: Jose Raymond
Neveux \ Model: Sagi Kalev
ome folks collect rare coins,
stamps or antique cars—precious,
impressive and a joy
to the owner. The
fascinating items are
appropriately stored in
safe places and admired by enthusiasts
on special occasions.
Sometimes they’re
traded or sold for large
sums of money.
I collect old forgotten facts and similar
abstract collectibles
relative to exercise
and fitness (I also have
a garage full of rusty
scrap metal). They’re
valuable yet don’t cost a dime. People
seek them as precious gold nuggets, yet
I find them in plain sight on any gym floor.
Once found, they are not stored under
lock and key; they are applied and utilized
regularly. And I don’t trade them or sell
them for large sums of money; I give them
away to anyone who can use them.
Not a week goes by at the gym that
I’m not reminded of an effective exercise,
training technique or nutritional truth that has slipped through
the ever-widening cracks in my mind. For example...
I’m watching a couple of nerd-types (I’m not a prejudiced
person; some of my best friends are nerds) out of the corner
of my eye as I carefully make my workout preparations. One’s
wearing Bermuda shorts and knee-high socks and a spiffy
HappySoftware.com T-shirt, the other’s in a puffy gray sweatshirt and sweatpants and new Reeboks, and they both wear
iPods and carry cell phones, calculators, clipboards and timers. Goofy and Goofus.
Now get this. Goofy takes the lead, closely followed by
Goofus, and commences a series of exercises—one after the
other—with little more than 15-second pauses. The string of
exercises at first glance appears to be a calamity of randomness typical of new lifters, but further scrutiny reveals that the
routine demonstrates advanced formation: five upper-body
movements in a thoughtful and complementary cycle—incline
dumbbell presses (chest and shoulders), straight-arm pullovers
(two hands, one dumbbell—lats), lateral raises (shoulders), incline curls (biceps), overhead triceps presses (two hands, one
dumbbell—triceps). They complete three cycles of five sets of
six reps with weights that make them work hard.
Who are these guys?
That workout MO has been in the closet for a generation.
Where and when did this unlikely pair uncover the lost, forgotten alternative muscle-building technique? Apparently, they’ve
been paying attention.
Going through a sack of bodybuilding tricks can be frustrating, but often riches unfold. The familiar gym bag with its
Editor’s note: For more from
Dave Draper, visit his Web site,
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.
News
VPX Sports Awards $50,000
V
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The team Fat 2 Fit members are
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featured in ads in all the top fitness
and bodybuilding publications. Imagine, $50,000 and massive exposure
to celebrate this amazing fat-loss
record. Congratulations once again to
team Fat 2 Fit.
What’s next? How about a $75,000 grand prize!
That’s right, the next Zero Impact contest will have a $75,000 grand prize,
and preregistration has already begun. You can preregister online at
www.zidiet.com. In the following weeks we’ll have everything together for you
to officially enter the next contest, which begins June 28, 2007.
Preregister today. You could be the next Zero Impact Challenge winner!
New Stuff
Plasmavol
Freaky vascularity and insane
pumps are just minutes away
P
lasmavol, bodybuilding’s first blood plasma expander, from NxLabs can
help you reach a professional level of vascularity in a matter of hours.
All it takes is squirting a serving of this one-of-a-kind liquid formula into
a glass of water. Before you
know it, your veins will start
popping like the Fourth of
July and your muscles will
feel harder and fuller than
ever. Plasmavol also delivers
instant mind-blowing pumps
and helps pack on slabs of
rock-hard muscle in no time
flat. Find out how Plasmavol changes everything by
going to www.NxLabs.com
for your free sample. Get
Plasmavol today at GNC,
Vitamin Shoppe, Vitamin
World, www.Bodybuilding
.com and other fine retailers.
Gallery of Ironmen
MIND/BODY
Sergei Ivanovich Eliseev
E
Lon \ Photo courtesy of the David Chapman collection
arly-20th-century Russia was
a volatile place where the
czar ruled with an iron fist and
revolutionaries strove to overthrow
him. One of those rebellious fighters
was a mighty athlete who challenged
authority and demonstrated that
strength of muscle and strength of
character are sometimes united in
the same person. The young man’s
name was Sergei Ivanovich Eliseev,
and he was one of the most powerful
lifters ever to emerge from the heart
of Mother Russia.
Eliseev was born in 1876 in Ufa,
a city in the remote southern Ural
Mountains. He was a strong youth
and a champion wrestler from an
early age. In April 1898 he went to
St. Petersburg, where he began his
lifting career under the sponsorship
of Vladislav Krajewski (Gallery of
Ironmen, May ’05). There he learned
the finer points of weightlifting from
the growing community of athletes
who were active there. His progress
was so dramatic that he was sent to
Italy in 1899 to the World Weightlifting Championships. The newcomer
surprised almost everyone by taking
top honors at the competition, thus
becoming the first Russian ever to
win an international gold medal for his
country.
Although he continued to compete
occasionally as an amateur in national
and international contests, Eliseev
left St. Petersburg and returned to
Ufa, where he found work as a metalworker at a locomotive repair shop.
In addition to lifting, Sergei Ivanovich
was politically active, and when a
revolution broke out in 1905, the athlete was in the thick of things.
He came to the attention of
the czarist secret police often
enough to earn a code name
in the official records. He was
known as “the Athlete.”
Eventually, he was exiled
to Siberia, and two years after
the Communist revolution of
1917 he settled in the city of
Tomsk, located on the TransSiberian Railroad. Eliseev held
a variety of jobs, but despite
the poverty and hardships that
beset almost everyone in the
Soviet Union at that time, he
continued to work out and to
coach others in weightlifting.
Although the facts of his death
are not entirely clear, it seems
that the outspoken Russian
lifter was liquidated in 1939 in
the infamous Stalinist purge
of “troublemakers.” Tragically,
Eliseev had survived one tyrannical regime only to fall victim
to another.
—David Chapman
New Stuff
MIND/BODY
Use Your Stress
I
n so many people’s lives, stress
has become a life-robbing negative; it’s intense, even overbearing,
for prolonged periods of time. Actually, millions have allowed it to become
intense, overbearing and prolonged.
Don’t be one of them. You can
change your perspective and begin
using stress as motivation to produce
incredible life improvements.
For 27 years Pete Siegel, through
hundreds of published articles and
interviews, radio segments, TV appearances, book and CD sales,
seminars, classes and, more recently,
podcasts and e-articles, has helped
millions worldwide overcome negatives in their lives and then go on to
experience remarkable levels of
personal growth and success (especially in the areas of performance
enhancement and personal income).
His new, groundbreaking work Using
Your Stress to Fuel Your Success!
has cracked the code for conquering
(not just managing but conquering)
the unsettling effects of stress—in a
way that leads to truly enhanced personal vitality, emotional strength, life
To fuel your success
effectiveness
and measurable personal
advance. It’s
a 12-chapter
112-page
e-book.
Unlike any
personalgrowth book
you’ve ever
read or used
before, Using
Your Stress
to Fuel Your
Success! presents unique and proven concepts. Siegel has taken all the
guesswork out for you. Just read and
apply the book’s step-by-step, easyto-understand chapters, and you’ll
begin to deliberately use your stress
and stress factors to richly enhance
your life—in esteem-building, powermagnifying, growth-commanding
ways you never even considered.
For more information about Using
Your Stress to Fuel Your Success!,
visit www.IncredibleChange.com.
New Stuff
Carb-Conscious Bar
T
he Supreme Protein bar, long a favorite among serious athletes, will soon be
available at 7-Eleven and Vitamin Shoppe stores. That merchandising move
marks a radical change in sales strategy for Supreme Protein maker ProSource, which has always been content to restrict sales of its gourmet protein bar
to its own Web site and exclusive catalog.
Why the change of heart? It seems ProSource and the national retail chains have
been inundated with thousands of requests from customers who simply couldn’t
understand why their favorite bar wasn’t available in convenience stores (like so
many other bars that, frankly, lack Supreme Protein’s premier protein content and
great taste).
The Supreme
Protein bar is
justly famous for
its outrageously
delectable fourlayer combination of creamy
nougat, crunchy
peanuts, luscious
caramel and crispy protein wafers. At the same time, thanks to its superior whey
isolate, it is the undisputed industry leader in protein content. That makes it a far
cry from most competing bars, which contain large amounts of useless gelatin. It
contains healthful fats, including flaxseed oil, and a full spectrum of vitamins and
minerals. The Supreme bar also has only six net carbs, low sugar and zero trans fat.
Of course, those of you who have long preferred to deal with ProSource directly
can still get your favorite bodybuilding snack by going to www.Prosource.net or
calling up its industry-leading customer service team at (800) 310-1555.
MIND/BODY
Physique Flaws
The Perfect Body?
R
ecently, someone asked me what constitutes the
“perfect” body. I was somewhat taken aback, as
I don’t think perfection is possible. Even if it were,
wouldn’t perfection be different for each one of us? So
here’s how I answered:
When discussing the look of a bodybuilder’s physique,
we normally mention symmetry first. Basically, that means
both sides of the body are equal in size and shape. Is it
possible to achieve this? Yes, visually pretty much, although everyone has slight variations on each side in terms
of size (sometimes up to an inch or so on a tape measure),
as well as in the shape of each muscle group. You don’t
need perfect symmetry, however, to be successful as a
bodybuilder. Jay Cutler proves that every year; one of his
thighs looks bigger than the other, and he’s the numberone pro in the world.
Another important aspect of the equation is proportion, which means that every bodypart is in balance with
the others. While people have come up with formulas to
describe perfect proportions, few people actually fit that
measure. Proportion is more of a visual experience, in that
it is easy to see when someone’s arms look too big for his
chest (sorry, Lee Priest), or someone’s thighs are too small
in relation to the upper body, or one’s shoulders dominate
the chest or arms.
Accordingly, “perfection” comes down to trying to make
sure that your physique is symmetrical and proportionate.
In bodybuilding we also look for the best V-taper possible,
which means a wide back and shoulders coupled with a
small waist. Take that further and you have the X-frame,
which includes thighs that sweep nicely out to the sides,
from the hip to the knee.
But remember: Bodybuilding is subjective. What might
constitute the perfect body for me might not be what you
feel is perfection. Some feel that the freakiness of Markus
Rühl defines perfection, while others feel it’s Flex Wheeler
or Shawn Ray. Still others look at all IFBB pros as being
entirely too large for their bone structures and appreciate
guys more along the lines of Steve Reeves or Reg Park.
You need to look in the mirror and decide for yourself
what perfection is. Nobody has your exact structure, insertions and shapes, so you must look to simply make
yourself the best you can be in your eyes—especially if
you don’t plan to step onstage in front of judges. In other
words, you need to be your own judge.
—Eric Broser
www.PRRSTraining.com
New Stuff
Sleep
Edge Active Care
Sound for Shut-eye
S
I
C Johnson has created the first
premium shave preps with the
launch of Edge Active Care, a line
of products that deliver a great shave
and good skin care. Each of the new
shave preps specifically addresses a
man’s unique needs while providing a
superior shaving experience with unsurpassed protection from the razor’s edge.
Edge Active Care shave preps are all
dermatologist-tested, and the creams
sit close to the skin to give you a close,
comfortable shave.
Look for Deep-Hydrating Shave
Cream, Deep-Cleansing Shave Cream,
Revitalizing Shave Cream and Therapy
Shave Gel. The Edge Active Care shave preps are all
enhanced by exfoliants, cleansers and vitamins to leave
the skin nourished, soft, smooth and comfortable.
For more information visit www.EdgeActiveCare.com.
ntermittent sounds during the night can disrupt your
sleep, which can lead to less growth hormone release
and muscle repair. According to Thomas Roth, Ph.D.,
director of the Sleep Disorders and Research Center at
Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, “It’s the inconsistency
of the sound or silence that’s disruptive.” Fans or other
white-noise devices produce steady sound that can
block out noises that can disrupt sleep. If you’re having
trouble staying asleep, white noise may do the trick.
—Becky Holman
Graphic Muscle Stars / GraphicMuscle.com
Meriza Goncalves
Photo courtesy
of Pete Ciccon
e
Weight: 96 pounds contest; 100
pounds off-season
Height: almost 5’
Years training: Six
Residence: San Diego
Favorite foods: Sushi (healthful);
cheesecake, In-N-Out Burgers
(cheat)
Web site: MerizaFigure.com
Readers Write
Delightful Di Nino
Mentis the Man
Nancy
Di Nino.
Neveux
Neveux
I’ve always been a big
fan of IRON MAN. I like
the fact that many of the
bodybuilders featured are
in their 40s or above. Last
March you did an article on
one of them, Jimmy Mentis.
After checking out his nutrition ideas and workout
programs on his Web site,
I decided to write to him
with some questions. To
my surprise, he responded
immediately. He even gave
me a great workout program and nutrition guide to
follow and told me he’d be
at the Arnold Classic promoting his new supplement
Jimmy Mentis.
line. I went, and it was an
honor to meet him and his
wife, Suzie. To this day he checks up on me via e-mail and
makes sure I’m leading a healthy lifestyle. At 46 years old, I
need that. I am amazed that he took so much time to help
me out. He’s changed my life.
Brian Clerici
Beaver Falls, PA
Nancy Di Nino [IRON MAN Hardbody, April ’07] is so-o-o
hot—fiery red hair, just the right amount of muscle and an
exotic, angular face that is very sexy. I was blown away when
I realized she’s a correctional officer in a men’s jail. Lock me
up—please!
Sam Frutousky
via Internet
Walkin’ and Talkin’
I am impressed that so many of IRON MAN’s writers talk
the talk and walk the walk. John Hansen, Steve Holman,
Jonathan Lawson and now Eric Broser—these men have
drug-free physiques that I can aspire to. I’ve enjoyed reading Train, Eat, Grow and how Holman and Lawson are using
Broser’s Power/Rep Range/Shock method along with their
own POF and X Reps. Very interesting, and it was good to
see a big photo of Broser in the latest installment [April ’07].
You guys keep it real to keep me training real hard.
Cesar Martinez
Oakland, CA
Editor’s note: For more on Jimmy Mentis, click your
way to www.JimmyMentis.com.
Packin’ on Muscle
Just wanted to drop you a note and let you know how
well my workout routine is going with the Phase 1 Mass F/X
Program from the e-book 3D
Muscle Building. I decided
to use that program for 10
weeks, and I’m now entering
week six. The results have
been outstanding. Since the
start of the program, I’ve
put on about five pounds of
solid muscle, only about one
pound of fat and 4.5 pounds
of “lean body mass”—which
to me means intercellular
water weight. A big thank-you
for such an outstanding massbuilding routine!
C.J.
via Internet
Editor’s note: For more information on 3D Positions of
Flexion and X-Rep training, visit www.3DMuscleBuilding
.com and www.X-Rep.com.
Muscle-Training Program 90
From the IRONMAN Training & Research Center
by Steve Holman and Jonathan Lawson • Photography by Michael Neveux
ou could
d say
y that
h w
on a quest
q
to find
d the
h
p
perfect
muscle-building
b d g
outine—but
b ironically
the
h perfect
p
routine doesn
d
exist Oh
e, a sound
d training
p g
program
w rks
k for a while,
h
b
but
entually you
y have
h
to mo
to something
h g else. Why?
Wh AdapAd p
Y
Th human
The
h
body
b d is ded
signed
g d to adapt
d p as it striv
for homeostasis—to
h
maintain
equilibrium.
q
b
B
But w d
don want
equilibrium;
q
b
want to continue to g
gr
and
d that
h means
that
h when
h adaptation
d p
morphs
ph
into stagnation,
g
yyou gotta
g
thr
h
the
h body
b dy a cur
E B
Eric
P
r/Rep
R p
R g Sh k is designed
Range/Shock
d g d with
h
the
h body
b dy high
h gh level of adaptd p
ability
b y in mind—you
d y change
h g
things
h g fairly
y drastically
d
y ev y
eek.
k T eview her
h
sh
ho
Week 1: Power
T ain ev y ex cise with
h
straight
h sets—no supersets,
p
tri-sets or d
drop
p sets—and
d reps
p
stay in the
h four-to-six z
W
use slightly
h h
higher
h reps
p on end
durance-oriented
d muscles like
calves, abs
b and
d for
Week 2: Rep Range
For the
h first ex cise you pick
p k
eight
h that
h allows you to get
en to nine reps.
p For
F the
h second
d ex cise y u do
d 10
1 to 12
1 r ps.
p
O the
On
h third
h d ex cise y
the
h rep
p range up
p to the
h high
h h end
d
of fast-twitch
h r uitment—13 to
15 reps.
p (Note:
N
That
Th w rks excepp
tionally well with
h 3D POF W
ab
big, midrange-position
d
p
ex
cise as our first mo ement and
da
stretch-position
h
ex cise as our
second,
d and
d then
h w finish
h with
h
a contracted-position
d p
mo
example,
p for upper
pp p
pecs w d
do
Smith-machine
S
h
h
incline p
presses,
incline flyes and
dh
high
h cable
b
flyes.)
Week 3: Shock
Th week is for putting
This
p
y
muscles through
h
h the
h meat
grinder
d with
h supersets,
p
drop
d p
sets and
d so on. Reps
R
for most
muscles stay in the
h eight-to-10
h
1
range, b
but extended-set
d d
techh
niques
q
are a must
C cling through
h
h those
h
three
h
pr
p
tocols h
has given us lots of new insights
h into training, not to mention
some incredible
d b strength
h gains. A
As
for size gains,
eported
p
d that
h
they
h
eb
been sporadic,
p
d b
but accordd
ing to many that
h
how
h
size gains
h pp
happen—siz
ge follo ed
db
d
drought
h
en when
h strength
h is ineasing. Maybe
M b cutting back a b
bit
and
d intensifying our efforts could
d
Vol. 66, No. 6: 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 rates—U.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
1-800-570-4766. Copyright © 2007. 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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