Iron Man magazine 2008 02 - Bodybuilding magazine free

Transcription

CORY EVERSON, 6-TIME MS. OLYMPIA, AT 50! — NEW PHOTOS
™
OVER
40
Cory
Everson
BODYBUILDING
CORY
FABULOUS
AND FIT AT
50
MIDSECTION
PERFECTION
(Incredible Pics!)
Strength Coach
Tells You How
Midlife-Muscle
SUPPLEMENT
GUIDE
Keep the Big-Gain Train Rolling
FEBRUARY 2008
$5.99
www.IronManMagazine.com
Please display until 2/5/08
PLUS:
•Grow With the Pros—Joel Stubbs and Rusty Jeffers
•Clarence Bass, Still Ripped at 70—Amazing!
•Super Size Program—the Supersaturation Workout
Free download from imbodybuilding.com
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©2009 Home-Gym.com
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www.ironmanmagazine.com \ APRIL 2006 261
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Greg is a former Army Ranger and was
recently voted Hollywood’s top body.
150 DECEMBER 2009 \ www.ironmanmagazine.com
IRON MAN MAGAZINE WE KNOW TRAINING IRON MAN MAGAZINE WE KNOW TRAINING IRONMAN MAGAZINE WE KNOW TRAINING IRON MAN MAGAZINE WE KNOW TRAING IRON MAN MAGAZINE IRONMAN MAGAZ
WE KNOW TRAINING™
February 2008
CONTENTS CONTENTS CONTENTS CONTENTS CONTENTS CONTENTS CONTENTS CONTENTS CONTENTS CONTENTS CONTENTS CONTENTS CONTENTS CONTENTS C
FEATURES
62 TRAIN, EAT, GROW 100
The TEG men resurrect their metabolic momentum with the deadlift.
90 A BODYBUILDER IS BORN 31
Ron Harris mentally preps his young protégé for his first contest.
106 STILL RIPPED AFTER ALL THESE YEARS
Clarence “Ripped to Shreds” Bass is 70—and looks incredible. How does he do
it? Steve Holman interviews the man behind the muscularity.
226
CORY EVERSON
Six-time Ms. Olympia
Turns 50
126 SUPER SATURATION FOR SERIOUS SIZE
Steve Holman and Jonathan Lawson’s unique twist on heavy/light power/pump
mass training—perfect for the older, bolder bodybuilder.
150 HEAVY DUTY
John Little channels the wisdom of Mike Mentzer. This month: variation.
166 MUSCLE MATURITY
Rusty Jeffers has come into his own in pro bodybuilding at 43 years of age. Kris
Gethin gets him to talk about his career, methods and philosophy.
180 TONIC IN A TEAPOT
Jerry Brainum explores the research on tea, the health-fixer elixir that burns fat.
218
TRAINING PAST 40
Dave Draper’s Blond
Bomber Insight
210 WORKOUT STRESS TEST
Does training help reduce stress or add to it? Here’s the latest research.
218 TRAINING PAST 40
From the Bodybuilding.com archives, legendary bodybuilder Dave Draper gives
his views on staying huge after 40.
226 CORY AT 50
Babs Hogan talks with the most influential Ms. Olympia as she turns 50. Ms. E
looks phenomenal. You won’t believe your eyes. Wow!
270 MIDLIFE-MUSCLE SUPPLEMENT GUIDE
Which compounds can help you continue to build mass through middle age
and beyond? Here’s a rock-solid list to help you stay rock-hard and ripped.
280 JOEL STUBBS
This new up-and-coming pro shows you how to grow.
298 ONLY THE STRONG SHALL SURVIVE
Bill Starr’s six-pack attack for midsection perfection.
298
ONLY THE STRONG
SHALL SURVIVE
Six-Pack Attack
Cory Everson,
six-time Ms.
Olympia and now
50-year-old mom,
appears on this
month’s cover,
looking absolutely
fabulous. Photo by
Michael Neveux.
Wardrobe Stylist:
Diana Antin. Hair
and makeup Teri
Groves
Vol. 67, No. 2
CORY EVERSON, 6-TIME MS. OLYMPIA, AT 50! — NEW PHOTOS
™
OVER
40
BODYBUILDING
CORY
FABULOUS
AND FIT AT
50
(Incredible Pics!)
MIDSECTION
PERFECTION
Strength Coach
Tells You How
Midlife-Muscle
SUPPLEMENT
GUIDE
Keep the Big-Gain Train Rolling
FEBRUARY 2008
$5.99
Please display until 2/5/08
C1_Feb2008-b_F.indd 1
Cory
Everson
PLUS:
•Grow With the Pros—Joel Stubbs and Rusty Jeffers
•Clarence Bass, Still Ripped at 70—Amazing!
•Super Size Program—the Supersaturation Workout
12/3/07 8:04:32 PM
CONTENTS CONTENTS CONTENTS CONTENTS CONTENTS CONTENTS CONTENTS CONTENTS CONTENTS CONTENTS CONTENTS CONTENTS CONTENTS CONTENTS CO
DEPARTMENTS
28 TRAIN TO GAIN
Stretch to grow. Plus Joe Horrigan’s Sportsmedicine: leg extensions vs. squats.
42 SMART TRAINING
Coach Charles Poliquin answers questions on size and strength.
48 EAT TO GROW
Anti-aging power of NAC, compound your growth and foods to ease disease.
74 NATURALLY HUGE
John Hansen outlines how to get big, strong and ripped.
84 SHREDDED MUSCLE
Dave Goodin on dieting and dating. (“Pew, was that you or the dog?”)
88 CRITICAL MASS
Steve Holman discusses building muscle in midlife and doing high reps to burn fat.
260
NEWS & VIEWS
The world of
bodybuilding
248 BODYBUILDING PHARMACOLOGY
Jerry Brainum on steroids, supplements and liver damage.
254 MUSCLE “IN” SITES
Eric Broser surfs the Web for sites for your eyes. His training wisdom is here too.
260 NEWS & VIEWS
Lonnie Teper’s got the latest hits and misses from the bodybuidling world.
284 PUMP & CIRCUMSTANCE
Ruth Silverman’s camera is always blazing at physique events. Who has she flashed
lately? See for yourself. Also see full-page pics of the Ms., Fitness and Figure
Olympia champs here.
308 MIND/BODY CONNECTION
254
MUSCLE “IN”
SITES
Surfing the Web
New stuff to get you buff, and IRON MAN Rising Stars too.
320 READERS WRITE
Arthur Jones and awesome arms.
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competitor used D.C. training to push
himself to victory. Speaking of victory,
we have a feature on Victor Martinez,
who discusses his runner-up placing
at the Mr. O and what changes are
in store. We’ll also have a look at 3D
HIT one-set-per-exercise training, a
program you have to try. Look for the
muscle-making March issue on newsstands the first week of February.
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by John Balik
Separating the Men
From the Boys
No pain, no gain. That’s the bodybuilding mantra because the key
factor in making a workout productive is intensity, and intensity causes
pain. Being able to tolerate the pain is what separates the men from the
boys and a good workout from a great one.
“No pain no gain” is generally misinterpreted by the public in a negative context—as it relates to injury. Anyone who has trained for a while
has probably experienced that twinge that says, “Stop now!” When it
happens to you, never try to train through or around it; simply ice it
ASAP. “Good” pain that stimulates growth is different. Good pain is there
to tell us we are in the growth zone. Without the microdamage from an
intense workout, there would be no gain. The recovery stage from the
damage is where growth actually occurs, so that fleeting pain is a good
measure of how far you are into the growth zone.
Since the mind controls the body, the ability to tolerate pain is a psychological process. In a very real sense the intense workout not only
teaches your muscle to be stronger but also strengthens your will. When
your biceps burn so fiercely that it feels as if they’re shouting at you to
stop, but you go on, you feel a sense of control that can be earned in no
other way. The workout has the potential to strengthen more than your
muscles. In modern life, where it’s usually not necessary to be physically
dominating, mental strength is much more useful.
The interesting thing is how having more strength and muscle makes
you feel—how you see yourself. Everyone experiences daily (or even
hourly!) stresses, and how you cope with them is a function of your
mental and physical strength. The workout refills a reservoir of resilience: the ability to take the inevitable hits—like a great boxer—but then
shake off the damage and keep fighting. The workout has the potential
to enhance your life in general. I consider my workout a 45-minute vacation from stress. It’s immeasurably more effective at combating stress
than any other way I could
use the time. The workout is
Midlife-Muscle
true re-creation.
Supplement
The workout is the foundaGuide
Compounds That Keep the MASS Coming
Through Middle Age and Beyond
tion for growth, but nothing
T
can be built to its highest
quality if you don’t have the
right materials. Discussing
the nutritional elements that
are fundamental to recovery
is outside of the scope of this
editorial. For an in-depth analysis of supplement support that’s especially relevant for older trainees, see Steve Holman’s “MidLife-Muscle
Supplement Guide” on page 270. For more insight into stress, see Jerry
Brainum’s “Workout Stress Test” on page 210. IM
Clark Bartram,
age 41
by Steve Holman
oo many people accept
hitting age 40 as the start
of a physical downhill
slide. Not so. In fact,
as Sherwin B. Nuland, clinical
professor of surgery at Yale
University, suggests in his book The
Art of Aging, after midlife is when
man’s creativity and ingenuity kick
in. It’s when many discover their
talents for such artistic endeavors
as painting—or sculpting. And what
better way to use that creativity than
to sculpt and strengthen the very
thing that can improve the quality
of your life—your body.
Yes, it’s true that a lot of the
body’s processes begin to slow
when you reach middle age, but
the muscle-growth process doesn’t
have to turn into a fight to maintain.
You can still gain, and a number of
supplements can help you sculpt a
bigger, better physique. Many can
improve your overall health as well,
as in antiaging elixirs.
Phosphatidylserine
Neveux
PUBLISHER’S LETTER PUBLISHER’S LETTER PUBLISHER’S LETTER PUBLISHER’S LETTER PUBLISHER’S LETTER PUBLISHER’S LETTER PUBLISHER’S LETTER PUBLISHER’S LETTER PUBLISHER’S LETTER PUBLISHER’S LETTER PUBLISHER’S
Publisher’s Letter
Founders 1936-1986:
Peary & Mabel Rader
The research on PS, which is
derived from soy lipids, started in
Italy, where cyclists used it to
reduce cortisol—the muscleeating stress hormone that
also destroys testosterone—
an average of 30 percent.
research shows that cortisol can
damage brain tissue and that PS, by
controlling cortisol, improves brain
function, like cognitive ability and
focus.
Are you starting to see why
this natural compound is so
important, especially as we age? It’s
anticatabolic not only for muscle
tissue but brain tissue as well. It’s an
antistress supplement that helps on
a number of levels. That should be
easy to remember—if you’re taking
PS.
Recommendation: Take 600
to 800 milligrams prior to your
workouts. You may also want to
take another 200 to 400 milligrams
before bed, as research shows that
cortisol spikes in the latter hours
of sleep. [Note: If you use CortBloc, 600 to 800 milligrams is four
capsules. See page 156 for more
information.]
Monteleone, P., et al. (1990).
Effects of phosphatidylserine on
the neuroendocrine response
to physical stress in humans.
Neuroendocrinol. 52:243-248.
Fahey, T., and Pearl, M. (1998).
The hormonal and perceptive
effects of phosphatidylserine
administration during two weeks
of weight-training-induced
overtraining. Biol Sport. 15:135-144
Crook, T. H., et al. (1991). Effects
of phosphatidylserine in ageassociated memory impairment.
(continued on page 274)
www.ironmanmagazine.com \ FEBRUARY 2008 271
270 FEBRUARY 2008 \ www.ironmanmagazine.com
MidLifeSupps_214_F.indd 270
It worked for aerobic athletes’
recovery and tolerance, but what
about athletes whose anaerobic
workouts are geared for building
muscle?
Enter Thomas Fahey, who
spearheaded research at California
State University, Chico, in 1998.
He subjected experienced weight
trainers to overtraining. The
subjects who got the PS “had
considerably less muscle soreness
and a better perception of wellbeing than those who didn’t get the
PS.” The study showed that a big
part of the reason was a 30 percent
reduction in cortisol—good news
for any athlete, but especially those
looking to gain muscle.
There’s more good news. Older
and newer
12/2/07 1:26:24 PM
MidLifeSupps_214_F.indd 271
12/2/07 1:27:08 PM
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: Brett R. Miller
Designer: Chester Chin
IRON MAN Staff:
Mary Gasca, Vuthy Keo, Mervin Petralba,
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, Roland Balik, Reg
Bradford, Jimmy Caruso, Bill Dobbins, Jerry
Fredrick, Irvin Gelb, Isaac Hinds, Dave Liberman,
J.M. Manion, Merv, Gene Mozée, Mitsuru
Okabe, Rob Sims, Ian Sitren, Leo Stern
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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]
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Jonathan Lawson, Ad Coordinator: [email protected]
Sonia Melendez, Subscriptions: [email protected]
SEXY ROCK-HARD ABS FAST
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M AT U R E M U S C L E
Born Without Abs?
Neveux \ Model: Dave Goodin
A: First, everyone is born
with abdominal muscles.
You wouldn’t be able to
stand if they weren’t there.
They are there—probably
beneath a layer of fat.
There’s a phrase you
hear in the fitness industry
right now, “developing the
core.” While developing your
“core” is a good idea, you
wouldn’t be able to walk if
your abs were all that weak.
There’s no more importance
in working the abdominal
area than any other area.
The fact is, you work your
abs a lot when you’re not
even thinking about them.
For example, you work your
abs merely by walking; they
hold your spine in place
and flex when you do heavy
triceps pushdowns or pullovers. Anyone who can walk
has abs that are quite well
developed.
The same can be said of the spinal erector muscles,
which are the opposing muscles to your lower abs. They
hold your body upright.
There is no need to work your abs for hundreds of
reps—or, for that matter, on a special device or for days on
end. Two simple exercises done a couple of days a week
are all you need—plus a diet adjustment.
I believe that everyone should do some type of leg raise.
Hang from a pullup bar or lie on the floor. Do a few sets to
failure twice a week, and include some type of crunch work
as well.
I start with leg raises. I lie on my back on the floor, put
my hands behind my head and, with legs straight, raise
them about two feet off the floor. Once I get to the point
where my lower abs are no longer working to raise my legs,
I lower my feet to about an inch from the floor, and then
back up they go. I do leg raises until I can do no more.
Then I bend my knees, cross my legs at the ankles and
from the same position do simple crunches by bringing
my elbows up to my legs, hands still behind my head. I do
those until failure, rest 30
seconds and then do the
cycle again. I do that ab
routine twice in an eightday workout schedule,
and that’s all. I’m now
52, and all it would take
is about a month of dieting to get my abs looking
contest ready.
What I believe you’re
missing more than anything is the proper diet to
help bring your abs rippling
out to the surface. Here’s
what you need to be eating: one to 1 1/2 grams of
lean protein per pound of
bodyweight a day, divided
into four meals. Then,
multiply 1.25 times your
protein intake, and that
should be your grams of
carbohydrates, eaten in
the form of vegetables
and small amounts of fruit.
If you want to see those
abs, you can’t use anything refined. Fats should
be minimal and should
come only from nuts such
as almonds or macadamias, a bit of avocado, tiny
amounts of olive oil—and eight to 12 molecularly distilled
fish oil capsules a day.
When I train to bring out my abs, I don’t cook with any
oil. I eat a handful of nuts with each meal and rely on them
and the fish oils to help build testosterone and growth
hormone most effectively. That’s the way to see your abs at
midlife.
—Paul Burke
Neveux \ Model Dave Goodin
Q: I’m 45 years old
and have never been
able to see my abdominal muscles. Could I
have a problem? Was I
born without abs?
Middle-aged
midsection perfection
Editor’s note: To contact Paul Burke, write to
[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 a leader in the field of over40 fitness training. You can purchase
his book, Burke’s Law—a New Fitness
Paradigm for the Mature Male, from
Home Gym Warehouse. Call (800) 4470008, or visit www.Home-Gym.com.
His “Burke’s Law” training DVD is also
now available.
HE WANTED TO FIGHTUntil I Crushed His Hand!
He was big. He was pissed. And
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BIGGER BODYPARTS
Outer-Lat
Beef
Q: My quads are coming along just fine, but my hamstrings are flat
as pancakes. I train them just the way I do my thighs, but I get opposite
results. I do about three exercises each for quads and hams, for three
to four sets per movement. I always train to failure in the range of 12 to
15 reps. Typically, I do lying, seated and standing single-leg curls, but
I change the order each time. I do stiff-legged deadlifts about once per
month. What’s wrong here?
A: I don’t know how long you’ve been following the same basic hamstring program,
but I am often amazed at how much (wasted) time some trainees will spend doing a
routine that achieves few to no results. If you’re not seeing any gains after six weeks on a
particular regimen, ditch it! In other words, it’s broke, so fix it!
Now, assuming you are using good form and are pushing yourself on hamstrings as
much as you are on quads, you can make a few changes that might get your hams more
in a mood to grow.
First, I would like to see you lower your repetition range from 12 to 15 to six to 10.
While the quads often respond well to higher reps, the hamstrings should be trained a bit
more heavily. That’s because the hams have a greater percentage of type 2 muscle fibers,
making them more responsive to greater loads.
Next, start using stiff-legged deadlifts at each workout, along with just two curling
movements. Alternate between barbell, dumbbell and Smith-machine stiffs from workout
to workout, and on the fourth week use hyperextensions instead. With the hyperextensions, mentally leave your lower back out of the movement and focus on pulling with the
hamstrings. The burn you get from the exercise can be quite intense once you zero in
on it. On occasion try supersetting leg curls with either a stiff-legged-deadlift variation or
hyperextensions for a killer pump.
Finally, make sure you’re emphasizing the negative contraction. The negative causes
more muscle trauma than the positive, so when you lower, focus on taking three to five
seconds on each rep. With muscle trauma comes an intense growth response as the
body attempts to repair the damage and make the muscles larger and stronger. If you’re
truly hardcore, finish off your leg curls with some X-Rep partials down near the stretch
position.
My own hamstrings started making tremendous improvements when I started training
them before my quads. I began doing that because my knees were causing me pain, and
doing hams first helped to get some blood in there and warm them up. Once I saw how
nicely the backs of my legs were rounding out, I never went back to training quads first.
You may want to employ the strategy as well.
—Eric Broser
Merv
Hammering Hamstrings
Few things are as impressive as
thick and meaty outer lats. Beefy
wings really fill out a shirt, and they can
even be appreciated when a physique
is turned to the side. So how do you
go about getting extreme development
in this area? IFBB superstar and twotime Arnold Classic champion Dexter
“the Blade” Jackson knows how. “I do
wide-grip T-bar rows,” he says, “with
the bar in the corner.”
Critics say the exercise provides a
somewhat limited range of motion. Not
only is Dexter aware of that, but he
says that’s exactly why he does it. “It’s
meant to be a partial movement,” he
explains. “The width of the 45-pound
plates, together with your wide hand
spacing, means that you can’t get
your elbows too far back. You can’t
pinch your shoulder blades together
the way
you can
with
most
other
rowing
movements.
And
that
puts the
stress
directly
on the
outer
lats.
Dexter Jackson.
People
always
talk about wide-grip chins being the
best way to get a wide back, but this
version of T-bar rows will really spread
those wings out—and make them
thicker too.”
Since Dexter’s back has been
steadily improving over the years and
regularly trumps those of rivals that
outweigh him by as much as 50 to
80 pounds, his suggestion might be
worth a try. Just be careful to maintain
good form and an arch in your back.
Any partial movement will let you use
greater weight, which can in turn mean
greater risk of injury if you’re careless
with your form.
—Ron Harris
www.RonHarrisMuscle.com
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Train to Gain / SIZE SURGE
Should You Stretch to Grow?
Is a stand-alone stretching routine worth the time?
The gains in power are related to increases in muscle
length, which lead to increases in muscle contractile velocity
and force generation—all of which equates to more muscle
power.
The authors also note that the results of the study may
not apply to a situation where stretching is combined with
strength training. On the other hand, the study does show
that stretching is beneficial—but perhaps as a workout in
itself, not as part of a strength-training session.
A similar scenario exists for aerobic training. Done prior to
Neveux/Model: Clark Bartram
Many recent studies have cast doubt on the value of
stretching. While flexibility is vital for overall fitness, the notion
that an extensive stretching program will help prevent injuries
has been repudiated by some studies. Other studies show
that engaging in lengthy stretching before or during strength
training leads to a significant loss of muscular strength.
What haven’t been examined, however, are the effects of
doing extensive stretching routines alone; that is, not prior to
a bodybuilding workout or athletic event. Studies that have
looked at stretching alone found such benefits as increased
range of joint
motion—even
increased muscle
strength. A new
study sought to
answer the question of how a
discrete stretching program
affects muscular
strength, endurance and power.
In it, 38 college students
were randomly
divided into a
stretching group,
consisting of
eight men and
11 women, and
a control group,
consisting of the
same numbers of
men and women.
The study lasted
10 weeks and
focused on a
program of static stretching—assuming a stretch position,
then holding for 10 to 30 seconds—made up of various
stretches designed to work the lower body for 40 minutes
per session, three times a week. Each subject was measured
before and after the study for flexibility, power, strength and
strength endurance.
At the conclusion of the study, subjects in the stretching
group showed an average 23.9 percent increase in muscular
strength and a 29.5 percent increase in muscular endurance.
They also had an average 18.1 percent increase in flexibility.
The control group, who did no training or stretching, showed
zero improvement. The study appears to confirm that stretching all by itself increases flexibility, strength, endurance and
power. The authors suggest that the improvements in power
and endurance in the stretching group are related to the
increase in strength that resulted from the extensive stretching
sessions.
or immediately following a weight workout, aerobic training
can interfere with muscle and strength gains, but done at a
separate time, it causes no interference.
The study also shows that a stretching routine may be an
effective way to exercise for those who, for one reason or
another, cannot lift weights. That includes older people who
are too feeble to lift any kind of weights. Research shows
a clear connection between muscular fitness and mortality,
and a stretching program for those too weak to lift weights
can prove lifesaving. For all others, incorporating a stretching program distinct from weight training may supplement a
bodybuilding program, leading to better overall results.
—Jerry Brainum
Kokkonen, J., et al. (2007). Chronic static stretching improves exercise performance. Med Sci Sports Exer. 39:182531.
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The Brothers Grimm
“So, what’s wrong with how Yiannis and Stelios train?” you may have
asked after reading the first installment of this series last month. If the
way you train works well for you,
stick with it. But if it isn’t working well,
adopt a new regimen.
How the Grimm brothers trained in
the two workouts I outlined is similar
to the way many people train. Let’s
look at what was wrong with those
workouts. Some of it may resonate
with your own training.
The cable crunch isn’t a bad exercise if it’s done correctly, but the
brothers’ rep speed was too fast;
they thudded into the top position
of each rep and hyperextended their
backs and then whipped themselves
down on each rep. The stress on
their abs was minimal, although they
were using a substantial weight on the
stack. It was a lot of effort to barely
work their abs, but it did irritate their
lower backs.
What a sham their quads workout was. The Smith machine
can be very harmful to the lower back and the knees. If your
feet are well forward, you especially put your lower back at
risk, and if your feet aren’t well forward, you especially put your
knees at risk.
You should lean forward when you squat with a barbell,
but you shouldn’t round your back. Either squat properly with
a barbell, or don’t squat at all. Forget the Smith machine for
squatting. If you can’t squat properly with a barbell, use the leg
press instead. And after your warmup sets, work hard on the
leg press. I rarely see people train hard and correctly on the leg
press. As soon as the intensity starts to crank up, they invariably put their hands on their thighs to help out, thus reducing
the intensity of quad effort. Use as full a range of motion as is
safe—safe for your knees and your lower back.
Perhaps a better alternative to the leg press is the parallelgrip deadlift, which some people still call a trap-bar deadlift. It
can be a great exercise, especially for bodybuilders who can’t
squat well. It’s especially valuable for home-gym bodybuilders
because the required bar is very low cost, whereas a good leg
press machine is very expensive.
The brothers’ primary calf exercise was the seated calf
raise. While that can hit the soleus hard, it doesn’t do much
for the gastrocnemius. (The calf is a group of seven muscles,
of which there are two major ones—the meaty gastrocnemius
and, beneath, the soleus.) The standing calf raise really hits the
gastrocnemius, and it also hits the soleus. Much better to do a
single calf exercise that works both major components of the
calf than to wear yourself out on an inferior exercise.
Stelios and Yiannis finished their lower-body workouts with
three going-through-the motions sets of hyperextensions.
They had given up on the deadlift because they couldn’t use
correct technique. It was no surprise that they weren’t able to
use good technique on barbell squats or deadlifts. With tight
calves, tight hamstrings, tight adductors and tight glutes, they
A bodybuilding
odyssey, part 2
were too jammed up to be able to do
those movements safely and effectively.
Glaring mistakes continued with
their upper-body workout. The T-bar
rows gave both of them back problems, especially Stelios. Had they not
done such a high-risk exercise to begin
with—or at least done a chest-supported version—they wouldn’t have
irritated their backs.
No wonder the triceps extensions
bothered their wrists—they were using
a straight bar. A parallel-hand position,
done with a rope attachment, would
have made a big difference. And if
they’d used a shoulder-width grip on
the close-grip bench press, rather than
a very close grip, they wouldn’t have
further irritated their wrists.
While the “No pain, no gain” mantra
may give some psychological solace,
it’s at the root of much training foolishness and injury. Of course, you should
experience muscular discomfort from
hard, safe training, but you should never experience pain. Pain
means something is wrong.
At the end of the second workout I observed, the brothers
realized that they only really pushed themselves on the small
exercises in their routines. It was time they recognized that as
a major explanation for why their muscles weren’t growing.
What should Yiannis and Stelios have done instead? They
should have trained smart: fewer and better exercises done
correctly and with greater effort. In future they should start
stretching regularly and safely to produce the flexible bodies
that are essential if they are to deadlift and squat with a barbell
correctly and effectively.
Then, provided they are sleeping eight or more hours each
night, eating as much food as they can without increasing
their bodyfat (only quality, nutritious food—not junk) and allowing enough days between workouts for recuperation to take
place, they will respond to the stimulation from their training
by growing fractionally bigger muscles, which will enable them
to get stronger. If they maintain that stimulation-recuperationprogress cycle for long enough, changing their training routines
every three months or so, they will grow as big and strong as
their genetics will permit.
Next month I’ll start to go through precisely what the Grimm
brothers’ should be doing to maximize their bodybuilding progress.
—Stuart McRobert
www.Hardgainer.com
Editor’s note: Stuart McRobert’s first
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Leg Extensions vs. Squats
Know what your knees need
Neveux \ Model: Derik Farnsworth
There are still myths surrounding so-called healthful exercises for the knees. Fortunately, the myths aren’t as strong
as they used to be. Many gym veterans will recall how
doctors and other health-care providers maligned squats for
decades. Squats were supposed to be bad for the knees.
Leg extensions were supposed to be good for the knees.
That led to the use of leg extension machines for rehabilitating knee injuries, and trainees in popular gyms knocked out
set after set of heavy leg extensions. Olympic weightlifters,
powerlifters, track and field athletes, football players and
hardcore trainees, however, knew that wasn’t true and kept
performing squats with very few problems.
The health-care professionals who recommended leg
extensions and squats were overwhelmingly untrained
individuals who didn’t have any scientific evidence to support their ideas. It would be very difficult to push ideas like
that today.
When you perform a leg extension, the major lower-leg
bone, the tibia, slides forward. That stretches an important
ligament in the knee, the anterior cruciate ligament, or ACL.
We can only wonder how many athletes were told to perform leg extensions during rehab without any idea that it
might be bad for their injured ligament. Various rehab leg extension machines were isokinetic, so they allowed only concentric, or positive, knee extension, or flexion. They often
had the athlete perform leg or knee extensions at maximum
speed and force. Eventually, people recognized the need for
an anti-shear device to reduce the stress on the ACL.
Biomechanics research on the knee has demonstrated
that during the squat and leg press, the tibia slides backward. That reduces the stress on the ACL.
Another problem with the leg extension is that it maximally stresses the cartilage on the back of the patella, a.k.a.
kneecap, at its thinnest area. The cartilage is not uniform in
thickness. It’s thinnest at the top and bottom of the patella
and thickest near the middle. Maximal pressure at the thinnest part of the cartilage can damage or crack it.
Squats are often called “physiologic flexion” by biomechanists. When you perform a squat, the maximal stress lines
up with the thickest area of cartilage on the patella. Human
beings were clearly designed to do that.
Much research is taking place that involves training in one
way or another. At one time there was very little research,
and what there was was mostly conducted by doctors who
didn’t like strength training. Now, at last, the research has
evolved. The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research
was accepted into Medline a few years ago. Other journals
and researchers have explored training and clinical problems. I’ve quoted Frank G. Shellock, Ph.D., in this column
before. Shellock has published more than 200 papers, has a
doctorate in physiology, is a fellow of the American College
of Sports Medicine and has competed as a powerlifter.
Shellock and his co-researchers investigated leg extensions and one-leg squats in patients who had previously
suffered dislocated patellas. During leg extensions, patellar
displacement was more pronounced than during one-leg
squats. Furthermore, the researchers found that during leg
extensions, the patella rotated on the femur—thigh bone—
while the one-leg squat could be characterized as the femur
rotating underneath the patella. That difference may account
for the problems with leg extensions.
If you like to perform a set or two of very light leg extensions as part of your warmup on leg day, it’s not a problem.
You don’t use enough weight to damage the cartilage. Perform them gently. I don’t advise that you add more weight or
more sets or that you perform them explosively.
—Joseph M. Horrigan
Powers, C.M., Shellock, F.G., et al. (2003). Patellofemoral
kinematics during weight-bearing and non-weight-bearing
knee extension in persons with lateral subluxation of the
patella: a preliminary study. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther.
33(11):677-85.
Editor’s note: Visit www.SoftTissueCenter.com for
reprints of Horrigan’s Sportsmedicine columns that have
appeared in IRON MAN. You can order the books, Strength,
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For more info call 800-667-4626 or vist us at www.muscle-link.com
© 2009 Muscle-Link
© 2006 Home Gym Warehouse
More Wicked Muscle Size and Serious Blast-Off Power On Every Set
Train to Gain / FEMME PHYSIQUE
Creeping obesity affects both sexes, with youthful, slim
waistlines morphing into potbellies by the time most people
are in their 40s. While men have obvious potbellies, women
tend to store more fat in their upper thighs, hips and buttocks, so the effect of midsection fat is more subtle. In
women, a roll of fat around the middle spills over their pants
to create a muffin-top effect. Various studies show that
American women, aged 25 to 44, gain an average of 0.5 to 1
kilogram (2.2 pounds) of fat each year.
While such fat is undesirable from an aesthetic viewpoint,
when it’s around the waist, it has a far more ominous portent
because
it’s a sign of
deep-lying,
or visceral,
bodyfat. Fat in
the abdominal
area is closely
linked to various degenerative diseases,
such as insulin resistance,
diabetes,
high blood
pressure and
cardiovascular
disease. The
good news
is that it’s the
first fat to go if
you stick with
a judicious
program of
exercise and
diet.
Several
studies have
shown that
the body
preferentially
burns visceral
fat during
aerobic exercise. Emerging studies
show that
Neveux \ Model: Jessica Paxson-Putnam
Women,
Weights and
Waistlines
you can get the same effect from weight training. A recent
study illustrates the point. In it, 164 overweight women,
aged 25 to 44, were divided into two groups. The first
group weight-trained twice a week for two years. The
other group received brochures suggesting that they do
aerobic exercise at least 30 minutes daily.
At the end of the two-year study the women in the
weight-training group had lost 4 percent of their bodyfat,
while those in the brochure group had lost none—they
must have read about exercise rather than doing it. Those
in the weight group also gained less abdominal fat than
the other group—7 percent vs. the 21 percent gain in the
brochure group.
Based on those results, the authors suggest
that young women who participate in a weighttraining program can expect to gain less bodyfat, especially abdominal fat, as the years go by.
There are obvious benefits in appearance, as well as less
obvious but more important benefits in health and longevity. Women should be aware that while aerobics is great for
aiding bodyfat loss, it does little to improve body shape.
You get that only from weight training. The best program
includes both aerobics and weight training.
As for the “muffins,” they’re best left in the oven or in
the care of the Pillsbury doughboy—who, come to think of
it, could stand to lose a little bodyfat himself.
—Jerry Brainum
Schmitz, K.H., et al. (2007). Strength training and adiposity in premenopausal women: Strong, Healthy, and
Empowered study. Am J Clin Nutr. 86:566-72.
3-D MUSCLE BLAST
Positions of Flexion Builds Mass Fast!
Critical Mass POF DVD
$24.95
Get maximum muscle fiber
recruitment from minimal gym
time—only four to six sets
per bodypart. Discover how
to build power and size with
3-D Positions of Flexion: big
midrange movements, stretch
overload to activate the
myotatic reflex and
continuous-tension
peak contraction
to finish off
the muscle.
This DVD
explains
Positions
of Flexion,
a breakthrough
massbuilding
method
that has
bodybuilders all
over the world
growing faster
than ever and
achieving skin-splitting
pumps at every workout.
See this exciting size-boosting
approach in action, apply it to
your own workouts and watch
mass surge to dramatic new
levels in record time. Turn your
guns into cannons and your
shoulders into boulders. Chisel
your chest and pack your thighs
with new size. Bonus: 10 Minutes
to Granite Abs is also included
on this action-packed DVD.
©2009 Home-Gym.com
SMART TRAINING SMART TRAINING SMART TRAINING SMART TRAINING SMART TRAINING SMART TRAINING SMART TRAINING SMART TRAINING SMART TRAINING SMART TRAINING SMART TRAINING SMART TRAINING
Smart Training
by Charles Poliquin
No Aerobics
for Power?
Q: I’ve heard that you believe aerobic training is
overrated for most athletes. Is that true, and if so,
why?
A: That’s correct. For example, the average VO2 max in
the NBA is only about 47, compared to about 42 for the
average couch potato and about 80 for a world-class rower.
If you look at the research, studies show that the higher
your aerobic power, the lower your vertical jump. To make
a basketball player—or, for that matter, any athlete who
needs speed and power—perform a lot of aerobic work
would be counterproductive.
Now, a small amount of aerobic training can be used
as a warmup, but the best warmup is the weight-training
exercises in your program. Do about two sets of five, using
increasingly heavy weight. If your first exercise is the deadlift and you expect to use 150 for your primary training
weight, you could start with 95x5, followed by 135x5.
Q: I read that you majored in kinesiology and did
graduate work in exercise physiology, but how did
you get started in bodybuilding and then coaching?
A: I was Canada’s second-youngest black belt in karate
at age 14. One day when I was 14, I was the only one who
showed up at the
dojo because of a
snowstorm, and
my sensei said,
“Well, there’s no
one here. I’m
going to go lift
weights.” So I
said, “Okay, I’ll
do that too!”
That was the first
time I ever lifted
weights.
The first
athlete I ever
coached was a
volleyball player.
That was in 1980,
and I was an
Studies show that the higher
undergrad at the
your aerobic power, the
lower your vertical jump. For
example, it’s counterproductive
for a basketball player to do
lots of aerobic work.
COST OF REDEMPTION
Mr. Olympia’s Mind-Numbing Training DVD
This 3-plus-hour DVD is a
masters class on what it’s like
to train without limits. Sit back
and be amazed and inspired
by a man who walks the walk.
Mitsuru Okabe spent 4 days
with Ronnie in 2003 just prior
to his sixth win in a row of the
Mr. Olympia. This DVD is shot
in an absolute “you are there”
style. There are no set ups,
no retakes, nothing but the
real Ronnie Coleman. Ronnie
is absolutely focused on his
goal and he lives his life to
make it happen. You will see
him do 800-pound squats,
75-pound dumbbell curls and
an astounding 2250-pound leg
press—almost every 45-pound
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of legends. But more than just
the sets, reps and the nutrition,
you get an insider’s view of
the personality that always
lights up any room he enters.
It hits all the right notes:
instructional, inspirational and
a pleasure to watch a man
at the top of his game. Four
Stars.
Coleman DVD
$28.95
©2009 Home-Gym.com
Whatever You Need—Wherever You Train™
you recommend?
A: When people fail
to make gains, I usually have them get a
hormone-profile test to
see if IGF-1 is low. They
could have the testosterone count of six
wolves, and it wouldn’t
matter much. There’s
more than testosterone
involved in building
muscle.
I had a guy who
weighed 260 pounds
lose bodyfat and put on
28 pounds of muscle
in 50 days with a testosterone count of 190.
Training strategy also
has a lot to do with it.
People don’t know how
to knock off as many
motor units as possible.
The other thing that
happens is that they
usually have structural
imbalances. If you have
a very weak trapezius 3
or trapezius 2, it could
throw off your whole
chain, and unless you
strengthen it, you’re
not going to make any
gains.
I work with a kid
who’s been bodybuilding for seven years, and
after I assessed which
muscles were weak
links in the chain, he
gained seven pounds of
muscle and lost seven
pounds of fat in 25
days. He said that those
were the best gains he’d
ever made. On average
the individuals I work
with in the summer, for
about 11 weeks, gain 18 pounds of muscle.
Neveux \ Models: Lee and Alex Apperson
SMART TRAINING SMART TRAINING SMART TRAINING SMART TRAINING SMART TRAINING SMART TRAINING SMART TRAINING SMART TRAINING SMART TRAINING SMART TRAINING SMART TRAINING SMART TRAINING SM
Smart Training
As we get older, out-of-whack hormone profiles—
and not just low testosterone—can cause us to stop
gaining muscle.
time. He was a national team volleyball player—the Wayne
Gretzsky of volleyball and the first foreigner to play in the
Japanese professional league.
Then I got some cyclists, and I’ve worked with athletes
in Olympic sports since then.
Q: My dad has been training for four or five years.
He’s got a great physique, but he’s not getting any
better. He’s hit a plateau. He makes changes to his
nutrition and supplements, but not much really
happens. He can get leaner but not more muscular.
Most lifters go through that type of thing. What do
Q: Are superhigh-volume routines useful at all, or
will they lead to overtraining?
A: If you’re asking whether people can grow on 20 sets
per bodypart, no. For most bodyparts 10 to 12 sets is the
upper limit. I don’t see any point in training for longer than
an hour. If you can actually train longer than that, it may be
counterproductive. You’re probably making a lot of friends,
though.
Q: What do you think of creatine? I’ve heard the
gains are just water weight.
A: Creatine works for about 78 percent of the population, and the gains aren’t just water. Studies have shown it
actually accelerates protein synthesis.
SWIMSUIT SIZZLEFEST
The Hottest of the Hot
This Sizzlefest
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uncensored look
at the best of the
best of our nine
swimsuit videos.
This collection of
fourteen of
the finest,
fittest
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(or even less) gives
you a close up
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The beauty
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This DVD is a 10 on every level.
Look at this list of gorgeous sexy
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Frostee, Karla, Laura,
LeAnna, Linda, Paulina,
Rebecca, Tanya, Timea,
Tina Jo.
Swimsuit Sizzlefest
$24.95
This 55-minute DVD
contains nudity. You
must be 18 or older to
purchase it.
©2010 Home-Gym.com
The Manta
Ray squat pad
is great for
comfort and
variation. It’s
available from
Home-Gym.com.
ing a percentage of the recruitment
from the glutes and transferring it
to the quads. It’s useful for athletes
who have a tight Achilles tendon
and can’t squat. Theoretically, you
should be able to squat down to
the floor in running shoes. Very few
people are that flexible, so one of the
advantages of using a board is that
it can stretch the Achilles tendon to
a point where you’ll be able to squat
with your heels close to the ground
within a few workouts.
The Manta Ray is a good product
for people who have a hard time
tolerating the bar pinching their
upper back. Also, it shifts the center
of mass of the bar in relation to the
center of gravity, so it becomes an
exercise variation in itself. Louis
Simmons’ group uses it just for a
variation of the squat because the
load isn’t the same.
IM: On squats, if I go all the
way down to the
point where I feel it
in my hips, won’t my
Squatting with
butt grow?
your heels
CP: No. Look at the
elevated can
physique development
help stretch
of powerlifters vs. that
of Olympic lifters:
your Achilles
Powerlifters have huge
tendon so you
glutes, while Olympic
can eventually
lifters’ glute developsquat flatment is not as promifooted.
nent, and their legs are
bigger. Research done
with EMGs shows that
people who go all the
way down on squats
have more leg development, like Olympic
lifters.
A lot of the things
you hear about water
retention are crap. I
think those people are
just getting fat from
taking fast carbs with
the creatine. Guys who
come into a contest
with a gut and say
they’re retaining water
from the creatine—
they’re just fat.
Q: What’s your
opinion of Mike
Mentzer and his
Heavy Duty approach to bodybuilding?
A: I think Mentzer’s
contribution is that he
got bodybuilders to
do less work and get
away from 20 sets per
bodypart. The problem is that he was too
dogmatic. Many approaches work, and to
say that one approach
works for everybody all
the time and forever is
ridiculous.
Editor’s note:
Charles Poliquin is
recognized as one
of the world’s most
successful strength
coaches, having
coached Olympic medalists in 12 different
sports, including the
U.S. women’s trackand-field team for the
2000 Olympics. He’s
spent years researching European journals
(he’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 page 225. IM
Neveux \ Model: Nathan De Tracy
SMART TRAINING SMART TRAINING SMART TRAINING SMART TRAINING SMART TRAINING SMART TRAINING SMART TRAINING SMART TRAINING SMART TRAINING SMART TRAINING SMART TRAINING SMART TRAINING SM
Smart Charles
Training
Poliquin’s
IM: When doing
squats, is it advantageous to place a small board
under your heels for balance, and is the Manta Ray
balancing apparatus any good for squats?
CP: A board under the heels has the advantage of tak-
BODYBUILDING BEAUTIES
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Train ™
\ JULY 2006 181
Nutrition With a Get-Big Mission
NUTRITION SCIENCE
Got the NAC?
N-acetylcysteine may have ergogenic as well as
antiaging powers, but beware of high doses
N-acetylcysteine is a nutrient popular
with both bodybuilders and life-extensionists. It’s considered an antioxidant
and is added to many food supplements
targeted to bodybuilders and athletes.
Its primary advantage is that it acts as
a substrate, or precursor, of the body’s
synthesis of glutathione.
Glutathione is a tripeptide, which
means that it consists of three bonded
amino acids: cysteine, glycine and glutamate. Cysteine is the primary antioxidant
and is thought to be responsible for
much of the detoxifying effects associated with glutathione. Glutathione is
a primary antioxidant and, along with
vitamin C, is the most common watersoluble antioxidant in the body. While
every cell in the body has glutathione,
it’s particularly important for immune
function and concentrates in the liver,
where it aids in the liver detoxification
process.
That latter effect makes glutathione
of interest to
athletes who use
drugs that can
accumulate in the
liver and possibly
lead to liver damage, such as oral
anabolic steroids.
Glutathione helps
the liver make the
drugs water-soluble so they can
be excreted from
the body. The liver
uses glutathione
to help detoxify
other substances,
such as
NAC has muscle- pollutants,
poisons and
preserving
chemicals.
properties as
well as antiaging Those with
serious illeffects.
ness, such
as AIDS or
cancer, are typically depleted of
glutathione.
Oral forms of
glutathione are
useless because
Neveux \ Model: Carl Suliani
EAT TO GROW EAT TO GROW EAT TO GROW EAT TO GROW EAT TO GROWEAT TO GROW EAT TO GROW EAT TO GROW EAT TO GROW EAT TO GROW EAT TO GROW EAT TO GROW EAT
to Grow
they degrade into the three amino acids
that make up glutathione, essentially
eliminating its potency. Supplementing
cysteine would be more effective than
using preformed glutathione; however,
there are also problems with cysteine.
It’s unstable and relatively insoluble,
and it’s linked to kidney-stone formation
when used in large doses.
Other nutritional options for boosting
glutathione include lipoic acid, whey
protein (rich in cysteine) and NAC. Vitamin C helps recycle oxidized glutathione, another example of the synergy of
antioxidant nutrients, while milk thistle,
or silymarin, is particularly effective at
increasing liver glutathione.
Of glutathione’s nutritional precursors, NAC has long been considered
the most reliable in terms of both practical and cost-effective use. Perhaps the
most common medical application of
NAC is its ability to detoxify the common over-the-counter pain reliever
acetaminophen, sold under the trade
name Tylenol. Few people realize
that acetaminophen is extremely
toxic to the liver. Taking as few
as 12 tablets at once can cause liver
failure, and alcohol amplifies the effect.
Acetaminophen causes liver toxicity because a metabolite of the drug
is generated by the liver’s detoxifying
system. Large amounts of glutathione
are required to detoxify the metabolite,
which means glutathione can be rapidly
depleted. Supplying NAC leads to rapid
synthesis of additional glutathione, thus
preventing liver damage.
NAC is used to treat several other
medical conditions, including AIDS,
cystic fibrosis, chronic obstructive
pulmonary disease and diabetes. One
hypothesis suggests that cancer can
be effectively treated by blocking glutathione synthesis in tumors, then using
NAC to prevent oxidant damage to
normal cells.1 A recent study found that
providing cysteine alleviated oxidative
stress and insulin resistance produced
by a high sugar intake.2
Research has demonstrated
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© 2008 Muscle-Link
• Contains the potent bioactive pyroglutamate form of L-arginine
• Has anterior pituitary peptides, which normalize somatostatin,
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• Has produced a 12 to 36.6 percent increase in IGF-1 levels
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Results using GH Stak vary from individual to individual. Testimonial endorser’s results using it may be considered atypical. Testimonial endorsers have been remunerated by
Muscle-Link. GH Stak is a trademark of Muscle-Link. These statements have not been evaluated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.
that NAC has ergogenic effects
if it’s taken prior to exercise and
that it can help prevent excess
muscle catabolism. An intriguing
study found that NAC curbs gambling
addiction, restoring levels of glutamate
in the nucleus accumbens area of the
brain.3 It may also be useful in treating
methamphetamine—a.k.a. speed—addiction. One theory of aging suggests that loss of cysteine or
thiol groups in body tissues
leads to many of the negative
health effects associated with
the aging process, explaining
why NAC is popular with the lifeextension crowd. Cysteine is also
the nutritional precursor of the amino
acid taurine, which itself offers ergogenic benefits.
The biochemical pathways of NAC
are well-known. Like many other orally
taken substances, NAC undergoes extensive first-pass metabolism in the liver
and kidneys, resulting in low concentrations of it in the blood. The NAC that
escapes initial metabolism travels in the
blood back to the liver, where it’s rapidly
converted into cysteine, which in turn
immediately converts into glutathione.
While the suggested supplemental
dose of NAC is in the range of 600
to 1,200 milligrams daily, much larger
doses are used therapeutically. Daily
doses up to 8,000 milligrams
are used without adverse effects, although a small percentage of people taking that much
experience such
side effects as
nausea, vomiting
and heartburn.
As noted above,
NAC is available as
an over-the-counter
supplement. Trouble is, spotty quality control during
the manufacturing
process can result
in the premature
oxidation of it.
Because of
NAC’s natural
sulfur content,
the supplements tend to smell nasty,
but that has no relationship to product
potency, and it doesn’t mean that the
supplement has degraded.
Much more serious were the results
of a recent animal study.4 When mice
were given NAC, they produced a
red blood cell–derived substance that
fooled their bodies into thinking they
were low in oxygen. The substance,
nitrosothiol, bypasses the normal oxygen-sensing systems in the lungs. That
made the pulmonary arteries narrow to
conserve oxygen, resulting in a localized increase in blood pressure in the
lungs, known as primary pulmonary hypertension. Left untreated, PPH results
in right-sided heart failure and death. It
made the news several years ago when
the diet drug combination known as
fen-phen was linked to it.
In the study, the mice took NAC for
three weeks. It was converted in their
bodies into nitrosothiol and S-nitrosoacetylcysteine. The normal mice that
got NAC developed PPH, but other
mice in the study—mice that lacked
an enzyme that produces nitric oxide
from the amino acid arginine—didn’t
convert the NAC and didn’t develop the
disease.
Primary pulmonary hypertension is
a serious disease, and symptoms such
as fatigue, heavy breathing and fainting
often don’t show up in the early stages.
The question is, Is NAC safe for human
use? Nearly all the negative side effects
are linked to intravenous use, not oral
intake. Also, studies show that when
NAC is taken orally, it rapidly degrades
in the liver and kidneys. In contrast,
the rodents in the new study were
continuously exposed to amounts
of NAC that were 40 times higher
than the dose shown to cause
hypoxia, or lack of oxygen, in humans. Finally, countless studies
have demonstrated that what’s
toxic to rodents isn’t necessarily
toxic to humans, and vice versa.
On the other hand, primary
pulmonary hypertension
is so serious that it would
probably be prudent to avoid
taking any more than 600
milligrams
a day of
NAC until
humanbased
studies
solidify
the research.
Ironically,
NAC is
used to
treat conditions
involving
lung inflammation, such as cystic fibrosis, with
good results. Since the doses used in
those treatments are relatively massive
in comparison to normal supplemental
intake of NAC, you’d think that many
cases of NAC-induced PPH would have
shown up by now, but none have. Then
again, it may be a slowly progressive
disease that would take years to show
up in humans.
In the meantime, you can effectively
increase vital glutathione levels through
other supplements, such as lipoic acid
and whey protein, without any fears of
future toxicity—or can you? More on
that in future issues.
—Jerry Brainum
References
1 Yildiz,
D. (2004). Inhibition of tumor
growth by replacing glutathione with
N-acetyl cysteine. Med Hypothes.
63:80-82.
2 Blouet, C., et al. (2007). Dietary
cysteine alleviates sucrose-induced
oxidative stress and insulin resistance.
Free Rad Biol Med. 42:1089-1097.
3 Grant, J.E., et al. (2007). N-acetyl cysteine, a glutamate-modulating
agent, in the treatment of pathological
gambling: A pilot study. Biol Psychiatry.
62:652-657.
4 Palmer, L.A., et al. (2007). S-nitrosothiols signal hypoxia-mimetic vascular
pathology. J Clin Invest. 117:25922601.
LIFT BIG TO GET BIG
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•Detailed biomechanics to
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to Grow
NUTRITION NOTES
Food Facts
Workouts produce stress, and your diet and
supplementation should account for that.
Neveux \ Model: Greg Smyers
That can affect your
workouts, weight and wellness
RECOVERY
Destress Yourself
Supplements to counter the catabolic effects of life
Life can be stressful—work, relationships, people tailgating you on
the freeway. Workouts can help you relieve some of that, but workouts themselves are stressful and raise cortisol, a stress hormone
that can eat muscle. Training brutally hard is a double-edged sword.
To make sure you stay on the good edge, there are a couple of
anticatabolic supplements you should consider.
Phosphatidylserine. PS is a soy lipid that studies have proven
reduces cortisol by 30 percent in hard-training athletes. It’s
especially beneficial to high-strung, type A personality
types who tend to overproduce cortisol. The premier PS
supplement is Cort-Bloc, and the recommended dose is
three to four capsules (600 to 800 milligrams) prior to your
workouts. You can also take a few capsules before bed, as
cortisol spikes in the later hours of sleep.
Glutamine. New research has brought this conditionally essential amino acid back in favor. The new studies show that glutamine
aids in the development of heat-shock proteins, which are essential
for systemic recovery and muscle growth. Researchers found that
glutamine can block cortisol’s anti-anabolic actions. Taking a few
grams with your postworkout drink is a good way to tip the scales
toward muscle growth rather than catabolism.
—Becky Holman
www.X-tremeLean.com
Wine drunk
with a high-carb
meal lowers the
meal’s glycemic
index considerably.
That means a lower
insulin response
and potentially less
fat storage.
Apple peel contains triterpenoids,
recently
discovered
antioxidants that
have been
shown to
derail can-
cer growth. Remember,
an apple a day...
Omega-3 fats build
muscle. In a study
reported on in the Journal of Physiology, cows
given omega-3 fatty
acids made from fish oil
built almost 15 percent
more muscle.
Mississippi is the
first state that has a 30plus percent obesity rate in its
adult population. Time to do some
laps in that river, people!
Lemon juice in your water can
add to your
vitamin C
intake. According to
the November ’07
Prevention,
just one-half
tablespoon
of juice in
each of your
eight daily
cups of water gives you nearly 20
percent of your vitamin C requirement.
(As reported in a previous issue of IM,
a vitamin C deficiency can inhibit fat
burning, so be sure to get enough C
every day!)
—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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Included is complete
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•Mental aspects of training
•Bodybuilding nutrition
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©2009 Home-Gym.com
to Grow
H E A LT H F U L E AT I N G
Food Stuff to Ease Disease
And move your
metabolism
Peppers and heart disease. The main genus of peppers in the United States is Capsicum. You probably recognize
the name from the arthritis cream many people use to reduce
joint pain. The genus includes bell peppers and a number of
hot peppers, ranging from pepperoncini to habaneros. According to researchers at Oregon State University, peppers “are a
recognized source of vitamins C and E and are high in antioxi-
FA S T F O O D
Neveux \ Model: Sagi Kalev
Coffee and diabetes. It was recently reported that drinking a lot of green tea or coffee every day can lower the risk of
diabetes by 33 percent. Researchers in Japan suggested that
caffeine was responsible,
but University of Minnesota
scientists have refuted that
finding. In the Minnesota
study those who drank
lots of decaffeinated coffee—six cups or more per
day—reduced their risk
of diabetes as well, by 22
percent. That suggests
that the antioxidants in
coffee, not the caffeine, are
what protect. Nevertheless, caffeine can stimulate
the metabolism, which can
help you burn more fat.
dant content. These compounds are associated with the prevention of cardiovascular
disorders, cancer and cataracts.” Oh, and
peppers can also stimulate the metabolism,
which can lead to more calorie and fat
burning. Eat more peppers!
—Daniel Curtis, R.D.
SUGAR SHOCK
McDonald’s vs. Subway
Cornell University
researchers polled
500 diners as they
left either McDonald’s or Subway to
get their estimation
of the calories they’d
just eaten. The
average McDonald’s
eater said 875 calories, but in reality the
average was 1,093.
Subway diners
guessed 495, but
the real figure was 677. The lesson is that most of us
are eating more than we think we are, which could be
part of the explanation for the obesity epidemic (Prevention, November ’07).
—Becky Holman
www.X-tremeLean.com
Not-so-Sweet Joint Tweaks
According to physicians Michael F. Roizen
and Mehmet C. Oz,
sugar intake may have
something to do with
thinning hair and aching joints. Glycosylation
is the name given to
the binding of sugar
and protein molecules
in your bloodstream,
which causes inflammation. The good doctors say, “Glucose also affects
the collagen in your skin and joints so they become less
elastic, which can lead to wrinkles, joint problems and
arthritis.” One more reason to steer clear of refinedsugar products most of the time (you have to indulge
once in a while).
—Becky Holman
www.X-tremeLean.com
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to Grow
ANABOLIC DRIVE
Scouting the Supplement Scene
Ever wondered about the various aromatase inhibitors on
the market? Me too. Well, leave it to the boys at Baylor University to scientifically examine the stuff. They studied dosedependent effects of 6-OXO on body composition, serum
hormone levels and clinical safety markers in resistancetrained males.
For eight weeks 16 men took either 300 milligrams or 600
milligrams of 6-OXO. Compared to baseline, free testosterone
increased by 90 percent in the 300-milligram group and 84
percent in the 600-milligram group. DHT, a.k.a. dihydrotestosterone, increased significantly overall by 192 percent and
265 percent, respectively. Free test and estradiol increased
53 percent and 67 percent, respectively. The lower dose
increased estrone by 22 percent, and the higher dose caused
a 52 percent increase.
Despite the changes in serum hormones, no changes in
body composition occurred; however, clinical safety markers
were not adversely affected with either dose. The scientists
concluded that “while neither of the 6-OXO dosages appears
to have any negative effects on clinical chemistry markers,
supplementation at a daily dosage of 300 milligrams and 600
milligrams for eight weeks did not completely inhibit aromatase activity.” Even so, free testosterone, DHT, and estradiol all
increased significantly.1
What’s fascinating about the clinical trial is that androgen
levels—like DHT, which is very androgenic—went up significantly even though body composition was unchanged. Would
a longer supplementation period have helped? Three hundred
milligrams of 6-OXO had the same effect on free T as the
higher dose. So why take the higher dose (unless you want to
elevate DHT)?
Next up, thermogenic liquids! Coffee and soda to jack up
your metabolism? It ain’t a far-fetched idea. Two studies show
that those popular drinks are useful for fitness-minded people.
BRAIN BOOSTERS
Fruit to Stay Astute
Many bodybuilders
avoid fruit because
of its carb content,
but that may be a
bad idea for brain
health. French scientists studied the
diets of more than a
thousand adults over
10 years, and those
who got the most
flavonoid antioxidants
stayed the sharpest mentally. Those on fruit-heavy diets
did better on memory and other mental-skill tests. Eat at
least some fruit every day. If you’re worried about carbs,
have most of your fruit in the morning, so you burn off the
calories during daily activity.
—Becky Holman
www.X-tremeLean.com
One study
compared
regular coffee
to a coffee
beverage containing additional caffeine,
green tea
extract, niacin
and Garcinia
cambogia
(JavaFit™ Energy Extreme),
determining
the effects on
resting energy
expenditure
and hemodynamic variables. The subjects who drank JavaFit experienced
an average increase in resting energy expenditure of 14.4
percent (12.1 percent in males, 17.9 percent in females), while
those who drank regular coffee had no change.2 The results
indicated that fortified coffee can indeed be a great way to
jack up your metabolic rate and perhaps burn fat.
What about soda? Scientists compared the effects of 12
ounces of Celsius™, a thermogenic soda, and, on a separate
day, 12 ounces of Diet Coke. Metabolic rate increased by
13.8 percent one hour later, 14.4 percent two hours later and
8.5 percent three hours later after the subjects drank Celsius,
while they experienced only small, statistically insignificant
increases in metabolic rate when they drank Diet Coke.3
Bottom line: Fortified coffees and sodas do indeed elevate
metabolic rate better than the regular versions. I’d suggest
you drink them precardio so you can burn additional fat.
—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.Jose
AntonioPhD.com and www.PerformanceNutritionShow.com,
References
1 Rohle,
D., et al. (2007). Effects of eight weeks of an alleged aromatase inhibiting nutritional supplement 6-OXO
(androst-4-ene-3,6,17-trione) on serum hormone profiles and
clinical safety markers in resistance-trained, eugonadal males.
J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 4(1):13.
2 Taylor, L.W., et al. (2007). Acute effects of ingesting Java
Fit™ energy extreme functional coffee on resting energy expenditure and hemodynamic responses in male and female
coffee drinkers. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 4(1):10.
3 Mendel, R.W., and Hofheins, J.E. (2007). Metabolic responses to the acute ingestion of two commercially available
carbonated beverages: A pilot study. J Int Soc Sports Nutr.
4(1):7.
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to Grow
SIZE-SURGE SUPPLEMENTS
Compound Your Growth
If you know something about muscle function, you realize that taking a couple of supplements together can help create exceptional
anabolism—but not by supplying nutrients that
build muscle. The compounds in question help
you push harder on your work sets, which in
turn stimulates the fast-twitch fibers with the
most growth potential.
The size principle of muscle fiber recruitment
states that the first few reps of a set activate the
low-threshold motor units, which brings in slowtwitch fibers and a few fast-twitch. As the reps
get harder, toward the middle of the set, the
medium-threshold motor units fire, which activates more fast-twitch fibers. The last few hard reps
of a set, however, are what trigger the high-threshold
STIMULANTS
Preworkout Stout
According to new
research, caffeine helps
block painstimulating
chemicals. A
dose of caffeine, given to
subjects in pill
form prior to
a training session, reduced
pain by about 50 percent. Sounds like a good
preworkout combo might be coffee and betaalanine, as the latter loads muscles with carnosine to buffer muscle burn. It should have you
pushing into the pain zone on every set for new
growth simulation.
—Becky Holman
www.X-tremeLean.com
Add caffeine for more pain-zone steam
motor units, finally bringing in the fasttwitch fibers that are most responsible
for muscle growth.
What that means is, if you can more
readily push through the pain zone,
you’ll stimulate more growth by getting at more of those key fast-twitch
fibers. You can do that with two supplements. The first is creatine, which
helps you regenerate ATP in the muscle. It’s a power-oriented supplement
that enhances muscle energetics,
and it’s perfect for helping you grind out
more reps on lower-rep sets.
The other supplement is beta-alanine, which converts to carnosine in
muscle tissue. Carnosine buffers the
burn during higher-rep sets, as well as
on end-of-set forced reps and X-Rep
partials. Studies show that the biggest
bodybuilders have more than twice
the carnosine of untrained individuals,
no doubt an adaptation from intense
workouts performed in the pain zone. New studies show that beta-alanine synergizes with creatine,
making size and strength gains even more pronounced—a muscle-building smart bomb! (Med Sci
Sports Exerc. 38:S126; 2006)
—Steve Holman
www.X-Rep.com
PERFECT POSTWORKOUT MEAL
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Breakthrough research in
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consume (or don’t consume)
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your success or failure! That
time period is known as the
“anabolic window” of growth.
The biggest mistake many
bodybuilders make is eating
a meal of chicken breasts,
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vegetables after a workout. This
is an approach doomed to fail
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The best way to produce this
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GRIND OUT THE GROWTH REPS™
Beta-Alanine Gives Your Muscles More Grow Power™
The biggest bodybuilders know that
the last few grueling reps of a set are
the key growth reps. It’s why they fight
through the pain of muscle burn on
every work set-—so they trigger the
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Fortunately, there’s now a potent new
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Red Dragon is a new beta-alanine
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with carnosine—up to 60 percent more.
Muscle biopsies show that the largest
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carnosine in their fast-twitch muscle
fibers than sedentary individuals for good
reason: Carnosine buffers the burn to give
muscles more “grow power” on every set.
The bigger and stronger a muscle gets,
the more carnosine it needs to perform
at higher intensity levels. You must keep
your muscles loaded with carnosine to
grow larger and stronger. It all boils down
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products—hydrogen ions and lactic
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Straight carnosine supplements degrade
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©2009 Home-Gym.com
Train, Eat,
Grow
Muscle-Training Program 100
From the IRON MAN Training & Research Center
I
Neveux \ Model: Skip La Cour
t’s important to look back in
time at workouts that helped
you achieved your best muscle
gains. That’s how you learn what
works and what doesn’t—if you can
figure out what it was that created
those great gains, that is. Sometimes
there are too many factors—maybe
you were a beginner and you started
eating right and joined a gym—but
usually you can narrow it down
and rotate in key mass superchargers every so often when the time is
right.
For example, we’ve been looking
back at Jonathan’s amazing 20pounds-of-muscle gain he made in
10 weeks back in the ’90s (see his
before and after photos at the far
right). True, he was regaining a bit
of muscle he’d lost by backing off
on his training because he’d all but
given up on bodybuilding at the
time. Still, he packed on a lot of new
mass in that short period—and lost
inches around his waist at the same
time. We looked back at his twophase Size Surge program to decode
its mass-building magic.
What was it that made that program so effective? Here are a few of
the things we came up with:
1) Big exercises in phase 1.
Jonathan used mostly basic exercises for the first five weeks
on a three-days-per-week split
routine. Monday and Friday
workouts were almost identical,
with one to three intense sets
for legs, chest, back, delts and
calves; Wednesday was deadlifts,
calves, biceps, triceps, forearms
and abs.(You can see a version of
phase 1 on page 144.)
2) Full-range training in
phase 2. The second five weeks
Jonathan moved to full 3D Positions-of-Flexion routines for each
bodypart and used an everyother-day split. In other words,
he trained legs, chest and triceps
at one workout, rested the next
day, then hit back, delts, biceps
and abs, with a day of rest after
that. Then he went back to the
first workout, and so on. That
provided a lot of unique stress
to his muscles, including stretch
overload with stretch-position
exercises, like incline curls for
biceps, overhead extensions for
triceps and one-arm dumbbell
rows for midback. If you’ve read
our e-books, you know that we
often cite the animal study that
produced a 300 percent muscle
increase after only one month of
progressive-stretch overload. That
shows the hypertrophic power
of elongating the muscle against
progressive resistance—which
Jonathan did in the second fiveweek phase.
3) Phase training throughout
the 10 weeks. After the first four
weeks he reduced
the intensity of his
workouts for one
week. He did the
same exercises but
stopped each work
set one or two reps
short of exhaustion. That made for
a supercompensation effect—a
growth spurt from
pushing blood into
the muscles without overstressing
the muscle fibers
as you do when
training to exhaustion. He did that
again after weeks
six through nine
on the 3D POF
program. So week
five and week 10
consisted of only
medium-intensity
workouts. Phase
training is a critical
technique no matter what program
you’re using.
4) Anabolic acceleration. We
often refer to
phase 1 as the
anabolic-primer
phase because
every workout
began with either
squats or deadlifts. Those are the
Before.
After 10 weeks.
Holman \ Model: Jonathan Lawson
by Steve Holman and Jonathan Lawson
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•How the Pros Pack on Extreme Mass
•Arnold’s Size-Stretching X-ploits
•The Forgotten High-Intensity Growth Trigger
•A Muscle-Building Mystery Solved
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•Bodypart Bloodbath for Super Size
•Monster Arms: Torching Your Tri’s
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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):
Train, Eat,
Grow
IRON MAN Training & Research Center Muscle-Training Program 100
Workout 1A: Chest (H), Lats (L), Triceps (H), Abs (L)
Smith-machine incline presses (X Reps)
Incline flyes (drop; X Reps)
Bench presses (X Reps)
Superset
Wide-grip dips (X Reps)
Pushups (X Reps)
Flyes (drop; X Reps)
Chins
Parallel-grip chins
Pulldowns
Superset
Machine pullovers
Rope rows
Decline extensions (X Reps)
Overhead dumbbell extensions
(drop; X Reps)
Kickbacks (X Reps)
Incline kneeups
Tri-set
Ab Bench crunches
Twisting crunches
End-of-bench kneeups
3 x 5, 7, 9
1 x 8-10(8)
2 x 5, 9
1 x 7-9
1 x 7-9
1 x 8-10(8)
1 x 10-15
1 x 10-15
1 x 10-15
1 x 9-12
1 x 8-10
3 x 5, 7, 9
1 x 8(8)
1x8
2 x 12-15
1 x 10-12
1 x 10-15
1 x 9-12
Workout 1B: Chest (L), Lats (H), Triceps (L), Abs (H)
Smith-machine incline presses
Incline flyes (drop)
Bench presses
Wide-grip dips
Flyes (drop)
Chins (X Reps)
Parallel-grip chins (X Reps)
Pulldowns (X Reps)
Superset
Machine pullovers (X Reps)
Dumbbell pullovers (X Reps)
Decline extensions
Superset
Pushdowns
Bench dips
Pushdowns
Cable pushouts
Incline kneeups (X Reps)
Tri-set
Ab Bench crunches (X Reps)
Twisting crunches (X Reps)
End-of-bench kneeups (X Reps)
2 x 10-15
1 x 8-10(8)
2 x 10-15
2 x 10-15
1 x 8-10(8)
2 x 5, 7
1x9
1 x 8-10
1x8
1x8
2 x 10-15
1x8
1x8
1 x 10-15
1 x 10-15
2 x 8-10
1x8
1 x 8-10
1 x 8-10
Workout 2A: Delts (H), Midback (L), Biceps (H),
Forearms (L)
Seated laterals/upright rows (X Reps)
Superset
One-arm cable laterals (X Reps)
Incline one-arm laterals (X Reps)
Forward-lean laterals (X Reps)
Smith-machine presses (X Reps)
Seated dumbbell presses (X Reps)
Bent-over laterals (drop; X Reps)
3 x 5, 7, 9
1x8
1x8
1x8
2 x 5, 7
1x9
1 x 8(8)
Horizontal chins
Bent-arm bent-over laterals (drop)
Superset
High rows (drop)
Dumbbell shrugs
Preacher curls
Cable curls (X Reps)
Incline curls (drop; X Reps)
Concentration curls (X Reps)
Incline hammer curls (X Reps)
Tri-set
Dumbbell reverse wrist curls
Forearm Bar reverse wrist curls
Dumbbell reverse wrist curls
Tri-set
Behind-the-back wrist curls
Forearm Bar wrist curls
Dumbbell wrist curls
Rockers
2 x 10-15
1 x 8(8)
1 x 8-10(8)
1x8
2 x 5, 7
1x9
1 x 8(8)
1x8
1 x 8-10
1 x 10-12
1 x 8-10
1 x 8-10
1 x 10-12
1 x 8-10
1 x 8-10
1 x 20-30
Workout 2B: Delts (L), Midback (H), Biceps (L),
Forearms (H)
Seated laterals/upright rows
Superset
Forward-lean laterals
Standing laterals
One-arm cable laterals
Smith-machine presses
Seated dumbbell presses
Bent-over laterals (drop)
Bent-over rows
Horizontal chins (X Reps)
Cable rows (drop; X Reps)
Superset
High rows (X Reps)
Dumbbell shrugs (X Reps)
Preacher curls
Cable curls
Superset
Concentration curls
One-arm spider curls
Rope hammer curls
Superset
Dumbbell reverse wrist curls (X Reps)
Forearm Bar reverse wrist curls (X Reps)
Superset
Dumbbell wrist curls (X Reps)
Forearm Bar wrist curls (X Reps)
Rockers
2 x 10-15
1x8
1x8
1 x 10-15
1 x 10-15
1 x 10-15
1 x 10-15
2 x 5, 7
1x9
1 x 8(8)
1x8
1 x 10
1 x 10-15
1 x 10-15
1x8
1x8
1 x 10-15
1 x 8-10
1 x 8-10
1 x 8-10
1 x 8-10
1 x 10-15
Friday Workout
Deadlifts (substitute for back workout)
2 x 9-12
(Workouts continue on page 66)
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 XRep Muscle Building. See the X-Blog at www.X-Rep.com
for more workout details.
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Wednesday: Chest (L), lats (H),
triceps (L), abs (H)
exercises most responsible for
testosterone increases and metabolic momentum for overall mass
effects. Those big, basic workouts
set the stage for the second phase
of full-range 3D POF workouts,
heightening their effectiveness.
But even in the second phase
Jonathan did squats every other
workout, so he was still getting
plenty of anabolic acceleration.
Thursday: Off
Friday: Delts (H), midback (L),
biceps (H), forearms (L)
Weekend: Off (with cardio)
Week 3
Repeat Week 1
We thought we were using all of
those protocols. After looking over
things, though, we realized that we
weren’t getting enough of that important anabolic acceleration (item
4). (We need to reread our stuff
more often!) Here’s our current split
(H = heavy; L = light):
Week 1
After deadlifts on Friday we
usually follow with a direct lat or
midback exercise.
(L), abs (H)
Monday: Chest (H), lats (L), triceps (H), abs (L)
Weekend: Off (with cardio)
Tuesday: Quads (H), hamstrings
(L), lower back (H)
Week 2
Wednesday: Delts (L), midback
(H), biceps (L), forearms (H)
Monday: Delts (H), midback (L),
biceps (H), forearms (L)
Thursday: Off
Tuesday: Quads (L), hamstrings
(H), lower back (L)
Friday: Chest (L), lats (H), triceps
Neveux \ Model: Idrise Ward-El
Our Current Split
We work legs only once a week,
so we’re squatting only on Tuesdays.
The other workouts are tough, but
there’s no real anabolic-acceleration
exercise. Solution: deadlifts every
Friday.
Dead-On Results
Almost all top bodybuilders
use the deadlift to get an anabolic
kick and to pack their backs with
mounds of muscle. We haven’t used
it in years, but after reevaluating
our current workout, we decided
it was time. That’s what looking at
Jonathan’s 20-pounds-of-muscle-in10-weeks program did for us.
As we go to press, we’re in the
fall season, so it’s the perfect time
to rekindle the deadlift’s super
size-building power. As the above
IRON MAN Training & Research Center Muscle-Training Program 100: Legs
Workout 3A: Quads (H), Hamstrings (L), Calves (H),
Lower Back (L)
Leg extensions (X Reps)
2 x 8, 10
Squats
2 x 7-9
Hack squats
2 x 7-9
Leg extensions (X Reps)
1 x 10
Sissy squats (X Reps)
1 x 7-9
Feet-forward Smith-machine front squats 1 x 10-15
Walking lunges
1 x 10-15
Leg curls (drop)
1 x 8(6)
1 x 7-9
Knee-extension leg press calf raises
(X Reps)
3 x 10, 12, 14
Superset
Standing calf raises (X Reps)
2 x 10
Hack-machine calf raises (X Reps)
2 x 10
Donkey calf raises (X Reps)
1 x 10-15
Hyperextensions (X Reps)
1 x 10-15
Workout 3B: Quads (L), Hamstrings (H), Calves (L),
Lower Back (H)
Leg extensions
Squats
2 x 10-15
2 x 10-15
Hack squats
Leg extensions
Feet-forward Smith-machine front squats
Walking lunges
Leg curls (drop; X Reps)
Knee-extension leg press calf raises
Superset
Hack-machine calf raises
One-leg calf raises
Lower-back machine (X Reps)
2 x 10-15
1 x 15-20
1 x 7-9
1 x 7-9
1 x 8(6)
2 x 7-9
2 x 20
2 x 15
2 x 10
1 x 15
1 x 10-12
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—with workouts 3A
and 3B alternating.
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 XRep Muscle Building. See the X-Blog at www.X-Rep.com
for more workout details.
Train, Eat,
split outline indicates, we train
four days a week and squat every
Tuesday. So the best place for the
deadlift is Friday because with our
current rotation we train either lats
or midback on Friday, as depicted
in our split.
We don’t take drugs, so our
recovery ability is limited (not
forgetting that Steve’s approaching
50). Because of that we aren’t going
to simply add deadlifts into our
back workout. We decided to do
recovery-draining deadlifts in place
of our back workout every Friday.
We usually do two work sets after
warmups, and after the deadlifts we
sometimes do one or two sets of a
direct back exercise. For example, if
lats fall on Friday, the back workout
usually looks like this:
Deadlifts
Chins
2 x 9-12
1-2 x 9-12
If midback falls on Friday, that
workout looks like this:
Deadlifts
Machine rows or
bent-over rows
Congratulations!
Grow
2 x 9-12
1-2 x 9-12
Friday deadlifts give us some
residual leg work. It’s like we’re
almost doing direct leg work on
Tuesday, then indirect leg work on
Friday with deadlifts—although,
to tell you the truth, doing fullrange deads feels like direct
work for legs, back and almost
every other muscle group. The
deadlift is definitely a full-body
exercise, which is the key to its
incredible ability to activate overall
hypertrophy and metabolism.
If you use it correctly—a few
days away from your squat
workout—and carefully, you can
get some impressive surges in
muscle size. We think our Friday
deadlift workouts are going to do
some great things for our big-gain
hunting. See our blog at X-Rep.
com for how it’s going and how our
routine is evolving.
Note: For Jonathan’s 20pounds-of-muscle-in-10-weeks
program as well as supercharged
versions, see the e-book 3D
Muscle Building, available at
www.3DMuscleBuilding.com.
Besides anabolic acceleration,
Jonathan and Angeliina Lawson
were married on October
5, 2007. Best wishes to the
happy couple, pictured here
on their honeymoon—during
which Jonathan apparently
was working his arms with
coconuts and palm fronds.
Editor’s note: For the latest on
X Reps, X e-books and the training
and supplement X-blog, visit www.
X-Rep.com. The latest training ebooks are shown below. IM
X-traordinary Workouts — X-ceptional Results!
The Ultimate Mass Workout.
This is the original X-Rep
manual. Includes the
ultimate exercise for each
muscle and workouts.
Beyond X-Rep Muscle
Building. More on X Reps
and X-hybrid techniques,
including X Fade and
Double-X Overload.
3D Muscle Building.
Positions-of-Flexion mass
training. Includes the 20pounds-of-muscle-in-10weeks size surge program.
X-Rep.com
X-traordinary MuscleBuilding Workouts. The big
10 mass-program arsenal.
Includes Heavy/Light, 20Rep Squat, Power Pyramid.
by John Hansen, Mr. Natural Olympia
Big, Strong
and Ripped?
Neveux \ Model: David Perry
Q: I’m currently about six weeks into an eightweek program to build my strength (I recently did
225 pounds in the deadlift for five reps and 250 for
one). My goal is to lose about a foot off my gut as
well, but I really don’t want to lose any of my hardearned strength and muscle. My waistline is hovering right around 40 inches and needs to go down to
30 or 31. The interesting part is that I may look like
an endomorph, but my body type is ectomorphic—I
put on muscle slowly (if I shove down meal after
meal), but I lose size very quickly if, for example, I
get ill. I’m starting to add cardio four to five days a
week (30 minutes in the morning) and limit my carb
intake to oatmeal in the morning, some additional
complex carbs during lunch and then sticking with
veggies in the evening. I’m also trying to keep up the
protein intake. Here’s my diet:
1) 9 or 10 a.m., breakfast: eight egg whites scrambled (with some onions and capsicum), two slices
of whole-wheat toast (a little butter and honey)
and tea or a cup of oatmeal with some honey and
skim milk
2) Noon, lunch: fish or chicken and a cup of rice
and veggies
It’s possible
to get bigger,
stronger and
leaner at the
same time, but
training and diet
must be precise.
3) Midafternoon: salmon or chicken, salad
4) 5 or 6 p.m.: Muscle Milk Light Shake and 20
ounces of 1 percent skim milk
5) 7 to 10 p.m.: workout, during which I have Scivations Xtend (about 30 to 40 grams of BCAAs and
10 grams of glutamine) in 1.5 liters of water plus
Substance WPI (whey protein, 44 grams)
6) 45 minutes after my workout, dinner: chicken
or salmon and salad or steak and veggies
Now, I do screw up my eating from time to time,
and I get in only five meals, which are a challenge
to get down anyway. My supplements are Universal
Animal Pak, Universal Mstack, Universal Stack2,
sometimes CLA and sometimes omega-3s (three
times a day with meals).
I do three to four work sets of the following exercise after warmup sets:
Neveux \ Model: Dan Decker
NATURALLY HUGE NATURALLY HUGE NATURALLY HUGE NATURALLY HUGE NATURALLY HUGE NATURALLY HUGE NATURALLY HUGE NATURALLY HUGE NATURALLY HUGE NATURALLY HUGE NATURALLY HUGE NATURALLY H
Naturally Huge
Monday, legs: squats, sissy squats, leg extensions,
Romanian deadlifts, leg curls, calf raises, seated
calf raises
Tuesday, chest: bench presses, incline dumbbell
presses, decline dumbbell presses, incline- or
flat-bench flyes
Wednesday, back: deadlifts,
Naturally Huge
was so embarrassingly weak when I started last year
and my strength has improved so much that I fear
getting on a cutting cycle is going to wash out all my
strength.
What should I do after the cycle is over? I was
thinking of following a 5 x 5 program and continuing my cardio about five days per week, for 30 to 45
minutes in the morning. I was planning on eating
the same or upping my carbs a bit and changing
some of my supplements.
Milk contains
lactose, which is
a sugar. When
dieting, you
should eliminate
as many simple
sugars as possible.
pulldowns (I’m trying to
do chins but am just not strong enough yet), bentover rows, hyperextensions
(continued from page 74)
Thursday, shoulders: barbell or dumbbell presses, wide-grip upright rows supersetted with laterals (I need to improve my medial deltoids), incline
bench laterals, shrugs
Friday, arms and abs: close-grip bench presses,
dips, overhead extensions, barbell curls, incline
curls, preacher curls or concentration curls (I
sometimes superset triceps and biceps)
It’s basically an eight-week program on which the
three primary lifts start out at 10 reps and end with
a one-rep max at the end of week 8 (done for three
working sets). All other exercises hover around
eight to 10 reps.
Starting 1RM (several cycles ago):
Bench press: 155 pounds
Deadlift: 135 pounds
Squat: 140 pounds
Lifts as of this week:
Bench press: 225 pounds (3RM)
Deadlift: 225 pounds (5RM)
Squat: 290 pounds (4RM)
So my strength levels are definitely improving. I
don’t want to get on a cutting cycle for fear of losing
size and strength. Actually, it’s primarily because I
A: You’re trying to do two things at the same time—add
muscle and strength while simultaneously losing fat. That
is possible. I had a client last year who was training consistently but had let himself go and gained a lot of bodyfat. He
started training harder and eating better when he started
training with me, and he made incredible progress. He
began with a 42-inch waist at 194 pounds in December
2006. In October 2007 he competed in a bodybuilding contest weighing 155 pounds with a 28-inch waist. He lost an
amazing 14 inches off his waist while increasing his muscle
mass and strength.
The diet you’re on now looks very good for building
muscle and losing fat. It’s high in protein and very moderate in carbohydrates. You’re smart to eat most of your carbs
in the morning and afternoon, as the fat stores in your
body aren’t as insulin sensitive in the morning as they are
at night.
If the diet is working, I think you should continue eating
the way you are—with a couple of alterations. First, take
out the whole-wheat bread with honey and butter and replace it with oatmeal. The oatmeal is lower on the glycemic
index and will probably contain more fiber than the bread.
You might also want to eliminate the milk from your oatmeal and your protein drink. Milk contains lactose, which
is a sugar. When I’m dieting to lose fat, I always eliminate
as many simple sugars as possible.
Another suggestion would be to include a recovery drink
immediately after your training. Studies have shown that
taking in simple carbohydrates along with an easy-to-digest form of protein like whey protein isolate greatly enhances muscle recuperation and growth by shuttling those
important carbs and amino acids directly into the muscle
cells after a hard workout.
Optimum Nutrition has a product called 2:1:1 Recovery,
which contains 35 grams of protein and 70 grams of carbs,
or try Muscle-Link’s RecoverX, which contains 40 grams of
protein and 60 grams of carbs. Either one would make a
big difference in your diet. You could have the drink immediately after your workout and still eat your dinner about
30 to 45 minutes later. Also, make sure that you space your
meals about 2 1/2 to three hours apart so your blood sugar
stays stable. Waiting too long between meals allows your
blood sugar to drop, and then, when you eat your next
meal, the blood sugar rises more than normal. When you’re
losing fat, you don’t want that yo-yo effect on your blood
sugar; you want to eat consistently so it’s always stable.
If the diet doesn’t work to lower your bodyfat, you
should begin writing down everything you eat and counting the calories as well as the grams of protein, carbohydrates and fats. When you can look at your diet in black
and white, you can often see mistakes you might be making or what’s working and what isn’t.
As for your training program, it’s obviously increasing
your strength, which is important. I think you could cut
Naturally Huge
back your training from five consecutive days to only four
days a week, with one rest day after two days of training. I
don’t agree with training that many days in a row if you’re
trying to increase muscle mass. Your body needs a full day
of rest after two or three days of heavy, hard training.
You could include training a smaller bodypart with a
larger bodypart a couple of days a week, which would give
you an extra day of rest. For example, train your triceps on
your chest day and your biceps on your back day. The arms
consist of small muscle groups that don’t require a lot of
sets. Make sure you’re not using more than 25 total work
sets at any workout.
I don’t think you need cardio five times a week. That’s
weight training the next day. The other reason is
that, if the type of postworkout carbohydrate has no
effect on protein synthesis and glycogen replacement is completed before the next training session
regardless, using lower-G.I. carbs won’t cause a
drastic insulin spike. So fat burning continues to
take place and is not delayed for several hours, as it
would be with high-G.I. carbs. What exactly is your
opinion on the topic?
Neveux \ Model: Jose Raymond
A: I think your training routine is right on target. Even if
you’re trying to lose fat, you still want to train the muscles
heavy with the basic exercises and make sure you take off
enough days during the week to recuperate. So
many people still make the mistake of going
Keep training heavy
lighter and doing more reps, but that only makes
and build as much
the muscles smaller while you cut back on calomuscle as possible
ries. Keep training heavy and build as much
while you’re trying
muscle as possible while you’re trying to lose fat.
to lose fat.
As for eating oatmeal instead of high-G.I.
carbs after your workout, I think you should go
back to the high-glycemic carbs. Even if it doesn’t
affect the rate of protein synthesis, you still
want the carbs to be stored in the muscles very
quickly.
If you eat a carb such as oatmeal, it will be
digested much more slowly because of its highfiber content. Always remember that a simple
sugar will raise your insulin level, which will
shuttle both the carbs and protein into the
muscle cells much faster than a slower-digesting
carbohydrate.
I used to have a drink that was carb only after
my workout till Chris Aceto recommended that I
add whey protein because, he said, in addition to
the simple carbs restoring the glycogen, I’d also
be restoring the amino acids in my muscle cells
by combining the simple carbs with the easy-totoo much if you’re on a good fat-loss diet. Cut your cardio
digest whey protein.
back to two to three days a week and give the diet a chance
I always prefer to have a recovery drink rather than a
to do its job. If you’re trying to increase your muscle mass
whole-food meal after my workout because a drink is diand strength, doing cardio almost every day will affect your
gested much faster. I have it immediately after my workout.
recuperation and slow down your gains.
I drink it in my car as I’m leaving the parking lot.
When I get home, I prepare my next meal, which is
Q: My first question is whether there’s a specific
lunch, since I train in the early afternoon. It usually conroutine that you recommend for someone who’s
sists of lean ground turkey, sweet potato and broccoli and
losing fat for an extended period of time. My current provides the protein and complex carbs I need after my
program is fairly simple: I use a split routine comworkout, working in conjunction with the recovery drink.
posed almost entirely of basic compound lifts that I
You’re worried about slowing down the fat-burning
perform as heavy as possible, keeping my total sets
process by raising your insulin level. That doesn’t apply
for the day at 35 or under, four days per week. I vary
after a workout. Your body is in a unique metabolic state
my rep ranges for each set, usually beginning at
after a heavy training session, and it needs those carbs and
12 or 10 with lighter weight, finishing at six or four
protein immediately—so you actually do want to raise your
with considerably heavier weight. My second quesinsulin level to get those nutrients into your muscles right
tion concerns postworkout nutrition. For the past
away.
month or so I’ve changed from my normal high-glycemic-index carbohydrate-and-whey protein mix
Editor’s note: John Hansen has won the Natural Mr.
to whey protein with whole oats as my carb source. I
Olympia and is a two-time Natural Mr. Universe winner.
did it for a couple of reasons. One is that I’ve heard
Visit his Web site at www.NaturalOlympia.com. You can
(though I’m not certain how accurate it is) that the
write to him at P.O. Box 3003, Darien, IL 60561, or call tolltype of carbohydrate you take in after weight trainfree (800) 900-UNIV (8648). His new book, Natural Bodying has no effect on the rate of protein synthesis,
building, and new training DVD, “Real Muscle,” are now
the only variable being the speed of glycogen storavailable from Home Gym Warehouse, www.Home-Gym
age, which would take a little longer to refill. Even
.com or (800) 447-0008. IM
so, it should make no appreciable difference before
by David Goodin
Dieting and
Dating
times. I’ve addressed a number of issues in recent conversations on this topic with young bodybuilders.
Gas (flatulence). This one has to be first because it
can be a total deal killer! Just because (nutritionally) you
can eat all the broccoli that you want doesn’t mean that you
should—especially if you’re planning to spend some time
with that special someone. Stuffing yourself with high-fiber
vegetables just to fill up your stomach is a really bad idea if
Q: I met a girl I really like. I’m about to start conyou’re going out on a date. Another thing you shouldn’t do
test prep, and I don’t want to scare her away. I know
is stack a meal and a protein drink or a meal and a protein
that you’ve been single for a long time, and I wonbar. We all know how foul that can be, and it’s just a recipe
dered if you had any tips for dating while dieting for
for disaster! When you know that you’re going to spend
a show.
time with your girl, keep your meals smaller, and don’t
throw fuel on the fire.
A: That’s a really great question because you don’t want
Dining out. While we’re on the subject of food, let’s
to have to abandon your social life for three to four (or
talk about dining out. For God’s sake, don’t take your girl
more) months each year. You can’t have balance in your
to a restaurant for dinner and then pull out your Tupperlife like that, and without balance (or fun) you’ll end up
ware containers of chicken and brown rice. Bad move! It’s
abandoning bodybuilding. I’ve seen it happen all too many
very embarrassing for your date. You can almost always
find grilled chicken or fish on the menu, along with a
Dating don’t: Even if
salad or steamed vegetables. My best advice is to find
it’s carb day, never
several restaurants that have dishes that are suitable
order the flatulotta at
for you and stick with those while you’re dieting. I
a Mexican restaurant.
love the grilled chicken at Chili’s. I often go to the one
near Hyde Park Gym in Austin and modify their salad
so much that they eventually put a special key on the
register for “Dave’s Salad.” If you’re at an unfamiliar
restaurant, just tell the waitperson that you are on a
special diet and tell them exactly what you want. As
long as you’re courteous about it, they will most likely
be more than willing to accommodate your needs.
Training and diet talk. Many of us end up dating others who also work out and share our interest in
fitness. But even if your significant other is interested
in training and nutrition, you don’t have to talk about
it all the time. I’ve had close friends who couldn’t talk
about anything else during their precontest training.
Even I got tired of hearing about it. Go easy on the
training and diet talk with your date. Even if she asks
you about it, keep in mind that it could be that she’s
just being thoughtful because she knows how important it is to you.
Moodiness. This is a tough one. There are going
to be days when you just wake up hungry, tired and
in a foul mood. You should warn someone you’re really interested in that there are going to be days when
you’re not going to want to be around anyone. If you’re
in a bad mood more often than not, then you’re dieting too hard or severely overtraining—or maybe you’re
just not too excited about competing. I always tell
people that you need to enjoy the journey, not just the
destination. Enjoy the fact that you’re getting leaner
and looking better. Look forward to achieving the best
condition of your life. Sometimes you really have to
make an effort to focus on the positives. If it were easy,
everyone would walk around lean and muscular all the
time. Think about the great things that are happening
with your body. You’ll be happier, and so will everyone
else around you.
Neveux \ Models: Skip La Cour and friend
SHREDDED MUSCLE SHREDDED MUSCLE SHREDDED MUSCLE SHREDDED MUSCLE SHREDDED MUSCLE SHREDDED MUSCLE SHREDDED MUSCLE SHREDDED MUSCLE SHREDDED MUSCLE SHREDDED MUSCLE SHREDDED MUSC
Shredded Muscle
Sex will not make you weak in the knees. That was just an old coaches’
way of making sure that you were at home in bed at a decent hour.
Alcohol. A drink every now and then won’t ruin you.
precontest training. If you have to live like a hermit to get
Drinking regularly will hurt your condition, and getting
ready for a show, you’re going to miss out on too much life
drunk could totally throw you off track. Don’t drink so
and too much love. Let people who care about you know in
much that you lose control and then eat poorly. Don’t have
advance that it’s a difficult process, and let them know what
drinks that contain the sweet mixers that add sugar and
to expect. That will help. You also have to make some sacriexcess calories. An occasional glass of wine or your favorite
fices and compromises, however, and expend some effort
liquor on the rocks won’t kill your condition.
to keep your social life intact. My mom always taught me to
Workout times. While you don’t want to miss any
be considerate of others and to treat people the way I’d like
workouts, especially during precontest training, you’ll
to be treated. Those are great words to live by at all times.
sometimes need to be flexible about your workout times. If
Editor’s note: See Dave Goodin’s new blog at www.Iron
someone cares about you, she is going to know how imporManMagazine.com. Click on the blog selection in the top
tant your training is to you. You can show her how much
menu bar. To contact Dave directly, send e-mail to TXyou care by occasionally adjusting your workout times to
accommodate her schedule and doing what she wants to
[email protected]. IM
do. Always keep in mind that your loved ones are very often
making sacrifices for you because they
want you to be successful. Reciprocate!
Sex. Last but certainly not least—I
recently had a conversation with a
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patient and supportive but that his
dieting had been very hard on her. One
of the problems was that his interest
in sex had waned, and her feelings
were hurt. It was difficult for her to
understand and impossible for him to
explain. He was so relieved when I told
him that I’d experienced that phenomenon early in my bodybuilding career.
I suspect that it’s a result of dieting too
hard and/or overtraining. I haven’t experienced it in recent memory. In fact,
with one girlfriend I had a few years
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Critical Mass
by Steve Holman
Midlife Muscle
Q: I’m a 47-year-old man
who has been an ectomorphic
hardgainer. (At my age and
with a very different metabolism, who knows what I am
now?) I’m 180 pounds at 6’ tall
with a bodyfat level in the high
teens—17 percent, if you can
believe the calipers. So I look
fit and athletic for 47, but I’d
prefer a lot more muscle and
definition. I’m applying pretty
good basic science to my regimen, but consistency has been
a problem because of some
nagging shoulder-inflammation issues. Flat-bench presses,
for instance, seem to be out
of the question. Inclines are
somewhat better. Declines I’m
still experimenting with, but
I can’t go heavy with any of
them. Okay, here are my questions:
1) If I have to pull bench
presses, what are my best alternative pec moves, and how
should I reconsider your prescribed workouts?
2) What can I reasonably
expect in terms of muscle
growth? I’m terrified to take
in surplus calories for fear of
storing fat.
Neveux \ Model: Steve Holman
CRITICAL MASS CRITICAL MASS CRITICAL MASS CRITICAL MASS CRITICAL MASS CRITICAL MASS CRITICAL MASS CRITICAL MASS CRITICAL MASS CRITICAL MASS CRITICAL MASS CRITICAL MASS CRITICAL MASS CRITICAL M
Steve Holman’s
A: I think I can address your
questions, as I’m 47 and a
hardgainer with a minor shoulder
problem from powerlifting in my
20s. Let’s look at your bench-press
situation first.
I’ve found wide-grip dips to be
an excellent alternative to bench
presses. If you can’t do those, you
may have to resort to using preexhaustion—cable flyes followed
immediately by machine bench
presses or even pushups. I’ve
found that my chest responds well
to pushups; you can use the DXO
technique (an X Rep at the bottom
after each full rep) to make them
more difficult and effective—that
provides excess stress at the important semistretch position, where
fiber activation is maximized. Also,
elevating your feet and supporting
your hands on a pair of pushup
stands to increase difficulty and
Full-range pushups can be a good substitute for bench
presses. They’re more ergonomically correct and can help
those with low neuromuscular efficiency in the pecs to
feel their chest muscles working.
Neveux \ Model: Jonathan Lawson
range of motion (if your shoulder can tolerate that) is
something you can try, although standard pushups will
do in a pinch.
Now, as a 47-year-old, what muscle growth can you
reasonably expect? It’s more difficult to build muscle
after 40, but you can still make impressive progress. It’s
especially important to cycle your training the way we
do—more abbreviated strength and size training in the
winter (for example, the 3D Power Pyramid program in
the X-traordinary Muscle-Building Workouts e-book),
then move to size and strength as you reduce bodyfat in the spring and summer. Note the change from
strength as the primary target in winter, with size as secondary; flip-flop those priorities when spring rolls around.
It’s also important to cycle down your intensity every
four to six weeks; that is, four to six weeks of all-out workouts alternated with one or two weeks of subfailure training. That ensures that your muscle, nervous and endocrine
systems recover completely before you ramp up intensity
again.
Keep in mind that the leaner you are, the larger and
more muscular you will look. If you got your bodyfat down
to 10 percent, you would notice a distinct difference in
appearance and muscularity. It doesn’t take a lot of calories
to build muscle; you just need to eat clean most of the time
and be sure you get enough protein. Hardgainers tend to
need more carbs, so you could cycle in higher-carb days
once or twice a week to refill glycogen
stores in the spring and summer. Winter,
when strength is more of a priority, eat
50 percent carbs every day—your calories should be above maintenance, but
don’t let your bodyfat get out of control.
A: I think the best way to train, especially after age 40, is with Positions of
Flexion. It’s based on picking exercises
that work each muscle through its full range. In case you’re
not familiar with 3D POF, a good example would be this
triceps routine: close-grip bench presses, pushdowns,
overhead extensions. That’s midrange work (arms moving
perpendicular to the torso), contracted work (arms down
next to torso) and stretch work (arms extending overhead).
You work the triceps through its full arc of flexion, or
contractability, which not only develops the muscle more
fully but strengthens the tendons and ligaments in all the
critical positions as well. That prevents injury and enhances mobility. Each muscle group has a midrange, contracted
and stretch position. There’s more information on 3D POF
at X-Rep.com.
Q: I’m fairly big, so now I figure I’d better think
about ripping up. Some bodybuilders at my gym
A: The general consensus these days is that bodybuilders
shouldn’t do high reps for muscularity for the reasons you
mentioned; however, I believe that using a few high-rep
sets, or at least longer tension-time sets—40 to 50 seconds—with drop sets and double drops will help you get
leaner via two specific pathways:
1) More muscle burn, which in turn triggers growth hormone release. Growth hormone is a potent fat burner.
2) More pump and occlusion, or blood flow blockage,
which forces development of
the endurance components
Mitochondria
in the muscles, including the
development in
mitochondria.
muscle means
more fat-burning
potential.
Now, that doesn’t mean you
should do all of your work sets
in the 12-to-20 zone. You need a
variety of rep ranges to stress all
of the various muscle-building
pathways—lower reps for maxforce generation and higher
reps for endurance-component
work. If you do high reps only,
you miss stressing the important max-force characteristic,
and you can lose size in key
fast-twitch power fibers.
If you use 3D POF, you can
do lower reps, seven to nine,
on the midrange exercises; medium reps, nine to 12, on
the stretch-position exercises; and higher reps, 12 to 15, on
the contracted-position moves. Longer tension times on
contracted-position exercises, like leg extensions for quads,
are especially important, as those exercises bring the most
occlusion, so they’re best for developing the mitochondria,
where fat is burned for fuel.
Q: I read your all of your articles,
books and e-books and was wondering if you had any workouts
specifically for old guys like me?
At 65 it’s hard to hang on. I was Mr.
Detroit in 1965, and I’ve got old
injuries—knees, shoulders, back.
It’s tough to find workouts that fit
in. Can you help?
said that I should start doing higher reps, but I’ve
read that higher reps don’t burn many more calories and aren’t that great for muscle gains. I’m confused. Will high reps help me get cut?
Editor’s note: Steve Holman is the author of many
bodybuilding best-sellers and the creator of Positionsof-Flexion muscle training. For information on the POF
videos and Size Surge programs, see the ad sections
beginning on page 96 and 296, respectively. Also visit
www.X-Rep.com for information on X-Rep and 3D
POF methods and e-books. IM
A Bodybuilder
Is Born
Episode 31
The Mind Game of
Competitive Bodybuilding
by Ron Harris
Photography by Michael Neveux
Models: Jay Cutler and Darrem Charles
E
ven though I’ve been electronically crucified more
than once on popular Internet bodybuilding message boards,
I cruise around them to see what’s
going on in my little muscle world.
The Net is still a wonderful tool for
the rapid dissemination of information. In the old days bodybuilders
had to wait for weeks, sometimes
months, for the magazines to come
before we could find out who’d
won the latest contest, like the Mr.
Olympia. Until the advent of the
telegraph and the telephone all we
had to deliver news were the Pony
Express, the railroad and ships and
barges.
Example: When Mortimer H.
Henckenfuster won the Mr. Physically Robust Gentleman in October
of 1884 in Las Vegas (population at
the time: four), muscle fans on the
East Coast didn’t get the full contest
report until the week before the
1885 edition of the show. Mortimer
stood 5’11” and tipped the scales at
a paltry 160 pounds, a far cry from
Ronnie Coleman’s 296 at the same
height. Henckenfuster used to promote a “health tonic” with questionable ingredients, such as bear urine,
gorilla poop and the gunk from the
corner of a lion’s eyes when it wakes
up in the morning—gathered, no
doubt, on his rounds as a zookeeper. Apparently, it didn’t do him
much good, since he died in 1901
at the age of 38. Medicine wasn’t so
advanced back then, so the cause of
death was listed only as something
called “melancholy spleen.” Ah, the
good old days.
But back to the now and the
travails of my protégé, Randy. I
was cruising around my favorite
message board—I’ll call it Muscle
Madness—when something led
me to the section on upcoming
NPC events. It must have been my
Spidey sense, as I haven’t so much
as glanced at that area of the site in
many months. The thread, as each
individual topic is called, was titled
“Anyone else doing the New England?” The screen name under the
thread topic, indicating the starter,
was FordMuscle250. Hmm. Randy
sold Ford cars, he was a young
muscle man, and 250 happened
A Bodybuilder
Is Born
Randy was so insecure and doubtful
of his chances at the show that he
was praying for an easy win over a
field of bodybuilding misfits.
to be what he wishes
he weighed. I was almost certain it was the
little rascal, and when I
opened up the thread,
my suspicions were confirmed. I’ve copied and
pasted it here exactly as
it appeared:
“Hey, what’s up. Anybody out there doing the
New Englands on May 8?
What weight class? I’ll be
a light heavy, and this is
my first show. Post some
pics up!”
Randy, of course,
did not feel the need to
provide a photo of his
own. And I knew why.
This thread was cleverly (or so he
thought) disguised as good-natured camaraderie among local
competitors. As if. With 15 weeks
left until the show, he was already
freaking out about who he might
have to go up against in the open
light heavies. I know what he wanted in his desperate state of mind.
He was secretly hoping that every
other guy he would be competing
against would find his way to this
thread and post photos.
Wait, that’s not all. What he really wanted was for all of them to
suck—and suck bad. He wanted to
see guys with potbellies, stick legs,
concave chests, lats so high they
inserted just under the armpits
and arms that looked as if they
belonged on Urkel. Hold on, the
actor Jaleel White might have had
some guns underneath his nerdy
clothes, so make that Horschak.
(For you younger readers, in
the Old Testament of TV sitcom
dorks, Horshak begat Screech, and
Screech begat Urkel. And if you’re
too young to even know the show
“Family Matters,” maybe you need
to stop reading this for a minute
so Mommy can offer you a warm
bottle.)
Randy was so insecure and
doubtful of his chances at the
show that he was praying for an
easy win over a field of bodybuilding misfits. But as I explained in a
previous episode, that wasn’t going
to happen at the New Englands.
We have only one NPC show a year
in the state of Massachusetts, with
a population of 6
million people and
5 million Dunkin’
Donuts franchises.
That’s only one of the
several New England
states, of course.
Others include New
Hampshire, Rhode
Island and several
more where nobody
pronounces their R’s,
and directions are
often given in terms
of landmarks (when
you see the tree that
looks like a giraffe,
turn left and go five
miles until you come
to a field with an
A Bodybuilder
abandoned ’72 Pinto on its side).
What I’m trying to say is that
since there are so few contests for
the bodybuilders in our region, the
shows tend to be packed, and there’s
never a shortage of talent. It wasn’t
going to be easy at all for Randy,
despite the improvements he’d
made to his physique in the time
I’d known him. Sure enough, soon
a few of the other guys doing the
contest started responding to the
thread. I knew Randy was growing
increasingly distressed, as it was obvious from some of the photos that
there were some big dudes getting
ready for the show.
It was tough for me not to contact
Randy, but I had to wait for him to
come to me. These days we don’t
get to train together more than once
a week, and sometimes it’s every
other week. So close to two weeks
had gone by since I’d noticed his
thread before we met to hit chest
and shoulders. In that time almost
a dozen men and four women had
announced their intent to do the
New England, and most had provided photos—some of how they
Is Born
presently looked and others from
previous contests they’d done. Four
and possibly five of the men were
going to be in the light heavies.
The fifth one wasn’t sure if he was
going to make weight. All of them,
however, looked—how should I put
it?—like they could all potentially
kick Randy’s ass all over the stage.
Randy really belonged in a novice
division, but the contests around
these parts just don’t have them.
“I don’t know about the show,”
Randy started as he warmed up on
the incline barbell press.
“You’re doing the show,” I said
coldly.
“The thing is,” he said as he
racked the weight, “my work is getting really busy right now. You know
spring is our biggest time of the year
at the dealership.”
“I saw your thread on Muscle
Madness, jackass.”
“You, ah, you saw that?”
“Yep,” I replied as I slid on more
weight for me. “You’re getting cold
feet because you saw what you’re up
against.” I did my last warmup set.
“Well, jeez, did you see that Rocky
kid?” he whined. “He looks like a
pro, for God’s sake. His arms must
be 22 inches.”
“He said he was 5’6”, and he’s
planning on weighing about 185, so
I kinda doubt his arms are anywhere
near that,” I said. “But they’re pretty
big and have good shape.”
“And that Tom guy? What the hell?
He won this show a few years ago, so
why is he even doing it again? What
a jerk-off!”
Randy did his set, face set in
anger—not the usual aggression
generated and directed at the
weights. He was furious at those
guys for having the audacity to enter
the same weight division he was
competing in, and he was already
conceding defeat—although things
really did appear grim. Not as grim
as the chances of a long and happy
marriage for Paris Hilton, but grim
nonetheless. It was time to give him
the advice that I never was able to
follow myself. Isn’t that what mentors are for?
“You need to stop worrying about
those other guys, seriously. People
don’t under- (continued on page 100)
Miller \ Model: Mike Icolari
“People don’t
understand that
bodybuilding is
really more of a
mind game than
it is lifting weights
and eating
chicken breasts
and broccoli.”
A Bodybuilder
(continued from page 94) understand
that bodybuilding is really more of a
mind game than it is lifting weights
and eating chicken breasts and broccoli. Unless you know for sure that
you’re so incredible that no other
human has a chance of beating you,
it’s only natural to worry about who
you’re going to go up against and
what they’ll look like. But that does
nothing to make you look better on
the day of your show. In fact, the
constant stress might cause you to
lose some muscle, and the worrying
distracts you from what should be
your real focus, getting into the best
condition you can.”
“But those guys,” Randy cried. “I
can’t beat them!”
“Maybe and maybe not,” I said.
“I have been through this a few
times myself, so I can give you some
insight. Some of those people will
drop out of the show. They might get
scared. They might get injured, lose
their job. Their cat might get sick—
who knows? That’s one thing.
“Another thing is that not everybody gets in shape. Some guy you’re
biting your nails over might show up
smooth as a baby’s butt, and you’ll
feel like an idiot for worrying about
him all that time. Others are showing themselves only from certain
angles or from the waist up, so they
could be hiding significant physique
flaws. I’m not trying to make you
think you’re going to have an easy
time up there, because you won’t.
It’s your first contest, and you’ll
be up against guys who have been
doing this a lot longer than you
have. The light-heavyweight class is
very tough in any show. That’s where
the guys with the really nice blend
of size and shape often show up.
Many times the light heavy wins the
overall.”
Randy was crestfallen. I had to
perk him up before he started looking for the nearest bridge to jump
off of. The Tobin Bridge was only
about 15 miles away, and that sucker has a long drop down.
“Here’s what I want you to do,
Randy. Stay off that thread because it’s only going to mess with
your head. Just worry about you. It
doesn’t matter if you win, take fifth
or come in dead last this time, as
long as you get into the best shape
you can and present yourself on-
Is Born
stage like a veteran. We’ll work for
a solid hour on your quarter turns
and mandatories after this workout,
and you’ll need to devote at least a
half hour of posing practice every
day on your own. One other thing.”
“What’s that?” he asked.
“Got your checkbook on you,
Junior?” He gave me a strange look.
Perhaps I was going to charge him
for all the training and advice, making it retroactive for the past 2 1/2
years?
“Yeah, out in my car. Why?”
“Great.” I dug around in the plastic bag I carry around the gym floor
with all my wraps, straps, training
log and assorted junk I need when I
work out. I produced an entry form
and an envelope, already addressed
to the promoter of the New England
and stamped.
“When we’re done today, you’re
going to fill this out, we’re going
to go to your car, and you’re going
to write a check for your entry fee.
Then I’m going to mail it. You’re
doing the show.” Randy looked relieved, as if a burden had been lifted
from him.
“I owe you, Ron. I had the wrong
attitude about this thing.”
“Yes you did. And you do owe
me—41 cents for the postage.” IM
“It doesn’t
matter if you
win, take fifth
or come in
dead last, as
long as you
get into the
best shape
you can
and present
yourself on
stage like a
veteran.”
Still Ripped After All These Years
Clarence
Bass
Reveals His Secrets for Staying
Lean and Muscular at 70
by Steve Holman
Photos Courtesy of Clarence Bass
I
f you’ve been around bodybuilding since the ’80s, you
know the name Clarence Bass.
Did he win the Mr. Olympia?
No, but he brought to the forefront
the principles of eating and training
properly to get that extreme-lean
look Mr. Olympias strive for. A selfconfessed musclehead and attorney,
he got down to 2.4 percent bodyfat,
something unheard of even today,
and he did it with clean eating, sensible training and no drugs—and he
was over 40 when he achieved that
milestone.
Today he’s 70, and he looks incredible—not just for his age but for
any age. If you’re interested in how
he does it, read on.
IM: You appear almost
as ripped and muscular on
the cover of your new book,
Great Expectations, as you
did in your earlier books, like
Lean for Life and Challenge
Yourself, when you were 50 and
60. What’s been the most difficult adjustments you’ve had to
make as you got older to stay in
that condition?
CB: Thanks for the compliment. People need to know that it
doesn’t have to be downhill after
50. That’s the main message in my
new book; that’s why I wrote it. I’ve
basically kept on doing what I’ve
always done. I had my hip replaced
in January of 2006, but I continued
training right up to the surgery and
lost little if any size or strength. I
had a new surgical procedure where
they go between rather than cut any
major muscles. I was back in the
gym in a few weeks and back up to
speed in a few months. The body
keeps responding to the demands
of sensible training far longer than
most people think. To accomplish
something you must believe that it’s
possible—and that you
can do it. My new book
gives readers
reason to
have great expectations.
IM: Do you think your years of
weight training were the reason
you needed hip-replacement
surgery?
CB: It’s impossible to know for
sure. I trained steadily for more
than 50 years before having my hip
replaced. It may have just worn
out. It’s also possible that my hip
would’ve given out earlier without training. I have a congenital
curvature in my spine, which may
have played a part as well. Most
doctors would agree that joints
do best when they are used regularly (not over-
www.ironmanmagazine.com
manm
\ FEBRUARY 2008 107
Clarence Bass
Class win at the ’78
past-40 Mr. America.
used). One of the chapters in my
book gives the details of my hip
replacement, including the role of
weight training before and after.
IM: In Ripped you said your
bodyfat was measured in a hydrostatic-weighing device at
2.4 percent. Have you had your
bodyfat measured lately?
CB: I monitor my bodyfat every
week using a Tanita Body Composition Scale, which is quite accurate
if used consistently. That’s been a
boon to my training because I no
longer have the expense and hassle
of having myself weighed under
water. According to the Tanita scale,
my bodyfat was about 5 percent
when the book photos were taken; it
varies, plus or minus, based on time
of day and hydration level.
IM: Do you feel you’re still
improving, or is it more of a
maintenance game now?
CB: I always try to improve.
Training to maintain is no fun and
a motivation killer, and I avoid it
like the plague. I can almost always
find ways to improve. I set goals in
every workout. That doesn’t mean
that I’m improving in a linear
way—I’m obviously not. But that’s
my mind-set, and I believe it has a
lot to do with my continuing success.
IM: In the past you were a
staunch high-intensity advocate, training all out to failure along the lines of Mike
Mentzer’s recommendations.
Do you still believe in that
approach, and is it the best
way to train for someone past
middle age?
CB: I’m a strong believer in the
“less is more” philosophy. I don’t
train to all-out failure. I know
when I can’t do another rep and
stop. Where I differ with Mike’s
approach is that I train in up-anddown cycles and always include
aerobics. I think it’s important for
older lifters to continue challenging themselves and take care to
allow time for recovery between
workouts.
IM: What weight-training
and cardio programs do you
follow now, and how has that
changed over the past decade—or has it?
CB: My workouts are equally
balanced between weights and
aerobics. I approach aerobics the
same way I do weights: hard and
infrequent. I prefer to do weights
and aerobics on separate days, so
I can give equal attention to both.
I train two or three times a week
and walk on off days. On weights, I
do one hard set after warmup. On
aerobics, I focus on high-intensity
intervals. My weight workouts last a
little over an hour and my aerobics
sessions about 25 minutes.
IM: Are there exercises you
think older bodybuilders
should steer clear of? How
about squats and deadlifts?
CB: I believe both old and young
trainers should avoid movements
that hurt. If it hurts, don’t do it.
Snatching 225
at age 24.
Laszlo Bencze
Squats and deadlifts
are fine as long as they don’t cause
joint pain. Allowing time for recovery is especially important for the
squat and deadlift. Doing squats
one week and deadlifts the next
works well for most people.
IM: Do you do a lot of warmup
sets before your one work set
for each exercise?
CB: It depends on the exercise.
For multijoint exercises such as
squats, deadlifts or bench presses,
I generally do two or three warmup
sets. For curls and other singlejoint movements, one or two. Reps
for warmup sets are usually eight
to four, with progressively heavier
weights. My theory is that warmup
sets are to prepare the body for the
work set and shouldn’t wear you
out.
IM: Is your training program
in your new book?
CB: Yes. I explain the changes
I believe in
training the
whole body
aerobically,
and the
Airdyne does
that very well.
110 FEBRUARY 2008 \ www.ironmanmagazine.
Clarence Bass
I’ve made recently, including those
made after my hip replacement.
IM: Early in your weighttraining career you were an
Olympic lifter. Do you think
those lifts—the clean and jerk
and the snatch—are safe? What
were some of your best poundages?
Age 15, two years
into his lifting career.
Balik
Age 45.
CB: The Olympic lifts put a lot
of stress on the joints and must
be approached with care. Power
cleans and power snatches are
much easier to learn and are
probably best for most people. I
do have some joint problems that
I trace back to my Olympic lifting
days—I have a weakness in my
left shoulder and arthritis in my
lower back. I avoid movements
that aggravate either condition.
Training through pain or injury
is a bad idea. My best lifts were 275
press, 245 snatch and 325 clean and
jerk.
IM: What’s your favorite cardio exercise, and how do you
attack it for best results?
CB: My favorite cardio machine
is the Schwinn Airdyne, an exercise
bike with a push-pull arm action. I
believe in training the whole body
aerobically, and the Airdyne does
that very well. What many forget
is that 50 percent or more of the
Clarence Bass
Positive
feedback
showing
progress
toward a
meaningful
goal is the
ultimate
motivator. I
always have
a goal.
Ripped beyond
belief at age 61.
Pat Berrett
benefit of aerobic exercise takes
place in the muscles and that only
the muscles that are used benefit. A
good performance monitor, like the
one on the Airdyne, is important so
you can train progressively. As I said
earlier, I always try to improve.
IM: In the days of Ripped
your diet was higher carb, medium protein and low fat, with
reduced calories when you
wanted to get ripped. How do
you eat now?
CB: The main change that I’ve
made in recent years is the addition
of “good” fat, usually salmon. Good
fat slows the absorption of food and
is good for the heart and circulatory system. I eat a balanced diet of
mostly whole foods. I eat three main
meals and three snacks a day and
never miss a meal. The bulk of my
diet is vegetables, fruits and whole
grains. In addition, I make a point
of having some fat and high-quality protein with each meal or snack.
I never allow myself to get overly
Clarence Bass
“I believe
that regular
exercise—
weights and
aerobics—
and a
balanced
diet are all
that most
people need
to maintain
testosterone
at normal
levels.”
hungry. I don’t starve myself.
IM: Does being a semi-vegetarian hamper your testosterone production? Doesn’t that
type of diet make it harder to
build muscle, especially as you
age?
CB: I had my testosterone
checked during my last health and
fitness exam at the Cooper Clinic in
Dallas. The blood test showed that
my testosterone is in the mid-range
of normal; you can read the details
on our Web site (www.cbass.com).
I believe that regular exercise—
weights and aerobics—and a balanced diet are all that most people
need to maintain testosterone at
normal levels.
IM: What’s your favorite supplement for aging bodybuilders?
CB: I like creatine, which works
especially well for people who don’t
eat much meat. I’ve taken it for
years.
IM: What keeps you motivated to stay in such solid, lean
shape? Who’s your inspiration?
CB: I enjoy my training, a key element in staying motivated. Realistic
and challenging goals are also im-
With his wife Carol in Santa
Fe, New Mexico, 2007.
Clarence Bass
Laszlo Bencze
“I train two to three times a week
and walk on off days. On weights,
I do one hard set after warmup.
My weight workouts last a little
over an hour.”
portant. Positive feedback showing
progress toward a meaningful goal
is the ultimate motivator. I always
have a goal. When I achieve it, I
set another one. Training becomes
more important with each passing year. I never miss a scheduled
workout. Bill Pearl has always been
my favorite role model. My dad and
I were in the audience when he won
the ’53 Mr. America. I love the fact
that he still gets up at about 4 a.m.
to train six days a week.
IM: What’s your training and
diet advice to bodybuilders who
are moving past middle age?
CB: I’d tell them that regularity in
training and diet is the most important thing. The only diet or training
regimen that will work is one you
are willing and able to
continue indefinitely.
Don’t bite off more than
you’re really willing to
chew.
IM: Do you keep up
with the current bodybuilding scene?
CB: I don’t follow competitive bodybuilding as
closely as I once did. My
impression is that the
top guys and gals are so
good that normal people
can’t relate to them.
Bodybuilding for health
and fitness, however, has
never been more popular. Carol and I just heard
that (continued on page 122)
“Don’t bite off more than you’re really willing to chew. Regularity in training and
diet is the most important thing. The only diet or training regimen that will work is
one you are willing and able to continue indefinitely.”
(continued from page 118) Gold’s Gym
is planning to open several new
gyms in our hometown of Albuquerque, New Mexico, which already has
a ton of fitness centers. My sense is
that the over-40 market may be the
fastest growing segment. For those
who want to stay young and strong,
bodybuilding is the key.
IM: Obesity is rampant in the
United States, and children
are more sedentary than ever
before, which is adding to the
epidemic and creating a health
crisis. Any ideas on how we as a
society can reverse that trend?
CB: I wish I knew the answer. I’m
pretty sure that treating the overweight as victims isn’t it, however.
With very few exceptions, whether
we are fit and lean or sedentary and
fat is a choice. Our Web site, books
and DVDs are aimed at helping people who want to help themselves.
IM: You’ve written countless
books over the years—Ripped
122 FEBRUARY
FE
2008 \ www.ironmanmagazine.com
Clarence Bass
1, 2 and 3; The Lean
Advantage 1, 2 and
3; Lean for Life; and
Challenge Yourself.
Why the new book,
Great Expectations?
What’s different about
it?
CB: I began training
when I was about 13 and
never stopped, so I’m
one of the very first of a
new breed—a breed that
I expect to grow rapidly in
the years to come. I’m an
example of the benefits of
exercise and healthy eating over a lifetime. In Great
Expectations I provide
authoritative evidence
that we do not have to get
weaker and fatter as we
age. As I indicated earlier,
vibrant health, fitness and
leanness are there for those
who choose to train, eat
and live well. What’s more,
suffering is not required
or even helpful, which is
another main theme of the
book. Its subtitle is Health
Fitness Leanness Without
Suffering. The bodybuilding lifestyle can and should
be a joy. It’s a wonderful
journey that begins with
the first step and ideally
never ends.
IM: Any parting comments about life and
lifting for those of us
who are cruising into
our 50s and 60s?
CB: Yes, keep training.
I also want to thank you,
Steve, and John Balik for
their interest in me over
the years. My first exposure
was in Iron Man years ago
when Peary and Mabel
Rader were at the helm.
One constant in my bodybuilding life has been IRON
MAN. May it continue to
thrive and prosper forever.
Editor’s note: For more
on Clarence Bass, visit his
Web site, www.CBass.com.
To order his new book,
Great Expectations, visit
www.Home-Gym.com, or
call (800) 447-0008. IM
“Vibrant
health,
fitness and
leanness
are there
for those
who choose
to train,
eat and live
well. What’s
more,
suffering is
not required
or even
helpful.”
Super
saturation
for Serious
Muscle Size
A Unique Twist on Heavy/Light
Power/Pump Mass Training
by Steve Holman and
Jonathan Lawson
E
ver heard the saying, Go
heavy or go home? Don’t
believe it! You don’t have
to go heavy at every workout, just every other—and it builds
muscle fast. Do a pump session a
few days after every heavy one, and
you can almost watch the muscles
get bigger and more detailed every
week because of the all-out anabolic
activity, as well as recovery, you’re
getting. It’s the light workouts that
most people don’t do—and that’s
the reason they miss out on so
much size stimulation.
Pump, Supersaturation
and Muscle Recovery
The first important point about
lighter, subfailure workouts done
with higher reps is that they fill up
the muscles, making them look
bigger, denser and more detailed.
You do a light workout a few days
after an all-out heavy workout. You
may recognize that as the way a
lot of bodybuilders in the presteroid era of the ’50s and early ’60s
trained. Those who used the system
correctly got huge—no drugs, no
supplements.
The reason it works is that you
damage the muscles with heavy
training at one workout and then
at the next session give them subfailure pumping sets for supercompensation and supersaturation of
glycogen—in other words, higherrep flushing sets.
This is not a muscle-building
theory. It works, big time! It will pack
new size on your frame, just as it did
for the bodybuilders of the golden
era. Why? One reason is that muscles are more than 70 percent water.
What pulls water into muscles to
make them big and full? Glycogen
from carbs.
Basically, the more glycogen you
can force into your muscles, the bigger they’ll get. That’s the reason we
suggest you take in 20 to 40 grams of
carbs about 45 minutes to an hour
before every heavy/light workout,
along with about 20 to 30 grams of
protein. (You also need even more
carbs and protein immediately after
you train—60 grams and 40 grams,
respectively; it’s best to get them
from a postworkout supplement
like RecoverX.) No, that won’t make
you fat. Research shows that even
100 grams of carbs eaten around the
time an intense workout takes place
won’t feed fat stores.
A good example of how well this
works is the last week of contest
prep for bodybuilders. They do a
light pumping workout for each
bodypart as they ramp up their
carbs. That’s the perfect way to get
full muscles via complete glycogen
replenishment and, possibly, hopefully, supercompensation; that is,
higher-than-normal glycogen retention after weeks of lower-carb contest dieting. If everything goes right,
they can get considerably bigger
and more detailed in that last week,
primarily from driving more water
into their muscles.
Slow Down to Muscle Up
Another reason light workouts do
good things for muscle size is tension time. A recent study showed
Supersaturation
Super
saturation
how well slow, controlled light
training works. (Tanimoto, M.
J App Physiol. 100:1150-1157;
2006) Three groups used different styles of training:
1) Low intensity, 50 percent
of one-rep max (light), with
slow movement and tonic
force generation, taking three
seconds each to raise and
lower the weight—no relaxing phase.
The reason it works
is that you damage
the muscles with
heavy training at one
workout and then
at the next session
give them subfailure
pumping sets for
supercompensaton
and supersaturation of
glycogen.
Model: Cesar Martinez
2) High intensity, 80 percent
of one-rep max (heavy), taking one second to raise the
weight and one second to
Supersaturation
Super
saturation
lower it, with one second of relaxing between reps—the conventional style of training.
3) Low intensity with normal
speed (same as 2).
The workout consisted of three
sets done three times a week for 12
weeks. The first two groups experienced significant muscle gains,
with no gains occurring in group 3.
That brings to light another key
factor of effective light workouts:
rep speed. We recommend using
slower reps for light workouts—
about five seconds per rep instead
of the three-second reps done on
heavy day. In other words, light
workouts are similar to what group
1 did in the study—using the
sustained-tension technique and
longer muscle activation, which
produces the greatest amount of
muscle-oxygen deficit.
Once again light training produced gains similar to what other
subjects got when they used
heavier weights in the conventional training style. That has huge
implications for muscle building—and verifies the heavy/light
concept (those old-timers back in
the ’50s and ’60s knew what they
were doing).
While you get unique muscle
stimulation, light, high-rep, slower
“feel” sets also increase the release
of growth hormone and localized
insulinlike growth factor 1. Plus,
they trigger nitric oxide production, which stimulates the development of muscle satellite cells—a
key to muscle hypertrophy.
For those who are afraid that
light training won’t do much for
muscle size or will make you
shrink, that study should help
deprogram you. You’ll build more
muscle via the supersaturation of
glycogen and amino acids with
lighter, slower, continuous-tension
workouts and also get the unique
longer tension times that build
muscle without as much stress as
higher-intensity heavy workouts.
What’s more, your joints, tendons
and ligaments will get more time to
recover without sacrificing muscle.
Heavy/light programs build mass
big time, you just have to follow a
few rules:
Q: You talk about forcing muscle supercompensation with
the heavy/light method. Doing a lighter, subfailure workout a
few days after heavy training is supposed to create a pump that
forces glycogen [from the carbs you eat prior to the workout]
into the muscle for a supersaturation effect. It makes sense,
and I already feel bigger using it. My problem is that my pumps
aren’t that great. Should I add sets to the light workouts? The
program only calls for a few for each bodypart.
A: First, be sure you’re doing the program exactly as prescribed. For
example, you said that light workouts are subfailure, but that applies
only to the big, more taxing midrange exercise for each bodypart, like
squats or curls. On the more isolated exercises, like leg extensions and
concentration curls, you still train to exhaustion on each phase of a drop
set—hitting failure at eight reps, reducing the weight and immediately
repping out again, getting five or six more. Going to failure on those
less-taxing-but-more-focused exercises provides the most occlusion and
should flush the target muscle—triggering supersaturation, a.k.a. excess
glycogen storage.
Also be sure you are hitting the higher-rep range listed in the program
on your big exercises on light day. You want to lighten the weight enough
from your heavy-day weight that you get 10 to 15 reps on each set—and
each rep should last about five seconds. Rep speed is very important for
tension-time hypertrophy as well as muscle engorgement.
If you still don’t pump up big, try pushing the reps even higher—like
15 to 18. It’s important to engorge the muscles fully at your light workouts. You also may want to try a vasodilator supplement before you train
(see the question and answer below).
Q: You mentioned taking about 30 grams of carbs and 30
grams of protein an hour before every workout, and you also
mentioned taking a vasodilator. What kind of supplement is
that, and why do I need it?
A: Most vasodilators are precursors of nitric oxide, a compound that
helps open up blood vessels to give you an incredible pump. Yes, a big
pump is motivating, but you’re getting a lot more than that—by opening up the blood vessels, you create an environment for better nutrient
delivery in the muscles. Remember, light day is for max flood flow, so you
send more glycogen from carbs into those still-recovering muscles. Glycogen helps them hold more water and get huge (muscle is more than
70 percent water, after all). [Note: For more on NO and vasodilators, see
“Just Say Yes to NO” by Jerry Brainum, which appeared in the January ’08
IRON MAN.]
1) Use all-out intensity on heavyday sets, with lower reps that you
perform like controlled explosions.
2) Use slow, continuous-tension
sets on light day, with about 12
reps that last five seconds each.
Supplement Standouts
Something that you can do to
enhance the process is to use nitric
oxide–precursor supplements, or
vasodilators, which open the blood
vessels for maximum pump and
nutrient delivery during your workout (exactly what you’re striving
for in your light workouts). Keep in
mind, however, that digestion shuts
down during intense activity, like
your workout, so you want to get
your carbs and aminos 45 minutes
to an hour before you hit the gym.
They need to be circulating in your
bloodstream, ready to be flushed
into your muscles during your
pump sets. (continued on page 134)
Supersaturation
Super
saturation
Q: I get a lot of crap at my gym when I do the light [subfailure,
pump] workouts from your heavy/light program. My friends
razz me because I stop short on the big exercises like squats
and bench presses. Why can’t I just go to failure on light day too?
There aren’t that many sets, so I think I can still recover.
Sample H/L Workout
Okay, enough of the reasons that
it works; you probably want a specific example. Here are the biceps
and triceps routines from the quick
four-days-per-week heavy/light
program listed in X-traordinary
Muscle-Building Workouts (arms are
trained on Monday and Thursday):
Model: Mike Morris
A: If it bothers you that much, you can try it (we always encourage
experimentation), but keep in mind that the point of heavy/light is that
you don’t burn glycogen from the target muscle on light day; you use subfailure high-rep sets to force more into storage via a big pump. That’s the
important supersaturation effect that pulls more water in, making you
look bigger and fuller workout after workout—a true size-surge effect.
If you train to failure at both workouts, you’ll short-circuit the supercompensation effect. That’s one of the basic principles behind heavy/
light, and it’s a very good one, as bodybuilders in the presteroid era would
tell you—they got very big very quickly using it.
Many called the higher-rep, pumping workouts “spinning.” Back in
those days there was a big controversy over what worked better to build
mass, spinning or grinding (low-rep heavy workouts). Of course, the
smartest guys used both, alternating them, much like our heavy/light
program. It makes a lot of sense, not only from a recovery standpoint but
from a variety perspective as well—you give the muscles something new
at every other workout. That will help you grow faster too, rather than
doing the same thing every time.
We also
suggest beta-alanine, a.k.a. Red
Dragon, as it loads your muscle
tissue with carnosine, which helps
buffer fatigue so you can crank
out more growth reps—hitting the
high-threshold motor units via
big weights plus X-Rep partials on
heavy workouts. In other words, you
get longer tension times as you push
into the burn zone on light days.
Supersaturation
Super
saturation
On heavy day you follow the big,
midrange exercise with a stretchposition move, like incline curls, for
more target-muscle trauma.
Model: Dan Decker
On light day you follow the midrange
exercise with a contracted-position
move, like concentration curls, for
more continuous tension and a skinstretching pump.
Biceps
Biceps
Heavy
Barbell
curls
3 x 5, 8, 9
Heavy
Incline
curls curls
(drop set)
1 x3 8(5)
Barbell
x 5, 8, 9
LightIncline curls (drop set) 1 x 8(5)
Barbell
curls
Light
(subfailure)
2 x 10-15
Barbell curls
Concentration
curls
(subfailure)
2 x 10-15
(drop
set)
Concentration
curls 1 x 8(5)
(drop set)
Triceps
Triceps
1 x 8(5)
Heavy
Decline
extensions
3 x 5, 8, 9
Heavy
Overhead
extensions
Decline extensions
3 x 5, 8, 9
(drop
set) extensions 1 x 8(5)
Overhead
1 x 8(5)
Light (drop set)
Decline
extensions
Light
(subfailure)
Decline extensions 2 x 10-15
Pushdowns
(drop set)
1 x28(5)
(subfailure)
x 10-15
Pushdowns (drop set)
1 x 8(5)
Supersaturation
Super
saturation
Model: Dan Decker
On the heavy day you reduce
the poundage on each set of
curls and decline extensions
so you get the neuromuscular stimulation of a reverse
pyramid and tap into as many
high-threshold muscle fibers
as possible (depleting glycogen
stores quickly as well). On light
day you do higher reps but not
to failure—remember to slow
down your reps and feel the
muscle working. Lighten the
poundage enough that you can
get more than 10 reps per set
doing it that way.
On the second exercises,
concentration curls and pushdowns, you keep your reps
slow and do go to failure. Use
one drop set—do eight reps to
exhaustion, reduce the weight
and immediately do about five
reps to exhaustion. That creates an extreme pumping effect
and forces glycogen into the
muscles without depleting it
(heavy day is for depletion and
damage). You enhance recovery
and glycogen deposition, which
will result in an eye-popping,
full-muscle look.
If you’re familiar with 3D Positions of Flexion, you may have
noticed that barbell curls and
lying extensions are midrange
exercises for biceps and triceps,
respectively. On heavy day you
follow with incline curls for bi’s
and overhead extensions for
tri’s, stretch-position exercises;
on light day you follow with
concentration curls for bi’s and
pushdowns for tri’s, contractedposition exercises that will
pump the muscle and create
occlusion, a blockage of blood
flow that’s a big player in building muscle size via capillary
expansion and mitochondria
development. In other words,
you’re training the biceps’ and
triceps’ full arcs of flexion,
a.k.a. 3D POF—midrange,
stretch and contracted—over
two workouts. That helps you
attack all facets of muscle growth,
from max force to stretch overload
to continuous tension and occlusion. For the uninitiated, here are
overviews of each position, using
biceps as the example:
Another reason
light workouts
do good things
for muscle size
is tension time.
Studies show
that extending
the time
under tension
can expand
bodyparts.
• Midrange position: Barbell
curls work the biceps with the
upper arms slightly out in front of
the torso. You also get synergy, or
muscle teamwork, from the front
delts. Synergy is a hallmark of
most midrange-position exercises
because they are the big, compound mass movements.
• Stretch position: Incline
curls put your biceps in a com-
You generate
the most force
with the big,
compound
exercises, so
you do them at
every workout;
however, you
do vary the rep
range.
• Contracted position: Concentration curls train your biceps
with your upper arms up and
out close to your head. In that
position your biceps can fully
contract with a cramping flex on
every rep. You also get continuous
tension and occlusion, as described—blood will rush in at the
end of your sets for an incredible
flush!
The descriptions
of the three positions
show why training
a muscle at those
three points is vitally important for
maximizing muscle
growth while doing
very few sets. Does it
work? Jonathan got
his arms up over 19
inches using 3D POF,
about five sets each
for biceps and triceps
at each arm workout.
Many experts say that
shouldn’t be possible
because Jonathan’s
wrists only measure
seven inches. Supposedly, a bone structure
that slight shouldn’t
Model: Skip La Cour
plete stretch when your arms are
straight, hanging down behind
your torso. Stretch overload has
been linked to everything from
fiber splitting to anabolic receptor proliferation in muscle tissue.
(One animal-based study saw a
300 percent mass increase after
only one month of progressivestretch overload. We talk more
about that in the last chapter of
our e-book X-traordinary MuscleBuilding Workouts.)
Model: Lee Apperson
Supersaturation
Super
saturation
be able to support 19-plusinch arms. Hmm.
So, if you’re after as much
muscle as possible with
efficient, precise workouts,
3D POF should be a part of
your plan. Use it in conjunction with the heavy/light
system, and you will supersaturate your muscles from
every angle, getting them
bigger and more engorged
than ever before—with very
few sets.
Note: A more basic H/L
program appears on page
144. It’s a variation of phase
1 of the 10-Week Size Surge
program Jonathan used to
gain 20 pounds of muscle in
2 1/2 months.
Editor’s note: For two
complete printable heavy/
light programs, see the ebook X-traordinary
Muscle-Building Workouts,
available at X-Workouts
.com. It also includes many
more complete mass-building programs based on
the heavy/light concept,
including Volume/Intensity
Fusion and Traumatic/Nontraumatic (T/NT). IM
Supersaturation
Super
saturation
Heavy/Light 101 Program
(Based on the 10-Week Size Surge Phase 1 Program)
Monday
Wednesday
Squats* (H)
2 x 5, 9
Leg extensions (H; drop) 1 x 8(5)
Semi-stiff-legged
deadlifts* (L**)
1 x 10-15
Leg curls* (L; drop)
1 x 8(5)
Bench presses* (H)
2 x 5, 9
Flat-bench flyes
(H; drop)
1 x 8(5)
Incline dumbbell
presses (H)
2 x 5, 9
Deadlifts*
(L**)
Friday
2 x 7-9
2 x 15-20
2 x 8, 15
Lying triceps
extensions* (H)
2 x 5, 9
Flat-bench flyes
(L, drop)
Pushdowns or
kickbacks (H; drop)
1 x 8(5)
Incline dumbbell
presses (L**)
1 x 12-18
1 x 9-12
Bent-over rows* (L**)
2 x 10-15
Incline kneeups (H)
2 x 8, 12
Leg press or donkey
calf raises (H)
Seated calf raises*
(H/L**)
1 x 8(5)
Hammer curls
1 x 8(5)
1 x 8(5)
Concentration curls
(H; drop)
2 x 10-15
Dumbbell upright
rows (H; drop)
Leg curls (H; drop)
2 x 5, 9
Chins or
pulldowns* (L**)
2 x 5, 9
2 x 10-15
Leg extensions (L, drop) 1 x 8(5)
Barbell curls* (H)
Wrist curls
Dumbbell presses* (H)
Squats* (L**)
Ab Bench crunch pulls or
full-range crunches
(H; drop)
1 x 12(8)
Bench presses* (L**)
2 x 10-15
1 x 8(5)
2 x 10-15
Chins or pulldowns* (H) 2 x 5, 9
Bent-over rows* (H)
Dumbbell presses*
(L**)
Dumbbell upright rows
(L, drop)
2 x 5, 9
2 x 10-15
1 x 8(5)
2 x 9, 12
*Do one to two light warmup sets with about 50 percent of your work weight on the first and 80 percent
on the second prior to your two work sets.
**Subfailure sets—stop one or two reps short of positive failure.
Heavy/Light 101 Program: This is a variation of the
first five weeks of the Size Surge program Jonathan used
to pack on 20 pounds of muscle in 10 weeks (see his
before and after photos at right). One of the get-big keys
here is that every workout begins with a big anabolicacceleration exercise, either squats or deadlifts. Plus,
you get a recovery day after every workout, two after the
Friday workout.
Notice that you only train arms directly once a week,
on Wednesday, and all sets are heavy. That’s because
biceps, triceps and forearms get a lot of indirect work
on Monday and Friday, when you train chest, back and
Jonathan’s before and after photos. He gained 20
triceps. Abs also get lots of indirect work on those other
pounds of muscle in 10 weeks, and the first five
two training days, so you only train them directly on
weeks was a variation of the above workout.
Wednesday as well—with heavy work.
Push all exercises to positive failure, except where
indicated with a (L**). Stop those sets one to two reps
short of failure, as they are higher-rep pump-and-recovery sets intended to help flush the target muscle with
nutrients for supersaturation of glycogen to enhance fullness.
This program will work well for almost anyone, but it’s especially good for over-40 bodybuilders who
have some training experience, as the heavy/light concept gives you more recovery time and less joint stress
than you get while going all out all the time.
Editor’s note: The second phase of Jonathan’s Size Surge program was an every-other-day 3D Postions-ofFlexion program. For his complete 10-week Size Surge program as well as other 3D Positions-of-Flexion discussions and workouts, see the e-book 3D Muscle Building, available at www.3DMuscleBuilding.com.
Balik
Heavy Duty
Q&A
The Wisdom of Mike Mentzer
by John Little
Q
: In looking into
the various approaches bodybuilders take in trying to
build more muscle,
the one constant
seems to be variety.
They try one training
approach for a while
and then another.
That doesn’t look
like a bad thing, as
some of the champions that I read about
seem to have built
quite a bit of muscle
that way. It seems as
though all approaches work at a given
point in a trainee’s
career. What were
Mike’s thoughts on
that?
A
: While Mike viewed questioning all endeavors as desir-
able—no one ever learns all there
is to know about any subject—he
nevertheless found that most bodybuilders who flit like birds from
one routine to the next do so for
one reason: Their current routine
doesn’t yield appreciable results. As
Mike once said:
“I’ve found in the vast majority of
cases the almost hysterical pursuit
of information by bodybuilders
stems from a profound uncertainty
regarding the direction of their
training. Many bodybuilders seem
to regard the nature of muscle
growth as a mystery, and if they
just keep trying different routines,
they’ll eventually happen upon one
that works.”
Apart from the genetic factor,
which I discussed last time in some
detail, the “quite a bit of muscle”
that the champions display is also
the result of using growth drugs.
That’s an important point if you’re a
natural trainee. It’s also important if
you’re attempting to keep the number of variables down to a minimum
in assessing the potency of a training protocol. The stimulus of muscle
growth, however, can’t be that
diverse. Otherwise one subset of
the population would need progressive overload to stimulate muscle
growth—one of the fundamental
principles of exercise physiology—
and another subset could achieve
growth simply by washing dishes.
Now, you’ll never see dishwashing
as a stimulus for building a 20-inch
arm, but you will see progressive
overload. That tells you that not
“everything” works—irrespective
of the “point in a trainee’s career.”
Mike explained why more than two
decades ago:
“There’s no mystery about the
nature of muscle growth. The cause
and effect have been known for
years. The biochemical changes
within the body that result in muscle growth are essentially the same
in all human beings on the face of
the earth. If the laws of physiology weren’t immutable, if they
were subject to constant change,
the science of medicine couldn’t
exist. The fact that the data derived
from research conducted on a few
specific individuals can be applied
to the entire human population
makes modern medicine a viable
discipline. It follows logically, then,
that the stimulus required to induce
the biochemical changes that result
in additional muscle growth is also
universal. What is that stimulus?
High-intensity muscular effort.”
Physical exercise is the only
stimulus that can effect progressive
alterations in the body’s capacities and composition. That’s why
progressive overload wins out over
dishwashing (continued on page 155)
Heavy Duty
“In addition to the
demand having to be
of a specific nature, it
must also be stressful
enough to induce largescale and rapid rates of
improvement.”
Balik
“The closer we come
to performing at a
level where we cause
a muscle to contract
up to 100 percent, the
greater the possibility
of inducing a size and
strength increase.”
(continued from page 151) every time.
There are many types of physical
exercise, however, so what you want
is the type mostly likely to produce
an increase in muscle mass.
Specificity of Exercise
Exercise physiologists have
known for decades that specific
demands imposed on the body
result in specific neurophysiological adjustments. The word used to
describe this well-authenticated
scientific fact is specificity. According to Mike:
“In addition to the demand having to be of a specific nature, it must
also be stressful enough to induce
large-scale and rapid rates of improvement. As a rule of thumb, the
level of stress must exceed 50 percent of the individual’s existing capacity. The more the stress exceeds
the 50 percent level, the greater the
rate of improvement. Therefore, if
you wish to achieve the greatest and
most rapid improvement that your
genetically predetermined capacity
will allow, you must exercise at the
100 percent level of your existing
functional capacity.”
Experts have noted that somewhere within the overall physical
system is the mechanism that regulates muscle growth. Some researchers, such as Dr. Doug McGuff, have
suggested that the element is the
gene HGF-8, which regulates the
production of the protein myostatin. Once an individual matures
to a point of normal or average
adult muscular size and strength,
the sensory part of the mechanism
signals the growth-stimulating
portion to stop, as you don’t need
more growth for everyday living.
As long as our muscular activity
remains within “normal” limits,
our muscular size and strength
levels will remain essentially unchanged, along with our percentage
of reserve ability. In order to trigger
another growth cycle—growth that
transcends normal adult levels of
size and strength—activity must be
increased beyond normal. Let’s hear
from Mike again on that important
point:
“Remember that to induce specific physiological changes—additional muscle growth in this
case—specific demands must be
imposed. The specific demand
required to effect the fastest possible increases in muscular size and
strength is directly related to the
intensity of muscular contraction.
The closer we come to performing
at a level where we cause a muscle
to contract up to 100 percent, the
greater the possibility of inducing a
size and strength increase.”
Right and Wrong
Types of Stress
The lack of success many bodybuilders experience confuses them
and leads them to a type of training
that improves their cardiovascular endurance rather than builds
muscle. It has largely to do with
activities that extend beyond 60 to
70 seconds and thus tax the aerobic
pathways at a level equal to their
anaerobic pathways, which results
in a compromise of the stimulus;
that is, a certain portion is directed
toward size and strength increase,
and the other portion is directed
toward endurance. As McGuff and
others have pointed out, performing
exercises at a high anaerobic threshold will actually produce significant
aerobic benefits. Performing exercises at a largely aerobic pace will
do very little to stimulate muscle
size and strength. Those who train
often and for long periods—as with
the six-days-a-week, two-hourper-day routine—are imposing the
wrong type of stress on their bodies
if muscle growth is what they want.
As Mike pointed out:
“The fact that they’re training
for long periods precludes even the
possibility of high-intensity muscular contraction. If you were to graph
momentary intensity, you’d note
an inverse
Heavy Duty
(continued from page 155) relation-
ship between intensity and time.
For every increase in momentary
intensity of muscular effort, there
is and must be a corresponding
decrease in the amount of time in
which you can engage in an activity at a particular level of intensity.
What that means in practical terms
for bodybuilders is that in order to
train at the intensity level required
to induce rapid increase in muscle
growth, you can’t train for long
periods. Sure, anyone can train at
high intensity for short periods and
then drastically reduce the intensity
and continue training at a lower
plane—and many do. The problem
is that low intensity of effort doesn’t
induce muscle growth but does
place a drain on our precious energy reserves, which must always be
replenished for growth to take place.
Consequently, such an approach
leads to a slowdown of progress. In
cases of gross overtraining at low
intensity, an actual regression of
capacity occurs.”
If your reason for training is to
bring about the largest and most
rapid increases in size and strength
possible for your genetic potential, then you must train so that
the highest possible percentage of
muscle mass is involved. How do
you do that? Following is what Mike
Mentzer recommended to ensure
thorough muscle stimulation:
“All exercises should start from a
prestretched position. A definite requirement for a muscle to contract
maximally is that it start in a fully
extended position where the muscle
actually involved is being mildly
stretched. The prestretching sets up
the myotatic reflex, a neurological
stimulus that enables maximum
contraction.
“The performance of all of your
exercises must be conducted at a
relatively slow rate of speed. Exercises that are initiated with a sudden
jerk or thrust and then continued to
the contracted position rapidly involve very little muscle mass in the
completion of the movement. Once
the speed exceeds a certain rate,
the muscle slacks, and momentum
takes over. Start all of your exercises
deliberately, with no sudden thrust,
and continue to the contracted
position in a likewise slow and
deliberate fashion. That practice
will save you a lot of wear and tear
on your connective tissues as well
as increase the amount of muscle
involved in your routines.
“The range of movement of your
exercise should be as great as possible. Since our muscles contract by
producing movement, they must
have the fullest possible range of
movement if they are to contract
fully. When I speak of full-range
movement, I am referring to movement that causes muscle to work
against a resistance from a position
of full extension to full contraction.”
Not only that, but the resistance
imposed on the muscle must be sufficient to require it to contract maximally. The all-or-nothing principle
of muscular function states that
individual muscle fibers are incapable of performing varying degrees
of work. They’re working either as
hard as pos- (continued on page 162)
Balik
“All exercises
should start from a
prestretched position. A
definite requirement for
a muscle to contract
maximally is that it
start in a fully extended
position where the
muscle actually
involved is being mildly
stretched.”
Neveux \ Model: Luke Wood
“The range of
movement of your
exercise should be as
great as possible.”
Heavy Duty
(continued from page 158) sible or not
“A little thought and
improvisation will lead
you to exercises that
provide resistance in
the fully contracted
position.”
Balik
at all. Performing a light movement
doesn’t require the slight involvement of the entire muscle. Only the
exact number of fibers needed to
perform that movement will be involved, but they’ll be contracting to
the limit of their momentary ability.
As Mike put it:
“To involve the entire bulk of a
muscle in a movement, you have
to impose a load that requires all of
the fibers of that muscle to contract.
Since a muscle must be in its shortest (or fully contracted) position to
involve all of its fibers in a contraction, sufficient resistance must be
provided in the contracted position.
Neveux \ Model: Mike Semenoff
“On many conventional exercises there’s
no resistance at all in the contracted
position, which makes it impossible to
induce maximum growth stimulation.”
On many conventional exercises,
like the barbell curl, there’s no resistance at all in the contracted position, which makes it impossible to
induce maximum growth stimulation. A little thought and improvisation will lead you to exercises that
provide resistance in the fully contracted position.”
I hope pointing out these four
techniques has removed some of
the mystery from your training.
When you learn all of the requirements, including monitoring
volume and frequency of your workouts and how to best apply your
knowledge, you’ll be able to guide
your own training efforts without
having to solicit “opinions” from
others or change your training in
the mistaken notion that it needs to
be constantly different.
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.Mike
Mentzer.com.
John Little is available for phone
consultation on Mike Mentzer’s
Heavy Duty training system. For
rates and information, contact
Joanne Sharkey at (310) 316-4519 or
at www.MikeMentzer.com, or see
the ad on the opposite page.
Article copyright © 2008, John
Little. All rights reserved. Mike
Mentzer quotations provided
courtesy of Joanne Sharkey and are
used with permission. IM
MUSCLE
MATURITY
Rusty
Jeffers
Comes Into His Own
as a Pro at Age 43
by Kris Gethin
Photos Courtesy of Rusty Jeffers
N
ew York, 1964,
marked the birth of
an artist who would
never miss an opportunity to learn,
create, mold and display his work.
Even in his teen years you could
see his potential for bodybuilding.
Today, in his 40s and a resident
of Phoenix, Rusty Jeffers is wellknown because he obliterated
the other contenders at the ’04
Masters Nationals. He had passed
the boundaries of the amateur
ranks, and it was time to showcase
his masterpiece on a professional
stage. He’s beginning to move up
the ladder and seems to be getting
better with age. How is he doing it?
What’s his strategy? Let’s find out.
KG: Does bodybuilding competition inspire you, or does
working out in the gym feed
your motivation?
RJ: When I was a teenager, I
was into wrestling and football,
but I actually liked training for
the sports better than participating. Now my motivation is to get a
better photograph. If I see photographs of myself after a competition and they look better than the
last, I know I’m training in the right
direction.
KG: When you pose, the audience is warped back to a time
of legendary posers like Robby
Robinson, Frank Zane and Ed
Corney. Is that the era of bodybuilding you admire most?
RJ: Yes. Back then there was
a lot of skill behind the posing. I
remember back in 1980 or so they
would kick you out if you started
dancing onstage. Everybody just
posed and put a lot of time and
effort into it because it was a way
of exhibiting their art. It’s graceful
and pleasing. Today, there’s more
leeway on the dancing moves.
KG: Do you think there is a
place for the type of physique
we saw in the ’70s on today’s
stage?
RJ: Everything should get better
over time, so it’s hard to reverse the
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Rusty Jeffers
Rusty’s Arm Routine
Fast Facts
Rusty Jeffers’
Training Split
Age: 40 Height: 5’9”
Weight: 245-260 off-season;
230 contest
Monday: Legs
I do all my arm work using
supersets. I start with barbell
curls supersetted with triceps
pushdowns, as follows:
60 pounds x 12 reps on each
exercise (warmup)
Tuesday: Arms
Current residence: Phoenix,
Arizona
Wednesday: Glutes,
hamstrings
Diet
exercise
exercise
Friday: Chest, biceps
Meal 1: Egg whites and cantaloupe plus two Tetrazene ES50 fat burners for energy boost
Saturday: Shoulders, triceps
Workout
Sunday: Rest
Meal 2: Postworkout shake—
protein, carbohydrates,
BCAAs, glutamine and creatine
120 pounds on barbell curls
and 140 on pushdowns x 12
reps each
Thursday: Back
Note: He typically trains abs
and calves every training day.
Meal 3: Chicken breast, riceand vegetables
—K.G.
evolutionary wheel. The standard
now is to have striated glutes and
shredded hamstrings; that’s what
it takes to even place in top pro
events because everybody’s become
so obsessed with condition. I don’t
think we can go back and accept a
less impressive physique. Don’t get
me wrong—I preferred the old-time
physiques because the emphasis
was placed more on shape.
KG: Are you willing to go the
more-is-better route with the
risk of distorting your shape if
it will move your placings higher in future shows?
RJ: I’m always trying to get bigger,
if that’s what you’re asking, but there
is a point where big can become
too big. I don’t see myself reaching
that in the near future, but if I could
show up onstage 10 pounds heavier
than my last show and just as shredded, I’d be happy.
KG: Are you currently taking
new steps to come in bigger for
your next show?
RJ: I’ve learned more about nutrition, which I believe is helping.
In regard to training, over the years
I’ve obviously developed lots of
strength, and as I become stronger,
I’m getting more size. It doesn’t
mean I’m necessarily lifting more
weight, because I think that strength
can be measured in many different
ways.
For example, time-under-tension
strength is something that I practice. If I’m holding a weight statically and my time under tension has
Meal 4: The two Ts—tuna and
tomato
Meal 5: Protein drink
Meal 6: Steak, potato, salad
—K.G.
increased from one minute to four,
then obviously my strength is increasing and my muscle adapts by
increasing its size.
KG: Are there any nutrition,
training and supplementation
principles from the ’80s that
you follow and that you find
are disregarded by athletes
today?
RJ: Back then everything was
regarded more as a religion; it was
just something you had to do, and
you did it every day without a second thought. Today it seems that
the bodybuilding philosophy is
geared more toward science because there’s been much more research. I try to mix the best of both
worlds to come up with the best
formula available to me.
KG: It seems that many of the
classical poses are disregarded
on today’s bodybuilding stage.
Do you believe bodybuilders have become lazy when it
comes to their presentation?
RJ: Yes, and understandably so.
So much rides on condition now
that the presentation seems to fall
by the wayside. The IFFB sent out a
voting petition so we could vote on
whether the posing round should
count. I don’t know whatever came
135 pounds on barbell curls
and 160 on pushdowns x 12
reps each
Next, I like to do incline
kettlebell curls—or you can use
dumbbells—supersetted with
close-grip pushups, three rounds.
I use 40-pound kettlebells for
12 reps with perfect form, then
immediately go to close-grip
pushups, performed very slowly
for about 15 reps.
Last, I do two rounds of
preacher curls supersetted with a
21-rep triceps move—decline extensions followed by tight-range
pullovers followed by close-grip
bench presses.
You should be dying after
this—if you can even raise your
arms, you didn’t do it right.
Warning: Don’t drive right after
this workout!
—Rusty Jeffers
of that, but it doesn’t seem that the
posing round counts toward our
overall score anymore.
I do understand that it’s a physique competition and whoever is
in the best shape should win; however, I would like to see more points
awarded for the posing round. A
lot of the other athletes probably
wouldn’t like that, though.
I was talking to Dave Fisher [another over-40 pro], and he thinks
the posing round shouldn’t have
anything to do with the athlete’s
outcome at all. So it comes down
to individual opinion. Some people
want to see Melvin Anthony doing
Rusty Jeffers
“I like to mix up my training. For
a period of time I follow a typical
Dorian Yates-style workout—very
heavy and intense. Following that
phase I mimic Arnold’s type of
training for a while. Both seem to
work great for me.”
the splits and a body wave; others
want to see dramatic, static posing.
KG: I posted pictures of you
on a Web site two days prior to
this year’s IRON MAN Pro. The
majority of responses said that
they’d love to see your shape
and symmetry get rewarded
with a top-five placing and thus
qualify you for the Mr. Olympia.
Why didn’t it happen?
RJ: Some of the other guys were
a little harder. I don’t know if the big
money in the sport has anything to
do with who’s placing where, but it
seems that most of the guys with
the big-money sponsorship deals
place higher. Hopefully, I will get a
sponsorship from one of the larger
companies, which would definitely
help my exposure and career.
KG: Is there anything unorthodox about your training, or
would you regard it as standard
issue?
RJ: I don’t think anything’s unorthodox anymore, considering all
of the extreme ways of training that
have been introduced. Everybody
should try various
ways of training and
through trial and error
find out exactly what
works for them.
So many people
respond differently
because we are different. I like to mix
up my training. For
a period of time
I follow a typical
Dorian Yates-style
workout—very
heavy and intense.
Following that phase I mimic
Arnold’s type of training for a while.
Both seem to work great for me.
KG: You’ve really grown into
your physique over the past few
years, and you didn’t turn pro
until the age of 40. Why do you
think you are making better
gains now?
RJ: I think it’s due to finally figuring out the formula for my body.
I’ve made a lot of mistakes over the
years, but I’ve ironed out many of
those creases in the more recent
part of my career. Overtraining was
one of my bigger downfalls.
KG: Do you recommend cardio to a bodybuilder during the
off-season?
RJ: From a competitive standpoint, it all depends on the individual. If you tend to be on the
heavier side during the off-season,
then I recommend it. It helps with
increased recovery between sets so
“The standard now is to have striated glutes and shredded hamstrings; that’s what it takes to even
place in top pro events because everybody’s become so obsessed with condition. I don’t think we
can go back and accept a less impressive physique.”
you can train harder.
From a health standpoint, some
cardio is necessary across the board
because we should all be taking care
of our heart health to extend our
longevity. If you want to be pushing up daisies 10 years from now,
maybe it shouldn’t be a concern, but
what you do today will determine
what you’ll be doing tomorrow. I
like to do 30 minutes three times a
week in the off-season. When I’m
in precontest mode I do 30 minutes
twice a day.
KG: High-fat, low-carbohydrate diets are becoming
increasingly popular among
bodybuilders. Have you tried it,
and did it work for you?
RJ: I’ve tried it, and I can make it
work for me, but I prefer the highercarbohydrate, lowfat route because
I tend to feel better and recuperate
faster from my workouts.
KG: Do you believe that having a training partner is an
advantage?
RJ: Yes. My wife has been my
training partner for years. Sometimes you just need someone there,
not necessarily to assist you with the
exercise but to give you extra confidence to complete the reps required
on an exercise. Just knowing that my
wife is there when I’m pushing out a
1,000-pound (continued on page 175)
Rusty Jeffers
“I prefer
the highercarbohydrate,
lowfat route
because I tend
to feel better
and recuperate
faster from my
workouts.”
leg press
makes it easier because I don’t have
to break my concentration worrying about getting stuck under that
weight.
KG: Does your training
change when you’re preparing
for a show?
RJ: Yes, my intensity increases.
I think when you have a goal, you
tend to train a little harder. It’s
human instinct.
KG: What is your most memorable competition?
RJ: It was the first competition I
won, which was the ’80 Teenage Mr.
Arizona. I trained so hard for that
competition because I’d competed
in two contests prior to that and I
didn’t even place. I had something
to prove to myself, and on that day
I did it.
KG: Who was your main
source of inspiration back in
those days?
RJ: If you’re from Arizona, the
name Carlos Rodriguez might ring
a bell. He had a gym
called the Tucson Health
Studio, and he used to
run the Mr. Tucson and
the AAU Mr. Arizona.
His gym was an old
train warehouse, and
it was filled with ancient weights and lots
of bizarre things. There
would be rings hanging
from the ceiling so we
could put our feet up on
a bench to do flyes with
them.
KG: Who inspires
you now?
RJ: Ahmad Haider inspires me. He has a very
nice, balanced physique,
and he’s a good-looking
guy to boot. To me that’s
bodybuilding. IM
Tonic in a
Teapot
The Health-Fixer
Elixir Helps Burn Fat
and Build Muscle Too
Neveux \ Model: Alex Azarian
by Jerry Brainum
The story goes that the Emperor Shen Nong
was boiling a pot of water in 2737 B.C., when a
gust of wind blew a tea leaf into the water. The
emperor was pleased with both the taste and
effects of the new beverage. He declared that
“tea can provide vigor of body, contentment
of mind and determination of purpose.” Chen
Zang, a famous pharmacist of the Tang Dynasty
noted, “Every medicine is the only medicine for
a specific disease, but tea is the medicine for
all diseases.” Another pharmacist, Want Ang,
proved himself prescient when he said that
drinking tea for a long time can eliminate fat.
Tonic in a Teapot
Today tea is the second most
popular beverage in the world,
trailing only water. The three main
types of tea are black, green and
oolong. All are derived from the
plant Camellia sinensis, specifically
its leaves. The main differences
between the teas lies in the degree
of fermentation, with black tea
being the most fermented and green
tea the least. Green tea is produced
from steaming fresh leaves at high
process, has the lowest catechin
temperatures, which inactivates
content, though it has some unique
oxidizing enzymes but leaves intact
ingredients that also impart health
the polyphenol antioxidants that are benefits, as we’ll see.
its primary active ingredients.
Though tea is primarily categoBlack tea accounts for 78 perrized as an antioxidant, its effects
cent of worldwide tea consumpextend well beyond that, with a vertion, green tea for 20 percent and
satility that few other supplements
oolong less than 2 percent. Green
or foods can match. Green tea offers
and oolong teas are drunk mainly in
cardiovascular protection, cancer
Asia, while black tea is more popupreventive effects, brain protection
lar in Europe and the United States.
and fat-loss properties. How? Read
Oolong is considered an intermedion.
ate between black and green tea, in
that it’s partially fermented. Another variety, white tea, contains both
leaves and tea buds, which impart
a pale color.
The polyphenols in tea are
known chemically as flavonols
or catechins, the latter of which
make up 30 to 40 percent of the dry
weight of green tea. The major and
most active catechin in green tea is
epigallocatechin gallate, or EGCG,
65 percent of total catechin content. A cup of green tea contains
100 to 200 milligrams of EGCG.1
Other catechins found in green tea
are also in chocolate, black grapes,
red wine and apples. Black tea, beGreen tea offers cardiovascular
cause of the greater fermentation
protection, cancer preventive
effects, brain protection and fat-loss
promotion.
Tonic in a Teapot
Regular tea consumption can get you
healthier and leaner. It’s not just milk
that does a body good.
Tea Metabolism
There’s some controversy about
the extent to which the human body
can absorb flavonols. While in vitro,
or test-tube, studies show a number of beneficial effects, they don’t
seem to occur in the body. Catechin
uptake is very limited—0.2 to 2
percent of the amount taken in. The
maximum absorption in the blood
Neveux \ Model: Lee Apperson
is reached 1.4 to 2.4 hours following
intake, with EGCG lasting the longest, an average of five hours.2
The kind of food that you wash
down with tea
affects polyphenol
absorption. Tea
polyphenols have
an affinity for an
amino acid called
proline, which
is contained in
casein. In some
countries, such as
England, milk is
commonly added
to tea. In the case
of black tea, this
doesn’t make
much difference,
since black tea is
relatively low in
active polyphenols. Some studies show that the
casein in milk can
completely negate
the activity of the
polyphenols by
binding to them.
Other studies show that this doesn’t
occur.3 Green tea polyphenols
form strong complexes with iron,
which some studies show blunts
their activity. One study found that
eating meat, which is rich in iron,
along with casein decreased green
tea’s antioxidant activity.4 The same
study demonstrated that, at least in
test tubes, vitamin C enhanced the
tea’s antioxidant properties.
Another study, however, which
used 30 human female subjects who
had low iron (continued on page 192)
Researchers
found that
giving mice
the human
equivalent
of six cups
of green
tea per day
inhibited the
development
and spread
of prostate
cancer.
Tonic in a Teapot
(continued from page 187) stores,
revealed that tea did not affect the
absorption of non-heme iron, a type
of iron found in plant and animal
foods.5 Still, tea’s binding effect on
iron applies only to non-heme iron
and would not work with heme iron,
the type of iron found in red meat.
In any event, taking vitamin C,
cancers of the prostate, breast,
esophagus, stomach, pancreas,
colon, lung, skin, liver, bladder and
ovaries.
According to scientists who study
the mechanisms of cancer, the ideal
qualities of a cancer-preventive
substance should include the following:7
Tea Against Cancer
A number of studies show that
tea polyphenols help inhibit tumor
formation and growth. The diseases
affected are leukemia, as well as
• Known mechanism
• Human acceptance
• Little
Neveux \ Model: Tiffany Richardson
A Japanese
study showed
an inverse
relationship
between
breast cancer
and tea intake
after seven
years.
which boosts iron uptake, can help
overcome any absorption impairment. In regard to other minerals,
tea polyphenols interfere with the
uptake of sodium and aluminum—a
good thing—but not of manganese,
calcium or magnesium.6
The study suggests that green
tea may prevent the impact of
testosterone on prostate cancer.
or no toxicity
• High effectiveness
• Can be taken orally
• Low cost
• Stable active form
• Proven effective in the laboratory
All of those factors apply to tea,
yet proof of its strength against
cancer is not definitive for a number
of reasons. The amount of tea that
protects animals from cancer is
far more than most humans drink.
Some studies estimate that the
minimum you need is 10 cups a day.
The mechanisms through which
tea blocks tumors in animals may
not be applicable to humans. Many
known carcinogens in animals don’t
affect humans, and vice versa.
Even so, tea is a plausible anticancer agent. It interferes with the
pathways that tumors exploit to
grow. Tea polyphenols can block cell
proliferation, a hallmark of cancer,
Tonic in a Teapot
and may also help
active cancer cells
self-destruct.8
A study involving mice, which
develop prostate
cancer more or less
the way humans
do, found that giving them a dose of
polyphenols equilvalent to six cups of
green tea inhibited
the development
and spread of prostate cancer.9 The
levels of insulinlike
growth factor-1 and
2 and 9.
Tumors spread in the body via
angiogenesis, the name given to the
formation of new blood vessels. To
grow, tumors require a rich blood
supply, and if something interferes
with the growth of new blood vessels, the tumor will shrink and
die. That’s a major focus of cancer
research, and many scientists are investigating experimental drugs that
may inhibit it—important because
90 percent of all cancers are curable
before they begin to spread.
A study reported in the journal
Nature in 1999 by researchers from
the Karolinska Instutute in Stockholm, Sweden, focused on one
Tea polyphenols can block cell proliferation, a
hallmark of cancer, and may also help active cancer
cells self-destruct.
Smoking is
the greatest
risk factor
for lung
cancer. One
experiment
found that
drinking two
cups of black
tea a day
reduced the
incidence
of lung
cancer by 66
percent in
855 males.
insulinlike growth factor-binding
protein-3 were inhibited by 70 to 83
percent. That’s significant because
IGF-1 stimulates tumor proliferation by way of cell proliferation. The
study also showed that green tea
inhibited other markers of tumor
spread: vascular endothelial growth
factor, urokinase plasminogen activator and matrix metalloproteinase
group of four mice that got tea as
their sole source of fluid and another four mice that got plain water
only. The authors used gene therapy
to stimulate the abnormal growth
of blood vessels in the eyes of the
rodents. The ones that drank only
the green tea had 35 to 70 percent
less blood vessel growth than the
water-drinking mice.
Tonic in a Teapot
Overcooking
meat is linked
to colon cancer
because welldone meat
contains
carcinogens
called
heterocyclic
mutagens.
One reason
that testosterone is thought to
stimulate prostate cancer is
that it increases
the activity of
ornithine decarboxylase, an
enzyme in the
prostate gland.
ODC is known
to be overabundant in prostate
tumors. In one
study mice were
treated with
testosterone and
then given ODC
in their drinking
water, which led
to a significant increase in ODC
activity in the mice.10 Then the
mice were given green tea, and
ODC activity decreased by 40
percent. The study suggests
that green tea may eliminate
the impact of testosterone on
prostate cancer.
Although studies in the United States show no relationship
between the intake of tea and
breast cancer, a Japanese study
turned up an inverse relationship between breast cancer and
tea intake after seven years.
That may be due to green tea’s
interference with estrogen
metabolism, which is known
to stimulate breast cancer. It’s
noteworthy for bodybuilders
who are concerned about estrogen.
An alarming report a few
years ago linked esophageal cancer
to tea drinking. An analysis of 28
human studies of green tea and
cancer reported a link between
decreased cancer rates and green
tea intake in 17 of the studies. Seven
showed a higher rate of cancer
among green tea drinkers, while
another five linked esophageal
cancer to drinking particularly hot
tea. Scalding tea is known to damage cells in the esophagus, which
could lead to cancer. The solution is
simple: Don’t drink tea so hot that it
burns your throat.
Smoking is the greatest risk factor for lung cancer. One experiment
found that drinking two cups of
black tea a day reduced the incidence of lung cancer by 66 percent
in 855 male smokers in Uruguay.
Another study discovered that regular intake of green tea may offer
some antioxidant protection against
the carcinogens in tobacco smoke
by preventing the DNA damage that
sets in motion the development
of precancerous cell mutations.11
Green tea boosted the self-destruction of cancer cells and prevented
the miscoding of DNA through gene
regulation, and it activated the liver
enzymes that can spur the breakdown and excretion of tobaccosmoke carcinogens.
Purdue University researchers
suggest that green tea may block
cancer by interacting with quinol
oxidase, or NOX, an enzyme found
on the surface of cancer cells that
the cells use to grow and spread.
Normal cells also use NOX for
growth phases, when it’s stimulated
by growth hormone. Cancer cells
can produce the enzyme without
the hormone, and drugs that block
the enzyme inhibit tumor growth.
Studies of cell cultures found that
while black tea inhibited the activity
of the enzyme, green tea was 10 to
100 times more potent. The Purdue
researchers found that drinking four
or more cups a day was enough to
diffuse the cancer-causing effects
of NOX without adversely affecting
normal cell growth.
Spanish and British researchers came up with another theory
of how green tea inhibits cancer.
They found that EGCG binds to
dihydrofolate reductase, an enzyme
that helps
Neveux \ Model: Alex Azarian
Tonic in a Teapot
produce
DNA by activating folic acid in cells.
The chemo drug methotrexate also
binds to and inhibits DHFR, but
ECGC has less chance of damaging healthy cells in the process.
Still, since DHFR is also required
to convert folic acid into its active
form in the body, this raises the
question of whether green tea may
interfere with folic acid uptake and,
paradoxically, encourage cancer. A
recent test-tube study found that
EGCG can indeed interfere with the
uptake of folic acid in the intestine
by interfering with DHFR.12
Overcooking meat is linked to
colon cancer because well-done
meat contains carcinogens called
heterocyclic mutagens. One rat
study found that drinking black
and green teas inhibited the formation of those carcinogens in cooked
meat and fish. A 5 percent brew of
green tea decreased the carcinogen
activity by more than 90 percent,
chiefly because the tea stimulated
the detoxification properties of liver
enzymes.13
The effect of green tea on cancer
is best summed up by a recent review: “Our conclusion is that daily
large consumption of green tea,
specifically 10 cups and over a day,
will add a little lifetime to those
who already lived the average life
span of about 80 years, but it will
help to prolong the lifetime of those
aged below the average life span by
avoiding premature death, specifically that caused by cancer.”14
Next time we’ll cover tea’s cardiovascular- and skin-strengthening
effects, as well as how it can reduce
1 Zaveri, N.
(2005). Green
tea and its
polyphenolic
catechins:
Medicinal
uses in cancer
and noncancer applications. Life Sci.
78(18):2073-80.
2 Yang, C.S.,
et al. (1999).
Inhibition of
carcinogenesis
Photo:B. Miller
References
Neveu \ Model: Tiffany Richardson
bodyfat and
improve brain
function.
Green
tea offers
cardiovascular
protection,
cancer
preventive
effects, brain
protection
and fat-loss
properties.
by tea: Bioavailability
of tea polyphenols and
mechanisms
of actions.
Proc Exper
Biol Med.
220:213-217.
3 Leenen,
R., et al.
(2000). A single
dose of tea
with or witout
milk increases plasma antioxidant
activity in humans. Eur J Clin Nutr.
54:87-92.
4 Alexandropoulou, I., et al.
(2006). Effects of iron, ascorbate,
meat and casein on the antioxidant
capacity of green tea under conditions of in vitro digestion. Food
Chem. 94:359-65.
5 Ullman, U., et al. (2005). Epigallocatechin gallate (ECGC) does not
impair non-heme iron absorption in
man. Phytomedicine. 12:410-15.
6 Bravo, L. (1998). Polyphenols:
Chemistry, dietary sources, metabolism, and nutritional significance.
Nutr Rev. 56:317-35.
7 Mukhtar, H., et al. (1999). Mechanism of cancer chemopreventive
activity of green tea. Pr Exp Biol
Med. 220:234-238.
8 Yang, C.S., et al. (2000). Tea
and tea polyphenols in cancer
prevention. J Nutr. 130:472S-478S.
9 Vaqar, M.A., et al. (2004). Oral
consumption of green tea polyphenols inhibits insulinlike growth
factor-1 induced signaling in an
autochthonous mouse model
of prostate cancer. Cancer Res.
64:8715-32.
10 Gupta, S., et al. (1999). Prostate cancer chemoprevention by
green tea: In vitro and in vivo inhibition of testosterone-mediated
induction of ornithine decarboxylase. Cancer Res. 59:2115-20.
11 Llang, W., et al. (2007). Does
the consumption of green tea reduce the risk of lung cancer among
smokers? ECAM. 4:17-22.
12 Alemdaroglu, N., et al. (2007).
Inhibition of folic acid uptake by
catechins and tea extracts in caco2 cells. Planta Med. 73:27-32.
13 Dashwood, R.H., et al. (1999).
Cancer chemopreventive mechanisms of tea against heterocyclic
amine mutagens from cooked
meat. Proc Soc Exp Biol Med.
220:239-43.
14 Nakachi, K., et al. (2003). Can
teatime increase one’s lifetime?
Aging Res Rev. 2:1-10. IM
Workout
Does Training Help
Reduce Your Stress
or Add to It?
by Jerry Brainum
W
hile everyone who
lifts weights wants
to look better, health
benefits are a major
accessory to an improvement in
body composition. Initially, research
showed that doing aerobic exercise had potent preventive effects
against cardiovascular disease. More
recent studies have proven that
lifting weights replicates many of
the cardiovascular protections you
get from aerobic training. An often
overlooked effect of exercise is its
role in stress reduction.
Whether stress is good or bad
news for your health depends on
how you perceive stress. What’s
stressful to some may be invigorating to others. Still, in today’s fastpaced society, it’s nearly impossible
to avoid negative stressors that
take a toll on health. Merely listing
stress-related diseases would fill a
magazine article. Suffice it to say
that unchecked stress plays a major
role in disease—even longevity.
When scientists look at factors associated with longer life span, stress
is always one of them. In the brain,
lifetime release of the stress hormone cortisol selectively destroys
cells in the areas associated with
learning and memory. The memory
lapses that gradually increase with
age—so-called senior moments—
are often linked to recent stressful
events. Older people who remain
healthy, with full cognition, usually
are those who are not overwhelmed
by stress, instead taking things as
they come. They don’t succumb to
stress-related maladies, including
cardiovascular disease.
Exercise helps because it provides
an avenue for stress release. To
be sure, exercise itself is a form of
stress, but it’s categorized as a “eustress,” or stress that is beneficial,
as opposed to negative stress. On
the other hand, exercise can easily turn negative if you overtrain,
which releases an excess of stress
hormones, such as cortisol. Among
the functions of cortisol are its ability to break down muscle protein,
leading to muscle loss. A less severe
symptom is a lack of regular gains in
muscle size and strength.
Since training itself is a form of
stress, many scientists suggest that
it conditions the mind and body
to deal with other forms of stress
in life, particularly mental stress.
Whether training does help in that
regard was the question posed by
a recent study. Twenty-two trained
elite athletes were compared with
22 untrained men after both groups
were exposed to psychological tests
used to measure mental stress response. The subjects were tested
for salivary cortisol levels, heart
rate and various psychological responses, such as mood, calmness
and anxiety, before and after stress
exposure.
The trained men showed less cortisol and lower heart rates than the
untrained men when both groups
were exposed to stress. Under highstress conditions the trained men
were calmer and had significantly
less anxiety than the untrained men.
The authors suggest that trained
men view stress as less threatening and more controllable than
untrained men do. Animal-basedstudies show that whether stress
induces illness depends on how it’s
perceived—the keynote being the
Model: Kiyoshi Moody
Stress Test
Model: Dave Perry
Workout Stress
Regular training leads to less cortisol
release during workouts, which explains
why beginners have far more cortisol
than more-advanced trainees.
Balik
Arnold is widely
reported to be
particularly adept
at handling stress
in his life.
If your shoulder and elbow
joints are less than perfect or you
want to keep them free of stress
and injury, you might consider
adding the Motion Transfer
Cable Attachment (MTCA) to
your arsenal of workout accessories. IRON MAN first highlighted
this unique piece of patented
equipment in our August’ 05
issue (IM Research Team).
I get many so-called revolutionary pieces of equipment to
try. Nine times out of 10, those
of us who train at the IRON MAN
Training and Research Center
try it for a workout or two, and it
quickly moves to the nice-ideabut... box, never to be used again.
Balik
Arnold’s
ability to
deflect
stress
helped him
pack on
maximum
muscle in
his bodybuilding
heyday.
and discipline that he
developed from his
years of competitive
bodybuilding. Arnold
is widely reported to
be particularly adept
at handling stress in
his life.
Exercise produces
many of the hormone
and biochemical
changes that occur
with other forms of
stress, and its effect is
that when you train,
you’re conditioning
both your mind and
your body against the
onslaught of stress. So
when negative stress
does occur, you’re
far more prepared
to deal with it. You
can ride the wave of
stress reactions with
little or no negative
consequences. That,
in turn, leads to more
self-confidence under
high-stress conditions,
which leads to less
stress, and so on.
Regular training also
leads to less cortisol
release during workouts. It’s a
case of conditioning, in which
the body adapts to the imposed
stress of exercise. It also explains
why beginners have far more
cortisol than more-advanced
trainees—and why certain food
supplements, such as HMB,
a branched-chain amino acid
derivative, work for beginners
but not for those who are more
advanced. Ditto for protein
supplements: They, too, produce
better results for beginners precisely because novice trainees
produce more cortisol after
training, and protein negates the
rise in cortisol.
Motion-Transfer Cable
Attachment: Avoid the
Stress of Injury
The stress hormone cortisol can eat
muscle tissue and attack brain cells.
Controlling cortisol is key in preventing
its debilitating consequences.
belief that stress is controllable. If
you think that imposed stress can’t
be dealt with, it turns deadly.
Scientists who study the effects
of stress say that regular exercise
produces a sense of mastery that
becomes dominant in all aspects of
life. Indeed, Arnold Schwarzenegger frequently attributes much of
his success to the self-confidence
Rimmele, U., et al. (2007).
Trained men show lower cortisol, heart rate, and psychological
responses to psychosocial stress
compared with untrained men.
Psychoneuroendocrinology. 32:62735. IM
The MTCA is different. It’s
an elegant solution to a problem caused by the fixed-hand
position on the usual cable attachment. When you do your
pulldowns, cable rows and the
like, the solid bar locks your
shoulders and elbows into an
unnatural, fixed position. The
MTCA lets your joints find your
unique pulling position so you
rotate naturally through the motion. You can use heavier weights
in the safest possible way, and
that’s a prescription for building
maximum muscle. —John Balik
Editor’s note: The Motion
Transfer Cable Attachment is
available at www.Home-Gym
.com, or call (800) 447-0008.
40
40
Presents
Training Past
40
Learn, Think, Power
On, and Press On
and that, where I once
went for that last rep, I
must hold back or else
possibly suffer another
injury that might halt
my training for good.
by Dave Draper
I
f you’ve been training since your
teens or 20s and you’re now over
40, you know, of course, you’re
hooked. You can’t let go. But then
conventional wisdom slaps you in
the face and tells you you’re in for a
change in your training and expectations.
Be Glad
Conventional Wisdom
Being well past my 40s, I’ve discovered that the most intimidating
enemy in the process of advancing
years is conventional wisdom. Constantly we’re told that we must hold
back, that training, regardless of age,
stresses our muscles, which leaves
slight tears, which in turn leaves
scars, eventually resulting in injuries, and that the older we get and
the longer we train, the more injuries accumulate. Caution must be
the order of our days as we pass 40.
Decreasing muscle response
and increasing skin elasticity also
take their toll, we’re told, so look for
other benefits. Don’t expect to make
gains. Give it up. Settle for mainte-
nance.
For a few years in my 40s, I submitted to conventional wisdom.
I did hold back, feeling the accumulated injuries of more than 30
years of bodybuilding, especially
in my shoulders, elbows and lower
back. The injuries were real, and
their persistence convinced me that
I could no longer train as fast as I
had in my youth, that I required
longer recovery periods, that my
durability wasn’t what it used to be
I persuaded myself
I should simply be
glad I’m alive, that,
along with cumulative injuries, age brings
compensatory gains
in wisdom and that I
should put that wisdom
to use by accepting age
gracefully. Now I see
that just as the mere
awareness of age can
affect your ego and attitude, so can
a more confident and determined
attitude awaken you to the fact that
the other side of 40 holds a valid
promise for improving your physique.
A hint of that has always been
with me, even in my more timid
years. There’s not much difference
in my training now vs. when I was in
my 20s. I’m still doing some of the
same things—old-fashioned stuff I
My Inspiration
“Bodybuilding is no longer
a subculture but embraced
by the public, and seeing
it around me fuels my
enthusiasm all the more.”
My marriage to Laree revived
that spirit, and opening our World
Gyms enabled it to range. I see
lots of youngsters around me
training vigorously, and I yearn
to do it also. I want to be part of
the training. Gradually I stepped
out of the maintenance level and
looked toward greater intensity
in my training, reincorporating
that same locomotion and thrust
in the movements that I’d always
had, always loved and still do.
I’m looking for what I can do at
this new stage of my life in pursuing gains, but there’s a difference
now, one that can come only with
maturity. I find myself wanting to
practice wisdom and not be foolish. I see myself progressing in my
weights, but instead of gulping
it all at once, I’m now sipping it
gradually, savoring it and enjoying
it more, taking my time to get up
there, stretching out the goals.
Never have I competed with
others in my workouts. Never
have I tried to keep up with others in the gym. That’s even more
important now. I’ve always been
in competition only with myself.
Nutritional Advances
Model: Dave Goodin
I do feel fortunate to be entering a new stage of life hand in
hand with nutritional advances
such as amino acid technology
and better supplements. Modern
innovations allow me to get a
tighter rein on my body and its
improvement. They also enable
me to remove many perceived
restrictions to over-40 training
and instead set more goals, approaching my training aggressively rather than defensively. I do
everything I have to do with more
attention and more experimentation rather than just plunging
forward and pounding away.
At my stage of life, I don’t need as
much work because I know how to
train better. In fact, I suspect that
I’ve overtrained all my life. Now, by
holding back somewhat, watching
my training and having another
kind of patience, it’s possible that
I can step forward and make some
significant gains. Once you’re accustomed to overtraining, however,
was doing years ago—and I do them
now with as much vigor and enjoyment as I did then. In fact with more
enjoyment than I had then.
No longer do I have the apprehension when approaching my
workouts that was there when I was
younger. I also notice I’m reluctant
to hold back, that I love to push to
the limit. That’s when I’m happiest,
and age has not at all been able to
quell those feelings.
Bodybuilding’s new popularity
fed the feeling. It’s no longer a subculture but embraced by the public,
and seeing it around me fuels my
enthusiasm all the more.
Just as I’m constantly reminded
of cumulative injuries when I train,
I’m constantly reminded by those
around me of my love of bodybuilding.
it’s difficult to relax or
cut back, regardless of
your age.
Even now I experiment with power training, going for single reps
here and there. That’s
mingled with supersetting, although just once
a week I do a heavy
squat day and heavy
benches.
“No longer do I have the
apprehension when approaching
my workouts that was there when
I was younger.”
Reduce Your
Workouts
Model: Dave Draper
Since I’ve reduced
my workouts from six
days a week to three
on/one off, I encounter
fewer injuries, plus my
strength is coming up.
The biggest problem
is adapting to it and
breaking the old habit,
even though the new
system is, I’m now convinced, a better way to
train. That’s why stepping out of an overtraining schedule, persuaded
by the issues of age, may
enable me to proceed to
another plateau.
I also find that my
mental focus is now on
the finer mechanisms
of the body rather than
on simply a brutish
workout and ego gratification. I now use more
full-range movements
and quality training
with a good flow. Certainly I also do more
stretching and warming
up, especially for the lower back,
hamstrings and shoulders.
I’m working chest and back one
day, legs on day two, and shoulders
and arms on day three. That gives
me upper body, lower body, then
upper body again and a day off, and
it gives each bodypart more recuperation time. Aerobics have also
increased, specifically in my use of
Lifecycles and Stairmasters.
I’m looking forward to gradually
increasing powerful workouts. For
chest and back it’s four sets of bench
presses supersetted with wide-grip
pulldowns, but now incorporating
Presents
“I want to appear good to people [at
the gym], set a good example in both
physique and performance of the
exercises.”
Model: Dave Draper
more power. I love
that. After the supersets, however,
I do two or three
more sets of bench
presses, taking my
time, in the attitude
that it’s my profession—more of my
profession than it’s
ever been—since
I currently own a
gym.
I want to appear good to the
people there, set a
good example in
both physique and
performance of
the exercise movements. It’s fun, and
they like to see it. I
also now do some
single reps, putting power behind
them, primarily for
the fun of it.
As the power
increases in my
workouts, I’m also
dropping my reps
from 10 to 12 to
more like eight to
10. You resist age
just as a young
bodybuilder builds
mass: If you want to
maintain, go with
the higher reps; if you want to proceed, you have to lower them. Just
be careful how far you push it; don’t
always do that one last rep.
Good Eating Is a Must
I also notice that I have to do
lots of good eating—plenty of good
protein and complex carbs every
two to three hours. The body must
be constantly fed for both repair
and fuel during a hearty workout. I
keep my electrolytes higher and am
experimenting more with branched-
chain amino acids. Essentially, I’m
trying to put everything in my favor
as age advances—keeping my workouts slower and more concentrated,
making sure I harness that hyperenergy in my movements, doing regular deadlifts instead of stiff-legged
deadlifts, paying attention to reps,
thinking about my lower back and
knees and trying to go consistently
heavier.
On leg day, I warm up with leg
extensions and go right into squats,
then extend that into pretty much
a power routine. While a certain
Presents
training approach worked for me
when I was younger, I’m facing
the question of what will work
best for me now, at a later age.
What can I now do not merely to
maintain but to actually improve?
Plateau Busting
I feel there’s probably one
plateau from ages 40 to 45 and
another from 45 to 50, but with
each one I can strive to go a little
above the one that preceded it. I
have to keep adjusting my goals
according to my capabilities, but
I always keep my goals out there,
and they generate a good energy,
constant and fresh. As a gym
owner, I’ve taken another new
step in my life, and such attempts
outside training help generate
that energy.
The most profound discovery
I made after passing 40 is that
life is more and more a learning
experience. In youth, education
seems to be the lowest of priorities, for there are appetites to be
explored and egos to be nurtured.
Beyond 40, however, a maturity
normally occurs in which your
appetites change. That’s a result
of time, and we’re struck with the
realization that there’s so much
more to life that can provide
gratification than we can possibly
assimilate. Suddenly our simple
hungers seem insignificant.
The Journey
Model: Dave Goodin
That’s when the journey be“When I harness hyperenergy, I
yond 40 becomes a reward. It’s a
often do regular deadlifts instead
reawakening to what more there
of stiff-legged deadlifts.”
is to life. It’s an awareness that
you’re just starting—actually,
that you’re always just starting.
What I’ve learned over the past
10 years I want to triple over
the next 10. I find that I have so
a young mind. A “youthful mind,”
many more feelers out there trying
on the other hand, absorbs so
to absorb everything. I noticed that
much more. Perhaps that’s the
I didn’t learn what I should have
greatest irony of aging: You
in previous years, so now I’d better
don’t acquire a youthful—hunscurry around and pay a lot more
gry—mind until you’ve been
attention.
liberated from being young.
These days I realize how blessed I
Editor’s note: For more
am to have the energy and desire to
train as I do, and I thank the Lord for articles by Dave Draper,
visit Bodybuilding.com
that. Everything I’ve said must seem
and DaveDraper.com. IM
obvious, but little of it may sink into
Cory
The Most
Influential
Ms. Olympia
Ever Still Rocks
the House—at
the Half-Century
Mark
H
er goal is no longer to win the Ms. Olympia, which she
did seven times. Now it’s to build a great life as well as
a great body. At 50 Cory Everson’s priorities are home,
family and relationships with friends. She still trains
religiously; it’s just not the focal point of her life. She
continues to support adoption agencies and saving lost dogs—and
encouraging full, happy living through her books and seminars.
Today Cory looks fit and strong and doesn’t seem to notice her
age. Shannon Farar-Griefer, a close friend, says she can’t believe
Cory is 50. “Does she know this?”
by Babs Hogan
Photography by
Michael Neveux,
John Balik and the
Cory Everson Archives
Wardrobe Stylist:
Diana Antin
Hair and Makeup:
Teri Groves
at 50
Cory
1994
Others agree. “She may be retired
from bodybuilding,” Cory’s sister,
Cameo Kneuer Bernard, says, “but
she hasn’t stopped building for a
minute.” She is always building
something: landscapes for neighbors, gift baskets for the elderly,
relationships with agencies for
families seeking to adopt children.
Cory and her husband, Steve Donia,
D.D.S., are responsible for nine international adoptions for American
families. Their own two children,
Boris and Nina, were adopted from
Russia. With her family set, Cory’s
lifelong dream of motherhood finally came true.
Cory’s fans know how hard she
trained as a bodybuilder, but few
know that her strong work ethic
began early. “Cory was an intense,
hardworking athlete, determined to
get it right,” says former high school
gymnastics coach Barb Jirka.
Her one-time training partner
Tom Spagnola recalls their first
workout, which took place many
years later, as Cory prepared for her
second Ms. O contest: “It was leg
day, and although I’d been training
hard with the guys for several years,
I threw up three times during the
workout. Cory is relentless. The first
week with her was a living nightmare.” With a smile, he adds, “But
the three years I trained with her
were the greatest years of my life.”
The same work ethic propelled
her in other areas. Recipient of an
academic/athletic scholarship from
the University of Wisconsin—Madison, Cory was expected to excel
in both worlds. No one was disappointed. In addition to winning the
Big 10 Pentathlon four years in a
row, she graduated number one out
of 1,500 from the university’s school
of interior design.
“It is unusual to encounter a
student with as many diverse talents as Cory,” says art professor
Robert Bartholomew. “She excelled
in design and was an outstanding
illustrator—one of the best I had the
pleasure of teaching. She was also
driven to succeed.”
Cory began to train seriously as a
bodybuilder after graduating from
college. During a contest prep in
1981, blood clots in three veins in
her left leg almost ended her athletic
career and threatened to end her
life. Doctors discovered a protein C
deficiency, a condition that causes
blood to clot too easily. As the size of
her leg doubled, unrelenting pain,
constant fever and the inability to
walk plagued her. For 10 weeks she
remained in intensive care.
When Cory saw her emotionally
strong mother cry for the first time,
she realized that having a blood clot
was indeed serious—dead serious.
With only a few personal setbacks in
her young life, she had little to draw
on to face the crisis.
Before today’s anticlotting drugs
were developed, clots were difficult
and risky to treat, and amputation
was a life-saving measure. The use
of an anticoagulant drug called
Streptokinase successfully dissolved
the clots. Cory’s high level of fitness
also played a role because blood
More Things You Didn’t Know About Cory
BH: What’s your favorite junk food?
CE: Beefaroni, without a doubt.
BH: What’s your favorite movie?
CE: “Somewhere in Time” and “The Notebook.”
BH: What TV shows do you enjoy watching?
CE: Oh, I have lots: “Dancing with the Stars,” “Rescue Me,” “Damages,” “24,” “American Idol,” “Grey’s Anatomy.”
BH: Favorite actor?
CE: Sean Connery or Tom Hanks.
BH: Favorite hobby?
CE: Interior design is one of my greatest passions. In addition, I love
to landscape.
BH: Where do you like to shop?
CE: Craigslist.
BH: What is your favorite store?
CE: Costco.
BH: What is your son’s best tear-jerker?
CE: Boris says, “Mom, you are like my angel who saved me and will
always be there to protect me.”
BH: And your daughter’s?
CE: Nina tells me, “Other moms tried to adopt me in Russia, but I
waited for you because I knew my mom had muscles.”
BH: Is there a secret in your closet?
CE: My friends laugh because I don’t have many real fancy outfits or
shoes. I do not enjoy getting dressed up. I live in my sweats. When I get
dressed up, I wear jeans. I am a wash-and-wear kind of gal.
BH: What’s your weirdest habit?
CE: I go to McDonald’s a few times a week to buy my dog a vanilla
ice cream cone. She loves them.
BH: What is your favorite holiday?
CE: Oh, it’s Christmas, because I love to decorate and the feeling
that comes with it of goodwill, gratitude and love. It is less important
for Steve, the kids and me to exchange gifts among ourselves. Instead,
we make gift baskets for the elderly. That was the kids’ idea.
BH: Describe your high school sweetheart(s).
CE: There was just one; a very handsome class act named Chris. We
dated for six years. He was a tall, muscular swimmer with blond hair,
built like a Greek god. He had fantastic parents and a wonderful family.
I miss them all. I often times think about how grateful I am that Chris
was the guy I matured with and the guy who set such high standards
for me.
BH: Describe your college sweetheart(s).
CE: I dated an athlete named Mike, a hockey player. He left college
early to play for a professional team in Pittsburgh. It broke my heart
because I fell head over heels for him. Mike was rugged, mysterious,
honest, humble, athletic, sexy and very intriguing. He was a one-of-akind guy and very special.
Cory
vessels in fit people more
readily adjust to the demand for blood flow.
The road to recovery
was challenging both
physically and mentally,
requiring her to redefine
herself as an athlete and
as a person. After weeks of
inactivity, muscle atrophy
in her leg was severe due
to ischemia—meaning
lack of oxygen. The scars
in her veins reduced the
flexibility in her leg so
much that she couldn’t
walk.
Cory remembers taking
her first steps in therapy:
“I moved my feet forward
in increments of two to
three inches. Each week
my stride increased.
Gradually, as my walking
improved, I was able to
swim a few laps and bike a
few blocks.” After 12 weeks
of therapy, Cory returned
to the weight room.
Pondering both the
triumph and fallibility of
being human, she vowed
to take vigilant care of herself every single day. The
gut-ripping reality is that
her life still depends on
keeping her vow. Regular
exercise combined with
daily drug therapy keeps
her ongoing medical problem at bay.
Cory continues to train
like a bodybuilder, with
2000
Cory
Comments About Cory
Larry Scott (the first Mr. Olympia): “Cory is
one of those unique champions who keep getting
better the longer you know her. She never let herself believe all the wonderful press that was written
about her. She was always my hero: charming, beautiful and a great athlete.”
Frank Zane (legendary bodybuilder): “Cory
was perhaps the best Ms. Olympia ever. She had it all:
muscle, shape, proportion, aesthetics, beauty, presentation—and along with all that she is a very nice,
pleasant person. I’m glad to know her.”
Bev Fancis (former competitor): “I love her.
We met back in 1986, and even though we were competing against each other, we got on really well. Our
friendship grew with every Ms. Olympia; however,
it was in postcompetition years, after we both became mothers, that we really became close. She is a
wonderful person, and I consider her one of my best
friends!”
Jim Manion (NPC president and IFBB Pro
League chairman): “Cory Everson is a champion
both on and off the stage. With her beautiful physique, smile and personality, she always represented
the IFBB and our sport in the best image possible
and always did the right thing. When I think of Cory,
I see a great person and champion and a lifelong
friend of my family, including my wife, Debbie, and
son J.M. Happy birthday, Cory, and many more.”
Bo Jackson (legendary athlete): “Cory is one
of the few people I’ve worked with who is still down
to earth. She treats people the way she wants to be
treated. I love and respect her.”
Michell LeMay (fitness personality): “Cory is
a shining example of how to age gracefully. I think
that’s not only because she’s kept herself in top physical condition but also because she’s a kind, generous
and fun person who truly cares about others. I’ve
seen her shower her fans with inspiration. Now, as
she and her husband work as a team in raising their
adopted children, she glows with new knowledge
and enthusiasm as she relates to other moms and
shares a new form of inspiration. Cory is a legend
who deserves the respect she has commanded in the
industry, because she’s real!”
Clark and Patty Sanchez (IFBB and NPC
judges)
Patty: “I’ve always said Cory is like an iceberg—
you only see the top. There’s this whole other huge
part of her no one ever sees. Cory is an enigma. She
is an artist (draws, paints), a gardener, a very hard
worker, educated and also in every sense smart, very
personable and with a very big heart. On top of that
she’s a beauty with a down-home-gal personality!
Clark: “Onstage Cory was a phenomenon. Her
face was filled with loving spirit that poured out to
everyone, and her unbeatable body exuded superstar charisma.”
Randy Bernard (brother-in-law and CEO of
Pro Bull Riders): “It’s been very exciting to see a
woman have such a successful career chasing her
dreams and accomplishing them with passion, sweat
and a true kindness to everyone she comes in contact with. She is a great role model, not because of
her accomplishments but because of her actions and
her commitment to whatever she sets her mind to.
Kevin Sorbo (actor): “Cory is a blast!”
Gregg Hartley (vice president, Sporting
Goods Manufacturers Association): “When
asked about Cory, I simply reply, she is an alien. Not
only is she the best female bodybuilder the sport has
ever known or will know, but Cory is a world-class
artist and a better mother and wife than either a
bodybuilder or an artist. Simply put, Cory, with her
own inspirational grace and style, is the woman who
made it okay for women to be sexy, muscular and fit!
Jennifer Chandler (director of outreach
programs and ’76 Olympic gold medalist in
diving): “Cory is a magical mixture of inspiration,
humor, love and gentleness. She’s a pillar of strength
and faith, loyal to the end and selfless as a saint. You
can’t truly choose your family, but she’s an important
part of mine—my dear sister and dearest friend.”
Robert Bartholomew (professor emeritus,
University of Wisconsin—Madison): “It is unusual to encounter a student with as many diverse
talents as Cory. For example, she excelled in design,
was an outstanding illustrator—one of the best I
had the pleasure of teaching—and a noted athlete,
which helped her stand out among other students.
She often attended class in her sweats and called me
‘coach.’ Cory was always an outgoing and friendly
person with a great sense of humor. She was also
driven to succeed. Her athletic achievements following graduation earned her a legendary status among
many students here at UW—Madison.”
Barb Jirka (high school gymnastics coach):
“Cory was always a joy to work with! Her sweet,
loving spirit and great sense of humor always kept
our workouts lighthearted and fun. She was a serious competitor, though, and always put her heart
and soul into every competitive experience, win
or lose. Knowing Cory and looking at what she has
accomplished in her life just shows how she’s used
the talents and gifts God has given her. What a great
example you are!”
1989
one exception: She uses lighter
weights. Three to four days a week
she and Cameo hit the weight room,
pushing each other just like old
times. Leg day still causes them to
gasp for breath at the end of each
set, and it remains their favorite
workout. They do a 45-minute cardio session first to ensure that the
entire workout is completed.
On the topic of nutrition, Cory
admits to being a cookie-dough
freak. She eats it raw because she
tends to burn everything if she
cooks. Neighbor Erin Landrum says,
“I don’t want to hurt Cory’s feelings, but I just got a call from North
Korea’s President Kim Jong-Il, asking for her recipe because it is well
known that her cooking is considered to be a threat to all mankind!”
Cory also loves chocolate, but her
weight hasn’t changed much since
high school, hovering between 145
and 148, an ideal weight for a 5’9”
woman. “I love it when teenagers
drive by and honk or do a doubletake when I’m out walking my
dogs,” she says. “I laugh at what they
would think if they knew my age.”
While many 50-year-olds experience constant fatigue, Cory’s energy
matches that of a 20-year-old. She is
engaged by many issues, such as the
growing problem of childhood obesity. In an effort to find solutions,
she meets with Washington, D.C.,
policy makers, serves on childhoodnutrition and physical-education
committees across the country, and
is considering writing a book on the
topic. Many opportunities to serve
come her way, but her perfectionist
tendencies lead her to tackle only
a handful. She recently painted a
kinetic image of Muhammad Ali,
which brought $7,500 at a charity
auction.
A central theme repeats itself in
Cory’s life. “The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity,” she
says. “The optimist sees opportunity in every difficulty.” She quotes
children’s author Madeleine L’Engle
in that regard: “We can’t take credit
for our talents; it’s how we use them
that counts.”
On gym days Cory works hard to
build her body. Other days are dedicated to building lives. In spite of
a medical condition that threatens
her productivity, she quietly greets
From Her Sister, Cameo Kneuer Bernard
Cory is my sister, my best friend, my role model, and I can’t
live without her. As far back as I can remember she’s always
protected me, encouraged me and pushed me to become the
best person and athlete that I could become. She never let me
quit, give up or say no. That’s how she’s always lived her own
life and expected that same attitude out of everyone around
her. She wasn’t always the best at everything, but she worked
her butt off to become the best at whatever she put her mind
to. Whether that was schoolwork, art or athletics, she was determined to do her best at it. Cory has always been kind, loving
and generous with her time and has never lost her Midwestern
roots. She’s still the same Cory that she
was long ago but even better—she’s just
getting better with age. It’s funny: the
whole concept of Cory being a bodybuilder. It’s perfect because it’s relative to
everything she does in life. She’s building
families—her own by adopting her kids,
Boris and Nina. She’s helping other families build families (seven adoptions so
far); she’s designing and building homes,
building landscapes, building furniture,
building morale by speaking to women’s
groups and military groups, building relationships in Washington. She just continues to build the world around her to
be better. She never quits, and I don’t expect she ever will. I am
so proud to call her my sister because I know who she is, what
she’s done and how hard she’s worked to become what she’s become. Whenever someone asks me what it’s like to be her sister,
it’s easy to say that I’m so lucky and grateful to have the greatest
role model anyone could ever have. Happy birthday, Corinna. I
love you, and let’s get a lot done in the next 50!
From Arnold Schwarzenegger:
“Cory set the standard for women’s bodybuilding. She is the
all-time winner of the Ms. Olympia title, and we were privileged
to recognize her with the Arnold Lifetime Achievement this
year.”
each morning with a whisper: “I’m
alive. I won again.”
BH: Turning 50 is a major
milestone in life. What does it
mean to you?
CE: I actually hadn’t even known
I was turning 50 until a friend reminded me and asked if we had
something special planned. I’m just
grateful for everything I have in my
life. I don’t honestly feel any differ-
ent than I did in my 40s or 30s or
20s or even teens. Am I supposed to
all of a sudden break down and feel
old? It won’t happen in my lifetime.
BH: What do you want for
your 50th birthday?
CE: I don’t want a party—that’s
for sure—and definitely not a cake
with 50 candles. California’s already
had enough fires this year.
BH: As you reflect on your
Cory
life, what character trait(s) propelled you forward?
CE: I have a passion for doing my
best. I hate not giving my all. I don’t
have to win; I just have to give 100
percent. Win or lose, the most important thing to me is to feel good
about my efforts.
In school, I have to admit that I
was an overachiever, and to this day
I’m not sure why. Maybe it was my
way of being noticed by my peers.
Or maybe it was my way of trying to
be special. If I had any energy left
after finishing a project, that meant
that I didn’t put enough effort into
it.
I have to see all of my options
first. I still overanalyze almost everything. My husband jokes about
it. After two years I haven’t decided
what color to paint my house. I don’t
do a ton of things, but the ones I do,
I try to do well. Mediocrity is unac-
ceptable.
I don’t mind not being the most
famous superstar anymore. I strive
to be the best mom, wife and friend
that I can possibly be. I am what I
call a lifer: If you’re a true friend, you
will be my friend for the rest of my
life.
BH: What else moved you
forward?
CE: My mom propelled me
throughout
Cory’s Training at 50
Q: How many days a week do you train with
weights, and how long do your workouts last?
CE: I try to train four days a week, and each workout usually lasts no more than 1 1/2 hours. Each
session is quick and intense. I meet Cameo, my training partner, at the gym after the kids catch the bus.
Currently, we do 40 to 60 minutes of cardio before
weights, which includes a combination of the treadmill and elliptical machine. In the weight room we
focus on increasing muscle tone and staying lean and
place less emphasis on getting more muscular. Following is a typical workout for legs and low back.
Leg extensions supersetted with leg curls:
Start with a warmup set of up to 20 reps on each, followed by four supersets of 12 to 15 reps. If I don’t get
a major pump, I just do more sets until I reach that
point. We do each exercise slowly and try to hold for a
beat at the top. We always perform the negative motion under strict control.
Leg presses: Start with a warmup set of up to 20
reps, followed by four work sets of 12 to 15 reps. At
the end of each set Cameo and I do tiny little pumps
to fully engage the muscle fibers, causing a major
burn.
Squats: Start with a warmup set of up to 20 reps,
followed by four work sets of 12 to 15 reps. We use
light weight on the Smith machine and do very
strict and controlled reps. Our muscles are already
fatigued, so we don’t need much weight at all. While
one of us is doing our reps, the other is doing squats
with no weights while holding onto a pole for support.
Calves: I never work calves.
Low back: We end our leg day with hyperextensions and love them. I need them for my bad back.
Abs: After each workout, we work abs using a
variety of styles, including machine crunches, lying
crunches on a bench and bicycles.
Stretching: Last but not least is stretching, which
is my favorite part because it revitalizes my muscles
and leaves me feeling flexible and youthful—like a
million bucks.
Q: How do you split your bodyparts now, or
do you work full body every time?
CE: Here’s how I usually do it:
Day 1: Legs, lower back, abs and stretch
Day 2: Back, biceps, triceps, lower back, abs and
stretch
Day 3: Chest, shoulders, abs, lower back and
stretch
Day 4: Generally, we do legs again, but we use
pyramid sets instead of supersets. We do a 20-rep
warmup set, then pyramid down for four sets without
rest. For example, on leg extensions we begin with 12
to 15 reps at 70 pounds, 12 to 15 reps at 60 pounds,
10 to 12 reps at 40 pounds, and 10 reps at 30 pounds.
To finish, we do maximum reps at 20 pounds. That
kills and creates the best pump ever. We do that on
all of the exercises except squats; on day 4 we don’t
do them. We end day 4 with abs and stretches.
I work full body only if I can’t get a couple days in
that week or if I had taken some days off. Then, I like
to always start with a general full-body workout to
break back into the routine.
Q: Do you train intensely (to positive failure
on work sets), or do you take a more moderate
approach?
CE: I have never used training to failure. I just
don’t believe it is the right thing for your body. I did
try it once, and it just does not suit me. I want to feel
rejuvenated, toned, lean and strong—not beat up.
You can train intensely using light weights, heavy
weights, high reps or low reps. I’ve always drifted toward doing higher reps using lower weights vs. fewer
reps using heavier weights. I enjoy having muscle
endurance vs. brute strength. Plus, I think that it’s
safer in the long run and I get better results in reaching my goals, including nice muscle definition and a
lean, long, athletic look.
I believe that after the age of 40, using higher reps
is a good thing. It places less stress on your joints
and connective tissue while it pumps oxygen-rich
blood into the targeted muscles for best growth and
recovery. Hey, it works for me, and it also lubricates
the joints, which can be helpful as well in preventing
injury.
Dad and his girls.
Author Babs Hogan with Cameo and Cory.
With superathlete Bo
Jackson.
Cameo
and
Cory
ready to
fly.
With
Frank
Zane.
“I actually
hadn’t even
known I
was turning
50 until a
friend reminded me
and asked
if we had
something
special
planned. I’m
just grateful
for everything I have
in my life. I don’t honestly feel any
different than I did in my 40s or 30s
or 20s or even teens.”
Honored by
Arnold.
(continued from page 236) life. She
continues to be a hero and role
model to me. When I was growing up, she was so powerful and
athletic and loved by all. She is still
so gorgeous. Even today she still
beats people less than half her age
in paddleball and tennis. Boy, those
20-somethings hate losing to a 70something!
She was always
proud of her athleticism even when she
outshone the guys
and was different
from other women.
I’ve seen her rebuild
a lawn mower, cut
down a 50-foot tree
and make a new
table with her own
hands. Amazing. If I
were stranded on a
deserted island with
only one person, I
hope that it would be
my mom.
BH: Is there a
personality trait
that people might
not know you
have?.
CE: I hate to see others in pain. I
can’t stand injustice. It hurts me to
see a person alone or helpless—a
trait I inherited from my parents.
My mom is constantly helping
friends and neighbors who can’t do
things themselves and never expects
anything in return. My dad also has
a helpful spirit. I think that I inherited the “helpful” gene, and I am
damned glad I did. I love that about
our family.
BH: Looking back at your
childhood, did you lack anything?
1985
CE: I didn’t have much self-confidence and courage when I was
young. I didn’t understand my own
personality strengths until I was in
my 30s. When I was a child, I had so
much athletic potential and didn’t
even realize it. My entire family was
athletic; it seemed normal to me.
Looking back, I should have trained
for the Olympics as a swimmer, but
as a young girl, I didn’t think I was
good enough, so I didn’t push myself.
I never felt beautiful as a kid—just
average. Thankfully, my achievements defined me, not my appearance. Today I still see myself
as average in appearance. When I
come home from a photo shoot for
a magazine, I know that without the
professional help from the makeup
artist, hair stylist, wardrobe assis-
From Lynn Conkwright (former competitor):
“I’ll never forget the first year that Cory was in the Ms. Olympia competition. I immediately knew she would win it all. I told
her right from the start that she would be our sports’ new and
continued champion. She was light-years above all of us.”
DUGDALE!
FREEMAN!
HEATH!
>The Greatest
Bodybuilders
In The World
Will Be At The
>2008
...Will You?
>>>>>
imPro_r3-2008thirdAd01.indd
1
12/4/07 2:09:33 PM
From Joe Weider:
“Cory was one of the most
amazing fitness women the
IFBB ever had. Not only is she a
woman of beauty and charm
but a woman
with a big heart.
I could see her
heart going out
to everyone she came into contact with, even children, and I
knew she should have children
of her own to give her love to.
God bless you, Cory, and my
hope for you is that your fitness, health, husband and children bring you great pleasure.
I love you, Cory, and always
will!”
>>>>>
>Don’t Miss
the 19th Annual
Cory and family (from left): Boris, Steve, Mom and Nina.
tant and photographer, I’d look just
okay. Steve laughs about always seeing his so-called cover girl in baggy
sweats and baseball hats.
BH: Tell us about your husband, Dr. Steve Donia.
CE: Steve is one of the finest cosmetic dentists in the United States.
His work was recently featured on
ABC’s “Extreme Makeover.” We met
in 1992. He absolutely refused to
date me until I was emotionally
healed from my divorce, which was
one of the toughest times in my life.
I fell in love with him for his playfulness, maturity, joy of life, great morals and love of his family. Plus, he
is incredibly smart, which I find so
attractive. We had a double wedding
with my sister Cameo and her husband, Randy Bernard, CEO of the
Pro Bull Riders, in 1998. We all wore
cowboy boots and jeans. Steve didn’t
know anything about bodybuilding when I met him. He didn’t even
know that I was in the sport. He just
thought I was this really strange,
weird girl who laughed uncontrollably throughout my dental office
visits. We adopted our first child in
2000 from a Russian orphanage and
our second in 2003. It takes a secure
man to handle that experience. He
was my strength throughout the
process and continues to be my
knight in shining armor.
BH: How has having a family
changed your life?
CE: It’s slowed me down in a good
way. I can and often do sit back and
smell the roses. I was so directed
and driven and focused while competing that it shut my eyes to other
areas of joy. I now can maintain
an acceptable shape with very
limited exercise and more relaxed
diet. I don’t need to be ripped and
pumped anymore. My kids are my
focus, as they are in everyone’s family. I let them watch any educational
show—“Planet Earth,” the History
Channel and anything they want
on TV Land. I grew up with all those
clean and classy shows, and I feel
totally comfortable having them
watch.
BH: You’ve been featured in
hundreds of magazines. Tell us
some things about yourself that
most readers don’t know.
CE: 1) You know about the blood
clot that almost killed me when I
was 20, but did you know that it
happened again when I was 37?
2) I crashed my Honda 50 into a
ditch with Camy on the back when I
was 13 and never told my parents.
3) I had black hair when I was
born and looked like an Asian baby.
4) I hated my high cheekbones
and slanted eyes in high school.
5) I beat up a boy in high school
who threw an egg yolk on me.
6) My mom was approached by
my grade-school gym teacher about
having me train for the Olympics in
track.
7) My mom beat me in a running
race when I was in high school.
8) We put ex-lax into cookies
once, and somehow it got to our
relatives visiting from Germany.
Saturday,
February 16, 2008
Los Angeles
Convention
Center
>Judging 10:00 AM
>Finals 6:30 PM
Tickets Available At
www.ironmanpro.com
Presented By
imPro_r3-2008thirdAd02.indd
1
12/4/07 2:10:40 PM
Cory’s
routines and
stage presence
took women’s
bodybuilding
to a new level.
9) I would sit in the closet at parties when I was a kid and cuddle
with the fur on all the jackets.
10) We rode down our street
naked with clown wigs and rubber
rain boots when we were in grade
school. Don’t tell my mom.
BH: If you could relive your
life, what career would you
choose?
CE: I would have been a reconstructive surgeon to help disfigured
children.
BH: How did Jeff Everson help
ignite your bodybuilding career?
CE: Jeff was the first person to
really make me focus on my talents.
As a result, my self-awareness and
confidence increased. Before Jeff
came into my life, I was shy and
insecure and lacked self-confidence.
BH: He must have helped you
when you were in the hospital for the first time with your
blood clot illness.
CE: When I was in the hospital, he
camped out at my side for weeks. He
kept telling me to focus on my internal strengths and mentally guide
myself to heal. I believed in me
mostly because he believed in me.
As I recovered, I don’t think anyone
was ever as proud of me as Jeff.
BH: What do you consider to
be a once-in-a-lifetime experience?
CE: Definitely, it would be landing on the nuclear aircraft carrier
From Bill Pearl (legendary bodybuilder):
“Cory brought women’s bodybuilding to national recognition
by way of the IFBB Ms. Olympia titles. She and Rachel McLish
did their utmost to keep femininity in the sport. Her best-selling books have motivated men and women to better themselves. Cory has been a real inspiration to me. I think the world
of her.”
with my sister Camy. The catapult
take-off was amazing and scary.
BH: What do you regret not
doing?
CE: I was invited three times
to fly with the F-18 top gun pilots
and Thunderbirds. I declined every
time—fear of getting sick.
BH: Do you have any obsessions?
CE: I’m obsessed with promoting
older-child international adoption.
Too many people fear adopting
these kids. They are truly a gift, and
we end up being the lucky ones to
have them in our lives.
BH: Do you have any other
obsessions?
CE: My neighbor Erin and I are always saving stray dogs. I can’t stand
to see a dog without a home.
BH: Where are you most at
home?
CE: I want to be anywhere with
my family and friends. I love being
outdoors, in the mountains, or
anywhere in nature. I hate being
indoors—yuck.
BH: What advice would you
offer people in their late 40s as
they approach 50?
CE: I would say don’t fret about
it. If you give it negative attention,
you’ll have a negative response. So
many people fear admitting their
biological age. Who really cares?
Fifty is honestly yesterday’s 40 and
so on. Our health is the determining factor in how we look and feel.
Take care of yourself as a teen, as a
young adult, and you will reap the
benefits long into later years of your
life, when others are complaining
about all their aches and pains and
sagging skin.
Don’t smoke, don’t drink, make
the obvious smart choices, and
you’ll look and feel years younger
than those who took the alternative
road. If you are in your late 40s and
haven’t focused any part of your life
on being healthy, it is darn right the
time to start. It’s never too late.
Editor’s note: Cory’s Web site is
www.CoryEverson.com. IM
Bodybuilding Pharmacology
BODYBUILDING PHARMACOLOGY BODYBUILDING PHARMACOLOGY BODYBUILDING PHARMACOLOGY BODYBUILDING PHARMACOLOGY BODYBUILDING PHARMACOLOGY BODYBUILDING
by Jerry Brainum
Steroids,
Supplements
and Liver
Damage
Testosterone is a primary anabolic hormone, and the
huge size of many bodybuilders and athletes is a direct
result of anabolic steroid usage combined with heavy training. That last aspect, exercise, seemingly obvious, is often
overlooked. Breathless mass-media distortion leads much
of the public to think that merely using anabolic steroids
results in huge mass and extraordinary athletic ability—a
magic pill.
The results vary. For example, I’ve seen countless bodybuilders duplicate the precise drug regimes favored by
champion bodybuilders yet never approach championship
muscularity. Clearly, genetics plays a role. The same holds
true in sports: The notion that using a certain combination
of drugs empowers you to set a home-run record or win the
Tour de France, is specious at best. While drugs do play a
role, you can’t discount genetic ability or the skill acquired
through high-level training.
On the other hand, all things being equal, drugs do
enable most people to reach a muscular size that simply
doesn’t come naturally. While many drug-free bodybuilding competitors have impressive physiques, they pale
in comparison to the average pro bodybuilder. You can
surmise just how much drugs contribute to the pros’ physiques by observing them when they aren’t on a drug cycle.
That’s when their bodies appear more mortal.
It’s also a misconception that bodybuilders and other
athletes enjoy using anabolic drugs. Having known many
of them, I can attest that that’s not the case at all. Most use
drugs simply to even the playing field. Without drugs, even
the most genetically gifted bodybuilder wouldn’t stand a
fighting chance against a less gifted but more juiced competitor. The athletes are all too aware of the risks they’re
taking with their health by using drug doses far in excess
of what’s prescribed for therapeutic reasons. They feel the
rewards are worth it.
In truth, despite the vast amounts of various drugs used
by pro athletes, reports of serious health consequences
are rare. Some suggest that they will emerge in the future.
While that’s logical, most experts also agree that although
athletes have been using anabolic steroids extensively for
Breathless mass-media
distortion leads much of the
public to think that merely
using anabolic steroids
results in huge mass and
extraordinary athletic
ability—a magic pill.
more than 40 years, there are no reports of extensive health
used to blunt male-pattern baldness. If you want to know
damage among former users. Indeed, published reports
whether you might take a hit like that, look at your matersuggest that nearly all side effects linked to steroid use
nal grandfather. If he went bald, you’ve likely got the genes
reverse after the athletes no longer use drugs.
to continue that unfortunate family legacy.
The consensus among athletes is that some anabolic
After realizing that oral doses of testosterone rapidly desteroids are considerably more dangerous than others. Ingrade in the liver, scientists began manipulating the basic
jectable drugs, which bypass liver metabolism, are thought
test structure in the late 1950s. The result was hundreds of
to be safer than oral drugs. All anabolic steroids, however,
possible commercial compounds—most of which never
are manipulated versions of three
left the lab because of
steroid hormones: testosterone,
potential problems.
nandrolone and dihydrotestosTheir molecular
terone, a.k.a. DHT. All have their
structures, however,
advantages and disadvantages.
were recorded in
Testosterone, which is most
some chemistry texts,
commonly injected, can convert
notably one written
into estrogen through the actions
in the 1960s, and a
of the enzyme aromatase found in
few years ago several
body tissue, mainly fat and muscle.
of these formulas
A man with excess estrogen is
were resurrected and
subject to various effects, such as
sold over the counter
a buildup of fat under the skin,
as “pro-hormone”
water retention and gynecomastia,
supplements. Flash
pejoratively known as “bitch tits.”
forward to 2005,
To combat those effects, athletes
when the governresort to either estrogen-recepment banned the last
tor blockers, such as Nolvadex, or
generation of proThe nandrolone drugs, such as Deca-Durabolin, are
aromatase-inhibiting drugs, such
hormones because
popular with athletes because they apparently don’t
as Arimidex.
they were potent and
have side effects.
On the other hand, one advanpotentially toxic—extage of testosterone injections
plaining why the
is the absence of effect on highdrug companies that
density lipoprotein, a protective cholesterol carrier in the
developed them 40 years ago never released them.
blood. Most other steroids, especially the oral versions, are
Because oral doses of testosterone aren’t of much use,
notorious for acutely lowering HDL. Luckily, depressed
scientists tweaked its structure to prevent its premature
HDL returns to normal when the drugs are no longer used.
destruction in the liver. The most common tweak involved
Nandrolone has a reputation as a “gentle” anabolic
C-17 alpha alkylation—clinicspeak for preventing the liver
steroid most suitable for those concerned about avoiding
from rapidly degrading the drug. The flip side, however,
androgenic-related side effects like male-pattern baldwas that the drugs tended to accumulate in the liver and
ness and acne. True enough, nandrolone doesn’t convert
cause hepatitis, a general term indicating a liver inflaminto either estrogen or DHT, but it does operate a little like
mation—precisely what occurs with large doses of oral
progesterone, another steroid hormone, which stimulates
anabolic steroids.
(wait for it) gynecomastia. A lot of bodybuilders don’t realThe liver is remarkably plastic. By that I don’t mean that
ize that. What’s more, nandrolone is probably the worst
we are all walking around with synthetic livers. I mean that
steroid to use if you’re looking at drug-tested events. Its
the liver has remarkable regenerative powers. That was
residue can readily be detected in the body for more than
no accident, as the liver is the body’s primary detoxifying
a year.
organ, performing thousands of functions constantly. You
The DHT-based anabolics are popular and are often
can remove three-quarters of the liver and survive, alconsidered highly anabolic because they don’t convert into
though it’s not something you should try at home.
estrogen. Even so, you’re looking at male-pattern baldThe sturdy liver can take a lot of abuse before it finally
ness and acne—plus prostate problems. Some users opt
says, No more! Without a functioning liver, eating even
for drugs that block 5-alpha reductase, the enzyme that
protein would prove poisonous. When that happens, you
converts testosterone into DHT. Propecia, for example, is
die, unless you can somehow wrangle a liver transplant.
Despite the vast amounts of various drugs used by pro
athletes, reports of serious health consequences are rare.
Some suggest that they will emerge in the future. While that’s
logical, most experts also agree that although athletes have
used anabolic steroids extensively for more than 40 years,
there are no reports of extensive health damage among former
users.
BODYBUILDING PHARMACOLOGY BODYBUILDING PHARMACOLOGY BODYBUILDING PHARMACOLOGY BODYBUILDING PHARMACOLOGY BODYBUILDING PHARMACOLOGY BODYBUILDING PHARMACOLOGY BODYBUI
Jerry Brainum’s
Bodybuilding
Pharmacology
The sturdy liver can take a lot of abuse before it finally
says, No more! Without a functioning liver eating even
protein would prove poisionous.
The good news about the bad news is that there are many
warning signs before the ultimate hepatic catastrophe
ensues—your skin and eyes become jaundiced (yellow)
because of the backup of bile in the liver from excessive
inflammation. More subtle cues include a rise in liver
enzymes that point to inflammation and act as a harbinger
of imminent damage.
While elevated liver enzymes are a good barometer of
liver health, some enzyme measures can be confounded
by intense exercise. The enzyme I’m talking about shows
up not only in the liver but also in muscle. When muscles
are damaged through intense exercise, it shows up during
routine blood tests. A muscle enzyme spike can easily be
identified by measuring other liver enzymes. If they aren’t
elevated, it’s often a false alarm.
Bodybuilders and athletes have taken various measures
to combat the adverse effects of oral steroids on the liver.
Several herbs have been shown to help prevent alcohol- or
drug-induced liver damage, one of which is the herb silymarin, or milk thistle. I reported in this space a few years
ago on a study proving that bodybuilders who simultaneously took silymarin and oral steroids had a lower liver
enzyme count, hence far less liver inflammation, than
bodybuilders using the drugs minus the silymarin.
Other suggested liver-protecting nutrients include
gamma linoleic acid, as found in evening primrose oil or
borage oil supplements. Anything that increases glutathione, the primary liver antioxidant, would also help protect
the liver. Supplements that raise liver glutathione include
silymarin, N-acetyl cysteine and lipoic acid—plus whey
protein because of its rich cysteine content. Glutathione
is composed of three amino acids: cysteine, glutamic acid
and glycine, with
cysteine the most
vital to glutathione synthesis.
A soon-to-bepublished study
from Greece
tested the effects
of a nutritional
supplement they
called Compound
N for how well it
protected liver
function in bodybuilders who were
on self-prescribed
high-dose steroid regimes that
included extensive use of 17-ankylated oral drugs,
such as Winstrol
and Dianabol.
B-complex vitamins can help in
Three hundred
and twenty healthy athletes, aged 20 to 45—116 women
and 204 men—were divided into three groups:
1) 44 self-administered steroid users who took Compound N, two capsules, three times daily
2) 116 self-administered steroid users who didn’t take
Compound N
3) 160 athletes who didn’t use any drugs
All subjects had their liver enzymes tested before, at
10-day intervals and at the end of the eight-week study.
They all used the same training program and ate the same
diet. At baseline all groups showed normal liver enzymes,
with one exception. The amount of creatine kinase, an
enzyme linked to exercise-induced muscle damage, was
elevated in all groups, but it was considered normal. At the
end of the study all groups had elevated liver enzymes, but
the amount in both the drug-free control group and the
Compound N group were still in the normal range. Those
who took steroids but not Compound N had liver enzymes
significantly above the normal range as well as liver damage, but those who used the nutrient combination did not.
By this time you’re probably wondering what was in
Compound N. The supplement consisted of the following:
1) 300 milligrams of natural phospholipids, mainly
phosphatidylcholine, a.k.a. lecithin.
2) 6 milligrams of thiamine, a.k.a. vitamin B1
3) 6 milligrams of riboflavin, a.k.a. vitamin B2
4) 6 milligrams of pyridoxine, a.k.a. vitamin B6
5) 6 micrograms of vitamin B12
6) 30 milligrams of nicotinamide
7) 6 milligrams of vitamin E
The rationale for those particular ingredients was
that lecithin provides both of the unsaturated fatty acids
needed to protect cellular membranes and methyl groups,
which helps the liver break down fat. Increased fat in the
liver is an early sign of impending liver failure. Lecithin has
reversed the damage of liver cirrhosis in baboons. Lecithin
helps keep liver-cell mitochondria stable and healthy,
while the B-complex vitamins in the formula provide an
added antioxidant effect that aids the liver detox process.
Because the experiment seems to prove the effectiveness of the supplement, it’s curious that no glutathionerelated nutrient was included. That more than likely would
have increased the effectiveness of the formula, because
glutathione is a big-time liver protector and detoxifier.
Nonetheless, the study demonstrates that a degree of liver
protection is available to those who use oral anabolic
steroid drugs.
Pagonis, T.A., et al. (2007). Multivitamins and phospholipids complex protects the hepatic cells from androgenic-anabolic steroid-induced toxicity. Clin Toxicol. In
press. IM
liver detoxification.
MUSCLE “IN” SITES MUSCLE “IN” SITES MUSCLE ‘IN’ SITES MUSCLE “IN” SITES MUSCLE “IN” SITES MUSCLE ‘IN’ SITES MUSCLE “IN” SITES MUSCLE “IN” SITES MUSCLE ‘IN’ SITES MUSCLE “IN” SITES MUSCLE “IN” SITES MUS
Eric Broser’s
Muscle “In” Sites
If you find something on the Web that IM readers should know about, send the URL to Eric at [email protected].
>www.MindAndMuscle.net
I’ve been involved in the bodybuilding and fitness field for
about 20 years, and one thing I’ve learned is, there’s always more
to learn. Even though I’ve built up a tremendous knowledge
base in training, nutrition, supplementation, contest prep and
the like, I’d be a fool to think that I’ve acquired even 1 percent
of everything there is to know. To that end, I’m always on the
lookout for sites that provide true cutting-edge information
delivered by people in the industry who think on a higher plane.
MindAndMuscle.net is just such a site. With the writers who are
onboard—Will Brink, Lyle McDonald, William Lewellyn, Patrick
Arnold and John Berardi, to name a few—you’re guaranteed to
learn something new. What I find most intriguing about
MindAndMuscle.net is its wide array of unique topics. Aside
from basic training and nutritional advice, you’ll find articles on
neuroscience, philosophy, fat loss and cell biology, health and
longevity, supplementation and drugs. While the articles include
some pretty high-pitched info, much of it will be immediately applicable to your own program. The only drawback
is that there’s so much interesting material to read, you may find yourself with very little time afterward to surf the
Web for Internet por—uh, updates on the Middle East. So my friends, if you’re hungry for knowledge, check out
MindAndMuscle.net, where they serve quite a “meal.”
>www.CharlesPoliquin.com
In the world of bodybuilding, fitness and athletics, personal trainers
and strength coaches are a dime a dozen. Of course, some set themselves apart by virtue of their advanced education, years of experience,
pure talent and good old-fashioned brilliance. They write the books
and articles that the rest of the industry learns from. Truly elite coaches
are often recruited by pro bodybuilders, athletes and sports teams to
help them reach higher levels through specialized training and dietary
protocols developed from thousands of hours of clinical and in-thetrenches research and practice. Charles Poliquin is undoubtedly one
of the best and most sought-after strength coaches in the world. He’s
coached Olympic medalists in 12 different sports and trains athletes
on more than a dozen professional sports teams. He’s lectured all
over the globe, written 500-plus articles for Web sites, magazines and
journals and published five successful books. Charles’ work is so in
demand that it has been translated into seven languages (including
the three he speaks himself). As avid IRON MAN readers know, Charles also pens a monthly column for these
pages called Smart Training, and if I can be honest, it is the first thing I read every month. I’ve personally learned
so much from him that I feel I should send him a nice check…or, um, how about I just urge all of you to check
out his Web site, where you can read valuable articles on training and nutrition, order specially designed sports
supplements, find out about his seminars and learn about the many services that the Poliquin Performance
Center (located in Tempe, Arizona) provides. And if you take just a few minutes to register as a site member (it’s
free), you’ll have access to even more essential information. So whether you’re an athlete, bodybuilder, personal
trainer or strength coach, you’d be wise to take advantage of all this site has to offer.
>Video Review: 1993 IRON MAN PRO
Just the other day I was watching footage from some recent pro-bodybuilding competitions (because my nephew was hogging my damn Wii), and I
began pondering on just how much physiques have changed over the past 10
to 15 years. I kept asking myself whether I would have been motivated to take
up the sport if the pros of today had been my role models rather than the guys
who were around when I first got bitten by the iron bug. Today’s bodybuilders
are more freaky and massive for sure, but are they better? Is bodybuilding progressing or regressing?
I guess it depends on how you look at it and what each individual considers
“progress” as it relates to the human form. With that in mind, I thought hard
about whose physique (past or present) represents what I would consider the
ideal. Taking into consideration the parameters related to bodybuilding—size,
shape, condition, symmetry, proportion and presentation—the man who
popped into my overloaded brain was Flex Wheeler. But not just any Flex
Wheeler! The Flex who stood onstage in his first-ever IFBB show, the ’93 IRON
MAN Pro Invitational. Knowing that I had that videotape (sorry, no DVDs back then) somewhere in my collection, I began rummaging through my closet. After finding an old pair of pants that I thought were lost and
every Playboy that ever featured Pamela Anderson (sorry, honey, I’m not throwing them away), I located the
tape. I then grabbed some popcorn (okay, a few unsalted almonds) and sat down to watch Flex Wheeler’s
first pro victory.
Some would argue that Flex looked better when he won the Arnold Classic a week or so later, but I liked
the extra fullness he displayed at the IRON MAN. His muscle bellies were so round, his conditioning so crisp
and his structure so beautifully proportioned that nobody could touch him. And that’s saying a lot when you
look at who else competed at that show: Lee Labrada, Vince Taylor, Robby Robinson, Paul Dillett (also making his pro debut), not to mention Mr. Natural Mike Ashley, former Mr. Olympia Samir Bannout and “giant
killer” Flavio Baccianini, to name just a few. Actually, it might have been one of the best lineups ever! And
guess what? The competition is still available at www.home-gym.com/irproin93.html, and for only $9.95. If
you don’t have this one, I highly recommend it. It could come in handy if someone is hogging your Wii!
>New E-book: X-traordinary Arms
So you want a gnarly pair of massive veinstreaked arms ominously hanging out of your shirt
sleeves, huh? Guns that stretch the tape to 20
inches? It can be done, and without drugs. Jonathan Lawson, co-author with IM editor in chief
Steve Holman of the new e-book X-traordinary
Arms, has arms that measure more
than 19 inches—and he’s never
taken a steroid. Plus, his wrists
measure just under seven inches.
Most experts say giant arms like
his can’t be built with wrists that
small. His results say otherwise
(that’s his arm on the cover).
So how did he do it? Many of
his precise arm-training tactics
are presented in the new e-book.
He’s used Positions of Flexion, a
full-range training concept developed by Holman over the years,
but the e-book isn’t a rehash of
POF. In fact, Lawson and Holman show you how
to choose specific exercises from the POF arsenal to affect different areas of the biceps and
triceps. They present precise POF programs for
biceps and triceps width, so your arms look like
20-pound hams hanging by your sides. And they
include different POF biceps and triceps programs for peak and sweep,
respectively. Every angle is covered,
so your guns look loaded whether
they’re relaxed or up and flexed.
Each program gives you four
to six sets of smart-bomb muscle
building and includes X Reps, but
at specific spots on the stroke of
certain exercises for special size effects—peak, width or sweep. Exciting stuff.
Check out this new e-book at
www.X-Rep.com and turn your
guns into cannons!
Eric Broser’s
>Net
Results Q&A
The Power/Rep Range/Shock innovator answers your
questions on training and nutrition.
Q: How many sets do you recommend per
bodypart? I’m natural and train four days per
week, each bodypart only once.
A: It’s hard to make a blanket recommendation regarding how many sets you should do for all of your
bodyparts. Individuals have varying ability to recover
from training and a lifestyle that’s more or less conducive to the demands of intense weight training (for example, do you
sit at a desk all
day, or do you
perform physical labor?). In
addition, you
must consider
which bodyparts are strong
and which are
weak in order
to determine
how much time
you should
spend on each
of them. For
instance, if your
chest grows
easily but your
delts lag behind, you might want to add extra sets for shoulders
while decreasing sets for pecs. That would keep overall
volume the same, so your system can recover, while
enabling you to prioritize a weaker bodypart.
Your supplementation and nutritional regimen, training intensity and experience level must also be taken
into consideration.
With these issues in mind, however, I can make a
general recommendation, giving you a range of sets
that I feel is just about right for most natural lifters with
normal recovery ability and average lifestyles (not overly
physically or mentally demanding) who also pay close
attention to proper nutrition.
Quads
Lats
Chest
Shoulders
Hamstrings
Triceps
Biceps
Traps
Lower back
Calves
Abs
8-10 sets
8-10 sets
7-9 sets
6-8 sets
6-8 sets
5-7 sets
4-6 sets
3-4 sets
3-4 sets
3-4 sets (twice per week)
3-4 sets (twice per week)
Q: I’m a college student and can only work a
part-time job, so I don’t have a lot of money to
spend. I’m very dedicated to getting the physique I want, so I put the majority of my cash
toward food and a gym membership. I do have
a little extra left over, however, which I’d like to
use for some helpful supplements. I don’t want
to waste my money on nonsense products. Can
you please tell me the best basic supplements
I should have in my regimen and a schedule for
taking them?
A: You raise a very common yet very intelligent question. While some excellent sports supplements are
available, there are far more “all hype, no results” products lining the shelves of health food stores. You’re very
smart for not buying into the outrageous claims that
some companies make for their products.
People who spend hundreds of dollars a month on
supplements are usually looking for a “magic bullet”
when they should be focusing on their training program
and dietary strategy. I simply shake my head when I
overhear a bunch of skinny guys in the locker room discussing their exotic supplement stacks when just moments before I saw them performing 10 sets on the leg
extension
machine
instead
of doing
some real
work in
the squat
rack or leg
press.
Now
that my
little rant
is over, let
me answer
your question. Following are
supplements
that I have
found to be the most useful, and they remain in my
program for the majority of the year.
• Multivitamins, taken with breakfast and your evening meal.
• Mixed EFA oil, 2 to 4 tablespoons per day with
meals.
• Whey protein, as your preworkout and postworkout
protein source.
• Creatine, 5 grams along with your postworkout
shake.
• Glutamine, 5 to 10 grams upon arising and 30 minutes before preworkout and postworkout shakes.
• BCAAs, 5 to 10 grams upon arising and 30 minutes
before preworkout and postworkout shakes.
• Essential amino acid mixture, 5 to 10 grams sipped
slowly throughout your workout. IM
LONNIE TEPER’S
Season’s End Dept.
Kai
Greene.
L.T.’s
2007 Awards
Who were the brightest
stars?
Dennis
Wolf.
Melvin
Anthony.
Desmond
Miller.
Bodybuilder of the Year.
Contest photography by Roland Balik and Merv
The year 2007 is history, and we’re on to a
great ’08. But before we go, let’s honor those
who shined brightest.
PRO BODYBUILDER OF THE YEAR:
Silvio Samuel, who else? Samuel began the
season with a controversial fourth-place finish at
the IRON MAN Pro, but he didn’t let that stop him
from proving he’s one of the game’s prime-time players. He competed an incredible eight times in 2007,
earning victories in both the open and 210-and-under
divisions at the Europa Super Show in August before
he ended the year with a powerful seventh-place
showing at the Olympia.
MOST IMPROVED: Kai Greene, who else?
The enjoyable Greene went from hoping to place in
the top 15 in 2006 to winning the Colorado Pro in
’07. In between came his sixth-place finish at the
New York Pro, followed by a third-place landing at the
Keystone Classic.
MOST POPULAR UP-AND-COMER: Dennis
Wolf, who else? Dennis won the Keystone, then captured the fans’ vote during Bodybuilding.Com’s Olympia
Webcast—despite taking sixth in the official balloting. The
big, bad Wolf has now put himself among the favorites in
the gang who’ll be trying to unseat Jay Cutler at next
year’s Big Dance.
BEST POSER: Melvin Anthony, who else? It’s
all subjective, especially when it comes to this round of
competition, but I didn’t give the man the moniker “Marvelous” back in 1994 for nothing. Anthony will always win
this vote from me. Best of all time.
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: Desmond Miller, who
else? The ’07 NPC National Overall champ took fourth in
his flex-for-pay-debut at the New York Pro, then grabbed
the runner-up slot at the Keystone Classic.
BEST DRESSED: Kenny Jones, closely followed
by Rick Bayardi, the dapper NPC state chair for Ohio
and West Virginia.
BEST HAIR: J.M. Manion, who else? J.M.’s thick,
weaved, er, combed coif is tough to beat, though rumor
has it Manion is not only a part owner of Hillerman’s Hair
Club for Men in Pittsburgh but also a member.
SAY WHAT? AWARD: Shawn Ray, who else? In September Sugar
POINTED HUMOR
Who’s giving—and getting—
the finger now?
Page 261
TRENDS
What the best
dressed fans
were wearing
Page 265
REMEMBERING
REG
The passing of a
legend
Page 265
Shawn told me, “I’m over bodybuilding—I’m
done!” In October Ray signed a multi-year deal
with Muscular Development, the “World’s Biggest Bodybuilding Magazine.” Guess Steve
Blechman and crew are going back to covering mainstream sports.
BEST NEW INTERNET SHOW: “The
Experts,” starring the Swami, Yogi Avidan
and Lifter Hinds, what else? Is this the most
shameless plug ever? Absolutely.
BEST NEW SIGNATURE POSE: The
Yogi point. See photo of the Experts.
NPC BODYBUILDERS OF THE YEAR:
Ben White and Evan Centopani (tie).
BEST NEW CONTEST: the NPC Arnold,
with around 250 competitors in its initial outing.
Ben
White.
Evan
Centopani.
NPC Nationals
SWAMI STRIKES AGAIN—Okay, for
those who’ve been quick to point out the Swami’s
supposed slump in recent times, whaddaya have to
say for yourselves now? First came the accurate prediction that Jay Cutler would successfully defend his
Mr. Olympia crown. Now we have the stunning double
pick of Evan Centopani and Kristy Hawkins to
win the 25th-anniversary edition of the NPC National
Bodybuilding Championships.
Yes, the Italian Battalion copped both the superheavyweight and overall titles at the Dallas show in November, while Hawkins, as I predicted many months
ago, was able to overcome a busy schedule that
includes working 12 hours a day in the lab at Cal Tech
in Pasadena, California, to mirror Evan’s achievements
in Texas. Check out Ruthless Ruth Silverman’s
interviews with Kristy at www.IronManMagazine.com
for more on this wonderful physique athlete.
Centopani, a 25-year-old from Trumbull, Connecticut, carried 258 pounds of hard, defined beef on his
5’11” frame and was
markedly improved
over the physique he
displayed in his first
crack at the Nationals a year earlier,
when he finished
second to Desmond “Wheels of
Steel” Miller, who
took the overall.
Evan reminds
some of Mike
The Experts.
Matarazzo, early
in Mike’s career, with big calves and guns, but what impressed
Teper
Teper
Hair Club
meeting.
Shawn and Kristie Ray.
Rick Bayardi and Ken Jones.
me the most was the way Centopani has stepped up the density and
detail in his quads, hams and back.
Dallas continues to be a location of frustration for Northern California’s
Grigori Atoyian; the last time Grigori did the Nationals in Texas, in
2004, he was so disappointed with his second-place trophy that he took
it off the stage and left before the media could snap photos of the top
five. History repeated itself this time around when he took runner-up to
Evan.
Now, I know how exasperating it is to get so close to a pro card—yet
be so far. Things happen in the heat of the moment, but Atoyian has the
goods to make it to the next level, for sure, and I hope he’ll work harder
on not letting his emotions get the best of him.
Another successful Swami pick was A.D. Cherry to take the heavyweight class. Okay, so I picked him to win it last year, when he finished
second, but, hey, what’s one year off? The 5’10”, 235-pounder out of
Modesto, California, had the smallest waistline in the show in Dallas—at
least the tiniest among the dudes in the heavier weight classes—and
deserved his unanimous win over phenom Brandon Curry and Florida’s
Lee Banks, both of whom are pros in waiting. Curry edged Banks by a
single digit for second.
The anticipated battle in the light-heavyJose
weight division between Peter Putnam and
Raymond.
Charles “Mason” Dixon never materialized—at least on paper. Dixon, a 5’3”, 209pounder from Piedmont, South Carolina, took
the class unanimously (after the top-three and
bottom-three scores were tossed out), with
Putnam getting second and his USA nemesis,
Al Auguste, on his heels in third.
How did I
see this division? Apples and
oranges. Putnam
was definitely
in better condition than he was
at the USA last
summer, when
he took the class.
He was especially tighter in his
glutes and hamstrings. Dixon,
who generally
Carlo
appears to carry
Filippone.
more muscle,
inch for inch, than
Peter, had him on thickness
again. So, as it was at the previous show, it came down to
the 5’7”, 208-pound Putnam’s
superior lines vs. Dixon’s
mighty mass. This time around
Charles, who should have
earned his pro card at the ’06
Nationals, got the nod. Check
out the interview I did with him
at IronManMagazine
.com, and you’ll know the
Dave
secret—Charles finally got to
Candy.
be interviewed by the Swami,
and the stupendous karma
it brought got him over the hump. No worries, Charlie. I
don’t charge that much cash for such favors.
Putnam showed class in defeat, not making excuses
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Leonardo
Ortiz.
Charles
Dixon.
A.D. Cherry.
Roland Balik
Isaac Hinds \ www.LiftStudios.com
Kristy Hawkins
and L.T.
Nga Azarian
Jeff
Olcsvary.
Alex Azarian three days out (left) and onstage.
and promising to come back better next year at either the USA or Nationals. He has done wonderfully for himself as an amateur, including several
covers of major magazines, a contract with Met-Rx and, of course, his
marriage to pro figure starlet Jessica Paxson-Putnam, Yogi’s favorite
babe.
In the middleweights it was another title for Jose Raymond, but this
year’s USA Middleweight champ looked the absolute best I’ve ever seen
him, and that’s saying a mouthful. The former Team Universe Overall winner, out of Woburn, Massachusetts, was a powerful 5’4” and 168 pounds
onstage as he swept to the crown with straight ones across the board.
The show also ended a terrific year for Guy Cisterino, who followed
up his class win at the Junior USA with the runner-up spot behind Jose,
setting himself up as one of the faves to win the division in 2008.
Carlo Filippone, the New Jersey muscle chef,
was ticked at the Swami for leaving him out of the Nationals predictions. As I told Cut Carlo, I had no idea
he was even doing the show, and he should have put
his pots and pans down long enough to let me know
he was ready to go.
Carlo was hard as nails, and it took all of that conditioning to edge Stoil Stoilov by a single digit to
take the class. Stoilov has a terrific physique, but his
Lee Haney
lack of biceps, which stood out significantly against
and Jim
the rest of his sublime body, kept him from getting the
Manion.
victory.
In the lightweight class a tough battle emerged
Abbas between Leonardo Ortiz and Travis Rogers, with Ortiz scorKhatami. ing a two-point win. Ortiz, a 150-pounder from Las Piedras, Puerto
Rico, got all he could handle from Rogers, a 150-pounder from
Levittown, Pennsylvania.
The kid I liked in this one was Jeff Olcsvary, a 151-pounder
out of Lake Charles, Louisiana, who got a great 22nd birthday
present with an impressive third-place finish. It will be hard to keep
this fella out of the winner’s circle next season.
Based on precontest photos he posted on various Web sites,
Alex Azarian with his crazy conditioning looked to be the favorite
in the lightweights, but after several things went haywire during the
last week, he ended up in eighth.
The two biggest problems: He looked great at 162 a month out
from the show, and I encouraged him to go in as a welterweight.
Azarian, understandably, did not want to take that gamble in his
first Nationals, so he dropped 10 pounds to make weight and, in
the process, flattened out big time.
The second snag was that his competition color (Azarian did not
paint himself) could have been the nastiest of any competitor I’ve seen in
years, perhaps ever. Alex, who is Armenian, looked darker than most of
the black athletes by the time he hit the stage, and with the unnecessary
extra color, plus oil.… Well, you get my drift. There was no chance he
would be compared with the top five at that point.
Azarian realizes the mistakes he made and said he will be back onstage “the right way” next year. Perhaps in a heavier division.
Dave “Sugar” Candy, a 143-pounder from Pittsburgh, took the
bantamweight class, which resulted in another second-place finish for
California’s Fernanco Abaco.
ADD NATIONALS—As it was the 25th anniversary of the Nationals,
it figured that several former champs would be on hand. The man who
started it all in 1982, Lee Haney, was present, as were Gary Strydom
(’86), Shawn Ray (’87), John Sherman (’92), Don Long (’95), Victor Martinez (’00) and Bill Wilmore (’05). We were able to round up
most of them to come up onstage and be recognized—and pose for a
commemorative photo with women’s champion Kristy Hawkins and
NPC Pres Jim “Lats” Manion (see page 284).
ALL-STAR PERFORMANCES—So many dudes to mention here, but one guy really stood out for me. Abbas Khatami,
who came back with a vengeance after rumors of his “retirement”
proved false, gets a huge thumbs-up. The 5’8”, 222-pounder from
Irvine, California, was one of the most conditioned men in the entire
show and finished fourth in the toughest class, the heavyweights,
behind A.D. Cherry, Brandon Curry and Lee Banks. Even
with the depth of the class, Abbas got two first-place votes—and
they were not from Southern California judges.
If you haven’t seen my interview with Khatami, which took place
right after the finals, find it at IronManMagazine.com. He can’t wait
for ’08, and for good reason.
As always, the Nationals ran extremely smoothly; kudos to all
those involved behind the scenes, especially to the promotional
team of Pam Betz and Steve Karel.
Photo courtesy of Ed Corney
Later in the evening, Haney presented Manion with a proclamation from the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sport
acknowledging Jim’s contributions to the world of sport and fitness over the past 25 years. Lee, who’s one of the greatest bodybuilders of all time and the man who remains tied with Ronnie
Coleman as the winner of the most Mr. Olympia titles—eight—is
an even finer human being than he is a bodybuilder. I’m looking
forward to hosting the first Lee Haney Challenge, to take place in
Shreveport, Louisiana, in early May.
Ed Corney and Cathy
LeFrancois.
People
CORNEY IS STILL GOING STRONG—Fast Eddie Corney, who turned
74 on November 4, made it two shows in a row again this year, first attending the
Olympia Weekend at the end of September and then making his usual appearance
at the NPC San Francisco, which I emceed, a week later. As I was introducing Ed,
who was going to present a trophy, my mind shifted to John Balik’s description
of the breathtaking posing routine that Corney performed at a famous exhibition at
New York’s Whitney Museum that took place some 32 years ago. Wish I could have
been there.
Corney says he’s still training six days a week on a double-split routine. As you
can see in the photo with Cathy LeFrancois, taken at the NPC show in Hayward, Ed’s smile still lights up a room. Especially when he has a lovely lady on his
arm! Don’t miss his Web site, www.EdCorney.net.
Liberman
L.T. and John
Hansen.
TONEY SPRINGS INTO ACTION—Toney Freeman appeared on the
“Jerry Springer Show” on November 4 (to be aired at a later date), playing the
head bouncer. Todd Greene, president of Headblade (which is one of Toney’s
sponsors), set up the episode, in which the defending IRON MAN Pro champ
was also a champ in breaking up several fights that took place during the show’s
three segments. Freeman said the producers really liked him—my Lord, why
wouldn’t they?—and that he’s due for a repeat engagement.
My question to the X Man: Are you due for a repeat engagement at the IM Pro on
February 16 to defend your title? You can buy me a birthday dinner (everyone remember that date if you want to send money, gift cards, etc.) with the prize money.
More on the upcoming ’08 IM Pro and Arnold Schwarzenegger Classic
weekends next month.
Toney Freeman and
Jerry Springer.
Reg Park and L.T.
Avidan
JOHN HANSEN UPDATE—Ran into the IRON MAN columnist at the Olympia banquet, and the hardworking former Mr. Natural Olympia told me of a couple of projects he’s put together, one completed and one on the way. John will
be promoting his second bodybuilding show, probably called the John Hansen
Natural Bodybuilding Classic, on March 8, 2008, at Romeville High in Romeville,
Illinois. Additionally, his new DVD, “Natural Bodybuilding Seminar and Competitions,” is now available. You’ll find all the info at www.NaturalOlympia.com.
UP, DOWN AND ROUND THE NATIONALS
Photography by Ron Avidan
1
3
2
1) Figure pro Krissy Chin and
fitness pro Kendra Elias pretty up
the ALRI booth.
2) “Muscle Chef” Carlo Fillippone
is as conditioned as the statue
he won.
3) Phil Heath shows how MetRx products can get you to 270
pounds.
4) Deann Godwin and Timea
Majorova look good for SAN.
5
5) Bill Wilmore greets the
tattooed man.
4
Reg Park—1928–2007
It was a sad Thanksgiving here in the States as the news came out
of South Africa that Reg Park, who had
been battling metastatic melanoma, had died
at age 79. The man who inspired Arnold
Schwarzenegger recently celebrated
his 55th wedding anniversary to the lovely
Mareon; I was lucky enough to sit at the
same table with the couple at the Arnold
Classic banquet last March.
I remember getting a call from IM Publisher
John Balik about 20 years ago. “Reg Park
is coming into town,” he said. “Would you like
to interview him?” I responded, “Would I like
Jon Jon Park, John Balik, Reg Park and
to find a cure for male-pattern baldness?”
Gene Mozée.
Park’s message for his well-wishers, which
is posted at www.RegPark.net, shows the
class Park exemplified all of his life. The industry has lost a great human
being. Condolences to the Park family. May Reg rest in peace after so
much suffering in recent times. IM
To contact Lonnie Teper about material possibly pertinent to News & Views, write to 1613 Chelsea Road, #266, San Marino, CA 91108; fax to
(626) 289-7949; or send e-mail to [email protected].
Clark Bartram,
age 41
Midlife-Muscle
Supplement
Guide
Compounds That Keep the MASS Coming
Through Middle Age and Beyond
by Steve Holman
T
oo many people accept
hitting age 40 as the start
of a physical downhill
slide. Not so. In fact,
as Sherwin B. Nuland, clinical
professor of surgery at Yale
University, suggests in his book The
Art of Aging, after midlife is when
man’s creativity and ingenuity kick
in. It’s when many discover their
talents for such artistic endeavors
as painting—or sculpting. And what
better way to use that creativity than
to sculpt and strengthen the very
thing that can improve the quality
of your life—your body.
Yes, it’s true that a lot of the
body’s processes begin to slow
when you reach middle age, but
the muscle-growth process doesn’t
have to turn into a fight to maintain.
You can still gain, and a number of
supplements can help you sculpt a
bigger, better physique. Many can
improve your overall health as well,
as in antiaging elixirs.
Neveux
Phosphatidylserine
The research on PS, which is
derived from soy lipids, started in
Italy, where cyclists used it to
reduce cortisol—the muscleeating stress hormone that
also destroys testosterone—
an average of 30 percent.
It worked for aerobic athletes’
recovery and tolerance, but what
about athletes whose anaerobic
workouts are geared for building
muscle?
Enter Thomas Fahey, who
spearheaded research at California
State University, Chico, in 1998.
He subjected experienced weight
trainers to overtraining. The
subjects who got the PS “had
considerably less muscle soreness
and a better perception of wellbeing than those who didn’t get the
PS.” The study showed that a big
part of the reason was a 30 percent
reduction in cortisol—good news
for any athlete, but especially those
looking to gain muscle.
There’s more good news. Older
and newer
research shows that cortisol can
damage brain tissue and that PS, by
controlling cortisol, improves brain
function, like cognitive ability and
focus.
Are you starting to see why
this natural compound is so
important, especially as we age? It’s
anticatabolic not only for muscle
tissue but brain tissue as well. It’s an
antistress supplement that helps on
a number of levels. That should be
easy to remember—if you’re taking
PS.
Recommendation: Take 600
to 800 milligrams prior to your
workouts. You may also want to
take another 200 to 400 milligrams
before bed, as research shows that
cortisol spikes in the latter hours
of sleep. [Note: If you use CortBloc, 600 to 800 milligrams is four
capsules. See page 156 for more
information.]
Monteleone, P., et al. (1990).
Effects of phosphatidylserine on
the neuroendocrine response
to physical stress in humans.
Neuroendocrinol. 52:243-248.
Fahey, T., and Pearl, M. (1998).
The hormonal and perceptive
effects of phosphatidylserine
administration during two weeks
of weight-training-induced
overtraining. Biol Sport. 15:135-144
Crook, T. H., et al. (1991). Effects
of phosphatidylserine in ageassociated memory impairment.
Midlife-Muscle Supplement Guide
cardio workouts. BCAAs
are especially critical if you
do cardio on an empty stomach
for enhanced fat burning, but
anytime is a good time. Your body
is constantly looking for reasons
to reduce muscle, but circulating
BCAAs can slam the door on that
catabolic cascade.
Recommendation: BCAAs
should be used liberally throughout
the day, especially with solid-food
meals. As you age, digestion and
protein utilization aren’t as efficient
as they need to be, so taking
two to four BCAA capsules with
meals will ensure that you have
muscle-building blocks available
immediately, independent of solidfood digestion.
Neurol.
41:644649.
BranchedBranchedChain Amino
Acids
Acids
Amino acids are the building
blocks of muscle tissue, so it only
makes sense that liberal use of
a branched-chain-amino-acid
supplement will enhance muscle
growth. New
studies show
that taking
as little as
two grams
of BCAAs
before exercise
preserves
muscle tissue.
That can be
effective prior
to weight
and
Matsumoto, K., et al. (2007).
Branched-chain amino acids and
arginine supplementation attenuates skeletal muscle proteolysis
induced by moderate exercise in
young individuals. Int J Sports
Med. 28:531–538.
Vasodilators
Neveux
Author Steve
Holman, age 48
Remember this: NO begets
better blood flow. NO is nitric
oxide, and its primary precursor
is the amino acid L-arginine.
In his feature “Say Yes to NO”
in the January ’08 IRON MAN,
Jerry Brainum discussed the
work of scientist Louis J. Ignarro, a
professor of pharmacology at UCLA
who is a staunch advocate of using
arginine as a means of increasing
NO production in the body. In
his book No More Heart Disease
he suggests that increasing NO
production through
supplemental arginine
will prevent heart
attacks and strokes.
That’s reason enough
to add NO precursors
like L-arginine to your
supplement arsenal, but
it can also facilitate the
muscle-building process.
Better blood flow means better
nutrient delivery to muscles,
and that’s even more important
once you reach middle age. Why?
Efficient use of protein, glycogen
and other nutrients becomes
somewhat impaired as you get
older. It also means you get better
pumps during your workouts. Big
pumps lead to more motivation
to keep training hard (us old guys
need all the motivation we can get).
Speaking of hard, did you know the
drug Viagra works via nitric oxide
production? See, a bigger, better
pump is a good thing on a number
of different levels.
Recommendation: Take before
your workout, as directed on the
bottle of your chosen NO-precursor
supplement. Using it before cardio
is also a good idea, as enhancing
blood flow can improve fat burning
(take it with your BCAAs).
L-Carnitine
L-Carnitine
L-carnitine and acetyl-L-carnitine
are known as fat-to-muscle
supplements because
they can enhance the
fat-burning process.
How? They shuttle fat
to the mitochondria,
which are the
furnace of cells.
Studies also show
that carnitine may
enhance muscularforce production, a
key to stimulating
muscle growth.
Researchers found
that it improved
the contractile force
in the latissimus dorsi of dogs
by 34 percent and overall force
production by 31 percent.
A new study shows that after 21
days of carnitine supplementation,
the numbers of androgen receptors
on muscle were increased.
Androgen receptors interact
with testosterone, which can
result in more muscle growth.
Bonus: Carnitine has been used
successfully to treat male sexual
dysfunction.
Recommendation: Take 1,500
milligrams before breakfast and
another 1,500 milligrams before
lunch.
Kraemer, W.J., et al. (2003). The
effects of L-carnitine L-tartrate
supplementation on hormonal
responses to resistance exercise
and recovery. J Strength Cond Res.
17:455-462.
Kraemer, W.J., et al. (2006). Androgenic responses to resistance
exercise: Effects of feeding and
L-carnitine. Med Sci Sports Exer.
38:1288-1296.
Creatine
Creatine
If you’ve been around bodybuilding for any length of time,
you know that creatine is one of
the most researched and resultproducing supplements you
can use—if you’re a responder.
It fortifies muscle
energetics, which
means it helps you
grind out more reps
on lower-rep power
sets. It can also help
volumize muscles
by bringing in more
fluid. What you may
not know about
creatine is that it’s
a health builder as
well as a muscle
maker.
New research shows that creatine
has significant antioxidant activity
and may help protect against
diseases like cancer. It also appears
to help protect the skin from
ultraviolet-light damage—as in
fewer wrinkles. Plus, it has brainbuilding characteristics. In fact,
the brain loads creatine for energy
production just the way muscles do.
More good news: Research
says it’s completely safe, with no
adverse side effects if you avoid
dehydration. Remember, creatine
Midlife-Muscle Supplements
Supplement
Dosage
• Phosphatidylserine (PS)
600 to 800 milligrams
• Branched-chain amino
acids (BCAAs)
2 to 4 grams
• Vasodilators
(L-arginine based)
• L-carnitine
As indicated on label
2 to 3 grams
• Creatine
5 grams
When to Take It
Before workouts and/or
before bed
Before workouts and with
solid-food meals
Before workouts (weight
and cardio sessions)
Before breakfast and
before lunch
After workout
• Beta-alanine
3 to 6 grams
Upon awakening in the
morning
• L-leucine
4 to 6 grams
After workout
• L-glutamine
3 to 6 grams
Before and/or after workout
• Omega-3s (fish oil)
2 to 3 grams
With solid-food meals
Sestili, P., et al. (2006). Creatine
supplementation affords
cytoprotection in oxidatively injured
cultured mammalian cells via direct
antioxidant activity. Free Rad Biol
Med. 40:837-849.
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.
Dechent, P., et al. (2006). Increase
of total creatine in human brain
after oral supplementation of creatine monohydrate. Am J Physiol.
277:R698-R704.
Beta-Alanine
Beta-Alanine
It’s a simple muscle-building
equation: Drive out more reps, and
you stimulate more growth. It all
boils down to the size principle of
fiber recruitment. On the first few
easy reps of a set you engage the
low-threshold motor units—mostly
slow-twitch fibers; on the middle
reps you engage the mediumthreshold motor units, which recruit
a few more fast-twitch fibers. The
problem is, you don’t get to the fasttwitch fibers with the most growth
potential until the last hard reps of a
set. That’s when the high-threshold
motor units kick in.
Unfortunately,
if you do reps in
the hypertrophic
zone—eight to
12—muscle burn
can stop you
before you get at
many,
if any,
high-
threshold motor
units. Beta-alanine
can help, as it
converts to
carnosine in
muscle tissue.
Carnosine acts as
a buffering agent
that postpones the
burn. Result: You
power out more
growth reps on
every set. Betaalanine works
especially
well in
Dave Goodin,
age 48
Neveux
pulls fluid into muscle tissue, so
drink plenty of water.
Recommendation: Take five
grams after your workout. That’s the
anabolic window when the muscles
are most receptive to refilling
depleted stores.
conjunction with creatine, but
there’s more good news—on the
health front.
Beta-alanine has antioxidant
properties in that it increases
glutathione and taurine levels in the
liver. So it appears to be a natural
liver protector that also heightens
the organ’s detoxifying power.
Recommendation: Take three
grams upon awakening, on an
empty stomach. [Note: If you use
Red Dragon, two capsules equals
three grams. See page 153 for more
information.] A tingling-skin effect
is normal and an indicator that
you’re getting real beta-alanine.
Lee, S.Y., et al. (2006). Effect of
beta-alanine administration on
carbon tetrachloride-induced acute
hepatotoxicity. Amino Acids. 33:543546.
L-Leucine
You know that amino acids are
the building blocks of muscle, but
one of the most essential in the
muscle-building process appears
to be L-leucine. New research
shows that taking just a few grams
of L-leucine immediately after you
train gives an extra boost to protein
synthesis, kick-starting the anabolic
process. As you get older...ah, you
know the rest—we older guys need
to maximize all the anabolic kicks
possible.
Recommendation: Take four to
six grams postworkout to heighten
the anabolic environment.
Willoughby, D.S., et al. (2006).
Effects of resistance training and
protein plus amino acid supplementation on muscle anabolism,
mass and strength. Amino Acids
DOI. 32:467-477.
Wischmeyer, P.E.
(2006). Glutamine:
The first clinically relevant pharmacological regulator of heat
shock protein? Curr
Opin Clin Nutr Metab
Care. 9:201-206.
Omega-3s
You’ve no doubt read about the
health benefits of fish oil. Modern
man’s diet has an imbalance in
the ratio of omega-6s to omega3s, primarily because of grain-fed
animals. Grass-fed livestock has a
balance of the omega fats, whereas
grain-fed animals have too much
Neveux \ Model: Clark Bartram
L-Glutamine
L-Glutamine
A conditionally essential amino
acid, L-glutamine is known as
an immune-system booster and
muscle-recovery enhancer. New
research says it’s more anabolic
than was previously thought. It
encourages the synthesis of heat
shock proteins and blocks cortisol’s
antianabolic effects by interfering
with the stress hormone’s
interaction with myostatin,
a muscle-growth-governing
substance in the body. A lot of
research suggests that reduced
myostatin is why some people are
more genetically suited to extreme
muscle mass, so myostatin is bad
for muscle growth.
According to researcher
Jerry Brainum, “That
finding casts glutamine
in a new light, indicating
that it has enormous
potential for stimulating
anabolic effects in
muscle. Once again,
however, the effects are
likely to become apparent
only with high-intensity
exercise.” In other words,
when you’re training hard,
take glutamine.
Recommendation: Take three
grams pre- and/or postworkout—
or even more. Coach Charles
Poliquin is such a big proponent
of glutamine that he takes up
to 80 grams spread
throughout the
day, with a lot of it
preworkout.
of the 6s and too little 3s.
Omega-6s are linked to
inflammation, which is
believed to be the cause
of a number of diseases,
including cancer; omega 3s have
anti-inflammatory effects. So what
does that have to do with building
muscle?
As Nicholas Perricone, M.D.,
writes in his latest book, The
Perricone Weight-Loss Diet, “Omega3 essential fatty acids can improve
athletic performance, helping to
make muscle cells stronger and
more efficient; actually build muscle
and lose bodyfat. There are even
steroidlike substances in the body,
like PPARs, that can help achieve
these goals when activated by
omega-3s.”
The essential fatty acids have
also been linked to testosterone
production, which, as you know, is
highly anabolic and can help you
burn bodyfat, especially around the
middle.
Recommendation: Fish-oil
capsules, two to three grams, with
every solid-food meal—at least
three doses a day.
Now, you don’t have to take every
supplement listed, and you may
want to cycle some—for example,
creatine, which has been shown to
be less effective with prolonged use
due to decreased receptor efficiency.
Pick and choose so you use the ones
you think will be most effective,
or rotate a few in and out of your
regimen.
Me? I tend to use more of the
above during the spring and
summer, when my training is most
intense, and then taper off in the
fall and winter. What’s interesting is
that, with these supplements and
the evolution of my training, I’ve
made the best gains of my life in my
mid-40s—even better than when I
was in my early 20s. That’s exciting
and fuels my motivation to press
on with a vengeance. Do I train to
maintain? Hell, no—I train to grow.
Note: For the specific
supplements Holman uses, see his
“Size Surge Supplements” feature
and training blog at X-Rep.com.
Editor’s note: Steve Holman is
48 years old and has written more
than 15 books and e-books on
building muscle and burning fat.
His newest work, still in progress, is
titled The Mature Man Muscle Plan.
IM
RUTH SILVERMAN’S
About February:
• NPC Nationals
• Hot New Pros
• Pump Pourri
NPC NATIONALS
Photography by Ruth Silverman, Roland Balik and Merv
MISS NEW
BOOTY
Tina Durkin,
an Air Force
Reservist,
trainer and
mom from
Virginia,
took the fitness overall
with those
fateful
words emblazoned on
her back.
CONDITION, CONDITION, CONDITION
Question: What’s the
secret to success in
women’s bodybuilding? For Kristy “Crazy
Legs” Hawkins (near
left), a graduate student from Pasadena,
California, it’s those
three little words.
The shredded light
heavyweight flexed
to an overall victory
over heavyweight Bev
DiRenzo (pictured)
and a couple of other
class champs who
were not so shredded.
As one athlete observed, “The judging
was confusing.” Yeah,
but the results made
more sense than you
think. Check out the
photo galleries and
video from the NPC
Nationals, held in
Dallas in November,
at IronManMagazine.
com.
THE COMPANY SHE KEEPS Kristy shares a photo-op with eight-time Mr. Olympia Lee Haney and a slew of his fellow
former NPC overall champs to celebrate the Nationals’ 25th anniversary (from left): Don Long (’95), Victor Martinez
(’00), NPC President Jim Manion, Haney (’82), Bill Wilmore (’05), John Sherman (’92) and Shawn Ray (’87).
WOMEN’S NATIONALS
NEKOLE
HAMRICK
More posing
drama
from the
heavyweight
secondplacer.
AWESOME POSING Newcomer Yasha took second in the
middleweights with a dramatic routine that built to a rousing, gospel-hip hop finale
TEXAS IN THE HOUSE Middleweight champ Tina
Chandler and fellow Houstonian Carolyn Bryant
swap biceps shots. Other Lone Star State standouts included Beni Lopez, Yasha, Kristina Rojas
and Kristy Hawkins, who’s originally from Dallas.
BODS ON THE MOVE
1) Nice. Beni Lopez,
last seen tying for last
at the North American
Figure Championships in September,
switched to bodybuilding and became
the new symmetrical
sensation, winning the
lightweights at age 45.
2) Mission statement. “I’m 41 and
proud of it,” declares
middleweight thirdplacer Janet Kaufman.
Well, heck, it is our
over-40 issue.
2
1
4
3) Left jab, right
jab. Tara Guzman says
the secret to her newly
trim midsection is boxing, which she took up
as a fitness activity.
4) Fascinating female. Heavyweight vet
Yamille Marrow proves
a fun interview—lawyer, college teacher,
firefighter and, of
course, bodybuilder.
3
NOT FROM TEXAS But a
ringer for Texas’ greatest
gift to women’s bodybuilding, Rachel McLish, is California girl Tanya Merryman,
who returned to the stage in
a big way to win her class at
the Nationals. The 34--yearold fitness star, trainer and
mom is a double-barrelled
threat—a killer bod, killer
routine skills and the kind
of sparkle you just don’t
get from a tube. Guess that
makes her a triple-barrelled
threat.
GUESS WHO Kim Chizevsky poses with
number-two son Morgan James Nicholls. To
find out why the four-time Ms. Olympia and
Morgan’s dad, Chad Nicholls, pulled the plug
on their All-Star Pro Fitness, at least for 2008,
read my blog at IronManMagazine.com.
MORE MOMS
IN THE NEWS
Michelle Flake
(three daughters) looks
pretty pleased
with herself,
and well she
should.
HONORED TO BE HERE
Photojournalist and IFBB Women’s
Historian Steve Wennerstrom was
honored with a lifetime achievement
award for all he’s done to support the
women’s physique sports—and the
athletes. A former UCLA track coach,
he has been involved in women’s
bodybuilding since the late ’70s, but
his interest was sparked even earlier,
he has said, when “the writings of
Dr. Al Thomas in Iron Man opened
my eyes to how very special the
muscularly developed woman really
was.” Aukland, who presented the
composed but misty-eyed honoree
with a beautiful trophy and some
$4,500 in checks and gift certificates
from a grateful generation (or two
or three) of athletes at the Nationals, organized the award. Originally,
she said, she’d hoped to buy him a
digital camera setup, but friends of
the iconoclastic Wennerstrom, who is
famously the last holdout in the press
pit still shooting film, convinced her
he was too old school to switch.
After laying low during most of ’07, Michelle
eased into the post-Olympia Sacramento and
Kentucky shows to pick up a couple of easy
wins—without breaking a sweat, it seems.
CLASS
ACT
Breann
Robinson
won me
over
with her
polished
Elvis
routine.
F I T N E S S N AT ’ S
The Future of
Fitness
CHEERS 20-year old Kristina Rojas,
a former arena football cheerleader,
took the short class in a split decision.
LOW (BABY) FAT 16-year-old Victoria
Larvie celebrated her fourth appearance at the Fit Nat’s by moving up to
fourth.
FRESHEST NEW FACE I SAW ALL YEAR
Even at the end of a long season, Violet Mundy had the wattage to
get a battle-weary reporter’s attention at first sight (see the following page). Fourth in the tall class, the 5’8” former stuntwoman from
Fort Lauderdale, Florida, is like a lot of the newer fitness recruits—
just beginning to hone her routine skills but brimming with potential.
Plus, she knows how to hold for the money shot.
MORE NEW PROS
The runners-up in fitness also earned
pro cards. Tall to short, from left:
1) Tracy Redding looked slick
enough to slide into second behind
Tanya Merryman.
2) Siene Silva proved a most graceful—and strong—Dracula and finished
behind Tina Durkin.
3) Tonya Burkhart impressed the
judges with her rock ‘n’ roll routine
and her rockin’ body and came within
five points of catching Kristina Rojas.
1
3
2
Victoria and
Regina Larvie plan
their postcontest
banquet. Hot
wings at Hooters,
says Mom. Works
for me.
PUMP POURRI—NATIONALS EDITION
Below: A couple
of chicas sitting
around the GNC
booth—Adela
Garcia and Michelle Adams.
Thanks for the bar
samples, guys.
Couldn’t have
made it through
the season without you.
Far left: The real voice of bodybuilding, Kenny Kassel, reintroduces me
to Melissa Pearo, a software engineer for the FAA and figure pro. You
gotta love it.
Left: Bev DiRenzo clicks her heels
three times, praying her abs will still
be in when she opens them.
Photography by Ruth Silverman
Texas couples stroll the lobby.
Above left: Bernadette Galvan and new
hubby/longtime beau Anthony Delagarza.
Above: Iris Kyle and John Sherman.
Backstage buds and sometime rivals Dr.
Michelle Neil and Sheila Bleck. Sheila, who
passed on competing at this one, choreographed Michelle’s sensuous new routine.
Flavia Crisos, Monica Martin and
Lauren Powers were all over the Fairmont Hotel like heavy on metal.
To find out what I really had to say about the ’07 NPC Nationals,
read my Pump & Circumstance blog at IronManMagazine.com.
Striking. Violet Mundy
catches the camera’s lens
at the weigh-in.
WORKING HARD AND HARDLY WORKING—The IRON MAN team gathers to carb-load and strategize before the men’s judging (from left):
L.T., Roland Balik, yours truly and mighty Merv Petralba.
You can contact Ruth Silverman, fitness, figure and women’s bodybuilding reporter and Pump & Circumstance scribe, in
care of IRON MAN, 1701 Ives Ave., Oxnard, CA 93033; or via e-mail at [email protected].
’07 Ms. Olympia
Iris Kyle
Photography by John Balik, Roland Balik and Merv
First Place
’07 Figure Olympia
Jenny Lynn
First Place
’07 Fitness Olympia
Adela Garcia
First Place
Jen
Hendershott
Adela
Garcia
Kim Klein
Oksana
Grishina
’07 Ms. Olympia
’07 Figure Olympia
1) Iris Kyle
2) Dayana Cadeau
3) Yaxeni Oriquen-Garcia
4) Lisa Aukland
5) Heather Armbrust
6) Betty Pariso
7) Bonny Priest
8) Nicole Ball
9) Sarah Dunlap
10) Annie Rivieccio
1) Jenny Lynn
2) Gina Aliotti
3) Sonia Adcock
4) Jennifer Gates
5) Amanda Savell
6) Amber Littlejohn
More PHOTOS and VIDEOS at
IronManMagazine.com
’07 Fitness Olympia
1) Adela Garcia
2. Kim Klein
3) Jen Hendershott
4) Tanji Johnson
5) Tracey Greenwood
6) Julie Palmer
7) Oksana Grishina
8) Julie Lohre
9) Julie Shipley-Childs
10) Mindi O’Brien
Model: Derik Farnsworth
Only the Strong Shall Survive
Six-Pack
Attack
In Quest of Those Abominable Abdominals
by Bill Starr
A
t Johns Hopkins I could
always tell when it was
getting close to spring
break. The situp stations
would be busy all day. The quest for
a six-pack was under way in earnest
for both men and women. Knowing that their bodies would soon be
under full scrutiny on a beach in
Florida or Texas was sufficient motivation for attacking their abs.
When I trained at commercial
gyms across the country, I could
spot the men who were having an
illicit affair or who were recently
divorced. Serious ab work was suddenly an integral part of their workouts.
Why abs? Simple. If you want to
appear physically fit and healthy
for the opposite sex—or even your
own—you have to have a toned
midsection. Beer guts and love
handles just don’t cut it. To most,
the condition of the abdominals
is the best barometer of a person’s
overall fitness. A person with big
arms and a big chest may indeed be
strong, but if his middle is flabby,
he’s not fit.
That’s why I’m not that impressed
with the current crop of bodybuilders. They lack the eye-popping abs
that were standard for the top men
when I first got involved in weight
training. There was even a time
when the best abs got special recognition at the Mr. America contests.
I always thought that was a great
idea, enabling some of the smaller
we know that’s not the case, not
athletes to gain rewards for their
by a long shot. To shed unwanted
hard work on some bodypart.
pounds and transform your abs
As most older readers know, Zabo
into distinct rows of muscle takes
Koszewski dominated the Best Abs
time and concentrated effort. If the
category at major contests for many
spirit is willing, then the flesh will
years. He had no peer, and that was
respond, for the abs can handle the
long before steroids and specialwork and respond favorably.
ized ab machines. Zabo and others
I witnessed an example of exlike him achieved extraordinary
treme ab training when I helped a
ab development the old-fashioned
gym startup in Edgewood, Maryway—lots of hard work on the baland. Back then men and women
sics. I never verified it with him,
trained separately, so the facilbut the story goes that Zabo started
ity contained two workout areas.
doing situps to help repair damage
Donna and I were in charge of
from a double hernia and ended up
instructing the new female memdoing as many as a thoubers. I handled the
sand a day.
primary exercises,
Which brings me to a
and she took care
salient point about the
of the rest, includabs—they can handle a
ing ab exercises.
great deal of work. Once
Because she felt
the base is solid, abs can
that doing an exerbe exercised for extended
cise with a person
periods and several times
helped motivation,
during the day. That’s why
she worked right
I’m a bit doubtful about
alongside memthe programs advertised
bers she taught to
in the media that promise
do situps and leg
startling results in just a
raises. I agreed
few minutes a day, three
with her, although
times a week. A person
I had no idea how
who’s already trim may get
she did those
noticeable results with that
two exercises all
approach, but anybody carday and into the
rying excess weight around
night. She told
the waist is going to have to
me she figured
Zabo Koszewski.
do a lot more than that. A
that on one busy
whole lot more.
Monday she did more than
If it were as easy to achieve a
1,500 situps and almost as many leg
six-pack as the marketers profess,
raises. Needless to say, she could
then the majority of those who
have done her laundry on her abs,
train would have them. Of course,
and she was an inspiration to the
The Ab Bench has a rounded back
pad for full-range action. It’s
the Rolls-Royce of ab machines
(available at Home-Gym.com).
Model: Tom Voss
members to put in more effort for
their midsections.
One of the reasons you don’t see
very many examples of fit abs is the
quick-fix mentality that dominates
our present culture. Whatever we
want, we want now. Forget lay-away; put it on the credit card. Need
to drop some weight? Take a pill—
faster and a hell of a lot easier than
dieting and exercising. That attitude
is what prompts the marketing
machines and fitness programs to
promise an easy, fast, painless solution to getting rid of pounds around
the middle.
I’m not saying that all of those
programs and machines aren’t effective, because some of them can be
if they’re worked consistently and
vigorously enough. To contend that
dramatic results can be achieved
Cable crunches are a good
alternative to on-the-floor
crunches, but don’t jerk
your torso down. Feel
your abs working.
Model: Dan Decker
Six-Pack Attack
with a minimum of effort only a few
days a week, however, is totally false.
The masses always embrace comfortable solutions to a problem over
difficult ones, but when your goal is
to burn off fat and build muscle in
its place, you must take exactly the
opposite course: Seek out a demanding routine and attack.
Creating a six-pack requires much
more than just exercising your abs
rigorously and consistently. Quite
often you have to alter your eating
habits drastically and become more
active. You may be able to build
a nice set of abdominals through
hard work, but if you’re still carrying
excess weight, nobody—including
you—will be able to see that newly
formed muscle.
I don’t plan on going into depth
on diet. Excellent articles dealing
with the subject appear in IRON
MAN each month—especially the
ones written by Jerry Brainum,
which provide valuable insight into
how to lose weight while maintaining your strength. Nevertheless,
here are a few tips that might help
you get started on shedding some
unwanted pounds.
• Eliminate all junk foods and
others that only provide empty
calories.
• Eat fewer carbs and build your
diet around protein.
• Take supplements to ensure that
you’re getting all the vital vitamins
and minerals as you lower your
Six-Pack Attack
Model: Federica Belli
on your nontraining days.
A friend of mine loves to
garden and work on his
lawn, and every summer
he drops a dozen pounds
doing just that.
For older trainees the quest for
a six-pack is even
tougher than it is for
the younger set, and
it has nothing to do with
eating habits or how active
they are. It all comes down
to Mother Nature. Until
the age of 40, men produce
an adequate amount of
testosterone and women
estrogen. That helps control fat allocation, keeping
it away from the abdomen,
and when the hormones
begin to decline, the fat
starts flowing from the legs,
hips and arms to the abs,
accumulating deep inside
the belly.
To add insult to injury,
once you hit 30, your lean
muscle mass decreases
by about a pound a year.
Those who aren’t active
enough discover that
muscle gets quickly reHanging kneeups.
placed by fat. You can’t
Tough but effective.
change the facts, but it’s
not a lost cause. Two studies that analyzed the effects of strength training in
adults between 50 and 70
calorie intake.
years old showed a 10 to 15
• Cut way back on
percent decrease in belly
sugar and products
fat despite no loss of bodyhigh in sugar content,
weight.
which includes many
A study published in
beverages.
the Journal of the AmeriAt the same time
can Medical Association
increase your
in 2003 explained that
activity level. It
women who exdoesn’t have to
ercised 30 to 45
be an organized
minutes a day,
class or regimen.
five days a week,
Just start walking a
for a year cut their
bit farther or participatbelly fat by 3 to 6 pering in some athletic activity.
cent. The more exercise
Here’s a truism that’s been
they did, the more belly fat
around for a long time: If you
they lost.
burn more calories than you
While we can’t do a hell
absorb, you’re going to lose weight.
of a lot about getting older,
If you eat more than you burn off,
we can stay active and, if we
you’ll gain. Every little bit counts.
follow a sensible eating plan, keep
Find something you enjoy, and do it
from becoming chubby with a pro-
TOO-QUICK FIX?
Should none of this advice appeal to you, you might want to try
what a physique contestant did in
Erie, Pennsylvania, where I was a
judge. To convey the illusion that
he had a six-pack, he shaved his
midsection, leaving thin, horizontal strips of hair to make it appear
that he was well-defined. It didn’t
work, but had I been awarding
points for creativity, I would have
given him high marks.
BOOMER ALERT
While I don’t think that men
under 40 need to be concerned
about their testosterone levels,
it’s a good idea for those older
than that to be checked out by
a doctor. It’s a simple blood test
and will determine whether your
level is below normal and needs
to improve. If it does, the doctor can prescribe testosterone
in a variety of forms: injections,
cream, patches and pills. Many
of my contemporaries use some
type of testosterone supplementation and swear by it. All contend
that the additional hormone gives
them extra energy, helps them
feel healthier and gives them a
more positive outlook on life. And
testosterone has been shown in
research to heighten fat burning,
especially in the midsection.
truding gut. Hey, I like sweets and
high-carb foods, too, and can’t say I
really enjoy pounding away on my
abs six days a week. After a trip to
the supermarket or mall, though, I
come home determined that I won’t
permit myself to get so lazy that I
look like 90 percent of the men I see
waddling around like whales out of
water. Laziness is what it’s all about
in the final analysis, laziness and
lack of discipline, which in a way are
the same thing.
Battling the bulge has much
greater implications than mere vanity. Accumulated belly fat can cause
serious health problems. Research
has associated it with increased
risk of heart disease, diabetes and
some forms of cancer. Two types
of fat have to be reckoned with: 1)
the subcutaneous kind, which that
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Model: Joey Gloor
lies just under
the skin, and 2)
visceral fat, which
develops deep
inside the abdomen and is the
more troublesome of the two.
The underlying
fat hampers the
liver’s processing
of cholesterol and
insulin, as well as
the normal functioning of other
tissues and systems. A study conducted by the VU
Medical Center in
Amsterdam found
a link between
accumulated visceral fat and capilI’m very aware of
lary inflammation,
the criticism about
which contributes
situps, that they
to heart disease,
involve the hips and
as well as insulin
legs too much. I don’t
resistance, a preconsider that a bad
cursor of diabetes.
thing.
So if you’ve let
yourself pack on
too many extra
pounds around your middle, it’s
time to get rid of it. Change your
eating habits, get in motion, and
begin a systematic routine for your
abs. The good news is that you can
alter the process, and there are
plenty of ab exercises to choose
from—many that you can do at
home without any sort of equipment.
My favorite has always been
bent-knee situps. You can do them
lying flat on the floor with your
toes hooked under the edge of a
couch, but I prefer doing them on
Excess blubber requires
a slight incline. Am I the only one
extreme action.
who’s noticed that situp boards
have vanished from gyms and fitand then slowly elevate the incline
ness facilities? They were always
so that he or she has to continuousan essential part of every gym until
ly work harder. Yet it’s not an abrupt
the supposedly more effective spechange.
cialized pieces came along. Situp
I’m very aware of the criticism
boards are now considered obsolete.
about situps, that they involve the
In a pig’s eye. Give me a situp board
hips and legs too much. I don’t
with a ladder so that the angle can
consider that a bad thing. It’s the
be changed and a willing subject,
reason I have athletes do situps as
and I can convert his flabby middle
part of their warmup. I want the
to a six-pack. One reason I like an
other groups to be part of the act,
adjustable situp station is that I can
and, regardless of whether the hips
start someone on the lowest rung
•
•
•
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Six-Pack Attack
to scorch your abs, you
need to do very high reps.
That doesn’t mean you
should avoid the various
forms of kneeups. They
help strengthen the
abs, particularly the
lower ones, and that,
in turn, enables you
to do higher reps
on other ab movements. Plus, they
add variety to
the overall ab
program. Keep
in mind that
the lower
abs require
more at-
Situps and crunches
primarily hit the upper
abs and leg raises and
reverse crunches the
lower, so they make a
perfect team.
Model: Joey Gloor
but it sure worked.
When I went to the gym,
I took advantage of a chinning bar to do another ab
exercise, kneeups while
hanging from the bar. They served
as warmups for my weight workout and helped add to the workload for my abdominals. They’re
also called frog kicks, and we used
to do them after an isotonic-isometric workout at York, not so much
to strengthen our abs as to relieve
stress to the back.
The only problem with hanging
kneeups and kneeups done while
locked in a piece of equipment
especially designed for the purpose
is that you can’t do very many, and
Model: Ceasar Martinez
and legs are helping out, when you
move your situps from 100 reps to
200, your abs are carrying the bulk
of the load.
The adjustable situp station is
also great for leg raises, another of
my preferred ab exercises. Situps
primarily hit the upper abs and leg
raises the lower, so they make a perfect team. As in all ab exercises, you
bend your knees. Start with your
feet just off the situp board, and
then lift them up until your legs are
vertical. That’s as high as they need
to go. As with situps, start at a low
angle, and when you reach a certain
goal, move the board up a bit higher
to increase the resistance.
Another excellent lower-ab exercise you can do on an adjustable
slant board is the kneeup. You do
it much the way you do the leg
lift, but instead of raising your
entire leg, you pull your knees
only up toward your chest. I
like doing both kneeups and leg
raises; each works the abs a bit
differently, and that’s always a
positive factor.
Having an adjustable slant
board available at home is most
helpful in your quest for a sixpack. It enables you to do ab
work on your nontraining days,
and that extra work will bear
dividends over time. I’m not sure
slant boards are even
sold anymore, but
they’re not that hard to
make. Once I discovered that the Church
College Gym in Laie,
Hawaii, didn’t have a
situp board, I decided
to get one and use it
at home, which was a
small house. I nosed
around and found an
old discarded two-by10 and carried it home.
I propped it on my
back stairs, padded it
with a towel, used my
lifting belt as a strap
and was able to do
situps, leg raises and
kneeups rather easily.
Whenever I reached
a certain number of
reps, I raised the incline to make the exercises harder. Not fancy,
Six-Pack Attack
Model: Tom Voss
tention than the upper: The
upper abs are involved in
numerous exercises, while the
lower aren’t. Squats, triceps
pushdowns, straight-arm
pullovers, benches, inclines
and even curls influence the
upper abs much more than
the lower ones.
It should go without saying
that every ab exercise affects
all bodyparts to some degree.
Crunches are helpful in trimming belly fat. They have
two advantages over situps:
They’re much easier to do and
can be done in almost any
way. All you need is a floor.
You can do crunches with
your feet on the floor, but
they’re more beneficial if you
place your feet on a chair or
couch. A few form pointers:
• Keep your lower abs flat
As we age, hormone
and contracted throughout
decline can make ripped
the exercise.
abs harder to achieve—
• If your lower abdomen
but it can be done.
extends up and down during
the crunching movement, the
A common problem with
exercise is less productive.
crunches is that your neck
• At the end of each rep, squeeze
starts hurting long before
your abs as tightly as you can.
your abs tire. That makes
many people stop
Dave Goodin, age 48.
doing the exercise, but
that’s the wrong approach. Stick with them,
and increase your reps
slowly. Your neck’s hurting
because it’s relatively weak. As
you increase the reps, your neck
will get stronger, so you can add
even more reps to the exercise.
Or you can take another course
of action to speed the strengthening of the weak area. While recuperating from hip surgery, I was
unable to do either situps or leg
raises, so I decided that crunches
were my next best choice. By the
time I got to 100 reps at my first
session, my neck started cramping, and I had to stop. Knowing I
needed to strengthen my neck if
I planned on doing higher reps, I
began dynamic-tension exercises
for my neck at night while watching TV. It helped right away. The
next day I was able to do 125 before
my neck gave out, and the following day I reached 150. Between the
dynamic-tension exercises and
moving up
each time I
crunched, my
neck got considerably stronger—so
much so that after a
few months I’d increased to 550 reps. I
could have done even
more, but I figured
that was enough.
Plus, I was bored
out of my mind
and was
tickled when I could
finally do situps and leg raises again.
I still work crunches into my program at least once a week, however,
because I think it activates the abs
in a manner different from other
exercises.
Reverse crunches provide variety,
and I often mix them in with regular
crunches. You can do them lying
on the floor or on an incline bench.
Place your hands behind your
head—or on the floor should you
need them to aid with balance—and
elevate your legs to a vertical position while keeping your glutes flat.
Now lift your hips and glutes up for
about six inches. That slight movement may not seem like much until
you’ve counted a couple dozen reps.
Ab-solute sex appeal. A
tight, toned midsection
makes you more
confident and attractive.
Then you’ll feel it in your lower abs.
It’s another ab exercise that you can
do anywhere, so it’s good to know
how to do it.
The ab wheel is an apparatus
that’s been around for some time
and can definitely help you gain
that elusive six-pack. It’s very handy,
can be used in a small space and
travels well. What you need to understand about the ab wheel, however, is that it’s an advanced piece of
equipment, not a toy. When it was
first introduced, hundreds of men
and women injured their shoulders,
backs and abs at the initial workout.
Once you start the wheel in motion,
you must have sufficient strength
in nearly all your muscles to be able
to control it. Otherwise, it will just
keep on rolling.
With that in mind, start out cautiously. Stay on your knees until
you’re confident that you can
handle the stress, and then get up
on your toes. One drawback to the
ab wheel is that very few people can
do high reps due to a weakness in
some area. That means you have to
do several sets to achieve significant
results—which is okay. Intersperse
the sets throughout your workout,
or use the wheel on your nonlifting
days.
If your fitness facility has a lat
machine, you can make it into a
useful ab station. Some machines
come equipped with a small Vshaped attachment for that pur-
pose. On some you can face the
machine, whereas on others
you must have your back to
it in order to get a full range
of motion without the cable
bothering you. Also, certain
machines let you sit on a bench
and do the exercise. On most,
you have to kneel.
Wrap a towel around the bar
or attachment, lock it against
your forehead, and pull down
into a tight crunch. In the
event a lat machine isn’t available, get help from a training
partner. Roll up a towel, grip
the two ends, and hold them
against the sides of your head.
Your partner locks on to the
center of the towel and provides resistance as you crunch.
Both forms of the exercise are
extremely effective, as you’ll
quickly learn.
I covered specific exercises for the
obliques and transverse abdominis
when I talked in this space about
lateral strength (Only the Strong
Shall Survive, December ’07), so I
won’t go into them again. Just remember that they should be a part
of your overall ab routine, since they
also help shape the midsection.
Try to do at least one exercise for
the lower abs and one for the upper
at every session. I like to break them
up by doing situps as part of my
warmup and leg raises to finish off.
There’s no reason you can’t do additional ab work on your nontraining days. There’s plenty you can do
without any specialized equipment.
It’s mostly a matter of how badly you
want an impressive midsection.
Eat a healthful diet, get active,
and hit your abs diligently. Even
though you may not achieve that
elusive six-pack, at least you won’t
look as if you’re carrying a keg under
your shirt.
MAKE
THE
SWITCH
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—Strength
Training for Football, which is available for $20 plus shipping from
Home Gym Warehouse. Call (800)
447-0008, or visit www.Home-Gym
.com. IM
Available in
Fruit Punch & Lemon Lime
Anabolic Switch:
Multi-Phasic
Creatine Complex
with Beta Alanine
& BCAA’s
For more information, visit
www.mri-performance.com
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Mind/Body
BOMBER BLAST
Blast Not, Lose Much
Don’t stop pumping
W
e need to talk. Where have you been lately? You’re
not at the gym; we haven’t seen you at the health
food store, and it’s reported you no longer jog around
the park. Going through your garbage, we found crushed pizza
boxes, empty beer cans (you should recycle), Big Gulp containers
and Twinkie wrappers.
We’re worried about you—we being the notorious Bomber
Online Muscle Bureau, or BOMB, Squad. We’ll stop at nothing to
restore your commitment to blasting the iron.
He who blasts, lasts.
What possesses a man or woman to abandon his or her training has long been a mystery to the Bomber psychotherapeutic
clinicians. There are countless reasons blended with assorted
excuses, and many are valid: loss of interest and disappointment,
troublesome, tiresome and painful. All are sufficient grounds for
giving up mere exercise. Ah, but not for aborting one’s solid and
bold training.
Exercise and training are as alike as Playschool and Princeton,
the Book-of-the-Month Club and the Marines. Exercise is walking, occasional jumping jacks and eating your veggies. Training is
pushing the iron with passion and
balancing your protein intake with
valuable carbohydrates, fats and
micronutrients. Exercise is cute;
training is powerful.
Bombers are either training or
discovering training. They have
exercised and endured and are
evolving as ironheads with calluses, a repertoire of routines
for power, mass and muscular
definition and a cupboard full
of supplements. Mere exercise
has been replaced with a training lifestyle that positively affects
everything in their lives, job, sport,
relationships, health, nature, mind
and soul.
As so aptly avowed in the
hallowed pages of Zen and the
Resounding Clang of Iron, training
is not time-consuming; training is.
Training is not effortful; training is.
How, then, do they become
the center of a BOMB Squad
investigation? Why and where
did they go wrong? Are they in a
slump, under a spell, over a bar-
rel, in the closet or out to lunch? The depths of a man’s mind are
unfathomable.
An aggressive confrontation with the “what ifs?” of the situation
will resolve the matter. No man or woman of sound mind can walk
away from the steel-hard, iron-cold truth.
What if I don’t train and what if I do? Let’s take a look at the
possibilities and make a choice.
Remember, training is the devoted practice of well-planned
weightlifting, smart eating and daily care and rest. Training is not
walking the dog, eating celery sticks and holding your stomach in.
What if I don’t train? Holy smoking guns! Just presenting the
notion causes me to cringe, like I made a blasphemous statement before the raging spirits of muscle and power. The thunder I
heard, that flash of light—tell me these were my imagination.
Let’s try that again. Ask yourself, What if I don’t train?
• You shrivel up and die within seconds. Just kidding! It takes
days. Still kidding. Personally, I’m hoping humor will protect me
from obliteration, an old-fashioned superstition steeped in mystery
and fact. When I don’t train (never happens), I slyly wear a wooden cross around my neck to guard me from demons.
• Guilt is immediate and eats away
at the soul.
• The muscles die from lack of
stimulation and tender, loving care.
• You become confused—life and
things become less clear. Disorder
rules, collapse is inevitable.
• You care less, as there is less to
care for and care about.
• Stress mounts, as that which
dissipated the dreadful disease is no
longer present.
• People point and stare and whisper about your squishy arms and jelly
belly. People can be cruel.
• What once was light in weight
becomes indescribably heavy. Oooff
is an unappealing (and most revealing) sound you make more and more
frequently, like, when carrying out the
garbage.
• Your snug T-shirt fits like a sack
and your baggy sweatpants like a
leotard. Cute.
• You find it fatiguing to order pizza
and beer from Joe’s Place. You wish
they’d just send it automatically.
• Great energy is expended moving
Neveux \ Model: Hidetada Yamagishi
MIND/BODY MIND/BODY MIND/BODY MIND/BODY MIND/BODY MIND/BODY MIND/BODY MIND/BODY MIND/BODY MIND/BODY MIND/BODY MIND/BODY MIND/BODY MIND/BODY MIND/WB
MIND/BODY
from the recliner to bed after the late show, never mind moving
iron from the squat rack to the bench press after work.
• The only discipline you exhibit is when your dog drags you
around the block for the evening poop ’n’ scoop. Down, Spot.
What if I do train?
• Your stored fat and sugar will supply the fuel to get you in
motion and recommence the muscle-building process.
• Guilt vanishes, attitude brightens, and you glow.
• Life makes sense and purpose returns, and friendly calluses
appear on your strong hands.
• Stress evaporates with each set and rep and groan of exertion.
• Daily living is less of an effort, or rather, no effort at all, and
between supersets you find yourself pleasantly daydreaming of a
long and productive retirement. Focus! No daydreaming between
sets!
• The sun shines, the birds sing, the flowers grow and little
children play again. Hi, Mister, what big muscles you have.
• Walk past a construction site, girls, and the guys whistle.
Guys are as dumb as wood.
• Pizza and beer are replaced by Bomber Blend Muscle Makers.
• You consider canceling your will and life insurance. Who
needs it?
• Discipline is restored, procrastination is eradicated, and tasks
become incidentals.
• Joy is discovered in labor, and thanks are given on all occasions.
• Energy is restored and perseverance is revived, and both are
applied as regularly as breathing in and breathing out.
• True self-confidence replaces fragile wishful thinking. I can do
this!
When confronted with the grim choice, to train or not to train,
don’t think about it. That’s not a choice; that’s a no-brainer. Go
to the gym and engage the entire body in a healthful, sporty and
muscle-building workout.
More thoughts for the earnest:
• Anything is better than nothing. Just be there. It only gets
better.
• Do what you want to do and what you like to do, not what
you think you must do. Don’t be a taskmaster. Not yet, anyway!
• Good workouts are alive with the sound of music. Listen.
Sing along, hum, tap your feet. Do something!
• The first exercise is the hardest. The first sets and reps count.
Engage! Momentum is near and momentum builds.
• Training is not going through the motions, an irritable thing to
be gotten out of the way or a chore to be over and done with.
• Training is a primary source of light and life. Wake up, breathe
deeply, look around and give thanks. You are here and now, the
beginning and end. Hello.
• Basic and simple, push and pull, trust, be consistent and
develop.
• No junk food, no whimpering, no leaving till you’re done.
In doubt, fed up, lost, up to your ears and otherwise blue?
Train every other day with the weights for 30 to 60 minutes, and
cycle and work midsection on the alternate days for 30 minutes.
All better now!
Choose five push and pull exercises
for three sets of eight to 10 repetitions
(my choice: dumbbell incline presses,
seated rows, low-reaching lying triceps
extensions, barbell curls and bentover lateral raises). That’s all it takes to
jump-start a winged machine. Once
she’s sputtering, she’ll pick up speed
and catch some air, and flight is as real
and miraculous as the stars in the sky.
They went that away, sky high and
star bound.
—Dave Draper
Editor’s note: For more from Dave Draper, visit www.Dave
Draper.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.
Mood Food
New Buzz
On
honey
A
study
out of
New
Zealand suggests that honey
can improve
age-related
memory decline
and some types
of stress. In the
animal-based
experiment the
mice that got
honey as part
of their diets had better spatial memory and were
less anxious. It could be due to key antioxidants
that honey contains.
—Becky Holman
www.X-tremeLean.com
Immunity
Meditation
Sensation
A
ccording to Michael F. Roizen,
M.D., and Mehmet C. Oz, M.D., “One of
the secrets to controlling
your immunity is the vagus
nerve. It provides a high-speed line of information to the
brain from the gut, where battles with bugs are continually raging. Knowledge of the vagus’ role is all about
mind over matter.”
The good doctors go on to explain that meditation is
excellent training for the vagus nerve, which is why putting yourself in a relaxing trance regularly helps bolster
the immune system as you age.
Hmm, aren’t your weight workouts like meditation? A
little self-hypnosis on the beach may help too.
—Becky Holman
www.X-tremeLean.com
MIND/BODY BodySpace Physique of the Month
MIND/BODY
hether it is her amazing physique or distinctive look
I am not sure, but Ava Cowan demands attention.
Ava was an unknown in the fitness business just
two years ago. As a matter of fact, she wasn’t even fit. By her
own description she was 5’4”, 135 pounds, 22 percent bodyfat and had no muscle definition. She had abused herself
with drugs and alcohol.
As she said, “If you are attractive, it is easy to hide being
unhealthy, even from yourself.”
At 34, she knew she needed a change and decided that
maybe a career as a physical trainer might be a good idea.
Odd, considering she wasn’t even going to the gym, but it
turned out to be a good plan. Inspired by magazines and the
ever amazing Monica Brant, she worked hard and decided
that competing in figure might be in her future. Ava shared
that plan with her guy at the time (he’s long gone now), who
thought it was a terrible idea. Telling Ava no is not how you
get her to back down or keep her around.
In the past two years Ava’s journey has taken
her to the competition stage. You may have
seen her in magazine features, on the covers of
many of them. She writes and encourages the
health and fitness goals of others. Every day all
kinds of people, especially women, write to Ava
asking about losing weight, prepping for shows
and getting healthy. Her favorite place to interact with all is on BodySpace at BodyBuilding.
com.
“BodySpace has helped me reach out to so
many like-minded people who have a real interest in health and fitness and truly have legitimate questions.” And that, says Ava, is her life’s
goal and purpose.
—Ian Sitren
Editor’s note: You can visit Ava Cowan at
http://bodyspace.bodybuilding.com/
AvaCowan.
Photography by Ian Sitren \ SecondFocus
Ava Cowan
W
MIND/BODY Hygeine
Washing Up Down
A
new study suggests that Americans
aren’t washing up in public restrooms.
Researchers observed the behavior of
more than
6,000 people in New York, Atlanta, Chicago and San Francisco and found that 77 percent
washed their hands after a
restroom visit, compared to 83
percent in 2005. You may think
that’s an uninteresting statistic,
but consider that many infectious
diseases are spread via germs
on the hands. According to the
Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, the single most important thing we can do to keep from
getting infectious diseases and spreading them to others is to clean our
hands. Colds, flu and many food-borne illnesses are spread by unclean
hands—so take a little extra time and wash up!
—Becky Holman
Hardgainers, Get Happy!
Guess which body type ladies love most
f you’re an ectomorph, a
thin, hardgainer type, often
frustrated because it’s so
hard to add muscle—there’s
much to be thankful for. Your
body type is the one most
women find sexiest.
Most women find bulbous
pecs grotesque, and ponderous thighs that touch from
crotch to knee make us flee.
It’s the leaner look that gets
us ready to cook!
Yes, I’m biased. My husband is the ectomorphic type,
but that’s what first attracted
me to him—lean with just the
right amount of muscle. As
he’s a bodybuilder, his lack of
hyper hypertrophy has often
caused him grief. If you’re in
that boat, a new study should
perk you up.
UCLA researchers analyzed the photos that 141 women chose as most
desireable from a physical standpoint. The photos were of shirtless men.
Almost all of the women picked leaner guys over those with excessive
muscle mass. The researchers believe it’s a choice governed by the biological instinct to seed a healthy, nonthreatening mate.
—Becky Holman
Neveux \ Model: Brent Kutlesa
I
MIND/BODY New Stuff
Freak Fix
MIND/BODY
™
Molecularly enhanced
muscle-synthesizing
protein matrix
F
reak Fix is the first molecularly
enhanced muscle-synthesizing
protein matrix created to assemble 100 percent pure, unadulterated
muscle. Forged from unique musclemodifying factors, including an ultrarefined, biologically enhanced whey
protein, Freak Fix is doctored with an
insanely anabolic amino acid profile.
The formulation is so potent, even the
lipid sources are designed to enhance
your muscularity. Here is its powerful,
unorthodox ingredient profile:
• Whey Protein. An indispensable part of the bodybuilding diet, it
provides the amino acids used in the
maintenance and building of critical
muscle tissues, various regulatory
functions and energy production.
• Creatine monohydrate. Enhances the ability to produce higher
muscular force and/or power output,
aids in postworkout recovery and
increases lean muscle mass.
• Branched-chain amino
acids (BCAAs). L-leucine, L-isoleucine and L-valine are considered
essential components of the human
diet and make up one-third of muscle
protein in humans. More important,
L-leucine is associated with increased
phosphorylation in skeletal-muscle tissue, stimulating protein synthesis and
anabolism.
• Taurine. This amino acid can
support cell volumization and insulin
sensitivity.
• Betaine. An osmolyte and
methyl donor—osmolytes play a role in
maintaining cell hydration, cell volume
and fluid balance. Research shows
that cellular hydration is important for
anabolism and protein synthesis.
Betaine is also involved in important
biochemical reactions in the body that
involve methyl groups. The body uses
methyl groups to help in detoxification
processes and even to help generate important muscle-building compounds, such as creatine.
• Beta-alanine. A powerful muscle-building agent that is a precursor of
the dipeptide carnosine (beta-alanyl-Lhistidine).
• Medium-chain triglycerides.
Because they’re a specialized fatty
acid that’s easily absorbed, digested
and used as energy, they don’t get
stored in adipose cells the way other
forms of dietary fat do. MCTs help
conserve lean body mass by preventing muscle protein from being used as
energy.
• Essential fatty acids. These
vital nutrients play a critical role in
hormone production, increasing insulin sensitivity, and improving the
anti-inflammatory response to intense
training.
Driving the extremely powerful Freak
Fix formula is a state-of-the-art breakthrough wave pulse technology. Specifically designed to improve dynamic
nutrient transport, delivery and uptake,
wave pulse technology gives Freak Fix
the power to invade damaged muscle
tissue for extreme muscle growth.
For more on Altered State and other
new and innovative Muscle Asylum
Project products, vist
MuscleAsylumProject.com.
References
DiPasquale, M. (1997). Amino Acids
and Proteins for the Athlete: The Anabolic Edge. Boca Raton: CRC Press.
Graham, A.S., and Hatton, R.C.
(1999). Creatine: A review of efficacy
and safety. J Am Pharm Assoc. 39(6):
803.
Craig, S. (2004). Betaine in human
nutrition. Am J Clin Nutr. 80:539-49.
MIND/BODY New Stuff
MIND/BODY
Go Bananas—and Grow
New Labrada Nutrition RTD
L
abrada Nutrition has just
released its Bananas
and Cream Hi-Protein
Milk Shake in resealable
containers. It’s the third flavor
in the ready-to-drink line;
the others are chocolate ice
cream and vanilla ice cream.
According to Lee Labrada,
Labrada Nutrition CEO and
IFBB pro bodybuilding hall-offamer, “The new Lean Body
Bananas and Cream shakes
taste great yet contain zero
sugar and are low in fat. They
taste just like a fresh, cold,
creamy milk shake you make
in a blender with bananas and
ice cream!”
Lean Body ready-to-drink
shakes provide athletes and
bodybuilders with a quick,
all-in-one nutrition solution for
building muscle and burning
fat. Here’s what you get in
every 17-ounce shake:
• Award-winning taste—just like a
delicious, creamy milk shake!
• 40 grams of protein, 25 percent
more than the leading RTD.
• Half the fat of the leading RTD.
• Zero sugar—great for low-carb
diets.
• Lactosefree—no bloating or stomach
upset.
• 20 percent
of the recommended daily
intake of fiber—
to improve
digestion and
cardiovascular
health.
• No trans
fats.
• 22 vitamins
and minerals.
• Patented
container with
resealable
top—delivers
more undenatured protein
than canned
protein drinks.
Labrada
products are distributed nationally and
internationally through health food
stores, fitness centers and gyms and
other retail outlets. Or you can click
your way to the company’s Web site,
www.Labrada.com.
www.Home-Gym.com
Best Sellers
DVDs/Videos:
1) “Jay Cutler—One
Step Closer”
3) Ronnie Coleman’s Hardcore
2) “2005 Mr. Olympia”
4) The Precontest Bible by
Larry Pepe
3) “Ronnie Coleman:
Relentless”
5) Size Surge 2 by IRON
MAN Publishing
4) “IRON MAN’s Swimsuit Spectacular #9”
5) “’07 IRON MAN Pro”
Books:
1) 10-Week Size Surge
by IRON MAN Publishing
2) The 7-Minute Rotator Cuff Solution by Joseph Horrigan, D.C.,
and Jerry Robinson
Top E-book:
3D Muscle Building—Featuring Positions of Flexion
and the 20-Pounds-of-Muscle-in-10-Weeks Program
by Steve Holman and Jonathan Laws on (available at
www.3DMuscleBuilding
.com).
Isaac Hinds \ www.LiftStudios.com
Isaac Hinds
M IN D/BODY I R O N M A N R isin g S t a r s
Brooke Brusch
Height: 5’6”
Contest Highlights: ’07 NPC USA
Figure Championships, D class, 5th;
’07 Colorado Figure Championships,
2nd
Factoids: She owns two pug puppies
(her babies) and loves to make people
laugh.
Roland Balik
Roland Balik
M IND/BODY I R O N M A N R isi n g S t a r s
Erich Blancaflor
Merv
Weight: 198 (contest)
Height: 5’8”
Contest Highlights: ’07 Junior NPC
Nationals, light heavyweight, 2nd;
’07 USA Championships, light heavyweight, 7th
Factoid: first-generation American;
German mother, Filipino father.
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Readers Write
February 2008
Arthur Jones Jubilation
I was sad to hear of Arthur Jones’ passing but overjoyed
that one bodybuilding magazine, IRON MAN, recognized
his phenomenal accomplishments in the fitness and
bodybuilding world. The man was a genius, no doubt in
my mind. Sure, he had an eccentric streak, but that’s what
made him such a memorable character. One oversight on
IM’s part, however, was leaving out Casey Viator’s before
and after photos from the Colorado experiment. As far
as bodybuilding goes, that was one of Jones’ crowning
achievements. Helping Casey pack on 60 pounds of muscle
in four weeks was nothing short of amazing!
Jerry McFarland
via Internet
Editor’s note: We were so concerned about having
plenty of photos of Arthur in the tribute by Roger Schwab
that we forgot to include Casey’s photos from that sensational case study. Here they are. By the way, did you know
that Jones trained with Casey during the experiment, and,
although already past middle age and nursing a bad cold,
he put on an impressive 20 pounds of muscle in that same
four weeks—with just 12 30-minute workouts.
Casey Viator built 60 pounds of muscle in four weeks
with Arthur Jones pushing him at every workout.
Nonembarrassing Mag
I want to thank you for a couple of things. First for the
magazine itself. IRON MAN is the only sane, nonembarrassing bodybuilding magazine. Also, thank you for keeping Mike Menzter and his work alive and your recent
tribute to Arthur Jones in the December ’07 issue. I never
met Jones in person, but I did converse with him over the
telephone, and despite his gruff reputation, he was very
nice. I am saddened that the original Nautilus machines are
now history pieces. I have trained with everything out there
since the 1970s, and the best equipment line I ever experienced was the original Nautilus hooked up to compressed
air for added negative emphasis. Few people used [Nautilus
machines] correctly or got the supervision they needed [to
get the best results]. I just wanted to thank you and let you
know that there is a silent crowd (the nonbonehead bodybuilder majority?) out there that loved the original Nautilus
machines and learned a great deal from Jones.
Bill Nolan
via Internet
Editor’s note: Sane, nonembarrasing bodybuilding
magazine. We like that and couldn’t have said it better ourselves. We don’t want our readers to have to tell the cashier
at the newsstand that they are buying it for their weird,
unstable cousin.
Awesome Arms
I want to comment on Paul Burke’s Mature Muscle column in the November ’07 issue [“Bigger Arms: Short-Biceps
Solutions”]. He wrote that anyone with a wrist measuring
6 3/4 inches or less would never be able to build arms to a
size approaching 20 inches. That’s incorrect information.
My wrists measure 6 3/4 inches, and I built my upper arms
to almost 22 inches. I’ve trained with numerous men over
the years who built arms over 19 inches, and the majority
of them had small wrists. I have also trained men with big
wrist measurements who couldn’t build arms over 17 3/4.
Wrist size has absolutely nothing to do with potential arm
size. The real determining factors are the numbers and
types of muscle fibers in the biceps and triceps and the
length of the muscle bellies of those muscles. Of course,
training smart is vital also.
Jim Hafer
via Internet
Editor’s note: We agree and have proof here in our
own backyard. Jonathan Lawson’s wrists measure less than
seven inches, and his arms measure more than 19 inches—and
they’re still
growing.
For info on
his training see the
review of
his new
e-book,
X-traordinary Arms,
written
with Steve
Holman,
on page
255, or
visit www
.X-Rep.
Jonathan Lawson’s 19-plus-inch arm
com.
measurement—wrists less than seven inches
Vol. 67, No. 2: 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 © 2008. All rights reserved. No part of this magazine may be
reproduced in any manner without written permission from the publisher. Printed in the USA.

Iron Man magazine 2008 02 - Bodybuilding magazine free

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