Iron Man Magazine 2007 02

Transcription

NOVEMBER 2006 / IRON MAN MAGAZINE—WE KNOW TRAINING™
70th Anniversary Collector’s Issue: Legendary Pics!
™
MORE
MUSCLE!
70TH ANNIVERSARY ISSUE
•Killer Quad
Routine
•Monster
Bench Press
Program
•New Super
Size-andStrength
Supplement
NOVEMBER 2006
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•10 Steps to Reaching Your Bodybuilding Goals
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www.ironmanmagazine.com \ APRIL 2006 261
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Greg is a former Army Ranger and was
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150 DECEMBER 2009 \ www.ironmanmagazine.com
February 2007
Vol. 66, No. 2
Hardbody,
page 258
We Know Training™
FEATURES
FEATURES
60 TRAIN, EAT, GROW 88
Back to Power week with our TEG men, who are still loving—and thriving on—their 3D P/RR/S program.
94 POWERFUL MUSCLE MEDICINE 3
John Little continues his interview with Doug McGuff, M.D.
This month it’s about the periodization myth, overtraining
and reaching your genetic potential in only one year.
114 DERIK FARNSWORTH
David Young tallks to IFBB pro Derik Farnsworth about
competing against goliaths and the training he’s using to
become the next giant killer.
FULL-PAGE PULL-OUT PICS OF THE WORLD’S FITTEST FEMALES
136 3D CALF TRAINING
It’s a mass-building excerpt from the
best-selling 3D Muscle Building ebook. Positions of Flexion, X Reps,
and a new pair of shoes can turn
your calves into Brahma bulls.
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FAST-MASS FACTS
And the Science
of Muscle Size
Hardbody Extra!
Figure O Champ Jenny Lynn
3D CALVES
Build Lower Legs
From the Fourth
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156 A BODYBUILDER IS
BORN 19
Jay Cutler
Olympia
Pictorial,
page 252
Ron Harris shows his young protégé
why it’s best to live to fight another
day. (In other words, don’t train when
you’re sick, dude—and stop coughing on me.)
FEBRUARY 2007
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PLUS:
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•Fitness, Figure and Ms. Olympia Coverage
•What It Takes to Gain Mega Strength
C1_FEB2007_03alt_F.indd 1
174 SCIENCE OF MUSCLE GROWTH
Renowned researcher Jerry Brainum explores and solves
many of the mysteries of anabolic actions. Plus, our topsix muscle growth facts you can use to get huge.
206 HEAVY DUTY
John LIttle explores the wisdom of Mike Mentzer.
214 IFBB FIGURE, FITNESS AND MS.
OLYMPIAS
3D Calf Training,
page 136
Big full-page pic after full-page pic of the best female
bodies in the business—direct from Sin City!
Figure, Fitness and
Ms. Olympias,
page 214
248 MICKEY HARGITAY: IN MEMORIAM
252 JAY CUTLER OLYMPIA PICTORIAL
A photo tribute to the new king of bodybuilding. (More
incredible in-your-face full-page pics here, gang! )
258 HARDBODY
Speaking of incredible pics, you won’t believe your eyes
when you check out these Neveux shots of the new
Figure Olympia champ, Jenny Lynn. Whew!
278 ONLY THE STRONG SHALL SURVIVE
Bill Starr clues you in on what it takes to achieve mega
strength. Mucho mass is sure to follow.
12/1/06 12:18:17 PM
Steve Namat, Timea
Majorova and Jenny
Lynn (inset) appear on
this month’s cover. Hair
and makeup Teri Groves.
Photos by Michael Neveux
Derik Farnsworth,
page 114
DEPARTMENTS
30 TRAIN TO GAIN
Are front or back squats best for putting more size on
your thighs? Plus, Sportsmedicine scribe Joe Horrigan
looks at the stiff-legged deadlift.
44 SMART TRAINING
Coach Charles Poliquin looks at some calf training and
gaining mistakes and the mechanical-advantage extended set. (Robot spotters? No, guess again.)
50 EAT TO GROW
Feeding the female athlete, caffeine can get you lean
and sunny D (new facts on the sunshine vitamin).
78 CRITICAL MASS
Steve Holman has solutions for high-pec mass and
rounder delts—and a pro-bodybuilder smackdown.
82 NATURALLY HUGE
John Hansen maps out a three-days-per-week get-big
program. (Yep, you gotta squat, but only once a week.)
Only The
Strong Shall
Survive,
page 278
238 MUSCLE “IN” SITES
Eric Broser gives you the URL of that cool site at which
you can do your own comparisons of the Mr. O competitors (you are the head judge!). Also, check out his new
Net Results Q&A—info from across the Web landscape.
242 NEWS & VIEWS
Lonnie Teper follows up his ode to the Olympia with his
hot NPC Nationals coverage and commentary.
272 PUMP & CIRCUMSTANCE
Train to Gain,
page 30
Ruth Silverman’s got the goods on the great female
competitors at the Nationals. Luckily, she had her trusty
camera, which means more hot pics for us, gang.
292 MIND/BODY CONNECTION
News & Views, page 24
Pump & Circumstance,
page 272
Randall Strossen, Ph.D., warns, repeat for defeat. Dave
Draper lights the Bomber Q&A fuse. Plus, Y3 is here.
300 BODYBUILDING PHARMACOLOGY
Jerry Brainum’s second hit on whether to get off the
pot—as in marijuana—or not.
304 READERS WRITE
Comments on our 70th anniversary issue as well as on
Dr. McGuff’s training stuff.
WEB ALERT!
In the next IRON MAN
Next month it’s our always incredible over-40
bodybuilding issue. Learn what it takes to build and
maintain your best physique ever into middle age
from folks like Skip La Cour, Dave Fisher and Rachel
McLish, and catch our hard-hitting interview with
legendary bodybuilder Bill Grant, who’s now 60 and
has muscles that rival competitors half his age.
Plus, DHEA is back, with new studies to back the
claims of its testosterone-promoting power. Is it for
you? We have answers. Watch for the mind-blowing,
age-mowing March IRON MAN on newsstands the
first week of February.
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John Balik’s
Founders
1936-1986:
Peary & Mabel Rader
Publisher’s Letter
Making History
Because Peary and Mabel Rader, who
founded Iron Man in 1936, had such a profound influence on the world of muscle,
strength and fitness and such a prominent
place in this publication’s history, I feel a
strong responsibility to illuminate and incorporate the history of the iron game where it
seems appropriate. As part of the IRON MAN
Pro/FitExpo Weekend, I created an award in
their names to celebrate those individuals
who, like the Raders, have made significant
contributions to our world. Vince Gironda,
Joe Weider and Jack LaLanne are a few of the
legends we’ve honored. This year we will posthumously add Mickey Hargitay to the list.
Hargitay always had vision, both as a competitor in the ’50s and as
a friend, confidant and benefactor of many in our world throughout
his life. Like Arnold, who played him in “The Jayne Mansfield Story,”
Mickey remained involved and never forgot that bodybuilding had been
his stepping-stone to all that came after it. He loved it dearly and never
stopped promoting it.
Last summer, I had the honor of presenting to him the Muscle Beach
Hall of Fame Award, and for anyone who was there to see and hear him,
it was a moving experience. Hargitay was one of Arnold’s heroes, and
Arnold, his fellow immigrant, used the same pathway to success through
bodybuilding as he had. Mickey’s acceptance speech showed not only
his great love of bodybuilding but also his love for the United States and
the opportunities it gave him. The speech was patriotic in the best sense
of the word.
Mickey passed away on September 14, 2006, and Gene Mozée has
written a tribute to him, which appears on page 248. Mickey will receive
the ’07 Peary and Mabel Rader Lifetime Achievement Award at the IRON
MAN Pro in Pasadena on February 17.
Mike Mentzer has a strong following as one of the modern pioneers
of high-intensity/short-duration training, but not everyone embraces
his theories. This magazine, which from its beginning espoused hard,
brief workouts in contrast to the marathons of the so-called champs that
were promoted by others, realizes the value of his philosophy as part of
an overall approach to training. IRON MAN is unique in that we feature
a variety of training techniques because we’ve found that there is no
universal routine that brings optimum results to everyone. (You’ll find
Heavy Duty, John Little’s monthly discussion of Mentzer’s training theories, on page 206.)
Again, history is important—the various training methods didn’t just
pop into being but evolved as experience and science expanded our
knowledge. Steve Holman’s experience—and his creative mind—have
brought forth two additions to the arsenal of effective training weapons:
His Positions of Flexion gives everyone a clear path to total muscular
development, and his more recent exploration of X Reps has pinpointed
the science on why POF—and X Reps—work. Read “3D Calf Training,”
which starts on page 136, for more on his breakthrough ideas.
If you’ve found a system through your own experience that has
brought you exceptional results, we’d like to hear about it. Please write to
me at [email protected]. For more than 70 years IRON MAN has been
the go-to source for training info. As we say, “We know training.” IM
26 FEBRUARY 2007 \ www.ironmanmagazine.com
Publisher/Editorial Director: John Balik
Associate Publisher: Warren Wanderer
Design Director: Michael Neveux
Editor in Chief: Stephen Holman
Art Director: T. S. Bratcher
Senior Editor: Ruth Silverman
Editor at Large: Lonnie Teper
Articles Editors: L.A. Perry, Caryne Brown
Assistant Art Director: Aldrich Bonifacio
Designer: Emerson Miranda
IRON MAN Staff:
Vuthy Keo, Mervin Petralba,
R. Anthony Toscano
Contributing Authors:
Jerry Brainum, Eric Broser, David Chapman,
Teagan Clive, Lorenzo Cornacchia, Daniel Curtis,
Dave Draper, Michael Gündill, Rosemary Hallum,
Ph.D., John Hansen, Ron Harris, Ori Hofmekler,
Rod Labbe, Skip La Cour, Jack LaLanne, Butch
Lebowitz, John Little, Stuart McRobert, Gene
Mozée, Charles Poliquin, Larry Scott, Jim
Shiebler, Roger Schwab, Pete Siegel, C.S. Sloan,
Bill Starr, Bradley Steiner, Eric Sternlicht, Ph.D.,
Randall Strossen, Ph.D., Richard Winett, Ph.D.,
and David Young
Contributing Artists:
Steve Cepello, Larry Eklund, Ron Dunn,
Jake Jones
Contributing Photographers:
Jim Amentler, Ron Avidan, Reg Bradford, Jimmy
Caruso, Bill Dobbins, Jerry Fredrick, Irvin Gelb,
Isaac Hinds, Dave Liberman, J.M. Manion, Gene
Mozée, Mitsuru Okabe, Rob Sims, Leo Stern
Director of Marketing:
Helen Yu, 1-800-570-IRON, ext. 1
Accounting: Dolores Waterman
Subscriptions Manager:
Sonia Melendez, 1-800-570-IRON, ext. 2
E-mail: [email protected]
Advertising Director: Warren Wanderer
1-800-570-IRON, ext. 1
(518) 743-1696; FAX: (518) 743-1697
Advertising Coordinator:
Jonathan Lawson, (805) 385-3500, ext. 320
Newsstand Consultant:
Angelo Gandino, (516) 796-9848
We reserve the right to reject any advertising at our
discretion without explanation. All manuscripts, art
or other submissions must be accompanied by a selfaddressed, stamped envelope. Send submissions to
IRON MAN, 1701 Ives Avenue, Oxnard, CA 93033.
We are not responsible for unsolicited material.
Writers and photographers should send for our
Guidelines outlining specifications for submissions.
IRON MAN is an open forum. We also reserve the
right to edit any letter or manuscript as we see
fit, and photos submitted have an implied waiver
of copyright. Please consult a physician before
beginning any diet or exercise program. Use the
information published in IRON MAN at your own
risk.
IRON MAN Internet Addresses:
Web Site: www.ironmanmagazine.com
John Balik, Publisher: [email protected]
Steve Holman, Editor in Chief: [email protected]
Ruth Silverman, Senior Editor: [email protected]
T.S. Bratcher, Art Director: [email protected]
Helen Yu, Director of Marketing: [email protected]
Jonathan Lawson, Ad Coordinator: [email protected]
Sonia Melendez, Subscriptions: [email protected]
SEXY ROCK-HARD ABS FAST
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MASS MOVES
Squats: Front or Back?
Neveux \ Model: Idrise Ward-El
Neveux \ Model: Markus Reinhardt
Someone recently asked top IFBB pro Gustavo Badell
which was a better exercise for developing the thighs,
front or back squats. Specifically, the questioner wanted
to know if he was forced to choose just one, which
should it be? Badell, the owner of a very impressive set of
wheels, replied that he did both and wouldn’t make such
a choice, for good reason. “Regular squats give you total
leg development, from the glutes to the quads, hams and
even some stimulation for the calves,” he explained. “But
unless you’re one of the very lucky bodybuilders who
have been genetically blessed with huge thighs no matter
what they do, you also need to do front squats.”
Front squats do a better job of isolating the quadriceps
and don’t involve the glutes nearly as much. “I started out
with legs that were not very good at all,” he noted, “and
only when I started doing both front and back squats
regularly did they really begin to grow and catch up to my
upper body.”
Ronnie Coleman is also famous for his use of front
squats in building his gargantuan quads. Who can forget
the scene in his training video “The Unbelievable” where
he knocked out 12 reps with six plates jingling and clang-
Which is the best
quad attack?
ing on each side? Many lifters shy away from front squats
because they’re even more uncomfortable than regular
squats. Not only does the weight crush down on the
collarbone, but it’s also extremely difficult to balance and
hold in place. Many find the weights they use limited not
by their leg strength but by their ability to hold the bar up
and in place.
Luckily, there’s a simple, inexpensive device called the Sting
Ray, which you place right on
your collarbone and front delts. It
has an indentation across so you
can seat the Olympic bar snugly
(see photo at right). It’s available
at www.Home-Gym.com, and it
could very well be your ticket to heavier front squats. You
might not be able to handle nearly 600 pounds like Big
Ron, but that’s okay. Using heavier-for-you weights will
still bring you bigger and better quadriceps. —Ron Harris
www.RonHarrisMuscle.com
HE WANTED TO FIGHTUntil I Crushed His Hand!
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TRAIN TO GAIN
EXERCISE SCIENCE
Hydrate for
Hypertrophy
CARDIO
Faster Fat Loss
With interval training
Various studies point to interval aerobic training as the most effective form
of aerobic exercise in promoting fat loss. One notable advantage of using
intervals is that training sessions tend to be shorter because of the higher
intensity, which lessens the amount of anabolic resources used. Interval training is characterized by alternating periods of high- and low-intensity training.
During aerobics that would involve training hard enough to raise your heart
rate to more than 85 percent of maximum for a short time—say, three to four
minutes. You then slow down to lower the heart rate to about 60 percent of
maximum. The cycles alternate over the course of 30 minutes or more.
Interval aerobic training not only provides superior cardiovascular conditioning but also increases the resting metabolic rate for several hours following the session. That differs from steady-state, or noninterval, aerobics, in
which the metabolic rate increases only during the actual training session,
then declines to baseline immediately after the exercise ends. The extended
metabolic effect is thought to be why that type of aerobics leads to greater fat
losses.
One pertinent question about intervals is how long it takes for significant
fat loss to occur. That question was examined in a study presented at the ’06
meeting of the American College of Sports Medicine. The subjects were eight
active women who initially cycled for one hour at low intensity (60 percent of
maximum oxygen intake). They then rested for two days before engaging in
seven one-hour sessions of interval training on a stationary bike. Each session consisted of 10 four-minute high-intensity bouts, working at 90 percent
of maximum oxygen intake, each followed by a two-minute low-intensity
recovery period.
After just seven workouts the subjects showed an increase in fatty acid–
binding protein in muscle, which helps the body burn fat. The uptick in fat
oxidation from the exercise led to a sparing of muscle glycogen stores. Thus,
a significant increase in fat oxidation occurs after only seven interval-training
sessions.
—Jerry Brainum
1) Control rest day
2) Hydrated day
3) Dehydrated day
The researchers produced the
dehydrated state by limiting the subjects’ food and fluid intake and having
them exercise on the night before
testing began. That resulted in a 3
percent reduction in bodyweight in the
dehydrated
group.
Testing various
muscle
groups
showed that
only one
appeared to
be adversely
affected by
the dehydration: the
shoulders.
Those in the
hydrated
group lifted significantly more weight in
a one-rep-maximum-strength shoulder
press test than those in the dehydrated group. No differences occurred
in any hormone levels between the
groups, with one exception. Those in
the dehydrated group showed significantly higher cortisol levels following
training.
Based on those findings, the authors suggest that dehydration leads
to a loss of strength during training in
smaller muscle groups, such as the
shoulders and arms. In addition, training while dehydrated results in higher
postworkout cortisol levels. Since cortisol is the major catabolic hormone,
those interested in promoting anabolic
effects from exercise should restrict
fluid before and during training
—Jerry Brainum
Neveux \ Model: Gus Malliarodakis
Comstock \ Model: Jonathan Lawson
In a study presented at the 2006
meeting of the American College of
Sports Medicine, a group of researchers examined the effects of dehydration on training and hormone release.
The subjects were seven men, average age 23, all of whom had at least
four years of weight-training experience. The study featured three different conditions:
YOU CAN BENCH BIG
Add 20 Pounds to Your Bench Press Almost Overnight!
How would you like a surge in
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But nine times out of 10 this stall is
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Heavy Weights, Bigger Muscles?
Conventional training wisdom holds that you need to lift
progressively heavier weights to gain muscular size. The
underlying tenet is the overload principle, which dictates that
muscle size can be increased only through added stress in
the form of weight. If that’s true, Olympic weightlifters and
powerlifters should have huge muscles. Sometimes they do,
but not always. Strength involves more than just sheer muscle
size; neuromuscular stimulation, muscle power and leverage
factors are also a part of it.
It seems almost heretical to
suggest that you can increase
muscle size using moderate
to lighter weights. Resistance
exercise done at middle to high
intensity, or using weights equal
to about 80 percent of one-rep
maximum, is usually regarded
as being the optimal range
for building size and strength.
Conversely, weights of less than
65 percent of one-rep max are
considered useless for adding
muscle size, since the load is
too light to recruit the type 2
fast-twitch muscle fibers most
conducive to growth.
That notion is challenged by recent studies showing
marked increases in muscle size with resistance levels equal
to only 50 percent of one-rep maximum. In them subjects
using the minimal level of resistance gained 12 percent in the
muscle cross-sectional area of their thighs, along with a 20
percent strength gain. The catch was that the studies involved
vascular occlusion, or partially reducing the blood supply to
the working muscles.
Another study found that training the front-thigh muscles
at 40 percent of maximum muscular contraction under low
blood oxygen conditions (caused by occlusion) led to a 25
percent strength gain. How and why did reducing the blood
supply to trained muscles do that?
Several mechanisms are suggested:
•Reducing the blood supply to exercised muscles increases the lactate acid by-products of muscle metabolism. That,
in turn, sends a signal for a heightened increase in growth
hormone release.
•Reducing blood supply produces a localized lack-of-oxygen effect in the trained muscles, which leads to a moderate
production of reactive oxygen species, also known as ROS,
or free radicals. While free radicals are usually linked to extended muscle inflammation and reduced recovery after training, they also play a role in promoting muscular growth.
•The lack of local oxygen supply in occluded muscle tends
to recruit the same fast-twitch fibers activated by heavy training.
Obviously, muscular growth doesn’t involve just the heavy
stress on muscle but also metabolic, hormonal and neuronal
factors. The problem is that blood occlusion must be carefully
monitored, along with blood flow to the muscle. Otherwise,
it can lead to extensive tissue damage. In addition, occlusion
is associated with pain (due to lack of sufficient oxygen in the
working muscle), and its use is limited to upper-arm and leg
muscles.
An alternative to occlusion that is far more practical is to
apply sustained force generation to the working muscle. Applying constant tension at 40 percent of maximum contraction
impedes blood flow because of increased
intramuscular pressure. It should produce gains similar to that
of occlusion with less hassle and greater safety.
Some examples confirm that idea. One study of middleaged women who used a low-intensity style of training (50
percent of one-rep max), along with only 30-second rests
between sets, resulted in increased muscle size and strength.
The current popular slow-speed style of training, featuring
a 10-second lifting phase and a
four-second lowering phase on
each rep, also seems to promote
size gains, likely because of the
increased muscle tension.
In a new study, 24 untrained
young men were divided into three
groups using different styles of
training:
1) Low intensity, 50 percent of
one-rep max with slow movement
and tonic force generation, taking
three seconds each to raise and
lower the weight, a one second
pause and no relaxing phase. That
style involved lighter weights, with a
high level of muscular tension.
2) High intensity (80 percent of one-rep max), taking one
second to raise the weight and one second to lower it, with
one second of relaxing between reps. It’s a conventional style
of training for increasing muscle growth.
3) Low intensity with normal speed (same as 2).
The workout consisted of three sets, done three times a
week for 12 weeks. Significant muscle gains occurred in the
first two groups, with no gains in group 3. Group 1, using
the sustained-tension technique, showed the highest level of
muscle oxygen deficit, suggesting that the localized drop in
oxygen levels caused by higher sustained tension, even during lighter exercise, results in gains similar to what you get
when you use heavier weights in the conventional training
style.
The authors suggest that the increased gains in size and
strength that are stimulated by the technique are due to a localized increase in hormonal signaling factors, such as lactate
and protons, which promote the release of growth hormone
and localized insulinlike growth factor 1.
In addition, the lack of oxygen in the trained muscles leads
to a heightened level of free radicals. One of them is none
other than nitric oxide, which promotes the proliferation of
muscle satellite cells—the basis of muscular hypertrophy. Restricting blood flow to the muscle releases more NO because
NO acts as a dilator of blood vessels in a compensatory effort
to overcome the decreased blood flow within the muscle.
While the intensity level was the same in groups 1 and 3,
the muscle force generation was three times higher in group
1. The authors note, “Maintaining slow movement speed in
both lifting and lowering actions may be necessary in order to
achieve constant tension.” They also suggest that the onesecond pause in the fully extended position of the exercise
prevents premature loss of strength.
—Jerry Brainum
Neveux \ Model: Moe Elmoussawi
TRAIN TO GAIN
MUSCLE-BUILDING RESEARCH
Tanimoto, M., et al. (2006). Effects of low-intensity resistance exercise with slow movement and tonic force generation on muscular function in young men. J App Physiol.
100:1150-1157.
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Stiff-Legged Deadlifts
The stiff-legged deadlift is a common exercise—and a controversial one. Bodybuilders use it to improve their hamstring
development, powerlifters to enhance their deadlift and other
athletes to increase hamstring strength.
Before you attempt to do stiff legs, though, you must consider several factors. The first is whether you have a lowerback injury or have suffered one in the past. If you have an
injury, don’t attempt the stiff-legged deadlift. No possible gain
is worth the risk of reinjury or complications. If you haven’t had
any major back problems, then a simple screening procedure
may save your back.
The main reason people hurt themselves while performing
this exercise is very simple and predictable: They do them
while standing on a flat bench. The rationale for standing on
a bench is that the bar rests on the bench just in front of your
toes, which allows for a maximum range of motion. Otherwise,
the height of the 45-pound plates prevents you from achieving
the last several inches of your range of motion because the
plates touch the floor before you complete the movement.
Standing on a bench does, in fact, increase your range of
motion by several inches; however, if you can’t pass the following screening test, it could be hazardous to your health.
Bend over in a touch-your-toes effort, but try placing your
palms flat on the floor. If you can’t do it, then you’re not physically capable of performing the stiff-legged deadlift on a bench.
If you can’t even touch your toes, you have no business whatsoever even thinking about trying it.
If you attempt the movement from a bench, the weight of
the bar will force a range of motion that you don’t have. Something will have to give, and it’s most likely going to be your
back, or at the very least your hamstring, which could tear.
If you have only average flexibility (and a relatively healthy
back), you can safely perform a
version of the stiff-legged deadlift. In fact, there are three different methods for working up to a
full range of motion. Use the toetouch test to determine where
you should start in the progression. See how far you can stretch
without forcing, bouncing or
rounding your back excessively.
If you can get your hands only
a few inches past your knees,
begin with 45-pound plates on
each side of the bar, with the
bar resting on the floor. Forget
about standing on the bench for
a while. If your strength level isn’t
up to the 135-pound deadlift
(two 45-pound plates plus the
45-pound bar), use the power
rack, choose a weight that you
can handle, and set the pins to
the appropriate height for your
flexibility. That way you can still
make gains without pushing your
back beyond its limits.
If your flexibility lets you
stretch a little farther than a few
inches past your knees but you
still can’t touch your toes, use
the 35-pound plates instead of
And your lower back
the 45s, starting with the bar on the floor. Because the 35s are
smaller, you’ll be able to stretch a little farther. Obviously, if you
want to increase the weight, you just add more plates that are
35 pounds or less.
If your flexibility is at the toe-touching level, you may want
to find a short wooden block to stand on while you do stifflegged deadlifts. The little bit of height will let you approximate
the range of motion while you’re using either 35- or 45-pound
plates.
Once you’ve improved your flexibility and can put your
palms on the floor, you can do stiff-legged deadlifts while
standing on a bench.
Another important consideration in performing the movement safely is the path that the bar travels. When the bar’s
path is close to your legs, it reduces the stress on your back. If
you’re standing on a bench, the bar will be out away from your
toes—even farther from your legs—at the starting point. So as
soon as you lift the bar above your feet, bring it close to your
legs. Don’t hold the bar away from your body while it’s traveling upward.
Also, do not suddenly accelerate this movement. The additional torque could injure your lower back or hamstrings.
You don’t have to keep your lower back rigid or flat during
the exercise (the flat-back version is known as the Romanian
deadlift), and you shouldn’t round your back excessively during
the lower half of the movement, although a little rounding of
the back is safe. Don’t thrust your hips forward at the completion of the lift; that causes hyperextension of the lower back,
which can lead to further complications. Needless to say, it’s
mandatory that you stretch your hamstrings four to five days
per week to enhance your flexibility and maintain a healthy
lower back.
Because it’s a highly specialized lift, you shouldn’t attempt it
with poor technique, poor flexibility, too much weight or inadequate warmup. Lay off it, too,
if you have a “bad” or “tricky”
back. If you can do it safely,
however, you’ll achieve greater
hamstring development than
you ever had before, and you’ll
improve your lower-back development. Just be cautious and
be honest with yourself about
your limitations.
—Joseph M. Horrigan
Editor’s note: Visit www
.softtissuecenter.com for reprints
of Horrigan’s past Sportsmedicine columns that have appeared in IRON MAN. You can
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at www.home-gym.com.
Neveux \ Model: Derik Farnsworth
TRAIN TO GAIN
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More Size on Your Thighs
Last month I explained why the leg press can be valuable,
especially for bodybuilders who can’t squat safely. This month
I’ll explain what I mean by correct, safe, effective technique.
The way that many bodybuilders leg-press, it’s no surprise that
injuries and frustration are common.
The leg press works the quadriceps, buttocks, adductors
and hamstrings. It can be done seated or lying, depending
on the machine. Some leg presses, especially the models on
which you push the resistance vertically, are dangerous for
many bodybuilders and should be avoided.
For most bodybuilders the leg press of choice will be the
leverage style—for example,
the models produced by
Hammer Strength. If such
a machine isn’t available,
use a 45 degree leg press,
which can be found in most
well-equipped gyms. The
presses vary, but, ideally, they
should be adjustable in small
increments for knee flexion
and inclination of the back
support.
Set-up and positioning. Center yourself on the
seat or bench. Place your
feet in the middle or, better yet, on the higher part
of the foot plate. The lower
your feet, the greater the
stress on your knees. Some
presses have foot plates that
are too small. Depending on
the model, you may need
to position your toes off the
Proper positioning
top edge of the foot plate to
is key for leg
produce a safe setup for your
press safety and
knees, but the balls of your
optimum musclefeet and your heels should
building effects.
be in full contact with the foot
plate throughout the set.
A small change in foot spacing or foot angle can improve
knee comfort. Without any plates on the leg press, try a
hip-width heel placement, with the inside edges of your feet
parallel to each other. Then try turning your toes out a little.
Next, try a bit more flare. Then try different heel positioning in
the different positions of toe flare. Find the spacing and flare
that feel most comfortable. The foot positioning must help to
keep your knees pointing in the same direction as your toes.
Don’t let your knees buckle in. Push mostly through your heels
throughout each rep. If you don’t, you may experience knee
problems.
Some leg presses don’t have adjustable seat positioning;
they have an adjustable, delimiting arrangement instead. If the
machine isn’t adjustable for depth of motion, use some marker
of your own to indicate when the carriage is at your safe maximum depth. Place a restraint block in the appropriate place.
Your range of motion will probably be limited by your lower
back, which must always be fully supported by the seat or
bench. Don’t round your lower spine, even if your knees will
tolerate a greater range of motion. If your lower back isn’t fully
supported, your risk of injury will increase greatly.
Performance. Keep your head stationary and in a neutral
position. Keep it fixed
against the head support if one is built into the
machine and it’s comfortable to rest against. Hold
the machine’s hand grips.
If there aren’t any, hold
rigid parts of the machine
that are clear of the moving carriage.
With your feet correctly positioned for you and flat on the
foot plate, remember to push
mostly through your heels. Unless the foot plate is already at
the top position, smoothly and
slowly extend your legs to get
into the top position, ready for
the first rep. Never slam into the
locked-out position. Brake before
your knees lock out, and stop the
movement half an inch short of
the point where your knees are
straight. Pause for a second, and
then start the descent.
For leg presses that start from
or just below the top position,
carefully lock out your knees and
then release the machine’s top
stops so that you can perform
the descent without obstruction,
down to the bottom stops that
have been set to suit you. (At
the end of a set, with your knees
locked out, put the top stops
back in position, and gently set
the carriage down.)
Lower under control—take
about three seconds to make the
descent. As you reach maximum
safe depth, stay tight, pause for a
second, and press out of it. Don’t
bounce. Do the turnaround slowly and smoothly, without relaxing. And take about three seconds for the extension of your
legs—the positive phase of the rep.
Apply force symmetrically, with your legs working in unison.
Distribute the stress of the exercise symmetrically over your
thighs, hips and back.
Inhale at the top of each rep or during the descent, and
exhale during the ascent. Don’t hold your breath.
Finally, don’t work your lower back intensively immediately
before you leg press. That can reduce its potential as a stabilizer.
—Stuart McRobert
www.Hardgainer.com
Neveux \ Model: Jay Cutler
TRAIN TO GAIN
HARDGAINER
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More Wicked Muscle Size and Serious Blast-Off Power On Every Set
Both Jackass movies start off with a legal disclaimer:
“Warning, the stunts in this movie were performed by
professionals, so neither you nor your dumb buddies
should attempt anything from this movie.” As stupid,
dangerous and pointless as the things Johnny Knoxville,
Bam, Steve-O and the rest of them do are, however, you
gotta know that some fool out there will try them—just
because.
After viewing those cinematic masterpieces, I started
to question whether we in the bodybuilding-magazine
world don’t also offer up treacherous feats to emulate.
Case in point: I was reading a recent article about IFBB
Montreal Pro Classic winner Johnnie O. Jackson that
outlined his entire training program, including the exact
weights and reps that he does. Listen to some of these
amazing numbers: 200-pound incline dumbbell presses
for eight reps, 245-pound barbell curls for eight to 10
reps, 150-pound dumbbell hammer curls for eight to 10 reps,
675-pound squats for five reps, 405-pound seated barbell
military presses for eight reps, 315-pound barbell rows for
10 reps and dumbbell kickbacks with a 100-pounder for 10
Neveux
Jackass, Part 3?
reps. Yikes!
If Johnnie isn’t the strongest bodybuilder alive today, he
must be in the top three. Most of us read those numbers
with astonishment and respect. But there will certainly be a
couple of bodybuilders out there who will try one or more of
those lifts, just so they can say
they’re as strong as Johnnie.
Pro bodybuilder Johnnie
Lacking the inhuman strength
Jackson is one strong
that Jackson spent more than
dude, but reading
two decades maximizing, they’ll
about his proficient
have to resort to horrible cheatpower could produce
ing form to come anywhere near
something akin to the
the weights he can handle in his
disaster pictured above.
everyday training, and the risk of
serious injury is very high.
That leads me to a moral
dilemma. As a writer who specializes in training articles of the
pros and top amateurs, do I list
the weights they use or not? A
lot of people like to read about
how strong the men and women
in the photos really are, so I’m
somewhat obligated to provide
those details. But by the same
token, I worry that someone
will get hurt trying to duplicate
some lift. Why? Because common sense isn’t as common as
it used to be.
So if you’re reading this as
well as the training articles on
the pros, keep in mind that
they’re elite genetic specimens
who have been training hard for
many years to achieve levels of
prodigious strength, more often
than not with the aid of various
pharmaceuticals. In other words,
draw inspiration from what
they can do, but don’t try it at
home—or at the gym.
—Ron Harris
www.RonHarrisMuscle.com
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Charles Poliquin’s
Smart Training
Calf Training
and Gaining
Q: Some people say that calf development is all
genetics and that you shouldn’t even bother training them if you have poor calves. What’s your opinion?
A: I don’t agree that you have to be born with great
calves. There are six pitfalls for people who want to improve poor calves. By avoiding them, you can propel the
hypertrophy of your calves to levels you never imagined
possible.
1) Giving up too soon. Many bodybuilders buy into
the “calves can’t be built; you’ve got to be born with them”
crap and so do not commit to consistent training. If a law
was imposed in gyms requiring a set of calf raises for every
set of biceps curls, a year from now you’d see the average
calf measurement go up at least two inches. Unless you’re
willing to commit to 120 sets a month of calf training, your
calves will have the development of a parrot’s.
2) Lack of stretch in performing calf raises. Most
bodybuilders who complain of poor calf development use
short, bouncy movements. Range of motion is critical to
fully developing the calf muscles, which is why I recommend exercising the calves on blocks that are at least six
inches high and slightly rounded. Rounding the blocks—as
opposed to using straight boards that can dig into the
balls of your feet—makes the exercise more comfortable.
The absolute best calf blocks are also covered with rubber so that you can do your calf training in bare feet for an
even greater range of motion. Many bodybuilders aren’t
accustomed to working the calves through a full range of
motion; in your next six calf workouts you should hold the
bottom position for at least four seconds in order to relearn
how to stretch. You can be sure that your calf soreness will
skyrocket.
3) Insufficient eccentric overload. Volleyball players
and dancers are known for their superb calves, and some
exercise scientists suggest that it comes from jumping.
That’s partly true, but I believe the hypertrophy primarily
comes from the landing portion of jumps. Studies in the
field of biomechanics have shown that the calves take a
major portion of the load during the landing of a jump.
Negative-accentuated training, in which you raise with two
calves and lower with one, is particularly good for the calf muscles.
4) Bending the knees during
straight-leg calf exercises. Bodybuilders who unlock their knees as
they perform standing or donkey
calf raises are basically cheating. To
convince their poor egos that they’re
strong, they transfer the load to the
quads and glutes by bending their
knees. They often even finish their
standing calf raises by heaving their
traps to provide even more momentum.
5) Blocked neural supply. An
impingement of the nerve by a traumatized spine can block the neural
output to the calf, forcing you to use
loads that aren’t heavy enough to elicit
a hypertrophic response. A simple
spine-screening process and subsequent adjustments by a qualified
health practitioner, such as an osteopath or a chiropractor, can often help
your calves achieve additional levels of
growth in just a few weeks. I have seen
two bodybuilders with average calf
development go to national-caliber
calves in a matter of weeks once they
got their impingement fixed. A combi-
An impingement of the nerve
by a traumatized spine can
block neural output to the
calf, forcing you to use loads
that are insufficient for
growth.
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Smart Training
Mechanical-advantage
extended sets take you
through a few reps each of
similar exercises, changing
grip or foot-positions and
getting little or no rest.
nation of acupuncture and microcurrent
therapy will accelerate the growth of the
calves once the spine is properly aligned.
6) Excessive connective tissue. If
there’s too much connective tissue in the
calf region, there’s no room for the muscle
to grow. A surgical procedure can open up
the fascia with a scalpel to give the muscle
room to hypertrophy. There is, however,
nonsurgical hope—a few soft tissue techniques, such as active release, rolfing and
KMI, can unblock your calf potential by
releasing the excess tension in the fascia.
I’ve seen as much as a half-inch of girth
increase after a single treatment.
Q: I’m bored with my training. Can
you suggest something that would
inject some interest?
A: One method that makes training both
interesting and productive is the mechanical-advantage extended set. You use the same load through
the whole set but improve your mechanical advantage
Neveux \ Model: Binais Begovic
Neveux \ Model: Nathan Detracy
throughout. Here are a few samples
for different bodyparts.
Sample A: Squat training. This
is an excellent system for breaking a
plateau in squatting poundages.
1) Perform a set of 2-3 RM heelselevated front squats at the given
tempo.
2) Rest three seconds, just enough
time to rerack the load, and put your
traps under the bar.
3) Perform a set of 2-3 RM heelselevated back squats at the given
tempo.
4) Rest three seconds, just enough
time to get off the heel-elevation
device, such as a wedged board.
5) Perform a set of 2-3 RM heelsflat back squats at the given tempo.
6) Rest four to five minutes, and
repeat steps 1 to 6 until you have
completed all the sets. Do three to
five sets, depending on your work
capacity.
Sample B: Elbow flexor training. You’ll go from weakest (pronated) to strongest
(semisupinated)
grip as you fatigue.
Expect substantial
increases in armtraining poundages.
1) Perform a set
of 2-3 RM closegrip standing EZcurl-bar reverse
curls at the given
tempo. Make sure
to keep your wrists
straight throughout the movement.
2) After a threesecond pause
change to the
medium pronated
grip (hands shoulder width) and do
as many reps as
possible—most
likely one or two.
3) After a threesecond pause
move to the semisupinated grip (where the palms are not
completely supinated), and do as many reps as possible—
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Smart Training
Meditation is great for
hardgainers because
it lowers cortisol and
can give you the effect
of getting more hours
of sleep in a matter of
minutes.
Neveux \ Model: Frank Zane
hand, need plenty of rest, starting
with quality sleep. Meditation can
be an excellent tool for them.
Meditation is not esoteric by
any means; it’s simply conscious
relaxation. You could call it chosen
relaxation. Some books and tapes
can teach the basics in 20 minutes
or so. So don’t go and spend two
weeks’ salary to learn meditation
(the standard fee charged by a
well-known organization) and be
assigned a mantra specific to you.
Basically, meditation is the
process of focusing your attention on something consciously so
that you eliminate the clutter that
invades our minds constantly. Like
anything else, it just takes some
practice.
Meditation is great for hardgainers because it lowers cortisol and
has the effect of giving you more
hours of sleep, in minutes.
Meditation is one of those
things that are simple but not
easy. You need consistent practice to get good, and that’s
why very few people stick with it. I know many world-class
throwers and strongman competitors who have overcome
performance plateaus with the daily practice of meditation.
Q: What do you think of meditation as an adjunct
to training?
A: Rest is of paramount importance in gaining muscle
mass. Easygainers can go to bars, get smashed once or
twice a week, skip two meals a day and still gain strength
and mass on a regular basis. Hardgainers, on the other
Editor’s note: Charles Poliquin is recognized as one of
the world’s most successful strength coaches, having coached
Olympic medalists in 12
different sports, including the U.S. women’s
track-and-field team for
the 2000 Olympics. He’s
spent years researching European journals
(he’s fluent in English,
French and German)
and speaking with other
coaches and scientists
in his quest to optimize
training methods. For
more on his books,
seminars and methods,
visit www.Charles
Charles Poliquin
Poliquin.net. Also, see his w w w . C h a r l e s P o l i q u i n . n e t
ad on page 167. IM
Bradford
most likely one or two.
4) Rest appropriately, and repeat steps 1 through 4 until
all sets are completed, probably three to five.
Sample C: Upper-back training. This is a great
strength builder for athletes in grappling sports, such as
judo, jiu-jitsu and wrestling. Why? Because those sports
require moving rapidly from one grip to another.
1) Perform a set of 2-3 RM wide-grip pronated pullups at
the given tempo. Use a grip that’s slightly wider than your
shoulders.
2) After a three-second pause move to a narrow pronated grip (palms facing away from you), four to six inches
apart, and do as many reps as possible—most likely one or
two.
3) After a three-second pause move to a supinated
(palms-facing-you) grip and do as many reps as possible—
most likely one or two.
4) Rest appropriately, and repeat steps 1 to 4 until all sets
are completed, probably three to five.
If you have a number of slower-twitch fibers, you’ll
probably do more reps in the extended sets.
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Train ™
\ JULY 2006 181
FEMME FOOD
Feeding the Female Athlete
most often attributed to men’s higher level
of testosterone. Women won’t develop a
masculine body shape—unless, of course,
they use testosterone-based drugs and
other anabolic substances associated
with muscle bulk. (The fact that women
respond to such drugs is evident from the
appearance of some competitive female
bodybuilders, whose muscular size far exceeds what could be developed through
natural means.) Women who choose the
natural route can still attain a significant
loss of bodyfat and muscular definition,
though it’s admittedly an uphill battle in
comparison to males because a woman’s
hormonal profile—higher estrogen, lower
testosterone—tends to
favor fat accretion, especially in the lower body and
just under the skin.
From the standpoint
of exercise metabolism,
women show a clear
superiority in fat use over
men—again, likely the
result of higher estrogen.
When engaged in exercise, women can tap into
fat stores more efficiently
and rapidly than men. The
performance gap between
men and women is far less
significant in endurance
than strength sports.
Women store higher
levels of fat in muscle,
known as intramuscular triglyceride. IMTG is believed
to be related to a woman’s
higher percentage of slowFact: Women
twitch muscle fibers, also
need to get
known as “endurance”
30 percent
fibers, which preferentially
of their daily
burn more fat during activcalories
ity and at rest. Studies of
from fat.
endurance exercise show
that women tap into IMTG
at greater levels than men.
Neveux \ Model: Kat Meyers
A recently published comprehensive
review examined the nutritional requirements of women who regularly engaged
in bodybuilding, powerlifting and/or
weightlifting. While many of their nutritional
requirements are similar to those of men,
there are a few notable differences.
Women often initially show greater
strength gains because they’re usually
weaker than men at the start of a training program. Another obvious difference
between the sexes is the ultimate degree
of attainable muscle size. Because of
both structural and hormonal differences,
the average man can develop far larger
muscles than the average woman. That’s
Nutritional requirements for
strength-training women
The greater use of fat spares muscle
glycogen, which is stored carbohydrate,
an effect that extends to weight training,
with women using more fat and less glycogen. It’s attributed to a lower activity of
the glycolytic enzymes in muscle that activate muscle glycogen breakdown, which
may be due to higher estrogen levels.
Because of their concern with appearance, many women overly restrict calorie
intake, which some studies show can
work against elite female athletes. Overly
restricting calories leads to a lower metabolic rate, which paradoxically increases
bodyfat levels. A low energy intake also
leads to fatigue, irritation and decreased
performance—as it does in men.
Women who don’t eat enough show
decreased thyroid hormone activity, which
not only depresses fat losses but also
results in lower energy. Bone mass, fertility
and creatine replenishment in muscle are
also adversely affected. Not consuming
enough food increases the risks of nutrient
deficiencies.
Since weight training increases
resting metabolic rate for up to
36 hours, women should get most
of their calories before and after
training. That keeps calories from shifting to bodyfat stores. From a practical
standpoint, women engaged in weight
training need to eat 39 to 44 calories per
kilogram of bodyweight daily. Health and
energy problems occur if an active woman’s total daily calories drop below 1,800.
Studies confirm that women handle
carbohydrates differently than men.
Women not only use less glycogen during training but also synthesize less after
a workout. To synthesize more glycogen
following training, a woman must take in
up to eight grams of carbohydrate per
kilogram of bodyweight. That much carb,
however, would use up a large percentage
of her daily calories.
Women do need carbohydrates for
purposes of glycogen replenishment
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Nutrition With a Get-Big Mission
due to iron-blocking substances in plants,
such as oxalate and phytate. Animal proteins also provide such vital nutrients as
B-complex vitamins and minerals. Women
who are worried about the fat content
of meat can take a high-quality protein
supplement such as whey and/or casein,
which will be devoid of fat and carbs.
Some women may also be overly
concerned about fat, thinking that eating fat promotes bodyfat. A suitable fat
intake helps replenish the intramuscular
fat stores that women tap into during
exercise, which also spares their limited muscle glycogen stores. Women
should get 30 percent of their
daily calorie requirement from fat
to replenish depleted IMTG stores.
If they don’t get enough dietary
fat, those muscle fat stores can
remain depleted for two days after
training, adversely affecting exercise ability.
Dietary fat is also required to maintain
sex hormone function in women, just as it
is in men. If a woman doesn’t eat enough
fat, she’ll likely experience menstrual
disturbances. Getting less than 15 percent
of calories from fat also increases the risk
of an essential fatty acid deficiency, which
can result in diminished fat burning in addition to serious health problems.
Dietary fats should come from lean
protein foods, nuts, seeds, fatty fish such
as salmon (or fish oil supplements for
omega-3 if you hate eating fish), as well as
flaxseed, safflower, canola and extra-virgin
olive oils. Avoid trans fats—also known
as partially hydrogenated fats—which
favor bodyfat, cancer and cardiovascular
disease, in addition to amino acid loss
in muscle. Eating healthful fats permits a
lower carb intake, favoring better body
composition for female strength athletes.
Women respond to most supplements
like men. Creatine works well, although
it doesn’t block protein oxidation as it
does in men. It’s a moot point, though,
since women burn less protein than men
during exercise anyway. Women should
also avoid all types of testosterone-boosting supplements, including the estrogen
blockers.
Such
supplements
are great
for men,
but in
women
they can
create
serious
hormonal
disturbances.
DHEA
acts as a
hormone
precursor
in both
men and
women.
In men
it tends
to convert into
estrogen, but in women it always converts into testosterone. While that initially
sounds good for female strength athletes,
many of them have developed serious
cases of acne when taking DHEA. That’s
not so surprising if you consider that the
DHEA spurt in teenagers of both sexes
is what causes acne. A form of DHEA
that doesn’t convert into sex hormones,
7-keto DHEA, is also available in supplement form. It may help prevent dieting
plateaus by maintaining thyroid output,
but it’s free of the adverse effects associated with regular DHEA.
Add it up, and it’s clear that
women strength athletes should
reduce carbohydrate intake in
favor of “good” fat sources while
increasing their protein, especially
after training. Doing so ensures great
progress while maintaining energy and
health.
—Jerry Brainum
Neveux \ Model: Julie Ann Gerhard
following training, but they don’t need to
eat like endurance athletes. The best type
of carbs are those with a low-glycemic
rating, meaning that they provide a slower
delivery of carbs into the body, favoring
less fat synthesis. Foods high in fiber have
lower glycemic index numbers—fruits,
vegetables, brown rice, whole-grain
breads, oatmeal, beans, legumes and
sweet potatoes. Cruciferous vegetables,
such as broccoli, brussels sprouts, kale,
cabbage and bok choy, are particularly
beneficial for women because they contain natural elements that lower excessive
estrogen levels, thus helping women lose
superfluous water and fat.
Studies show that men burn more
protein during training than women do.
Women’s higher use of fat during exercise
may provide a sparing effect on protein,
as well as glycogen. On the other hand,
studies also show that women are
less efficient than men in promoting muscle protein synthesis after
training. That points to a need to
get more protein at that critical
time. For building lean mass, women are
advised to eat small amounts of highquality, rapidly digested protein with some
carbohydrate before and after exercise
and between meals to maintain an optimal
anabolic metabolic environment.
Women are also advised to ignore the
myths about high-protein diets, among
them that eating a lot of protein leads to
bone loss and osteoporosis. Studies show
an opposite effect: A higher protein intake
promotes bone mass. Some high-protein
foods also provide nutrients essential to
bone formation and maintenance, such as
calcium, magnesium and vitamin D.
Some women espouse vegetarianism
in the belief that it’s both healthier than
eating meat and favors less bodyfat. While
it’s indeed possible to maintain health
while forgoing animal proteins, that’s not
ideal for bodybuilding. Women need to
pay special attention to iron intake, since
they’re more at risk for anemia. Meat
contains the most easily absorbed source
of iron, heme iron, while the iron contained
in plant sources often isn’t as available,
Volek, J.S., et al. (2006). Nutritional aspects of women strength athletes. British
J Sports Med. 40:742-48.
www.ironmanmagazine.com \ FEBRUARY 2007 51
LIFT BIG TO GET BIG
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Eat to Grow
NUTRITION NOTES
Food Facts
That can affect your
workouts, weight and wellness
Saw palmetto,
from a dwarf palm,
may be good for
your prostate and
relieve benign
prostatic hyperbolise, according
to the September
’05 World Journal
of Urology. Try 320
milligrams per day if
your drizzle is starting to fizzle.
WARRIOR NUTRITION AND EXERCISE
Get Lean With Caffeine
And a whole
lot more
Keith Berson
Naturally caffeinated beverages such as coffee and tea are known to be
helpful when you want to lose weight, but that’s only the beginning of their
benefits. Coffee and tea possess neural protective and anticancer properties. When freshly brewed, they contain flavones and phenols that help protect the body from tissue damage and aging, and they can help enhance
cognitive functions with a sense of controlled alertness. Both are mild
adrenal stimulators and thus promote energy expenditure and fat burning.
Nevertheless, both are regarded as recreational drugs and, if abused, could
cause addiction and adrenal fatigue.
In the case of coffee, try not to exceed
more than two cups per day. Another
alternative is to have a smaller serving,
such as half a shot of espresso instead
of a double espresso.
So coffee and tea can be helpful in
supporting weight loss. Just be careful with how much and how often you
have them.
—Ori Hofmekler
Editor’s note:
Ori Hofmekler is
the author of the books The Warrior Diet and Maximum
Muscle & Minimum Fat, published by Dragon Door
Publications (www.dragondoor.com). For more information or for a consultation, contact him at [email protected], www.warriordiet.com or by phone at (866)
WAR-DIET.
Ginseng may
help you build more
hardness in muscles and elsewhere.
A study discussed
in Paninerva Medica
(December ’96)
found that 66 men
who took Asian ginseng experienced
increased sperm count, sperm motility
and testosterone levels. More recent
studies have found that it may be a
safe, suitable alternative to Viagra.
Arginine has also been shown
to improve erectile dysfunction, but
it pumps you up in other ways too.
Bodybuilders know that it helps form
nitric oxide, which enhances muscle
pump, but it has positive effects
on the cardiovascular system as a
whole—as in promoting better blood
vessel integrity
and preventing
the buildup of
plaque that can
lead to heart
attacks. Try two
grams twice a
day, including
once before your
workouts.
Phenylalanine is an amino
acid that may help
relieve depression. A study back in
1975 showed mood improvements
with phenylalanine in almost 75 percent of depressed subjects who failed
to get results with antidepressants.
The amino acid is a precursor the
brain chemicals norepinephrine and
dopamine.
—Becky Holman
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•Mental aspects of training
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Eat to Grow
ANTIOXIDANTS
Cherry Bomb
This fruit’s antioxidant
power is explosive
Tart cherries contain several antioxidant and anti-inflammatory nutrients that may benefit exercise recovery. A study
presented at the 2006 American College of Sports Medicine
meeting looked at the effects of a commercial tart cherry
sports drink on exercise-induced muscle damage.
Fourteen male college students drank either 16 ounces
of cherry juice or a placebo twice daily for eight consecutive
days. On the
fourth day
the subjects
did a bout
of eccentric,
or negative,
biceps curls,
which
produce the most extensive muscle damage. Levels of
muscle strength, pain and tenderness were recorded
before and four days after the exercise session. The
subjects did the same exercise regimen two weeks
later, with one group drinking cherry juice and the other
a placebo.
The cherry juice group lost less strength than the placebo group. The strength loss after four days averaged
24 percent with the placebo but only 5 percent with the
cherry juice. The authors contend that’s because cherry
juice is a potent source of numerous antioxidants and
anti-inflammatory nutrients that aid muscle recovery
following intense exercise.
—Jerry Brainum
Cote, K., et al. (2006). The efficacy of cherry juice
supplementation in preventing the symptoms of exercise-induced muscle damage. Med Sci Sports Exerc.
38:S404.
FAT FLUX
ALCOHOL
Trans Formation Daily Drinking?
You know trans fats
are bad for you. They’re
linked to everything from
heart disease to gallstones to Alzheimer’s
disease. But do you know
what they are? Trans fats
are fats that go through a
hydrogenation process,
as when hydrogen is
added to vegetable oil.
It’s a mutated fat that
stays solid at high temperatures and lengthens shelf life
of food products. It also may lengthen the belt you wear.
Researchers at Wake Forest University recently found that
trans fats appear to cause a redistribution of fat tissue into
the abdomen—the old disappearing abs trick. Once again,
if it has hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated in the
ingredients list, don’t eat it.
—Becky Holman
www.X-tremeLean.com
We’ve all read that two
drinks a night for men and one
a night for women can be good
for your health. But what does
that really mean? According
to Drs. Roizen and Oz in their
Health IQ column in the October ’06 Reader’s Digest, “A
drink is defined as five ounces
of wine, 1.5 ounces of spirits or
12 ounces of beer.” Anything
over about 2 1/2 drinks daily
for men and 1 1/2 drinks for
women is overdoing it, if health
is a concern.
By the way, you can’t save
up all your daily drinks for one
week and have them on Saturday, when you’re watching the
big game.
—Becky Holman
www.X-tremeLean.com
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Eat to Grow
ANABOLIC DRIVE
Feed the Machine—Protein
So in a sense, insulin is only part of the
equation. Other factors, such as IGF-1
concentrations and the concentrations
of essential amino acids in your blood,
are also determinants of the anabolic
response.
The study supports others showing
that in the battle of protein vs. carbs,
protein wins without breaking a sweat.
It’s like pitting an NFL team against your
local pee wee league football team.
Nevertheless, I still see professors who
spout off naively about the anabolic effectiveness of carbs.
So in conclusion, 10 weeks of resistance training with 20 grams of protein
and amino acids ingested one hour
before and after exercise is more effective than a carbohydrate placebo in
promoting gains in muscle mass and
performance. Heed this advice: Consume a protein/amino acid supplement
one hour before you train (minimum of
20 grams) and at least an equal amount
immediately after. —Jose Antonio, Ph.D.
Neveux \ Model: Joey Gloor
In the never-ending quest for the
perfect protein supplement, scientists
used an intriguing
combination of anabolic ingredients. The
hot-off-the-presses
study looked at 10
weeks of resistance
training and protein
supplementation on
muscle performance
and markers of
muscle anabolism.
Nineteen untrained
males were randomly
assigned to supplement groups: placebo (PLC) or protein
(PRO). At each
exercise session
participants were
given their respective
supplement mixed
with 500 milliliters of
water one hour before and immediately
after exercise (aha!
nutrient timing).
The PLC group
received 40 grams
of dextrose; the
PRO group got 40
grams of protein,
which consisted of
14 grams of whey
protein concentrate,
six grams of whey protein isolate, four grams of milk
protein isolate, four grams of calcium caseinate and
12 grams of free amino acids (0.22 grams arginine,
0.22 grams histidine, 0.14 grams isoleucine, six grams
leucine, 0.44 grams lysine, 0.44 grams methionine,
0.20 grams phenylalanine, 0.22 grams valine, 0.12
grams aspartate, two grams glutamine and two grams
tyrosine). Both supplements had the same number of
calories.
For you carbohydrate addicts, beware that the study
shows the futility of loading up on carbs. On nonexercise days the subjects took 40 grams of their supplement upon waking. They exercised four times per week
using three sets of six to eight repetitions at 85 to 90
percent of one-repetition maximum. What happened?
Those who got the protein supplement had greater increases in total body mass, fat-free mass, thigh mass,
muscle strength, serum IGF-1, IGF-1 mRNA, MHC I
and IIa expression and myofibrillar protein.
The fact that the protein supplement was better than
the carbohydrate may have been due to the added
free amino acids, especially the six grams of leucine.
Willoughby, D.S.; Stout, J.R.; and Wilborn, C.D. (2006). Effects of resistance
training and protein plus amino acid
supplementation on muscle anabolism,
mass, and strength. Amino Acids. Epub
ahead of print.
Editor’s
note: You can
listen to Dr. Jose
Antonio and Carla
Sanchez on their
radio show Performance Nutrition, Web and
podcast at www
.performance
nutritionshow
.com. Dr. Antonio
is the CEO of
the International
Society of Sports
Nutrition—www
.TheISSN.org. His
other Web sites
include www
.Supplement
Coach.com,
www.Javafit.com,
www.PerformanceNutritionShow
.com, and www.
JoseAntonioPhD.
com.
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Eat to Grow
VITAMINS
Maybe the sun’s rays aren’t so bad after all
multiple
sclerosis.
One
study concluded that
getting 1,000 international units
of vitamin D reduced the risk of
contracting colon cancer by 50
percent—which may explain why
colon cancer is twice as prevalent
in places where there’s less sunshine, such as the northeastern
United States, as opposed to the
South. Vitamin D may even help
prevent prostate cancer. In a comparison study, men who worked
indoors got prostate cancer four years earlier than
those who worked out in the sun. And because black
skin doesn’t efficiently absorb the rays that trigger vitamin D production, African American men are more
susceptible to prostate cancer.
In “The Miracle Vitamin” by Paula Dranov, published in the September ’06 Reader’s Digest, Michael
F. Holick, M.D., a vitamin D researcher at Boston University, said that about 42 percent of young people
fall short of the minimum daily requirement. He also
noted that worldwide one billion people are vitamin
D deficient. He prescribes at least 1,000
I.U. daily from the sun,
supplements or food.
Even if you’re out
in the sun every so
often, you may want
to take a vitamin D
supplement as health
insurance. Some
researchers even suggest that 2,000 I.U.
per day would be better. Most multivitamins
provide only about
400 I.U. Also, many
vitamin D researchers
suggest that we may have gone too far with sunscreen protection. It blocks the rays that our bodies
use to produce vitamine D. Solution: A few times a
week spend 10 to 15 minutes in the sun without sunscreen. And don’t forget to supplement with vitamin D.
—Becky Holman
www.X-tremeLean.com
Neveux \ Model: Barbara Moore
Sunny D
It’s often called the sunshine vitamin because your
body can manufacture it when your skin is exposed
to sunlight. Unfortunately, with so much attention
being given to the hazards of skin cancer and sun
overexposure, people are experiencing vitamin D deficiencies. That’s not good. Vitamin D helps prevent
certain forms of cancer and protects you from heart
disease and other maladies, including diabetes and
SPICE OF LIFE
Snap Pain and Pump Up
Gingerol, a compound in ginger, has been shown to
increase circulation—as in lowering blood pressure and
providing a bigger pump during your workouts. That
pressure relief may also be why it’s often used to treat
migraines. Another plus: It’s also been shown to block
the inflammation that causes arthritis.
—Becky Holman
www.X-tremeLean.com
PERFECT POSTWORKOUT MEAL
TM
To Kick-Start Immediate Muscle Growth After You Train
Breakthrough research in
exercise metabolism now
reveals this fact: What you
consume (or don’t consume)
immediately after training plays
a critical role in determining
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,
baked potato or rice and
vegetables after a workout. This
is an approach doomed to fail
because by the time this meal
digests, the anabolic window
has slammed shut.
The best way to produce this
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©2009 Home-Gym.com
Train, Eat,
GROW
Muscle-Training Program 88
From the IRONMAN Training & Research Center
by Steve Holman and Jonathan Lawson • Photography by Michael Neveux
same movements for each bodypart
every week—those that cover the
three Positions of Flexion. For example, for upper pecs we use incline
presses (midrange), incline flyes
(stretch) and high cable flyes (contracted); for triceps it’s close-grip
bench presses (midrange), overhead
extensions (stretch) and pushdowns
(contracted).
Week 1: Power. Train every
exercise with straight sets—no supersets, tri-sets or drop sets—and
keep your reps in the four-to-six
zone. We use slightly higher reps
on endurance-oriented muscles
like calves, abs and forearms.
Week 2: Rep Range. For the first
exercise pick a weight that you
can get seven to nine reps with.
For the second it’s 10 to 12 reps.
On the third move the rep range
up to the high end of fast-twitch
recruitment—13 to 15 reps.
Week 3: Shock. This week is for
putting your muscles through
the meat grinder with supersets,
drop sets and so on. Reps for
most muscles stay in the eightto-10 range, but extended-set
techniques are a must. We’ve
been starting each bodypart with
two postactivation supersets, a
compound midrange exercise followed immediately by an isolated
contracted-position move—for
example, hack squats followed by
leg extensions.
As we mentioned, the low-rep,
straight-set Power week acts as a
slight intensity downshift because
when you use poundages that give
you only four to six reps, your nervous system balks before a lot of
high-threshold motor-unit stress
occurs—not to mention that metabolic stress is low. Here’s an explanation from Science and Practice of
Strength Training by Vladimir Zatsiorsky, Ph.D., and William J. Kraemer,
Ph.D., of why muscles shut down
early:
“If muscle tension increases
sharply [as in a low-rep attempt],
the Golgi tendon reflex evokes the
inhibition of muscle action. The
Models: Steve Holman and Jonathan Lawson
It’s our 13th week on our 3D Positions-of-Flexion version of Eric
Broser’s Power/Rep Range/Shock
system. While we’re not superstitious, our strength gains have
started to tail off, and a few old
injuries have resurfaced. Is it the
ominous number 13 that’s derailing
our gains? Nah, it’s just our bodies
telling us to back off a bit and reload—our dependable phase-training concept taunting us.
But wait! Didn’t we explain that
the Power week acts as an intensity
downshift? Wouldn’t that mean you
can just keep plugging away on the
three-week cycles without needing
a break because you essentially get
a slight back-off every third week?
While it may appear that way on
paper, in reality the ebb and flow
extends only to the length of time
you can train hard; cumulative
stress still eventually creeps up and
triggers overtraining.
For those who aren’t familiar with
P/RR/S, here’s a quick summary so
you’ll understand what we’re talking
about. Keep in mind that in our version of Broser’s protocol we use the
GRIND OUT THE GROWTH REPS™
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Fortunately, there’s now a potent new
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Muscle biopsies show that the largest
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reason: Carnosine buffers the burn to give
muscles more “grow power” on every set.
The bigger and stronger a muscle gets,
the more carnosine it needs to perform
at higher intensity levels. You must keep
your muscles loaded with carnosine to
grow larger and stronger. It all boils down
to intensity and the ability to buffer waste
products—hydrogen ions and lactic
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before growth activation.
Straight carnosine supplements degrade
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more than 20 new studies document that
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©2009 Home-Gym.com
OGR A M
R
P
From the IRON MAN PRO Style Store
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(You can
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It’s exciting
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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 / Program 88
Model: Dave Goodin
A low-rep, straightset Power week
can act as a slight
intensity downshift
for some genetic
types.
ensuing drop in muscle tension
prevents muscle and tendon from
incurring damage.”
So the neuromuscular shortcircuit on low-rep sets is a defense
mechanism. Of course, the more
low-rep sets you do, the more cumulative damage you incur. If you
look at our Power program on page
68, you’ll see that we do only a few
sets for each exercise. If we added
more volume, the Power phase
would obviously be more stressful
and would no longer act as a downshift week. Even at low volume,
however, the Power week may not
be a significant downshift for everyone—like those who have better
neuromuscular efficiency with more
anaerobic potential.
The Research Says...
Genetics may determine which
week in the P/RR/S program acts
as your downshift phase. Due to
our different body types, the Power
phase is the downshift for Steve,
but not so much for Jonathan. Why?
Because Steve’s muscles are more
endurance oriented, a.k.a. ectomorphic, while Jonathan’s are more
anaerobic, a.k.a. mesomorphic.
Jonathan’s muscles don’t crap out
as early on low-rep sets, so the
Power week is more stressful for
him.
Because of those structural
differences, it appears that the
Shock week, with its extended
sets, acts as more of a downshift
for Jonathan than the Power week
(although preexhaustion supersets
instead of postactivation would be
a better choice for Jonathan during Shock week, as preex has been
shown to reduce force output on
the compound exercise). A recent
study that Jerry Brainum reported
on in the June ’06 issue of IRON
MAN [Train to Gain, “HIT vs. Volume”] verifies our experience.
Researchers took about 100
randomly selected subjects and
trained them using various setand-rep protocols. Those with a
so-called ACE-2 variant, or endurance, gene (skinnier folks like
Steve) responded best to using 12
to 15 reps, or extended tension
times. When those subjects used
heavier weight that limited their
reps to around eight, they showed
no difference in strength. (We’ve
said that one of the biggest mistakes hardgainers can make is to
train exclusively with low reps, and
the study backs us up on that—
zero results from that type of training for ectomorphic types.)
The subjects who were more
anaerobic, like Jonathan, with
something called an ACE-DD
variant, showed similar gains from
both types of loads. They also
made greater strength gains than
the endurance-oriented group
but made the most gains from
the heavier training. They apparently respond best to that kind of
lower-rep weight work [Colakoglu,
M., et al. (2005). Eur J App Physiol.
95(1):20-26].
We’ve seen that response over
and over in our own workouts:
If our training has too much extended-tension work, Jonathan
stagnates; if we do too much heavy
straight-set work, Steve’s muscle
gains stall or regress. Everyone
needs both types of training to
max out muscle mass, but the right
amount of each can be different
depending on your genetics.
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15 reps instead? According to the
study, the answer is yes.
A better solution for Steve may be
to do three sets of the midrange exercise, one set in each rep range. On
Rep Range weeks we do three sets
on most midrange exercises. For
Steve to prioritize his optimal tension time, he should do the higher
rep range first. So he would pyramid
his poundage on the big exercise
over three work sets—on set 1 he’d
do 13 to 15 reps; on set 2 he’d add
weight and do 10 to 12 reps; and on
set 3 he’d add weight and do seven
to nine reps.
Jonathan should continue doing
what we’ve been doing—keep all of
his midrange-exercise sets in the
Model: Jonathan Lawson
Logging poundages during
P/RR/S training
is crucial.
P/RR/S Results
That study shows why we’re both
responding to P/RR/S. Jonathan
gets a lot of lower-rep, straight-set
work, while Steve gets his extendedset requirements. The question
becomes whether we’re each getting
optimal amounts of our specific
training protocol to make the fastest
gains.
For example, during Rep Range
week, should Steve do more in the
13-to-15-rep range and de-emphasize the other two lower ranges? If
the answer is yes, then Jonathan
should do the opposite and emphasize the seven-to-nine-rep range
and do fewer higher-rep sets. As it
stands now, we do the big, midrange
exercise first, in the seven-to-nine
range. As the study shows, that’s
good for Jonathan, not so good for
Steve. Then we move to the stretchposition exercise for 10 to 12 reps,
followed by the contracted-position
movement for 13 to 15.
So Steve is getting his optimal
rep range only on isolation work. If
the midrange exercise is the most
important for mass, Steve is getting
less-than-optimal size stimulation
during Rep Range week, considering
his ectomorphic genetics. Should
he be doing the big, midrange
movement for 10 to 12 reps or 13 to
seven-to-nine range, and then move
to 10 to 12 rep on the stretch-position exercise and 13 to 15 on the
contracted-position move.
Enter the X Factor
But wait, yet again! As we reported last month, we’re both making good gains the way we’ve been
implementing P/RR/S. Strength
has skyrocketed for both of us, and
we’ve gotten a decent size surge.
Shouldn’t Steve’s gains have been
hampered somewhat because he
hasn’t focused enough on his optimal rep range? Luckily, X Reps have
helped extend his less-than-optimal
lower-rep sets closer to his ideal
tension time.
For example, if Steve does three
sets of incline presses in the sevento-nine-rep range, and on the last
set at exhaustion he lowers the bar
(continued on page 68)
to just above
(continued from page 64) his chest
(continued from page 64)
We may do a complete
three-week cycle at
lower volume and
medium intensity to get
a supercompensation
effect.
and cranks out X-Rep partials followed by a Static X, he increases
his tension time by four to six seconds—close to what it would be
during a standard 12-rep set.
The beauty of end-of-set X-Rep
partials is that they do good things
for both of us. That’s the reason we
both got spectacular results with
our original X-Rep program (outlined in The Ultimate Mass Workout
e-book), and we are both getting
good results with the P/RR/S program. While X Reps extend tension
time to a degree, they do so right
at the max-force point. So Steve
satisfies his need for longer tension
times, while Jonathan gets a bigger
dose of max-force overload. It’s a
potent double-barreled mass tactic,
whatever your body type.
Even so, if you’re a skinny
IRON MAN Training & Research Center Muscle-Training Program 88
Monday (Power): Chest, Calves, Abs
Incline presses (X Reps)
Incline flyes (X Reps)
High cable flyes (X Reps)
Bench presses (X Reps)
Wide-grip dips (X Reps)
Flat-bench flyes (X Reps)
Low/middle cable flyes (X Reps)
Knee-extension leg press calf raises (X Reps)
Machine donkey calf raises (X Reps)
Hack-machine calf raises (X Reps)
Standing calf raises (X Reps)
Seated calf raises (X Reps)
Incline kneeups (drop set; X Reps)
Ab Bench crunches (X Reps)
Twisting crunches (X Reps)
3 x 4-6
1x6
2x6
2 x 4-6
1x6
1x6
1x6
3 x 8-10
2 x 8-10
2 x 8-10
2 x 8-10
2 x 6-8
3 x 6-10
2 x 6-10
2 x 6-10
Tuesday (Power): Back, Forearms
Wide-grip pulldowns (X Reps)
Parallel-grip chins (X Reps)
Undergrip pulldowns (X Reps)
Machine pullovers (X Reps)
Behind-the-neck pulldowns (X Reps)
Nautilus rows or cable rows (X Reps)
One-arm dumbbell rows (X Reps)
Bent-arm bent-over laterals (X Reps)
Barbell shrugs (X Reps)
Reverse wrist curls (X Reps)
Wrist curls (X Reps)
Behind-the-back wrist curls
Rockers
3 x 4-6
2 x 4-6
2 x 4-6
2 x 4-6
1 x 6-8
3 x 4-6
1 x 4-6
2 x 4-6
2 x 4-6
3 x 8-10
2 x 8-10
1 x 8-10
1 x 8-10
Machine hack squats (nonlock; X Reps)
Leg presses (nonlock)
Smith-machine sissy squats (X Reps)
Leg extensions (X Reps)
Lunges
Stiff-legged deadlifts (low partials; X Reps)
Hyperextensions (X Reps)
Leg curls (X Reps)
Low-back machine (X Reps)
2 x 4-6
2 x 4-6
2 x 4-6
3 x 6-8
1 x 4-6
3 x 6-8
1 x 6-8
3 x 4-6
1 x 6-8
Friday (Power): Delts, Triceps, Biceps
Rack pulls (X Reps)
Dumbbell upright rows or laterals (X Reps)
Incline one-arm laterals (X Reps)
Forward-lean laterals (X Reps)
Behind-the-neck presses (X Reps)
Bent-over laterals (X Reps)
Close-grip bench presses (X Reps)
Decline extensions
Overhead dumbbell extensions (X Reps)
Pushdowns or kickbacks (X Reps)
Barbell curls (X Reps)
Dumbbell preacher curls (X Reps)
Incline curls (X Reps)
Concentration curls (X Reps)
Cable hammer curls (X Reps)
2 x 4-6
2 x 4-6
2 x 4-6
2 x 4-6
2 x 4-6
2 x 4-6
2 x 4-6
1 x 4-6
2 x 4-6
2 x 4-6
2 x 4-6
1 x 4-6
2 x 4-6
2 x 4-6
1 x 4-6
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
Beyond X-Rep Muscle Building e-book. See the XBlog at www.X-Rep.com for more workout details.
Thursday (Power): Quads, Hamstrings
hardgainer type like Steve, you need
to lean more toward extended-tension work—although some heavier
work is beneficial as well; if you
have a more average build or athletic tendencies, like Jonathan, you can
lean more toward heavy straight-set
training, but you should include a
drop set or superset here and there
as well. In either case, X Reps provide muscle-building insurance!
The question remains whether
changing Steve’s midrange-exercise
rep range to a pyramid scheme
during RR week would improve his
gains. If you’re a hardgainer type
using P/RR/S, you may want to
experiment with that.
Diminishing Returns:
Ebb and Flow to Grow
All of that is interesting if you’re
into honing your routine so you
build muscle as rapidly as your
genetics will let you, but there’s still
that point, no matter what program
A new study indicates that hardgainer types
like Steve (left) require longer tension times
for best gains compared to more anaerobic
mesomorphic types like Jonathan.
ITRC Program 88, Abbreviated Home-Gym Routine
Monday (Power): Chest, Calves, Abs
Incline presses (X Reps)
Incline flyes (low partials; X Reps)
Incline flyes (top squeezes; drop set; X Reps)
Bench presses or decline presses (X Reps)
Decline flyes (low partials; X Reps)
Decline flyes (top squeeze; drop set; X Reps)
Donkey calf raises (X Reps)
One-leg calf raises (X Reps)
Seated calf raises (X Reps)
Incline kneeups
Weighted full-range crunches (X Reps)
3 x 4-6
1x6
1x6
2 x 4-6
1x6
1x6
3 x 8-10
3 x 8-10
2 x 6-8
2 x 6-10
2 x 6-10
Tuesday (Power): Back, Forearms
Chins (X Reps)
Dumbbell pullovers (drop; X Reps)
Undergrip rows (drop set; X Reps)
Bent-over barbell rows
One-arm dumbbell rows (X Reps)
Bent-arm bent-over laterals (X Reps)
Shrugs (X Reps)
Reverse wrist curls (X Reps)
Wrist curls (X Reps)
Rockers (drop set)
3 x 4-6
2x6
2 x 4-6
2 x 4-6
2 x 4-6
2 x 4-6
2 x 4-6
2 x 8-10
2 x 8-10
1 x 8-10
Thursday (Power): Quads, Hams
Squats
Sissy squats
Leg extensions or
3 x 4-6
2 x 4-6
old-style hack squats (X Reps)
Front squats
Stiff-legged deadlifts (low partials)
Leg curls (X Reps)
2 x 4-6
1 x 4-6
3 x 6-8
3 x 4-6
Friday (Power): Delts, Triceps, Biceps
Dumbbell upright rows
or rack pulls (X Reps)
Incline one-arm laterals (X Reps)
Seated forward-lean laterals (X Reps)
Dumbbell presses (X Reps)
Bent-over laterals (X Reps)
Close-grip bench presses
Overhead extensions (X Reps)
Kickbacks (X Reps)
Barbell curls (X Reps)
Incline curls (X Reps)
Concentration curls (X Reps)
Incline hammer curls (X Reps)
3 x 4-6
2 x 4-6
2 x 4-6
2 x 4-6
1 x 4-6
2 x 4-6
2 x 4-6
2 x 4-6
2 x 4-6
2 x 4-6
2 x 4-6
1 x 4-6
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 Beyond X-Rep
Muscle Building e-book. See the X-Blog at www.XRep.com for more workout details.
Note: If you don’t have a leg extension machine, do
old-style hacks, nonlock style. Use partner resistance, towel around the ankles, if you don’t have a
leg curl machine.
you’re on and no matter how perfect
it is, at which your gains stall.
We’ve discussed Dr. Hans Selye,
a renowned stress researcher, here
before, along with his General
Adaptation Syndrome. Selye says
the three stages of any stress (like
intense weight training) are alarm,
resistance and exhaustion. Ideally,
you want to always downshift your
intensity before you hit exhaustion—which should produce supercompensation, an appreciable
accumulation of muscle mass.
Model: Dave Goodin
Cumulative stress from weeks of hard
training requires a layoff or low-intensity supercompensation phase to
kick-start new gains.
With P/RR/S you get a built-in
intensity downshift—the Power
phase if you’re more ectomorphic
(endurance oriented) or the Shock
phase if you’re more mesomorphic
(anaerobically inclined). As we said,
that enables you to extend the hardtraining phase as you move between
Selye’s alarm and resistance stages;
however, at some point exhaustion
will rear its ugly head.
That’s why Broser suggests taking a full week off after three cycles,
or nine weeks, of P/RR/S training.
We noticed exhaustion creeping up
around week 12, but keep in mind
that our first three weeks were not
that intense because we were trying
to find the correct poundages for all
of our exercises in the different rep
ranges. So nine weeks is probably
about right for an intensity downshift.
Since we’re officially at week 13,
it’s time for us to take a full week off
from the gym, right? Come on, you
know us better than that. Like most
bodybuilders, we’ll only take a week
away from the gym if we’re being
Model: Sagi Kalev
The beauty of end-of-set X
Reps is that they do good
things for all genetic types
because they extend the
set at the max-force point
on the stroke.
held hostage (“Hey, even with these
ropes, we can do static contractions!”), on our deathbeds (puking
is good ab work) or family demands
it—like a vacation, and even then
we’ll often hunt down a gym and
sneak in a workout or two.
If we keep training hard with the
same volume through the exhaustion stage, however, we’ll sabotage
our gains, perhaps even triggering
a loss of strength and muscle. The
solution: Lower-intensity, lowervolume workouts. We’re moving
into our fourth Power phase, so our
downshift strategy is to do only one
set on most exercises and limit X
Reps to stretch- and contracted-position movements only—and even
those will be minimal. We believe
X Reps are necessary during Power
week to increase muscle burn on
the low-rep sets so that anabolic
hormones keep flowing. Even with
that somewhat higher intensity, the
low set totals and intensity reduction on the big movements should
allow for systemic recovery and, we
hope, a growth surge from supercompensation.
Is one week of this intensity
downshift enough? Considering that
we’re intensity minded, probably
not. We may do a complete threeweek cycle at lower volume and
medium intensity. That should give
us the equivalent of a one-week layoff. After that our muscles should be
fully loaded with glycogen and carnosine for another P/RR/S assault.
Supplement Support
We mention carnosine because
we’re big believers in beta-alanine
supplementation (beta-alanine
converts to carnosine, which accumulates in muscle tissue). We’ve
discussed the new beta-alanine
compound and its ability to help
your muscles power out more
growth reps at the end of your work
sets before. The positive research on
beta-alanine keeps pouring in, and
considering our experience with
it—shocking new strength—it bears
another look.
Muscle biopsies have revealed
that the biggest bodybuilders have
loads of carnosine in their muscles.
Scientists surmise that’s because
they do so many pain-zone sets,
the biggest bodybuilders adapt by
stockpiling carnosine, which buffers pain somewhat. That enables
them to keep pushing
harder and longer and
continue the adaptation
process—getting bigger
and stronger.
If your body is inefficient at that process
or doesn’t have the raw
materials to make it
happen—or you lack the
pain tolerance to force
the adaptation—your
gains will be much slower. Taking beta-alanine
solves the problem and gets you
there much faster—it automatically
increases muscle carnosine, giving
you the ability to blast the muscle
into the growth zone more often,
enabling you to crank out more X
Reps too.
The problem with it is that it can
mask the exhaustion stage. How?
You may continue to get stronger,
at least on some exercises, as your
tolerance to intense training begins
to spiral downward. Even at week 13
we’re still adding poundage to exercises. (See our training blog
at X-Rep.com for specifics.)
So here’s our warning: If
you’re taking beta-alanine,
a.k.a. Red Dragon, resist the
temptation to keep pushing hard after nine weeks
just because you’re still
getting stronger. Pull back
and supercompensate.
Keep taking beta-alanine
through your lower-intensity weeks so your muscles
continue to stockpile it.
That way you’ll be ready for another
successful P/RR/S assault after your
supercompensation phase.
What about creatine? Research
suggests that creatine is synergistic
with beta-alanine during intense
training, but it also suggests that
creatine receptors downregulate
after months of use. That means it’s
a good idea to stop using creatine
during your low-intensity weeks so
the receptors can replenish.
Whew! Lots of stuff to think
about. Try some of the things we’ve
suggested, be sure to downshift
your intensity every nine weeks, and
don’t neglect the X.
Note: Our Power week is outlined
on page 68. For our complete P/RR/
S program, presented so you can
print it out, take it to the gym and
experiment with us, see Chapter 15
of 3D Muscle Building, available at
www.3DMuscleBuilding.com.
Editor’s note: For the latest on
X Reps, including X Q&As, X Files
(past e-zines), before and after photos and the X-Blog training journal,
visit www.X-Rep.com. To order
the Positions-of-Flexion training
manual Train, Eat, Grow, call (800)
447-0008, visit www.Home-Gym.
com, or see the ad below. IM
Steve Holman’s
Critical Mass
High Pecs,
Round Delts
Q: I’m a skinny, small-boned type, weighing about
150 pounds. I’m making decent gains, but my upper
chest and shoulders are lagging. What would you
suggest for a routine? I’ve included my program for
you to look over.
A: Ectomorphs (skinny, hardgainer types like you and
me) tend to have more endurance capacity in their muscles, even among a lot of the fast-twitch fibers. That means
instead of always concentrating on straight, lower-rep
sets, you also need to give attention to the endurance constituents (mitochondria and capillary beds) with drop sets
and/or supersets. If you train in a crowded gym, drop sets
are best, as you won’t have to move quickly between two
exercises—you simply reduce the weight and immediately
continue repping out on the same exercise.
If you can use supersets, I recommend doing the big,
compound exercise first, followed immediately by a more
isolated move. As I’ve said here and at our Web site, preexhaustion—doing an isolation exercise first followed
immediately by a compound move, such as leg extensions
followed by squats—reduces force production on the more
important big exercise. That can be fine in some cases, but
in your case you want max-force production first, followed
by more concentrated isolation work to extend muscular
tension time.
Using the upper-chest exercises from your routine, you
can do incline dumbbell presses, followed immediately by
incline dumbbell flyes; rest two or three minutes, then hit
it again. You say your upper chest is a weak point, so you
should probably do that at every chest workout to give the
upper section priority. If those are the only upper-chest
exercises you do, try two or three supersets, then move on
to the middle and lower chest. You could do bench presses
supersetted with decline flyes or wide-grip dips supersetted
with flat-bench flyes.
If you train in a home gym or a gym with very basic
equipment, you need to include flyes in your chest supersets. If you train in a commercial gym, use an isolation
exercise with more occlusion, or blood-flow-blocking,
ability, such as incline- or flat-bench cable flyes, pulling
the handles over your forehead. Then you could finish your
upper chest with incline dumbbell flyes for the stretch
position, which isn’t as good for occlusion as cable or pec
deck work but is much better for stretch overload. (There’s
more on stretch overload and the animal study that produced a 300 percent mass increase in three months in the
e-books Jonathan Lawson and I have published.)
Supersetting a big, midrange exercise with a contractedposition move is postactivation—for example, incline
presses (midrange) and cable flyes (contracted). That type
of combo has been shown to increase fiber activation in
the target muscle, especially on the second superset, after
blood flow and neuromuscular efficiency have been heightened. Then you finish with stretch overload (incline flyes).
With that strategy you cover the three positions of flexion
Neveux \ Model: Derik Farnsworth
Neveux \ Model: Michael O’Hearn
A good postactivation superset: incline dumbbell presses followed immediately by incline
flyes. That combination can produce heightened fiber activation in the upper pecs.
Steve Holman’s
Critical Mass
Dumbbell upright rows can give
your delts more fullness and
your torso an illusion of width.
Q: You and Jonathan Lawson aren’t pro bodybuilders. Why should I listen to advice from either of you?
A: In a way, you answered your own question. Pro bodybuilders use growth drugs and are genetic superiors; we
don’t use drugs, and our genetics are average (or below
average in my case), yet we’ve developed pretty good physiques, all things considered.
I went from a 120-pound twig to fairly big—at 200 in
cut condition (that’s 80 extra pounds with less bodyfat).
Back in the 1990s Jonathan set fire to his gains by packing on 20 pounds of muscle in only 10 weeks when he
was the beta-test subject for our crash-gain program (see
www.3DMuscleBuilding.com for that story and program, as
well as an updated version). Then he took his physique to
the next level with X Reps, as did I.
Those are darned good accomplishments for genetically
average, drug-free bodybuilders, and we’ve learned a lot in
our combined 40-plus years of training experience, stuff
that can help you build your physique much faster. How
about the pros? Here’s what Arthur Jones, developer of Nautilus machines, had to say. It may help you understand why
you should be wary of taking their training advice:
“Having become recognized as a star, many actors be-
The sharp black POF T-shirt with the original
classic logo emblazoned in gold can give you that
muscular look you’re after (sorry, large size only). See
page 235 for details.
Editor’s note: Steve Holman is the author of many
bodybuilding best-sellers, including Train, Eat, Grow: The
Positions-of-Flexion MuscleTraining Manual (see page
76). For information on the
POF videos and Size Surge
programs, see the ad sections
beginning on page 232 and
202, respectively. Also visit
www.X-Rep.com. IM
Neveux
Neveux \ Model: Ron Coleman
for full target-muscle
stimulation, achieve
lots of force generation,
get continuous tension
and occlusion and end
with stretch, which has
been tied to fiber splitting, anabolic receptor
proliferation and hormone activation in muscle tissue. Very
efficient and very productive, especially for hardgainers.
That’s precisely what Jonathan and I have been doing for
every bodypart during Shock week of our 3D version of Eric
Broser’s Power/Rep Range/Shock protocol—and it’s been
giving us very impressive gains. [For more on our specific
Power/Rep Range/Shock program, you can visit our training
blog, www.x-rep.com/xblog.htm.]
Of course, postactivation supersets may be impossible in
a crowded commercial gym. In that case do two drop sets
on incline presses. Then do one or two drop sets on cable
flyes, and end with one straight set of incline flyes. X-Rep
partials, which are eight-inch pulses at the semistretch
point on the stroke, done at the end of the second phase of
your drop sets, can boost intensity and growth stimulation
significantly.
For rounder delts I recommend dumbbell upright rows,
pulling the ’bells out wide at the top, supersetted with
forward-lean laterals. You can sit backward on a high incline bench or face backward on a bench with a back—the
kind usually used for seated presses. Once again, if you
can’t use supersets, do drop sets instead. Also, don’t neglect
rear-deltoid work. Bent-over laterals, done with your palms
down, activate the rear heads but also get the rear fibers of
the medial head. That can mean more delt protrusion, or
roundness, and the illusion of exceptional width—even if
your clavicles are somewhat narrow. Do one or two drop
sets—and don’t neglect the X.
come ‘instant experts’ on practically everything—acting, directing, writing, even political science. In the
field of weight training—and this is particularly apparent in bodybuilding—many of the stars are literally
freaks, hereditary freaks, and having received a lot of publicity and credit for something that was thrust opon them
by heredity, they frequently become instant experts. It is
a mistake—although a natural mistake—to listen to such
people, who seldom if ever really understand the actual
cause-effect relationships responsible for their development.”
We, on the other hand, have had to experiment long
and hard to figure out what works and why (and we’re still
learning and experimenting). We can’t depend on genetic
gifts to pack on muscle; we have to do everything just right,
or we lose size. Then there’s the drug thing. If someone is
on anabolic drugs, almost any type of training will work.
Pour on top of that great genetics, and you see the problem—99.9 percent of the population is not in that genetically gifted, drug-using category. They’re more like us,
much more. Our guess is that you’re
probably more like us too—which is
why our recommendations are about
1000 percent more relevant to your
situation than the pros’ workouts.
That’s not to say that you (and we)
don’t look at the pro bodybuilders in
awe and strive to develop our physiques similarly—but you shouldn’t
model them unless you 1) have their
super genetics and 2) spend thouMe at 15, when I
sands of dollars a month on everystarted training,
thing from testosterone to growth
and me now,
hormone to insulin.
below, at age 46,
True, their training can be interest80 pounds heavier
ing, and we’ve analyzed it in many
and more ripped.
of our e-books from a scientific
standpoint to determine things they
do that can work for us mortal, drugfree bodybuilders—but a lot of times
they don’t realize why they do certain
things; it just feels right to them.
That’s why observation is usually better than conversation (watch; don’t
ask). And you never want to adopt one
of their crazy high-volume programs,
unless...well, you know the rest.
Steve Holman
[email protected]
Mr. Natural Olympia John Hansen’s
Naturally Huge
Three-Days-a-Week
Get-Big Program
Q: I’ve watched your DVD “Real Muscle” a few
times now and wanted to ask you if it’s possible
to build a big natural physique by training with
weights only three times a week on a MondayWednesday-Friday push/leg/pull split. That would
work nicely with my college schedule right now, but
I’m afraid I’d be undertraining. In your book you
talk about doing the three-day split with a total of
five workouts a week. That’s why I’m questioning the
three-days-a-week split. I’m 20 years old and have
been training for about three years on and off.
A: At your age you could probably handle working each
bodypart more than once a week, and training five days a
week would work well at your experience level. The fiveday split would have you training the pushing muscles on
day one and legs on day two, resting on day three, training
the pulling muscles on day four, resting on day five and
then repeating the cycle. That provides five days of rest
between bodyparts.
The problem for you is that the schedule would be different each week. On the first week you’d be training on
Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. On the second
week you’d be hitting the gym on Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday.
One of the most important things to consider when
setting up an exercise program is its convenience. If you’re
following a workout schedule that requires you to train
every Saturday and Sunday and you’d prefer to spend time
with your family or friends or just relax on those days, then
you’re going to be fighting the routine, and you won’t enjoy
it. Eventually, you’ll probably start skipping workouts in
favor of what you really want to do.
What I’m saying is, if training on Monday, Wednesday
and Friday fits your schedule, that’s what you should do.
My guess is that you’ll make great gains by training only
three days a week due to all the rest you’ll be getting.
I suggest that you keep a workout journal with you at
every training session because you’ll want to make sure
your workouts are progressive. Push yourself to use more
weight or do more reps with the same weight each week.
That’s important, since you’ll be getting seven days of rest
between workouts for each muscle group.
The key to getting big is to use the basic exercises with
progressively more weight. When you handle substantial
poundages in exercises like the squat, deadlift, bench
press, military press, barbell row and close-grip bench
press and you do the exercises in good form for six to 10
reps, you build thicker muscle fibers and greater strength.
Since you’re training a number of bodyparts in one
workout, you want to keep your sets moderate. Doing too
many will prevent you from using the maximum amount
of resistance, and it can lead to overtraining. Here is a good
routine that emphasizes the basic exercises with a moderate number of sets:
Monday
Chest
Bench presses
Incline dumbbell presses
Flyes
Delts
Seated military presses
Lateral raises
Upright rows
Triceps
Lying extensions
Dips
Neveux \ Model: Robert Hatch
If you can only train
three days a week,
stick with the big
compound mass
moves.
Wednesday
Abs
Incline situps
Hanging knee raises
Legs
Squats
Leg presses
Leg extensions
Leg curls
Friday
Back
Wide-grip chins
Barbell rows
Deadlifts
4 x 10, 8, 6, 6
3 x 8, 6, 6
3 x 10, 8, 6
3 x 10, 8, 6
3 x 10, 8, 6
2-3 x 8-10
3 x 10, 8, 6
2 x 6-8
2 x 6-8
2 x 30-40
2 x 30-40
4 x 10, 8, 6, 6
3 x 12, 10, 8
3 x 12, 10, 8
3 x 10, 8, 6
2-3 x 6-8
3 x 8-10
3 x 8, 6, 6
3 x 10, 8, 6
Naturally Huge
A good rule of thumb is
to get 35 to 40 grams
of protein at each of six
feedings a day.
Neveux \ Model: John Hansen
can absorb at one time? I couldn’t seem
to find that in what I’ve read. I’ve heard
that it’s around 40 to 50 grams or so, but
I’m not sure. I doubt it will matter anyway, since I weigh only 120 pounds. Taking 1.5 grams per pound of bodyweight
over five meals a day will require only 36
grams each time, so I’m probably under
the limit. How much time should I wait
between protein shakes? None of the
articles I’ve read mentions it directly. I’m
looking to build muscle mass, and I have
very little bodyfat. My next question is
about repetitions and sets. I’m going for
eight repetitions a set, and I read that it’s
good to do each set until you absolutely
cannot do another rep. They say it really
works the muscle in a way it’s not used to.
For building mass, how many sets should
I do with eight repetitions each? Back
in high school I remember doing about
three to four. It seems like it’s common to
do more, though. To sum up, here are my
questions:
1) What is the maximum amount of
protein that can be absorbed at once?
2) What is the minimum time to allow
between protein shakes?
3) Should I go to failure on each set?
4) How many sets (eight reps each) should I do?
Biceps
Incline curls
Barbell curls
Hammer curls
Wrist curls
Calves
Seated calf raises
3 x 10, 8, 6
2 x 6-8
2 x 8-10
3 x 8-12
3 x 12-20
3 x 8-12
Q: I’m 19 years old and have started my second
year of college. I lifted weights for about two years
during my junior and senior years in high school,
and I developed good form and breathing technique—to perform each repetition slowly and
clench the muscle before doing the second half;
however, I wasn’t eating nearly enough protein. I
made gains, but I know they could have been better. Now I’m going to start lifting again. I’ve spent
time on bodybuilding Web sites and read about
the importance of getting enough sleep, eating
enough and drinking enough water. Also, I plan to
take whey protein powder (I never really eat junk
food, and I never drink soda). I really enjoy lifting
weights, and with my new knowledge I can’t wait
to get started. I know it will be different now that
I know a lot more. When I started making up my
workout plan, however, I realized there were still
some gray areas. First, with a whey powder, what
is the maximum amount of protein that a person
A: You sound excited about making progress on your
workout program, and that’s great! Keep that motivation
up as you continue training through the years, and you’ll
make great gains.
As to your question about the maximum amount of protein that can be absorbed at one time, I’m not sure if that
has ever been scientifically determined, but the standard
rule has always been not to eat more than 35 to 40 grams of
protein at one time for maximum absorption. If you weigh
120 pounds and you’re going to eat 1.5 grams of protein
for each pound of bodyweight, that would come out to 180
grams of protein. I would suggest you eat six meals a day
and try to get 30 grams of protein with each meal. Thirty
grams would be equal to four ounces of lean ground beef,
four ounces of sirloin steak, five ounces turkey breast or a
five-ounce chicken breast. My book Natural Bodybuilding
has a list of protein foods and the amounts of protein in a
typical serving size, which could serve as a reference when
you are designing your diet.
You ask how long to wait between protein drinks. If
you’re eating a good-size meal, you should wait about
three hours before eating again. Many bodybuilders like to
have a protein drink as their next meal after a whole-food
meal. That seems to make for better digestion and doesn’t
overwhelm the digestive system with too much food.
If your meals are smaller, however, you could eat every
2 1/2 hours. When I’m preparing for a competition, I
schedule my meals every 2 1/2 hours because the meals
Naturally Huge
Neveux \ Model: Peter Putnam
near the bottom
of an incline press
or chinup. Those
partials after
full-range failure
get the muscle to
work beyond its
normal capacity,
activating more
growth fibers. [For
more on X Reps,
see www.X-Rep
.com.]
The number
of sets you do
depends on the
size of the muscle
group. Bigger
bodyparts like
the legs, back
and chest require
more sets because
there are more
areas of the muscle to train. When
training back, for
example, you have
exercises that
work the width
of the lats and
exercises that focus on the thickness of the lats. You have to
choose exercises that train the upper lats, the middle part
of the back and the lower lats. You also have to train the
muscles in the lower back.
Smaller bodyparts, like the calves and biceps, don’t
require as many exercises. If it takes only two exercises
to train a small muscle group, you’ll end up doing fewer
overall sets. I usually do three to four sets for each exercise.
If it’s a big mass-building exercise like squats, I may do as
many as five sets. A finishing exercise like hammer curls,
which I do at the end of my biceps workout, will require
only two sets. My DVD “Real Muscle” explains exactly how
many sets to do for each exercise and for each bodypart.
Editor’s note: John
Hansen has won the
Natural Mr. Olympia
and is a two-time
Natural Mr. Universe
winner. Visit his Web
site at www
.naturalolympia.com.
You can write to him at
P.O. Box 3003, Darien,
IL 60561, or call tollfree (800) 900-UNIV
(8648). His new book,
Natural Bodybuilding,
and new training DVD,
“Real Muscle,” are now
available from Home
Gym Warehouse, (800)
447-0008 or www
.Home-Gymcom. IM
Neveux
are much smaller,
It’s important to train a muscle
and it lets me eat
group until you can’t perform
more meals per
another rep. That will force it
day, which tends to
to grow.
increase my metabolism.
Since you’re trying to gain weight, I
suggest that you eat
bigger meals and
space them three
hours apart. Have
a big whole-food
meal, and follow
that up three hours
later with a protein
drink and a snack.
Do that throughout the day for six
meals.
One suggestion:
Use a protein powder that contains
a combination of
whey, casein and
egg proteins. Whey
is a very fast-acting
protein source, and
unless you combine it with some
type of fat such as flaxseed oil or peanut butter, it will be
absorbed too quickly and may be used as an energy source
instead of a protein source. That’s not going to help you
gain muscle and bodyweight. By choosing a protein powder like Muscle-Link’s Pro-Fusion or a meal replacement
like Muscle Meals (both of which contain a combination of
whey, casein and egg sources), you ensure that the protein
will be digested much more slowly and absorbed into the
muscles much more efficiently. Whey is a good protein
source immediately after a workout because it’s digested so
quickly. That’s why whey is the protein used in RecoverX,
a postworkout supplement that also contains 60 grams of
simple carbs for rapid absorption into the muscle cells.
Speaking of carbs, be sure to include lots of them in your
diet if you’re trying to put on size. Although protein is important, the carbohydrates provide energy for your training
sessions, help in the recuperation process and add bodyweight. If you’re eating 180 grams of protein, you should be
eating at least 240 grams of carbohydrate.
Now let’s talk about your training. You asked about
training to failure. It’s important to work a muscle group
until you cannot perform another rep. That’s what will
force the muscle to grow. You can accomplish it by several
methods. One is to train with progressively heavier weights
at each workout. The muscles will have to get bigger and
stronger to adapt to the heavier resistance. Of course, you
should push those heavy sets until you can no longer do
another rep. At the next workout for that muscle group use
more weight for the same number of reps, or use the same
weight for more reps than you used last time.
You can also use a high-intensity method of training
such as X Reps to train the muscle to failure. After the muscle reaches “positive” failure, you can do eight-to-10-inch
partial reps at the key point of force generation, such as
John Hansen
[email protected]
Powerful Muscle Medicine-3
Muscle Medicine
Doug McGuff, M.D., Discusses
High-Intensity-Training Dose/Response
for Muscle and Strength - Part 3
by John Little
D
Neveux \ Model: Steve Namat
r. McGuff continues explaining his beliefs regarding short, high-intensity
workouts and why most
bodybuilders are doing too much
in the gym.
JL: Speaking of psychological issues attached to
bodybuilding, I’d like to look
at some popular general
approaches to bodybuilding. One is the performance
of multiple sets per muscle
group—up to 20 sets per
bodypart. The other is the
concept of periodization.
What are your thoughts on
them?
DM: Well, in terms of multiple
sets per muscle group, I think
it’s just misunderstanding what
the stimulus is in regard to the
response that you’re seeking.
Once you’ve recruited all of the
motor units that you’re capable
of recruiting and fatiguing, you’ve
really done all that you can do in
terms of stimulus. In order to do
a high volume of sets, you have to
hold back on the amount of intensity. What happens is that you
never reach a level of intensity to
trigger the adaptive response that
you’re looking for, but you accumulate an amount of work that
chronically interferes with and
prevents the adaptive response
from occurring—even if by some
fluke you were able to produce an
adequate intensity stimulus.
So in terms of the stimulus/organism/response relationship,
you’re screwing it up on both sides
of the equation. You’re not letting
yourself produce enough intensity
to cross the threshold into adaptation. On the other side you’re
accumulating so much work that
you’re chronically interfering with
the organism’s ability to cope and
to produce new tissue.
Periodization seems to be a
huge overcomplication of what
is a relatively simple process. It’s
done for the purpose of making
the people who propose it look
intelligent. That may be a little
bit harsh, but I believe that what
you’re doing by overcomplicating
the process is saying, “Here are
periods where you’re going to be
addressing strength, and here are
periods where you’re going to be
addressing hypertrophy.” The body
just doesn’t work that way. These
arbitrary categories of activity
are just creating periods of what
they’re calling “active rest,” when
what you really need is plain old
rest. It’s kind of an oxymoron.
If you’ve applied an adequate
stimulus, the body needs to be
undisturbed long enough to produce an adaptive response, which
is difficult. If you keep throwing in
all this stuff labeled “active rest,”
you’re really just interfering with
that adaptive response.
JL: How do you presently
train, and what has been the
most productive routine that
you’ve ever done?
Powerful Muscle
MuscleMedicineMedicine33
Neveux \ Model: Hidetada Yamagishi
“Periodization seems to be a huge
overcomplication of what is a
relatively simple process.”
DM: I’ve had two points in my
life where I feel I’ve broken through
a longtime plateau. The first was
around 1994 or 1995. Ellington
Darden came out with Upside Down
Bodybuilding. Two routines, which
he called loading and packing, were
seven-to-eight-set routines that
used big, basic exercises. It was high
intensity, straight to failure. Those
routines represented a significant
reduction in volume and frequency
from what I’d been doing—standard
high-intensity training, 12 to 17
exercises done three times a week. I
made a reduction to seven or eight
exercises, initially done twice a week
and then on Monday, Friday and
again on Wednesday, so I worked
out every fifth day, roughly. When
I made that change, it was the first
time in a long time that I had a rapid
jump in muscle growth.
The other time was when I
opened my own facility and went
from roughly that version of training
to a consolidated routine of three to
five exercises done once every seven
to 12 days. While doing that routine,
I went from an arm that measured
about 15 5/8 inches to about 16 1/8
inches in lean condition. Every interval in improvement that I’ve had
that has been long lasting has been
a result of a reduction in volume
and frequency.
“Every interval in improvement that
I’ve had that has been long lasting
has been the result of a reduction
in volume and frquency.”
JL: When would you prescribe
so-called advanced techniques
for one of your clients—like
rest/pause or negative-only
training—if at all? At what point
would you do it—after a year,
when they’re close to their potential? Would you have them
max out at going to positive
failure first?
DM: It would depend on the subject and the level of responsiveness.
For someone of average responsiveness who’s producing results, I don’t
think I’d try to tap those until he
appeared to be asymptotic with
his potential. Probably within a
year or a year and a half I’d start
incorporating some of those
things—sooner for the less responsive. My current instructor at Ultimate Exercise is a big believer in
taking people who have less-thanaverage responsiveness and really
putting the spurs to them. He puts
those people on essentially a hyper
training routine. His feeling is that
their problem is that their organism is set in such a way that it takes
an even more extreme stimulus to
cross the adaptive threshold. That’s
just a theory. Some people who are
less responsive than usual might
benefit from higher-intensity regimens earlier in the game.
JL: Are there any dangers in
making the intensity too high
to recover sufficiently?
DM: I think that advanced
techniques take that narrow therapeutic window and make it really
narrow. So their implementation
can be fraught with danger. The
more advanced people become,
Neveux \ Model: Gus Malliarodakis
“What is lacking in
compound movements is
the inroad component.”
the more my inclination is to shut
them off right at [positive] failure.
JL: Just because it’s so easy to
overtrain?
DM: Yeah. They’re able to bring
so much punishment to themselves by virtue of their increased
muscle mass, they can cross over
the threshold into the toxic range
relatively quickly.
JL: Do you still believe that
compound exercises are the
most productive? I advocate
isolation exercises for the
most part—with Max Contraction training—but when
I read your chapter on that, I
thought, “You know, he makes
a good point. It is almost impossible to truly ‘isolate’ one
muscle group.” Your point about
the difference in the leverage
involved in compound movements more accurately tracking
muscle function was well taken.
DM: I believe they are the most
productive, but at the time I wrote
that, I felt that they were so much
more productive that you shouldn’t
be bothering with isolation movements at all. At least that was the
tone of the chapter in that book.
I still believe that compound
movements are probably the most
productive from a few standpoints:
One is that by involving a large
amount of muscle mass at one time,
you’re producing a lot of metabolic
by-products. That creates a hormonal and metabolic environment
that makes the stimulus more productive. They’re also bigger move-
ments that involve more weight,
which means you’re handling more
load. The load is experienced even
in smaller muscle groups like your
biceps and triceps when you’re
doing a heavier compound movement. That takes advantage of both
the metabolic component and the
load aspect of training.
What is lacking in compound
movements, particularly for smaller
muscle groups, such as calves,
forearms, biceps and triceps, is the
inroad component. The degree to
which you can isolate and drive the
level of weakness of that muscle
downward is somewhat compromised in the compound movements.
That’s where the isolation movements have their utility.
JL: Some people say you have
Balik \ Model: Mike Mentzer
to change your routines all
the time as the body adapts
to a particular stress. With
constant changing of exercises and protocols, however,
all you’re doing is learning
to perform new exercises,
so there is a certain neural
learning curve that takes
place over, say, six weeks. So
a “strength” increase might
not match a bona fide size or
cross-sectional increase. In
Ultimate Exercise you had
clients producing the same
gains at 30 weeks of training
as they did during the first
six weeks. So maybe changing the routine is more of a
concept for people who have
been training for a year on
a consolidated routine (particularly as you can experience progress for more than
30 weeks on such a program).
Indeed, in a year or two they
might well have maximized
their genetic potential for
muscle anyway.
DM: A lot of those arguments
are going on between high-intensity geeks who have long since
tapped out their genetic potential.
What we’re talking about is trying to eke out a little something
more. The one thing that Mike
Mentzer needs to get credit for
is the idea that you can achieve
your genetic potential in a year
with proper training—and that
does not require variation, specialization, blitzing or anything
of that nature. What most people
have been very unsatisfied with
is the idea that you can “discover
your genetic potential inside a
year.” For the vast majority of the
population that means “discover
that your genetic potential is crap
within a year.” Even people with
very poor genetic potential, however, can achieve very impressive
musculature within the course of
a year with the proper high-intensity, low-volume, low-frequency
strength training. They don’t have
to devote their life to it. As a matter of fact, it’s best that it doesn’t
chew up all their time.
If you picture a very steep
curve that levels off as someone
achieves his genetic potential, the
arguments that people have made
for change have to do with where
the curve starts to go horizontal,
trying to get it to bump up ever so
slightly, to get a little bit closer to
that absolute genetic potential.
That’s not really that relevant to
bigger issues about training.
JL: Could deviation from
“There’s not
necessarily one
key stimulus [for
muscle growth].”
the standard—let’s say, positive-failure and a slow-mo
protocol— be achieved not by
increasing volume and frequency but by a radically more
intense training methodology
along the lines of what Mike
Mentzer did in going from preexhaust and forced reps to rest/
pause, negative-only and/or infitonic training? Wouldn’t that
be sufficient deviation from the
baseline to get that extra eight
ounces or so of muscle growth
at such a point in a trainee’s
career?
DM: I think it could. The issue
isn’t really that one protocol or one
mix of protocols is going to produce
those little peaks or optimization of
your potential. From the stimulus
standpoint and the organism’s response, there’s not necessarily one
key stimulus. The stimulus is multifactorial, as the scientific literature
bears out.
Load, or the amount of weight
imposed on the muscle, seems to
be important. So is the metabolic
environment of the muscle while
it is exercising—the production of
the lactic acidosis, the drop of pH,
stimulates the release of growth
factors that augment the hypertrophic response. Microcellular
damage, mostly incurred during
the “negative” aspect of training,
produces tears in the sarcolemma,
which enables growth factors to
diffuse through the cell membrane
to activate satellite cells. That results
in differentiation into new muscle
cells, which results in growth.
Multiple factors become more
important over time. Initially, the
metabolic environment—the lactic
acidosis and the metabolic actions—may dominate more. But as
you become more advanced and
have enough muscle mass to actually produce amounts of lactate to
drastically lower your pH, that can
become a negative factor. Rather
than doing a continuous loaded
protocol that produces a lot of
metabolic by-products, you want
to decrease the metabolic effect
and increase the load. So progressing from a standard high-intensity,
quick-moving-type protocol to a
rest/pause training protocol that
enables you to augment the load
while limiting the metabolic effect
may produce ongoing gains. The nature of the stimulus needs to change
in response to what your development is along that continuum. Mike
was kind of experimenting with that
and realizing ongoing results for
himself.
JL: So the fundamental
principles would always stay
the same—intense, brief and
infrequent—but the stimulus
manipulation would change to
some degree.
DM: Correct.
JL: Have you learned of
any new developments or
any new research studies
that might offer encouragement or enlightenment to
those seeking to build bigger,
stronger muscles?
DM: Actually, some interesting
studies are out. Whether they’ll
provide encouragement, I don’t
know. Some of the encouragement, or at least the explanation
for some people’s frustrations,
can be found by exploring the
research on myostatin. That
might hold some hope for people
who want to change their level of
responsiveness. As for protocol,
I advocate always going back to
the basics. I’d go back and reread
what you [John Little] have written, what Mike Mentzer wrote,
what Arthur [Jones] wrote. A
whole lot more can be gleaned
from past knowledge that’s
been forgotten than by any new
knowledge that might be coming
down the pike. Having said that,
I do think that new knowledge is
going to be integrated with existing knowledge so we can put the
big picture together. So I think
the future looks really bright for
everyone.
JL: Could you sum up your
advice for someone who is
looking to be successful in
muscle-building efforts?
DM: I would say train hard,
train briefly, and train infrequently—as Arthur said. More important than anything, don’t agonize
over the process too much. If you
spend too much time thinking
about it, you create an environment of anxiety that actually
inhibits the response somewhat.
So get in, get it done, get out and
let the growth process take effect.
Editor’s note: John Little
is one of the leading fitness researchers in North America. He,
along with his wife Terri, own and
operate Nautilus North Strength
& Fitness Centre. He is the innovator of the Max Contraction
Training system of bodybuilding
exercise (www.MaxContraction
.com). IM
Mountain of
Muscle
Derik Farnsworth Is Standing Tall in
the Pro Ranks—Drug Free
by David Young
Photography by Michael Neveux
At a height of 5’2’’ and a contest weight of 195,
Derik Farnsworth is certainly not the biggest guy on
an IFBB pro bodybuilding stage, but he’s one of the
most motivated. He uses the stage as his finish line—
it’s a place to show how determined and focused he
is in his training. The gym and the dinner table are
where Derik does battle. In fact, Derik competes with
Derik, and in 2006 he made
tremendous improvements
for the IRON MAN Pro
and several guest-posing
exhibitions. He believes that
he made a disappointing
showing at his pro debut at the
’05 IRON MAN, so he was
determined to have an impact
in ’06—and he did. In fact,
even the harsh-tongued tough
guys on Internet forums like GetBig.com, who usually
talk brutal smack about pro bodybuilders, mostly had
good things to say about Farnsworth’s ’06 condition.
We can all learn quite a bit from Derik, as he has
training and diet down to a science. So get out your
notebooks, gang. Class is in session, and Professor
Farnsworth is speaking.
“I have an
image in my
mind of how I
want to look.”
“Making progress
and looking in the
mirror and seeing
improvements is
what fires me up.”
DY: How many years have
you been training seriously?
DF: I’ve been training my heart
out for 16 years, and I’m still every
bit as enthusiastic about it as I
was when I started. I love training, and I love coaching people on
how to make progress.
DY: Were you athletic growing up—before bodybuilding?
DF: Yes, I played all kinds of
sports, raced BMX, did some gymnastics and baseball, wrestled in
high school and coached as well.
DY: That’s great. I think the
best bodybuilders come from
athletic backgrounds. They
seem to have better mental
acuity and better muscle coordination.
DF: Yes, I definitely agree with
that. Athletics gives you a certain
edge that carries over into your
training.
DY: Besides bodybuilding,
do you play other sports now?
DF: Well, I live in San Diego,
so I’ve taken up boogie boarding,
and I hope to try surfing. It’s not
all sports though—I actually col-
lect a certain comic book. The
character’s name is Lobo, and I
have almost all of them. I also
play Playstation 2 when I’m dieting, and I enjoy watching football.
DY: Do you think watching a
game can keep your mind off
wanting to eat?
DF: Yes, definitely.
DY: Hmm, I think a lot of
guys would be tempted to go
for the beer and chips. I guess
that’s really a matter of motivation. So what motivates you
to train and diet hard?
DF: I can’t really say what motivates me to do what I do. I just
love it. The feeling after a good
workout is just incredible. I mean,
what makes a painter paint? What
makes a sculptor sculpt? They
have an image in their mind. I
have an image in my mind of how
I want to look. Making progress
and looking in the mirror and
seeing improvements is motivation that fires me up. Competing
with myself to get one more rep
than last time and then getting
that rep—that’s pure energy. It’s
a rush.
“Competing with
myself to get one
more rep than last
time and then getting
that rep—that’s pure
energy. It’s a rush.”
“I cycle my
carbs yearround.”
DY: Yes. You gotta love it, and you gotta see results. No results,
no motivation. I think that a lot of bodybuilders would do much
better if they had that competition with themselves at every
workout to get one more rep, a little more weight. Sometimes
they forget to really go for it. What’s your diet strategy, on-season and off?
DF: There isn’t much difference. I cycle my carbs year-round. I take
in roughly 1.5 grams of protein per pound of bodyweight. I keep my fats
pretty low. I eat a lot of green veggies. The only real difference between
the off-season and on-season is that my high-carb days in the off-season
are cheat days; during contest prep they’re just higher clean-carb days.
DY: So off-season you have a cheat day and on-season you
don’t?
DF: Yes, in the off-season one to two days a week. Usually it’s just a
cheat meal, so you could say I have two cheat meals a week.
DY: So how does that work? Break it down for me.
DF: Well, the first thing is that I drink about two gallons a day of water
spaced throughout the day. As I said, I cycle my carbs throughout the
week with high carbs, approximately 400 grams; medium, approximately 200 grams; and low, approximately 100 grams. I try to make the two
low days my days off from training, while on the two high days I train
legs and back because they’re the most taxing. That leaves three medium
days.
Derik
Farnsworth
Is Standing
Tall in the Pro
Ranks—Drug
Free
Low-Carb Day
(Nontraining Day)
Meal 1
1/2 cup oatmeal
1 carton Egg Beaters
Meal 2
8 ounces chicken breast
8 ounces green vegetables
Meal 3
8 ounces red meat
Meal 4
Meal 5
1/2 cup oatmeal
Meal 6
Big salad with nonfat dressing
Medium-Carb Day
(Training Day)
Meal 1 (after workout)
2 scoops whey protein
10 grams L-glutamine
3/4 cup oatmeal
Meal 2
3/4 cup oatmeal
10 ounces fish
Meal 3
10 ounces fish
Meal 4
10 ounces fish
3/4 cup oatmeal
Meal 5
10 ounces fish
Meal 6
“I’m proud of staying
drug free and going pro
in spite of it. Not too
many can claim that
honestly.”
High-Carb Day
(Training Day)
Meal 1 (after workout)
2 scoops whey protein
10 grams L-glutamine
3/4 cup oatmeal
Meal 2
1 cup oatmeal
Meal 3
10 ounces fish
1 cup oatmeal
Meal 4
10 ounces fish
Meal 5
10 ounces fish
1 cup oatmeal
Meal 6
DY: You certainly have the
diet and drug-free training
down to a science.
DF: I’m proud staying drug
free and going pro in spite of it.
Not too many people can claim
that honestly. I never knew for
sure if I’d go pro, but I knew I’d
never use drugs.
DY: What happens is that
bodybuilders get frustrated
with a lack of progress or
when they hit plateaus. They
don’t know which way to
turn, so they contemplate
using drugs. How do you
overcome training plateaus?
DF: I never get complacent in
my workouts—never. Complacency is a luxury I can’t afford.
I plan ahead so that when I feel
any staleness—boom!—I can
change it right away. Then I’m
off and running again.
DY: There are so many different approaches to training, and champions seem
to focus on one approach
and find what works early in
their careers. How did you
find what works for you?
looking for the fast way. I look at my
body as an unfinished piece of art
work. Rome wasn’t built in a day.
You can’t rush progress.
DY: What is your training
philosophy?
DF: Pure adrenaline, 100 percent
focus, 100 percent intensity.
DY: A lot of guys have a mental switch they turn on in their
mind that says, “I’m in contest
mode now.” Once that happens,
they’re able to tune out any
distractions and totally focus
on their diet and training. Does
something like that happen
for you, and what kicks on the
switch?
DF: It builds up. I break down the
months before and set small expectations each month. By 12 weeks
out I’m 100 percent zoned in.
DF: It was trial and error, reading. I read about new ideas, and if
it’s something I agree with, I apply
it. If it works, great; if not, it’s on the
chopping block.
DY: What about goals?
DF: Well, my biggest goal was
to turn pro, so now I’m making up
the territory as I go along. I do like
training others, either for shows or
people who just want to get into
shape. One thing I try to do is make
it fun and take the guessing out of
the whole process.
I made my pro debut at the ’05
IRON MAN Pro, and I looked like
crap. So for the next year my entire
goal was to come into the ’06 IRON
MAN Pro in much better shape. I
wanted to make an impact, and I
did. I redeemed myself and showed
a bigger and better Derik Farnsworth. Next year I’ll come in even
better.
DY: Do you use any mental or
visual techniques to build motivation?
DF: Yes, I watch training videos
over and over to get my adrenaline
going. I also read Thinking Body,
Dancing Mind. It’s a great book on
techniques to help you perform at
a higher level and at the same time
get more enjoyment out of whatever
sport you play.
DY: Sounds like a good tool.
Do you have a life philosophy
that’s helped you in bodybuilding?
DF: I believe that if you’re true
to yourself, you don’t screw people around and you just do what
you want to do. Don’t let anyone
tell you what to do. Just do your
own thing, and whether you
screw up or succeed shouldn’t
matter. The important thing is
how much fun you had doing it.
Never, ever, ever let anyone pull
you down or influence you negatively.
DY: Now, there’s a philosophy that can help our readers. It’s easy to get caught up
and go with the crowd even
though they’re headed in
the wrong direction. It takes
sticking with what you believe in to avoid that. Tell me,
what strategies do you use for
success in life and business
that you’re able to carry into
bodybuilding?
DF: Have passion for your
goals and discipline to carry out
your plan, and be consistent in
the endeavor. In that order. If you
love what you do, you’ll do whatever it takes, day after day, week
after week, month after month.
DY: What’s your overall philosophy about bodybuilding?
DF: I’m natural. So I’m not
DY: Training naturally can
mean you need more time to
prepare for a contest. How
many weeks out do you start
your preparation?
DF: Well, I’d say 25, but I do it
very slowly. So at five weeks out I’m
ready for just minor adjustments so
that my skin can tighten up and I’m
not playing catch-up.
DY: A lot of bodybuilders end
up playing catch-up. Do you
use supersets, forced reps and
so on?
DF: Very, very seldom. Those
aren’t things I incorporate as a base
in my current plan, but I have in
previous years. I think it’s too extreme for most people.
DY: How do you organize your
training week?
DF: Sunday: off; Monday: chest,
calves; Tuesday: back; Wednesday:
off; Thursday: shoulders, calves;
Friday: arms; Saturday: legs.
DY: What about sets and reps?
DF: Smaller bodyparts get four
to six sets, larger ones no more than
12. Reps are in the four-to-six range,
except that on legs I go higher—
more for maintenance.
DY: So give us an example of a
typical workout week.
DF: Sure.
“Never, ever,
ever let anyone
pull you down
or influence you
negatively.”
Monday: Chest, calves
Incline-bench
presses
2 warmup sets
(work sets)
3 x 4-6
Dumbbell bench presses 3 x 4-6
Incline flyes
3 x 4-6
Leg press calf raises
3 x 4-10
Seated calf raises
3 x 4-10
Tuesday: Back
Neutral-grip pullups
Rack deadlifts
Bent-over rows
Seated cable rows
3 x 4-6
3 x 4-6
3 x 4-6
3 x 4-6
Wednesday: off
Thursday: Shoulders, calves
Military presses or
seated dumbbell
presses
2 warmup sets
(work sets)
2 x 4-6
Laterals raises
3 x 4-6
Bent-over barbell rows
to neck (supported by
incline bench)
3 x 4-6
Wide-grip upright rows 2 x 4-6
Leg press calf raises
3 x 4-10
Seated calf raises
3 x 4-10
Friday: Arms
Lying cable curls
Incline dumbbell curls
Spider curls
Pushdowns
3 x 4-6
3 x 4-6
3 x 4-6
3 x 4-6
3 x 4-6
Lying extensions
3 x 4-6
One-arm dumbbell wrist
curls
3 x 4-6
Hammer curls
3 x 4-6
Saturday: Legs
Front squats
2-4 warmup sets
(work sets)
3 x 10-20
Hack squats
3 x 10-20
Parking-lot lunges
(contest season only)
varies
3 x 10-20
Lying leg curls
3 x 10-20
DY: Great. What about cardio?
DF: That was a big change in my
program from 2005 to 2006. In ’05
I was doing 16 sessions of cardio
a week from about 10 weeks out,
about 40 minutes a session. This
year I did three sessions a week
up until about 15 weeks out, then
increased it to four or five sessions
until about 10 weeks out. At 10
weeks out I did six sessions a week,
but each was only about 25 minutes
long.
DY: So it was a drastic reduction in cardio?
DF: Yes. That preserved more
muscle, and I actually came in
much harder. In ’05 I definitely tore
myself down more than in ’06.
DY: Tell me, bodypart by
bodypart, which exercises you
would avoid and why?
DF: Chest: weighted dips. I just
feel they put too much pressure
on your shoulder joints when you
use the amount weight needed to
stimulate the muscle.
Back: For me it’s full deadlifts.
My lower body is stronger than my
upper, so I have an imbalance. For
that reason I do three-quarter deads
to take out my quads and put the
stress solely on my back.
Shoulders: behind-the-neck
presses. That’s an unstable position
for the rotator cuff.
Biceps: preacher curls. Certain
benches are angled so that the humerus is pulled in an unsafe way.
Triceps: overhead extensions.
I think you need a spot, as your
shoulders are in an unstable position, and when you’re going heavy,
it only takes one slip to damage the
shoulder girdles.
Forearms: reverse curls. They can
cause a lot of discomfort if done
excessively.
Quads: heavy extensions. I think
they pull a lot on the knees.
Hamstrings: good mornings. I see
guys use these for hamstrings, but
I can’t see how they can go heavy
enough without injuring their
backs.
Calves: heavy seated calf raises.
I think if you go too heavy, you can
tear your calf muscle.
Abs: I’m not a fan of weighted ab
movements. I don’t want my midsection bigger.
Also, I use a loose but controlled
form and full-range movement on
most exercises.
DY: What do you think are the
key elements of training, nutrition, supplementation and
cardio that lead to building a
great body?
DF: Structure—a plan that fits all
of them in. Balance—being able to
do all it with everyday life as well.
Consistency—staying on the path
day after day. Discipline—following
through with each task. Intensity
and heart—giving it everything
you’ve got.
DY: Well spoken.
Editor’s note: To contact Derik
Farnsworth, send e-mail to
[email protected]. IM
3D Calf
Training
An Excerpt From the New E-book
3D Muscle Building
by Steve Holman
The first part of 3D
Muscle Building is an
analysis of the program
Jonathan Lawson used
to pack on 20 pounds of
muscle in 10 weeks back
in the 1990s. It was a twophase approach, the first
being a three-days-perweek anabolic-primer
program and the second
a 3D Positions-of-Flexion
every-other-day program.
The following excerpt
from Chapter 3 looks
back at and improves on
the 3D POF calf workout
Jonathan used:
Donkey calf raises
2 x 12-18
2 x 12-18
Jonathan readily admits that he
wasn’t satisfied with his calf growth
during his 3D Size Surge transformation—which may be why we didn’t
bother measuring them. The real problem with building calves in the gym
during a weight-training routine is that
all the calf exercises are single-joint
isolation moves—either contracted position (standing calf raises) or stretch
position (donkey calf raises or leg press
calf raises), as in Jonathan’s program
above. You need midrange (multijoint)
work, as this scenario demonstrates.
I was driving to work one day and
came across a huge bicycling event.
Hundreds of cyclists, strung out for
miles along the bike lane, were pedaling away. Since I’m a bodybuilder,
I noticed immediately that almost
all of them had pretty darned good
calves—total development throughout
both heads. And some of those calves
featured strikingly good bodybuildingtype detail. Even the skinniest guys—
and girls—had impressive lower-leg
development.
The question is, Why? They aren’t up
on their toes during their rides. They
never do full calf raise reps with peak
contraction—and their calves never
work through the full range. Their
knees never even lock out, which is
supposed to be the way to fully engage
the calves. Then, as I observed how
they were pedaling and where their
feet were placed, the reason hit me
right between the eyes. On each stroke
cyclists essentially do partial movement at the ankle as their foot pulses
in the gastrocnemius’ semistretched
position to push down the pedal—and
the quads are involved for muscle
synergy. The funny thing is, most cyclists couldn’t care less about having
great calves. And the sad thing is, most
bodybuilders suffer through endless
excruciating full-range isolation exercises that emphasize peak contraction—and the majority of them have
less-than-impressive calf
development.
ONE-LEG CALF RAISES
These attack
the gastroc’s
contracted
position—but
full-range
movement
may not be
necessary.
There are two morals to this story:
1) Most leg-oriented cardio is
midrange work for your calves.
Running is good, biking is probably better because there’s a bit
more continuous tension, and
treadmill work on a machine that
has hill settings is probably best
because there’s more resistance
and more movement at the ankle
(or you can actually go outdoors
and walk and run hills for real).
2) Don’t stop your sets of isolated calf raises just because you
can’t reach the top (that position
is important, just not as critical as the semistretched point
near the bottom of the stroke);
continue repping in the bottom
range, fighting the burn and
blasting out partials at the sweet
spot, a.k.a. X Reps.
You could add inches of raw
muscle to your calves in a very
short time just by following those
two recommendations, but to be
more precise, your calf workout
should be specific. If you cover
midrange work with your cardio,
you still have (continued on page 142)
Model: Jay Cutler
The calf muscles are built
for endurance—even their
fast-twitch fibers are
mostly endurance oriented.
SEATED CALF RAISES
sition exercise for the calves,
but your torso must be bent at
90 degrees to your legs.
Contracted
Mitsuru Okabe ©2006 \ Model: Jay Cutler
You reach total contraction
at the top of a standing calf
raise—up on toes, torso and
legs in line or on the same
plane, and toes pointed slightly
outward. In this position you
can flex the calf, but you must
realize that you can lose tension in the top position (more
on that in a moment).
(continued from page 138) two positions
left. (We’ve created a midrange exercise you can do in the gym if you’re not
doing cardio or just not getting enough
midrange work from your cardio, which
I’ll explain in a moment.) Here they are:
Stretch
You achieve this position at the
bottom of a donkey calf
raise—calves stretched off a
high block, toes pointed slightly
inward, knees locked and torso
at a right angle to the legs. You
should feel an uncomfortable
pull on the gastrocnemius muscles in this position. Leg press
calf raises are also a stretch-po-
There is, however, a little more
to it than just covering all the
positions, or angles:
Higher Reps
The calves are made up of
some of the densest muscle in
the human body. In other words,
they have more fibers per square
inch than other muscles. And the
LEG PRESS CALF RAISES
Model: Kat Meyers
Straight-leg leg press
calf raises train the
stretch position, but by
using knee bend and
then extension, you
can turn them into a
mass-building midrange
movement.
majority of those fibers are endurance oriented, even the fast-twitch
ones. Consequently, the best rep
range for training calves is 15 to 25
because it hits the fast-twitch fibers
that have a high endurance component. Tension times for your straight
sets of calf work should be about 45
seconds to one minute.
Feel
As with any muscle group you
must put your mind into the muscle
and avoid bouncing and/or throwing the weight. Rep speed is also
important. One to 1 1/2 seconds up
and the same speed for the down
stroke is about right. But feel is more
than just control; it’s also about
continuous tension: You should not
rest the muscle at the top or bottom
of any rep.
Now, the next part is somewhat
controversial.
You’ve no doubt read over and
over that you should do your standing calf raises from full stretch at the
bottom to complete contraction at
the top. “Get high up on your toes
and then try to go higher.” Sounds
like good, logical advice—till you
analyze the movement and corresponding muscle tension.
Your calves get so much work
every day that they’ve learned how
to rest—to cheat, or divert, tension to other muscles and/or joints
whenever possible. That’s the reason
your knees want to bend and your
butt wants to move back when you
do standing calf raises—your calves
are trying to divert a lot of the load
to your knees, quads and hips.
At the top of a standing calf raise,
tension is diminished due to bone
SEATED CALF RAISES
STANDING CALF RAISES
Model: Aaron Baker
Don’t stop
your sets just
because you
can’t get to the
top; pulse in the
semistretched
position for
extended
tension and
more fiber
activation.
support. No, the tension doesn’t
run in a straight line, the way it
does at the top of a bench press
or squat, where the target muscle
can completely relax, but it’s a
lot like pushdowns, where tension does fall off and you can lose
some of the occlusion, or blood
blockage, that is so important for
max-growth stimulation.
And what about the bottom
position? It’s very easy to rest
your calves down there because
tendons and ligaments in the
foot and ankle can absorb a lot of
the load and suspend your heel.
That means less tension on your
calves at the very bottom as well
as at the very top of a standing
calf raise. Do you see where this
is going?
It may be that the best way
to get extreme calf growth with
standing-calf movements is to do
just the middle range of the stroke
on most sets. Move from the
semistretched point, which is the
bottom, where your heel moves
slightly below the foot support,
and drive up to just below the
highest “lockout” point. That will
keep max tension on the gastrocs
as you pound out pistonlike reps.
(Remember the bicycle example
above? That’s exactly the range
cyclists get when they pedal.)
And guess what? That’s exactly
how Mr. Olympias Ronnie Coleman and Jay Cutler do most of
their calf work—and their calves
are huge! They rep through the
middle range, never reaching
the lowest or highest points on
the stroke. Cutler even does X
Reps—short pulses or pauses—at
the semistretched point, between
reps or groups of reps to emphasize the critical max-force point.
(You’ll find more on that in the
Beyond X-Rep Muscle Building
e-book; if you’re interested in an
analysis of how the champs train,
check it out.)
Okay, back to the cyclists: If
you think about how the calves
work when you pedal a bike, it’s
all middle-range work—from a
slightly heel-up position at the
top of the stroke to a slightly heeldown, semistretched-point finish
at the bottom. There are two ways
to take advantage of that:
1) Use the knee-extension leg
Its complete
power has
remained dormant,
but something
has awoken it...
Turn the page
to get shredded
More 3D Calf-Growing Details
knew it made a striking difference in the results, although he probably didn’t know about the extensor
reflex. He chalked up his knowledge to decades of
experience, saying it was a waste of time to train calves
wearing shoes.
Well, unfortunately, it’s taken me decades to figure
it out also. I always thought Vince was just being a
little eccentric (or that maybe he had a foot fetish). I
didn’t realize that such a small detail could make such
a striking difference—till I actually tried it, inadvertently. Now we’re both sold on the idea, and we’re both
suddenly building more calf size—and our quad size
appears to be improving as well.
The minimalist shoes I switched to were Nike Free
running shoes, advertised as “like running barefoot.”
Nike Free running shoes: Like running—
and doing calf work—barefoot.
They are the new breed of running shoe, almost slipperlike, with minimalist bottoms—the soles are lighter
and heavily corrugated for more freedom of foot
movement. That’s as close to barefoot as I want to go
when tossing around 45-pound plates (not to mention
the sharp edges on some calf blocks).
The reason the shoes are helping me build calf
muscle may be because I have to grip the calf block
with my toes, which creates extra pressure on the
inner side of my feet. Trainees are usually advised to
“come up on the big toe” for inner-calf development. I
noticed immediately that the new shoes allowed that
to happen more naturally, which is no doubt why I
now have more inner-calf flare.
Another reason the lighter-soled shoes build calves:
minimal rebound effect at the key semistretched
point, or X Spot, near the bottom of the stroke. Endof-set X Reps are much more intense and calf specific,
as there’s no recoil from thick soles near the stretch
point. The Nike Free shoes have slices all along the
soles, so it’s very close to training barefoot—just as the
Iron Guru suggested, er, um, demanded.
—S.H.
Model: John Hanson
Neither Jonathan nor I has genetically superior
calves, so any time one of us starts getting exceptional
lower-leg size, we try to figure out what triggered it
and log it so we never forget. During the summer
months we usually get a size uptick in our lower legs
thanks to the additional cardio we do at that time
(remember, that’s midrange calf work), but last year
Jonathan’s calves got even better than the year before
on about the same amount of cardio. They looked
almost an inch bigger, with more shape, and they were
crawling with vascularity. It didn’t make sense.
Sure, he was riding the exercise bike, as he had the
previous year, and we introduced a number of X-Rep
hybrid techniques (like X Fade and Double-X Overload) into our workouts for the first time, but I was
doing the same routine and also running and riding
an exercise bike, and my calves were only marginally
better than the year before. Were Jonathan’s calves just
responding better to the X-Rep hybrid techniques? It
was a mystery that we chalked up to better genetics.
Then, lo and behold, we noticed an item on barefoot squat workouts in IRON MAN. Why did the author (Pavel) suggest ditching your shoes for squats?
Because of the extensor reflex. Training legs barefoot
apparently causes leg muscles to contract much better
due to pressure on the soles of the feet.
Ah ha! We recalled that early in the summer Jonathan had purchased some lighter running shoes to
work out in. Could that have had something to do
with his new calf size? He’d previously been using
more cushioned, heavier-soled footwear on leg day.
It was worth a test, so I ditched my thickly cushioned
basketball shoes for the new minimalist running
shoes—even
less padding than
Jonathan’s.
And I noticed better
leg workouts
immediately. Then I
remembered
that legendary trainer
Vince Gironda used to
demand that
people at his
gym train
calves barefoot. (We
heard he
even threw
some people
out for not
taking his
Vince Gironda.
advice, so he
was serious!)
Gironda
press calf raise as your midrange-position calf exercise.
Position yourself on a leg
press with only the balls of
your feet on the foot plate,
your knees locked. Lower the
weight by allowing your feet
to come toward you as you
simultaneously unlock your
knees. From that slight bentknee position, and your feet
in the stretch position of a calf
raise, simultaneously push
your knees to lockout and
your feet to the top calf-raise
position. Then lower your feet
and bend your knees at the
same time again to power out
another rep. Do not pause at
the top or bottom—keep your
calves firing with a pistonlike
cadence.
Cardio qualifies as midrangeposition calf work.
2) Try working the middle
range on the last set of standing calf raises, a contractedposition exercise, to keep
max tension on your gastrocs
throughout. Shoot for 15 to 25
pistonlike reps, and when you
can’t get any more of those,
pulse at the semistretched
point, where your heels are
just below the foot support,
to supercharge the anabolic
surge (X Reps).
As for stretch-position exercises—strict donkey calf raises
and leg press calf raises—you
should use full-range movement
on those. The bent-at-the-waist
position forces tension to remain on the gastrocs at the top,
preventing a lot of bone support.
As for the bottom, that’s the
stretch position, and you already
know the crucial importance of
that (more anabolic hormone release and a 300 percent increase
in animal muscle mass in one
month, as discussed in a previous chapter!).
... and it’s going to
set off an eruption
of fat-burning fury.
Soleus
Developing the muscles that
lie under the gastrocs gives your
calves a fuller appearance and
makes the area between the
gastroc and the ankle meatier.
A developed soleus will give the
Turn the page
to get shredded
DONKEY CALF RAISES
A bend at
the waist
creates
more stretch
on the
hamstrings
and calves.
Stretch
overload has
been linked
to fiber
splitting and
anabolic
hormone
release.
(Point your toes out
slightly and pause at
the top of each rep for
at least a one count
for maximum contraction on the first set. On
the second set move
through the middle of
the stroke only and do
not pause at the top or
bottom.)
Soleus
Contracted:
Seated Calf Raises,
2 x 12-15
(Point your toes
straight ahead and
do full-range reps on
the first set—from full
stretch to complete
contraction. On the
second set do the
middle range only, with
no pause at the top or
bottom of the stroke.)
Note: You work the
soleus muscles’ midrange position during
cardio and knee-extension leg press calf
raises.
illusion of a lower gastrocnemius
and help to diffuse a high-calf appearance somewhat. The soleus is
considered more of a power muscle
than the more endurance-oriented
gastroc. That means slightly lower
reps are best; however, the stroke is
short, so each rep only lasts about
two seconds. Aim for 15 reps on
most sets to reach 30 seconds of
tension time. The best exercise for
soleus development is seated calf
raises.
Here’s an example of a solid updated 3D POF calf routine:
3D POF Calf Routine
2 x 15-20
(See description above; you
use knee flexion and extension
to help your gastrocs drive the
weight. No pauses.)
Stretch:
Donkey Calf Raises or
Leg Press Calf Raises,
2 x 15-25
(Point your toes in slightly for
maximum stretch, and at the
bottom, semistretched point,
use a quick twitch to engage
more fibers. Do not pause at the
top or bottom of the stroke.)
Gastrocnemius
Midrange:
Knee-Extension Leg Press
Calf Raises,
Contracted:
Standing Calf Raises or
Hack Machine Calf Raises,
1-2 x 15-20
Remember, in
Jonathan’s Size Surge
calf routine he only did
donkey calf raises and
standing calf raises,
working only the stretch
and contracted positions. With the above
routine he could’ve made bigger
and better lower-leg gains—
even without the seated calf
raises, as the soleus muscles get
trained with midrange gastroc
work. Why? Because this routine
works the calves from all angles
and gets the nutrient-rich blood
pumping better and quicker
than just about any calf program
out there. If you have stubborn
calves, give this no-bull 3D POF
approach a try, and watch in
amazement as your calves mature into full-grown heifers.
Editor’s note: For more
on 3D POF, Jonathan’s 20pounds-of-muscle-in-10-weeks
program and the new e-book
3D Muscle Building, visit
www.3DMuscleBuilding.com.
IM
A Bodybuilder Is Born
A Bodybuilder
Is Born
Live to Fight Another Day
Episode 19
by Ron Harris Photography by Michael Neveux
Model: Jonathan Lawson
T
his has been one of the coldest, most
bitter winters in Boston in decades. A
couple of weeks ago we had a low temperature that hadn’t been recorded for
that day since 1875.
In windy places—and Boston is actually
windier than Chicago—we have something
called the wind-chill factor. A lot of you are familiar with extremely frigid weather, but let me
enlighten those of you who aren’t. It means that
if the actual temperature is zero degrees, some
decent gusts can make it feel like 30 below. At
30 degrees below zero your skin can freeze in
less than five minutes of exposure. You could
urinate and make frozen golden arches in tribute to McDonald’s.
When the winters are extra cold like this,
the influenza virus, more commonly known as
“that flu thing that makes you hurl and feel like
total crap for a couple of weeks,” seems to blossom. My family and I have been fortunate so
far that none of us has come down with the flu.
My young protégé Randy was not so lucky, as I
learned on leg day last week.
I got to the gym a few minutes before he
did, as was often the case, and I didn’t see him
walk in. He walked, or should I say shuffled,
into the rack room as I was starting to warm up
on squats. Right away I sensed something was
amiss; he usually bounced around like a toddler
high on Coca-Cola and fruit snacks. That manic
energy wasn’t with him today. His eyes also appeared a little listless and dull.
“What’s up? Do you feel okay?”
“Ah, I’ll be fine, I just need to warm up and
get in the groove,” he replied, gesturing as if
there was nothing to be alarmed about. I took
a step forward and put the back of my hand on
his forehead.
“Huh!” I exclaimed. “You’re already warm.
Have you taken your temperature?”
“Yeah,” he said, starting to load a 45 on each
side of a bar in the free rack next to the one I
was using. “It was like a hundred, but I took
some ibuprofen about an hour ago and it’s
going down.”
“Take the weights off,” I sternly ordered him.
“What? Why?”
“I’d do it myself, but I don’t want what you’ve
got. I’m pretty sure you have the flu, kid,” I told
him.
He tried to argue with me on that but quickly
realized I was probably right.
“Well, if it’s just starting, I can still train today
before it gets really bad.”
I shook my head at his stubbornness. The
worst thing was that I saw so much of myself
in his cavalier attitude. I’d been there and done
that, with nasty consequences.
I gestured for him to sit down, then sat myself a few feet away. I didn’t want to breathe in
his pesky little flu bug any more than I wanted
to pick it up handling the same equipment as
he did.
“I admire your dedication and refusal to let
anything stand in your
(continued from page 157) way,” I
Hard workouts can
extend your illness and/
or make it worse.
Model: Mike Morris
Model: Steve Namat
If you’re sick, a
tough workout only
compromises your
immune system.
began, which elicited a proud smile
from Randy. “But in this case you
have to do the right thing, and that
is to go home now and rest your
body instead of beating it up with
the weights. I’ve tried to train sick
many times, and it never had a positive outcome. Even when I managed
to dig down deep and pull off a good
workout despite having a bad cold
or a flu, it always made the illness
worse. That’s because your body is
already working hard trying to fight
the infection. Then, when you put it
through a tough workout—or even
a not-so-tough workout—you’re
doing nothing but diverting the
limited resources of your immune
system when they’re most badly
needed to protect you.”
“Ron, no disrespect, but you’re
not a doctor,” Randy noted.
“I know. I don’t even play one
on TV. So I invite you to get to your
physician as soon as he has an appointment open and ask him what
he thinks. If he doesn’t say something
similar to what I just told you, come
on back later, and I’ll personally load
your weights for you. Of course, I’ll
be wearing a surgical mask, latex
gloves and spraying you in the face
with Lysol after every set.”
Randy thought about it, his face
grim. “I just hate to miss any train(continued on page 166)
ing, you
If your training partner is ill
and insists on training, get
out the Lysol.
“I’m sick, so I’ll just do
all my exercises lying
down.” Nope, that still
stresses your system.
(continued from page 160) know?”
A wise
warrior
chooses
his battles
carefully.
Rather
than fight a
battle you
absolutely
can’t win,
you’re always
better off
staying away
and living to
fight another
day.
Germs
“Randy,” I laughed, “who do you
think you’re talking to? I’m the type
who would be on my deathbed wondering if I could squeeze in one last
arm workout so my guns would be
pumped in the afterlife! Listen, a wise
warrior chooses his battles carefully.
Rather than fight a battle you absolutely can’t win, you’re always better
off staying away and living to fight
another day. Of course, that doesn’t
apply in the Lord of the Rings movies,
but you don’t have Gandalf to rescue
your ass.”
Randy put his weights away. He
clearly wasn’t happy, but he understood my reasoning. If he tried to
push his body when it was in such
a vulnerable state, the results could
be disastrous. If instead he stayed
away from the gym and rested, Randy
would get healthy sooner and be back
into the gym to continue his quest for
bodybuilding glory.
It’s been almost a week, and in
Randy’s last e-mail he said he was
starting to feel a lot better. To be
on the safe side, he needs to wait a
couple of days more and then return
to the gym and gradually build back
up to his normal intensity levels. I
felt good. That was definitely one of
those “do as I say, not as I do” situations, as I found it hard to follow my
own advice much of the time. Now, if
I happen to get sick, at least I’ll have
Randy to nag me into keeping out
of the gym. Along with my wife, that
should rate a 7.9 on the Nagometer,
and few men can ignore admonition
of that magnitude. IM
Model: Binais Begovic
The Science of Muscle Growth
The
Science of
Muscle
by Jerry Brainum
hat makes muscles grow? The obvious
answer would be intense exercise and good
nutrition, with enough rest and recuperation
to maximize size and strength gains. The reason
lifting weights produces greater gains in muscle
size and strength is that it places more stress on the
muscles than other exercise, such as stretching or
aerobics. The muscles respond to the stress through
adaptation, involving upgraded muscle protein
synthesis.
That’s the general picture of what causes muscle
growth. What happens in the muscle after exercise
is a much more complex picture. On a molecular
level, muscle growth is a precise symphony
involving the immune system, inflammation,
hormone release and structural changes. While
the knowledge of what’s happening in a muscle
during and after training may seem superfluous to
anyone except a research scientist, a rudimentary
understanding of the internal workings of exercised
muscles can tell you what constitutes correct
training and rest cycles for gains in size and
strength.
Big muscles aren’t
always stronger
muscles. What
determines muscle
strength is a
combination of factors,
including favorable
leverage and connective
tissue.
What Is Muscular
Hypertrophy?
The term hypertrophy means
“excessive growth,” and in reference
to muscles, that means enlarged
muscles usually acquired through
exercise. An ongoing debate in
physiology is whether muscles get
bigger through the addition of new
fibers—a process called hyperplasia through which existing muscle
fibers split to form new fibers—or
whether muscles grow by thickening
existing fibers. The fiber-thickening
scenario is the generally accepted
view.
Some studies comparing worldclass bodybuilders to untrained
college students showed that both
groups’ muscle fibers had similar
dimensions when viewed under a
microscope, though the bodybuilders clearly had much larger muscles. Later studies showed that the
bodybuilders had far more muscle
fibers than untrained college students. The speculation is that years
of intense, heavy training promote
hyperplasia of muscle fibers.
Muscle size is related to the
cross-sectional area of muscle
fibers, or their thickness. As the
muscle fiber thickens from a compensation effect induced by heavy
exercise, the muscle gets bigger and
stronger. Big muscles aren’t always
stronger muscles, however. What
determines muscle strength is a
combination of factors, including
favorable leverage and connective tissue. Most important is the
increase in muscle contractile pro-
teins, specifically actin and myosin.
Some pathological conditions feature large but, paradoxically, weak
muscles. An example is acromegaly,
usually the result of a small tumor
in the anterior pituitary gland that
causes the release of huge amounts
of growth hormone. People suffering from the disease from an early
age wind up very tall, with larger
but weaker muscles.
Indeed, the majority of studies examining the athletic use
of growth hormone injections
conclude that the drug promotes
larger muscle size but without an
accompanying increase in strength.
GH promotes connective tissue increase in muscle but doesn’t affect
the muscle contractile proteins that
are the cornerstone of muscular
strength.
Satellite Cells: The
Inner Space of Muscles
Neveux \ Model: Jose Raymond
Satellite cells are muscle
precursors that become
activated when any form
of trauma occurs to a
muscle fiber.
Satellite cells are so named because of their location on the outer
surface of the muscle fibers, between the muscle cell membrane,
or sarcolemma, and uppermost
layer of the basement membrane,
or basal lamina. Satellite cells are
muscle precursors, or a type of stem
cell, that usually lie dormant outside
existing muscle fibers. They become
activated when any form of trauma,
such as damage or injury, occurs to
a muscle fiber.1 Resistance exercise,
as exemplified by weight training,
causes damage to muscle fibers,
which deal with it by marshaling
adaptation mechanisms, the most
significant being activation of satellite cells.
The damage causes satellite cells
to multiply, and various other factors, as we’ll see, cause them to
migrate toward the injured area.
The satellite cells then fuse to the
injured area, while adding a nucleus
to the existing fiber, which aids the
regeneration process. That doesn’t
add new muscle fibers but instead
leads to an increase in the amounts
of contractile proteins—the actin
and myosin—within the fiber. The
net effect is muscular growth and
strength. The process peaks at 48
hours but continues for four days
after the initial trauma (exercise)
occurs. That’s why you need time to
let a muscle recover after a training
session.
Two main types of muscle fibers
are found in humans. The first are
known as type 1, or slow-twitch,
fibers, also called endurance fibers
because of their capacity for extended exercise, such as long-distance
running. The other type of muscle
fiber, type 2, or fast-twitch, are
much larger than the type 1 fibers.
They have less endurance but can
exert more force, an effect thought
to be related to their having a larger
nerve supply. Type 2 fibers are most
amenable to gains in muscular size
and strength, so you’d think they’d
have a larger supply of satellite cells
around them. In fact, the type 1
fibers have five to six times more,
which may reflect their greater
blood and capillary supply. (Some
studies, how- (continued on page 182)
(continued from page 178) ever, show
an equal number of satellite cells in
both types.)
Another reason for the plethora of
satellite cells in type 1 fibers is that
they’re used more frequently than
type 2s. Muscles function through
an orderly recruitment system, and
the body attempts to husband its
limited energy by activating only
enough muscle to do the required
task. The first fibers recruited are
type 1s, and so they’re subject to
a greater rate of injury than the
type 2s. As type 1 fibers become
fatigued or get stressed by mass or
weight, the brain recruits the type
2 muscle fibers. That explains why
you need to lift heavy to make maximum gains in the gym. Lifting light
weights for higher reps recruits the
type 1 fibers, which, as noted, are
less likely to get bigger and stronger.
Most people over age 40 will
tell you that it’s harder for them to
make significant gains in muscle
size, even with regular training. One
reason is a relative lack of testosterone, a hormone required for building muscle. The level of testosterone
that physicians call “normal” is okay
for everyday life, but having a blood
testosterone level lower than 300
makes gains in the gym unlikely at
best.
Another reason for the slowdown
of muscle gain with age is a loss of
neuromuscular efficiency: The muscles become less responsive to the
cues from the brain. Without the optimal level of nerve force, a muscle
cannot contract as forcefully, and
the net effect is a loss of speed, size
and strength. Lessened nerve force
is usually the reason illustrious athletic careers end. The muscles may
still be in relatively good shape, but
the response systems are delayed.
Those over 40 also find that it
takes longer to recover from training
sessions. Connective tissue, such
as ligaments and tendons, has a far
poorer blood supply than muscles,
which is why connective tissue
injuries take longer to heal. With age
such tissues get dryer, leading to
an even longer recuperation time.
Since connective tissue plays a role
in muscle strength, if you attempt
to train too much or too frequently,
you won’t make any gains and will
feel overtrained.
People 40 and older often have
Top 6 Fast-Mass Facts
After poring over many studies, abstracts and articles as well as observing and participating in many experiments at the IRON MAN Training & Research Center, we’ve learned a few things:
1) Muscle growth isn’t caused only by lifting heavier weights.
Max force generation is a big stimulus, but you also have to go for extended tension times to activate as many fibers as possible and to develop the endurance components of fast-twitch fibers (mitochondria,
capillary beds and so on). Techniques like drop sets on isolation exercises can give you that extra endurance-component mass advantage.
2) Stopping a work set at positive failure is usually not enough
to trigger a max-growth response. Fatigue-product accumulation
and nervous system fizzle prevent many of the most growth-oriented
fibers from being activated, as they start coming into play only as you
reach muscular exhaustion. You either have to do more sets or continue
the set with X Reps, eight-inch partials at the max-force point on the
stroke, to force those key fibers to fire. Extending a set also enhances
muscle burn, which is linked to increases in anabolic hormone output.
3) Getting extreme muscle growth takes more than just compound exercises. Sure, they are the best mass builders, but contractedposition exercises, like leg extensions for the quads, can help you hit
more fibers and also create occlusion, a blockage of blood flow, which
has been shown to have a tremendous impact on size and strength
gains. One reason is the connection between muscle burn and anabolic
hormone release. Then there are stretch-position exercises, such as
stiff-legged deadlifts for the hamstrings and overhead extensions for
the triceps. One animal-based study produced a 300 percent increase in
muscle mass with about one month of stretch overload. (Note: Exercises
for each position—midrange, stretch and contracted—are identified and
organized into programs in the 3D Muscle Building e-book.)
4) Control cortisol to prevent muscle catabolism. Any stress
causes cortisol release in the body, and that in turn can cause muscle
cannibalism, or wasting. To prevent that, you should eat enough calories, including plenty of fibrous carbs, and not overtrain. For most
people that means keeping workouts to about one to 1 1/2 hours and
not training more than two days in a row. After two days of training, take
a day off, if possible. Also, some supplements can help control cortisol
release, such as glutamine and phosphatidylserine, a.k.a. Cort-Bloc.
5) Eat protein at every meal—including whey protein, if possible. Most bodybuilders know that they need to maintain a positive
nitrogen balance via protein intake every two to three hours to enable
muscle growth and disable lean-tissue catabolism. What most bodybuilders don’t know, however, is that solid food can take many hours to
digest, which leaks protein into the bloodstream much too slowly. Studies show that with many foods you assimilate only four to seven grams
of protein per hour. That means it’s best to have at least a small whey
protein shake with most of your solid-food meals because whey is the
fastest-assimilating protein. For your between-solid-food meals use a
whey-and-casein blend so you get the benefit of all protein fractions
and a fast-and-slow muscle-feeding effect. And don’t forget plenty of
fast carbs and fast protein immediately after you train to jump-start the
anabolic processes.
6) Downshift intensity after four to six weeks of hard training.
After so many weeks of going all out in the gym, you need to either take
a complete layoff for a few days or at least reduce your intensity by not
training to exhaustion. That can allow supercompensation from all of
your hard training to take place so you trigger a growth spurt.
—Steve Holman and Jonathan Lawson
www.X-Rep.com
www.3DMuscleBuilding.com
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Neveux \ Model: Katsumi Ishimura
One reason for
the slowdown of
muscle gains with
age is a loss of
neuromuscular
efficiency: The
muscles become
less responsive
to cues from the
brain.
fewer satellite cells than younger
people—40 percent less relative to
the total number of muscle nuclei. Since you need satellite cells
to repair damaged muscle, the
significance of the loss is obvious;
however, it may not be as extreme
in those with a long history of
training. One study of powerlifters found that the satellite cell
content of their trapezius muscles
was 70 percent higher than that
of nonexercising subjects. 2 It also
featured powerlifters who were
taking anabolic steroids, and their
level of satellite cells was similar
to that of the “clean” lifters.
Recent studies show that while
heavy resistance exercise is the
best way to recruit and activate
satellite cells, endurance exercise
can also increase satellite cell
activity. A study of older men
involved in endurance exercise
without weight training showed
that they had a 29 percent increase in satellite cell activity.3
What ultimately determines satellite cell activation is the extent
of muscle fiber damage. As you
might expect, satellite cell numbers decrease—gradually but
regularly—when training ceases.
Training enables satellite cells to
constantly renew themselves.
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What Stimulates
Satellite Cells?
Neveux \ Model: Mike Dragna
Fibroblast growth
factor increases
the proliferation
of satellite cells
following injury to
muscle fibers.
Neveux \ Model: Robert Hatch
IGF-1 is likely the
most potent growth
factor in relation to
satellite cells.
Clearly, exercise activates satellite
cells. Other factors help maximize
the effect. The initial localized inflammation is necessary for containing and repairing the damage,
as well as attracting the immune
cells, or macrophages, that sweep
the area of accumulated muscle
waste products. The macrophages
secrete cytokines, which are messenger chemicals that signal the
release of various growth factors.
Cytokines also promote the entry
of other immune cells into the area
of muscle fiber damage, including lymphocytes, neutrophils and
monocytes.
The cytokines involved in muscle
repair include interleukin-1, interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor.
Other initial inflammatory substances that are vital for the process are prostaglandins, which are
hormonelike chemicals made from
dietary fat. In particular, prostaglandin F2a, derived from arachidonic
acid, is pivotal in muscle protein
synthesis. The importance of the
initial inflammation is illustrated by
recent studies showing that when
you take an anti-inflammatory drug
following training, muscle repair
Supplements rich in
branched-chain amino acids
can blunt or prevent muscle
catabolism.
Neveux \ Model: Binais Begovic
Lack of testosterone
can depress IGF-1
and decrease muscle
repair due to satellite
cell depression.
and muscle protein synthesis are
inhibited. Fortunately, aging doesn’t
seem to have any effect on the prostaglandin response to training.4
Various growth factors and hormones also are directly involved in
the repair and anabolic processes
within exercised muscle. Some are
used in drug form for athletic and
bodybuilding purposes.
•Insulinlike growth factor 1
IGF-1 is produced both systemically and locally in muscle. It’s
a string of amino acids in a specific
sequence. Human growth hormone
stimulates the production of IGF1 in the liver, and IGF-1 activity is
considered the source of most of
the anabolic effects associated with
growth hormone.
In muscle, IGF-1 promotes the
activity of satellite cells.5 It splits
into two variants, the other being
mechano growth factor. MGF is
considered far more potent than
localized IGF-1 in muscle.6 It replenishes the pool of muscle satellite cells, and a lack of MGF explains
why older people cannot efficiently
activate their satellite cells after
exercise. Interestingly, when older
men are given growth hormone and
then lift weights, their bodies produce increased levels of MGF, leading to muscular gains. The growth
hormone does that because it increases IGF-1, which then produces
MGF.
Studies of animals injected with
MGF show gains of 25 percent in
muscle fiber size after only three
weeks. In contrast, using gene
therapy to deliver IGF-1 genes directly into a muscle resulted in a 15
percent muscle size increase after
four months.
Research like that has two implications. The first is that gene
therapy involving upgraded local
production of IGF-1 or, preferably,
MGF dramatically offsets the loss
of muscle size and strength common with aging, so it may be of use
in treating various neuromuscular
disorders. The second is that MGF is
Neveux \ Model: Nathan Detracy
The Muscle Growth
Factors
A recently published study
showed that glutamine
specifically blocked cortisol’s
catabolic effects.
a prime candidate for future athletic
doping use. Already, rumors published on the Internet indicate that
some athletes may be using MGF,
although how and whether they
actually got a still experimental drug
is open to question.
Besides activating satellite cells,
IGF-1 sets off so-called downstream
growth pathways, such as the Akt,
Mtor and P70 signaling pathways,
all of which are involved in muscle
protein synthesis.7 You may have
read recent ads touting products
that “turn on the genetic muscle
machinery.” They’re based on the
idea that oral intake of certain nutrients, such as branched-chain amino
acids, can activate downstream
growth pathways and overcome age
deficits.8
•Hepatocyte growth factor
So named because its growthpromoting effects were originally
observed in liver tissue, HGF is
activated by muscle injury and is
a potent stimulant to satellite cell
activity. In one study HGF directly
injected into the site of muscle
injury led to a 300 percent increase
in satellite cell activity.9
Its release in injured muscle is
instigated by nitric oxide, explaining one way in which NO promotes
muscular growth. Inhibiting the
release of NO also leads to a blockage of HGF release.10
•Fibroblast growth factor
FGF increases the proliferation
of satellite cells following injury
to muscle fibers. Although several
FGFs exist, one in particular, FGF-6,
is expressed specifically in muscle
and is not upregulated during regeneration.11
The Hormonal Effect
Various anabolic hormones,
including growth hormone, IGF-1,
testosterone and insulin, all play
vital roles in promoting muscular
size and strength gains.
1) Growth hormone
As noted, most of the anabolic
effects of GH are attributed to the
stimulation of IGF-1 promoted by
GH release. The IGF-1 produced in
muscle splits into two variants, the
more potent being MGF. IGF-1 is
likely the most potent growth factor
in relation to satellite cells, since it’s
involved in all three processes of
satellite cells: activation, proliferation and differentiation.
Studies show that most of the
gains attributed to GH use consist of
water retention and connective tissue, with no effect on muscle contractile proteins. On the other hand,
GH’s effects in maintaining the
integrity and healing ability of connective tissue (continued on page 196)
(continued from page 187) is beyond
factors may not have been affected
in these particular young men, but
they can be considered an exception
to the rule, since the study clearly
shows that a lack of sufficient testosterone does prevent muscle gains
in most people.
debate, which would mean that
it’s still useful to athletes. In addition, combining weights with GH
appears to increase the selective
release of MGF, which is without
question anabolic in muscle. MGF
is potent enough to restore muscle
gains in older people, indicating a
use for GH until MGF gene therapy
is perfected.
Another thing to consider is that
GH appears to promote the use of
bodyfat as an energy source while
sparing muscle glycogen reserves.
That associates it with a beneficial
effect on body composition.
The Anti-Growth
Factors: Myostatin and
Cortisol
2) Testosterone
Test and its synthetic versions
(known as anabolic steroids) is
the primary hormone associated
with increased muscle size to most
people. Some recent studies show
that testosterone directly activates
satellite cells, which explains a
large part of its anabolic effect.12
That makes sense, since satellite
cells are known to produce androgen receptors, which interact with
testosterone.13
In animals and humans, testosterone increases the number
of satellite cells in muscle. It also
interacts with growth hormone
and IGF-1, triggering the release of
local IGF-1 in muscle. In fact, testosterone appears to make muscle
cells more responsive to the effects
of IGF-1, which could explain why
some athletes stack it with growth
hormone and IGF-1.
The importance of testosterone in gaining muscular size and
strength is illustrated by a new
study.14 Twenty-two young men,
all of whom had some minor experience in weight training, were
divided into groups. One group
got a drug called goserelin (3.6
milligrams), and the other got a
placebo. The drug inhibits gonadotropin-releasing hormone in the
hypothalamus, which turns off the
body’s testosterone production.
The subjects got it subcutaneously,
or under the skin, every four weeks
for 12 weeks. Both groups engaged
in strength training for eight weeks.
The drug suppressed both total
and free testosterone in the treated
group to the extent that the sub-
Muscle size is related to the
cross-sectional area of muscle
fibers, meaning their thickness.
jects’ testosterone levels were 10
percent below normal. Those in
the placebo group—who didn’t get
the active drug—made significant
gains. Those in the drug group
made no gains whatsoever in
muscular size and strength. Even
worse: They showed an increase in
fat mass.
The lack of testosterone in the
drug group led to a depression
in IGF-1, which in turn led to decreased muscle repair due to satellite cell depression. Test also offsets
the effects of cortisol, a catabolic
adrenal hormone produced during
exercise. Having a metabolic profile
that knocks out big T while leaving
the effects of cortisol unchecked
inevitably leads to no muscle gains
coupled with increased bodyfat,
especially in the trunk.
Interestingly, two subjects in the
drug group showed extreme increases in lean body mass, despite
having low testosterone levels.
The authors explain the apparent
anomaly by noting that the adrenal
glands produce 10 percent of androgen in men, and that would not
be suppressed by the drug used in
the study, which acts only on the
pituitary gland to prevent the release of luteinizing hormone. IGF1, MGF and other muscle growth
Some substances that inhibit
muscle growth also play a role in
how fast you make gains. The most
familiar of them is cortisol.
Cortisol is considered a stress
hormone, since any type of stress
provides a stimulus for its release
from the cortex portion of the adrenal glands. The release of cortisol is
governed by a biochemical cascade.
First, stress is perceived in the brain
in the hypothalamus, which directly
interacts with the nervous system.
The hypothalamus then releases
corticotropin-releasing hormone,
which travels in the brain’s portal
blood system to the pituitary gland.
Upon arrival, CRF stimulates the
synthesis and release of ACTH,
which then travels in the blood to
the adrenal glands, where it dictates
the synthesis and release of cortisol.
Cortisol has acquired an unsavory
reputation as the body’s primary
catabolic hormone. The constant
stress of everyday life, including
the stress of intense exercise, leads
cortisol to have an overkill effect. If
the level of cortisol exceeds that of
its anabolic opposites GH and testosterone, a catabolic state results,
leading to a loss of muscle.
Excess cortisol promotes fat deposition in the trunk, though that
is more often seen in pathologic
excesses of cortisol, as occurs with
Cushing’s disease. In normal instances, cortisol encourages the use
of fat as an energy source, particularly after exercise.
Cortisol is also a potent immunosuppressive and anti-inflammatory
mediator—most apparent when
certain drugs are used that suppress
cortisol release. Athletes who resort
to such drugs often report severe
joint pain, the result of insufficient
anti-inflammatory activity.
The good
news
is that it’s not hard to control cortisol release through nutrition.
Just taking in carbs during and
after training significantly curtails its catabolic effects. Using a
supplement rich in branched-chain
amino acids will blunt or prevent
them, as will the amino acid glutamine. A recently published study
showed that glutamine specifically
blocked cortisol’s catabolic effects
in muscle by preventing a cortisolpromoted increase in myostatin.15
Myostatin is a protein made up
of 375 amino acids.16 It was initially
identified by a group at the Johns
Hopkins Medical center in Baltimore in 1997. Researchers noticed
that mice who lacked the genes to
produce myostatin were 30 percent
heavier than normal mice, and the
extra weight consisted entirely of
muscle. That effect was also observed in double-muscled cattle,
with the animals having mutations in the myostatin gene that
caused them to have huge, defined
muscle. In 2004 a report emerged of
a human baby born without myostatin genes who was also noticeably stronger and more muscular
than other children.
Myostatin does its dirty work in
muscles—against IGF-1 and other
muscle growth factors—by inhibiting the proliferation and differentiation of satellite cells. Several top
pro bodybuilders are said to have
mutant genes that make them produce less myostatin than normal.
Such people would be far more responsive to training, even without
anabolic steroids and other drugs.
Myostatin and cortisol appear to
interact, in that they increase each
other’s levels. Diseases entailing
catabolic states, such as certain
forms of cancer and HIV, are characterized by higher levels of both
hormones.
Most but not all studies show
that weight training lowers myostatin.17, 18, 19 One experiment also
showed that the effect was accentuated by the use of a high-quality
protein supplement. Excess aerobic
exercise (more than 60 minutes
in one session) will increase both
cortisol and myostatin.
A few years ago some supplement companies attempted to
sell a pricey myostatin blocker
Some experts claim
that the biggest
bodybuilders may
lack myostatin, a
protein that inhibits
muscle growth.
Have Your
derived from a type of seaweed.
While it did block myostatin in the
test tube, further trials showed it to
be ineffective in the human body.
Subsequently, the researchers who
discovered myostatin announced
the production of a drug that was
effective in the body, promoting a 60
percent increase in animal muscle
growth. Another company, Wyeth
Pharmacueticals, already has an
artificial antibody drug (MYO-029)
that blocks myostatin in the human
body, intended for the treatment of
muscular dystrophy. No doubt the
drugs will eventually trickle down
into athletic use, and the results
should be interesting.
The factors affecting muscle
growth and strength gains are complex and not yet fully understood.
What is known and accepted, however, is that the long-held rules of
bodybuilding—proper nutrition,
rest and judicious levels of exercise—will do the most to trigger the
internal events that build muscle.
Editor’s note: For an interpretation of how to apply some of the
science in this feature, see “The Top
6 Fast-Mass Facts” on page 182.
References
Kadi, F., et al. (2005). The behavior of satellite cells in response to
exercise: what have we learned from
the human studies? Eur J Physiol.
451:319-27.
2 Kadi, F., et al. (1999). Effects of
anabolic steroids on the muscle
cells of strength-trained athletes.
Med Sci Sports Exerc. 31:1528-34.
3 Charifi, N., et al. (2003). Effects
of endurance training on satellite
cell frequency in skeletal muscle of
old men. Muscle Nerve. 28:87-92.
4 Trappe, T., et al. (2006). Effects of
age and resistance exercise on skeletal muscle interstitial prostaglandin
F2a. Prostag Leukot Ess Fatty Acids.
74:175-81.
5 Charge, S., et al. (2004). Cellular
and molecular regulation of muscle
regeneration. Physiol Rev. 84:209238.
6 Goldspink, G. (2005). Research
on mechano growth factor: Its potential for optimising physical training as well as misuse in doping. Br
Sports Med. 39:787-88.
7 Guttridge, D.C. (2004). Signaling pathways weigh in on decisions
1
to make or break skeletal muscle.
Curr Opin Clin Nutr Metab Care.
7:443-50.
8 Proud, C.G. (2002). Regulation
of mammalian translation factors by nutrients. Eur J Biochem.
269:5338-5349.
9 Allen, R.E., et al. (1995). Hepatocyte growth factor activates quiescent skeletal muscle satellite cells
in vitro. J Cell Physiol. 165:307-12.
10 Anderson, J.E. (2000). A role
for nitric oxide in muscle repair:
Nitric oxide-mediated activation of
muscle satellite cells. Mol Biol Cell.
11:1859-74.
11 Scime, A., et al. (2006). Anabolic potential and regulation of
the skeletal muscle satellite cell
populations. Curr Opin Clin Nutr
Metabolic Care. 9:214-219.
12 Sinha-Hikim, I., et al. (2003).
Testosterone-induced muscle
hypertrophy is associated with an
increase in satellite cell number in
healthy, young men. Am J Physiol
Endocrinol Metab. 285:E197-E205.
13 Chen, Y., et al. (2005). Androgen regulation of satellite cell function. J Endocrin. 186:21-31.
14 Kvorning, T., et al. (2006).
Suppression of endogenous testosterone production attenuates
the response to strength training:
A randomized, placebo-controlled
and blinded intervention study.
Am J Physiol Endocrin Metab. 291:
E325-E332.
15 Salchian, B., et al. (2006). The
effect of glutamine on prevention
of glucocorticoid-induced skeletal
muscle atrophy is associated with
myostatin suppression. Metabolism. 55:1239-47.
16 Gonzalez-Cadavid, N.F., et al.
(2004). Role of myostatin in metabolism. Curr Opin Nutr Metab Care.
7:451-457.
17 Roth, S.M., et al. (2003). Myostatin gene expression is reduced
in humans with heavy resistance
strength training: a brief communication. Ex Biol. 228:706-09.
18 Walker, K.S., et al. (2004).
Resistance training alters plasma
myostatin but not IGF-1 in healthy
men. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 36:78793.
19 Willoughby, D.S. (2004). Effects of heavy resistance training
on myostatin mRNA and protein
expression. Med Sci Sports Exerc.
36:574-82. IM
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2006 IFBB Figure Olympia
PANEL GIVES LYNN
The Love
Photography by
Bill Dobbins
and John Balik
Amanda Savell, Christine
Pomponio-Pate, Jessica Paxson
and Inga Neverauskaite line
up at the judging.
1) Jenny LYNN
’06 Figure Olympia
1) Jenny Lynn
2) Amber Littlejohn
3) Monica Brant-Peckham
4) Christin Pomponio-Pate
5) Mary Elizabeth Lado
6) Gina Aliotti
7) Amanda Savell
8) Gina Camacho
9) Jennifer Searles
10) Latisha Wilder
2) Amber LITTLEJOHN
3) Monica
BRANT-PECKHAM
4) Christine
POMPONIOPATE
5) Mary Elizabeth
LADO
6) Gina
ALIOTTI
Littlejohn, Brant-Peckham and Lynn.
Find hundreds more photos at www.GraphicMuscle.com.
2006 IFBB Fitness Olympia
GARCIA AND
HENDERSHOTT
TRADE PLACES
Photography by
Bill Dobbins
and John Balik
While Klein Trades Up
2) Kim KLEIN
1) Adela GARCIA
’06 Fitness Olympia
1) Adela Garcia
2) Kim Klein
3) Jenny Hendershott
4) Tanji Johnson
5) Tracey Greenwood-Krakowiak
6) Julie Palmer
7) Julie Childs
8) Mindi O’Brien
9) Angela Monteleone-Semsch
10) Regiane Da Silva
3) Jen HENDERSHOTT
4) Tanji JOHNSON
5) Tracey GREENWOOD-KRAKOWIAK
8) Angela MONTELEONE-SEMSCH
6) Julie PALMER
13) Heidi FLETCHER
For hundreds of photos from the Fitness O, go to www.GraphicMuscle.com.
2006 IFBB Ms. Olympia
KYLE’S KILLER MASS
Reclaims the Crown
Photography by Bill Dobbins
1) Iris KYLE
’06 Ms. Olympia
1) Iris Kyle
2) Dayana Cadeau
3) Annie Rivieccio
4) Bonny Priest
5) Lisa Aukland
6) Betty Pariso
7) Yaxeni Oriquen-Garcia
8) Helen Bouchard
9) Gayle Moher
10) Jitka Harazimova
1) Iris KYLE
2) Dayana
CADEAU
3) Annie RIVIECCIO
4) Bonny PRIEST
5) Lisa
AUKLAND
6) Betty PARISO
7) Yaxeni
ORIQUEN-GARCIA
8) Helen
BOUCHARD
Find hundreds of Ms. O photos at www.GraphicMuscle.com.
Eric Broser’s
If you find something on the Web that IM readers should know about, send the URL to Eric at [email protected].
>http://mr-olympia-2006.ronnie.cz/callouts/
A few years ago a friend of mine organized a local bodybuilding contest and asked me to be the head judge. I
jumped at the chance, as I thought to myself, “Finally, I’ll control the comparisons [insert evil laugh]!” I can’t tell
you how many competitions I’ve attended that left me frustrated because the judges failed to compare certain
contestants side by side that I felt deserved comparison. Have you ever fantasized about being the head judge at
a bodybuilding show? How about controlling the comparisons at the biggest one of all, Mr. Olympia? Well, guess
what. That’s been made possible on this nifty little
site. Yes, you get to pick who stands next to whom
and what pose you want to see, using photos from
the ’06 Mr. O! Maybe your favorite bodybuilder is
symmetrical Troy Alves, and you want to see him
next to mass monster Ronnie Coleman in a front
double-biceps shot. Or perhaps you want to take
a look at “Giant Killer” David Henry trading poses
with the German giant, Gunter Schlierkamp? Or
would seeing newcomer Bill Wilmore go mano a
mano against veteran Vince Taylor get your veins
popping? Any comparison you can think of is possible with a couple of quick clicks of your mouse. I
spent quite a while on the site playing head judge,
as it can quickly become addictive. I’d love to see
a site set up where that could be done with every
IFBB pro show. It would certainly take backseat
driving, or should I say backseat judging, to a whole
other level.
>www.TanjiJohnson.com
Tanji Johnson: Christian, IFBB fitness pro, fitness
model/spokesperson, personal trainer/coach. That’s your
introduction to this amazing athlete when you enter her
site—and it’s a real attention grabber. But that’s not very
surprising, since Tanji has been grabbing the attention of
the IFBB judges of late, with a sixth-place finish at the ’06
Fitness International, two big wins at the All Star Pro Fitness and Europa Supershow, both in August (her third and
fourth on the pro level)), and a fourth-place landing at the
Fitness Olympia. After reading her bio, I realized that she’s
quite a special and accomplished person, with a background that is undoubtedly unique. Tanji was an army
brat and spent her adolescence living in Germany and
Korea. When her family returned to the states, she attended the U.S Air Force Academy, where she went through
not only basic training but also such intense military programs as survival training. It was during those years that
Tanji learned to truly challenge herself physically, which
laid the foundation for the discipline and determination
it takes to be a top fitness competitor. She’s also a very
spiritual person, with a strong faith in God. She believes
that people should strive to develop themselves not only
physically but spiritually as well. Speaking of development, the physique that Tanji has built is nothing short
of incredible. She displays a sensational combination
of feminine beauty and solid, proportionate and symmetrical muscularity, which in my opinion makes her one
of the most stunning women in the IFBB (her gorgeous
smile doesn’t hurt either). But don’t take my
word for it; check out
her gallery of modeling
and competition photos.
Tanji is passionate about
her sport and is striving
to turn more athletes
toward fitness—especially those who don’t
know where to start. To
that end she offers such
services as personal
training, fitness/figure
competition consulting
and her very own posing
DVD. You can even have
Tanji personally choreograph a routine for you,
if you think you have
the stamina to keep up
with a real-life “energizer
bunny.” Heck, after just
browsing her high-octane site for a little while,
I know I need a nap.
Here’s another site that I may have to bring up in
this space on multiple occasions, simply because it
has so much great information. Just now, however, I
want to point you toward exrx’s exercise and muscle
directory, where you’ll find a comprehensive list of all
of the visible muscles in the human body, along with
a complete set of exercises for developing an effective bodybuilding program. And not only are you able
to read a description of how to properly execute each
movement, but you’ll also get to view a video of the
exercise being performed, which is incredibly helpful
if you are somewhat new to the iron game. Finally, a
Web site where you can sit and watch videos all day
without being called a pervert by your wife or girlfriend (or both, you sly dog), if you know what I mean.
Neveux \ Model: Marvin Montoya
>www.exrx.net
Eric Broser’s
in order to effectively eliminate the forearm flexors by
putting them in a weak position. That will then force
much stronger recruitment of the biceps. You may need
to reduce your curling poundage initially; however,
in time, you should be able to return to your normal
weights. You’ll also have bigger biceps to show for it.
>Net Results Q&A
Interesting queries from message boards and forums
from across the Internet, answered with precision, accuracy and plenty of blatant opinions...
Q: Which is more effective for building lats,
pullups or pulldowns?
Neveux
A: Any exercise in which you move your body
through space is usually more effective than those on
which you remain stationary and pull or push an object. Why? Well, there are a few reasons: When you’re
moving your body through space, 1) more motor units
will be activated; 2) the central nervous system will be
stimulated to a greater degree; 3) your use of stabilizing
muscles will be increased. Therefore, pullups are more
effective than pulldowns (squats are generally more effective than leg presses). In addition, with a pullup you
cannot engage the help of the lower back as you can
during a pulldown (which robs the upper-back muscles
of some of the work). Does this mean you should never
do pulldowns? No, but don’t ignore pullups. And remember, those who are good at pullups will be great at
pulldowns but not vice-versa.
Neveux
Q: Would it be beneficial to change rest times
in your Power/Rep Range/Shock program? For
example, instead of the rest times you normally
suggest, how about resting only a minute between sets during Power week, five minutes
during Rep Range week and two to three minutes during Shock week? Also, how about using
drop sets during Power week?
Q: Whenever I do any type of curls, I find that
my forearms get way more of a pump than my
biceps. What can I do?
A: That’s actually a common problem, as most
people initiate biceps exercises by curling the wrists in,
especially when nearing fatigue. That improves leverage by engaging the forearm flexors but reduces the
work put in by the target muscle—the biceps. What you
need to do is cock your wrists backward while curling
A: I’ve used countless variations within the P/RR/S
protocol, and what I’ve presented in all of my articles
is the route that I feel is the most effective overall for
the most people. More advanced lifters, which to me
means having trained for 10-plus years or used the
basic P/RR/S structure for at least two straight years,
can benefit from some variation on the original theme.
That’s one reason I wrote the article “P/RR/S: Variations and Advanced Techniques,” which appeared in
the April ’06 IRON MAN and is available in the PDF
library at www.IronManMagazine.com in its entirety.
Of the variations you mentioned, I would say the
most valuable are the ones for Power week. Challenging yourself to lift maximum poundage with shorter
rests can affect the hormonal cascade and central
nervous system. Drop sets or, even better, rest/pause
training, can also be very effective and growth-producing during Power weeks.
Other very basic variations, which I’ve used many
times successfully with clients, include changing the
rep tempo and utilizing only one exercise per bodypart
(for Power and Rep Range weeks specifically).
Watch for more articles in IRON MAN about the continued evolution of P/RR/S training. IM
Lonnie Teper’s
NEWS & ViEWS
Season Wrap-up
Bodybuilder
of the year.
L.T.’s 2006
Awards
Phil
Heath.
Toney Freeman.
Find complete
results and
thousands of
photos, plus
video and audio
reports from the
’06 NPC Nationals
at www.Graphic
Muscle.com.
Photography by John Balik and Mervin Petralba
Arnold
Schwarzenegger.
Isaac Hinds \ Lift Studios
Has another year really gone into the books?
Didn’t we just walk out of the Pasadena Civic
Auditorium after seeing Lee Priest win the
IRON MAN Pro, the ’06 season opener, in February? (Not only did Lee finally win what he said
was his favorite show last year, but he also inked
his first movie deal, signing on at the end of a
tumultuous season for a lead role in the sequel to “The Departed.”)
In any event, it’s time to honor those who honored us with some great
performances last year. The envelopes, please.
Pro Bodybuilder of the Year: Jay Cutler, who else? First, Cutler
finally dethroned Ronnie Coleman at the Mr. Olympia, snapping the
Big Nasty’s streak of eight consecutive wins and keeping Ronnie tied with
Lee Haney in the record books. Then, Jay proved his triumph was no
fluke, besting Coleman and the rest of the field at the three grand prix
events that took place the following weekend in Europe.
Comeback Bodybuilder of the Year: Toney Freeman, who
finally proved what I’ve felt for many years—that if he could put it all together, Freeman would be among the best in the game. Toney got his
first pro win at the Europa in August and then followed up with a seventhplace finish at the Olympia. When I first met Freeman, at the ’94 Nationals, I called him the future, and when he came out to pose at the finals, I
introduced him by announcing, “The future is now.” Hey, so I was a tad
early. Patience is a virtue.
Most Dominating Performance: Arnold Schwarzenegger,
who easily defended his title, trouncing lightweight contender Phil “Ain’t
No Thrill” Angelides in the battle for the governor’s crown in Kali-for-nia.
Rookie of the Year: Phil Heath, who else? The 26-year-old Heath
had no trouble in his initial season on the flex-for-pay circuit, scoring
back-to-back wins at the Colorado and New York Pro events last May.
“The Gift” decided to take the rest of the year off and concentrate on
the ’07 Arnold Classic, a good move. Competing at the IRON MAN two
weeks earlier might be a good move, too, for a couple of reasons. Heath
will be a definite threat to take the title at the Arnold and to earn a top-six
slot at the O this season.
Best Poser: Melvin Anthony, who else? The Marvelous One gets
my vote for the best poser ever, and his fifth-place finish at the O was the
highest in his illustrious career. The IFBB needs to establish a new rule for
when Melvin gets onstage: He must perform for at least five minutes.
The Energizer Award: Jim Lorimer, who else? The governator’s
promotion partner for nearly three decades just celebrated his 80th birthday—working at the office on a Saturday, of course, as the Arnold Fitness
Weekend continues to expand. No way, you say? Then go to www
.ArnoldFitnessWeekend.com and see for yourself.
Balik
May I have the envelope,
please?
SEMINARS
Skip can help
you get your
what back?
Pages 245 and
246
AWARD
WINNERS
Toney prays
for an X.
Page 242
Desmond
Miller.
Evan
Centopani.
NATIONALS
MYSTERY
Who was that
gloved gal
anyway?
Page 247
Best Dressed: Jim Manion, who
else? The man is to dapper what Borat is
to funny. Runner-up: Governor Schwarzenegger, who would have taken this
class too if he hadn’t been too busy with
the more important items on his plate,
which prevented him from attending
more events throughout the year.
NPC Bodybuilder of the Year:
Desmond Miller (see segment below).
Runners-up: Evan Centopani,
Leo Ingram and Omar Deckard.
NPC Rookie of the Year (competing in first Nationals or USA): Centopani.
Who else?
’06 Nationals:
Dandy Desmond
Michael Hall
Michael Hall
Melvin
Anthony.
Michael Hall
Comstock
Comstock
Yes, I did predict that Evan Centopani, the 24-year-old wunderkind from Trumbull, Connecticut, would follow his victory at the ’06 Junior Nationals
with a similar ending at the Nationals. Isaac Hinds and
Ron “Yogi” Avidan, my teammates on “The Experts,”
were the first to remind me of that, actually. But I did give
strong play to Desmond Miller in all of my Nationals
prognostications, warning that if he showed up in Miami
Beach with an improved upper body, “it could be interesting.” Those with IQs beyond single digits got my drift—including Miller. I’ve said many times that I would have had
him at least second at the ’05 Nationals.
Miller is a quiet sort of guy and because of that perhaps
didn’t get the precontest notice he deserved. At least from
other scribes. When we started the “Graphic Muscle Stars”
segment in this magazine last year, Desmond was my first
Jim
selection.
Manion.
The 32-year-old from Forrest Hills, New York, did make
the adjustments necessary for him
to upend the highly impressive
Centopani, who at 5’11” and 245
pounds finished right behind Desmond.
When I ran into Evan in the elevator after the show, I could see that
he felt bad. “Sorry I messed up your
prediction,” he said. Sorry? I told
the kid he hadn’t let me, himself or
his fans down—he’d come in at his
all-time best and finished second,
not seventh. He should be proud. I
was. Want an early preview of the
’07 Nationals in Dallas? Start—and
probably end—with Centopani.
Spotlight on the Muscle Beach Labor Day overall
Miller has always had great
champs (from left): Danny Hester (men), Melanie Garcia
wheels,
but I didn’t remember just
(figure) and Kimm Winn (women).
Stan
McQuay.
how freaky those hamstrings were. So filthy that
someone as accomplished as Flex Wheeler got
a glance at Miller at the prejudging and was blown
away. “Who do his hamstrings remind you of?”
Wheeler asked. “Flex Wheeler?” I replied. “No—Phil
Hill,” he said.
Those old-timers who remember Freaky Phil,
the heavyweight champ at the ’87 Nationals, where
Shawn Ray took the overall, will understand the
significance of Wheeler’s tribute. Does Desmond have
the best hams in the game today? I say show me
anybody who’s better. I also say the 6’, 255-pounder
is going to make a wonderful, perhaps game-winning,
debut at the New York Pro next May.
On the whole, it was a very good field—nearly 200
men in one of the deepest Nationals lineups in years.
As usual all six class winners earned passes to the
pros.
Lionel Brown (say, didn’t the Swami predict his victory?) edged
A.D. Cherry in a great battle for the heavyweight class; I thought this
one could have gone either way, and so did the judges, as it was a onepoint decision. Going out on a limb, I predict that Cherry will earn his pro
card at the USA this summer.
In the biggest surprise of the weekend, Stan McQuay finally earned
pro status, as his decision to move up to the light-heavyweight division
proved to be a wise one. McQuay is a great-looking
kid, with one of the “prettier” bods in the sport, and
Garrett
I was happy for him, but his victory over the bigger,
Allin.
thicker (and very angry after the show) Charles
Dixon was one of the two most controversial of
the entire weekend. The other was Brown’s narrow
win over Cherry. Check out IM’s Nationals gallery
of stage shots by John Balik and Mervin Petralba, and get back to me with your thoughts on
those debates.
Garrett Allin (say, didn’t the Swami predict this
one, too?) came back from his devastating defeat by
Tricky Jackson last year to win the middleweight
class unanimously. At 41 years old, Allin was at his
all-time finest at both the prejudging and finals to
make sure there wasn’t a repeat of ’05, when he
earned straight ones at the prejudging but lost to
Jackson 24 hours later, at the finals.
Congrats also go out to the three other gents
who are eligible to move out of the amateur
ranks: welterweight winner Abiu Feliz,
lightweight champ Henderson Gordon
(who might have the best quads I’ve seen at
that weight in a long, long time) and bantamweight victor Randy Jackson, a 47-yearold granddaddy who was making his 29th
Miller
and
appearance on a pro-qualifying stage. Okay,
Cenit was really only around the 15th time or so,
topani
but you get the point.
pose
As it was in 2003, the last time the Nationdown
als were held in Miami, the show took place
for the
at the famous Jackie Gleason Theater,
superand it felt great to stand at the podium at
heavysuch a prestigious venue as the emcee once
weight
again. Kenny Kassel pointed out that most
crown.
of the segments of “The Honeymooners,”
one of the greatest television series of alltime, had been filmed there. Fitting that six
guys left the theater on honeymoons of their
own—with their trophies.
Lionel
Brown.
Henderson
Gordon.
Add NPC Contests
Randy
Jackson Sr.
Ian C. Ware\www.iajephoto.com
Abiu
Feliz.
DWELLE ON
JEFF—Okay, so it’s
pronounced Dwell-E,
but it’s more fun to leave
out the E. Either way,
Jeff Dwelle was swell
(oops, did it again!) en
route to winning the
Natural Northern USA, which was held in Lakewood, Ohio, in October.
Not that his victory surprised me. Jeff has been featured in IRON MAN
many times, and I see him whenever I emcee an event in Texas, as he is a
regular on the judging panels there.
The 33-year-old Dwelle, out of Plano, has been training for 13 years,
and the Dave Liberman-and-Todd Pember–produced Natural
Northern was Jeff’s 10th contest and third overall victory. The 5’11”, 210pounder, married and the father of two sons, Dax and Dillon, plans on
competing next at the ’07 Team Universe. The Swami says that Dwelle,
who was onstage at the ’02 Nationals and the ’03 USA, will make the
T.U. top five.
Perhaps the most impressive note about the Ohio show is that all three
overall winners are college graduates. Dwelle went to Southern Methodist
University and graduated with honors in 1995.
Congrats also to Valeria Lynn Springer, the women’s bodybuilding
winner (and no relation to Jerry), and Melissa Johnson, who copped
the figure title at the event, which routinely attracts well over 100 contestants. Springer is a 5’3”, 122-pounder out of Detroit who shines on and
off the stage. The 45-year-old, who picked up two other first-place trophies in 2006, earned an MBA from the University of Michigan.
The 5’6” Johnson, who calls Upper Sandusky, Ohio, home, is a 33year-old mother of three boys—ages 13, 12 and 10—who earned her
degree in nursing and currently works in the field. Melissa was scheduled
Ian C. Ware\www.iajephoto.com
Liberman
Southern States bodybuilding champs (from left):
Grimaldi Sanchez, Jason Huh, Nekole Hamrick,
James Seymour and Andre Vaughn.
HUH? IT’S JASON: After holding the NPC Southern States Championships on the first Saturday of August for more than 25 years, promoters Peter Potter and Juan and Leslie Stefano moved the ’06
edition to July 14 and 15. Still, the change of date did nothing to lessen
the high quality of the long-running Florida event. Nearly 200 contestants from 13 states competed, including the largest number of athletes
on record in the Manuel Mair–produced men’s fitness competition.
I’m hearing wonderful things about the latest Southern States bodybuilding champ, Jason Huh, a 5’9”, 208-pounder from Sarasota,
Florida, who won the Teen Nationals in 2004 and at 21 is the second
youngest competitor ever to win the overall at the Southern States.
(Jorge “Chic” Betancourt, who was featured on the December ’06
IRON MAN cover, was but 19 when he won in 1991.)
Congrats also to the other locals who won their divisions: Nekole
Hamrick (women’s bodybuilding), Amy Thompson (figure) and
Ozzie Jacobs (fitness). Hamrick, 36, is a 5’9, 130-pound registered
nurse from Orlando who went on to place fourth in the heavyweight class
at the USA two weeks later. Thompson, a 5’3”, 29-year-old from Valrico
who’d finished fourth in the Tampa Bay Classic a month earlier, was
competing in only her second contest. And Jacobs, a 25-year-old from
Tampa, went on to take
fourth at the Nationals.
Natural Northern victors (from left): Melissa
Johnson, Jeff Dwelle and Valerie Springer.
Another kid to single
out from this show is
James Seymour, who
took the teen title, then
moved on to Pittsburgh
the following week to win
the Teen Nationals.
As always, great job,
gang.
Fitness and figure winners at the Southern States
(from left): Megan Davies, Kelly Rodrigues, Monte
Masterson, Amy Thompson and Cassandra Griffin.
Skip’s
swagger.
UP, DOWN AND ROUND
to appear on ABC’s hit show “Wife Swap,” along with Liberman, who was
to appear as her personal trainer. Think I’ll miss that episode?
And don’t forget that Liberman also has a college degree. Yesiree,
Dave earned his two-year credential from Lakeland Community College—even though it took him 10 years to get it. It’s not the time spent,
it’s the academic experience, right, Liberwitz?
Anyway, it was another stellar event—and I’ll be back at the mic at
Dave and Todd’s next one, the Natural Ohio on March 31. My winter
jacket is all ready to go, and I’m set to play in the snow.
THE ’06 NPC NATIONALS
Spotlight on…
PBW EXPANSION—Congrats to “Pro Bodybuilding Weekly” and its
hosts, Dan Solomon and Bob Cicherillo, for joining Sirius Satellite
Radio’s high-profile lineup. How big is that news? Well, the company that
now airs the “The Howard Stern Show” and NFL football has an audience of more than 5 million. Sounds good to me. Beginning in January,
the one-hour broadcasts will air in prime time on Sirius’ popular Sports
Byline USA network (Sirius channel 122).
Dan is a real trouper; on Monday, November 13, he and Chick welcomed me as a guest on the show, where we reviewed the Nationals, the
upcoming IRON MAN Pro and other topics, despite the fact that Dan’s
wife, Grace, was hours away from giving birth to the couple’s first child,
or so they thought. As it turned out, baby Nicholas, seven pounds and
12 ounces, arrived three days later. Bob and his wife, Tosha, won’t be far
behind, with a January ’07 due date for their first youngster.
Great news on both fronts, gents.
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Photography by Lonnie Teper
CORNEY TURNS 73—We almost lost him a few years
back, but Ed Corney, looking better than he has in some time,
celebrated his 73rd birthday on November 9. Ed has a new
posing DVD out and was showing it off at his booth at this year’s
Olympia Expo. The following weekend I saw him at the NPC San
Francisco.
It’s great to see Ed bouncing around like this. If you’d like to
keep up with the latest Corney news or want to purchase the
video, check out his Web site at www.EdCorney.net.
Ed Corney with Joel Brandwein.
Photo courtesy of Stacey Wood
CHECKING IN WITH SKIP—Natural bodybuilding icon Skip La
Cour, the only guy I’ll mention in the same sentence with Jay Cutler
when it comes to practicing the bodybuilding lifestyle day in and day out,
has exploded on to the personal-development speaker’s circuit with the
same vengeance that marked his approach to the competitive stage. La
Cour’s “Get Your Swagger Back” two-day seminars specialize in helping adult men regain their self-confidence and charisma, learn the skills
of persuasion and influence and incorporate health and fitness into their
busy lifestyles. Step by step, Skip outlines effective strategies that will
help create positive change and generate momentum.
“I help adult men ages 30 to 55 regain control over their lives,” says
La Cour. “Due to setbacks and disappointments they’ve gone through,
too many men have settled for a quality of life that’s so far below what
they could be experiencing. They are way too young to give up on their
dreams—but too old to keep on dreaming.”
That last statement really packs a punch. And truth. To learn more
about La Cour’s seminars, log on to www.GetYourSwaggerBack.com or
www.SkipLaCour.com.
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Liberman
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1) L.T. and ’05 National champ Dena Westerfield scope out
the competition.
2) Mervin Petralba was behind the lens for IM.
3) Long day in the press pit? It was nothing, say Terry Goodlad and J.M. Manion.
4) Dexter Jackson’s ride—with Stan McCrary riding shotgun.
5) James Bivens and Anita Nikolich pose down at the beach.
6) Garrett Allin makes use of the pump-up room.
7) Adela Garcia and Michelle Adams—what exactly is Adela
planning to do with that glove.
8) Mike Yablon gives a sneak peak of his abs.
9) More portraits from the pit: IM Publisher John Balik.
10) Ronnie Coleman greets adoring fan Eric Roessler.
11) Randy Jackson chows down on the morning after his win.
12) Jim Manion and Steve Weinberger with big winner Desmond Miller and his family.
13) National bodybuilding champs Debi Laszewski and Lisa
Bickels gets some postcontest rays.
14) Patty and Clark Sanchez were not discussing the scores
when this shot was taken.
15) IM’s old friend Dave Tuttle—still tight at 56! IM
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Neveux
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Liberman
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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].
In Memoriam
Mickey Hargitay
by Gene Mozée
W
hen Mickey Hargitay passed away from
multiple myeloma on September 14, 2006, the world
of bodybuilding lost another of its legendary stars.
Mickey was an international personality, but he preferred to be known as an average guy who used all of
his God-given resources.
Born in 1926 in Budapest, Hungary, where his father
raised him and his two brothers as athletes, Mickey
became an outstanding soccer player and
would have been on
the ’48 Hungarian
Olympic team if he
hadn’t emigrated to the
United States. He was
a great speed skater,
having won the Middle
European speed skating
championship. He had
other athletic skills and
in Hungary performed
an adagio dance act in
which he lifted a beautiful lady partner in
acrobatic movements.
Mickey came to
America in 1947 at the
Onstage and
age of 21 and settled in
on the IM
Indianapolis. A couple
cover after
of years later he saw a
winning the
muscle magazine with
NABBA Mr.
Steve Reeves on the
Universe title
cover that awakened
in London.
his interest in bodybuilding. He walked
into Bobby Higgins
Gym one day out of
curiosity. Never having lifted a weight
before, he astounded
the owner by lifting 215
pounds overhead. He
weighed 175 pounds.
He was 23, but Higgins
told him that he was too old to become a bodybuilding champion like Steve Reeves. Six years later, Mickey
won the NABBA Mr. Universe title in London, defeating champions from 45 other countries.
His father had told him, “If someone says you can’t
do something, you must show him how to do it. Nothing is impossible; you can do anything.”
After his Mr. Universe victory, Mae West hired him
as the leading man in
her world famous variety show, which featured a number
of musclemen,
including Richard
Dubois, Zabo Koszewski, Joe Gold,
Dominic Juliano,
Chuck Pendleton,
Armand Tanny
and George Eiferman. The show
was so successful
that it outdrew
Frank Sinatra all
over the United States
and Canada.
Mickey flexed his
6’1” and 220 pounds
of muscle and sang
“Everything I Have Is
Yours,” which was a
great success. He met
Hollywood superstar
actress Jayne Mansfield while performing
at the Latin Quarter in
New York City. When
asked by the waiter
what she wanted for
dinner, Jayne replied,
“I’ll have a steak and
that tall man on the
left.” In 1958 they
were married. Each of
Mickey Hargitay
them had had prior
marriages: Mickey
had a daughter,
Tina, and Jayne had
a daughter, Jane
Marie. Together they
had three children,
Mickey Jr., Zoltan
and Mariska. Mickey
and Jayne became
internationally
known and worked
together onstage
in Las Vegas and in
films from 1959 to
1961. Newscaster
Walter Winchell
said, “What President Eisenhower
did for golf, Mickey
Hargitay did for
bodybuilding”—he
brought it to the
forefront. Mickey
and Jayne once appeared on the cover
of Life magazine.
“The Mickey
Hargitay Show” was
a 1962 TV program
that featured exercise routines. He
also did personal
appearances with
Jack Parr, Johnny
Carson, Regis Philbin, Joe Franklin
and Mike Douglas,
and he guest-starred
on several TV shows,
such as “Wild Wild
West” with Robert Conrad, and “Cool Million” with
James Farentino.
American International Films signed Mickey to star
in five movies in Italy after he made the now cult classic “The Lovers of Hercules.” During that period he
was presented with the Michelangelo Award for his
achievements in the Italian film industry. He subsequently starred in 18 films. In 1967 he returned to the
stage for a leading role in the show “Follies Burlesque.”
Mickey’s marriage to Jayne ended in divorce in 1964,
and she died tragically in an automobile accident in
1967 in Biloxi, Mississippi. In 1968 he married Ellen
Siano, a beautiful young TWA flight attendant. Ellen
became an instant mother of three young children,
and together they raised their family. Daughter Mariska is a television star, having recently won an Emmy
for her portrayal of Detective Olivia Benson on “Law
and Order: Special Victims Unit.” Mickey and Ellen
were happily married for 38 years.
In 1980 Arnold
Schwarzenegger
portrayed Mickey
Mickey married
in the TV movie
Jayne Mansfield in
“The Jayne Mans1958.
field Story,” which
also starred Loni
Anderson as Jayne.
The director originally balked at hiring
Arnold because of
his accent. Mickey
told the producer,
“What do you think
I sound like?” in his
slight Hungarian
accent, which he
never lost. Arnold
got the role. In 1986,
in collaboration
with Gyorgy Pinter,
Mickey did a Hungarian coproduction
with director Gyorgy
Szomjas titled “Mr.
Universe,” for which
he received critical
acclaim at the San
Francisco Film Festival.
On October 28,
1996, he was presented the prestigious Golden
Butterfly Award’s
Tribute to Excellence
for his contribution
to the Hungarian
international film
industry. Others
honored were Tony
Curtis, Jack Valenti and many talented Hungarian
expatriates. The gala event was hosted by the president
and prime minister of Hungary.
In 1998 Mickey was honored, along with John
Grimek, Steve Reeves, Reg Park and Bill Pearl, with the
Hercules Legend Award and the Mr. Universe Hall of
Fame Award in London.
On May 29, 2006, Mickey received IRON MAN’s
Muscle Beach Hall of Fame Award from John Balik at
Venice Beach. His entire family was present: wife Ellen,
Mickey Jr. and Zoltan and their families, and beautiful
Mariska, who was 8 1/2 months pregnant at the time.
It was his last public appearance.
Mickey Hargitay is a true bodybuilding legend. His
birth date, January 6, 1926, was 15 days before that of
his idol Steve Reeves, who also became his best friend.
Mickey was one of the most genuine and likable persons I’ve ever known. He was a great man who will be
sorely missed by all who knew him. IM
Mr. Olympia Special
Jay Cutler
A Photographic Salute to the New Mr. O
Photography by Bill Dobbins and John Balik
By now you know that Jay Cutler’s years of laser-beam
focus and muscle-thrashing workouts paid off at last
when he dethroned eight-time Mr. Olympia Ronnie
Coleman in Las Vegas on September 30. You may also
have seen the hundreds of photos from that event
posted at GraphicMuscle.com and our full-page posteresque coverage in
the January ’07 IRON MAN.
While we featured mind-boggling full-page photos of all the top competitors last month, we knew you’d want more big shots of the big winner.
Hence this pictorial. It’s our way of saying congratulations to Jay and at the
same time giving you an encore of eye-popping pics of the ’06 Mr. O.
All hail the new king of bodybuilding.
—the Editors
Mr. Olympia Special
Jay Cutler
Mr. Olympia Special
Jay Cutler
IRON MAN Hardbody
IRON MAN Hardbody
The ’06 Figure Olympia Champ
Unveils Her Winning Form
Hair and makeup Alexandra Almand
The stars were in Jenny Lynn’s favor last September,
when she finally stepped on the Figure O stage a
winner. After three previous shots at the title—and three
victories at the prestigious Figure International, which is
held with the Arnold Classic each year—the bold blonde
came to Vegas with a stage presence, physique and smile
the judges and audience couldn’t resist. Neither could
we, which is the reason we immediately got her in the
studio with Michael Neveux for a Hardbody shoot.
IRON MAN Hardbody
Jenny has always been
a competitor, she said,
so her relentless pursuit
of sport’s biggest crown
was right in character.
She started dancing at a
very young age: “I recall
doing talent shows as a
child, performing singing
and dance routines—and
charging my family
to watch, of course.”
In her teen years she
was a cheerleader and
competed at the national
level in that daring sport.
IRON MAN Hardbody
IRON MAN Hardbody
After high school Jenny began
teaching aerobics, and that’s when
the weight-training bug bit. She
found she added muscle quickly
and eventually got into fitness
competition, turning pro with an
overall win at the ’01 NPC USA
Championships.
IRON MAN Hardbody
IRON MAN Hardbody
IRON MAN Hardbody
When pro figure took
off in 2003, Jenny saw it as
a chance to focus solely
on her physique—without
the distraction of having
to train for gymnastics
and strength moves. The
strategy paid off big time,
as she won the very first pro
figure event, the ’03 Figure
International.
IRON MAN Hardbody
Now that she’s the Figure Olympia
champ, Jenny’s winning form
cannot be denied. Don’t take our
word for it though. Check out the
photos on the next few pages—but
take a few deep breaths first. IM
IRON MAN Hardbody
NATIONALS TIME
Miami Muscle
And mojitos at midnight
Being in
Miami Beach
is one magical
moment after
another, if you’re
dotty for Deco.
The Jackie
Gleason Theater, from which
the Great One
broadcast his
classic TV show
in the 1960s, is
a masterpiece
of the genre—a
truly fitting stage
for the artfully
Fitness top-fiver Ozzie Jacobs (left) and light-heavy runner-up Elena Seiple, photographed
built bodies of
by John Balik.
the NPC National
lisher John Balik and his mighty lens, were all over
Bodybuilding and Fitness Championships. The ’06 edithe event like waves lapping the Atlantic shore—photos,
tion, which was held there on November 10 and 11, was
audio, video, you name it. It’s guerilla for sure, but pound
a huge weekend for this reporter—first trip to the Nationfor pound and pic for pic we’re putting up the best damn
als since Vince Taylor took the men’s title in 1988, first
physique coverage out there, starting with poster-worthy
visit to Miami since the age of eight and first efforts at
Balik shots like these. And we don’t leave out the women.
contest-report video ever—but an even huger one for the
Don’t take my word for it, though. (I’m obviously biwomen’s physique sports that are not figure.
ased, and they pay me.) Groove on over to Graphic
Seventy-six female flexers—the second biggest WomMuscle.com and check it out.
en’s Nationals ever—and 31 flexible flyers set their sights
As for the mojitos at midnight, that’s what good little
on the “Battle of South Beach,” with pro cards going to
girl reporters get when they do their reports in one take.
the class winners in bodybuilding and the top two per
Now back to the Pump & Circumstance, Nationals ediclass in fitness. More on that in a graph or two. But first a
tion, starting with some behind-the-scenes hot shots we
few words about our Web site.
didn’t put on the Web.
The IRON MAN/GraphicMuscle team, led by IM Pub-
SCENE BETWEEN FLEXES AT THE NATIONALS
Petite-but-powGreat expectations.
er never has to
erful Barbara Fletch
g weight (see the
worry about makin
ing page).
story on the follow
Tina Chandler
flashes just
a peek of her
peak.
Light-heavy
leaders
Elena Seiple
and Kristy
Hawkins
swap precontest
how-I-did-it
tales. Seiple
competed in
two strongwoman contests while
prepping for
the Nationals; Kristy
is a Ph.D.
candidate
in chemical
engineering.
LIGHT HEAVIES
CHAMPS
Revenge Comedy
Familiar Refrains
The Women’s Nationals brought a high
wind of tropical passions to Miami—revenge, redemption, rewards, to name just
a few. Conversations with contestants
were filled with recurring themes, most of
which have been recurring in this column
for some time. One would be women
coming back to bodybuilding after trying
to slim down for figure, like middleweight
winner Lisa Bickels. Another would be
veteran flexers getting better and better,
like heavyweight and overall champ Lora
Ottenad and light-heavy winner Debi
Laszewski. A third would be last year’s
second-placers moving up, as in two of
the four class champs.
A new twist would be the military presence. You don’t need to double-check
with historian Steve Wennerstrom to
figure it’s the first time two Marines (one
active, one retired) have ever won at the
Gunnery sergeant Jamie Troxel
Women’s Nationals on the same night.
presents arms—as well as legs,
That would be lightweight victor Jamie
shoulders, back, abs and calves—
Troxel and Bickels.
and attains the rank of pro bodyEvery class conflict told a great story
builder.
in this clash of the titanic women. Lightweights Troxel and Barbara Fletcher had shared equally in the precontest
buzz. The 4’9”, 101 3/4-pound Fletcher, who was the USA lightweight winner
in 2005, is a real crowd pleaser and had been waiting a year to make up for her
performance at the ’05 Nationals, where she competed only five weeks after
having hernia surgery and landed in sixth. The 5’2”, 114 3/4-pound Troxel, who’s
got one of those symmetrical total-package-type bodies, was on an upward
trajectory—first at the ’03 Team U, then third and second at the ’04 and ’05
Nationals—but in the wacky world of physique competition nothing is certain.
Both ladies dialed it in. Barbara’s physique was spot-on and separated, but
the panel showed a decided preference for Jamie’s fuller lines, giving her a
perfect score, after the highs and lows were tossed out, and making Barbra their
choice for a perfect second.
She who
laughs
last…
Dobbins \ www.BillDobbins.com
Photography by Ruth Silverman \ Contest photography by John Balik
Speaking of covering the women
More
long-timecoming-intothe-spotlight
kudos go
to Beverly
DiRenzo.
Second
coming up
from sixth
last year
is not too
shabby,
eh, Bev?
Gale Frankie’s look came with super
separation. She moved up two ways—
from fifth LH in ’05 to fourth in the heavies here.
Laszewski
brings it on.
For those who are still kvetching about
Debi Laszewski’s loss to the less-extremely muscular Dena Westerfield at
the ’05 Nationals, it’s time to get over it.
Laszewski did, taking to heart comments
that she should focus on her X factor and
come in not quite so hard, and it did the
trick, giving her the edge in a class that
was the talk of the show even before the
women weighed in.
Debi had plenty to contend with—it
may have been the toughest match of the
contest—beginning with the ladies who
finished third and fourth behind her in ’05.
Elena Seiple, a frequent second-placer
at pro qualifiers, got my vote for best flow
of the bodyparts. Kristy Hawkins was
looking lean, and her beautiful, balanced
package was beyond conditioned—but
would those gluteal striations keep her
from being a serious threat? By the score
sheet it was a close call: 6-10-13, with
Seiple getting the runner-up roses yet
again and Hawkins right behind, in third.
Find Ruth’s latest
updates from the
’06 NPC National
Championships
and beyond at
GraphicMuscle.com.
MORE WINNERS
BIG GIRLS
Speaking of X Factors Cougar Power
And unanimous wins
The biggest women’s bodybuilding win of the night went
to a big woman. At 5’8” and
weighing in at 170 pounds,
Lora Ottenad was a testament to the old saying, Women
who keep bodybuilding just
keep getting better. At 42 she
scored a lo-o-ong-time-coming
pro card, nabbing the overall title
as well as class honors. It had
been six years since Ottenad
won the USA heavyweights and
took a controversial second at
the Nationals, two near misses,
and two years since she took
second again at the Nationals,
only to drop to fifth in 2005. At
the Gleason she looked the best
I’ve ever seen her, so well put
One more distinction. Lora Ottenad gets
together that none of the other
the award for the most unusual answer
25 bodies in the lineup could
ever to the question, What do you do for a
touch hers, and that took in a lot
living? “I’m a housewife,” she said. Now,
there’s a picture.
of talent.
Beverly DiRenzo and
Sheila Blech were a point apart in second and third, respectively. Another
day, another outcome for those ladies, but this one was all Lora’s.
The big however. Some observers are taking Ottenad’s victory as a sign
that unbridled muscle is back in fashion with the judges. A bit hasty, I’d say,
when you consider how many name heavyweights turned up in Miami looking
smoother than a novice figure lineup. I won’t mention names, but you’ll find
their pictures in the Nationals gallery at GraphicMuscle.com. Remember, the
panel is looking for the best body onstage on the day in question, not their
best guess at what people would look like if they hit their peaks.
A cougar,
according to my
cousin in Connecticut, is a
woman over a
certain age who
is considered
hot (“Like us,
Ruth,” says my
cousin), although
the exact age at
which one becomes a cougar is
unclear. Stretching the concept
Factoid: Theresa’s first
to hot bodybuildbodybuilding contest
ing bods over a
was the Chattanooga
certain age, the
Choo Choo, which she
puma power in
won at age 16.
women’s bodybuilding is a force not to be denied.
Take Theresa Hendricks, last seen placing
second in the heavyweights at the ’06 Team
Universe—and before that taking fifth in the fitness tall class at the ’05 Nationals, where she
was arguably the most ripped competitor in the
lineup. The judges encouraged her to switch to
bodybuilding, but Hendricks was hesitant.
“I’m a performer at heart,” she said. “I’ve
been dancing since I was two or three years
old.” In the end she was persuaded, and at the
age of 45 this “proud mother of two, grandmother of one” gave up the fitness mandatories
to hit front double-biceps shots—and maybe
a few fitness tricks to spice things up—on
the posing platform. The result: Another fifthplace trophy for the buff bubbie from Hampton,
Virginia.
Declared Theresa, “This is what working out
will do for you.”
MIDDLEWEIGHTS
Bickels’ Pickle
And how she solved it.
The 18-woman middleweight lineup was saturated with symmetry and total-package
physiques, but no one was surprised when Lisa Bickels was called out first. A promising
bodybuilder with the kind of “marketable” look people say is going to save women’s bodybuilding, Bickels could be the poster girl for bodybuilders who think switching to figure is the
answer to their problems. After winning the overall at the ’03 California Championships and
finishing third middleweight at the ’04 USA, Lisa switched to figure on a dare, when folks
suggested that she could be successful on the less-developed level. She was on her way in
that sport too, taking her class at the Cal and a top-10 placing in the crowded USA in 2005,
but the price was too high. Bickels loves to train, and giving that up in favor of attaining the
look, along with the stresses of diet and cardio, had her wondering what was the point.
Coming back to the world where having a hard biceps is a good thing, she went right to the
Nationals—and picked up where she’d left off without skipping a beat, flexing into the pros
at 5’3” and 123 1/2 pounds.
No way was Lisa’s path to the pros easy. The middleweight class was so tough, ’06 USA
winner Tina Chandler could only manage a fifth-place finish (although she was perhaps
not quite as tight as she’d been at the earlier contest), and ’05 USA winner Britt Miller,
looking lean and more mainstream, had to settle for third. Yahaira Agosto Vives, fourth
last year, brought a look reminiscent of Betty Viana to the stage and had some wondering
if she could push Bickels for the title. The judges had no such thoughts, giving Lisa ones
across the board and making Agosto Vives their equally unanimous choice for second.
MORE FITNESS TALK
F I T N E S S TA L E S
You Know You
Lisa Hughes.
Postscripts
Make me wanna shout
Strong
performances and a
cadre of new
pros equal
to the group
who earned
their cards
at the Team
Universe
last summer marked
the Fitness
Nationals.
Class honors
went to two
Nicole Duncan.
women who
finished third
at the earlier
show—Nicole Duncan and
Amy Villa
Nelson—
and one
who moved
up from
fifth, Lisa
Hughes, so
you might
Amy Villa Nelson.
say the 2006
season was one continuous stream of quality
fitness babes cruising to the next level. The routines were so good that even with two per class
getting cards, there’ll be plenty of top talent left
to rave about next year.
In the 5’2”-and-under division it was the best physique vs. the best routine,
with Duncan and her energetic basketball performance grabbing a two-point lead
and top bod Michelle Theison grabbing the second pro card.
Duncan’s wasn’t the only wattage-plus performance in the show, by any
means, with highest energy of all radiating from medium-class leader Nelson. Displaying sculpted lines, a solid routine and the biggest smile in the auditorium, she
won by 26 points, a serious statement considering that the runner-up there was
Angela English, whose “Fever”-based routine was a dramatic crowd-pleaser.
In the tall class it was another no-contest contest, with Hughes, a dynamic
performer who won the routines and the one-piece-swimsuit comparisons, garnering a 23-point margin of victory. Second place went
to Mandy Polk, a winsome competitor with a cute
routine and a cuter physique, who had to pull out of
the Team Universe in August after fracturing her left
foot while performing her routine at the judging. (For
some reason the judges weren’t nuts about Mandy’s
two-piece suit here, or Hughes’ margin would have
been a lot smaller.)
Overall honors went to the gal with the biggest smile
in the whole darned contest and, arguably, the best
physique—Amy Villa Nelson. As you can see in the accompanying photos, this one smiles even when she’s
in the throes of a strenuous fitness trick.
Good job, ladies! We’ll catch your act in the pros.
From the press pit
Now, I can
Mandy
just hear phoPolk was
tographer Reg
spot on.
Bradford’s
voice pssting in
my ear at the
judging: “You
have to mention
that too many
fitness gals are
not in shape.”
Reg was very
emphatic on the
subject—and
that was before he saw the heavyweights. I
agreed with him, although it’s probably true
that he and I might not draw the line of not
in shape in the same place, and his words
were echoing in my head when I recorded
my video report after the finals (posted at
GraphicMuscle.com). Not to suggest that
amateur fitness athletes should be aspiring
to the hard-muscle look, but there’s a lot
of territory between that and tightening up
a bit.
On the other hand, there were fewer
than usual physiques that were doomed to
be deemed “too hard for fitness” and some
notable ones that were just right, like the
one pictured here.
Ms.
Originality
When
there
are as
many
good
fitness
routines as
the Nationals
had, it’s
hard
to pick
just
one
fave.
In this
case,
though,
it’s
hard to
ShaNay Norvell.
resist
singling
out the ingenuity of ShaNay Norvell, a
30-year-old trainer from Atlanta who’s
done well in obstacle-course fitness
shows in the past. Norvell’s performance
was nothing short of insane. Starting
in a straitjacket she bopped to an energetic beat, moving through several
music changes to her big finish—Willie
Nelson’s “Crazy.” Talk about eliminating
obstacles. By the time she was done, I
was crazy for trying and crazy for crying—and crazy for ShaNay’s routine.
MORE TALES OF THE FIT AND FABULOUS…
Terry Goodlad
Trophy shot.
Best buds Lisa
Hughes and Michelle Theison
will be dancing
with the fitnesspro stars next
year. Whoops!
Don’t tell Michelle they gave
her the thirdplace trophy by
mistake.
Animal
magnetism.
Angela
English,
who’s 40,
bowled
folks
over with
her fab
routine
skills and
theatrical
flare. Can
you say
fitness
cougar?
In case you wondered. Why didn’t
tall-class fourth-placer Sandi Stuart perform her excellent routine
with the knives at the fitness finals? The emergency-room physician from Rockledge, Florida, was
still healing a dislocated shoulder
and figured that once (at the
judging) was enough. Guess you
could call it doctor’s orders.
Newbie. Nicole
Wilkins, a 22year-old personal
trainer and former
gymnast from
Detroit, scored
a top-five finish
in her first big
national show.
Ralph and Norton
would approve.
Photography by Ruth Silverman
More wondering. Why didn’t
Michelle Mayberry do better than
third in the tall-class routines?
Bad luck—she took sick and was not at her best at the
judging on Saturday morning. By evening Mayberry’s getup-and-go was back, and she landed in third overall.
THE PUMPED AND THE PRECIOUS…
ting
A nonea aren
K
photo of
s
Choat, a
d.
promise
But
Jennifer
Gutierrez
took
the
best
cellphone
shot.
Elena
Seiple
had
the
best
shoes.
That honor went to Olivia Garner.
Neveux
You can contact
Ruth Silverman,
fitness reporter
and Pump & Circumstance scribe,
in care of
IRON MAN, 1701 Ives Ave.,
Oxnard, CA 93033; or via e-mail at
[email protected].
Angie Salvagno
had her hands
full even before
she saw the
rest of the light
heavies.
The money shot—overall
champ Desmond Miller
and his baby girl, Desmari.
Only the Strong Shall Survive
Put Up or Shut
What It Takes to Gain
Mega Strength
by Bill Starr • Photography by Michael Neveux
I am frequently asked what the most important factors in strength training are. My reply? “There are several: a functional program, knowing how
to perform all the exercises correctly, applying yourself diligently to every
workout and being consistent.”
A functional program is one that works for you. Each of us has individual requirements in strength training and should design programs to
fit those specific needs as opposed to just following a routine written by a
top bodybuilder or strength athlete or an armchair authority. Two people
with the same body type, bodyweight, height, age and training background won’t respond to a program in exactly the same way. It’s okay to
start a group off with a set program, but as they progress, adjustments
must be made for continued success.
Olympic lifters, for example, have entirely different routines from powerlifters or from those participating in strongman events. Many athletes
from a wide range of sports are strength training in order to be more
proficient in their chosen activities. That group should select exercises
that will enhance what they do in football, baseball, tennis and so forth.
It’s known as sport-specific training, and all coaches and athletes are
aware of it.
The idea also applies to other facets of life. Some lift weights to expand
their endurance base so they can hike, bike or swim longer. Others want
to obtain or maintain a high level of strength because they know that
enables them to lead a more healthful life. They’re not interested in entering competition; they just want to look and feel good and be able to
do everyday tasks without having to suffer for it the next day.
Only you know that bench presses hurt your once-dislocated shoulder,
while inclines and overhead presses don’t. Or that your back responds to
deadlifts done with lighter weights much better than when you use low
reps with heavier poundages. All personal information goes in to the mix
as you write up your routine and make periodic changes as you go along.
The very best program for you is the one that brings results and doesn’t
cause you pain when you do it. I’m not talking about the pain of exertion
but rather that type of pain that tells you that you’re doing something
wrong and need to stop.
Next, in order to make continuous gains in strength training, you
must learn how to perform all the exercises in your program perfectly.
Although that may seem like common sense, it’s a principle that’s abused
by the majority of people who weight-train.
Model: Tommi Thorvildsen
Up
Models: David and Bolo Yeung
The one attribute
I’ve noticed in all
great bodybuilders
and lifters was
that they were
extremely focused.
They may start off paying close
attention to form, but in their quest
for bigger numbers, technique
takes a backseat. That’s particularly
true on the bench press, where rebounding the bar off the chest and
bridging are the norm in most gyms
and a clean, smoothly done lift is
the exception.
Then there are those who take
great care to do any high-skill exercise precisely but use sloppy form
on the less complicated lifts or on
their auxiliary exercises.
One winter I trained with a
couple of Olympic lifters at John
Gourgott’s World Gym in Marin,
California, who were perfect examples of what I’m talking about. Their
technique on their cleans, snatches
and jerks was flawless. They looked
like European lifters. When they
did overhead presses, however,
correct form flew out the window.
I attempted to help them, but they
ignored my advice—that is, until
they both aggravated their shoulders so badly that they were forced
to stop pressing and jerking for
several weeks. After they took the
time to master the pressing form,
there were no more problems.
A point that many overlook is
that using improper technique is
not only less productive in the long
run but will invariably lead to some
type of injury, especially if you’re
handling heavy weights.
Even though the risk is lower
when you use light weights, the
point applies. Use poor form on calf
raises, weighted dips or curls, and
you’ll end up making less progress
and invite injury. Keep in mind that
auxiliary exercises are done at the
end of the workout and all of those
muscles are already somewhat
fatigued. A tired muscle is more apt
to break than a rested one.
We’ve all heard the axiom that
practice makes perfect and accept it as valid. It’s not. It should be
amended to say that practice makes
perfect only if you’re practicing
with correct form. Practicing with
improper technique results in nothing close to the gains you’ll achieve
when your form is free of flaws.
So the first step is to take time to
learn how to do all of the exercises
in your program. Obviously, some
will require more effort than oth-
ers. For example, you’re going to
be able to pick up the various form
points more readily on the back
squat than on the power clean.
Once you learn good form, practice and more practice is the ticket
to success, especially if you have
lots of high-skill exercises in your
routine.
According to K. Anders Ericsson,
Ph.D., a psychology professor at
Florida State University and coauthor of the recently published
Cambridge Handbook of Expertise
and Expert Performance, practice
is more important in athletics than
genetics—an idea that’s in direct
contrast to what most trainers and
sports psychologists profess. After
studying thousands of athletes
from a wide range of sports, he
found that the most accomplished
in each group shared a common
approach to training—goal-oriented workouts that emphasized
immediate feedback, frequent skill
repetitions and mindful attention
to mechanics. “If you’re just doing
things in the moment and not
reflecting on how you could do it
better,” Ericsson explains, “it’s very
unlikely that you’ll improve.”
How many times have you let
your mind wander to what you’re
planning on doing later that night
while you’re in the middle of a set?
Or attempted to solve some vexing
problem from work or school when
you should have been concentrating on the task at hand—moving a
bar through a tight groove? Or carried on a conversation while doing
a warmup set?
The one attribute I’ve noticed in
all the great bodybuilders and lifters
I’ve been around over the years was
that they were extremely focused
through their workouts, from the
very first warmup set to the final
rep with a max poundage. Training
was serious business, and they applied their full effort and attention
to every single rep in their routines.
That’s what we called quality training, and it seems to be missing in
the majority of those who weighttrain today.
Honing your technique is a
continuous process because as
the weights get heavier, you may
alter your
(continued from page 280) mechan-
ics ever so slightly. If you don’t have
someone to call you on form breakdown or pick up on it yourself, it
will adversely affect your progress.
Whenever a person first starts
weight training, he’s offered plenty
of advice from others in the gym.
After a few years, though, he’s on his
own, and if he happens to be one
of the more accomplished lifters
or bodybuilders, no one is going to
tell him that his form is off. In many
instances the form flaws go unnoticed. Everyone is too engrossed
in his own training to be bothered
with helping someone else.
You can also slip to where you’re
using incorrect form when you
train alone. During Christmas and
spring breaks, I trained alone at
Sam Fielder’s shed. On Fridays, I
did shrugs. I had no reason to think
that I might not be doing them
right since they’d been a part of my
routine as far back as I could remember, and I teach my athletes to
use precise form on that lift. When
it’s done correctly, your traps will
report in the next morning.
On that Friday someone had
placed a mirror behind the rack
used for squats and shrugs. I didn’t
want to bother with moving it, so
I watched myself while I squatted and shrugged. My squats were
fine, but when I did my shrugs, I
saw that I was bending my arms
way too soon, a cardinal sin for any
pulling movement. I hadn’t realized
I’d picked up that form fault and
quickly rectified it. For the following
two days my traps were sore to the
touch. It was a small change that
made a huge difference, which is
why you have to constantly examine your technique, even on exercises that you believe you’re doing
perfectly.
If you train alone, a mirror can be
useful. Taping a workout and studying it later is another good idea. You
might even have a friend you consider knowledgeable in coaching to
whom you can send the tape. Quite
often, a second set of eyes can find
flaws you missed.
To continue to climb up the
strength ladder, you must come to
the weight room prepared to put
every ounce of energy you have
into your workout. Staying in the
comfortable range just doesn’t
produce the same results. You need
to get into an attack mode and be
aggressive from that first rep to the
last. Do your very best to improve
the numbers on at least one of your
exercises at every session. Two
or three is even better. I recently
wrote that you should attempt to
make personal records at all your
workouts for a full year, an attitude that enables you to attack the
weights and not just go through
the motions. Once you develop
the confidence that you can make
gains regularly, your lifts will climb
steadily.
Of course, I’m speaking about
obtaining reasonable goals. It’s fine
to set a goal of squatting 400 by
the end of a cycle, yet it’s not smart
to try squatting that weight when
you’re only doing 350 for three reps.
Your immediate goal should be to
move that triple up to 380; then
you’d be ready to tackle 400.
Learn to attack the bar from the
get-go. I watch many lifters and
bodybuilders do their warmup sets
halfheartedly, just wanting to get
them out of the way so they can do
their work sets. They all discover
the same fact of life—switching
from a nonchalant attitude to a serious one isn’t so easy. In most cases
it doesn’t happen. That’s why you
should begin the process of focusing and concentration on that first
set. The early sets form the pattern
and prepare you for the heavier sets
ahead. Again, a small thing that can
make the difference between success and failure.
While the factors I mentioned
certainly have a direct bearing on
your strength gains, consistency
may be the most important. Even
though you may have established
perfect technique, created an ideal
routine and always give 100 percent, you’re not going to get a great
deal stronger if you’re inconsistent
in your training. Definitely not as
much as if you never miss a workout.
Consistency is critical to all of
the programs I give to athletes and
others who write to me because
the workouts are interconnected.
What a lifter does today dictates
how much he handles on Friday
and vice versa. The midweek session influences the Monday and
Friday numbers. So if you skip any
of the three, the entire scheme is
thrown off, and progress suffers.
The same holds true for the four-
Model: Mike Dragna
Set up a program
that you can manage,
a flexible routine
that you can alter
throughout the year.
time strongmen, and he never
missed a workout. Nothing got in
the way of his training schedule.
Despite his background in Olympic
lifting, he didn’t spend a lot of time
on his form, so he didn’t go too far
in that sport. He would have done
very well in the strongman events
that reward raw strength.
Although Howard stands out,
I’ve trained with many others who
did outlandish programs that made
little sense to me. They all got stron-
Model: Hubert Morandell
and five-day-a-week routines I set
up. The various training days are
synergistic, feeding off one another
in a harmonious manner and producing an effect greater than the
sum of the parts. Every good routine
is designed in this fashion.
I’ve often said that a poorly designed routine done consistently
will provide greater results than a
perfect program done sporadically.
I believe that because I’ve seen it
happen countless times. As I write
this, one name jumps out in my
mind—Howard Parker. Older Olympic lifters from Texas and the San
Francisco area will remember him.
Howard is the kind of guy you don’t
forget easily. We ran an article on
him in Strength & Health in the late
’60s titled “The Strongest Teenager
in Texas,” and I met him at the Teenage Nationals, which he won. Years
later I ended up training with him at
a gym in Marin County. Howard did
a rather unconventional routine, to
say the least. Some of his exercises
were unique, and he trained with
an animal intensity that was almost
scary. Spotting him was downright
frightening. I recall trying my best
to keep my hands under the bar as
he did behind-the-neck jerks while
seated on a bench. No two reps were
alike, and he ended up using 600
pounds.
He was a throwback to the old-
ger, however, because they never
missed a workout, come hell or high
water. Their entire day revolved
around training.
It’s been my observation that
most people miss planned workouts because they set up unrealistic
programs. They’re motivated by
renewed zeal or by some article and
decide to train harder than they
ever did before. Their intentions are
certainly good. The trouble is, they
don’t fit their lifestyle. Work, family
obligations and recreational pursuits cut into training time. While
that four-day-a-week program
you laid out looks good on paper,
it doesn’t coincide with your real
mode of living.
So you skip one day, then two.
The expected gains don’t come,
which leads to discouragement,
and you decide you’re too busy to
train the way you want right now
and stop altogether. Of course, you
tell yourself that you’re going to get
back to the gym as soon as things
slow down a bit. Sometimes that
never happens.
The smarter approach would be
to set up a program that you can
manage, a flexible routine that you
can alter throughout the year. That’s
why I like a three-day-a-week routine for most people. Should you
be forced to miss a session, you can
make it up the next day or later on
It’s never a question
of whether I’m
going to train, only
where and when.
during the week. It’s really what you
accomplish in a given week that
counts.
For the same reason, I advocate working all the major muscle
groups at every session, as opposed
to using a split routine. A split routine requires training four days a
week and if you miss a day and try
to double up on your next workout,
you’re not going to accomplish a
great deal.
That’s not the case, however,
when you work all the major groups
at one session, using the heavy,
light and medium concept. Should
you be unable to train on Monday,
your heavy day, do it on Tuesday
and come back on Wednesday with
a light day. Doing two workouts
back to back isn’t difficult if one is
a light day. You have seven days to
get in three workouts, and if you’re
serious about getting stronger,
you’ll be able to do this without any
problem.
Early on, I learned that being
consistent was essential to making
progress. Whenever I got lazy and
missed a workout and didn’t quickly
make it up, it took me a month to
regain my former strength level. I
realize that some people are able to
hold their strength for long periods
even when they stop training. I’m
not one of them. so I built my training philosophy around consistency.
It wasn’t always easy. While I was in
graduate school and working full
time at the Park Ridge YMCA north
of Chicago, there were nights when
I didn’t get off until 11 p.m. That’s
Model: David Fisher
when I trained.
Being consistent takes planning ahead. I try to travel on nontraining days, but if I have to drive
or fly somewhere on a training
day, I alter my schedule or get up
early and work out. When going
to a new place, I call and find out
if there are any gyms in the area.
Before my friend Mark Rippetoe
went to Iceland, he called Mike
Lambert, publisher of Powerlifting USA, and got the names and
addresses of several lifters in
Reykjavik. He contacted them,
had a place to train and made
some new acquaintances who
enhanced his visit to the island.
The real problem with missing workouts and not making
them up isn’t so much that you
lose size or strength as that it’s an
easy habit to slip into and a difficult one to break. That first day
missed may have been for a valid
reason, but then others follow
because you’re nursing a giant
hangover, your relatives are visiting, or the lawn had to be mowed.
I believe that anyone who is
intent on getting stronger will
find a way to get in his training.
I allow myself no excuses. Sick,
injured, just plain tired don’t cut
it. It’s never a question of whether
I’m going to train, only where and
when. Once you’ve adopted the
idea of being consistent with your
training and practice it for a full
year, the discipline will stay with
you for a lifetime. The tenets for
success in strength training are
designing a functional routine
that fits your individual needs
and time limitations, learning
the form on all the lifts in your
program so that you perform
every one perfectly, challenging
yourself at every session in the
weight room and never missing
a workout. Adhere to those principles, and I guarantee that you’ll
become much stronger.
Editor’s note: Bill Starr was a
strength and conditioning coach
at Johns Hopkins University from
1989 to 2000. He’s the author of
The Strongest Shall Survive and
Defying Gravity. IM
Mind
How to stop making
the same mistakes
Y
ou know the saying: Those who are ignorant of history
are doomed to repeat it. The funny thing is that even
though we all know our personal histories in exquisite
detail, we’re remarkably prone to making the same mistakes
over and over again. Let’s take a look at the process, see how
it robs you of the training results you want and, most important
of all, lay out a program that will break the cycle and put you
back on the road to big gains.
One of the easiest ways to understand how the behavior
sabotages our best efforts is to notice how it works in personal
relationships. Have you ever known someone you liked at
some levels but who always ended up ticking you off? It might
have been in a personal or a professional relationship, but the
pattern is the same. What often happens is that even after
repeated blowups, usually over the same type of thing, instead
of realizing that the relationship just isn’t working and that you
should withdraw from it, you keep going back to it. “Maybe
it will be different this time,” you say. After 23 eruptions you’d
think you’d be a little smarter about what was coming down
the road, but you’re not, so you repeat for defeat again.
The same thing happens in training. Take an exercise that
has a lot going for it, the bench press. Who doesn’t love to
bench? You can move big weights, it hits some of the most
impressive muscles in the upper body, and you do it lying
down. What could be better? The problem is that maybe
Face it: Some
exercises
just may not
agree with
your physical
structure.
you’ve found
in the past
that benching
also has a
big personal
cost—you always end up
with shoulder
problems. If
you’d learned
from experience, you’d know by now that benching and your shoulders
just don’t get along. Still, you keep coming back to bench
presses—each time hoping that things will be different. You
start your cycle with light weights, and everything seems
fine. You’re enjoying all the benefits of the movement, so,
naturally, you boost your efforts: greater intensity, higher
volume. One morning you wake up and there’s a twinge of
pain in your shoulder, and even though you know, or should
know, just what’s going on, you play a familiar game. “It’ll go
away,” you say to yourself, so you keep benching. The pain
keeps getting worse, but you tell yourself, “I’ll work through
it.” Being a determined sort of person, you keep pushing up
your training weights even though your shoulder is getting
pretty bad by now, and you’re sporting some impressive new
muscle for your efforts. When you can no longer rotate your
arm enough to put on a shirt without feeling excruciating
pain or when you notice subcutaneous streaks of blood in
your shoulder, the light finally goes on and you quit benching—until the next time.
There are solid, if not good, reasons that we keep banging our heads against those walls. For starters, whether it’s
a person or an exercise, the problem situation always has
some good in it. That’s what entices us in the first place and
keeps us coming back for more. Second, even though we’re
talking about situations that always end with an explosion,
the result isn’t instantaneous, and we can’t always predict
exactly when it will occur. That adds to the seductiveness of
the situation because it builds our hopes that this time things
will be different, which they never are. Since our efforts are
getting reinforced along the way, it becomes extremely hard
to break the pattern. Don’t underestimate the power of this
type of learning: Classical psychological research has demonstrated time and again how brutally difficult it is to break
response patterns that are reinforced in unpredictable ways.
Neveux \ Model: Berry Kabov
Repeat for Defeat
Neveux \ Model: Eric Domer
IRONMIND
MIND/BODY
Body
“Okay,” you say, “so what do I do to get out of this
jam?”
First, you have to recognize and accept the problem.
That means nothing more than understanding, for example that you just can’t get along with so-and-so or that
benches trash your shoulders. Second, you need to come
to grips with what attracts you to the problem situation in
the first place and what the danger signs are. In the bench
press example the appeal is in the big weights, the muscle
you build and the fact that you can do the movement while
flat on your back. The downside is the shoulder pain you
invariably develop. The third step is to figure out a way to
hang on to the pluses while avoiding the minuses.
You might find that you can do dumbbell bench presses
and hold on to all the good things associated with benching while avoiding the bad. That’s a pretty perfect situation
because the substitution requires hardly any adjustment
on your part—it would be like ending a difficult personal
relationship and immediately having someone fall into your
lap who had all the qualities you liked in your ex and none
of the drawbacks. It’s nice if that happens, but don’t count
on it.
More than likely, trade-offs will be involved, so it may
take a little more initiative and resolve to deal with the situation. You may find that if you switch to parallel-bar dips,
you can hold on to the first two benefits (big weights and
nice muscle) but have to give up the third (being able to
lie down while doing the movement). While that wouldn’t
seem to be such a remarkable adjustment to make, especially considering all of the benefits it will provide, even
that level of adjustment seems to overwhelm some people,
and they fall back on their old ways. “Maybe next time
my shoulder will hold up under the benches.” Of course it
never does.
The next time you’re frustrated by a problem situation,
in your training or your life in general, ask yourself whether
it’s something that has happened before. If the answer is
yes, maybe it’s time to do something else: To beat defeat,
you have to know when not to repeat.
—Randall Strossen, Ph.D.
Editor’s note: Randall Strossen, Ph.D., edits the
quarterly magazine MILO. He’s also the author of IronMind:
Stronger Minds, Stronger Bodies; Super Squats: How to
Gain 30 Pounds of Muscle in 6 Weeks and Paul Anderson:
The Mightiest Minister. For more information call IronMind
Enterprises Inc. at (530) 265-6725 or Home Gym Warehouse at (800) 447-0008, ext. 1. Visit the IronMind Web
site at www.IronMind.com.
Performance Enhancers
Jammin’ With Jasmine
ew research suggests that
the scent of jasmine can
improve hand-eye coordination. In a new study scientists
had bowlers wear a jasminescented mask. They scored 27
percent higher with the mask
than without it. The researchers
also suggested that the scent
improves feelings of well-being
and self-confidence. Could it do
good things for your workouts?
Wear a jasmine-scented mask on
your next bench press day and
find out.
—Becky Holman
N
Intimacy
Sex: Health Rx
R
ecent studies have shown
that a healthy sex life can
improve longevity, and the
reasons why are becoming more
clear:
1) Orgasm releases the hormone DHEA, which in men over 40 can reduce the risk of
heart disease.
2) Sexual arousal and orgasm increase the hormone
oxytocin, which may help prevent breast cancer. A French
study showed that women aged 25 to 45 who had never
had children and who had sex less than once a month had
a higher risk of breast cancer than the women who had
sex more frequently.
More frequent sex can also lead to less depression,
which may also be related to hormonal release, not to
mention the intimacy.
—Becky Holman
Bomber Blast
MIND/BODY
More Bomber Q&As
Pros and cons of competitive bodybuilding
Q: I’m doing a presentation on the positive and
negative effects of being a pro bodybuilder. Can
you give me any input?
A: Not a whole lot of positives other than the precious
character traits a person gains from pursuing any tough goal
intensely: discipline, persistence, perseverance, order, personal fulfillment, courage, life understanding. There is also
the engagement of a true challenge and the swell physique
achieved—and the special satisfaction of both. The trainee
grows in many ways in the process of competition, the backstage experience, the good and bad personal contact and the
entertainment skills one develops to display his wares before
an admiring audience.
Training to compete professionally or on the national level
is tough and requires a great deal of time and resources. It
is, thus, costly. And, unless one becomes a top national contender, there is little financial remuneration, which would come
from prize money, product endorsements, seminars, writing for
fitness magazines or a muscle-magazine contract.
A few champs go on to write books (the Bomber) or display
entrepreneurial skills enabling them to capitalize on their name
and fame (Zane, Labrada) or engage in high-end personal
training (Ferrigno, Platz). Gym ownership is a direction many
famed bodybuilders have chosen (Grymkowski, Haney). Tough
work! And you know how rare it is to make it in Hollywood...or
politics (Arnold).
Training for serious competition is not necessarily healthy.
An aspect of training to become a champion in today’s world
that must be considered is the use of muscle- and training-
enhancing drugs. They’re illegal, dangerous, destructive and
expensive.
The best one can gain from weight training for competition
is humility and a love for the activity of muscle building and life
around oneself. Oh, yeah...and the cool body.
Q: Why do numbness and the weakening of extremities seem to be associated with weightlifting,
and what does one do about it?
A: When training with weights to become bigger, stronger
and faster, we are basically overloading the muscles, joints,
tendons and ligaments. The overload is healthy when applied
systematically and sensibly and proper nutrition and recovery
time are provided. Impatience and bravado possess us, and
we press on with witless might. It’s the nature of the beast,
and injuries of all sorts surround us. Don’t ask me what to do
to avoid the consequences; I’m too busy wrapping my elbows
and blasting.
Training often causes inflammation in already troubled
regions, thus leading to pain, weakness, numbness, lack of
circulation, etc. I think you’re dealing with nerve impingement
somewhere between your brain and the affected area—elbow,
wrist, midback, cervical region. A good doctor might be able
to identify the problem, its origin and a plan for correction or
symptom alleviation.
See a well-recommended chiropractor, and continue to
train judiciously. My personal advice is to be aggressive, not
passive, in seeking injury repair. Caveat: that’s me. I have
twangs and twinges and numbness just about any place you
point, but they’re okay. I suspect I’d have some dings and
Keith Berson
Training for serious
competition is
not necessarily
healthful.
For immediate release...
pings and pangs in other places if I didn’t exercise hard—the great muscle and
might trade-off.
A diligent student of chiropractic, especially one associated with sports,
knows the body better than most general practitioners and can manipulate the
back for realignment and relief of pain, apply deep muscle massage to needed
areas or determine what your best next step
would be in fixing things—orthopedist, neurologist, astrologer, veterinarian, vegetarian, acupuncturist, regular M.D., mortician, taxidermist. They
won’t prescribe pain killers or muscle relaxants or
anti-inflammation meds.
Remember, any advice I give is “what I’d do if I
were you.”
—Dave Draper
Editor’s note: For more from Dave Draper,
visit www.DaveDraper.com and sign up for his
free newsletter. You can also check out his amazing Top Squat training tool, classic photos, workout Q&A and forum.
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1
12/1/06 3:42:31 PM
Gallery of Ironmen
MIND/BODY
MIND/BODY
Photos courtesy of the David Chapman collection
Don Athaldo
A
ustralians have a reputation for being tough and
self-reliant, and with the
help of Don Athaldo’s mail-order
exercise courses, many Australians became strong, healthy and
muscular too. Athaldo was born
with the name Walter Joseph
Lyons on November 26, 1894, in
the Australian state of New South
Wales. He claimed that he was
a feeble invalid from birth (but that
was a common claim of musclemen).
After working as a blacksmith for five
years, Lyons apparently had built
his muscles to the point where he
could become a circus strongman,
but in 1914, when war was declared
in Europe, he joined up as a horse
blacksmith.
In the 1920s Lyons decided to
rename himself Don Athaldo and
begin training others. Athaldo discovered that he had a real flair for publicity and self-promotion; he claimed
to have competed in weightlifting
contests all over the world and to
have won almost 400 medals for his
efforts. Those honors were almost
certainly invented by Athaldo himself.
He couldn’t easily fake the spectacular and well-publicized feats that
grabbed the attention of prospective
customers, however. Probably his
most famous stunt was to pull a large
touring car with six passengers up a
steep hill in Sydney.
Many of his ideas seem to be
lifted from his American counterpart,
Charles Atlas. Like Atlas, Athaldo
rejected weight training because he
believed it would cause his students
to suffer from “abnormal development.” Instead he preferred a version
of “dynamic tension,” which he called
“Athalding.” Naturally, that sort of
exercise would do little to create a
muscular physique like the one Athaldo possessed, but no one seemed
to care very much. The muscleman
also made extravagant claims that
Athalding could cure everything from
cancer, stammering and impotence
to bad breath.
Although he stood only 5’4”, his
striking appearance and intense
personality ensured that he seldom
lacked for
female
companionship. It did
not hurt his
bigger-thanlife image
when he
motored
around the
Australian
outback in
a large red
American
convertible.
His colorful
life came
to an end
on May
24, 1965,
when the
Australian
Hercules
succumbed
to a coronary occlusion.
—David
Chapman
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www.Home-Gym.com Best Sellers
Books:
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2) Ronnie
Coleman’s
Hardcore
3) Train,
Eat,
Grow—The
Positionsof-Flexion Muscle-Training Manual by
Steve Holman
4) “IRON MAN’s Swimsuit Spectacular #9”
5) “Ronnie Coleman’s The Cost of
Redemption”
Top E-book:
3D Muscle Building—Featuring Positions of Flexion, Mass F/X Training
and the 20-Pounds-of-Muscle-in-10Weeks Program by Steve Holman
and Jonathan Lawson (available at
www.3DMuscleBuilding.com).
4) 10-Week Size Surge by IRON
MAN Publishing
5) The 7-Minute Rotator Cuff Solution by Joseph Horrigan, D.C., and
Jerry Robinson
DVDs/Videos:
1) “Jay Cutler—One Step Closer”
2) “Ronnie Coleman’s On the Road”
3) “2005 Mr. Olympia”
Jerry Brainum’s
Bodybuilding Pharmacology
Get Off the Pot?
Part 2
Last month I discussed marijuana’s effects, including
estrogenic activity. What about testosterone, though, one
of your key anabolic hormones? Animal studies clearly
point to marijuana’s inhibitory effect on the body’s production of testosterone and luteinizing hormone, the
pituitary hormone that governs testosterone synthesis in
men.1 In a study with rhesus monkeys, THC, the active
ingredient in marijuana, reduced testosterone levels by
65 percent, an effect that lasted one hour. The situation
in humans is far less clear, with some studies showing
chronically lower levels of testosterone in regular smokers and others revealing no effect. Some scientists suggest
that with continued smoking, the cannabinoid receptors
in the brain degrade. Since those receptors are responsible
for the inhibition of the gonadotropic hormones that control testosterone synthesis, some tolerance, which would
lessen the effect on testosterone, is likely to develop.
Most studies haven’t shown any significant effect on
testosterone levels in normal men; however, a 1983 study
did find depressed testosterone after subjects smoked just
one joint, the effect lasting 24 hours.2 A 1984 study found
that pot not only inhibited testosterone but also lowered
prolactin, thyroid hormone and growth hormone by alter-
Marijuana appears to
increase somatostatin,
which reduces growth
hormone output. That
can make muscle
gains and fat burning
more difficult.
ing the brain chemistry that governs hormone release.3
A 1989 study gave 17 male volunteers both high and low
doses of THC and then tested their hormonal responses.4
No hormonal or immune parameters were affected by
either dose. Notably, both testosterone and cortisol were
examined, indicating that at least pot doesn’t produce
catabolic effects in muscle through increased cortisol
release. Other studies, however, show that marijuana
increases cortisol levels in humans, though paradoxically,
it blocks cortisol during stress reactions.
One study that examined Jamaican pot smokers did
find a significant decrease in active thyroid hormone, or
T3, in the blood, although the men showed no apparent thyroid dysfunction.5 Significantly, they also showed
normal testosterone levels despite smoking an average of
seven to eight joints a day.
The active ingredients in pot inhibit growth hormone
release because of a promotion of somatostatin, the body’s
natural GH-braking substance.
Other Health Effects of Marijuana
In 1985 the Food and Drug Administration approved a
synthetic version of THC called dronabinol (trade name
Marinol) as a Schedule II drug for treating the nausea
and vomiting associated with chemotherapy. In 1992 the
FDA also approved Marinol for use in treating the wasting
syndrome associated with AIDS. Dronabinol is so potent
at stimulating appetite that some bodybuilders use it as a
weight-gain drug. Marijuana does affect many body systems:
Immune system. Several test-tube studies of both
animal and human tissue samples suggest that marijuana
may inhibit cell-mediated immune functions. That has to
do with the response of specialized immune cells, called
T cells, that protect against viruses and cancers. Other
studies, however, suggest that any immune dysfunction
induced by marijuana is transitory, and it isn’t strong
enough to overcome other immune systems. Still, the
point is still debatable, as evidenced by a 1990 study published in the National Cancer Institute’s Cancer Weekly. It
found that THC suppresses the normal growth of white
blood cells and thus may impair immunity in some people.
Chromosome damage. Some studies show that THC
may cause chromosome damage. Other studies dispute
that, with the result that most scientists studying the issue
feel that any chromosome damage caused by marijuana
use is insignificant. Pregnant women are, however, advised to avoid using any form of the drug to prevent possibility of birth defects.
Mental reactions. Taken in excess, marijuana can
induce such symptoms as panic reactions, paranoia and
mania. When studies are produced to prove the concept of
“reefer madness,” though, it turns out that in most cases
people experiencing mental problems after using marijuana had them before they smoked.
A controversial topic is pot’s effects on memory and
learning, also related to the increased potency of marijuana. For example, in a study that looked at short-term and
long-term memory functions in pot-using and abstaining
teenagers, the pot users showed defects in short-term
memory, which could have a negative effect on learning.
A 1996 study looked at the mental effects of marijuana
in college students.6 The subjects were 65 heavy and 64
light marijuana users who’d smoked the drug for at least
two years. The heavy users had trouble paying attention and performing mental tasks, even after a day of not
smoking.
More problematic are “additives” in pot. Sources of
contamination include insects, fungi and, in Mexican pot,
a herbicide called paraquat that can cause lung damage. A
1989 report in the journal Bioscience found that pot grown
in Hawaii (called pakalolo) was high in the toxic metal
mercury. Ingestion of mercury can lead to forgetfulness,
anxiety and paranoia. Another form of pot, known as AMP
or “dip dope,” is soaked in formaldehyde, better known as
embalming fluid. That pot can cause adverse cardiovascular symptoms.7
Oral absorption of mercury from food sources, such as
fish, is only 7 to 10 percent as efficient as that absorbed
from the lungs, and the body only retains 7 percent of
mercury that gets into the stomach. Contrast that with
the 85 percent absorption of mercury vapors from smoking. It takes about three months for mercury to clear body
tissues once absorbed, although vitamin C and selenium
block mercury absorption and detoxify it.
A so-called “amotivational syndrome” is closely associated with regular pot users, who get so lazy that they don’t
want to do anything—except smoke. Mental depression
causes some people to turn to pot for relief. Studies conducted among workers in Costa Rica and Jamaica failed to
find any apathy or laziness even among heavy cannabis
users.8
Lung health. Smoking pot yields more tar than cigarettes, and a 1988 UCLA study found that smoking pot
releases five times as much carbon monoxide into the
blood (which ties up oxygen) and three times more tar
than cigarettes. Another study showed that three to four
joints a day can produce as much lung damage as 20
tobacco cigarettes.
According to Kasi Sridhar, M.D., a professor of medicine
at the University of Miami, smoking marijuana is 100 to
200 times more likely to cause lung cancer than cigarettes.
Sridhar believes the increasing incidence of lung cancer in
younger people may be due to increased pot usage.
Other studies show that pot promotes bronchitis and
impairs pulmonary defenses against infection. The tar
produced from marijuana smoke contains 50 percent
more carcinogens than unfiltered Kentucky tobacco. The
fact that pot smokers inhale the smoke 40 percent deeper
than cigarette smokers (except, of course, for former Presi-
Studies show that pot
promotes bronchitis
and impairs pulmonary
defenses against
infection.
dent Clinton) adds to the
problem. One study found
that smoking just one joint
diminished vital capacity
in a manner comparable to
that produced by smoking
16 tobacco cigarettes.
Body composition. A
study at the Johns Hopkins
School of Medicine looked
at the appetite effects of
marijuana in six men for
13 days. On some days the
men smoked two joints in
Pot users showed defects
the morning and another
in short-term memory that
two in the afternoon. On
would have a negative
other days they smoked
placebo joints, which
effect on learning.
didn’t contain THC. The
men ate three meals a day
but had unlimited access to candy bars, potato chips, soda
and other junk foods.
On the days the men smoked the genuine pot, they
ate no additional food at meals but ate enough snacks to
consume 40 percent more calories than on placebo days.
That led to a six-pound weight gain after 13 days, which
was quickly lost when they stopped getting high. The men
were also less active on “pot days” and so also burned
fewer calories.
The knowledge about the effects of marijuana on appetite led to the development of the latest weight-loss
drug. Known as rimonabant, trade name Acomplia, the
drug blocks cannabinoid B-1 receptors in the brain. That
leads to a significant loss of appetite and—as everyone
hopes—weight.
When you add it all up, even overlooking the fact that
marijuana is an illegal drug, this weed has little or nothing
to offer bodybuilders.
References
1 Abel,
E. (1981). Marijuana and sex: A critical survey.
Drug and Alcohol Dependence. 8:1-22.
2 Barnett, G., et al. (1983). Effects of marijuana smoking
in male subjects. J Theor Biology. 104:685-92.
3 Harclerode, J. (1984). Endocrine effects of marijuana
on the male: Preclinical studies. NIDA Res Monograph.
44:46-48.
4 Dax, E.M., et al. (1989). The effects of 9-ene-tetrahydrocannabinol on hormone release and immune function.
J Steroid Biochem. 34:263-270.
5 Parshad, O., et al. (1983). Thyroid-gonad relationship
in marijuana smokers: A field study in Jamaica. West Indian Medical J. 32:101.
6 Pope, H.G., et al. (1996). The residual cognitive effects of heavy marijuana use in college students. JAMA.
275:521-527.
7 Mendyk, S.L., et al. (2002). Acute psychotic reactions:
consider “dip dope” intoxication. J Emerg Nurs. 28:432-35.
8 Carter, W.E., et al. (1976). Social and cultural aspects of
cannabis use in Costa Rica. Annals of NY Acad Sci. 282:216. IM
Readers Write
Kudos From IM’s Founder
70th Anniversary Collector’s Issue: Legendary Pics!
ludicrous! Work out once a week with five sets total? Sure,
if you want to look like you never set foot in a weight room.
Where did you guys find this quack?
Roland Pesano
Arlington, TX
™
MORE
MUSCLE!
•Killer Quad
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NOVEMBER 2006
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1 1>
1
www.ironmanmagazine.com
Classic
IRON MAN
Covers Inside
PLUS:
•Gorgeous Hardbody Christine Pomponio-Pate
•10 Steps to Reaching Your Bodybuilding Goals
•ISSN Conference: Muscle-Building Research
How could it possibly be 20 years since you took over
Iron Man? I’m sure there were many times at first when you
asked yourself, “What have I gotten into?” However, your
hard work and forward-looking perspective have paid off.
You should be proud of your accomplishment. Take care,
and keep up the good work!
Mabel Rader
Alliance, NE
C1_r4Nov06_OX_F.indd 1
I am thoroughly enjoying John Little’s dialog with Dr.
Doug McGuff. While I don’t agree with all of his conclusions,
such as the amount of work it takes to tap out your muscular potential, I think many of his ideas can help us think
about the process more closely and refine our individual
abilities to gain muscle. The classic photos of Mike Menzter
are also appreciated. He will always be one of the legendary
physiques and minds of our sport.
Spence Hardwicke
Baton Rouge, LA
8/30/06 3:21:25 PM
Editor’s note: We hope Peary is looking down with pride
from God’s Gym.
From Mr. Olympia
I just saw the reprint of my
September 1980 cover in the 70th
anniversary issue of IRON MAN. I
wanted to thank you for choosing
it as one of the only a half dozen
vintage covers that you gave a full
page. I’m living in Florida now. I’m
in negotiations with an author to
write my biography, and I’ve also
just launched www.Chris
Dickerson.net.
Chris Dickerson
via Internet
Quack, Quack
I’ve always known that medical doctors don’t know squat
about nutrition and eating correctly. Now you’ve given me
proof that they don’t know anything about bodybuilding
training as well. The “Powerful Muscle Medicine” feature
[December ’06], an interview with Doug McGuff, M.D., is
Editor’s note: We’re not in complete agreement with
everything Dr. McGuff says either, but we seldom agree
with everything anyone says. His insights, however, are
thought provoking, and his unique perspective may evoke
more experimentation in the gym, which is something most
bodybuilders need to do more of.
Monumental Achievement
I am a strength coach, and my favorite author is Bill Starr;
however, I must say that Steve Holman’s 3D Positions-ofFlexion program and X Reps are monumental achievements
for thinking bodybuilders. The position-specific categorization of POF is brilliantly thought out, and the well-researched stretch-position overload of X Reps is pure genius.
The way Holman has adapted POF over the years shows
a willingness to learn, something very few authors have.
Surely this is the ultimate bodybuilding program.
Troy Randall
via Internet
Editor’s note: For the latest information on 3D POF and
X Reps, visit www.3DMuscleBuilding.com. Also see the 3D
calf-building excerpt from Holman’s 3D Muscle Building
e-book that begins on page 136.
Vol. 66, 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 © 2007. All rights reserved. No part of this magazine may be
reproduced in any manner without written permission from the publisher. Printed in the USA.

Iron Man Magazine 2007 02

Transcription

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