2009-05 by Iron Man

MAY 2009 / IRON MAN MAGAZINE—WE KNOW TRAINING™

GET-BIG WORKOUTS • AWESOME-ARMS INFO

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G I B T E G WORKOUTS THAT WORK! • Volume/Intensity Fusion • Power/Rep Range/Shock • Total Triceps Torcher

The One True Way to Gain MASS Huge Arms Without Curling

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www.ironmanmagazine.com \ APRIL 2006 261

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150 DECEMBER 2009 \ www.ironmanmagazine.com

IRON MAN MAGAZINE WE KNOW TRAINING IRON MAN MAGAZINE WE KNOW TRAINING IRON MAN MAGAZINE WE KNOW TRAINING IRON MAN MAGAZINE WE KNOW TRAI

WE KNOW TRAINING™

May 2009

CONTENTS CONTENTS CONTENTS CONTENTS CONTENTS CONTENTS CONTENTS CONTENTS CONTENTS CONTENTS CONTENTS CONTENTS CONTENTS CONTENTS C

FEATURES

78 TRAIN, EAT, GROW 115 The TEG men take Shock week to a new level.

112 A BODYBUILDER IS BORN 46 Ron Harris offers some wisdom on the one true way to gain mass.

122 PROOF BEFORE PROMISES Jerry Brainum interviews top nutrition scientist Anthony Almada on everything from fat burners to protein requirements.

130 MOE MUSCLES Lonnie Teper talks with cover man and hot IFBB pro Moe El Moussawi.

130 MOE EL MOUSSAWI

142 ACTIVE RECOVERY The Wilsons discuss what to do between sets to turn up the anabolic jets.

154 HEAVY DUTY John Little outlines Mike Mentzer’s big-arm routine. Plus, how to begin a Heavy Duty program.

158 VOLUME/INTENSITY FUSION A complete best-of-both-worlds program to get you growing from all angles.

182 P/RR/S TRANSFORMATION

202 HARDBODY JENNIFER GATES

Kyle Harris’ muscle-expanding experience with Power/Rep Range/Shock.

196 SUPER 7 SIZE SURGE SUPPLEMENTS From the Bodybuilding.com archives: key compounds that can up your mass.

202 HARDBODY ’08 Figure Olympia champ Jennifer Gates displays her winning form.

218 IFBB IRON MAN PRO Big pictures of the massive men who stormed the stage in L.A.

256 PROFILE: SHAUN CRUMP The national-level flexer gets personal.

282 ONLY THE STRONG SHALL SURVIVE Coach Bill Starr explains how to build big arms without curling.

Moe El Moussawi and Jennifer Gates appear on this month’s cover. Hair and makeup Terri Groves. Photo by Michael Neveux.

GET-BIG WORKOUTS • AWESOME-ARMS INFO

™

ET-BIG G WORKOUTS THAT WORK! • Volume/Intensity Fusion • Power/Rep Range/Shock • Total Triceps Torcher

The One True Way to Gain MASS Huge Arms Without Curling

Moe El Moussawi and Jennifer Gates (More of Them Inside)

182

218

Top Size-Surge Supplements MAY 2009 $5.99

Vol. 68, No. 5

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CONTENTS CONTENTS CONTENTS CONTENTS CONTENTS CONTENTS CONTENTS CONTENTS CONTENTS CONTENTS CONTENTS CONTENTS CONTENTS CONTENTS CO

DEPARTMENTS

PROOF BEFORE PROMISES

36 TRAIN TO GAIN Getting bigger and stronger on a diet, Joe Horrigan on spider curls and more.

50 SMART TRAINING Coach Charles Poliquin discusses his German Body Comp Program.

60 EAT TO GROW New info and research on creatine, BCAAs, energy drinks and ornithine.

92 NATURALLY HUGE John Hansen outlines two complete muscle-size workouts.

100 SHREDDED MUSCLE Dave Goodin talks contest cuts—how to get ripped on the road to victory.

104 CRITICAL MASS Steve Holman on arm-training frequency.

240 NEWS & VIEWS Lonnie Teper’s IRON MAN Pro wrap-up and Rising Stars.

260 PUMP & CIRCUMSTANCE Ruth Silverman reports on the women’s side of the sport. Expo pics are here too.

268 MUSCLE “IN” SITES Eric Broser checks out Amy Lee Martin’s site and David Henry’s new DVD, plus he rattles off the biggest mistakes in bodybuilding.

TRAIN TO GAIN

274 BODYBUILDING PHARMACOLOGY Jerry Brainum does the research on natural testosterone boosters.

292 MIND/BODY CONNECTION Bomber Blast, ride to romance and BodySpace Physique of the Month Wendy Lucas.

304 READERS WRITE Man against machine, bodies from yesteryear and exceptional e-zine.

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COVERAGE Get the latest, greatest results, photos, video and blogs from the biggest events.

CLIPS LIBRARY >PDF >BEHIND>HOT THE-SCENES Feel your heart Read and/or VIDEOS See and hear interviews with the stars of the muscle world.

race when you view these studio sessions with fit, gorgeous gals.

download some of our most popular features. Build your muscle-building collection.

We’ve got loads of big pics from the big show in Columbus—Classic coverage from the Arnold Sports Festival. Then it’s time to polish your guns with Mark Perry’s triceps torcher. You can slap on inches of new arm mass. We’ve also got Part 2 of Jerry Brainum’s interview with nutrition scientist Anthony Almada, who talks about creatine, proper fat intake and low-carb diets, plus Q&As with national-level Hawaiian bodybuilder Shivas Higa and the BodySpace Model Search winners. Find the June issue on newsstands the ﬁrst week of May.

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PUBLISHER’S LETTER PUBLISHER’S LETTER PUBLISHER’S LETTER PUBLISHER’S LETTER PUBLISHER’S LETTER PUBLISHER’S LETTER PUBLISHER’S LETTER PUBLISHER’S LETTER PUBLISHER’S LETTER PUBLISHER’S LETTER PUBLISHER’S

Publisher’s Letter by John Balik

In Pursuit of Muscle Bigger, stronger, leaner, and we always want it all faster. Everyone who writes for IRON MAN is locked into the same series of challenges. How do we make our workouts more effective? How do I make my diet work better for my changing metabolism? What supplements work best for me? How do I stay motivated? What about that nagging injury that always seems to flare up when I’m really on a role with my workout? What does that do to my head? What makes those challenges so intriguing are the variables. Let’s look at the biggest ones. Some, like genetics, are relatively fixed, but so is the passing of time. Time brings experience and shuffles the variables deck. The reality is that the mix of challenges is changing just as you change—and there’s no absolute solution, only a set of tools. That’s what the bodybuilding lifestyle is all about: a set of tools. For us here at IRON MAN, it’s all about using those tools in the pursuit. Goals evolve with time, and so do the workouts. Anyone who’s trained for years knows the feeling—the “best” workout suddenly doesn’t do it, doesn’t feel good. Waning enthusiasm signals a need for a change. Arnold has lived a life of supreme accomplishment because he’s taken the “stay hungry” philosophy of the gym and applied it to everything he does. To Arnold the bodybuilding lifestyle is an idea and philosophy that have evolved from the gym to business and then to government, as he himself has evolved. As he said to me in a recent conversation, “The rules and tools don’t change. They are the center of my actions.” They are Arnold’s foundation and compass—he depends on the skills created and perfected in the gym. Arnold’s workouts have evolved to fit his present needs, but as he’s said, it’s still about joy—he enjoys his workout. That’s something we should all keep in mind; the work should produce more than muscle and physical strength. Arnold always talks about the workout also being mental and emotional training. Toughness, resilience, focus and joy— those are the other side of the physical coin and are no less important than the purely physical. In Arnold’s mind they’re more important. As we go to press, the Governors’ Conference in Washington has just concluded. With 50 governors attending, Arnold was part of a small handful who made a real impression, as reported in the Los Angeles Times and New York Times. He did it the way he always does it—by focusing on the problem and doing it with joy. That last point, Arnold’s perpetual joyfulness, comes from his enjoyment at getting stuff done. As he’s said to me about government in general, “They get lost.” Ideology is fine, but the “bottom line” (another favorite term) is that we are here to serve the greater good, and that takes a global but focused view based on reality. IRON MAN strives to collect and deliver information that you can use to further your pursuit of becoming bigger, stronger, leaner, faster. This issue contains an abundance of tools that will help you live your own “bodybuilding lifestyle.” Enjoy! IM

Founders 1936-1986: Peary & Mabel Rader Publisher/Editorial Director: John Balik Associate Publisher: Warren Wanderer Design Director: Michael Neveux Editor in Chief: Stephen Holman Art Director: T.S. Bratcher Senior Editor: Ruth Silverman Editor at Large: Lonnie Teper Articles Editors: L.A. Perry, Caryne Brown Assistant Art Director: Brett R. Miller Staff Designer: Fernando Carmona IRON MAN Staff: Mary Gasca, Vuthy Keo, Mervin Petralba Contributing Authors: Jerry Brainum, Eric Broser, David Chapman, Teagan Clive, Lorenzo Cornacchia, Daniel Curtis, Dave Draper, Michael Gündill, Rosemary Hallum, Ph.D., John Hansen, Ron Harris, Ori Hofmekler, Rod Labbe, Skip La Cour, Jack LaLanne, Butch Lebowitz, John Little, Stuart McRobert, Gene Mozée, Charles Poliquin, Larry Scott, Jim Shiebler, Roger Schwab, C.S. Sloan, Bill Starr, Bradley Steiner, Eric Sternlicht, Ph.D., Randall Strossen, Ph.D., Richard Winett, Ph.D., and David Young Contributing Artists: Steve Cepello, Larry Eklund, Ron Dunn, Jake Jones Contributing Photographers: Jim Amentler, Ron Avidan, Roland Balik, Reg Bradford, Jimmy Caruso, Bill Dobbins, Jerry Fredrick, Irvin Gelb, Isaac Hinds, Dave Liberman, J.M. Manion, Merv, Gene Mozée, Mitsuru Okabe, Rob Sims, Ian Sitren, Leo Stern

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: soniazm@aol.com 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: ironleader@aol.com Steve Holman, Editor in Chief: ironchief@aol.com Ruth Silverman, Senior Editor: ironwman@aol.com T.S. Bratcher, Art Director: ironartz@aol.com Helen Yu, Director of Marketing: helen@ironmanmagazine.com Jonathan Lawson, Ad Coordinator: ironjdl@aol.com Sonia Melendez, Subscriptions: soniazm@aol.com

28 MAY 2009 \ www.ironmanmagazine.com

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SEXY ROCK-HARD ABS FAST The Secret to Etching your Granite-Carved Abs in 10 Short Minutes Picture this... you with tight, shredded abs, serratus and intercostals all sharp, sliced and visible from across the room or on the sun-glared beach! And from the rear, lower lumbars that look like two thick steel girders supporting your muscle-studded back. Imagine looking like a Greek god... in street clothes... in the gym... or anywhere. The incredible breakthrough design of the pad on the Ab Bench pre-stretches the targeted muscles prior to contraction, giving you a full-range movement, making each exercise up to 200% more effective. The Ab Bench takes the physiology of your spine into consideration with its design like nothing else on the market. The contraction takes place all the way into the pelvis where the abdominals actually rotate the spine, forcing the abdominals to completely contract... from the upper abs to the lower abs. Using the Ab Bench is the “sure-ﬁre” guarantee for you to get those attention-grabbing washboard abs. From full stretch to complete contraction—in total comfort. The Ab Bench is the most complete midsection exercise in existence. You’ll feel the incredible difference from your very ﬁrst rep.

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Train to Gain It’s interesting to read about the training of top pros like Toney Freeman, but copying their programs can kill your progress.

36 MAY 2009 \ www.ironmanmagazine.com

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CHAMP TRAINING

As someone who happens to make most of his living writing about how the pros train, I feel a certain obligation to keep it real for readers, lest they waste time, court injury or overtraining or experience any other adverse results from imitating the workout regimens of the world’s most muscular specimens. Recently I read something about ’07 IRON MAN Pro champion Toney Freeman that I had reported on in the past, and I really want to make sure I get the message out: “Don’t try this at home.” A few years ago Toney decided on a radical scheme for improving his arms, namely to train them three times a week for a couple of months. The plan was a rousing success for the X-Man, as he managed to add a full inch to his guns, which now stretch the tape out to 22 inches in contest condition. My fear is that a bunch of guys have read that and are out doing the same thing. Being a man whose arms have been a source of frustration for a full quarter century, I’m aware of how tempting the prospect may seem. I sure would love another inch on my arms, believe me. I’d take it over a Ferrari at this point, though probably not if you threw Shakira into the deal. Still, hitting arms three times a week is definitely something I’d be willing to try if it could deliver the goods. For just about everyone, of course, it won’t. You really, really need to take everything you read about the pros and the way they train with a grain of salt before you copy it. As I’ve said many times before, the pros aren’t like you and me. They’re genetic superiors who often look the way they do in spite of the way they train and eat, not because of it. That’s why guys like Ronnie and Jay can use loose, sloppy form and not only remain free of horrible injuries but grow to immense proportions as well. Current Mr. Olympia Dexter Jackson was able to get completely shredded several times every year dieting only for four to six weeks and without doing a lick of cardio. Besides genetic advantages, the pros usu-

ally have certain chemical advantages. Steroids and other drugs help a human being recover and grow from training volumes and frequencies that would put the average guy in the hospital from exhaustion. It’s fine to be inspired by the incredible physiques of the pros. Just don’t make the mistake of thinking that the way they train is going to be equally effective for you. —Ron Harris Editor’s note: Ron Harris is the author of Real Bodybuilding, available at RonHarrisMuscle.com.

Dexter Jackson—cuts with no cardio.

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Pro Workouts and a Grain of Salt

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Train to Gain / PREVENTION BIG ARMS 21s for 23s?

Don’t make the cure a killer

Like many of you, I suffer from occasional pain in the rotator cuffs, a small group of muscles that can cause agony in the shoulders and can seriously compromise your ability to train. After injuring my left shoulder to the point where it required a cortisone injection, I set about to beef up my rotators as a preventive measure against future trouble. As is all too often the case in bodybuilding, though, being overzealous proved my downfall. I often advise people inquiring about rotator cuff exercises to keep the resistance light and the repetitions high. They are small and relatively fragile muscles; therefore, they can’t be treated like larger muscle groups. If only I’d taken my own advice! My external rotations on the cable apparatus were executed as described at first, with the pin only a few holes down the weight stack and for sets of 15 to 20 reps. What followed can be chalked up to two terrible qualities: greed and impatience. Two irrational thoughts came into my mind at once: This isn’t very heavy, and I want to get moving with my “real” workout here. So I removed the pin and sank it into a hole a few plates down the stack, a weight that limited my reps to around seven or eight. Everything felt fine, and I didn’t give it a second thought as I wrapped up my rotator cuff work and proceeded to train shoulders. The next morning I woke up with a sharp pain in my right shoulder, pain that made the simple acts of eating breakfast and brushing my teeth sheer agony. I’d royally screwed up, and now I was paying the price. As I write, about 10 days later, the pain is just barely starting to subside, but it’s clear I’ll be paying for my foolish mistake for quite some time. Please learn from my stupidity so I didn’t suffer that pain for nothing. By all means, perform exercises to strengthen your rotator cuffs, but stick with light resistance, a weight that’s not challenging at all, and high reps, until you feel a mild burning sensation from lactic acid buildup in the area. If you attempt to do therapeutic movements with a weight that challenges you, you run the very high risk of badly hurting the very area you’re trying to bolster against injury. —Ron Harris www.RonHarrisMuscle.com

38 MAY 2009 \ www.ironmanmagazine.com

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Roland Balik

Your Cuffs

You’d have a pretty tough time finding someone with biceps bigger than those of ’08 NPC National Overall champion Ed Nunn. At his off-season weight of 280, the newly minted 6’1” pro has guns that measure just over 23 inches. How much weight would you expect to see a behemoth like that curling? If anyone would be expected to slap a couple of big 45s on each side of the bar, it would be Ed, aptly nicknamed the “Big Show.” You’d probably be surprised to learn that he usually uses just a humble quarter, or 25 pounds. That’s because his absolute favorite technique for biceps training, one that he credits with the majority of his astounding development, is 21s. “I think a big part of the reason they’re so effective is that they force you to use a lot less weight than you would normally,” he explains. “As big as I am, 25 pounds on each side of the bar is all I need for three sets of 21s.” You’re probably familiar with 21s. The order of the first two series of seven reps can shift. You can do reps from either the bottom or top half of the range of motion first and the other half second, but the final seven reps are full ones. “Another reason I think 21s work so well is that they give you such a ridiculous pump,” says Nunn. “The FST-7 training system by Hany Rambod that I use is based on the principle that pumping a muscle to dimensions beyond what it’s used to will expand the fascia and enable growth to take place. If you go too heavy and cheat with biceps training, you’ll never get that sick pump, and your biceps will never grow the way they should.” If you’ve been piling weight on for curls and struggling to eke out just a few reps, maybe your arms would be better served with less weight, more reps and a hellish pump. Give 21s a try and see if your biceps don’t start thanking you in the form of new growth. —Ron Harris www.RonHarrisMuscle.com

YOU CAN BENCH BIG Add 20 Pounds to Your Bench Press Almost Overnight! How would you like a surge in upper-body power and a bigger bench press—say, 20 extra pounds on the bar—after only a couple of workouts? Sure, adding 20 pounds to your bench in two or three training sessions may sound crazy, especially if your bench press poundage has been stuck in neutral for a while. But nine times out of 10 this stall is due to an easily correctible muscle weakness—not in the pecs, delts or triceps but in a group of muscles known as the rotator cuff. The rotator cuff muscles stabilize the shoulder joint. During the bench press and almost all other upperbody movements these muscles protect the shoulder joint and prevent ball-and-socket slippage. If these muscles are underdeveloped, they become the weak link in the action and your pressing strength suffers, or worse, you injure your shoulder. One of the best ways to strengthen this area and create an upper-body power surge is with direct rotator cuff exercise. Once you start using the ShoulderHorn for two or three sets twice a week, your pressing poundages will skyrocket. This device allows you to train your rotator cuff muscles in complete comfort and with precise strengthening action. After a few weeks you’ll be amazed at your new benching power. There have been reports of 20-to-30-pound increases in a matter of days. A big, impressive bench press can be yours. Get the ShoulderHorn, start working your rotator cuff muscles, and feel the power as you start piling on plates and driving up heavy iron.

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Q: I compete in the over-50 class of a local natural bodybuilding contest every year. It gives me a reason to get into shape for the summer. Last year I came in fifth in my class. I’m getting beat by guys who look half my size in the gym. I think that I’m losing too much muscle. By the time my bodyfat is low enough for me to see my abs, I’ve shrunk. Any advice? A: Yes. A few natural competitors can diet down and get shredded without losing much muscle, but it’s very tough. There are also guys who look almost contest ready all year, but when they get ready for a show, they lose a lot of muscle and look flat onstage. Of course, everyone’s metabolic rate is different, and when you’re over 50, skin quality can be an issue. Knowing your body is a key piece of the puzzle—but you can approach it in a variety of ways and yield great results. The last time I got into contest shape, I used a 12-week diet from my competition years. It took me from 230 pounds down to 210, and I looked pretty good—but I decided to stay in shape for the entire year and for the following year as well. I was doing a lot of photo shoots and getting a lot of acting roles in New York City. I got down as low as 205 (at 6’) that first year. I lived on grilled chicken and salmon, broccoli, beans, hummus and two protein drinks made with half water, half apple juice and two scoops of pure whey (no flavor). I also had a piece of fruit here and there, but that was it—nothing else. After the initial 12 weeks on that diet I felt tired and weak for three months. I wasn’t that motivated to keep training, but it was an experiment, so at 46 years of age I continued. Normally after a contest or a photo shoot I go right back to where I feel most comfortable. I was used to filling out my clothes more and lifting heavier weight when I wasn’t contest ready, but I was on a mission, so I dieted on. For the next 18 months the only thing that changed was that I ate more often—still the same food—and I slowly got bigger, harder and more separated. How is that possible? I wrote down everything because I’d done something that I’d never been able to do in the past: gain weight when getting ready for a contest—or, in this case, commercial work. Something started working for me after about month six—something that I never would have experienced if I’d listened to my ice cream craving at the end of every workout. Right around that time I increased my intake of the same foods again—and added another protein shake—and the results kept going against everything that I’d ever heard. I kept getting bigger and stronger while on an extremely limited diet. By the time a year passed, I’d gained 10 pounds of muscle—but it looked as if I’d gained 25 pounds because my skin was so tight and my arms had grown almost a full inch and a half. My power level was way up on lifts that I hadn’t done since I was in my early 30s. By the fall of my 47th year—35th year of lifting—and

Neveux \ Model: David Yeung

Bigger and Stronger—On a Diet?

some 22 months into the diet—I weighed just shy of 220 pounds, and I was more ripped than I’d ever been in my life. That’s a net muscle gain of almost 15 pounds during those two years. I knew that I looked good when people started to ask me if I was taking anything. All I was taking was protein powder with diluted apple juice, plain grilled chicken, hummus, broccoli and some other greens on occasion. I also ate a handful of pecans or macadamia nuts every few days—but nothing notable really. I’d tossed the fruit and the beans, but I was eating five plates of muscle food a day. It took me two years to reach that pinnacle of natural bodybuilding. What was so amazing about the whole experience was that once I got over the initial six months, I felt fantastic, powerful, huge and always ripped and ready for any shoot or audition. I recommend that you try it if you’re serious. See if it works for you because when it works, it is profoundly noticeable. People couldn’t believe the size that I put on or the separated, ripped, vascular, thin-skin work of art that emerged. —Paul Burke Editor’s note: Contact Paul Burke via e-mail at pbptb@ aol.com. Burke has a master’s degree in integrated studies from Cambridge College in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He’s been a champion bodybuilder and arm wrestler, and he’s considered a leader in the field of over40 fitness training. You can purchase his books, Burke’s Law—a New Fitness Paradigm for the Mature Male and The Neo-Dieter’s Handbook, from Home Gym Warehouse. Call (800) 447-0008, or visit www.Home-Gym.com. His training DVD “Burke’s Law” is also now available.

42 MAY 2009 \ www.ironmanmagazine.com

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The Big Scoop On Big Arms At the gym yesterday was a young man with tremendous arm development. Mike’s triceps and biceps are so full and thick that they’re freaky. Also at the gym were a couple of teenagers who often pepper me with questions. This time I initiated the conversation. First, though, I went to the front desk and borrowed a tape measure. Then I motioned to the two kids to accompany me to where Mike was working out. Mike’s an affable fellow and was happy to cooperate when I asked him if I could take some measurements of his arms. “The right one is 19 inches, and the left a quarter inch bigger,” he said. I didn’t want to measure the girth of his arms. I wanted to explain Dr. Ellington Darden’s neat guide to arm development potential. I had Mike flex his right arm so that his wrist was rotated inward and supinated as much as possible, the angle at his elbow was 90 degrees. I measured the gap between the crease of the skin at Mike’s inner elbow and the start of the inside edge of his contracted biceps—just under half an inch. Then I did the same for the two youngsters: One kid’s gap was just under 1 1/2 inches, and the other kid’s was just over one inch. I explained that Darden had reported that if the gap is half an inch or less, the biceps is long, and its growth potential is great. If the gap is between a half and a full inch, the biceps is above average in length, and its growth potential is good. If the gap is between one and 1 1/2 inches, the biceps is of average length, and its growth potential is average. If the gap is between 1 1/2 and two inches, the biceps is of below-average length, and its growth potential is poor. If the gap is two inches or more, the biceps is short, and its size potential is very poor. I told them that when they see a man with huge biceps doing a double or single biceps shot, they should take a look at the gap between his forearm and the bottom edge of his biceps. It will be small, perhaps almost nonexistent. That’s proof he has unusually long biceps muscle bellies and unusually short biceps tendons, which give his biceps exceptional potential for growth. Gauging triceps’ potential is trickier. I had Mike straighten his elbow and tense his triceps. He’s lean enough for the slight horseshoe shape of his triceps to be visible. I pointed out to them that, on most people, the horseshoe shape is much more distinct than it is on Mike. I had one of the kids tense his triceps to show his more distinct shape. I explained that the horseshoe shape is caused by the outer, or lateral, head of the triceps forming one half of the horseshoe, and the inner, or medial, head forming the other half of the horseshoe. Of course, the triceps has three heads. The third one is the longest, in the center of the other two. Its fleshy part is on top, and its bottom tendon runs in the space inside the horseshoe. Darden has seen many famous bodybuilders with large triceps, including Sergio Oliva and the Mentzer brothers. He noticed that the space in the horseshoe shape is much less in men who have a big potential for triceps development than in men who have much less potential for triceps growth.

Giant guns and genetics

For men with the biggest triceps growth potential, the fleshy part of the long head is unusually long, filling much of what would otherwise be space in the horseshoe. Darden reported that Oliva—one of the most freakishly gifted bodybuilders ever—has no horseshoe shape on the back of his arms. To show Mike and the kids how to determine triceps potential growth, I had Mike tense his triceps while I measured the distance from the tip of his elbow to the top inside edge of his horseshoe shape—the length of the flat tendon of the long head of his triceps. It was just under three inches. Then I did the same for the kids. One of them measured just under six inches, and the other measured five inches. Darden reported that if that length is three inches or less, the triceps belly is long, and its growth potential is great. If the length is between three and four inches, the triceps belly is above average in length, and its growth potential is good. If the length is between four and six inches, the triceps belly is of average length, and its growth potential is average. If the length is between six and seven inches, the triceps belly is of below-average length, and its growth potential is poor. And if the length is seven inches or more, the triceps belly is short, and its growth potential is very poor. According to Darden, developing a huge arm girth of 19 inches or greater requires great potential in the biceps and the triceps. That’s very unusual; Mike is one of the rare cases. Most people have average potential. In my assessment, using Darden’s numbers, average arm potential for a man is about 16 inches in girth when flexed, and good potential would yield an arm of about 17 1/2 inches when flexed. Potential is one thing. Realizing it is something else, requiring dedication to an effective training and recuperation program for a long, sustained period. Mike usually wears sweatpants at the gym but always wears a T-shirt or a tank top. His tremendous arm development is always on show. During the summer he trained in shorts for just a couple of workouts, and I saw why he usually wears sweatpants—he has high calves. His calf bellies are unusually short, producing just a small ball of muscle right underneath each of his knees. He’s been blessed with the genetics for freakily long muscle bellies in his arms, but his physique was blemished because his genetic inheritance has given him unusually short muscle bellies in his calves. —Stuart McRobert www.Hardgainer.com Editor’s note: Stuart McRobert’s first byline in IRON MAN appeared in 1981. He’s the author of the new 638-page opus on bodybuilding Build Muscle, Lose Fat, Look Great, available from Home Gym Warehouse (800) 447-0008 or www.HomeGym.com.

44 MAY 2009 \ www.ironmanmagazine.com

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Spider Curls and Biceps Peak

Neveux \ Model: Jay Cutler

As I’ve noted in previous installments of this column, the biceps is the most popular muscle to develop, and that’s been the case for nearly 100 years. Whenever someone says, “Make a muscle,” is there any doubt the request is for a biceps flex? Perhaps that’s why there have been so many variations of the basic exercise that trains it. There are barbell curls, dumbbell curls, hammer curls, reverse

Using the vertical side of the preacher bench positions you for peak contraction, but does that really peak the biceps?

curls, preacher curls, Zottman curls, concentration curls and, of course, spider curls. The spider curl is not a popular exercise—or at least not as popular as it once was. It had its heyday when one of the most popular Mr. Olympias in history, Sergio Oliva, revealed that he used it in his biceps program. Oliva won the Olympia three times in a row, until he was beaten by a rising star named Arnold Schwarzenegger. Oliva had a tremendous amount of mass, a small pelvis and waist and was very broad. Many thought he was unbeatable. He began as an Olympic weightlifter in Cuba, but he defected to the United States and began bodybuilding at the famed Duncan YMCA in Chicago. Oliva liked spider curls because he felt they helped isolate his biceps and build the peak his massive arms were lacking. Many trainees think that the spider curl and the concentration curl can contribute to the shape of the biceps, particularly the peak. That’s debatable. The biceps has a cylindrical appearance, and the muscle fibers are oriented in a longitudinal manner. It’s virtually impossible to have one portion of the muscle fire and the adjacent part

Mountains from mole hills?

not fire. If a trainee feels the spider curl is actually contributing to the peak, it’s possible that the very strict form required by the exercise is forcing him or her to work the biceps without help from other muscles. The traditional barbell curl calls on many other muscles to assist with the movement. The spider curl bench is somewhat like a preacher bench, but instead of the pad being slanted at 45 or 60 degrees, it’s vertical. Some preacher benches are adjustable and can be positioned vertically so the trainee can do spider curls. A bench that the late Joe Gold built for World Gym had a preacher curl pad on one side and a vertical pad on the other. That model has survived gym equipment evolution; however, many of the spider curl benches today aren’t truly vertical—rather, they’re a steep preacher bench. As noted above, the spider curl doesn’t allow much, if any, cheating. It’s as isolated as an exercise gets—complete muscle isolation is very difficult to achieve. The upper arm is braced against the vertical pad, and that lets the forearms move to a vertical position. You don’t need much weight on spider curls if you’ve never performed them before. If you lower the bar too fast, you risk a serious elbow injury involving hyperextension—you may incur an elbow fracture or cartilage damage. Biceps burn, fatigue and pump occur quickly due to the lack of assistance from other muscles. Two muscles that do help—and you can’t prevent it from happening—are the brachialis, which is under the lower biceps, and the brachioradialis, which is the large muscle of the forearm. The spider curl can be used in your workout several ways: 1) It can be a good exercise to do following heavy barbell or dumbbell curls; 2) you can use it on a lighter training day because it won’t let you use excessive poundage. The spider curl is a safe exercise if performed properly—that is, without bouncing at the bottom of the curl or lowering the weight too quickly. It does not stretch the biceps as much as an incline curl, but it’s still effective, and you should see increased development in your biceps when you add it to your program. —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 order the books Strength, Conditioning and Injury Prevention for Hockey by Joseph Horrigan, D.C., and E.J. “Doc” Kreis, D.A., and the 7-Minute Rotator Cuff Solution by Horrigan and Jerry Robinson from Home Gym Warehouse, (800) 447-0008 or at www.Home-Gym.com.

46 MAY 2009 \ www.ironmanmagazine.com

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Exercise-Induced Testosterone Rises

What about the testosterone that the body naturally makes? Various studies show that all things being equal, having naturally higher testosterone predisposes a trainee to making faster gains in muscle size and strength. There’s some controversy, however, about the effects of exercise on testosterone release. Some studies show that exercise results in higher counts of testosterone, while others show little or no effect. Still other studies show that intense training paradoxically lowers androgen-receptor density. So the question is, Can lifting weights both increase testosterone and maintain androgen receptor density and activity? A recent study examined the issue. Seven healthy men, average age 27, did five sets of five maximal reps of leg extensions on two occasions separated by one to three weeks. One trial involved a rest protocol, which was called “low testosterone,” while the other featured a high-volume, upper-body resistance workout designed to increase circulating testosterone. Blood tests were done at regular intervals during the training to measure blood testosterone. To check the effects of the training on androgen receptors, biopsies were taken from the subjects’ front-thigh muscles. Only the high-test workout boosted testosterone above resting values, 12 percent more than the low testosterone trial. Muscle androgen receptors declined during the lowtestosterone trial by 43 percent but remained stable during the high testosterone workout. The transient increase in testosterone during the high-testosterone workout worked in only three hours to maintain androgen receptor content. So training in a manner that leads to greater testosterone release will likewise maintain androgen receptor activity, which maximizes the anabolic training effect. Such training involves at least three sets per exercise, featuring short rest periods between sets and working larger muscle groups, such as thighs and back. —Jerry Brainum

Roland BalikDerik Farnsworth

Neveux \ Model: Derik Farnsworth

For years scientific consensus was that using anabolic steroids would decrease the number of androgen receptors. That’s a problem because testosterone must interact with cellular androgen receptors to activate anabolic processes in cells. The less receptor activity, the less testosterone-cellular activity. Scientists surmised that using large doses of anabolic steroids would eventually result in a downregulation of androgen receptors, rendering the steroids useless. Later studies, however, proved that hypothesis to be incorrect. In fact, steroids provided an opposite effect: They opened up additional androgen receptors. That led to the now accepted dose-response relationship of steroids: Larger doses of steroids provide more anabolic effects than lower doses. In fact, the initial studies that used low doses of steroids did see a drop in androgen receptor activity, since androgen receptors are saturated by normal blood testosterone. Those findings explain why athletes use such comparatively large doses of various anabolic steroids. It works.

And the effect on androgen receptors

Spiering, B.A., et al. (2008). Influence of endogenous testosterone concentrations on muscle androgen receptor responses to resistance exercise. J Str Cond Res. 22:31.

48 MAY 2009 \ www.ironmanmagazine.com

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German Body Comp Program Q: I’m interested in using the German Body Comp program to train for Brazilian jujitsu. Is that appropriate? A: They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but it’s not all that flattering when the imitators don’t do justice to the original work. Case in point: the German Body Comp program. The German Body Comp program, one of my most popular workouts, is based on the pioneering research by

a Romanian exercise scientist who defected to West Germany. Halarambie made the important discovery that the lactic acid pathway is better for fat loss than the commonly accepted aerobic pathway. He found that high blood lactic levels decrease blood pH levels, which in turn sends a message to the brain to accelerate its production of growth hormone. Higher growth hormone counts increase fat loss. The GBC program is characterized by short rest intervals and multijoint movements to generate maximum growth hormone production. Not only does GBC result in greater fat loss than aerobic programs can produce, but it won’t sacrifice strength and muscle mass—in fact, it can make you bigger and stronger. With aerobics, all you get is fat loss and weakness. Why train your body to be weak? How effective is the program? I’ve seen men gain 12 to 18 pounds of muscle in 12 weeks while losing fat, and it’s not uncommon for women to lose seven percent bodyfat in the same time period. In addition to being great for anyone who A Romanian exercise wants to lose bodyfat, scientist discovered the GBC program is especially geared toward that the lactic acid athletes because it develpathway is better ops muscular endurance. for fat loss than the Law enforcement officers commonly accepted are prime candidates for aerobic pathway. the benefits of GBC, and I’ve had great success with grapplers and hockey players. In contrast, aerobic training does little to improve endurance for most sports and will compromise strength and power—it’s even been shown that upperbody aerobic training can compromise jumping ability. Which brings us back to the imitation problem. The workout that is outlined in my book German Body Comp Program is designed for all levels of individuals. It’s a mix of machines and free weights, with the exercises increasing in difficulty—along with the overall volume of training—with the higher levels. Unfortunately, when fitness writers attempt to modify the program for athletes, they often make several critical errors in program design. Neveux

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50 MAY 2009 \ www.ironmanmagazine.com

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To show you how it’s supposed to be done, here’s a version for athletes who need to put on lean tissue and prepare for the months ahead of heavy lifting. Typically, the program is done by throwers and rugby players in the early off-season or by grapplers who want to take some time off the mat and build their lactate capacity; so in your case that would work. Obviously, these athletes will know their way around the weight room. It’s an advanced program and not for the weak of stomach.

Monday A1 Snatch pulls on podium 5 x 6, X/O/X/O tempo Rest 45 seconds A2 Walking lunges 5 x 6 steps per leg, X/O/X/O tempo Rest 45 seconds Rest three minutes after completing all A sets B1 Cyclists’ back squats 4 x 6-8, 3/0/X/0 tempo Rest 45 seconds B2 Close, parallel-grip chinups 4 x 6-8, 3/0/X/0 tempo Rest 45 seconds Rest 3 minutes after completing all B sets C1 Lying leg curls (feet plantar flexed) 4 x 6-8, 3/0/X/0 tempo Rest 45 seconds C2 Incline dumbbell presses (semi-supinated grip) 4 x 6-8, 3/0/X/0 tempo Rest 45 seconds Rest 3 minutes after completing all C sets Tuesday A1 Clean deadlifts on podium

5 x 6, 4/O/X/O tempo

A2 Sternum chinups 5 x 6, 2/0/X/0 tempo Rest 45 seconds Rest 3 minutes after completing all A sets B1 Russian stepups 4 x 8-10, X/0/X/0 tempo Rest 45 seconds B2 V-bar dips 4 x 8, 3/0/X/0 tempo Rest 45 seconds Rest 3 minutes after completing all B sets C1 Lying leg curls (feet plantar flexed and turned outward) 3 x 6-8, 3/0/X/0 tempo Rest 45 seconds C2 Seated dumbbell presses (semi-supinated grip) 3 x 6-8, 3/0/X/0 tempo Rest 45 seconds C3 Seated dumbbell external rotations (elbow on knee) 3 x 6-8, 3/0/X/0 tempo Rest 45 seconds Rest 3 minutes after completing all C sets Thursday A1 Power cleans on podium 5 x 6, X/O/X/O tempo Rest 45 seconds A2 Lumberjacks 5 x 6, X/0/X/0 tempo Rest 45 seconds Rest 3 minutes after completing all A sets B1 Front squats (narrow stance with heels elevated) 4 x 4-6, 3/2/X/0 tempo Rest 45 seconds B2 Incline thick-bar presses 4 x 6-8, 3/0/X/0 tempo Rest 45 seconds B3 Lean-away pullups 4 x 6-8, 30X0 tempo

Rest 45 seconds

52 MAY 2009 \ www.ironmanmagazine.com

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Neveux \ Model: Binais Begovic

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The traps are an important and impressive muscle group. You can get better results working one side at a time.

Rest 45 seconds Rest 3 minutes after completing all B sets C1 Lying leg curls (feet plantar flexed and turned inward) 3 x 6-8, 3/0/X/0 tempo Rest 45 seconds C2 One-arm bent-over shrugs 3 x 8-10, 2/0/1/2 tempo Rest 45 seconds C3 Low-pulley external rotations 3 x 10-12, 3/0/X/0 tempo Rest 45 seconds Rest 3 minutes after completing all C sets Friday A1 Snatch deadlifts, 10 x 6, descending-sets style, resting only 45 seconds; decrease the weight on every set so you can get the reps Rest 5 minutes after competing all A sets B1 Thick-bar curls, 8 x 8, descending-sets style, resting only 45 seconds; decrease the weight on every set so you can get the reps B2 Decline EZ-curl-bar triceps extensions, 8 x 8, descending-sets style, resting only 45 seconds; decrease the weight on every set so you can get the reps The best time for athletes to use this workout is as soon as the competitive season is over so your body can get accustomed to the change in body composition. After you try it and your teammates and competitors see your great results, don’t be surprised if they start imitating you! Q: What do you think is the best trap exercise?

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Smart Charles Training Poliquin’s A: Besides the competitive Olympic lifting exercises and their assistance moves, one of my favorites for developing the traps is the one-arm barbell shrug. It’s great for stimulating strength and size gains in the traps and offers several advantages over conventional shrugs. Compared to the two-arm barbell shrug, the one-arm version provides a greater range of motion. Try it if you don’t believe me. You’ll instantly feel how much higher the trapezius moves upward when you use the single-arm version. In fact, I would say that the only equivalent exercise would be shoulder shrugs using the Atlantis shrug machine, such as the one we have at the Poliquin Strength Institute. There’s no contact with the body during one-arm barbell shrugs, permitting a much smoother performance. With dumbbells there’s a considerable amount of friction created as the plates rub against your body, especially with heavy weights. The friction increases the resistance of the movement, but you can’t actually determine how much the load has increased and, consequently, how well you’re progressing with the exercise. With this version of the shrug, the working arm has to remain in a neutral position. The technique helps correct the excessively internally rotated shoulder and arm posture commonly associated with individuals who have benchpressed excessively for years. Finally, to prevent the barbell from moving toward the front of the body, the one-arm barbell shrug requires the infraspinatus and teres minor to be recruited isometrically. The additional work develops superior shoulder integrity that would be valuable for football and rugby players, who experience a high degree of disruptive forces to the shoulders during their sports. Although it seems like a simple movement, here are some special tips on how to get the most out of the one-arm barbell shrug. First, to make it easier to load the barbell and pick it up, set the barbell on a power rack across the pins. You can then brace yourself with your free hand against one of the power rack posts, which will let you keep your torso upright. I would recommend the use of straps only if the weight is so heavy that your grip gives out—so no straps for sets of one to three reps. To increase time under tension, which favors greater hypertrophy, pause for a predetermined time—one to six seconds, for example—at the end of the concentric range of motion. I prescribe that pause for people who are recovering from shoulder surgery, as they often cannot handle high loads but still need the hypertrophy to rehabilitate quickly. If your traps are in need of a dire challenge, please give the one-arm barbell shrug a try. I’m certain you’ll be very happy with the quick results it provides, and adding it to your program would pay tribute to the pioneering work of the old-time bodybuilders and strength athletes. Editor’s note: Charles Poliquin is recognized as one of the world’s most successful strength coaches, having coached Olympic medalists in 12 different sports, including the U.S. women’s track-and-field team for the 2000 Olympics. He’s spent years researching European journals (he’s fluent in English, French and German) and speaking with other coaches and scientists in his quest to optimize training methods. For more on his books, seminars and methods, visit www.CharlesPoliquin.net. Also, see his ad on page 289. IM

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\ JULY 2006 181

Nutrition With a Get-Big Mission NUTRITION SCIENCE

Creatine: Sweet or Sour? While the most common form of creatine supplement, creatine monohydrate, is 99 percent absorbable, it takes more than just easy absorption for creatine to be an effective ergogenic aid. The limiting factor is the activity of a special transport protein in muscle, fittingly called the creatine transport protein. Not long after creatine was introduced to the commercial sports supplement market, studies revealed that insulin appeared to assist creatine uptake into muscle. Specifically, insulin stimulated the activity of a

cellular mechanism called the sodium pump, which in turn powered the creatine transport protein. Based on that finding, creatine supplements evolved to contain a large dose of simple sugars. Simple sugars are the most potent stimulus of insulin release, but studies showed that only a large insulin spike could favorably affect the sodium pump. You needed a whopping 95 grams of simple carbs for each five gramsâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;about one teaspoonâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;of creatine. Since the suggested cre-

atine-loading phase was 20 to 30 grams daily for five to six days, you were taking in a huge amount of simple sugar. Unfortunately, eating so much sugar not only proved unpalatable but also increased the chance of adding bodyfat. Some scientists argued that a smaller amount of sugar would fail to spike insulin enough to prod the sodium pump and creatine transport protein. Then somebody had an epiphany and noticed the word sodium. Studies began declaring that sodium, not simple sugar, was the limiting factor in creatine uptake into muscle. These days creatine is available in several forms, some containing simple sugars and others that rely on sodium to activate the pump. A recent study made a headto-head comparison between the sugar and the sodium formulas. Nineteen weighttrained men, average age 29, received either a sugar-free supplement containing five grams of creatine citrate and 250 milligrams of Neveux \ Model: David Yeung

EAT TO GROW EAT TO GROW EAT TO GROW EAT TO GROW EAT TO GROW EAT TO GROW EAT TO GROW EAT TO GROW EAT TO GROW EAT TO GROW EAT TO GROW EAT TO GROW EAT

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sodium or a supplement containing five grams of creatine monohydrate and 36 grams of dextrose, a simple sugar. The supplements were dissolved in a pint of water and downed four times a day for five consecutive days, a typical creatine-loading phase. Strength and power tests were administered both before and five days after the subjects got the creatine. They were also tested for volume load, or how many reps they could complete after several sets done with loads equal to 70 to 80 percent of their one-rep maximums on the bench press and leg press. Those in the sugar group gained more strength on the leg press than those in the sodium group. Both groups gained about the same amount of bodyweight, with the dextrose group showing a slightly higher one-rep bench press weight. Otherwise, the tests revealed no significant differences between the groups. So except for the improved strength on the leg press experienced by the sugar group, they made similar gains. On the other hand, those in the sugar group took in 576 calories a day more than those in the sodium group. The combination of the added calories and the considerable insulin release suggests that sodium-based creatine supplements may be more suitable for those interested in losing bodyfat. Of course, then you have to deal with the large dose of sodium, which can result in water retention. Considering that the loading phase lasts only five days, though, that shouldn’t be a major problem, except for those with high blood pressure that is sodium sensitive. If you’re on an anabolic-steroid regimen, you’ll also probably bloat a bit, as steroids retain sodium in the body. —Jerry Brainum Healy, M., et al. (2008). The effect of two different creatine formulations on strength and power in resistancetrained men.J Str Cond Res. 22:41.

ANABOLIC AMMO

Do BCAAs Increase Muscle and Strength? Recent research into the nutritional requirements of athletes engaged in intense training have highlighted the importance of taking essential amino acids in increasing muscle protein synthesis. Of the eight amino acids considered to be essential, the branched-chain aminos—leucine, isoleucine and valine—are of considerable anabolic importance. In fact, some studies show that leucine can turn on various mechanisms in the body that lead to upgraded muscle protein synthesis. Despite that, BCAA supplements remain controversial. Some studies have found a definite anabolic response in those taking BCAAs, while others have found little or nothing. The latest study on the matter featured 10 healthy college-aged men. In a double-blind design, subjects were given either a BCAA supplement or a placebo for three weeks, followed by a week of weight training—four workouts—with continued supplementation. Blood tests were done before and after three weeks of BCAA use, and also after two and four days of training, with the final test done 36 hours after the final training session. Those in the BCAA group showed significantly higher testosterone counts, along with lower counts of cortisol and creatine kinase, an enzyme that, when elevated, points to amplified muscle damage. That indicates a definite anabolic effect, along with an anticatabolic effect, as reflected in the drops in cortisol and creatine kinase. The researchers concluded that “use of a postexercise supplementation product high in BCAAs would be useful for a trained individual wishing to increase strength and lean muscle mass, as well as enhance recovery time between workouts.” —Jerry Brainum Sharp, C.P.M., et al. (2008). Amino acids and recovery from high-intensity resistance training: The role of commercially available branched-chain amino acid supplementation. J Str Cond Res. 22:114. www.ironmanmagazine.com \ MAY 2009 61

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to Grow NUTRITION NOTES

Food Facts That can affect your workouts, weight and wellness

CALORIE COUNT

Binge Buster

Can getting most of your calories at night make you fat?

Recent studies show that as far as fat gain goes, it doesn’t matter if you get your calories during the day or at night. That may be true as long as the calorie count is the same. Getting most of your calories at night, however, has been shown to increase ghrelin, a hormone that causes hunger, by nightfall the next day. The result is that you tend to binge at night, a time when you expend the least energy, and that can cause more fat deposition. In the morning you aren’t hungry, so your body burns muscle tissue. You don’t get famished again until the evening hours, when you binge and store more bodyfat. Back-loading most of your calories at night is a sure way for most people to burn muscle and pack on fat. Eat less at night and spread your calories throughout the day. And if you’re training hard, don’t forget to include protein in every meal. —Becky Holman

Coffee improves concentration. Research shows that coffee drinkers perform better on memory tests. About four cups a day is the limit. Selenium for sleekness? A survey of 8,000 Americans determined that people low in selenium had bigger waists than people who had more of it. About 55 micrograms a day is the recommended intake. Peppermint can help curb indigestion. If your stomach is feeling a bit sour, try drinking a cup of peppermint tea. Niacin, a B-vitamin, is a known vasodilator. A dose of about 500 milligrams can open blood vessels, which can improve your pump at a workout, not to mention your erectile abilities. Flaxseed flour is full of healthpromoting omega-3s. Try sprinkling ground flaxseed on your oatmeal or cereal or putting some in your protein drink. Apples can cut calorie consumption. A Penn State study demonstrated that subjects who ate an apple 15 minutes before an all-you-caneat pasta lunch ate 15 percent fewer calories than subjects who ate a 125-calorie fiber-free apple snack or nothing at all. So fiber up before meals to curb your appetite. —Becky Holman www.X-tremeLean.com

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to Grow REVIEW

The Body Fat Solution This book is particularly interesting because the author, Tom Venuto, is a natural bodybuilder who’s also penned features for IRON MAN. It’s filled with solid information for anyone interested in getting lean, but be forewarned: There are no gimmicks, like zero carbs or eating asparagus at every meal. Venuto’s number-one principle is calorie deficit—if you burn more calories each day than you take in, you lose ugly fat. It’s not as easy as it sounds, though, primarily because of lapses in mind-set and motivation. That’s why the author spends considerable time analyzing and organizing ways to stick with the plan. He devotes three chapters to the mental aspects of achieving your weight-loss goals: “Attitudes and Beliefs That Set the Stage for Success,” “Freedom From Emotional Eating,” and “Mental Training Solution: Setting Goals and Reprogramming Your Mind for Automatic Success.” You’ll recognize many mind-morphing, attitude-altering principles from The Secret by Rhonda Byrne and Maxwell Matz’s Psycho-Cybernetics. Most of the book, however, is practical applications of proper eating and exercise so you can shed fat and build muscle: “When you diet, you may lose weight, but if you add aerobic exercise, you get better results than with diet alone. If you combine the diet and aerobics with strength training, again your results will multiply. When you add mental, emotional and social support strategies to your diet and exercise program, results multiply exponentially.” That sums up the book nicely, but undersand that Venuto is all about reality and your specific needs: “The best program in the truest sense is not the most effective program, but rather an effective program you can actually stick with long term.... It’s

important to allow yourself enough lenience so you don’t feel deprived, but demand enough compliance so you get the results you want.” While the book is geared toward the average Joe looking to drop fat and get in shape, bodybuilders will learn a lot too. As I said, Venuto is a bodybuilder, so you won’t be disappointed—and you’ll learn a thing or two or three. For example, “while alcohol is being metabolized, fat oxidation is almost completely halted.” Good to know, and something I’ve experienced. He also goes into detail about why having muscle burns more calories and how working out correctly can traumatize muscle tissue and speed up your metabolism—a true fat-to-muscle effect. About the only thing I was slightly disappointed in was the weight-training program, although as I said, most readers will be new to weights. Nevertheless, I guarantee that the book will open your eyes to how to get leaner faster and more healthfully in the process. I highly recommend it, whether you’ve got 100 pounds to lose or that last little bit of bodyfat to get your abs etched like granite. —Becky Holman

G O O D FAT

PA I N

Fish Oil Follies

Joint Rejuvenation

There’s been some controversy recently concerning supplemental fish oil. One medical doctor even claimed that taking fish oil can raise harmful blood cholesterol, which could lead to a heart attack. He may have misread the research. Fish oil has been shown to raise HDL, which is cholesterol, but the good kind. To clear the air, here’s a statement from Darius Mozaffarian, M.D., Ph.D., assistant professor of cardiology and epidemiology at Harvard Medical School and Harvard School of Public Health: “The only dietary supplement consistently shown in randomized clinical trials to work against cardiac death is fish oil” [Prevention, February ’09]. —Becky Holman

Weight training can take a toll on joints. Wear and tear after years of pumping iron can cause aches and pains that can hamper movement. New research suggests that pycnogenol, an extract from pine bark, can help. Arthritis patients who took it for three months got up to a 55 percent reduction in pain and stiffness. How? The extract is both an antioxidant and an anti-inflammatory. —Becky Holman

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to Grow ANABOLIC DRIVE

Energy Drinks

Should they get more respect?

Energy drinks are the Rodney Dangerfield of the beverage world. They get no respect. Look at the French. They banned Red Bull until April 1, 2008. They were concerned about its high caffeine content as well as the amino acid taurine. Note to the French: Red Bull had less caffeine than a cup of coffee. And taurine? Please. I find it utterly amazing that anyone could have faith in what those busybodies say is good or bad for us. The science on energy drinks is the polar opposite of what you read in the mainstream press. One study shows indeed that not only did the subjects’ focused and sustained attention improve significantly, but so did reaction speed in all sorts of tasks. Memory improved too.1 Another investigation looked at the effect of a preexercise energy sport drink on the acute hormonal response to resistance exercise in eight experienced resistance-trained men. The researchers found that an energy beverage drunk 10 minutes before resistance exercise can increase the number of repetitions performed and the total volume of exercise.2 A study from the College of New Jersey, published in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, compared Redline to a placebo in 12 trained strength and power athletes. After drinking half a bottle of the energy drink, subjects performed a two-minute quickness and reaction test on the Makoto testing device. Following a 10minute rest, they repeated the testing sequence, and after a similar rest period did a third and final testing sequence. The Makoto testing device allows subjects to react to both a visual and auditory stimulus by striking one out of 30 potential targets on three towers. Results: The energy drink improved reaction time as well as subjective feelings of focus and energy in male strength and power athletes.3 Though many of us don’t pay much attention to reaction time, think about it; one of the key elements in optimal performance for most speed sports

is reaction time. When that fastball is flying at you at 95 miles per hour, you’d better react quickly. When you’re in the cage getting ready to rumble with a fellow mixedmartial-arts fighter and that superman punch comes flying, you’d better react, and quickly! Clearly, energy drinks have benefits, including improved mood and performance during fatiguing and cognitively demanding tasks.4 The notion that they’re harmful isn’t supported by any evidence I’ve seen. My advice: If you want to perform better, drink a serving of an energy beverage 15 minutes prior to exercise. Energy drinks may not get respect from the mainstream media, but then again, the science IQs of mainstream writers are usually between those of a grapefruit and a chimpanzee. Editor’s note: Jose Antonio, Ph.D., is a writer, professor, scientist and avid outrigger paddler. For more information, go to www.JoseAntonioPhd.com.

References Van den Eynde, F., et al. (2008). The effects of energy drinks on cognitive performance. Tijdschr Psychiatr. 50(5):273-281. 2 Hoffman, J.R., et al. (2008). Effect of a pre-exercise energy supplement on the acute hormonal response to resistance exercise. J Strength Cond Res. 22(3):874-882. 3 Hoffman, J.R., Kang, J., et al. (2009). Examination of a pre-exercise, high energy supplement on exercise performance. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 6:2. 4 Smit, H.J., et al. (2004). Mood and cognitive performance effects of “energy” drink constituents: caffeine, glucose and carbonation. Nutr Neurosci. 7(3):127-139. 1

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to Grow SUPPLEMENT SCIENCE

Ornithine: Time for Another Look?

Neveux \ Model: Julia Ann Gerhard

About 25 years ago ornithine was a popular supplement among bodybuilders. It’s a free amino acid but is not commonly found in highprotein foods. The body produces ornithine from the amino acid arginine through the activity of the enzyme arginase. It’s a key player in the urea cycle, in which nitrogen waste products left over from protein metabolism are broken down. The urea cycle is vital in preventing an increase in ammonia, which occurs during exercise and is linked to training fatigue. The primary reason for ornithine’s popularity, however, was that it was considered an effective growth hormone trigger; in fact, it was said to be twice as effective as arginine. You still see ornithine in many sports supplements, such as those touted to boost growth hormone, and in some products that aid in nitric oxide release. A recent double-blind, placebocontrolled study, however, suggests that some of ornithine’s most interesting effects may have been overlooked in past research. Nine women and eight men, average age 40, received either a placebo for eight days or 2,000 milligrams of ornithine a day for seven days and 6,000 milligrams for one day. Exercise testing involved fatigue on repetitive-cycling tests. After a week those taking 2,000 milligrams of ornithine experienced a rise in serum triglyceride, which is fat; free fatty acids and ketones, which are by-products of fat metabolism. Such changes indicate an increase in growth hormone release. That’s interesting because prior to the exercise the subjects had taken in a sugar solution, and high blood sugar blunts the release of GH. In fact, one of the functions of GH is to offset extended hypoglycemia, or low blood sugar. The subjects in the ornithine group also had more urea and ornithine in their blood, suggesting that the ornithine did indeed help along the urea cycle. The implication is that taking ornithine prior to exercise not only boosts GH release but also decreases blood ammonia, which would help keep you going longer without fatiguing. In addition, the subjects in the ornithine group had higher counts of branched-chain amino acids than those in the placebo group, which suggests that ornithine may suppress the drop in muscle BCAAs produced during hard training. Higher amounts of BCAAs compete with another amino acid, L-tryptophane, for entry into the brain. That’s significant because when tryptophane enters the brain, it rapidly converts into serotonin, a brain chemical

linked to feelings of fatigue. The ornithine group also had more of another amino acid, alanine, which can be converted in the liver into glucose, then circulated back to the active muscle as a readily available energy source. Based on all this, you’d expect that the subjects in the ornithine group would be less fatigued during the exercise testing portion of the study, and that’s precisely what occurred—but only in the women, whose bodies had higher counts of ornithine. The authors say that if the plasma ornithine had remained higher in the men, they would probably have been less fatigued as well. Because ornithine isn’t common in protein foods, the authors suggest that it may be an effective nutritional supplement for treating fatigue. —Jerry Brainum Sugino, T., et al. (2008). L-ornithine supplementation attenuates physical fatigue in healthy volunteers by modulating lipid and amino acid metabolism. Nut Res. 28:738-43.

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PERFECT POSTWORKOUT MEAL

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Semanoff Model: Mike

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GRIND OUT THE GROWTH REPS™ Beta-Alanine Gives Your Muscles More Grow Power™ The biggest bodybuilders know that the last few grueling reps of a set are the key growth reps. It’s why they fight through the pain of muscle burn on every work set-—so they trigger the mass-building machinery. But sometimes it’s not enough; the burn is too fierce. Fortunately, there’s now a potent new weapon in this massive firefight to help you get bigger and stronger faster. Red Dragon is a new beta-alanine supplement that packs your muscles with carnosine—up to 60 percent more. Muscle biopsies show that the largest bodybuilders have significantly more carnosine in their fast-twitch muscle fibers than sedentary individuals for good reason: Carnosine buffers the burn to give muscles more “grow power” on every set. The bigger and stronger a muscle gets, the more carnosine it needs to perform at higher intensity levels. You must keep your muscles loaded with carnosine to grow larger and stronger. It all boils down to intensity and the ability to buffer waste products—hydrogen ions and lactic acid—so the muscle doesn’t shut down before growth activation. Straight carnosine supplements degrade too rapidly to reach the muscles; however, more than 20 new studies document that beta-alanine is converted to carnosine very efficiently. All it takes is 1 1/2 grams twice a day, and you’ll see new size in your muscles and feel the difference in the gym—you can double or triple your growth-rep numbers! Imagine how fast your size and strength will increase when you ride the Dragon! Note: Red Dragon™ is the first pure carnosine synthesizer—so powerful it’s patented. It contains beta-alanine, the amino acid that supercharges muscle cells with carnosine.

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Train, Eat

Grow Muscle-Training Program 115

From the IRON MAN Training & Research Center by Steve Holman and Jonathan Lawson Photography by Michael Neveux

Model: Binais Begovic

Last month we reviewed the Shockweek program of our X-Rep version of Eric Broser’s Power/Rep Range/ Shock protocol. We mentioned that we’ve adjusted the schedule so that we’re doing two weeks in a row each of Power and Rep Range workouts to optimize the benefits but only one week of Shock work. During Shock week you use supersets, drop sets, trisets and the like to totally annihilate the target muscle; however, we’ve found that you can use Shock week in another capacity as well—as a lower-intensity recovery week. We’ve discussed our phase-training approach a number of times: We do four to six weeks of all-out training followed by one week of less-intense recovery-oriented

workouts. In our current schedule Shock is week number five, and if you do P and RR for two weeks each, for many trainees it’s going to be the perfect time for less fiber damage, not more, and a chance to heal your nervous system with lighter weights on the big exercises. That brought us to our new version of Shock week. Before we get to the specifics, however, here’s a quick summary of the P/RR/S protocol: www.ironmanmagazine.com \ MAY 2009 79

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w w w. I ro n M a n M a g a z i n e . c o m

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

Power: You do straight sets with heavy weights, four to six reps per work set. Rep Range: You do seven to nine reps on the first exercise, 10 to 12 reps on the second and 13 to 15—or higher—on the third. Shock: You do eight to 12 reps on most exercises but with intensity techniques like drop sets, DC training, X Reps and X-hybrid techniques to shock new growth. Remember, we do two weeks of Power, two weeks of Rep Range and one Shock week. Then it’s back to Power again. Our split hasn’t changed. We still train four days a week: Monday: Chest, calves, abs Tuesday: Back, forearms

Model: Mike Semanoff

Wednesday: Quads, hamstrings Thursday: Off Friday: Delts, triceps, biceps As we’ve mentioned before,

Model: Binais Begovic

Preexhaustion is an excellent technique for Shock week, especially if you’re using it as a downshift phase. we should really take Wednesday off and work quads and hams on Thursday, but the above fits our work schedule better.

Less-Shocking Shock for an Anabolic Rebound Standard procedure on Shock week is to blast the heck out of the target muscles with extended-set techniques like supersets. We’re proposing another option: to go in the opposite direction, using lighter weights and higher reps to push blood through the muscles and enhance recovery. That’s something preexhaustion does well. We’ve discussed preex and how it’s best used for creating tension and pump rather than fiber damage. To preexhaust a muscle, you do an isolation exercise followed immediately in superset fashion by a big, compound move; for example, leg extensions followed by squats. Because you do the leg extensions first, you don’t overload as many fibers as you would with the squats. The preliminary isolation exercise also fatigues the quads, saturating them with lactic acid, so when you go

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Model: Jose Raymond

Preex builds mass, but it does so more via endurance components.

immediately to squats, the fatigue prevents you from using your max poundage. That means you generate less force than if you did squats first. Yes, preex can build mass, but it does so more via endurance components like expanding capillaries and mitochondria. As we’ve said in the past, alternating a preex workout with a heavy straight-set workout is a good heavy/light strategy. Unfortunately, preex isn’t practical in a crowded gym—someone is bound to take your leg extension machine while you’re squatting, or vice versa. So we suggest shifting to a modified-preex strategy during Shock week if you’re going to use it as a downshift phase to trigger an anabolic rebound.

106408dr

The first exercise in a standard preex superset is an isolation move, like pushdowns for triceps or cable crossovers for pecs. Single-joint

continuous-tension exercises don’t traumatize a lot of muscle fibers, but they do fatigue the muscle. In other words, they tire the muscle without a lot of damage. In this modified-preex routine you start every bodypart workout with a single-joint, isolation exercise, but you don’t superset. You do two to three sets with higher reps; then you go to the big exercise for a couple of sets—with the target muscle prefatigued. Here are a few examples: Quads Leg extensions Squats

2-3 x 12-15 2 x 8-10

Chest Cable crossovers Bench presses

2-3 x 12-15 2 x 8-10

Triceps Pushdowns Dips or bench dips

2-3 x 12-15 2 x 8-10

Biceps Preacher curls 2-3 x 12-15 Undergrip pulldowns 2 x 8-10

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Train, Eat

Grow Because you’re not supersetting, the second exercise will be somewhat more traumatic than if you were using a normal preex program. That’s because you rest in the version outlined above; however, the preliminary high-rep isolation sets should mitigate the trauma somewhat. You’ll find that the poundage for the second exercise, the compound move, will be lighter than what you use on low-rep Power week and even lighter than Rep Range week when you do seven to nine reps. You still get a sufficient pooling of lactic acid before the compound exercise to derail force output and keep you in light-day mode.

Bonus Fat-Burning Environment All our talk about lactic acid should have a lightbulb going off in your head—and in the lightbulb should be the letters G and H. As we’ve explained, studies show that muscle burn from higher reps is triggered by lactic acid, and lactic acid is a growth hormone stimulator. The continuous tension created by the isolation exercise combined with higher reps will get the target muscle burning. If not, you’re doing something wrong—or maybe you just have a high pain tolerance. Try slowing down your reps to a two/two or three/three cadence with a squeeze in the contracted position on every rep. Remember, this workout isn’t about moving big poundages; it’s about muscle burn and pushing blood into the target muscle. It’s also about allowing the nervous system to heal. Heavy lower-rep sets tend to overload the central nervous system. You get plenty of that during Power and Rep Range weeks. With prefatigue and higher reps during Shock week, you get less CNS stress, enabling rejuvenation and new strength for the Power week to follow. Nice!

What About Stretch Overload? Regular readers of this feature may have noticed that the isolation exercises in the sample exercise pairs listed above are all contracted-

IRON MAN Training & Research Center Muscle-Training Program 115 Workout 1: Chest, Calves, Abs (Shock/Recovery)

Workout 3: Quads, Hamstrings, Lower Back (Shock/Recovery)

High cable flyes 2 x 13-15 Smith-machine low-incline presses 2 x 8-10 Middle cable flyes 1 x 13-15 Bench presses 2 x 8-10 Low cable flyes 1 x 13-15 Wide-grip dips 2 x 8-10 Flat-bench flyes 1 x 10-12 Standing calf raises 3 x 16-20 Knee-extension leg press calf raises 2 x 10-12 Machine donkey calf raises 2 x 13-15 Seated calf raises 2 x 16-20 Crunches 2 x 15-20 Incline kneeups 2 x 10-12 Ab Bench crunches 1 x 13-15

Leg extensions Leg presses Squats Sissy squats Leg curls Stiff-legged deadlifts Hyperextensions

Workout 2: Back, Forearms (Shock/Recovery) Machine pullovers Chins Wide-grip pulldowns Undergrip pulldowns Dumbbell pullovers Bent-arm bent-over laterals Bent-over dumbbell rows Behind-the-neck pulldowns Shrugs Cable upright rows Dumbbell reverse wrist curls Barbell wrist curls Cable reverse curls

2 x 13-15 2 x 8-10 1 x 8-10 1 x 8-10 1 x 10-12 2 x 13-15 2 x 8-10 1 x 10-12 2 x 13-15 2 x 8-10 2 x 15-20 2 x 15-20 2 x 10-12

3 x 15-20 3 x 8-10 2 x 10-12 1 x 10-12 3 x 13-15 2 x 8-10 1 x 13-15

Workout 4: Delts, Triceps, Biceps (Shock/Recovery) Forward-lean lateral raises One-arm leaning lateral raises Smith-machine presses Dumbbell upright rows Incline one-arm lateral raises Bent-over lateral raises Bent-over lateral raises Pushdowns Dips or bench dips Cable pushouts Concentration curls Dumbbell curls Incline curls Cable hammer curls Dumbbell hammer curls

2 x 13-15 1 x 13-15 2 x 8-10 2 x 8-10 2 x 10-12 2 x 13-15 1 x 8-10 2 x 13-15 2 x 8-10 1 x 10-12 2 x 13-15 2 x 8-10 1 x 10-12 1 x 13-15 1 x 8-10

Note: For our complete version of Eric Broser’s Power/ Rep Range/Shock program, see the e-book 3D Muscle Building, available at the X-Shop at www.X-Rep.com.

All our talk about lactic acid should have a lightbulb going off in your head—and in the lightbulb should be the letters G and H. As we’ve explained, studies show that muscle burn from higher reps is triggered by lactic acid, and lactic acid is a growth hormone stimulator.

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Train, Eat

Model: Tamar Elshahat

Grow

IRON MAN Training & Research Center Home-Gym Program 115 Workout 1: Chest, Calves, Abs (Shock/Recovery) Incline flyes Low-incline presses Flat-bench flyes Bench presses or wide-grip dips One-leg calf raises Knee-extension donkey calf raises (X Reps) Donkey calf raises Seated calf raises Crunches Incline kneeups Full-range crunches

2 x 13-15 2 x 8-10 2 x 13-15 2 x 8-10 3 x 15-20 2 x 10-12 1 x 13-15 2 x 15-20 2 x 15-20 2 x 10-12 1 x 13-15

Workout 2: Back, Forearms (Shock/Recovery) Stiff-arm pulldowns or undergrip rows Chins Undergrip chins Dumbbell pullovers Bent-arm bent-over laterals Bent-over barbell or dumbbell rows One-arm dumbbell rows Shrugs Shrugs Reverse wrist curls Wrist curls (X Reps) Reverse curls

2 x 13-15 2 x 8-10 1 x 8-10 1 x 10-12 2 x 13-15 2 x 8-10 1 x 10-12 1 x 15-20 1 x 10-12 2 x 15-20 2 x 15-20 2 x 8-10

Workout 3: Quads, Hamstrings, Lower Back (Shock/Recovery) Leg extensions or nonlock old-style hack squats Squats Sissy squats Leg curls Stiff-legged deadlifts Hyperextensions (X Reps)

3 x 15-20 3 x 10-12 1 x 12-15 2 x 13-15 2 x 8-10 1 x 13-15

Workout 4: Delts, Triceps, Biceps (Shock/Recovery) Forward-lean laterals Barbell or dumbbell presses Dumbbell upright rows Incline one-arm laterals Bent-over laterals (X Reps) Bent-over laterals (X Reps) Kickbacks Dips or close-grip bench presses Lying dumbbell extensions Overhead extensions Concentration curls Dumbbell curls Incline curls Incline hammer curls Dumbbell hammer curls

2 x 13-15 2 x 8-10 1 x 8-10 1 x 10-12 1 x 13-15 1 x 8-10 2 x 13-15 2 x 8-10 1 x 8-10 1 x 10-12 2 x 13-15 1 x 8-10 1 x 10-12 1 x 13-15 1 x 8-10

Note: If you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have a leg extension machine, do oldstyle hacks, nonlock style. Use partner resistance, towel around the ankles, if you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have a leg curl machine.

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You don’t want to do any forced reps or X Reps during a recovery-oriented Shock week.

position moves. Since all of the workouts are built around Positions of Flexion training, we need to include stretch exercises as well. The problem is, stretch exercises can cause major muscle trauma, especially at the insertion of the target—think flyes and inner pecs. Despite our still calling it Shock week, we’re trying to downplay fiber microtrauma, so should we simply skip the stretchposition exercises? No, completing the full-range chain is important to get complete development of the target muscle. In standard POF protocol you do the big, midrange exercise first, the stretch-position move second and the contracted-position exercise third—for example, squats, sissy squats and

leg extensions. With modified preex, you’ve already completed the contracted- and midrange-position exercises—and created a lot of muscle fatigue, which should force you to use less weight than normal on the stretch-position exercise. Nevertheless, you should still choose a poundage that gives you higher reps, 10 to 12, to lessen the chance of causing too much fiber damage. Along those same lines, you don’t want to do any forced reps or X Reps on any of the exercises during a recovery-oriented Shock week. If you’re following our two-twoone sequence on your P/RR/S program, give our Shock-downshift week a try. You’ll be surprised at how your body responds when you let it cruise every few weeks. Editor’s note: For the latest on X Reps, X e-books and the X-Blog training and supplement journals, visit www.X-Rep.com. The latest workout e-books are shown below. IM

Unleash the New Bigger, Leaner You Quick Fat-Hacking, Muscle-Packing Weight Workouts, Minimal Cardio Required Fact: It takes you six hours of fast-paced cardio to burn one measly pound of fat. There’s a better way, courtesy of the bodybuilders of yesteryear— you’ll be frying fat 24/7. You can use weight training to speed fat transport and muscle up the fat-burning “machine” in your cells; plus, you’ll enhance the primary fat-burning hormone by more than 200 percent as you build muscle (you’ll get granite abs sooner, not later).

Give your physique that “wow” factor with fieldtested, science-based methods that will get you bigger and leaner faster; you’ll be proud to peel off your shirt at the beach, lake or pool to reveal the new bigger, leaner you. Choose the three-days-perweek Fat-to-Muscle Workout or the four-days-per-week version in this e-book; print it out, hit the gym, and get it done in about an hour.

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NATURALLY HUGE NATURALLY HUGE NATURALLY HUGE NATURALLY HUGE NATURALLY HUGE NATURALLY HUGE NATURALLY HUGE NATURALLY HUGE NATURALLY HUGE NATURALLY HUGE NATURALLY HUGE NATURALLY HU

Naturally Huge by John Hansen, Mr. Natural Olympia

Muscle-Size Workouts Q: I’m trying to get bigger. I am 20 years old, and I’ve been training since I was 15. I’ve tried many programs—many variations of splits, full-body routines and HIT. I weigh 150 to 155 pounds, and all I want are size and strength. I’m currently doing a once-a-week program. I do one set of each exercise and then rest a week. I’m doing full squats, bench presses, deadlifts, reverse barbell rows, military presses, calf raises and weighted crunches. I never skip meals, and I eat snacks between meals. Since I have a fast metabolism, I don’t really worry about calories. I don’t eat junk all day, and I try to eat clean. I haven’t seen a difference on the scale in years, and my main purpose for training is to put on mass, bulk up and gain weight. Can you help? A: I understand that you have a very fast metabolism

and it’s extremely difficult to put on any weight or muscle mass, but I think you need to increase your workload at the gym in order to get bigger. Training each bodypart only once a week and with only one set is simply not enough to get your muscles to grow. In order to hypertrophy the muscle fibers, you need to increase the volume by training each muscle group more frequently than once a week, increasing the number of exercises and of repetitions. Although you’re getting stronger, your current routine is not building bigger muscles. The main problem is that you’re doing only one set of one exercise for each major muscle group—legs, chest, back, shoulders, calves and abs. There’s no way you could possibly get enough muscle stimulation from so little work. Even if you take that one set to failure and are lifting progressively heavier weights each week, it’s still not enough to stimulate new growth. In order to make the muscles bigger, you need to tear down the muscle tissue so it can grow back bigger and stronger. The optimum number of sets for maximum growth has always been debated. I believe that the key is to use the most effective exercises with the right amounts of intensity and volume. The exercises you’re using are the basic moves and involve several major muscle groups. That means you’ll be recruiting the maximum amount of muscle tissue during your workout. You need to do more than one set of each exercise, however, and you need some additional movements. You also need the right amount of resistance to stimulate growth. Using a weight that’s too light won’t cause the muscles to grow. Using a weight that’s too heavy will build more strength in the tendons and ligaments than it will build muscle mass. I recommend using a weight that allows you to get six to eight repetitions. That will tear down the muscle fibers and build strength at the same time. Basically, it’s going to be much more difficult but more productive to do three or four sets of heavy squats for six to eight reps than it would be to do only one set of squats for six to eight reps. I also recommend that you begin using a split routine, training your body over two days, instead of a full-body workout. That will let you add more exercises and sets without overtraining. One very effective split has you training your chest, back, shoulders and abs at one workout and your legs, calves and arms at the next. You train one or two bigger muscle groups (chest, back, legs) along with two or three smaller muscle groups (shoulders, arms, calves and abs) at each workout. Stick with the basic exercises because those are the best for stimulating growth. Keep the sets moderate—three to four per exercise—and use a heavy resistance that will limit(continued your reps to to 102) eight. onsix page Keep using progressively heavier poundages each week to keep your muscles growing. As long as you hold the total sets in your workout to 25 or less, you won’t overtrain, and you’ll keep growing. Here’s a sample routine that you can use to start

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Monday: Workout 1 Tuesday: Rest Wednesday: Workout 2 Thursday: Rest Friday: Workout 1 Saturday: Rest Sunday: Rest Monday: Workout 2 And so on.

Three to four sets of six to eight reps on the big exercises is a good rule of thumb for building muscle.

After you have the workout routine in place, you need to work on your diet. For a person with a fast metabolism who’s trying to gain mass and size, diet is extremely important. You can follow the best training program in the world, but without the right nutrition program, you will make no progress. You mentioned that you don’t skip meals and don’t eat any junk food, but you didn’t go into detail about your nutrition program. In order to pack on size, you have to eat enough calories as well as the right combination of protein, carbohydrates and fats. The first step is to eat six meals each day. By eating (or drinking a protein drink) every three hours, you will be feeding the muscle cells the calories and nutrients they need to grow. If you go too long between meals, you put your body in a catabolic state and prevent your muscles from reaching their potential. The next step is to eat enough calories. How many calories you will need before your body starts to gain weight and build muscle mass is an individual thing. When I was 20 years old, I needed to increase my calories to more than 4,500 before I finally started to gain weight. Begin writing down exactly what you eat each day, listing calories, protein, carbohydrates and fats. Only by figuring out exactly what you’re eating will you know what you have to do to start making progress. You may find out that you’re not eating enough protein or enough carbs or just not enough calories. At a weight of 155 pounds, you need to eat about 200 grams of protein, 400 grams of carbs and 60 grams of fats each day. That would add up to approximately 2,940 calories. If that doesn’t do the trick, you may have to increase the calories to start making gains. Change your training program to begin stimulating more muscle growth, and then make sure you feed those muscles properly with the correct nutrition. If you keep at it and make both your workouts and your diet progressive, you should finally begin to increase your muscle mass and gain bodyweight. Neveux \ Model: Omar Deckard

NATURALLY HUGE NATURALLY HUGE NATURALLY HUGE NATURALLY HUGE NATURALLY HUGE NATURALLY HUGE NATURALLY HUGE NATURALLY HUGE NATURALLY HUGE NATURALLY HUGE NATURALLY HUGE NATURALLY HU

Naturally Huge

your mass-building program: Workout 1 Bench presses Incline dumbbell presses Wide-grip chins Barbell rows Deadlifts Seated barbell presses Upright rows Incline situps Incline knee raises Total sets: 26

4 x 10, 8, 6, 6 3 x 8, 6, 6 3 x 10, 8, 6 3 x 8, 6, 6 3 x 8, 6, 6 3 x 10, 8, 6 3 x 8, 6, 6 2 x 30-40 2 x 20-30

Workout 2 Barbell squats Leg presses Stiff-legged deadlifts Standing calf raises Seated calf raises Close-grip bench presses Dips Barbell curls Total sets: 24

4 x 10, 8, 6, 6 3 x 8, 6, 6 3 x 10, 8, 6 3 x 15, 12, 10 3 x 20, 15, 12 3 x 10, 8, 6 2 x 8, 6 3 x 8, 6, 6

Train three nonconsecutive days a week. For example, you can train on Monday, Wednesday and Friday or Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Which days you train isn’t important; just train three days a week and don’t train two days in a row. Here’s an example of how the routine would look:

Q: I’ve been pretty lazy this year and have finally decided to get off my ass and get back in shape. What would be a good program for someone coming off a long layoff? I’d prefer to work out Monday, Wednesday and Friday unless you think training four or five days a week is better. I also have a lot of fat to lose and a lot of muscle to gain. Please help! A: Start back very slowly with a full-body workout. Do only one or two exercises for each major muscle group,

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and train the whole body at diet in addition to getting each workout. That’s the best back to the gym. If you start way to get the muscles accustraining again but keep your tomed to resistance training diet the same, you probably again. won’t lose that much bodyfat Your preference for traineven though you will add ing on Monday, Wednesday muscle tissue. and Friday works perfectly If you haven’t done it alwith a full-body routine. It’s ready, you should begin eating essentially a beginner’s proat least six small meals a day gram. In addition to doing a in order to feed the muscles limited number of exercises and keep the metabolism for each muscle group, you stimulated. Have at least three also want to limit the sets and whole-food meals—breakfast, amount of resistance you use lunch and dinner—with three at each workout. Training too protein drinks throughout the heavy or pushing it too much day. Try to eat or drink a meal at this stage of the game can every 2 1/2 to three hours. lead to excessive soreness or You will also want to watch even injury. your carbohydrate intake. By Use a weight that gives eating a moderate amount you 10 to 12 reps without too of carbs, you starve the fat Full-body workouts are best much effort. If you haven’t cells while still supplying the for beginning bodybuilders. trained for a long time, albody with the energy it needs most any exercise will bring to train hard and recuperate about muscle tissue damage from your workouts. and soreness. After a week or two, your body will begin to Stick with complex carbohydrates that are low-glycemic adapt to the workouts and you can start using progressively and high in fiber. Foods such as oatmeal, sweet potatoes, heavier weights and pushing yourself a little more. brown rice, whole-grain bread and vegetables, eaten in Here are two good routines that you can use to get back moderation, will provide glycogen for your muscles withinto training. Alternate them on your three-days-a-week out making you fatter. I eat complex carbs in the morning program. and afternoon, but I limit my carbs to vegetables such as broccoli, asparagus, green beans and green peas in the Workout 1 evening. Incline situps 2-3 x 30 Taking in an easy-to-digest supplement that’s high in Incline knee raises 2-3 x 30 whey protein and simple carbohydrates immediately after Bench presses 3 x 10-12 your workout will give your muscles the nutrients they desLat pulldowns 3 x 10-12 perately need to help them grow and recover. I always take Seated dumbbell presses 3 x10-12 two scoops of Optimum Nutrition’s 2:1:1 Recovery right Lateral raises 3 x 10-12 after I finish training. Pushdowns 3 x 10-12 It’s also important to get high-quality protein throughout Standing dumbbell curls 3 x 10-12 the day. Foods such as eggs and egg whites, turkey, chicken, Leg extensions 3 x 12-15 fish and lean red meat are great choices for rebuilding Leg curls 3 x 10-12 muscle tissue. You can also use a top-of-the-line protein Dumbbell squats 3 x 10-12 supplement such as Optimum Nutrition’s Pro Complex or Dumbbell stiff-legged deadlifts 3 x 10-12 Muscle-Link’s Pro-Fusion to provide your muscles with the Standing calf raises 3 x 10-15 protein they need for growth. Start slow on your comeback and record your progress Workout 2 to stay motivated. By taking measurements and recording Hanging knee raises 2-3 x 20-30 your workouts as well as your nutrition program, you will Crunches 2-3 x 30 learn valuable information about your body that will help Leg extensions 3 x12-15 you to keep making progress as you get back in shape. Leg curls 3 x 10-12 Dumbbell lunges or leg presses 3 x 10-12 Editor’s note: John Hansen has won the Mr. Natural Hyperextensions 3 x 15-20 Olympia and is a two-time Natural Mr. Universe winner. Seated calf raises 3 x 12-15 Check out his Web site at www.NaturalOlympia.com, or Incline dumbbell presses 3 x 10-12 send questions or comments to him via e-mail at John@ One-arm dumbbell rows 3 x 10-12 NaturalOlympia.com. Look for John’s new DVD, “Natural Seated dumbbell presses 3 x10-12 Bodybuilding Seminar and Competitions,” along with his Seated laterals 3 x 10-12 book, Natural Bodybuilding, and his training DVD, “Real Lying triceps extensions 3 x 10-12 Muscle,” at his Web site or at Home Gym Warehouse, Barbell curls 3 x 10-12 www.Home-Gym.com. Listen to John’s new radio show, Natural Bodybuilding Radio, at www.NaturalBodybuilding You also mentioned that you gained a lot of fat during Radio.com. You can send written correspondence to John your extended layoff. You will really need to shape up your Hansen, P.O. Box 3003, Darien, IL 60561. IM Neveux \ Model: Spencer Neveux

NATURALLY HUGE NATURALLY HUGE NATURALLY HUGE NATURALLY HUGE NATURALLY HUGE NATURALLY HUGE NATURALLY HUGE NATURALLY HUGE NATURALLY HUGE NATURALLY HUGE NATURALLY HUGE NATURALLY HU

Naturally Huge

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by Dave Goodin

Contest Cuts Q: I met you last fall at the NPC Natural Crystal Cup in Anchorage, Alaska. As I prepare for three shows, I have been trying to find info on water. I want to compete hydrated, but it seems like it’s all a secret. Do you compete hydrated or do you cut water? I’m a drug-free 44-year-old female firefighter and try to do this for my health. The water-cutting thing messes my body up, and I always look worse onstage when I do it. I always look full in the gym. I weigh 147 pounds now—it’s the off-season—and I’m at 10 percent bodyfat. I’ve packed on a few pounds of muscle, but burning bodyfat naturally seems slow; I see other competitors drop bodyfat like the wind—of course, many of them are 20 years younger than I. How much cardio do you do? If I’m not 4 or 5 percent bodyfat, will the hydration technique work for me? How do I cycle carbs? I’m keeping my sodium around 1,000 now. A: Those are great questions. I’ve written about the de-

Neveux \ Model: Dave Goodin

SHREDDED MUSCLE SHREDDED MUSCLE SHREDDED MUSCLE SHREDDED MUSCLE SHREDDED MUSCLE SHREDDED MUSCLE SHREDDED MUSCLE SHREDDED MUSCLE SHREDDED MUSCLE SHREDDED MUSCLE SHREDDED MUSC

Shredded Muscle hydration issue previously, but with a lot of people getting ready for the 2009 physique season, I’ve been asked about it quite often in the past few weeks. No, I do not dehydrate myself for competition. In fact, as a drug-free bodybuilder I want to be as hydrated as possible on contest day. On the day before a show I drink 1.5 to two gallons of distilled water. On the day of the show I keep water with me all the time and drink whenever I’m thirsty. The whole idea of dehydrating for competition came from bodybuilders who use exogenous testosterone or other anabolic steroids, which cause edema, or water retention. They typically use a prescription diuretic to lose the excess water caused by the use of androgens. If drugfree competitors dehydrate themselves, they lose muscle cell volume and blood volume. Muscle tissue is almost 75 percent water. Blood is about 83 percent water. Bodyfat is only about 25 percent water. If you dehydrate yourself for a contest, you’ll end up smaller, flat and less vascular, and you may have difficulty getting a pump. It sounds as if you’ve seen that happen. As a drug-free bodybuilder you want to have as much fluid in your muscle cells and in your blood as possible. When your muscle cells are fully hydrated, they’re larger, giving your physique a much fuller appearance. Your skin is also stretched more tightly, which makes you look harder. With maximum hydration of your blood volume, your vascularity will be more pronounced and your pump more dramatic. Isn’t that what every bodybuilder wants when he or she steps onstage—or even at the beach or pool? What you don’t want is water retention, which makes you look softer. Among the things that cause water retention is taking in something that’s high in sodium. Many bodybuilders compound the problem by following a verylow-sodium diet for weeks or months in preparation for a contest. That will make your body more sodium sensitive, which causes you to retain even more water whenever you inadvertently eat or drink something high in sodium. I normally put some salt on my food on a daily basis, and I cut back on salt only the day before a contest. Another thing that can cause fluid retention is allergies. They can range from airborne allergies to mild food allergies. Either can cause you to retain water under your skin. I’m very allergic to a lot of airborne stuff and had to take weekly allergy shots when I was a kid. Just to be on the safe side, I take a mild antihistamine like Claritin the evening before a show and again on the morning of the show. When it comes to mild food allergies, you either have to go to a specialist and be tested or pay close attention to the way your body looks after you’ve eaten certain foods. For example, early in my bodybuilding career I read that a very large percentage of Americans have a slight food allergy to wheat products. I started cutting grain products out of my diet the week before a contest, and I was able to step onstage with a much harder appearance. I learned that I’m most allergic to corn. The third thing that can cause fluid retention is overcar-

Live like a champion every day; train like a champion every workout.

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bing. That happens most often when physique athletes try to carb deplete, then carb load. I abandoned that practice many years ago. I found that I lost too much fullness during the carbdepletion phase, and if I ate enough carbs during the loading phase to regain it, I also ended up retaining excess water. What works best for me is cutting my carbohydrate intake by 10 to 15 percent the week before a show. Since I’m also tapering back my workout volume and intensity the last few days, that enables me to maintain my muscle glycogen stores, giving my muscles a full appearance and stretching my skin very tightly. While many studies have shown that supercompensation of glycogen stores does occur after glycogen depletion followed by a loading phase, they were typically done with endurance athletes, who don’t have to worry about a little softening of their appearance on race day. I often see bodybuilders sitting backstage feverishly shoveling rice, sweet potatoes or dried fruit into their mouths before prejudging in an effort to “fill out.” In my estimation that’s way too late. It puts bulk into your GI tract and can easily cause bloating in the midsection. I want my waist to be as small as possible when I step onstage. So on contest day I get up very early and have a breakfast of three scrambled eggs and a small cup of fruit. After that I try not to eat anything else before I start pumping up to go onstage—assuming prejudging is in the morning. Once I start pumping up, I have one or two packets of Power Gel to keep my blood sugar up for the rigors of pumping up and posing. Again, I always keep water with me and drink whenever I’m thirsty. Now, regarding your observation that it seems to be harder for natural bodybuilders to lose bodyfat, that’s true. Being a drug-free bodybuilder is definitely more difficult, and it takes much more patience. A bodybuilder who’s using drugs can cut calories much more dramatically during precontest dieting and not have to worry about losing muscle. Many people who are willing to use bodybuilding drugs also use clenbuterol or thyroid medications to speed fat loss. The thing to remember is that what someone else does in his or her contest preparation has no effect on you. You control how you prepare. It’s just a fact of natural bodybuilding life that you won’t be able to put on muscle or lose bodyfat as fast as someone who chooses to use the drugs. You just can’t worry about that. You have to focus on

being consistent and doing everything right. Your goal for each show should be to improve your physique. If you derive your satisfaction from improving and being the best that you can be, you’ll never be unhappy with your results as long as you’ve done everything you could possibly do to fully prepare. How much cardio do I do? As little as possible. I don’t enjoy cardio. In 26 years of preparing for shows, however, there’s been only one year that I didn’t have to do it. How much you need is something unique to you and your circumstances. I always tell my athletes to do as little as they can get away with while still losing bodyfat at the rate they need to lose it. Several male clients of mine have gotten into ripped condition without doing any cardio whatsoever. I’ve never had a female competitor who didn’t have to do it. I like to plan for at least one week of precontest diet and training for every pound of bodyfat I need to lose. When I start my precontest diet, I also start doing 20 to 30 minutes of cardio first thing every morning. I remember in 1987 I lost too much weight in the first two weeks. I stopped doing cardio and was able to get shredded without it during my contest training. In no other year has that been the case. When I hit a fat-loss plateau, I add another 20-to-30-minute session in the evening after I finish work. There have been years when I’ve gotten into fantastic shape doing just 30 minutes per day. In years when my metabolism was crawling, due to too much dieting and injuries, I sometimes did as much as 2 1//2 hours per day. So there’s no way to tell you exactly how much cardio to do. Start off at 20 to 30 minutes per day. Do it seven days per week to stimulate your metabolism. Increase it only as much as necessary to keep the fat coming off. Keep doing cardio right up to contest day. By that time your body is very conditioned to it. I’ve had friends who cut out their cardio the week before the show and ended up losing hardness while not getting any fuller. Good luck with your contest prep for 2009. I agree with you: Bodybuilding should be about being healthy. Live like a champion every day; train like a champion every workout. Editor’s note: See Dave Goodin’s new blog at www.IronManMagazine .com. Click on the blogs selection in the top menu bar. To contact Dave directly, send e-mail to TXShredder@ aol.com. IM

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CRITICAL MASS CRITICAL MASS CRITICAL MASS CRITICAL MASS CRITICAL MASS CRITICAL MASS CRITICAL MASS CRITICAL MASS CRITICAL MASS CRITICAL MASS CRITICAL MASS CRITICAL MASS CRITICAL MASS CRITICAL M

Critical Mass by Steve Holman

Arms: Train More to Gain More?

Q: I’m a hardgainer, so I’ve been using your [version of Eric Broser’s] Power/Rep Range/Shock program [listed in the e-book 3D Muscle Building]. I’m making great gains in size and strength everywhere except for my arms. Do you think I need to specialize on my biceps and triceps? I really want big arms as soon as possible. A: You say you’re a hardgainer, so you may be overtraining your arms on that program. While you use a different training protocol each week—low reps on Power week, a variety of rep ranges on Rep Range week, and drop sets and other intensity tactics on Shock week—the training split is the same every week. You train each bodypart once every seven days: Monday: Chest, calves, abs Tuesday: Back, forearms Thursday: Quads, hamstrings, lower back Friday: Delts, triceps, biceps While it appears that everything gets hit only once, your

arms are getting more work. Your triceps get extra stress on Monday during your pressing work for chest, and your biceps get hit on Tuesday with the pulling and rowing work for lats and midback. Your tri’s even get hit during some back exercises as well, like pullovers, the stretch-position move for lats, which activate the triceps’ long heads. There are a few good solutions you can try, like reducing your set totals to about four for biceps and four for triceps. Or, as you work triceps and biceps with compound exercises on chest and back days, on arm day, Friday, only use stretch- and contracted-position exercises, as they are more isolated. For example, for triceps you’d do the last two exercises of the three-exercise Positions-of-Flexion sequence, overhead extensions (stretch) and pushdowns (contracted). For biceps you’d do incline curls (stretch) and concentration curls (contracted). Whichever solution you choose, you must give it a fair trial of about four weeks before you move to something new—you must be patient in order for visible growth to take place. Now, for one more off-the-wall solution... Jonathan, my training partner, and I are using a program

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Neveux \ Model: Chris Jalali

similar to the Ultimate Fat-to-Muscle Workout, which follows the same split as above, and we noticed arm soreness lingering till Thursday and sometimes Friday. The workout included some negative-accentuated sets, which cause extra muscle damage not just in the primary bodypart but also in the secondary ones, like biceps on pulldowns. While the microtrauma can boost fat burning during the recovery process, we started thinking that perhaps our arms weren’t recovering, much less growing. We decided that on Friday we would perform only the big, midrange move for triceps and biceps, but we’d use the 10-sets-of-10 technique, which Ron Harris reminded us about in an item that appeared in a recent IRON MAN. “Whoa,” you may be thinking, “10 sets? That’s more than you normally do, plus it’s midrange work, which is the most taxing of the three Positionof-Flexion exercises.” True, it’s the most taxing exercise, but with the 10x10 tactic, you use the same weight on all sets—one that you could get about 20 reps with—and you rest only about 30 seconds between sets. In other words, it feels light—at first. Getting 10 reps on your first four or five sets is fairly easy—more like warmup sets. At around set six or so, things start heating up, and by sets nine and 10, reaching 10 reps is pretty brutal, but the burn and pump are incredible. The 10x10 tactic is a great way to speed into the growth zone without having to use extreme poundages. For example, we use only bodyweight on dips for triceps and do cable curls for biceps. While Jonathan outran the stack on cable curls doing them the standard way, with the 10x10 method he’s using about 50 pounds off the stack. Even with lighter weights 10x10 appears to be an incredible mass technique.

The 10x10 method is easy on the first few sets and then brutally hard on the last ones. It’s a quick shock tactic that can build loads of new mass. Q: From all I’ve read and experienced, losing bodyfat is all about reducing calories. If you take in fewer calories than you burn every day, you lose weight. If you take in more calories than you burn, you gain weight. To me that means The Ultimate Fat-to-Muscle Workout has to require reduced calories or it can’t work. But then there’s nothing left to build muscle. Comments?

Neveux

A: Your energy equation is exactly why that program works. It can create a fat-burning calorie deficit but not by forcing you to run extra miles every day; it stokes your metabolism so you use more energy, or fat, even at rest. One way The Ultimate Fat-to-Muscle Workout does that is through muscle damage. At each workout you create microtears in a number of muscle structures. The repair process takes days—and it also requires a lot of energy that comes from bodyfat. So you’re burning fat even when you’re not doing anything. Nice! Think of the way a car burns gasoline. If you drive 60 miles per hour on the freeway, your car burns a certain amount of gas. Around 60 miles per hour is considered an efficient highway speed for optimal fuel use. If you push the engine by driving 75 or 80, your gas mileage goes down—your car burns more fuel per mile than at the slower speed. By revving the engine, you’ve essentially acceler-

Creating a calorie deficit is key to losing bodyfat. Inflicting some muscle trauma in the gym can help by boosting your metabolism so your energy expenditure is higher during the muscle-repair process. www.ironmanmagazine.com \ MAY 2009 105

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At the end of a negative-accentuated set, your partner can help you with a few pure negatives to amplify intensity. seconds to lower on each rep, you should automatically lose bodyfat—that is, as long as your calories and activity stay the same. And if you get enough protein at regular intervals, you will build a lot of muscle at the same time.

Neveux \ Models: Lee Apperson and Lee Apperson Jr.

CRITICAL MASS CRITICAL MASS CRITICAL MASS CRITICAL MASS CRITICAL MASS CRITICAL MASS CRITICAL MASS CRITICAL MASS CRITICAL MASS CRITICAL MASS CRITICAL MASS CRITICAL MASS CRITICAL MASS CRITICAL M

Critical Mass

ated the car’s “metabolism,” or fuel use. That’s what happens when you create the right amount of muscle trauma in the gym with your weight workouts— your metabolism revs up so your body burns more fuel. Your metabolic engine runs faster as it repairs the damage. Scientists have found that the negative, or lowering, stroke of each repetition during a weight workout produces the most damage, so slowing down that part of the rep can create more trauma for a fat-to-muscle effect. Research shows that the muscle-repair process uses a lot of bodyfat, so if you’re getting enough complete protein regularly so that amino acids are present to build muscle tissue, you burn fat and build muscle simultaneously, the ideal body-transformation scenario. Of course, metabolism can also work in the opposite direction. Say you get the notion that since taking in fewer calories will make you burn more fat, you’re going to go for broke and only eat one meal a day. Bad idea. Now your body senses famine, or starvation. Your metabolism slows to a crawl, burning fewer calories, but that’s not the worst part. During all those consecutive hours that your body doesn’t have food, it hoards bodyfat and jettisons a more expendable tissue—muscle. Yikes! That’s right, you burn muscle for energy—and with less muscle your metabolism slows even further. Double yikes! That’s the reason you should eat a small meal every two to three hours, and those meals should be protein dominant. Bonus: Protein actually takes more energy to digest and assimilate than carbs or fat; that’s another key fat-tomuscle principle. So if your bodyweight is constant and you do nothing but start using some negative-accentuated sets, taking six

Q: I’ve been doing one negative-accentuated set for each bodypart for a few months, ever since you introduced them, and I’ve gotten spectacular progress. My muscle size has increased along with strength and muscle cuts, but my results have started to slow down. Should I add another negative-accentuated set so I’m doing two for each bodypart?

A: Adding a second negative-accentuated set is a big jump because you increase volume and intensity at the same time. A better solution is to use heavier weights on your negative-accentuated sets, so you get about five reps on your own, raising for 1.5 seconds and lowering for six seconds on each. At failure have your partner lift the weight for you, and continue to lower slowly for another two to three pure-negative reps. For example, on incline presses drive the weight up on your own, taking about 1.5 seconds, then lower slowly for six seconds. The weight should be heavy enough that you get five reps but can’t drive up the sixth. At that point your partner should lift the weight for you—not a forced rep; he should do most of the work to get the weight up—then you lower for six seconds. You should get two or three of those partner-assisted negative-accentuated reps. The end-of-set pure negatives should give you a good intensity uptick, enough to create a bit more muscle microtrauma and kick-start new fat-to-muscle gains, but not so much that you nosedive into no-gaining overtraining.

Editor’s note: Steve Holman is the author of many bodybuilding best-sellers and the creator of Positionsof-Flexion muscle training. For information on the POF videos and Size Surge programs, see the ad sections beginning on page 186 and 280, respectively. Also visit www.X-Rep.com for information on X-Rep and 3D POF methods and e-books. IM

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Opener: Massive bodybuilder Other photos: Lee Haney; Fill with intense training shots.

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A Bodybuilder

Is Born Episode 46

The ONE True Way to Gain MASS by Ron Harris Photography by Michael Neveux

Model: Hidetada Yamagishi

merica has become a nation of neurotics—obsessed that we’re missing out on something. We gnaw our nails worrying that whatever we have isn’t good enough. Madison Avenue takes full advantage of that, constantly trying to sell us “new and improved” versions of everything from laundry detergent to deodorant. And don’t get me started on razor blades. (Well, maybe just a little rant.) Every year we’re treated to the latest groundbreaking advance in shaving technology—which always seems to be nothing more than the addition of one more blade. Our poor forefathers had to suffer the indignities of the barbaric straight razor, which we are led to believe was just as likely to decapitate you as shave your stubble. Now we have the Ultra Mach V Sensor Blade System, with six space-age miniature blades plus a seventh that actually travels back in time eight hours to seek and destroy hair follicles before they even have a chance to grow. This nagging suspicion that we have somehow settled for less than what we deserve is probably partly responsible for the United States’ horrific divorce rate. It doesn’t mat-

ter how attractive, compassionate, sweet and devoted our spouse is— you can never be certain that there isn’t someone out there even better. Heck, you can put your profile on Match.com and MySpace—using deceivingly complimentary photos and exaggerating your income by about 300 percent—and you’re sure to have a few dozen potential dates lined up lickety-split. You just need to know that they are all like you: Nobody’s ever going to be good enough for them, you included. Not to shock you, but that even leaks over into our little world of bodybuilding. Randy and I were discussing it at the juice bar last week. Randy was sipping one of their overpriced concoctions, which goes by some silly name like Mass Blast, while I was having my postworkout mix of whey protein, waxy maize and Gatorade, five grams of creatine monohydrate and 10 grams of good old L-glutamine. (Technically, outside food or drink is not allowed within the confines of the gym, as it would cut into juice bar sales. Just to keep the staff off my back, I drop a dollar into the tip jar every now and then.) Randy was doing better since the last time we’d spoken. His mom was responding well to chemotherapy, and his brother was out of rehab and staying clean—for now. Just

to be cautious, their dad had purchased a bedroom safe, where all jewelry and cash were stowed, in case Junior slipped and went on another at-home crime spree to raise cash to buy more OxyContin. Randy had a padlock on his door now too. Randy and I were training together a lot more often because he was temporarily collecting unemployment benefits while preparing to become certified as a personal trainer. Our gym had a handful of trainers, but they were all older women. I knew that as soon as Randy started passing out his business card to the desperate housewives in the gym, they’d be knocking down his door for the privilege of paying him to guide them through workouts. After all, he’s a young, good-looking guy with muscles, well-groomed and clean, so why not capitalize on it? It was either that or Chippendales, and Randy couldn’t dance to save his life. Plus, he was afraid to wax his ass hair. Randy has always read the bodybuilding magazines and has spent time online gathering information on the various theories about training and nutrition, but now that he was on the verge of training clients for a living, he’d been absorbed in research. Rather than being enlightened by what he read, however, he was overwhelmed and confused. www.ironmanmagazine.com \ MAY 2009 113

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“There are so many different hundreds of bodybuilders over training styles that all claim to be the years, and they all had their the best,” he said. “Volume training, own ways of training. A lot of those Heavy Duty, X Reps, Doggcrapp—so methods were almost directly the many. Then you hear three sets is opposite of others. Yet all the bodybest for an exercise, or four, and builders had great physiques. How some people insist that one set is is that possible? For example, how all you need and anything else is can both low-volume and high-volovertraining.” Randy was getting ume work produce results?” flustered. “Just do basic exercises, Randy pondered it and said, “Giftmake sure you include isolation ed genetics and tons of drugs?” I movements, high reps, low reps, fast resisted the urge to smack the young reps, slow reps, full-range, partial upstart for his stock reply. range—yaaargh!” “No! A lot of the guys I’m talking His last strangled cry of frustraabout were natural bodybuilders, tion drew a concerned look from the so you can rule that out right now. front-desk girl, who also made the And if they all had gifted genetics, shakes at the juice bar. why wouldn’t one method have “Is it okay?” she asked. “I put a stood out as the One True Way. That couple extra scoops of whey protein one best way to train would have in there.” produced much better results than “It’s fine,” he assured her, then anything else, and we would all be turned to me. “That’s why I don’t doing it now. The only one true way, need to bring my own shakes, ’cuz I the only way to put muscle on, is to got it like that.” train hard.” “Yeah, well, with my luck, she’d Randy stared at me. “Train hard— give me four scoops of sawdust and that’s it? That’s all you can come up a few dust bunnies. Maybe a few with?” He clearly felt I was holding grams of toenail clippings, if she out on him. “Go to any crowded gym and look was feeling generous. That would around, and you’ll see that it’s true. be sure to kick-start the recovery You’ll invariably see a lot of regular process.” Randy held out his shake, people with very regular bodies, looked at it and frowned. nothing special at all. You might be He was still frowning when we able to tell that they work out, but finally finished our shakes and headed out to the parking lot. “As Lee Haney used to say, intensity “Seriously, Ron, there are so many builds immensity. It’s that simple.” different ways to train. How can you know which one is right?” “Easy,” I said. “They all are.” “What?” He gave me an odd look. “You sure you didn’t have grain alcohol or liquid morphine in your shake?” Our cars were parked side by side, and we leaned against them. It was one of the first really nice spring days, and we were both glad to feel the warm sun at last. “I have known

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Balik

Episode 46

Episode 46 it’s doubtful. Most of them aren’t totally out of shape, but neither are they the types of bodies the gym would want on its billboards. “You’ll also see a few really wellbuilt men and women, maybe three or four out of 50 to 100 people on a gym floor. What sets them apart from the rest? They train a lot harder. That’s it! Of course, you can also assume that they’re a lot more consistent with their training and that they feed their bodies with tons of good food and quality supplements to support recovery and growth, but watch them train. “In contrast to what the others are doing, they put out more effort. They challenge themselves. They don’t quit a set until the weight won’t move anymore. They try to

use more weight—or try to get more reps and go for a deeper burn—and they aim for the most extreme muscle pump possible. They don’t shy away from free weights and tough basic exercises like squats, deadlifts, bench presses, military presses, barbell rows and dips. The rest of the schmucks in the gym just go through the motions, using weights that are comfortable, often using mostly machines, and generally putting out just enough effort to be able to say that they ‘work out.’ Haven’t you seen plenty of that?” “Yeah,” Randy said, thinking. “I mean, when we grunt doing heavy squats or our faces get red grinding out another rep of presses, people look at us like we’re out of our

Model: Skip LaCoure

“The only one true way, the only way to put muscle on, is to train hard.”

minds. They shake their heads like they don’t approve.” “Meanwhile,” I continued, “what do we look like compared to them, and what’s the main reason why? We train hard, and they don’t. As Lee Haney used to say, intensity builds immensity. It’s that simple. So stop worrying about the perfect way to train. As long as you train hard, pay attention to recovery and get enough sleep, plenty of good food and basic supplements, you’ll grow. Simple as that. Hey, before I forget, how was that date with Britney, the hip-hop cardio instructor?” Randy smiled, and I was expecting an X-rated account of the date, or at least a PG-13 with strong sexual suggestions. “We went clubbing, and she had the hottest outfit on. She’s awesome, so cool to talk to and a body that doesn’t quit. We really hit it off.” “So when are you seeing her again?” “Oh, well, I’m holding off on that for now, because I met another girl while I was waiting for Britney outside the ladies room and got her number. I’m supposed to hook up with her this weekend.” I shook my head. The next generation is going to have a rough time of it, seeing that nothing is ever going to be good enough for them. But that’s okay. Eventually, they’ll figure out that the grass on the other side isn’t really greener. It just looks that way until you get closer. The same goes for training: You can’t be constantly worrying that you aren’t following the absolute best methods. If you do, you lose faith in what you’re doing, and you lose sight of what’s really important for getting big—busting your ass in the gym with loads of heavy iron and then feeding your body with loads of good food. It may not be too enticing to those who need a steady fix of “new and improved” things to feel good about their lives, but it’s the real secret to building muscle. Editor’s note: Ron Harris is the author of Real Bodybuilding, available at RonHarrisMuscle.com. IM

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Proof Before Promises

Nutrition Scientist Anthony Almada Talks Supplementation, Building Muscle and Losing Bodyfat by Jerry Brainum Photography by Michael Neveux

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n September 1992 Anthony Almada was doing his customary search of the recent medical literature at the University of California, San Francisco, Medical Library when he came across a study that immediately aroused his interest. Almada had studied under legendary scientists and researchers Lester Packer and George Brooks at the University of California, Berkeley, where he’d observed the depletion of ATP and creatine phosphate in working muscle. He was intrigued when he saw that the new study reported on the effects of creatine as an ergogenic aid to athletes. Finding it that day led him to start a revolution in sports nutrition that continues to this day. Almada, who holds degrees in physiology and nutritional biochemistry, had been working in the supplement industry since 1975, specializing in product development. In 1989 he identified and introduced vanadyl sulfate to the nutrition industry, and in 1991 he introduced the first “fat-burning” supplement to use the word thermogenic. Almada contacted a former associate named Ed Byrd and discussed the possibility of marketing creatine. The two had previously supplied raw nutrient materials to food supplement companies and tried to offer creatine, at the time a rare and expensive product, to them. All the companies rejected creatine because it was not well known at the time. Almada and Byrd started their own company, initially named California Body Club and later Experimental and Applied Sciences,

a.k.a. EAS. The first product Almada designed was a creatine compound called Phosphagen. In keeping with Almada’s science background, EAS set a standard of proof by sponsoring two studies during the first year of business, made possible by sales of $6 million. Not long after the company was formed, Almada offered to sell Bill Phillips creatine, but Phillips didn’t seem too interested. In June 1994, however, Phillips joined EAS, and the company was moved from California to Phillips’ home state of Colorado in 1995. In April of that year Phillips offered to buy EAS for $1 million, despite the company profits of $40 million. By October, however, Almada no longer wanted to make the weekly trek from California to EAS headquarters in Colorado, so he sold out to Phillips. While at EAS, Almada created the “cell volumizer” concept, pioneered the use of taurine in dietary supplements and created the first lowcalorie weight gain/lean mass supplement—Phosphagain. After leaving EAS, he founded a medical food company that produced a product used to offset HIV-induced wasting. Almada has been an active researcher in more than 50 published studies, many of which examined the effects of popular dietary supplements. Currently, he is a founding partner in GENr8, which produces a product called Vitargo SG. Clearly he’s qualified to discuss performance and sports nutrition, so let’s get to it. JB: One of the reasons you opted to sell EAS to Bill Phillips

was your growing disenchantment with the supplement industry. Has that opinion changed over the years? AA: I’m an outspoken critic of the industry because most of the major supplement companies have the funds to sponsor research yet don’t. The first question is, Why don’t they support such research? Some companies do sponsor research, but the findings are never made public, often because the studies found no beneficial effects associated with the tested products. The current trend is to have studies done by independent sources, where the results can be tightly controlled and not released if the findings aren’t favorable. In contrast, studies done by university labs aren’t subject to such stringent gag orders. Another relevant question is, How many companies are owned by people trained in nutrition science? If you look at pharmaceutical comwww.ironmanmagazine.com \ MAY 2009 123

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Almada panies, many are run by people who hold science doctorates or medical degrees. JB: Are medical doctors good sources of information about nutrition? AA: Medical doctors are among the worst sources of information relevant to nutrition. The medical-school curriculum offers nutrition as an elective, or voluntary, course, and most med students feel they are already overburdened with the study of traditional medical courses, so few future doctors have even the minimal training in nutrition science. Registered dietitians are also often considered a good source of nutrition information, but this, too, isn’t true. While RDs are experts at designing diets, their knowledge of supplements is surprisingly minor. In fact, they are indoctrinated during their training to believe that all required nutrients should be obtained solely through food, thus making any supplements superfluous and even dangerous in some instances. You’ll even find that most people in the sports supplement industry who have advanced degrees, such as doctorates, have them in physiology, not nutrition. JB: What’s your general philosophy in designing nutritional supplements? AA: My philosophy is to create products that work and foster persistent consumer confidence, which leads to lasting brand allegiance. That creates a consumer base that is

“People don’t discard products that work.”

Eating small, frequent protein meals won’t produce any greater muscle gains if you exceed the amount of protein your body can use for muscle protein synthesis.

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Studies that measured biological values of various protein sources didn’t involve any subjects engaged in resistance training.

loyal to the particular product, not only because the product is based on science rather than speculation, but also because the product consistently works. Consumers often switch to other products, or search for the next “miracle” product, because past products simply have not produced the promised gains in muscle size, strength or bodyfat loss. It’s comparable to a marriage: If you’re fulfilled and satisfied with your current partner, you have no desire to seek a replacement. JB: Many sports supplements don’t list specific amounts of contents on their labels, instead listing nonspecific amounts of nutrients as “proprietary formulas.” Is that ethical or, more important, honest? AA: Consumers often evaluate products based entirely on the

label chemistry. Listing a bunch of exotic-sounding ingredients tends to obscure the fact that many such ingredients have no science behind them. To the unwary customer, though, they look impressive. The Food and Drug Administration permits the labeling of nonspecific amounts of substances that don’t have established dietary value, so the practice is legal. The only FDA requirement is to list the ingredients in descending order of content. So the first listed ingredient comprises 99.9 percent of the product, with the remaining ingredients representing about 00.1 percent of the total ingredients. The more relevant question is not what’s in the product but what the product will do for me. Another question to consider is, How many products have I purchased over the last decade that I no longer use? If the products matched their advertising claims, users would be getting exceptional results. Are they? JB: Can the placebo effect play a role in results obtained from any particular food supplement? AA: It can play a role in the popularity of many supplements, but it’s also short-lived, in contrast to a true biological effect, which consistently lasts. Again, how many products are used year after year by most people? People don’t discard products that work. New products are constantly being introduced to replace prod-

ucts that have fallen out of popularity, mainly because they don’t produce consistent results. JB: Are there any effective fatburning supplements? AA: People don’t buy fat-burning supplements to “burn” fat; they buy them to lose fat. Then the question arises: Who cares if I’m burning fat, if I’m not actually losing fat? It’s analogous to testosterone. Who cares if my testosterone level rises if I don’t get bigger, stronger or both? People tend to get lost in the mechanism rather than the result. Unfortunately, most of the present ingredients touted as fatburners have little or no effect in stimulating fat loss in humans. One current popular weight-loss herb, hoodia, has zero published science to support it. A major problem with botanicals, or plant-based products, is that the contents can vary enormously from batch to batch, even if the herb is supposed to contain the same level of active ingredients in each tablet or capsule. That explains the varying results of studies involving botanicals. JB: What’s the truth about protein requirements for bodybuilders? AA: Again, you have to look at studies that directly examined the fate of dietary protein in an exercising population. Most bodybuilders, aware of the need for a high protein intake, take in some form of protein about every two to three hours. As a result, bodybuilders get a significant amount of protein from food sources alone. The consensus of studies that have examined protein needs for bodybuilders shows that taking in more than 1.5 grams of protein per kilogram of bodyweight leads to no added muscle or strength gains. In one study that I was involved in, we compared a popular mealreplacement product with maltodextrin, a carbohydrate source, and found that both supplements

Listing a bunch of exotic-sounding ingredients tends to obscure the fact that many such ingredients have no science behind them. To the unwary customer, though, they look impressive. Free download from imbodybuilding.com

Almada “Some studies show that soy is as good as whey, meat is as good as whey, and so on. I would say that the primary issues regarding protein intake are palatability and convenience. Soy protein is often said to lower testosterone counts. Yet if that’s true, how do you explain the other studies that show equal muscle gains when soy is compared to whey?” produced the same muscle and strength gains in trained football players. People tend to underestimate the amount of protein they are getting from ordinary foods. If you already take in the optimal amount of protein, taking anything above that will not further boost muscle gains. People are indoctrinated to believe that they must eat massive amounts of protein or lose muscle size. JB: Can too much protein make you fat and damage your kidneys? AA: You have to view protein as a source of calories. Current studies

show that taking in more than 30 grams of protein at a time produces no added benefits. While protein can take various metabolic routes in

the body, the more protein you have above actual requirements, the less protein is used for building muscle. Eating small, frequent protein meals won’t produce any greater muscle gains if you exceed the amount of protein your body can use for muscle protein synthesis. JB: Are some sources of protein superior to others? AA: Some studies show that soy is as good as whey, meat is as good as whey, and so on. I would say that the primary issues regarding protein intake are palatability and convenience. Soy protein is often said to lower testosterone counts. Yet if that’s true, how do you explain the other studies that show equal muscle gains when soy is compared to whey? JB: What about the studies showing that whey has the highest biological value of any protein source? AA: Studies that measured biological values of various protein sources didn’t involve any subjects engaged in resistance training. Again, it’s a matter of what appears on paper compared to what happens in real life. Editor’s note: Next month Almada discusses branched-chain amino acids, creatine, fat intake, low-carb diets and Vitargo. IM

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Moe Muscles A Vastly Improved Moe El Moussawi Continues Moving Up the Pro Ladder by Lonnie Teper Photography by Michael Neveux

t’s a dark, rainy Friday the 13th, but there’s only good luck following Moe El Moussawi as he enters Gold’s Gym, Pasadena, for a scheduled 1 p.m. appointment with yours truly. Three weeks earlier El Moussawi had finished second at the IRON MAN Pro to qualify for the ’09 Mr. Olympia; in another 21 days he’d be making his second straight appearance on the Arnold Classic stage. In case you hadn’t noticed, he’s gracing this month’s cover, along with Figure Olympia champion Jennifer Gates, and now he’s about to speak into my tape recorder for his first in-depth interview. He’s married to a lovely lady, Johanna, and is a devoted father of two girls, Meriam, five, and Reyhana, 18 months. Things are bright for one of bodybuilding’s latest stars. LT: After you won the Cal in 2000, you begged me to let you compete in my Cal Collegiates contest [now the Junior Cal] so you could get some publicity. Now I’m doing a cover story on you. Life is good. ME: [Laughs] Yes, it’s still hard to believe. LT: You used to live in Monterey Park, California, but moved to New Zealand in 2002. Why the drastic relocation? ME: A Kiwi friend of mine was in the World Wrestling Federation and was the World’s Strongest Man at one time—Paul Kingi. He convinced me to go to New Zealand for a vaca-

tion. I asked my wife about it, we took him up on his offer, really liked it and decided to make the move. We live in Auckland, and I now consider myself a Kiwi. LT: You turned pro by winning the Mediterranean Championships in 2004 but finished only 14th at the ’06—your pro debut—and ’07 IRON MAN Pro shows. It seemed you were going to be a mediocre pro, but in 2008 you became the biggest surprise of the contest with a shocking third-place finish. How did the amazing transformation come about? ME: I was too stuck on size, size, size, thinking I had to be bigger to stand next to the other pros. Every time I looked at myself, I thought I was too small to be successful on the pro level. I weighed around 244 [at 5’9”] the first two times I did the IRON MAN. When Mark Dugdale took second in 2007 to Toney Freeman, though, I looked at Dugdale, who was only 205 pounds, and he was hard as a rock. He looked much bigger than he actually was. He taught me a lesson without my even talking to him. When I left the contest, I had only one thing in mind—I had to have a Dugdale look if I ever wanted to be a contender as a professional. Not necessarily Mark’s physique but that look—a hard look. LT: Did you change your training methods, your nutrition or both?

ME: Both. I incorporated a lot of supersets and drop sets into my workouts; I cleaned up my nutrition in the off-season, which I hadn’t done before. When I started dieting for the ’08 IRON MAN, I was already lean. LT: What did you weigh when the dieting began? ME: I don’t know. One thing I didn’t do was step on a scale. When you weighed me at the press conference [the day before the contest, fully clothed], I was 239. I had no idea what the scale would say; when I got onstage at the prejudging, I was 231. A man who supported me a great deal and who passed away last year, Joe Valdez, always told me not to look at a scale. Look at a mirror; that’s your best friend. I said to myself in preparing for the show, “If I don’t have that Dugdale sharpness, I’m not stepping on that stage.” LT: The previous two years I didn’t get to call out your name when we trimmed down to the top 10. How did it feel when you heard me announce you as the third-place finisher? ME: I can’t express my feelings at that moment. The first thing I thought was, “Wow, I’m going to be in the Mr. Olympia!” That was my dream when I first started bodybuilding almost 20 years ago [El Moussawi turned 34 in March]. Then I found out shortly after the show I’d been given a special invitation to compete in the Arnold www.ironmanmagazine.com \ MAY 2009 131

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El Moussawi Classic two weeks later. What had seemed almost impossible was now a reality. I learned a big lesson: You have to keep working hard to get what you want. LT: You placed 11th at the Arnold, then bounced back at the Australia event to finish third behind Dexter Jackson and Melvin Anthony. You defeated Toney Freeman twice in a month along the way [Freeman was seventh at the IM]. Then you proved you were here to stay with a ninth-place finish at the Olympia. You also earned the “Most Improved” award in my News & Views column, where I hand out yearly honors. ME: I tried to carry the same mentality into my preparation for the Olympia, but I did have my ups and downs along the way. It was really tough with the change of weather; it was very cold in New Zealand and extremely hot in Las Vegas, and my fluid balance was off. I was really happy to place ninth, but I could have done better. LT: When did you finally take time to sit back and smell the roses because you’re recognized as one of the best bodybuilders in the world at last? ME: It wasn’t about smelling the roses—it was time to get back to my office in New Zealand [Moe runs the supplement company Extreme Nutrition, based in Auckland, which includes 12 stores. The warehouse is appropriately titled Moes Muscles]. That’s when it finally hit me. People were coming up to me all day long, offering their congratulations. Then it became real. LT: For a guy who was frustrated by a lack of publicity, you’ve also come a long way. This is your second Michael Neveux cover. ME: When I got a call to shoot my first cover a couple of years ago, I couldn’t believe it. Especially since I had just finished 14th in the IRON MAN. To top it off, he shot me with one of the most beautiful females in the world. LT: I saw the video at Iron ManMagazine.com. You looked as if you were having loads of fun, tossing that hot babe up in the air and into your arms. Was

“I was back to 244 pounds onstage again, as heavy as I’d ever been—I’d say I was about 80 percent of my best.”

your wife there watching the action? ME: No, but she certainly viewed it on line. [LT and ME crack up] LT: After the ’08 Olympia you shot this cover with Jennifer Gates, another supersexy lady. ME: Yes, Jen is one of my athletes [representing Pro Fight, another family company]. She is someone my wife knows already, so it was okay. [LT and ME bust up] LT: Where were you born? ME: Beirut. I came to California when I was 17. I went one year to

Alhambra High School [near Los Angeles], then attended East Los Angeles College for two years. LT: Where I teach. I never saw you in class. ME: On another subject, you have given almost everyone a nickname over the years, like “Abzilla” for [Ahmad] Haidar and “The Freakin’ Rican” for [Gustavo] Badell. When are you going to honor me with my own? LT: More pressure. How about the “Beirut Beast?” ME: [Pauses] (continued on page 136)

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El Moussawi “I train every day. I use a 1,000-repsper-bodypart routine.”

(continued from page 132) Not that many peo-

ple know Beirut as a city. Flex Wheeler has a nice one: the “New Lebanese Lion.” LT: Let me work on it. Getting back to this year’s contest, with the event held on January 24, six weeks before the Arnold instead of two, a lot of people felt the lineup would be emaciated, void of top-level guys. Of course, they were wrong—starting with you and Silvio Samuel. Five of the guys were already in the Arnold. When did you decide to compete? ME: The latter part of 2008. We actually increased the size of the business in New Zealand. Then my father got sick, and I went to visit him twice. He’s 81 years old and lives in Lebanon. The trip from New Zealand is almost 24 hours, and you’re on three planes. LT: Along with everything else on your plate, you also promoted a pro show last year. ME: Yes. A week after the Australia I put on the New Zealand Elite Grand Prix. I really wanted to do the IRON MAN again. It’s a show I love to do. Even if I win it, I’ll continue competing in it. Los Angeles is still my hometown in many ways. You could tell at this year’s show that a lot of the fans were my family, my friends and my clients. When I looked at myself 10 weeks out, though, I felt I was too far out at too short a notice. Then, when I started reading all the precontest hype about the show, it hit me: “This is my show—I have to do it, no matter what.” I got ready, the best I could, in 136 MAY 2009 \ www.ironmanmagazine.com

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El Moussawi only six weeks. I was back to 244 pounds onstage again, as heavy as I’d ever been—I’d say I was about 80 percent of my best. I wasn’t as good as I was last year, not even close to it, but the goal was to give it my best shot. You never know where Silvio will be [conditioningwise]. Silvio shocked me, and I learned my lesson with that guy—he will always be in top shape. I did add more size to my back and my quads. Some people told me I gave up symmetry by adding the weight, but you can’t judge a physique onstage that’s not really ready. The car is not polished. You can’t judge the color. I thought I looked much better in the evening [Moe trailed by 12 after prejudging but lost the final two rounds by only three points], and that made me happy—80 percent, and I’m this close. I knew if I’d been ready, I would have taken the show. Silvio deserved to win. Second place at the IRON MAN is a great honor, and I qualified for the Olympia. Plus, I will have a rematch with Silvio in three weeks and at the Olympia, so we’ll see how things turn out next time. LT: Anything different in your Olympia prep? ME: I’m thinking about having Tamer El Shahat [pro bodybuilder and another IM cover man] come to New Zealand—he works at one of our stores in Los Angeles—to help me with the business and also train

with me. Training with another pro would help me a lot. I hope to be around 245 pounds on the Olympia stage—but with the 2007 IRON MAN conditioning. Same look, 14 pounds heavier.

I’m definitely aiming at a top-six finish, getting in that final posedown. This Olympia will be tougher than last year—Victor Martinez, Kai Greene and Branch Warren were out with injuries and will be back. So I need to be better than I’ve ever been. LT: What type of precontest

training regimen do you follow? ME: I train every day. One thing I wanted to mention that played a big role in my look in 2008 is, I started a 1,000-reps-per-bodypart routine. I do one bodypart a day, unless it’s closer to a contest, when I may work one bodypart in the morning, one at night. The format is basically the same: three to four exercises per bodypart. Day one is chest. One time I do barbell bench presses, dumbbell presses, cables and Smithmachine presses. I may use all machines the next time I hit chest. I do four exercises; each exercise has to be 250 reps, with 50 reps on each set. I do my first set as a warmup, 50 reps. The next set is not 50 reps at one time but a drop set. I go to the heaviest I can, then do five drops, counting it as one set. If I have somebody spotting me, there is no rest time at all. Day two is shoulders and traps: military presses, lateral raises to the side and rear. I finish with behindthe-neck presses. I do back on day three—upper and lower. Pulldowns to the front, cable rows, T-bar rows and at times onearm dumbbell rows. Day four is legs—quads and hamstrings. I do leg extensions, leg presses, hack squats and sissy squats. Between sets I work my hamstrings: standing leg curls and stiff-legged deadlifts as well as halfrange-of-motion leg presses, really squeezing at the top. I work calves

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El Moussawi two to three times a week. I train biceps and triceps on day five. Mostly on my arms, since size isn’t a concern anymore, I do a lot of cable work. I don’t feel the squeeze with dumbbells [although he does use them at times] or barbells that I do with the cable; I hit the muscles from different angles. With triceps I do behind-theneck extensions and kickbacks with dumbbells. The rest are pushdown movements with cables. I then start over again with day one. When my body tells me I’m not recovering enough, I take a day off. I do abs at night with the family. We do our crunches and other movements on the ground. LT: How about cardio? ME: To be honest, I don’t do much. I’m already moving continuously with my type of training, and I also do a lot of physical work back home. The day I flew to Vegas for the Olympia I unloaded a container that had 1,000 boxes. Me and my employees— took us about three hours. When I do cardio, it’s usually on the bike. LT: What is your precontest nutrition like? ME: I eat seven or eight meals a day and have around that many protein drinks to go along with them. My first meal is around 7 a.m., usually oatmeal with a scoop of protein. At 9 a.m. I have my first protein shake. Then an hour later I have chicken breasts and broccoli, getting about 150 grams of protein. At around 11 a.m., or 11:30, I eat a filet, taking all the fat out of it, with some potatoes. I have another protein shake an hour later and chicken again at 3 p.m.—I always have two chicken meals a day—then another protein shake up to 90 minutes later. Most of the time I eat fish for my last meal. Anytime after 6 p.m. I try to go as clean and lean as I possibly can. I usually have two meals and two protein shakes after 6 p.m. LT: What are your favorite brands? ME: I use a couple of different protein products from MuscleTech and BSN, depending on how much carb the product has, and amino

“I eat seven or eight meals a day and have around that many protein drinks to go along with them.”

acids and fat burners from Pro Fight. I really like to try and burn my fat from training and eating right, though. Fat burners, for me, are more useful as a source of energy because of the caffeine. At night I have an isolate protein, with no carbs or fat. LT: This year’s IRON MAN Pro/FitExpo really had an El Moussawi flavor to it. You competed in the contest, and Pro Fight signed on as title sponsor for 2009 and 2010. ME: We find it to be beneficial to the company, since most of our stores are in the Los Angeles area. IRON MAN is a great company; I’ve

known John Balik for years. I was blessed by doing the first cover of my life for IRON MAN. The expo was beautiful; we gave thousands of samples out and are getting a lot of business back. LT: One last question: Who should the Swami pick to take the IRON MAN Pro next season? ME: Are you kidding? You’re looking him right in the eye as we speak! Editor’s note: To contact Moe El Moussawi for guest posings, seminars or to give suggestions for the nickname he’s been longing for, write him at moesmuscles@yahoo .com. IM

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Recovery Maximizing Performance and Recuperation for Bigger Gains by Gabriel J. Wilson, M.S., CSCS and Jacob M. Wilson, M.S., CSCS Photography by Michael Neveux

Model: Dan Decker

oxing legend George Foreman was unique in the sport in that he would stand between rounds. Some may consider that counterintuitive—if the goal is to recover between rounds, why would George expend more energy by staying on his feet?

His method is known scientifically as “active recovery” and involves performing light physical activity between sets or workouts. It’s the opposite of “passive recovery,” which involves relaxation, such as sitting down in a chair. Both techniques are meant to improve performance and recovery. Evidence indicates, however, that active recovery between rounds may have given George an edge over his opponents. Active recovery can work for bodybuilders as well, at three distinct times: between sets, postworkout and between workouts.

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Active Recovery Between Sets

On heavy training days, when the primary goal is to increase your strength, active recovery will prove most helpful.

Model: Omar Deckard

The classic “burn” you feel between sets is caused by an accumulation of lactic acid, a by-product of anaerobic metabolism, which results in a decrease in weightlifting performance and, finally, an end to it. Decreasing pH reduces the activity of enzymes, lowers white blood cell count and nutrient transporters, and slows muscular contraction and ATP production. It follows that in order to optimize performance, the goal should be to maximize lactic acid clearance. The most effective way to do that is through aerobic metabolism, providing ample oxygen to the muscles so they can clear lactic acid from the blood. Studies indicate that the most effective way to accomplish that is with low intensity exercise—30 to 40 percent of your VO2 max.1,2 Exceeding that intensity risks crossing your lactate threshold and actually producing more lactic acid; lower intensity will minimize oxygen delivery to the muscles. So if you feel a deep burn in your muscles during active recovery, you likely need to lower your intensity. The effectiveness of active recovery over passive recovery between sets has been demonstrated in sprinters and weightlifters, among other athletes. An excellent example was an experiment reported in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. Fifteen experienced resistance-trained males performed weight workouts consisting of six sets of parallel squats at 85 percent of their 10-repetition maximum. The participants recovered for four minutes between sets with either passive sitting or low-intensity exercise on a stationary bicycle. After that workout participants performed a maximal-repetition squat test using 65 percent of their 10-rep maximum. The athletes engaging in active recovery were able to do 20 percent more repetitions than athletes who engaged in passive recovery between sets. No wonder George was able to smash all his opponents. The typical bodybuilding workout

involves taking short rest periods— less than one minute between sets. For variation, however, many bodybuilders implement a “heavy” day in their split or focus on progressive resistance with a few key lifts, such as squats. During those days maximal loads are lifted—greater than 85 percent one-rep maximum—and longer rest periods are taken, usually three to five minutes between sets. On heavy training days, when the primary goal is to increase your strength, active recovery will prove

most helpful. Optimally, you perform active recovery specific to the muscle group trained. For example, if you’re training legs, you might walk around between sets or use a stationary bike. If you’re training delts, you might use the elliptical, or lightly shake your arms around between sets.

Active Recovery Postworkout The goal of postexercise active

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recovery—commonly known as the cooldown—is similar to active recovery between sets: lactic acid removal. The half-life of lactic acid is normally 15 to 25 minutes after physical activity; however, lactic acid may return immediately to baseline after a single cooldown session. That’s important, as a

cooldown performed immediately after exercise can reduce the decline in white blood cell count by a whopping 30 percent, effectively promoting a healthy immune system. That’s particularly applicable to the bodybuilder whose high-volume workouts may impair immune function in the hours following training.

Lastly, active recovery can be very useful for bodybuilders training twice daily, so they recover faster for their second session. For optimal postworkout recovery you need to exercise 10 to 15 minutes at 30 to 40 percent of your VO2 max. Examples include a light walk, slow cycle or moderate pace on the elliptical. Again, try to target the muscle group you previously trained.

Active Recovery Between Workouts

A cooldown performed immediately after exercise can reduce the decline in white blood cell count by a whopping 30 percent, effectively promoting a healthy immune system.

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On the day following your workout, lactic acid will be long gone. A new problem called delayed-onset muscle soreness will arrive, however. The goal of performing active recovery between workouts is to relieve that pain and improve recovery so you can train again sooner—and harder. You want to do enough exercise to increase blood and nutrient delivery to the muscles but not so much as to increase muscle damage. Studies are clear that cellular hydration via a “pump” is an effective way to enhance protein synthesis and lower protein degradation. The effectiveness of active recovery between workouts has been demonstrated in a number of studies. In one study eight subjects rested after a taxing biceps workout, while nine others performed a lighter training session to aid recovery. Researchers found that strength recovery was greater after light exercise than after rest alone. There’s no set recommendation for active recovery between workouts. Generally we would recommend higher reps—10 to 15—and nonfailure lifting for three to six sets, with a rest of less than one minute between sets. Most muscle damage occurs on the eccentric, or lowering, portion of the lift. So you could have a training partner take the weight on the eccentric while you lift on the raising, or concentric, phase. A potentially effective method of active recovery between workouts that has not yet been tested is blood occlusion training; Layne Norton wrote about it in the April ’08 IRON MAN. Blood occlusion training involves wrapping a device, such

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Athletes engaging in active recovery were able to do 20 percent more repetitions than athletes who engaged in passive recovery between sets.

as a knee wrap, around the proximal portion of a limb and then performing exercises with that limb. The technique effectively enhances blood flow, protein synthesis and growth hormone while not increasing muscle damage. So it seems to be a fine candidate for active recovery between workouts. Be sure to have ample nutrients before and after exercise to maximize recovery. You must have known all along that little good ever comes from just sitting down on a bench and collapsing. As you now know, when you feel the burn between sets, move; when you feel it after your workouts, move; and when you feel sore the next day—you guessed it—move some more. Editor’s note: Gabriel Wilson is completing his Ph.D. in nutrition with an emphasis on optimal protein requirements for muscle growth and is a researcher in the Division of Nutritional Sciences, University of Illinois, Urbana. He is vice president of the Web site ABCBodybuilding. com. Jacob Wilson is a skeletal-muscle physiologist and researcher in the Department of Nutrition, Food, and Exercise Science, Florida State University, Tallahassee. He is president of the Web site ABCBodybuilding .com.

Model: Derik Farnsworth

References

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1 Hultman, E., and Sahlin, K. (1980). Acid-base balance during exercise. Exerc Sport Sci Rev. 8:41-128. 2 Hogan, M.C., et al. (1995). Increased [lactate] in working dog muscle reduces tension development independent of pH. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 27(3):371-377. IM

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Heavy Duty Mike Mentzer’s Bodybuilding Wisdom by John Little Mentzer’s Big-Arm Routine

Balik \ Model: Mike Mentzer

Q: I’ve always been blown away by the size of Mike Mentzer’s arms. I know he was one of the top bodybuilders in the world— in my opinion, he was the best— so his genetics are much better than mine. But what was the exact arm routine that he used to build his guns up to such howizter-size proportions? A: You’ve asked a question that most of us in the bodybuilding world have pondered at one time or another. I recall Mike being asked that very question at a seminar in Toronto back in 1980. Here was his response: “For my biceps I usually do two to four sets, and for triceps I usually perform two to four sets. So I believe in fewer sets for my arms. In terms of repetitions, I typically choose a weight that gives me six to eight repetitions, and then of course I continue beyond that with forced reps and negatives done for one to two reps in Heavy Duty style. I don’t do anything elaborate or exotic, just

very hard work. The harder the work you do, the less work you’re capable of doing. It’s not a debatable point. You can either train hard or train long—but you can’t do both, and it just so happens that it takes hard training to build big muscles.” I remember 10 years after that seminar being in Mike’s apartment in Los Angeles and asking him personally what his most productive arm routine was: “There was nothing ‘special’ about my arm routine; results are usually linked primarily to motivation and your willingness to apply yourself with 100 percent. My favorite arm exercises are preacher curls, Nautilus curls and concentration curls for biceps. My favorite exercises for triceps are pressdowns, Nautilus extensions and dips. I actually think the dip is the best triceps exercise. It’s also the best overall upper-body exercise—I call it the ‘upper-body squat.’ Again, the formula is brief training, intense training, infrequent training. Young bodybuilders should be cautioned against doing too many sets on too many days for all bodyparts. Their

enthusiasm is often a hindrance; they’re so willing to train marathonstyle to acquire a muscular physique that they often overtrain. I train in Gold’s—when I do train—and I see that as the most pervasive mistake made by all bodybuilders, including advanced bodybuilders. They grossly overtrain.

Starting Heavy Duty Q: I’m a 40-plus person and want to start Heavy Duty training. I have a couple of questions: First, am I too old to train in that fashion? Most of the people pictured in IRON MAN are younger than I am. I train five days a week with a personal trainer at the gym—aerobic sessions and lifting light weights. Second, if I’m not too old, how do I start? A: To begin with, you’re never too old for proper resistance training. The benefits for people of all ages are almost too numerous to list— from enhanced functional ability to reversing the aging process. Just www.ironmanmagazine.com \ MAY 2009 155

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Heavy Duty

Neveux \ Model: Jonathan Lawson

Either you remain mindlessly addicted to exercise and the gym, or you become consciously committed to achieving optimal progress.

because you’re older than many of the athletes and models pictured in IRON MAN doesn’t mean that you’re too old to get stronger. The only difference between you and someone younger who doesn’t train is that you’ve had a longer period in which to decondition. The muscle is still there on your body, albeit momentarily dormant, but ready and able to be reactivated. Light-weight, low-energy workouts will do little or nothing to build muscle or stimulate the production of the numerous health benefits I alluded to. For information on how to start Heavy Duty training, it would be best to hear directly from the man who created it, Mike Mentzer: “If you’ve been training recently without any layoff prior to the time you intend to start Heavy Duty training, take a break entirely for two to three weeks. Having been overtrained, you made deep—too deep—inroads into your recovery ability. It’s important to overcome the inroads before you start with a properly conducted high-intensity

program so that your body has all the biochemical resources necessary for optimal growth. “When I suggest that to my phone-consultation clients, many balk and say, ‘But, Mike, I’m addicted to exercise. I don’t know if I’m able to stay away from the gym that long.’ I respond rather firmly, ‘You have to make a decision. It’s either/or. Either you remain mindlessly addicted to exercise and the gym, or you become consciously, intelligently committed to achieving optimal progress, which requires the application of the appropriate knowledge.’ “On a lighter note, I conclude by saying, ‘If you are addicted to exercise, then exercise your free will, exercise your power of choice, exercise your knowledge, exercise restraint, but don’t exercise your muscles for at least two weeks.’” After your layoff Mike recommended that you start on the Ideal Routine, which can be found in his final book, High-Intensity Training The Mike Mentzer Way (McGraw-

Hill), training once every four days. If you start with day 1 on Monday, for instance, the day 2 workout wouldn’t be performed until Friday, day 3 the next Tuesday, day 4 on Saturday, and so forth. Editor’s note: For a complete presentation of Mike Mentzer’s Heavy Duty training system, consult his books Heavy Duty II, High Intensity Training the Mike Mentzer Way and the newest book, The Wisdom of Mike Mentzer, all of which are available from Mentzer’s official Web site, www.MikeMentzer .com. John Little is available for phone consultation on Mike Mentzer’s Heavy Duty training system. For rates and information, contact Joanne Sharkey at (310) 316-4519 or at www.MikeMentzer.com, or see the ad on the opposite page. Article copyright © 2009, John Little. All rights reserved. Mike Mentzer quotations are provided courtesy of Joanne Sharkey and are used with permission. IM

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Volume/Intensity Fusion Solution A Complete Mass-Packing Program From the Volume/Intensity Fusion Workout 1 E-Book X-traordinary Muscle-Building Workouts

(Quads, volume; Hamstrings, intensity; Soleus, volume; Gastrocs, intensity; Abs, volume) Squats* Leg extensions Smith-machine squats Sissy squats

by Steve Holman and Jonathan Lawson Photography by Michael Neveux

ost workout programs are either high volume, calling for 10 to 20 sets per bodypart, or high intensity, with low set totals for each bodypart but a train-to-failure-and-beyond prerequisite. Both methods can work muscle-building magic—if they are used correctly—even for hardgainer types.

Model: David Dorsey

The problem with most brief hardgainer routines is that they don’t give you full-range work for complete development of every muscle—multiangular training, as in Positions of Flexion. They also usually don’t give you extended time under tension to develop capillaries and other endurance components

in the muscle structures—it’s been scientifically proven that hardgainers have more endurance-oriented muscle fibers and, therefore, require longer tension times. Performing one exercise per muscle group for low reps will do almost nothing in the mass department for these skinny folks. The Volume/In-

2-3 x 10, 8, 7 2 x 10, 8 2 x 10, 8 2 x 10, 8

Stiff-legged deadlifts* (drop) 1 x 6-9(6) Leg curls (double drop) 1 x 7-9(6)(5) Hyperextensions 1 x 7-10 Seated calf raises* 3-4 x 15, 12, 9, 7 Donkey calf raises or leg press calf raises (drop) 1 x 15-20(9) Standing calf raises or one-leg calf raises (double drop) 1 x 15(8)(6) Incline kneeups 2-3 x 12, 10, 8 Ab Bench crunches or full-range crunches 2 x 12, 10 *Do one to two light warmup sets with about 50 percent of your work weight on the first and 80 percent on the second prior to your two work sets. Note: A “drop” is two sets done back to back, with a weight reduction on the second; a “double drop” is three sets done back to back with weight reductions on the second and third. www.ironmanmagazine.com \ MAY 2009 159

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X-traordinary Muscle If a drop set— two sets done back to back with a weight reduction—is called for, dumbbells may be a better choice than a barbell. Volume/Intensity Fusion Workout 2 (Chest, intensity; Delts, volume; Triceps, volume) Bench presses* (drop) 1 x 6-9(6) Cable flyes or crossovers (double drop) 1 x 7-9(6)(5) Incline presses* (drop) 1 x 6-9(6) Incline cable flyes or arms-high pec deck flyes (double drop) 1 x 7-9(6)(5) Behind-the-neck presses or dumbbell presses* 2-3 x 10, 8, 7 Incline one-arm lateral raises 2 x 10, 8 Dumbbell upright rows* 2 x 10, 8 Seated lateral raises 1 x 10 Decline triceps extensions* 2-3 x 10, 8, 7 Rope pushdowns 2 x 10, 8 Overhead extensions 2 x 10, 8 Pushdowns 1 x 10, 8

Model: Alex Azarian

*Do one to two light warmup sets with about 50 percent of your work weight on the first and 80 percent on the second prior to your two work sets.

160 MAY 2009 \ www.ironmanmagazine.com

Note: A “drop” is two sets done back to back, with a weight reduction on the second; a “double drop” is three sets done back to back with weight reductions on the second and third.

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X-traordinary Muscle

The Volume/Intensity Fusion solution makes it possible for anyone to attack all aspects of muscle growth without spending hour upon hour in the gym every day—an excellent program, even for hardgainers with less-than-stellar recovery.

Volume/Intensity Fusion Workout 3 (Midback, intensity; Lats, volume; Biceps, intensity; Forearms, volume) Bent-over rows* (drop) 1 x 6-9(6) Bent-arm bent-over laterals (double drop) 1 x 7-9(6)(5) Dumbbell shrugs 1 x 6-9(6) Pulldowns or chins* 2-3 x 10, 8, 7 Stiff-arm pulldowns 2 x 10, 8 Rope rows or parallel-grip chins 2 x 10, 8 Dumbbell pullovers 1 x 10 Preacher curls or dumbbell curls (drop) 1 x 6-9(6) Concentration curls (double drop) 1 x 7-9(6)(5) Incline curls 1 x 8-10 Reverse wrist curls 3 x 15, 12, 10 Wrist curls 3 x 15, 12, 10 Incline hammer curls 2 x 10, 8 *Do one to two light warmup sets with about 50 percent of your work weight on the first and 80 percent on the second prior to your two work sets. Note: A “drop” is two sets done back to back, with a weight reduction on the second; a “double drop” is three sets done back to back with weight reductions on the second and third.

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Model: Dan Decker

MRI studies show that the incline hammer curl is one of the most effective exercises for the brachialis, the muscle that enhances biceps peak. Wrist curls for forearm flexors.

tensity-Fusion solution, however, makes it possible for anyone to attack all aspects of muscle growth without spending hour upon hour in the gym every dayâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;an excellent program, even for hardgainers with less-than-stellar recovery ability. Wait! How can more work, as in volume, trigger new growth in socalled hardgainers, trainees who have limited recovery ability and who overtrain easily? The answer is that when hardgainers use a volume-oriented routine, they keep all sets at medi- (continued on page 168) www.ironmanmagazine.com \ MAY 2009 163

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X-traordinary Muscle um intensity—that is, subfailure training—to minimize cortisol output. That way they can get optimal fiber stimulation with six to 10 sets per bodypart without exhausting the nervous system or burning valuable muscle tissue. While training to failure is a key growth stimulus, it also triggers excess cortisol production, as it increases the stress level of a workout. Cortisol is a stress hormone, and when output is high, your body eats

(continued from page 163)

Volume/Intensity Fusion Workout 4 (Quads, intensity; Hamstrings, volume; Gastrocs, volume; Soleus, intensity; Abs, intensity)

1 x 7-9(6)(5) 1 x 6-9 2-3 x 10, 8, 7 Model: Jonathan Lawson

Leg curls Stiff-legged deadlifts*

1 x 6-9(6)

3 x 10, 8, 7

Leg press or donkey calf raises* 2-3 x 15, 12, 10 One-leg calf raises 2 x 15, 12 Standing calf raises 3 x 25, 20, 15 Seated calf raises (drop) 2 x 15-20(8) Incline kneeups (drop) 1 x 10-15(8) Full-range crunches or Ab Bench crunches (drop) 1 x 10-15(8) Twisting crunches 1 x 6-9 *Do one to two light warmup sets with about 50 percent of your work weight on the first and 80 percent on the second prior to your two work sets. Note: A “drop” is two sets done back to back, with a weight reduction on the second; a “double drop” is three sets done back to back with weight reductions on the second and third.

168 MAY 2009 \ www.ironmanmagazine.com

The Volume/Intensity-Fusion routine provides two different workouts for each bodypart—mediumintensity volume sessions alternated with short, high-intensity all-out blasts. And each one, be it volume or intensity, covers all the Positions of Flexion for a full-range-training effect. up muscle tissue for energy. So if higher-set, medium-intensity training works, why not just do lower-set medium-intensity workouts to minimize cortisol? You’ll minimize cortisol, all right, but you won’t get enough mass stimulation. Lower-set training doesn’t activate the key growth fibers unless you go to failure and beyond, a function of the size principle of fiber recruit-

ment. The principle states that with any set you recruit the low-threshold motor units first, followed by the mediums and, finally, the highs, which kick in at the end of the set. Those high-threshold units activate the fibers with the most growth potential, so going to failure and beyond, such as with X-Rep partials added to a full-range set to exhaus-

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Model: Alex Azarian

Squats* (drop) Leg extensions (double drop) Sissy squats

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Volume/Intensity Fusion Workout 5

X-traordinary Muscle

(Chest, volume; Delts, intensity; Triceps, intensity) Bench presses* Crossovers Incline dumbbell presses* Incline cable flyes or armshigh pec deck flyes Dumbbell upright rows (drop)* Dumbbell presses* (drop) Standing lateral raises (double drop) Incline one-arm lateral raises Decline triceps extensions* (drop) Pushdowns (double drop) Overhead extensions*

2-3 x 10, 8, 7 2 x 10, 8 2-3 x 10, 8, 7 2 x 10, 8 1 x 6-9(6) 1 x 6-9(6) 1 x 7-9(6)(5) 1 x 8-10 1 x 6-9(6) 1 x 7-9(6)(5) 1 x 8-10

Model: MIke Icolari

*Do one to two light warmup sets with about 50 percent of your work weight on the first and 80 percent on the second prior to your two work sets. Note: A “drop” is two sets done back to back, with a weight reduction on the second; a “double drop” is three sets done back to back with weight reductions on the second and third.

A double-drop set is three sets done back to back with weight reductions on the second and third sets—brutal intensity with a serious muscleburn chaser. 170 MAY 2009 \ www.ironmanmagazine.com

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X-traordinary Muscle

Doing triceps extensions on a slight decline activates all three triceps heads.

Volume/Intensity Fusion Workout 6 (Lats, intensity; Midback, volume; Biceps, volume; Forearms, intensity) Wide-grip chins* (drop) Stiff-arm pulldowns (double drop) Dumbbell pullovers

1 x 6-9(6) 1 x 7-9(6)(5) 1 x 8-10

Bent-over barbell rows* Bent-arm bent-over laterals Barbell or dumbbell shrugs

2-3 x 10, 8, 7 3 x 10, 8, 7 2 x 10, 8

Dumbbell curls or preacher curls* Incline curls* Concentration curls Hammer curls (drop) Dumbbell reverse wrist curls (double drop) Dumbbell wrist curls (double drop) Rockers

2-3 x 10, 8, 7 2 x 10, 8 2 x 10, 8 1 x 7(5) 1 x 9-12(7)(5) 1 x 9-12(7)(5) 1 x 20

Note: A “drop” is two sets back to back, with a weight reduction on the second; a “double drop” is three sets back to back with a weight reduction on the second and third. 172 MAY 2009 \ www.ironmanmagazine.com

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Model: David Yeung

*Do one to two light warmup sets with about 50 percent of your work weight on the first and 80 percent on the second prior to your two work sets.

X-traordinary Muscle tion, helps you dig deeper into the high-threshold motor-unit X-Reps partials added to the end of a set tap into pool. That means you don’t more high-growth fibers. The technique is perfect for need as many sets to get optimal mass stimulation. high-intensity workouts. What if you stop the set short, as in subfailure sets? You don’t tap into as many of medium-intensity sets. those high-growth fibers—but you Or do hit a few at the end of the set. That means you can and should 2) Increase the ininclude at least a few subfailure sets tensity—do low-set in your program—to get at a few routines that include more growth fibers. Interestingly, set-extending techFor those who are new to POF, it’s basithe order of recruitment changes niques like X Reps for cally training a muscle through three specific with each successive set. Three or each bodypart. arcs of flexion in order to achieve full-range, four subfailure sets equals one or max-fiber recruitment with minimal sets. For Which is better, two all-out sets beyond failure. example, for biceps you do barbell curls for higher-set, mediumBack to hardgainers: Here are the midrange work, incline curls (reclining on an intensity workouts or reasons that doing higher-set, meincline bench) for stretch and concentration lower-set, high-intendium-intensity subfailure training curls for continuous-tension, contracted-posity sessions? The truth can increase their mass: sition work. is that either can build 1) Lower cortisol output means With those three exercises you train the neuromuscular effiless catabolic muscle wasting, a biceps in a range that extends from where ciency so you gradually godsend for cortisol-overproducthey’re back behind the torso (stretch; incline train more and more ing hardgainers. curls), to where your arms are slightly in front muscle fibers; however, 2) You ensure that you get a full of your torso (midrange; barbell curls) and to some trainees, especialpump in the target muscles, where they’re out and up close to your head ly those who have a low which can increase capillaries. (contracted; concentration curls). Those three pain threshold, have a That, in turn, increases muscle exercises cover the biceps’ full arc of flexion to better chance of hitting size. give you full, dense development quickly. the target with 10 shots 3) You trigger complete developFull-range work is only part of the efficient instead of just one. ment in all muscle structures—if That’s not to say POF mass-building effect, however. It also you use full-range-of-motion that you should avoid provides other hypertrophic triggers: training like Positions of Flexion, low-volume, high-inin which you do a midrange-, tensity training. As we • Max-force production via muscle synstretch- and contracted-position said, both approaches ergy with the midrange-position exercise. exercise for each bodypart. have muscle-building • Occlusion, or blood-flow blockage, merit. Suntanning is a 4) You activate even more highwhich has been shown to significantly good analogy. You can growth muscle fibers. increase size and strength, with the conincrease the darkness tracted-position move. While item 1, controlling cortiof your tan by increassol, is a big piece of the hardgainer ing the volume, tanning • Stretch overload, which has been puzzle, achieving maximum fiber more frequently and/or linked to hyperplasia, or fiber splitting, activation in each muscle is another. gradually increasing with the stretch-position exercise. Using full-ROM training contributes the time you expose to that. With its stretch-position exyourself to the sun each That last one is extremely important, as ercises that trigger emergency fiber time you go out. Or you response and full-range-of-motion can increase the inan animal study showed increased muscle training, POF can go a long way tensity for shorter sesmass by 300 percent in one month using only toward activating as many growth fi- sions—intensifying the stretch overload as the hypertrophic stimubers as possible with only a few sets. power of the sun’s rays lus. POF amplifies the size-building effect of That said, most hardgainers have by putting oil on your stretch with max force from the midrange low neuromuscular efficiency to skin, tanning in a tanexercise and tension and occlusion from the begin with—their nerve-to-muscle ning bed or sunbathing contracted move, which also ensure that you connections are below average—so closer and closer to the train the full-range chain. it’s impossible to contract large equator, where the sun —S.H. and J.L. masses of fibers during any one set. is closer to the earth. www.X-Rep.com They have two choices: You can’t tolerate too much of the latter at any one time, so it must 1) Increase the volume—do more

Why Positions of Flexion Works

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X-traordinary Muscle be brief. As the name suggests, the Volume/Intensity-Fusion program merges, or fuses, those two muscle-building forces. If you choose to experiment with it, keep in mind that volume, even at medium intensity, can trigger overtraining just as highintensity work can, so after about six weeks you should switch to low volume with medium intensity, total subfailure training, for one week to recharge. The Volume/Intensity-Fusion routine provides two different workouts for each bodypart—medium-intensity volume sessions alternated with short, high-intensity all-out blasts. Each one, be it volume or intensity, covers all the Positions of Flexion for a full-range-training effect. The variety is excellent for the mind and the muscles, which grow continuously as they adapt to the varied stresses at each workout. (To continue the suntanning analogy, it would be like basking in the warm Southern California sun for 1 1/2 hours in the late afternoon and at the next session sunbathing near the equator for 15 minutes.) The logic behind the program is sound—you get the best of both worlds. Try it as outlined, and you may be pleasantly surprised—even shocked—at your new growth. Many hardgainers who’ve tried this approach have been amazed by their progress! Note: The workouts are listed as 1 through 6. You can train Monday through Friday with weekends off, following the sequence and picking up with workout 6 on the following Monday, with the cycle beginning again on Tuesday. Or you can train only four days, on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, following the sequence of workouts and repeating the cycle, as described.

Volume/Intensity-Fusion Solution Tips and Reminders 1) Do one to two warmup sets with 50 percent of your work-set weight on the first and 70 to 80 percent on the second on exercises that are marked with an asterisk (*). Concentrate, make your rep cadence slightly slower than usual, and try to get in touch with the target muscle. 2) Push your work sets to positive failure on intensity routines—until you can’t do another rep with good form. On some sets continue with X-Rep partials, eight-inch pulses from the semistretch point, such as near the bottom of an incline press, up to just below the halfway mark on the stroke. Important: On the volume routines stop all work sets two reps short of failure. 3) The ideal rep speed is 1 1/2 seconds up and 1 1/2 seconds down; always keep your form strict. 4) Rest about two minutes between sets. Do not rest between the segments of drop sets or double drops. Only rest as long as it takes to reduce the weight, then continue repping out. 5) On the intensity exercises, when you can get the higher number of the listed rep range of each exercise, increase the weight enough at the next workout to bring your reps down to the lower number. For volume workouts pick a weight that allows you to get the upper range with only minor discomfort; then reduce the reps on each successive set, as listed. For example, for squats on volume day you do 10 reps on your first set and eight on your second. If you do a third, it’s six or seven reps. 6) When you see a set range listed, such as 2-3, do two sets during the first three weeks, and increase to three sets for the last three weeks. That will give you progressive volume, a slight increase in workload that will provide new growth stimulation. 7) After six weeks on the Volume/Intensity-Fusion routine, switch to subfailure training on all sets for a week: Use the same poundages, but stop all sets about two reps short of failure on intensity workouts; and reduce the number of sets on subfailure volume workouts. After the recovery week you can go back for another round of the Volume/Intensity-Fusion program, as listed. 8) You can train five days a week, Monday through Friday, with weekends off; or if that’s too draining, take Wednesdays off too and train four days, which gives you more time between bodypart hits. Either way, start with workout 1 and follow the sequence according to your training schedule. After the weekend continue with the sequence on the following Monday and begin the cycle again on the next training day after you do workout 6. Just keep following the sequence of workouts on your designated training days. Editor’s note: This program is one of 10 complete routines outlined and explained in the e-book X-traordinary Muscle-Building Workouts. It’s available at X-Rep.com, along with a selection of best-selling e-books.

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Bodybuilding Success With the

Max-Mass System

How the Total-Training Technique Transformed Kyle Harrisâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Physique by Eric Broser

Photography by Michael Neveux

with my personal-training hen I first created the Power/Rep Range/Shock clients as well. When bodybuilding and fitness training program in 2001, I discussion thought only boards my training became more partners popular, I and I would decided to ever use it. post about Once I saw my program, how well hoping that it worked, perhaps however, other people I began to might find it implement beneficial. the system

Eric Broser

Kyle Harris

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Soon afterward, P/RR/S was all over the Web, and I was receiving email about it every day. It was then that I realized that something pretty special was happening. Today, P/ RR/S has grown to worldwide popularity, mostly thanks to all the space that has been dedicated to it right here in the pages of IRON MAN.

with IRON MAN. Once shooting was complete, we sat down and talked about the P/RR/S journey we have taken together. EB: Tell everyone how old you are and where you’re from. KH: I’m 28 years old. I was raised in Green Springs, Ohio, and I now live in Clyde, Ohio. They’re neigh-

and started lifting weights. I was actually very strong for my size. I didn’t have much guidance at that time, so I floated around with no real goal; however, in college, where I played baseball, I realized that through proper training and nutrition I could not only improve my performance on the field but also

“Unless you’re a genetic freak, you have to unlock all the gates to the musclebuilding kingdom. P/RR/S provides the keys to unlock all of these gates.”

One of my greatest P/RR/S success stories is a man named Kyle Harris, who started out as a client and has become one of my closest friends. His dedication and passion for my training system have not only made him a true expert in the protocol but also brought him from a struggling amateur bodybuilder to one of the hottest natural pros in the sport. Recently Kyle and I traveled to California to shoot the first-ever P/RR/S training DVD in conjunction

boring towns and are both very rural. EB: What originally got you into lifting weights and then bodybuilding? KH: As a child I was awestruck by cartoon characters and superheroes like He-Man, Superman and Rocky. I remember seeing Lee Haney’s TV show on ESPN and reading an article about Flex Wheeler way back in 1992. I always knew I wanted to look that powerful and athletic. In high school I was an athlete

change my physique. Because I was dreaming of becoming a professional baseball player and also always being a bit on the heavy side, that really excited me. I did all the research I could by purchasing books, magazines, searching research articles. I couldn’t believe the wealth of knowledge I could gain on the subject, and I became hooked. In one summer I went from 185 pounds and over 20 percent bodyfat to 155 pounds and less than 6 percent

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bodyfat. Not only that, but I decreased my 40-yard time from just over five seconds to just under 4.6 seconds. I even became a strength and conditioning coach for the baseball team I played on in college. EB: Very cool. Go on. KH: After college I continued to play baseball for a couple of years, and when I realized I’d never be a big leaguer, I needed something to feed my competitive desires. I had begun following pro bodybuilding in college when I was researching training and nutrition and thought it might be something I’d enjoy because of the discipline involved. I attended a few shows and met some wonderful people, including Troy Johnson. Troy basically looked me in the face the first day I met him and said, “You are going to compete, and I’ll help you.” EB: Troy is a great guy and an NGA pro bodybuilder who’s

used P/RR/S successfully. How did you structure your program initially? KH: In high school it centered on the typical bench pressing and curling, but I didn’t shy away from legs. Once I got to college, I started doing baseball-specific training. I had about a dozen programs from various top college and Major League teams and created my own workouts from there. I’d lift five to six days per week and do speed training on three of those days. Major overtraining for sure, but the one benefit was that my programs always focused on basic, multijoint lifts like deadlifts, squats and presses. When I made the shift to bodybuilding, I did typical volume training. I’d train every single day, doing 16 to 20 sets and sometimes as high as 25 or 30 for my back. There were times I’d train for a month straight without tak-

“Rest intervals and exercise selection have a major impact on the release of anabolic hormones like testosterone, GH and IGF-1. So during Shock week we’re creating a brand-new metabolic reaction to create new muscle.” Free download from imbodybuilding.com

ing a day off. My philosophy was 2005. Around that same time, I was ability of the program as well. I’d that no one would outwork me. I just discovering the bodybuilding been training using many of the P/ toyed with many different splits boards and forums. Little did I know RR/S principles already—just using during that time and actually found I had been reading and interacting them all in the same workouts. some pretty unique ways to group with the inventor of P/RR/S! For instance, I’d often start trainmuscles. I realing using heavy ize how much I weights and low overtrained, but “I get crazy pumps, and the challenge comes from reps, then move I’m also grateto an exercise really developing that mind-to-muscle connection on ful because I or two that worked learned so much and feeling the muscle work through all parts of on hypertrophy about training principles in the the movement, from eccentric to concentric and the body and eight-to-15 rep stretch to peak contraction.” myself. range and finish

EB: We all train a little too much when we start out, not only out of ignorance but also sheer enthusiasm. So when and how did you discover P/RR/S? KH: After my first bodybuilding show a friend of mine brought an issue of MuscleMag International to the gym I worked at part time. It had an article on Power/Rep Range/ Shock. He was excited about the article and urged me to read it. I think that was in the winter or spring of

EB: What drew you to the program? What was intriguing about it? KH: I earned my degree in health and physical education and was working toward a masters degree in kinesiology and exercise physiology. The program’s principles just made sense in relation to how the body responds to exercise stimulus. On top of that, the constant changes and variety keep workouts fresh and exciting. I liked the adapt-

with a superset or drop set. Later I learned that this was an advanced P/RR/S protocol called the hybrid week, but I hadn’t thought of breaking the principles down into distinct weeks in order to decrease the body’s adaptations to training. EB: Did you notice positive changes to your physique with P/RR/S? KH: I noticed changes immediately. After my first show I realized I had no legs. Years of catching and

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speed training did not result in is no better way to describe it than you also have a good undermuscle. Knowing that I wanted to shocking. It takes a special type standing of the science. compete within the next six months, of intensity to really hammer the KH: The body is such an amazI implemented P/RR/S training for muscles and to stomach the ading piece of machinery. The way we my leg workouts right after reading vanced techniques. The way you feel can adapt and grow and withstand about it. After three months I loved during and after tells you that your stress and pressure—it’s fascinating. it so much that I hired you for my body can’t help but grow from the However, unless you’re a genetic next show. stimulus. freak, you have to unlock all the While dieting, I made vast gates to the muscle-building improvements in my leg dekingdom. P/RR/S provides velopment and separation. the keys to unlocking them. Granted, I had a long way to There are numerous ways go, but I went from having no to initiate and stimulate legs to having legs good enough muscle growth. Your proto place third in the middlegram completely accounts weights in the NPC Michigan for them—from hormone State Natural Championships. release to fiber-type activaNot only did my legs improve, tion, metabolic stimulation, but my back was also drastisatellite cell proliferation cally starting to take on a whole (yes, I mean hyperplasia) and new level of shape, width and neural overload. density. Power week really attacks EB: I remember how the central nervous system quickly you progressed. and helps increase strength Now, each week in P/RR/S is and power. The rep ranges quite different. Do you truly in Rep Range week create feel each week affects your a different time under tenmuscles in a unique way? sion, which results in unique Can you describe the differfiber-type activation and hits ence? all type 1 and 2 fibers. FurKH: During Power week my thermore, rep tempo is going muscles feel as if they have to affect the body in a differbeen beaten into submission. ent manner altogether. Rest You definitely toe the line intervals and exercise selecbetween stimulation and antion have a major impact on nihilation. By concentrating on the release of anabolic horthe eccentric phase of the lift, mones like testosterone, GH I can almost feel my muscle and IGF-1. So during Shock fibers tearing in a positive way. week we’re creating a brandYou can rest assured that done new metabolic reaction to right, Power week will result in create new muscle. some crazy DOMS. EB: What sets P/RR/S Rep Range week is totally apart from most other different. I get crazy pumps, training programs? and the challenge comes from KH: It’s such an adaptable really developing program—very user that mind-tofriendly. It’s easy to “There are numerous ways to initiate and muscle conneclearn the principles tion and feeling of P/RR/S and then stimulate muscle growth. P/RR/S completely the muscle work apply them to your accounts for them—from hormone release to through all parts own body type, of the movement, fiber-type activation, metabolic stimulation, goals and experifrom eccentric to ence. Plus, small satellite cell proliferation (yes, I mean concentric and modifications can stretch to peak be made at any hyperplasia) and neural overload.” contraction. After time. Not only I’m done with a that, but it’s a great Rep Range workprogram for men out, I’m typically completely wiped EB: Wow, bro, I love your deand women, physique athletes, and out—but full, vascular and pumped scriptions. You’ve put P/RR/S to power and performance athletes to the gills. the test and know it works for alike. Then comes Shock week. There you and so many others, but EB: I have used P/RR/S sucwww.ironmanmagazine.com \ MAY 2009 187

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cessfully with almost every type of athlete and with both men and women. What convinced you to choose me as your coach with so many out there? KH: We first worked together in the spring and summer of 2005 to prep for the NPC Michigan Natural Championships. Since that time we’ve teamed up for good, creating what I think is a pretty impressive alliance. As for why I chose you, that’s easy: I was so impressed with how I implemented P/RR/S myself that I was really interested in what I could do with you creating my entire plan. The clincher was when Troy Johnson introduced us at the 2005 Arnold Classic. Then, once we started working together, I realized you could quickly learn my body and make minor adjustments that resulted in major changes. EB: Thank you for the kind words. So, if you remember, I told you that we really needed to bring up your thighs and chest, and between 2006 and 2007 those muscle groups really transformed. What made the difference? Kyle: You. [Laughs] Seriously, you completely kicked my ass day in and

day out. Obviously, P/RR/S had a great deal to do with the improvements I made, but I think that your specific exercise design put me over the top. Being my coach for so long and knowing me inside and out, you knew I was going to put the work in,

and you were aware of my precision, dedication and intensity. You didn’t hold anything back, and I thank you for that, even though I silently cursed you during those workouts. [Laughs] EB: How did it feel on the day you won the show that brought you pro status? When I earned my pro card, I was on top of the world.

KH: It’s been almost a year, and I still haven’t totally wrapped my head around it. That day was completely surreal and indescribable. I dreamed of being a pro athlete my entire career, and I won my pro card in April 2008. The whole period leading up to that was special. In January my wife gave birth to our first child, Jaidyn Lin, and I had just signed on with a supplement company. I was trying to work two jobs, coach high school baseball, prep and perform all my fatherly and husbandly duties. On the day of the show everything just seemed to line up. When they called my name as the overall winner, I felt as if a giant rock had been lifted off my shoulders. It was such a sense of accomplishment. I walked off stage and tears started to well up. EB: Describe your feelings about appearing in my P/RR/S training DVD, which we shot with Mike Neveux in late December. KH: Seriously, can it get any better? The experience was flat-out unbelievable. I’d do it a thousand times over. I didn’t think I could get higher, but after the shoot Mike told me

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he’d really like to photograph me. Are you kidding me? Mike Neveux has shot everyone who is anyone in the sport. It was like an adrenaline shot, having a photo shoot for IRON MAN magazine. I’m just so grateful and indebted to everyone who has been involved in this entire process. EB: What are your plans in the sport? KH: I really want to give back as much as I can. I’m planning on opening a fitness studio in my hometown to help people who want to improve their quality of life and level of health. I also want to continue to immerse myself in the industry through online training and contest prep. A Web site I have called FitCorps.net will have articles, blogs, training and diet information, as well as a place to showcase my clients. I would also love to get involved more in the fitness modeling aspect of the sport and even begin writing and submitting articles to various publications. As far as competitive plans go, I plan on doing the 2009 NGA Pro Universe, and I’m aiming for a topthree finish this year. After that I’d love to stand onstage at the 2010

NPC Team Universe competition and eventually place at that level as well. EB: Please take some time to thank anyone you might want to for helping you along the way because we both know how essential a good support system is to success.

KH: It goes without saying that I extend an enormous amount of gratitude to you and what you have done for me, Eric. I also have to thank Troy Johnson for getting me started and also promoting me and getting me involved with ALR In-

dustries. You’ve both been generous beyond belief. My friends have also been paramount in my success, and I would like to thank Brian Haubiel and Justin Martin for being there for me during the hard times of prep. My mother and father deserve more credit, love and thanks than I could ever give them. They did an amazing job of raising me and showed me what is to have a true passion for something. Last and most important, I must acknowledge my beautiful wife, Kristy, and my daughter, Jaidyn. Kristy’s unconditional love and undying support are an inspiration to me. EB: Thank you so much for taking this time with me Kyle, and let me say once again, coach to client, teacher to student, friend to friend, I could not be more proud of you. Editor’s note: For information on the new P/RR/S DVD, see the ad on the next page. For an instant download of Eric’s e-book, The Power/Rep Range/Shock Mass Workout, which features all of the programs from the DVD in printable format, visit www.X-Workouts. com. IM

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Presents

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The

Super Size Surge Supplements Key Compounds That Can Accelerate Your Muscle Growth by Steve Holman and Jonathan Lawson

If you’ve been at the muscle-building game for a while, you know that it’s not just training that can make gaining more efficient. Specific supplements can supercharge your efforts in the gym and the muscle gains you get from every workout. The supplements we’re going to talk about here are the real deal, and they work well together, especially for bodybuilders who train with intensity.,

Neveux / Model: Barry Kabov

1) Protein. A no-brainer, right? Well, you need to consider a few specifics. To build muscle you gotta have excess protein—no negative nitrogen balance or gains stop and/or reverse— but should you use whey or casein? How about egg? The egg is considered the perfect food, and for good reason: It’s got a little of everything, including quality aminos and anabolic fat. But casein has built more muscle in the lab, and whey has a higher biological value. We think those protein sources are all excellent and work synergistically, so we often use a combination powder like Muscle-Link’s Pro-Fusion, which contains whey, micellar casein and egg protein with only six grams of carbs per serving. Whey gives you a fast anabolic blast, while casein’s slow release complements it with an anticatabolic effect. Timing: Drink one to two scoops in water between solid-food meals and an hour before your workout. You can also use it to supercharge solid-food meals with more protein and before bed as a slow-release overnight anabolic and anticatabolic booster.

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2) Branched-chain amino Studies show that taking about five grams of BCAAs before acids. an intense workout can curb the release of cortisol, the stress hormone that eats muscle tissue. We also like to take BCAAs before any type of cardio because of that anticatabolic effect. Plus, we keep a big bowl of amino acid caps handy so we can grab three or four whenever we think about it to keep our nitrogen balance positive. The amino acid leucine, which is prevalent in most BCAA supplements, has been shown in recent studies to have the most anabolic effects on muscle hypertrophy. Research also indicates that BCAAs are especially important for the over-40 bodybuilder. Timing: Take four BCAA caps before training and before cardio. Also, solid food digests slowly, so take a few with meals—if you don’t use a protein drink—so you get aminos into your bloodstream faster.

3) Beta-alanine. Study after new study shows that carnosine in muscle tissue provides a buffering effect that enables you to grind out more growth reps—as well as those end-of-set X-Rep partials that are so important for optimal fiber activation. The biggest bodybuilders have more than twice the carnosine levels that nontraining individuals have because of their adaptation to intense training. Scientists surmise that because they do so many pain-zone sets, the biggest bodybuilders stockpile carnosine—to help them get bigger and stronger. Beta-alanine converts to carnosine, so by taking it you load your muscle tissue with carnosine and can power further into the growth zone on any work set. We began taking Red Dragon in its beta-test form, and our strength kept moving forward at almost every workout. New studies have shown that it synergizes with creatine, making size and strength gains even more pronounced. Timing: Take two capsules of Red Dragon upon awakening in the morning and two before training. (Note: Many people get a skin-tingling effect from beta-alanine, but that’s a normal reaction.)

4) Fast carbs, fast protein and creatine. We believe this combo is essential to kick off the recovery and muscle-building processes after a workout. Strive for a mix of 60 grams of fast carbs, 40 grams of fast whey protein and five grams of creatine. We usually use RecoverX, which contains whey hydrolysates, the fastest whey available, plus a scoop of CreaSol. These compounds are quickly digested and get into your bloodstream almost immediately. The CreaSol provides five grams of titrated creatine, which is also a “fast” creatine that is almost 100 percent usable by the body. We each drink three scoops of RecoverX and one scoop of CreaSol mixed in water immediately after our workouts. Timing: Take immediately after every workout to get the full advantage of the anabolic window.

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5) Phosphatidylserine. As we mentioned earlier, cortisol is a stress hormone that is highly catabolic—it eats muscle. Any stressful situation causes your body to secrete cortisol, even intense workouts. We take about 800 milligrams of phosphatidylserine prior to each workout to control cortisol release and minimize the body’s use of prized muscle tissue for energy. PS is a soy lipid that has been shown in lab studies to reduce cortisol by up to 30 percent in hard-training athletes, and it’s a must for high-strung hardgainer types, who should also use two capsules before bed—cortisol release is very high in the later hours of sleep. It’s also a must when you start taking fat burners that contain caffeine, as caffeine raises epinephrine release, which triggers cortisol surges. Timing: Take about 800 milligrams of PS before each workout.

6) Fat burner. What the heck is a fat burner doing on a muscle-size supplement list? For one thing, you’ll look much bigger when you’re leaner. The real reason, though, is that many contain two key ingredients that help you get bigger as well as leaner—caffeine and forskolin. You know that caffeine helps you train harder and can also enhance muscular contraction—and if you take PS, you can control the cortisol it can produce. What about forskolin? As we said, it helps you get leaner to look bigger: Several new studies have found that human subjects who took a forskolin-based supplement experienced significant fat loss—with no serious negative side effects. Positive side effects, aside from ramping up fat loss, include an increase in highdensity lipoprotein, the good kind of cholesterol. By the way, there’s a muscle-sizebuilding twist: Forskolin also pumped up free testosterone. Yes, it stimulated the production of the active form of that key anabolic hormone. The amount of forskolin used in the study was 250 milligrams of 10 percent forskolin twice a day. Timing: Take the recommended dosage of a fat burner that contains forskolin before training. During a mass phase we take a fat burner infrequently, usually on leg day and perhaps one other workout during the week. When we begin our ripping phase, we take our chosen fat burner before almost every workout.

7) L-carnitine. A compound that helps move fat into the mitochondria of the cells for energy, L-carnitine, like forskolin, also has massbuilding properties. New research says it can increase anabolic receptors in muscle. To make that happen, subjects took one gram in the morning and one gram at noon. Anabolic-receptor proliferation means much faster size gains. It’s also been shown to boost muscle recovery and muscular force production. In one study carnitine improved the contractile force in the latissimus dorsi of dogs by 34 percent and overall force production by 31 percent.1 That means it can give you more firepower, synergizing with creatine and beta-alanine on your work sets for more growth reps. Timing: Take three grams a day: one gram in the morning, one gram prior to your workout and one gram prior to bed. (Note: The killer cardio fat bomb is three to five amino tablets, one gram of L-carnitine and about 800 milligrams of phoshpatidylserine. Together they help your body preserve muscle during cardio—aminos and PS—and tap into fat stores faster—carnitine.) Use most of the supplements described here and get on our Volume/Intensity-Fusion Workout (see page 158), and watch your physique morph into a mass of solid muscle. References 1Kraemer, W.J.,

et al. (2003). The effects of l-carnitine l-tartrate supplementation on hormonal responses to resistance exercise and recovery. J Strength Cond Res. 17:455–462. Editor’s note: To see all of the supplements Holman and Lawson take as well as when they take them, visit www.X-Rep.com and see the Supplement Blog. There’s information on X Reps and Positions-of-Flexion training there as well. IM

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r e f i n n e JGates

IRON MAN Hardbody

’08 Figure Olympia Winner

Compiled by Jonathan Lawson • Photography by Michael Neveux Hair and makeup Yvonne Ouellette

Height: 5’1” Age: 32 Weight: 112 currently; 109 contest and 115 off-season Hometown: Indianapolis, Indiana Current residence: Plainfield, Indiana Occupation: Personal trainer, nutritionist, nurse and full-time mommy Workout schedule: Monday: legs; Tuesday: cardio; Wednesday: back, shoulders and chest; Thursday: cardio; Friday: bootcamp-style workout; Saturday: bleachers and sprints; Sunday: off Sample bodypart workout (legs): Giant set: leg extensions, leg curls and walking lunges—three rounds; superset: plié squats and stepups on bench—three rounds Favorite foods: Healthful, protein pancakes; nonhealthful, Mexican food Factoid: “I’m a single mom of two kids, ages 12 and six. I work as a pediatric nurse and started out in the fitness industry with bodybuilding before figure. My father is a bodybuilder who is competing in the Masters Nationals this year. I love girlie things like makeup, hair, nails, shopping and lip gloss—I have more than 50 tubes of it.” Future plans: “I plan to keep my Figure Olympia title this year and to inspire women and mothers of all ages to be in their best shape possible.” Contact info: www.JennGates.com or send e-mail to figureolympia08@yahoo.com. IM

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IRON MAN Hardbody

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IRON MAN Hardbody

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IRON MAN Hardbody

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IRON MAN Hardbody

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Silvio Slays â&#x20AC;&#x2122;Em at the 2009 Photography by Michael Neveux, Savanna Neveux, Roland Balik and Michael Jude Adelmann Go to www.IronManMagazine.com for many more photos and behind-the-scenes coverage 1) Silvio Samuel 2) Moe El Moussawi 3) Ronny Rockel 4) Hidetada Yamagishi 5) Ahmad Haidar 6) Eddie Abbew 7) Mohammad Bannout 8) Mark Dugdale 9) Marcus Haley 10) Johnnie Jackson

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1) Silvio Samuel www.ironmanmagazine.com \ MAY 2009 219

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2) Moe El Moussawi

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3) Ronny Rockel

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4) Hidetada Yamagishi

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5) Ahmad Haidar

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6) Eddie Abbew

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7) Mohammad Bannout

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8) Mark Dugdale

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9) Marcus Haley

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Previous IRON MAN Pro champs were honored at the finals.

Cory Everson, John Balik and L.T.

10) Johnnie Jackson

Want to see more photos? Find hundreds online at www.IronManMagazine.com

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LONNIE TEPER’S

2009 IRON MAN Pro

Two Decades Long

L.T. and Cory present a memory book to John Balik. L.T. gets a plaque (top, inset) and a kiss.

And Still Going Strong

Spencer, Mike and Savannah Neveux.

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Carol and Terry Bratcher.

Sonia Melendez

Before I play analyst and give my perspective on the latest edition of the IRON MAN Pro, let me take the time to tip my cap to John Balik, Michael Neveux, Terry Bratcher, Helen Yu and the rest of the tireless IM crew for succeeding at a job many people thought would be a sequel to “Mission Impossible”—producing a top-flight pro-bodybuilding contest for 20 years. In a row. Yes, two decades after Shawn Ray became the initial IM Pro champ in 1990 (How long ago was that? Well, Sugar Shawn had hair back then, and Elvis was still alive, crooning “Don’t Be Smooth” to the audience), it remains the only pro event on the West Coast and the Helen Yu third-longest-running contest in the history of the induschecks Samir’s try, trailing only the Mr. Olympia and the Arnold Classic. credentials. It costs anywhere from $65,000 to $100,000 to put on a pro event, depending on location (prize money, venue costs and sanction fees alone total $65,000 Kent at the IM). And that’s for the “small” shows, the ones Kuehn. that offer “only” $30,000 in prize money. (Damn those promoters—walking away with all the cash.) Folks like Balik, Neveux and Yu, IM’s director of marketing, have put in hundreds of hours every season to ensure a highclass result yet have never made a dime on the weekend. Talk about doing it for the love of the game! Oh, by the way, the “little” non-national qualifier I put on, the Junior Cal, cost more than $20,000 last year, and I wish you could see Jon Lindsay’s tab for the USA. You’d get a migraine looking at the outlays made by Jim Lorimer and Robin Chang for the Arnold Classic and the Olympia, respectively. Back to the show—six of the 11 former IM winners Joseph were in attendance: Ray, Flex Wheeler, Chris Cormier, Jay Cutler, (front) and Dexter Jackson and Phil Heath. Following a video that outlined the Andrew contest’s history, I brought them all onstage, one at a time, and Balik pre- Melendez sented them with special IM PRO anniversary jackets (created by Tony hang with Novak) and medals. Dexter, Jay It was a special moment for all involved and reminded me of why I’ve and L.T. been such a keen follower of the industry for more than 25 years. Earlier in the day, Jay and Dex “made” the weekend for 10-year-old Andrew and five year-old Joseph Melendez when their mother, Sonia, who doubles as IM’s subscriptions manager, snapped a shot of her sons with

SMOOCHERS ALL KINDS OF HONORS AT THE iM. Pages 240 and 241

EXPO-NENTIAL Models, models, models. Page 244

Moe El Moussawi.

Silvio Samuel.

the living legends, both whom display Sandow trophies on their mantels back home. As a kind gesture, Sonia asked me to take part in the photo op as well. Later in the evening Balik, IM’s unpretentious publisher, finally received some kudos of his own—despite his strong objections. As a special surprise, six-time Ms. Olympia Cory Everson shocked him (at least I think he was shocked) by joining me at the podium, where we presented him with a keepsake book filled with 75 tributes from his family, friends and colleagues. It may have taken me 25 years, but I finally got a kiss from Cory, who is still striking at 51 years of age. Of course, the evening wouldn’t have been complete without a congratulatory video from John’s longtime friend and former workout partner, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger of California. In typical Balik fashion John passed on the credit to the rest of the team. Then it was his turn to play surprise; he ended his speech by giving me a beautiful plaque inscribed, “Master Emcee,” in recognition of my 20 years at the mic. I was honored Hidetada but let J.B. know that he should Photoshop out the Yamagishi. bags under my eyes next time. Speaking of 20 years of service, here’s a special shout out to Kent Kuehn, who was manning his post behind the curtain as head expediter once more. Good job, teammate.

Ronny Rockel.

Photography by Jerry Fredrick and Roland Balik

GREAT LOSSES Good-bye, Marie. Page 245.

ADD GASPARI—A special thank-you to Rich for his invitation on Friday night to join him, judge and promoter Paco Hernandez, James “Flex” Lewis and Mark Alvisi for a steak dinner at Fleming’s, one of the Ahmad new sites at the recently completed L.A. Live entertainHaidar. ment complex, a block from the convention The IM Pro hit parade (from left): Shawn Ray, Flex Wheeler, Chris Cormier, center. Jay Cutler, Dexter Jackson and Phil Heath. Gaspari Nutrition again joined Bodybuilding. com as presenting sponsors. Rich continues to support the industry where he made his name as the 20-year-old wunderkind who took fifth in the heavyweight class at the ’83 Nationals, finishing behind, in order, Bob Paris, Rory Leidelmeyer, Mike Christian and Matt Mendenhall. (Speaking of appreciation, a big thank-you to Abbas Moussawi and Pro Fight Supplements for coming onboard as the title sponsor.) As I’ve said many times before, what Gaspari’s done as a businessman impresses me even more than what he did flexing onstage. . Tag-team interview: Flex and Shawn with L.T.

Very Well, Silvio Sam-uel ADD IM PRO—Silvio Samuel promised me he would return to the IRON MAN until he won it. As you probably know by now, Silvio kept his word, besting a deep 28-man field that represented 14 countries en route to the crown. Our having the contest three weeks earlier than usual didn’t keep him from standing onstage in shape; Samuel was also keeping one eye on the Arnold Classic, scheduled for the first week of March, where www.ironmanmagazine.com \ MAY 2009 241

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he hoped to improve on his fifth-place finish of 2008. How this dude stays in top shape, show in and show out, is beyond amazing, but, as he points out, “I am a professional bodybuilder. This is my job; it shouldn’t be a big deal.” Well, sir, it is. Can’t tell you how many times I’ve had to be told—really!—that the person I was shaking hands with was the same guy—or woman—I had introduced onstage just a few days earlier. Let’s call this show “Swole Train.” Samuel says he was four pounds heavier than he was when he finished seventh at last season’s Olympia (he swears he was carrying 226 on his 5’7” frame at the convention center); Dexter ain’t the only guy I’m calling out on his weight statements—I’ll give Silvio a solid 218, after the cheeseburger. Either way, the cat looked divine, tight as a drum, with a serratus that extended up to his ears. He renewed his battle with Moe El Moussawi, who edged him out for third at the ’08 contest. Their war of words on various Web sites prior to the show was entertaining, although they may not have thought so. Hey, it’s show business, guys; some humorous bantering helps spice up not only the contest but the industry as a whole. El Moussawi, flying in from New Zealand the week of the show, didn’t appear quite as sharp at the prejudging as he’d been last year, when he stunned the crowd by moving up 11 slots from 14th in ’07 to third. The guy with the Guns of Navarone and a back that resembles a relief map of Brazil had definitely improved by the finals. Unfortunately, the 5’9”, 242-pounder was behind by 12 points after the judging, and it was just too much to overcome. Samuel ended the night with a 15-point margin of victory and the $15,000 first-place check. What’s more, the fans who watched the annual Webcast on Bodybuilding.com added another grand to the pot by voting Silvio the “People’s Choice” champion with 36 percent of the online tallies. (By the way, thumbs-way-up to the usual solid job by hosts Dan Solomon and Bob Cicherillo.) I thought Ronny Rockel was at his all-time best and could have finished second without much argument. Then again, most people look their all-time best under Mike Neveux’s lighting, so maybe I should take this contest out of the mix whenever making that evaluation. ’Cause I think Heath looked his all-time best at this contest a year ago—yes, even better than at the Olympia. Congrats to Hidetada Yamagishi, who showed up lean and mean, and Ahmad “My Credit Card Is Stuck in Your Abdominal Wall” Haidar, who rounded out the top five, and joined Samuel, Moe and Rockel in qualifying for the Olympia right out of the chute. Most of the publicity after a show centers around those who finished highest, of course, but I want to single out some of the other contenders who deserve special mention: BIGGEST SURPRISE: Mo Bannout. Not sure if he’s Samir Bannout’s cousin, nephew or neighbor, but I do know that what Samir told me the day before the contest—that this latest Lebanese Lion would make him very proud—was on the money. Check out those wheels and glutes. Rich Gaspari must have been grinning from ear to ear. MOST IMPROVED: DeShaun Grimez. No, that is not a misprint. I realize that Grimez didn’t make the top 15, but I thought the Southern Cal ace looked vastly improved over what he presented a year ago, when he flopped in his pro debut. As Ruthless Ruth Silverman exclaimed when she was checking out pics of Grimez at IronManMagazine.com, “Look at those cuts in his legs! Look at those guns! The fact that somebody can’t make the top 15 looking like this shows the tremendous depth of the lineup.” Amen. MOST OVERLOOKED: Oliver Adzievski. The cat from Sweden impressed me from the minute he stepped onstage with his highly conditioned physique and lots of muscle. Not in the top 10 (he finished 12th)? See Ruthless’ statement above. 242 MAY 2009 \ www.ironmanmagazine.com

Oliver Adzievski.

Mo Bannout. Marcus Haley.

Don Long. Constantino Demetriou.

Martin Kjellstrom.

Find L.T.’s blog and videos at www.IronMan Magazine.com

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COMEBACK AWARD: Marcus Haley, who suffered a major injury at the end of 2007. Marcus was visiting his wife Tiffany’s family in Nebraska during the holidays and decided to partake of a leg workout on Christmas Eve. Midset on leg extensions he tore the tendon in his left knee, which made him MIA last season. Haley also snapped his right leg in two during a Jet Ski accident back in 2002 but was in the gym four months later, so the man obviously isn’t going to be taken out easily. He didn’t finish as high as he’d hoped at the IM, taking ninth, but his just being able to be part of the lineup after what he’s been through in recent times makes him a champion. BIGGEST MAN ON STAGE: Another Swede, Martin Kjellstrom, who finished one slot behind Adzievski, in 13th. Martin, who swears he used to be a long-distance runner, tipped the scales at around 290 on his 6’1” frame and was, in my opinion, in his best condition since he turned pro. BEST NAME: Costantino Demetriou. Why? Because the sixtime Australian champ can reverse the order of his names and nobody would know the difference. LANCE ARMSTRONG AWARD: Don Long. The man admits he isn’t what he used to be—who would be after undergoing a kidney transplant a few years back?—but the 42-year-old from Jacksonville, Florida, has made his dream come true by staying in the sport as both a rep for ISS ReRoland search and, now and then, a competitor.

DeShaun Grimez in 2008 (left) and ’09.

Teper

Dave Palumbo.

John Balik

Dan Solomon, L.T. and Bob Cicherillo.

ADD SAMUEL—A couple of days after the show John Balik signed an agreement with Pedro Fernando Gutierrez to allow the creation of IRON MAN Spain. I’m sure Silvio will approve of the mag’s initial cover, for the March ’09 issue. Roland Balik, trying to make up for the Bonehead Pick of the Year honors he earned in this space last season, was the man behind the camera. Glad to see that you’ve cleaned your lens for the new year, Roland. I’ll be asking for your top-six Mr. O picks soon. For the right price I can get you in for a consultation with the Swami.

ADD FLEX WHEELER—It was a big news weekend for the all-time IRON MAN Pro record holder. First, Wheeler announced the release of the Flex Wheeler Signature Series supplement line (in association with All-American EFX; www.aaefx Pedro Fernandez Gutierrez (left) .com), and then the report hit the Internet a week with Silvio and John Balik. later that Wheeler and Shawn Ray would replace Dave “Jumbo” Palumbo and John Romano as the hosts of Muscular Development’s weekly Webradio show, beginning in the middle of February. John Romano. It was also learned that Dave and John’s termination was not just limited to the Internet; they’d also been let go from their duties at the magazine by M.D.’s publisher, Steve Blechman. Shortly thereafter, both parties published online versions of what actually caused the dismissal. Not surprisingly, it didn’t take the dynamic duo long to get back into action—the following week they announced the creation of their new site, www.rxmuscle .com.

Teper

Avidan

Balik.

ADD HALEY—Throughout the weekend Marcus was seen in the company of Tim Gardner, the Florida–based jack-of-all-trades, including gym owner, www.ironmanmagazine.com \ MAY 2009 243

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contest promoter, trainer of hundreds, special correspondent for News & Views info and hubby of figure pro Brandie Gardner. At Tim’s gym, BODY*TECH Fitness Emporium, in Tampa, Florida, he conducts a monthly meeting that involves lectures, group platoon training, agility boot camps, posing clinics and more. Gardner also invites noted guest speakers to motivate his athletes, the current roster of which has a staggering 486 competitors, with 182 champions holding a total of 684 titles. Dexter Jackson, the Jacksonville Jaguar, was the featured speaker at Tim’s kickoff meeting for the 2009 season, one week before the IRON MAN Pro. To find out more about what Tim has to offer to those interested in competition—or just getting into the best shape of their lives— give www.TeamBodyTech.com a click.

Christine PomponioPate.

Angeliina and Jonathan Lawson.

Lexy Raven and Dave Goodin.

ADD JUNIOR CAL—Jay Cutler had a standing-room-only crowd at his seminar on Saturday afternoon, as usual. Jay’s enormous popularity—and the way he treats the fans—is the main reason he continues to be the featured guest poser at my contest. Actually, two Cutlers for the price of one will take the stage on June 20 as we move from Pasadena City College to a new venue, the Rosemead High School Auditorium. Jay and his 10-year-old look-alike, Trevor Tichonchuk, will perform at the event; this kid does Cutler better than Cutler does Cutler. They drew a crowd in the lobby of the L.A. Convention Center, going pose for pose as fans filed out after the IM Pro finals. For more info on the Junior Cal, go to www.NPCJuniorCal.com.

Tim Gardner and the BodyTech team.

244 MAY 2009 \ www.ironmanmagazine.com

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Roger Cox

ADD IRONMAN WEEKEND—The IM booth was jammed packed all weekend, with recent cover models Dave Goodin, Jonathan Lawson and Lexy Raven among the celebs working the area. And who better than pro-figure star Christine Pomponio-Pate to hype my Junior Cal, which she did between mugging for the camera, greeting legions of fans, signing autographs, etc. My latest ploy to get competitors: The men’s overall champion gets to take Christine to dinner. By the way, guys, she lives in Denver, Colorado; don’t expect me to pick up the airfare. Okay, so I’m fibbing—but it sounds great, eh? Talk about an offer you can’t refuse!

A double serving of Ultimate Beef: Trevor Tichonchuk and Jay Cutler.

ADD TRIBUTES—At the finals we also devoted a portion of the program to the passings of Ben Weider, Steve Stone, Kenny Kassel and Pete Siegel. In addition, after the expo closed on Sunday, several members of the industry gathered at the famed Baked Potato jazz club in Studio City, one of Kassel’s favorite haunts whenever he came out to Southern California, in celebration of his life. The get-together was arranged by Jeff Behar, a former competitor who now is the CEO of MyBestHealthportal.com. Ruthless was there, as was legendary photographer (and current crooner) Bill Dobbins, former IFBB fitness athletes Timea Majorova and Laura Mak, former IFBB pro bodybuilder Sharon Bruneau, physique personality Lauren Powers and actress-model Maddy Howard. You did Kenny proud, gang. I was planning to attend but left for home early Sunday morning instead of roving the expo, as I usually do. My mother had passed away three days earlier and, after two sleepless nights at the Holiday Inn L.A. City Center, I was both physically and emotionally spent. Wish I could have been there.

ADD MOM—A heartfelt thank-you to the overwhelming number of people who sent their condolences regarding my mother’s death. Some who never even met her. If you haven’t read it Behar with Sharon Bruneau and Lauren Powers. yet, view my blog at www.IronManMagazine. com, which has insight into to the type of lady she was. She lost a long, hard-fought battle with emphysema a month before her 88th birthday. My mom, Marie Hearn, had been living at the Villa Scalibrini Retirement and Special Care Facility in Sun Valley, California, since February 2002 and was given the moniker “Miracle Woman” by the staff for her ability to bounce back after what appeared to be life-ending episodes. Jeff Behar, Bill Dobbins and She had been in hospice care since AuTimea Majorova. gust—I can’t tell you what a wonderful job that group did in making sure she was as comfortable as possible—and I had come to grips L.T. with the fact her time on earth was ending and With soon. But you are never ready for the death of Bert Marie. a parent—my father died of a heart attack at Perry. 47. It’s been three weeks since she passed, and I’m still somewhat numb. I especially want to express my gratitude to Ron Avidan and Bert Perry, who, along with members of my family, showed up at the San Fernando Valley Cemetery in Mission Hills on January 30 for the graveside service—that meant a lot to me. One of my closest friends for the past 30 years, Randy Hill, a columnist at www.FoxSports.com, knew Marie well and made the drive from Scottsdale, Arizona, to lend his support. IM Elsa Escobar

Elsa Escobar

Rich Gaspari (left) with Jimmy Galindo, and Scot and Shawna Mendelson.

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 tepernews@aol.com.

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IRON MAN

Kevin

Tomasini Weight: 250 contest; 285 off-season Height: 5’9” Residence: Hartford, Wisconsin Occupation: Personal trainer and instructor; Nutrabolics Advanced Sports Innovations sponsored athlete Contest highlights: ’08 NPC Excalibur, superheavyweight, 1st, and overall; ’06 NPC Junior Nationals, superheavyweight, 5th Factoid: Kevin and his wife Stacey promote the NPC Badger State (www.npc badgerstate.com) Contact: www.kevin tomasini.com 246 MAY 2009 \ www.ironmanmagazine.com Photography by Roland Balik and Merv

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L O NN I E T EP E R’S Ri sin g St a r s

Age: 30

IRON MAN

Odis

McCullough

L ON N IE TE P ER ’S Ris ing S t ar s

Age: 44 Weight: 180 contest; 230 offseason Height: 5’7 1/2” Residence: Houston, Texas Occupation: Owner of Bodies by Odis Contest highlights: ’08 NPC Texas Championships, overall; ’07 Ronnie Coleman Classic, overall Factoid: He has competed in more than 70 bodybuilding contests. Contact: www.Bodiesby Odis.com

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L O N N I E T E P E R ’S R i si n g St ar s

IRON MAN

Jason

Huh

Age: 24 Weight: 225 contest; 270 off-season Height: 5’9” Residence: Sarasota, Florida Occupation: Owner of Elite Nutrition Contest highlights: ’08 NPC Nationals, heavyweight, 3rd; ’08 NPC Southern States, overall Factoid: He holds a black belt in tae kwon do and is a classical guitarist and violinist. Contact: doctorjhuh@yahoo.com

248 MAY 2009 \ www.ironmanmagazine.com

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IRON MAN

Sephanie

Spencer

LO NN I E T E P ER’S R isi ng S ta rs

Isaac Hinds \ www.LiftStudios.com

Isaac Hinds

tudios.com \ www.LiftS

Age: 26 Weight: 120 contest; 135 off-season Height: 5’3” Residence: Aurora, Colorado Occupation: Structural engineer Contest highlights: ’08 NPC Rocky Mountain, figure overall; ’08 Northern Colorado, figure C-class, 1st; ’08 Mountain States, figure overall Contact: smspenc1@yahoo .com

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Profiles in Muscle Profiles in Muscle Profiles in Muscle

Shaun Crump National-Level Bodybuilder and Muscle Asylum Project Athlete Compiled by Ron Harris

Full name: Ervin Shaun Crump Nickname: Shaun Date of birth: January 17, 1978 Height: 5’7” Off-season weight: 250 Contest weight: 225 Current residence: Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania Years training: Eight Occupation: Pharmaceuticals manufacturing (flu vaccines) Marital status: Married Children: Son, one; daughter, seven Hobbies: Spending time with his kids, going to church How did you get into bodybuilding? “Growing up, I was always the smallest kid in class. My dad had been a powerlifter, and I looked up to him as well as admiring muscular characters like the Incredible Hulk. As I got more involved in football, I got more serious about weight training and loved the changes I saw in my body. I actually became a competitive bodybuilder so my daughter could see me compete.” Who inspired you when you were starting out? “I saw Shawn Ray guest pose at a local show, and I thought he had the most perfect physique I had ever seen. I used

to spend all my allowance money on bodybuilding magazines and religiously followed the careers of Lee Haney and Flex Wheeler. I especially related to Flex because of the various trials and tribulations he had to deal with in life.” Top titles: ’04 NPC North Carolina Championships, overall; ’06 NPC Nationals, heavyweight, 4th Favorite bodypart to train: “It used to be chest until I tore my pec—now it’s back.” Favorite exercise: Lat pulldowns Least favorite exercise: Squats Best bodypart: Legs Most challenging bodypart: “Getting that ham/glute tie-in like Shawn and Dexter.” Obstacles overcome: “Tearing

256 MAY 2009 \ www.ironmanmagazine.com

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my pec was rough. I also made a career transition from social work to the pharmaceutical industry. Staying positive through these challenging economic times isn’t easy, but you have to.” Do you have a quote or a philosophy you try to live by? “God never puts more on your shoulders than you can handle.” How do you stay motivated? “My kids motivate me to be a better person and achieve more. I also remind myself constantly to be grateful for the things I do have rather than focus on what I don’t.” How would you describe your training style? “I train with an intense style, keeping the rep speed slow and getting as powerful a contraction of the muscle as possible.” Training split: Monday: quads, hamstrings, calves; Tuesday: chest, triceps; Wednesday: back, biceps; Thursday: shoulders, traps; Fri-

day: chest, triceps; Saturday and Sunday: off Favorite clean meal: Flank steak, sweet potato and broccoli Favorite cheat meal: Pizza with every meat topping What’s your favorite supplement, and why? “I absolutely love Arson, the fat burner from Muscle Asylum Project. I’m allergic to cardio, and anything that enables me to get ripped without doing a ton of cardio gets the big thumbs-up from me!” Goals in the sport: “I’d like to continue to be a positive role model for my kids and in my community and to influence the next generation to exercise regularly and eat right. And, of course, I want to earn my pro card and stand on that Mr. Olympia stage one day.” Web site: www.ShaunCrump.com. IM

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RUTH SILVERMAN’S

About May: • Model Search • IM Family Album • Expo Exploits • Pump-Pourri

THEY CAME TO BE FIT

Photography by Ruth Silverman and Jerry Fredrick

SIX-PACKS were everywhere backstage. Jason Phillips, a popular trainer from Florida, was one of the male model search finalists. Around this column he’s also known as the sweetie of profigure newbie Catherine Holland. NOWHERE NEAR FAILURE The PowerBlock Challenge was a popular feature at the IM booth. This gal was braver than me. MODELS FOUND Physique-contest opportunities for women took a mainstream turn at the IRON MAN Pro/Los Angeles Fitness Expo on January 24. Ironically, the IM-sponsored Bodyspace Model Search was won by a seasoned fitness competitor, Canada’s Allison Ethier (left). Kimberly Bres (center) and Pauline Mitchell were also among the five female finalists. 260 MAY 2009 \ www.ironmanmagazine.com

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INTERNAL AFFAIRS NICE POSTER Sonia Melendez is one of the jack-of-alltrades IM staffers who make the big weekend possible (see the photo below). She may also be one of the most photogenic subscriptions managers in all of publishing.

NICE SLOGAN Sure, I ran a photo of Lexy Raven last month, but who could deny her a solo spot? Beside, she’s not stretching the truth. We do know training.

I M FA M I LY A L B U M • P H O T O G R A P H Y BY JERRY FREDRICK 1

For those of us who put out this magazine— from various locations— the IM Pro is kind of a reunion. Also a time to see how big everyone’s kids are getting.

1) Editor in Chief Steve Holman urges daughter Chelsea to get in a few X-Rep partials at the end of her set.

2) Yeah, right, says Holman to whatever Creative Director Mike Neveux is proposing. Just the natural ebb and flow of editorial-art relations. 3) Boffo box-offce team (back row):

Craig Stichler, yours truly and Nicole Stichler. Front row: Sonia Melendez, Mary Gasca and Larry Eklund.

strategy: Seek higher exercise levels. 4) Science whiz Jerry Brainum 5) Corky Wollman and Becky Holman advises a reporter on a good antiaging www.ironmanmagazine.com \ MAY are a couple of sights for sore2009 eyes. 261

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EXPO EXPLOITS

FRIENDLY PERSUASION Timea Majorova knows how to display a product. Watch her squeeze that bottle of SAN’s Tight, and you want it, right?

TANJI-BILL INTERVIEW Bill Dobbins worked with GMV Productions, capturing notables like Tanji Johnson on video. Tanji had some neat news for fitness buffs: It’ll be Johnson v Johnson at the Super Show this summer when baby sister Safiya goes up against Tanji in her pro debut. What’s more, middle sis Zakiya Johnson, as predicted in these pages two years ago, is joining the act and will compete in the Super Show amateur-fitness division.

XOXO Cory Everson (near left), on hand to help with a presentation to IM’s John Balik, found a lot of old friends backstage. I can’t tell you what she and head judge Sandy Williamson talked about, but I suspect it was

very different from their conversations of a couple of decades back.

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TRANSFORMATION Former fitness femme Heather Clay, formerly Cox, formerly blond, has become an expert in “mommy fitness,” thanks to 1 1/2-year-old Mason. Find out what she means by that at www.Fresh Mommy.com.

PERSONALITIES

JUST BECAUSE

GLAM COUPLE It’s all about the gloves, declares physique icon Teagan Clive. Kids-TV scribe Stan Berkowitz heartily agrees, but I’m looking at her wrist— girlfriend really knows her bling.

For crackling commentary on all things women’s bodybuilding, fitness and figure, read my Pump & Circumstance blog at www.IronManMagazine.com

Bradford

WHO YOU CALLIN’ A DOG? Though Lisa Angeline is not a figure competitor, she won some impressive titles in 2008, including Miss LAX and Las Vegas’ Top Model. Plus, she’s got her own cartoon image.

SMOKIN’ PRESENTATION Georgia figure athlete Cheryl Maddox hopes to heat up some national-level lineups this season. It could definitely happen.

AUSSIE UNBOUND Figure’s RosaMaria Romero, here with fellow Down Under wonder Con Demetriou, has joined the single-mom brigade. Onstage in ’09 she hopes to pick up where she left off—in the top six at last (at the TOC).

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SPEAKING OF LONGEVITY Laura Mak and Jeff Behar pooled their more than 50 years of experience in training and fitness to publish The Million Dollar Secret, a straightforward approach to the latest data on antiaging and wellness remedies. For more info or to get your copy: www.My BestHealthPortal.com.

PUMP-POURRI—IM PRO Promoter John Balik was so absorbed in his duties, he probably doesn’t know he posed for the official jacket shot.

Brenda Kelly, Mo Mohsen and Nicole Rollolazo had an up-front view at the expo. Oh, the stories they could tell. Roland Balik

“Look at her delts!” exclaimed Isaac Hines regarding Huong Arcinas’ much noted bodypart. Yeah, Isaac, but that’s her triceps you’re pinching. Little Titan Satalowich made his expo debut, charming all he met and keeping his mom beaming. So far so good, eh, Cyn?

Photography by Ruth Silverman

Left: Lindsey Holman has always had a buff dad. You know, Steve, the older she gets, the harder it’s gonna be to impress her with that.

Speaking of welcome sights, getting to catch up with Ian and Rosie Sitren truly made my weekend.

Fredrick

Magic man. How did Jerry manage to take the picture and flex Christine’s biceps at the same time?

Fredrick

Model search overall winners Sean Harley and Allison Ethier displayed matching conditioning—in case you were wondering what the judges were looking for.

Cure for perpetual motion. IM’s Warren Wanderer held down Marc Missioreck long enough for me to snap this shot.

Above: Jenn Gates, here with Adam Strachman, was the star of the Pro Fight booth. Find her Hardbody photos on page 202.

No gap for these generations. Balik introduces Cory to his daughter Lilli (second from left) and Melissa Jenkins.

You can contact Ruth Silverman, fitness, figure and women’s bodybuilding reporter and Pump & Circumstance scribe, in care of IRON MAN, 1701 Ives Ave., Oxnard, CA 93033; or via e-mail at ironwman@aol.com.

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MUSCLE “IN” SITES MUSCLE “IN” SITES MUSCLE ‘IN’ SITES MUSCLE “IN” SITES MUSCLE “IN” SITES MUSCLE ‘IN’ SITES MUSCLE “IN” SITES MUSCLE “IN” SITES MUSCLE ‘IN’ SITES MUSCLE “IN” SITES MUSCLE “IN” SITES MUS

Eric Broser’s

Muscle “In” Sites If you ﬁnd something on the Web that IM readers should know about, send the URL to Eric at bodyfx2@aol.com.

>www.AmyLeeMartin.com More than 100 ladies hold IFBB pro cards for figure, each with a beautiful look all her own. Of all the women I’ve reviewed in this column, however, I have to say that Amy Lee Martin fits the description of the “beautiful girl next door” more perfectly than any. With her blond hair, captivating blue eyes and engaging smile, she can grab your attention and have you wishing you could take her home to meet your mother—just ask her husband, Doug. Originally from Indianapolis, Amy graduated from Butler University with a bachelor of arts in English literature. While working hard on the “muscles” above the neck, she also kept her body fit through such activities as gymnastics, track and field, cross country and aerobics—eventually becoming an aerobics instructor. After college Amy decided to join a local gym in order to stay in shape and provide an outlet for her high level of energy. There she met her husband, who sparked her interest in pursuing figure competition. After only about a year and a total of five contests, Amy found herself standing onstage with the overall trophy at the ’08 NPC USA Championships, which gave her the right to become

an IFBB professional athlete. Her Web site, launched in December ’08, is a great place to learn more about Amy’s background, stats, education and philosophy of training and nutrition. She displays a small but stunning gallery of pictures, although her private VIP section likely has more, and she offers some of her best for sale. Amy has also made available for purchase the complete plan that she used to prepare for her USA victory, posing and presentation assistance for upcoming competitors and phone consultations. The site is well put together and easy to navigate and contains enough interesting info to distract you when you’re bored at work—oops, I mean when you’re on your lunch hour. Check it out.

268 MAY 2009 \ www.ironmanmagazine.com

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>DVD Review: David Henry’s “Xtreme Measures”

>Broser’s

Net Results Q&A

The Power/Rep Range/Shock innovator answers your questions on training and nutrition.

Q. I’m a natural bodybuilder, and I need to improve my back thickness. I just started experimenting with deadlifts. Which are better for back development, full or partial deadlifts? A: I see your question all the time on discussion boards, so I feel compelled to address it here, even though I may have written about it previously. There is no doubt that the deadlift is an awesome movement for building muscle, as it brings into play so many important bodyparts and causes a flood of natural anabolic hormones to be released, creating a more anabolic internal environment. Men like Ronnie Coleman and Johnnie Jackson have done full deadlifts from the first day they touched a weight, and they have back development that is downright scary. But does that mean that full deadlifts are better than partial deadlifts when it comes to building a better overall back? In my opinion and experience, the answer is no. Ronnie and Johnnie were both powerlifters before

how-to for a novel training concept. Even though the DVD was shot in David’s off-season, his muscularity, density and definition are incredible. In a few of the poses he hits, David looks impossibly massive, especially in his hands-clasped most-muscular shots. Pound for pound he is one of the most heavily muscled bodybuilders ever to compete as a pro. Watching the effort and intensity he puts into his training is inspirational and certainly served to get me psyched for my upcoming workouts. Here is a man who is very passionate about improving and feels he can go toe to toe with anyone in the sport. I found “Xtreme Measures” to be a pretty cool DVD in a market where there seems to be a lack of true creativity: The training sequences were intense, the physique was amazing, and the fluff was kept to a minimum. I give it two biceps-up. It’s available at www.Home-Gym.com.

becoming bodybuilders, so full deadlifts are what they were brought up on. Many powerlifters consider anything less than pulling off the floor wimpy and a waste of time. Powerlifters are not concerned with how big their backs are but, rather, how big their lifts are. Bodybuilders’ goals are different. The main problem with full deads is that the first half of the movement is initiated primarily from quad, glute and hip strength, while the back does not really kick in until the bar reaches approximately knee level—and at that point there is already quite a bit of momentum involved. I feel the back does not receive optimal stimulation and is simply working in tandem with the lower body to complete the lift. With partial deads, the lower body is

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Neveux \ Model: Dave Goodin

Back in the ’70s a man named Danny Padilla was aptly named the “Giant Killer” because of his propensity for defeating taller and heavier men in his many years of bodybuilding competition. In the early ’90s another incredible “little” man named Mohammed Benaziza picked up where Danny left off and, in fact, even beat the great Dorian Yates on a pro stage during his sadly shortened career. Next came Lee Priest, who, with his mighty guns and densely packed physique, routinely beat bodybuilders a half-foot taller and 50 pounds heavier than he was. In the past few years a new vertically challenged warrior has deservedly claimed the Giant Killer moniker, despite weighing barely 200 pounds onstage in an era when the average Olympia competitor tips the scales at 240-plus—with some approaching the 300-pound barrier. His name is David Henry, and he is more undeniable proof that good things often come in “small” packages, especially when the package is made of stone. In “Xtreme Measures” David shows us how he gets things done in the gym, covering his entire body over three training days using the popular DC, or Doggcrapp, method of training, pioneered my good friend and the owner of TrueProtein.com, Dante Trudel. DC is basically a low-volume, high-intensity-training regimen that involves meticulously keeping a logbook so that you can track and attempt to surpass all of your previous lifts from the weeks before. Techniques such as rest/pause and static reps are used often, as well as something called a widow maker, a single high-rep set used to finish off a bodypart. In addition, DC training calls for very intense and painful stretching of the muscle just worked in order to expand the fascia and stimulate satellite cell proliferation—something that I also employ with my P/RR/S system. For those of you who are curious about DC training, this DVD will pretty much serve as a

Net Results

Week 1, just above the knees: 135 x 12, 225 x 8, 275 x 6, 315 x 4, 365 x 2 Week 2, just below the knees: 135 x 12, 225 x 8, 275 x 6, 315 x 4, 365 x 2 Week 3, midshin: 135 x 12, 225 x 8, 275 x 6, 315 x 4, 365 x 2 Once you have completed the three-week cycle using the same weights at each height, start over again, but increase the poundage on the final three sets by perhaps 5 percent. That’s an excellent way to maximize your deadlifting strength while building more mass throughout your back. Q: What are a few of the biggest mistakes natural bodybuilders make in pursuit of a championship-scale physique? A: Good question. Here it goes… Mistake 1: Too much training volume. While I am no Mentzarian by any means, I do believe it’s intensity that builds muscle, not volume. Thus, you need to strike a balance between the two elements that enables you to stimulate the growth machinery and recover properly so that hypertrophy can actually occur. I see too many natural bodybuilders trying to follow the routines of their favorite pros, which is a sure road to disaster for most. Routines that are composed of 15 to 20 sets for larger muscle groups and 10 to 15 sets for smaller ones are not only unnecessary but also counterproductive. You should easily be able to annihilate a bodypart in half of those sets, which will get you out of the gym faster and not make too great an inroad into your recovery ability. Mistake 2: Too many days in the gym. Okay, this goes right along with the first mistake in that the result will likely be an overtrained,

underrecovered state, which equals little to no muscle growth. Many people erroneously believe that we grow while we’re in the gym, but nothing could be further from the truth. We stimulate growth while in the gym, but only when we are at rest can the body actually make the repairs necessary to build new lean tissue. If you’re in the gym too often, you will continually tear down muscle as well as overfatigue the central nervous system and downregulate anabolic hormones rather than give it a chance to recover and grow. I think that training four days per week is about right for most natural bodybuilders, although that can vary slightly from person to person. In addition, I’ve found that training any more than two days in a row causes a large dropoff in performance for most drug-free trainees. Mistake 3: Too little sleep. Again, our muscles hypertrophy only when we rest adequately. Every serious bodybuilder should try to get seven to nine hours of restful sleep every night, and an afternoon nap of 30 to 45 minutes wouldn’t be a bad idea. Do not underestimate the importance of sleep in your overall regimen. I promise that if you’re training hard, eating well and supplementing with all the latest potions but barely sleeping each night, you’ll fail to make much progress. Catch those z’s. Mistake 4: Inconsistent eating. One of the things I tell every one of my clients is, “If you want to get bigger, then you must become just as intense about your eating as you are about your training.” There is no more anabolic substance on earth than good food. I don’t care how many magical supplements you take. If you don’t eat at least six nutrient-packed meals per day— day in and day out—your physique will go nowhere. Protein is your main building block; carbs supply energy and spare protein; fats act as a secondary energy source and optimize anabolic hormones. You should eat all three of the macronutrients in proper balance for your individual metabolism and goals every day so that your body has the materials it needs to repair and build new muscle. Eating well two to three days per week won’t cut it. If you skip meals regularly, whether because of time, unavailability or laziness, bodybuilding is not the sport for you; perhaps Ping-Pong would be a better fit. The requirements for bodybuilding success are quite simple to state but rather difficult to carry out. If it were easy, though, everyone would be walking around looking like the guys featured in the pages of IRON MAN—and you and I know that we wouldn’t want that. No, we want to stand out from the crowd, which in my mind is a beautiful thing. IM Neveux \ Model: Nathan Detracy

deactivated for the most part and acts as nothing more than a powerful foundation. The erectors, lats and traps take the brunt of the weight, better targeting the back for optimal development. My advice: Practice partial deadlifts in a power rack from three different positions: 1) Midshin, 2) just below the knees, 3) just above the knees. A good way to set up your deadlifting schedule is to master a given weight for a given number of reps at just above the knees, then attempt to hit the same numbers at your next back workout but starting lower. For example:

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Bodybuilding Pharmacology BODYBUILDING PHARMACOLOGY BODYBUILDING PHARMACOLOGY BODYBUILDING PHARMACOLOGY BODYBUILDING PHARMACOLOGY BODYBUILDING PHARMACOLOGY BODYBUILDING

by Jerry Brainum

Natural Testosterone Boosters Are They for Real? In 1984 I was asked to write an article about ergogenic aids for a national sports magazine. It was to be included in a special issue covering the Summer Olympic Games that year. I interviewed a number of experts. One, a medical doctor, told me off the record that he had about 20 Olympic athletes on a regimen that included anabolic steroids and growth hormone. Significantly, none of the athletes got busted during the Olympics. While the guy was forthcoming—although he refused to identify the athletes using the drugs—other experts proved far more secretive.

I called a man in Boston who was described to me as a “well-known physician.” He had extensive experience with a little-known substance called Smilax officinalis, which I understood was some kind of herbal concoction, but when I called “Dr. X”—he refused to divulge his real name—he told me that he wasn’t at liberty to provide any details about Smilax. It wasn’t until later that I found out that Smilax officinalis was actually sarsaparilla, a common flavoring in root beer. A search for the anabolic effects of the plant turned up one obscure connection related to natural compounds called plant sterols. Flashback to 1942. A renegade chemist from the University of Pennsylvania named Russell Marker was acting like Indiana Jones, searching for plants with special properties in the wilds of Mexico. At the time, steroid hormones, including testosterone, were being produced in a very expensive process. Working in his lab in 1936, Marker successfully developed a method of producing chemical steroids from plant sterols. All steroids are made from the parent compound, cholesterol. When Marker noticed that plant sterols, which are the plant versions of cholesterol, have a close structural similarity to cholesterol, he was able to produce a human steroid from sarsaparilla. It was too expensive, though, to be used in mass quantities; hence Marker’s Mexican trek. Marker found his ideal substitute in the Mexican yam.

It’s no secret that higher testosterone leads to more muscle, but are there natural T boosters for those who don’t want to use drugs? Diosgenin, a plant sterol in the yam, proved to be an effective substrate for steroid production. Through a fivestep process involving the use of various enzymes, Marker successfully produced the steroid progesterone. The first major steroid produced from cholesterol, progesterone is the precursor of other steroid hormones, including estrogen and testosterone. Marker offered his discovery to drug companies, but they all turned him down except for a small, little-known company called Syntex. Syntex eventually became a major producer of hormone drugs, including a number of anabolic steroids. Meanwhile, the Mexican yam and diosgenin became the major raw materials for steroid hormones, particularly birth control pills, until they were supplanted by a synthetic process in 1970.

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Mexican yams were also sold as a food supplement because of their plant sterol content. In fact, early While the research forms of supplemental DHEA primarily contained Mexican yam extract. That proved problematic, since on tribulus the yam itself doesn’t contain any active steroid horemanating from mones, including DHEA. The poor quality and inefRussia is nothing fectiveness of the supplements led to their removal short of glowing, from the market in 1987 by the Food and Drug Adthe herb hasn’t ministration. Real DHEA turned up a few years later, thanks to the Dietary Supplement Health and Educa- fared as well under tion Act of 1994. Western scientific It’s no secret that anabolic steroids help build scrutiny. muscle size and strength. The problem with steroids is twofold. First, they’re prescription drugs and have potentially serious side effects. Second, most doctors are loath to prescribe them, knowing how easily they can be abused by those seeking to build muscle. That led to the pro-hormone industry, which began with legitimate DHEA supplements and ended with the advent of the Anabolic Steroid Drug Amendment in 2005. Not much better than DHEA, the initial pro-hormones were far worse from a health perspective. They offered little in the way of true anabolic activity but plenty in the way of anabolic-steroid-related side effects, including rapid conversion into estrogen. The last generation of pro-hormones was far improved, since many were actual anabolic steroids that were never released by the companies that researched them—and for good reason. Most of them had too many side effects, such as being hard on the liver. Even Now, how to explain the current plethora of supplements worse, evidence for significant anabolic effect in humans advertised as boosting testosterone? What the supplement was lacking. companies did amounted to going back in time. Most of After the FDA banned pro-hormone supplements, supthe products are based on plant compounds, which makes plement companies catering to bodybuilders and athletes them completely legal in the eyes of the FDA. The more were temporarily at a loss. What could they do to maintain important question is, Are they effective? their lucrative sales? A few threw all caution to the wind by Some of the more unscrupulous companies resorted attempting to sell a few more rejected steroid compounds, to highly questionable tactics. For example, many curwhile others began to surreptitiously include a new catrent pro-hormone supplements are based on DHEA, but egory of steroids, called “designer steroids,” since they were it’s usually called something else. That’s a common tactic supposedly not detectable by the usual drug screens. That today—listing complex chemical names to make conproved short-lived, for the FDA was on the lookout for any sumers believe that a supplement contains a new and substance that could directly convert into testosterone, revolutionary compound. Another likely motive is that which put it in direct violation of the 2005 steroid amendthe chemical nomenclature imparts a druglike aura to the ment. product. DHEA is not junk; it benefits those whose bodies produce low amounts of it. As a testosterone-booster, though, it’s effective only for women. Plants don’t actually contain real testosterone but rather plant sterols. The human body lacks the enzymes required to convert plant sterols into true steroids, although it can be done in a lab. That explains why plant sterols were—and in some cases still are—used to produce steroid drugs. One plant known to contain an actual androgen—the truffle—is a type of mushroom. Truffles naturally contain a very weak androgen called androst-16-en-3-ol. It isn’t very anabolic, which explains why you don’t see any mushrooms competing for the Mr. Olympia title. Perhaps the foremost herbal testosterone booster is Tribulus terrestris, which grows wild in Bulgaria and elsewhere. Tribulus contains various plant sterols, including diosgenin. Most of the sterols are categorized as saponins, since they produce a soaplike effect when metabolized. The active anabolic ingredient in tribulus is a saponin called protodioscin. Purveyors of tribulus often note that if it doesn’t contain enough protodioscin, it’s useless for building muscle, although it does have other properties, including diuretic effects and coronary artery dilation. Normally tribulus contains about 5 percent protodioscin. One study analyzed

Given that tribulus can raise estrogen, it’s not surprising that there’s at least one case study on record of a young bodybuilder who acquired gynecomastia, or male breast formation, after using a tribulus supplement.

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BODYBUILDING PHARMACOLOGY BODYBUILDING PHARMACOLOGY BODYBUILDING PHARMACOLOGY BODYBUILDING PHARMACOLOGY BODYBUILDING PHARMACOLOGY BODYBUILDING PHARMACOLOGY BODYBUI

Bodybuilding Pharmacology

In one recent study castrated rats showed a 51 percent rise in testosterone with tribulus.

commercial tribulus supplements for their protodioscin content. It varied, with samples from Bulgarian sources having more and those from China and India the least. Quality control is a real problem with tribulus, as it is with many other herbal supplements. Tribulus came to the attention of Western athletes after poorly controlled Russian research revealed that it increased testosterone. The initial studies involved animals, such as rams. In the human studies that followed, tribulus was given to men with clinically low testosterone levels. One study found that men receiving 750 milligrams of tribulus daily for five days showed a 72 percent increase in luteinizing hormone, along with a 40 percent rise in testosterone. Less publicized was the accompanying 81 percent rise in estrogen. Luteinizing hormone is produced in the pituitary gland and governs the production of testosterone in the testes. It’s suggested that tribulus contains a substance called harmine that blunts the breakdown of an enzyme in the brain that degrades dopamine. Elevated dopamine encourages the production of not only luteinizing hormone and subsequent testosterone but also growth hormone. The much touted “active” tribulus ingredient, protodioscin, aids DHEA synthesis and release. Based on these mechanisms, tribulus should indeed be an efficient testosterone booster, although increasing DHEA wouldn’t have much of an anabolic effect in young men. Animal studies seem to confirm the hormone-boosting effect of tribulus. One recent study, in which primates, rats and rabbits were given a tribulus extract intravenously, resulted in a 52 percent increase in testosterone, a 31 percent rise in the testosterone metabolite DHT and a 29 percent rise in DHEA-S in the primates. The rats in the study were castrated but still experienced a 51 percent rise in testosterone. Rabbits didn’t fare as well, showing mainly a 32 percent increase in undesirable DHT.1 Another study showed that giving rats tribulus protected against diabetes through antioxidant activity.2 Animal studies can’t always be extrapolated to humans. While the research on tribulus emanating from Russia is nothing short of glowing, the herb hasn’t fared as well under Western scientific scrutiny. One study involved 15 men who got either a placebo or tribulus at a dose of 3.21 milligrams per kilogram of bodyweight daily. The subjects followed an eight-week weight-training routine. Muscle en-

durance increased on the bench press and leg press in the placebo group, while those in the tribulus group showed an increase only in leg press strength. No changes in body composition occurred in either group.3 Another study examined the effects of either a placebo or 450 milligrams a day of tribulus in 22 rugby players who were engaged in weight training for five weeks. Both groups produced similar gains, along with no rise in testosterone in the tribulus group.4 Still another study looked at whether tribulus raises testosterone in young men. The 21 subjects took either tribulus or a placebo for four weeks. Tribulus had no effect.5 Given that tribulus can raise estrogen, it’s not surprising that there’s at least one case study on record of a young bodybuilder who acquired gynecomastia, or male breast formation, after using a tribulus supplement.6 DHEA can easily convert into estrogen, particularly in younger men, although it more often converts into a metabolite of DHT. One company is selling what it calls a “potent testosterone booster” based on the herb fenugreek. According to the company’s claims, substances in fenugreek called fenusides promote a significant rise in free, or active, testosterone. The company mentions a study in which 55 men, aged 18 to 35, all actively involved in weight training, were divided into two groups, with 29 receiving the fenugreek product and 26 getting a placebo. The subjects were evaluated three times over the eight-week course of the study. Those in the fenugreek group showed a 100 percent rise in free testosterone compared to the placebo group, along with a reduction in skin folds, pointing to lowered bodyfat. Sounds impressive, until you realize that this was an unpublished study done by the company making the product. No other details of the experiment were mentioned. Interestingly, fenugreek contains some of the same plant sterols found in tribulus, including protodioscin, as well as diosgenin, which was as found in Mexican yams. It contains a unique amino acid called 4-hydroxyisoleucine that has an effect similar to insulin in aiding glucose uptake. One study of cyclists showed that fenugreek seemed to increase the efficiency of muscle glycogen repletion when taken with glucose, which is precisely what insulin does. I’ll have more on testosterone boosters next month.

References 1 Gauthaman, K., et al. (2008). The hormonal effects of tribulus terrestris and its role in the management of male erectile dysfunction—an evaluation using primates, rabbit, and rat. Phytomed. 15:44-54. 2 Lotfy, A.A., et al. (2006). The protective effect of tribulus terrestris in diabetes. Ann NY Acad Sci. 1084:391-401. 3 Antonio, J., et al. (2000). The effects of tribulus terrestris on body composition and exercise performance in resistance-trained males. Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab. 10:20815. 4 Rogerson, S., et al. (2007). The effect of five weeks of tribulus terrestris supplementation on muscle strength and body composition during preseason training in elite rugby league players. J Str Cond Res. 21:348-53. 5 Neychev, V.K., et al. (2005). The aphrodisiac herb tribulus does not influence the androgen production in young men. J Ethnopharmacol. 101:319-23. 6 Jameel, J.K., et al. (2004). Gynecomastia and the plant product “tribulus terrestris.” Breast. 13:428-30. IM

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How to Get

Bigger Arms

t u o h Wit

Curling 282 MAY 2009 \ www.ironmanmagazine.com

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Only the Strong Shall Survive

t was the last night of Uncle Buddy’s very enjoyable visit. Early the next day he would be off to Newport News, Virginia, where he would board a freighter and stay out at sea for the next six months. Then, after accumulating a sizable bankroll by working double shifts and not taking any leave, he would vacation for the following five or six months—until his money ran out. He had a covey of absolutely gorgeous lady friends in various parts of the world. He would hook up with one of them for a time, then move on to another, but he always made sure to stay with me for a few days.

by Bill Starr Photography by Michael Neveux

Although Uncle Buddy was 10 years my senior, we got along quite well since we shared similar ideas about politics, religion, sports and, of course, training. He knew that I was a consistent trainer and could find a facility where he didn’t have to pay. While he was anything but frugal, Buddy had this thing about paying to lift weights. Truth is, I do too. Since we both had an interest in history, we took day trips to Gettysburg, Mount Vernon and Fort McHenry. Instead of hitting restaurants, I fixed his favorite seafoods: crab soup, crab cakes and softshell crabs. I could make a dozen crab cakes for what one would cost in a restaurant, and we could indulge. I also offered to steam some hard shells, but he insisted that we go out for those. I agreed because they are messy and the smell lingers in my apartment for days afterward. There aren’t many places left where you can sit down at a butcher-papercovered table and hammer away at the tasty crustaceans. Hard-shell crabs are becoming more and more scarce and, therefore, a lot more expensive. Even so, one of the best places to eat crab is in nearby Havre de Grace. Price’s Seafood has been around since 1944 and still serves up platters of

steamed crabs from the Chesapeake Bay, along with delicious cream of crab soup and pitchers of cold beer. We were seated by the front window and had a nice view of the Susquehanna River, only a hundred yards away. About a mile downriver, it flows into the bay. Buddy had just ordered a second dozen and another pitcher of beer when I saw a former training mate and a young man come in the door. Steve saw us and hurried over, “Hey, Bill, Buddy. Fancy running into you two. I was just talking to Mike the other day, wondering how you guys were.” “We’re both fine,” I said. “This is Buddy’s last night of his current vacation. He’s shipping out tomorrow, so we decided to splurge.” “Splurge is right. Crabs have gone through the roof. We only had them a couple times this year. The in-laws are coming, and Mary and me decided it would be easier to set up in the backyard than bring a bunch of people here. It’s usually real crowded.” “Mark!” he shouted, waving to the young man still standing near the door. “Come over here. There are some friends I want you to meet.” Steve owned a business that fixed computers and other electronics. We had trained together during holidays and the summer at Sam Fielder’s shed when I wasn’t working at Hopkins. An accomplished athlete who played football and lacrosse at Salisbury State in Southern Maryland, he took to strength training instantly and achieved excellent www.ironmanmagazine.com \ MAY 2009 283

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Only the Strong Shall Survive results. From the looks of him, he was still lifting: broad shoulders, thick chest and a flat midsection. He introduced his son, Mark, to Buddy and me, then said, “Mark’s been lifting for about a year now. He’s heard me talk about you guys and is dying to ask you some questions. Would you mind?” “Cost you a pitcher of beer,” Uncle Buddy said with a grin. “Deal. Let me go check on my order.” He pulled two chairs over to our table and told Mark, “Sit. I’ll be right back.” He was a handsome lad, and I guessed he was just shy of 6’ tall and weighed 160. He wore shorts and a tank top, doing his very best to show off his arms and chest. We chatted. He was a freshman at Harford Community College and delivered pizzas at night. Steve returned with a pitcher of beer and said, “It’ll be another 15 or 20 minutes. Hey, you guys should come over and train with us. I put together a weight room in a shed out behind the house. Flat bench, incline, power rack, two Olympic bars, some bumps and a lot of plates. There’s a situp board, dip rack and seated calf raise machine. The same stuff that Sam had in the shed.” “Sounds good. We’ll take you up on that offer for sure. And I might come over before Uncle Buddy blows through again.” Steve turned to his son and said to us, “He’s trying to get bigger and is obsessed with biceps and abs. I’ve tried to get him to train like we did, but he’s only interested in upperbody stuff.” “Just like every other young man in this country,” interjected Uncle Buddy. Then he said to Mark, “Tell us your routine.” He did, and I asked, “How often do you squat, and how much do you handle?” “Once or twice a week, and the most I use is 180 for 10.” Then he added defensively, “I don’t want to be a powerlifter or anything like that. I just want to build a good physique.” “So,” Uncle Buddy queried, “lots of curls and benches?” His father answered for him. “He curls every day. Sometimes twice

a day. Every type of curl under Uncle Buddy went on, “First thing you need to understand is even if the sun—straight bar, EZ curls, that champion bodybuilder did seated, standing, and he rigged up a write that article, which is unlikely, preacher curl bench. I’m telling you he didn’t get those big arms from guys, he’s nuts about getting bigger curling. Second, if the bodybuilder arms.” looks like he was assembled in Dr. I asked Mark, “Have you put any Frankenstein’s lab, he’s using stesize on your arms?” roids and probably a shitload of Frowning, he said, “Not that them. So unless you’re willing to much, but they’re shaped better risk your health and future by taking now.” ’roids, the program he’s laid out isn’t That’s when Uncle Buddy progoing to work for you.” nounced the seemingly contradicIn an aggravated tone, Mark tory statement that I have used asked, “Then how are people like countless times over the years: “You me and my friends going to get bigdon’t get big arms by doing curls.” ger arms?” Mark’s mouth dropped open, and “The same way all those top he looked as if he’d been slapped. Steve chuckled and muttered, “I told bodybuilders got theirs. By squatting, pulling and pressing heavy you so.” weights. Let me try to explain. You Mark said in a low tone, “That can shape your biceps by curling, don’t make sense. You’re kidding, but in order to add to their overall aren’t you?” size, you simply must get bigger all “Not at all,” Uncle Buddy answered. “Where did you get the program you’re using now? Out of a magazine, supposedly written by a Mr. World or some title like that?” “It’s kind of a combination of several programs used by the top guys in bodybuilding,” Mark explained. “He trains with a couple of his buddies,” offered Steve. “They go through a pile of muscle mags every month and end up doing another variation of curling. “People like you and your I’ve told him friends will get bigger arms over and over he needs to the same way all those top work the larger bodybuilders got theirs, muscles more, by squatting, pulling and but who listens to his father?” pressing heavy weights.

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Only the Strong Shall Survive body, back, and hips and legs. Moderate reps, fives or sixes, and only five sets. Move all the numbers up on those exercises and start packing on bodyweight. Eat lots of protein because that will help you build muscle, at least a hundred and fifty grams a day and more would be even better.” “I’ll be eating all day,” Mark declared. “Not necessarily,” I said. “Snacking on protein-rich foods throughout the day is a smart idea since it helps you maintain a positive nitrogen balance, which is good for muscle rebuilding and growth, but

a couple of protein milk shakes a day will also work. Have one right after you train and another at bedtime, with maybe a peanut butter sandwich. Do that consistently, and you’ll grow.” He blew out a puff of air and grumbled, “Truth is, I just can’t afford any of those protein products. Dad covers my tuition and books, but I still have to pay for gas, upkeep and insurance for my car, and that pretty much eats up my paycheck.” “I fully understand,” I told him. “I think those commercial protein products are too expensive too. Nearly all of the athletes I trained

Parallel-bar dips are one of the best arm exercises around. Plus, you get chest, shoulders and even abs into the action.

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Model: Ahmad Ahmad

over.” “I’m not sure I follow,” Mike returned. Uncle Buddy took a swig of beer, then continued. “It’s quite simple. Where is the muscle going to come from to add inches to your upper arms? You aren’t going to relocate muscle from your back or legs, are you?” “Guess not.” “Then it logically follows that the only way you’re going to obtain those guns you’re after is to pack on bodyweight. Add 15 or 20 pounds and work your arms at the same time, and they’ll get considerably larger.” “But I don’t want to put on sloppy weight.” “Of course not. No one does. Which is why you work the major muscle groups hard and heavy and do every exercise correctly. At your age and with that output of energy, you’re going to burn off any fat you do accumulate. The weight you gain will be in the form of muscle, especially if you watch what you eat and avoid junk food and useless calories.” While Uncle Buddy took a break to do some serious damage to a crab claw, I said, “More bodyweight translates to greater overall strength, and that increase in strength in the major groups—shoulder girdle, back, hips and legs—will enable you to use more weight in all your exercises, even specific ones like curls. How much are you using for straight-bar curls now?” “Sixty-five for 10.” “Okay, let’s say you pack on 20 pounds. How much will you be able to use then?” His eyebrows went up, and he smiled. “A good bit more.” “Right. If you want bigger arms, you have to grow and train hard.” Uncle Buddy cut in. “In other words, you need to drop the exercises for the small muscles for the most part. There are some that fit what you’re trying to do, but curling isn’t one of them. You need to build your routine around handling as much weight as possible on the basic movements, like squats, high pulls, shrugs, benches, inclines, overhead presses and dips. One exercise for the large groups per session: upper

at Hawaii and Hopkins were in the same boat as you are. Go to Klein’s or wherever you shop, and buy a box of dry milk. It’ll cost you seven bucks. Mix half a packet in a blender with whole milk, add a half or full container of blueberry yogurt, plus some sherbet or ice cream, and you’ll have 40 to 50 grams of very assimilable protein at an affordable price. That’s all the protein you can digest at one time anyway.” “Unless you’re lactose intolerant,” Uncle Buddy said. “Then use fruit juice instead of milk, and find a nondairy product, like soy.” “I can handle milk all right. That’s sounds doable. How come I’ve never read anything about those bodybuilders doing heavy pulls and squats?” “Part of it comes from the fact that arms sell magazines,” I replied. “When I was editor of Strength & Health in the ’60s, I went back through five years’ worth of issues to see which ones sold the best and tried to determine why. It turned out that if I put a photo of a bodybuilder flexing his biceps on the cover, it sold well. I’m not positive, but I think the same idea applies today because nearly every issue has an arm shot. Most readers like you don’t want to hear about building a solid foundation that will take a year or longer before they can see positive results. They want instant gratification, but it just doesn’t work that way. “Trust me, though: The bodybuilders of my era were extremely strong, and nearly all of them lifted in Olympic meets.” Uncle Buddy asked Mark, “You know anything about John Grimek?” “Sure, he was the first Mr. America—and the second too, wasn’t he?” “That’s right, but did you know that he was a member of the Olympic weightlifting team before he got into physique competition?” “No, I didn’t know that.” “Or that Sergio Oliva was a highly ranked Olympic lifter before he switched over to bodybuilding?” Mark just shook his head in amazement. “Here are some other tidbits for you to think about.” Uncle Buddy was on a roll. “Many Olympic lifters also won physique contests right

after they competed in a meet—Dr. John Gourgott, Ernie Pickett and Tommy Suggs, for example. Two of the greatest Olympic lifters in U.S. history, Tommy Kono and Bill March, won the Mr. Universe title that’s held in conjunction with the World Championships. Those two never did a curl in their life.” The waitress arrived with Steve’s order of steamed hard shells. He paid her, and she asked, “Can I get anyone something else?” “Are we leaving?” Mark asked his father. Steve checked his watch and said, “No, we can stay another 20 minutes. We’ll just tell them we had to wait for our crabs.” “In that case,” Mark said to the waitress, “bring me a Diet Coke.” “Don’t get the idea that we’re anticurl,” I said. “It’s a good exercise, but it’s best used to shape the biceps, not build it. Pack on the bodyweight with the protein shakes and heavy training, and once you’ve gained several inches in your upper arms, then you can hit the curls again and have a nice block of muscle to shape.” “Okay, I’m sold.” The waitress delivered Mark’s drink, and he asked if he could borrow a pencil or pen. She handed him a pen, and he tore off a chunk of butcher paper and said, “Tell me what I need to do.” I turned to Steve. “You still have the notebook you kept when we trained together?” “Sure, and I still use it.” To Mark I said, “Do that program. Do you know how to perform power cleans, high pulls, shrugs and bentover rows?” Steve offered, “He knows how to do all the exercises you taught me, and he does them well. He would just rather do the easy stuff.” “I’ll do them,” Mark declared, and I believed he would. “Those back exercises I just mentioned are most important in helping you get the guns you’re after. Except for the power clean, you’ll be handling heavy poundages on them, and they’re all done in a dynamic fashion. Whenever an exercise is done explosively, it builds more muscle, and in the case of these lifts, it brings the two prime movers of the upper arm into play: the bra-

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Only the Strong Shall Survive chioradialis and brachialis, which are responsible for bending the arm. Lifts like high pulls and shrugs hit them directly. When those two groups are overloaded with heavy pulls, they get considerably stronger, and that enables you to handle a lot more weight in any other exercise that involves the arms. “Consider this. After about two months of shrugging, you’ll be handling 400 or close to it. There’s no way you could even come close to using that much with any type of curl.” “Should he do good mornings?” Steve inquired, although he already knew what my answer would be. “Of course. Good mornings are the key to pulling and squatting heavier weights. Just have him use the ratio I gave you, and he’ll be fine.” “What about my upper body?” I turned to Uncle Buddy. He said, “Flat and incline benches, overhead presses and weighted dips.” While Mark was writing that down, I added, “Again, just follow the program your father used. How many days are you training now?” “Four. We’ve been doing a split routine.” “Go back to three days for a while until you’re able to recover from the workload. Training heavy on the major groups is a lot more demanding than just doing benches and curls. You’ll be squatting three times a week, using the heavy, light and medium system, which your father knows how to figure the numbers for. You should be able to increase your squat by five to 10 pounds a week, maybe more at the beginning once you get in the groove, and that means you should be squatting 300 or more for reps in three months.” His eyes sparkled at that prospect. “So no curls?” “Not for a few months. Remember, your biceps are going to be getting a great deal of work with the pulling movements, and I’m also going to have you do what I regard as the very best biceps exercise there is—chins.” “You serious?” “Yes I am. Not only do chins hit the biceps—along with those two prime movers I talked about—but they also work a large number of groups in the upper back, especially the lats.” “I can only do about six.” “That’s okay. Do four sets of as

many as you can do. Keep track of the total number you did and next time add at least one rep to that total. After a few months you’ll be doing 15 plus per set. “To back up those upper-body exercises: The reason you’ll be doing all of them is so you’ll get complete development in your shoulder girdle. That ensures that all parts get attention and prevents any area from falling behind. Keep in mind that your triceps make up twothirds of your upper arm, so if you want to gain size, you need to focus on your triceps much more than your biceps. The benches, inclines, presses and dips all hit the triceps in a slightly different manner, and that’s what you want. Add one auxiliary exercise for your triceps, the straight-arm pullover. That hits the long head better than any other movement.” “What about skull crushers or French presses? A lot of bodybuilders do those.” “Those two exercise put a great deal of stress on your elbows,” Uncle Buddy answered, “and they’ve already been stressed enough with the primary movements and all the heavy pulling. Straight-arm pullovers do not involve the elbows much at all, and they strengthen the long head better than either skull crushers or French presses. Do two sets of 20 at the end of your workout on the day you handle the lightest weight on your upper-body exercise.” “Any other extra stuff?” “Do calf raises at least once a week. Three sets of 30. I know you want a six-pack, so work your abs every day. Before training, do crunches or situps and after, leg raises. On your nonlifting days spend a half hour bombarding them. They don’t require much energy and won’t affect your workouts.” Mark was scribbling like crazy, so we dug into the crabs and beer while he caught up. When he finished writing, he looked at Buddy and me and said, “There are too many back and upper-body exercises to fit into three workouts a week.” “Set up two separate programs and alternate them every other week,” Uncle Buddy said. “Such as

power cleans, good mornings and shrugs one week, then bent-over rows, good mornings and high-pulls the next. For your upper body do dips instead of overhead presses every other week, or better yet, dip and chin on Tuesdays. That’s just before your light day, so it won’t hurt your numbers on Wednesday.” Mark wrote some more, then asked, “Anything else?” “Yeah,” Uncle Buddy said, “get plenty of rest. Growth depends on recovery, and if you’re not getting enough rest, you’re not going to be successful. You also have to drink those milk shakes religiously. Gaining weight is really harder at your age than losing. So two milk shakes every single day, never miss a workout, and get to bed early.” Mark nodded that he understood, then looked at me for some final words. “Listen to your father,” I said. “He knows this program, and if you run into a problem, ask him.” Mark looked over at his beaming father and said, “I will do that.” Steve got up, saying, “We gotta run before these crabs get cold. Then Mary will know something’s fishy. I expect you guys to come over and train with us next time Buddy’s in town.” Buddy declared, “I promise, and when I see you again, Mark, in about six months, I expect to see a heavier individual with lots more muscle all over, but especially I want to see some huge guns.” “I’ll do my best. Thanks for the advice.” They left and I asked, “You think he’ll stick with the program?” “I do. Once a youngster starts getting bigger and stronger, he’s hooked. Forget crack or horse. Strength and muscle size are the most addictive qualities for any man’s ego. “Well, I have to admit, I’ve finally had my fill of seafood for a while.” He motioned for the waitress to bring him the check. Editor’s note: Bill Starr was a strength and conditioning coach at Johns Hopkins University from 1989 to 2000. He’s the author of The Strongest Shall Survive—Strength Training for Football, which is available for $20 plus shipping from Home Gym Warehouse. Call (800) 447-0008, or visit www.Home-Gym.com. IM

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Mind/Body BOMBER BLAST

The Essential Nothingness of Weight Training Bomber Blend with Greek yogurt and organic peanut butter for breakfast. I agreed totally, noting years ago I found furniture building with heavy wooden beams a most natural and beneficial addition to muscle building with heavy iron weights. I continued to offer the dear girl encouragement and masterful advice. Alas, she rejected my advanced training scheme, which included two very productive shoulder and arm movements—scrubbing and polishing my truck. A wise man is not enthusiastically greeted in his own backyard. Thus, I’m off to the gym, leaving Laree to her multilinear home training: stacking the firewood recently cut by her hardworking associates. Gym time. Over the highways, through the intersections, across the parking lot, up the staircase and through the double doors; toss the tote bag in the corner and straight to the hunky pulley machine. Hello, hunky pulley machine. How’re your cables hanging? Enough of that, no time to lose; here’s where the action begins, the friendly and cooperative iron confrontation. First, the search for the exact handle to attach to the end of the dangling cable. That can take a few testy minutes, as there are about 30 handles of various lengths, shapes and thicknesses snarled in a heap, along with hooks, chains and carabiners. Priceless tools of the trade. Many a pinched finger and bloody knuckle are retrieved from the mess, along with a mere look-alike contrivance, a piece of mistaken identity, a cheap impostor. Nothing less than the exact handle—the real McCoy, the genuine article, the grippus perfectus— will do for the neurotic lifter. Anything less, and he’s outta there. Well, not exactly, but he will cuss, act up and throw stuff. Come to think of it, that’s common behavior for most muscleheads east of the Mississippi. I don’t recall when muscle building became such a fussy business. For years I lifted weights wherever I found them and left them wherever and whenever I was done. Seemed to work okay at the time. Of course, I was limited to a single corroded dumbbell and a space the size of an army footlocker. How messy can one little soldier get? Besides, those associated with the army try to be all they can be. Exercising sensibly and eating right always are the rules of engagement. Nowadays I am orderly and precise. Form and focus have replaced the weight used

’m looking out a narrow window beside my desk that views a steep wooded hillside. Two men are hard at work chipping fallen branches and reducing stout limbs to firewood, worthy tasks rendering valuable fuel for the winter. They make me weary. Chain saw buzzing, chipper grinding, arms full, backs loaded, up and down, back and forth. I’m humbled. Muscles functioning, calories burning, hearts pumping, works accomplished. I’m envious. Laree gathered a pile of debris the size of a turnip truck during the early autumn from a 50-yard radius. Assiduously, painstakingly, she dragged—lifted, hoisted, heaved, pushed, pulled and tossed—the woody detritus, not as labor but as muscle- and balance-building exercise. “Weightlifting primarily works the body in a limited plane of motion,” she says. “Balance and mobility suffer. We need to accommodate our bodies’ complete structural strength and health by exercising in multiple planes of motion, and smartly performed physical labor can do the trick.” She also mixes

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and the strength exerted, as the latter most elements require continual updating (they fade into the shadows of time). Pace has gained importance (steady as she goes), and exercise grooves have been slowly modified and perfected. They are precise, barely resembling the archaic oversize, far-reaching movements of my earlier training days. Where would we be without the progress of time and the latest technology? Precision exercise performance (PEP) is the advanced training methodology (ATM) of applying the only exercise that doesn’t hurt (OETDH), or the last remaining groove (LRG), or the popular this-way-or-no-way dynamic (TWONWD). Life made simple (LMS). Life simplified. I hasten to catch up with you, my devoted training partners, and march by your side with iron determination and steely deliberation. Having heaved heavy metal for half a century, making light of all levels of lifting and living is the best I can do. Sticking with it and never giving up and staying airborne are our daily objectives. Flying, soaring, bombing and occasionally taxiing are our foremost objectives and mutual responsibilities. I maintain all we really need to know about muscle making and strength building is wrapped up in a seed the size of a dumbbell containing a bowl of good food and an attitude of love and appreciation. Once planted in fertile soil, it grows by continued watering and faithful attention. Health and might pierce the soil imperceptibly and die off if not valued and cared for. That doesn’t mean we need or ought to worship the living thing, but feed it we must. Nourishment must be provided during the cloud-covered and frosty months and in the heat of the dry summer. Let’s be there side by side to offer a breath of fresh air and appropriate provision. Push that iron. Many of us regard weight training as the most important thing in our life. Well...mmm...not more important than, say, our family or friends or our precious and flourishing almighty dollar (ha...cute, very cute), but the relationship between us and them is directly related. Our workouts are up, our treasures are up; our workouts are down, and we’re broke, busted, not worth a dime. Exercising sensibly and eating right always are the rules of engagement. Keeping it simple and making it a joy are the codes of performance. We are waist high in autumn, soon knee-deep in winter. Button up, buckle down, breathe deep and barrel ahead. The challenge now is to not let go and lose momentum. In closing, before I fold up my wings and tuck them in my tote bag, before I deflate my hovering dirigible and stuff it in my backpack, let me assure you of this: Never do I engage in a set or rep without total involvement. My kicking, screaming body might occasionally become snared in a net or cage, a pit or an illusion, but never do I relinquish my grasp of the iron. It’s not the workouts as much as our relationships with them. We strangely and regularly encounter an invisible pull or magnetic tug, a cosmic force or soulful union compelling us to surrender our being to the touch of iron. Be not confused, bombers. Love is expressed in infinite ways. —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.

Sex Drive

Ride to Romance o you’re complaining again that your gal is never in the mood. Take her on a bike ride. A study out of the University of Washington found that one 20-minute cycling workout increased the women subjects’ sexual arousal by almost 170 percent! That jump in libido could be due to the increased blood flow to the genitals and/or the pulsating movement on the bike seat. Either way, you can ride your way to romance—and give new meaning to the term bi-sexual. —Becky Holman

Anxiety

Mess Equals Stress ccording to Daryn Eller in “Make Sense of Home Healing” in the February ’09 Prevention, “Experts suggest that humans are hardwired to seek out spaciousness, harking back to our ancestors’ need to flee predators.” That may explain why clutter creates anxiety. In other words, mess leads to stress. It pays to keep a fairly neat environment, and cleaning can actually be therapeutic. Researchers recently found that people who did 20 minutes of housework were less anxious and depressed. —Becky Holman

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MIND/BODY BodySpace Physique of the Month

MIND/BODY

Wendy Lucas

Editor’s note: For more BodySpace bodies and info, visit Bodybuilding.com.

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Photography by Ian Sitren \ SecondFocus

ou work hard at being fit and looking good, imagining that one day you could be seen in the pages of a magazine like IRON MAN. That and more have been a dream of Wendy Lucas. The 24-year-old Southern Californian started lifting at 13 and was hooked. She began dreaming about being a fitness model and an inspiration to others. So, along with getting certifications as a personal trainer, training her clients and being a boot camp instructor, Wendy did photo shoots wherever she could to get noticed. And noticed she was when she hit the front page of BodyBuilding.com with her BodySpace profile. Many thousands of people saw her after that. Much more than a pretty face, Wendy has earned a bachelor of arts degree in social ecology, the study of ecological problems rooted in political and social issues and systems. She also studied at Oxford in England, delving into art history and English, and she traveled to Spain, Italy and Germany, all while maintaining her passion for health, fitness and nutrition. Wendy said that being in IRON MAN was a goal she hoped to achieve. She wants to pursue her career as a fitness model and to stay active on BodySpace, talking with other people like her who find health and fitness a way of life. By the way, she says you can call her “Dub,” which is short for her BodySpace name, “duhbullu.” You can ask her what that’s about. Just visit her at her BodySpace on Body Building.com at http://BodySpace .com/duhbullu—where she is looking good. —Ian Sitren

MIND/BODY New Stuff

Tea Therapy itness legend Clark Bartram is at it again. In addition to his movies, Web sites and endorsement deals, he recently teamed up with TLC—Total Life Changes. “I’ve been around fitness for a long time, and I’ve been approached by more than my share of network marketing companies,” says Clark. “I’ve shied away from most for obvious reasons, but TLC and Dr. Miller’s Holy Tea is an entirely different story. It’s very refreshing to actually represent a product that works and a company that does what it says.” Dr. Miller’s Holy Tea is an organic, all-natural great-tasting tea that gently cleanses and detoxifies the body. Over the years there have been multiple testimonials of people losing 50 pounds or more. A clean colon is a happy colon, and Dr. Miller’s Holy Tea is an excellent product that has stood the test of time. Total Life Changes is committed to excellence, will market only products that are beneficial to users and will promise only what it can deliver. Many TLC members are seeing great results both in the waistline and pocketbook, so if you’re interested in cleansing, detoxifying, losing weight and earning a check for telling others, then talk to the person who referred this article to you or visit www.iasotea.com.

Mental Might

Brains and Beer espite television’s reputation as the “idiot box,” you can find some pretty clever stuff floating through the airwaves. Case in point, Cliff chatting to Norm at the bar on “Cheers”: “Well, you see, Norm, it’s like this: A herd of buffalo can only move as fast as the slowest buffalo. And when the herd is hunted, it is the slowest and weakest ones at the back that are killed first. This natural selection is good for the herd as a whole, because the general speed and health of the whole group keeps improving by the regular killing of the weakest members. In much the same way, the human brain can only operate as fast as the slowest brain cells. Now, as we know, excessive intake of alcohol kills brain cells. But, naturally, it attacks the slowest and weakest brain cells first. In this way, regular consumption of beer eliminates the weaker brain cells, making the brain a faster and more efficient machine. And that, Norm, is why you always feel smarter after a few beers.” —Becky Holman

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MIND/BODY Immunity

MIND/BODY MIND/BODY

Food Fight Infusion id you know that stealth food allergies are believed to affect about 60 percent of the population? They can cause everything from sinus congestion to headaches to joint pain to irritable bowel syndrome to flatulence, and they can even do a number on your head. For example, some researchers believe food allergies are the cause of many cases of attentiondeficit disorder—a.k.a. ADD. Food allergies can be either inherited or come on because of continual exposure to the same foods. Bodybuilders tend to eat the same things over and over for months or even years on end, so they are susceptible. Milk, corn and wheat are the most common culprits, but almost any food can cause a reaction in

some people. If you suspect food allergies are at the root of your constant indigestion or any of the other symptoms mentioned, see your doctor or an allergist for a simple blood screening. —Becky Holman

New Stuff

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Libations

Alcohol—How Much Is Too Much?

tudies have shown that drinking alcohol can be good for you—in moderation. It improves HDL, the good cholesterol, and also opens up the blood vessels—that is, fosters vasodilation. The question is, How much alcohol is good? The answer is one drink a day for women and two for men. One drink equals five ounces of wine, one-fifth ounce of liquor or a 12-ounce beer. Most people exceed those amounts, which can negate any health benefit and actually be detrimental to health and body composition—as in added bodyfat. —Becky Holman

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MIND/BODY Book Review

MIND/BODY

The Purposeful Primitive

stand corrected! My first impression upon opening the front cover of Marty Gallagher’s The Purposeful Primitive and reading six pages of glowing accolades was that the book was overhyped. Having worked in publishing for many years, I know how publishers like to praise a book before it hits the shelves. Usually the text does not equal the praise. It was with that mind-set that I started to browse through the chapters. I was wrong. The more I read, the more impressed I was with the author’s experience, knowledge and writing ability. Gallagher explains the training programs of various strength and bodybuilding athletes in an easy-tounderstand and entertaining way, and he avoids the complexities found in texts that spew forth scientific

theory with no practical application to justify it. The book is thorough and gives exact formulas and routines needed to progress in training. Gallagher knows what each program is geared to produce and how to apply it. The author takes the scientific theories and applies them to the everyday trainee. From his years as a strength athlete and coach, he can explain why one theory worked for a particular trainee and not another. The Purposeful Primitive will stand the test of time and still be relevant years from now. It should be required reading for every college kinesiology and sports-training course. It is worth every page of praise it receives. Even former Mr. Olympia Dorian Yates calls it “an absolute classic—I couldn’t put it down.” High praise indeed. —Larry Eklund

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MIND/BODY Health and Aging

Alcohol May Help Seniors Avoid Disability

ew research suggests that lightto-moderate alcohol consumption may help to stave off the development of physical disabilities. It’s been known for some time that moderate alcohol consumption can be good for you—for example, drinking a couple of glasses of wine can boost heart health. Results of a new study by researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles, however, suggest that seniors who are in good health can help themselves to remain so by enjoying the occasional tipple. Dr. Arun Karlamangla and colleagues studied data of 4,276 men and women with a mean age of 60.4 years. At the start of the survey, 32 percent of men and 51 percent of women did not drink alcohol (defined as drinking fewer than 12 drinks per year), 51 percent of men and 45 percent of women

If you’re older and in good health, a little alcohol may improve quality of life.

were lighttomoderate drinkers (defined as drinking fewer than 15 drinks per week), and 17 percent of men and 4 percent women were heavy drinkers (defined as drinking more than 15 drinks per week). No participants had any disabilities at the start of the study. At follow-up five years later, 7 percent of participants had

died and 15 percent had become physically disabled, meaning that they had trouble performing or were unable to perform normal activities of daily living, such as walking, dressing and eating. After taking into account risk factors for disability, such as age, smoking, exercise and heart attack and stroke history, the researchers found that seniors who rated their health as good or better—and who consumed light-to-moderate amounts of alcohol—had reduced their risk of physically disability by 3 to 8 percent for each additional drink per week. No benefit was seen in seniors who rated their health as fair or poor, nor in heavy drinkers. The authors concluded: “Light-to-moderate alcohol consumption appears to have disability-prevention benefits only in men and women in relatively good health. It is possible that those who report poor health have progressed too far on the pathway to disability to accrue benefits from alcohol consumption and that alcohol consumption may even be deleterious for them.”

Volunteer Work Promotes Longevity Voluntary work benefits the community, and research suggests that it also benefits volunteers and may even help to promote longevity. Seniors who do regular voluntary work have lower rates of heart disease and live longer than seniors who don’t, according to the latest issue of Mayo Clinic Women’s HealthSource. As well as boosting mental health, voluntary work provides seniors with a social network and can also help to stave off depression. Studies have shown that 40 to 100 hours a year—just a couple of hours each week—of voluntary work is all that is needed in order to reap these health benefits.

—Dr. Bob Goldman www.WorldHealth.net

References Karlamangla, A.S., et al. (2009). Light-to-moderate alcohol consumption and disability: Variable benefits by health status. Am J Epidemiol. 169:96-104. Volunteer: It’s good for you. (15 January 2009). Mayo Clinic.

Editor’s note: For the latest information and research on health and aging, subscribe to the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine ezine, free. at WorldHealth.net.

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Readers Write Letters

Peary Would Be Proud I’ve been reading IRON MAN for more than 40 years. I was amazed and proud when I received the March ’09 issue, your biggest ever at 400 pages. [Founder] Peary Rader is looking down from God’s Gym with pride, I’m sure. And congrats to Jonathan Lawson for being on the cover. John Barr via Internet Editor’s note: We are proud to be able to provide our readers with the information and motivation they’re looking for—and with 400 pages, it’s hard to miss.

ment, your January issue had Poliquin giving credit to the Nautilus pullover machine and to Arthur Jones. I applaud his new attitude. I have used about every piece of equipment out there. It’s the dumbed-down part of our society that keeps putting down the value and most often superiority of properly supervised training on machines like MedX and Nautilus. Bill Nolan via Internet

Bodies From Yesteryear I hear and read so much about how far bodybuilding has come and that next to today’s superstars the physique stars of the ’50s and ’60s look puny. The shot from Zabo Koszewski’s scrapbook [“The Birth of Bodybuilding”] on page 197 of the February ’09 issue refutes that claim. The muscle size and shapes on Zabo, Ray Shaefer, Reg Lewis and Timmy Leong are incredible in that shot. I’d much rather look like that than any of today’s current crop of drug monsters. Blithe Harrod Jacksonville, FL

Back on Track Thank you for giving me something positive to focus on after being laid off for three months. Your magazine has given me a newfound interest in bodybuilding. I am 50, and I see that lifting has evolved into a whole new realm, with different training techniques and new supplements. After training for almost eight weeks, I’ve made great strides toward resembling someone in his 30s—now to head for the 20s. Thank you again for a great magazine that includes information for us older people who refuse to quit and head for retirement pastures. You folks are a true inspiration. Klaus Schmutz Alberta, Canada

Man Against Machines I’ve been a lifelong reader of and major advocate for IRON MAN, but after issues in which even John Balik was reciting the latest bash-the-machinetraining mantra, I was about to stop purchasing it. Previous issues of IM had Charles Poliquin writing that the Nautilus adductor/abductor machines were “worthless.” I’ve used MedX machines and gotten incredible results, so I had about had it with the bodybuilding magazines. To my amaze-

Editor’s note: Our thanks to Zabo Koszewski for allowing us access to his priceless photo collection. Stay tuned for Part 2, coming in a future issue of IRON MAN.

E-zine Mass Machine I subscribe to IM and also recently subscribed to the online e-zine [free at IronManMagazine.com]. What a great combination. The e-zine motivates me twice a week with things to think about and try in the gym, and the mag is filled with great stuff every month, not to mention incredible photos. Thanks for a great one-two muscle punch. Bill Albertson via Internet

Arthur Jones.

Vol. 68, No. 5: 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 © 2009. All rights reserved. No part of this magazine may be reproduced in any manner without written permission from the publisher. Printed in the USA.

304 MAY 2009 \ www.ironmanmagazine.com

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