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Kai Greenes
biceps training
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TRAINING
36 BIS LIKE KAIS
Kai Greene tells all on the dos and
donts of his biceps workout.
By Michael Berg
74 SUPER SHREDDED,
PART 2
The second instalment of our
supreme muscle-building
programme.
By Jim Stoppani
102 H.U.G.E.

:
RETRO-GRAVITY
The benefits of going negative.
By Greg Merritt
FEATURES
50 PHIL VS JAY
The 10-year friendship and rivalry
between Mr Olympias Phil Heath
and Jay Cutler.
By Greg Merritt
92 GENERATION IRON
An in-depth look at the
bodybuilding feature film.
By Dave Lee
116 THE BODYBUILDING
BARRISTER
Maria Scotland is one of Britains
best physique competitors. Shes
also one of the brightest.
By John Plummer
CONTEST
62 THE BEAST FROM
THE EAST
Big Ramy raises the roof at the
2013 IFBB New York Pro.
By Tony Monchinski
102
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BONUS
FREE 32-PAGE BOOKLET:
TRAIN LIKE MR. OLYMPIA
6 FLEX
DEPARTMENTS
12 Editorial
The next few weeks are the most
exciting of the year.
14 Its Only My Opinion
Squats, chins and parallel dips.
18 Hard Times
The first-ever Asian Pro; Kai Greene
in the hot seat; and more!
30 Home Scene
News and gossip from the UK.
86 Get Big Column
How to hand yourself bigger
muscles.
108 From the Trenches
Expert advice for hardgainers.
124 Gym Bag
Our usual mix, including training
tips, research, and more.
132 Big Ass Mass
Creatines safety tested.
134 The Diet Doc
The case for cortisol.
138 Lift Strong
Hybrid exercises.
140 Only the Strong
Travel on track.
142 Hardcore Nutrition
Lower leg logic.
146 King Khan Unleashed
Zack gives us lessons on owning
a monkey and robbing a bank.
160 Looking Back
A look back at the career of
the massive Mike Francois.
168 ET Column
Ex pro British bodybuilder
Ernie Taylor draws on his vast
experience to answer your
questions .
174 Under the Microscope
We put Matrix Nutritions Anabolic
Matrix under the microscope.
176 The Shot
Victor Martinez
WEIDER
ATHLETES
150 Phil Heath
152 Shawn Rhoden
154 Flex Lewis
156 Fouad Abiad
157 Roelly Winklaar
158 Ramy Mamdouh Elssbiay
124
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EDITORIAL
MANAGING EDITOR Brian Good
WEST COAST EDITOR Dave Ian Lee
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EDITORIAL CONTRIBUTORS
Jim Manion, J.M. Manion, Arnold Schwarzenegger,
Mike Berg, Tony Monchinski, Larry Brown,
Joe Pietaro. Jim Stoppani.
PHOTO AND ART CONTRIBUTORS
Ron Avidan. Jason Breeze, Albert Busek. Caruso.
Bill Comstock. Isaac Hinds. Kevin Horton. Charles
Lowthian. Chris Lund. J.M. Manion. Tony Monchin-
ski. Robert Reif. Ian Spanier. Jef Sygo. Pavel
Ythjall. Art Zeller.
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Editorial articles relating to food supplementation and sports nutrition reproduced in this issue of Flex, are for informa-
tion purposes only and are not intended to solicit or otherwise promote any commercialised product containing the
mentioned supplements. Flex is distributed on an international basis. To the extent permitted by law, Weider Publica-
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Copyright (2013) Weider Publications, Llc. Published under license from Weider Publications, Llc. All rights reserved. Reprinted with permission.
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Strive for excellence, exceed your-
self, love your friends, speak the
truth, practise delity and honour
your father and mother. These prin-
ciples will help you master yourself,
make you strong, give you hope and
put you on the path to greatness.
Joe Weider,
Trainer of Champions
BECAUSE YOU TAKE BODYBUILDING SERIOUS-
LY, SO DO WE! FLEX acts as your monthly bodybuild-
ing guide. At great expense, we visit the champions
at their gyms, at contests, and in their homes,
gathering information and photographs. We learn
the latest strategies that they will use to further
develop their title-winning physiques, and the
competitive goals that they will apply them to. We
bring this state-of-the-art information from the
champions to you instantly and accurately in order
for you to reach your ultimate muscular goals by
the fastest route possible.
Even if you had the time, money and practical
wherewithal to visit the champions as we do,
you still wouldnt be able to extract the precise
information you need to succeed. We know which
aspect of bodybuilding each star is an authority on,
and we select the appropriate spokesperson for the
appropriate subject. This policy ensures that you
will consistently receive the best advice possible.
In FLEX, you will see no rehashes of old informa-
tion, no phony interviews with the stars, no
make-believe theories from armchair experts. You
will be hearing directly and accurately from the
champions themselves. The champions talk only
to FLEX because they trust us to present their
expertise faithfully to the bodybuilding communi-
ty. FLEX is also the only bodybuilding magazine the
champions themselves read, because they know
that they can learn from their fellow competitors.
The champions consider FLEX the bible of hardcore
bodybuilding. You should do the same, and guar-
antee yourself a direct pipeline to the stars every
month.
FLEX is not just another bodybuilding magazine:
It is the voice of the champions!
PUBLISHED IN THE UK BY
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consequences of action based on the advice contained herein.
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the advertising contained in FLEX is derived from respectable
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track as diets begin to bite. The heat is on
and inevitably some will blow it.
By this stage, contest preparation is more
mental than physical. Its what Sir Alex
Ferguson famously called squeaky bum
time, when its all about holding your nerve.
Besides the domestic action, there are lots of
big international shows. There are the womens
IFBB World Championships in Kiev, the Arnold
Classic Europe in Spain and the small matter
of the Olympia weekend in Las Vegas.
British interest centres on Welshman Flex
Lewis in the 212 Showdown and Englands
Michelle Brannan in the bikini class.
Even with all the new classes, only 12 Brits
have stood on the Olympia stage this
century, as our list in Hard Times on page
20 reveals. This illustrates why the Olympia
remains the pinnacle of the sport and why
thousands y to Las Vegas each year to see
it. Good luck to Flex and Michelle.
With so much happening, all we can
condently predict is that its going to be
exciting. Stay tuned to exonline.co.uk and
our Facebook page for regular updates. FLEX
The next few weeks are the most
exciting of the year, with contests
virtually every weekend until the
British Championships in Harrogate on
October 19th and 20th.
The late qualiers include the Birming-
ham show on September 22nd and the last
one of all a fortnight later at Leamington
Spa. Try to go to one.
Some competitors will be nervously
awaiting those events; others who have
already qualied will be hoping to stay on
SQUEAKY BUM TIME
M
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Anth Bailes (centre) defeats Daz Ball (left)
and Ricardo Correia (right) for the overall
title at last years British Championships
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C
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BY CHRIS LUND PHOTOS BY CHRIS LUND
I can always remember my very rst
workout. We kicked of with barbell
squats inside a handmade wooden
squat rack. I loved squats from the of, even
though I couldnt walk properly for three days
afterwards. Regular squats are the hardest
exercise in the bodybuilders handbook, but
they are still the most result-producing
movement you can do. They will build up your
thighs and lung capacity like nothing else can.
Do 20 reps for the best results.
We then spent 15 minutes doing donkey
calf raises at the bottom of a stairway.
Bench presses were next, followed by barbell
bentover rows, and then chins, because we
were told that we always had to do them.
Chins were, in efect, an absolute must.
Remember, this was no fancy modern-day
gym, complete with all the latest hi-tech
exercise machines. The room we worked out
in was located in the basement of an old
run-down YMCA, and the chinning bar was
simply a barbell cemented into two corners
of a wall. I must admit, I dreaded chins,
only because I wasnt very good at them,
but I still did them and eventually I got better
at them.
After chins we did seated dumbbell presses,
with someone sitting behind you, back to back,
to give you support. I must admit I really did
love seated dumbbell presses, and still do.
Good old-fashioned barbell curls were
next for the biceps, and the nal exercise in
the entire workout was parallel dips, which,
we were told, was just as important as squats
and chins. The dipping bars, like everything else
in the gym, were handmade and simply
consisted of two pipes sticking out of a wall.
Some of the younger, lighter bodybuilders
could do countless reps of parallel dips whilst
SQUATS, CHINS,
AND PARALLEL DIPS
others, myself included, struggled to even
complete ve lousy repetitions.
While chins work almost every single back
muscle, they also give your biceps one heck of
a workout as well.
Parallel dips, on the other hand, take things
even further; they work your chest, shoulders,
and triceps like crazy. Back in the days when
so-called abbreviated workouts were in
fashion, we read that if time was short you
could get a tremendous workout from doing
only squats, chins, and parallel dips!
Personally, I never actually tried that,
but it does make sense because any workout
is better than none.
Back in those good ol days every body-
builder did squats, chins, parallel dips, curls
and bench presses. However, during the last
25 years or so, I have seen less and less people
doing squats, chins and especially parallel dips.
Apart from the really top hardcore body-
builders, I doubt very much if these exercises
are being done like they were 50 to 70 years
ago. Because, lets face it, these three exercises
are probably the hardest and most demanding
exercises in bodybuilding.
Having said that, I would really like to point
out that almost every top pro bodybuilder who
I have worked with during the past 30 years
was tremendous at doing squats, chins, and
parallel dips.
Champion bodybuilders such as Ronnie
Coleman, Jay Cutler, Nasser El Sonbaty,
Kevin Levrone, Phil Heath, and many, many
more, used immense poundages in these
particular lifts. Its also really amazing when
you realise that most of these guys weighed
around 280 pounds. How can you chin and dip
with 100 pounds strapped to you when you
already weigh a ton? Beats me!
Today, there are more leg machines
available in any decent well-equipped gym,
but would a thigh extension, leg press or hack
machine build better thighs than good
old-fashioned squats? I doubt it. Every great
bodybuilder always works his thighs with
squats before he even thinks about doing
anything else. Some only use thigh extensions
as a warm-up to squats.
Things are diferent as far as chins are
concerned because there are many
revolutionary back machines out there that
can work your back muscles in a much less
demanding way than chins do. But does
that mean that you shouldnt do them?
The same applies to parallel dips. There
are so many easy, enjoyable, and far less
demanding exercises to do for your chest and
triceps. So, why would you want to work your
muscles really hard with parallel dips when
you can do easier options like cable
crossovers and pressdowns? The answer is
simple. Parallel dips are superior to these
exercises and you will build a bigger chest,
bigger triceps and bigger shoulders if you
do them instead.
Squats, chins, and parallel dips are
old-school, but whats wrong with that? If
these exercises built great physiques way
back in the 50s, 60s and 70s why shouldnt
they still do that today?
If youre just starting out in bodybuilding,
make sure you include squats, chins, and dips
in your workouts.
If youve been training some time and you
dont do these exercises, then shame on you.
Start doing them now!
See you next month,
and keep training.
Chris Lund FLEX
14 FLEX
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BIG NEWS, GOSSIP,
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latest event, which was nalised this past
April, will bring the sport to a whole new
world of fans who will witness rsthand,
the greatest professional bodybuilders
battling onstage. One will go down in history
as the inaugural Asian Pro Bodybuilding
winner and the rst professional bodybuilder
to be crowned as champion in China.
With $60,000 in total prize money,
the 2014 IFBB Asian Pro Bodybuilding
Championships is open to all IFBB
Professional League athletes. Currently,
there is no ofcial competitor list, but several
top IFBB pros are expected to enter.
Its been years in the making,
and in 2014 the world will
finally see it happen with the
first-ever IFBB Professional League
contest in Chinain fact, the first pro
bodybuilding contest ever held in China
the 2014 Goldentimes IFBB Asian Pro
Bodybuilding Championships. Promoted
by Mr Gao Yan, this milestone moment will
take place at the Zhengzhou International
Conference Centre in Zhengzhou.
The IFBB Professional Leagues mission is
to expand to all parts of the globe, and this
GOLDENTIMES IFBB
ASIAN PRO BODYBUILDING
CHAMPIONSHIPS IN CHINA!
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Conference Centre, China
18 FLEX
OLYMPIAN
BRITS
British bodybuilders have had a
tough time at the Olympia since
the halcyon days of the 1990s,
when Dorian Yates ruled the roost. Our
competitors have had their momentsmost
notably last year when Flex Lewis won the
212 Showdown and in 2000 when Andrulla
Blanchette claimed the lightweight Ms
Olympia crown. But its generally been slim
pickings.
Since the turn of the century only 12 Brits
have appeared on the Olympia stage. Of
those, only four have returned and not one
has featured in the mens open class since
Eddie Abbew in 2007.
At this years Olympia, from September
26th to 29th, Welshman Flex Lewis and
English rose Michelle Brannan are likely to
be the only Brits rocking Sin City.
Lewis will be hoping to retain his title while
Brannan will become Britains rst Bikini
Olympian. Lets hope 13 is her lucky number.
Its 2013 and she will be the 13th Brit to
appear at the Olympia this century.
Flex Lewis 2008, 2009,
2011, 2012
Kizzy Vaines 2010, 2011, 2012
Ernie Taylor 2002, 2003
Andrulla Blanchette 2000, 2001
Shaun Joseph-Tavernier 2011
James Llewellin 2011
John Hodgson 2009
Lee Powell 2009
Nicole Scott 2007
Eddie Abbew 2007
Joanna Thomas 2004
JD Dawodu 2001
APPEARANCES SINCE 2000
Flex Lewis looking
to repeat in the 212s
Michelle
Brannan
rst British
bikini
Olympian
20 FLEX
M
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BY DAVE LEE
IN THE HOT SEAT
KAI GREENE
At the 2012 Mr Olympia, Kai Greene unveiled a
physique that many in attendance felt was at or
near his all-time best. With a streamlined waist and ne
detailing, the contest became a duel between Greene and defending
champ Phil Heath. Despite Greenes best eforts, Heath retained the
title and a week later and halfway across the world, the outcome was
identical at the Sheru Classic. But, as Greene says, 2013 is another
year and the No. 2 bodybuilder on the planet is focusing only on the
Olympia. And unlike past of-seasons, Greene has been staying
remarkably lean. His eye-popping condition for guest posings,
especially compared to his fellow Olympia-bound competitors, has
generated plenty of talk about what could possibly go down at the big
O. We sat down with Greene and got the full scoop as we count down
the weeks leading up to the Olympia Weekend.
Im inspired to
imagine what my
best will actually
be, and Im eager
to share that with
the world.
ON HIS FIRST
MR OLYMPIA
IN 2009
The opportunity
was amazing
considering that
there was a time
when being on that stage was
almost unthinkable. You spend
a million moments getting ready
and once it happens, youre only
onstage for a few minutes and
then its all over. Up until that
point, the [magazine] write-ups
werent very favourable and I got
the sense that I was still on the
outside looking in. I felt like
I was the guy who wasnt
invited to the dance but
came anyway because I knew
somebody who was. But still,
there was the expectation to do
exceedingly well. There was a lot
to prove [Greene placed fourth].
ON PLACING SEVENTH AT
THE 2010 MR OLYMPIA
The fact that you went from
being uninvited to having the red
carpet almost rolled out for you
was a signicant change. All of a
sudden, in the days leading up to
the show, every phone call was a
new opportunity. The world was
a bright and beautiful place that
was responding to the brilliance
of the opportunity that your
eforts seemed to represent.
But the day after the show,
the experience was quite the
opposite. No one returns your
phone calls because theyre busy
celebrating with the people that
did better in meeting the
expectations of what was
expected of them. I remember
feeling intensely embarrassed.
But I chose to use that
experience to help me move
forward in a positive way.
Its really important how you
choose to look at things because
sometimes you may think its
harmless, but a negative,
hopeless way of thinking can
lead to self-sabotage and
self-destruction and the inability
to realise your brightest dreams.
I have to say I was fortunate
enough to have had some
experiences that really went
a long way towards putting
things in their proper perspective.
You learn that even what you
may rst perceive as being
negative can contribute to
empowering you in a positive
manner. The setback is
incidental to the desired end
resultif you have the right
mind-set and the will to get
the necessary work done.
22 FLEX
B
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C
O
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S
T
O
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K
Kai accepting
defeat at
the hands of
Phil Heath
in 2012.
THERE ARE LOT OF MEN THAT HAVE
THE OPPORTUNITY TO COME OUT
AND ATTAIN THAT REALITYBUT
THERES ONLY ONE KAI GREENE.
Kai Greene at the
2012 Olympia.
ON SECOND
PLACE
(DOES IT
REALLY
SUCK?)
Honestly, its
always easier to
judge when youre
not in the middle of it.
I know from experience
now that theres a lot more
information that has to be
considered. Ultimately,
everyone wants their best
efforts to be rewarded, but
I dont think that we possess
the ability to be as impartial
as we like to think we can be.
Id love to be able to get the
response that Im praying for,
but even if that doesnt happen,
I still need to be OK with that
and recognise the opportunity
available to me.
I believe everything
prepares you for the next
level in your life. For example,
what kind of road did you travel
on your way to becoming Mr
Olympia? If you havent been
through anything, what is the
message you can impart? If
youve gone through some
hardships and youve been
fortunate enough to be a better
athlete and a better person
because of them, youre much
more capable of recognising the
opportunity available to you in
that moment, and that
message of hope is something
you can impart to someone else
who might be able to use it.
They see that you struggled
before you experienced success,
and that can be an inspiring
observation for a person who is
still on the road to achieving
their own goals, a road that can
at times test your limits.
ON GOOD FRIEND
SHAWN RHODEN
Ive been fortunate enough to be
in touch with Shawn Rhoden for
the past few years. I remember he
was dealing with particularly
trying situations, and I was able
to be there for him and encourage
him not to give up, to see the
bigger and brighter opportunities
that lay ahead of him. Thats the
thing with this thing we call life: it
really does take something extra
to see beyond difcult moments
and stay focused on the
bigger promise ahead. The
fact that he turned it around
as well as he did last year shows
me that hes a man whos willing
to work hard to see his dreams
realised. It should be no surprise
when you see things come
together if you put the work in.
Ive always thought that if I work
dutifully, doing what I have to do
to be my best, there is no way I
can imagine that my best will not
be rewarded, and that holds true
for everyone.
As for Mr Rhoden at the
Olympia, Shawns pretty smart,
but Shawns the child, and
when it comes to the day of
the contest, I am his father. He
comes to me for advices. So its
not that hard for me to give him
the wrong advices. [Laughs]
And lets not forget, theres only
one Kai Greene.
ON JAY CUTLERS RETURN
Jay has every right to believe that
Phils his main competition.
Having placed
second last
year, I dont
feel the least
bit slighted
or disrespected
by that. They
obviously have a
friendship that goes back
several years. Hes got the right
to worry or think of the things
that he feels are priorities for
him on his quest to become Mr
Olympia again. If he thinks that
Kai Greene isnt a factor in his
world, hes totally
entitled to his opin-
ionhowever, when
we get onstage,
thats another
reality
because
theres only
one Kai Greene.
ON A REMATCH WITH HEATH
Phil is the reigning Mr Olympia.
Thats no small feat by any
means and I definitely respect
what hes accomplished. Hes
the one that people recognise
as the man to beat. Its funny
because a lot of times,
in order to give ourselves a pat
on the back, we tend to feel it
necessary to throw dirt on the
name of someone else, to
disrespect the body of work
that the individual has taken
the time to create. Phil has
been nothing but highly
respectful of me and that
shows the calibre of the
champion that he is. Like I said,
hes the reigning Mr Olympia
from 20112012, but 2013 is
another year, and there are lot
of men that have the opportu-
nity to come out and attain that
realitybut theres only one
Kai Greene. Are we friends? If
he were on fire, Id definitely
run and find someone to help
him. [Laughs]. Im excited to
show my best. Im inspired to
imagine what my best will
actually be and Im eager to
share that with the world.
23 FLEX
I
S
A
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H
I
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D
S
2013 IFBB TORONTO
PRO SUPERSHOW
1 Jose Raymond*
2 Mark Dugdale
3 Raul Carrasco
4 Mboya Edwards
5 Al Auguste
* Qualies for 2013 IFBB
Olympia 212 Showdown
1 Ann Titone*
2 Swann Cardot
3 Natalie
Waples
4 Aleisha Hart
5 Candice John
* Qualies for
2013 IFBB
Figure Olympia
1 Ashley
Kaltwasser*
2 Jennifer Dawn
3 Gigi Amurao
4 Nathalie Mur
5 Jessica Renee
* Qualies for
2013 IFBB
Bikini Olympia
1 Jennifer
Scarpetta*
2 Anne Luise Freitas
3 Maria Rita Bello
4 Melody Spetko
5 Michelle
Cummings
* Qualies
for 2013 IFBB
Ms. Olympia
FIGURE
BIKINI
WOMENS
BODYBUILDING
212 AND UNDER
MENS OPEN BODYBUILDING
1 Victor Martinez*
2 Fouad Abiad
3 Jon Delarosa
4 Frank McGrath
5 Mohammad Ali
Bannout
* Qualies for 2013
IFBB Mr Olympia
1 Matthew Acton*
2 Tyler Anderson
3 William Sullivan
4 Vincent Fiore
5 Craig Capurso
* Qualies for 2013
IFBB Olympia Mens
Physique Showdown
1 Ryall
Graber-Vasani*
2 Michelle Blank
3 Nicole Duncan
4 Vanda Hadarean
5 Fiona Harris
* Qualies for 2013
IFBB Fitness Olympia
1 Toni West*
2 CeaAnna Kerr
3 Mindi OBrien
4 Kim Tilden
5 Jill Rudison
* Qualies for 2013 IFBB
Womens Physique
Showdown
MENS PHYSIQUE FITNESS WOMENS PHYSIQUE
24 FLEX
HARDBODY
CONFIDENTIAL
SWANN
CARDOT
IFBB gure competitor
What did you want to
be when you grew up?
A ballerina.
What languages can you
speak? French and English.
Whats the best French
food? Simple, a French
baguette or a croissant
with butter is the best!
Best birthday gift: My
rst watch. My parents
bought me a Guess watch
when I was 12, and I still
wear it today.
Whats one thing a guy
should never say to a
woman? That shes fat.
Whats one thing a guy
should always say to a
woman? That he loves her.
Biggest pet peeve:
Shoes in the house.
One thing I want to do
before I die isGo to
Bora Bora.
One thing Ill never do is
Let myself get out of shape
and become unhealthy.
Photograph by ISAAC HINDS
JAY CUTLER
THE DRIVE FOR FIVE
ACCORDING
TO THE GUYS
AT BPI
Q The most
challenging
aspect of putting
on contests is
securing
sponsorship and
making sure all
of the athletes
are comfortable
and having the
best experience
possible. Knowing
all the ins and
outs of compet-
ing, Cutler uses
this knowledge to
help keep the ship
running smoothly.
Q The most
rewarding part
of being a contest
promoter is seeing
the athletes
perform well and
charting the rise
of new talent.
After all, it was
back in 2005 that
Cutler e-mailed
photos of a
young, amateur
bodybuilder
to FLEX. That
bodybuilders
name was Phil
Heath, and today,
well, you know the
rest. Cutler wont
put his name on
anything that
doesnt live up
to his high
standards, and
he takes great
pride in putting on
shows that both
competitors and
fans alike can
appreciate as his
way of giving back
to the sport. FLEX
This is how its done! As
evidenced by these photos,
Jay Cutler has turned up
the heat in
preparation
for the 2013
Mr Olympia.
The four-time
Mr Olympia
is not only one
of the greatest
competitors and
ambassadors the
sport has ever
seen, hes also
an accomplished
BE POWERFUL
PRESENTED BY
contest promoter, with successful shows
such as the NPC Jay Cutler Classic, the
NPC Jay Cutler Desert Classic, and others.
So how does
Cutler manage
to promote the
BPI Jay Cutler Elite
Series supplement
line and prepare
for a fth title
run at this years
Mr Olympia?
ALL IMAGES COURTESY OF BPI SPORTS
28 FLEX
BIG NEWS, GOSSIP
AND MORE
BY JOHN PLUMMER
Most people who follow
bodybuilding are familiar
with the name OReilly.
Sean OReilly was a top British
bodybuilder in the 1990s who, after
a stage comeback a few years ago,
is now a leading UKBFF ofcial and
judge. Wife Helen was also a successful
bodybuilder who played Panther in
the original Gladiators on ITV and
is now a UKBFF ofcial.
Today they run stage-ready boot
camps and UKBFF education courses
at their Panthers Gym in West London
so they remain highly active.
Now there is another OReilly on the
sceneSeans son Matt. He made a
winning debut in the beginners class
at this years London and South-East
Championships and is now heading to
Harrogate for the British Champion-
ships on October 19th and 20th.
Bodybuilding is in Matts blood. My
earliest memories of my dad are of him
taking me to the gym where, whilst he
trained, I would be treated to a protein
shake topped with ice cream, he recalls.
And we would sit for hours watching
various Arnold and Stallone lms.
Matt started training at 14. Being
surrounded by these larger-than-life
guys living a lifestyle with so much
OREILLY
DYNASTY
discipline appealed to me in a big way. I
wasnt a big kid but was always very strong.
But football was his main sport until injury
struck and he turned to the iron.
Hes the rst to admit he benets from the
family connection. My dad never pushed me
into bodybuilding, he says. I chose this path
myself but hes helped me tons. Hes shown
me loads of techniques that Ive been able to
use to improve my training tenfold.
K
E
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H
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Dad Sean gives Matt the thumbs-up
Mens physique was only
introduced in the UK this season
but already it is often the most
popular class. Even traditionalists who
werent keen on board shorts are begin-
ning to accept it and when you look at the
quality of physiques its easy to see why.
These guys might not be freaks but they
carry the size and condition most men
aspire to. Like the bikini fitness class for
women, it is opening up physique contests
to the masses and providing a more
commercial look.
So who will be the contenders at this
years inaugural British Championships,
which has two height classes? Here are five
names to look for, in no particular order.
PHYSIQUE SHOWDOWN
Edwards has the distinction of winning the
UKs rst ever mens physique contest. He has
watched others steal the limelight since,
while he has kept his powder dry, but his
classy, aesthetic lines make him a contender.
The Muscletalk qualier had one of the
toughest line-ups this year so Grant, the
winner, has to be a serious contender. Like
Williams, he packs plenty of muscle and has
deep abs and a great chest.
Riches moved to Los Angeles to pursue a
career in tness and now has 40,000-plus
Twitter followers and his own sports nutrition
company. Thats big time. His fantastically
muscular and conditioned physique is the
basis of his success.
Winner of the short class at the inaugural UK
Nationals, Terry has made a successful
transition from male pageants. Won a bronze
medal at European Championships. Gets
ripped and is extremely symmetrical.
Williams is on a hot streak: this year he has won
the tall class at the UK Nationals and bagged a
silver medal at the European Championships.
At 6 ft 2 ins and 91 kg, and with wide shoulders,
he cuts an imposing gure.
5 ALEX EDWARDS
3 LEON WILLIAMS
4 RYAN TERRY
2 ASHLEY GRANT 1 ROB RICHES
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31 FLEX
She has a Masters diploma, is uent in three languages and is procient at surng
and ballet Luciana Del Giudice would be an impressive woman even if you
ignored her physique.
The half-Brazilian, half-Italian beauty won this years tall bikini tness class at the South
Coast Championships and is now preparing for the British Championships in Harrogate.
Del Giudice, 35, started lifting weights after moving to Brighton in 2007 and was
encouraged to compete, which she nally
did in April this year, when this photo
was taken. With such superb genetics it will
be a surprise if she isnt in the shake-up in
Harrogate.
She is working out six days a week and
is also training to be a gym instructor
after previously working in international
hospitality. I have always lived a healthy
lifestyle, says Del Giudice. Now I want to
put this passion into my profession.
LUCIANA DEL GIUDICE
Date of birth: 10th September 1978
Place of birth: Salvador, Brazil
Lives: Brighton
Height: 170 cm (5 ft 7 ins)
Weight: 58 kg (128 lbs)
Career highlight: UKBFF South Coast Cham-
pionships bikini tness champion, tall class
Ambition: To become an IFBB pro
Training advice: Set smart goals. Be specic
emphasise what exactly you are going to do.
To contact: Via Facebook
BORN IN
BRAZIL
POWERFUL
PAIR
Heres a well-built couple youre
likely to be hearing plenty of in
the years ahead.
Yo Lazarov has already made her mark by
winning the bodytness class at the North-
West Championships this year. She is now
preparing for the British Championships.
Fianc Matt Wild, a former
nalist, was hoping to do
a late qualier in the
super-heavyweights.
Lazarov was a cardio
bunny until Wild started
helping her at the end of
last year. In less than
half a year she
transformed her
body to such an
extent that she
also won the
overall female
title at her debut
contest. We
wonder who gets
the most attention
when they go out. FLEX
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G
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P
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Lazarov wins in
Warrington
32 FLEX
YOUR FREE BOOKLET
IN THE UNLIKELY EVENT THAT YOUR BOOKLET IS MISSING FROM
THIS ISSUE, REQUEST A REPLACEMENT BY VISITING
www.flexonline.co.uk/booklet/mro
36 FLEX
P
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Flip through the pages of this
Kai Greene biceps-training
article, and you might notice
one key element is missing. Sure, youll
see the requisite photos of the 275-pound
Brooklynite, showing of a physique that
might just earn him a Mr Olympia title at
this years event. Youll also read plenty
of information about workouts, and even
a few key biceps exercises you might want
to take advantage of.
So whats not there? Well, an actual biceps workout.
No sets. No reps. No handy little box neatly listing everything,
ready for you to tear out and take to the gym with you, all in
an efort to start crafting arms you hope to one day be as
voluminous, muscular and ripped as Greenes mighty peaks.
Indeed, you have come across a rarity in bodybuilding media.
Who knows, it may even be the very rst of its kind. Because
right now, youre about to delve into a biceps workout article
that, oddly enough, doesnt include an actual biceps workout.
And if you think thats a head scratcher, well, thats all part
of the territory when exploring the often surprising, inimitable
psyche of Kai Greenebodybuildings resident philosopher
and reigning king of ultrafreaky, otherworldly muscle
development.
BY MICHAEL BERG PHOTOGRAPHS BY JASON BREEZE
Want to build arms like two-time Arnold Classic champion
Kai Greene? Thats nejust dont attempt to emulate his biceps
workout rep for rep. Well let him explain why.
37 FLEX
GREENE DOESNT ZONE OUT DURING A WORKOUT.
HE DOESNT AIMLESSLY RATTLE OFF REPS. HES NOT
HAPHAZARDLY STRINGING EXERCISES TOGETHER.
GREENE IS 100% IN THE MOMENT, ANALYSING
EVERY TWITCH AND TREMOR OF HIS PHYSIQUE.
KNOW THYSELF
Greene trains biceps about once
a week, usually on the same day
as chest, triceps, and forearms.
A student of the iron game would
assume pecs would come rst,
followed by armsbut when it
comes to the enigmatic 2012 Mr O
runner-up, you soon learn to expect
the unconventional.
Say Im travelling and not really
expecting to perform big lifts for my
chest, but instead just want to
pump some blood into the
areatheres a chance I may do
triceps rst, Greene says. I might
also start with forearms, triceps,
biceps and then do chest, or start
with chest and triceps followed by
forearms and then biceps.
Greene pauses a moment, as if
he can hear the visceral reaction
from exercise physiologists and
by-the-book lifters alike as they
react to the perceived lunacy. After
all, doesnt tiring your triceps
negatively impact your ability to
work your pecs to their max? Not to
mention launching a workout with
forearm moves, which can
compromise your grip strength for
the heavier chest and arm exercises
to come.
For Greene, though, personal
experience trumps the science.
There are days you dont want to
go too heavy and risk injury, he
says. You may be nursing a
shoulder injury, or dealing with
some elbow issue, or be worn out
from long days on the road. For
chest, I might select exercises with
that in mind, and lift lighter than
usual. To that end, then,
pre-fatiguing his arms hasnt
compromised his performance.
How does he know? Well, for
one, youll probably never come
across an athlete so attuned to the
inner workings of his body. Greene
doesnt zone out during a workout.
He doesnt aimlessly rattle of reps.
Hes not haphazardly stringing
exercises together. Greene is 100%
in the moment, analysing every
twitch and tremor of his physique.
The absolute wrong way to go
about biceps training is to turn of
my mind and not process what my
body is feeling, what its telling
me, Greene explains. From the
rst rep to the last, sensory
triggers are stimulated, and if
youre attuned enough, you can
interpret that data and make
good decisions thatll further
advance you towards your desired
goal. It does take experience in
the gym, so you cant expect a
beginner to walk in and do it,
but its something that can be
learned.
With that statement, we
have some proof to the theory
that Kai Greene isnt a mere
mortal, but a supercharged,
bodybuilding machine that can
create otherworldly, freaky,
dense muscle mass with precise
superhuman calculation.
But for the rest of us, theres
an integral lesson to be learned:
successful training requires
immersive, unyielding engage-
ment of the mind on every
single rep. Cue the exit of the
old workout paradigm: the
sweat-beaded guy in the
stained T-shirt grunting through
intensive sets, zoned out to
power through the pain, all while
aggressive guitar chords envelop
the scene in hazy harmony.
A Greene workout requires
reading and reviewing a constant
stream of data. During biceps
training, his vital feedback
includes the feeling of the biceps
contracting and extending during
a rep, the strum of connective
tissues, the recognition of good
pain versus bad, and the
monitoring of blood owing into
and out of an area, creating the
internal pressure of a pump on
muscles that triggers growth.
Working out is a mental
activityyour mind is the key to
making the activity protable or
a waste, he says simply.
ONE OF A KIND
The 37-year-old has often
unabashedly cited his ultimate
goal: over the past 20 years in
bodybuilding, Ive been working
to create a masterpiece, he says.
In his view, all the workouts
(many of them performed in the
hard-core basement environs of
5th Avenue Gym in Brooklyn),
along with every single competi-
tion since his seventh-grade
teacher pointed him towards the
stage as a better way to dispel his
aggression, have culminated in
the person he is today.
Ever since he emerged as a
force on the pro scene by winning
the 2007 Colorado Pro, his
38 FLEX
Selectorised machines make dropsets easysimply move the pin up a plate or two after failing, and work your
way through the remaining lighter weights on the stack.
ONE-ARM MACHINE PREACHER CURL
Preacher curl movementsincluding barbell, EZ-bar, and dumbbell curls on the free-weight preacher bench as well as single- and
dual-arm curls using the machineoften nd their way into Greenes repertoire. The bench helps restrict cheating and focuses form
on the bis like a laser point.
DO IT
RIGHT
Adjust the seat height so your upper armpit is snug against the pad when you sit. Grasp the handle with your working
hand, using your nonworking arm as a brace. Without standing or wriggling in the seat, curl the handle as far as you
can without your elbow detaching from the pad, then lower it to a point just before the weight stack touches down.
MAKE IT
HARDER
01
39 FLEX
If you have a partner, you can do handofs. Stand facing each other, and do your
reps to failure, then immediately hand the bar of to your partner. He does the
same thing, then hands it back to you for your second set. Continue passing the
weight back and forth. This technique ofers two intensity boosters: it limits your
rest periods, and it introduces a competitive aspect as you try to outdo your
partner at each turn.
STANDING EZ-BAR CURL
Greene isnt committed to one type of barhell use both a straight bar and the cambered bar,
and irt with a number of grip widths (including a very close grip and a very wide one, out near
the plates) to coax the desired response from the muscle.
DO IT
RIGHT
Take a sturdy standing position and hold an EZ-bar with a shoulder-width grip,
hands on the cambered portion where your palms are angled slightly inwards.
With your abs tight, chest up, and eyes focused forwards, contract your biceps to
curl the bar towards your chest, keeping your elbows at your sides throughout.
Hold for a one-count at the top, squeezing out the muscle peak, then slowly
return the bar along the same path. Repeat for reps.
MAKE IT
HARDER
02
particular masterpiece has
deed categorisation. Hes nearly
impossible to compare to any of
his contemporaries, because his
physique is so dramatically
diferent from just about any
body thats come before it.
Hes had to overcome much
along the way, from living as a
ward of New York State during his
troubled teen years, to dealing
today with the certainly less-bleak
but still challenging trappings of
successincluding, for example,
the constant demands on his time,
whichwhile appreciatedsend
him jet-setting across the globe,
continually jostling his training
and nutrition regime.
But no matter what obstacle
has been thrown his way,
Greene has responded with
studious aplomb. It certainly
helps that his physique has
proved eager to respond. Over
the years, Ive had body parts
that at times I havent been
as connected with as Id
like, and have needed to
concentrate on more, he
says. Thats been an issue
at diferent times in my
career, but Ive had no
stubborn body parts.
Take his biceps, which
have blown into cartoonish
proportion thanks to an approach
that often changes from one work-
out to the next. Greene walks into
the gym with a plan, but its
malleable and ever morphing as
each exercise, set, and rep is
executed.
A lot of times people are too
rigid in their workouts, Greene
says. You gotta be exible, so you
can make gains while dealing with
varied circumstances. You also
need to be willing to toss aside
preconceived notions about what
a perfect workout really is.
If youre an athlete working to
see your vision realised, you have
to be willing to do more, to stretch
beyond your comfort zone. In so
doing, youll learn a lot, Greene
says. But theres a lot that goes
into training thats not interesting
to a layperson. Its like a baseball
player wholl swing at 1,000 balls
40 FLEX
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DO IT
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MAKE IT
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WORKING OUT IS A
MENTAL ACTIVITY
YOUR MIND IS
KEY TO MAKING
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PROFITABLE OR
A WASTE.
If you sit while doing a concentration curl, you can use your nonworking hand to finish your set with three to
five negatives after initial positive failure, lifting the dumbbell up with an assist and then lowering it slowly
and under control.
Bend over slightly at the waist, with your nonworking hand on your hip and your working hand holding a dumbbell next to
your outer thigh, elbow straight but not locked out. From there, moving only at your elbow, curl the dumbbell in front of
you towards your upper chest. Squeeze the biceps hard at the top before lowering the dumbbell back to the start. Finish
all reps with one arm, then switch.
03
STANDING ONE-ARM DUMBBELL CONCENTRATION CURL
Greene likes the typical standing dumbbell curl, but in his world, variations are not only welcome, theyre mandatorywhatever it
takes to elicit muscle growth.
42 FLEX
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Once youve failed through the full range
of motion, continue with partial reps,
bringing the handle as high as you can,
until you can move it only a few inches
at most.
CAMBERED BAR CABLE CURL
Cable movements ofer the benet of continuous tension throughout an exercise; unlike free weights, the cable ofers resistance
throughout the arc of a biceps curl. Those types of slight diferences in how a movement engages the biceps are why its smart to
include various free-weight, machine, and cable exercises in an overall biceps training blueprint.
DO IT
RIGHT
Stand holding a curl bar attached to a low-pulley
cable with an underhand grip, arms extended.
Keep your abs tight, chest up, and head straight.
Contract your biceps to curl the bar towards your
chest, keeping your elbows at your sides. Hold
and squeeze at the top, then slowly return the
bar along the same path. Repeat for reps.
MAKE IT
HARDER
04
in practice. An average person might
stay interested for a little while, but after
2030 swings, the enthusiasm wanes.
How does that translate to a biceps
workout? You should leave no stone
unturned, Greene says. You may have
arm-training sessions that last two hours.
It may become an ongoing efort that
continues over the course of multiple
sessions in three days. It may require doing
something related to arms at the beginning
of every training session for a little while.
In many tness circles, what Greene does
is considered overtraining. Its an argument
hes heard many timesso often, in fact,
that he hesitates to talk about it. People
dont argue with resultsif your arms are
22 inches, or look like they are, he says,
most of the time people dont care what
it took for you to get them there.
But Greene also ofers a counter to those
who stick to a preset set-and-rep scheme.
What if, at the end of your workoutsay,
12 working sets inyou nd that youre
really just starting to get a contraction in
your biceps? What if you werent working
with the presence of mind to make sure
each contraction counted? If your
approach is set in stone and you see youve
done all your exercises for the day, what
then?
The truth is, you can go through your
entire training session but were really just
warming upso you need to technically
overtrain just to get the muscle to really
do the work thats needed.
Just as you need to learn to read the
signs telling you to continue, you must also
absorb the signs your body gives to tell you
your missions complete. For those looking
for an exact frame of reference, wellyou
may be disappointed. You need to use
your best judgment, based on your past
successful training experiences, Greene
counsels.
But as you gain experience, the signs will
become more and more obvious: the
44 FLEX
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A
I
G
R
E
E
N
E
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Birthdate: July 12, 1975
Birthplace: Brooklyn, NY
Current Residence: Brooklyn
Height: 5'8" Weight: 285300 lbs
(of-season), 270275 (contest)
Sponsors: Weider/AMI, MuscleMeds
Career Highlights: 2012: Mr. Olympia, 2nd;
Sheru Classic, 2nd. 2011: New York Pro, 1st;
Mr. Olympia, 3rd; Sheru Classic, 3rd.
2010: Arnold Classic winner; Australia Grand
Prix winner; 2009: Arnold Classic winner;
Australia Grand Prix winner; Mr. Olympia, 4th;
2008: New York Pro winner.
2007: Colorado Pro winner
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Upon reaching failure, with your palm facing up, twist into a hammer-style grip
and continue for as many reps as you can manage. This position engages the
brachialis muscle along with the biceps.
ONE-ARM DUMBBELL PREACHER CURL
Single-arm movements are key, in that they dont allow a weaker limb to piggyback on the
strength of a stronger one, which tends to happen with bar-based exercises. You may discover
a strength discrepancy between your arms, which you can work to correct over time by pushing
the weaker arm to perform the same number of reps as the dominant arm.
DO IT
RIGHT
Grasp a dumbbell and place your arm over a standing or seated preacher bench.
Keeping your shoulder down and wrist rigid, raise the dumbbell in an arc towards
your head, stopping just before your forearm is perpendicular to the oor.
Squeeze your biceps to get a maximal contraction at the apex, then return to
the start position, making sure to stop before full-lockout elbow extension.
MAKE IT
HARDER
05
tautness of a pump, the fatigue
of the targeted muscle group, the
feeling youve left it all in the gym
and that any further reps would
be counterproductivethese are
all the hallmarks of a fruitful,
nished efort.
DUEL IN THE DESERT
Ask any pro bodybuilder what his
favourite biceps exercises are, and
hell quickly recite a list etched in
memory. Greene, however,
hesitates before naming four: the
barbell curl, the incline dumbbell
curl, the preacher curl, and the
alternate dumbbell curl.
However, they come with
a caveat.
Im reluctant to name these,
because if I believe I have a
preferred exercise, it can impair
my ability to think clearly and
make good decisions during
a workout, he says. If I have
a favourite, it may lead me
to do one exercise when really
I should be leaning towards
another.
His mantra? Dont play
favourites. Dont get into the
habit of checking of a selection of
favourite exercises each time. Think
about ithow many people do you
know who do a particular exercise
in a particular way because they
saw their favourite bodybuilder in a
magazine recommend it? That can
lead you down the wrong path.
Greenes path, meanwhile, is
running straight towards Las Vegas,
where a two-time reigning Mr O,
Phil Heath, awaits a rematch of
2012s one-two nish. Heath and
Greenealong with four-time
champ Jay Cutler, returning
after a one-year breakare the
odds-on favourites to ght it out
for the Sandow.
But that nal step is the most
difcult breach to cross, Greene
knows. The annals of history are
lled with amazing bodybuilders
whove nished second
Mohamed Makkawy, Rich Gaspari,
Lee Labrada, Kevin Levrone, Flex
Wheeler, Shawn Raywho, despite
maniacal eforts, were destined to
fall just short of the pinnacle.
Greenes approach, however, is
unrelenting.
Honestly, my goal now is to
amass a body of workIm still
eager to learn and study, he says.
I started on this bodybuilding
journey as a teenager. Now my
expectations of what I can do
onstage are higher. Im putting forth
my highest efort. Id like to stand and
be counted at my absolute best
I want to know what that would
look like. My goal and that of my
team right now is to do that,
to bring that ultimate Kai Greene
to Las Vegas. FLEX
48 FLEX
N
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S
O
O
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MUSCLE
T
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P
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C
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BY GREG MERRITT
There have been other fam
ous bodybuilding
friendships. But the one linking Phil Heath and
Jay Cutler is diferent because of how
it began. Ten
years ago, H
eath w
as sim
ply a fan of the already legendary
Cutler. Through the years as the friendship deepened, not
only did the fan join the legend in the IFBB Pro League and
then on the Olym
pia stage, but he eventually w
on the
Olym
pia title from
him
. How
im
probable is that?
Today, Heath and Cutler are frenem
ies
close friends but
also rivals. Theyve w
on six of the past seven Sandow
s, and,
in a reversal of fortune, four-tim
e M
r O Cutler is now
chasing
tw
o-tim
e and current M
r O Heath. On Septem
ber 2728, at
the 2013 IFBB Olym
pia Fitness &
Perform
ance W
eekend,
these frenem
ies w
ill face of for a sixth tim
e. Can Cutler
regain the O title once again? W
ill Heath do som
ething his
m
entor never did (and som
ething only six previous m
en
have done) and w
in a third consecutive Sandow
? Or w
ill
som
e top contender best them
both? As w
e contem
-
plate those questions, w
e look back at Heath and
Cutlers battles in gym
s and on contest stages, and
w
e see how
both their friendship and rivalry grew
.
B
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K
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H
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C
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O
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P
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HEAD-TO-HEAD PLACINGS
JAY PHIL
2008 Mr Olympia
2nd [ 3rd
2010 Mr Olympia
1st [ 2nd
2011 Mr Olympia
2nd [ 1st
2011 Sheru Classic
2nd [ 1st
2009 Mr Olympia
1st [ 5th
APRIL 03
It may be a stretch to say Heath
and Cutler were pals soon after
meeting. It was the 2003 NPC
Northern Coloradothe debut
contest of 23-year-old Phil Heath,
and as a 192-pound light-heavy-
weight, he won the novice and
open overall titles. The guest
poser, 29-year-old Jay Cutler, had
won his second straight Arnold
Classic the month prior, and many
considered him the favourite for
that years Olympia (hed been
second in 2001 and sat out 2002).
On that April day, he was 100
pounds heavier than Heath,
although both are 5'9". And yet
the unknown neophyte told the
world-famous veteran pro he
would compete against him one
day on the Olympia stage.
Yeah, right. Its just one of
those things starry-eyed
wannabes tell celebrities, and
Cutler politely played along like
he always doesand like Heath
does now. Nobody to legend: Ill
see you on the Olympia stage one
day. Legend to nobody: Keep
training and youll get there, kid.
But this time would be difer-
entmaybe for the only time in
history. This time the nobody
became a legend, tooand then
things got really interesting.
APRIL 05
When Cutler returned to pose
at the same contest in 2005,
the other guest poser was that
wannabe from two years
before. And yet 30 pounds
heavier, Heath had morphed into
something nearly unrecognis-
able. The two went out to eat
afterward, sparking a bond. That
day, Cutler recognised the gifts of
the Gift, and he e-mailed photos
to us at FLEX.. Before the
25-year-old Heath won the USA
Championships in July 2005, and
earned pro status on his rst try
(like Cutler did, at 23, at the 1996
NPC Nationals), he was signed
to Weider/AMI, and, against all
odds, his Olympia prophesy had
gone from yeah, right to OK,
maybethough it was still more
than three years from fruition.

JULY 06
FLEX was there the rst time
the two future Mr Os trained
together. It was in a Las Vegas
gym, three days before Cutlers
33rd birthday, and two months
before he won his rst of four
Olympia titles. At 285, he was
leaner than Heath, who weighed
50 pounds less. The Gift was 26,
a Pro League rookie who had won
his rst two professional
THIS TIME
THE NOBODY
BECAME
A LEGEND, TOO
AND THEN THINGS
GOT REALLY
INTERESTING.
52 FLEX
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4
)
BEFORE THAT,
I THOUGHT OF
WORKOUTS AS
SORT OF A
RUN-THROUGH,
LIKE IN
BASKETBALL.
AFTERWARDS,
I WENT ALL OUT.
contests that spring. If he
thought he could skate by on his
stellar genetics, this back-thick-
ness workout with the man he
called his big brother was his
wake-up call. The nine-year
pro schooled the rookie with a
fast-paced, high-volume barrage
of basics, forcing little brother
to use much lighter weights and
suck for air between sets.
It was just what Heath
needed. Cutler had also got by on
his DNA in previous years, relying
too much on machines, winning
Arnolds but losing the Olympia
annually to Ronnie Coleman.
Then, he returned to compound
basics and split his weekly back
training into width and thickness
sessions. That September, for
the rst time, he beat Coleman.
Heath got the same lesson. I
learned what it means to be a
professional bodybuilder, he
later said of that lats-kicking.
Before that, I thought of
workouts as sort of a run-
through, like in basketball.
Afterwards, I went all out. He
too adopted more free weights,
and, by 2008, his previously
weak back was a strength.

SEPTEMBER 08
While Cutler collected
Sandows in 2006 and 2007, his
little brother steered clear of
the Olympia stage. Not until his
third year in the Pro League
when he had acquired sufcient
mass did Heath make his
Olympia debut. He weighed 227.
Cutler was 260. But the gap
seemed much closer due to the
Gifts superior collection of cuts.
The O rookie looked even better
at Saturdays nals than Fridays
prejudging, and many, including
yours truly and head judge
Jim Rockell, thought he deserved
to be the rst man to win the
Olympia on his initial try
54 FLEX
AFTER THAT FIRST BACK
WORKOUT, IVE ALWAYS
HUNG WITH HIM, AS GYM
EQUALS WE BOTH THRIVE
ON IT. WE PUSH EACH OTHER
TO BE THE BEST.
P
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3
)
(excluding the inaugural Olympia). It
wasnt to bebut then again it wasnt
Cutlers show, either. Dexter Jackson
was named the 2008 Mr Olympia.
Still, the Blades win seemed to
merely postpone the inevitable
showdown between Cutler and Heath.
Ive been second before, and second
isnt so bad, but its not the way I want
to nish of, so Ill be back, a subdued
Cutler, 35, said afterwards. In contrast,
Heath, 28, was jubilant to enter
bodybuildings triumvirate on his rst
try. Getting third place was just
unbelievable, he said. This show
proves miracles can happen and
dreams do come true. And yet he,
like Cutler, who nished just one
place ahead of him, had bigger dreams
to full.

JANUARY 09
It was time for a rematchnot on
the stage but in the gym. When
Heath and Cutler trained together
again for a FLEX featurean
of-season chest workoutthe former
was 270 and the latter 294. Thus, the
previous body weight gap had been
cut in half. Whats more, Heath
virtually matched Cutlers weights and
he equalled his pace and intensity.
This time I wasnt going to lose, the
Gift said. I lost once. I wasnt going to
lose again. Since that initial workout
in 2006, the two have often trained
together, and, once the Gift acquired
the right mind-set and upped his
strength, theyve been gym equals.
After that rst back workout, Ive
always hung with him, Heath afrmed.
He knows it, and we both thrive on it.
We push each other to be the best.
SEPTEMBER 09
If you just look at the placings, their
second onstage clash looks like no
contest. But numbers fail to tell the
true story. First, lets deal with rst.
55 FLEX
HAMPERED BY
HIS FRIDAY SCORE,
HEATH WAS FIFTH, BUT
BY THE CONTESTS END
HE WAS, IN THE
ESTIMATION OF MOST,
THE SECOND-BEST
BODYBUILDER
ONSTAGE.
PRO CONTEST STATS
JAY PHIL
Pro Contests
31 [ 13
Pro Wins
15 [ 5
Pro Winning
Percentage
48
%
[ 38
%
Olympias
12 [ 5
Pro Posedowns
28 [ 13
Olympia Wins
4 [ 2
Olympia Winning
Percentage
33
%
[40
%
K
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H
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(
2
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;

B
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(
2
)
Many were counting Cutler out
and predicting Heaths elevation
to bodybuildings throneor if
not Heath, defending champ
Dexter Jackson or that years
Arnold Classic champ, Kai
Greene. And yet at 271 dry
pounds, Cutler romped to a
blowout victory. I was just
physically, mentally, and
emotionally prepared to be
on top once again, he averred
afterwards. Its very emotional,
because I realised when I lost it
how special it is, and Im willing
to bust my ass to stay on top.
Now, look at the scorecard.
Down, down, down through the
placings we nd the name Phil
Heath in fth. Hes never been
lower. He had planned to come
in at a ripped 240 and seize the
Sandow. The day before the
show he was on target. But at
prejudging on Friday he was 227
and his legs were deated.
Food poisoning early that
morning had violently rid him of
13 precious pounds. Still, he
roared back at Saturdays nals
when he appeared much fuller,
closing the gap on scorecards by
tying for second in the posedown.
In the end, 31 points separated
rst and second place, but, in an
incredible four-way logjam, only
nine points separated second
from fth. Hampered by his
Friday score, Heath was fth, but
by the contests end he was, in
the estimation of most, the
56 FLEX
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AGE STATISTICS
Age at rst contest
19 [ 22
Age at rst pro contest
24 [ 26
JAY PHIL
Age when earned pro
status
23 [ 25
Age at rst pro win
26 [ 26
Age at rst Olympia
26 [ 26
Age at rst Olympia win
33 [ 31
Age at 2013 Olympia
40 [ 33
second-best bodybuilder
onstage. Losing like this is going
to bother me, he said, but its
going to fuel me, too.

SEPTEMBER 10
Finally, the third time they
stood on the stage together
we got the showdown between
big brother and no-longer-
little brother. During the 2010
Olympia posedown, the chants
of their respective fansCut-ler!
Heath! Cut-ler! Heath!melded
into a collective roar. And later,
after the other names were
called, they were left alone at
centre stage, the top two in the
world awaiting the announce-
ment of No. 1. Cutler told Heath
then, Who wouldve thought
when we met that we would
actually be on the same stage
and be friends and be the last
two standing here for the Mr
Olympia. Who, indeed? Maybe
only Heath.
A mere three points separated
Cutler and Heath at prejudging.
Only 15 pounds separated them
on the scales: Heath at 245 and
Cutler at 260. Even more than
those numbers indicate,
however, this was one of the
closest Olympia contestsa
true apple versus orange
decision between the
broader, bulkier 37-year-
old Cutler and the denser,
crisper, 30-year-old
Heath. In the end, Cutler
carried home his fourth
Sandow, but the decision
fuelled a debate that lasted
12 months. Afterwards, Heath
expressed his joy at being one of
the last two standing with his
good friend, and then he added,
grinning, And I had him, boy,
I just know I had him. And he was
like, Holy crap, this young guy
can get me.

SEPTEMBER 11
Twelve months later, Heath
didnt just get him. He became
the 13th Mr Olympia in
dominating fashion. At a
high-def 248 pounds, his was
arguably the most impressive
combination of, as he says,
freaky and pretty ever seen
on a bodybuilding stage. In
contrast, the 258-pound Cutler
was of. His left biceps was torn
and inamed, his legs were B
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58 FLEX
downsized, his upper body was
at. Again, the two friends were
alone waiting the announce-
ment of who would take home
the Sandowbut this time there
was no doubt.
Heath said, Thanks for never
letting our friendship get messed
up by this whole industry.
Cutler nodded, and said,
Youre gonna be the king now.
Are you ready?
The soon-to-be Mr Olympia
replied, Yeah. Im ready, because
you showed me how to do this.
One week later in Mumbai,
India, at the Sheru Classic, Heath
beat Cutler again, but before
then, backstage at the Orleans
Arena in Las Vegas, he savoured
the moment of accomplishing it
for the rst time and securing
bodybuildings ultimate title.
That was the best feeling of my
life, he said. It was especially
awesome knowing I beat a Mr
Olympia to be Mr Olympia. It
wouldve been diferent if he had
retired and the title had been
vacant and I had won that way.
But to know I beat a four-time Mr
Olympia, a guy who was relevant
over 10 years in bodybuilding,
being top two, and such a good
friend, thats incredible.

SEPTEMBER 13
Last year, when Heath won
again, it was the rst of his ve
Olympias without his big
brother in the lineup. He
admitted it was strange not
having his friend there. It seemed
Cutler had retired, but the
four-time Mr O never ofcially
said so. This year, he announced
his return and his intention of
collecting Olympia title number 5.
Meanwhile, Heath is striving to
do what Cutler failed to do twice
and earn his third Sandow in a
row, stamping this era as his.
Cutler will be 40 when he steps
on the stage on September 27,
and it will be two years since his
last contest. Can he regain or
surpass his previous form?
Heath, at 33, will be in his prime
and in still only the seventh year
of his pro career (by contrast, it
will be 16 years since Cutlers pro
debut).
Either man winning will be a
tremendous story. But those
arent the only intriguing plots.
Theres Kai Greene, last years
runner-up, looking to climb the
nal rung on the ladder. Theres
Shawn Rhoden, who shocked the
world with his dramatic new
additions last year and his
third-place nish. Theres
two-time Arnold Classic champ
Branch Warren and that other
Mr O, the ageless Dexter Jackson.
And what about Mamdouh
Elssbiay, fresh of his victory at
the New York Procan Big
Ramy become the rst man
since Flex Wheeler 20 years
ago to crack the O top three as a
rookie pro? The 49th Mr Olympia
is shaping up to be the most
exciting of all time. Two of the
favourites will continue to be
close friends, but this may be
the final time they share an
Olympia stage, and, as the past
10 years have proved, you never
know what will happen when
these legends clash. FLEX
TO KNOW I BEAT
A FOUR-TIME
MR OLYMPIA
AND SUCH A
GOOD FRIEND,
THATS
INCREDIBLE.
B
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C
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60 FLEX
WHY
BENEFITS
BEAST
FROM THE
EAST
Big Ramy Raises the
Roof at the 2013 IFBB
New York Pro
134 COMPETITORS!
BIGGEST IFBB PRO
LEAGUE CONTEST
OF ALL TIME!
New York, NY
NEW YORK
NEW YORK
LATE CITY FINAL
62 FLEX
Jose
Raymond
Wins the 212
Division
BY
TONY
MONCHINSKI
PHOTOGRAPHS BY
ISAAC HINDS
PRO
PRO
May 25,2013
63 FLEX
NEW YORK PRO
New York fans will
vocally let you know
they love two things:
hometown favourites and
freaks. The first callout, coming
after three hours of IFBB
physique, figure, bikini, and
mens 212-and-under
bodybuilding, in the biggest NY
Pro showand the biggest IFBB
Professional League show to
date (134 total competitors)
delivered on both counts. It
featured four New Yorkers:
Victor Martinez, Juan Diesel
Morel, and Jon Delarosa and
Anthoneil Champagnie. The
freaks came by way of Belgium
former 212-and-under compet-
itor Clarence DeVisand Kuwait,
in the person of Big Ramy.
It quickly became apparent
that Martinez, a two-time
Arnold Classic champion,
the same Martinez whod
dominated the New York stage
at 2003s Night of Champions,
was back. The Dominican
Dominator had returned to form
after nearly two years of sorting
out his immigration status and
mending a broken arm. The
crowd reception was very
I Big Ramy. Not only did the 28-year-old win his pro
debut, but his wife also gave birth to a baby girl that
weekend in Kuwait.
BIG UP!
1ST PLACE
MAMDOUH
ELSSBIAY
NEW YORK PRO
2ND PLACE
VICTOR MARTINEZ
enthusiasticthey were happy
to have him back.
True, Martinez wasnt carrying
the size he had in the past,
and there was a noticeable
discrepancy between his right
arm, his left thigh, and their
matching halves (though not
distractingly so); but what he
lacked in usual mass he more
than made up for with his
conditioning. Vic was shredded.
At one point, he turned his back
to the audience, squatted down,
then rose up onto his toes, the
fibres of his hams, glutes, and
lower back feathering and
splintering. This is a man whos
suffered on a par with Job for the
better part of the last decade,
and its a testament to him that
he can bounce backhis shape,
lines, and conditioning all intact.
But then there was Big Ramy.
Though before we get to that
THE BIG MAC IN
THE BIG APPLE
I There really wasnt as much
hype about defending champ
Cedric McMillan returning to
the New York stage as there
might have been. This is
because McMillan continues
to underwhelm, not living up to
expectations.
Its been said before and it bears
repeating: he possesses all the
tools to rise to the top of the sport:
the height and the width, the
X-frame, the round muscle bellies.
Last year, McMillan gave all a
glimpse of the greatness so many
of us have seen in him. Last year
McMillan popped. He was crisp,
round, and full. Last year. Not this
year. This year McMillan paled in
comparison to what hed shown
us 12 months before. He was soft
and at. He appeared slim,
especially through the thighs.
McMillan, the man who could have
it all, didnt make the top 10.
65 FLEX
NEW YORK PRO
QMamdouh Elssbiay is reminiscent of a
mass monster of the 90s, without the
distended gut. At six feet, the 288-pound
Elssbiay has the muscle to ll out his frame.
Say what you will about bikini girls and
implants, Elssbiay looked like he had a bikini girl
implanted in each bulbous thigh. He was so
huge he looked like hed eaten a 212 competitor
for breakfast.
Elssbiay dwarfed those onstage with him.
And the men onstage with him were not small
men. Morel came close to matching shoulder
width with the giant, but both Diesel and
Martinez lacked the chest-through-back
thickness Big Ramy had in abundance. No
one came close to matching him in the side
chest shot. Looking at Elssbiay up there with
the top six, it was like a Which doesnt belong?
picture, with Ramys mass setting him apart.
Yes, he lacked the extreme detail and
separation of a Martinez or a Morel, but at nearly
300 pounds, Elssbiay took up so much space
onstage he threatened to eclipse whoever came
into his orbit.
In the middle of the line for the initial
comparison round, Big Ramy wasnt moved.
Martinez and Morel took turns on either side of
the enormous Egyptian. We might want to
bring a couple of you back, head judge and IFBB
Professional League/NPC president Jim Manion
announced as he dismissed the top three from
that rst comparison, although they werent
nished until the nals, when Elssbiay and
Martinez stood side by side for the last callout
of the night.
Moving ahead, hell need to etch in more
detail and separation, as well as focus on greater
hardness. He can add more mass to his calves,
and a bit more to his upper body (to balance
out his quads). Twenty-eight years old and
this guys been training for only three years?
Holy smokes!
66 FLEX
NEW YORK PRO
QJuan Morel and Jon Delarosa
both live in New Rochelle, north
of Manhattan in New Yorks
Westchester County. Both trace
their ethnicity to the Dominican
Republic. And both have come up
through the ranks on this very stage:
the NPC Eastern (Morel was 16th as
a light-heavy in 07, and second in
the heavies a year later; Delarosa was
second in the light-heavies in 07, and
third in the same class in 08), the
Met (sixth for Delarosa in the
heavyweight class in 07), the
Atlantic States (Delarosa won the
heavies and overall in 09), and the
2012 New York Pro (Diesel placed
fourth, Delarosa fifth).
The two friends moved up a slot
this weekend. Fourth-place finisher
Delarosa, who got engaged that
weekend to fellow IFBB pro figure
competitor Swann Cardot, is very
thick for his height. Arms and delts
are special standouts. Morel, in third,
is tall and wide, with a thick back and
delts. Morel gives lie to the claim that
Dominicans cant bring hard-as-nails
conditioning to the contest stage
(as Martinez also did this day).
Morel has more room to grow than
Delarosa, and if he does hell
be hard to beat.
Still, when youre
compared against the
best in the world
and these men are
definitely among the
best in the world
your flaws become
apparent. Where
Morels arms need
more mass and
his legs demand
more sweep,
Delarosa
would
benefit
from
added
chest
mass.
JUAN & JON
4TH PLACE
JON
DELAROSA 3RD PLACE JUAN MOREL
68 FLEX
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NEW YORK PRO
BAPTISM BY FIRE
QSeveral men were making
their pro debuts in this, the
toughest New York Pro line-up
to date. Sixth-place Brooklynite
Anthoneil Champagnie, who
qualified for pro status when
he finished second in the
heavyweight class at the 2012
NPC Nationals, represented
himself well here. Champagnie
has a pleasing shape and round,
full muscle bellies, with standout
(pop-out) arms.
Jeff Beckham, the 2012 NPC
Team Universe overall winner,
who tied for 15th, also has
pleasing lines and looked happy
to be onstage, but at six feet,
hes going to need a great deal
more mass to hold his own
with these boys. Despite good
shape, Canadas valiant Antoine
Vaillant, who finished 14th,
appeared soft in some poses.
And his posing trunks, which
looked like they were made of
felt, were too big at the back,
like granny pants. Keith Williams,
in eighth, brought the condition
he needed to place as well as he
did here.
QMarcus
Haley, in
seventh,
brought his
not-inconsider-
able size, shape,
and conditioning
to a stacked
house and
controlled his
stomach the
entire time.
THE DWARFING EFFECT
BIG UP!
QParaguays Pablo
Ayala, took 10th. Since
the cards didnt deal him
the shape and structural
advantages of others,
Ayala obviously decided to
pack on the mass, which
he had in abundance.
QFifth-place Clarence DeVis,
looked like Kai Greenes long-lost
younger (and shorter) brother.
This Belgian national grimaced
something erce squeezing his
considerable mass into his poses,
but come the night show, it was
obvious he was having fun up there,
hitting splits during his routine.
BIG UP!
5THPLACE
CLARENCE
DEVIS
QThe 2013 NY Pro lived up to the hype.
It was the most competitive and exciting
contest up to that point in the year. The
contest marked the return of Martinez to
near-winning form, and introduced a potential
new superstar. The last time a bodybuilder
making his pro debut here won this show was
when Evan Centopani did it four years ago.
How will the Big Ramy dwarfing effect play
out against Phil Heath, Kai Greene, and Shawn
Rhodennot to mention returning four-time
Mr Olympia Jay Cutlercome September at
the Mr Olympia in Vegas? Elssbiay says hell
be in the top three. Well know soon enough.
70 FLEX
@SCIMX SCI-MX sci-mx.co.uk
Shredded.
ACTIVE
INGREDIENTS
2g
SHRED-FAST
TM
COMPLEX
VIT-MX-TRIM
TM
BLEND
8.2mg 10
The maximum strength formula for best results.
NEW YORK PRO
PHYSIQUE,
FIGURE,BIKINI
SADIK HADZOVIC JULIANA MALACARNE CANDICE KEENE YESHAIRA ROBLES
QBalanced, pleasing physiques
carried the weekend in these
classes. Long Islands Sadik
Hadzovic won the mens
physique contest. Juliana
Malacarne, looking like the
best that female bodybuilding
had to ofer 25 years ago,
defended her NY Pro womens
physique title from last year. In
gure, Candice Keene also
defended her title, adding a
third win to her 2013 record
(she was rst in the Australian
Pro and Arnold Classic).
Yeshaira Robles took the bikini
titleher second for 2013this
time around after her win at the
IFBB Pittsburgh Pro. FLEX
DOGFIGHT IN THE 212s
QAustralias Constantinos
Demetriou, who landed in
ninth. He lacked the muscle
mass of the larger men, but was
hard and grainy.
BIG UP!
1ST PLACE
JOSE RAYMOND
2ND PLACE
SAMI AL HADDAD
3RD PLACE
MARK DUGDALE
QBig Ramy wasnt the only mass
monster onstage in New York.
What do you do when you nd out
the contest youd agreed to guest
pose at turns out not to be
sanctioned by the NPC? You could
make your appearance and swallow
a ne and suspension, or you could
get in your car and drive down to
the Big Apple to mix it up with the
212-and-under class a week before
youre set to compete at the IFBB
Toronto Supershow. Bostons Jose
Raymond chose the latter.
One of the shorter men in the class,
Raymond was also the thickest. Its
amazing that this is the guy who won
the right to a pro card four times in
weight classes ranging from the
lightweights to the middles. A
week out from his intended show,
Raymonds conditioning was wicked
grainy, if not quite up to par with what
he displayed here two years back. And
for all the size hes added, Raymond
can still suck it up into a vacuum
when he hits a front double biceps.
That said, it was very close between
Jose and Bahrains Sami Al Haddad.
How close, you ask? Two points close
on the nal scorecard. A lot of people
in the audience had the Bahraini
winning this show last year. And they
went home disappointed again this
year. Whatever your tastes in
bodybuildingSami has a
prettier, more aesthetic physique,
whereas Jose lives up to his
Boston Mass monikerit was a
battle down to the wire, with fans
getting their moneys worth.
Washingtons Mark Dugdale
dropped down from the open
class to leapfrog past impressive
24-year-old rookie Aaron Clarke
for third place. The Bronxs Marco
Rivera rounded out the top ve
in a competitive line-up that left
many in attendance scratching
their heads and wondering,
la Wally, where in the world
was Kevin English?
72 FLEX
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74 FLEX
PART 2 OF OUR 8-WEEK TRAINING
PROGRAMME DESIGNED TO
ADD SIZE, GAIN STRENGTH AND
BURN TONS OF FAT
PART 2 OF OUR 8-WEEK TRAINING
PROGRAMME DESIGNED TO
ADD SIZE, GAIN STRENGTH AND
BURN TONS OF FAT
BY JIM STOPPANI
75 FLEX
WORKOUT 2 (TUESDAY)
Exercise Sets/Reps Rest
Jump Squat
superset with Leg Extension
4/56
4/2125

30 sec.
Front Squat
superset with Squat
4/2125
4/56

30 sec.
Leg Curl
superset with Romanian Deadlift
4/2125
4/56

30 sec.
Squat* 8/20 sec. 10 sec.
Kettlebell Snatch* 8/20 sec. 10 sec.
Leg Press Calf Raise
superset with Body-weight Standing Calf Raise
4/20
4/to failure

30 sec.
Lunge* 8/20 sec. 10 sec.
Mountain Climber* 8/20 sec. 10 sec.
Hanging Leg Raise
superset with Oblique Crunch
4/to failure
4/to failure
-
30 sec.
Crunch* 8/20 sec. 10 sec.
Cable Woodchopper* 8/20 sec. 10 sec.
HERES A BRIEF SUMMARY OF PART 1 FROM LAST
MONTHS ISSUE:
QSupersets: All exercises are done as supersets (two
exercises performed back-to-back) to burn more fat during
the workout and keep burning fat after the workout.
QVolume: High-rep sets burn more calories during the
workout as you perform more work when doing more reps.
The total number of sets performed per workout in Weeks
58 increases to keep you burning more calories.
QLow reps: We also included low-rep sets to keep you
burning calories after the workout, which is known as
EPOC (excess post-exercise oxygen consumption).
QLess rest: Research has also shown that resting just
30 seconds between sets burns half as many
calories again during a bench-press workout as does
resting the standard three minutes between sets. In the
nal two weeks, you will rest only as long as it takes to set
up the next exercise.
MORE ON THE SECRET WEAPON
Q Last month, we introduced you to Tabata interval training, which is a specic method
of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) in which you alternate 20 seconds of exercise with
10 seconds of rest done for eight cycles, for a total of four minutes. The major reason HIIT works
so well to drop body fat is the greater calorie burn or EPOC thats maintained when the workout
is over. A 1996 study from Baylor College of Medicine, in Houston, Texas, reported that subjects
who performed a HIIT workout on a stationary cycle burned signicantly more calories during the
24 hours following the workout than those who cycled at a moderate steady-state intensity.
The real trick to the Tabata HIIT in this programme is that its jammed in between body-part
exercises. When you train chest, shoulders, and triceps, youll perform Tabata exercises between
chest and shoulders, then again between shoulders and triceps, and yet again at the very end of
the workout. A 2003 study by the University of Missouri-Columbia found that when subjects
performed either a 30-minute treadmill run or three 10-minute bouts of running at the same
intensity but separated by 20-minute rest periods, the intermittent cardio was much easierand
they even burned more fat. Intermittent cardio has also been shown to raise EPOC higher than
the same amount of cardio done continuously. Researchers found that two 15-minute cardio
sessions raised EPOC 40% higher than one 30-minute session. And Northeastern Illinois
University researchers reported that two 25-minute cardio sessions raised EPOC by 120%
more than one 50-minute session.
WORKOUT 1 (MONDAY)
EXERCISE Sets/Reps Rest
Bench Press
superset with Dumbbell Flye
4/56
4/2125

30 sec.
Incline Dumbbell Flye
superset with Incline Dumbbell Press
4/2125
4/56

30 sec.
Push-up* 8/20 sec. 10 sec.
Jumping Jack* 8/20 sec. 10 sec.
Dumbbell Shoulder Press
superset with Dumbbell Lateral Raise
4/56
4/2125

30 sec.
Bentover Lateral Raise
superset with Dumbbell Upright Row
4/2125
4/56

30 sec.
Kettlebell/Dumbbell Swing* 8/20 sec. 10 sec.
Smith Machine Power Clean * 8/20 sec. 10 sec.
Close-grip Bench Press
superset with Lying Triceps Extension
3/56
3/2125

30 sec.
Triceps Pressdown
superset with Overhead Cable Triceps Extension
3/56
3/2125

30 sec.
Dead Landmine* 8/20 sec. 10 sec.
Burpee* 8/20 sec. 10 sec.
*DO THESE EXERCISES TABATA STYLE
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WORKOUT 3 (WEDNESDAY)
EXERCISE Sets/Reps Rest
Barbell Row
superset with Reverse-grip Barbell Row
4/56
4/2125

30 sec.
Straight-arm Pulldown
superset with Wide-grip Pulldown
4/2125
4/56

30 sec.
Kettlebell Snatch* 8/20 sec. 10 sec.
Bench Step-up* 8/20 sec. 10 sec.
Barbell Shrug
superset with Behind-the-back Barbell Shrug
4/56
4/2125

30 sec.
Dumbbell Clean* 8/20 sec. 10 sec.
Bench Hop-over* 8/20 sec. 10 sec.
Seated Barbell Curl
superset with Standing Barbell Curl
3/56
3/2125

30 sec.
Prone Incline Dumbbell Curl
superset with Dumbbell Incline Curl
3/2125
3/56

30 sec.
Barbell Wrist Curl
superset with Barbell Reverse Wrist Curl
3/56
3/2125

10 sec.
Dead Landmine* 8/20 sec. 10 sec.
Jumping Jack* 8/20 sec. 10 sec.
*DO THESE EXERCISES TABATA STYLE
77 FLEX
WORKOUT 5 (FRIDAY)
Exercise Sets/Reps Rest
Squat
superset with Lunge
4/56
4/2125

30 sec.
One-leg Leg Press (alternating legs)
superset with
Leg Press
4/2125
4/56

30 sec.
Deadlift
superset with Romanian Deadlift
4/56
4/2125

30 sec.
Squat* 8/20 sec. 10 sec.
Kettlebell Snatch* 8/20 sec. 10 sec.
Seated Calf Raise
superset with Body-weight Standing
Calf Raise
4/20
4/to failure

30 sec.
Lunge* 8/20 sec. 10 sec.
Mountain Climber* 8/20 sec. 10 sec.
Cable Crunch
superset with
Oblique Crunch
4/8
4/20

30 sec.
Reverse Crunch* 8/20 sec. 10 sec.
Barbell Rollout* 8/20 sec. 10 sec.
*DO THESE EXERCISES TABATA STYLE
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WORKOUT 4 (THURSDAY)
Exercise Sets/Reps Rest
Incline Bench Press
superset with Incline
Dumbbell Flye
4/56
4/2125

30 sec.
Low Cable Crossover
superset with Cable
Crossover
4/2125
4/56

30 sec.
Push-up* 8/20 sec. 10 sec.
Jumping Jack* 8/20 sec. 10 sec.
Behind-the-neck
Shoulder Press
superset with Smith
Machine Upright Row
4/56
4/2125

30 sec.
Cable Rear Delt Flye
superset with Cable
Lateral Raise
4/2125
4/56

30 sec.
Kettlebell/Dumbbell
Swing*
8/20 sec. 10 sec.
Smith Machine
Power Clean*
8/20 sec. 10 sec.
Lying Triceps
Extension
superset with
Bench Dip
3/56
3/2125

30 sec.
Reverse-grip Triceps
Pressdown
superset with Triceps
Pressdown
3/2125
3/56

30 sec.
Dead Landmine* 8/20 sec. 10 sec.
Burpee* 8/20 sec. 10 sec.
WEEKS
5-6
78 FLEX
HANG CLEANS
34,110 KG/MONTH
ONE-ARM KETTLEBELL SWINGS
773,357 KG/YEAR
RYAN BADER
MMA LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT
ONE-ARM DUMBBELL SNATCHES
3,334 KG/WEEK
UPPER CUTS THROWN
576,000/YEAR
DO THE WORK.
PROWLER PUSH
65 MILES/YEAR
DEADLIFTS
511,652 KG/YEAR
BODY BLOWS RECEIVED
25,200/MONTH
BURPEES
600/MONTH
DIAGONAL MEDICINE BALL SLAMS
680 KG/WEEK
INTRODUCING MONSTER PROTEIN

PREMIUM CASEIN & WHEY PROTEIN BLEND
CLEAN FUEL FOR SERIOUS WORK
CytoSport

products complement a smart eating and hydration plan. 2013 CytoSport, Inc.
CYTOSPORTMONSTER.COM
WORKOUT 6 (SATURDAY)
Exercise Sets/
Reps
Rest
Pulldown
superset with Reverse-grip Pulldown
4/56
4/2125

30 sec.
Straight-arm Pulldown
superset with Wide-grip Pulldown
4/2125
4/56

30 sec.
Kettlebell Snatch* 8/20 sec. 10 sec.
Bench Step-up* 8/20 sec. 10 sec.
Smith Machine Behind-the-back Shrug
superset with Smith Machine Shrug
4/56
4/2125

30 sec.
Dumbbell Clean* 8/20 sec. 10 sec.
Bench Hop-over* 8/20 sec. 10 sec.
EZ-bar Curl
superset with EZ-bar Preacher Curl
3/56
3/2125

30 sec.
Dumbbell Incline Curl
superset with Standing Dumbbell Curl
3/2125
3/56

30 sec.
Dumbbell Reverse Wrist Curl
superset with Dumbbell Wrist Curl
3/56
3/2125

30 sec.
Dead Landmine* 8/20 sec. 10 sec.
Jumping Jack* 8/20 sec. 10 sec.
WEEKS
5-6
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80 FLEX
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WORKOUT 2 (TUESDAY)
Exercise Sets/Reps Rest
Jump Squat
superset with Leg
Extension
4/34
4/2630

Front Squat
superset with Squat
4/2630
4/34

Leg Curl
superset with
Romanian Deadlift
4/2630
4/34

Squat* 8/20 sec. 10 sec.

Kettlebell Snatch* 8/20 sec. 10 sec.
Leg Press Calf Raise
superset with
Body-weight
Standing
Calf Raise
4/25
4/to failure

Lunge* 8/20 sec. 10 sec.

Mountain Climber* 8/20 sec. 10 sec.
Hanging Leg Raise
superset with
Oblique Crunch
4/to failure
4/to failure

Crunch* 8/20 sec. 10 sec.

Cable Woodchopper* 8/20 sec. 10 sec.
WORKOUT 3 (WEDNESDAY)
Exercise Sets/Reps Rest
Barbell Row
superset with
Reverse-grip Barbell
Row
4/34
4/2630

Straight-arm Pulldown
superset with
Wide-grip Pulldown
4/2630
4/34

Kettlebell Snatch* 8/20 sec. 10 sec.

Bench Step-up* 8/20 sec. 10 sec.
Barbell Shrug
superset with
Behind-the-back
Barbell Shrug
4/34
4/2630

Dumbbell Clean* 8/20 sec. 10 sec.

Bench Hop-over* 8/20 sec. 10 sec.
Seated Barbell Curl
superset with
Standing Barbell Curl
3/34
3/2630

Prone Incline Dumbbell

Curl
superset with
Dumbbell Incline Curl
3/2630
3/34

Barbell Wrist Curl

superset with Barbell
Reverse Wrist Curl
3/34
3/2630

Dead Landmine* 8/20 sec. 10 sec.

Jumping Jack* 8/20 sec. 10 sec.
WORKOUT 1 (MONDAY)
Exercise Sets/Reps Rest
Bench Press
superset with
Dumbbell Flye
4/34
4/2630

Incline Dumbbell Flye

superset with Incline
Dumbbell Press
4/2630
4/34

Push-up* 8/20 sec. 10 sec.

Jumping Jack* 8/20 sec. 10 sec.
Dumbbell Shoulder
Press
superset with
Dumbbell Lateral
Raise
4/34
4/2630

Bentover Lateral Raise

superset with
Dumbbell Upright Row
4/2630
4/34

Kettlebell/Dumbbell
Swing*
8/20 sec. 10 sec.
Smith Machine
Power Clean*
8/20 sec. 10 sec.
Close-grip Bench Press
superset with Lying
Triceps Extension
3/34
3/2630

Triceps Pressdown
superset with
Overhead Cable
Triceps Extension
3/34
3/2630

Dead Landmine* 8/20 sec. 10 sec.

Burpee* 8/20 sec. 10 sec. *DO THESE EXERCISES TABATA STYLE
WEEKS
7-8
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I WANT MUSCLETECH MUSCL ET ECH.UK.COM
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BUILDING BLOCKS
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WORKOUT 4 (THURSDAY)
Exercise Sets/Reps Rest
Incline Bench Press
superset with Incline
Dumbbell Flye
4/34
4/2630

Low Cable Crossover

superset with Cable
Crossover
4/2630
4/34

Push-up* 8/20 sec. 10 sec.

Jumping Jack* 8/20 sec. 10 sec.
Behind-the-neck
Shoulder Press
superset with Smith
Machine Upright Row
4/34
4/2630

Cable Rear-delt Flye

superset with Cable
Lateral Raise
4/2630
4/34

Kettlebell/Dumbbell
Swing*
8/20 sec. 10 sec.
Smith Machine
Power Clean*
8/20 sec. 10 sec.
Lying Triceps
Extension
superset with
Bench Dip
3/34
3/2630

Reverse-grip Triceps
Pressdown
superset with Triceps
Pressdown
3/2630
3/34

Dead Landmine* 8/20 sec. 10 sec.

Burpee* 8/20 sec. 10 sec.
WORKOUT 5 (FRIDAY)
Exercise Sets/Reps Rest
Squat
superset with Lunge
4/34
4/2630

One-leg Leg Press

(alternating legs)
superset with
Leg Press
4/2630
4/34

Deadlift
superset with
Romanian Deadlift
4/34
4/2530

Squat* 8/20 sec. 10 sec.

Kettlebell Snatch* 8/20 sec. 10 sec.
Seated Calf Raise
superset with
Body-weight
Standing
Calf Raise
4/25
4/to failure

Lunge* 8/20 sec. 10 sec.

Mountain Climber* 8/20 sec. 10 sec.
Cable Crunch
superset with
Oblique Crunch
4/6
4/25

Reverse Crunch* 8/20 sec. 10 sec.

Barbell Roll-out* 8/20 sec. 10 sec.
WORKOUT 6 (SATURDAY)
Exercise Sets/Reps Rest
Pulldown
superset with Reverse-Grip Pulldown
4/34
4/2630

Straight-arm Pulldown
superset with Wide-grip Pulldown
4/2630
4/34

Kettlebell Snatch* 8/20 sec. 10 sec.

Bench Step-up* 8/20 sec. 10 sec.
Smith Machine Behind-the-back Shrug
superset with Smith Machine Shrug
4/34
3/2630

Dumbbell Clean* 8/20 sec. 10 sec.

Bench Hop-over* 8/20 sec. 10 sec.
EZ-bar Curl
superset with EZ-bar Preacher Curl
3/34
3/2630

Dumbbell Incline Curl

superset with Standing Dumbbell Alternating Curl
3/2630
3/34

Dumbbell Reverse Wrist Curl

superset with Dumbbell Wrist Curl
3/34
3/2630

Dead Landmine* 8/20 sec. 10 sec.

Jumping Jack* 8/20 sec. 10 sec.
*DO THESE EXERCISES TABATA STYLE
WEEKS
7-8
84 FLEX
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BY STUART McROBERT PHOTOS BY CHRIS LUND
Whether its Jean-Pierre Fux, Craig
Richardson, Ronnie Coleman or Alq
Gurley whose photos illustrate this
articleor any other big-name bodybuilder from
the past or the present, or anyone who trains, the
hands are the underappreciated essential link
to barbells, dumbbells and machines. Without
strong hands youll never be able to reach your
potential for muscle mass. That many body -
builders have weak hands, and hands that are
prone to injury, seriously hampers their progress.
Improve your bodybuilding progress by giving
your hands a high priority.
Hands have tremendous potential for
increased strength and robustness, but only if
the load on them is increased gradually. If you
make sudden substantial increases in demands,
hand injuries can resultwith the ngers usually
being more at risk than the palms.
Unless you already have very strong hands
and thick skinperhaps from a lot of manual
labour, or from years of successful trainingits
easy to injure your hands. But even with strong
hands, if you cut them while doing something
with a sharp tool in the kitchen or the garden, or
blister them from a bout of manual work, or get
bitten or scratched by a cat or a dog, youll
quickly learn how limiting a hand injury can be.
And hand injuries can easily happen in
the gym.
TRAINING-RELATED
HAND INJURIES
Exercises that involve pulling motions are
especially demanding on the hands and grip,
and can contribute to strengthening the
hands. But if not done properly, these
exercises, which include all variations of the
deadlift, row, pulldown, chin-up and pull-up,
and shrug, can cause hand injuries. What
sometimes happens is that bodybuilders
make a hook with their ngers, and then hold
the bar in just that hook. This takes the
palms out of the hold (and perhaps the
thumbs, too), and puts most or all of the
strain on the four ngers of each hand
on the small bones of the ngers (the
phalanges), and on the joints there. When
the weights used are challenging, the stress
can lead to nger irritation and then injury,
which can require several weeks (or more)
of recovery time to heal.
Sometimes, the hold of the bar may be
reasonable at the start of the set but as the
grip fatigues, the hands are allowed to open
so that the ngers alone are holding the bar
at the end of the set.
Its best, of course, to hold the bar properly
from the beginning and throughout each set,
to prevent hand problems from occurring
in the rst place. Hold the bar against the
palms alongside the base of your ngers,
with your ngers and thumb of each hand
wrapped around it. This distributes the strain
over the ngers, thumbs and palms, rather
than directing it on just the ngers. Not only
is this safer for your hands, its also a more
secure, stronger way to hold the bar.
Grip machines can also cause problems
because they may place more stress on
your nger bones and joints than they can
tolerate. This varies according to the design
of the machine, and the size and condition
of your hands. Start out very light and easy,
and nd how to hold the handles so that
the stress is applied safely to your ngers,
thumbs and palms. Then progress in weight
gradually, so that you dont start training
hard on a grip machine for at least several
weeks.
Hand grippers, properly used, can be
terric. But they can be harsh on the skin
and structure of your hands, depending on
the size and condition of your hands, how
sharp the knurling of the handles is, and
how soon you start working the gripper
hard. Proceed carefully. Start with a gripper
you can close easily for 10 or more full reps.
Spend some time learning the safest way to
hold the gripper for you, then build up your
reps gradually. Dont work a gripper more
than twice weekly. Wait until you can
perform at least 15 full reps continuously
clicking the handles together on each one,
and pausing there for a secondbefore you
progress to the next gripper in the sequence.
ELBOW PROBLEMS
Elbow problems can also arise from hand
problems. If you heavily overload your
hands and forearms with movements that
involve twisting and rotating your wrists,
HOW TO HAND
YOURSELF
BIGGER MUSCLES
86 FLEX
JEAN-
PIERRE
FUX
not only can you injure your hands, wrists and
forearms, but your elbows can be afected as
well, leading to tennis elbow (outer area of
the elbow) or golfers elbow (inner area of the
elbow). These problems can occur even if you
never play tennis or golf and they can arise
from activities done outside of the gym. If
youre not used to manual work, and do a lot
of actions involving wrist rotationpainting
and decorating or gardening, for example
that could lead to elbow problems.
Even controlled grip work in the gym,
without any twisting and rotating of your
wrists, can lead to elbow problems if you
overdo it, or try to progress too quickly.
Furthermore, if you work only on your gripping
muscles, without any exercise for the
opposing musclesthe nger extensors
that can also lead to elbow problems.
Unless such elbow problems are treated
successfully at the earliest signs of develop-
ment, they can be very stubborn, and very
limiting.
HOW TO AVOID
HAND INJURIES
1. Be especially careful whenever you handle
a knife or blade.
2. When doing any manual work where
theres a risk of injury to your hands
(including blisters), wear leather gloves.
3. Unless youre already well used to
manual work, dont do a lot of it at any one
time. Spread it out over several small bouts,
with sufcient recovery days between bouts
so that no hand, wrist, forearm or elbow
problems develop.
4. If you have to handle an animal that you
know could bite or scratch you, wear leather
gloves.
5. When you train, increase the load on your
hands gradually, in small increments.
6. When you do chin-ups, pull-ups,
pulldowns, rows, shrugs or any type of dead-
lift, dont merely hook your ngers around
the bar. Put the bar across your palms near
the base of your ngers, wrap your ngers
and thumbs around the bar, and hold it
between your ngers, thumbs and palms.
7. Avoid grip aids other than lifters chalk. If
you use straps or hooks to attach yourself to
a bar, youll reduce the stress on your hands,
and encourage grip weakening. Train without
straps or hooks, hold the bar properly (not
merely in your ngers), strengthen your grip
through aid-free lifting, and train your grip
with some specic grip work.
8. Do specic grip work twice weekly to
increase the strength of your hands. Do the
grip work at the end of your workouts.
9. Do one or two work sets of nger extension
exercise for each hand after each bout of grip
work.
GRIP WORK
One of the simplest but most efective ways
to improve your grip strength is to hold a thick
bar for timethick-bar holds. If where you
work out has a thick barone thicker than the
normal inch-or-so diameter bar, and ideally
one about two inches thickuse that. Put it
across the pins of a power rack positioned at
about mid-thigh height, so that you can take
the bar easily and hold it as if you were in
position to start a standing shrug. Hold the
bar between your ngers and your palms, with
your thumbs around the bar (not over it). Hold
CRAIG
RICHARDSON
88 FLEX
RONNIE
COLEMAN
it securely in your whole hands. Try to crush
the bar as you hold it. Provided you can hold it
for 60 seconds continuously, with a few
seconds to spare, increase the weight a little
next time, and so on. One hard 60-second
hold twice a week is sufcient.
If there isnt a thick bar where you
train, you could use a normal-diameter
bar instead and still improve your grip,
but a thick bar is much more efective. Or try
some Fat Gripz. Theyre the perfect solution
and available from Weider Mail Order
www.weidermailorder.com/50-fat-gripz
If theres a grip machine where you train, try
that for one bout each week but if it produces
any nger problems, stick to the timed holds
exclusively as your specialised grip work.
FINGER EXTENSION
Especially when youre doing a lot of grip
work, the nger extension is an important
supplementary exercise. It strengthens the
muscles that extend the ngers, whereas
exercises that involve the grip work the
muscles that ex the ngers. A strength
imbalance between these opposing muscles
can cause elbow problems. Heres a manual
resistance nger extension exercise.
Put the digits of your right hand together. Put
the tips of the ngers (and thumb) of your left
hand on the outside ends of the corresponding
digits of the other hand. Open your right hand
against resistance provided by your left hand.
Allow the nger joints to bend sufciently to
produce a full range of movement.
Once youre working the exercise hard,
following a period of gradual adaptation,
perform a warm-up set for each hand with
minimal resistance. Then perform the work
sets with enough resistance to make each rep
taxing. Apply resistance against the ngers as
they open and closepositive phase and
negative phase, respectively. Provide more
resistance during the negative phase. Perform
each rep smoothly, over a full range of motion.
Another method is to place the tips of your
right hand together, and put your hand
between your lower thighs while seated, with
your wrist turned so that your right thumb is
against your right inner thigh. Keep all your
digits straight, and spread the load evenly
over all of them. Find the precise positioning
of your hand and thighs that permits this.
Perform each rep smoothly, over a full range
of motion, with enough resistance from your
thighs to make each rep taxing on the positive
and negative phases.
The manual nger extension doesnt
permit measurable resistance. Over time,
however, gradually increase the manual
resistance. FLEX
Personalised, one-to-one training
advice is now available from Stuart
by phone, email, MSN Messenger,
or Yahoo Messenger. For further
information, please contact him by
email at stuart@hardgainer.com
Editors note: The authors newest
book is STUART McROBERTS NEW
BRAWN SERIES, BOOK 1: How to build
up to 50 pounds of muscle the natural
way. To order, contact Weider Mail Order
on 01423 877 052.
ALQ
GURLEY
90 FLEX
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TO SEE THE TRAILERS, GO TO GENERATION-IRON.COM
From the opening clip of
Arnold Schwarzenegger and
Franco Columbu pli-ing in
a ballet studio, to the piano chords
leading into Michael Smalls theme
song with the great rst lyric
Everybody wants to live forever,
to the training (with gym equipment
youre likely to nd only in man
caves), to the contest scenes, and
everything in betweenoh, and all
the dialogue thats been quoted by
bodybuilders everywhere for the
past 36 years1977s Pumping
Iron, starring Schwarzenegger,
Columbu, Lou Ferrigno, Ed Corney,
Mike Katz, and Serge Nubret, among
others, has been the inspiration
for generations of aspiring
bodybuilders.
Now, with Generation Iron,
bodybuilding gets a long-awaited
and long-overdue makeover.
Narrated by Oscar-nominated and
Golden Globe-winning actor Mickey
Rourke, Generation Iron takes over
where Pumping Iron left of. Filmed
last year, the docudrama stars
Phil Heath, Kai Greene, Branch
Warren, Dennis Wolf, Roelly
Winklaar, Ben Pakulski, and Hidetada
Yamagishi, and captures the real-life
drama of the sports greatest
athletes as they vie to become the
2012 Mr Olympia.
Here, in the rst of our Generation
Iron features, writer, director and
producer Vlad Yudin gives us an
insight into the making of this
groundbreaking lm. We also get up
close and personal with Kai Greene
on what it means to be in a movie
thats sure to inspire the next
wave of bodybuilding stars.
Part 1 of our in-depth look at the making of
modern bodybuildings rst feature lm
BY DAVE LEE
PHOTOGRAPHS BY CHRIS SORENSON/
THE VLADAR COMPANY
The movies executive
producers are Vladar Co.
partner Edwin Meija,
Pumping Iron producer
Jerome Gary, Damon
Bingham, AMI chairman and
CEO David J. Pecker, and Jim
Manion, NPC and IFBB
Pro League president.
93 FLEX
FLEX: Its been well
over three decades
since Pumping Iron. What
was your motivation for
making Generation Iron,
and why do it now?
VLAD YUDIN: There are a few
reasons. First and foremost, Im a
huge fan of the original. There had
been nothing of such magnitude
done on this sportat the time,
most of the public wasnt even
aware that this was an actual sport.
Pumping Iron changed the whole
bodybuilding and tness industry
and the way regular people viewed
weight training. I had a conversa-
tion with Jerome Gary [producer
of Pumping Iron] and we talked
in great detail about how this lm
changed the publics perception of
bodybuilding. Really, most people
didnt know what bodybuilding
was. Its one of those sports thats
largely unknown; to this day, theres
a lot of misunderstanding, so there
needs to be a re-education. We
decided it was the right time to
reintroduce it, if you will, to the new
generation.
When did you rst see
Pumping Iron?
When I was in high school. Id
heard about it before, but Id
never sat down and seen the
whole thing. But when I nally
got around to watching it from
start to nish, I was riveted. There
were so many cool elements to it.
Just the characters themselves
were so unique. The way they
talked about bodybuilding was
entertaining. Im an outsider to
the sport, and in a way thats
good, because this lm needs
someone who isnt involved in it.
Looking at it from an outsiders
point of view is a good way to
bring in others, because itll help
others relate to it.
After that movie, I became a
fan of bodybuilding because its
so different from other sports. I
was never a bodybuilder
though Im training nowbut
that film stuck with me through
the years. And thats what were
trying to achieve with Genera-
tion Iron. We want to make
something that bodybuilders
will appreciate. Its very
important that we keep true
to the essence of the sport so
bodybuilders will see that its
treated with the respect it
deserves. At the same time
and this was a key challenge
we wanted to take something
thats unique and present it in a
way that people who are new to
the sport can identify with and
appreciate it.
Once the business side of
making the movie was done,
what was the next step?
To be perfectly honest, lming
TO THIS DAY, THERES A LOT OF
MISUNDERSTANDING ABOUT BODY-
BUILDING, SO THERE NEEDS TO BE A
RE-EDUCATION. WE DECIDED IT
WAS THE RIGHT TIME TO REINTRO-
DUCE IT TO THE NEW GENERATION.
94 FLEX
was quite a challenge. It
was a very involved process,
because I wanted to be as
prepared as possible. My goal
was to get full access to the
athletes. You can imagine
that when youre training for
the biggest contest of your
life, you dont want to be
bothered with all these
cameras in your face,
following you around all day.
The tough part was to get
them to know me. It took
a lot of conversations and
meetings.
One thing I know from
previous work is that you need
a level of trust between the
lmmaker and the subject
being lmed. If the person
isnt comfortable, you wont
get the best footage. Its
important to spend time
with them so theyre relaxed
and natural on camera.
Once they know you, they
trust you and let down
the wall, so to speakits
easier with some than with
others.
You also have to be mindful
of the circumstances when
youre shooting. Filming these
guys during the of-season,
when theyre a long way from
the contest, is diferent from
when theyre just weeks away
from competing. Then theyre
extremely focused on this one
show where they have to look
their absolute best to those
wholl determine whos the
greatest in the world. Thats
very stressful. Imagine all that
preparation to look the best
youve ever looked for just two
daysout of the entire year! So
many things have to go right.
So, of course, when you
bring your cameras around,
they dont always want to do
an interview, especially at
the end of a long, hard day.
They want to nap, or eat,
or spend time with their
families. Throw in hot
weather, like you have in
New York and Texas, and
you have a very challenging
situation. But because
youve laid the groundwork
and got to know these guys,
they realise the magnitude
of the situation. All of them
were inspired by Pumping
Iron, and now its their
chance to be immortalised
onscreen for the next
generation.
It boils down to mutual
respect. Respect for what
5
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theyre trying to achieve and
respect for the lm thats
capturing the journey.
When did you start lming?
Principle photography began last
spring. We started in New York
with Kai and Victor. We shot
them training and just going
about their day-to-day lives
to show people how these pro
bodybuilders do it.
And when did lming wrap?
We did the bulk of the shooting
leading up to the Olympia and
then at the Olympia, as thats
the culmination of all the
training and preparation. Then
we did pickups a couple of
months later. The last scene
was at Bevs Powerhouse, which
was cool, because thats where
we started.
Over the past few months
in Hard Times, weve gone
behind the scenes with Victor,
Hidetada, Roelly, Branch,
Dennis, and Ben. Which brings
us to the last two guys, Kai and
Phil. Now, Kai was actually the
rst guy you shot...
Yes, and it was very interesting
that we started with Kai. We spent
some time with him before we
started lmingwe wanted to
make sure he understood the
mission and was comfortable in
front of the camera. Hes a true
artist by nature; if he werent a
bodybuilder, hed be doing some
other form of artistic expression.
There are many layers to him. Hes
very multi-dimensional. The more
time we spent with him, the more
we uncovered. Everyone was
drawn in by his personality. He
makes a really good impression
because hes so passionate.
At the same time, the Kai
sequences were very challenging
because youre talking about
over-100 days in the middle of July
in New York. It was brutal! And here
you have Kai walking around the
streets covered up from head to
toe, wearing his black hoodie. We
were all thinking the same thing:
How is he doing that? Once we
got to the gym, I told everyone to
stay out of his way. The key and
this went for all the guyswas to
make sure that they didnt change
for the cameras. We wanted to
capture everyone in their natural
environment, being themselves,
being real, with as little compro-
mise as possible.
And what about the meals?
I understand you were treated to
ITS VERY IMPORTANT THAT WE KEEP
TRUE TO THE ESSENCE OF THE
SPORT SO THAT BODYBUILDERS
WILL SEE THAT ITS TREATED WITH
THE RESPECT IT DESERVES.
96 FLEX
Kais version of Masterchef.
Oh, my God, it was very tough
scheduling things in between
all the meals the guys eat.
They dont miss their meals
for anything! We had to plan
ahead and then often change
plans right in the middle.
There was a lot of improvising,
because wed be shooting and
have to stop so Kai could go
cook one of his meals. But we
lmed that, too, of course, and
it was very interesting to see
how big a role food plays in
being a bodybuilder. Most
people automatically think
that being a bodybuilder
means lifting weights in the
gym, but they dont think
about the other half of the
lifestyle, which is the eating.
And Kai was cooking in his tiny
little apartment with all the
burners on the stove going at
once. The heat was unbear-
ablebut he was still in his
hoodie and sweat pants!
I know this isnt the
sequence in which
you filmed the guys, but
lets jump over to your
visit to the FLEX offices
in New York City.
Yeah, Kai was there, too. It
was interesting to see how
the office staff reacted to
him. His exterior can look
intimidating. Hes got scars
on his face and unusual hair,
not to mention his size.
Right away you see a
character walking by. But
thats just the outside. Hes
very insightful, well-spoken,
and soft-spokennot the
typical image people have
of a bodybuilder. Its cool to
show that, because people
have their stereotypes.
This lm will show the
many dimensions of all
these guys. Its a great
representation of bodybuild-
ers as individuals, and what
they do to excel at this sport.
NEXT MONTH:
PART 2 OF OUR
INTERVIEW WITH
VLAD YUDIN
Watch our for updates on
the international release
dates for the movie and the
DVD of Generation Iron.
F
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WHEN THE CAMERAS ARE ROLLING,
THIS IS ME GETTING READY FOR
THE BIGGEST MOMENT OF MY
LIFE. AND THATS WHERE THE
VULNERABILITY COMES IN.
GREENE DAY
The Predator talks about the
challenges of lming, opening up
for the camera, and being a part
of history in the making
FLEX: When did you rst
see Pumping Iron?
It was sometime in the late 80s.
It was the class movie at the
institution I was in at the time
(Greene became a ward of the
state at age 6), and I remember
the main character was this huge
dude who liked working out.
It became a point of reference
for my life because I was working
out by that time, but didnt know
what competitive bodybuilding
was, didnt really know what
bodybuilding itself was, until that
movie. The 80s was a time when
pop culture was very heavily
inuenced by the idea of working
outyou had Olivia Newton-John
telling everyone to Get Physical
and Bruce Lee in Enter the Dragon
was still very popular. Hollywood
was showcasing Arnold, Sylvester
Stallone, Jean-Claude Van Damme
and other action heroes who were
larger-than-life, with equally
larger-than-life muscles. That
exposure made a lasting
impression on me as a teenager.
Seeing that movie denitely
changed my life forever. Ive seen
it hundreds of times. My friends
and I could quote the entire movie
verbatim. In fact, several years
after seeing it, at my rst Colorado
Pro [in 2006], I got a chance to
meet [IFBB pro] Darrem Charles.
The whole time we were
backstage, we went back and forth
with dialogue from the movie.
It was clear we were both
well-versed in the art of Pumping
Iron. That was our common
ground. I can imagine
I hopeaspiring athletes in the
future will do the same with
Generation Iron.
You met with Vlad before
lming. What was going
through your mind, knowing
that you were going to be
in the lm?
I remember being very excited and
honoured. I wished that the people
who were in my life 20 years ago
were still around so I could share
this with them. Part of me wanted
to call them up and say, Im going
to be in the new Pumping Iron! The
uniqueness of this sport is in how
lonely the journey can be as you
dare to dream and aspire to be the
best bodybuilder in the world. Its
unfortunate that the people who
were in my life then are no longer
in it now, because my life
is drastically diferent today.
Theres no one here today that
I could compare notes with from
20 years ago. But it was still very
exciting!
With several training videos
under your belt, youre no
stranger to the camera. But were
you prepared for the size of the
Generation Iron crew? Vlad had
upward of 10 people on his team.
At times it seemed like even more
than that! It was an amazing
spectacle. We were walking the
streets of Brooklyn and people
were looking out their windows
and coming out of their buildings
to see what was going on. People
were saying, Theyre lming that
dude with the muscles whos
always carrying bags of food.
Normally you dont see a lm crew
that size in the working class
areas, so it was interesting seeing
their reactions.
The goal of the documentary
lmmaker is to capture
subjects in their natural state.
Did having the cameras and all
those people following your
every move afect you at all?
Yeah, as much as I want to say it
didnt, there were a lot of times
when I struggled to keep my
concentration. Its a tremendous
demand to focus on what you
need to do. I denitely learned
rsthand that it can be very
challenging, particularly those
times you think youre prepared
but realise you really arent.
Theres a certain amount of
practise one needs in order to be
natural and comfortable with that
many unblinking eyes on youand
thats one thing about the camera,
it does not blink, ever! Its like
having people come to your
houseyou want to clean up and
put away your dirty laundry, so
to speak, before they enter your
home so you dont expose parts
of yourself you may not feel
comfortable putting on display.
But its like you hid the dirty
laundry behind the door, and
people are there in your home,
looking behind the door and
98 FLEX
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seeing it. Now its revealed to the
masses, so theres a certain
amount of trepidation that comes
with the experience. That feeling
of vulnerability can cause a lot of
anxiety. Will people understand
and accept me? Will the fact that
a professional bodybuilder is not
driving a $100,000 car reect
poorly on my status, or on the
expectations people have of a
two-time Arnold Classic winner?
How did you deal with that?
You want to be the athlete getting
ready for the biggest and most
important competition of your life,
and thats allyouve invested so
much in being ready for that
moment youll be called upon.
Theres a part of me that recognises
the responsibility of being in the
spotlight. As Im committing myself
to making my dreams tangible,
I have to be aware of the fact that
people are paying close attention to
my actions and words. The audience
may need to hear a much more
powerful message than just how
many sets and reps I do. In that
moment, there could be individuals
watching who are willing to make
themselves available to you and
whatever it is you have to say, with
more respect and attention than
they might give their own parents at
any given time. I didnt grow up with
a father in my home, but through TV,
movies, and various other mediums
there were other role models. Thats
why I have to give credit to the Bill
Cosbys of the world for giving me a
point of reference I could draw upon
in my own lifebe it fostering a
loving relationship between me and
my niece, or being with other people
who make my life more fullling
even if it was only something I was
watching onscreen.
But getting back to the question,
the shooting days were at times very
long. While youre trying to get this
work done, you want to make sure
youre concentrating on doing what
youthe athlete aiming to be the
best in the worldshould be doing.
The last thing you want is to not
place well at the show. I didnt want
it to be a case of thinking afterwards,
My parts were great, but I didnt do
well in the show. I felt continually
torn between serving two masters.
I thought, What would [six-time
Mr Olympia] Dorian Yates do?
Would he allow distractions to
interfere with his goals? Then again,
you realise that this is a golden
opportunity, a million-dollar
moment, and youd be an absolute
idiot to let it pass you by. So you put
your best foot forward and do
whatever needs to be done.
The trailer came out shortly
before last years Olympia. What
was your reaction on seeing it?
Theres a part of you that thinks,
Aw, man! I could have done that
better! or I wish I wouldve said
this... But the truth is, when you
were in the actual trenches of the
experience, there were so many
things going on.
What about the gym scenes?
Did you put any pressure
on yourself to make them
memorable for the lm?
There might have been times when I
thought like that, but I didnt want
to get injured. Would that serve my
goal? No. You really have to keep
your ego in check, and with all my
years of training experience, Ive
been pretty good at keeping my ego
at bay. Actually, there were a lot of
things Id like to be able to take credit
for now, and say I knew what the end
result would be, so I decided to do
this or say that, but I didnt. That
credit goes to the lmmakers and to
the situation at hand, and how it all
just played out naturally.
Being an athlete who has a
responsibility to himself and his
sponsors and fans can be daunting,
because you try to keep everybody
happybut sometimes you come up
short at the end of the day. So you
just do the best you can and focus on
things that are immediately
important as the cameras are rolling.
You realise that this is representative
of my preparation at this period.
This was my big-screen acting
debut, so in my mind I was thinking
of Apollo Creed or Clubber Lang from
Rocky, because characters like that
resonate with me. But then you tell
yourself that this isnt some part Im
playing. Im not a thespian. I dont
need to know what my motivation
is before a scene, because this is real
lifemy life. When the cameras are
rolling, this is me getting ready for
the biggest moment of my life.
And thats where the vulnerabil-
ity comes in. Because you arent
acting, youre just being yourself
and the whole world is watching.
What do you hope people will
come away with after watching
Generation Iron?
At the root of the bodybuilding
experience is the recognition of
personal power and the ability
to use it. Youre not a victim of
circumstance, genetics, or the
permissive will of a deity. You have
the power to create your own reality.
Its through the application of
decisions that are made from the
moment I wake up to the moment
I go to sleep that Im able to
dene myself as a champion. My
successes and failures are not a
product of the sins of my father or
the demonstrations of love by my
mother. My own hand decides to
create what I will with my life.
Thats the biggest lesson this
lifestyle teaches.
I got the support I did as a
youngster embarking on this
journey not because someone
expected me to be Mr Olympia, but
because they understood that at
the root of this, this young man
would be able to devote his energy,
anger, whatever, towards
developing skillscrafting a
physique, following a diet plan
that will carry him through life.
Thats the beauty of this
lifestyle, and thats the lesson I
hope people watching the lm
come away with. You can create
your own destiny. Youre an active
participant in that process every
day, with every decision you make.
And whether you recognise that
power in your hand or not, that
reality is not one to run from, but
one to recognise and embrace.
To embrace it puts you in the
drivers seat to create and make
of yourself and your life what
you will. FLEX
AT THE ROOT OF THE BODYBUILDING EXPERIENCE
IS THE RECOGNITION OF PERSONAL POWER
AND THE ABILITY TO USE IT.
100 FLEX
HARDGAINERS ULTIMATE GROWTH ENHANCEMENT SYSTEM
RETRO-
GRAVITY
How going negative can have a positive impact
on your bodybuilding gains
Admittedly, some of these Weider Principles havent had the most
marketable names. Flushing Principle? That one probably shouldve
been, lets say, ushed. In marked contrast, this months tenet was
given arguably the coolest name: retro-gravity. Its just a fancy way of saying
negative, but, to state the obvious, negative is not positive. Likewise,
negatives more scientic title, eccentric, is a synonym for weird. And so we
get retro-gravity, which sounds like something a planet-hopping superhero
would employ to defeat the laws of time and matter. Cool! As well explore,
retro-gravity is actually a method for immediately using more weight or doing
more reps, which can quickly boost your strength and size gains. Again, cool!
THE WEIDER PRINCIPLES
102 FLEX
BY GREG MERRITT
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THE WEIDER
RETRO-GRAVITY
PRINCIPLE
Q Our H.U.G.E.

retro-gravity hamstrings routine

incorporates both types of negative reps. In the leg curl
exercises, go to failure on regular reps before doing 24
additional negatives. The negatives can be done without a
spotter if you stop short of failure and then lift the weight
with both legs and lower it with one leg, alternating sides
on each rep. (In this case, do twice as many total negative
reps as prescribed in our routine to compensate for the
fact that only one leg is being worked at a time.) On the
Romanian deadlifts, a spotter helps lift the bar, then you
slowly lower it back to the starting position. A Smith
machine makes it easier to assist on these and other lifts
because the spotter can stand out of your way to one side
and lift up on just one of the bars collars.
H.U.G.E.

RETRO-GRAVITY
ROUTINE
EXERCISE SETS +REPS -REPS
Lying Leg Curl 4 610 24
Seated Leg Curl 4 610 24
Smith Machine
Romanian Deadlift
4 812 24
+Reps = positive reps
-Reps = negative reps
H.U.G.E.

RETRO-GRAVITY
HAMSTRINGS ROUTINE
Q Every rep has a positive half
(contracting the muscle) and a
negative half (lengthening the
muscle). Usually, the former occurs
when raising the weight, and the latter
when lowering the weight. So about
half of your time under tension during
a set is spent returning to the starting
position. The interesting thing about
this is that research has shown youre
approximately 20% stronger during the
negative halves of reps than during the
positive halves. The Weider Retro-
Gravity Principle prescribes that you
slow down the negative side of reps
that is, efectively resist the pull of
gravityto work your muscles during the
period when youre at your strongest.
Take approximately 36 seconds to
complete each negative half-rep.
There are two ways to do retro-
gravity reps. You can use them to push
your sets beyond failure, to get more
reps, or you can do all-negative sets,
to use more weight.
To push sets beyond failure, do
610 regular reps until you cant get
another. Then have a training partner
(or two) help you raise the weight.
Fight the weights descent, never
halting but going at a slow, steady
pace for 36 seconds. Do 24 such
negative reps.
To do all-negative sets, select a
weight thats approximately 20%
greater than what you can maximally
use for 610 positive reps. Have your
partner help you raise the weight,
then ght its descent for a set of
610 negative-only reps. Note that
retro-gravity reps arent appropriate for
some lifts. These are basically the same
exercises you should avoid combining
with forced reps: ballistic or heavy,
free-weight basics like lunges, power
cleans, deadlifts, and squats.
104 FLEX
P
A
V
E
L

Y
T
H
J
A
L
L
ADVANTAGES
Here are the pluses of going negative
DISADVANTAGES
There are two potential pitfalls to emphasising
retro-gravity. Heres how to avoid them
Q STRENGTH GAINS
Because youre approximately
20% stronger on the eccentric
(negative) portion of reps than
the concentric portion, lowering
heavier weights than you can
raise overloads your nerves and
muscles and boosts strength
and growth.
Q HELPING HANDS REQUIRED
On free-weight exercises, youll need a
spotter to assist in raising the weight.
However, on some machine exercises
you can go negative without a spotter
by lifting the weight with two arms
or legs and lowering it with one arm
or leg, alternating sides each rep.
FRESH
TAKE
Q Because youre stronger in the negative portion of reps than the positive portion, you can add resistance
to the former. The way to do this during a set is via forced negatives. These are reverse forced reps in which the
spotter makes the reps harder instead of easier. He pushes or pulls down on the weight during the negative por-
tion while you resist. For example, on retro-gravity pulldown reps, youll pull down the bar on your own (or
the spotter can help you), then as the weight is lowered and the bar goes up, the spotter pushes down on the bar,
increasing resistance. The key is for the spotter to add just enough to make the negative half-rep harderbut not
hard that you cant smoothly and slowly lower the weight for at least three seconds. With experience, a training
partner should be able to add just enough resistance to negative reps to make them about 20% harder. FLEX
THE WEIDER
RETRO-GRAVITY
PRINCIPLE
Q MAXIMISING EFFICIENCY
QMUSCLE ADOPTION
Your muscles will grow
accustomed to the additional
stress of negative reps. To
keep negatives fostering new
gains, include them in your
routine for only two weeks
every two months.
Since you spend half
of every rep on the
negative side, this adds
up to a lot of workout
minutesyou may
as well focus on
maximising your effort
during this time.
106 FLEX
BY STUART McROBERT PHOTOS BY CHRIS LUND
Q
&
A
s
DAVE DRAPER
QI
You sometimes refer to the big-
name bodybuilders who were in
their prime during your youth, including
Arnold Schwarzenegger. What about
Dave Draper? Did he leave an impression
on you?
AI
Oh yes . . . I can still vividly recall
images of Dave from the 1960s.
Dave is a special casehes not
just a famous bodybuilder who is blessed
with phenomenal genetics for muscle
building. Hes also very erudite and
articulate.
Dave was in his competitive prime in the
1960s, which overlapped with the early years
of Arnolds competitive bodybuilding career.
They trained together for a time in California.
But whereas Arnold progressed further and
dominated bodybuilding for several years,
Dave moved on from bodybuilding
competition following his victory in the
Mr World in 1970, and pretty much disap-
peared from the bodybuilding world for a
time. His photos from the 1960s still
appeared in the 1970s though, and it was
some of those images that I saw when I rst
started reading muscle magazines. His
combination of exceptional physique, dark
tan and very blond hair made him especially
striking, and earned him his nickname of the
Blond Bomber.
Because he was so jaw-droppingly
impressive at the time, I made the assump-
tion that the training methods that worked
for him (and Arnold, Frank Zane and Sergio
Oliva) would also work for me. But they
didnt. Largely due to his fantastic genetics
for bodybuilding, Dave was able to respond
to a volume and frequency of training that
would overtrain genetically normal, natural
bodybuilders. Its essential that bodybuilders
modify training methods so that they t
their own genetic potential, recovery ability,
age, life circumstances, goals, and so on.
Dave was born in 1942, and was training
consistently from about age 12. Even without
any muscle magazines to guide him, or role
models, his eforts produced very good
results. In Daves words, Its interesting to
note here that these things took place almost
by accident. I knew of no muscle magazines,
looked toward no competitive rewards, idols
or imsy self-gratication. His terric
genetics for bodybuilding enabled his random
but consistent eforts to yield outstanding
results.
Dave won the 1962 Mr New Jersey title,
which alerted the Weider Barbell Company of
an upcoming superstar, and he got a job with
them in Santa Monica, California. Then, for
the next eight years, he was at the forefront
of the bodybuilding world, and featured
heavily in the muscle magazines of that
time. He won the Mr America in 1965, and
the Mr Universe in 1966. His bodybuilding
success brought opportunities in the TV
and movie industries.
He appeared on a number of TV shows,
including an episode of The Monkees. He was
also in several movies, including the 1967
Dont Make Waves alongside Tony Curtis and
Sharon Tate. Although its been many years
since I saw that lm, I can still clearly recall
images of Dave, such was the impression
that he made on me. The lm itself is goofy,
but I didnt watch it for its script.
Theres a lot more to Dave than just brawn.
It was, in part, because of the inadequacy (for
him) of the consequences of bodybuilding
success, including all the razzmatazz that
accompanied physique stardom and celebrity
status, that Dave dropped out of the
bodybuilding world for a long while. Dave
loves the outdoors, because hes so comfort-
able with solitude and being away from the
hoopla of life. With regard to his love of
training, he noted that the exclusiveness and
loneness of the adventure had and still has a
quality that reaches to the marrow of my
bones.
Discover for yourself how erudite and
articulate Dave is by visiting his website
www.davedraper.com and signing up for
his weekly newsletter.
STUART
QI
You must be over 50 now.
Do you still train?
AI
Im 54. I still train.
During my youth I was obsessed
with bodybuilding. I sought
muscle and strength primarily for aesthetic
reasons, and I mistakenly thought that
exercising was for young people only.
Today, I still have aesthetic concerns, and
I still enjoy working out, but my primary
motivation for exercising is my health.
My concern now is with the whole package of
muscle, strength, leanness, cardio conditioning,
exibility, healthy nutrition, and being
injury-freeso that when I have blood tests and
check-ups, the gures are good. As you get older,
its ever more challenging to keep that entire
package in good order, but with age should
come the wisdom and experience required to
deliver the goods. But none of this matters
unless the constant desire to stay in good
condition is there. I still have that desire.
The health-related benets from exercise
should be the primary motivation for you to
train, regardless of your age. Unless you die
young, you will grow old. Growing old with
good health is far superior to growing old
with health problems, especially if they are
self-inicted. Dont take risks with your health
when youre youngwhether inside the gym
or outside of itelse youll regret your
recklessness later in life when you start to
pay the price.
There must be an investment of time in an
exercise programme, but the benets are so
huge that you should make the time to
108 FLEX
DAVE
DRAPER
exercise even if you have a very busy life.
Its a myth that its necessary to have to do a
great deal of exercise. Anyone can make the
time for two workouts per weekbut not just
any workouts. When the workouts are done
properly, consistently, and the components of
recuperation are fully attended to each day,
just two workouts each week can produce
terric results, even for youngsters who crave
increased muscle mass.
LATERAL RAISE
QI
Is it best to do the lateral raise
two-handedly, or one side at a time?
AI
Should you be doing the lateral
raise at all? If youre a beginner,
forget about the lateral raise.
If youve trained for a few years, but still
havent built much muscle, never mind about
the lateral raise for a good while yet. If youve
already built a lot of muscle, then moderate
use of the lateral raise could be helpful,
especially if you feel that the side head
of your delts is lagging behind the rest of
your torso.
Most hardgainers, for most of the time,
dont need the lateral raise. All the lateral
raise does in such cases is distract from much
more important training issues. It would be
much better for you to apply extra efort to
your overhead press (and just a handful
of other big exercises for the rest of your
physique) rather than use up precious energy,
time and recovery ability on secondary
exercises.
In his prime, Eddie Robinson applied
himself with vigour to the lateral raise,
because it was an exercise appropriate to
him and his goals at the time. But Eddies
requirements were very diferent to those of
typical hardgainers. His focus then was on
honing and rening his already huge muscles.
Most hardgainers need to focus fully on
building some substantial muscle mass in the
rst place, and the lateral raise isnt a mass
builder. But Eddie also knew about the
priorities for building mass. At his strongest
he could bench press over 600 pounds, and
squat over 800 pounds.
EDDIE
ROBINSON
110 FLEX
112 FLEX
The one-arm lateral raise, with the
disengaged hand holding something for
support, may permit more focus than the
two-arm version, but it may also be more
likely to produce sloppy form, and it
increases the number of sets you have to
apply yourself to, because you have to work
each side individually. Generally speaking, for
bodybuilders for whom the lateral raise is a
useful exercise, Id recommend the two-
handed version while lying face down on
an incline bench.
LAT DEVELOPMENT BOOST
QI
Following a recommendation you
made recently, Ive been momentar-
ily pausing most of my exercises at both the
top and the bottom of each rep. Initially, it
caused increased soreness, especially in my
lats. Does this mean that Im likely to see a
boost in my lat development in particular?
I especially want to increase my lat width.
AI
Check out the astonishing
lat spread of Clarence De Vis.
(I dont know whether or not
he pauses his reps.)
Briey pausing each rep at the top and the
bottom is a very good idea, although I dont
recommend pausing at the bottom of
barbell squatting and partial-range-of-
motion stif-legged deadlifting, because of
the high risk of losing the correct lower back
positioning.
Muscle soreness is a strange thing.
Some muscles readily get sore, but others
dont. Sore muscles can become bigger,
provided that the training isnt excessive and
recuperation is adequate. Muscles that dont
get sore much, if at all, can also grow bigger,
provided that the training is hard enough but
without being excessive in volume and
frequency, and provided that recuperation is
adequate. Healthy soreness is a good sign.
Its reasonable to think that what youre
doing will improve your progress in general,
including your lats, provided that your
training intensity is sufcient, your training
volume and frequency arent excessive,
and your recuperation is excellent. That
increased soreness is an indication that your
form has improved in your lat work. Now that
youre pausing momentarily at the bottom
of each pulldown and row, and actually
using your lats more to hold the resistance
there, rather than having momentum
and assistance muscles take on much of
the strain, you are training your lats more
efectively.
LEG RAISES
QI
I never do leg raises now because they
used to bother my lower back, yet I
still see many people doing them. Why is this
exercise such a mainstay in gyms when its
not a good exercise?
CLARENCE
DE VIS
The reason why the leg raise is a problem,
whether its done on a horizonal bench, an
incline bench, or an apparatus that enables
your torso to be upright, is that this exercise
primarily works your hip exors, not your abs.
Your abs are involved, but in a secondary way.
AI
Tradition, and bodybuilding
hokum. Turn over to see a
photo of Troy Alves illustrating
the leg raise.
Its mostly youngsters who can stick with
this exercise. Others who do it usually get
lower back irritation sooner or later, although
they may not realise the contribution that the
leg raise made to that irritation. Chances are
that they performed a number of exercises
incorrectly, which in total produced lower
back irritation or even injury.
113 FLEX
As your hip exors work in this motion, they
pull on your spine in such a way that it gets
irritated.
Eliminate the leg raise, and substitute
crunches instead, perhaps along with the side
bend or the rotary torso, to exercise your abs,
obliques and the other muscles around your
midsection and between and around your
vertebrae. Youll only be able to see your
six-pack if your bodyfat is low, but the
strengthening of all your midsection muscles
will increase your resistance to back injury. FLEX
Personalised, one-to-one training advice is now
available from Stuartby phone, email, MSN
Messenger, or Yahoo Messenger. For further
information, please contact him by email at
stuart@hardgainer.com
To submit a question for answering in this
column, please send it to Stuart at the
aforementioned email address.
Editors note: The authors newest book is
STUART McROBERTS NEW BRAWN SERIES,
BOOK 1: How to build up to 50 pounds of
muscle the natural way. To order, contact
Weider Mail Order on 01423 877052.
TROY
ALVES
114 FLEX
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116 FLEX
MARIA SCOTLAND IS ONE OF BRITAINS BEST PHYSIQUE
COMPETITORS. SHES ALSO ONE OF THE BRIGHTEST
BY JOHN PLUMMER
PHOTOGRAPHY BY KEVIN HORTON
117 FLEX
When Maria Scotland was a girl
growing up in London her father
gave her some advice. He said
you will have two problems to
overcome, she recalls. You are black and a
female so dont follow the crowd. Be a leader.
Scotland heeded the advice and learned to nd her
own path. It worked: she is now a leading barrister
and an international bodybuilder.
She only started competing two years ago but
since then she has won numerous contests and
placed in the top six at British and world level.
She is a great role model for black women and
single mothers and a walking rebuttal of some of
the stereotypes that afict bodybuildersand the
excuses for not training hard.
Bodybuilders are stupid er, so when were you
called to the bar? Women with muscles look awful
well, show us a 43-year-old with a better body.
I dont have time to train are you a single mother
with two children doing a highly stressful job?
Although Scotland didnt compete until her 40s,
bodybuilding is in her blood. Her brother Kenneth
Scotland was hugely into the sport. He started
training at 13 and turned our garage into a gym,
she says. Pictures of Arnold and Lenda Murray
covered the walls.
Maria, however, never got into it. She didnt
imagine she could look that good. Back then
there was only the bodybuilding class.
Bodytness, bikini and physique had yet
to arrive. I thought it was impossible,
she says. I was all bum and boobs. I
got picked on for the way I looked so Im
learning now to like myself and thats
what its about, besides competing.
Sadly Kenneth died in 1999 at the age
of 23. He appeared in the lm Gladiator
but passed away before it came out. But
he, more than anyone, inspires his sister.
For years, motherhood and career left little
time for anything else. She became a barrister
in 1995 and now specialises in family law for
Clerksroom barristers chambers.
She had dabbled in running and aerobics
but a few years ago she joined Virgin Active
and started weight training. Because of my
brother it felt natural, she says. I knew you
had to push yourself hard. Her personal
trainer asked what she wanted to achieve.
There was a picture on the wall of a girl who had
won FAME the year before and I said I wanted to
look like her, she recalls.
Many women would like to look like a tness
model contest winner but few have Scotlands
drive. You dont have to be around her long to
realise why she is so successful: she exudes energy.
She loves to laugh and joke but its obvious she is
one determined woman who gets things done.
I JUST
BECAME A
DIFFERENT
PERSON
ON STAGE
118 FLEX
TRAINING SPLIT
Monday Legs
Tuesday Shoulders and chest
Wednesday Back and biceps
Thursday Plyometrics
Friday Glutes, hamstings
& calves
Saturday Cardio only
Sunday Rest
She trained intensely for six months, entered
FAME and won the gure class and came second
in the muscle model category. She loved the
experience. I just became a diferent person
on stage.
On a high, she wanted to do it again so she
switched to the United Kingdom Bodybuilding
and Fitness Federation, the UKs premier physique
federation, and won a regional contest in the
bodytness class, which qualied her for the
British Championships, where she placed sixth.
In 2012 she won anther regional qualier and
placed sixth again at the British Championships.
She also represented the UK three times
internationally in the IFBB masters category for
women aged 35-plus. She won a silver medal at
the Arnold Classic Europe in Spain, nished fourth
at the World Cup in Bulgaria and 11th at the World
Championships in Hungary. This year she placed
fth at the European Championships in Spain in
the masters bodytness, which is when most of
these photos were taken.
Each year she has made noticeable improve-
ments in muscularity and balance, particularly in
her lower body. She is always in conditionin fact
she was penalised at last years British Champion-
ships for being too hard. But thats typical
Scotlandmore likely to overdo something than
not try hard enough. She never had a single cheat
Eating every three hours isnt easy. I used to be
embarrassed about being in court and having to
eat all my meals, says Scotland. I would make
excuses to go to the toilet so I could eat but now
I say Sorry, I have to eat for dietary purposes. I
dont have to say its for bodybuilding.
Finding time to t everything in is also challenging.
Scotland, a member of Shannon Deys Team
Bombshell, usually gets up at 6am and does
45 minutes on a Stairmaster at home. She lifts
weights after work at Virgin Active, which has a crche
for her two girls. You have to be really organised, she
says. If Ive got a big trial I wont get to eat or drink and
may have to cut my weights to a 30-minute superset.
meal from April to December last year. I have
learned to relax a bit since then, she says.
Juggling work and hobby isnt easy. Law rms
and courtrooms arent the most bodybuilder-
friendly environments and at rst Scotland,
whose aunt Baroness Scotland is a former
attorney-general, didnt tell colleagues.
I kept it quiet for a long time, she says. I could
have applied to be a judge in 2011 and decided not
to in case the press found out. There is potential
for trouble, wearing a bikini and being a barrister.
"But then people started nding out. Eventually
my chambers said You should be proud and sent
an email round.
On stage at last
years British
Championships
Maria knows how
to get in shape
120 FLEX
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MARIA SCOTLAND
Date of Birth: 30 June 1970
Place of birth: London
Lives: Reigate, Surrey
Height: 167 cm (5 ft 6 ins)
Weight: 58 kg (9 st 2 lbs) contest,
62 kg (9 st 10 lbs) of-season
Career highlight: 5th at IFBB 2013
Masters European Championships
Ambition: To do well at the World
Championships this autumn and
get a pro card
Training advice: Bodytness is
not about being muscular; its
about shape. The pros look
big in photos and a lot of girls in
England strive for this but when
you see them, they are tiny.
So train for shape and proportion.
To contact: Via Facebook
She usually lifts four times a week and does one
plyometrics session. Four or ve sets per exercise is
the norm but rep range varies. One week I do 15, 12,
10 and 8 and the following week I do 10 or 20
reps every set. I go as heavy as I possibly can.
Scotlands legs used to be weak but heavy
squats soon changed that. I have squatted
140 kg but now I do 100 kg max and try to go
deeper, she says.
She has oatmeal, ve egg whites, stevia
sweetener and protein powder for breakfast in
her of-season followed by ve more meals, each
one containing protein and carbohydrates. I got
terrible cravings and lost a lot of weight when I
tried reducing carbs, she says.
Sweet potato, brown rice and oatmeal provide
most of her carbohydrates. She has vegetables and
small portions of fruit, mainly oranges, with most
meals and derives protein from swordsh, salmon,
chicken and, closer to contests, turkey. She eats lots
of asparagus pre-contest.
She takes many supplements, including
glutamine, vitamin C, iron, zinc, glucosamine and
protein powder.
She wants bigger shoulders and says shes
been working on her glutes, calves and core.
Most bodybuilders are never satised with their
appearance but Scotlands restless nature means
she constantly seeks improvement.
She plans to compete internationally again this
autumn and may enter the British Championships
again in Harrogate on October 19th and 20th.
Scotland might be a late starter but shes already
achieved more than most and wants more, so wigs
and posing costumes will both continue to feature
in her wardrobe.
Ill be still competing in 10 years, she says.
This is my life now. Her brother continues to
inspire her. Hes been my driving force and training
has been a relief for my grief, she says. FLEX
Wigs for work... ...and posing
costume for
her passion
122 FLEX
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TRAINING TIPS FOR
YOUR NEXT WORKOUT
C
H
R
I
S

L
U
N
D
Eight-time Mr Olympia Ronnie Coleman
trained only one-way: heavy!
On the other hand, Jay Cutler and
Phil Heath train with relatively lighter weight and
more volume. Heath has stated many times the
importance of longevity in the sport and being able
to preserve joints and avoid career-ending muscle
tears. So the question that all bodybuilders have is:
can you train light and still make gains? Researchers
examined gene responses to heavy and light training
by having subjects train with light (16% of 1RM) and
heavy (70% of 1RM), volume-matched resistance
exercise and examined growth-factor genes related
to muscular hypertrophy. The study lasted
12 weeks, and muscle biopsies were taken
before and after the study to examine how
each protocol afected gene responses in
muscle. For the light-weight protocol, 10 sets
of 36 reps were performed with one leg and
the other leg performed 10 sets of eight reps
with the heavy load. The researchers found that
heavy weights caused a greater acute response in
the expression of genes related to growthinclud-
ing satellite cell activation and also reduced
myostatin expressionthan light-weight exercise
did. However, several genes related to muscle growth
were not afected, such as IGF-1, MHC, MRF, and
atrophy-related genes. Additionally, type I and
type II muscle bre recruitment did not appear to be
diferent between high- and low-loading protocols.
Based on the results of the study, heavy weight
afected some of the genes related to muscle growth
and is important, but many of the other genes for
muscle growth and atrophy werent afected.
Bodybuilders should cycle their training, including
load (heavy and light weights), volume, intensity,
etc., to continue growing.
A TALE OF
TWO CITIES
MUSCLE GENE RESPONSES TO HEAVY AND LIGHT TRAINING
124 FLEX
ADVANCED VITAMINS & MINERALS
WITH D-ASPARTIC ACID
Y
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Q Bench press, squat,
and deadliftthe three
kings of exercise, as
most bodybuilders would
call them. As multijoint
exercises, they engage
more than one muscle
group simultaneously.
In his book Dinosaur
Training, author
Brooks D. Kubic bases
his workouts on
multijoint exercises
such as presses,
deadlifts, squats, and
rows. Of course, most
body builders throw a
few isolation exercises
into their routine as well.
But what if you want
to build the most
muscle in the shortest
amount of time?
Researchers decided
to test to what extent
single-joint exercises
contribute to the gains
achieved in upper-body
muscle strength and
size. In a 10-week study,
they divided 29 subjects
into two groups: one
group performed only
bench presses and lat
pulldowns, while the
other performed these
exercises as well as
triceps extensions and
elbow-exion exercises.
The exercises were
performed two days
a week for three sets
of 812 reps done to
failure.
At the end of the
study, researchers found
no diference in strength
or size between the two
groups. The study was
performed for only a
10-week period, so
results might difer over
a longer period. But,
bottom line, multijoint
exercises may be all that
are needed.
Six-time Mr Olympia Dorian Yates never did bench presses because so many of the bodybuilders he
knew injured themselves performing the exercise. Yates was a huge proponent of pec-deck and cable yes for
bringing up his chest, but research on cable yes hadnt yet been conducted. Fortunately, now it has. Recent
studies examined barbell bench presses, bentover cable crossovers, seated chest presses, incline dumbbell yes, and
pec-deck yes to determine the muscle activation of each. EMG testing and analysis included motor-unit recruitment
as well as ring rate and synchronisation to determine which chest exercise resulted in the highest level of muscle
activation. Both the pec deck (at 98% of muscle activation) and the bentover cable crossover (93% of muscle
activation) elicited muscle activation nearly equivalent to that of the barbell bench press. For those bodybuilders
who dont like bench presses, either a cable ye or a pec-deck machine can be a suitable alternative.
WHATS BEST FOR A
MASSIVE CHEST?
The best alternative to bench presses for huge chest gains
MORE
MUSCLE IN
LESS TIME
126 FLEX
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FOAM ROLLERS:
THE REAL DEAL?
Q There is a lot of useless gym
equipment that has come and
gone over the years, but what
about foam rollers? Foam rollers
are a form of self-myofascial
release. In a nutshell, you use your
own body weight to massage away
restrictions to normal soft-tissue
extensibility, almost like a
deep-tissue massage. Japanese
researchers measured the blood
vessel elasticity and the concentra-
tion of nitrates in subjects blood
before and after use. Subjects
massaged their adductors,
hamstrings, quadriceps, their
iliotibial band, and their upper back
and traps for 15 minutes immedi-
ately followed by blood vessel and
nitrate testing. The researchers
found that the foam roller
session made the blood vessels
less stif, and the concentration
of nitric oxide (NO) precursors in
the blood increased. The bottom
line: foam rollers are legit!
ONLY FULL SQUATS PRODUCED THE
GREATEST IMPROVEMENTS IN OVERALL
THIGH LEG MASS AND ISOMETRIC KNEE
EXTENSION STRENGTH AT 75 AND 105 DEGREES.
In gyms across the
world, there are
bodybuilders
committing a crime against
leg training: guys loading up the
bar and squatting halfway down!
Ego lifting is commonbodybuild-
ers love to load up the bar and
look like beasts, but is it optimal
for making your legs grow?
Dave Draper, aka The Blond
Bomber, was known for going
rock bottom on his squats.
Researchers examined if there
was any diference in muscle
strength and size while perform-
ing either a full squat (parallel)
or partial squat. The subjects
performed a periodised pro-
gramme comprised of three squat
workouts per week for 12 weeks.
The partial squats were
performed to 60 degrees of knee
exion while the parallel squats
were performed to 120 degrees of
knee exion. The researchers also
measured the cross-sectional area
of the thigh muscles and of the
patellar tendon using magnetic
resonance imaging (MRI) at nine
distances in a proximal-to-distal
order.
So are you ready for the slap
in the face for partial squats or
half squats? Both full and partial
squats produced increases
in 1RM squat, but only full squats
produced the greatest improve-
ments in overall thigh leg mass
and isometric knee extension
strength at 75 and 105 degrees.
More importantly, the front thigh
muscle cross-sectional area,
which was measured by MRI at
nine diferent points, only
increased at the two most
proximal sites for partial squats
whereas full squats increased
muscle mass at all nine points.
If you want superior leg strength
and mass, you have to squat
Draper-style!
SQUAT
TILL YOU
DROP!
HOT TUB & CAFFEINE STACK?
Q If youve seen the preview for the movie Generation Iron, you may have seen Phil Heath relaxing in his
hot tub. Phil is known for getting in unreal condition, but the hot tub may be his secret fat-loss weapon.
Cafeine burns fat, which preserves the alternative (glycogen, glucose, amino acids) from being burned.
Researchers in Korea had subjects ingest 3 mg cafeine per kg body weight (in water) before sitting in a hot
bath (42C; up to the navel) for 30 minutes. When the subjects just sat in the hot tub, circulating levels of
free fatty acids increased by 52%; but when the subjects consumed cafeine, their free fatty levels increased
by nearly 80%. For greater fat loss, consider using a hot tub and cafeine stack.
Phil is known for getting in
unreal conditioning, but
the hot tub may be his
secret fat-loss weapon.
128 FLEX
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STIMULANT
WEIGHT
AND BODYFAT MANAGEMENT
COMPLEX
MIKE MATARAZZO
How the Boston Mass turned his calves into fully grown cows
Every now and then someone arrives on
the bodybuilding scene and upsets all
expectations. The 1991 USA Championships
featured future legends Flex Wheeler and Chris
Cormier, who went on to win a collective 28 pro
contests. But that same year, in only his second
contest, an unheralded Bostonian stunned everyone
by beating Wheeler and Cormier in the heavyweight
class on his way to winning the USA overall and
securing pro status on his rst attempt. His name
was Mike Matarazzo, and he was only 24. He
subsequently became one of bodybuildings most
popular prosdespite never winning a pro contest.
The Boston Mass was known for his ham-like
arms, his capacious calves, and his propensity for
sticking out his tongue when he crunched most mus-
cular shots. In 32 pro contests during a 12-year career,
he made the top ve nine times. He may have been
at his best at the 1998 Mr Olympia, where he nished
ninth in a stacked lineup. After retiring, he had open-
heart surgery in 2004 and sufered a heart attack in
2007. He subsequently worked as a bail bondsman in
Northern California.
Matarazzo didnt have an ideal structurehis long
torso trailed his limbsbut hes fondly remembered
for the passion he brought to his training and compe-
tition; for the out-of-nowhere shocker he pulled of
in 1991; and for two of the best calves ever to grace
a stage. FLEX
MATARAZZOS CALF ROUTINE
EXERCISE SETS REPS
Standing Calf Raise 4 1013
Seated Calf Raise 4 1013
MATARAZZO
ON CALVES
I train my calves the same
as anything elsehard and
heavy.
I fully condone cheating on
calf exercises, as long as you
do the movement strict at the
beginning and save the cheat-
ing for the end of sets.
After each set, I stretch
my calves out thoroughly.
Then I sit down and massage
them briey before I do my
next set.
With calves, range of motion
is key. I stretch and contract
as much as I can on each rep.
I get a peak contraction on
every rep, holding it for a second
or two.
RETRO-TRAINING
130 FLEX
In his youth,
Matarazzo was
an accomplished
boxer. He won the
light-heavyweight
Massachusetts
Golden Gloves
championships
in 1985.
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CREATINE
MYTH: SQUASHED!
BY BRYAN HAYCOCK
FLEX TRAINING
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With the exception of protein
supplements, creatine is probably the
most popular and efective supplement
used by bodybuilders. Its also one of the least
understood supplements when it comes to parents
and coaches.
Creatine is thought by some to cause muscle
cramps, dehydration, and damage to the liver
and kidneys. When these unfounded claims are
challenged with research on the safety of creatine,
one of the main complaints is that the research
wasnt done on bodybuilders (who are thought by
this same group to have unhealthy kidneys due to
their consumption of a high-protein diet). Keep in
mind, these are the views of people who dont like
let alone understandthe physiological efects of
creatine or protein supplementation.
Researchers working out of the University of So
Paulo (Brazil) recently gathered a group of test
subjects who better represented the population
of bodybuildersthe biggest users of creatine
supplementsto see if creatine supplementation,
done on a high-protein diet while weight training,
would negatively afect kidney function. In the
12-week trial, test subjects were randomly allocated
either creatine (20 grams a day for ve days,
followed by ve grams a day for the rest of the trial)
or a placebo. All subjects were engaged in weight
training, and ate a high-protein diet. Result: At the
end of 12 weeks, it was found that creatine
supplementation had caused no changes in kidney
function whatsoever. These ndings are in line
with those of previous studies, which found, for
example, that no changes in kidney or liver function
occurred in college athletes that used creatine for
up to ve years.
For those of you who may be new to this
supplement, heres some history: Creatine, which
was discovered back in 1832, is not an amino acid
but a similar nitrogen-containing compound called
an amine. Creatine is found naturally in
some foods, especially meats and animal
products. Consuming a normal, non-
vegetarian diet, the average person will
consume about one gram of creatine per
day. However, this average person needs about
two grams a day for normal functioning (primarily
in the liver, kidney, and pancreas), so the body
simply makes more creatine from the amino
acids glycine, arginine, and methionine. The body
adjusts synthesis of creatine to dietary intake so
that the necessary amount is always available.
Considering that creatine supplementation
enhances performance by increasing power
output, muscular strength, work capacity, and
muscle bre size, andto top it ofis safe even
with long-term supplementation, its no wonder
this is one of my rst-tier supplement recommen-
dations for safely and efectively putting on
muscle size. FLEX
QYour muscle tissue is in a
constant state of ux; anabolic
processes are triggered by food and
training, while catabolic processes
are triggered by lack of food and
training. The ratio of anabolic to
catabolic activity will determine
muscle gain or loss.
We spend a great deal of time
searching out new ways to enhance
the anabolic activity in our muscles.
But thats only half the picture. We eat
a ton when were trying to gain body
weight, which can tip the scales
towards growthbut also tip the
scales towards getting fat. Thats why
every bodybuilder at some point must
diet in order to uncover all the
hard-earned muscle he/she has built.
Its during these periods of dieting that
we must try to actively prevent muscle
lossat least, as much as we try to
build muscle.
Researchers at Tufts Medical Centre
in Boston wanted to see if supple-
menting with potassium bicarbonate
could reduce muscle loss in rats. In
addition, they hoped to learn whether
vitamin D status had any impact on
the process. To do this, they measured
various factors that can indicate
anabolic and catabolic activity, such as
nitrogen excretion, genes for catabolic
proteins, muscle bre cross sectional
area, and IGF-1 expression.
The group found that supple-
mentation with potassium
bicarbonate improved nitrogen
balance (for a muscle-sparing efect),
doubled the phosphorylation of Akt
protein (a critical component of
the anabolic signalling pathway),
and signicantly increased the
size of type-I muscle bres. But,
interestingly, all these positive efects
were blunted by low vitamin D intake.
In short, potassium bicarbonate
supplementation preserves muscle
masswith the help of vitamin D.
Remember, though: too much
potassium can interfere with your
heart rhythm and even trigger a heart
attack. So, its best to never go above
three grams a day, divided throughout
the day and taken about 30 minutes
prior to meals. Add a good vitamin D
supplement and you have a very
promising muscle-preserver for your
next cutting phase.
REDUCING YOUR
ACID LOAD MAY BE
ANTI-CATABOLIC
132 FLEX
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THE CASE FOR
CORTISOL
FLEX EXPERT
BY CHAD NICHOLLS
Cortisol is bad! This is the
message thats been emblazoned
in our minds. Over and over again
were told that cortisol makes us fat and tired,
that it destroys lean muscle mass in the
bodya nightmare for the competitive
bodybuilder! However, before embarking
on a crusade to eliminate cortisol from
your lifelets take an in-depth look
at what cortisol is, why it can sabotage
your muscle-building eforts, and, more
importantly, why we must have cortisol
in our bodies to survive.
Cortisol is a stress hormone
(a corticosteroid) and is also called a
glucocorticoid. Cortisol is produced by the
zona fasciculata of the adrenal cortex in the
adrenal gland. Cortisol is crucial to the way
our bodies respond to both mental and
physical stress, and, as a product of the
adrenal system, is involved in raising our
blood pressure, heart rate, blood sugar
levels, and energy expenditure to endure
such stresses. Additionally, slight increases in
our cortisol levels can be helpful when were
brought face-to-face with a stressful
situation or a crisis, as it can help increase
our tolerance for pain (and give our immune
system a surge) if weve been injured, supply
a sudden burst of energy to react in an
emergency, and heighten our senses and
intellect to deal with a crisis. These are just
a few of the positive efects cortisol can have
on our bodies when levels are elevated for
brief periods of time.
Problems arise when the body produces
too much cortisol and we experience elevated
cortisol levels for extended periods of time.
When our cortisol levels are constantly
elevated, rather than help us deal with stress,
it puts our bodies into a state of constant,
chronic stress. And when our bodies are
continually under stress, our cortisol levels
increase even more, making the problem
worse. High blood pressure, high blood sugar,
insomnia, hypothyroidism, and protein
catabolism are just a few of the negative
side efects of having high cortisol levels
for prolonged periods of time.
On the ip side, one can also experience
adverse efects from the production of too
little cortisol in the body. When the body
lacks sufcient amounts of cortisol, it can
wreak havoc on the metabolism, slowing it,
as well as lowering blood pressure, decreasing
cardiac output, and causing low blood sugar.
Insufcient amounts of cortisol can also lead
134 FLEX
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BRANDON CURRY
WINNER 2013
ARNOLD CLASSIC, BRAZIL
All this pushing and pulling, striving to crush plateaus and forge
progress worthy of the sacrifice this effort is wasted without the
proper nutrition. Muscles that work this hard need a steady source of
quality protein in order to keep pushing it to the limit. SYNTHA-6 is
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to a compromised immune system and the
inability to ght of infections, muscle
weakness, lethargy, thyroid issues, and
insomniato name just a few. As with all
hormones, too much or too little cortisol
is not a good thing. Knowing what level
is best for your body is as simple as taking
a saliva sample.
EFFECTS OF HIGH CORTISOL
LEVELS IN BODYBUILDING
During my career as a nutritionist, Ive run
across a couple cases of athletes whose
performances were plagued by elevated
cortisol levels. These athletes possessed
exemplary amounts of muscle, and a couple
of weeks prior to a show looked incredibleto
perfect their physiques, all they needed was
the usual carb load and ridding the body of
excess water, and theyd look unbelievable.
Unfortunately, the week of the show, stress
would kick in. I know everyone gets a bit
nervous and uptight before a show, and
usually cortisol levels are raised briey the
day of the show, putting the body in survival
mode and helping you get through this
stressful time. However, for these athletes,
the cortisol kicked into high gear the week
prior to the show, and stayed there the entire
week, till the show was over. By the time
they got onstage, they didnt look like the
same athletes Id seen two weeksor even
24 hoursprior to the show. The elevated
cortisol took its tollattened them out,
softened them up, and made them look
unrecognisable.
We pinpointed the problem and knew
that getting a handle on stress issues was
the key in both instances. There are many
ways to self-eliminate stress from your
body, but sometimes stronger measures
are needed. Though a doctors visit may be
needed to pinpoint exactly what type of
de-stressing therapy or medicine can help,
sometimes its as easy as taking an
antidepressant or antianxiety medicine.

BALANCE IS THE KEY
When healthy levels of cortisol are
maintained in the body, they can help the
adrenal system transform proteins into
energy. As well, when the body is under
stressbe it physical or environmental
(such as toxin build-up in the body)
healthy, balanced cortisol levels can serve
as a natural anti-inammatory. In addition
to these positive efects, an evenly balanced
cortisol level can help regulate functions
with your digestion, metabolism, organs,
heart rate, blood pressure, and blood
sugar, etc.
First and foremost, if you feel you have
a cortisol issue, its always best to see
your doctor to determine the cause.
While in extreme cases your doctor
may prescribe cortisol blockers, most of
the time cortisol issues brought on by
unnecessary stress can be treated through
diet, natural supplementation, physical
exercise, and mental exercise.
FOCUSING ON A SOLID 8
We know that sleep and rest are very
important for muscle recovery and muscle
growthbut theyre also the keys to
maintaining a healthy cortisol level. With all
that goes on in life (work, training, family,
etc.), it can be difcult to sleep well in general,
let alone during a contest prep; yet you still
need to focus on getting eight hours of sleep
a night. Many studies have concluded that
sleeping six or fewer hours a night results
in a 50% higher cortisol level than that
found in individuals who get at least eight
hours a night.
The sleep doesnt have to be successive,
eitherif you can get in only six hours during
the night, but are able to take a two-hour nap
during the day, this still counts as your eight.
So this is the magic number for maintaining
a healthy cortisol level.

DIET AND SUPPLEMENTATION
Even though, as a competitive bodybuilder, you
follow a very strict diet with good proteins,
fats, and carbohydrates during contest prep,
its important to maintain consistency
throughout the entire year. Now, Im not
saying to follow a contest-prep diet all year
long; but consistency in the types of foods
you eat all year is key. By this, I mean that
following a structured of-season diet is
just as important as following a structured
pre-contest diet. Although there needs to
be a distinction between what you eat in
the of-season and what you eat during
your contest dietto keep you from hitting
plateaus while maintaining forward
progressits very important to stay on a
strict eating schedule during the of-season.
A constant diet of ve, six, or seven daily
of-season meals consisting of good proteins,
fats, and carbohydrates in addition to
moderate junk foods is imperative for
keeping the body on an even keel.
If youre inconsistent with the of-season
and take in only three daily meals that consist
mainly of junk, when it comes time for the
contest diet, youll throw your body into
a state of complete shock and constant
stress. Although its good to temporarily
shock the system when switching over from
of-season to pre-contest, you dont want to
put it out of whack to the point where it cant
recover properly, and therefore throws your
cortisol production into high gear for a long
period of time.
DONT OVERTRAIN!
Finally, listening to your body is extremely
important. Remember, more isnt always
better when it comes to training, whether its
weight training or cardiovascular training.
Overtraining can put a great deal of stress
on not only your muscles but your internal
system. Listen to your bodythis is the key
indicator of when youre ready to train again.
If its time to train a certain body part again
but its still very sore, skip itits better to
come back to it later in the week than to
train on schedule, further stressing out the
body and risking muscle injury. By keeping
your body in a constant state of stress, youll
not only raise your cortisol levels, youll also
risk injury (adding even more stress), which
means itll take even longer for your body
to heal and recuperate.
Still, I cant emphasise enough how
important it is to see a professional if you
fear your cortisol levels are hindering either
your progress as an athlete or your health in
general. So, before following any of these
suggestions for creating a balanced cortisol
level, talk to your doctor, have your cortisol
levels tested, andmost importantlyrule
out any serious disorder rst! FLEX
To do that, incorporate as many of the following foods and natural supplements as possible:
QLean meats
QPoultry
QFish
QVegetables
QVitamin C
QOmegas
QBCAAs
QVitamins B5 and B6
QBlack tea
QRelora extract
QRhodiola rosea
QRosen root
QLiquorice (pure
liquorice or liquorice
extract from a
health food
storenot Liquorice
Allsorts!)
QSchizandra
QPhosphatidylserine
QAnd, if youre not
dieting, a bit of pure
dark chocolate is good
to add in!
MAINTAIN PROPER CORTISOL LEVELS YEAR-ROUND
136 FLEX
FLEX TRAINING
BY CHARLES POLIQUIN
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Ive heard its impossible to lose a large
amount of fat without losing muscle.
Whats your take on this?
On averageprovided an individual
consumes enough protein and avoids
nutrient decienciesadult males could
lose about 2.2 pounds (1 kg) per week
without compromising muscle mass.
A research study presented in 2012 in
Norway looked at the efects of calorie
reduction in athletes involved in heavy
weight training. One group reduced their
energy intake by 500 calories a day,
and a second group reduced their daily
intake by 1,000 calories. Subjects in the
group that reduced by just 500 calories
were able to avoid muscle loss while
signicantly improving their upper-body
strength, lower-body strength, and
vertical-jump height. The 1,000-calorie
group didnt improve their vertical-jump
performance at all, and experienced
signicantly less improvements in
upper-body and lower-body strength.
It took the 500-calorie group three
weeks longer to lose the same amount
of weight as the group that reduced
intake by 1,000 calories, but their athletic
performance improved signicantly.
If youre trying to lose weight and
build muscle, I recommend you take
branched-chain amino acids. Creatine
supplementation has also been benecial.
HYBRID
EXERCISES
My gym is often crowded, and its
tough to do supersets. Any ideas
on how to get in a good workout
without supersets? My primary focus right
now is fat loss.
A training method called hybrids should ll
your needs and provide a nice change of pace.
A hybrid exercise is a combination of several
movements in a single repetition. The clean
and jerk is an example of a hybrid exercise,
as it combines the following exercises in this
sequence: deadlift, upright row, reverse curl,
front squat, and jerk (which itself combines
a quarter front squat, military press, and split
squat). Thats a lot of bang for your buck. Here
are some benets of hybrids:
Qwork a large number of muscle groups in
a single exercise
Q accomplish a great amount of work in a
short time
Q can be used to train many athletic qualities
(such as coordination, power, or muscular
endurance)
Q can be performed in a single location
Q add variety to your workout to prevent
boredom
Q can be performed with just one piece
of equipment
If your primary goal is fat loss, these
138 FLEX
exercises will produce a lot of lactate; high
lactate levels will stimulate the production
of growth hormone, which, in turn, will
accelerate fat loss.
The number of hybrid exercises is limited
only by your imagination. For example,
after performing a front squat, you could
immediately follow it with a push press; or
you could follow a good morning with a back
squat. Either of these hybrid exercises could
be performed with barbells or dumbbells. You
can also expand this concept to hybrid sets.
Also known as complexes, hybrid sets
were popular as a conditioning method in
Europe. Using this method, Romanian
strength coach Istvan Javorek has trained
many medal winners in Olympic sports,
professional basketball players and several
world-record holders in track and eld.
With hybrid sets, you perform one set
of an exercise and immediately follow it with
one or more sets. Lets say you want to trash
your shoulders. You could combine four
exercises, starting with the hardest and
ending with the easiest, such that the
difculty of each exercise is constant. Start
with 10 reps of the lateral raise, and then
do 10 reps of the front raise, 10 reps of the
military press, and 10 reps of upright rows
(or bentover rows). For the legs you could do
10 reps of lunges or split squats followed by
10 back squats.
Im not suggesting you make hybrids a
staple of your training programme, but for a
change-of-pace workout thatll really get the
heart pumping, hybrid exercises really deliver.
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Are Smith machine squats as good as
free-weight squats?
Short answer: No! The free-weight
barbell squat activates the quads much
more than a Smith machine squat does,
and does the same with other major
muscle groups. Research published in 2012
showed greater muscle activation from
free-weight squats compared with
Smith squats by 26% in the biceps femoris,
34% in the gastrocnemius, and 49%
in the vastus medialis when using
an 8 RM load. The abdominal muscles
are also more engaged in the free
squat. FLEX
139 FLEX
140 FLEX
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FLEX EXPERT
BY BRIAN SHAW
With all the travelling
I do for competition
and appearances, I get
questions all the time about how
I train, eat, and stay on track. In
truth, the questions cover a lot of
diferent topics, so Ill try to shed
some light on them for all of you.
The majority of the questions
are about my size and about how
I t into aeroplane seats! Well, let
me tell you, its never easy for me
to y anywhere. With the airlines
making the seats smaller and
smaller all the time, I dont think
theyre really trying to cater for
a guy whos 6'8" and close to
440 pounds! I always get a laugh
as I walk down the aisle, watching
all of the people on the plane
praying that I dont sit next to
them! I could easily make
someones trip a real nightmare!
The simple truth is that most
of the time, I try to purchase
either two seats together or
upgrade to rst class if possible.
I also have to watch small things
like hitting my head on the ceiling,
luggage compartments, or
doorways, plus getting hit by
the food/drink carts (or other
passengers) as they move up and
down the aisle. Worst of all, most
of the time I cant t in the toilets
very well, so I have to plan for that
(or sufer for the entire ight!).
Sounds fun, right? Ha!
One of the most important
things you need to do is carry and
drink lots of extra water. I try to
drink almost two times as much
water as I normally would during
a comparable time outside of the
ight to stay hydrated, as ying
can dehydrate you quickly. This
isnt a small problem, either, as
research shows that even a small
level of dehydration can
signicantly reduce peak strength
and athletic performance. The
obvious problem is that drinking
more can also cause more trips
to the toiletwhich reverts back
to the problem Ive mentioned
above!
The next, more obvious thing
to plan for is food. Try to look at
your ight and layover times to
see if youll have time to nd a
place to eat at the airport or if
youll need to bring food with you.
I always try to carry food with me
so I can stay on track with my
meals. Its also easy to carry a
shaker bottle with you and to
pre-measure shakes to bring in
your carry-on bag. Because of the
high number of calories, protein,
and carbs, a shake can serve well
as a meal replacement when
I cant get enough real food.
When you arrive at your
destination, be aware of any time
change and try your best to get
onto their schedule as quickly
as possible. One of the worst
mistakes to make is to go to bed
during the middle of the day. That
really screws up your internal
clock and can adversely afect
you for days to come.
The best strategy, especially
when ying east, is to stay up as
long as possible the day you arrive
and then hit the sack in the
evening. At that point you
mightve been up for 30 hours
straight and will be exhausted,
but youll sleep like a baby for
12 hours and itll reset your
internal circadian rhythms and
get you back up to speed quickly.
If its absolutely necessary, take
a short nap, then get back up,
and only go to bed when it gets
late so you can adapt to the time
change as quickly as possible.
Above all else, having the
mental strength to be able to
travel and compete at a high
level cannot be overlooked. After
the contest, all anybody will
remember is whos standing on
the top of the podium! FLEX
TRAVEL ON TRACK
ABOVE ALL ELSE,
HAVING THE MENTAL
STRENGTH TO BE
ABLE TO TRAVEL AND
COMPETE AT A HIGH
LEVEL CANNOT BE
OVERLOOKED.
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P
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BY JOHN KIEFER
FLEX NUTRITION
LOWER
LEG
LOGIC
For massive, dened calves,
science says to reverse the order
I usually talk about nutrition and
supplementation in this column, but
the running theme I try to maintain
in everything I do is cutting-edge science.
This means I denitely have my share of
bones to pick with training, too, and one
particular boneor muscle, as the case may
beI have to pick is with the way people train
their calves.
Some calves are designed for jumping.
Others do better with running, and some were
made specically to generate raw power.
Regardless of the type of calves you have,
your progress doesnt need to stall, nor is
there any reason your lower legs should stay
undeveloped, shapeless, or puny. As with
everything else, science and common sense
tell us theres a better way.
EVERYBODYS STUCK
Theres no point in denyingso I wont
that genetics plays a signicant role in the
insertion, form, and function of the lower leg.
The consequences of genetics, however, dont
excuse having pathetically developed calves.
Ive worked with literally hundreds of people
whove told me theyve beaten their calves
to a pulp with every routine they could nd,
without making any progress. As a result,
most of them ended up abandoning their
dreams of developing the coveted split- and
double-diamond points everyone wants.
In solving the calf conundrum, I researched
the basic physiology, bre type, and activation
properties of the lower-leg muscles and put
together a programme any rst-year kinesiology
student should be able to come up with.
Most people focus on working the
gastrocnemius, or gastroc for shortwhich
142 FLEX
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Stretford
Manchester
M32 0YA
Chester
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Chester
CH1 1HF
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Westgate St
Gloucester
GL1 2UN
London
19-21 Warwick Way
Victoria
London
SW1V 1QT
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Tunbridge Wells
Kent
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ANGLED CALF PRESS 6 SETS OF 610 REPS
Load an angled leg-press machine with moderate weight. Get into position, with your
hips at roughly a 90-degree angle, your knees locked, and your feet slightly closer than
shoulder width on the edge of the sled platform.
Do 610 reps, a total that should get you close to exhaustion. Again, keep these reps
slow during the descent; pause for one second at the bottom; then explode into the
top. After each set, rest for about two minutes, then repeat. If youre using four or more
plates on each side, unlock your knees, maintaining only a slight bend. This will protect
the ligaments and tendons around your knees.
is typically trained with straight-leg calf
raisesor the soleus, trained with seated
calf raises. They rarely, if ever, train the two
together. If they do, theyll train the gastroc
rst and the soleus second. This is the standard
prescription thats been handed down from
bulging-calf gurus for decades. For years I also
did it this way, with mediocre resultsand Id
guess about 95% of you do the same.
REVERSE THE CURSE
Stop wasting your time. Big calves require
brutal training of the soleus, followed by
isolated training of the gastroc. Read that
again: brutal and isolated. This doesnt
exactly make for a fun day at the gym, and
I highly recommend dedicating a single
workout for this routinealong with
preparations for its hobbling afterefects.
In the lower leg, the soleus is the dominant
muscle for strength and endurance. Only
when your knee is locked is the gastroc fully
activated and the soleus sort of deactivated
although not very much. When you do
standing calf raises with a rested lower leg,
the soleus takes up the slack as soon as the
gastroc fatigues. This takes anywhere from six
to 10 reps. No matter how straight your leg is,
a fresh soleus absorbs a lot of the workload,
leaving the gastroc underworked and
understimulated.
The solution to this problem is a simple
one: beat your soleus to a pulpleaving it
exhausted and twitchingwhile sparing the
gastroc, keeping it fresh for extreme isolation.
The routine is described on the right.
THE AFTERMATH
This routine is embarrassingly simple on
paper, but its devastatingly difcult in real
life. It may make you cry, it may have you
limping for a weekand its denitely going
to send electric shocks through both your legs.
But itll bust you through all your plateaus
and take your calves to places you considered
previously unattainable.
As a bonus, training your calves this
way will also fully develop your peroneals
the long, sinewy muscles that run along
the outside of your lower leg. This will
give your legs fullness from a frontal
view and a crazy, snaky view from the side.
To fully round out your lower legs, nish this
routine by performing tibialis raises by placing
your heels on a boardor a 45-pound
platethen lifting a heavy dumbbell with
your toes. FLEX
SEATED CALF RAISE REPS: 100 TOTAL
SETS: AS FEW AS POSSIBLE
Load a seated calf machine with a 45-pound plate. Sit down and make sure the bend
in your knees is less than 90 degrees. The sharper you keep this angle, the more
deactivated and, consequently, the fresheryour gastroc will be. Each rep should be
performed in a slow and controlled manner on the way down, achieving a full stretch
at the bottom for a one-second pause, then exploding into the ascent. Do as many
reps as you can till youre near failure. If you cant get 100 reps on your rst try, rest
for 30 seconds then keep going. If you do hit 100 the rst time, you need to use more
weight. Conversely, if you cant do more than 30 reps, youre going too heavy.
144 FLEX
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BY ZACK KHAN
FLEX THE FREAK
J
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MONKEY
BUSINESS
A woman whos alleged to have
abused her pet monkey after it was
found wandering around an Ikea car
park is continuing her ght to have it returned.
Darwin the monkey hit the headlines last year
after being found outside the Toronto store
wearing a miniature sheepskin coat and a
nappy. The owner, Yasmin Nakhuda, has been
giving evidence in court, and during the hearing
the court was shown home videos of her with
Darwin. The Japanese macaque has been under
the care of Story Book Farm Primate Sanctuary
since Toronto Animal Services conscated the
animal last December.
Hope this matter gets sorted ASAP, as
I can imagine the monkeys feeling lonely and
misses this crazy woman now. Actually, Im
sure hes been trying to escape, but this
crazy woman doesnt seem to get the
message. Poor Darwin
WELL-DONE RIBS
QTrying to steal a $35 (23) rack of pork
ribs will cost a Texas man 50 years in
prison. WTF?! I hear you say
This stif sentence dates back to an
incident in September 2011, in which Willie
Smith Ward, 43, attempted to steal a
package of meat from a shop in Waco.
An employee approached Ward and asked
what he had under his clothing.
Ward said, I got a knife after the ribs
fell out from beneath his shirt, the Waco
Tribune-Herald reports.
Wards lengthy rap sheet likely afected
the decision of the jurors, who needed just
two minutes to convict Ward and roughly an
hour to determine his sentence. His previous
convictions included burglary, attempted
robbery, cocaine possession, and theft,
among others.
I hope these criminals get the message:
If you mess with peoples propertywhat
isnt yoursexpect to be disciplined, ya
rib-eating raas claat.
IF YOU MESS
WITH PEOPLES
PROPERTYWHAT
ISNT YOURS
EXPECT TO BE
DISCIPLINED.
146 FLEX
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Q Two pussy claats who allegedly
robbed a Burger King outlet were
caught by police after leaving the
restaurant and nding their getaway
car had disappeared.
Police said Jeremy Lovitt, 23, and Gabriel
Gonzales, 19, held two employees at
gunpoint at the Burger King in Stockton,
California and demanded they hand over
the restaurants cash.
However, during the robbery,
another worker slipped out the back of
the store and found an empty car with
its engine running and the keys in the
ignition. I would love to have seen these
two dumb f**ks faces when they ran
into the car park and thought, Im sure
we left the car here! The Burger King
employee, realising it mustve been
the robbers getaway car, drove of
and hid the vehicle around the
corner. This guy should get
free burgers for lifeand I
hope he got his big whopper out
later for the girls so he could enjoy
being a local hero.
Lovitt and Gonzales then tried to run
away, but were quickly caught by police,
authorities said.
Lovitt was charged with felony robbery and is
being held in the San Joaquin County Jail on
$150,000 (99,768) bail, police records showed.
Gonzales is being held without bail on
the robbery charges and several other
outstanding warrants, including a
misdemeanour charge of receiving stolen property.
These two dumb f**ks are both
due to appear in court soon.
BK BURGLARS
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BIG DONOR
QA man in Florida has reached a rare
milestone after donating 100 gallons of
blood over the last 35 years. Damn!
This guy is a legend! Its hard getting 50p
of people nowadays, never mind blood.
Harold Mendenhall, 84, started giving
blood on July 7, 1977. Last month, he reached
100 U.S. gallons (83 imperial gallons, or
666 pints).
Mr. Mendenhall started giving blood when
his wife, Frankie, was diagnosed with breast
cancer. When she died seven years later, Mr.
Mendenhall says he was lost.
He stopped by the blood bank on his way
home from work, and was soon donating up to
40 pints a year. He said giving blood helped
him cope with the loss of his wife and, later,
his two sons.
For some reason, Im still here and Im
grateful, he said. Thats one of the reasons I
keep donating. Mr Mendenhalls donations are
especially coveted because he gives blood
plateletssmall cells in the blood that help with
clotting.
Aside from saving the lives of others, there are
also nancial benets for donors in Florida. The
local blood bank runs a reward programme,
ofering coupons for meals at local restaurants.
Good on the guygiving that much blood has
given him enough protein shakesbless him!
HIGH-TECH
CRIME STOPPER
QMini drones are set to start ying
over train depots in Germany to catch
vandals who come out at night to
deface train cars with grafti. Damn, talk
about getting high-tech on these taggers.
Guys, enjoy it while you can. You start taking
up clay-pigeon shooting, as a blind person
can shoot these drones down, ya German
shepherdsRaas!!
The Deutsche Bahn railway company plans
to start testing the aerial vehicleswhich have
four helicopter-style rotors and can shoot
high-resolution pictures using thermal imaging
camerassoon. A pilot will remotely steer the
drones, which can y at a height of up to 150 meters
and speeds of up to 33 mph.
Were going to use this technology in problem
areas where taggers are most active, said a
Deutsche Bahn spokesman. Yeah, of course
you are, until they shoot your raas down like
Call of Duty.
Last year, the company sufered 7.6 million in
damages done by people spray-painting the
carriages. It hopes to use the images collected by
the drones as evidence in any prosecutions.
However, the rail operator said it would use the
drones only over its depots, not in public areas,
in line with German anti-surveillance laws. FLEX
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THE GIFT
UNWRAPPED
PHIL HEATH
As a guy with narrow shoulders,
Ive been told to avoid trap training
because itll only make me look
narrower. What do you think about
that?
Ive heard people say that. Supposedly,
if you ll out your traps your shoulders will
look narrower because there will be less
space on either side of your neck. But its
called bodybuilding for a reason. My plan
has always been to ll in everything.
People said I was narrow, so I added a lot
of muscle to my delts and to my traps, too.
I wanted to make my whole shoulder
complexdelts and trapsbigger so that
would be a focal point. Now your eyes are
drawn to my shoulders, and you see all the
muscle that I have there that other guys
dont have. I turned a weakness into a
strength.
Now I think traps are one of my best
body parts, and thats an area I can use in
certain poses like the most muscular and
rear double biceps and even the standing
relaxed shots from the front and back,
because a lot of guys just dont put the
same work into shrugs that they do with
other areas. I did, and I continue to, and its
an advantage I can exploit. For example,
Ill do sevens when I do shrugs (seven sets
with only 2030 seconds rest between
sets) to keep the intensity up. Other times
Ill do two exercises for traps, dumbbell
shrugs, and barbell shrugs, or shrugs on
a machine.
Some guys just throw in three or four
sets of shrugs at the end of their shoulder
workout as an afterthought, and they
dont really get much out of it. Train your
traps as hard as any other body part. Of
course, you want to keep everything in
balance, so you want to cap of your
shoulders by growing your delts. That
might need to be your priority if thats
a weakness. But dont worry that bigger
traps are going to make you look more
narrow. Small traps are only going to
make people notice that lagging area
more. Focus on growing everything.
If you have a complete physique then
thats what people will see. Theyll see
that you have the right proportions and
everything ows together and nothing
is a glaring weakness.
Growing up in Seattle, did you ever
imagine youd go to all the places
youve travelled to?
I never thought Id see half of these
places, but when I became a pro
bodybuilder I knew Id have an
opportunity to see the world. Im
acquainted with quite a few pro
basketball players who havent
seen half of what Ive seen, and
they probably never will. I know guys
in the NBA wholl go to South Beach
in the off-season or Hawaii, but
theyll never get out of the country.
I feel blessed that Ive seen so many
countries, and I have fans all over the
world. Sometimes my schedule is
tight, and I dont have time to see as
much as Id like to when I go to other
countries for appearances. But, when
I can, I like to take in the sights and
experience some of the local foods
and things. FLEX
Q Congrats to my dude/brother/Contest-
PrepCoach @HanyRambod and his wife
Farinaz for having their rstborn child last
night (May 23), Kameron Rambod.
Q Getting some much needed decompres-
sion on the DRX (traction machine) and chiro
today. Gotta get this body tip-top for yet
another title defence.
MR. O TWEETS
150 FLEX
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Are you a fan of circuit
training or supersets for
muscle growth?
Im not a fan of them for muscle
growth necessarily but more so
as part of depletion workouts
at the tail end of my prep.
I think they can be a great
tool at some point during the
of-season, but they shouldnt
be the main part of your
training. Im more a fan
of supersets, doing two
exercises back-to-back
without rest, than circuit
training. With supersets,
you can keep the weight a bit
higher and shoot for more
compound exercises.
What have you been doing on
the business end to expand
the Flexatron brand? Are
there any plans for DVDs in
the works?
My manager, Oscar Gan, and I
started to brand Flexatron a
little more over the past two
years. One way weve done that
is by making a 3-D image of
poses. We put the image on
hats, tank tops, posters, and
pictures. As of right now,
were working on a few other
projects, such as the Shawn
Rhoden Classic in the
Philippines, but what were
very excited about is making
my rst DVD! The title is The
Rise of Flexatron, and itll be
diferent from most training
DVDs out today. It shows me
taking a break from the gym in
October until mid-January and
just giving my body a rest from
the strain of a long contest
season. It also shows me
training with Charles Glass out
at Golds Gym. With me getting
back into the gym, I wanted to
show fans what I was doing
after a long lay-of, and how
Charles attacks diferent body
parts. His style of training is very
new to me, and unorthodox,
so hopefully fans will learn
something from it. Follow
me on shawnrhoden.com,
my fan page on Facebook
(Shawn FlexatronRhoden),
and on Instagram
(@exatronrhoden).
How do you balance training
on the road with guest
posings and appearances?
The one thing I have to keep in
mind is that Im not at my
home base. Everything around
me isnt part of my normal
routine. So what I do is make
sure to work with promoters of
events so I dont miss a step
with food or training. I go light
or moderate in the gym when
Im on the road. The workouts
arent anything that would
knock a persons socks of, but
theyre very productive and
I break a good sweat. Food
intake directly afects training
on the road, so I try to keep my
intake up. Of course, some
weight loss is to be expected,
but nothing thatll make a
huge diference.
SHAWN RHODEN
How are you mentally preparing for the Olympia?
Q Im not doing anything special right now. Im still enjoying my of-season and making good gains. Im also
making sure Im getting my food and training in despite doing appearances almost every weekend. My
mindset right now is to put together days when I do everything Im supposed to do, correctly. That means
waking up on time, eating on time, training on time, and going to bed on time. If I do that, then my body will
keep making the improvements I want it to make. When contest time comes and Im at home more, thats
when things start to change and I get more intense and serious in my eating and training. I start thinking
about every facet of the Olympia. The stage, the lights, the sounds, where Ill stand onstage, how Ill stand
onstage, and how Ill hit each pose. I cant control any of my competitors prep, so I cant think about them.
I can only put together the best prep that I can, and everything else will fall into place. FLEX
152 FLEX
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T
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FLEX LEWIS
How does all your travel afect your
training?
You do what you have to do. You get
your workouts in when you caneven
if its the middle of the night. I will say
all the travelling Ive been doing this
year has afected my training. When
Im home, I play catch-up, and as soon
as Ive caught up Im on the road again.
I just need to get a handle on all the
travelling Im doing this year, because
I know the hungry guys who are
chasing me now arent travelling
nearly as much as I am. But you have
to adapt. I shut all the travel down
in June, and since then my focus has
been entirely on keeping the Olympia
212 title.
Whats your typical breakfast now?
Is it anything like what you ate
growing up in Wales?
Growing up I always had a proper
British breakfast: sausage, beans,
eggs, tea with sugar and milk, all that.
Everyone did. The Welsh and the
British are famous for their heavy
breakfasts. Its denitely not
pre-contest diet food. You wont
get just eggs and porridge over there.
Theyll be like, Thats all you want?
Whats wrong with you? Are you sick
or something? But I had that every
single day. Now a typical of-season
breakfast is much lighter than that
low-fat, low-sugar, and focused on
protein and complex carbs.
What breed are your dogs?
I have two American bullies, one white
and one black. They have a bulldog
body and a pit bull face, but theyre
not pit bulls. Theyre a diferent breed.
Im breeding my female this year. Mine
are show dogsmy female could win
shows. Theyre amazing dogs. You
could put 25 of them together and
the last thing theyd want to do is
ght. Theyre great dogs, but they
need to be disciplined and trained
when theyre young. FLEX
Q Fat is the new massive!
Q Killing arms with my boys
Johnnie Jackson and Branch
Warren at Ultimate Fitness.
#BodyPowerExpo Weekend.
Q Reection on the battles
that have been and the battles
to begin. My Olympia prep
begins as soon as I leave my
family here in Wales. I will
leave #NoStoneUnturned
DRAGON TWEETS
FLEXS
TYPICAL
BREAKFAST
Q 10 egg whites
Q2 whole eggs
Q1 bowl of porridge
Q1 banana
Q1 pot of yogurt
QMultivitamins
QBCAAs
154 FLEX
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Gladiator
Wayne Doom
Gordon
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16 WEEKS OUT
At this point, you are too far out to go crazy
and you shouldnt be losing more than a
pound or two a week. With my clients I
generally use Weeks 16 to 12 to overfeed
them, but only with the food in the diet. So
if theyre eating sh, steak, chicken, porridge,
and rice in their diet, theyll be eating it in
mass quantities. I want their metabolism to
catch up to the food theyre eating, not slow
down because they arent eating enough.
12 WEEKS OUT
This is the rst phase of transformation. I
want to start to see some signicant changes
at this point. I will generally keep food high
but begin to increase the cardio. This keeps
the muscles fed and keeps you strong while
letting the cardio do the work on burning the
fat. To this point, most people would have
been doing one session of cardio (about 40
minutes) but at the 12-week mark I usually
increase this, either in time or I add a second
session of 30 or so minutes.
EIGHT WEEKS OUT
At this point, I will begin to drop carbs,
increase fats, and really push the body
through this plateau. The other addition
that really starts to ramp up at this point is
supplements. Carnitine, green tea, guarana,
and tyrosine are all added and sometimes
doubled if theyre already there.
SIX WEEKS OUT
This phase of the diet is where posing,
abs, and smaller details like stretching and
foam rolling all begin to play an integral
role in what my physique is going to look
like at the end of the six weeks. I take a
long look at how things have gone to make a
proper assessment of whether things have
to change dramatically or if things are on
the right track and I can keep blasting
through days.
FOUR WEEKS OUT
At this point I want to burn whatever fat is left
and get it of in two weeks so I can cruise to
the nish line. So there may be some calorie
reduction at this point, still in a low-carb,
higher-fat setting. Cardio might be boosted
even higher. I may end up doing as many as
two 60-minute sessions if I dont like what
I see at this point.
TWO WEEKS OUT
I like to do a dry run of a short carb load to see
how my body is assimilating the food and,
after that, I like to deplete for about a week
before I begin my carb load. This phase of the
prep is almost purely mental; strength is at
an all-time low, and pumps are hard to nd
if theyre there at all.
Water: Dont perfect
your entire food diet
and then drink only
two glasses of water
a day. Youre an
athletedrink and
stay hydrated, the
more the better.
Sodium: Ive worked
with the top gurus
in the sport and
all of them have told
me to cut out salt. This
is a crazy concept. Salt
has a host of important
benets, mainly that it
helps with muscle
contraction.
Spices: They do not
hurt and in fact in some
cases actually aid in
digestion and anti-
inammatory response.
Sugar/Sugar
substitute: Adding
a ton of aspartame,
sucralose, or whatever
else you need to get you
through the day isnt
going to help you in
the long run.
ITS ALL IN THE DETAILS
GETTING SHOW READY
CARB LOAD
If youve depleted properly youll need to
start carb loading on Wednesday or most
likely you wont be loaded up properly. If you
use mostly junk food to carb load the more
likely it is that you will look like shit. I always
suggest the safe route and loading up with
clean foods. Lastly, vascularity doesnt
matter! The judges dont care about veins!
In fact, it might actually hurt you if theyre
too dense and cover your muscularity. Please
stop drinking red wine to bring out veins, stop
using boosters to bring out veins, stop all the
extra nonsense that most likely is making you
look worse than making you look better. FLEX
156 FLEX
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THE DUTCH BEAST ROELLY WINKLAAR
Whats your opinion of consuming
only one protein source? Is that an
advisable practice?
I think its a double-edged sword. There are
people who have very sensitive digestive
systems, and they can only eat certain types
of proteins. And there are those who can eat
myriad protein sources with no issues or
allergic reactions whatsoever. I think you
should consume a variety of food in the
of-season because you get a complete
amino acid prole. On top of that, each source
you eat brings something unique to the table.
Red meat has an abundance of B vitamins,
naturally occurring creatine, and fat. Some
sh have an abundance of omega-3 fatty
acids. The only time that list gets pared
down is in contest prep. During that time,
you eat for a look, but even then, there are a
variety of sources you can get protein from.
If you can tolerate eating various sources of
protein, then go for it. If not, then I suggest
you nd the sources that work, and stick
with them.
Are negatives an essential training
tool for growth?
I feel controlled negatives are, but pure
negatives, where you control only the
lowering portion of a rep, may be an injury
waiting to happen. You can lower more
weight than you can raise or hold. So
overloading your body with more weight
than you can handle during a normal rep
may not be the best path for growth.
However, with a controlled lowering,
you can get the benefits of negative-rep
training without a lot of the risks specific
eccentric work carries. Dorian Yates is
the best example of using a controlled
movement, while emphasising the
eccentric portion of the rep. If youve
watched his DVD Blood and Guts, he
slows down the lowering portion of the rep
while picking up speed on the concentric
(raising) movement of the weight. That
should be enough to tell you true negatives
dont have to be in your arsenal to be a
monster.
How do you keep your intensity up in the
gym? Have you ever stagnated before?
When you do something for a long time, there is
a strong possibility you will have a period where
you basically stand still. Thats not necessarily
a bad place to be, but its not optimal for
success in bodybuilding, where you have to
string together good days in order to make
improvements. To keep my intensity up in the
gym, I have to make sure I do things correctly
outside of the gym. What I mean by that is
I have to make sure my home is in order, my rest
is good, and my food and supplement intake is
optimal. When those things are in order, I turn
my attention to what I do in the gym. Another
thing that helps with intensity is just being
at-out hungry to improve. When you desire
to be compared to Phil Heath, Kai Greene,
Shawn Rhoden, and others, you just bring it
to the gym consistently. They are some of the
best the sport has to ofer, and if you cant get
up your intensity to try and compete with those
gentlemen, then you may as well take up
knitting. FLEX
Do you get nervous before shows?
How do you keep your composure?
Q If you do everything you can in the
of-season and pre-contest, then you
really shouldnt be nervous. However,
thats if we live in a perfect world,
which we dont. I get a little on edge
before a show, only because I want
to do everything right. Its usually the
last couple of days when I travel to
diferent venues that make me a bit
nervous, but I try to avoid that by doing
my research and reading up on where
Im travelling to and what resources
are available, such as supermarkets
and gyms. I keep my composure by
knowing I gave 100% in my of-season
and prep, so I bring the best package I
can to the stage.
157 FLEX
BIG
RAMY
MAMDOUH
ELSSBIAY
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Youve grown so much in three
yearsIm sure a lot of guys
would like to know exactly what
you eat every day. You seem to
keep your body fat pretty low
even in the of-season. Whats
your typical of-season diet?
First of all, genetics plays a big
part. I have very good genetics
and dont put on fat easily.
Second, I do some sort of cardio
every day of-season, even if its
just 15 minutes on a treadmill
after I lift. But everyone starting
out in bodybuilding needs to
realise that nutrition is the real
secret to winning shows. Anyone
can lift heavy weights, but to grow
as much as I did in just three years,
you need to be exceptionally
disciplined with your food intake
and never miss meals, no matter
what. I believe you need to take
in carbs, fats, protein, and a
little simple sugar in the form
of fruit every day. I keep my diet
very simple and hardly ever
cheat, which is how I stay lean
of-season.
Someone whos just starting
out can adjust the number of
meals to ve or six, but the key is
eating every two to three hours,
even if that means waking up to
drink a shake. If you keep the diet
simple, there are no excuses for
missing meals.

Every bodybuilder has
a weak body partbut you
dont seem to! Do you train
all body parts equally hard,
or do you have some stubborn
ones you train more than the
others?
Most of us dont have a critical
enough eye to see whats
incomplete in our own frame.
Having a trainer or experienced
eye look at you is very important,
especially in the of-season,
when youre making drastic
changes to your physique. There
are months when I train some body
parts twice a week, but as they
grow, I back of and go down to
once a week or sometimes every
other week.
Im lucky that Im very
symmetrical, but thats the result
of having my coach constantly
giving me feedback.
When you train at Oxygen
Gym in Kuwait, do you have
a training partner? Im
wondering who motivates you
to give it 100% every day.
Oxygen Gym has to be the
best-equipped gym in the
Middle East. It has everything a
bodybuilder could possibly need,
so I consider it my home away from
home. Ive never found a training
partner there who can keep up
with me, which is ne because
I dont need anyone to motivate
me to push past my limits in the
gym. Im pretty intense and know
exactly where I want to be in a few
years, so Ive always let that be my
motivation. I have a lot of friends
at Oxygen who support me and
give me honest critiques. And
the owner, Bader Boodai, believed
in me from day one. FLEX
Q The newest member of Team AMI/Weider,
Mamdouh Big Ramy Elssbiay, earned his IFBB pro card
(and qualied for this years Mr Olympia) by winning the
2012 Amateur Olympia in Kuwait. At the IFBB New York Pro
on May 25, when Ramy crushed the competition to win his
pro debut, the message he sent to the bodybuilding world
was crystal clear: theres a new player in town! Ramys next
stop will be the Mr Olympia.
BIG RAMYS
OFF-SEASON DIET
QMeal 1
12 egg whites
3 whole eggs
225 g sweet potato
QMeal 2
140 g rice
225 g chicken breast
QMeal 3
Protein shake
QMeal 4
4 whole eggs
225 g sweet potato
QMeal 5
225 g chicken breast
200 g brown rice
150 g sliced pineapple
QMeal 6
285 g salmon
100 g white rice
QMeal 7
285 g steak
Green salad
QMeal 8
(taken in the middle
of the night)
Protein shake with
2 tbsp peanut butter
158 FLEX
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BY CHRIS LUND, UK EDITOR SINCE 1985 PHOTOS BY CHRIS LUND
MIKE FRANCOIS
(UNCROWNED MR OLYMPIA)
This months Looking Back features a bodybuilder who only
competed in world-class bodybuilding competition for seven
years (1991-1997). However, during that period, it looked as
though MIKE FRANCOIS was virtually unbeatable, especially
after he won his rst four pro competitions in a row, on his way
to the 1995 Mr Olympia.
I rst met Mike after he won his pro
card by annihilating everyone at the
1993 NPC Nationals. Mike displayed
an extraordinarily massive and powerful-
looking physique at the NPC Nationals, but
along with this, he had the clean-cut look of
a Mr America about him that promised an
incredible bodybuilding future.
The rst time I photographed Mike, I was
impressed with his laid-back professionalism and
his total lack of the bodybuilding egotism that
was quite common in the business. To be honest,
he never really said much; most of the conversa-
tion took place through his wife Shannan, who
attended every photo shoot we did from that day
on. Mike likes to get things done without a fuss,
she explained. He is a no-nonsense type of guy,
and thats why I love him!
When former U.S FLEX Editor-in-Chief Peter
McGough organised a training photo shoot with
Mike and Dorian Yates, I thought Great! We will
get some magic black and white shots today.
And we did, except that both bodybuilders
hardly said a word to each other throughout the
entire back workout. I looked over at McGough
as if to say Whats your game, then? Why are
you doing this to me? Theyre both in awe of
each other, he replied, with a sly smirk. They
are what you might call real hardcore body-
builders! I guess he was right!
During 1997, however, the bodybuilding
world was sent into a state of shock. Rumours
began circulating worldwide that Mike Francois
was seriously ill and that his pro contest career
was over. Apparently, he was sufering from
colitis and the prognosis was not looking good,
although he somehow still managed to enter
the 1997 Mr Olympia, where he placed a
disappointing 11th. Mike would never again
enter another bodybuilding contest.
In June this year I spoke to Mike and asked
him to look back at the incredible highs and
deadly lows of his short, but dynamic career
as one of the greatest bodybuilders of all time.
Mike Francois is old school, as you will learn
from this very candid and honest interview.
160 FLEX
When and why did you start training?
I started with weight training in high school,
around the age of 14, 15nothing serious, just
as a way to get stronger and become a better
athlete. My goal at that time was to be a
great athlete; I participated in all the sports
available to me (football, baseball, basket-
ball, wrestling and track and eld). I guess if
that was my beginning in training, I would
have to credit the athletics director at my high
school for being ahead of the times in
1979-1980 and strongly encouraging athletes
to work out.
As far as training as a bodybuilder, that
was many years later. I began bodybuilding in
earnest in 1990 or so. I received help from a
local bodybuilder turned trainer named Greg
Greenzalis, who was a great help in learning
how to train and diet.
How did you train in the beginning?
At rst I did a lot of powerlifting-type
movements, such as deadlifts, squats and
bench pressing. Obviously, I supplemented my
heavy movements with more detail exercises.
Also, I remember Greg having me do a ton of
supersetting and giant sets. For example, we
would do leg presses for 20 reps, hack squats
for 20 reps, weighted step-ups10 on each
legand nish with 20 leg extensions. We
would giant set those, rest for two to three
minutes and repeat three times. It was a killer
to say the least. I am not sure how much size
I actually gained but I know it showed me
what it took in terms of intensity and efort.
What about your diet back then?
Diet played a huge role in the beginning.
Eating clean was never an issue for me as I
had been doing that as a way of life from high
school on. However, eating enough food was
what I needed to work on. As a result, I began
slowly increasing my food intake, until it
reached as high as 10,000 calories at one
point early on. So yes, nutrition was a huge
part of progressing.
Were you an easy gainer?
Yes, I guess I was an easy gainer. I never thought
that at the time, killing myself in the gym and
eating like crazy every day. But looking back on
it, my progress was pretty rapid compared to
those I trained around. I competed for the rst
time in 1990 and turned pro in 1993 and won my
rst year as a pro, so I guess genetics as an easy
gainer was denitely in play.
I always thought that you were a
powerlifter to start with. Is that so?
I wasnt actually a competitive powerlifter
but I trained with some of the best powerlift-
ers in the world at Louis Simmons Westside
Barbell in Columbus, Ohio. It was truly a
blessing that I was allowed to train there.
It is an invitation-only gym and really not too
bodybuilder-friendly, so to speak. I think
they feel that bodybuilders spend too much
time at the mirror instead of the squat rack!
However, they invited me over and once they
realised I was there to work hard and grow,
they accepted me as one of their own. Every
day there was like a competition in terms of
who could train heaviest and with the most
intensity. I absolutely loved it! I had a training
partner from there, Chuck Vogelpohl, who at
the time was one of the strongest men in the
world in his weight class. We went back and
forth, challenging each other (all in an
unspoken manner) with every set and rep.
Believe it or not, as strong as he was (and he
was very strong) we still kept the pace of the
workouts at a very high level, no three to four
minutes rest between sets for us. As soon as
I set a weight down, he would grab it and do
his set and so on.
Why did you decide to compete as
a bodybuilder?
I decided to compete only because other
people suggested it. I didnt have a huge
desire to get on stage and pose. I just loved
the training and the progress I was making.
However, I thought why not? and decided to
give it a shot. I absolutely had no aspirations to
become a pro bodybuilder, nor did I think I had
the potential it takes to get there.
You did very well right from the start. You
placed 3rd at your rst attempt at the
1992 USA Championships, and then you
won your pro card the following year at
the NPC Nationals.
As I said earlier, I guess I was an easy gainer, so
genetics was a huge part of it. The rest I would
say was just done through listening to those
who were on my team and not varying from
that. I never was a partier or late-night guy,
so my lifestyle was conducive to progress
as well. I also never missed a workout and
I poured myself into every single training
session. I went to the gym, trained as
intensely as I could and leftno talking, no
loitering around the gym. I just had a mindset
of no nonsense; if I was going to do this, I
would do it all to the best of my ability. I think
that is what helped me the mostI looked at
everything I did in and out of the gym like this.
If it wasnt going to help make me a better
bodybuilder, I was not interested in doing it.
My life was church, family, home, gym and
grocery storejust ask my wife! Pretty boring,
but it was the only way I felt I could reach my
goals. My wife has just informed me that is
the way it still is (the boring part) and nothing
has changed!
You won your rst four pro shows in 1994
and 1995 and then placed 7th at your rst
Olympia. Is that correct?
Yes, I did win my rst four pro events, so when
I placed 7th at my rst Mr Olympia I was
pretty upset. I dont know if you would call it
bad sportsmanship or what, but I never kept
any of the medals given to me at the Mr O
each year by Joe Weider.
If I didnt do as well as I had wanted in any
particular show, I never wanted it to be
because I hadnt trained as hard as I possibly
could. As a result, I will never have to face
looking back at my career and saying what if
I had trained more intensely or made more
sacrices? That has never been an issue for
me. My training was almost exclusively a two
days on/one day of schedule. So, I trained on
Monday and Tuesday, took Wednesday of
and trained again on Thursday and Friday
with weekends of. This worked really well
for me and allowed the proper recuperation
period. Also, it worked well with the frequent
travelling to guest posings etc.
How did you train during this period?
On Monday I trained chest, biceps and abs.
On Tuesday I trained back and calves. I took
Wednesday of, then on Thursdays I trained
legs and calves and on Friday I trained
shoulders, triceps and abs. As far as training
volume is concerned, I generally did the
following:
162 FLEX
Chest: 12-15 working sets
Biceps: 9 working sets
Abs: 6-9 working sets
Shoulders: 15-20 working sets
Triceps: 9 working sets
Back: 15-20 working sets
Calves: 5-8 working sets
L egs (hams and quads total):
20-24 working sets
One of the big exercises that I had as a
mainstay in my programme was the deadlift,
which I did in a variety of ways (out of a rack,
of the ground, while standing on a box, etc.).
The more angles and variety of heights and
styles of deadlifting I did, the more my back
grew. Some of my best deadlifts were in the
800 lb range. I loved to deadlift and feel that it
made my whole body bigger, not just my back.
Behind-the-neck shoulder presses were also
a big exercise I liked to use. I was able to do
405 lbs for ve to eight reps. Squatting was
my all-time favourite exercise, and I think it
also put a lot of size on my whole body. I know
that when I squatted heavy all my lifts would
go up and I would grow as well. My best squats
were in the 700-800 lb range for ve reps or so.
I never maxed out, so to speak, because as a
bodybuilder I wasnt that concerned with how
much I could lift. I was a lot more concerned
with growing as much muscle as I possibly
could. However, I did know that the heavier
I lifted the bigger I would be.
What was your nutrition like in those days?
My nutrition was always good. I started eating
healthily way back in high school, so the
bodybuilding diet was never a struggle. I was
used to being disciplined and staying away
from junk food, so when I took up the sport
of bodybuilding, that was one big hurdle I had
already overcome. I ate a lot of chicken, eggs and
red meat for protein. For carbs, I mainly stayed
with grits, oats, rice and vegetables. My fats were
minimal. My calorie intake at one time early on
in my career was in the 10,000 range. Later,
when I was more concerned with both rening
my physique and growing (rather than just
growing), I was probably in the 4,000-5,000
range in the of-season. In the contest prep
period, my food sources were much the same
as they were in the of-season but of course, the
quantities were less. It varied, but I was probably
in the 2,500-4,000 calorie range while dieting.
161 FLEX 163 FLEX
You were denitely on your way to
becoming Mr Olympia. Everyone said this
and I can remember Joe Weider going crazy
over you, but then you developed colitis
and your career came to a sudden end.
Unfortunately, I was never able to realise
my dream of winning the Mr Olympia. I hate
thinking that I not only let myself down, but
also those who supported me along the way.
Honestly, that is why it is hard for me to be
around the sport at all now and, frankly, to
answer questions like this. If I had been able
to give it my best efort for 8-10 years I
probably wouldnt feel so badly but due to
my colitis issues, I didnt get that chance. So,
I have a lot of emotions that come out when
talking about this topic. But, at the same
time, I have to realise how blessed I am to
have had the chance to compete at that level,
however briey. I was also blessed to have
people like Joe Weider to support me, and
countless others as well.
Did you have much personal contact with Joe?
Unfortunately, I didnt get the pleasure of a
lot of one-on-one experience with Joe. Being
out here in Ohio, 2,000+ miles away from
the Weider ofces, was a big factor in that.
However, I have a few stories that I can share.
The rst would be when Joe ofered me my
rst Weider contract. When I rst turned
pro in 1993 I already had signed a deal with
Champion Nutrition. That contract was good
through 1995, the year I won the Arnold. In
fact, I had just won the Arnold and the next
weekend I was in California for the San Jose
Pro Invitational, my fourth pro win in a row.
After that contest, I had to travel to Palm
Springs for a guest posing appearance. I was
in my hotel room with Nasser El Sonbaty and
his wife, relaxing, and the hotel phone rang.
It was Joe! I had never spoken to him, but I
knew his voice well. At rst I wondered who
it wasno way could it be Joe Weider. How
would he know where I was, let alone where
I was staying? He ofered me a six-gure
Weider contract. I was oored! I said I was
honoured, but I was still under contract with
Champion until approximately the end of
the year. He said he knew that (how I am not
sure) and we would just date the contract
to start the day the Champion one ended.
So, now I was a Weider athlete!
As I said earlier, colitis ended my
bodybuilding career and almost my life. I
spent a total of two months in hospital and
had my last rites from the priest two times.
During that time, a rival magazine kept
calling and talking to my mother or whoever
they could reach at the hospital to check on
my condition. I had actually done a lot of
interviews with this magazine before my
Weider contract, which forbade interviews
and photo shoots for any magazines other
than Joes. Well, when I nally made it out of
the hospital, that magazine turned all those
phone conver sations plus photos they had
taken previously into a full-blown article.
Once Weiders lawyers got wind of this, I
received a letter saying they were taking a
months pay from me. After just getting out
of the hospital and lucky to be alive, the
last thing I needed was that news. Also, my
contract was due to nish at the end of the
year and since I knew my bodybuilding days
were over, there was no question that that
would be the end of the contract as well.
Needless to say, I wasnt thinking good
thoughts about Joe after that lost months
pay. Then at the end of the year, much to my
surprise and delight, Joe gave me another
year on my contract. Of course I thanked him,
but I never asked him why he did it. I never
made any bones about the fact that I was
done, yet Joe stepped up and did that out
of the goodness of his heart. It allowed me
to get my health and life back on track and
I will be forever grateful to Joe for that.
Mike, you had the thickest and broadest
back in bodybuilding. How did you build it?
I worked hard to develop my back. It
denitely wasnt a strength when I began
competing, but by the end it was a body part
I was proud of. The biggest diference I feel
that I made in my training was deadlifting.
I had never really done much of it early on,
but was introduced to it by my powerlifting
friends. For one to two years straight I did
some form of deadlifting in every back
training session. Obviously, I did auxiliary
exercises as well, but deadlifting either of
the oor, out of the rack or of a box was the
rst exercise of every back workout. Here is
a typical back workout from that period in
my career:
Warm-up
Rack pulls
(deadlifts out of the power rack)
135 lbs x 5 reps
225 lbs x 5 reps
315 lbs x 5 reps
405 lbs x 5 reps
495 lbs x 1 rep
585 lbs x 1 rep
675 lbs x 1 rep
765 lbs x 1 rep
At this point I would start adding less weight
each set, maybe 10-20 lbs each set of one rep.
I would keep going up until one of two things
happened: I couldnt get the weight up or I felt
that I was at my limit that day. I would try to
increase the weight each week, and I was
usually able to keep moving my max rep weight
up. I would do this same routine for three to
four weeks and then I would switch the type of
deadlift. For instance, I would deadlift the next
three to four weeks of the oor, and follow the
same scheme as above.
Shrugs: 4 x 10
Cable rows to waist: 4 x 10
Reverse-grip row to waist: 4 x 10
Pulldowns to chest: 4 x 10
How many times a week do you think a muscle
should be trained?
I trained each muscle group once a week.
At one point early in my career I tried to train
each body part more than once a week but it
only burned me out and led to no progress.

How many times a week should the average
guy train?
I think that the average person should train three
to four times a week. Less than three isnt enough,
three times doesnt really allow enough
separating of major body parts. I feel that four
is ideal: you can break the body into enough
segments, so that no major muscle groups will be
trained on the same day. Also, this method allows
adequate recovery time for maximum growth.
You obviously believe in very heavy training.
I believe wholeheartedly in heavy training.
However, training heavy in and of itself isnt
enough, you must train heavy with maximum
intensity. This type of training builds dense
thick muscle. If you just want to be a power-
lifter, then slow heavy training is what you want
164 FLEX
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(for the most part). However, to build a
bodybuilders physique you need to also add
the ingredient of intensity.
You placed only 10th at your second
Mr Olympia in 1996. What happened?
I made two mistakes, which I regret to this day.
I placed 7th in my rst Mr O the year before that
and felt the reason for this was that I wasnt
hard enough. It was the rst show out of my
rst ve pro shows that I didnt win and I
overreacted. I got away from what got me there.
I sacriced too much size trying to get harder
and it cost me. I also got away from the person
who had helped me to that point with my
nutrition, another big mistake!
Your nal year of competing (1997) was
a lot better. You placed 3rd at the Arnold
Classic, 3rd at the San Jose Pro Invitational
and 11th at the Mr Olympia.
I got back to what had got me there and
started to get things going in the right direction
again. Although it wasnt the result I wanted
(3rd at the Arnold and 3rd again the following
week in San Jose) I felt I was back. But between
those two shows and the Mr O that year, I was
diagnosed with colitis and went on several
medications to help remedy it. Unfortunately,
the meds were very catabolic, the opposite of
what I needed while training for the Olympia.
I was even hospitalised for a few days prior to
the Olympia. Obviously, I kept it quiet; no one
other than my family and Chris Aceto knew
about it. I didnt want anyone in the IFBB or
Weider to hear about it for obvious reasons.
I made it through the Olympia, but the results
were a nightmare and embarrassing!
After the 1997 Olympia the colitis really took
hold and more medicine was required than
before. Initially, the meds worked and the
doctors were very pleased with how things were
going, even to the point where they took me of
all the medicine. At that time I was training
for the 1998 Arnold Classic. Unfortunately,
the colitis came back full blown and that was
the end. I wasnt able to continue, and a week
before the Arnold, surgery was required to
remove my large intestine. Its a long story,
but after cheating death a couple of times in my
two months stay in hospital and losing roughly
95 lbs (from 270 lbs to 175 lbs or so), my career
as a professional bodybuilder was over.
Who is the greatest bodybuilder of all time?
I think that the greatest bodybuilder of all time
is Dorian Yates. I hate saying that about someone
I was trying to beat, but the progress he made
and the granite-hard condition he was able to
achieve was amazing. He continued to make
progress each year. I realise he tore a couple of
muscles in the process of winning multiple
Olympias, but he was the best in my eyes. Also,
his quiet demeanour and humble attitude in the
time I spent around him was very admirable.
How can we create a better image of
bodybuilding?
Bodybuilding has always had kind of a bad rap.
Some of that is warranted, but much of it isnt.
I think the athletes being more approachable
would be a good start. Unfortunately, the
only opportunity many fans get to see the
bodybuilders is at contests. This is a difcult
time for the athletes they are dieting and
focusedso many times they appear to be
arrogant or aloof. I am not sure how to remedy
this, other than the fans seeing the athletes at
guest appearances and in other more relaxed
settings. Also, I think the attitude of some
bodybuilders needs to change. Just because
you may have bigger muscles than someone
doesnt mean you are better than them or have
the right to treat them poorly. The athletes
need to go out of their way to promote the
sport and treat people with respect.
Any other bodybuilding stories, Mike?
I remember a couple of things that were quite
funny. One involved the late Nasser El Sonbaty.
I was with my wife Shannan in Hawaii for guest
posing shortly after winning the Night of
Champions (NOC). I was trying to stay in decent
shape, and maybe gained 10-15 lbs in the few
weeks following the show. We ran into Nasser
and his wife who were on holiday there. Nasser,
whom I had just beaten at the NOC, had already
put on 50-60 lbs and weighed 300 lbs or so.
One evening we went out for ice cream. I ordered
a sugar-free fat-free yogurt, still trying to look
good for my guest posing. Nasser of course
ordered a huge banana split! Shortly after
ordering I excused myself to the restroom and
when I came back to the table not more than a
couple of minutes later, they had brought the
food to us. Nasser had not only eaten his banana
split in that two to three minute stretch, he had
also eaten my yogurt! Of course he had that
grin on his face that only Nasser could pull of!
Quintessential Nasser! Sad to see him go, he was
a unique guy, to say the least, but we always got
along well. RIP buddy!
One story involves another guy I got along
well with, Porter Cottrell. We were both in Spain
for a guest appearance. On the ight over, I read
a story in one of the magazines about the large
amount of counterfeiting of US $100 bills that
was going on in Europe at that time. After a long
trip and a great time, the promoter handed me
an envelope with $5,000 in it. Whenever I
travelled and did appearances, getting paid was
always the last thing that happened. Usually it
occurred on the way back to the airport or right
before leaving the venue. Any contact with the
promoter after this point was usually minimal.
So, he handed me the envelope, I put it in my
pocket and said thank you and good-bye.
Porter and I were both staying at the same
hotel and went back there for the night; we
were due to y out rst thing in the morning.
Remember, we were in Spain; I speak no
Spanish and basically didnt know anybody
there except Porter. We got back to the hotel
and I opened my envelope.... uh oh... these $100
bills dont look like anything I have ever seen
before, so now I have $5,000 worth of nothing!
I was beyond worried: I was in a strange country,
and didnt have any way of really doing
CONTEST CAREER
1991
Musclemania Chicago, Heavyweight,
1st and Overall Winner
NPC Southern States, Heavyweight, 3rd
1992
NPC USA Championships, Heavyweight, 3rd
1993
NPC USA Championships, Heavyweight, 2nd
NPC Nationals, Heavyweight, 1st and Overall
Winner
1994
Chicago Pro Invitational, 1st
Night of Champions, 1st
1995
Arnold Classic, 1st
San Jose Pro Invitational, 1st
Mr Olympia, 7th
1996
Mr Olympia, 10th
1997
Arnold Classic, 3rd
San Jose Pro Invitational, 3rd
Mr Olympia, 11th
166 FLEX
anything to get this
straight.I frantically went
to Porters room and
showed him what I
thought were bogus
$100 bills and asked to
see what he had been
given. I told him we had
got screwed and we were
out of $5,000. He just looked at
me and laughed. He went on to tell me that
these were the brand new US $100 bills that
had apparently just been distributed around
the world. I was very relieved to say the least!
What do you do these days, Mike?
I have a personal training and consulting
businessFrancois Fitness Consultants Ltd.
Also, Shannan and I promote the Mike
Francois Classic. Our contest is a bodybuilding,
gure, physique and bikini contest, and this
year was our 16th annual show.
Do you still train?
I still train, if that is what you want to call it!
I do a little cardio and train with weights for a
total of about 25-30 minutes six days a week.
I get up every day at 4:20 a.m. and train in our
gym here at home. I dont do heavy weights or
anything close to what I used to. My main
objective is to stay in shape and keep my
body fat levels low.

Is there anyone you would like
to thank, Mike?
I truly appreciate this opportunity to let people
know a little about my career and what ended
it and what I am up to now. There were a lot of
people who helped me along the way, some
whom I have already mentioned. But I would
like to thank a few key people in my life who
helped me achieve any success I may have had
in the sport of bodybuilding and in life: my wife
Shannan and two boys Beau and Elijah; my
parents and eight brothers and sisters; Joe
Weider and all the photographers (especially
Chris Lund of course!) and writers; Ed Connors;
my training partners; Jim Lorimer; all the fans
of the sport; and most importantly God, who
has blessed me with many gifts. FLEX
Mike Francois can be contacted via his website
www.mikefrancois.com.
165 FLEX 167 FLEX
BY ERNIE TAYLOR THE BRITISH PHENOMENON PHOTOS BY CHRIS LUND
L
E
T
T
E
R
S
THE MAN
HI ERNIE,
Who would you say had one of the best
physiques when you were competing in the
Mr Olympia? Personally, I would say that
Flex Wheeler was the man back in those
days, just as Phil Heath is the man today.
So Ernie, who was the man back then and
today?
Iain
Hi Iain,
During the time that I was competing
(1993- 2004), there were many great physiques
around, such as Kevin Levrone, Dexter Jackson,
(still holding his own today), Flex Wheeler,
Chris Cormier, big Mike Francois, Lee Priest,
Mustafa Mohammad, Nasser El Sonbaty,
Dorian Yates, Jay Cutler, and of course the one
and only Ronnie Coleman.
Before I turned pro, I was a big fan of
bodybuilders such as Francis Benfatto,
Andreas Munzer, Gary Strydom and Vince
Taylor. Im sure that I have forgotten many
others through the passage of time and I
apologise for that.
I did compete against the best of them all,
and even though I was one of their competitors,
I still managed to make life-long friendships
with many of them.
Unquestionably, eight-time Mr Olympia
Ronnie Coleman should take the crown of best
bodybuilder the world has ever seen. We should
never forget the time when Ronnie was
absolutely unbeatable, and every other
Mr Olympia competitor was actually training
for second place!
Next to Ronnie, I always liked (and still do),
Dexter Jackson, because I felt that he had a
physique that was similar to mine.
I was also usually impressed with Chris
Cormier, especially when he was in really top
condition. He had a superb wide upper body
that tapered down to a tiny waist, with huge,
fat-free abdominals, which simply blew
everyone away. Chris was also as strong as an ox
and would have made a great powerlifter. He
was the master poser onstage and when the
judges called out for a front lat spread, Chris
had this nice little trick of turning it into his own
personal masterpiece. Just before hitting the
front lat spread, he would put his head down,
ex his magnicent abs and thighs, and then
spread his lats. This gave the front lat spread
pose a whole new meaning, and naturally
everyone went crazy. Nobody could do this like
Chris Cormier.
I agree with you that current Mr Olympia Phil
Heath is the best bodybuilder in the world today.
Phil has everything: superb symmetry, terric
muscular balance and shape, plus he is now
incredibly massive. I think its going to take an
exceptional bodybuilder to knock Phil of his
throne, and at the present moment youre
looking at Kai Greene, Dennis Wolf, Victor
Martinez or former Mr Olympia Jay Cutler.
ET
BURNT OUT
DEAR MR TAYLOR,
I have been training for about eight months,
and even though my diet is very good,
I am having trouble because my body is
not responding at all to the workouts. I train
seven days a week. I was once very fat but
since I started training I have managed to
stick to this diet and I have now lost all of the
weight that I needed to. However, I simply feel
tired all the time, even though I recently
upped my daily calories. I want a physique
like a pro bodybuilder, and I want it now!
Quent Mills
Hi Quent,
Im sorry but this tiredness that you are
experiencing will not go away even if you double
your calorie intake. What has happened is that
your body has grown accustomed to your
training, and because you have been working
it seven days a week for eight months, it has
nothing else to ofer you.
Basically, you are burnt out which means
that your body will start to cannibalise itself
because of this severe overtraining, until there
is no more body fat to burn.
You say that you would like the body of a
pro bodybuilder, and you want it now. Well
Quent, I can tell you this now: you will never
build even a decent physique, never mind a pro
bodybuilders body, if you continue training like
you are.
Take two weeks of from all training and
then return to the gym and train as follows:
Monday: Shoulders and triceps
Tuesday: Back and rear deltoids
Wednesday: Rest
Thursday: Chest and biceps
Friday: Legs
Saturday: Rest
Sunday: Light cardio
After warm-ups do only one work set, in
perfectly strict fashion, and do not allow any
one workout to last longer than 40 minutes.
Good luck,
ET
SIMPLE DIET
DEAR ERNIE TAYLOR,
Can you please make me out a simple diet to
help me get started in bodybuilding? I am
getting all the calories I need, but I think they
come from the wrong types of food, and
sometimes, I dont have time to eat because
of work. In fact, my diet is pretty messed up
and my physique is starting to sufer now
that Im in my 30s. I was wondering if you can
give me some idea where to startall I want
to do is keep it simple.
Matt
168 FLEX
Hi Matt,
If you want to keep it simple (because of your
job) then you need a minimum of three solid
meals every day, which means, breakfast, lunch
and dinner. In between those three meals, you
should add a protein meal replacement shake so
that you can take in more clean calories.
You should have your rst meal in the
morning when you get up and this could consist
of 100 g of cooked porridge oats with protein
powder mixed in. Three hours later you should
have your second meal of a protein shake. Your
third meal should be two 250 g chicken breast
llets along with 100 g of white rice and broccoli.
Your fourth meal should be another meal
replacement protein shake. Your nal meal of
the day should be 300 g of salmon llet plus a
large bowl of salad.
Matt, this simple approach to your diet will
get your physique kick-started. Its very simple to
follow because youre only eating three meals
a day and drinking two protein shakes.
You now need to make certain that your
training is up to scratch!
Good luck,
ET
BIGGER SHOULDERS
HI ERNIE,
Im 23 years old and work the night shift at a
GNTER
SCHLIERKAMP
169 FLEX
local factory. I then train straight after I nish
work.
Even though Ive been training for three
years, I am a little confused as far as shoulder
development is concerned. I train my
shoulders twice a week for about one hour at
a time, but I still need more muscle mass
they are so narrow that my arms overpower
them.
I also want to get more serious about my
training so please can you help me out?
Adrian
Hi Adrian,
First of all, for best results you should only train
your shoulders once every seven days. If you
train them any more than this, you will achieve
the exact opposite to what you want. Also, your
individual shoulder workouts should take no
more than 40 minutes to get through. A
one-hour body part training session is far too
long. Your workout should be fast, furious and
super-intense.
Always be sure to keep your shoulders, back
and chest upright throughout every setthis
will help you to retain perfect posture as well
as decrease the risk of injury. Always lower the
weight slowly when you are performing the
negative part of any rep. Remember, the
negative part of the rep is just as important as
the positive and you will gain faster this way.
Lift or push the poundage in a very controlled
fashion and lower it even more slowly.
SHOULDER ROUTINE
1. Dumbbell side lateral: Three warm-up
sets of 10-12 reps then one work drop set
of 8-10 reps
2. Seated dumbbell press: Two warm-up
sets of 10-12 reps then two work sets of
8-12 reps
3. Close-grip barbell forward raise: Two
work sets of 8-10 reps
4. Barbell shrug: Three work sets of
10-12 reps
Good luck,
ET
GET BIG DIET
HI ERNIE,
I am a 185 pounds, 6' 7" 24-year-old male,
and Im very strong, with solid muscles
despite my lean frame. I have difculty
gaining muscle mass, and know that my diet
TROY
BROWN
170 FLEX
has been found wanting, and that consist-
ency is the key.
I am hoping that you can shed some light
on nutrition for my particular body type and
that you can give some advice for tall guys
wanting to pack on the brawn.
I know that 10 pounds on a shorter guy
will look more obvious and impressive
compared to a lankier chap like me, but I
have a burning desire to prove that tall guys
can build a broad and aesthetically
pleasing physique.
Anthony
Hello Anthony,
You need to be consuming 1.5 g
of protein per pound of body
weight every single day. So when
you round it up, youre looking
at 276 g of protein per day.
Your carbohydrate intake
should be exactly the same,
because it looks to me like you
have a fast metabolism.
Youre absolutely right,
Anthony, when you say that a
muscle gain of 10 pounds looks
more impressive on a short guy.
However, with you being so tall, those 10
pounds of muscular gain will be all lean
quality muscle tissue. Also, youre only 24
which means you have many years of growing
ahead of you.
If you continue to train hard and correctly you
will soon experience a growth spurt, and in no
time at all you will reach that 200 pounds body
weight mark.
Your particular body type is similar to Gnter
Schlierkamps who is 6' 2" but still carries a
phenomenal amount of muscular mass. And
lets not forget the incredible Lou Ferrigno who
stood 6' 5" and was a mass monster!
Basically, you need to eat big and clean
year-round, and you should only train any
muscle group once every seven days, never more
than that. You also need to rest and recuperate
more, because thats when muscular growth
occurs. Get plenty of sleep and always train hard
with short, fast and intense workouts. And,
dont forget to drink three litres of water
every day.
Try this get big diet:
M eal 1: 100 g cooked porridge oats mixed
with honey and two scoops of protein
powder
M eal 2: Two chicken breast llets, a large
baked potato and some cottage cheese
M eal 3: 400 g salmon llet with 75 g white
rice and a large salad
M eal 4: Protein shake and two pieces of fruit
plus a tablespoon of peanut butter
M eal 5: 500 g llet steak and a bowl of mixed
vegetables
M eal 6: Two chicken breast llets and a large
salad
Good luck,
ET FLEX

You can send your questions on training and
nutrition to Ernie Taylor: ET Column c/o Weider
Publishing Ltd, 10 Windsor Court, Clarence
Drive, Harrogate, North Yorkshire, HG1 2PE
or email ernietaylor@hotmail.co.uk.
ERNIE
172 FLEX
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lactoperoxidase, which are critical for muscle
growth and provide antioxidant and immune-
boosting properties.
GRADE: #####
REASON: Research conrms that there is not a
more potent protein available for stimulating
muscle growth than whey protein.
MILK PROTEIN is simply a concentrated
form of the protein in milk with most of the
carbohydrates and fat removed. Milk protein
is composed of both whey and casein, but
since 80% of this protein is casein, it is a good
source of the slow-digesting micellar casein
protein. Adding milk protein concentrate to
ANABOLIC MATRIX along with the fast-
digesting whey proteins and moderate-
OSCOPE
Taking a purely scientic look
at the best products in the
world of sports supplements
OSCOPE
By JIM STOPPANI
WE EXAMINE THE CRITICAL ACTIVE INGREDIENTS IN VARIOUS SPORTS SUPPLEMENTS.
WE AWARD HIGH MARKS TO THOSE WITH EXISTING SUPPORTIVE DATA, REAL-WORLD
RESULTS AND INNOVATION IN FORMULATION. HERE WE PUT ANABOLIC MATRIX UNDER
THE MICROSCOPE.
MATRIX NUTRITION
ANABOLIC MATRIX
digesting pea and soya proteins forms a protein
source that extends the protein synthesis
time by several hours. It also decreases
muscle breakdown, with the result being
a greater potential for stimulating muscle
growth.
GRADE: #####
REASON: Milk protein is a high quality protein
that provides both whey and casein protein for
a combination of benets.
PEA PROTEIN ISOLATE is a very concentrated
protein powder typically made from split peas
or yellow peas. Peas are considered to be a
vegetable allthough botanically they are fruits,
but theyre packed with protein as far as fruits
and vegetables go. So it should be no surprise
that pea protein powder is a good
alternative source of protein. The
WHEY PROTEIN is well recognised as the most
benecial protein for building muscle. After all,
its the fastest-digesting protein that you can
consume and its one of the richest sources of
the branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs)
leucine, isoleucine, and valine. Maintaining
a dose of BCAAs to your muscles is the best way
to stimulate muscle protein synthesis, which
leads to muscle growth as research conrms.
ANABOLIC MATRIX includes both whey protein
isolate and whey protein concentrate. Whilst
whey protein isolate is the purest form of whey
that you can get, whey protein concentrate is
also benecial because of the gentle processing
it undergoes which keeps the important whey
peptide fractions fully intact. These include
beta-lactoglobulin, alpha-lactalbumin,
bovine serum albumin peptides,
immunoglobulins, lactoferrin and
THE
UNDER
174 FLEX
THE RATINGS
##### Outstanding scientic research on
humans available
#### Solid research available; anecdotally
efective
### Not much human research available but
premise is sound
manufacturing process of pea protein
powder starts by grinding down the dried
peas into a ne powder. The ground peas
are then concentrated and the majority of
the carbohydrates are removed via a special
extraction and purication process which
leaves a protein powder that is about
85-90% protein. Thats a higher protein
content than whey protein concentrate
and close to whey protein isolate. Pea
protein powder is fairly rich in glutamine
and BCAAs. In addition, it has almost three
times the arginine content as whey protein.
Having such a high amount of arginine
means that pea protein can help to
further boost nitric oxide (NO) and growth
hormone levels.
GRADE: #####
REASON: As an alternative to milk proteins,
such as whey and casein, pea protein is a solid
alternative for those who cannot consume milk
protein due to allergies or for ethical reasons.
SOYA PROTEIN ISOLATE may be a
plant-based protein powder, but it is also as
potent a muscle builder as the milk proteins
whey and casein. Combining soya with whey
and casein, as in ANABOLIC MATRIX has
been shown to maintain greater muscle
protein synthesis for longer than whey
alone, and that can lead to signicant
increases in muscle growth. This is due to
the numerous benets that soya delivers
that the milk proteins do not. For starters,
soya protein provides antioxidants that
have been shown to aid muscle recovery.
Plus soya is rich in the amino acid arginine,
which stimulates NO and growth hormone
production. In fact, research conrms that
soya protein directly increases both NO and
growth hormone levels. Soya protein isolate
digests at a moderate rate. It is slower than
whey yet faster than casein. This helps
bridge the gap between fast-digesting whey
and very slow-digesting casein to further
extend the protein synthesis that whey
protein kickstarted for greater muscle
growth. Although there is some misconcep-
tion regarding soya proteins inuence on
mens testosterone and oestrogen levels,
a review of all the studies relating to soya
conrms that there are no negative efects
on testosterone or oestrogen.
GRADE:####
REASON: Soya protein ofers unique
properties that benet muscle growth.
Combining soya and whey provides a more
optimal protein for promoting muscle
growth than either alone.
AMINO ACID MATRIX includes leucine,
glutamine, glycine, taurine, and also creatine.
These amino acids, as well as the creatine,
will help to further promote muscle growth
and energy levels during workouts or
throughout the day. So getting an extra
dose of each of these ingredients any time
you have a protein shake is a good strategy to
help build more muscle and increase muscle
strength. Although whey and milk protein are
rich in the BCAA leucine, getting in extra is a
smart thing to do. Leucine is the most critical
amino acid for instigating muscle protein
synthesis, which leads to muscle growth. So
you can never have too much of this amino
acid. Glutamine is another amino that you
generally cant have too much of. It aids
recovery, keeps your immune system
functioning properly, boosts growth hormone
levels and can even increase metabolic rate.
Getting a dose of creatine with your protein is
also never a bad thing. This will help to keep
your intramuscular levels of this critical
energy supplier high. That can help you
generate more explosive energy when you
need it during workouts to help you get
stronger and grow bigger. It is also a critical
energy supplier for nerve cells and has been
found to aid brain function and enhance
mood. Taurine is another amino acid that you
want to maintain high levels of in your muscle
cells. Exercise has been shown to deplete
taurine and youll want to prevent this since
it is important for maintaining energy and
muscle strength.
GRADE: #####
REASON: Getting an extra dose of these
nutrients with your protein can only enhance
performance and muscle gains. FLEX
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Whether faced
with personal
tragedy (the
death of his mother
in 2005, the murder
of his sister in 2009),
injury (torn patellar
tendon in 2008, a broken
arm in 2012), or other
circumstances, Victor
Martinez continues to
nd the inner strength
to bounce back and
overcome anything
life can throw at him.
Martinez won
the 2000
NPC National
heavyweight
and overall
titles to earn
his IFBB
pro card and
scored his
rst pro win
at the 2003
Night of
Champions.
In 2007, he
came into his
own, winning
the Arnold
Classic, and in what
many felt was a
controversial decision,
placing runner-up at the
Mr Olympia. In 2011, after
winning the inaugural
Arnold Classic Europe in
Spain, he was detained
on immigration issues
upon returning to the
U.S. and held from
October until late
April of 2012. Martinez
returned to competition
this past May at the
New York Pro, where
he placed second. A
week later he won the
Toronto Pro Supershow
to qualify for the 2013
Mr Olympia. Martinezs
laid-back demeanour
underscores a com-
petitive hunger that
has driven him to ve
pro wins and to maintain
his position as a top-tier
athlete for most of his
career. We look forward
to seeing him back in
action on the Olympia
stage. FLEX
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