Fat-Burn Q&A: Stack Your Back

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NOVEMBER 2007 / IRON MAN MAGAZINE WE KNOW TRAINING™
FAT-BURN Q&A
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150 DECEMBER 2009 \ www.ironmanmagazine.com

November 2007 Vol. 66, No. 11
X-treme Lean,
page 146
We Know Training ™
FEATURES
FEATURES
64 TRAIN, EAT, GROW 97
Still learning after all these years. The TEG men made
a number of interesting discoveries as they progressed
through their ’07 ripping phase.
94 STACKED DECK
Cory Crow provides the details on Dan Decker’s back
detailing. Rugged terrain here, gang!
108 A BODYBUILDER IS BORN 28

Ron Harris discusses the fast track in bodybuilding with his
young protégé—and how patience is a virtue in this game.
122 TESTOSTERONE AND GROWTH

HORMONE
Jerry Brainum checks into the research on those
two power-packed bodybuiding hormones and how
replacement therapy can affect the New Get-Big Tactics: FD/FS and Power X-Rep Partials
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Dan Decker and Katie

164 HEAVY DUTY Lohmann, Tanji Johnson
John Little discusses Mike Mentzer’s (inset) appear on this
Consolidation Program and the one- month’s cover. Photo by
Michael Neveux.
set workout—that’s one set of one
exercise in the entire session! Hmm. Here’s the research.
172 EAT YOUR VEGETABLES

Your mom was right, and Clayton South has all the latest
info that backs her up. They’re not just for good health but
for anabolic wealth too. Eat to grow.
182 PXP—POWER X-REP PARTIALS

William Litz puts a new twist on the radically effective
extended-set technique. Prepare for big gains—if you can
blast through the growing pains!
196 FD/FS TRAINING

It’s Eric Broser’s latest mass-building innovation—Fiber
Damage/Fiber Saturation. You gotta try this fusion of
heavy/light all in one workout. Chase that pump!
224 HARDBODY
IFBB figure pro Tanji Johnson has a physique that turns
up the heat. And talk about exotic beauty. Whew!
Only the Strong
Shall Survive, 250 ONLY THE STRONG SHALL SURVIVE
Bill Starr’s take on the bench press—the good, the bad and
page 250
the ugly.

DEPARTMENTS
Power X-Rep Partials,
page 182
28 TRAIN TO GAIN
Use the anabolic rebound to gain ground, hit failure to
succeed and build bigger arms the Arnold way. Joe
Horrigan’s Sportsmedicine is here too.
42 SMART TRAINING
Coach Charles Poliquin provides a dense-muscle-build-
ing routine—to help you avoid the balloon-animal look.
48 EAT TO GROW
Diet wars, glutamine for mind and muscle and longjack
for your testosterone-boosting stack. (It works!)
76 CRITICAL MASS
Steve Holman discusses the size-and strength link.
80 NATURALLY HUGE
John Hansen’s no-bullsh*t natural training split.
86 SHREDDED MUSCLE
Dave Goodin outlines his philosophy for building plenty
Smart of middle-age muscle.
Training,
page 42 190 BODYBUILDING PHARMACOLOGY
Jerry Brainum says the yolks on you. Research shows
that cholesterol is anabolic gold. Pass that omelet!
212 MUSCLE “IN” SITES

Eric Broser finds food and Freeman—as in Toney the
X-man—on the Web. Then he tells you how to get your
chest and back jacked!
216 NEWS & VIEWS

Lonnie Teper highlights the top stars and up-and-com-
ers from the USA Championships and the Teen, Colle-
Muscle “In” Sites, page 212 giate and Masters Nationals.
News & Views, page 216

240 PUMP & CIRCUMSTANCE
Ruth Silverman presents the women’s side of the USA—
plus, a profusion of other shows. Hot photos here!
260 MIND/BODY CONNECTION

Ken O’Neill reviews Ellington Darden’s book, The New
Bodybuilding for Old-School Results.
272 READERS WRITE

Arnold, Rachel redux and shocker mom’s the bomb.
In the next IRON MAN

Next month check out a gym tale from Eric Broser.
It’s a challenge worth its weight in muscle, with
size-building applications you can use to get huge.
We also have an Arthur Jones memorial feature,
complete with a look back at his training prin-
ciples—and a unique high-intensity program to go
Pump & with it. You’ll also gain insight from our Legends of
Circumstance, Bodybuilding interview with Roger Callard, former
page 240 IFBB pro—his workout included. Look for the info-
packed December IRON MAN on newsstands the
first week of November.

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John Balik’s
Founders
Publisher’s Letter 1936-1986:
Peary & Mabel Rader
Publisher/Editorial Director: John Balik
Associate Publisher: Warren Wanderer
Design Director: Michael Neveux
Transformation Editor in Chief: Stephen Holman

Art Director: T. S. Bratcher
Senior Editor: Ruth Silverman
Editor at Large: Lonnie Teper
Part 2 Articles Editors: L.A. Perry, Caryne Brown

Assistant Art Director: Brett R. Miller
Designer: Emerson Miranda
IRON MAN Staff:
Mary Gasca, Vuthy Keo, Mervin Petralba
Last month in this space I discussed Dy- Contributing Authors:
namic Longevity ™, and I want to expand on Jerry Brainum, Eric Broser, David Chapman,
some of those thoughts—as well as the idea Teagan Clive, Lorenzo Cornacchia, Daniel Curtis,
of training for a lifetime. Let’s start with the Dave Draper, Michael Gündill, Rosemary Hallum,
Ph.D., John Hansen, Ron Harris, Ori Hofmekler,
given that you are different from the average Rod Labbe, Skip La Cour, Jack LaLanne, Butch
person in that you read IRON MAN and know Lebowitz, John Little, Stuart McRobert, Gene
what’s involved. You may be 14 or 80, male or Mozée, Charles Poliquin, Larry Scott, Jim
Shiebler, Roger Schwab, Pete Siegel, C.S. Sloan,
female, but the common thread is that you
Bill Starr, Bradley Steiner, Eric Sternlicht, Ph.D.,
understand that physical transformation is Randall Strossen, Ph.D., Richard Winett, Ph.D.,
possible only through a combination of an- and David Young
aerobic work—that is, weight training—plus Contributing Artists:
nutrition, discipline and other relevant fac- Steve Cepello, Larry Eklund, Ron Dunn,
Jake Jones
tors.
Contributing Photographers:
Now, transformation means something different to my teenage chil-
Jim Amentler, Ron Avidan, Roland Balik, Reg
dren from what it means to me. My son wants to be as big and strong as Bradford, Jimmy Caruso, Bill Dobbins, Jerry
possible and to be a better athlete because of it. My daughter wants to Fredrick, Irvin Gelb, Isaac Hinds, Dave Liberman,
be stronger and leaner to be a better dancer and actress. As they both get J.M. Manion, Merv, Gene Mozée, Mitsuru
Okabe, Rob Sims, Ian Sitren, Leo Stern
physically stronger, I see an awareness and growing appreciation for the
feeling of accomplishment they get from the workout. The rewards have Director of Marketing:
Helen Yu, 1-800-570-IRON, ext. 1
begun to expand beyond their original goals.
Accounting: Dolores Waterman
So, regardless of a trainee’s age, the workout builds character, confi- Subscriptions Manager:
dence and a feeling of accomplishment. That cascade of rewards may Sonia Melendez, 1-800-570-IRON, ext. 2
have a bigger impact on your life than the purely physical aspect of E-mail: soniazm@aol.com
training. The process is especially evident in teenagers, who rapidly Advertising Director: Warren Wanderer
evolve on many planes from child to adult right before your eyes. Per- 1-800-570-IRON, ext. 1
(518) 743-1696; FAX: (518) 743-1697
forming a regular, structured workout has made my children much more
Advertising Coordinator:
aware of the relationship between what they eat and how they feel and Jonathan Lawson, (805) 385-3500, ext. 320
the progress they make. I no longer have to preach (as much) about Newsstand Consultant:
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aware of foods and their relationship to your physical well-being further
distances you from the average. We reserve the right to reject any advertising at our
discretion without explanation. All manuscripts, art
The workout is the basis for growth on a multitude of levels, starting or other submissions must be accompanied by a self-
with accepting the rule that there really is no such thing as a free lunch. addressed, stamped envelope. Send submissions to
IRON MAN, 1701 Ives Avenue, Oxnard, CA 93033.
The workout is a great lesson in reality therapy—you are in control, suc- We are not responsible for unsolicited material.
cess or failure. It’s up to you. Arnold has commented many times on how Writers and photographers should send for our
Guidelines outlining specifications for submissions.
the crucible of the workout formed his work ethic and mental tough- IRON MAN is an open forum. We also reserve the
ness, but it doesn’t work just for Arnold. It works for anyone who does right to edit any letter or manuscript as we see
the work. Obviously, Arnold’s accomplishments reside on the extreme fit, and photos submitted have an implied waiver
of copyright. Please consult a physician before
right-hand side of the curve, but the lessons gained from the workout are beginning any diet or exercise program. Use the
available to anyone who wants to learn and grow. information published in IRON MAN at your own
risk.
The power of the workout is in its ability to transform your life in
many different ways. Keep working out. IRON MAN Internet Addresses:
Note: I have started a blog—My Life in Bodybuilding. Please visit the Web Site: www.ironmanmagazine.com
John Balik, Publisher: ironleader@aol.com
Blog section at IronManMagazine.com to read it. I welcome your com-
Steve Holman, Editor in Chief: ironchief@aol.com
ments. IM Ruth Silverman, Senior Editor: ironwman@aol.com
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Jonathan Lawson, Ad Coordinator: ironjdl@aol.com
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26 NOVEMBER 2007 \ www.ironmanmagazine.com
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BIGGER GAINS
Use the Rebound to Gain Ground

If you’re like most bodybuilders, your training year fol- make gains.
lows certain patterns based on the four seasons. Spring Your body
and summer, being the warmer months, are usually when is primed
we decide to get ripped. The goal is to maintain as much for growth,
mass as possible while shedding as much bodyfat as we ready to soak
can. Often competitive bodybuilders select their contests up nutrients
so that they’ll be in shape during the warmer months. like a sponge
It makes sense. Why not look your best when you can and crav-
actually show it off a little? It’s not as if you can go to the ing heavy
mall in January in most parts of the country wearing a weights after
tank top and shorts, at least not without looking either having been
Neveux \ Model: Dorian Yates

incredibly vain or clinically insane. given gradu-
When the cold winter months come, we shift our focus ally lighter
to heavier training with the goal of gaining raw size. Cold- loads over
weather clothing keeps us covered anyway, so it’s not a the weeks
big deal if we get a little soft while piling on mass. In the and months
couple of months of transition between the two phases, as contest
though, we languish in indecision, struggling to figure out day ap-
exactly what we want to accomplish with our training. proached.
On one hand we’re trying to stay somewhat lean. At the Yates claimed he made his most significant gains
same time we feel it’s time to think about making gains in the weeks following the Mr. Olympia every year, and
again. We lose valuable training time because we lack a many credit Cutler’s immediate return to the gym after
clear direction. It’s happened to me many times, and it the big show with his upset of the supposedly unbeat-
should sound familiar to a lot of you too. able Coleman last year. Cutler was gaining ground on his
After some thought, here’s what I propose: Whether arch-nemesis while Ronnie was kicking back in Texas.
you’re competing or not, consider yourself on a contest Even if you don’t compete, you can reap the same
diet for at least the duration of the summer. Eat clean, in- benefits by following the pattern. Don’t squander pre-
crease your cardio, and make a solid effort to get as lean cious time and miss an opportunity to put on some
as you can. Pick a certain day when you want to look significant new size. Choose a date on which you’ll be in
your best—maybe a Labor Day barbecue at the beach, your best condition, and consider that contest day. The
and your sister is bringing her hot friend; an actual con- very next day shift gears. Reduce your cardio, jack up
test in late August or early September; or a photo shoot your calories (a few cheat meals a week are fine), and
with a professional photographer who’s recording your train with heavy, straight sets on the basic compound
progress and your peak condition this year. movements. Don’t fret too much about losing your defini-
Next, take advantage of a trick that Mr. Olympia cham- tion—you may be surprised at how lean you can stay for
pions Dorian Yates and Jay Cutler are famous for. When at least a couple of months, as your metabolism will take
the big show was over, most of their rivals went on vaca- a while to slow down from your dieting phase. Whatever
tion, or at least took a hiatus from the gym. It could be you do, though, don’t remain stuck in some limbo where
a week or two, or, in extreme cases, what Ronnie Cole- you’re neither gaining muscle nor losing fat. Results
man did for many years, go for months without touching always follow clear goals. And in this case one naturally
Balik \ Model: Jay Cutler
a weight. A lot of competitors believe their bodies and follows another in a stunning way that you must experi-
minds need a break after all the months of strict dieting ence to appreciate. —Ron Harris
and rigorous training, but that’s the absolute best time to www.RonHarrisMuscle.com

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EFFICIENCY OF EFFORT
Fierce Fiber
Activation
Q: I read that the myotatic re-
flex will get more fibers to fire in
a muscle and that to get the ben-
efits of it, you have to bounce the
weight along the range of motion.
How do I know if I’m bouncing
enough to get the effect?
A: When they wheel you into the
operating room to reattach your torn liga-
ments and tendons. Seriously, don’t ever
bounce along the range of motion. Some
advanced athletes use a plyometric
technique to enhance explosiveness and
improve performance on the playing field,
but it’s not necessary for most body-
builders, and it can be dangerous. That’s
not to say you have to forget about the
heightened fiber activation associated
Roland Balik
with the myotatic reflex.
BIGGER BODYPARTS Dennis Wolf. While most of the studies on pre-
stretch involve a rapid shift from the
Boulder Shoulders Big Bad Wolf style eccentric to the concentric stroke of a
repetition, my contention is that when a
Some of the very best shoulders in pro bodybuilding are perched atop the clavicles muscle is put in its ultimate stretch posi-
of rookie sensation Dennis Wolf from Germany, winner of the ’07 Keystone Pro Clas- tion—such as the bottom of an overhead
sic. Certainly genetics have something to do with his dazzling deltoid development, but extension—a simple twitch to reverse the
there are also a few lessons to be learned from the Big Bad Wolf: movement will trigger the myotatic reflex
1) Stick with the basics. Wolf has been training for more than 10 years, but and put the muscle in a hypercontracted
his shoulder workout today is nearly identical to the one he was doing a decade ago. state. That’s one reason I recommend
While other bodybuilders may consider themselves so “advanced” that they include a
that bodybuilders use stretch-position
variety of machines and cables, Wolf still uses a barbell and dumbbells to get the job
movements—such as stiff-legged dead-
done. Military presses, dumbbell laterals and bent-over laterals form the crux of his
lifts, incline curls, overhead extensions,
routine now, as they did then. “The basics work so well that you would be foolish to
stop doing them,” he explains in his no-nonsense style. “I think a lot of guys stop mak- sissy squats and pullovers—at almost
ing progress—and assume they have reached their full potential—simply because they every workout. Getting more fibers to
abandon the most productive exercises.” fire at any one gym session is a key to
2) Train shoulders on their own day. “I trained chest and shoulders in the achieving the fastest development, but
same workout just once, and never again,” declares Wolf. He instinctively picked up you don’t have to bounce a weight to get
on something that many bodybuilders take years to figure out and some never tune that positive reaction—unless you really
into. There’s simply no way you can do justice to presses for the chest and overhead enjoy tendon-reattachment surgery.
presses for the shoulders in the same training session. If you choose to ignore that, —Steve Holman
your shoulders will never be trained with the energy and intensity they deserve, and Train, Eat, Grow
your gains will stop short of your true potential. Dennis not only trains shoulders on a
different day from when he trains chest but also separates the two bodyparts by four Editor’s note: Train, Eat, Grow—
days in the training week. That ensures full recovery and eliminates overlap between The Positions-of-Flexion Muscle-Training
the two muscle groups. Manual is available from Home-Gym.com,
3) Prioritize rear delts. To a lot of bodybuilders, rear delts aren’t much more or call (800) 447-0008.
than an afterthought. You see a whole lot of shoulders with good mass in the front and
some size to the side heads but not much of anything in the back. From the side it’s a
pretty incomplete look—as if you had something removed surgically back there. Wolf
noticed such a disparity but caught it in time to do something about it. “For a long time
I did rear delts first in my shoulder workout, so they were hit hard,” he says. They soon
caught up with his front and side heads, and today Wolf’s delts look full and thick from
every angle.
4) Hit traps on shoulder day. Bodybuilders often agonize over when to train
their traps—on shoulder day or with the back? Dennis Wolf doesn’t hesitate to give
Neveux \ Model: Dan Decker
what he feels is the definitive answer. “Traps should be trained with shoulders,” he
declares. “The back is too large and complex a muscle group to add anything else
to that workout. If you are already doing chins, deadlifts, pulldowns and rows, I don’t
see how you can possibly have energy left over to really stimulate the traps enough to
make them grow.”
Those are a few tips from a man who owns a pair of truly amazing shoulders. Apply
his methods and get yours growing too! —Ron Harris

YOU CAN BENCH BIG
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But nine times out of 10 this stall is
due to an easily correctible muscle
weakness—not in the pecs, delts
or triceps but in a group of muscles
known as the rotator cuff.
The rotator cuff muscles stabilize

the shoulder joint. During the bench
press and almost all other upper-
body movements these muscles
protect the shoulder joint and
prevent ball-and-socket slippage. If
these muscles are underdeveloped,
they become the weak link in the
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shoulder. One of the best ways to
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TRAIN TO GAIN MATURE MUSCLE
Bigger Arms: Short-Biceps Solutions

Q: I’m 56 years old and extension on each rep, keeping
have been training for 10 his shoulder and body perfectly
years. I’ve been making still—just his forearm moved up
gains in most areas, but I and down, turning his wrist as he
can’t seem to get my biceps curled. Each time he raised the
to grow. They are short, and weight and turned his wrist, his
I can’t get them to fill out biceps seemed to grow.
or to peak. Do you have any That’s the law of biomechan-
advice? ics for the wrist-biceps con-
A: First, there’s a bodybuilding nection: The more that you can
myth that says you can lengthen supinate your wrist, the higher
your biceps if they’re “short”; your biceps will grow. For that
that is, the biceps are attached reason it’s difficult to understand
in such a way as to appear that why so many people curl with a
the lower part of the muscle is cambered, or EZ-curl, bar, which
an inch or more above the elbow positions your wrists between
Neveux \ Model: Omar Deckard

joint. People used to believe, and supinated and neutral, so you
some still do, that performing a lot cannot achieve peak contrac-
of preacher curls could lengthen tion.
the biceps muscle. Unfortunately, Try doing the following twice
that’s physiologically impossible. in an eight-day rotation:
Where your biceps attach and Straight-bar curls, one
how much muscle fiber they warmup set of 15 to 20 reps
contain is totally genetic and can- with 50 percent of your work
not be changed. That’s not to say that you cannot make them weight, then three sets of nine to 10 hard reps.
bigger or more peaked. As soon as you have finished your final set, grab a mod-
The thickness of your wrists indicates how big in circumfer- erately heavy dumbbell that you can control, sit on a bench,
ence your biceps can naturally become. For example, some- and let the dumbbell hang down between your legs, shoulders
one whose wrist measures 6 3/4 inches can never (without the slightly down, with the working arm resting against the inner
aid of steroids and/or growth hormone) reach a biceps circum- thigh, slightly above the knee. At the bottom of the stroke,
ference even approaching 20 inches. That person is not struc- your wrist is in a neutral position, palm facing back. As you
turally built for huge biceps. It’s an evolutionary governor—we curl, start turning the dumbbell so that it reaches full supination
can never be at the top, contracted position. Try to turn the pinky-finger-
stronger than side of your hand as high as possible. As you come to peak
what our bones contraction, hold it for a millisecond, squeeze and then lower
can handle. the weight, reversing the supinating action. Keep your elbow
Balik \ Model: Arnold Schwarzenegger
So what slightly forward of your shoulder, and be sure to squeeze as

do you do for hard as possible while the wrist is in the most supinated posi-
biceps when tion to peak the biceps. Try three sets of eight to 10 perfect
you don’t have reps.
a great deal of After those three sets rest your arm against your inner thigh
tissue and you and squeeze in the supinated peak-contracted position as
do have a high you apply resistance to your arm with the other hand. Do that
biceps tendon for each arm until it is fully engorged, and watch your biceps
insertion? Su- change within a few weeks.
pination, or twisting the hand and wrist during one-arm curls. —Paul Burke
That can “change” the shape of the biceps. As I indicated, in
most cases it’s impossible to change a muscle’s shape, but in
this case the wrist can help create peak. Editor’s note: To contact Paul
You’ll see what I mean when you try it: With your left hand Burke, write to pbptb@aol.com.
on your right biceps, turn your right wrist clockwise as far as Burke has a master’s degree in inte-
possible and notice what your biceps do; then reverse the grated studies from Cambridge Col-
movement. As you turn your wrist clockwise (counter-clock- lege in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
wise for the left wrist), the biceps moves up the arm. As you He’s been a champion bodybuilder
rotate your wrist the opposite way, the biceps is stretched and arm wrestler, and he’s considered
downward. That means that the farther you supinate your wrist a leader in the field of over-40 fitness
while doing curls, the more of a peak you’ll make. training. You can purchase his book,
Some people have a genetic advantage here as well; how- Burke’s Law—a New Fitness Para-
ever, anyone can make flexed biceps bigger and higher by digm for the Mature Male, from Home
doing concentration curls with wrist supination. When I first Gym Warehouse. Call (800) 447-
met Arnold in 1974, he said that exercise was his favorite for 0008, or visit www.Home-Gym.com.
biceps. When he began doing it, I watched very closely as he His “Burke’s Law” training DVD is also
executed a very smooth and continuous supination and full now available.

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TRAIN TO GAIN HIGH INTENSITY
Hit Failure to Succeed? Will all-out training all the

time build more muscle?
Years ago I underwent an ex- bodybuilder to break through a tough
tended period of high-intensity plateau, in which muscular gains have
training. I used a program similar to ceased for an extended time. I recall
that espoused by Arthur Jones, the Aaron Baker, one of the most under-
inventor of the Nautilus and Med- rated pro bodybuilders ever, switching
Ex exercise machines—training to to an HIT, training-to-failure system
utter failure. His rationale was that under the guidance of Mike Mentzer.
training to failure was the only way Baker made impressive gains and
to ensure that you worked all avail- thickened his physique considerably
Neveux \ Models: Mike Mentzer and Aaron Baker

able muscle fibers to capacity, which on the program, but he, too, eventually
in turn would practically guarantee returned to conventional training.
gains in muscular size and strength. Jones believed that training to
Since I’d never trained that way, my failure works because you activate
initial gains were spectacular. Most the muscle fibers most amenable to
of my training buddies at Gold’s gains in size and strength, the type
Gym in Venice accused me of taking 2B fibers. Although Jones didn’t have
anabolic steroids. I went from 180 to much faith in conventional science, his
225 pounds in six months, a gain of thoughts on training to failure had a
45 pounds of pure muscle, and my sound scientific basis. Muscles work in
strength increased accordingly. an orderly recruitment pattern, with the
I was training at the gym one smaller type 1, or slow-twitch, muscle
afternoon when I sensed that I was being observed by someone. fibers activated first. As the exercise intensity increases, the type 1
That someone turned out to be the future governor of California, fiber fatigue and the brunt of the exercise movement are taken up
Arnold Schwarzenegger. by the type 2As, then the type 2Bs. Training to failure is so intense
“You cannot keep training like that,” said Arnold. that the type 2B fibers are guaranteed to come into play unless
“Why not?” I replied. “I’m making the best gains of my life on you use too light a weight. In that case, the cause of muscle failure
this type of training.” would be metabolic, such as increased muscle acidity or a drop in
“You cannot keep training so intensely all the time, because creatine levels.
either your mind or your body will eventually give out,” warned Training to failure works only when you truly train to failure. It’s
Arnold as he strode away to do another set of arm work without easier said than done. Many bodybuilders who think they’re train-
going to failure. ing to failure are stopping considerably short of the true exhaustion
Arnold’s prediction came true. Although I was training only three point. Training to failure is particularly vital if you engage in a typical
days a week, working the entire body with minimal sets and maxi- low-volume HIT program, doing only one or two sets per exercise.
mum intensity as prescribed by Jones, I came to a point where I Most studies that have compared single sets to multiple sets have
just dreaded going to the gym—it repulsed me. I wound up lay- found multiple sets superior to single sets for stimulating mus-
ing off for a week, then returning to a more conventional style of cular size and strength. Many of them featured untrained college
training. students who were incapable of training to failure, even under the
A recent review examined whether training to failure is right for guidance of trainers. Under such circumstances it’s understand-
all types of weight training, even that featuring multiple sets. The able that multiple sets would prove superior.
author noted that training to failure is an ideal way for an advanced Training to true failure may prove too difficult for some. One
study comparing multiple-set to single-set training found that
X-FILES training to failure during a single set resulted in a lowering of rest-
ing levels of insulinlike growth factor 1. By contrast, those in the
For big multiple-set group had lower resting cortisol and higher total
Phase Training gaining testosterone, which favors an anabolic effect in muscle. On the
other hand, another study found that training to failure followed
by an immediate reduction in weight with the set continuing—a
In all of our e-books (and Steve’s training books, like Train, technique known as drop sets—led to greater gains in muscle size
Eat, Grow) we emphasize alternating periods of high-intensi- and strength, which was attributed to increased growth hormone
ty X-Rep-style workouts with one to two weeks of subfailure release.
sessions. It’s called phase training, and it’s a prerequisite for According to the new review, training to failure should be used
getting the most growth from high-intensity-style workouts. in a periodized fashion. Doing it all the time may result in overtrain-
Here’s a section from Chapter 14—50 Ultimate Mass Tactics ing and overuse injuries. Older people and those with muscle or
from our e-book The Ultimate Mass Workout that drives skeletal injuries should probably avoid training to failure, as the
technique is too intense for them. The author of the review also
home the point:
thinks that those who train recreationally or are not interested in
26) Take three steps forward, then a half step
competition should also avoid it, an opinion I would disagree with.
back. After six to eight weeks of hard training, back off on
Since training to failure remains an effective method for breaking
the intensity for a week or two or take four to seven days through a stubborn training plateau, it can be useful for anyone
off from the gym. That will let your nervous system heal who lifts weights and is interested in making muscular gains. Just
and your recovery ability regroup so you can ratchet up the don’t do it all the time or for an extended time.
intensity again without overtraining. In other words, you can —Jerry Brainum
take three more growth steps forward instead of having your
feet stuck in no-grow quicksand. Willardson, J.M. (2007). The application of training to failure in
—Steve Holman and Jonathan Lawson periodized multiple-set resistance exercise programs. J Strength
www.X-Rep.com Cond Res. 21:628-31.

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HARDGAINER
TRAIN TO GAIN
The Stretching Imperative Why you should stretch
Stretching increases the length of muscle fibers.

Individual muscle fibers can grow longer within a
muscle because of the addition of sarcomeres, tiny
contractile units, and the connective tissue in and
around a muscle can expand, including
the fascia that surrounds the bundles
of muscle fibers. Fascia is a band, or
sheath, of connective tissue that supports,
binds, covers and separates muscles and
groups of muscles and organs.
Nerves also respond to stretching.
Neveux \ Model: Clark Bartram

Nerves don’t take a straight course
through the tissues that surround them.
When stretched, however, they are pulled
somewhat straight. The meandering path of
the individual fibers within a nerve can also
be straightened in response to a stretch.
The enveloping connective tissue has suf-
ficient elasticity to accommodate some
additional stretch without damaging the become more susceptible to injury, and the body ages at an
enclosed nerve fibers. accelerated rate.
Strength training that uses full range of motion Should you ever become excessively flexible, which is
can help promote flexibility, but there are some extraordinarily rare, ease back on stretching. The muscles will
motions that strength training doesn’t typically get shorter, and the connective tissues will soon follow suit.
cover. Furthermore, some strength-training So what’s the best type of stretching?
exercises can’t be performed over the fullest Conventional stretching routines, provided they’re done
possible range of motion without risk of injury. safely and progressively, can produce excellent results. One
A good stretching routine can, however, cover of the best forms of stretching, perhaps the best, though,
those ranges of motion safely. is hatha yoga. If done incorrectly, however, hatha yoga will
If you don’t have a supple body, move- produce injury. So warm up properly, and then perform a se-
ment in general quence of main postures intermingled with rest postures and
becomes restricted, compensation (or counter) postures, selected by an expert
the body has re- teacher. You want to make progress slowly.
duced resilience to Hatha yoga, which is composed mainly of physical pos-
withstand sudden tures, is one of the eight branches of yoga—the best known
movements safely, branch in the West. It’s an ancient system of exercise that’s
dynamic balance is revered by millions of people. It doesn’t require freak-show
impaired, and the flexibility or have anything to do with chanting, gurus or re-
body’s loose con- ligion. You don’t need to learn any strange jargon, Sanskrit
nective tissue loses names or New Age philosophy.
its lubricating prop- The practice of hatha yoga develops flexibility and pro-
erties. (Loose con- motes many other health benefits, and it’s for women and
nective tissue fills men. Some top athletes in professional sports have discov-
the spaces between ered its benefits.
muscle, nervous For an introduction to hatha yoga and to find out about
and epithelial tis- how some star athletes use it as part of their program for
sues and between peak performance, see Real Men Do Yoga by John Capouya
bone and carti- (2003, Health Communications).
lage, tendons and —Stuart McRobert
ligaments, and joints www.Hardgainer.com
and joint capsules.)
Muscles lose some Editor’s note: Stuart McRobert’s
of their elasticity first byline in IRON MAN appeared in
Neveux \ Model: Cara Basso
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SPORTSMEDICINE
TRAIN TO GAIN
Pulldowns and Knee Injuries Leg injuries from back exercises?
The pulldown is During that time

considered a very the patient could
safe exercise. It’s not play tennis
often included in or squat, but his
the early stages of heavy upper-body
rehab after shoulder training continued.
and back injuries. When the patient
There are a few went to perform
precautions, such as pulldowns, he
avoiding the behind- felt the knee pain
the-neck variation, again. As it turned
especially if you have out, his home
neck and shoulder pulldown machine
problems. Another was different from
thing to avoid: Don’t many professional
let your arms stretch and commercial-
out completely and gym machines.
then relax. Trying Most of the com-
to get the “extra” mercial models
stretch can be harm- have a
ful. That makes the large
weight act as trac- cross bar
tion and can stretch and/or pad to slide
the ligaments in your knees under.
your shoulder. I’ve It usually comes
discussed these from the main part
precautions in this of the machine at-
space before. tached to another
I saw a new pull- bar that’s parallel
Neveux \ Model: Hubert Morandell

down injury recently. to the floor. The
A recreational trainee home pulldown
enjoyed weight machine had a
training and set up a vertical bar directly
nice home gym. He under the pad that
also played a fairly held the thigh pad
aggressive game of and bar in place.
tennis. He usually When the trainee
played four times per performed heavy
week for 90 to 120 minutes each session. He used the West- pulldowns, his inner thighs pulled into the vertical bar, which
ern style of hitting, which can cause a great deal of rotation in was square-tube metal. He was irritating the nerve with ten-
the hip and knee. He began to develop pain along the inner nis, but he was also irritating it higher on his thigh by com-
border of the knee and below the knee. It began to interfere pressing it against the pulldown machine.
with his tennis game, so he switched to more weight training I’ve worked in sportsmedicine for many years, but that in-
and less tennis. jury was new to me. Dr. Carden had seen it previously but as
He kept increasing the poundage on pulldowns, dumbbell a result of different causes, including surgery. Since then we
rows, dumbbell presses and all the rest of the exercises, es- have used a long-term block of the nerve done with a radio-
pecially since he didn’t have the energy drain from tennis. The frequency procedure, and the trainee is without symptoms,
knee pain lingered. An MRI revealed a tear of the cartilage enjoying tennis and weight training.
inside the knee joint; however, that tear didn’t anatomically This story reflects my and Dr. Carden’s theory of the injury
correlate with his pain and with the fact that he could perform and hasn’t been proved concretely. The most we can say
squats with 250 pounds and walk up stairs without knee is that our theory appears to fit, and we’ll watch for more of
pain. His heavy weight training continued. these cases as home gyms become more popular. If any
I became suspicious that the guy had an irritated nerve IRON MAN readers are having complicated or frustrating
where the pain was—the infrapatellar branch of the saphe- knee injuries that don’t seem to have a direct cause, please
nous nerve, to be exact. It’s a nerve that doesn’t supply any contact me at the Soft Tissue Center. —Joseph M. Horrigan
muscles. Due to the intermittent results of previous treat-
ment, I advised him to see a chronic-pain specialist, Edward Editor’s note: Visit www.SoftTissueCenter.com for
Carden, M.D., at Diagnostic and Interventional Spinal Care in reprints of Horrigan’s past Sportsmedicine columns that have
Marina del Rey, California. Dr. Carden blocked the nerve with appeared in IRON MAN. You can order the books, Strength,
a local anesthetic, and the pain improved. We now knew the Conditioning and Injury Prevention for Hockey by Joseph
pain was being generated outside the knee rather than inside Horrigan, D.C., and E.J. “Doc” Kreis, D.A., and the 7-Minute
the joint. The first block was designed to last a few days to Rotator Cuff Solution by Horrigan and Jerry Robinson from
see if it helped at all. The pain returned after a few days, and Home Gym Warehouse, (800) 447-0008 or at www
we used a longer block that could last three weeks or more. .Home-Gym.com.

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Charles Poliquin’s
Smart Training
body hasn’t evolved that much since
Balloon the ’80s (or in the last 40,000 years for

that matter), it’s still a rather effective
approach.
Animals? The method calls for using a weight

that lets you easily do seven sets of
three reps, and you increase the weight
only when you can complete seven sets
of five. Be patient; do not increase the
Q: I want to get stronger and weight until you can get all seven sets
bigger, but I don’t want that empty of five. Stick to most-bang-for-your-
strength look—like an overinflated buck exercises—there’s no room for
balloon ready to pop. What kind of flyes and kickbacks here.
routine would you recommend for
that? A typical program would look like
A: A lot of trainees want to be stron- this:
ger. They want the look of power—a
look that demands respect, not ridicule. They want a look DAY 1
reminiscent of the physique of powerlifting champion A: Power cleans from floor, 7 x 3-5, 1/0/X/0,
David Estep or Olympic lifting superstar David Riggert— rest 3 minutes
lots of muscle, but useful muscle. What sets and reps best B: Front squats, 7 x 3-5, 4/0/X/0, rest 3 minutes
accomplish that?
I’d say one to two exercises per bodypart, using a 7 x 3-5 DAY 2
scheme, at a 3/0/X/0 tempo. The 7 x 3-5 was a staple of A-1: V-bar dips, 7 x 3-5, 4/0/X/0, rest 100 seconds
Hungarian lifters’ training in the early ’80s. As the human A-2: Lean away chins, 7 x 3-5, 4/0/X/0, rest 100 seconds
DAY 3
A: Power snatches from blocks, 7 x 3-5,
1/0/X/0, rest 3 minutes
B: Squats (heels elevated four inches,
narrow stance), 7 x 3-5, 4/0/X/0, rest 3
minutes
DAY 4
A-1: Incline dumbbell curls, 7 x 3-5,
4/0/X/0, rest 100 seconds
A-2: Thick-bar close-grip bench presses
in rack, 7 x 3-5, 2/2/1/0, rest 100 sec-
onds
DAY 5
Off
You can do some remedial work at the

end of each workout. Twenty minutes
should suffice. For example, do grip work
on day 4, calf work on day 3 and so on.
Give the program a trial for a month,
and people will start screaming, “The
barbarians are coming. The barbarians
are coming.”
Q: How can I tell if I have the ge-

netic potential for bodybuilding? I
want to know if I’m wasting my time.
My high school buddy seems to grow
Neveux \ Model: Greg Blount
To get that power-packed

look, stick to most-bang-
for-your-buck exercises,
like front squats.

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Whatever You Need—Wherever You Train™

Calves and forearms that respond
easily and are large even when
not trained directly are good
indicators of bodybuilding
potential.
rumored that the former East German

sports establishment tried reattaching the
muscle insertions of wrestlers and judo-
kas, in hopes of producing supermen. Of
course, the coordination mechanisms were
severely disrupted, so the concept was
promptly discarded—probably after a few
athletes missed their mouths and stuck ice
cream cones in their foreheads.
Are your forearms big without
being trained? Long-term studies done
in the Polish school system in the early ’70s
revealed that the best anatomical predictor
of the capacity to gain strength and power
was the girth of the kid’s calf, and the
second best was the girth of the forearm.
An untrained kid with 16-inch calves and
14-inch forearms is usually prime stock
for power sports. Since the study involved
more than 40,000 pupils, we can rely on
it, and I’m certain the data also apply to
bodybuilding. Many of the most massive
bodybuilders, such as Casey Viator and
Mike Matarazzo, had massive calves and
forearms to start with. Former Mr. Olympia
Chris Dickerson was born with tremen-
dous calves and barely trained them to
achieve the highest IFBB crown.
Is your hormone makeup condu-
just from looking at a barbell, while I have to bust cive to size and strength? The ideal hormone makeup
my ass to gain five pounds in a year. What are the for bodybuilding includes a high production of androgens
genetic factors that make for bodybuilding suc- and growth hormone, low levels of cortisol and sensitivity
cess? to insulin. Those who have a superior hormone makeup
A: Ask yourself the following questions: like that will grow muscle even in untrained bodyparts. I
How good are your muscle-length attachments? remember 23 years ago visiting Dr. Dietmar Schmidtble-
The lower a muscle inserts, the more size potential it
has. The concept isn’t new—look at the statues made in
ancient Rome and Greece. Depictions of Hercules show
him with low muscle insertions. It’s easy to see the muscle
insertions in the biceps. Larry Scott and Arnold Schwar-
zenegger are classic examples of people blessed with long
muscle bellies in the elbow flexors. Notice that people
with great lat development have very low insertions—
Franco Columbu and Ronnie Coleman come immediately
to mind. Some rare individuals have low muscle insertions
in all muscle groups, which enables them to achieve rapid
success in bodybuilding. The most striking example of
that is Casey Viator, who won the Mr. America at the age
of 19. Apparently his arms were more than 17 inches when
he was 17—that is, the first day he started training. Yet the
Nautilus company used him extensively as a propaganda
model to illustrate how great their machines were.
The lower the insertion, the higher the mechanical
advantage, thus the more force one can produce. It was

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Charles Poliquin’s
Smart Training
tive processes were far
superior to the average
professional bodybuild-
er’s, and he therefore
approached contest
preparation in a more ra-
tional and methodologi-
cal manner. On the other
hand, I’ve seen some very
successful and yet very
dumb people succeed be-
cause they were coached
by people who knew what
they were doing.
I wouldn’t get too hung
up on the genetic compo-
nent, as many very good
bodybuilders started out
with less than optimal
genetics. Larry Scott may
Mozée \ Model: Larry Scott

have been born with great
potential for upper-arm
hypertrophy, yet his bone
shoulder width was, let’s
say, not the best. With
constant effort, however,
Don’t give up. Larry Scott overcame some genetic deficiencies, like he overcame his genetic
narrow clavicles, to win the Mr. Olympia. drawback and became fa-
mous not only for his arm
development but also for
icher at the Sport Science Institute of the University his massive delts.
of Freiburg. He was showing me CAT scans of subjects You may not have the ideal genetics for bodybuilding,
who had undergone a triceps-training protocol, and the but if you enjoy weight training, that is most important.
ones with the highest hormone profiles had experienced Don’t forget that regular weight training has many health
growth not only in the triceps brachii but also in the bra- benefits that you may not yet appreciate, such as lowering
chialis and biceps, which function antagonistically to the of blood fats, prevention of osteoporosis and so on. Plenty
triceps. of baby boomers out there just started training five years
Do you have superior neurological efficiency? ago and have much better physiques than genetically
In gym jargon, that translates to: Are you a rep guy or a gifted 20-year-olds who have sedentary lifestyles.
weight guy? A rep guy will do 20 reps at 80 percent of his
max, while a weight guy will only do three. The average Editor’s note: Charles Poliquin is recognized as one
trainee will do about seven reps at that percentage. The of the world’s most successful strength coaches, hav-
better-blessed individuals are the weight guys, who can ing coached Olympic medalists in 12 different sports,
achieve high loads for maximum singles. They can tap into including the U.S. women’s track-and-field team for the
a greater portion of their muscle fibers. Even so, neurolog- 2000 Olympics.
ical efficiency is the least important factor for bodybuild- He’s spent years
ing; I’ve encountered many professional bodybuilders researching Eu-
who were neither rep nor weight types. ropean journals
How good is your black box? More often than not, (he’s fluent in
trainees count out intelligence as a predictor of body- English, French
building improvement, especially when genetics on the and German) and
physical side are suboptimal. Intelligent people search speaking with
out solutions to their problems. Just look at Mr. Olympia other coaches and
winners Larry Scott, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Frank scientists in his
Zane. They overcame flaws through diligent observation quest to optimize
and path corrections, then achieved tremendous results. training methods.
Fellow IRON MAN writers and others have said that the For more on his
governator’s drive in his workouts was so high that he books, seminars
used to burn out training partners by the dozen. Fortu- and methods, visit
nately, the Austrian Oak was never short of partners, as www.Charles
Bradford
everyone wanted to share his glory. Twelve years ago over Poliquin.net. Also
lunch, Dan Duchaine observed that one of the reasons he see his ad on page
thought Dorian Yates was so successful was that his cogni- 193. IM Charles Poliquin
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Train ™ \ JULY 2006 181
EAT TO
NUTRITION SCIENCE
Diet Wars
In an effort to clear up the consid-
Who wins in the battle of the bulge reduction?
of many other diet-comparison studies, Atkins suggested that control of insulin,
erable confusion about which diet is all of which showed that not only do a cornerstone of low-carb diets, would
most effective for fat loss, researchers low-carb diets prove superior for more than make up for eating lots of
from Stanford University spent a year fat loss, but they also produce fat. Besides, because carbs are so
testing four popular diet plans on 311 health benefits. restricted on the Atkins plan, most of
overweight women, aged 25 to 50. The greatest criticism of low-carb the dietary fat is oxidized.
Published in the prestigious Journal of diets is that their high fat content pre- Dean Ornish, also a cardiologist
the American Medical Association, the disposes dieters to cardiovascular and whose diet philosophy is the op-
study examined the Atkins low-carb disease. That was adamantly denied posite of Atkins when it comes to eat-
plan, which starts at 20 grams a day by Robert Atkins, M.D., the heart spe- ing fat, noted that levels of low-density
of carbs and gradually increases to 50 cialist who developed the Atkins diet. lipoprotein, or LDL, which is linked to
grams a day; the Zone diet, cardiovascular disease, rose
which features a percent- in those who followed a low-
age formula of 40-30-30 for carb diet during the study.
carbs, protein and fat; the As one of the authors noted,
LEARN plan, a traditional however, blood triglycerides
balanced diet usually sug- dropped more than 30 per-
gested for promoting good cent in the low-carb dieters.
heath, consisting of 55 to That’s significant because
60 percent carbs and less when triglycerides drop, you
than 10 percent saturated fat get a larger, more buoyant
intake; and the Ornish diet, LDL molecule. The type of
which contains 10 percent LDL linked to cardiovascular
fat or less. The Zone and disease is small and dense
LEARN plans call for a spe- and is more likely to oxidize
cific daily calorie limit, while than the larger version. LDL is
the Atkins and Ornish plans dangerous only when oxi-
don’t. dized.
Those in the Atkins group Other critics of the new
lost an average of 10.4 study said that while those
pounds over the year. That on the Atkins diet clearly lost
Neveux \ Model: Daniele Seccarecci
compares to a 5.7-pound more fat initially, after a year

loss for the LEARN group, the differences in fat loss from
4.8 pounds for the Ornish the diets become similar. The
dieters and 3.5 pounds for women on the Atkins plan
those on the Zone. The found it easy to follow, with
study confirmed the findings
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Nutrition With a Get-Big Mission
no precise guidelines other than carb
restriction. The high-protein feature of
the Atkins diet brings greater satiety,
making it far easier to stick with than
lowfat, high-carb diets like the Ornish
Because most people diet to lose
bodyfat, it’s just common sense that
the diet with the best results would be
more motivating. Losing fat is impor-
tant for health reasons because ex-
true that glycogen, which is the major
exercise fuel source in muscles, is
itself a complex carbohydrate, but it’s
not that difficult to take your
carbs in strategically, meaning
plan, on which most people get raven- cess bodyfat triggers inflammation all before and after training. That
ously hungry. over the body that’s linked to all forms makes for maximum fat burning
Those in the Atkins group also had of disease and mortality, including while providing needed energy.
elevations in high-density-lipoprotein cardiovascular disease and cancer. —Jerry Brainum
cholesterol, which protects against Bodybuilders used low carb-diets
cardiovascular disease. HDL tends to long before they became popular with Gardner, C.D., et al. (2007). Com-
rise with a higher fat intake, an effect the public. In fact, most top body- parison of the Atkins, Zone, Ornish
confirmed with those who followed the builders still rely on carb restriction to and LEARN diets for change in weight
Ornish lowfat plan. No change at all get into contest condition. They know and related risk factors among over-
occurred in their HDL levels, although that when you control insulin release, weight women. JAMA. 297:969-77.
LDL did drop. you rapidly tap into bodyfat stores. It’s
VITAMINS
D Is for Disease Derailer

There’s been a lot of information in IRON MAN lately on
the importance of vitamin D, and for good reason. It helps
prevent a number of diseases, including cancer. Harvard
research recently showed a connection between higher lev-
els of vitamin D and a reduced risk of developing multiple
sclerosis, a neurological disease, by more than 60 percent.
That explains why MS is more prevalent in areas where
there are longer periods of less sunlight. Being out in the
sun triggers your body to produce vitamin D.
It’s also possible that vitamin D can help prevent the flu.
Dr. John Cannell, a psychiatrist at the Atascadero State
Hospital in California, gave his patients vitamin D supple-
ments. In 2005 there was a severe flu outbreak, and none
of his patients got the flu, even though they were in contact
Neveux \ Model: Sherry Goggin
with others who had it.

It appears that vitamin D boosts production of white
blood cells, which improves immune function.
—Becky Holman
www.X-tremeLean.com
www.ironmanmagazine.com \ NOVEMBER 2007 49

LIFT BIG TO GET BIG
Build Incredible Pressing Power and Bulletproof Shoulders
Unfortunately, shoulder injury

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Eat to Grow
NUTRITION NOTES
Food Facts
That can affect your
workouts, weight and wellness
Watermelon con-
tains key nutrients like
lycopene and beta-
carotene, which
increase if you let
the melon ripen at
room temperature
for a few days. Re-
frigeration slows the
ripening process, which
means less lycopene and
beta-carotene.
Melatonin, a hormone
linked to relaxation
and sleep, may also
be an antiaging
Neveux
nutrient. Mice given
the compound had
WARRIOR NUTRITION AND EXERCISE less oxidative dam-
age and inflamma-
Glutamine for Mind and Muscle tion, both of which

age cells. A few mil-
ligrams of melatonin
before bedtime is
Glutamine is a free-form amino acid that nourishes your brain. The main
a common prescription for sounder
fuel for the brain is glucose, and when glucose supply is short, the brain sleep—and apparently slower aging.
converts glutamine into glucose and uses it as a reserve fuel. Glutamine also Flatulent
works as a neurotransmitter, boosting feelings of well-being and assertive- fact: The av-
erage person
ness. passes gas
When you take glutamine on an empty stomach, it crosses the brain bar- about a dozen
rier and does its job as a brain booster. When you take it with food, however, times a day. It’s
caused by eating
it doesn’t reach the brain. The body will use it as fuel or to replenish the lining
foods that are
of the digestive tract. harder to digest,
Glutamine is believed to be a stress-hormone blocker. Essential for the like fiber, crucif-
erous vegetables
anabolic process, it’s found in very high concentration in muscle tissue. Every
and, of course,
time you’re under physical stress, your muscles lose glutamine. Chronic de- beans. Try to
pletion of it may lead to loss of muscle tissue. A proper diet should be ade- avoid those foods a few hours before
quate to supply your body’s demand for glutamine, but it’s worth considering your leg workout.
Capsaicin gives chili peppers
supplementation if you want to boost your mind and muscle performance. their hot taste
—Ori Hofmekler and may help
fry fat cells. A
study reported
Editor’s note: Ori Hofmekler is the author of the books The Warrior Diet
in the Journal of
and Maximum Muscle & Minimum Fat, published by Agricultural and
Dragon Door Publications (www.dragondoor.com). For Food Chemistry
found that fat
more information or for a consultation, contact him at
cells exposed to
ori@warriordiet.com, www.warriordiet.com or by phone capsaicin in the
at (866) WAR-DIET. lab died. Rea-
son enough to spice up your diet.
—Becky Holman
www.X-tremeLean.com

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Eat to Grow
SIZE SUPPLEMENTS
Longjack to Jack Your Stack

While longjack sounds like the stage name of a porn star, more muscle and strength than the placebo
it’s actually an herb that grows primarily in the Malaysian rain- group.
forests. Also known as tongkat ali or Eurycoma longifolia, it In another study 20 male subjects, rang-
contains a number of alkaloids that have ing in age from 38 to
a long history of medicinal uses. It’s been 58, got random doses of 200, 400 or
used to treat malaria, allergies, common 600 milligrams of LJ100 or a placebo
fevers and tumors. The glycoprotein for two months. Those getting the LJ
content offers benefits in treating cancer, experienced an increase in sexual desire
fertility, antiaging and as an aphrodisiac. and performance, and their testosterone
Nearly all studies reported on longjack and DHEA levels also rose. Blood tests
come from Malaysia. When rodents were were normal with all doses of LJ100, and
given longjack, their testosterone levels beneficial HDL increased. In addition,
and fertility increased. One study directly subjects with diabetes showed increased
compared longjack with Viagra, finding glucose control.
that longjack enhances erection much as Those getting the LJ100 also had
Viagra does. Apparently, it earns its name. higher levels of thyroid hormone and cor-
In vitro, or test-tube, studies found tisol, which isn’t so good. On the other
that longjack stimulates the conversion hand, their anabolic IGF-1 also increased.
of pregnenolone into testosterone. Early The rise of both testosterone and IGF-1,
human studies found that it could not only pointing to an increased growth hormone
raise testosterone levels but also lower the release, indicates that longjack may offer
levels of sex-hormone-binding globulin, anabolic effects with no apparent toxicity.
which ties up testosterone in the blood. I’ve used longjack and noted a definite
Lowering SHBG would have the effect of rise in libido, which indicates a rise in tes-
boosting free, or active, testosterone. tosterone. The same effect has occurred
In one double-blind placebo-controlled in every man I’ve told about longjack. The
study, 14 adults took 100 milligrams a day main drawback to it is the price. For best
of a standardized commercial extract of results, you need the standardized herb
longjack called LJ100 or a placebo. For imported from Malaysia known as LJ100,
eight weeks both the longjack and placebo groups engaged in and it isn’t cheap. For those looking for a safe anabolic boost,
intensive weight training. Those in the longjack group gained however, longjack may prove useful. —Jerry Brainum
H E A R T H E A LT H ANTIOXIDANTS
For cardio health

Kick In the Nuts and less bodyfat Fine Wine
According to You’ve heard about the
Penny Kris-Etherton, health benefits of red wine,
Ph.D., a professor of and many believe that
nutrition at Pennsyl- they’re the result of a com-
vania State University, pound called resveratrol, a
there’s a lot of re- potent antioxidant. Accord-
search demonstrating ing to Roger Corder, Ph.D.,
“a dose-response however, “To get enough
relationship between resveratrol to benefit the
nut consumption and heart, you would need to
reduced risk of car- drink 1,000 quarts of wine
diovascular disease. a day.”
In fact, consuming Corder says that
nuts and peanuts five polyphenols, specifically
times a week or more procyanidins, are the real
decreases risk of CVD 40 to 50 percent. High consumers superhealth compounds in wine. They’re condensed in wine
of nuts and peanuts also have a lower body mass index— as tannins, which give it an astringent taste. The more pro-
not a higher one—compared with non-nut and non-peanut cyanidins, the better the vasodilation, which is the widening
consumers.” of the blood vessels. Vasodilation is what increases blood
Enjoyed in moderation, nuts and peanuts can help your flow, one of the reasons wine is so good for the heart and
heart and reduce bodyfat. —Becky Holman circulation. —Becky Holman
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Eat to Grow
ANABOLIC DRIVE
Testing flaws
Use Testosterone, Beat WADA? and faux pas
Testosterone enanthate has been studied perhaps more jected with

extensively than any other androgen.1 One study gave 13 either tes-
nonathletic men 200 milligrams of testosterone enanthate tosterone
every week for six months, with a control group of eight enanthate
healthy men receiving a placebo. In the testosterone-treated or saline
subjects, fat-free mass increased by 10 percent, and fat mass solution
decreased by 16 percent. The authors concluded that “the once a
administration of testosterone enanthate in pharmacological week for
doses for six months resulted in a modest reduction in fat six weeks.
mass and small increases in fat-free mass, muscle strength One-
and bone density.”2 rep-max
Another recent study also looked at the use of testosterone bench-
enanthate but with an interesting twist. The World Anti-Doping press
Agency prohibits use of testosterone enanthate, and it tests strength
for use by way of the ratio of urinary testosterone to epitestos- and total
terone. Published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning work during the cycle sprint increased significantly at weeks
Research, the lab coats asked these questions: three and six in the testosterone group but not in the placebo
1) Could injection of 3.5 milligrams of testosterone enan- group. Bodyweight at week six was significantly greater than
thate per kilogram of bodyweight once per week increase at baseline in the experimental group but not in the placebo
muscular strength and cycle sprint performance in three to six group. Despite the clear ergogenic effects of testosterone
weeks? enanthate in as little as three weeks, four of the nine subjects
2) Could the WADA-imposed urinary testosterone-to-epit- getting it (approximately 44 percent) did not test positive for
estosterone ratio of 4-to-1 identify all subjects who received testosterone under current WADA urinary testosterone-to-
the 3.5-milligram doses? epitestosterone ratio criteria.3
That dose is the equivalent of a 200-pound man taking 318 So there you have it—a testosterone enanthate dose of 3.5
milligrams once per week—not much but enough to produce milligrams per kilogram of bodyweight produces an ergogenic
an anabolic effect. Sixteen healthy young men were match- effect in less than a month, and without a drug-test red flag.
paired and randomly assigned in a double-blind manner to —Jose Antonio, Ph.D.
a testosterone enanthate or a placebo group. They all per-
formed a structured weight-training program and were in- Editor’s note: You can listen to Dr. Jose Antonio and
Carla Sanchez on their radio show Performance Nutrition,
AMINO AMMO Web and podcast at www.performancenutritionshow.
com. Dr. Antonio is the CEO of the International Society of
To trickle-feed your
Sip for Size muscle growth
Sports Nutrition—www.TheISSN.org. His other Web sites
include
www.SupplementCoach.com, www.Javafit.com,
Research out of France found that men who sipped www.PerformanceNutritionShow.com, and www.Jose
a shake containing 30 grams of protein for seven hours AntonioPhD.com.
increased muscle size more than those who drank the
entire serving at once. Can you say, trickle-feeding muscle References
1 Wu, F.C., et al., (1996). Effects of testosterone enan-
growth? If you can’t sip a drink during the day, swallow
two or three thate in normal men: experience from a multicenter con-
traceptive efficacy study. World Health Organization Task
branched-chain
Force on Methods for the Regulation of Male Fertility. Fertil
amino acid cap- Steril. 65(3):626-36.
sules every 20 or 2 Young, N.R., et al. (1993). Body composition and
30 minutes. muscle strength in healthy men receiving testosterone
—Becky enanthate for contraception. J Clin Endocrinol Metab.
Neveux \ Model: Todd Smith
Holman 77(4):1028-32.
3 Rogerson, S., et al., (2007). The effect of short-term
www.X-treme
use of testosterone enanthate on muscular strength
Lean.com
and power in healthy young men. J Strength Cond Res.
21(2):354-61.

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Eat to Grow
ANABOLIC AMMO
Supplement Combo to Grow

Whey protein supplements are popular
with bodybuilders. Whey is rapidly digested
and rapidly releases amino acids. Increased
blood levels of amino acids, particularly the
essential amino acids (those that cannot be
synthesized in the body), favor increased
muscle protein synthesis. Whey’s also rich
in the branched-chain amino acids, which,
research shows, are key to muscle protein
synthesis.
Creatine is another popular supplement.
The only controversy about it is not whether
creatine is effective but rather how to best
take it and which form is superior. Some
studies suggest that creatine is best taken
in combination with a simple carbohydrate.
That stimulates insulin release, which leads
to creatine uptake into muscle.
In more recent research scientists have
combined creatine with whey protein. The
rapid digestion of whey provides amino
acids that also trigger an insulin release,
so the combination seems to make sense
from a physiological perspective.
One new study that used recreational differences produced by the supplements in strength,
bodybuilders as subjects compared the body composition and fiber-specific muscle hypertro-
effects of combining creatine with whey phy, as well as muscle creatine and contractile protein
(CW), combining creatine with carbs (CC), content. The initial hypothesis was that combining
taking carbs alone (C) or taking whey alone (W), in con- creatine with whey or carbs would result in better muscle-
junction with a weight-training program. The focus was on building than taking whey or creatine alone. The second
hypothesis was that a combination of whey and creatine
would have greater anabolic effects in muscle than combin-
MIGHTY MINERALS ing creatine with carbs.
The participants were 33 recreational male bodybuilders,
all of whom had at least six months of training experience
Potassium Power and none of whom had taken any type of anabolic drug or
supplement for the previous 12 weeks.
All subjects got 1.5 grams per kilogram of bodyweight of
Potassium does the various supplements. They were tested before and after
lots of good things for the study for strength, body composition and muscle-fiber-
bodybuilders. It helps type changes through muscle biopsies of their thighs.
control insulin, which Those in the CC, CW and W groups experienced greater
increases the potential strength gains and muscle-size gains than the carb-only
for more fat burning. It group. The researchers determined that 76 percent of the
also helps the body use strength gains in the squat were due to muscle-size in-
and store protein, for crease.
building bigger muscles. As noted, the creatine combos produced greater gains
Even so, bodybuilders than the carbs-alone group but not the whey-alone group.
tend to shortchange Creatine and whey were not superior to creatine and carbs.
themselves with this On the other hand, the subjects had a greater increase in
mineral in its naturally occurring state. muscle contractile proteins in the creatine combo-groups
Basically, they don’t eat enough vegetables. Veggies than in the whey-alone group. Those getting only the whey
don’t have a lot of calories and are filling, due to their made similar strength gains without a weight gain. The
high fiber content. Stick with cruciferous vegetables takeaway point here is that combining creatine with whey
most of the time—broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower and produced effects similar to combining creatine with carbs.
mustard greens. Not only are they high in potassium, That’s good news for those on carb-restricted diets.
but they’re also anti-estrogenic, which means they can —Jerry Brainum
help tip the balance toward testosterone, the muscle-
building hormone. —Becky Holman Cribb, P.J., et al. (2007). Effects of whey isolate, creatine,
www.X-tremeLean.com and resistance training on muscle hypertrophy. Med Sci
Sports Exer. 39:298-307.

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©2009 Home-Gym.com

Train, Eat,
GROW
Muscle-Training Program 97
From the IRON MAN Training & Research Center
by Steve Holman and Jonathan Lawson • Photography by Michael Neveux
No matter how long you do this perhaps his leanest condition ever already; we’re starving here!” The
muscle-building thing, you always by Independence Day. result was that he started smoothing
learn new stuff—if you’re observant What did we take away from that out and gradually losing muscle as
and have an open mind. For us, this experience? Lesson: You make faster July 30, his birthday, approached,
past summer was a good example. gains when you have some kind yet he was still eating the same and
It’s standard procedure for us to of goal to shoot for to jack up your training just as hard. The question
start training harder as we move intensity. The mind plays a huge is, why? Shouldn’t the body be able
into our ripping phase every April. role. While Jonathan appeared to to maintain its leanest condition
That’s in preparation for a photo be training hard, he just wasn’t into for long periods? Not when you
shoot with Michael Neveux, usually it as in past years. Steve could tell. consider that a low-calorie diet is
in July, and it’s really motivational There was less enthusiasm on every stress—especially when combined
having that target (you don’t want set. No goal and the stress of his up- with intense weight training (car-
to show up at Mike’s studio looking coming wedding fused to smother dio wasn’t a big factor, as Steve was
smooth, because he gets uninspired his intensity—and his muscle detail. doing it only once a week).
very quickly!). Steve, on the other hand, was It all boils down to Dr. Hans
This year, for various reasons— inspired by IRON MAN’s ageless Selye’s General Adaptation
like Jonathan’s impending wed- muscle and strength issue [October Syndrome, discussed in his book
ding in early fall—we decided not ’07], which he worked on during The Stress of Life. Selye concluded
to do the shoot but still strive for the summer. He was determined to that the human body adapts to
peak condition midsummer. Here’s look great at 48! And he did—but he any stress in three stages: alarm,
where the learning comes in: Steve learned another lesson: The body resistance and exhaustion.
got in ripped condition very fast, as can stay in X-treme lean condition In the case of a calorie-restricted
his 48th birthday at the end of July for only so long before it starts re- diet, the alarm stage occurs when
coincided with a one-week Yosem- gressing, especially if the lean guy is your calories move below main-
ite vacation. He had a solid date to middle aged. tenance. We gradually reduce our
shoot for. Jonathan, on the other What happened was that Steve calories every week or two, so alarm
Model: Jonathan Lawson
hand, lagged way behind. Even was superlean and fairly full—for happens in May. We tend to lose
though he was training hard, or so it his hardgainer frame—by July 1, but a bit of muscle at first as the body
appeared, dieting and doing cardio he couldn’t hold that condition all adjusts, but it comes back, and then
regularly, he stayed fairly smooth the way to the end of the month. It’s the fat starts melting away—and we
through July, while Steve was in as if his body said, “Okay, enough actually start building more muscle.

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The bigger and stronger a muscle gets,
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©2009 Home-Gym.com

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20th ANNIVERSARY
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training tips, analysis and size tactics are jam-packed free at www.X-
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Research Center, where there’s more than 50 years of X Files section.)
training experience to get you growing fast! Here are a It’s exciting
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w w w. I ro n M a n M a g a z i n e . c o m
Train, Eat, Grow
Steve’s Peak-Physique Regression his leanest, fullest shape was begin-
ning to erode. From that point his
1) End of leanness fluctuated, and his muscle
June: Very fullness dissipated to a degree as his
lean, close body began overproducing cortisol
to peak. and his metabolism slowed to a
crawl. He took a one-week vacation
in early August—no weight training,
plenty of unbridled eating—to get
himself back on track. That’s basi-
cally our Phase Training concept
applied to dieting.
In Steve’s case the intense diet-
ing—calories below maintenance—
lasted 12 weeks, May through July.
2) Mid-July: Slightly He achieved his best shape in early
losing leanness but still July, so it appears that the eight-
full. He’s hitting the week mark should’ve been the
resistance phase—pla- culmination, with a downshift (va-
teau and regression. cation and eating up) at that point.
What about Jonathan? As we said,
his impending wedding and stress-
ful planning for that event had him
hitting the exhaustion phase very
early—way before he could rip up.
He’d start getting leaner and then
regress, moving back and forth
from resistance to exhaustion. That
makes sense considering his stress
level—high-intensity workouts four
days a week; cardio, often twice a
day; work pressures; and wedding
3) End of July (48th plans (“The catering is costing how
birthday): Exhaustion much?!”). Plus, he was looking for
phase—losing leanness a new place to live with his bride-
and fullness. Time to to-be and worrying about finances,
back off and/or take starting a family, etc. Whew!
a vacation. He did, the Cortisol wreaks havoc on the
4) August 7: Steve and body and can prevent muscle gain
first week of August...
family at Yosemite. and fat loss. All of Jonathan’s stress
also spawned sporadic supple-
mentation. He’d often forget to
take critical supplements at crucial
(See our X-treme Lean e-book, avail- Gradually ramping up activity—like times. High stress levels mandate
able at www.X-tremeLean.com, for running a little farther or walk- supplementation; unfor-
a full explanation of that as well as ing more frequently—helps tunately, cortisol attacks
our Ripping Phase eating sched- keep the metabolism stoked the brain as well as the
ules.) as well. Nevertheless, exhaus- muscles, so it can cause
Our diet strategy includes one or tion is inevitable, as with any forgetfulness.
two higher-carb days each week, continuous stress, including Being older and all
which prolongs the alarm stage and intense weight training. too familiar with mid-
fends off resistance, or plateau. It’s Exhaustion occurs when dle-age brain freezes,
almost like three steps forward, a the body has had enough Steve realizes that all
half step back. We lose some fat, and can no longer cope too well. That’s why he
then slightly overfeed to keep the with the continuous stress was very methodical
metabolism cranking, which pre- bombardment. It finally gets and used spe-
vents the starvation mechanism overwhelmed. In Steve’s case cific supple-
from kicking in; however, the calorie that began to occur in ments that
increase may stall fat burning or mid-July (see photos derailed
even cause a small amount of fat on this page). That’s cortisol
to be put back on. It’s a small price when he noticed that overpro-
to pay to keep resistance at bay. duction. At

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his age he realizes that high cortisol a must for high-strung hardgainer
levels can take his already dwindling types like Steve, who should also use
testosterone into the deficiency two capsules before bed (cortisol
zone, making muscle gains and fat release is very high in the later hours
loss almost impossible. Here are the of sleep). It’s also a must when you
primary cortisol-control supple- start taking fat burners that contain
ments that helped him get close caffeine, as caffeine raises epineph-
to his leanest shape ever in eight rine release, which triggers cortisol
weeks: surges. That means it’s a good idea
Cort-Bloc. As we’ve noted, any to always stack Cort-Bloc with caf-
stressful situation causes your feine-based fat burners.
body to secrete muscle-eating cor- Branched-chain amino acids.
tisol—from intense workouts to Studies show that taking about five
hard dieting to wedding planning grams of BCAAs before an intense
(“The honeymoon is costing how workout can curb the release of
much?!”). If you minimize cortisol, cortisol, preserving muscle tissue.
you minimize muscle wasting and For the same reason we also like to
get bigger and leaner faster. Cortisol take BCAAs before doing any type
forces your body to rely on muscle of cardio. Plus, we keep a big bowl
tissue for energy rather than body- of amino acid caps handy so we
fat, which it preserves. Not good! can grab three or four whenever we
To control cortisol, we take four think about it to keep our nitrogen
Wheybolic Extreme 60™ capsules—about 800 milligrams—of balance positive. Research supports
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months on
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designed to: the body to
regress due
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Train, Eat, Grow
men who sipped a shake contain- it comes to holding on to and add- is RecoverX and
ing 30 grams of protein for seven ing muscle. Steve did this regularly; CreaSol. Those
hours increased muscle size more Jonathan often forgot. three supplements
than those who drank the entire Also, you may have seen at our are anabolically syn-
serving at once. Most of us can’t sip Web site that the amino acid leucine ergistic right after
a drink throughout the day, but we has been shown in recent studies to an intense workout,
can swallow two or three branched- have considerable anabolic effects when the muscles
chain amino acid capsules every on muscle growth. It’s prevalent in are so receptive to
20 or 30 minutes to get the same most BCAA supplements, but we nutrients.
anabolic effect. Little things like that also take four grams of L-leucine Fat burner. Most
can make a huge difference when with our postworkout drink—which fat burners contain
IRON MAN Training & Research Center Muscle-Training Program 97

Workout 1: Machine donkey calf raises (X Reps) 1 x 10-15
Chest, Lats, Triceps, Abs Low-back machine (X Reps) 1 x 8-10
Smith-machine incline presses (X Reps) 2 x 9-12
High-low cable flyes (drop; X Reps) 1 x 8-10(6) Workout 2:
Superset Delts, Midback, Biceps, Forearms
Wide-grip dips (X Reps) 2 x 8-10 Seated laterals/upright rows (X Reps) 2 x 9-12
Dumbbell bench presses or Forward-lean laterals raises
pushups (X Reps) 2 x 7-9 (drop; X Reps) 2 x 8-10(6)
Low/middle cable flyes (drop; X Reps) 1 x 8-10(6) Smith-machine presses (X Reps) 1 x 9-12
Chins (X Reps) 1 x 9-12 Seated dumbbell presses (X Reps) 1 x 9-12
Undergrip chins (X Reps) 1 x 9-12 One-arm cable laterals (drop; X Reps) 1 x 9-12(6)
Superset Bent-over laterals (drop; X Reps) 1 x 9-12(6)
Machine pullovers (X Reps) 1 x 9-12 Bent-over rows (X Reps) 2 x 9-12
Rope rows (X Reps) 1 x 8-10 Bent-arm bent-over laterals
Superset (drop; X Reps) 1 x 9-12(6)
Wide-grip pulldowns (X Reps) 1 x 9-12 Superset
Dumbbell pullovers (X Reps) 1 x 8-10 High rows (drop; X Reps) 1 x 8-10(6)
Decline extensions (X Reps) 2 x 9-12 Dumbbell shrugs (X Reps) 1 x 9-12
Superset V-handle cable rows (X Reps) 1 x 9-12
Pushdowns or kickbacks (X Reps) 2 x 9-12 Preacher curls 1 x 9-12
Dips or Bench dips (X Reps) 2 x 8-10 Cable curls (X Reps) 1 x 9-12
Cable pushouts (drop; X Reps) 1 x 9-12(6) Concentration curls (drop; X Reps) 1 x 9-12(6)
Incline kneeups (drop; X Reps) 2 x 12-15(7), 10 One-arm spider curls (X Reps) 1 x 8-10
Tri-set Superset
Ab Bench crunches (X Reps) 1 x 10-12 Incline curls (X Reps) 1 x 9-12
Twisting crunches (X Reps) 1 x 10-15 Rope hammer curls (X Reps) 1 x 8-10
End-of-bench kneeups (X Reps) 1 x 9-12 Superset
Dumbbell reverse wrist curls (X Reps) 1 x 10-12
Legs: Forearm Bar reverse wrist curls (X Reps) 1 x 8-10
Quads, Hamstrings, Calves, Lower Back Superset (20-second rest)
Dumbbell wrist curls (X Reps) 1 x 10-12
Leg extensions (drop; X Reps) 2 x 9-12(7)
Forearm Bar wrist curls (X Reps) 1 x 8-10
Squats 2 x 10-12
Rockers 1 x 20-30
Hack squats 2 x 10-12
Superset
Add to Friday Workout: Soleus
Leg extensions 1 x 9-12
Sissy squats (X Reps) 1 x 9-12 Seated calf raises (X Reps) 2 x 10-12, 15-20
Feet-forward Smith-machine front squats 1 x 9-12
Note: The leg workout is always performed on Tues-
Walking lunges 1 x 10-12 day; that is, legs are worked only once a week every
Leg curls (drop; X Reps) 2 x 8-10, 8-10(6) week—seven full days of recovery. Workouts 1 and
Stiff-legged deadlifts 3 x 9-12 2 alternate on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, so
Knee-extension leg press calf raises upper-body muscles get four to five days of recovery.
(X Reps) 2 x 15-20
Superset Note: Where X-Reps are designated, usually only one
Standing calf raises (X Reps) 2 x 15-20 set or phase of a drop set is performed with X Reps or an
X-Rep hybrid technique from the e-book Beyond X-Rep
Hack-machine calf raises (X Reps) 2 x 10-15 Muscle Building. See the X-Blog at www.X-Rep.com for
One-leg calf raises (X Reps) 1 x 12-15 more workout details.

Train, Eat, Grow
• Cort-Bloc, four
caffeine, which ramps up capsules Note that SuperPump 250 contains
cortisol release; however, if caffeine, so you may want to reduce
• Branched-chain
they also contain forskolin, your fat burner intake if you use that
amino acids, five
you get a testosterone in- one.
capsules
crease that can counter All of those supplements work
the catabolic effect. We use • Methyl Ripped, two synergistically and helped Steve
NxLabs’ Methyl Ripped. For- capsules achieve a very lean physique with a
skolin has also been shown lot of muscle fullness by early July.
to lower blood pressure We also use a vaso- Unfortunately, Jonathan wasn’t as
and increase high-density dilator intermittently diligent when he needed it most,
lipoprotein. We take two to for better pumps, which slowed his progress consider-
three capsules prior to each more efficient nutri- ably. He knows now how important
workout (four days a week) ent delivery to the branched-chain amino acids are
and sometimes use it before muscles and height- before workouts and throughout the
cardio, although we skip the ened fat-burning ef- day to control cortisol and enhance
fat burners if we do cardio late in fects—better blood flow has been the fat-to-muscle process, especially
the day as the caffeine can disrupt shown to spur the use of fat depos- when stress is high in other areas of
sleep, which—you guessed it—can its, so try a vasodilator before cardio life—like when you take on a wife
raise cortisol. too. We used NxLabs’ Plasmavol, (“Your family is staying with us how
So here’s our standard prework- Gaspari’s SuperPump 250 or ALRI’s long?!”).
out anabolic/anticatabolic stack: N’Gorge prior to many workouts. See our complete supplement
ITRC Program 97, Home-Gym Routine

Workout 1: Workout 2:
Chest, Lats, Triceps, Abs Delts, Midback, Biceps, Forearms
Incline presses (X Reps) 2 x 9-12 Dumbbell upright rows (X Reps) 2 x 9-12
Incline flyes (drop; X Reps) 1 x 9-12(6) Seated laterals (drop; X Reps) 1 x 9-12(6)
Bench presses (X Reps) 2 x 9-12 Dumbbell presses (X Reps) 2 x 9-12
Flat-bench flyes (drop; X Reps) 1 x 9-12(6) Incline one-arm laterals (X Reps) 1 x 9-12
Chins (X Reps) 2 x 9-12 Bent-over laterals (drop; X Reps) 1 x 9-12(6)
Undergrip rows (X Reps) 2 x 9-12 Bent-over barbell rows (X Reps) 2 x 9-12
Dumbbell pullovers (X Reps) 1 x 9-12 Bent-arm bent-over laterals
Decline extensions 2 x 9-12 (drop; X Reps) 1 x 9-12(6)
Superset One-arm dumbbell rows (X Reps) 1 x 9-12
Kickbacks (X Reps) 1 x 9-12 Dumbbell shrugs (drop; X Reps) 1 x 10-12(6)
Dips or bench dips (X Reps) 1 x 8-10 Barbell curls 2 x 9-12
Incline kneeups (drop; X Reps) 2 x 10, 8(7) Concentration curls (drop; X Reps) 1 x 9-12(6)
Superset Superset
Weighted full-range crunches or Incline curls (X Reps) 1 x 9-12
Ab Bench crunches (drop; X Reps) 1 x 8-10(8) Hammer curls (X Reps) 1 x 9-12
End-of-bench kneeups (X Reps) 1 x 8-10 Dumbbell reverse wrist curls (drop; X Reps) 1 x 12(8)
Dumbbell wrist curls (double drop; X Reps) 1 x 12(8)
Rockers 1 x 20-30
Legs:
Quads, Hamstrings, Calves Add to Friday Workout: Soleus
Seated calf raises (X Reps) 2 x 12, 20
Squats or front squats
(nonlock) 2 x 9-12 Note: The leg workout is always performed on Tues-
Leg extensions or old-style day; that is, legs get worked only once a week every
hack squats (drop; X Reps) 2 x 9-12(6) week—seven full days of recovery. Workouts 1 and
Squats or front squats (nonlock; X Reps) 2 x 8-10 2 alternate on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, so
Sissy squats (X Reps) 1 x 8-10 upper-body muscles get four to five days of recovery.
Lunges 1 x 8-10 Note: Where X-Reps are designated, usually only one
Leg curls (drop; X Reps) 2 x 8-10, 9-12(6) set or phase of a drop set is performed with X Reps or
Stiff-legged deadlifts (X Reps) 2 x 9-12 an X-Rep hybrid technique.
Knee-extension donkey calf raises
(X Reps) 2 x 15-20 Note: For drop sets it’s best to have a selectorized dumbbell set,
One-leg calf raises (drop; X Reps) 2 x 12(7) such as the PowerBlock, if you don’t have a rack of fixed dumb-
bells of various weights. If you don’t have a leg extension ma-
Donkey calf raises (X Reps) 1 x 15-20 chine, do old-style hacks, nonlock style. Use partner resistance,
towel around the ankles, if you don’t have a leg curl machine.

schedule, listed on
a time line, at our
Supplement Blog at
www.X-Rep.com.
Training note: The
workouts we’re now
using are listed on
page 70. For more
on the program,
X-Rep Reload, as
well as Heavy/
Light, Volume/
Intensity Fusion
and Traumatic/ Vasodilaa-
Nontraumatic, see tors can give
the e-book X-traordinary Muscle- you a bigger
Building Workouts, available at pump in the
www.X-Workouts.com. All of gym. They
the programs in that e-book are increase
organized in printable-template blood flow
form. so they can
also enhance
Editor’s note: To order the Posi- fat burning
tions-of-Flexion training manual when taken
Train, Eat, Grow, call (800) 447-0008, prior to car-
visit www.Home-Gym.com, or see dio.
the ad below. IM

Steve Holman’s
Critical Mass
Size/Strength We design our workouts to attack each of them, with

max force usually taking the lead. You can do it with full 3D
POF programs if you have time. With 3D POF you train the
midrange, contracted and stretch positions, using from one
Connection to three exercises per bodypart. Triceps is a great example.

For midrange (max force) do close-grip bench presses; for
contracted (tension/occlusion) do pushdowns; for stretch
(stretch overload) do overhead extensions.
If you have time constraints, use one big, or compound,
exercise per bodypart in a more abbreviated workout struc-
Q: How should I be seeing progress from a given
ture—for example, Time-Bomb Training in our new e-book,
routine? For instance, should I experience vis-
X-traordinary Muscle-Building Workouts. You use the two-
ible improvements each week? How about weekly
set/drop method: one set to exhaustion, with X Reps, rest,
strength improvements?
then a drop set with the same weight and X Reps on the
A: Strength and size aren’t directly correlated; strength second phase of the drop. It’s very efficient, covering the
can occur through neuromuscular development (better three components of muscle growth to a degree, although
nerve force) and tendon and ligament strength, and size it’s not as effective or precise as full-on 3D POF.
can occur through capillary-bed enlargement and mito- If you lose some bodyfat and train consistently with
chondria development—that is, endurance-component proven guidelines, you should see spectacular improve-
density. ments in a month or so, and that should motivate you
That said, you should strive to get stronger, but it to keep improving. The gains will be in the form of some
shouldn’t be your main focus, and it won’t happen at every strength and visible muscle. Keep your eyes on the mirror,
workout—at least not after you’ve been at it for a while. and be aware of how your clothes are fitting. They should
Beginners can get stronger at almost every workout for be getting looser at the waist and tighter in the sleeves and
the first few months. In our e-books we identify max force, across the back.
stretch overload and tension/occlusion as the three prima-
Q: I’ve found much conflicting information on the
ry facets of building larger muscles as quickly as possible.
Internet. Some strength coaches have a different
Cover those, and you should be fine.
interpretation of the size principle of mus-
cle fiber recruitment from yours. They say
that during a set, the fast-twitch fibers fire
The three
first, and once the rep speed slows, the slow-
components of
twitch fibers take over. Some say that’s a rea-
muscle growth
son to not go to absolute failure—because
are max force,
slow-twitch fibers have little size potential.
tension/occlusion
That does seem to make sense, as the rep
and stretch
speed always starts to slow about two thirds
overload. Training
of the way into a set. You stated that the size
for strength
principle is the inverse of that interpreta-
focuses almost
tion—that it’s only by going to failure that
totally on max
you begin to engage the fast-twitch fibers.
force, with little
How do you respond to that?
size stimulation
from the other two A: First, let’s clarify the size principle of fiber re-
areas. cruitment that I subscribe to. According to Steven
J. Fleck, Ph.D., and William J. Kraemer, Ph.D., two
of the most respected strength researchers in their
book Designing Resistance Training Programs:
“According to the size principle of recruitment
of motor neurons, the smaller, or low-threshold,
motor units are recruited first. Low-threshold
motor units are composed predominantly of
type I [or slow-twitch] fibers. After low-thresh-
old motor units, progressively higher-threshold
motor units are recruited based on the increase-
ing demands of the activity. The higher-threshold
motor units are composed predominantly of type
II [fast-twitch] fibers. Lifting heavier resistance
Neveux \ Model: Tamer Elshahat
will start with the recruitment of low-threshold

motor units (type 1). The high-threshold motor
units (type II) needed to produce greater force
will be recruited as the force required increases.”
So on a bodybuilding-style set of eight to 12

reps, I believe, as Kraemer and Fleck do, that

the slow-twitch fire first and Double-X Overload is doing
the fast-twitch progressively an X-Rep partial in the
come into play as the reps get semistretch position after
harder, with the key fast-twitch each full-range rep (note
growth fibers activating on the that the top position is
very hardest reps at the end. I pictured; that’s not where
don’t think you have to go to the X Reps should occur).
absolute failure, however, to You use slightly lighter
recruit high-threshold motor weights, but you more
units. You can get to a few even effectively attack the stretch
if you stop short. Doing more position and get a longer
subfailure sets after that will tension time.
recruit a few more because you
get different recruitment pat-
terns on each set. It’s the rea- Reps. Can you elaborate?
son bodybuilders like Bill Pearl A: In Beyond X, the follow-
got big while using subfailure up to UMW, we explained that
Neveux \ Model: Berry Kabov

volume training. the research proves the opti-
If the opposite were true— mal X spot to be near the start
that the fast-twitch fibers fired of every rep, when the target
first—distance runners would muscle is somewhat elongated,
train mostly fast-twitch fibers, on every exercise. In our first
as the resistance on every step e-book, UMW, we were linking
is like the first few lighter reps the X spot with an exercise’s
of a weight-training set. I admit Position of Flexion, such as
that I’m still learning too, but that doesn’t make sense to Xing at the top of leg extensions, the bottom of sissy squats
the logical side of my brain, as muscle biopsies show that and the middle of squats.
distance runners have predominantly slow-twitch fibers. Including the semistretched point on each X Rep, how-
I don’t totally disagree with the other interpretation, ever, appears to be a better approach—Xing near the turn-
but I think it applies only to heavy strength-oriented sets, around, such as the bottom of an incline press, the bottom
like three-to-five-rep maxes. With resistance that close to of a leg extension and so on.
maximum, the high-threshold motor units come into play Not that you can’t use X Reps in the other positions. In
immediately. The nervous system craps out very early, how- fact, we often use X Reps at the top of one set of leg exten-
ever, and all that are left are the slow-twitch fibers, but they sions, and then we do our second set with X Reps near the
never get in on the action because of lack of anaerobic ca- optimal bottom of the stroke—where the quads are elon-
pacity. In that case the fast-twitch higher-threshold motor gated. Again, notice that the ideal X spot is near the start
units do fire first, but it takes considerably more volume to of a rep, where the target muscle is somewhat stretched
get at enough fast-twitch fibers to elicit a growth response. for max-force generation and fiber recruitment, but why
Nerve force, a key to strength increases, is taxed consider- not do it at both spots for unique stimulation? We like the
ably and improved on with low-rep training—that’s why it’s variety and the results we’ve achieved doing that.
considered best for strength and not so great for building As for the designations, on cable upright rows with DXO
size. + X Reps, you do your set to exhaustion using DXO reps,
With bodybuilding sets of eight to 12 reps, on which the which means performing an X Rep at the bottom after each
first reps are fairly easy, the low- and medium-threshold full rep—like 1 1/4s, with the quarters being in the starting,
motor units fire first (probably a mix on eight-rep sets and semistretch turnaround spot. When you reach failure, you
more slow-twitch fibers on 12-rep sets, where early reps are continue with X-Rep partials near the bottom of the stroke,
very easy). That’s why X Reps are so effective on bodybuild- where the medial delt is somewhat elongated.
ing-style sets. End-of-set partials keep the size principle
engaged and force more fast-twitch growth fibers to fire
after full-range exhaustion. Editor’s note: Steve Hol-
man is the author of many
Q: I purchased the e-books Beyond X-Reps and bodybuilding best-sellers,
The Ultimate Mass Workout at your site [www including Train, Eat, Grow:
.X-Rep.com], and I absolutely love them. Gains have The Positions-of-Flexion
been great, and even my trainer has been follow- Muscle-Training Manual (see
ing my lead and using X Reps in his program (I told page 73). For information on
him to buy the program, but he’s a bit of a cheap- the PF videos and Size Surge
skate—LOL). I love all the research you guys put into programs, see the ad sections
this, but I was wondering why in your X-Rep Hybrid beginning on page 194 and
Mega-Mass Program in Beyond X you don’t des- 248, respectively. Also visit
ignate the X spot for each exercise. In the Ultimate www.X-Rep.com. IM
Mass programs every X spot is pointed out. I’m also
somewhat confused by the designations in Beyond Steve Holman
X; for example, cable upright rows using DXO + X ironchief@aol.com

Mr. Natural Olympia John Hansen’s
Naturally Huge
Natural
Training Split
Neveux \ Model: Christian Boeving

Q: I’m a 21-year-old natural bodybuilder striving
to get bigger and win my next show and not take
second like last time. My question is, What do you
believe is the best training split for my age? Right
now I do chest and triceps, back and biceps, shoul-
ders and legs and repeat; so I do each bodypart
twice a week. Do you think that’s okay, or would I
get bigger just doing one bodypart a week? Training intensely stresses the
By training your body as a whole, especially the
A: I definitely think you’ll get much bigger if you take body over four days central nervous system. That
more rest. Training six days a week with no days off is too instead of three, requires a few days of complete
much. You’ll grow much more if you take a few more rest you’ll be giving each rest every week.
days during the week. bodypart four days of
I recommend that you split your bodyparts over four rest—one more day
days instead of three. You could train shoulders by them- off. I also think, however, that you should take a full day
selves (maybe adding abs or calves to that workout) and off after training your whole body over four workouts. It’s
then train legs by themselves. That will give you more called the four-on/one-off routine. That gives your various
energy for training your legs, which are such a demanding bodyparts five full days of rest before you train them again.
bodypart that they need to be given a day of their own. Many beginning bodybuilders make the mistake of
thinking that as long as they’re training a dif-
ferent muscle group each day, they can train
Leg training is demanding every day because they’re not overtraining
and usually requires a day all the muscles; what they don’t take into ac-
to itself. count is the body as a whole.
Whenever you train with heavy weights
and high intensity, you’re putting a strain
on your nervous system. Training with that
much intensity every day will overstress your
nervous system and lead to the production
of more cortisol, a stress hormone that tears
the body down, creating a catabolic environ-
ment.
The way to prevent that is to take more
rest days and let the body recuperate. At
your age you could train four days in a row
before taking a day off and still recuperate
and grow. Someone older may need to take a
day off after two or three days of training.
That happened to me when I was young-
er. As a teenager I always trained six days a
week because that’s what everyone did in
those days. My training partner and I were
training very heavy (for us) and very hard,
and we weren’t growing that much. He sug-
gested that we take a day off after four days
of working out.
I was skeptical because I thought it would
Neveux \ Model: Gus Malliarodakis
be too much rest, and we would not grow;

however, after only one month
(continued of training
on page 102) on
the new four-days-on/one-day-off routine, I
had put a half inch on my arms. They finally
measured 18 inches—and I was only 18 years
old. I was blown away by the progress I made
in only one month. That rapid growth spurt

Mr. Natural Olympia John Hansen’s
Naturally Huge
When you’re training
to get bigger, you
proved to me that we’d been
should be getting
overtraining.
a minimum of one Don’t forget nutrition
gram of protein and during your growing period.
two to four grams of If you’re not eating enough
carbs for each pound calories, you won’t grow
of bodyweight. no matter how hard and
heavy you train. That’s espe-
cially important when you’re
young and your metabolism is typically going 100
miles an hour.
Many young bodybuilders make drinks of
whey-only protein. That’s a mistake. The whey
protein is usually very low in calories, and it’s
digested very quickly. Use a protein powder that’s
going to be absorbed more slowly and contains
more calories per serving.
I recommend that you use a weight-gain pow-
der instead of a straight protein powder. A product
such as Optimum Nutrition’s Pro Complex Gainer
contains 650 calories per serving, with 60 grams
of protein, 85 grams of carbs and eight grams of
fat. That’s much more effective for gaining weight
and increasing your muscle mass than a low-calo-
rie whey-protein powder. The protein in the Pro
Complex Gainer comes from a combination of
whey, egg and casein, which furnishes a sustained
source of amino acids.
You should be eating a minimum of one gram
of protein and anywhere from two to four grams
of carbohydrates for each pound of bodyweight
when you’re trying to get bigger and gain weight.
Neveux \ Model: Justin Balik
Good food sources of protein are lean red meat,

eggs, milk, chicken, turkey and salmon. To get
complex carbohydrates, you should include pota-
toes (mashed or baked) along with pasta, rice and
whole-wheat bread.
Editor’s note: John Hansen has won the Natu-

Many young bodybuilders ral Mr. Olympia and is a two-time Natural Mr.
Universe winner. Visit his Web site at www.Natural
make drinks of whey-only Olympia.com. You can write to him at P.O. Box 3003,
Darien, IL 60561, or call toll-free (800) 900-UNIV (8648).
protein. That’s a mistake. Look for his new
DVD, “The Nat-
Whey protein is usually ural Bodybuild-
ing Seminar,”
very low in calories, along with his
book, Natural
and it’s digested very Bodybuilding,
and his DVD,
quickly. Use a protein “Real Muscle,”
at www.Natural
powder that’s going to be Olympia. Also
available from
absorbed more slowly and Home Gym
Warehouse,
contains more calories per (800) 447-0008,
or www.Home-
serving. Gym
Neveux
.com. IM
John Hansen
John@NaturalOlympia.com
Dave Goodin’s
Shredded Muscle
Middle-Age and that’s no big secret. I told so many

people that I’ve just never stopped
training. In the past 26 years the lon-
gest that I’ve taken off training in one
Muscle stretch was six weeks. At that time I

was going through a divorce, and my
two-year-old daughter lived with me
and needed more of my time. My next
Q: I hear that you’re 48 years old.
longest time off is two weeks. I used to
How do you look the way you do at
take two weeks off after my last show
your age? I’m turning 40 soon, and
of the year and then two weeks off at
I want to look something like you.
Christmas time. I’d read articles that
What’s your secret?
Neveux \ Model: Dave Goodin

said your body needs the break.
A: I just got back from a great showing What I usually found was that after
at the ’07 NPC Team Universe. I’m in the two weeks of not training, my body
very best condition of my life right now hurt worse. I got really sore when I
(except for the torn hamstring tendon that started up again. After a while, I decid-
I’m getting repaired tomorrow morning). ed to just cut way back on my weights
I’d bet that I got a similar question from at when I feel that my body needs a
least 50 people during my trip to NYC for break. I’ll use about 60 percent of my
the Team U. normal weights but do the same sets and reps. It’s not very
To me, the answer is pretty simple. I’ve been doing seri- fun training that way, but it enables me to recover while
ous weight training for 26 years. Consistency is the key— still keeping my body conditioned to the weight-training
The bodybuilding
lifestyle: You gotta
love it to keep being
consistent and develop
your body through
middle age and
beyond.
Neveux \ Model: Dave Goodin

Roland Balik
That’s Dave (far right) going shred to shred with Chris Faildo (second
right) at the ’07 NPC Team Universe. He took second in the welterweights
to Faildo, who went on to win the overall. While competition is a great
motivator, you need more than that to keep plugging away.
movements. After a couple of weeks of easy training I’m refreshed and ready to
attack again.
I take a maximum of two weeks at a time because of injuries. I’ve had upper-
and lower-body injuries at the same time and just couldn’t work around them.
I’m having surgery tomorrow to repair a ruptured biceps femoris tendon and
lateral collateral ligament, but I plan to train upper body again on Tuesday.
I’ve done it before. When I tore a biceps tendon 10 years ago, I came back and
trained legs and my uninjured arm. I was able to guest-pose just eight weeks
after I got the cast off.
Looks as if I’ve digressed, but my point is that you have to find ways to keep
working out, even under difficult circumstances. It’s always easier to find rea-
sons not to work out. If you let stuff get in the way for a few days, a few days
becomes a week, then a week becomes months, and before you know it, you
haven’t worked out in years. For me, bodybuilding is a lifestyle. I’m very very mo-
tivated by competition, but that’s not the only reason I do it. I like lifting weights.
I like getting pumped. I like feeling strong. I like the way that eating clean makes
me feel. I like having the discipline to turn down fried foods and desserts. I like
that my daughters are proud of the way I look, even though it means that some-
times they sacrifice time with me because of my competitions and bodybuilding
appearances.
About five years ago I started dating a woman who knew nothing about body- AMPLIFIED'S HORSEPOWER has more
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test is over with.” My reply: “Because I like it.” Available at fine health food stores, gyms, and wherever sports
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e-mail to TXShredder@aol.com. IM

Stacked
Deck
How Dan Decker Attacks His Back
by Cory Crow • Photography by Michael Neveux
Early in my first conversation with Dan Decker I realized that

he had “the bug.” A neighbor had come by with some home-
made ice cream. Said Dan, “I can’t have it because I’m six weeks
out from the USA, but my girlfriend sure will like it.” And then
he went back to talking about his training.
There are a lot of ways to know that
you’ve been bitten by the bodybuild-
ing bug: if you can’t wait to feel the
iron rub against callouses devel-
oped through years of training, if
you’re willing to work even harder
in the gym to add a quarter-inch to
your biceps to help with symmetry,
or even if you’re willing to forgo ice
cream to attain perfect condition
at your next show. Those who have
the bug are willing to skip short-
term rewards in order to experi-
ence winning in the future. They
love training, love growing, have
an appreciation for discipline
and have the ability to tolerate extreme diets and seem-
ingly endless amounts of cardiovascular training. All champion
bodybuilders have the bug—in addition to their genetic gifts.
SEATED ROWS
“The key to
this movement
is to pull out
on the handle.
I feel that you
get a better
contraction of
the upper back
that way. Feel
as if you’re
trying to pull
the handle
apart.”
Dan’s relationship with body- he endured an enforced layoff from

building began in Indiana during Dan Decker’s the gym during basic training. After
his sophomore year in high school. Workout Split completing all his military training,
Weight training to gain strength for he got back to it, regaining lost mass
football beget muscle growth that Monday: Chest and thinking about competition.
far outstripped that of others on his Tuesday: Back Dan tried his hand again at an
team. Dan realized that his genetic NPC show in Evansville, Indiana,
makeup was more conducive to the Wednesday: Off where he took second in the teen
bodybuilding stage than the grid- Thursday: Shoulders class and won the novice middle-
iron. weights. After that, however, he
After two years of training he Friday: Arms took a long break from competing.
entered his first show, the ’93 NPC Saturday: Legs At the time it just didn’t seem that
South Bend. He finished fourth out the rewards of physique competi-
of 15 or so in the teen division, a Sunday: Off tions were sufficient to justify the
respectable showing for a kid lack- expense.
ing the fundamental knowledge Note: Dan performs cardio Which brings us back to the bug.
required for competition. Dan’s re- every morning for 33 minutes Dan had the bug, so he could never
sponse to that experience says a lot on an elliptical machine dur- totally turn his back on competition.
about his makeup: He listened, he ing his contest prep and does Even during his sabbatical he stayed
learned, and he continued to grow. limited cardio in the in shape, lifted and grew. He just
Not long after that, however, he off-season. didn’t have to diet or get in contest
enlisted in the Navy Reserve, where shape. That all changed in 2003,

Dan Decker
when Dan decided to give competi-
tion another try.
He won the overall at the ’03 Mus-
cleMania Chicago show, then went
on to compete in the MuscleMania
Superbody event, where he won the
light-heavyweight class and quali-
fied as a pro. Dan didn’t take that
opportunity, however. It was a tough
decision, but he had other ideas. He
wanted to turn pro in the organiza-
tion where he’d started, the NPC.
Dan entered the ’04 NPC Indiana
Championships and took the light-
heavyweight crown, qualifying for
national-level competition. At that
UNDERGRIP point he made another tough deci-
CHINS sion: that his future in bodybuilding
would be better served if he relo-
cated. He moved to Southern Cali-
fornia, the mecca of bodybuilding,
and settled into a career in fitness
modeling and personal training.
He entered the Muscle Beach
contest on July, 4, 2005, weighing
220 pounds and won not only the
heavyweight class but the overall as
well. He set his sights on national-
level competition and began to
prepare for the ’06 USA Champion-
ships.
As it turned out, that show was a
humbling experience for Dan. He
came in too light at 211 and placed
seventh in the heavyweight class,
his lowest showing ever in a body-
building contest. Fortunately, Dan
had the desire to learn from the
experience. He understood that he
had to build more back fullness and
NARROW-GRIP width. Basically, he would have to
CHINS be wider and heavier to match the
Dan says size of the heavyweights at the NPC
national level.
using
varying
grip widths Bringing Up the Back
is vital to
complete Growing the back requires a plan.
It involves working large muscle
development. groups that have to be hit from a
variety of angles. It also requires
going heavy—to activate more fi-
bers and fully exhaust the muscles.
Dan’s plan involves a combination
of tried-and-true basics, with sev-
eral variations thrown in to keep
his muscles from adapting and to
ensure that he fully engages each
muscle in its entirety. Here’s his
back-improvement workout:

Dan Decker
Wide-grip chins 4 x 8-10

Partial deadlifts 4 x 10-15
Bent-over barbell rows 4 x 6-10
Dumbbell pullovers 4 x 8-12
Cable rows 4 x 8-12
Smith-machine shrugs 4 x 8-12
Wide-grip chins. The first thing

Dan mentioned when we talked
about performing chins was the
gains that he’d made since purchas-
ing a set of Flexsolate straps. It’s rare
in bodybuilding for an athlete to
give such a ringing endorsement of
a product he or she has no sponsor-
ship deal with, but Dan feels that
this training tool has greatly aided
Merv
him by en- (continued on page 104)
“I think that focusing on slow

rep speed and deep breathing,
to expand the rib cage, brings
the best benefit on this
exercise. Always focus on
getting a full stretch. Come all
the way to the top, but don’t
lock out. Keep continuous
tension on your back.”
DUMBBELL
PULLOVERS

Dan Decker
(continued from page 100) abling

him to overcome grip limitations.
Now he can focus almost entirely
on form. He completes each rep by
pausing at the top for a squeeze and
then slowly descending into the bot-
tom position.
He varies his grip width, which
lets him hit his back from a variety
of angles. “Varying grip width is the
key,” he said. “There are different
degrees of wide, and all of them
attack the muscle from different
angles, resulting in more complete
development.” Dan goes to failure
on the last set.
Partial deadlifts. He pyramids
the weight on deadlifts till he gets
up to around 700 pounds on his last
set, on which he goes to failure, typi-
BARBELL He focuses on
ROWS
squeezing his shoulder
blades together to full
contraction, moving
slowly on the descent
to get the full benefit of
the movement.

Dan Decker
Come all the way to the top, but

don’t lock out. Keep continuous ten-
sion on your back.”
Cable rows. “Keep your abs and
trunk tight when doing this exer-
cise,” Dan cautioned, “and don’t
rely on a belt to provide the stability
that your erectors should be pro-
viding.” As a matter of fact, he very
seldom uses a belt, except for his
heaviest compound sets. He feels
that complete development of all
of the muscles in the back includes
the erectors. That’s a vital element
in attaining the back thickness and
fullness that all top bodybuilders are
known for.
“The key to this movement is to
pull out on the handle,” he said. “I
feel that you get a better contraction
of the upper back that way.” Dan
believes that the “pull out” should
be exaggerated to the point where
it feels as if you’re trying to pull the
grip apart.
PULLDOWNS Smith-machine shrugs. “I’m
not a big fan of Smith machines,”
he said. As a matter of fact, he uses
them only for shrugs, as a Smith
machine lets him lean back more
and fully focus on the trapezius. He
performs the lift by starting with a
narrow grip and working his way to
cally at around eight to 10 reps. He riety and to alter the angle of at- a wide grip while pyramiding up in
prefers partial deadlifts, rather than tack, Dan sometimes uses these in weight. The Smith machine keeps
pulling from the floor, to prevent the place of bent-over rows. His gym the bar stable for the narrower grips.
hamstrings and other muscles from doesn’t have a T-bar apparatus, so By now you’re wondering if Dan
becoming involved, which happens he improvises by placing a V-handle has had success with this program.
in the bottom quarter of the rep. underneath the collar of a barbell. Yes, he has. He placed second at the
Dan squeezes his shoulder blades He secures the handle to the bar for ’07 NPC Los Angeles Champion-
together at the top of each rep and stability and performs the exercise ships, qualifying for national-level
slowly descends to the bottom, as he would on a standard T-bar. His competition once again.
getting the most benefit from every focus on the movement is the same The bodybuilding bug keeps Dan
point in the range. The target rep as on bent-over rows. Decker improving and moving for-
count for the other sets is around Dumbbell pullovers. His next ward in his career. It has taken him
15, depending on energy level and exercise is old-school. The clas- to California, to pro status in one
how heavy he’s planning to go at the sic positioning of the feet—to the organization and now to the brink
top end of his pyramid. side of the bench—is depicted in of turning pro in the largest body-
Bent-over barbell rows. Dan’s many of the old black-and-white building organization in the world.
next exercise is the classic barbell photos taken at Gold’s Gym in the He could have settled for making a
movement, done with moderately ’70s and ’80s. Dan’s advice is to comfortable living through fitness
heavy weight. Once again he fo- cross your feet and pull them closer modeling and personal training, but
cuses on squeezing his shoulder to the bench for added isolation. the bug wouldn’t let him. Let’s just
blades together to achieve complete He also takes a page from clas- hope that after his show the bug will
contraction, moving slowly on the sic bodybuilding on the subject of let him have some of that home-
descent to get the full benefit of the breathing: “I think that focusing on made ice cream.
movement. He also keeps his back slow rep speed and deep breathing,
straight and his head up to avoid to expand the rib cage, brings the Editor’s note: To contact Dan
injury. The rep count is a little lower best benefit on this exercise. Always Decker for training consultation,
for this movement, simply because focus on getting a full stretch as guest posings or sponsorships, go to
he likes to go heavy on it. well—really work on expanding the www.DanDecker.net. IM
Modified T-bar rows. For va- rib cage and getting a full stretch.

A Bodybuilder
Is Born On the Fast Track Episode 28
by Ron Harris • Photography by Michael Neveux
I t had been a month since Randy

had started to specialize on his
arms, calves and upper chest,
and the results were already starting
to show. His arms measured only a
and veins. The ad copy proclaims
such amazing accomplishments as,
“Gained 30 pounds of muscle, lost
30 pounds of fat! Added three inches
to arms! Increased bench press by
Those of us who
have been around
the game awhile
won’t fall for that, but a
whole lot of beginners
quarter inch larger, but the shape 250 pounds! Sold his soul to Satan and intermediates out
was starting to come out, with an in exchange for eternal youth and there lap it up the way
especially pronounced peak to his riches!” Oh, wait—they usually don’t my dog Chewy gobbles
biceps and a sweep to his triceps. I have that last part. down peanut butter
actually hesitate to use the qualifier I’ve tried to expose the scams any chance she gets. It
“only” when I refer to that quarter perpetrated in those types of ads wouldn’t be so bad if the
inch, because that’s a hell of a gain before. To re-create the same results, only result were that
in a month. If I could add a quarter have some decently built body- they plunk down their
inch every month for the next 10 builder intentionally stop training, cash on a lot of question-
months, my arms would be as big as eat a bunch of crap, let his body able supplements, but the worst
Ronnie Coleman’s. hair grow, and stay out of the sun thing is that it convinces the
Model: Kiyoshi Moody

I think a lot of us have our minds or tanning beds for a few months. person that he’s an utter failure if
warped by ads and articles making That’s all it takes for that Adonis-like he doesn’t
outrageous claims of growth. Yes, body to regress to something more achieve
“before” using Super-Nitric-Pump closely resembling the average slob a simi-
Andro 5000, the guy is slumped, in the gym. That’s when the before larly spectacular outcome
pasty white, and doesn’t have much pictures are taken. Now, let’s get that with his physique in that short time.
of a physique. He looks ready to bodybuilder and whip him into top Randy had seen way too many of
jump off the nearest bridge. Now shape. Often that coincides with a those ads, as became clear one
check out our man in the after big contest the guy is going to com- Saturday when we were training
photo. Lo and behold, instead of re- pete in. He gets back on his train- arms on his volume day. He flexed
laxing, he’s flexing hard. Rather than ing, cardio and good eating (and one of his biceps in the mirror and
looking forlorn, a shit-eating grin often, his “special” supplements), scowled.
paints his face, as if he has six or and—shazam! Eight or 10 weeks “They still don’t look that big,” he
seven Playboy Playmates waiting for later our guy is the picture of mus- pouted.
him. A bronze tan has replaced the cular perfection. Snap the “after” “Young buck, what the hell is
white fish-belly skin tone, and that photos at this point and put your ad wrong with you? Maybe it’s because
clump of curly hair on his chest and together, giving all the credit for his I don’t see you more than once a
stomach has been neatly shaved transformation to the product being week lately, but your arms are defi-
off to reveal all sorts of striations advertised. nitely bigger and have better shape

than they did just last month.”
Randy digested that for a mo-
ment but was determined to shoot
down any attempt at a compliment
or encouragement. He was a master
at that—as most bodybuilders are—
though he has a long
way to go before he
reaches my level
of deflecting
sincere com-
pliments.
“Well,
maybe, but
they’re still
nowhere near
big enough,”
Randy said.
“Maybe I should do
that arm routine I saw
in a magazine where you can add
two inches in one day.”
I knew the article he was refer-
ring to. It claimed that by devoting
an entire day in the gym to arm
training, hitting the biceps and
triceps every hour on the hour for
six or eight hours, you could indeed
increase their girth by two inches.
Some of it was temporary inflam-
mation from beating the crap out of
them all day, the author conceded,
even while insisting that most of the
gains were permanent. I try to keep
an open mind, but that one reeked
of bull. The only surefire way I know
to add two inches to your arms is to
shoot them up with about a quart of
synthol each—which is something
I’m vehemently against.
Call me old-fashioned, but I think
bodybuilding is about training hard
to build muscle, not just sticking a
needle in the muscle and pump-
ing it up with oil to make it look as
if it’s grown. Besides, the results of
synthol are usually glaringly obvi-
ous, as the arms and shoulders, the
most commonly injected areas, take
on a lumpy, misshapen appearance
that brings to mind such tragically
deformed characters as Quasimodo,
the hunchback of Notre Dame; and
John Merrick, the Elephant Man.
(We all know what happened to
Merrick—his skeleton was eventu-
ally bought by Michael Jackson and
Model: Skip La Cour
displayed at his Neverland Ranch.

Talk about a fate worse than death.)
“Randy,” I said, “forget about
these crazy quick fixes, seriously.
Muscle growth (continued on page 114)

(continued from page 110) quick months you do this than you would think the problem is that when God
fixes, seriously. Muscle growth is a have in more than a year of regular was passing out the genetics for big
painfully slow process, even under training.” arms, I was stuck in the bathroom
the best of circumstances. Right Randy still didn’t seem satisfied. due to some bad nachos at the cafe-
now, by having you specialize on “I guess, but I really need 20-inch teria in heaven. My guess is that the
your weaker bodyparts, we’re put- arms and calves.” cheese went bad.”
ting those muscle groups on the fast “Yes, I know; we all do, and I’m Randy was
track to growth. At the rate you’re still trying to hit at a loss. “What
going, I predict you’ll make more those num- are you talking
gains in your arms, bers. I about?”
chest and calves “The point is,” I
in the few said, “you’ll eventually get
those measurements, but it’s not
Call me old-fashioned, but

I thought bodybuilding
was about training hard
to build muscle, not just
sticking a needle in the
muscle and pumping it up
with oil to make it look as
if it’s grown.

“As long as you keep improving,
you’re succeeding. If muscle
came fast and easy, anybody
could look like a champion
bodybuilder.”
going to happen for your contest infomercials with Carrot Top. periods to make those improve-
next May. Sorry to break it to you. It “As long as you keep improving, ments, you really have nothing to
may take you two, three, perhaps five you’re succeeding. If muscle came worry about.”
years until you get close to the size fast and easy, anybody could look Randy flexed again, but the pump
you want to be. I don’t want to scare like a champion bodybuilder. But in his biceps had gone away. Luck-
you away from bodybuilding, but few do. You have to be tremendously ily, he had a few more sets to go and
most of the top guys in the IFBB and dedicated and work hard for many would regain the tight, swollen look
even at the Nationals have all been years to build an outstanding phy- in his arms that we all get off on.
training hard for at least 10 years, sique.” “Hey, do you think you can get
many of them for as long as 15 or 20.” “Ugh. There you go with that next Tuesday off from work?” I said,
“Oh, man,” Randy moaned. “I’m many years thing again. You’re kill- as if out of the blue.
going to be an old man before I’m ing me.” Randy furrowed his brow. “I don’t
huge.” “I tell you, the time passes by think so, why?”
“I resemble that remark,” I shot before you know it, kid. It literally “I was thinking of hanging out
back, self-conscious about being 35 seems like yesterday that I was your here in the gym from six in the
now and staring down the barrel of age and still trying to figure all this morning until 10 at night to train
40 (the red Corvette can’t be too far stuff out—without a great, cool, calves. I bet we can put three inches
off). “You have to remember that mentor like yours truly, I might add.” on those puppies.” I cackled like
bodybuilding is a sport unlike most “Yeah, I know,” Randy said un- a maniac as I settled down on the
others. In sports like figure skating, convincingly. “You’re the greatest, preacher bench for a set of single-
tennis and gymnastics, athletes hit Ron.” arm dumbbell curls.
their prime in their teens and early “As long as you constantly evalu- “You can be such a jackass some-
20s and after that are suited only to ate what needs to be improved in times,” said Randy.
skating around in a Buzz Lightyear your physique and keep coming “Maybe so, but I am the greatest
costume in Disney on Ice or doing up with solid plans in limited time jackass of them all.” IM

Testosterone

& Growth
Hormone
Strength, Muscle and Extended
Living Through Chemistry?
by Jerry Brainum Part 1
Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter.
—Mark Twain
H uman growth hormone

and testosterone are very
familiar to bodybuilders
as potent anabolic hormones.
In fact, most of the massive size
reputed ability to turn back the
clock. The greatest therapeutic
results are achieved in those who
are clinically deficient in them, as
ascertained by medical testing.
deficient in insulinlike growth
factor 1.1 IGF-1 deficiency points
to a lack of sufficient GH. For six
months one group got GH injec-
tions three times a week. A con-
gains you see in professional Men deficient in testoster- trol group got a placebo. A dose
bodybuilders, like the records one show a near miraculous of 0.03 milligram per kilogram
set in baseball and other sports turnaround when they take of bodyweight was selected be-
in recent years, are attributed to supplemental versions of the cause it equaled what’s secreted
extensive use of three hormones: hormone—particularly those by young men and was similar
testosterone, growth hormone engaged in bodybuilding or other to the dose used to treat GH-de-
and insulin. But athletes aren’t physical activity. Not having ficient children. IGF levels were
the only people interested in enough testosterone keeps you checked monthly.
them. As people age, they gener- from making significant gains The men in the GH group
ally become deficient in test and in muscle size and strength. Not experienced an 8.8 percent in-
GH, starting with a slow decline only do you look bad, but your crease in lean body mass, a 7.1
that begins about age 40. People health is adversely affected as percent increase in skin thickness
may also become insulin resis- well. Men who are deficient in and firmness at four body sites, a
tant, which is directly related to testosterone tend to accrue the 1.6 percent increase in vertebral
levels of the other two hormones, gut that medical studies have bone density and a 14.4 percent
as well as body composition and linked to the development of drop in bodyfat. Their IGF-1 rose
activity levels. cardiovascular disease, metabolic to the level typical of young men.
Baby boomers, especially syndrome and diabetes. The initial side effects consisted
those born between 1946 and Although growth hormone only of a slight rise in blood pres-
1964, have considerable inter- had been used for years to treat sure and blood glucose. Accord-
est in delaying or offsetting the dwarfism in children, the prima- ingly, Rudman declared, “The
physical and mental ravages ry impetus to GH-replacement overall deterioration of the body
linked to the aging process. Both therapy for adults occurred with that comes with growing old is
T and GH therapy have garnered the 1990 publication of a study not inevitable.”
a reputation as fountain-of- by Daniel Rudman, M.D., that An avalanche of publicity led
youth hormones because of their followed 21 healthy older men many to suggest that injecting

Test & GH
A combination of small doses of GH with normal replacement

doses of T led to more improvements in body composition
than when the subjects got either hormone alone. The two
hormones in combination resulted in a 28 percent greater fat
loss than either hormone on its own.
GH yielded a fountain-of-youth ef- they’d made reverted to prestudy which doesn’t aim to produce the
fect. Less focus was given to follow- levels. That implied that GH had to superphysiological results that
on results observed over the next six be used without letup to work its athletes want but to provide just
months. Side effects kicked in: gy- miracles. Later studies showed that enough of the hormone to ease test
necomastia, or male breast develop- the problems and side effects of GH deficiency. For both GH and big T,
ment; excess water retention; joint replacement are nearly all avoidable the right dosage blocks negative
pain; and carpal tunnel syndrome, if therapy starts at a lower dose that side effects.
an impingement of the nerves in gradually increases depending on While giving replacement doses
the wrist caused by an overgrowth response and IGF-1 measure. to GH- and T-deficient people does
of connective tissue. When the sub- A similar scenario emerges with appear to improve their quality of
jects ceased using GH, the progress testosterone-replacement therapy, life greatly, (continued on page 128)

Test & GH
(continued from page 124) an im-

plied effect is life extension. Al-
though the many symptoms of
hormone deficiency are correlated
with decreased life expectancy,
opponents of therapy intervention
say that there’s no proof that using
hormones will extend a normal life
span. Indeed, some critics argue the
converse: that using supplemental
testosterone and GH will decrease
life span for a number of reasons.2
Who’s right? To answer that, let’s
take a closer look at the hormones,
the effects of not having enough of
them and how that relates to lon-
gevity.
By the way, insulin doesn’t figure
into the discourse on longevity
because the jury is pretty much in
on insulin. Both animal and human
studies have demonstrated that the
less insulin secreted, the longer the
life.3 Techniques such as calorie
restriction may be effective because
they lower resting insulin levels.
The high insulin count brought on
by insensitivity is linked to such
diseases as obesity, metabolic
syndrome, cardiovascular disease,
cancer and diabetes—all of which
shorten life.4 People who live to
advanced age are all known to have
low resting insulin levels. Mice that
have the fat cell insulin cell recep-
tors bred out of them weigh 15 to 25
percent less than average, have an The high insulin count brought on by
average of 70 percent less bodyfat
than normal mice and don’t fatten insensitivity is linked to such diseases as
as they age—no matter what they
eat. They also don’t develop diabe- obesity, metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular
tes or glucose intolerance, and they
live an average of 18 percent longer disease, cancer and diabetes—all of which
than normal mice.5
shorten life.
Growth Hormone:
The Facts
normal IGF-1 levels—despite severe horror from GH- or T-replacement
The reluctance of most physi- growth hormone deficiency.7 therapy unhesitatingly prescribe
cians to prescribe GH and T to Another paradox has to do with other hormones to treat diagnosed
adults—even those diagnosed as the labeling of GH therapy as “ex- deficiencies. Estrogen-replacement
hormone-deficient—is curious perimental” by medical insurance therapy for older women is the most
and paradoxical. One investigation companies, even though the Food obvious example. Older women low
found that doctors just don’t want and Drug Administration approved on estrogen experience a number
to run the required diagnostics, adult GH-replacement therapy in of quality-of-life symptoms—hot
which can take six to eight hours.6 1996. Since the suggested replace- flashes, sleep disturbances, rapid
Moreover, the primary measure ment dose of GH for adults are only skin aging, heart disease and os-
of GH deficiency—the amount of 10 to 20 percent of what GH-defi- teoporosis. Estrogen therapy can
IGF-1 in the body—doesn’t even cient children get, the cost for adults relieve most of them.
apply to people over 70. One study would be considerably less (though So far, so good? Estrogen is the
found that 75 percent of men and 55 not cheap). only hormone recognized as a car-
percent of women aged 71 to 80 had Yet the same doctors who recoil in cinogen and associated with the de-

Test & GH
While insulin is required to treat type 1 and
many type 2 diabetics, it comes with its
velopment of breast, uterine
and ovarian cancer in women. own set of side effects, including the risk of
A major therapy targeting es-
trogen-sensitive cancers uses hypoglycemia, or low blood sugar, which in
drugs that either block estro-
gen receptors, such as Nolva- a worst-case scenario can land an insulin-
dex, or inhibit the conversion
of androgens to estrogens,
dependent person in a coma.
such as Arimidix. Interest-
ingly, anabolic steroids, which
are based on testosterone, are
also occasionally used to treat
breast cancer.
Doctors who label GH and
T as “modern snake oil” when
it comes to antiaging therapy
also readily prescribe insulin.
While insulin is required to
treat type 1 and many type
2 diabetics, it comes with its
own set of side effects, includ-
ing the risk of hypoglycemia,
or low blood sugar, which in a
worst-case scenario can land
an insulin-dependent person
in a coma. The case of heiress
Martha “Sunny” Von Bülow is
an example. On December 21,
1980, someone (her husband,
Claus, was acquitted of at-
tempted murder) gave Sunny
an overdose of insulin that
put her in the coma she has
yet to come out of. Long-term
insulin is also suspected of
causing cardiovascular com-
plications. That helps explain shortened life span. clud-
why cardiovascular failure is the Scientists who claim that GH ing
primary cause of death in diabetics. poses an unacceptable risk to Homo
So why are most physicians so long-term health point to animal sapiens,
prejudiced against GH or T as an- studies to defend their positions. females
tiaging interventions? Many doc- In rodents that are born without usually outlive the
tors refuse to accept the concept of GH receptors, that don’t secrete GH males.
adult deficiency in both hormones. or IGF-1 or that have resistance to Studies show that
Although they treat GH deficiency the hormones, life span tends to smaller animals tend to live longer.
related to some forms of dwarf- increase. One type of rodent bred That’s true of mice and dogs and
ism, they say that it’s normal for the to have no GH lives 42 to 70 percent may be true of humans too. The rea-
body to reduce production of GH longer than normal rodents thanks son appears to be due to the lesser
and T as a protective device, citing to heightened antioxidant defense amounts of IGF-1 secreted over
antagonistic pleiotropy, the name mechanisms, enhanced stress resis- a lifetime. In fact, a recent study
given to something useful to the tance, reduced tumor formation and showed that the primary difference
young but dangerous to the old. In increased insulin sensitivity. True, between large and small dogs is
older people IGF-1, a by-product those rodents tend to be unusually that larger dogs secrete much more
of GH release, is linked to various small, or dwarves. Yet another type IGF-1. The larger dogs also average
types—breast, prostate and colon— of rat bred to overproduce a hor- shorter life spans than smaller ones.
of cancer. Experts suggest that the mone called klotho, which interferes Human beings who reach really
decline of GH and T is the body’s with IGF-1 pathways, is normal in advanced age, such as over 100, are
way of protecting against cancer, size but lives an average of 19 to 25 always smaller than average. While
thus prolonging life. Of course, that percent longer than normal rats. In- the people on the Japanese island of
doesn’t explain why the same doc- terestingly, male rats bred with extra Okinawa are known for their longev-
tors prescribe estrogen and insulin, klotho live longer than their female ity, the very old stand about 4’8” on
which are also linked to cancer and counterparts; in most species, in- average and often weigh not much

Test & GH
more than 100 pounds—and that’s having no IGF-1 deficiency

the men. You never see an unusually developed malignancies,
tall or heavy person over age 100. mainly lung, prostate,
Growth hormone may shorten colon and breast tumors.8
life span by suppressing antioxida- On the other hand,
tive protection systems in the body. there are documented
The resulting oxidative damage cases of humans born
may be the cause of the increased deficient in GH who
mortality seen with GH use—or died prematurely.9 One
so say the GH-therapy critics, who involved five males and six
point to humans born with genetic females, all brothers and sis-
mutations similar to those found in ters, who were born with GH
rodents. Some of them never receive deficiencies and were dwarves.
hormone-replacement therapy yet They were compared with their
live long and healthy lives, often ex- 11 male and 14 female brothers
ceeding the normal life expectancy. and sisters, all born normal (except
While GH and IGF-1 are required that their parents had to be crazy to GH and IGF-1:
to prevent the premature destruc- have 36 children). The male children The Dynamics
tion of brain cells, people who have lacking GH lived to an average age
genetic mutations that leave them of 56, while their normal brothers A study of older women lacking
without GH have no cognitive or and sisters died at an average age of in IGF-1 showed an elevation of
brain problems. A recent study 75. The primary causes of death in a substance called interleukin-6,
found that humans born with de- all the siblings were heart disease which is an inflammatory media-
ficient IGF-1 synthesis don’t seem and infections. The women lack- tor.10 They had significant limitation
to develop cancer, while 9 to 24 ing GH died even younger than the in mobility and daily living and were
percent of their immediate relatives men, average age 46. at greater risk of death than women
(continued on page 136)
Not having enough

testosterone keeps you from
making significant gains in
muscle size and strength.
Not only do you look bad,
but your health is adversely
affected as well.

Test & GH
Another study involved rodents with a lifetime deficiency of
GH and IGF-1. While their life spans were about the same as
those of normal rats, treating the GH-deficient rodents from
four to 14 weeks of age increased average
and maximum life span by 14 percent and 12
percent, respectively.
(continued from page 132) with about how rodents born deficient in
high IGF-1 and low interleukin-6. GH live longer than normal rodents.
Another study involved rodents with
a lifetime deficiency of GH and IGF- Hormone Therapy:
1.11 While their life spans were about
Risks vs. Rewards
the same as those of normal rats,
treating the GH-deficient rodents Cancer is the major concern of
from four to 14 weeks of age in- doctors regarding the use of re-
creased average and maximum life
span by 14 percent and 12 percent,
respectively. Autopsies revealed
that they had 18 to 30 percent fewer Current thinking
tumors than normal animals. Lack on dosage and
of GH also prevented death from
kidney failure, a common cause
long-term GH-
of rodent death. The total disease replacement
burden was 16 to 24 percent less in therapy for
the deficient rodents; however, the
incidence of stroke was 154 to 198
adults indicates
percent higher. Rodents lacking in little or no side
GH also showed accelerated osteo- effects. The body
arthritis and cartilage degeneration.
The authors concluded that growth
seems to tolerate
hormone and IGF-1 are “necessary a normal range
to maximize reproductive fitness of GH and IGF-1.
and growth of offspring early in life
and to maintain cognitive function
and prevent cartilage degeneration
later in life. The diverse effects of
GH and IGF-1 are consistent with
a model of antagonistic pleiotropy
and suggest that in response to a
deficiency of these hormones, in-
creased life span is derived at the
risk of functional impairments and
tissue degeneration.”
While some rodent studies show
that mutant GH-deficient dwarf
rodents live longer, others show that
giving them GH can extend life. A
1990 study done at North Dakota
State University used 52 mice that
were the equivalent of old people.
Half received placebo injections,
and half got GH injections. After
13 weeks, 16, or 61 percent, of the
placebo mice had died, while all
Neveux \ Model: Lee Apperson
but two, or 97 percent, of the GH-

treated animals were still alive. The
GH animals exceeded the normal-
mice life span. While that doesn’t
prove the same effect would occur
in humans, it balances the critiques

Test & GH
Neveux \ Model: JIm Morris

Long-term insulin use is suspected of causing cardiovascular
complications. That helps explain why cardiovascular failure
is the primary cause of death in diabetics.
placement therapy in GH-deficient elevated but instead is nor-
adults.12 IGF-1 is known to stimulate malized with GH therapy.
cell division and inhibit the self-de- IGF-1 binding protein also
struction of damaged cells, which rises with GH therapy, thus
can turn into cancer. The older you preventing the negative ef-
are, the greater the risk of having fects associated with active,
damaged or potentially cancerous or free, IGF-1.
cells in your body. IGF-1 may cause Doctors also worry about
that, although research hasn’t con- the relationship between
firmed the theory. GH therapy and diabetes.
Long-term data in children and GH opposes the action of
adults treated with GH for 27,000 insulin because it triggers
patient years reveal no increased high fat release, which in-
cancer rates. A review of GH-re- terferes with glucose uptake
placement therapy in adults indi- into muscle cells and en-
cated that it’s not linked to tumor courages insulin resistance.
formation. Patients with acromeg- Sound plausible? Only two
aly, which involves an overproduc- cases of reversible diabetes
tion of GH and IGF-1 due to a tumor have been reported from
in the pituitary gland, show no a combined series of 400
abnormal cancer increase despite treated GH-deficient adults.
having IGF-1 circulating superabun- In a one-year study of
dantly in their bodies,13 although adults on GH therapy, sub-
other studies dispute that.14 Another jects experienced increased
thing to consider is that IGF-1 isn’t insulin sensitivity, probably

Test & GH
athletes, however, inject as much

as 75 percent more GH than the
replacement-therapy doses given to
GH-deficient children. That practice
places them in unknown territory as
far as possible negative health ef-
fects are concerned, but it bears no
relationship to the far smaller doses
used in replacement therapy.
A recent 10-year prospective
study of the metabolic effects of
adult GH-replacement therapy
found that the subjects dropped
bodyfat early on and kept it off for
10 years.15 The patients experienced
sustained improvement in serum
lipids, such as cholesterol and low-
density lipoprotein. They also ex-
perienced a decline in glycosylated
hemoglobin, a measure of long-
term glucose control, although they
had higher glucose levels at the start
of the GH therapy. The men in the
study experienced greater beneficial
effects than the women—the usual
pattern with most GH-replacement
studies.
One widely publicized review of
GH-replacement therapy for adults
came up negative.16 The lead author,
Hao Liu, M.D., said, “You’re paying
a lot of money for a therapy that
may have minimal or no benefit and
yet has a potential for serious side
effects.” The study found that GH
modestly affected body composi-
tion, increasing lean mass by an
Neveux \ Model: Michael Ergas
average of two kilograms and de-

creasing bodyfat by about the same
amount. There were, however, no
changes in bone density, cholesterol
or maximal oxygen consumption,
leading to the assertion that “there’s
no data to suggest that growth hor-
A recent 10-year prospective study of the mone prolongs life, and none of
these studies makes that claim.”
metabolic effects of adult GH-replacement Here’s a red flag: Liu’s analysis
of published GH research studies
therapy found that the subjects dropped excluded any that treated diagnosed
bodyfat early on and kept it off for 10 years. GH deficiency. A primary symptom
of GH deficiency in adults is ex-
treme fatigue, which detracts from
related to bodyfat loss. Another lin for the past year to counter the the quality of life. The GH-deficient
seven-year study of GH treatment high-blood-sugar reaction to GH, a have reduced maximum oxygen
in adults found no change in insulin common practice among athletes, uptake, which is related to fatigue,
sensitivity. but he became dehydrated. Put on much in the manner of those suf-
A recent report found that a 36- intravenous fluids and gradually fering from congestive heart fail-
year-old bodybuilder who used increasing amounts of insulin over ure. Giving them GH significantly
growth hormone for three years five days, he got over his diabetic increases oxygen consumption.17
had diabetic symptoms, such as symptoms, leading the doctors Liu’s main point seems to be that
increased thirst and appetite and to suspect GH as the underlying the risks of GH-replacement therapy
excessive urination. He’d used insu- cause. Bodybuilders and other outweigh the benefits to those who

Test & GH
effects. The body seems to tolerate a

normal range of GH and IGF-1.
Many scientists who study GH
suggest that further refinement of
GH therapy will involve oral admin-
istration, based on the discovery
of GH-releasing peptides in 1976.
These drugs addressed the fact that
in most older people the pituitary
gland can produce GH, just not in
effective amounts. The GH-secret-
ing agents bypass that problem,
releasing hormones on a scale simi-
lar to that of young people. In addi-
tion, the drugs have a built-in safety
mechanism because hormone feed-
back prevents an overdose. These
secretagogues, as they’re called, may
represent the future of GH-replace-
ment therapy.
GH and the Future

Another possibility lies in com-
bining GH and testosterone therapy.
One recent study of 80 older men
found that a combination of small
doses of GH with normal replace-
ment doses of T led to more im-
provements in body composition
than when subjects got either
Those in the hormone alone. The two hormones
in combination resulted in a 28
group combining percent greater fat loss than either
hormone on its own. Those in the
GH and T also group combining GH and T also had
greater muscle mass gains and an
had greater increase in maximum oxygen in-
muscle mass take, a measure of fitness.
So will GH-replacement therapy
gains and prolong life? One study published in
1999 showed a significant increase
an increase in mortality in hospital patients
given GH—42 percent, compared
in maximum to 18 percent for a placebo group.18
Sounds bad, until you consider that
oxygen intake,
Neveux \ Model: Katsumi Ishimura
the patients were treated with un-

usually large doses of GH, ranging
a measure of from 16 to 24 international units per
day. When you know that even the
fitness. largest professional bodybuilder av-
erages three to six I.U. daily, you get
a better perspective of this study.
Research by Bengt-Ake Bengts-
son of the Salgrenska Hospital in
don’t have a GH deficiency. Makes In the studies analyzed by Liu and Gothenburg, Sweden, studied 333
sense—until you realize that the his team, the doses of GH were patients diagnosed with pituitary
majority of people over age 60 are far higher than necessary, leading gland failure between 1956 and
deficient in GH. to numerous side effects. Current 1987. They were given replacement
You’ll recall that most of the thinking on dosage and long-term doses of all pituitary hormones ex-
side effects linked to GH are avoid- GH-replacement therapy for adults, cept GH. The GH-deficient patients
able if you start with lower doses. however, indicates little or no side died at twice the expected rate, 107

Test & GH
deaths compared to 57 in the overall of reported beneficial effects of of IGF-1 seem protected from the
population matched for age and sex. GH-replacement therapy in GH-de- development of malignancies: A
The primary cause of death was car- ficient patients cannot be disputed. preliminary report. Growth Horm
diovascular disease, which occurred Long-term follow-up data demon- IGF Res. In press.
twice as often in the GH-deficient strate that GH-replacement therapy 9 Besson, A., et al. (2003). Reduced
patients as it did in the overall pa- is safe. The pursuit of physical and longevity in untreated patients with
tient population. mental health in increasing aging is isolated growth hormone deficiency.
Considering the effects of a lack more than human, it is humanistic.” J Clin Endocrin Metab. 88:3664-
of GH, such as heart problems and Next month we’ll discuss testos- 3667.
decreased brain function, GH-re- terone. 10 Cappola, A., et al. (2003). Insu-
placement therapy likely will pro- lin-like growth factor-1 and inter-
long life. In addition, several studies References leukin-6 contribute synergistically
show that GH-replacement therapy to disabillty and mortality in older
blunts excess inflammation in the 1 Rudman, D., et al. (1990). Effects women. J Clin Endocrin Metabol.
body,17 which is strongly linked to of growth hormone in men over 60 88:2019-2025.
several major causes of death, such years old. New Eng J Med. 32:1-6. 11 Sonntag, W.E., et al. (2005).
as cancer and cardiovascular dis- 2 Laron, Z. (2005). Do deficiencies Adult-onset growth hormone and
ease. Various markers of inflamma- in growth hormone and insulin-like IGF-1 deficiency reduces neoplas-
tion drop significantly within three growth factor-1 (IGF-1) shorten or tic disease, modifies age-related
months of initiating GH-replace- prolong longevity? Mech Aging Dev- pathology and increases life span.
ment therapy. lop. 126:305-307. Endocrin. 146:2920-32.
Giving GH to those deficient in 3 Paolisso, G., et al. (1996). 12 Perry, J.K., et al. (2006). The
it leads to improved quality of life, Glucose tolerance and insulin oncogenic potential of growth
whatever the contention of medical action in healthy centenarians. Am J hormone. Growth Horm IGF Res.
“experts” who may have their own Physiol. 270:E890-E894. 16:277-289.
agenda when they label GH therapy 4 Facchini, F.S., 13 Orme, S.M., et al. (1998). Mor-
“snake oil science.” et al. (2001). tality and cancer incidence in ac-
Dr. H.C. Verhoeven, di- Insulin romegaly: A retrospective cohort
rector of the Center for resistance study. J Clin Endocrin Metabol.
Reproductive Medi- as a 83:2730-2734.
cine, Endocrinol- predictor 14 Jenkins, P.J. (2004). Acromegaly
ogy, Genetics and of age- and cancer. Horm Res. 62(Supp

Antiaging Medicine related 1):108-115.
in Dusseldorf, Ger- diseases. J 15 Gotherstrom, G., et al. (2007).
many, sums up GH Clin Endocrin A ten-year, prospective study of the

therapy as follows: Metab. 86:3574- metabolic effects of growth hor-
“There is no doubt 3578. mone replacement in adults. J Clin
that GH continues 5 Bluher, M., et Endocrin Metab. 92:1442-5.
to play an impor- al. (2002). Adipose 16 Liu, H., et al. (2007). System-
tant role through- tissue selective atic review: The safety and efficacy
out normal adult insulin receptor of growth hormone in the healthy
life. Abundant knockout protects elderly. Ann Intern Med. 146:104-15.
data against obesity and 17 Nass, R., et al. (1995). Effect
obesity-related glu- of growth hormone replacement

cose intolerance. Dev therapy on physical work capacity
Cell. 3:25-38. and cardiac and pulmonary func-
6 Cook, D.M. (2002). tion in patients with hGH deficiency
Shouldn’t adults with aquired in adulthood. J Clin Endo-
growth hormone defi- crin Metab. 80:552-557.
ciency be offered growth 18 Takala, J., et al. (1999). In-
hormone replacement creased mortality associated with

therapy? Ann Intern Med. growth hormone treatment in
137:197-201. critical ill adults. New Eng J Med.
7 Mukherjee, A., et al. 341:785-92.
(2003). Seeking the optimal 19 Serri, O., et al. (1999). Al-
target range for insulinlike terations of monocyte function

growth factor-1 during the treat- in patients with growth hormone
ment of adult growth hormone deficiency: effect of substitutive
disorders. J Clin Endocrin Me- GH therapy. J Clin Endocrin Metab.
tabol. 88:5865-5870. 84:58-63. IM
8 Shevah, O., et al. (2007). Pa-
tients with congenital deficiency

Presents

X-treme
Lean Q&A
by Steve Holman and Jonathan Lawson
E-book Excerpt: Fat Churn and Burn
M
ost bodybuilders strive to build mass and more
mass, and that can often result in bodyfat and
more bodyfat. Believe it or not, a lean, ripped 200-
pound bodybuilder will look much bigger than a
240-pound smooth one. It has to do with delineated muscles,
etched-in-granite hardness and streaking vascularity. For
example, check out the back shots of Jonathan on pages 148
and 149. He weighed only slightly less in the ripped photo,
but it looks as if he weighed at least 20 pounds more.
What about women? While most don’t want muscularity
or vascularity, the same ripping diet and cutting strategies
that smart bodybuilders use can get any woman leaner fast-
er, with curves in all the right places—especially if she lifts
weights to boost her metabolism and add some shapely mus-
cle. Becky Holman’s transformation photos on page 149 are
proof of that (more on her in the Q&A coming up).

cost than carbs, so eating protein-
based meals will help you burn
more calories and, if you keep your
meals small—in the 300-calorie
range—you’ll limit insulin produc-
tion. That’s a good thing because
insulin stops fat burning and helps
your body store excess calories as
Men and women
bodyfat. The only time insulin is
can use the same
good is immediately after a work-
strategies to get
out, when it helps shuttle protein
lean. One key is
and carbs into your muscles. Re-
understanding that
search shows that taking in even
carbs are fuel—don’t
100 grams of carbs (that’s 400 calo-
overfill your tank.
ries) after a workout won’t increase
fat deposits.
Q: I weigh around 215. I’m
pretty active, but I need a bet-
ter body. If I want to have a fit
190-to-200-pound physique,
should I drop 25 pounds—to
190—and then build the mus-
cle, or should I just drop 10 to
15 pounds and then use weight
training to build muscle? Ide-
ally, I want to be a fairly ripped
190.
A: First, you shouldn’t be so
Neveux \ Models: Steve and Becky Holman
hung up on weighing a certain
amount. In fact, you probably
shouldn’t weigh yourself. Go by
how you look (take photos, as we
outline in Chapter 3). If you’re
losing notches on your belt, you’re
losing fat.
When you lose fat and gain
muscle, you redistribute your
weight. In other words, you’ll look
Here are a few ques-

tions and answers from
the last chapter of our
best-selling e-book X-
treme Lean [www
.X-tremeLean.com] that
will put you on the road
to an attention-grabbing
body, whether you’re a
man or a woman:
Q: What’s the num-

ber-one thing I can do
to start dropping fat
immediately?
A: Exercise! If you
Holman \ Model: Jonathan Lawson
mean from a dietary

standpoint, the first
thing you should always
do is start eating five to
six protein-based meals a
day. As we’ve said, pro-
tein has a higher energy

Becky Holman’s
transformation
took place
over a few
Neveux \ Model: Becky Holman

Holman \ Model: Becky Holman
Holman \ Model: Becky Holman
months. It takes
consistency,
discipline and
tactical X-treme
Lean eating and
exercising.
completely different if you lose 10 same. Think about that, and let it Concentrate on working out hard,
pounds of fat and add 10 pounds of sink in. gradually adding cardio, being con-
muscle, but you’ll weigh exactly the So step away from the scale! sistent and eating relatively clean.
You’ll be amazed at the
changes your body will
make. Photos will prove
it.
Q: I go to the gym
with my husband. Is
it okay for me to work
out with him on one
of the programs in
your e-books, or will I
get too big?
A: Work out with him
as hard as you can—and
include set-extending
techniques like X Reps
and drop sets to build
muscle and burn fat.
They create muscle burn,
which triggers the release
Muscle detail makes Jona- of growth hormone, a
than look heavier in this potent fat burner—but
shot than his smooth one you won’t get giant mus-
at left, but his bodyweight cles! A woman’s overall
is slightly less here.
Intensity in the gym is all important,
as muscle burn helps the body churn
out growth hormone, which is a crucial
bodyfat incinerator.
Neveux \ Model: Greg Smyers
(continued from page 149) hormonal drop sets. [Find her story, diet and retouched.]
makeup prevents excessive muscle training program in Chapter 6 of Q: You tend to favor Pro-Fu-
gain. You have more estrogen and X-treme Lean.] sion protein powder. Does it
not a lot of testosterone, which What about women bodybuild- work as a good between-meals
means you’ll never look like a male ers? Look how big some of them are. protein drink, and can I drink
bodybuilder—not even close. You’ll They take male hormones to make it 30 minutes before a workout?
just get curves in all the right places. their bigger muscles possible. Even What about as my postworkout
Case in point: Photos show the many men have to supplement their shake? How many times a day
astounding four-month transfor- male hormones to get extremely big do I use Pro-Fusion? Is it better
mation of Steve’s wife, Becky. She muscles, so you don’t have to worry than regular protein supple-
trained hard three days a week, one iota. [By the way, we do not take ments? Can women take it too?
using set-extending techniques like steroids, and none of our photos are A: Pro-Fusion is a great protein

Neveux \ Model: Katie Lohman
Women can train hard just like men.

Their hormonal profiles make it im-
possible to pack on pounds of ripped
muscle (thank you, Mother Nature!).
source because it combines whey, during that time was chocolate

micellar casein and egg. You get fast Pro-Fusion in water with a table-
and slow release of amino acids. spoon of peanut butter. (She said
Having one or two scoops mixed that it helped quash her cravings for
in water about an hour before you Reese’s peanut butter cups.)
train is an ideal way to use it. You You can use Pro-Fusion after the
can also use it between meals or workout as well, but it’s best to mix
with meals—if the meal needs more it in fruit juice instead of water,
protein. And, yes, women can and as you need carbs to replenish
should use it too. As she outlined in glycogen stores then. For the best
her transformation chapter, Becky post-training boost, however, we
Holman used it every day. One of recommend a postworkout-specific
her favorite between-meals snacks supplement like RecoverX. With

Increasing activity gradually and replacing some carbs
with protein will help you get leaner, but don’t go by the
scale. Muscle weighs more than fat. In other words, you
can get leaner but weigh the same.
increases the use of fat

substrates for energy.
3) Doing your cardio

after a weight-training
specially formulated postworkout workout, as the lifting
powders you get fast protein (whey will deplete your blood-
and hydrolyzed whey) and fast stream of glucose and
carbs flooding your bloodstream, prime your body to shift
which is exactly what your muscles to using fat for energy
need after a hard workout. Oh, during the low-intensity
yeah, women can and should use cardio that follows.
postworkout drinks too. Becky al-
ways had RecoverX after each of her You say you do cardio
three weekly workouts. We’re big on leg days. New research
believers in fast protein and carbs suggests that it’s not a
plus creatine after training and take good idea to do it after
the X Stack, which is RecoverX and your lower-body workout
CreaSol mixed in water, after every because it can disrupt
intense workout. leg-muscle recovery. A
Q: Currently, I do four 30- better plan is to do it on
minute cardio sessions, one the same day but at low
on Saturday, one on Sunday intensity before the work-
and one on each of my leg out, as a warmup. Or you
days. Everyone I talk with says I can do it after if you wait
should increase the number of at least 30 minutes—later
minutes so I can get into burn- in the day would probably
ing bodyfat for energy. Is that hours prior to your session. In- be better. Doing cardio immediately
correct—should I do longer stead, have a small protein shake after an upper-body workout is fine,
sessions? (one scoop) or a few amino acid however, and will enable you to tap
A: A lot of studies say that the capsules (at least five) about 30 into bodyfat sooner.
body doesn’t begin burning fat dur- minutes before to prevent muscle As for your weekend cardio, fol-
ing steady-state cardio until about breakdown. low the above three suggestions:
25 minutes in; however, you can Don’t eat carbs before you do it,
speed that up by doing the follow- 2) Drinking a cup of coffee (or have some caffeine and a small pro-
ing: something else that contains tein shake or a few branched-chain
about 100 milligrams of caffeine) amino acid capsules 30 minutes
1) Not eating any carbs for a few before your session, as caffeine before (our anticatabolic/anabolic

Presents
Fat-Churn-and-Burn Supplement Support

There’s no doubt that specific supplements can speed and enhance
your fat-loss efforts. Here are a few of our favorites, which we use during
our ripping phase.
Fat burner. You may be saying, “Duh,” but there’s one specific in-
gredient, besides caffeine, you should look for: forskolin. Several new
studies have shown significant fat-loss effects with human subjects who
took a forskolin-based supplement—with no serious negative side ef-
fects. Positive side effects, other than ramping up fat loss, include lower
blood pressure and more high-density lipoprotein, but there’s a muscle-
size-building twist: Forskolin also pumps up free testosterone, the active
form of that key anabolic hormone (Obes Res. 13[8]:1335-1343; 2005)!
L-carnitine. This compound helps move fat into the mitochon-
dria of the cells for energy—in other words, it shuttles bodyfat into the
furnace—but like forskolin it also has mass-building properties. New
research says that carnitine increases anabolic receptors in muscle—
something anabolic steroids do (J Steroid Biochem Mol Bio. 93[1]:35-42; Steady-state work burns calories
2005). That means much faster size gains. It’s also been shown to boost and can tap into fat stores during
muscle recovery and muscular force production (J Strength Cond Res. the activity; interval training also
17:455-462; 2003). (That means it can synergize with creatine and beta- burns calories but doesn’t burn
alanine to give your X Reps more firepower.) as much fat during the session.
Vitamin C (yes, vitamin C). A study out of Arizona State University So steady-state cardio is the ticket
found a correlation between low vitamin C and low fat burning during if you want to lose fat, right? Not
steady-state exercise. Subjects who didn’t have adequate vitamin C levels necessarily. HIIT ramps up your
burned 25 percent less fat than those who had normal levels of the vita- metabolism to burn more fat after
min. Giving vitamin C to those who were deficient increased fat-burning the workout. In fact, interval train-
activity. ing has been found to burn more
Vasodilator. These are usually arginine-based nitric oxide precur- fat overall than steady-state work,
sors designed to give you even though it doesn’t burn much
a bigger pump from your fat during the actual activity. The
weight-training workouts. reason is the metabolic uptick
Studies suggest that one you get from muscle repair that
roadblock to better fat burn- Jonathan and Steve flex takes place after the exercise. That
ing is restricted blood flow; abs: 10374_133.tif doesn’t happen after steady-state
so it only makes sense to take work because little, if any, muscle
a vasodilator prior to your trauma occurs.
cardio to open up the blood In other words, interval training
vessels and unhinge the fat- has the same metabolic effect as a
loss gate. hard weight workout and can stress
—S.H. and J.L. the muscles you use in the same
Gut check. Lawson and Holman
way—it trains fast-twitch fibers in
display their X-treme lean results.
Editor’s note: For specif- your quads, hams and calves. That
ic brand and dose recommendations means you don’t want to do it the
as well as other muscle-building-supplement suggestions, visit www day before or the day after a hard
.X-Rep.com and check out the supplement blog there. leg workout.
You could use high-intensity
interval cardio as part of your leg
stack—the cardio fat bomb—is week of cardio do you suggest, workout or as a substitute for it, but
discussed in “Super 7 Size Surge and what about high-intensity you have to be cautious. Too much
Supplement”at X-Rep.com). You can cardio? can trigger overtraining. Remember,
also bump up the amount of cardio A: There are two ways to do car- you’re getting the same systemic ef-
you do to 45 minutes; just don’t dio: slow, steady-state work, which fect when you hit weights, no matter
make it very intense. If you can’t means 20 to 40 minutes of medium- what bodypart you’re working. Too
carry on a conversation during your intensity fast walking, and high- much intensity training will over-
cardio, you’re probably working too intensity interval training, or HIIT, stress your recovery system quickly.
hard and dipping into muscle glyco- which means going all out for 20 That’s a lot of info, so let us give
gen stores rather than bodyfat. More seconds, then slow for 40 seconds, you our suggestions.
on that in the next answer. then repeating that sequence four to You can do steady-state, medium-
Q: When and for how long eight times. An example is sprinting intensity cardio anytime, about
should I do cardio to start los- the straightaways and walking the as often as you can fit it into your
ing fat? Also, how many days a curves on a running track. schedule—but not immediately

day or Sunday. (It’s a good idea to
schedule at least one workout-free
day to give your body time for sys-
temic recovery.) As we said, you can
use it as part of your leg routine dur-
ing the week if you like, but you may
want to cut back on quad, calf and
hamstring weight work that day.
Q: How do you stay moti-
vated?
A: Staying motivated is one of the
Getting fast carbs is essential after hardest parts of building muscle
your workout, when your muscles and burning fat. For us it’s most
are primed for nutrient uptake. difficult in the winter, when sug-
ary foods are
everywhere and
our physiques are
hidden from view.
And to be hon-
est, we both add
some fat between
Thanksgiving and
New Year’s Day.
As spring ap-
proaches, say,
around the end of
March, we start
training for some
detail and ramp
up the intensity.
We also begin to
gradually drop
our calories—or at
least eat cleaner.
Healthful, protein- Once we start
rich meals and leaning out, our
creatine are part of workout inten-
the ripping plan. sity automatically
after a leg workout. increases, and the looks
It’s not as efficient as and comments we get,
interval training, but it even from complete
can help create a calo- strangers, add rocket fuel
rie deficit so you get to our motivation. That
rid of bodyfat. Plus, it pushes us to gradually
won’t steer you toward reduce our calories and
overtraining as easily as ramp up cardio activity.
interval cardio can. Once you start making
You can do high-in- X-treme Lean progress,
tensity interval cardio you’ll no doubt get lots
on days when you don’t of those types of com-
train with weights, but ments, not to mention
don’t do it on the day approving glances, with
before or the day after a raised eyebrow or two,
a leg-training day. Keep in mind that from both sexes. Is it all worth it?
it has an effect on your recovery and You bet! And you’ll feel great, with
lower body similar to a hard weight- self-confidence to spare!
training workout, so if you’re on the Editor’s note: For more info on
brink of overtraining with weights, the e-book X-treme Lean, visit www
HIIT can push you over the edge. If .X-tremeLean.com. See other
you’re training five days a week with articles by Steve Holman and Jona-
weights, we suggest you do only one than Lawson at Bodybuilding.com
interval cardio workout—on Satur- as well as X-Rep.com. IM

Heavy Duty
The Wisdom of Mike Mentzer
by John Little
Q: I’m intrigued by Mike Men- diet of food that you can find in any in the workout from six to four—leg
tzer’s Consolidation Routine supermarket—three meals a day, presses, seated rows, bench presses
as outlined in High Intensity plus two snacks—as Mike recom- and shoulder presses. We wanted
Training the Mike Mentzer mended. No drugs were involved. to emphasize compound exercises
Way and The Wisdom of Mike No supplements were employed, involving many muscle groups in
Mentzer. Mike explained that nor were they required. order to recruit the greatest pos-
two to three sets once a week is The subjects worked out once sible number of muscle fibers, thus
all you need to build strength a week. We started everyone on a lessening the chances of atrophy
and lean mass. It seems to six-set exercise program, consisting and giving the body a reason to hold
make perfect sense. Can I use of leg presses, seated rows, bench on to muscle during the period of
the program to build muscle presses, pulldowns, lower-back ex- negative calorie intake.
while dieting to lose fat at the tensions and seated shoulder press- After two more weeks we retested
same time, or would I need to es. Each exercise was performed body composition and found a gen-
include some form of aerobic for one set to failure. Every two eral loss, albeit smaller, of muscle
activity to help burn the fat and weeks we tested the subjects’ body along with the loss of bodyfat. Then
become leaner? composition in a Bod Pod chamber, it occurred to me that trainees who
A: We conducted a study at my courtesy of Body Comp, to see if are preparing to perform a six- or
facility that tested a once-a-week the weight they were losing was fat, four-set workout would have to
training protocol that was very simi- muscle or both. Then we reduced pace themselves on intensity, or
lar to Mike’s Consolidated Routine. the calorie intake of the subjects by energy out, moment by moment
We went with once a week as the 100, trained them once a week for in order to complete the workout.
optimal training frequency based another two weeks and repeated the Many of the subjects simply didn’t
on a previous study [see IRON MAN, process. have the fuel to do justice to all four
December ’95, “The Nautilus North After the first two weeks they lost exercises. They could complete
Study”]. In February 2006, 33 sub- fat but also some muscle. I contact- them all, mind you, just not at a
jects—22 women and 11 men, aged ed Doug McGuff, M.D., who’s run level sufficient to stimulate muscle
25 to 64—took part in a research many diet programs at his Ultimate growth.
study at Nautilus North Strength & Exercise facility in South Carolina. In preparation for weeks 5 and 6
Fitness Centre. They were members I asked if losing some muscle was we reduced their calories by another
who’d been training with us for inevitable whenever you have a 100 and cut the workout volume to
more than a year, so they weren’t negative calorie balance. Doug re- three exercises once a week—leg
beginners and were accustomed to plied that he believed whenever the presses, seated rows and bench
the rigors of high-intensity training. body doesn’t have enough energy to presses. When we podded them at
After years of listening to “the lat- maintain its mass, it will jettison its the end of week 6, they all had lost
est thing” to come down the river of most metabolically expensive tis- more fat. To our delight, however,
diet programs, we decided to con- sue—in this instance muscle. the muscle loss had stopped and in
duct a study to determine just how We had reduced the subjects’ some cases had begun to reverse. At
little exercise was required for losing calories by 100 at that point and, be- that point we reduced the workout
pure bodyfat. The study lasted 10 lieving that it would be impractical volume of half of the participants to
weeks. Participants ate a well-bal- to expect full-tank mileage out of a two sets once a week—leg presses
anced, modestly calorie-reduced half tank of gas, we reduced the sets and either seated rows or bench

Heavy Duty
four weeks, as a result of a two-set
workout (à la Mike’s Consolidated
Routine) that averaged a mere
two minutes only once a week.
Moreover, when the results
were compared between groups
that trained with more exercise
and those that trained with less,
it was immediately apparent that
those who trained the least lost
more fat and gained more muscle
by a ratio of 2-to-1. They needed
no 45-minute-per-day sessions
Neveux \ Model: Mike Metzer

on a treadmill to lose that much
bodyfat. Nor did they need any
other form of aerobic exercise
or four-hour (or more) workout
Mike Mentzer experimented with sessions to build muscle. Indeed,
various training modalities.
those who did the higher-volume
workouts lost muscle.
• Upper body, women: 32.51 Think for a moment of the bil-
presses on a rotating basis—and percent lions of man hours wasted over the
kept them at that volume for the years by people who believed they
remaining four weeks. • Average overall strength in- had to train several hours a week to
crease: 35.46 percent
The next two Bod Pod measure- lose bodyfat.
ments were most telling. All of the • Total lean mass increase: 132.8 We controlled the diet for every-
subjects lost more bodyfat and, percent one who took part, meaning that all
with the lowest calorie intake at any the subjects ate the same food, in
• Average lean gain, men: 6.21
point in the study, all built muscle. the same ratios and the same num-
percent
Here is a summary of the results: ber of calories. The calories were
• Average lean gain, women: 4.52 higher at the start (1,700 for the men
percent and 1,400 for the women) and then
Weight Loss reduced by 100 calories every two
• Overall average lean gain: 5.11
weeks. With a below-maintenance
• Total weight loss for 33 subjects: percent
diet like that, we knew we weren’t
442.4 pounds Never in the history of fat loss providing the optimal metabolic
• Greatest weight loss, men: 43.2 and exercise has that much fat been environment for growing muscle,
pounds lost from such a small amount of which made the gains that much
exercise. All of the muscle gain took more impressive. Those facts fly in
• Greatest weight loss, women: place not in 10 weeks (all subjects the face of what the fitness indus-
23.6 pounds lost muscle during the first six try has preached for decades. But
• Average weight loss: 17.02 weeks of the study) but in the last then, the fitness industry exists to
pounds
Training too frequently
• Total pure fat loss: 405 pounds
prevents your body
• Greatest fat loss, men: 33.8 from maintaining
pounds muscle tissue, let
alone growing it.
• Average fat loss, men: 20.9
pounds
• Average pure fat loss: 15.58
pounds
Strength Increases (After

Only 10 Workouts)
• Lower body, men: 43.05 percent
• Upper body, men: 30.42 percent
• Lower body, women: 43.73 per-
cent

industry. Consider the following
medical facts:
• Muscle is metabolically expen-
sive tissue. It requires more calories
at rest than any other tissue and is
responsible for 70 percent of the
calories burned on a daily basis. The
more you have of it, the higher your
resting metabolic rate, or fat-burn-
ing ability, will be.
• Muscle is the first casualty in
most diets and exercise programs.
To build muscle you
If you don’t use resistance exer-
need to train within
cise, you’ll lose muscle. If you use
its anaerobic
pathways, meaning resistance exercise but work out
up to 70 seconds. too often or do too many exercises,
you’ll also lose muscle.
• To build muscle you need to
train within its anaerobic pathways,
meaning up to 70 seconds; any
training beyond that point dilutes
the potency of the training stimulus
and could cost you muscle.
• Doing too many exercises in
Neveux \ Model: Berry Kabov

a workout requires you to pace
yourself, thus preventing you from
training any one exercise to total
failure, which is the real stimulus for
change. If you never drain your gas
tank, what reason does your body
have to build a bigger gas tank?
• Training too frequently prevents
your body from maintaining muscle
sell treadmills, supplements and pressure no longer needed their tissue, let alone growing it.
other products, not necessarily to medication, a sure sign of cardiovas- Mike dealt with these issues in
dispense scientifically valid exercise cular improvement. Nor did those Heavy Duty II: Mind & Body:
advice. with a history of dangerously high “Ultimately everyone, no mat-
cholesterol. One diabetic partici- ter what their genetics, will have to
Health Benefits pant, with his doctor’s blessing, was reduce the volume and frequency
able to reduce his nightly insulin to where only two to three sets of
Given the high number of injuries intake by 70 percent. Moreover, one primarily compound movements
and osteoarthritis cases from over- subject who’d had pain as a result will be used—and one time a week
use of joints and connective tissues, of knee-replacement surgery per- training or less…. Any exercise con-
it’s painfully obvious that the sup- formed two years previously now ducted beyond what is suggested
posed benefit of the present trend of found that she could
performing “more” exercise doesn’t literally bound up flights
outweigh its health risks, which are of stairs, which had been The amount of exercise
considerable. As Mike pointed out impossible before. In- required to produce
more than 10 years ago, the ideal credible results from a exceptional results is
health prescription would be to per- workout that lasted, liter- much less than people
realize.
form the precise amount of exercise ally, a fraction of the time
required rather than trying to deter- that most people seeking
mine just how much exercise you to lose weight would
can tolerate. otherwise exercise.
While we had initially been look-
ing only to see if building muscle The Reason?
Neveux \ Model: Brenda Kelly
would enable trainees to lose body-

fat without having to resort to daily In a word: science. In
aerobics, additional health benefits the past people desir-
to the participants in our study were ing to lose weight have
nothing short of remarkable: Those looked to the opinion of
with a family history of high blood the commercial fitness

Heavy Duty
will compromise your progress We’ll be conducting another
short of optimal.” study in the near future in which
Mentzer trained and kept records all subjects will perform just one
on more than 2,000 people over set per week, and we’ll report the
the course of his career as a trainer. findings to the readers of IRON
While he was in the know more than MAN. The implications could
10 years ago, few people who didn’t completely revolutionize the fit-
study under him or read his books ness industry.
are aware of the facts, even now.
Editor’s note: For a complete
Update: A One-Set presentation of Mike Mentzer’s
Heavy Duty training system,
Workout?
consult his books Heavy Duty II,
During the 10-week Nautilus High Intensity Training the Mike
North fat-loss program we recog- Mentzer Way and the newest book,
nized that the clients would have to The Wisdom of Mike Mentzer,
train as intensely as they could in all of which are available from
order to preserve or increase their Mentzer’s official Web site,
lean tissue. That would lead to an www.MikeMentzer.com.
increased metabolic rate and cause John Little is available for
them to burn more calories—even phone consultation on Mike Article copyright © 2007, John
at rest. As the greater the intensity Mentzer’s Heavy Duty training Little. All rights reserved. Mike
of effort, the briefer such effort can system. For rates and information, Mentzer quotations provided
be, we quickly recognized that some contact Joanne Sharkey at (310) 316- courtesy of Joanne Sharkey and are
clients were running on empty after 4519 or at www.MikeMentzer.com, used with permission. IM
performing only two sets in their or see the ad on the opposite page.
weekly workouts.
As mentioned above, we eventu-
ally divided them into two groups. Could it be that one set of
One group was kept at three exer- one compound exercise
per week is all that’s
cises performed once a week, while
required to build muscle
the other group was reduced to a
and burn fat?
mere two sets performed once a
week. Also as mentioned, the group
that did less training gained more
muscle and lost more fat by a 2-
to-1 ratio. That wasn’t an anomaly
but rather the normal response for
everyone across the board.
One of the clients in the two-sets-
once-a-week group indicated that
she was willing to experiment in
reducing the volume of her work-
out even further. After the study
she dropped her weekly workout
volume from two sets to one high-
intensity set per session performed
once a week. Supervision played
a key role in the process, as most
people don’t by nature train their
muscles to an all-out effort without
sufficient motivation and coax-
ing. After four more weeks on a
reduced-calorie diet and training on
average for one minute per week,
however, we retested her in Body
Neveux \ Model: Steve Mcleod
Comp’s Bod Pod tracking machine.

We were stunned that such a brief
workout had resulted in her losing
an additional five pounds of fat and
gaining an additional three pounds
of muscle!

Eat Your
Vegetaables
For Better Health
and Bigger
Bodybuilding Results
by Clayton South
I
nflammation is a huge prob-
lem that’s finally getting the
attention it deserves. While Vegetables can help
research into inflammation has curb inflammation.
been going on for the past 50 years,
bodybuilders have only recently
begun paying attention to its disas-
trous consequences, chiefly because
inflammation research has reacted
to a critical mass. Consensus has
crystallized among experts on the
central role that inflammation plays
in the muscle-building process.
While some inflammation is nor-
mal, too much is devastating and
muscle wasting, and it cripples your
growth potential. The fact is, inflam-
mation and the damage it brings are
at work in your body—even if you
can’t see it or feel it.
The good news is that the lat-
est research reveals that eating a
wide variety of colored vegetables
is the best, most efficient and most
effective way to combat the inflam-
Neveux \ Model: Cesar Martinez
mation cascade that can kill your

muscle growth.1
While many bodybuilders dislike
vegetables because they were forced
to eat them as children, it’s time
to reacquaint ourselves with these
health heroes. Our unrelenting

Neveux \ Model: Skip La Cour

thirst for muscle growth must pre- concentrations of chlorophyll, vita-
vail over our conditioning because min C, B-vitamins and iron, plus a
veggies are the best way to control mouthful of molecular compounds:
the inflammation that can stop indole-3-carinol, genistein and two
muscle growth. Eat your veggies; high-powered isothiocyanates—
they’ll help you build muscle. phenylethylisothiocyanate and
Vegetables are loaded with in- sulforaphane.
flammation-fighting chemicals and Research shows that chlorophyll
are best sorted into color groups: and vitamin C keep your immune
• Green system strong by combating free
radicals, which are highly reactive
• Orange and yellow oxidants that dramatically increase
• Red during exercise and cause inflam-
mation, tissue damage, catabolism
• White and muscle wasting. Vegetables pre- tox-
vent free radicals from increasing ins
Here’s the bottom-line informa- inflammation and damaging your from
tion on each group. muscles, organs and tissues. your body.
The B-vitamins and iron are Indole-
Green. Green vegetables critical for building muscle and for 3-carinol is an important
include broccoli, collard greens, proper nutrient uptake. Whereas chemical that enhances the repair
leafy lettuces, kale, spinach, bok iron is important for muscle con- of inflammation-damaged DNA.2
choy, brussels sprouts and water- traction and oxygenation, B-vita- Combined with the action of ge-
cress. Green vegetables have high mins remove pro-inflammatory nisten, an isoflavone that triggers
DNA repair by raising levels of a
certain anticancer protein, I3C
diminishes inflammation damage
The B-vitamins
even further.3 That’s important; cut-
and iron in green
vegetables are ting-edge research on inflammation
critically important proves that it’s linked to cancer at
for building muscle the cellular level.4
and for proper Finally, the isothiocyanates
nutrient uptake. phenylethylisothiocyanate and
sulforaphane fight harmful, inflam-
mation-causing toxins by speeding
their removal from your body before
they can trigger systemic inflamma-
tion.
Neveux \ Model: Skip La Cour

the likelihood of developing chronic
inflammation diseases like arthritis
by increasing vitamin A.6
Arthritis can severely limit your
gym performance and results. In
some cases it can end careers. So
preventing inflammation-related
conditions is critical for your mass-
building efforts and your longevity.
Finally, orange and yellow veg-
etables stimulate new cell growth—
a.k.a. anabolism.
Red. These include beets,

peppers, red cabbage, tomatoes and
radishes. They are high-powered
vegetables that contain vitamin C,
iron, lycopene and beta-cryptoxan-
thin.
We’ve seen the benefits of vitamin
C and iron, but red vegetables are
also muscle-building inflammation
fighters because of their lycopene
and beta-cryptoxanthin content.
Lycopene is a powerful anti-
oxidant that’s highly concentrated
in tomatoes, and research shows
that it neutralizes free radicals and
prevents cellular damage.7 It’s so
effective at (continued on page 180)
Orange and Red vegetables are

yellow. Orange highly concentrated
in vitamin C, iron,
and yellow vegetables
lycopene and beta-
include sweet potatoes,
cryptoxanthin.
carrots, pumpkins, corn
and squash. They con-
tain vitamin C and beta-
cryptoxanthin.
Vitamin C is a power-
ful anti-inflammatory
agent that scavenges for
harmful free radicals and
neutralizes them before
they can induce and
prolong inflammation.
Preventing free-radical
damage also inhibits the
secretion of interleukin-
6, a chemical that trig-
gers inflammation.5
Beta-cryptoxanthin
is a pro-vitamin A ca-
rotenoid that exerts a
powerful antioxidant
effect while simultane-
ously acting as an anti-
inflammatory agent. It
not only neutralizes free
radicals but also reduces

(continued from page 175) stopping one production.
inflammation that it’s been shown So a healthy,
to reduce men’s chances of getting noninflamed
prostate cancer. That’s important prostate is crit-
because the prostate, which some ical for muscle
experts view as part of the endo- growth.
crine system, is critical for testoster- Like orange
and yellow vegetables,

red ones contain beta-
cryptoxanthin but in
higher concentrations—
in red peppers especially.
Like orange and yellow
vegetables, red vegetables
promote tissue repair
and stimulate new cell
growth, making them
especially potent muscle
builders.
White. White
vegetables include cauli-
flower, mushrooms, po-
tatoes, onions and garlic.
While all white vegetables
are important and have
vitamin C, B-vitamins
and other nutrients, three
are especially beneficial:
cauliflower, garlic and
onions, important be-
cause of their high con-
centrations of I3C and
allicin.
The I3C in cauliflower
helps reverse inflamma-
tion damage and repairs
damaged DNA. Garlic
is especially valuable
because of its allicin and
plant sterols, or beta-si-
tosterols.
Allicin acts as a pow-
erful antibacterial and
antiviral agent that
eliminates inflamma-
tion-causing bacteria and
Neveux \ Model: Mark Perry
viruses.
The beta-sitosterols
work directly on the in-
flammatory cascade at
the enzyme level. They
reduce the secretion of

Eating a wide variety of
colored vegetables is the
best, most efficient and most
effective way to combat the
inflammatory cascade that
smothers your bodybuilding
gains.
IL-6, the inflammation-friendly and most effective way to combat 128:369-381.

chemical that your body releases the inflammatory cascade that 5 Fischer, C.P., et al. (2004). Sup-
in response to exercise-induced smothers your bodybuilding gains. plementation with vitamins C and E
acidosis.8 They also increase T cell Eat your vegetables. At the end of inhibits the release of interleukin-6
and CD4 activity and protect against the day you’ll know you bolstered from contracting human skeletal
immune-system failure caused by your health and muscle growth. Ul- muscle. J Physiol. 558(Pt. 2):633-45.
inflammation and overtraining. timately, that means a bigger, more 6 Pattison, D.J., et al. (2005).
That means cortisol goes down and muscular you. Dietary beta-cryptoxanthin and
DHEA goes up, indirectly inducing inflammatory polyarthritis: Results
an anabolic effect.9 References from a population-based prospec-
As research continues, we’ll gain tive study. Am J Clin Nutr. 82:451–5.
further insight into the central role 1 Giugliano, D., Ceriello, A., Es- 7 Gann, P.H., et al. (1999). Lower
that inflammation plays in the posito, K. (2006). The effects of diet prostate cancer risk in men with
muscle-building process. One thing, on inflammation: emphasis on the elevated plasma lycopene levels:
however, is clear: Eating a wide vari- metabolic syndrome. J Am Coll Car- Results of a prospective analysis.
ety of colored vegetables is the best, diol. 48(4):677-85. Cancer Res. 59:1225-30.
most efficient 2 Fan, S., et al. (2006). BRCA1 and 8 Keller, C., et al. (2005). Effect
BRCA2 as molecular targets for of exercise, training, and glycogen

phytochemicals indole-3-carbi- availability on IL-6 receptor expres-
nol and genistein in breast and sion in human skeletal muscle. J
prostate cancer cells. British Appl Physiol. 99(6):2075-2079.
Journal of Cancer. 94:407- 9 Bouic, P.J.D., et al. (1999). The
426. effects of b-sitosterol (BSS) and b-

3 Rahman, I., et al. sitosterol glycoside (BSSG) mixture
(2006). Regulation of in- on selected immune parameters
flammation and redox of marathon runners: Inhibition of
signaling by dietary poly- post marathon immune suppres-
phenols. Biochem Pharma- sion and inflammation. Int J Sports
col. 72(11):1439-52. Med. 20:258-262. IM
4 Basak, S., et al. A fourth
I-B protein within the NF-

B signaling module. Cell.

P
X
P
=

Power A New Twist on
=
Extended-Set
Mass Training
X-Rep and Stretch
Overload
Partials
A
fter looking at Arnold’s
use of partial reps on
chins [Train to Gain,
August ’07], I began to
apply his method to other ex-
ercises as well. To recap, Arnold
divided the chin into two parts:
He did heavy partials from the
bottom to the midpoint, and
later in the workout he did the
top range, squeezing his lats, for
so-called detail work.
To use standard X Reps, you
perform a set to muscular ex-
haustion and then move the
bar to a point on the stroke
where the target muscle is
somewhat elongated, or
stretched, and continue
the set with 10-inch partial
reps. That extends the time
under tension right at the
max-force point on the
stroke. With Power X-Rep
by William Litz Partials (PXP) you do the
entire set in the 10-inch
Photography by Michael Neveux range—X Reps in the semis-
tretch position—with no full
range reps before the X Reps.
NOVEMBER 2007 183

P
X
P

PXPs may sound a lot like constant-tension reps,
and in a sense they are. The main difference is in the
rep range—you can crank out higher reps, like 12 to 20.
Most bodybuilders use constant-tension sets on fin-
ishing movements to keep full tension on the muscle,
and the weight is often less than it should be. You are
strong in the X-Rep position, so take advantage of it.
Heavy weights. Longer times under tension. Precise
stretch overload. It sounds like a winning combination
to me!
Here’s how I apply PXPs to cable curls. To start with,
I choose cable curls over barbell curls in order to get
constant tension. That makes the X Reps far more ef-
fective.
First, I do two full-range warmup sets. I also do one
set of rope pushdowns and some light stretching. Once
I’m lubed up, I pin the stack with more weight than I
could possibly do for full reps, and the fun begins.
We all like lifting the heavy iron, and that’s exactly
what you do with PXP. Plus, you can still hit some high
reps for that all-important time under tension. On
cable curls I do partial reps from the bottom of the
stroke to the midpoint.
From the start of the set there’s tension from the
cable. Keeping the rep stroke short hits the biceps’
semistretch position. That type of overload has been
linked to fiber splitting, and the higher reps increase
the time under tension—everything you want from a
muscle-building set. Your biceps will grow no matter
These movements also work well

with PXP-style reps:
• Bench presses—all variations
• Dumbbell flyes (exercise caution, as the
heavy weights plus extreme stretch may be too
much for some people’s shoulders)
• Arnold chins, done from a dead hang
• Close-grip Hammer Strength pulldowns
• Lateral raises, done while overloading the
bottom of the stroke
• Upright rows, done with a barbell or EZ-curl
bar
Models: Jimmy and Suzanne and Mentis
• Leg presses (watch for too much pressure on

the knees and do absolutely no bouncing at
the bottom)
• Preacher curls, particularly the Hammer
Strength version
• Close-grip Smith-machine bench presses
• Bench dips
• Calf raises—all variations

P
X ening the workout.
Branch Warren does
something similar
to this technique on
P his DVD. Although he

uses a slightly fuller
range of motion than
the pure PXP style
described here, you
can see the immediate
tension he puts on his
massive limbs right
from the start—and
with a shortened
range. He also does
fairly high reps with
massive weights. It’s
interesting to note that
Branch uses a cable
machine for curls,
not a standard bar.
Perhaps the notion
that cable moves are
for shaping needs to
be revised. Either that
or Branch is one scary
shape trainer.
For further exam-
ples of PXP-style train-
ing look to the two
best bodybuilders in
the world—Jay Cutler
and Ronnie Cole-
man. Jay does a lot of
traditional X Reps in
addition to using the
partials between his
full-range reps. On
some sets, though, he
forgoes the full reps
and overloads the bot-
tom range of motion.
Ronnie uses what
some would call
Model: Jay Cutler
loose form, but if you

watch closely, you can
see that he does in
fact keep a constant
how stubborn they are. They won’t blasting, I feel it’s wrong to ignore pumping motion in the stretch posi-
have a choice. machines entirely, especially when tion—and of course, he uses heavy
With the superheavy weight I aim it comes to PXP. The extra control weights. That helps keep the tension
for 15 reps and crank out 12 mini- and constant resistance provided by right where he needs it.
mum, never allowing the biceps a some machines makes it easier to Ronnie also is an advocate of high
moment of rest at the bottom. At the get higher reps with heavy weights. reps. Yes, he does do max singles on
midpoint there is of course no rest, I still believe that full reps have deadlifts and squats on his DVDs,
as you’ll have maximum tension on merit and that the traditional use but watch his other sets. Most con-
the biceps, thanks to the cable. of X Reps—full reps done to ex- tain 12 to 15 reps. He has said many
Although you use heavy weights, haustion followed by semistretch times that you need to push a lot of
the PXP technique lends itself well partials—is extremely useful. If you blood into the muscle to cause ex-
to machine and/or cable move- want to shock a stubborn muscle treme growth—something that just
ments. While free weights are into growth, however, PXPs can in- doesn’t occur on heavy singles. With
generally suggested for basic mass crease the workload without length- PXP sets the reps are high and the

With PXP you carnk out 12 to 20
reps, using a short stroke—for
example the bottom third of
incline flyes.
Model: Toney Freeman
Cable curls (PXP) 3 x 15

Okabe \ “Cost of Redemption” \ Model: Ronnie Coleman
Incline curls (X Reps) 2 x 8

Spider curls (X Reps) 2 x 8
That not only gives you
plenty of stretch overload
and max-force generation
but also trains the muscle
through its full range of
motion with 3D Positions
of Flexion. It hits midrange
work with cable curls,
the stretch position with
incline curls and the con-
tracted position with spider curls
(preacher curls performed on the
vertical side of the bench so you get
continuous tension). and you will need to adjust your
pump I like to finish off this 3D POF X- body angle until you feel the biceps
is ex- Rep routine with an extreme biceps stretch. When you nail it, you’ll
treme— stretch to loosen up the fascia and know, as the stretch will be intense.
some allow for muscle expansion. I take a If you’re flexible enough, you can
would say dumbbell in each hand, lie back on even kneel on the floor during the
insane. So an incline bench and position my- stretch to really separate the fascia.
if you have self as if I were going to do incline Extreme stretching will add a new
Dobbins \ Model: Ronnie Coleman
a lagging curls. Instead of curling the ’bells, angle to any routine you use and
bodypart (and however, I have my training partner greatly increase muscular separa-
who doesn’t?), pull back gently on my forearms tion and detail.
give them a try until I feel an exaggerated stretch in [Note: For more on 3D POF
for four to six my biceps and hold that position for and X-Rep training, visit
weeks. 60 seconds. www.X-Rep.com and
Here’s a On other biceps days I might opt www.3DMuscleBuilding.com.]
good tem- for a stretch using the Smith ma-
plate for a chine. I adjust the bar so it’s in line Editor’s note: Will Litz is a
biceps rou- with my midback, then face away trainer and writer located in Cana-
tine using from the bar and grip it with my da. You can contact him at
PXP and X palms facing down. I lower my torso www.adrenaline-supplements.com
Reps: to get an extreme biceps stretch. or at Darren Mehling’s site,
This takes some getting used to, www.teamgots.com. IM

Jerry Brainum’s
Bodybuilding Pharmacology
The Yolk’s On You is, if anything, catabolic

because it diminishes
testosterone by inhibit-
ing the release of lutein-
izing hormone from
For years supplements containing plant sterols have the pituitary gland. LH
been advertised for bodybuilding use. Plant sterols are ba- controls testosterone
sically plant forms of cholesterol, and they are structural synthesis in male Leydig
components of plant-cell membranes. Examples of plant cells. (Women produce
sterols are beta-sitosterol, campesterol and stigmasterol. testosterone differently,
How plant sterols came to be promoted as bodybuild- through conversion of
ing supplements isn’t clear. We do know, of course, that adrenal steroids and
cholesterol is the precursor of various steroid hormones, some generation in the
such as testosterone, estrogen and cortisol. The original ovaries.)
birth control pills were synthesized from sterols in Mexi- Does that mean plant sterols are junk? Not at all. The
can yams. Mexican yams were also the original source of similarity to cholesterol means that plant sterols compete
DHEA supplements in the 1970s—later removed from the with dietary cholesterol in the intestines and so inhibit
market because of lack of quality control. Today’s DHEA cholesterol uptake, thereby lowering blood cholesterol.
supplements are synthetic. What raises cholesterol isn’t cholesterol itself, since the
Since plant sterols are structurally similar to cholester- body can absorb only so much of it, but rather saturated
ol, the granddaddy of all steroid hormones, and since the fat, which is converted into cholesterol in the liver. The
name “sterol” sounds a lot like “steroid,” it isn’t hard to fig- liver synthesizes about one gram of cholesterol a day, and
ure out how they became known as anabolic supplements. the more of it you get from food, the less of it the body
The human body, however, lacks the enzymes required synthesizes.
to convert plant sterols into active steroid hormones. The Several studies show that dietary plant sterols lower
missing enzyme can be added in a lab, which is how the cholesterol in the body. The average daily intake is 200
early birth control pills were made from yams. to 400 milligrams, which can increase to 700 to 800 mil-
One particular plant sterol, gamma oryzanol, was ligrams if you eat a lot of soy. The intestines absorb plant
heavily promoted for its alleged anabolic qualities in sterols at a rate of 0.4 to 3.5 percent. Commercial marga-
the early ’80s and is still sold today for that purpose. The rines that contain plant sterols are marketed as a way to
problem here is that studies show that gamma oryzanol help control cholesterol. They provide about two to three
grams a day
of plant ste-
rols. Plant
sterols alone
can reduce
plasma cho-
lesterol an
average of 15
percent, and
adding aero-
bic exercise
amplifies that
effect consid-
erably.
Plant
sterols can
also help
prevent pros-
tate disease.
One popular
herbal sup-
plement rec-
ommended
for prevent-
ing prostate
Cholesterol, as problems is
found in egg yolks, an extract of
is a muscle builder saw palmetto,
in that it’s the with its active
primary precursor of ingredient,
testosterone. beta sitos-
terol. In fact,

saw palmetto supplements that don’t contain
beta sitosterol are useless in preventing prostate
enlargement. How beta sitosterol operates hasn’t
been completely nailed down, though it may
lower elevated DHT, a by-product of testoster-
one metabolism that causes prostate enlarge-
ment. Drug therapy for prostate enlargement
inhibits 5-alpha reductase, the enzyme that
converts testosterone into DHT.
A recent study investigated an interesting
effect of plant sterols. The anabolic steroid bold-
enone (trade name Equipose) shows up in cattle
because bacteria in their feed can convert plant
sterols into boldenone and even testosterone.
Human food doesn’t normally contain that type
of “anabolic” bacteria.
Researchers examined whether it’s possible
for humans to produce boldenone from plant
sterols.1 They had 10 women (women were used
because they naturally produce less testoster-
one) take 25 grams a day in the form of sterol- Having too little cholesterol is linked to depression,
enriched margarine for one week. As a control,
cancer and stroke.
they checked the urine samples of a person who
had sitosterolemia. (People with that condi-
tion have 50 times the normal amount of plasma purposes. Research has identified two types of LDL: one
sterols because they absorb more and their livers remove large and buoyant, and the other small and dense. Only
less. If anyone would show naturally produced boldenone, the latter is potentially dangerous because it’s more sus-
it would be someone with sitosterolemia.) ceptible to oxidation. High-density lipoprotein, another
None of the women produced boldenone, not even cholesterol carrier, helps remove excess cholesterol, trans-
the subject who had sitosterolemia. Just as plant sterol porting it to the liver, where it’s converted into bile, then
supplements don’t affect testosterone in men, they won’t excreted. This system fails to function in obese people,
produce boldenone. explaining why cardiovascular disease is a high risk for the
What about cholesterol itself? After all, the body synthe- obese.
sizes cholesterol daily, and it’s essential to life. Cholesterol Saturated fat stimulates more cholesterol synthesis
has a bad reputation because of its association with car- in the liver than any amount of dietary cholesterol. You
diovascular disease, but only a certain type of cholesterol wouldn’t want to eliminate cholesterol for several reasons,
is considered dangerous. It’s transported by protein car- the first being cholesterol’s role as a precursor of hormone
riers in the blood, since it’s not water-soluble (it’s also not synthesis, including testosterone. Cholesterol is also used
a fat, although it is characterized as a lipid, adding to the to synthesize vitamin D and bile and stabilizes and acts
confusion). Low-density lipoprotein carries cholesterol as a structural component in cell membranes. A person
made in the liver to all tissues, where it is used for various weighing 150 pounds carries around 35 grams of choles-
terol in his or her body. Having too low a cholesterol level
is linked to depression, cancer and stroke. A recent study
High-intensity workouts showed that a sudden reduction in cholesterol levels in
older people may herald dementia.
that cause extensive It’s tough for bodybuilders to avoid eating cholesterol,
which is in eggs, beef and poultry. Vegans get little or no
muscle damage, usually cholesterol. They have excellent cardiovascular profiles,
but they find it hard to add muscle. While some attribute
thanks to eccentric that to diminished creatine intake (meat is the best source
of dietary creatine), there may be other reasons.
muscle contractions, The vegan bodybuilder who has trouble adding muscle
may not be getting enough cholesterol. Over the years
lower blood cholesterol. several cholesterol-rich foods, such as eggs, have been
tagged as excellent for improving muscular size and
It happens within two strength. Famed trainer Vince Gironda often suggested
that his trainees eat two dozen a day. Vince felt that their
hours after a training fat content, lack of carbohydrate and high bioprotein
value provide a potent anabolic stimulus. He believed that
session and can last for the high cholesterol content of eggs was neutralized by
their lecithin content.
a few days. The supplement HMB, which is produced in the me-
tabolism of the branched-chain amino acid leucine, is

Jerry Brainum’s
Bodybuilding Pharmacology
against conventional wisdom about

the “dangers” of eating too many eggs.
So what can we deduce from recent
studies linking dietary cholesterol to
more muscle and strength? I wouldn’t
jump the gun and label cholesterol
as an anabolic booster just yet. Con-
sider that the studies have involved
older people, who often lack both
muscle and anabolic hormones. In
that population cholesterol may offer
a true boost when combined with
weight training. That may also be true
for younger people, but the evidence
for it isn’t in yet. Older people tend to
eat less than younger people, espe-
The one immediate implication cially those engaged in bodybuilding.
of the new research is, Don’t There’s no shortage of cholesterol in
throw out the egg yolk. It may the average bodybuilder’s diet.
contain most of the egg’s The one immediate implication of
anabolic properties. the new research is something I and
others, such as Vince Gironda, have
long suggested: Don’t throw away
also touted as an anabolic supple- pounds of muscle and experienced an the yolk when you eat eggs. Eating
ment. While recent studies have 86 percent strength gain. To quote an egg whites only makes no nutritional
not confirmed that HMB helps add early HMB advocate: “It sounds like sense. The yolk contains half the
muscle and strength for those en- Deca to me!” protein and is more digestible than
gaged in weight training (although it The authors suggest that the gains the white. In addition, yolks contain
does seem to help older people), the in the higher-cholesterol group may all the vitamins and minerals found in
hypothesis of how it might work is be related to the fact that cholesterol eggs. The white contains only protein.
intriguing. The theory is that it stabi- is the precursor of testosterone syn- As I pointed out in an IRON MAN fea-
lizes muscle cell membranes by inter- thesis (older people are often low in ture, eggs have a negligible effect on
acting with cholesterol. Stabilizing the testosterone), and because of the sta- cardiovascular risk in active people. If
membrane prevents excessive muscle bilizing effect of cholesterol in muscle these studies connecting cholesterol
breakdown after exercise, hence the cell membranes. intake to gains in muscle and strength
anabolic effect. Another study found a link be- prove true for all ages, those who
Studies show that high-intensity tween blood cholesterol and muscle throw away the yolk could be doing
workouts that cause extensive muscle growth. Specifically, subjects with themselves a real disservice. Egg yolks
damage, usually thanks to eccentric cholesterol counts below 178 showed are one of the most convenient and
muscle contractions, lower blood negligible muscle gains, while those reliable food cholesterol sources.
cholesterol. It happens within two with counts of 238 gained about five They have zero carbs and can’t make
hours after a training session and pounds in muscle. you fat or blunt fat loss, unless for
can last for a few days. The damaged In the most recent study, presented some insane reason you opt to eat 250
muscle is thought to accelerate cho- at the 2007 meeting of the American whole eggs daily—in which case you’d
lesterol uptake for use in tissue repair. College of Sports Medicine, healthy turn into a large chicken and get a job
Some studies have come up with men and women, aged 50 to 69, again as a mascot in Major League Baseball.
the surprising conclusion that cho- trained with weights for 12 weeks. And the yolk would be on you.
lesterol may be an anabolic stimulus They were divided into three groups:
to muscle. So far they have involved
older adults. In one, people aged 60 to 1) No eggs References
69 engaged in a 12-week weight-train-
ing routine. All subjects got moder- 2) 1 egg daily 1 Ros, M., et al. (2007). Phytosterol
ate amounts of protein, but half the consumption and the anabolic ste-
group also followed a low-cholesterol 3) 3 eggs daily roid boldenone in humans: A hy-
diet (150 to 250 milligrams daily), pothesis piloted. Food Add Contamin.
while the other half followed a high- Those in the three-egg group made 24:679-84.
cholesterol diet (250 to 450 milligrams significantly greater gains in strength 2 Reichman, S., et al. (2007). Ef-
daily). Those in the low-cholesterol and muscle mass than those in the fect of dietary cholesterol on muscle
group had no muscle mass gains one-egg group. The most interesting hypertrophy with resistence training.
but did have a 37 percent strength aspect of the study was that blood Med Sci Sports Exer. 39(supp):S291-
gain. In contrast, those eating more cholesterol increased only in the one- S292. IM
cholesterol gained an average of five egg group, which goes completely

FD/FS
Four Little Letters
That Can Mean
Big Gains!
by Eric Broser • Photography by Michael Neveux
appeared in this magazine, as well

Warning: For readers
who are afraid of stretch marks, can-
as on many Internet sites. In addi-
tion, Steve Holman and Jonathan
not afford to purchase a new ward- Lawson, who write Train, Eat, Grow
robe or simply don’t want to take every month, have been using P/
up more space, please stop reading RR/S in combination with X Reps
now! Just put the magazine down, for the past several months and
slowly back away, grab the remote, reporting on it in the magazine and
and watch some “Seinfeld” reruns. at www.X-Rep.com.
(“No soup for you!”) For those of you who may be new
For the rest of you—the ones who to IRON MAN and/or have not had
live to grow—sit back with your the opportunity to read about my
favorite protein drink, get comfort- P/RR/S training program, however
able, and read my words because I (what, are you living under a rock?),
have a feeling that what follows may I think it’s important to go over the
be of great interest to you. main points, as P/RR/S was the
The wonderful thing about body- genesis for what lies ahead. For
building is that, just like life, it’s a those of you who are already using
constant and ongoing learning pro- it, consider this a quick refresher
cess. Nobody has all the answers, course.
but if you keep your eyes (and
mind) open wide enough, you’ll
slowly but surely pick up more and Basic P/RR/S Training
more pieces of the puzzle.
Several years ago I introduced a Power/Rep Range/Shock is a
training system to the bodybuild- cyclical approach to lifting weights
ing world that I believe contains in which you use a unique training
many of the essential pieces. Most protocol every week, in three-week
IRON MAN readers are familiar with cycles, with the goal of tapping into
Power/Rep Range/Shock, as several all of the body’s various growth
articles I’ve written about it have mechanisms. Each of the protocols

Model: Mark Perry

FD/FS Power/Rep Range/Shock attacks
the muscles with different stress
each week. FD/FS combines
heavy, low-rep work with a high-
rep saturation chaser.
Model: Todd Smith

is meant to bring about a specific
physiological effect. By rotating
them, you keep your body from
adapting to any one form of train-
ing, which would eventually result
in stagnation. P/RR/S addresses
muscle growth from a variety of
angles and enables you to make sig-
nificant gains on a very consistent,
long-term basis.
Week 1: Power. These workouts
are designed to annihilate the high-
est-threshold fast-twitch muscle
fibers, increase raw strength and
stimulate a greater amount of natu-
ral testosterone to course through
your veins. Here’s the outline for
a basic Power week, along with a
sample workout:
Rep goal: 4-6

Rest between sets: 3-5 minutes
Lifting tempo: 4/0/X
Exercises: Mostly compound
Sample routine: Back
1) Rack deadlifts 4 x 4-6

Model: King Kamali
2) Weighted wide-grip
chins 3 x 4-6
3) Undergrip bent-over
rows 3 x 4-6

During fiber-
saturation training,
there’s no time
for “stretch and
squeeze,” as all
you want to do
is force so much
blood into the
target muscle that
it feels as if it’s
going to burst!
Model: Joe DeAngelis

FD/FS
If you’re not
training intensely
enough to damage
your muscle
fibers, your body
will never turn
on the anabolic
machinery
necessary to force
hypertrophy to
take place.
4) Close-grip seated cable 2) Lying extensions 2 x 10-12 1) Superset

rows 3 x 4-6 3) Rope pushdowns 2 x 13-15 Seated lateral raises 2 x 8-10
4) Dumbbell kickbacks 2 x 16-20 Behind-the-neck
Week 2: Rep Range. The goal presses 2 x 8-10
here is to tear through all the inter- Week 3: Shock. These workouts 2) Superset
mediary muscle fibers that lie along will be a true test of your ability Wide-grip cable upright
the continuum from type 1 to type to withstand searing muscle pain. rows 2 x 8-10
2, induce capillarization and stimu- The burn and lactic acid that Shock Bent-over laterals 2 x 8-10
late growth-producing metabolic workouts produce will help flood Barbell front raises
adaptations within muscle cells. your system with natural GH, bath- (drop set) 1 x 8-10(6-8)
Here’s the outline for a basic Rep ing your cells in one of the most
Range week, along with a sample powerful muscle-producing, fat-in- Once you’ve completed the
workout: cinerating hormones known to sci- three-week P/RR/S cycle, return to
ence. Here’s the outline for a basic the beginning and repeat, with the
Rep goal: 7-9, 10-12, 13-15, 16-20 Shock week, along with a sample intention of training more intensely
Rest between sets: 2-3 minutes workout: on the following cycle. I suggest
Lifting tempo: 2/1/2/1* you use the same exercises for three
Exercises: Compound, isolation, Rep goal: 8-10 (drop set is 8-10, straight cycles and try to lift heavier
machine or cable reduce poundage, 6-8) weights and/or increase your reps at
* Include a 1-second hold at peak Rest between sets: cardiovascular each workout. After three full P/RR/S
contraction for certain exercises, and mental recovery cycles either take a complete week
such as the top of a leg extension. Lifting tempo: 1/0/1 off from the gym—or at least train at
Sample routine: Triceps Exercises: Compound, isolation, low intensity for one week—to allow
machine or cable for repair and recovery of joints,
1) Smith-machine close-grip Sample routine: Delts muscles and the central nervous
bench presses 2 x 7-9 system. Upon returning to P/

Model: Kiyoshi Moody
Intermediate FD/FS
Chest Workout
Bench presses (3/0/X) 2 x 3-4
Incline presses (6/1/1) 2 x 5-6
Incline flyes (2/4/1) 2 x 7-8
Machine bench presses
(1/0/1; nonlock) 1 x 30-40
Smith-machine incline
presses (1/0/1; nonlock)1 x 30-40
Cable crossovers (1/0/1) 1 x 30-40
RR/S, feel free to switch some or

all of the exercises, and prepare to
push even harder through the next
Model: Chris Cook
three cycles. (Note: For a complete

P/RR/S program in printable form,
see Chapter 7—X-Rep Reload in
the X-traordinary Muscle-Building
Workouts e-book, available at X-
Rep.com.) something wonderful with P/RR/S I remained hungry for more. I sup-
training, I kept digging deeper. That pose this relentless pursuit of bet-
led me to an advanced version of ter ways to stimulate hypertrophy
The Next Step my program, which I discussed in can be looked upon as somewhat
“Power, Rep Range, Shock 2—Varia- compulsive, but long ago I decided
As I said, bodybuilding is a con- tions and Advanced Techniques,” in to make it my life’s work not only to
stant learning process, and a pur- the April ’06 IRON MAN. And while explore the outer limits of my own
suit in which complacency is not the protocols that I presented in genetic potential but also to help as
welcome (not under my watch!). that piece once again raised the bar many others as possible do it.
Even though I knew I had hit upon on muscle growth, I have to admit And here (continued on page 206)

FD/FS
Model: Luke Wood

Once you’ve damaged the
muscle fibers with low-rep
work on big exercises, like
presses, the goal is to bathe
them with as much nutrient-
and-hormone-rich blood as
humanly possible—isolation
exercises, like laterals, for up
to 40 reps per set.
(continued from page 203) we are. synthesis,” meaning the production muscle fibers. Normally the satellite
Take a big breath, and put on some of new cellular proteins from amino cells are dormant and sit, “minding
comfortable shoes, because I invite acids. The process is far more com- their own business,” adjacent to
you to take the next step! plex than that, however, requiring muscle fiber sarcolemma, or mem-
an overwhelming cascade of physi- brane.
ological events to occur in a specific An intense weight-training work-
First Things First order. out can trigger satellite cell activa-
In order for muscle hypertrophy tion, leading to the first stage of
Most often people relate hyper- to occur, new cells, known as satel- hypertrophy, which is known as pro-
trophy to an increase in “protein lite cells, must fuse with existing liferation. The cells begin to divide

and multiply, forming into myo- training intensely enough to dam-
blasts, which then fuse with existing age your muscle fibers, your body
muscle fibers and donate their nu- will never turn on the anabolic
clei in a process called differentia- machinery necessary to force hyper-
tion. Because muscle cells contain trophy to take place. If you do train
many nuclei, increasing their num- hard enough but don’t give your
ber allows the cell to regulate more body the necessary building blocks
cytoplasm, inducing more actin and (a.k.a. food and supplements) to
myosin—the two main contractile complete the repair and building
proteins in skeletal muscle—to be process, you’ll be taking one step
produced. That increases overall cell forward and one step back—leaving
size and protein content, leading to you standing still.
a larger muscle mass.
So, in a nutshell, what bodybuild-
ing comes down to is a continuous Enter FD/FS Training!
process of damage and repair. Hard
weight training traumatizes the FD/FS stands for “Fiber Damage/
muscles, causing injury to the fibers Fiber Saturation.” I’ve been working
that leads the body to respond by with it and tweaking it over the past
not only repairing the damage but eight months while looking to add
also making the muscle fibers bigger some significant muscle mass to
and stronger in the process. (That’s areas that I consider weak points. I
only if the body gets enough rest should mention that in no way have
and is flooded with enough nutri- I abandoned P/RR/S training; I have
ents.) used FD/FS to greatly augment it.
The bottom line is, if you’re not With FD/ (continued on page 210)
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Model: Jay Cutler
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gyms and select retailers nationwide.

FD/FS
(continued from page 207) FS the 2) Continuous tension Advanced FD/FS
workout is basically broken into Chest Workout
two phases. In the first phase (fiber 3) Postactivation supersets (com-
damage), the goal is to use training pound movement followed by Bench presses (3/0/X)
protocols known to cause signifi- isolation movement) 2 x 3-4 + 1-2 forced reps
cant micro-trauma in the muscle Smith-machine incline
fibers. As I mentioned above, that’s The goal with FS sets is to use a presses (6/1/1; rest/pause)
a necessary step toward setting the pistonlike tempo, where the weight 2 x 2-3 +1 + 1 + 1
growth process in motion. Here are is almost constantly moving. There’s Or
the techniques you use in order to no time for “stretch and squeeze,” as Eccentric-only Smith-
achieve that goal with the utmost all you want to do is force so much machine incline presses*
precision: blood into the target muscle that (6-second negatives) 2 x 5-6
it feels as if it’s going to burst. The Incline flyes (2/4/1) 2 x 7-8
1) Heavy weights muscle has already undergone the Machine bench presses
necessary trauma during FD; now (1/0/1; nonlock) 2 x 30-40
2) Eccentric emphasis it’s time to nourish it. Superset
Machine dips
(1/0/1; nonlock) 1 x 20-25
3) Stretch under tension Warning: FD/FS isn’t Pec deck flyes (1/0/1) 1 x 20-25
If you’ve ever performed a work- meant for continual
out using any of those methods, you Rest between sets on the first
more than likely felt a good degree use and should be three movements should be
of soreness in the target muscles about two to three minutes. Rest
over the following days, which is cycled in and out of between sets of the high-rep
indicative of the type of fiber dam- movements should be no more
age we’re looking for. When you
your regular training than one to two minutes. Rest
combine them all properly, you
definitely experience a whole new
regimen. Use it only between exercises during the
superset should be no more than
level of muscle pain, ache (the good for two-to-three-week 15 seconds.
kind!) and stiffness.
Remember, though, that your periods. *When performing an eccentric-
body must be able to not only repair only, or negative, set, you must
the damage but also reinforce the have one to two spotters avail-
muscle fibers by making them larger A Better Look able to lift the weight back into
and stronger. Digging a hole is fine, the start position. Remember,
as long as you refill the hole—and Let’s take a look at what a typical most trainees are 30 to 40 percent
pile some new dirt on top. Got it? day of training might have in store stronger when lifting eccentri-
This is where the second phase of with a sample chest workout for cally than concentrically.
the workout comes in. Fiber satura- both intermediate and advanced
tion is where the magic happens. trainees. (Beginners have no busi-
Once you’ve damaged the muscle ness dabbling in such advanced Feed the Machine
fibers, the goal is to bathe them with methods just yet.)
as much nutrient-and-hormone- If you want FD/FS training to
rich blood as humanly possible. Intermediate FD/FS fulfill its potential, use the nutri-
That’s right, it’s time to chase the Chest Workout tional protocol I’ve developed. The
pump—big time! FD training techniques are brutal
In other words, I don’t want you Bench presses (3/0/X) 2 x 3-4 on both the muscles and central
to wait to get home for the recovery Incline presses (6/1/1) 2 x 5-6 nervous system, which is why the
process to begin. I want you to fa- Incline flyes (2/4/1) 2 x 7-8 FS stage is a necessary component.
cilitate immediate repairs and take Machine bench presses Since there will be a tremendous
advantage of the fact that during (1/0/1; nonlock) 1 x 30-40 amount of blood traveling to the
a workout—especially when high Smith-machine incline muscles during FS, take advantage
repetitions are involved—there’s presses (1/0/1; nonlock) of it by overloading the system with
as much as five times the amount 1 x 30-40 certain nutrients before, during and
of blood flowing directly to the Cable crossovers (1/0/1) 1 x 30-40 right after training. The period start-
muscles as when you’re at rest. In ing from right before the workout to
my experimentation with various Rest between sets on the first immediately after is your greatest
FS protocols, I’ve found that these three movements should be opportunity to hasten the muscle-
work best: about two to three minutes. Rest building process nutritionally.
between sets of the last three I would say that FD/FS training is
1) Very high repetitions movements should be no more about 30 to 40 percent more effec-
than one to two minutes. tive for muscle hypertrophy when

grams
Essential amino acids 5-10 grams
BCAAs, 15-20 grams
Glutamine, 15-20 grams
Creatine, 5 grams
Beta-alanine, 3 grams
15 minutes postworkout:
Whey protein isolate, 50 grams
Waxy maize starch or maltodex-
trin, 50 grams
Antioxidant blend (I like Radox by
Syntrax), 1 serving
Other ingredients can be used as

well at all three times, such as ATP,
citrulline, arginine and ALA, but the
above should be more than enough
to feed your muscles what they
need.
Notes
Because of the extremely de-
manding nature of FD/FS training,
I highly recommend that you use
it only during periods when gain-
ing muscle mass is your primary
goal. You need to be well fed and
well rested to reap all the rewards
of this program. I don’t believe that
FD/FS should be used during a
cutting phase unless you’re a most
advanced bodybuilder, and/or don’t
train drug-free.
Further, FD/FS isn’t meant for
continual use and should be cycled
in and out of your regular training
regimen, whether you use Power/
Rep Range/Shock, DC, HIT, 3D
Positions of Flexion or any other
method. You should use it only for
With FD/FS training you will two-to-three-week periods or you
experience a whole new level leave yourself open to physical and
of muscle pain, ache (the mental burnout. Consider FD/FS as
good kind) and stiffness. a short-burst mega-mass-gaining
strategy.
Oh shoot, look what time it is. I
gotta go—it’s time for me to go see
my psychotherapist. He’s a client,
used with the following protocol. Vitamin C, 1,000 milligrams and I had him try an FD/FS work-
It was not until I began using these Phosphatidylserine, 800 milli- out. He’s now convinced that I’m
exact shake formulas that my gains grams completely out of my mind and des-
skyrocketed, enabling me to add perately need help. But I don’t think
about eight pounds over a three- Sip, starting 15 minutes be- I need a therapist—only a tailor!
week period with FD/FS. fore workout and then through-
out workout: Editor’s note: Eric Broser is
45 minutes before training: Waxy maize starch or maltodex- available for online training, dietary
Whey protein isolate, 50 grams trin, 25 grams consultation and contest-prep
Waxy maize starch or maltodex- Gatorade or similar drink con- coaching. For more information,
trin, 50 grams taining electrolytes and glucose, 25 visit www.PRRSTraining.com. IM

Eric Broser’s
If you find something on the Web that IM readers should know about, send the URL to Eric at bodyfx2@aol.com.
>www.FoodForLife.com
Mr. Olympia Jay Cutler has worked
his butt off to become the number-one
bodybuilder in the world today. Nothing
he does is indiscriminate or haphazard.
Rather, it’s meticulously calculated, scru-
tinized and manipulated for a singular
purpose: to remain the world’s number-
one bodybuilder. One of his best-kept
dietary secrets is his use of Ezekiel 4:9
bread as his main carbohydrate (along
with steel-cut oats). I believe that he even
carbs up on the stuff right before a show.
As an avid Ezekiel bread and cereal fanat-
ic myself, I can attest to how good the foods taste and how healthful and nutritious they are. Every morn-
ing for breakfast I either have whey protein along with a few slices of Ezekiel toast or make my famous
(at least in my house) egg-white Ezekiel cereal pancakes. Go ahead, hit me with e-mail if you want the
recipe. To find out more about the excellent Ezekiel 4:9 products, check out FoodForLife.com. There you
can read all about the family-owned and -operated Food For Life Baking Company and its dedication to
producing natural, wholesome sprouted-grain foods. Take the time to learn more about the company’s
products, and you’ll discover what a tremendous source of bodybuilding nutrition it has to offer.

>www.ToneyFXMan.com
When I think about what X-emplifies
the optimum bodybuilding physique, the
X-ample that immediately pops into my
mind is the man with the most X-treme
X-frame in X-sistence today—Toney Free-
man. After receiving his IFBB pro card by
way of the NPC Nationals in ’02, Toney
struggled to make a name for himself on
the pose-for-pay dais. Following a series
of less-than-stellar placings from ’03 to
’05, he became known as the “if” pro—as
in, “If he can bring up his arms, he could
be great.” “If he can thicken his chest, he
might place.” “If he improves his con-
ditioning, he’ll get more callouts.” “If he
could add about 25 pounds, he would be
dangerous.” In fact, I worked alongside
Toney at VPX Sports for several years, and
I told him exactly the same things. I even
went so far as to say straight to his face that he could have Mr. Olympia potential if he really went for it. Well, guess
what? Toney responded in a big way. He rededicated himself to the sport with a ferocity that he never came close
to before. For the first time ever, Toney ate, breathed and slept bodybuilding 24/7, which resulted in a metamor-
phosis of X-traordinary proportions. Sporting a physique now synonymous with the very definition of the term
X-frame, Toney tasted IFBB victory for the first time at the ’06 Europa Super Show. Since then he’s been on a roll,
with three victories in ’07, including one at the highly coveted IRON MAN Pro, and an amazing third-place finish
at the Arnold Classic. Many are predicting top five for Toney at the upcoming Mr. Olympia. With a back as wide as
a Hummer, thighs that sweep more dramatically than a matador on speed and a waist that would make Kate Moss
jealous, Toney personifies what it means to be a bodybuilder. His Web site is rather new, but it’s slick and modern,
with a gallery that definitely makes it worth a look. And I’m sure he’ll continue to add to it just as meticulously as
he’s added new muscle to his incredible physique. Go, Toney.
Eric Broser.
>www.PRRSGuru.ProBoards66.com/
One of the coolest perks of having my own column in IRON MAN is that
I occasionally get to plug the Web site of an industry acquaintance, and
even sometimes that of a good friend. I love helping out people I know,
especially because so many others have been so helpful and supportive of
me in my years in the fitness/training/bodybuilding field. There is, however,
nothing better than getting to plug a site that I’m personally involved with,
and if you check out the Internet address listed above this section, you’ve
probably already figured out that yours truly has something to do with it.
Yes, this is the new and long-awaited home of the Power/Rep Range/Shock
discussion board, where I will be hanging out daily to help answer questions
on training, supplements, nutrition and contest prep. I’ve enlisted a terrific
group of experienced and knowledgeable moderators to keep the board
running smoothly and to answer questions in my absence. It will be a forum
for discussing not just P/RR/S but other important training protocols and
concepts, such as DC Training, X Reps, Positions of Flexion, high-intensity
training and much more. So if you get the opportunity to stop by, please feel
free to register and become a part of our “growing” community. I’ll save you a seat.

Eric Broser’s
with a barbell (up to 455 pounds) and dumbbells
>Net Results Q&A (up to 150s), but is that enough?
The Power/Rep Range/Shock innovator answers your
questions on training and nutrition. A: Huge, thick traps are the result of using a combina-
tion of heavy weights, a full range of motion, good form
Q: My chest is a weak point. I asked a personal and a variety of shrug and upright-row movements. Those
trainer at my gym for help, and he told me to stop who regularly do deadlifts also tend to have excellent trap
bench-pressing with my feet on the floor and to development (just look at Ronnie Coleman or Johnnie
put them up on the bench. I think I feel my chest Jackson).
working better his way, so is it okay to bench with A lot of my own trap size has come from very heavy
my feet up? partial deadlifts performed in a power rack for sets of six
to 10 reps. The intense static contraction that the traps
A: I’ll never undergo during the movement provides a unique growth
argue with people stimulus. To get complete trapezius development, in terms
who tell me that of height, front-to-back thickness and midback “projec-
something is tion,” however, I use several forms of shrugs, including
working for them, Hammer Strength machine, barbell, dumbbell, standing
even when it goes calf machine and behind the back. I also use close-grip
Neveux
against what I feel barbell upright rows, a Smith-machine behind-the-back
is valid. For exam- upright-row/shrug combo, made famous by Lee Haney,
ple, in general, I believe (from knowledge and experience) and single-arm dumbbell upright rows done with an ex-
that for 95 percent of drug-free lifters, a lower volume/ aggerated range of motion (leaning slightly forward and
higher-intensity training method works best for building pulling my elbow very high up and back) for the midtraps.
muscle; however, if people tell me that they don’t get much The latter three movements have completely renovated the
out of that method and grow only with
greater numbers of sets, reps and so on,
I won’t dispute it. I will only ask if they
gave another method a fair trial before
coming to that realization.
That said, I feel that in order to ac-
complish optimal body positioning for
pectoral stimulation on bench presses
and flyes—a slight arch in the lower
back, rib cage high, shoulders down and
back—the feet should be planted firmly
on the floor. Keeping your feet on the
floor also creates a more solid founda-
tion of balance, enabling your central
Neveux
nervous system to focus more neural
drive toward better pectoral activation,
rather than body stabilization. landscape of my middle and upper back.
Nevertheless, if you’ve tried both methods—feet on floor One of the biggest mistakes that trainees can make in
and feet on bench—and honestly believe that your chest their trap training is to use too short a range of motion. In
works harder using the latter technique, I won’t dispute an effort to “look cool” shrugging a barbell with five wheels
that. I can’t get inside your head and know what you feel. on each side or dumbbells the size of some compact cars,
I’d ask only that you first make sure your chest-pressing these uninformed characters move all of that weight only
technique is correct and that you’re certain you’re using a couple of centimeters during each rep, usually getting a
proper body positioning (as mentioned) before abandoning better forearm than trap workout. Never compromise your
the feet-on-floor position. range of motion for heavier weights. You should shrug high
Just remember that while there are certainly ways to enough to bury your traps in your ears while beginning
make some exercises safer and more effective, there is no each rep in a fully stretched position.
universal rulebook in bodybuilding. Learning from experts Also, never get stuck in one rep range for traps. Hit them
is definitely a smart route to take, but to be truly successful with everything from four to six reps all the way up to 16 to
in your training, you’ll also need to engage in self-explora- 20 per set. The traps are one of those muscle groups that
tion and discovery. seem to thrive on greatly varying times under tension. Fur-
ther, don’t be afraid to play with the position of the dumb-
Q: I’m incredibly impressed with big traps. I bells or width of your grip on shrugs. Any slight change will
want mine to not only rise high from the front but alter motor-unit recruitment patterns and stimulate your
also jump right off of my back. I do heavy shrugs traps a bit differently. IM

Lonnie Teper’s
NEWS & ViEWS

’07 USA Championships
White Out
He’s an “expert” and a champ
Okay, so “The Experts” all got it wrong. I predicted A.D. Cherry.
Isaac Hinds picked Robert Hatch. Ron “Yogi” Avidan said it would
be Peter Putnam. But Ben White got it right at the ’07 USA, the larg-
est in history with more than 400 entries turned in, 362 men and women
stepping onstage at Jaguar Jon Lindsay’s annual bodyfest. After a
strong performance in 2006 (heavyweight class winner at the Junior Na-
tionals; fourth in the superheavyweight division at the Nationals) Ben was
telling everyone who would listen that he would leave the Artemus W.
Ham Auditorium on the campus of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas,
with the overall crown firmly attached to his crown.
Now, the word I’d heard on the Albany, New York, physique star was
that he’s quite high on himself. The Muhammad Ali of bodybuilding,
if you will. After seeing him onstage at the Nationals last November and
viewing his dominating act in Vegas during the last weekend in July, I
have to say, the man does have reason to be very sure of his capabilities.
The 30-year-old White tipped the scale at a thick 241 pounds, at 5’7”, Ben
at the weigh-in on Thursday night and said he carbed up to 230 by the White.
time he hit the stage 24 hours later. No mistake there. He said carbed
up, not carp depleted. As his trainer, Jeramy Freeman, elucidated on
the morning after Ben’s big win, “When you carb up, you actually drop
weight. People are lying when they say they put on 10 to 12 pounds after
carbing up.”
Competitors lying about their weight? Not to mention their age, aca-
demic degrees, bodyfat percentage and the amount of money they
make? Longtime readers have heard me preach about this subject for
years, so I’ll stop there—let’s get back to the show.
Buffed Ben said that Evan Centopani, who bested him for the over-
all at the ’06 Juniors, should be glad that he didn’t show up at the USA
because White’s wheels would have sent him home without a trophy. (You
know that his legs would have dominated Evan’s legs, gang.) And that he
will make his pro debut—at about 250 pounds, if not more—at the ’08
New York Pro. Promises to leave the auditorium, natch, with the first-
place trophy and 15 grand firmly in hand.
One of the industry’s strongest bodybuilders, White says he can bench
711; I do 7-11 two, three times a week. Great deal on the hot dogs.
With so many competitors coming up with the stock, “I’m so grateful
I was able to win the show; there were so many great athletes onstage,”
or, “I don’t want to make any predictions on how I will do on the pro L.T.
level; I’m just honored to compete against Jay Cuter…Ronnie Cole- conducts
man…Dexter Jackson,” he’s a welcome breath of fresh air in the the morning-
quotes department. after
We could certainly use some excitement in the industry, as long as the Interview.
words don’t cross over to the personal level. Welcome
to the bigs, Ben. (To hear more of what White had to say
after his USA victory, check out my video interview with
For complete contest coverage—
him at www.IronManMagazine.com.) results, video reports and hundreds of
photos—go to IronManMagazine.com.
SNACKTIME? KEMISTRY JESSE
Just what is CLASS MARUNDE
this bar-tering Is this a His untimely
trio up to? formula for passing
Page 218 success, or Page 220
what?
Page 220
DeShaun Grimez.
OPPOSITES AT-
TRACT—The other end of the
spectrum from Ben White is
DeShaun Grimez, who won
the heavyweight class and got
the second pro card that was
given out at the USA, finishing
behind Ben White in the overall
balloting. DeShaun, out of Lake
Forest, California, is a quiet
30-year-old who speaks softly
but carries a big stick. At 5’10”
and 224 pounds, he bested
Tennessee’s Brandon Curry
in the heavies before impressing
Al the judging panel enough with
Auguste.
his width, thickness and shape
to finish ahead of light-heavy-
weight winner Peter Putnam,
middleweight champ Jose
USA Championships photography by Merv
Raymond, welterweight titlist

Mark Harris, lightweight win-
ner Shavis Higa and bantam-
weight champion Bleu Taylor to grab that cherished second pro card.
Grimez, fifth in his class at last season’s Nationals, is a Brooklyn-born
former Marine who will now take dead aim at his opponents at the ’08
IRON MAN Pro in February.
“I plan to come in around 230 or so,” said Grimez, “and not make
Brian the same mistake others have by playing the size game when they turn
Peter Yersky. pro.… I’m just going to continue doing what works for me.” I agree,
Putnam. Shaun. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
ADD PUTNAM—Although my co-stars on “The Ex-

perts” prejudging wrap-up battled over whether Al Au-
guste got robbed in the light-heavyweight class—and
although the crowd did boo big time when, in my role as
emcee, I called out Auguste in second—I think awarding
the division to Putnam wasn’t a bad decision. Peter looked
great from the front but was soft from the back, especially in
the glutes and hamstrings, where Auguste sparkled. But the
Auguste, the Tennessee Titan, who competed as a welter-
weight only two years ago, was weaker in the calves and
thighs and in rear width. Putnam, who tipped the scales at
195 1/2 compared to Auguste’s 191 1/2, was really count-
ing on moving up to the pro level after this contest but will
have to wait for another time.
A fiery competitor, the disappointed Putnam thought he
A.D. earned his keep in the posedown. I felt after the judging on
Cherry. Friday night that the three best bodybuilders in the contest
Brandon were Ben White, DeShaun Grimez and Brandon
Curry. Curry, a former Collegiate National champion who’s sure to
be a pro by this time next year—if not sooner—if he brings
up his lower body.
Of course, going into the show I thought A.D. Cherry would end
up with the biggest reward, but A.D. was not at his best at the prejudg-

Tamer
ing, holding too much water, and El-Guindy.
deservedly ended up in third place. Mandeep
Now the anticipated battle of C & C Singh.
Company—Cherry and Curry—will
be at the ’07 Nationals come No-
vember.
If Curry decides to compete,
that is. If he decides to hold off until
next year’s USA instead, head over
to the casino and lay down 2-to-1
odds that he will get one of the two
aces handed out by the judging
panel at the end of the night.
ADD RAYMOND—Chalk up another title for the

amazing Woburn, Massachusetts, star. Jose Raymond L.T., Dina and Ron with the
bars.
has done it all over the years as one of the NPC’s great-
est athletes: the Team Universe Overall crown, welter-
weight champ at both the USA and Nationals and now
his USA Middleweight title.
I’ve seen him sharper in the past, but that was to be
expected since he moved up a class. Still, the 5’4”, 175-
pounder used his fullness and overall shape to best a
Isaac Hinds \ www.LiftStudios.com

superconditioned Tamer El-Guindy.
Ruthless Ruth Silverman’s wildcard pic in the divi-
sion, Mandeep Singh, an overlooked 173-pounder out
of Fremont, California, could be a title threat in this class
a year from now. I liked the guy too. So, Mandeep, the Jose
table is set for ’08; don’t be late. Raymond.
Add USA
Teper
FROM HERE TO ETER-
Teper
NITY—Ron Avidan and I flew

into Vegas with Sherry Goggin,
and, gentlemen that we are, as-
sured her that Isaac Hinds, who
was meeting us at the airport with
his suped-up Subaru Outback,
would have no problem drop-
ping the rep from title sponsor
Kemistry off at her hotel before
taking me to the Embassy Suites.
Avidan
Isaac, however, had a surprise for

us: Dina Al-Sabah was a pas-
senger in the rental car as well, and From left: Kai Green, Merv and Ruth, and Hany
who could pass up a chance for Rambod and Phil Heath. “Skipping the O is no
“The Experts” to team up with two excuse for cheating on your diet,” says Hany.
hot babes in one vehicle?
The choice of an Outback couldn’t have been more appro-
priate; we ended up way, way out back in Las Vegas, thanks
to Yogi. The man who gave General Custer directions
Teper
turned what should have been a 10-minute ride into a 90-min-

ute expedition, assuring Isaac with each wrong turn, “Now we
got it.”
With the gas tank now at half-empty, and Avidan begging
for a grub stop, we finally “got it right” and dropped off Sherry,
who had about an hour to check in, change and head over to
the venue to work.
Isaac, who was now hotter than the temperature (it was a
cool 105 degrees), zipped into the nearest eatery, which hap-
pened to be Carl’s Jr. Now, I normally would never eat at such Svetlana and Ray Arde.
Comstock
At right: Ray at the ’05

Nationals.
Trey
Brewer. a fast-food outlet, but I didn’t want to let down the group, so I caved in.
When we got out of the car, however, we found out that Ron had hidden
a box of Muscle Milk bars—now melted. He almost got belted.
Nice way to start the weekend. Sherry, we’ll chip in for the cab next
time around.
BLIND LEADING THE BLIND—The above incident was the

most frustrating of the weekend; the funniest moment came before
the finals when Isaac and Ron spotted what they thought was an act
of human kindness taking place in the auditorium’s parking structure.
“Yogi and I had parked the car and were gathering up our belong-
ings to head into the finals,” Hinds explained. “Out of the corner of my
eye I saw what appeared to be a blind woman being helped along by
a good Samaritan, who was carrying her seeing eye stick. It wasn’t
until a familiar voice yelled out to Yogi that I realized it was actually
Teper
Merv [Petralba, IM photog] and Ruth [Silverman]. Merv was

At the ’06 Excaliber (left) carrying his tripod and Ruth was wearing the biggest set of blue sun
Merv
and with Rambod (above). blocker glasses since Babe Winkleman.”

Best line of the weekend, Isaac. And, Ron,
best picture.
IM Pro Gets Gifted

Former USA champ Phil Heath, passing
on the Mr. Olympia competition for the second
consecutive year, was in Vegas not only to see
the show but also to spend time training, eat-
ing and discussing bodybuilding with local icon
Jay Cutler. Heath spent an entire week with
Mr. Olympia, training twice a day, eating seven
Teen, Collegiate and Masters National Championships photography by Dave Liberman
Gary Udit with Andy Haman and meals a day and living in the lap of luxury,
Anthony Finocchiaro. bunking at Cutler’s pricey new abode.
The deciding factor for Health regarding
Don Kevin Deiner and Casey his skipping the O this time was his fifth-place
Len. Fathi. finish at the ’07 Arnold Classic. Heath says he’ll
open the 2008 season at the IRON MAN Pro,
followed by the Arnold Classic and the Sacramento
Pro.
The recently married 27-year-old from Denver is one
of the industry’s brightest young stars, and I think his
plan to wait until 2008 to compete again is a wise one.
He needs time to add some thickness to his upper
body, and prepping for the Olympia would have pre-
vented those gains. No need to rush. As Mick Jag-
ger once sang, “Time is on my side, yes it is.”
Although some people jumped off the Heath band-
Paul wagon after his placing at the ASC, I’m not one of
LaSala. them. He’ll only be 28 when he makes his Olympia
debut a year from now; Cutler will be 35 by then, as
will Victor Martinez and Gustavo Badell. Ron-
nie Coleman, of course, turns 44 next May, but I’ve
heard no word of his impending retirement.
Toney Freeman will be 42 and Dexter Jack-
son just a year shy of four decades. Hey, even the
newest wunderkind, Dennis Wolf, is a year older
than Phil.
Marty Phil will thrill next season. Take that Gift to the bank.
Vranicar.
ADD IM PRO—Sting Ray Arde and his lovely wife, Svetlana, were
also in the house in Vegas, and the ’05 National Heavyweight champ told
me he’ll be joining Phil Heath onstage to make his pro debut at the
Brian Smith (second left) with
IRON MAN. Arde planned to compete in ’06 but opened up a personal-
brothers Steve and Tim and Porter
Cotrell (far right).
training business, Ray’s Gym, in San Jose, California, and UP, DOWN AND ROUND THE USA
had to concentrate on that first and foremost.
I met Ray when he won the very first California Col-
legiates (now the Junior Cal) back in 1999. It took me 1
2
about three seconds to see that he was a pro in waiting.
And he did make us wait for a long time, but better late
than never.
The 34-year-old is now focused on competing at the
pro level, where at 5’6” and around 210 to 212 pounds,
he could make a dent in the scene in a hurry. Ray’s got
nice shape and is thick and detailed. I say he could finish
in the top five at the IM and qualify for the Olympia his first
time out.
See what happens when you compete in my contest? 3
To contact Arde, send e-mail to Raysgym@yahoo.com.
ADD ARDE—The guy who put Ray Arde into my first

show, Hany Rambod, was at the USA, repping BSN, and
had new sensation Trey Brewer by his side much of the
time. Beast Brewer, who just turned 22, stands 5’11” and
was weighing in the neighborhood of 305 pounds as he
trekked up and down the theater lobby.
The Atlanta behemoth, who came out of nowhere to win
the ’06 Excalibur—in Southern California—will be heading 4
for Chicago and the ’08 Junior Nationals and, according to
Rambod, might wind up on the USA stage as well, depend-
ing on his finish at the Juniors. Hany says he expects Trey
to be around 265 on contest day, and I expect the fans 6
will be saying that his quads are among the craziest in the
game today. Want to handicap the ’08 Juniors right now?
5
Jesse Marunde, RIP

The strongman community mourned the passing of
one of its youngest and brightest stars on July 25 when
Jesse Marunde, 33, died from
an apparent heart attack following a
grueling workout.
“Jesse was a true ambassador
for the strength and fitness indus-
tries, embracing fans, cheering
8
competitors and delivering for event
promoters and corporate spon- 7
sors,” said Marc Missioreck,
promoter of the IRON MAN FitExpo.
“Jesse was one of the most
Neveux
popular athletes at our Fit Expo,
whether he was
competing in
the All American
Strongman Chal- 1) Two former NPC champions, Shawn Ray and Flex Wheeler,
lenge, or emcee- still in the game.
ing it. 2) J.M. Manion has things figured out with Liza Kampstra
“Our thoughts and Jacqui Skibba.
3) Met-Rx’s Frank Sepe, always looking divine.
and prayers go 4) The Denver Dandies, Jeff Taylor and Isaac Hinds.
out to his family 5) With the biggest USA yet taking place, promoter Jon Lind-
and friends. He say had reason to smile.
will be greatly 6) There sure was a lot of chemistry at the Kemistry booth
(from left): Sherry Goggin, Flo Jalin, Christina Lindley and
missed.”
Neveux
Amanda Savell.
7) Bodybuilding.com’s Ryan and Brianna DeLuca.
8) L.T. and new pro DeShaun Grimez.
10
Just remember, something will be Brewin’ in
9 Chicago.
STILL MORE USA—Kai Greene was at

the Kemistry booth, along with Quincy Tay-
lor, Michael Lockett and the usual slew of
great-looking ladies, and this season’s biggest
surprise—including his big win at the Colorado Pro
in June—told me he’s also passing on the Olympia
and will be doing his thing again at next year’s Ar-
nold Classic—if I can’t convince him to do the IRON
MAN Pro first, natch.
It’s been a tough, long road to getting noticed
in the pros for the two-time Team Universe Overall
champ, but the entertaining New Yorker has now
12
established himself as a major player in the big
11 leagues—and not only in terms of his posing talents.
Congrats on a great year, Kai. I’m sure the best is
yet to come.
NPC Blockbuster
FULL HOUSE—Dave Liberman, IRON MAN’s
man on the scene at the Teen, Collegiate and Masters
Nationals, which was held a week before the USA, said
13 14 the Gary Udit production in Pittsburgh was a block-
buster, as usual, with a record 360 contestants. Also as
always, the contest produced some terrific champs. Hats
off to pro card winners Andy Haman (superheavyweight
and overall), Anthony Finocchiaro (light heavyweight
winner, second overall), Marty Vranicar (50 and over)
and Paul LaSala (60 and over).
Also, kudos to Teen National champion Kevin Dein-
er, 19, of Erie, Pennsylvania, and Collegiate titlist Casey
Fathi, a 22-year-old from the University of New York at
Stony Brook.
Liberman even came up with a pretty good look-alike, I
must admit, with his George Bush comparison to Don
Len, a New Yorker who competed in the 70-and-over
division.
“One of the most amazing stories from the contest was
Brian Smith’s,” Liberman said. “He’s a 41-year-old from
Kentucky who took a very close second in the 40-and-
over class. Brian had a kidney transplant and received
Photography by a donated kidney from his brother
Ron Avidan Steve. He and Steve and another
brother, Tim, are all bodybuilders.
[Former IFBB star] Porter Cottrell
is also a close friend.”
Yes, Dave, it’s certainly a story
worth mentioning. Good job—to you
15 and to the Smiths. IM
Neveux
16
To contact Lonnie
Teper about material
possibly pertinent to
9) Peter Putnam and DeShaun have a wheelathon. News & Views, write
10) Flex Lewis, L.T. and Quincy Taylor.
to 1613 Chelsea
11) Will Harris and Pastor Mike Wenger.
12) Jessica Putnam and her award-winning smile. Road, #266, San
13) Dayana Cadeau and Russ DeLuca. Marino, CA 91108;
14) Cathy LeFrancois at the Gaspari Nutrition booth. fax to (626) 289-7949;
15) Ruthless Ruth with ’07 Team Universe Overall champ Chris or send e-mail to
Faildo and his wife, Sunshine. tepernews@aol.com.
16) Anyone in the mood for some lounging?

ff
IRON MAN Hardbody
Portrait of a
f itness lyer
Air Force Academy Grad Tanji Johnson Soars Higher
Height: 5’3”
Age: 32
f
Weight: 126
Hometown: Irmo, South Carolina
Current residence: Seattle, Washington
Occupation: Personal trainer, professional fitness competi-
tor, fitness coach (to fitness and figure athletes), consultant and
writer, fitness model and spokesperson for Gaspari Nutrition
Marital status: Single
Workout schedule: Monday, back; Tuesday, plyometrics and
high-rep leg work; Wednesday, chest; Thursday, delts; Friday,
plyometrics and high-rep legs (Note: She also does long runs,
track work, hikes, hip-hop classes and gymnastics throughout
the week.)
Sample bodypart workout (back): Close-grip pulldowns, 4
x 12-15; seated cable rows, 4 x 12-15; bent-over barbell rows, 4 x
12-15; hyperextensions, 4 x 15-20
Factoids: Graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 1997
with a B.S. in humanities and served five years in the Air Force;
has won four IFBB pro contests and placed fourth at the ’06 Fit-
ness Olympia and the ’07 Fitness International; is the chairman
of the Save Fitness campaign, which is dedicated to recruiting
women to compete in fitness; and launched the ExcellentSpirit
clothing line in March ’06.
Web site: www.TanjiJohnson.com
Compiled by Jonathan Lawson • Photography by Michael Neveux

Hair and makeup by: Yvonne Ouellette

IRON MAN Hardbody
www.ironmanmagazine.com \ SEPTEMBER 2007 227

IRON MAN Hardbody

IRON MAN Hardbody

IRON MAN Hardbody

IRON MAN Hardbody

CONTEST UPDATE SUPER SHOW FITNESS
Midsummer Madness The physique circuit, circa 2007, sails along

The Chica’s
Got it goin’ on
Now that there’s something besides figure Lest anyone think
going on, the long, hot summer of pro-wom- her foray into figure at
the Houston Pro was
en’s physique competition has gotten very in-
anything more than
teresting. Not that my analysis of the callouts an effort to pick up a
at the New York Pro Figure in last month’s couple of grand, reign-
Pump & Circumstance wasn’t absolutely rivet- ing Fitness Olympia
ing to readers, I’m sure, but when you’ve got champ Adela Garcia
all three sports sailing at full speed, you’ve got turned up at the Super
something to talk about. In this installment Show fitness event
that means talking about the Motor City Pro in Dallas three weeks
Figure, the Europa Super Show fitness, figure later and danced off
and women’s bodybuilding events and the with a 13-point victory
over runner-up Tanji
Europa Super Show photography by Roland Balik

All-Star Pro Fitness, which is taking place this Adela Garcia.
Johnson and a stellar
weekend—August 25—even as I’m pounding lineup of 26 athletes. The 5’1” Garcia, who
the Powerbook keys. calls Texas home these days, won three
And that’s just the pose-for-pesos petu- of the four rounds, taking the physique
nias. The Team Universe festivities, reported comparisons unanimously and losing to
last month, were just the tip of the amateur Johnson by one point in the mandatory
So many muscle babes in mo- iceberg for summer ’07. I barely got to routines. Clearly, the sport’s favorite chica
tion; so little space. Amy Villa Latina is raring to go at the Fitness O.
Nelson, hiding under Shirley
mention the Figure Nationals, and with the
Temple flapper curls, got nice humongous Teen, Collegiate and Master’s Whether she’ll retain her title after losing
buzz after her performance in Nationals taking place a week later and the to Kim Klein at the International—and with
the Europa fitness show but Jen Hendershott deciding not to retire—is
landed in eighth. Find com- mammoth USA a week after that, there’s
anyone’s guess, but by the time you read
plete results and photos from enough stuff to pump out five or six editions this, you’ll be able to find the answer at
all the Super Show events at of Pump. So let’s get to it.
IronManMagazine.com. IronManMagazine.com.
SUPER FLEXERS
Mah-Ann Is Mah-velous
Super Shoow promoters symmetrical 5’2” trainer from Oregon got onstage right at the
Ed and Betty Pariso are cutoff weight of 135 pounds and commanded a 13-point win
all about making opportu- in a superb lightweight class before snatching overall honors
nities for bodybuilders to from heavyweight victor Tazzie Columb.
shine. This year at their an- The 22 flexers who heeded the Parisos’ call fell evenly into
nual Texas-size weekend of the two weight classes. In the lightweights Mendoza’s closest
physique they instituted an competition came from two fab-
Under 210-pound Division ulous-looking rookies, ’06 Na-
for the men and reinstated tional Light-Heavy champ Debi
weight classes for the Laszewski and real newbie
women. That turned out to Debbie Bramwell, who’d
be great news for ’04 light- earned her pro card the previous
weight winner Mah-Ann weekend at the Masters Nation-
Mendoza, who returned als. In the heavyweights Th-
to the scene of her first- ressa Bostick, in second, and
ever pro win and did her- Beth Roberts, third, were the
self one better, picking up only ones to challenge Columb,
not only class honors—and who nailed her conditioning and
an Olympia qualification— brought an imposing presence
Mah-Ann Mendoza sure looked but her first overall victory. to the Dallas Convention Center
swell notching her first-ever
serious pro win, which in this
Looking tighter than per- stage to grab an 11-point mar-
case meant the overall trophy. haps she’s ever been, but
Laszewski. No ticket to the O
with her muscles full, the but a buzz-worthy debut.

S TA N D O U T S
More Euro-Fit Notes And noteworthies
The big winner at the Super scribed as, “not a routine but a performance,” by
Show Fitness event was Mindi those lucky enough to have seen it. Plus, she had
O’Brien, who showed up in a pretty good body and, as you can see, was not
splendid condition with a wow bad to look at yet finished, along with 10 others,
routine to take third, the last in 16th place. What could possibly be not to like?
Olympia-qualifying slot. The I heard a couple of reasons being bandied about:
winner of the she-should’ve-fin- one that she had not performed the mandatory
ished-higher sweepstakes was moves correctly (though that shouldn’t have af-
fourth-placer Julie Lohre, fected her two-minute-routine score); another that
who many observers thought the judges, who are used to rewarding peppy,
deserved a top-three decision high-energy performances, were not comfortable
from the judges. Not to worry with Grishina’s dramatic and polished but defi-
about the Julster, folks. She nitely not peppy moves.
earned her ticket to the O at You can find a video of her performance at the
the post-Olympia Palm Beach World Championships at YouTube. With her long,
show last October and is not graceful legs and snazzy floor moves, Oksana
likely to pass up that opportu- must have had the international panel wrapped
nity. As I haven’t actually seen around her baby toe. The reported reaction of the
her compete for some years, pro panel in Texas reminds me of the problems
I’m looking forward to the live encountered by another former rhythmic gymnast
Lohre experience. from Europe when she hit the IFBB, Alexandra
Earning the distinction of Béres. Béres, however, never carried enough
the most-overlooked competi- muscle to please the U.S.-dominated panel’s
tor—a.k.a. the What-Are-the- Oksana’s passionate performance taste—a problem Grishina won’t share, based on
in Dallas stimulated massive word
Judges-Deaf-Dumb-and-Blind of mouth; within a week she’d
the photos.
Award—was ’06 World picked up a contract with Body Well I have a feeling this gifted addition to the fit-
Amateur champ Oksana Nutrition. ness scene, who has moved to Las Vegas since
Grishina, a 5’2 1/4” fitness her World Championships win, won’t be flying
trainer from Kaliningrad, a Russian seaport located between under the judiciary radar much longer. To find out how far she
Poland and Lithuania on the Baltic Sea. In her pro debut the moved up the ranks at the All-Star Pro, see page 244.
115-pound former rhythmic gymnast gave what was de-
MOTOR CITY MOMENT
Again Gates Locks It In

Jennifer
Talk about your meteoric rises.
gin of victory. Gates. Jennifer Gates, who earned
It was a last- her pro card at the Junior Nation-
minute decision to als in June and got an Olympia
name an overall qualification in her pro debut in New
champ, according York a month later, caught the big
to reports. Inch bouquet in Belleville, Michigan, on
for inch, Columb August 4 to nab a five-point victory
probably had more over the consistently fine Shan-
muscle, but Men- non Meteraud at the Motor City
doza had the aes- Pro Figure on August 4. Added to
thetic edge, and the invite list for the big show was
the panel gave her third-placer Chaundra Coffey,
the nod for best whose physique was definitely more
Roland Balik
bodybuilder on- etched than when she just missed

stage that day. out at the New York show.
Way to go,
Mah-Ann. Let’s
see what happens Olympia factoid: As of this writing, there are 28 women qualified for
if you come to the Worth noting. Figure pro Karen the Figure Olympia. With one out for maternity leave (Christine Pom-
Olympia looking Zaremba let it all hang out to hang ponio-Pate), one competing in the Fitness O (Adela Garcia) and one re-
with the big girls in Dallas. The retired from competition (Tara Scotti) and two more competitions before
like that. sult: eighth in the lightweight class the entry list is finally closed, there are potentially 11 to 16 contend-
and one of the hottest competition ers who will end up tying for 16th place. Find our 3-D Olympia cover-
shots IRON MAN’s Roland Balik got.
age at IronManMagazine.com and see who got totally overlooked.

SUPER SHOW FIGURE MORE NPC FLEXERS
Favorites Old and New One

more
time.
Speaking of ladies who are moving up Angie
Sal-
Shannon People don’t give Shannon Meteraud vagno
Meteraud. enough credit. The 5’2”, eyes of blue South brought
Carolina supermom—and super fitness ath- what
might
lete—has been charming the judges with her have
vibrant athleticism and well-toned contours since been
she placed second (to Mia Finnegan) at the her best
’95 Galaxy. A dozen years later she’s still got that pack-
age yet
certain something that catches their eye. So it to take
wasn’t that astonishing when her return to com- the USA
petition after the birth of her second daughter light
brought runner-up spots at the three shows she heavies
Merv
for the
entered prior to the Europa. As no one who had second
beaten her earlier in the year was onstage in Dal- year
las, it was also not astonishing when Meteraud running.
moved to the head of the lineup with a perfect
score. Of course it didn’t hurt that she nailed her
conditioning once again.
Natalie Benson, who went from most-over-
looked competitor to fifth at the Houston Pro,
continued her upward bounce, taking second,
also with a perfect score. Bensen brought Rip it up.
perhaps her most balanced package to Dr. Mi-
date. The decision, based on the photos, chele Neil,
an internal
probably came down to Shannon’s being and sports
in better shape—tighter, particularly from medicine
the back. It wasn’t a total loss for Natalie special-
though: She got her ticket to the O, where ist from
Tulsa,
the playing field, except for the top five or Oklahoma,
six, is leveler than you’d think. didn’t give
Silverrrman
Chaundra Coffey earned the last of Super Show winners (from left): up without
Meteraud, Chaundra Coffey and a fight.
the top-three spots. Natalie Benson.
USA BODYBUILDING
Panel Takes the Middle(weight) Path Speaking of not being surprised
Jennifer Jennifer Sedia accomplished that seldom-seen-at-a-

Sedia. national-show feat, earning the single pro card up for grabs
at the annual Jon Lindsay–produced event. Fifty-four
female flexers hit the stage at the University of Nevada, Las
Vegas, in search of that pro card, producing a top-notch
roster of class winners that included lightweight Galina
Serdtsev, light-heavy Angela Salvagno and heavy-
weight Michele Neil, in addition to Sedia. The heavy-
weight, if she has the size and structure that Neil brings to
the posing platform, is presumed to be the victor in these
situations, but Michele, who was coming off a class win
at the Master’s Nationals—where she lost the pro card to
Debbie Bramwell—was perhaps too well conditioned,
especially from the rear view, to suit the panel’s taste when
it comes to the amateur side of the sport. I had a feeling
they’d be looking for an alternative, and Jennifer, with 125
Galina well-distributed pounds on her 5’3” physique, had the pol-
Serdtsev. ish and put-together to be the likely candidate. I felt pretty
Merv
Merv
smart when the 34-year-old environmental specialist from

It’s not often that you look at a women’s-bodybuilding Lubbock, Texas, was named the overall winner. Those with
posedown and know that the middleweight is going to win. a preference for very-big-muscled women probably had
I had that experience at the NPC USA on July 28, where other feelings.

USA FIGURE MORE FIGURE
Lovely and Amazing What I said About the

judges
Was a compli-
Those two after that contest, ment. That’s a
words describe with many of the lot of bikini-clad
the outcome same athletes who’d bodies (some
of the ’07 USA been at the Nation- terrifically toned,

Figure Cham- als taking another some not so
pionships, held shot at a pro card, much) parading
on July 27 the USA panel got before their eyes,
and 28 in Las it right once again. and unlike wise-
Vegas—lovely Andersen, who took ass reporters,
being the per- sixth in the F-class at they can’t, say,
fect word for the former show and duck out after
overall winner swept the E-class the top callouts
Catherine in Vegas (apparently and run to the Another fine pick.
ladies room. So Jessica Wright
Andersen, a she lost an inch over moved up from third
it takes stamina
5’6” recently the two weeks), radi- at the Nationals to
to be as sharp
retired print- ates a fresh athleti-
rake in a unanimous
in viewing the F F-class win.
sales rep and cism that stands out class as you were
former basket- in the sometimes when the A’s
ball player from overglammed strolled by, which they’ve got.
Shorewood, throngs of bethonged Even so, we’ve all rolled our eyes a time
Wisconsin. The figure hopefuls. or two at decisions at some of these huge
amazing part Sporting a look the multi-pro-card-awarding shows. Not so
is that the NPC judges love—a long much lately, which was the point. There are
judges were With a background in sports—and sales— X-frame, stunningly five NPC competitions per year that meet
able to reach and this body, USA champ Catherine An- balanced bodyparts that description—six if you count the IFBB
into a barrelful dersen is looking at a successful career and a generous North Americans—and the top-level judges
in the fitness industry.
of 180-plus helping of muscular all do duty at multiple of those events. After
coiffed candi- curves—she was an five years and thousands of honed hope-
dates for figure stardom and unearth easy call over fellow class winners— fuls in heels passing before them, they’ve
another outstanding overall winner. and new pros—Desha Rodriguez, basically got it down. In a recent tweak,
Recall in last month’s P&C that I was Allison Williams, Lynn Widdow- they’ve started reversing the order in which
singing the praises of Figure National son, April Fortier and Jessica the classes are judged for the second round,
which is a big deal if you’re over 5’6” and
champ (and Team Universe Fitness Wright, who the judges did a fine job
always have to wait for 150 other women to
champ) Nicole Wilkins. Two weeks of finding as well.
take their turn in the spotlight.
TEEN, COLLEGIATE AND MASTERS NATIONALS
Bods of All Ages Hit the Stage in Pittsburgh

Speak- of Pittsburgh into a main stop on the swelled
ing of big national-level tour. Wedged in on the to 360 or
shows that weekend between the Team Universe so, with
set off a and the USA, it offers pro cards to the light-heavy-
feeding Masters over-35 winners in women’s weight
frenzy, bodybuilding and champ
Gary figure, as well as Debbie
Udit’s two in the men’s Bram-
Teen, Col- division, the per- well—a
legiate and fect spot for ath- repeat
Masters letes with a lot of winner from
National frequent flyer miles 2006—and
Liberrman
Champi- who love to com- figure A-

Roland Balik
onships, pete. This year class win-

held athlete numbers ner Tivisay
Going where no woman on July Briceno
has gone before: Court- Welcome to the
ney Mahony, 18, of Sum- 20 and club. Jenny Lynn getting Long time coming. Mas-
erset, New Jersey, here 21, has with Masters tapped for ters National champ
Debbie Bramwell never
Liberrman
with promoter Gary Udit, turned my National Figure the next

became the first Teen champ Tivisay finished lower than fifth in
hometown level. national-level competition.
National Figure champ. Briceno.

“I’m so-o-o
VEGAS SHUFFLE: SCENE BACKSTAGE AT THE USA glad I’m not
Oiled posing in
and heels to-
ready. night!” says
Kendra Diana.
and Feli-
cia line
up.
Maria’s
This Star is defi- headed
nitely ready for for a
her close-up. Bea, fourth-
now a place
proud finish.
be a
it! Debbie may Jamie citizen
Come and get not afraid to get of the
t sh e’s gets
pro now, bu USA,
her hands dirty. Lynn flashes kudos for
makes
that about- a cute
her first
to-be new- kimono.
entry
pro smile. into the
USA.
PHOTOGRAPHY BY RUTH SILVERM

AN
Tricia
came
Giulia brings Allison looks through a
her best ride like a winner wrench-
’em cowgirl Erin gets
(of course, this the P&C ing rehab
look to the shot was taken to make
stage. nod for
after she won most it onstage
Michele her class). likely to today.
and get her
Sheila pro card
show next time.
how the
heavy-
weights
chill.
A L L - S TA R P R O F I T N E S S
In Case You Were Wondering You can contact

No one who read the stories about the Europa fitness Ruth Silverman,
show on pages 240 and 241 will be shocked by the results fitness reporter
from the All-Star Pro Fitness, which Chad Nicholls and
and Pump & Cir-
Kim Chizevsky promoted in Little Rock on August 25.
Neveux
cumstance scribe,
Tanji Johnson took top honors, with Julie Lohre moving
into the runner-up slot and Oksana Grishina winning both in care of
routine rounds to slide into third. What a difference a couple IRON MAN, 1701 Ives Ave.,
of weeks make, eh? It was a great season for Tanji, who also Oxnard, CA 93033; or via e-mail at
ironwman@aol.com.
Neveux
shot with IRON MAN’s Michael Neveux this summer. Find

the results of that effort on page 224.

Only the Strong Shall Survive
Bench Press
Model: Berry Kabov

Under Fire
How to Keep the
Flame Burning
by Bill Starr • Photography by Michael Neveux
T
he bench press is no doubt limited space, we selected the bench cially harmful to youngsters and
the most popular exercise press as part of the Big Three. Why older trainees. They wanted to know
in all of weight training. not the overhead or incline press? what I thought.
Most bodybuilders and At that time the overhead press As most readers know, I’m a big
strength athletes believe it’s the very was getting lots of, well, bad press. fan of the incline bench. I like it
best upper-body lift for adding size Many authorities had declared that because it hits the target muscles
and power to that area. Since the pressing heavy weights overhead very directly and because there’s less
early ’70s it’s replaced the military was harmful to the lower back. So opportunity to cheat on the incline.
press as the standard of strength. we figured that would create dif- Also, the motion of the incline is
People no longer ask, “How much ficulties for athletic directors and closer to the actual movements
can you press?” but rather, “How coaches. We really preferred the made in nearly every sport, whereas
much can you bench?” to determine incline over the flat bench, but there the flat-bench press relates to only a
your strength level. was a problem—there weren’t many few athletic activities. I’m not, how-
The transition came about when incline benches available, even in ever—by any stretch of the imagina-
the military press was dropped from fitness facilities and YMCAs. Shaky tion—antibench. It was one of the
Olympic competition and at the as they might be, flat benches were first exercises I did when I found a
same time the sport of powerlifting plentiful, and they did build stron- weight room, and I include it in all
emerged and strength training for ger upper bodies. So they became of my routines.
all types of sports became the norm. a fixture in strength programs even The exercise is not an evil move-
In high schools and colleges with after incline benches became more ment just waiting to do harm. When
meager equipment, the flat bench prevalent. done correctly, the bench press is
could still be done. I knew of several Everyone was happy—until lately. a safe exercise and helps enhance
high schools that did the exercise A number of people have sent me strength in the chest, shoulders, and
on locker-room benches. It was easy comments that they’ve pulled off arms, the key word being correctly.
to teach and fit in nicely when the the Internet concerning the damag- When it’s grossly overtrained or
strength coach also happened to be ing effect the bench press is having when trainees repeatedly use sloppy
the sports coach. on the chest, back (primarily the technique, injuries occur—but that’s
When Tommy Suggs and I formu- rotator cuffs), shoulders and elbows. the case with any exercise. The lift is
lated a simple but effective program They contend that the lift should be not at fault; the lifter is.
for coaches that could be done with eliminated from all programs and The reason ugly form shows up
a minimum of equipment and in a replaced with inclines as it’s espe- so frequently on the bench press is

it touches the chest and is

locked out in any manner, it
counts. Once trainees have
done a certain poundage,
they’re not going to change
their style, even if it means
sore elbows and shoulders.
In all of my years of lifting
and coaching, I’ve encoun-
tered very few who could
swallow their pride and
learn to bench correctly after
handing big weights using
sloppy form. The exception
was John Phillip, my Tongan
friend in Hawaii.
I trained with Phillip at the
Church College of Hawaii in
Laie when I first moved to
Oahu. When he found out
that I’d competed in some
powerlifting contests, he
asked me to train him for an
upcoming one in Honolulu.
At that point he was doing
515 but was rebounding the
bar off his chest rather exces-
sively. I told him that he had
to learn to pause the bar on
his chest for at least a full
second if he expected to get
the lift passed at the meet.
When the bench press is grossly overtrained or He had to go back down to
405 before he could manage
when trainees repeatedly use sloppy technique, a legal lift. John was a legend
Model: Dan Decker
on the island, and I fully un-

injuries occur—but that’s the case with any derstood what it took for him
exercise. The lift is not at fault; the lifter is. to lower his bench by more
than 100 pounds in front of
all his friends. Yet he did just
linked to its status as the gauge of truth, sloppy technique is encour- that. At the contest, three months
strength. Back when the military aged. Excessive bridging, rebound- later, he benched 525 and got three
press held that distinction, the ing the bar off the chest, squirming, white lights from strict judges.
bench press was regarded as an twisting—anything goes. Big num- Then there are those who use
auxiliary exercise and no one paid bers in the bench reflect favorably decent technique on the bench but
much attention to how much a per- on the coaches, even if the athletes still have a host of dings or outright
son could bench. That’s all changed. have to stand on their heads to injuries to various parts of their
It’s the one lift used to test athletes complete the lift. For those who upper body because they overwork
in nearly every sport. Quite often, train in commercial fitness facili- the exercise to the extreme. They are
a football player’s best bench press ties, it’s not the lure of scholarships so intent on improving their bench-
is listed right next to his time in the but peer pressure that results in es that they train the lift at every
40-yard dash. That makes the bench using poor form. Since, to most, the session and add several more exer-
press extremely important. A lofty bench is the only lift that matters, cises for their shoulders and chest
bench might catch the attention of they resort to any means to record a for good measure. The workload for
a coach at a Division I college and high one. Once bad habits become their shoulder girdles is often two or
translate to big bucks. ingrained, it’s close to impossible even three times greater than what
You don’t see form noted along- to break them. It would be neces- they do for their hips, legs or back.
side the amount on the bench. All sary to use much less weight, and It must be understood that the
that matters is the number. As a the bench is so closely aligned with groups that comprise the shoul-
result, coaches and parents care their egos that few can handle that. der girdle—deltoids, triceps, bi-
little about how the lift is done, just What it all means is that there ceps, pecs, and (yes) the rotator
so the poundage is noteworthy. In are no rules for the bench press. If cuffs—are quite delicate and can’t

Many experience shoulder and elbow trouble because they

use a wide grip—but some of the greatest benchers I ever
saw used a rather close grip relative to their shoulder size.
take nearly as much work as the in itself. I’ll come back to that later. work your shoulder girdle with other
more powerful hips, legs and back. More often than not, the lifters exercises, various degrees of in-
True, the upper back is also a part of who overtrain their upper bodies clines, overhead presses done with
the shoulder girdle, but it’s seldom also employ ugly bench technique. a bar or dumbbells, and dips. Or
included in the programs of athletes The combination eventually results just do lots of auxiliary movements
obsessed with obtaining a bigger in some type of injury or nagging for a month or so, such as dumbbell
bench, which means it’s a problem pain that makes sleeping without raises, curls, triceps pushdowns,
medication impossible and will straight-arm pullovers and rows.
For those who have pain when they ultimately cause them to stop The rest and high-rep work for the
perform the bench press, the best thing training altogether. smaller groups often work wonders.
they can do is often to stop benching for I believe that one reason so Once you decide that you’re ready
a while. many people use improper to start benching again, you must
form on the bench press is that take two steps, and both will be
they’ve never been taught how difficult. First, you must forget you
to do it correctly. Since it’s really did numbers. Old Man Usta died.
a simple movement—lower the Set your ego aside, and tell yourself
bar to your chest and press it that if you do everything right, you’ll
back to lockout—very few both- eventually get back to the bigger
er to examine the many form numbers. That shouldn’t be an im-
points of the lift. With light mediate goal, though, or you’ll slip
weights it doesn’t matter all that back into the old habits right away.
much, but when the poundage Second, you must adjust your pro-
gets heavy, it certainly does. gram and modify your technique.
If you know that the bench Your goal should be to achieve
press is causing undue stress the perfect bench press—so clean
to any part of your upper body, from start to finish that you could
here are suggestions that will be a model for a training video. That
enable you to continue to usually means starting from scratch.
bench and avoid being pun- The time spent away from bench-
ished in the process. ing will help in that regard. Muscle
Model: John Cowgill
For some, the best thing you memory will still be there, of course,
can do for yourself is to stop but it won’t be as fresh as if you’d
benching for a while. Give your been benching recently. Start with
body time to heal. You can still the basics, and pay attention to the

You Can Get
small points,
such as the grip.
do all other aspects of the lift cor-
rectly.
Bigger,
The grip I teach to everyone
except those who have small or
Stronger
very wide shoulders is this: On an
Olympic bar, extend your thumbs
and Leaner
until they barely touch the smooth Faster Than Ever
Many experi- center. That’s a good starting point. Before!
ence shoulder You’ll know a grip is right for you
and elbow trouble if you can keep your elbows under You don’t have to burn hard-earned muscle
as you melt away fat. Now you can actually
because they use your wrists throughout the move- build more muscle size and strength as your
a wide grip. They ment. When your elbows aren’t abs get razor sharp and you get ripped.
do it in the belief directly under the bar, you’re giv- That’s the attention-grabbing look you want
now, and the new Fat to Muscle 2 shows you
that it enables them to ing away power. Simple fact, but how. You’ll discover:
handle more weight. Or if they’re often overlooked. Maintaining the
bodybuilders, they figure it builds forearms in a vertical position also
•eatPrecise nutrition guidelines and diets—
to max out your muscle mass as pounds
a more impressive chest. Maybe, alleviates a great deal of stress on of ugly bodyfat disappear. (Learn the Carb-
Stacking strategy that can transform mus-
but benching with a wide grip over the elbows and wrists. cle size and stoke the fat-burning furnace.)
a long period of time is extremely Grip the bar firmly with your • Which substance—found in almost any
kitchen—is the ultimate aid for energy,
stressful to the shoulders and el- thumbs wrapped around it, I realize better muscular response and fat burning.
bows and will take its toll. To my many big benchers prefer the false
way of thinking, it’s smarter to grip, where the thumbs are not
• How dairy can help you burn fat—
yogurt, cheese and milk can get you leaner.
bench a few pounds less or have around the bar, but I’m not talking • How to increase fat use with a minimum of
aerobic exercise, and why aerobics may be
a bit smaller pecs and be able to to powerlifters or those who have a waste of time for a lean, muscular look.
continue to do benches than it is been benching for many years. The • The amazing direct/indirect Fat-to-
to have to resort to wraps, muscle false grip is just too dangerous. One Muscle 2 training program—with this
innovative routine it appears as if you train a
rub and aspirin just to get through a slip, and there goes your dental bodypart only once a week, but you really
workout. health; it happens more often than train each twice thanks to indirect work (and
each workout takes less than an hour).
Besides, some of the greatest you realize, and there’s no reason
benchers I ever saw used a rather to use a false grip. Everyone I watch • The 8 key nutrients for faster fat burn-
ing, including how much to take of each.
close grip relative to their shoulder who uses a false grip also bridges to • Top 6 fat-to-muscle tricks. (Great info!)
size. Doug Young stands out as the bring the bar through the sticking • The 10 rules for super energy.
perfect example. If you start with a point. They have to bridge because The secrets to melting away bodyfat as you
build lean, ripped muscle
close grip and use it consistently, the false grip works against them are all packed in this IRONMAN
Magazine’
s
you’ll end up handling as whenever the bar moves even the bulletin—eating plans, BULLETIN
#5
much as or more than if slightest bit forward. By contrast, workout routines,

metabolism-accelera-
FAT TO
you selected that wider with your thumbs around the tion techniques and the
best fat-to-muscle
MUSCLE
grip. That assumes you bar, you can guide it back into
the proper line should it run
nutrients. Stop dieting
Pack On Le
2
away muscle—pack As You Shed Mass
an
Bodyfat
forward. on more as you burn Includes carb
-sta
diets, grow cking and carb-reducti
fat-burning th hormone activatio on
fat, and look your
As you assume your grip, hard, muscular best
wor
and the 10 kouts and supplements
Rules for Sup
n,
er Energy
lock your wrists, and in record time!

keep them that way
throughout Just $9.95
plus $6.50 postage & handling ($15 outside North
America) (California residents add 8.25% sales tax)
Credit card orders call
1-800-447-0008, offer ITS
Rotator cuff
work—done YES! I want to transform my physique. Rush
me IRONMAN’s Fat to Muscle 2.
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a Shoulder Rush my
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Horn—can copy to: .....................................................
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the shoulder Enclose check or money order for $9.95 plus $6.50
shipping payable to: Home GYM Warehouse,
structure and 1701 Ives Ave., Oxnard, CA 93033.
improve your Credit card orders call TOLL FREE
1-800-447-0008, offer ITS
bench press
Model: Berry Kabov
CA residents add 8.25% sales tax. Foreign orders

poundage. (except Canada) add $15 shipping. Payment in
U.S. dollars drawn on U.S. banks only.

You’ll know
your grip is
right for you
if you can
keep your
elbows under
your wrists
Model: Noel Thompson
throughout the
movement.
the lift. Many beginners pick up
the habit of cocking or turning their as a reminder for you to keep them down into it. Lock your shoulder
wrists while the bar is in motion, straight. blades and glutes tightly, and be-
trying to coax it through the stick- Now let’s move from the hands come a part of the fabric. Be the
ing point. That doesn’t help, and it to the feet, an aspect of benching bench. Trite, I know, but you get the
works against you because the un- that is generally overlooked. Bench idea. The combination of grinding
necessary movement of the wrist pressing really starts with the feet. down into the bench and driving
diminishes the power generated Brace your feet down into the floor your feet into the floor will ensure
by your chest, shoulders and arms. before you lie back on the bench. that you have a very solid founda-
When the wrists are locked, power That helps establish a firm base so tion from which to press the weight.
flows through them into the bar. that when the bar does hit the stick- Once you’re fixed on the bench
Bear in mind that your wrists are ing point, you can power up from and have gripped the bar, have the
delicate joints and very susceptible the solid foundation into the press- spotter hand you the bar on your
to injury. The constant cocking or ing muscles. If you allow your feet to signal. Make sure you and your
twisting will aggravate them, and dangle, though, there’s no source of spotter are on the same page. Quite
they’re one of the tougher areas of power when you need it. So you end a few prefer to take the weight off
the body to rehab. up bridging or twisting to nudge the the racks on their own, without any
If you find it difficult to stop cock- bar upward. Neither is permissible assistance. They feel that affords
ing or twisting your wrists during for the perfect bench press. them more control of the bar right
the lift, tape or wrap them. That will Similarly, when you position away. Either way is fine. Fix the bar
hold them in place and also serve yourself on the bench, squeeze at arm’s length, take a deep breath,

and then lower it in a controlled because it means using a lot less
manner to the point where your weight, especially at first. I’m talk- If you have
breastbone ends. Of course, there ing about pausing the bar on your
are variations on where the bar chest for a full second. Touch and shoulder pain when
touches the chest, but it shouldn’t go doesn’t make it. As you pull the
touch too high or too low. Remem- bar down to your chest, contract the benching with a
ber the rule: Your elbows must stay muscles in your pecs, chest, arms
under your wrists at all times.
In order to establish a pattern in
and upper back, creating a solid
base on which to position the bar.
bar, try dumbbells
which every rep is identical, you
must make sure the bar touches
Stay extremely tight, and focus on
driving the bar upward in exactly
for more freedom
your chest in exactly the same spot
every time. That happens only when
the same line every time. When you
rebound or even touch and go, the
of movement—and
you lower it under complete con-
trol and don’t allow it to crash on
starting line may vary a great deal
and adversely affect the rest of the
pause at the bottom
your chest. Remember Doug Young,
whom I consider one of the greatest
lift. When you pause with the bar on
your chest, however, you have much of each rep for a
powerlifters ever? He’d lower the bar more control of the its flight.
so slowly that you’d have thought Until powerlifting became full second.
he was trying to avoid aggravat- popular, everyone who benched
ing some old injury. In fact, he was paused with the bar on his chest. as possible in the movement. As a
making certain his downward line Olympic lifters did so because they result, neither group of athletes had
was precise. Then he exploded into were doing benches to help them any injuries from benching. No sore
the bar, and it shot up like a rocket. with the start of the military press. elbows, shoulders, pecs or damaged
Lowering the bar in a slow fashion The purpose of benching was to rotator cuffs.
also enables you to really tighten all strengthen the front deltoids and Once you learn to pause, you’ll
your pressing muscles in prepara- triceps, and that was achieved by discover that you can hold the
tion for the upward thrust. I com- pausing. Rebounding bypassed bar on your chest for four or five
Model: Mike Morris
pare it to coiling a giant spring, then the target muscles, particularly the seconds and still be able to blast
releasing it. deltoids, and didn’t make any sense. it upward. Until you get the feel of
Now comes the part of the bench Bodybuilders paused, since they pausing and determine where to
press that many refuse to accept wanted to involve as many muscles drive the bar in the proper groove,

be body.
delib- Your goal should be to obtain
erate. the perfect bench and, for the time
After being, forget about the numbers.
you’re Five reps will work well, as will
com- threes, but stay away from singles
fortable until you’ve built a strong founda-
with tion and ideal technique. If you
paus- have a history of being injured from
ing and have benching, do it only once a week.
the line down pat, get And do only one primary exercise
aggressive. Think of per workout for your shoulder gir-
the start as a boxing dle. You can add one auxiliary move-
punch—short and ment as well, but no more than that.
powerful. As soon Should you decide you can handle
as the bar leaves benching twice a week, make sure
your chest, follow that one of the days is a light day.
through, and it Going heavy more than once a week
will float through isn’t a smart idea, especially if you’ve
the middle range, had problems with your elbows,
which is where wrists, shoulders or some other
the sticking point bodypart in the past.
usually resides. Be sure to include some specific
The bar should exercises for your upper back. Many
move in a straight athletes tell me of pain in their
line off your chest rear deltoids, and invariably it’s a
and through the result of disproportionate strength
middle; then glide back between the front and rear of the
slightly at the finish so that shoulders brought about from
it ends up over your chin or neck. too much upper-body work and
It will travel upward in an arc, but a a severe lack of upper-back work.
small arc. Shrugs, high pulls and rows will get
Lock the bar out, and exhale and the job done. If you’re experiencing
inhale before doing the next rep. If pain in the back of your shoulders,
you’re handling a light or moder- do a couple of sets of dumbbell rows
ate poundage, how you breathe at the end of every session. Every
isn’t that important. When you use day is even better.
heavier weights, however, it’s criti- Clean up your technique and do
cal. Hold your breath throughout less for your upper body, and in a
the lift, or at least until the bar short time you’ll be able to say that
breaks through the sticking point. you’re a master bench presser—and
Why? Inhaling or exhaling while the be pain free. A good deal, to my
bar is in motion forces your rib cage way of thinking. Take a moment to
to relax, and that adversely affects consider the big picture. Learn to
your base. Holding your breath bench-press perfectly, and you’ll be
ensures that your diaphragm stays able to include it in your program
locked, creating a positive intra- for the rest of your life. Or keep
thoracic pressure. That’s what you abusing your body with sloppy form
want, and there’s little danger of in order to satisfy your ego, and you
running out of air unless you’re in won’t. Your choice.
terrible shape, as the lift takes only a
few seconds from start to finish. Editor’s note: Bill Starr was a
For those who find it difficult to strength and conditioning coach at
stop bridging, try this. It’s some- Johns Hopkins University from 1989
thing lots of powerlifters did to keep to 2000. He’s the author of
themselves from bridging in a con- The Strongest Shall Survive—
test, which is cause for disqualifica- Strength Training for Football, which
tion. Raise your feet up above the is available for $20 plus shipping
bench and cross your legs. Now you from Home Gym Warehouse. Call
can’t bridge. That also really helps (800) 447-0008, or visit www
the start because you aren’t get- .Home-Gym.com. IM
ting any assistance from your lower

Mind
MIND/BODY
The New Bodybuilding for Old-School Results

BOOK REVIEW
credible development before steroids came on the scene. From
E
llington Darden, Ph.D., remains the most prolific ex-
ponent of high-intensity training with more than three there he gives his view of how the frenzy of gross overtraining
dozen popular publications to his credit. His recent The resulted from the steroid culture, which leads us to the develop-
New Bodybuilding for Old-School Results is a considerable ment of HIT-oriented training by Arthur Jones. Although that
departure from standard HIT works—so much so that one happened years ago, the same issues confront those seeking
wonders whether dyed-in-the-wool HIT advocates won’t find to gain muscle and strength today.
fault with it. His 2004 The New High Intensity Training did, in Darden named HIT in the mid-1970s. Originally it was called
fact, meet with complaints from conservative elements of the Nautilus training, but that was before Jones invented the first
HIT community, and the new book complements the earlier Nautilus machines. Once those machines came out, the train-
one. Darden’s recent works break HIT free from the seemingly ing style was confused with Nautilus machines. Make no mis-
rigid mold it’s been cast in for more than three decades. take: You can do HIT with Nautilus equipment, but it can be
The new book brings a sense of the days when training done with any other equipment just as easily.
was fun, when gyms were where we met our friends and when Here’s where Darden does HIT a big favor: He identifies its
training was part of a balanced life. First, he takes us back to major principles. He readily admits that its key concept, training
the golden era of bodybuilding and weightlifting, that time of in- intensity, is not the opposite of volume; he holds they’re neigh-
bors, perhaps
complementary
opposites, and
says you need
both to be com-
plete. He also
gives examples of
incredible gains on
two- and three-
way-split routines
taking up four and
six days a week,
respectively. That
may get him ex-
communicated
from some HIT
groups. Darden
succeeds where
others fail because
his ideas are driven
by data.
While Darden
does talk about
the golden era
of bodybuild-
ing, when John

Body
Grimek, Reg Park and Steve Reeves were the familiar names,
HIT didn’t really come into its own until 1970, when Peary
Rader’s Iron Man published a series of revolutionary articles
by Arthur Jones that not only were read religiously but also
became the topic of many long discussions in gyms through-
Ease the Disease
Cancer-Fighting
out the land.
Key to Jones’ method is “intensity of effort.” That means
every set is taken to complete temporary exhaustion. It’s the
Cocoa?
same principle that brought success with power rack training
N
ew studies in-
in the ’60s, the same principle that Vince Gironda touted as dicate that a
“density.” flavonol found
Darden worked for Jones almost from the inception of in natural cocoa has
Nautilus Sports/Medical Industries. Now, with close to 40 powerful disease-fight-
ing properties. A study
years of training tens of thousands of people using HIT meth-
performed by Norman
ods, he has a rich repertoire of data to draw upon. He adds Hollenberg and published in the International Journal of
two new principles to HIT: adaptation and variation. Medical Sciences suggests that epicatechin may have
Recognizing that we adapt to a new routine after any- reduced the risk of cancer, heart disease and diabetes to
where from a few sessions to a few weeks, he recommends below 10 percent in the Kuna people in Panama. They
changing routines every four weeks. He also recommends drink up to 40 cups of cocoa a week. —Becky Holman
doing two-week specialization cycles for lagging bodyparts www.X-tremeLean.com
and radically breaks with HIT tradition by recommending
drop sets, partials (a.k.a. X Reps), static holds, staged sets
and other strategies familiar to IRON MAN readers.
Darden’s style is friendly and engaging, his passion for the Happiness
iron game, drug-free training and HIT coming off the page
How to combat
like a good conversation among friends. He’s called upon a
community of the wise and experienced to tell their versions
Friend Trend depression
of the story. They range from champion bodybuilders to the
D
strength coach of the Houston Texans to gym owners and id you know that
other experts. The result is outstanding: Each has had his nearly one in 10
Americans has
successes applying HIT in different ways; that is, there’s no
a bout of depression
single “right way.” And, of course, the book includes a bevy at least once a year?
of HIT routines you can try. Studies suggest that
The New Bodybuilding for Old-School Results is a must- depression rates are
have, must-read for everyone involved in bodybuilding, about 10 times higher
strength training and athletics. now than they were 50
years ago. One reason
—Ken O’Neill
may be more social isolation—caused by computers, TV
and video games. To combat depression, be sure you
Editor’s note: The New Bodybuilding for Old-School stay socially engaged. Volunteer work and social clubs
Results is available at Home-Gym.com or call (800) 447- may help you live a longer, stronger, happier life. Having a
0008. Ken O’Neill, M.A., is a certified trainer, fitness writer good training partner works too.
and workshop facilitator living in Austin, Texas. To contact —Becky Holman
him, write to kayoneill@earthlink.net, or go to his Web site, www.X-tremeLean.com
www.longlifefitness.net.

Bomber Blast MIND/BODY
Bodybuilding: Dancing With the Iron

L
ucky for us bombers, the
timeless declaration “You
can’t teach an old dog
new tricks” does not apply.
Sure, there are plenty of old
dogs, but there are no new
tricks. The tricks are either
old tricks in a slick disguise or
some dopey distortion of the
old to look new—high tech,
cutting edge, out of the box,
as they say. Nothing cutting
edge has appeared in lift-
ing since the introduction of
Neveux \ Model: Lee_Labrada

barbells and dumbbells more
than a hundred years ago.
Any old fleabag knows that.
Once you’ve trod the
straight path to the center
of things, why wander circu-
itous routes in the name of
advanced technology? We’re
dealing with the physics of gravity—what comes down must time, training involvement, desire, purpose and ability to recu-
go up; the mathematics of addition—one rep plus one rep perate. We are in fact rich—one might say loaded.
equals two reps; the science of nutrition—garbage in, garbage The choices change with the flow of life, trial and error, and
out; the logic of persistence—push that iron intensely; and the maturity in training. Add time of the day-by-day variety, plus
philosophy of mankind—only the strong shall survive. Thank attentive application of the basic exercises, plus the patient
God for straight lines, clear views and common sense: obsta- observation of progress, plus the ever-growing understand-
cles that challenge, injuries that instruct, plans that stimulate, ing to render modifications, plus endurance of the mind, body
deeds that reward and goals that motivate—blessings avail- and emotions augmented by sound genetics, right eating and
able to all of us, not just the elite. living—Got it so far?—to determine the extent, direction and
I roamed from gym to gym over the years in search of swiftness of development.
revolutionary ideas and methodologies. Truth is, I’d settle for There you have it. Not a secret or hot idea in the lot. It’s up
anything out of the ordinary. My mission was to discover and to us.
unveil the newest, latest, hottest exercises and schemes of The idea of the iron tango is multifaceted: (immediately) to
training on the gym floor. I wasted no ink recording blistering enjoy yourself, satisfy and fulfill yourself; (eventually) to build
training ideas and remarkable breakthroughs. muscle and strength, to burn fat and diminish stress, to im-
Heads bobbed up and down as muscle builders performed prove your health and well-being, to bolster your character
familiar routines. There’s the curl, the bench press, the squat. and personality and to ready you for daily living and protect
Even the most hardcore gyms offered no novel exercises or you from the enemy. So perform the moves with your eye on
exercise patterns. The bigger and stronger ironheads you continuing practice and perfection of form. Push when passion
might find hanging out on the steps of the pharmacist’s back arouses you and withdraw when inspiration ebbs. Be graceful,
door lifted heavier weights in the simplest manner and with as but accept an awkward misstep and occasional fall. Picking
much high-tech influence and finesse as an ox. yourself up and carrying on are the most elegant movements
Just as I suspected, just as I’ve declared—no secrets, you’ll make. Let them happen naturally.
nothing new. A testament to hard work and perseverance, There’s no room for negative thinking in our wonderful
that doesn’t make our mission any easier, but it does make it act, but it will, like the devil, force itself upon us in the form of
clearer and more certain. All we need to do as individuals is monotony, fatigue, doubt, disappointment and selfish desire.
heft the weighted objects we have in hand and awe the riveted Don’t give in to the forces over which we have growing con-
audience with our endurance, performance and grit—the audi- trol. To quit is to lose to the loser
ence composed of us, or, more precisely, ourselves; the only within. Losing sucks.
real audience. —Dave Draper
That there is nothing new in no way suggests we’re lacking
means. We have single sets, supersets, tri-sets and multisets; Editor’s note: For more from
high reps, low reps and mixed reps; volume training, power Dave Draper, visit www.Dave
training and fitness training, plus various intensities of training Draper.com and sign up for his free
depending on one’s goal, health and constitution. You can use newsletter. You can also check out
several dozen essential exercises and multiple combinations his amazing Top Squat training tool,
of muscle groups to form a routine, and they can be applied classic photos, workout Q&A and
throughout the week or month in different patterns, based on forum.

Relationships
Love and
Neveux \ Models: Clark and Anita Bartram

Laughter
P
sychologists at
Appalachian
State University in
North Carolina say that
laughing at the same
things keeps marriages
stronger. When you
laugh together, you validate each other’s opinions, and that creates
bonding—which provides joyful memories that can help you get
through the rough patches of a relationship.
—Becky Holman
www.X-tremeLean.com
Optimism
Positive Aging
R
esearchers at the University of Colorado
at Colorado Springs found that as we age,
most become more optimistic. People over
55 who were exposed to a series of both unpleas-
ant and happier images gave them equal attention,
while those under 25 focused on the gloomier pho-
Neveux \ Model: Pax Beale
tos. It may be a survival mechanism in that when

you’re young, you’re more aware of the negative in
a situation—as a protective measure. As you age,
you gain freedom from that and expect more good
results. —Becky Holman
www.X-tremeLean.com
Food for Thought

Berry Berry
F
isetin is a flavonoid found in strawber-
ries and other fruits and vegetables. It
appears to stimulate long-term mem-
ory. A study by the Salk Institute for Biologi-
cal Studies shows that fisetin protects and
aids the survival of neurons cultured in the
lab. It also boosts memory in mice. The compound may eventually be part of
the treatment for Alzheimer’s disease. In the meantime, eat your strawberries.
An entire cup contains only 55 calories and 12 grams of carbs.
—Becky Holman
www.X-tremeLean.com

Gallery of Ironmen MIND/BODY
MIND/BODY
Jerome Ronco
P
rofessional strongmen were
plentiful in early-20th-cen-
tury Europe, and one of the
finest of the theatrical ironmen
was Jerome Ronco. He was born
in the Italian port city of Genoa in
1879. His mother was American,
and he went to school in England.
It was there, when he was about
18 years old, that he met the man
who would change the course of
his life, Eugen Sandow. The great
strongman had a gym and school
of physical culture in London, and
the young Italian-American began
to train there. He discovered
that he had a great aptitude for
Photos courtesy of the David Chapman collection

bodybuilding, and his physique
sprouted muscles with only a little
prodding.
While working out at Sandow’s
gymnasium, Ronco met another
professional muscleman, Monte
Saldo (see Gallery of Ironmen,
March ’06), and they became
partners in a very successful
strongman act. Their first appear-
ance was at the Crystal Palace
near London in 1900. Although the Continent, where he maintained
Ronco was short—5’4”—he had a both his popularity and his impressive
great abdomen, and he’d pose in physique. Monte Saldo had accused
imitation of ancient statues. The two his partner of being unmotivated and
young men also lifted block weights uninspired, but nothing could have
and performed other pulling and lift- been further from the truth. Over the
ing feats. next decade the Italian-American
After working together for two or strongman became a very successful
three years, they split up. Thereafter, performer on the music hall stages of
Ronco spent most of his time on Europe. His solo act was described
as “very original.” It consisted
of card tearing, weight lifting
and heaving large weights
overhead.
Perhaps his most spec-
tacular feat involved a large,
heavy touring car. Ronco
stood in front of the automo-
bile as it careened down an
incline and stopped it with his
bare hands; afterward, the
band would strike up a Sousa
march to put an American
touch to the act. Ronco
proudly displayed the Stars
and Stripes in some of his
posters, calling attention to
his Yankee heritage.
Jerome Ronco was still
performing as late as 1912,
but he seems to have retired
around 1914, when the Great
War began. He disappeared
forever from the history books
thereafter. —David Chapman

Chills and Ills MIND/BODY
Starve a Cold, Feed a Fever?
W
ith cold season a fever.” Researchers have
right around the found that your body needs
corner, we should more nutrient-dense food
clear up the myth that you to fight off viruses like colds
should “starve a cold, feed and flu. Virus-fighting T cells
need opti-
mum nutrition
to function.
So feed a
cold and
feed a fever
to increase
your immune
defenses.
If you lose
your appetite,
try protein
shakes or
smoothies.
—Daniel
Curtis, R.D.
www.Home-Gym.com Best Sellers

DVDs/Videos: 2) 10-Week Size Surge by IRON
MAN Publishing
3) The 7-Minute Rotator Cuff Solu-
tion by Joseph Horrigan, D.C., and
Jerry Robinson
4) Ronnie Coleman’s Hardcore
5) The New Bodybuilding for Old-
School Results by Ellington Darden
Top E-book:
X-traordinary Muscle-Building Work-
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Size and Strength Programs by
1) “Jay Cutler—One Step Closer” Steve Holman and Jonathan Lawson
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3) “2007 IRON MAN Pro”
4) “Ronnie Coleman: Relentless”
5) “IRON MAN’s Swimsuit Spectacu-
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Books:
1) Train, Eat, Grow—The Positions-
of-Flexion Muscle-Training Manual by
Steve Holman

IRON MAN’s Rising Stars / IronManMagazine.com
Krissy Chin
Weight: Off-season, 130;
contest, 124
Height: 5’4”
Residence: Miami, Florida
Occupation: Physical
therapist
Contest highlights: ’07
NPC Figure Nationals, D
class, 1st; ’07 NPC Junior
Nationals, D class, 2nd
Factoid: Was valedictorian
of her class at Touro
College, New York, in 2000;
is sponsored by ALRI.
Photography by Isaac Hines

IRON MAN’s Rising Stars / IronManMagazine.com
Guy Cisternino Jr.

Age: 25
Height: 5’6”
Weight: Off-season, 220; contest,
176
Residence: West Milford, New Jer-
sey
Occupation: Senior account execu-
tive at HSBC; personal trainer at
Gold’s Gym, Totowa, New Jersey
Contest highlightss: ’07 NPC New
York Metropolitans, middleweight,
1st; ’07 NPC Junior USA, middle-
weight, 1st
Factoid: Since ’03, he has com-
peted in six shows, placing first in
four of them, fourth in one and out
of the money in another.

Readers Write
Arnold’s Success Strategies Shocker Mom

What an absolute knockout Gina
Ostarly is—and with three kids no less.
My wife wants to know how to get a
stomach that flat after being pregnant
three times.
David Delgado
via Internet
Editor’s note: We’ll see if we can

get the answer from Gina, but we’re
Neveux
pretty sure it’s lots of hard work in the
gym and not a lot of doughnuts. Gina Ostarly.
Long-Winded Wordiness
I love IRON MAN. There’s always so much information in
every issue, but some of the articles are just too long. Many
of those are by Jerry Brainum, and I often have trouble stay-
ing awake. Not that there’s not good information in them,
but can’t he be more to the point?
John Forbes
via Internet
Editor’s note: Jerry is the quintessential scientist, and

he tries to leave no stone unturned in his features. We ap-
plaud him for that and try not to censor him. And besides,
our Eat to Grow, Train to Gain and Mind/Body sections are
full of short shots by Jerry and others. In other words, every
Balik
issue gives you the long and the short of it.
Wow, after reading the feature on Arnold’s thought pro-

cesses and goal setting [“ArnoldThink” by Bill Dobbins,
September ’07], I can see why the man is where he is. He’s
3D Innovation
a unique specimen in mind and body. I’ve read the article Steve Holman’s Positions-
three times, and I learn something new at each reading. of-Flexion training method
Thanks to IRON MAN for publishing such a unique feature has got to be the most logical,
on bodybuilding’s number-one icon. result-producing bodybuild-
Cal Samuelson ing workout around. It’s
via Internet helped me bring up almost
all of my bodyparts to stellar
proportions, and I’m doing far
Rachel fewer sets than I used to. Less
Neveux
training, much better gaining.
Redux What more could a bodybuild-
er ask for? The “3D Back Blast” Jonathan Lawson’s physique
Is there any chance [August ’07] was excellent, with is a product of 3D POF
I can talk you guys the four different workouts for training.
into doing an encore giving your back a POF hit. I’m
pictorial with Rachel using number 3, and my shirts are getting tighter every
McLish? That article week. I highly recommend the POF system.
and photos a while Billy Vega
back [April ’06] were a Atlanta, GA
blockbuster. The lady
has still got it going on, Editor’s note: For more information on 3D Positions of
and I want to see more Flexion, visit www.3DMuscleBuilding.com. Also see the ad
of her. Hard to believe on page 73.
she’s almost 50. By the
way, her cover is my Vol. 66, No. 11: IRON MAN (ISSN #0047-1496) is published monthly by IRON MAN Pub-
lishing, 1701 Ives Ave., Oxnard, CA 93033. Periodical Mail is paid at Oxnard, CA, and at
favorite of all time. additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to IRON MAN, 1701 Ives
Barry Clarkson
Neveux
Ave., Oxnard, CA 93033. Please allow six to eight weeks for change to take effect. Subscrip-
via Internet tion rates—U.S. and its possessions: new 12-issue subscription, $29.97. Canada, Mexico and
other foreign subscriptions: 12 issues, $49.97 sent Second Class. Foreign orders must be in
Editor’s note: Rachel is a busy lady, but we’ll see what U.S. dollars. Send subscriptions to IRON MAN, 1701 Ives Ave., Oxnard, CA 93033. Or call
1-800-570-4766. Copyright © 2007. All rights reserved. No part of this magazine may be
we can do. If you’re reading this, Rachel, we’re ready when
reproduced in any manner without written permission from the publisher. Printed in the USA.
you are.


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