Iron Man - USA 5 2007

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150 DECEMBER 2009 \ www.ironmanmagazine.com

May 2007 Vol. 66, No. 5
IRON MAN Pro,

page 238
We Know Training ™
FEATURES
FEATURES
62 TRAIN, EAT, GROW 91
More Power/Rep Range/Shock but a new program and
split—the original X-Rep mass and detail workout.
104 FREE WEIGHTS VS. MACHINES

Jerry Brainum checks out the research and makes obser-
vations about this fight for might and muscle.
118 STRETCH OVERLOAD

Is it the ultimate technique for muscle expansion? Steve
Holman explores the research clues and gives you tips
you can use to get huge.
136 TACTICAL TORTURE TRAINING

William Litz takes X Reps and stretch overload into the
gym to blast chest and back into IRON MAN PRO FULL-PAGE PICS OF MONSTER MUSCLE!
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154 A BODYBUILDER IS •Fast T3 Chest and
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Top 10
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for GIANT
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page 118 Daniele Seccarecci, Erica

160 HEAVY DUTY Thompson and Monica
Part 2 of a lost Mike Mentzer Mark appear on this
interview from 1986. month’s cover. Hair and
makeup Yvonne Ouellette.
Photo by Michael Neveux
180 ERIC FANKHOUSER’S
LEGS
Monster leg training with the House. Nice foundation!
198 FAT-BURNING FIRESTORM

George Redmon, Ph.D., talks ripping compounds that
rival ephedra.
208 BUILDING TRICEPS

From Bodybuilding.com: Matt Weik outlines the best tri’
tips and training programs.
Tactical Torture Training, 216 FLEX WHEELER

page 136 Rod Labbe probes the mind of bodybuilding legend Flex
Only The Wheeler. Interesting stuff here, gang. And great pics too.
Strong Shall
Survive, 238 IFBB IRON MAN PRO
page 282 Let the pro season begin. The first ’07 champ is.…
250 HARDBODY
Dina Al-Sabah dazzles With her mystique—and her
physique. Photography by Bill Dobbins.
282 ONLY THE STRONG SHALL SURVIVE

Bill Starr’s insightful look at dealing with dings—as in those
pesky injuries that keep making you wince.
DEPARTMENTS
32 TRAIN TO GAIN
Lighter weight for bigger arms and the return of the
behind-the-neck pulldown—sort of.
46 SMART TRAINING
Charles Poliquin lays out his heavy-support routine for
blasting out of a bench press plateau.
52 EAT TO GROW
Killer supplements—does a high-protein diet cause can-
cer? Plus, synergistic strength-gaining supplements.
Train to Gain,
page 32
80 CRITICAL MASS
Steve Holman’s lowdown on forging freaky forearms and
stretch-position lat moves.
Hardbody, Critical Mass, 90 NATURALLY HUGE

page 250 page 80 John Hansen outlines the famous push/pull split.
234 BODYBUILDING PHARMACOLOGY

Jerry Brainum discusses Lance Armstrong’s secret for
cycling success. (It’s not what you think it is.)
258 MUSCLE “IN” SITES

Eric Broser’s been crawling all over the Web, and he’s
unearthed more cool new sites. His Net Results Q&A is
here too, with six killer P/RR/S chest programs.
262 NEWS & VIEWS

Lonnie Teper was onstage in Pasadena—emceeing, not
competing—at the IM Pro. He had the best seat in the
house, and here’s his look at the physiques. Also, three
pages of FitExpo pics—it’s like you were there!
272 PUMP & CIRCUMSTANCE

Ruth Silverman’s got the goods on the Sacramento Pro
and other matters of bodybuilding, figure and fitness
importance.
Eric Pump &

Fankhouser’s Circumstance, 292 MIND/BODY CONNECTION
page 272 Randall Strossen, Ph.D., explains how to grow with the
Monster Leg
flow. Then Dave Draper talks muscle and might, and Linda
Training, Reho demonstrates some Serious Training.
page 180
304 READERS WRITE
Boomer bodybuilding, army iron and calf roundup round
out our readers’ comments. Oh, Bill Grant is here too.
In the next IRON MAN

Next month we’ll have one man’s odyssey with Dogg-
Crapp. Say what? Put your pooper scooper away;
we’re talking Dante’s D.C. training and how one ded-
icated trainee fought the pain to gain with multirep
rest/pause. We’ll also have a wicked arm-training
feature with Omar Deckard, the big new pro destined
for muscle greatness. Then Jerry Brainum opens up
a can of worms with his creatine exposé—what you
didn’t know about this popular power supplement.
WEB ALERT! Watch for the body-slammin’, muscle-jammin’ June
from the world
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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
Relationships Editor in Chief: Stephen Holman

Art Director: T. S. Bratcher
Senior Editor: Ruth Silverman
Editor at Large: Lonnie Teper
Articles Editors: L.A. Perry, Caryne Brown
My relationship with Iron Man started Assistant Art Director: Aldrich Bonifacio
when I was 14—my mother bought me my Designer: Emerson Miranda
first issue. My mother’s brothers had trained IRON MAN Staff:
with weights, and, in fact, my first few years Vuthy Keo, Mervin Petralba,
of training were with a barbell set that I bor- R. Anthony Toscano
rowed from my uncles. One of the attractions Contributing Authors:
Jerry Brainum, Eric Broser, David Chapman,
of Iron Man and bodybuilding in general was
Teagan Clive, Lorenzo Cornacchia, Daniel Curtis,
my perceived sense of a special community. Dave Draper, Michael Gündill, Rosemary Hallum,
At 14 my needs really revolved around a Ph.D., John Hansen, Ron Harris, Ori Hofmekler,
search for identity and personal expression. Rod Labbe, Skip La Cour, Jack LaLanne, Butch
Bodybuilding and Iron Man provided that Lebowitz, John Little, Stuart McRobert, Gene
camaraderie and belonging that continues to Mozée, Charles Poliquin, Larry Scott, Jim
Shiebler, Roger Schwab, Pete Siegel, C.S. Sloan,
nourish me to this day. I don’t think my expe-
Bill Starr, Bradley Steiner, Eric Sternlicht, Ph.D.,
rience is unique. Randall Strossen, Ph.D., Richard Winett, Ph.D.,
When I look at the content of IRON MAN and David Young
now, I get the same human, authentic feel that first attracted me to it. I
Contributing Artists:
believe the authenticity comes not so much from the content per se but Steve Cepello, Larry Eklund, Ron Dunn,
from the character and personalities of the people who create the maga- Jake Jones
zine. Each one of the writers and photographers has a long, passionate Contributing Photographers:
relationship with bodybuilding, and it shows in the quality of their work Jim Amentler, Ron Avidan, Reg Bradford, Jimmy
and the “feel” they convey through their writing and images. Caruso, Bill Dobbins, Jerry Fredrick, Irvin Gelb,
At the top of the editorial list is Steve Holman, a lifelong natural body- Isaac Hinds, Dave Liberman, J.M. Manion, Gene
Mozée, Mitsuru Okabe, Rob Sims, Leo Stern
builder and the editor in chief. Writer, bodybuilder, editor and entrepre-
neur, Steve is not only a true professional but he also has the probing Director of Marketing:
mind that’s always exploring ideas that could help our readers’ workouts Helen Yu, 1-800-570-IRON, ext. 1
be more productive. (For a great example, see his feature, “Stretch Over- Accounting: Dolores Waterman
load,” that begins on page 118.) Subscriptions Manager:
I first saw Mike Neveux, now creative director of IRON MAN, at a Mr. Sonia Melendez, 1-800-570-IRON, ext. 2
Olympia contest in Columbus, Ohio, in the late ’70s. Later, in the early E-mail: soniazm@aol.com
Advertising Director: Warren Wanderer
’80s, we both worked for Muscle & Fitness and Flex. If you look at body-
1-800-570-IRON, ext. 1
building magazines prior to Mike’s involvement and after, you will see
(518) 743-1696; FAX: (518) 743-1697
that he transformed the way bodybuilding was photographed. Today’s
Advertising Coordinator:
exceptional physique photographers have all built on Mike’s pioneer- Jonathan Lawson, (805) 385-3500, ext. 320
ing work. Thirty years later the passion that first brought him to body- Newsstand Consultant:
building is reflected in his ability to reinvent the image of bodybuilders. Angelo Gandino, (516) 796-9848
Between Steve and Mike you have more than 50 years of passionate
involvement in bodybuilding. We reserve the right to reject any advertising at our
If you get interested in bodybuilding and stay interested to the point discretion without explanation. All manuscripts, art
or other submissions must be accompanied by a self-
where it’s a part of your lifestyle, you will probably find that most of addressed, stamped envelope. Send submissions to
your closest personal relationships are somehow tied to the gym and/or IRON MAN, 1701 Ives Avenue, Oxnard, CA 93033.
working out. I met the inimitable Lonnie Teper more than 20 years ago at We are not responsible for unsolicited material.
World Gym. Lonnie has taught health and weight training at the college Writers and photographers should send for our
Guidelines outlining specifications for submissions.
level ever since he got his master’s degree. If you read his News & Views IRON MAN is an open forum. We also reserve the
or have ever heard him emcee a contest, you know what bodybuild- right to edit any letter or manuscript as we see
ing passion is all about. If you want to see and hear him in action, go to fit, and photos submitted have an implied waiver
of copyright. Please consult a physician before
IRON MAN’s GraphicMuscle.com and click on any of his video inter- beginning any diet or exercise program. Use the
views. information published in IRON MAN at your own
I met Ruth Silverman while she was working for Flex magazine. All it risk.
takes is one read of her Pump &Circumstance and you will feel her love
IRON MAN Internet Addresses:
of bodybuilding and fitness and her empathy with the women who com- Web Site: www.ironmanmagazine.com
pete in those events. She’s a clever writer who helps make this magazine John Balik, Publisher: ironleader@aol.com
the quality publication that it is. You can also see and hear Ruth at IRON Steve Holman, Editor in Chief: ironchief@aol.com
MAN’s GraphicMuscle.com. Ruth Silverman, Senior Editor: ironwman@aol.com
These people are a part of the core that creates the passion that is T.S. Bratcher, Art Director: ironartz@aol.com
Helen Yu, Director of Marketing: irongrrrl@aol.com
IRON MAN. I’ll have more on relationships next month.
Jonathan Lawson, Ad Coordinator: ironjdl@aol.com
Sonia Melendez, Subscriptions: soniazm@aol.com
30 MAY 2007 \ www.ironmanmagazine.com
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SIZE MATTERS, SO…
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BIGGER BODYPARTS
Lighter Weights for Bigger Arms?

Many of us would give our right nut to have arms like most he’ll use, because he demands the type of muscle
big Toney Freeman, the ’06 Europa Supershow cham- contraction that you just can’t get when you start slinging
pion, who placed seventh at the ’06 Mr. Olympia and big weights around.
started out the ’07 season with a unanimous victory at A lot of guys like to blame bad genetics or the fact that
the IRON MAN Pro. At 290 pounds onstage, this 6’2” they don’t use steroids for their mediocre biceps. Could it
tower of muscle sports a pair of guns that tape out at 24 be that the real hindrance to their progress is their insis-
inches pumped. But it wasn’t always that way. tence on using weights that are too heavy for them?
Arms have been a tough bodypart for Toney to build. Just for the hell of it, try using just half the amount
When he started training, they were an embarrassing of weight you normally do for everything in your biceps
13 3/4 inches—and truly looked like pipe cleaners on workout, and focus intensely on squeezing the muscle
a man so tall. It wasn’t until a brief training stint with hard and holding each contraction for a one-second
legendary amateur Edgar Fletcher, one of the greatest count. If you feel something you haven’t felt before, like
physiques to never turn pro, about 10 years ago that the an insane pump and burn, maybe that’s your cue that
breakthrough came. “Edgar had some of the best arms you need to lighten the load and do it right. Odds are
in the sport at the time,” Freeman says. “The first day you won’t get your guns up to 24 inches like Toney’s, but
we trained biceps, we started with preacher curls, and if they end up bigger than they are right now, that’s still
I was shocked to see that he only had a 10 and a five something to celebrate.
on each side of the bar for his work sets. Here I am with —Ron Harris
arms a lot smaller, and I was using a 45 on each side.” It www.RonHarrisMuscle.com
began to make sense
once Edgar explained Start feeling your
his rationale. “He said biceps working
that unless you could during curls, even if
it means using lighter
flex the biceps as you weights, and your arm
performed the curling measurement may
motion, the weight was soon surprise you.
too heavy and you were
wasting your time. I
tried it, and immediately
I knew I’d been doing
things all wrong.”
To this day Toney
shuns the ego lifting of
his younger years and
won’t go any heavier
than 40 or 50 pounds
on each side of the bar
for curls. He usually
does his dumbbell curls
seated and with both
arms at the same time
to ensure the strictest
form possible. Even
when standing and
doing alternate curls,
60 pounds is about the

HE WANTED TO FIGHT-
Until I Crushed His Hand!
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TRAIN TO GAIN BODYBUILDING LIFESTYLE
Is Your Job Stopping

Your Gains?
Unless you live off a trust fund or
you’ve married Britney Spears, you
have to work for your money. If you’re
also a bodybuilder, you train and eat
around your job’s schedule and limita-
tions. If you work at a desk all day or
are a personal trainer, you probably
don’t have it so rough. But for those
of you with very physical jobs such
as construction, landscaping, tiling or
roofing, things can be challenging. The
days are long, and they take a physi-
cal toll on you. Nobody understands
that better than Dennis Wolf, from
Germany by way of the republic of
Kyrgyzstan, in the former USSR, who
made it to the Mr. O in his rookie year
Comstock
Markus Rühl. in the pros, in 2006.
From the age of 18 until he was
MIND AND MUSCLE 25, Dennis worked up to 12 hours,
six days a week, painting houses and
Bouncing Back From Failure installing windows. Forcing himself

to shrug off the fatigue and train after
work, he
In a perfect world we’d all make steady progress with our physiques, and if we managed
Dennis
competed, we’d place better every year. But the real world isn’t quite so predict- to build a
Wolf.
able. It features plenty of ups and downs, not unlike a roller coaster. Germany’s very good
giant Markus Rühl has been on that ride more than once. In ’04 he finally broke physique in
into the elite inner circle of pro bodybuilding by placing fifth at the Mr. Olympia. It spite of his
seemed that his 275-pound package of brutally thick muscle was being recog- manual-labor
nized and rewarded at long last. job and won
several big
Months later the IFBB issued a mandate that for some athletes carried the
amateur
same sense of doom as the pharaoh’s decree that all firstborn sons would be
titles, includ-
slaughtered. The mandate was that distended abdomens and wide waists were
ing the Mr.
going to be scored down, while small waists and dramatic V-tapers would be the Germany. But
new ideal. That put Rühl into something of a panic. it wasn’t until
“I’d always been known for being a massive freak, not for having a pretty body,”
Balik
he quit the
he said. He had just months to revamp his structure or face dire consequences. job that his
Gritting his teeth, Markus went against everything he believed bodybuilding should gains really took off. “My off-season
be about and began training lighter. “I hated it,” he recalls. “It didn’t even feel like weight went from 240 to 280 in two
I was really training anymore.” His waist did come down in size a bit, as did ev- years, and my competition weight
erything else. Having emergency nasal membrane repair surgery and suffering a increased from 220 to 245.”
muscle tear in the final two months before the contest didn’t help matters, either. Those gains would be impressive
At the last minute a mistimed carb load and a hasty attempt to remedy it left Rühl enough for a beginner, but for a man
smaller and smoother than we’d ever seen him. As a result, Markus plummeted all at Wolf’s advanced level, they’re noth-
the way down to 15th, the lowest he’d ever finished since his pro debut almost a ing short of astounding. “The only
decade before. change was that I was getting much
Bodybuilding is a fickle sport, and a lot of fans and critics wrote Rühl off. Luck- more rest and eating better. My train-
ily, Markus didn’t feel the same way. With the support of his loyal friends, fans ing was exactly the same as it’s always
and his wife, Simone, he decided to bring back the freak for the ’06 Mr. Olympia. been,” he said.
He brought a staggering 280-pound mountain of mass to Las Vegas and was so Maybe you move furniture or unload
trucks all day. Have you been making
physically overwhelming that in some poses he actually dwarfed even eventual
satisfactory gains in size and strength
winner Jay Cutler. Rühl landed in eighth and was back on the map.
lately, or not? I’m not telling you to
His triumphant return proves two things. One, you should be true to yourself
quit your job, but if you have a real
and not try to be something you aren’t, and two, never let defeat define who or passion for bodybuilding and want to
what you are. Use it as motivation to come back better next time. I have a feel- get a return on your investment for all
ing a certain Mr. Coleman in Texas might be thinking along those lines right about that hard training, maybe it’s time you
now. started looking around the job market
—Ron Harris in your area and see what’s out there
that wouldn’t be so physically de-
manding. —Ron Harris
YOU CAN BENCH BIG
Add 20 Pounds to Your Bench Press Almost Overnight!
How would you like a surge in
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on the bar—after only a couple of
workouts? Sure, adding 20 pounds
to your bench in two or three training
sessions may sound crazy, especially
if your bench press poundage has
been stuck in neutral for a while.
But nine times out of 10 this stall is
due to an easily correctible muscle
weakness—not in the pecs, delts
or triceps but in a group of muscles
known as the rotator cuff.
The rotator cuff muscles stabilize

the shoulder joint. During the bench
press and almost all other 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
action and your pressing strength
suffers, or worse, you injure your
shoulder. One of the best ways to
strengthen this area and create an
upper-body power surge is with
direct rotator cuff exercise.
Once you start using the
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device allows you to train your
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strengthening action. After a few
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benching power. There have been
reports of 20-to-30-pound increases
in a matter of days.
A big, impressive bench press can

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TRAIN TO GAIN MATURE MUSCLE
Stretch Your Muscle—Get Active!

If you’ve been training with weights for decades
and it’s your passion, one of the least interest-
ing things to talk about is stretching. “Wow, I
just tripled the hurdler’s stretch!”—Seriously, has
anyone ever said that to you? I don’t think so.
Nevertheless, for a balanced overall fitness
plan, it’s best to do some type of athletic activity
to ensure that your muscles don’t get too tight
(shortened) from the slow, confined motion of
weight training. If you do nothing but weight train-
ing all your life, you may be surprised when you
rupture a tendon throwing a football some Sunday
afternoon. I’ve seen it happen many times.
To prevent that type of injury, you need an
activity that involves the entire body in an athletic
way. Sports such as basketball and touch football
are good choices. If you’re lucky enough to live
near the beach or have space, volleyball is excel-
lent. Racquetball or handball are also good, if you swimming.
have access to a club. Once a week is all it takes to give your Why? I think swimming is a good complement to weight
muscles the flexibility and adaptability that weight training training because as you’re in forward motion in the water, you
cannot. have a tendency to use your back
You should also think about muscles, all of the small ones that
alternating training days with are difficult to reach when you train
yoga, tai chi or swimming. Try back in the weight room. It also
to do one of those activities one keeps your spine supple, which is
to three times in every 10-day fit- very important for those of us who
ness cycle. (The other days you sit in a chair all day. Also, swimming
either train with weights or rest.) with correct form—turn your head
Yoga puts the body into posi- to the right and breathe, take two
tions that make for full relaxation strokes and turn your head to the
and full breathing. I’ve often said left and breathe—not only keeps
that we overpower our auto- you breathing at a higher-than-nor-
Neveux \ Model: Frank Zane
nomic nervous system when mal rate during aerobic exercise

lifting heavy weights because we but is also relaxing in that you’re
hold our breath for the purposes floating and reaching to elongate
of pushing heavy weights for your muscles. I believe swimming
high repetitions. Yoga can help is better than stretching on a mat.
balance that. Of course, not I often watch people stretch after
everyone can do yoga, so tai a workout, and they’re usually
chi, a noncombative martial art tightening one muscle to loosen
that mixes beautiful fluid motions with perfect balance and another, which negates the effectiveness.
breathing, may be a better choice—or swimming. I prefer Don’t limit yourself to weights only, or, as you get older,
you’ll be less and less flexible. Also, relaxation and breathing
modalities are designed to keep your mind, body and spirit
as one. Whatever you’re doing in the weight room has to be
counterbalanced with one or more of the important stretch-
ing, breathing and relaxing fitness activities.
—Paul Burke
Editor’s note: You can contact Paul Burke via e-mail at

pbptb@aol.com. Burke has a master’s degree in integrated
studies from Cambridge College in Cambridge, Massachu-
setts. He’s been a champion bodybuilder and arm wrestler,
and he’s considered the leader in the field of
over-40 fitness training. You can purchase
his book Burke’s Law—a New Fitness Para-
Neveux \ Model: Luke Wood
digm for the Mature Male from Home Gym

Warehouse. Visit www.Home-Gym.com,
or call (800) 447-0008. His “Burke’s Law”
training DVD is also now available.

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TRAIN TO GAIN MASS MOVES
Behind-the-Neck Pulldown R.I.P. or let ’er rip?
Justin Timberlake to his neck—and

brought sexy back last that, I’ve found, is
summer, and now it’s my the key.
turn to bring something This exercise
back: the behind-the-neck should really be
pulldown. called the rear dou-
I hear some of you ble-biceps pulldown.
screaming in terror. The Here’s how to do
behind-the-neck pull- it safely: Sit down
down has been relegated on the seat. I prefer
to the garbage heap of to face away from
unsafe old movements. the weight stack so
Most bodybuilders think that the line of pull
the exercise will kill their is straight up; that
rotator cuffs while adding way you don’t need
nothing to their backs. As to flop your head
much as I hate to admit it, around. You won’t
I was one of those train- be able to brace
ers squawking the loudest your legs, but you
to ditch behind-the-neck shouldn’t use max
pulldowns. Then a few weights anyway. If
Neveux
years back I saw Johnnie you require some-
Jackson doing them to thing to keep your
finish off his back workout. He didn’t pull the bar all the way butt on the bench, have your training partner push down on
your knees.
GUT RUTS Pull the bar down until you’re doing a
rear double-biceps shot—or close to it. The
Ab-solute Development bar should be at the top of your head or

just slightly below. Don’t pull to your neck.
I believe most of the issues with the move-
Any experienced weight trainer will tell you that compound exercises, ment arise when people try to do what
or movements that involve more than one muscle working at a time, are
they consider a full range of motion; in fact,
much more efficient than so-called isolation exercises. Why? Because
the muscle structures are intertwined and designed to generate the most though, they’re working past the safe range
power when they work as a team. That’s the very reason the so-called of motion.
bicycle exercise—on your back pulling opposite knee to elbow in alternat- The second thing to remember is to not
ing fashion as you pump your legs like you’re riding a bicycle—shows the use the rear double-biceps pulldown at
Neveux \ Model: Dan Decker
most ab-muscle electrical activity in EMG studies. the start of your routine. Use it at the end
The bicycle is a compound exercise that brings in the hip flexors for to help add and etch in muscular detail. At
more power production, or force generation. The crunch, on the other
that stage your shoulders, biceps and back
hand, whether full-range (on a machine with a rounded back pad, like the
Ab Bench, that allows rectus abdominis stretch) or the half-baked variety will be warmed up, and if you keep the reps
(flat on the floor), is an isolation exer- in the 12-to-15 range and really focus on
cise. You want to train your abs first squeezing your upper back and rear delts,
with a compound movement, like you should be able to use this great move-
the bicycle or kneeups (on the floor ment without injury. It’s not a mass builder,
or on an incline bench; not hang- and new trainees don’t need it. They should
ing—we’ll explain why another time)
stick with the basics for mass. To mold the
to engage the most muscle fibers.
Remember to do a multiple- clay, however, this pulldown technique can
muscle exercise first. You don’t want be a great add-on, especially precontest.
to fill your abs with fatigue products, Give it a try for variety to end your next
like lactic acid, by starting with an back workout. Just take it slow, be sure
isolation move like crunches. you’re well warmed up, and don’t go super-
—Steve Holman and
heavy. When you do it correctly, you have
Jonathan Lawson
X-traordinary Abs e-book nothing to fear from the behind-the-neck…I
www.X-traordinaryAbs.com mean, rear double-biceps pulldown.
—William Litz

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TRAIN TO GAIN HARDGAINER
How to Avoid Injury Part 3

In Parts 1 and 2 of this discussion I made 20 recommendations means increasing training
for avoiding injuries. You simply can’t make bodybuilding progress intensity progressively too.
if you keep getting hurt. Here’s the third batch of guidelines: 25) Always warm up well before training hard. The
21) Take heed of a sore back. If you regularly experience purpose of the general warmup—lasting five to 10 minutes at the
a sore back during or after training, investigate the cause and beginning of every workout—is to elevate your core temperature,
rectify it. A sore back is a warning that a back injury may be im- get synovial fluids moving in most of your joints (for lubrication),
minent. A back injury is among the most debilitating of injuries. and get a sweat going (depending on the temperature of the
22) Increase resistance in small increments. That’s gym). That’s not the same as sweating while being in a hot envi-
easy to do with free weights, provided you have fractional plates, ronment without exercising. Follow your general warmup immedi-
which weigh less than 2 1/2 pounds and are usually the smallest ately with strength training. Don’t cool down. Additionally, perform
plates in standard gyms. Fractional plates are typically quarter, one or more warmup sets prior to the work set(s) for each exer-
half and one-pound discs (and 100, 250 cise—it’s better to do too many warmups
and 500 grams). Progressing from, say, than not enough.
100 pounds to 110 in one jump, when 26) Keep your muscles warm.
100 pounds was the most you could Don’t rest excessively between sets and
handle for eight reps, is excessive. The exercises. Warm up properly, and then
110 pounds—a 10 percent increase in train at a pace that keeps your muscles
resistance—could cause a substantial warm. A cool environment but a warm
drop in reps and, in many cases, lead to a body is what you want. Ideally, the gym
deterioration of exercise technique. Even temperature should be no higher than 70
Neveux \ Models: Hubert Morandell and Markus Reinhardt

an increase to 105 pounds may be exces- degrees Fahrenheit.
sive. An increase to 101 pounds may, 27) Develop balanced muscula-
however, be barely perceptible. The fol- ture. If, for example, you work your chest
lowing week you may be able to increase and shoulders hard but neglect your upper
to 102 pounds, and so on. back, or if you train your quadriceps hard
With weight-stack machines, small but neglect your hamstrings, the imbal-
increments can be difficult because ance will increase the risk of injury.
the weight jumps are typically 10 to 15 28) Prepare fully for each set.
pounds per unit on the stack. The solution Check that the weight you’ve loaded is
is to attach small increments to the weight what you want—consult your training log-
stack, provided the design of the weight book. Add up the total weight of the plates
stack permits it. Push the weight selector and bar to check. It’s easy to load a bar-
pin through a small weight plate and then bell, dumbbell or machine incorrectly. Also,
into the weight stack. Or attach weight don’t rush. Set yourself up properly. Don’t
plates to the stack. grab the bar and then realize after the first rep that you took an
Get your own set of fractional plates if your gym doesn’t have unbalanced grip, wrong stance or lopsided position on a bench.
them. Take them with you when you train. [Note: Magnetic Plate 29) Use reliable spotters. Spotting—help from one or
Mates are available at Home Gym Warehouse, (800) 447-0008 or more assistants—can come from a training partner or anyone
www.Home-Gym.com.] who’s in the gym at the time and willing and able to spot you.
23) Use accurate weights. Unless you’re using calibrated Good spotting helps in three ways: It assists you with lifting the
plates, you can’t be sure you’re getting what each plate is sup- weight when you can lift it no farther, such as when the bar stalls
posed to weigh. A bar loaded to 100 pounds may, for example, during a bench press ascent; it provides the minimum assistance
really be 103 or 97 pounds. If you strip that bar down and reload it to ensure that you do the last rep of a set with correct technique;
with different plates, you’re likely to get a different weight. Further- and it reminds you of proper technique points during your set.
more, the weight discrepancy may be just on one side of the bar, (Note: The first two points don’t apply to beginners, as they don’t
producing an unbalanced barbell. need to train that hard.)
That’s an especially serious matter when you’re moving your 30) Train on an appropriate surface. Lifting on a wood
best weights and once you’re no longer a beginner. An unbal- or a rubber surface, preferably one that doesn’t have concrete
anced or overweight bar can ruin a set and perhaps cause injury, directly underneath, is better than training on concrete. Wood and
and an underweight bar will give you a false sense of progress. rubber give, whereas concrete doesn’t. Wood and rubber reduce
When you’re increasing the weight by a pound a week, for ex- the amount of trauma that your joints and connective tissues have
ample, if your big plates aren’t what they seem, you can’t be sure to tolerate. In addition, as I pointed out in the first installment of
you’re getting a small overall weight increase relative to the previ- this series, be sure that the floor you train on is level.
ous workout. —Stuart McRobert
If you have calibrated plates available, use them exclusively. www.Hardgainer.com
If there are no calibrated plates, at least weigh the big plates so
that you know their actual weights. If that’s impossible, manage Editor’s note: Stuart McRobert’s first
as best you can—try to discover the plates that are the worst byline in IRON MAN appeared in 1981. He’s
offenders and avoid using them, or find the brand that’s the most the author of the new 638-page opus on
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24) Never make big changes in training intensity. (800) 447-0008, or www.Home-Gym.com.
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TRAIN TO GAIN TRAINING EFFECTS
Does Aerobic Exercise Interfere With Weight-Workout Results?

The principle of exercise specificity is a long-held tenet in researchers
exercise physiology. It means that if you want to get stronger took biopsies
and have larger muscles, you must do exercise designed for from the sub-
that purpose. On the other hand, if endurance and cardio- jects’ front-
vascular fitness are your primary goals, along with fat loss, thigh muscles
then aerobic exercise is the way to go. The reasons for these before and
suggestions have to do with what happens in the body when following the
you train in different ways. Lifting weights, for example, feeds completion of
muscle protein synthesis, while doing aerobics tends to blunt the program.
it. Many believe that aerobics and weight training are mutually The sub-
exclusive. jects did
Lifting weights is thought to interfere with endurance be- whole-body
cause it may depress changes produced during aerobics that workouts five
promote oxidative reactions, specifically the use of fat and days a week,
glucose to produce ATP, which is the primary energy source performing

in the cell. Chief among the changes is a decrease in mito- 13 exercises
chondria formation and function after resistance exercise. for 45 to 60
The mitochondria are the site of oxidation reactions in the minutes per Still better
cell—where ATP is produced and fat is burned. One reason session, and
than weights
for burning
aerobics is considered a better fat burner than lifting weights rested on the
fat.
is that it uses more oxygen. Also, more mitochondria are weekends.
formed to compensate for the heightened oxygen intake. To encourage
The notion that lifting weights doesn’t affect oxidative gains in muscle size and strength, they used the overload
reactions within muscle is challenged by a new study. Twelve principle of gradually lowering the reps performed per set
untrained young men, average age 21, participated in a su- while increasing the weights lifted. They started the program
pervised 12-week weight-training program. To determine the doing 10 to 12 reps per set; at the end of the 12 weeks they
effects of weight training on muscle oxidative enzymes, the were averaging five to six reps per set with heavier weights.
As expected, they did make gains in muscle size and
Still better than aerobics strength.
for reshaping your body. The surprising result was that oxidative enzyme activity
increased in proportion to muscle growth. Two of the muscle
oxidative enzymes increased in activity by 24 percent and 22
percent, with the latter related to the burning of fat in muscle.
The authors note that those changes may explain how
weight training helps prevent diabetes, since an increase in
oxidative metabolism in muscle prevents insulin resistance,
the earliest sign of diabetes. Another enzyme that increased
is involved in glucose use, which would also help keep dia-
betes at bay. Perhaps the most important finding was that,
contrary to belief, lifting weights doesn’t interfere with mito-
chondrial function or development.
Since weight training appears to increase oxidative en-
zymes, including some that are directly involved in burning
fat, does that mean you can quit doing aerobics? Not really.
Aerobics focuses on type 1, or slow-twitch, muscle fibers,
which have a greater capacity for fat oxidation than the type
2 fibers, which are mostly used during weight training. The
type 2 fibers, the fibers hit during weight workouts, are fueled
mainly by stored muscle glycogen and circulating glucose
and so are not equivalent to the type 1 fibers in fat-burn-
ing capacity. For maximum fat burning, you still need to do
Neveux \ Model: Steve Namat
aerobics.
—Jerry Brainum
Tang, J.E., et al. (2006). Increased muscle oxidative po-

tential following resistance training induced fiber hypertrophy
in young men. Appl Physiol Nutr Metab. 31:495-501.

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Charles Poliquin’s
Smart Training
slammed to the table. What really happens is that the Golgi
tendon organ perceives a rapid rate of stretch during the
Heavy Supports eccentric contraction and yells to the brain, “Better shut
down the contraction, or my biceps tendon is going to roll
up under my tonsils!” The brain sends a rapid message to
for Pressing Power inhibit the contraction in order to prevent a muscle tear.
You can raise that threshold by performing eight sec-
onds of heavy isometric holds, a.k.a. supports, between
regular sets. Your bench press routine may look like this:
Q: My bench press hasn’t improved since Paris
Hilton said something intelligent. Can you suggest Set 1: Bench presses, 5 RM @ 85 percent of max
any tricks to help me overcome my training pla-
teau? Set 2: Heavy supports, 8 seconds @ 120 percent of max
(Basically a support is 1/16th of the range; you simply
A: One of the best ways to overcome a plateau is to do unrack the weight and hold with your elbows just short
heavy supports. This technique was first popularized by of lockout. The weight should be heavy enough that your
Chuck Sipes, a former Mr. America well-known for his upper arms shake like they’re suffering from a severe Par-
amazing strength on all lifts. He claimed it built tendon kinson’s attack.)
strength.
The truth is that heavy supports help heighten the Set 3: Bench presses, 5 RM @ 85 percent of max
shutdown threshold of the Golgi tendon organ, which is
a tension-and-stretch receptor located in the tendon of a Set 4: Heavy supports, 8 seconds @ 125 percent of max
muscle. The effect can be seen when two people of uneven
strength levels arm-wrestle. The weaker person—when Set 5: Bench presses, 5 RM @ 85 percent of max
losing—will look like he suddenly quits, as his wrist is
Set 6: Heavy supports, 8 seconds @ 130 percent
of max
Don’t be surprised if your heavy-support pound-

ages climb dramatically, but don’t shy away from
using even greater percentages of max than the
ones I’ve suggested. The percentages are merely for
initial guidance.
I wouldn’t be surprised if your best bench press
performance goes up 20 to 25 pounds in just four
workouts when you use the heavy-supports tech-
nique. Make sure that you train in a power rack for
this routine, and set the range-limiting bars two to
three inches below your lockout position to pre-
vent the need for instant plastic surgery.
Q: You said that people who have mostly
fast-twitch fibers would do better training
with lower reps for multiple sets. My ques-
tion is, How do I know what kind of fibers
I have? I usually lift very controlled on the
negative and positive phases, and even with
a light weight I’m not a person who can lift
fast. I guess I’m not blessed with a lot of fast-
Iron Man twitch fibers.
Vol. 21, No. 1.
A: An individual who doesn’t have a lot of fast-
twitch fibers will move all loads, all other factors
being equal, much faster than a person who has
an average fiber distribution. In plain English that
Heavy bench press lockouts were popularized
Neveux \ Model: Aaron Brumfield
decades ago by strongman and bodybuilder

Chuck Sipes. Doing them between regular
bench press sets is a great way to blast
through a plateau, but most of the time the
long pins should be set higher than what’s
pictured—two to three inches below lockout.

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Smart Training
kilograms—around 185 pounds. If
you have average fiber-type distri-
bution, you will do five reps. If you
have more fast-twitch fibers, you’ll
do fewer than five; if you’re slow-
twitch oriented, you’ll do more
than five reps. Compared to the
usual method of determining fiber
type—taking painful muscle bi-
opsies—this field test is extremely
convenient; however, you must
understand that you can bias the
relationship by doing too much
low-intensity aerobic work and
making your body more neurologi-
cally inefficient.
Q: I really like using the
Smith machine for bench
presses. I find it far more
comfortable, and I don’t have
to worry about balancing the
weight. Should I incorporate it
into my chest routine?
A: The Smith machine, with
its guide rods, allows for a linear
movement without stabilization
assistance from the joints involved.
There’s also the added safety of
the hooks that let you rack the bar
when concentric muscle failure
occurs.
The Smith machine can To be frank, I don’t think much
of the Smith machine. In fact,
be a problem in the injury when I design a weight room for
and muscle-building a client, I never ever buy a Smith
departments. When you use machine. And if a dork asks me
it, you reduce stabilizer work a question about chest training
and only train the prime during my workout, I prescribe 10
sets of 20 on the Smith machine,
movers on one plane. preceded by static stretching and
Body Blade epileptic drills on a
Swiss ball.
One of the reason the Smith
machine gets so much publicity in
means, if you have two guys with the same weight, lever- the magazines is that it makes a great picture. It frames the
age, strength levels and, say, a 200-pound bench press, bodybuilder’s enormous physique, making him look larger,
the man with more fast-twitch fibers will move the weight but as for functional transfer it scores a big zero.
faster—whether it is 50, 100 or 200 pounds. What you perceive as being positives with the device are
So, if you are indeed slow with light loads, you probably in fact strong negatives. The perceived positives are short-
have slow-twitch dominance. If you wish to accurately lived because of the following:
assess your fiber type, it’s best to enlist the help of a PICP- On a Smith machine the weight is stabilized for you. In
certified coach to test you for it. real life the shoulder operates on three planes. None of
If you don’t have access to a qualified strength coach, the shoulder stabilizers need to be recruited maximally
here’s what you can do: Find your maximum performance in exercises done on a Smith machine. For example, the
for one rep on a lift using a 4/0/1/0 tempo. Let’s say you rotator cuff muscles don’t have to fire as much because the
bench-press 100 kilograms, or 220 pounds. Wait 10 min- bar pathway is fixed. That creates a problem when trainees
utes, and then do as many reps as possible with 85 percent return to free-weight training and are exposed to the three-
of that weight and a 4/0/X/0 tempo. In this case it’s 85 dimensional environment called real life. Since they have
To be frank, I don’t think much of the Smith machine.

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Smart Training
Your foot position on leg curls can change the
way you activate muscle fibers. Try them with
your toes pointed for more hamstring develop-
ment, not with your foot cocked toward your
shin, as in the photo.
with your tip on leg curls. You recommend flexing

the foot so that the toes are away from the knee
(plantar flexion). All I get when I do that is severe
pain due to cramping in my calf. I’ve resigned my-
self to doing them with my feet dorsiflexed (toes
pointing toward the shins).
A: When your feet are in plantar flexion, the gastrocne-

mius—the calf muscle—is somewhat inhibited in its func-
tion as a knee flexor. The gastrocnemius is a bi-articular
muscle; that is, it crosses two joints, in this case the knee
and the ankle. In well-developed individuals it takes on a
diamond shape. It is the calf muscle you see right below
the knee. The muscle fibers in the gastrocnemius are too
short to do both knee flexion and plantar flexion at the
same time. Therefore, it’s more effective as a knee flexor
when the foot is dorsiflexed and more effective as a plantar
flexor if the knee is locked in extension. Think about what
Neveux \ Model: Sebastian Siegel
happens when you’re driving a car while sitting too close

to the steering wheel. When your knees are bent, the gas-
trocnemius becomes ineffective, and it is more difficult to
apply the brakes. It’s the same principle at work as when
you do seated calf raises to recruit the soleus muscles at
the expense of the gastrocnemius.
Conversely, when you bend your knees with your feet in
plantar flexion, the overload shifts from the gastrocnemius
developed strength only in one dimension—because of and goes onto the hamstrings, making it a more effective
the Smith machine—they are predisposed to injury in the hamstrings exercise. The cramping you experience comes
undeveloped planes of movement. from the gastrocnemius trying to activate the old motor
Many leading-edge physical therapists, such as Nick pattern. The situation is only temporary; however, you
Liatsos from Rhode Island, will agree that the Smith-ma- can circumvent it by doing the concentric contraction
chine bench press is one of the most common sources of with your feet dorsiflexed and lower the resistance for the
shoulder injuries. And my colleague Paul Chek has this to eccentric contraction with your the feet plantar-flexed.
say about it: “People using the Smith machine get a pattern Since you’re stronger eccentrically than concentrically, the
overload. The more fixed the object, the more likely you are hamstrings will start getting a greater overload during the
to develop a pattern overload. Training in a fixed pathway lowering because the gastrocnemius will be inactive. It will
repetitively loads the same muscles, tendons, ligaments be a way of easing into the more effective form of leg curls.
and joints in the same pattern, encouraging microtrauma
that eventually leads to injury. If Johnny Lunchpail always Editor’s note: Charles Poliquin is recognized as one of
uses a Smith machine for his bench presses, he always the world’s most successful
works the same fibers of the prime movers in the bench strength coaches, having
press: the triceps brachii, pectoral major, long head of the coached Olympic medalists
biceps, anterior deltoids and serratus anterior.” in 12 different sports, in-
Because of the mechanics of the shoulder joint, the body cluding the U.S. women’s
alters the natural bar pathway during a free-weight bench track-and-field team for the
press to accommodate efficient movement at the shoulder. 2000 Olympics. He’s spent
A fixed-bar pathway keeps you from altering the move- years researching European
ment to make it more for efficient, thereby predisposing journals (he’s fluent in Eng-
the shoulder to harmful overload. lish, French and German)
All in all, the Smith machine is for dorks. If you’re in- and speaking with other
terested in training longevity, you’re far better off sticking coaches and scientists in
with the standard barbell and dumbbell exercises or giving his quest to optimize train-
the newer machines like those made by Free Motion and ing methods. For more on
Atlantis a try. his books, seminars and
methods, visit www
Q: I read your Poliquin Principles book and
Bradford
.CharlesPoliquin
found it loaded with tips, but I’m having problems
.net. Also, see his ad on
page 185. IM Charles Poliquin
50 MAY 2007 \ www.ironmanmagazine.com w w w. C h a r l e s P o l i q u i n . n e t
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Train ™ \ JULY 2006 181
EAT TO
NUTRITION SCIENCE
Killer Supplements?
A recent study offered some alarm-
ing news for bodybuilders and others
more protein and calories than group
1; and subjects engaged in running
Does a high-protein diet promote cancer?
various types of cancer, such as breast,
colorectal and prostate cancers. That’s
who regularly follow a high-protein diet: an average of 48 miles per week. based on the observation that those
High protein was linked to cancer. While particular cancer patients have higher
obesity has been associated with an 3) A sedentary group that did no blood levels of IGF-1. In addition, IGF-1
increased risk of several types of can- exercise but ate a standard Western is known to promote cell division, and
cer, the study used lean subjects eat- diet consisting of higher sugar, re- cancer is marked by out-of-control cell
ing various amounts of protein. Three fined grains and animal products. division. Other studies involving ani-
groups of 21 people each were divided The subjects were matched for age, mals, such as rats and mice, link lower
into the following: sex and demographic factors. None levels of IGF-1 to increased longevity.
1) A low-protein, low-calorie, raw- smoked or had diabetes, cancer, car- Scientists have long known that the
food vegetarian-diet group. diovascular disease, lung disease or amount of IGF-1 in the body is directly
any other chronic illness. related to diet. A high protein intake
2) A typical Western diet group— Those in the low-protein group ate makes for IGF synthesis in the body,
an average of 0.73 while lowering both calories and protein
grams of protein decreases IGF-1. This study suggests
per kilogram of that a high-protein diet increases can-
bodyweight. Thus, cer risk because it increases IGF-1.
a 200-pound man IGF-1 is familiar to many bodybuild-
got only 65.7 grams ers. Under the influence of growth
of protein daily, less hormone, IGF-1 is synthesized in the
than in one average liver, then released into the blood for
bodybuilding protein systemic use. It’s considered the ac-
drink. The runners tive anabolic component of growth
got a daily protein hormone; that is, the anabolic effects of
intake averaging 1.6 GH result from IGF-1, rather than GH
grams per kilogram itself. IGF-1 is also produced locally in
of bodyweight, while muscle, where two variants of it play a
the sedentary group major role in muscular repair after ex-
averaged 1.23 grams ercise and muscular growth. The effect
per kilogram of body- is so potent that many athletes directly
weight. In contrast, inject IGF-1 drugs.
the suggested daily Like other hormones, IGF-1 is as-
intake of protein for sociated with various protein carriers
a nonathlete is 0.8 that extend its time in the body before
grams per kilogram of it’s degraded in the liver. The primary
bodyweight. carrier is known as insulinlike growth
Those in the low- factor-binding protein-3. If IGF-1 is
Neveux \ Model: Idrise Ward-El
protein group had attached to IGFPB-3, it isn’t active but

the lowest levels of lasts as a reserve in the blood for more
a hormone called than 12 hours. GH itself degrades after
insulinlike growth about an hour. For that reason, GH ac-
factor 1. Some sci- tivity is measured by how much IGF-1 is
Protein increases IGF-1, which entists believe that in the blood.
has been linked to cancer— IGF-1 is linked to Before you consider abandoning a
but is there really a direct
connection to the killer disease?

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GROW
Nutrition With a Get-Big Mission
high-protein diet because of cancer
fears, consider a few other facts about
IGF-1. First, there’s still no direct
evidence that IGF-1 promotes
cancer. The rate of cancer inci-
dence reaches a peak in older
treatment is gene therapy to
restore IGF-1 synthesis in aged,
atrophied muscles. Older animals
treated that way show muscle
size and strength equivalent to
teenagers.
people—who usually have the The authors suggest that
lowest levels of IGF-1. If IGF-1 people should eat more veg-
directly promoted cancer, teen- etables and fruits to ward off
agers, who have the highest cancer, which is good advice.
levels of it, should also have the They also suggest that the best
highest rates of cancer, and that diet would be vegetarian and low
just ain’t so. While some studies in protein—anathema to anyone Neveux \ Model: Jen Hendershott
have demonstrated an indirect relation- interested in any degree of mus-
ship between IGF-1 and cancer, others cularity.
have not. The picture is hardly definitive. On the other hand, the same
A few researchers suggest that it’s issue of the journal that carried
a case of the chicken or the egg in the low-protein/cancer preven-
the sense that tumors or cancer cells tion study also reported a study
may themselves produce IGF-1 as a involving 1,542 women. In it,
means of generating tumor replication women who took in the highest
and spread. Other scientists (mistak- amounts of citrus fruits and vita- and the most deadly cancer—pancre-
enly) believe that IGF-1 partly causes min C also showed the highest levels of atic—by downregulating the number
the initial tumor; the vast majority of IGF-1 coupled with the lowest levels of of IGF-1 cell receptors. Other elements
IGF-1 is tightly bound to its carrier IGFPB-3—the same metabolic profile found in various fruits and vegetables
protein in the blood, which makes it shown in the previous study to promote interfere with cell signaling induced by
incapable of promoting anything, much cancer. Numerous studies show that, IGF-1, nullifying tumor mischief from
less cancer. Several studies have if anything, citrus fruits and vitamin C IGF-1.
shown that IGF-1 is absolutely help prevent cancer. The study also So if you’re concerned about a high-
vital to maintaining the health showed a lesser relationship between protein diet in relation to cancer, make
of brain and heart cells. Without consumption of cruciferous vegetables, your day include at least five—with nine
sufficient IGF-1, brain cells rap- such as broccoli, brussels sprouts and to 11 being ideal—servings of fruits
idly die. Many brain cabbage, with higher IGF-1 levels. and vegetables, particularly cruciferous
diseases, such as That’s significant because those vegetables.
Alzheimer’s, are particular vegetables have by far —Jerry Brainum
characterized by the greatest anticancer proper-
low IGF-1. Without ties. References
sufficient IGF-1, the It turns out that pro-
heart cells also die, moting cancer requires Fontina, L., et al. (2006). Long-term
resulting in heart more than just IGF-1. You low protein, low-calorie diet and endur-
failure. IGF-1 is now also need an active IGF-1 ance exercise modulate metabolic fac-
being considered as cell receptor, and anti- tors associated with cancer risk. Amer
a medication to treat oxidants such as vitamin J Clin Nutr. 84:1456-62.
heart failure. Lowered C are known to interfere Tran, C.D., et al. (2006). Relation
IGF-1 is thought to with the locking of IGF-1 of insulinlike growth factor (IGF-1) and
be related to muscle to its cellular receptor. IGF-1-binding protein-3 concentra-
loss that occurs with Studies show that one form of tions with intakes of fruit, vegetables
aging, a.k.a. sarco- vitamin C prevented the prolif- and antioxidants. Amer J Clin Nutr.
penia. One proposed eration of a type of brain tumor 84:1518-26.
www.ironmanmagazine.com \ MAY 2007 53

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
Red peppers,
like cayenne, contain
capsaicin, which can
suppress appetite
and stoke your me-
tabolism.
Honey is a good
source of antioxi-
dants, which can
help bolster your dis-
ease defenses. The darker
the honey, the higher the
antioxidant content, so
go for the darker type
to put in your green
tea instead of pro-
cessed sugar.
WARRIOR NUTRITION AND EXERCISE Zinc has been
linked to testosterone,
which is very good for
What Guru Are You Listening To? your muscle-build-
ing endeavors,
but research now
I respect Andrew Weil, M.D. He’s a brilliant man and deserves credit for educat-
shows that neurons
ing people about the importance of fresh food, the dangers of processing and the
are loaded with zinc
importance of making the right choices when it comes to plants, seeds and herbs.
Dr. Weil puts things in perspective when he covers the subjects of healthful oils too. That means it
and natural toxins. He also elaborates wisely on healthful cooking methods and the can help increase
importance of being in tune with nature when it comes to your diet. muscle firepower in
Philosophy is one thing, however, and a the gym.
practical diet is another. I suspect that one Appetizers, if
of Dr. Weil’s magic bullets, besides his cha- they are the right
risma, is his ability to relieve guilt in those kind, can de-appe-
who are looking for guidance. Weil argues tize you. Don’t skip the appetizer: If
that the lean body image isn’t a healthy one. you want to eat less,
According to him, it’s all right to be chunky have raw vegetables
(like himself—he looks like a slightly slimmer or a salad with low-
Santa Claus, beard included) and okay to be cal dressing, and tell
roly-poly. Dr. Weil says bodybuilding is bad the waiter to remove
for you, and moving yourself from the chair the bread from your
to the kitchen and back is kind of an exer- table.
cise (well, maybe gardening and walking are Stomachaches
mentioned too). I find that approach to be can be caused by
misleading. People can do better than that. In
food—if you’re aller-
short, if you want to follow Andrew Weil, you
gic or eat something
may learn a lot about food and cooking. But you might find yourself looking like,
that’s spoiled—but
well, Andrew Weil.
—Ori Hofmekler it’s not always what
The Warrior Diet you ate. Scientists believe that the
brain and intestines share nerve
Editor’s note: Ori Hofmekler is the author of the books pathways, which means stress and
The Warrior Diet and Maximum Muscle & Minimum Fat, pub- worry can cause stomach pain in
lished by Dragon Door Publications (www.dragondoor.com). some people.
For more information or for a consultation, contact him at —Becky Holman
ori@warriordiet.com, www.warriordiet.com or by phone at www.X-tremeLean.com
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Eat to Grow
SUPPLEMENT SCIENCE
Synergistic Strength-Gaining Supplements

Canadian researchers
report that a combina-
tion of protein, creatine
and conjugated linoleic
acid (CLA) increases
strength more than just
protein alone. Thirty-two
men and 12 women,
average age 20, were
randomly divided into
three groups:
1) 36 grams a day of
protein supplement
2) Protein with nine
grams of creatine
3) Protein, creatine and
six grams of CLA.
They took the sup-

plements for five weeks
Neveux \ Model: Jay Cutler

while lifting weights
three days a week.
Group 3 had twice the
strength gain in the leg
press and bench press
as those taking only the
protein supplement. No
changes occurred in Jantz, N., et al. (2006). The effects of protein, creatine, and
body composition, however, in any of the groups. conjugated linoleic acid combined with resistance training in
—Jerry Brainum young adults. Appl Physiol Nutr Metab. 31:S40.
VITAMINS FRUIT FACTS
Is dried fruit a
Ditch the Sunscreen? Dry But Dense good substitute?
Vitamin D could Daily servings of fruit are good for well-being, but for
help reduce the risk of storage and convenience many folks are turning to dried
16 types of cancer by fruit. Is that a bad thing? Not if you can afford the calories.
anywhere from 2 to 70 Keep in mind that when the fruit is dried, its water content
percent. University of is reduced by about 70 percent, and that means it’s less
California, San Diego, filling and more calorie dense. Dried fruit is okay every once
researchers determined in a while, but be
that after analyzing sure to look at
cancer deaths and sun the package to
exposure. Sun exposure check how many
Neveux \ Model: Barbara Moore
without sunscreen is calories you’re

necessary for your body actually getting
to make vitamin D. Try to in each serving.
get a few minutes daily. Fresh fruit packs
That may be impossible more water and
in the winter, so take a will fill you faster,
supplement that contains so you don’t keep
about 1,500 international munching away.
units every day. Take it in the summer, too, when you don’t —Becky
get out much. Holman
—Becky Holman www.X-treme-
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Eat to Grow
ANABOLIC DRIVE
Hot Stuff Heat up to muscle up?
Leave it to eggheads to come up with this fascinating tidbit:

Subjecting skeletal muscle to heat can help promote growth.
Yes, you read that right. No, you can’t just bask in the south
Florida sun, sip a cocktail or two and expect to look like a
myostatin mutant. It takes more than that.
Basically, scientists tested the hypothesis that intermittent
hyperthermia during reloading lessens oxidative damage and
augments skeletal muscle regrowth following immobilization.
Okay, in English now. Follow the analogy. Let’s say you break
your arm and it’s in a cast. The muscles in the arm will shrink.
When you take the cast off, you will subsequently put stress
on the muscle (i.e., the reloading phase), causing it to grow
back to normal. Put some extra heat on that muscle and—ab-
racadabra—you get even better growth. Here’s the study.
Forty animals were randomly divided into four groups: Con-
trol (Con), Immobilized (IM), Reloaded (RC) and Reloaded and
Heated (RH). All groups but Con were immobilized for seven
days. Animals in the RC and RH groups were then reloaded
for seven days with (RH) or without (RC) hyperthermia (41-
41.5 degrees C for 30 minutes on alternating days) during
reloading.
What happened? Heating resulted in approximately 30
percent greater soleus regrowth in the RH group than the RC
group. Oxidant damage was lower in the RH group than the
RC group; the scientists believe that “intermittent hyperther-
mia during reloading attenuates oxidative stress and improves
FAT BURN the rate of skeletal muscle regrowth during reloading after
immobilization.”
You’re scratchin’ your head, thinking, So now I gotta sub-
Calcium Cuts Calories? ject my body to extreme heat while I get back into shape; and
by doing that, I’ll get better growth (or, technically speaking,
regrowth)? Yep. That seems to be what the data show. Why
Well, not quite, but a new study from the
does heat have that effect? The research team hypothesized
University of Washington concluded that it that heat-shock-protein overexpression may increase muscle
may help thwart weight gain, especially as mass through a decrease in local oxidative stress and dam-
we age. Accord- age. It isn’t clear how on a practical level we humans can
implement that. Makes you wonder about those who practice
ing to study author hot yoga (a.k.a. bikram yoga), in which yoga poses are done
Alejandro Gonzalez, in a heated room at a temperature of 95 to 100 degrees. Or
Ph.D., “Extra cal- perhaps it’s time to spend some serious time in the sauna or
hot tub. I wonder if that’ll turn on your heat shock proteins.
cium might prevent Just think, in the past few years alone, scientists have
cellular changes that found that vibration, heat and intermittent occlusion can all
prompt your body to promote muscle hypertrophy in some form or fashion. Un-
doubtedly, there’s more to come.
store fat.”
—Jose Antonio, Ph.D.
Get at least 1,000
milligrams of cal- Editor’s note: You can listen to Dr. Jose Antonio and
cium a day, and Carla Sanchez on their radio show Performance Nutrition,
Web and podcast at www.PerformanceNutritionShow.com.
if you can’t meet Dr. Antonio is the CEO of the International Society of Sports
that through your Nutrition—www.TheISSN.org. His other Web sites include
diet, take a supple- www.SupplementCoach.com, www.Javafit.com, www
.PerformanceNutritionShow.com and www.JoseAntonioPhD
ment—but don’t .com.
exceed 2,000 mil-
ligrams. Selsby, J.T., et al. (2006). Intermittent hyperthermia enhanc-
es skeletal muscle regrowth and attenuates oxidative damage
—Becky Holman
following reloading. J Appl Physiol. In press.
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Eat to Grow
RIP IT
Does tea interfere with

Carb Blocker, Protein Shocker digestive enzymes?
Several studies have shown that if you ate 400 grams of carbs daily,
drinking green tea appears to help reducing the absorption of 25 percent
you lose bodyfat, perhaps be- of those carbs would lead to a loss of
cause of its caffeine and its potent 16 kilograms, or 35 pounds, of fat a
antioxidants, which may increase year with no other changes in diet or
resting metabolism. Some studies exercise. They also warn, however, that
show that green tea inhibits the inhibiting that much carb absorption
enzyme lipase, which is required to could lead to some side effects, such
digest fat. Other studies show that as intestinal gas and diarrhea.
both black and green teas inhibit Another study examined the effects
the activity of alpha-amylase, an of the active ingredients in tea, the
enzyme involved in carbohydrate, polyphenols, on digestive enzymes
especially starch, digestion. that break down carbs (a-amylase), fat
While many studies examin- (lipase) and protein (pepsin, trypsin).2
ing the effects of tea on enzyme The in vitro experiment found that in
activity have had an in vitro, or test-tube, design, a newer the presence of 0.05 milligrams per milliliter of tea poly-
study looked at the effects of black, green and mulberry phenols, a-amylase, pepsin, trypsin and lipase activity was
teas on human subjects.1 In it subjects took concentrated inhibited by 61 percent, 32 percent, 38 percent and 54
tea extracts before eating meals containing either carbohy- percent, respectively
drates or fat. The interference with protein-digesting enzymes (pepsin
The tea extracts didn’t affect fat absorption but did and trypsin) may be a problem for bodybuilders. It isn’t
induce a 25 percent malabsorption of carbohydrates. The clear from the study how much of the tea polyphenols
active ingredients in the extracts were the equivalent of would produce the effect. Odds are, though, that a high
drinking five to 20 cups of tea daily. The authors note that concentration would be required. That’s consistent with
previous studies showing high
THE BODYBUILDING WHEY levels of green tea interfered
with thyroid function. The
amount needed to produce
Gain Preserve Does whey help retain muscle? the effect would be hard to
reach, and the same may
be true for protein enzymes.
When you take a layoff from training, you begin to lose muscle size. Conversely, a Those who are concerned
combination of training and a higher protein intake promotes gains in muscular size may opt to take green tea
and strength. Thus, the question arises: Will consuming a high-protein whey supple- supplements separately from
ment help maintain muscle during a period of no or reduced training? when they have protein meals
That question was investigated by researchers from the University of Nebraska, and supplements.
who presented their findings at the 2006 meeting of the National Strength and Condi- The enzyme inhibition pro-
tioning Association. Sadly, the study was flawed to a certain extent because the sub- moted by tea polyphenols was
jects were untrained. They were randomly considerably more potent for
assigned to either a group getting whey fat and carbs than protein. For
and leucine, a branched-chain amino acid those seeking to lose bodyfat,
linked to increased muscle protein synthe- taking tea supplements with
sis, or a placebo. The subjects did resis- meals high in fat or carbs may
tance training three times a week, using prove beneficial.
weights equal to 80 percent of one-rep —Jerry Brainum
maximum. For the first month they trained
without using any supplements. Dur-
ing weeks four to eight the training was References
reduced to once a week, followed by no 1 Zhong, L., et al. (2006).
training from weeks eight to 20. They took An extract of black, green and
the whey-and-leucine supplement during mulberry teas causes malab-
weeks four to 12, with no supplements sorption of carbohydrate but
during weeks 12 to 20. not of triacylglycerol in healthy
The results: There were no differences volunteers. Am J Clin Nutr.
in measures of strength, muscle size and 84:551-555.
bodyfat levels between those who got 2 He, Q., et al. (2006). Ef-
the whey and leucine and those who got fects of tea polyphenols on the
the placebo. Conclusion: Protein—or any activation of a-amylase, pep-
supplement, for that matter—can’t preserve muscle size and strength in the absence sin, trypsin, and lipase. Food
of sufficient exercise stimulation. Chemistry. 101:1178-82.
—Jerry Brainum

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The biggest mistake many

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©2009 Home-Gym.com

Muscle-Training Program 91
From the IRONMAN Training & Research Center
by Steve Holman and Jonathan Lawson • Photography by Michael Neveux
e’re going back to the future. Week 1: Power. Train every exer- The first is that we no longer schedule
W No, we’re not training with

Michael J. Fox, although you
could call X Reps our flex capacitor,
cise with straight sets—no super-
sets, tri-sets or drop sets—and
reps stay in the four-to-six zone.
our phases in weeks. We are now on
the so-called ideal split we outline
in our e-book Beyond X Rep Muscle
as they summon size gains from We use slightly higher reps on Building, which divides the body over
the future. What the heck are we endurance-oriented muscles like three workouts instead of the four-
rambling on about? Ridiculous calves, abs and forearms. day split we were using. What’s so
analogies aside, we’re reviving our ideal about it? Minimum overlap with
very first X-Rep program, the one Week 2: Rep Range. For the first a day off during the week. Remember,
we made such great gains with in exercise you pick a weight that we were training each bodypart once
one month, but we’re updating it gets you seven to nine reps. For a week, hitting the gym on Mon-
with techniques we’ve found effec- the second exercise you do 10 to day, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday.
tive since then. (Our original X-Rep 12 reps. On the third exercise you We now train on a three-way split
program is outlined in our e-book move the rep range up to the high and work out on Monday, Tuesday,
The Ultimate Mass Workout.) end of fast-twitch recruitment— Wednesday and Friday. Thursday
If you’ve been reading our series 13 to 15 reps. is an off day for recovery. We’re off
and/or our training blog at X-Rep on weekends as well but have been
.com for the past five months, you Week 3: Shock. This week is for ramping up cardio as spring nears.
know we’ve been using Eric Broser’s putting your muscles through the Confused? You won’t be once we
Power/Rep Range/Shock strategy. meat grinder with supersets, drop list a day-by-day snapshot for two
Recently we’ve been tweaking it for sets and so on. Reps for most weeks. You’ll see that we’re hitting all
our body types—Jonathan is more muscles stay in an eight-to-10- upper-body muscles more frequently
mesomorphic, while Steve is more rep range, but extended-set tech- than once every seven days.
Model: Jonathan Lawson
ectomorphic—and getting better niques are a must.

gains with each cycle. We’re sticking Week 1
with Broser’s plan on our new/old Other than squeezing our original
program. Here’s a review for those X-Rep program into that schedule, Monday: Workout 1 (chest, lats,
who are new to it: what other tweaks have we made? triceps, abs)

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Muscle biopsies show that the largest
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muscles more “grow power” on every set.
The bigger and stronger a muscle gets,
the more carnosine it needs to perform
at higher intensity levels. You must keep
your muscles loaded with carnosine to
grow larger and stronger. It all boils down
to intensity and the ability to buffer waste
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©2009 Home-Gym.com

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Train, Eat, Grow / Program 91
size gains were sporadic when we

were training each bodypart only
once a week—we weren’t damaging
the muscle enough to require that
extended recovery time. Or maybe
we just respond better to more fre-
quent hits. So far we haven’t found
a way to make training bodyparts
only once a week work for us. Dur-
ing the winter we were always sore,
which is an indication that bodyp-
arts were recovering, then regress-
ing a bit before the next session. We
seemed to be spinning our wheels a
lot of the time, which would explain
our less-than-expected size gains.
Training bodyparts more fre-
quently also means shorter phases.
Many trainees who were following
our winter P/RR/S program, train-
ing each muscle only once a week,
were concerned that seven days
was too long to go without training
the other rep ranges. That was es-
pecially problematic with the Power
phase, in which you do all exercises
for only four to six reps. That’s more
of a strength-building rep range
than one conducive to adding
muscle size, so for an entire week
we were technically training only
for strength. With our new split we
begin the next protocol after three
workouts—every four or five days.

We’ve bastardized each of We’ve also bastardized each of
the P/RR/S phases somewhat the phases somewhat to include
to include other rep ranges. other rep ranges to further address
that problem. We’ll discuss our
Power phase this month and ex-
Tuesday: Legs (and lower back) Repeat Week 1 plain our Rep Range changes next
Wednesday: Workout 2 (delts, mid- What’s so great about that time.
back, biceps, forearms) split? For one thing, we never
hit the upper body two days in a P/RR/S Hybrids
Thursday: Off row—there’s a leg day, an off day or
Friday: Workout 1 (chest, lats, an entire weekend between those We explained Power/Rep Range/
triceps, abs + soleus) workouts. So even the slight overlap Shock earlier, but if you’ve been
that occurs with back—midback following our series the past few
Weekend: Off (with cardio) and lats on different days—and a months, you know we’ve tweaked
few other muscles is buffered by at the Power protocol because Steve’s
least one full recovery day. a hardgainer. For example, he
Week 2 We’re still training quads and started doing a higher-rep back-off
Monday: Workout 2 (delts, mid- hamstrings only once a week, but set on his big exercises. A new study
back, biceps, forearms) all other bodyparts now get hit indicates that ectomorphic types
every four or five days, depending respond best to longer tension
Tuesday: Legs (and lower back) on where the part falls during the times—more than 10 reps. That
Wednesday: Workout 1 (chest, week—Monday (four days of rest, worked well, and Jonathan even
lats, triceps, abs) till Friday), Wednesday (five days, adopted it for a number of exer-
till Monday) or Friday (five days, till cises. Nevertheless, we’re not using
Thursday: Off Wednesday). back-off sets on the first exercise in
Friday: Workout 2 (delts, mid- More frequent workouts seem our new program. We are still work-
back, biceps, forearms + soleus) to work better for us. We don’t have ing the higher range—on the next
hours to train, so we can’t use a lot movement.
Weekend: Off (with cardio) of volume. That may be why our (continued on page 68)

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(continued from page 64) On most which Steve needs, but still permits then crank out about eight reps,
contracted-position exercises we’re us to train the exercise with a low- followed by X Reps or an X Fade. In
doing a drop set, the first phase in rep set. case you’re not familiar with it, an X
the Power range—four to six reps— For example, when we do cable Fade is X Reps in the top, contracted
the second phase for eight reps. flyes for pecs, we use a heavy position followed by X Reps down
That provides more tension time for weight, power out four to six con- near the stretch position. It’s a killer
some endurance-component work, trolled reps, reduce the weight, and technique, especially on the second
phase of a drop set.
If we use a superset
instead of a drop set, we
do the first exercise in
the lower-rep zone and
the second exercise for
around eight reps. For
example, for lats we su-
perset machine pullovers
We’re now training each bodypart every
for four to six reps with
four to five days—except quads and
hams, which we still do once a week. undergrip pulldowns for
eight to 10. And we add
X Reps and/or a Static X
to the pulldowns. If you
don’t feel that in your
back, you may have been
born without lats.
Broser, P/RR/S creator,
says hybrid training is
an excellent solution to
plateaus, and he recom-
mends it for a few weeks
at a stretch. In most of his
hybrid routines, however,
he uses all the protocols
at every workout. For
example, he may use the
Power rep range on the
first exercise, Rep Range
variance—seven to nine
reps, 10 to 12 and 13
to 15—on the next and
Shock tactics on a third
movement.
We aren’t quite follow-
ing that hybrid strategy.
Right now we’re using
drop sets on isolation
exercises during our
Power phase, with the
second set getting up
around eight reps, but we
aren’t doing a 15-repper
anywhere. We figure the
low-rep set done back to
back with a medium-rep
set gives the endurance
Models: Jonathan Lawson and Steve Holman
components a pretty
good hit, reproducing
the effects of a 15-rep set.
(Try it; it ignites a killer
burn, especially if you’re
brave enough to add X
Reps or an X-hyrid tactic
to the second set.)

Size and Strength

Reflections
As we said, we’re back to work-
ing all upper-body muscles more
frequently, even though the trend
these days seems to be to train each
bodypart only once a week. If you
look back, however, you’ll see that
we started P/RR/S completely gung-
ho for that one-workout-per-body-
part-per-week split, even though it
hadn’t worked for us in the past—at
least in the size-building depart-
ment (our strength always improves
with it to a degree).
Power/Rep Range/Shock creator Eric Broser.
IRON MAN Training & Research Center Muscle-Training Program 91

Workout 1 (Power): Chest, Lats, Triceps, Abs Low-back machine (X Reps) 1 x 8-10
Smith-machine incline presses (X Reps) 2 x 4-6
High cable flyes (drop; X Reps) 1 x 4-6(8) Workout 2 (Power): Delts, Midback, Biceps,
Wide-grip dips 1 x 4-6 Forearms
Wide-grip dips (drop; X Reps) 1 x 4-6(8) Smith-machine wide-grip
Middle cable flyes (drop; X Reps) 1 x 4-6(8) upright rows (X Reps) 3 x 4-6
Pulldowns (X Reps) 2 x 4-6 Seated laterals (drop; X Reps) 1 x 4-6(8)
Superset Behind-the-neck presses (X Reps) 1 x 4-6
Machine pullovers (X Reps) 1 x 4-6 Dumbbell presses (X Reps) 1 x 8-10
Undergrip pulldowns (X Reps) 1 x 8-10 Bent-over laterals (drop; X Reps) 1 x 4-6(8)
Rope rows (X Reps) 1 x 8-10 One-arm cable laterals (X Reps) 1 x 8-10
Close-grip bench presses (X Reps) 2 x 4-6 Nautilus rows (X Reps) 2 x 4-6
Superset Bent-arm bent-over laterals (drop; X Reps) 1 x 4-6(8)
Cable pushouts (X Reps) 2 x 4-6 Dumbbell shrugs (drop; X Reps) 1 x 8-10(6)
Dips or bench dips (X Reps) 2 x 8-10 Barbell curls 2 x 4-6
Superset Concentration curls or one-arm
Incline kneeups (X Reps) 1 x 8-10 spider curls (drop; X Reps) 1 x 4-6(8)
Flat-bench leg raises (X Reps) 1 x 10-12 Incline hammer curls (X Reps) 1 x 4-6
Tri-set Superset
Ab Bench crunches (X Reps) 1 x 7-9 Dumbbell reverse wrist curls (X Reps) 1 x 10-12
Twisting crunches (X Reps) 1 x 10-12 Forearm Bar reverse wrist curls (X Reps) 1 x 10-12
End-of-bench kneeups (X Reps) 1 x 8-10 Superset
Dumbbell wrist curls (X Reps) 1 x 10-12
Legs (Power): Quads, Calves, Hamstrings Forearm Bar wrist curls (X Reps) 1 x 10-12
Machine hack squats (nonlock; X Reps) 2 x 4-6 Rockers 1 x 12-15
Leg extensions (drop; X Reps) 1 x 8-10(6)
Leg presses (nonlock; X Reps) 1 x 4-6 Add to Friday Workout (Power): Soleus
Leg extensions (X Reps) 1 x 8-10 Knee-extension leg press calf raises (X Reps)2 x 10-15
Lunges 1 x 4-6 Seated calf raises (X Reps) 2 x 8-10, 20
Leg curls (drop; X Reps) 1 x 4-6(8)
Leg curls (X Reps) 1 x 8-10 Note: Legs are always worked on Tuesday; that is, legs
Superset get worked only once a week every week—seven full
Stiff-legged deadlifts 1 x 6-8 days of recovery. Workouts 1 and 2 alternate on Mon-
Hyperextensions (X Reps) 1 x 8-10 day, Wednesday and Friday, so upper-body muscles
get four to five days of recovery.
Hyperextensions (X Reps) 1 x 8-10
Knee-extension leg press calf raises (X Reps) 2 x 8-10 Note: Where X-Reps are designated, usually only one
Superset set or phase of a drop set is performed with X Reps or
Hack-machine calf raises (X Reps) 1 x 8-10 an X-Rep hybrid technique from the e-book Beyond X-
Standing calf raises (X Reps) 1 x 10-12 Rep Muscle Building. See the X-Blog at www.X-Rep.com
Machine donkey calf raises (X Reps) 2 x 8-10 for more workout details.

We thought that the variation and

stress of P/RR/S might spark the
need for seven days of recovery—
and a number of size surges. As it
turns out, we got lots of strength but
only a minor blip on the size meter.
The question is, Why? Here are a few
educated guesses:
1) We weren’t doing enough
sets. Remember, we have to train
on our lunch hour, so we don’t have
time for volume training. Maybe 15 We use drop sets on the

sets per bodypart is a requirement more isolated exercises,
for once-a-week hits to work. even in Power workouts,
2) We get distracted in the but the first phase is
winter. With all the holidays, we always four to six reps.
ITRC Program 91, Home-Gym Routine

Workout 1 (Power): Chest, Lats, Triceps, Abs Workout 2 (Power): Delts, Midback, Biceps,
Incline presses (X Reps) 2 x 4-6 Forearms
Incline flyes (drop; X Reps) 1 x 4-6(8) Wide-grip upright rows (X Reps) 3 x 4-6
Bench presses or decline presses (X Reps) 1 x 4-6 Seated laterals (drop; X Reps) 1 x 4-6(8)
Bench presses or decline Behind-the-neck presses (X Reps) 1 x 4-6
presses (drop; X Reps) 1 x 4-6(8) Dumbbell presses (X Reps) 1 x 8-10
Flat-bench or decline flyes (drop; X Reps) 1 x 4-6(8) Bent-over laterals (drop; X Reps) 1 x 4-6(8)
Chins (X Reps) 2 x 4-6 Incline one-arm laterals (X Reps) 1 x 8-10
Superset Bent-over barbell rows 2 x 4-6
Undergrip chins (X Reps) 1 x 4-6 Bent-arm bent-over laterals (drop; X Reps) 1 x 4-6(8)
Dumbbell pullovers (X Reps) 1 x 8-10 Superset
Undergrip rows (X Reps) 1 x 8-10 Shrugs (X Reps) 1 x 4-6
Close-grip bench presses (X Reps) 2 x 4-6 Dumbbell shrugs (X Reps) 1 x 8-10
Superset Barbell curls 2 x 4-6
Overhead extensions (X Reps) 2 x 4-6 Concentration curls or one-arm
Dips or bench dips (X Reps) 2 x 8-10 spider curls (drop; X Reps) 1 x 4-6(8)
Superset Incline hammer curls (X Reps) 1 x 4-6
Incline kneeups (X Reps) 1 x 8-10 Dumbbell reverse wrist curls
Flat-bench leg raises (X Reps) 1 x 10-12 (drop; X Rep) 1 x 10-12(8)
Superset Dumbbell wrist curls (drop; X Reps) 1 x 10-12(8)
Weighted full-range crunches or Rockers 1 x 12-15
Ab Bench crunches (drop; X Reps) 1 x 8-10(8)
End-of-bench kneeups (X Reps) 1 x 8-10
Add to Friday Workout (Power): Soleus
Knee-extension donkey calf raises (X Reps) 2 x 10-15
Legs (Power): Quads, Calves, Hamstrings Seated calf raises (X Reps) 2 x 8-10, 20
Squats or front squats (nonlock; X Reps) 2 x 4-6 Note: Legs are always worked on Tuesday; that is, legs
Leg extensions or old-style get worked only once a week every week—seven full
hack squats (drop; X Reps) 2 x 8-10(6) days of recovery. Workouts 1 and 2 alternate on Mon-
Squats or front squats (nonlock; X Reps) 1 x 4-6 day, Wednesday and Friday, so upper-body muscles
Leg extensions or old-style get four to five days of recovery.
hack squats (X Reps) 1 x 8-10
Lunges 1 x 4-6 Note: Where X-Reps are designated, usually only one
Leg curls (drop; X Reps) 1 x 4-6(8) set or phase of a drop set is performed with X Reps or
Leg curls (X Reps) 1 x 8-10 an X-Rep hybrid technique from thee-book Beyond
X-Rep Muscle Building. See the X-Blog at www.X-Rep.
Superset
com for more workout details.
Stiff-legged deadlifts 1 x 6-8
Hyperextensions (X Reps) 1 x 8-10
Hyperextensions (X Reps) 1 x 8-10 Note: If you don’t have a leg extension machine, do old-
Knee-extension donkey calf raises (X Reps) 2 x 8-10 style hacks, nonlock style. Use partner resistance, towel
One-leg calf raises (drop; X Reps) 2 x 12(8) around the ankles, if you don’t have a leg curl machine.

tend to not focus as well as in the

winter. We also had to consoli-
date our workouts on weeks that
included a holiday due to family
obligations. Maybe our gains
would have been less sporadic
if we’d trained with the standard
workout formula every week
through the winter—and with
our summer intensity. That’s dif-
ficult to do when your physique
is covered from head to toe every
day.
3) We don’t eat as well in
the winter. Our diet is loose
during the winter months, and
more junk food means less mus-
cle-building potential. Building
lean tissue is hard enough when
eating is spot-on; it’s increasingly
difficult when the body has to
process Butterfingers at Hallow-
een and then pies and cookies at
Thanksgiving and Christmas.
It may be a combination of
all of the above, so we’re not
completely discounting the one-
workout-a-week-per-bodypart
system; we’re just trying to un-
derstand why we’ve never been
able to make it work. Here’s
another clue from Steve’s book
Train, Eat, Grow:
“The difference in recovery
time between the nervous sys-
tem and the muscles may be the
reason so many trainees experi-
ence more strength gains than
muscle growth when they train
each bodypart only once a week.
The nervous system recuperates
completely after seven days, but
the muscles recover a bit sooner,
so size increases are somewhat
sporadic.”
Tendons and ligaments also
lack a lot of blood flow, so they
Some bodybuilders, take more time to heal. We knew
that going in, but we thought
like Skip La Cour, we’d give it another shot as we
began our P/RR/S experiment.
make gains training As has happened in the past,
however, we got good strength
increases and only a minor size
bodyparts once a boost. On the positive side, our
new strength should carry over
week. We seem to into our spring training, which
begins now, and help us pack on
do better with more
Model: Skip La Cour
more size using a program that

we know works well for us.
frequent hits. Maybe we’ll go back to train-
ing each bodypart only once

X-Rep program, which is very excit-

We’re back to our ing. We still remember the incredibly
original X-Rep fast gains we got using it, although at
program but that time we were training five days
wrapped around a week. Will it work its muscle-build-
the P/RR/S ing magic on a four-day rotation,
strategy—with
wedged into the Power/Rep Range/
plenty of X-hybrid
Shock protocol and peppered with
techniques.
X-hybrid techniques? Stay tuned.
Note: Our Power week is outlined
on page 70. For our original X-Rep
routine that our current programs
are based on, see pages 78 through
80 in the e-book The Ultimate Mass
Workout, available at www.X-Rep.
com. For more on Power/Rep
Models: Jonathan Lawson and Steve Holman

Range/Shock, see Chapter 15 of the
e-book 3D Muscle Building, available
at www.3DMuscleBuilding.com.)
Editor’s note: For the latest on X

Reps, including X Q&As, X Files (past
e-zines), before and after photos and
the X-Blog training and supplement
journals, visit www
.X-Rep.com. To order the Positions-
a week in the summer, when we’re frequent hits, which always gets of-Flexion training manual Train,
more motivated and our eating is us leaner as we build muscle. If it Eat, Grow, call (800) 447-0008, visit
cleaner. Right now it’s time to move ain’t broke.... www.Home-Gym.com, or see the ad
to what works best for us—more So we’re back to our original below. IM

Steve Holman’s
Critical Mass
shoulder-width
Forging
grip, and you’re in
forearm-building
business.
I like to super-
set those with
Freaky
standard wrist
curls and reverse
wrist curls. Super-
sets, tri-sets and
drop sets will do a
Forearms lot for vascularity,

as longer tension
times help expand
the capillary beds
in and on muscle.
Keeping a muscle under tension chokes off blood supply,
Q: In your e-book The Ultimate Mass Workout so it forces that adaptation. If you have genetics that put
you give the ultimate exercise for each bodypart, your vascular network deep below the skin, you may not be
but I’m confused about what to do for forearms. I able to get much vascularity, no matter how lean you are—
really want that big, freaky, veiny look. What exer- but that’s rare. My guess is that you have lots of vascularity
cises do you recommend? potential; work through the pain of longer tension times
A: First, if you have forearm flexors (underside) and exte- and see what happens.
sors (topside) that are short, meaning the muscles look like For standard and reverse wrist curls I prefer using dumb-
they stop halfway down your lower arm, you probably don’t bells, as they give you more freedom of movement for your
have the genetics to build gigantic forearms. That bowling- hands and wrists. Locking into that odd position with a
pin appearance suggests fewer fibers and less potential for barbell has caused me days of wrist pain on more than one
developing cross-sectional area. But don’t give up if that’s occasion, so I use dumbbells most of the time. Right now
your situation. You can still build impressive forearms that Jonathan Lawson and I superset dumbbell reverse wrist
will shock most people, especially when your bodyfat is low curls with Forearm Bar reverse wrist curls. Then we super-
and veins are crawling all over them. set dumbbell wrist curls with Forearm Bar wrist curls. With
What exercises do I suggest? An interesting device called the dumbbells the arms are bent, and with the Forearm Bar
a Forearm Bar enables you to do wrist curls and reverse they’re straighter—almost locked at the elbow. That differ-
wrist curls while standing. You load plates on a center pin ence enables us to hit the forearm muscles in a unique way
of a bent V-shaped bar (see photos below), grasp it with a that creates a severe growth burn.
After those
supersets we like
START FINISH to finish with a
straight set or
drop set of fore-
arm rockers. What
the heck are rock-
ers? We hold a
dumbbell in each
hand at arm’s
length next to
our outer thighs.
First we curl the
dumbbells up
and in, bending at
wrist only, to hit
Neveux \ Model: Jonathan Lawson
flexors; then we
lower them and
curl them up and
out to hit the ex-
tensors. It’s a very
efficient forearm
move that also
The Forearm Bar is an excellent piece of equipment for

blasting the flexors and extensors from a unique angle
for new growth. Straight-arm wrist curls and reverse
wrist curls in a standing position complement standard
wrist curls and reverse wrist curls, especially in a
blistering superset combination.

Steve Holman’s
Critical Mass
the lats fire more effectively. Control the bar back up to the
arms-extended position, but don’t lock out your elbows—
start the next rep just before your arms are fully extended
to prevent elbow trauma. Also, don’t disengage your shoul-
ders, or you could incur rotator cuff damage. Yes, you want
to stretch the lats as much as possible, but you’ll get plenty
of elongation near the top even without locking out and
keeping your shoulders tight.
Every time I focus on undergrip pulldowns in the man-
ner described, I get a surge of new lat development right
at the lats’ insertion points on the lower rib cage. That
increases the wide look of your torso, even when your arms
are down by your sides—you can actually see the beefy
lower lats protruding and flowing up and into the inside of
your upper arm. That adds to the wide, full-torso look we
bodybuilders strive for.
Q: I’m so ready to get lean! I overdid the eating
during the winter, and now I’m about 15 pounds
overweight. It appears to be all fat, mostly around
my middle. What supplements can I use to burn
more fat faster? I’ve started cardio, so you don’t
have to preach to me about that. I’m just looking
for an extra boost.
Neveux \ Model: Todd Smith
A: I hear you. In fact, Jonathan and I usually look for an

extra boost when we kick off our ripping phase. For that
we usually do a four-to-six-week phase of GH Stak, which
is designed to increase growth hormone. GH is a potent fat
burner, so GH Stak right before a workout that’s designed
to produce lots of muscle burn has the potential to blast
In a pinch—as in shoulder impingement—undergrip off more bodyfat.
pulldowns can substitute for pullovers as a stretch- If you use GH Stak, keep in mind that to make it effec-
position exercise for lats; however, don’t go to full tive, you need to fast for at least two hours prior to taking
lockout, and keep your shoulders engaged. it. That means moving back your preworkout meal. If you
don’t like training on an empty stomach, you can use GH
works the grip hard. If you have time for only one forearm Stak right before bed instead of preworkout—just be sure
exercise, use rockers—and do a drop set or a double drop; you don’t eat anything two hours before bedtime.
that is, at failure, grab a lighter pair of dumbbells and con- As for fat burners, there are lots of them out there. We
tinue repping. Do one, two or three weight reductions and try to rotate one into our supplement regimen that con-
watch your forearms get freakier after every arm workout. tains forskolin (Coleus forskolii), as studies show it does
great things, and not just in the fat-burning department.
Q: In the e-book 3D Muscle Building, you iden-
Other positive side effects include lower blood pressure,
tify dumbbell pullovers as a key stretch-position ex-
more high-density lipoprotein and—get ready—more free
ercise for lats, but in some of your recent programs
testosterone. Yes, forskolin stimulated the production of
you use undergrip pulldowns, which you’ve said are
the active form of that key anabolic hormone in a recent
a contracted-position exercise. So is the undergrip
study. (At my age, 47, I can use all the extra testosterone I
pulldown a stretch-position or a contracted-posi-
can get.) The amount in the study was 250 milligrams of 10
tion exercise for lats?
percent forskolin twice a day.
A: Technically, you use undergrip pulldowns as a con- For specific products, dosage and timing recommen-
tracted-position exercise, even though the arms are in- dations as well as other fat-burning supplements we are
volved (most contracted-position exercises are isolation using, see our supplement blog at www.X-Rep.com.
moves, like leg extensions). To hit the lats’ true stretch
position, you need resistance pulling your arms back, as in Editor’s note: Steve Hol-
a pullover, rather than up, as in an undergrip pulldown. man is the author of many
Pullovers can irritate some trainees’ shoulder joints, bodybuilding best-sellers, in-
however, especially if they do a lot of bench pressing, or cluding Train, Eat, Grow: The
have in the past, and have rotator cuff damage (I have that Positions-of-Flexion Muscle-
problem thanks to one-rep maxes in my powerlifting days). Training Manual (see page
When shoulder stress is a problem, I suggest undergrip 76). For information on the
pulldowns as a substitute stretch move for lats. It provides POF videos and Size Surge
considerable lat elongation near the top, arms-extended programs, see the ad sections
position—just not as much as pullovers. beginning on pages 220 and
Use a shoulder-width grip on the bar, your palms facing 278, respectively. Also visit
Neveux
back (undergrip). Pull the bar down to your upper chest as www.X-Rep.com. IM
you slightly arch your lower back. That back arch will help
Steve Holman
82 MAY 2007 \ www.ironmanmagazine.com ironchief@aol.com
Mr. Natural Olympia John Hansen’s
Naturally Huge
out are too high. Keep in mind that the four-days-a-week
Push/Pull Split push/pull routine is a good program for an intermediate

bodybuilder who’s trying to get bigger and stronger. By
using the basic exercises and concentrating on heavier
weights, you’ll build more size while getting stronger as
long as you limit the number of sets for each bodypart.
I used the routine for two years when I was in my early
Q: I’m 22 years old, and I am from Cyprus. I was 20s, and it helped me bulk up and build the foundation of
going to the gym to be fit, but when I saw some pics my physique. After I added the size and strength that I was
of you, I knew that’s what I wanted to look like. I looking to build, I moved on to a more advanced training
began intense training following workouts from program in which I was splitting my body over three or
your book. For six months I trained four times a four days instead of only two.
week with the pull/push routine, but I added more When you’re starting out, it’s important to build the
sets than you advise. I did 16 sets for chest, nine sets foundation of your physique by using the basic exercises
for arms and 12 sets for shoulders. So my strength with lots of resistance for a limited number of sets and
remained the same, and I got no muscle gains. Can reps. That enables you to build the size and strength that
you please tell me what I should do—decrease the will stay with you for many years to come.
number of my sets or move to the next workout, I see too many young guys come into the gym and
which splits the body over three workouts? For how immediately begin training on an advanced program,
long can I train each muscle group two times a working each bodypart only once a week and using many
week with good gains? exercises and sets for each muscle group. That’s a mistake
A: If you’re doing the push/pull routine, training each because it keeps you from developing the foundation first.
muscle group twice a week and training a total of four days You ask how long can you train each muscle group
a week, you need to limit the number of sets you do for twice a week and make good gains. I feel that you should
each bodypart, or you’ll be doing too many sets and end continue to use a routine as long as you get results with it.
up overtraining. You sound as if you’re at a sticking point, which may not be
The push/pull routine that I recommend in my book from the routine but the way you’re using it.
Natural Bodybuilding is to train chest, shoulders, triceps If you limit the number of sets for each muscle group
and calves on Monday and Thursday and legs, back, biceps and limit the total number of sets for each workout to only
and forearms on Tuesday and Friday. Because you train so 30, I think the four-days-a-week push/pull routine will
many bodyparts in one workout, it’s important to use only work as well for you as it did for me.
the basic exercises for a limited number of sets. Another area you may need to address is your nutrition
I suggest 10 sets for chest, 10 for shoulders, six for tri- program. If you’re not eating enough calories every day, all
ceps and three for calves on the pushing routine. That’s a the hard, heavy training won’t do you any good. You need
total of 29 sets. For the pull routine I suggest 12 for legs, 10 to eat six times a day, including plenty of protein (at least
for back, five for biceps, three for the forearms and three 1.25 grams of protein for each pound of bodyweight) and
for abs—for a total of 33 sets. lots of complex carbs. What you eat is as important as your
If you’re doing as many as 16 sets for chest, nine for training program.
arms and 12 for shoulders, your set totals for each work-
Q: I need advice on lowering bodyfat. First, I’m
not very experienced with bodybuilding. One day
I’d like to make it to a contest, but I’m aware that
it takes a lot of time to see results. I’m a 26-year-
old 6’2” male, and I weigh 194. I think I’m around
15.5 percent bodyfat. I’d like to get to 8 percent.
I’ve included my eating plan. I just
A push/pull schedule can build couldn’t keep counting calories due
your muscular foundation, but to school and all the time it takes in
you must limit volume. the kitchen.
Now that the
semester is
over, I have
some extra
time. What
is the best
way that I
can lower my
Neveux \ Model: Cesar Martinez
bodyfat to 11
or 12 percent?
(continued on
Do
pageI 102)
have to
start count-
ing calories?
I’ve listed the
supplements

Mr. Natural Olympia John Hansen’s
Naturally Huge
I’m taking. Should I will provide your muscles

cut out the fruit and with a slower-digesting carb
dairy and substitute that will give you energy
good carbs like broc- throughout your workout,
coli and yams? I usu- not just a short burst of
ally eat fruit before energy at the beginning.
a workout because You should also reduce
Neveux \ Model: Noel Thompson

of the simple carbs, dairy products when trying
but now I’m worried to lose fat, as most contain
because I read on the Instead of doing lactose, a milk sugar. Some
Internet that if you’re lots of sets on people digest and process
above 10 percent one exercise, it dairy products better than
bodyfat, you should may be better to others. Lactase, the enzyme
cut out all dairy and do a few sets of that digests lactose, decreas-
fruit. I drink skim more exercises es as we get older. That’s why
milk and eat fat-free for that bodypart. many people become lac-
yogurt and cottage tose intolerant as they ma-
cheese to keep my ture. Cut out the skim milk
protein up. Should I not do that at 15 percent body- and yogurt and replace them with egg whites and protein
fat? In the gym I’m trying to do eight sets of eight powder made with a combination of whey, casein and egg
as heavy as I can on most exercises. I’m not doing proteins (such as Pro-Fusion protein or a Muscle Meals
much cardio because I’m paranoid that I’ll lose meal replacement). Eliminating the lactose from your diet
muscle. Do you have any suggestions? Also, I have a may help you reduce your bodyfat.
bad knee, so I have to be careful on squats (I usually As for your training, you mentioned that you’re follow-
do leg presses). ing an eight-sets-of-eight routine. If you’re making good
A: You don’t necessarily have to count calories every gains from that, then stick with it. The most important
day in order to lose fat. Some bodybuilders know instinc- thing is to do the basic exercises and progressively increase
tively what to eat when they’re trying to get ripped, and the intensity on a consistent basis.
they don’t need to count calories, carbs, protein or fats. Another option is to decrease the sets from eight per
I remember watching one of Shawn Ray’s videos, and he exercise to three or four per exercise and do more exercises
mentioned that he never counts calories or weighs his food for each muscle group. For example, instead of doing eight
when he prepares for a contest; however, he knew exactly sets of incline presses for chest, you could do four sets of
what to do to show up at the contest in peak condition dumbbell bench presses and three sets of incline flyes.
every year. You could also start out doing 10 repetitions, increase the
I like to know exactly what I am eating when I’m trying weight, do eight reps, and increase the weight for the final
to gain weight or lose fat. It cuts out the guesswork and set and do six reps.
leaves less room for error. If my diet isn’t working, I can The important thing is to construct a training and nutri-
look at what I’ve been doing and make adjustments. tion program and follow it consistently. If you’re making
The last time I competed, I was losing fat very slowly. I the progress you want to make, then stick with that pro-
knew that if I continued at the pace I was going, I wouldn’t gram for as long as it works. If it’s not working, you should
be in shape in time for my competition. By looking at my analyze it and make the necessary changes until you make
diet journal, I could see that I was eating too many carbs progress.
for the amount of protein and fats I was getting.
I decreased the amount of carbohydrates and slightly Editor’s note: John Hansen has won the Natural Mr.
increased the protein and fats in order to keep the calories Olympia and is a
the same. My body began to respond immediately. If I two-time Natural Mr.
hadn’t written down my diet every day, it would have been Universe winner. Visit
harder to determine why I wasn’t responding fast enough. his Web site at www.
Once you have your diet in place, it really doesn’t take naturalolympia
that much time to write it down each day. I tend to eat the .com. You can write to
same foods when I’m dieting because it’s easier on me. him at P.O. Box 3003,
Variety is good, but it’s more work to make sure I’m steady Darien, IL 60561, or
with calories, protein, carbs and fats. I’m not eating for call toll-free (800)
pleasure; I’m eating to lose fat and build muscle. 900-UNIV (8648). His
Fruit and dairy products are typically decreased or elim- new book, Natural
inated when dieting to lose fat. Fruit contains fructose, a Bodybuilding, and
simple sugar that can be rapidly converted to stored body- new training DVD,
fat. Some fruits—like blueberries and apples—are lower “Real Muscle,” are
in calories than other fruits, but in general you should cut now available from
back your fruit intake when dieting to lose fat. Home Gym Ware-
Neveux
I suggest you eat a carbohydrate that’s more complex house, (800) 447-0008
before your workout. Try oatmeal or a sweet potato along or www.Home-Gym
with a whey protein drink one hour before you train. That .com. IM John Hansen
John@NaturalOlympia.com
Science and Practical Applications
of the Key Muscle-Building Tools
by Jerry Brainum
Photography by Michael Neveux

For muscle mass and strength, is Machines can also benefit those free-weight version of the exercise.
it better to use machines or free with injuries or structural prob- While the machines are capable of
weights? Nearly all bodybuilders’ lems that preclude using heavy free adding muscle mass, they’re lim-
workout routines consist of a com- weights. My case, for example, in- ited. The great back development
bination of free weights and ma- volves the bent-over barbell row. It in professional bodybuilders—ex-
chines, but in some cases machines was once the cornerstone of my back emplified by Dorian Yates, Ronnie
offer definite advantages. They force training, along with its variations, Coleman and others, all of whom
you to adhere to a specified path of such as T-bar rows. Several years used heavy bent-over barbell rows
muscular contraction. ago, however, my lower back became in their workouts—underscores the
Years ago Nautilus machine in- unstable for reasons unrelated to my advantages of free weights.
ventor Arthur Jones frequently said back training. At that point, I found Yet six-time Mr. Olympia Dorian
that machines were designed to that whenever I tried to use heavy Yates has frequently credited his
focus on correct exercise form. He weights during my bent-over barbell regular use of the Nautilus pullover
felt that free weights weren’t perfect rows, I’d often suffer lower-back machine as the key to his superla-
tools because lifting them could be strain. tive back development. So the best
so easily done with poor form and I partially offset the problem by approach could involve a combina-
because the strength curves weren’t using machines that duplicate the tion of free weights and machines.
optimal with free-weight lifting. I’ve movement in bent-over barbell rows. Most of the top bodybuilders I’ve
observed, however, that the majority Such machines often feature a seat- trained with or observed over the
of those who use Nautilus machines ed position, with the chest resting on past four decades seem to begin
at Gold’s Gym in Venice, California, a brace that protects the lower back. their training with heavy free-weight
do so improperly, thus negating the My experience has been that the ma- exercises followed by various ma-
major advantages of the equipment. chines are a weak substitute for the chine exercises.

Free Weights vs Machines
seated pulley rows.

Most of the bodybuilders with
the greatest arm development de-
pended mainly on free weights.
Arnold was in that category, though
his primary competitor, Sergio
Oliva, favored various cable triceps
extensions. Oliva’s massive triceps
development, however, more likely
resulted from his use of heavy bar-
bell and dumbbell extensions, with
the cable work adding a finishing
touch.
Model: Ber&ry Kabov One muscle group where ma-
chine training may offer real ben-
The consensus is to start with efits is the shoulders. Because of It takes angle training to hit the
free weights, end with machines. old rotator cuff problems, I can’t do many back muscles.
most free-weight pressing move-
ments. Years ago I worked up to
Machines Plus using 315 pounds on behind-the- I didn’t experience any problem
neck presses, which may have con- until about two years ago. At that
Arnold Schwarzenegger, with tributed to my subsequent shoulder time I found that I could barely lift
whom I trained many times at instability. The exercise puts the my arm the day after my shoulder
the original Gold’s Gym in Venice, workout. Experimentation revealed
liked to begin his back training that the source of the problem was
with chins, which served as both a dumbbell laterals, which I had done
warmup and an upper-back exer- relatively heavy over the years.
cise. He’d then move on to bent-over My solution was to use a Nauti-
barbell rows, followed by T-bar rows, lus-style lateral machine, which I
both with heavy weights. Occasion- can do with zero shoulder pain. I
ally, Arnold would follow the barbell don’t feel that the machine provides
rows with one-arm dumbbell rows, the same level of muscle stimula-
an exercise he began doing when tion as the free-weight version; on
British bodybuilding champion the other hand, it’s far better than
Frank Richard convinced him of its nothing.
effectiveness in building thicker lats.
Arnold always completed his back
workout with seated cable rows. The
Special Situations
average number of sets per exercise Arthur Jones refused to design
was six, and the reps varied from Mike Mentzer was a big a Nautilus calf machine, declaring
six to 20. He liked to finish his back proponent of Nautilus machines. that all the calves need for maxi-
with a good pump (which he jok- mum muscle stimulation is a dumb-
ingly once compared to a sexual shoulder joints in a vulnerable posi- bell and a block of wood. Jones was
orgasm) by doing 20-rep sets of tion, laying the foundation for fu- referring to (continued on page 112)
ture strain and injury. What I can do
are seated machine presses, always
pressing to the front to minimize
shoulder irritation. Even so, I some-
times get a clicking in my shoulders
after a particularly intense set, re-
minding me that my shoulder joints
just aren’t the way they used to be.
I once enjoyed doing lateral raises
Comstock \ Model: Ronnie Coleman
for my shoulders. I used the Vince

Gironda style, which the master
himself taught me nearly 40 years
ago. You use a bent-arm angular
lifting style, with the pinky of your
hand raised in the contracted posi-
tion to emphasize the lateral head
of the delt. That style of lateral raise
Most of today’s champs use both The Nautilus pullover was the
can impinge on the shoulder joint,
free weights and machines. first direct exercise for the lats.
again leading to eventual problems.

over and did calf raises and

calf machine work. Arnold
built up his formerly weak
calves (a factor that made
him lose the ’66 NABBA Mr.
Universe title to American
Chester Yorton) by doing
donkey raises with three
men sitting on his back and
using about 1,000 pounds on
the standing calf machine.
He did this on the advice of
his idol, multi-Mr. Universe
and movie Hercules Reg
Park, who had suggested
that making stubborn calves
grow required using heavy
weights.
If you have shoulder
problems, you’ll likely ex-
perience difficulty with
doing free-weight bench
and incline presses, both of
which exert considerable
stress on the shoulder and
acromioclavicular joints.
Here again, machine incline-
and flat-bench presses are
useful, though not equal,
substitutes. One pro boxer
bragged that he regularly did
“300-pound bench presses,”
Free-weight laterals may damage the which was impressive since
shoulder joint. Machines may prevent that. he weighed only 147 pounds.
Well, they turned out to be
machine bench presses. If
(continued from page 106) the one- to free weights for calf training. he’d attempted to do a 300 pound
legged dumbbell calf raise. He ad- Machines remove the limitations barbell bench press, he probably
vised doing no more than three sets of balance, allowing you to focus would have been crushed like a bug.
of one-legged calf raises two to three more on the exercise. Back in the I’ve never found a machine chest
times a week as part of a whole- original Gold’s Gym, the premier press that can duplicate the advan-
body workout. calf movement was the donkey calf tages offered by dumbbell chest
While one-legged calf raises are raise, with a training partner sitting exercises, such as flat-bench and
great, machines can be superior on your lower back while you bent incline flyes. Incline flyes follow Model: Steve Kummer
Model: Kat Meyers
Old-school calf workouts Arnold used machines to Arthur Jones said one-leg calf
included donkey calf raises. improve his calves. raises are superior.
the actual function of the pectoral
muscles, which explains their su-
periority to pressing movements in
building massive pecs. Bill Pearl,
the great four-time Mr. Universe
(’53, ’61, ’67, ’71), once told me that
many of his chest workouts used
only flye movements, minus any
press. What makes that particularly
interesting is that pectorals were
an early weak point of Pearl’s phy-
sique—which he remedied with
flyes.
The one exercise that can’t be du-
plicated with machines is the bar-
bell squat. Arnold used to say that
the only way he could maintain his
thigh mass was with barbell squats.
The exercise was so difficult and
intense for Arnold that he would
beseech anyone in the gym to train
legs with him so they might push
him when he did his squats. I was
often his leg-training partner, which
worked out well since my thighs
Model: Jay Cutler
were one of the few muscle groups

in which I was stronger than Arnold.
From the Lab... The Smith machine can make overhead pressing possible for
Those who decry the use of those who have shoulder injury or irritation.
squats as part of a bodybuilding
program are full of explanations:
Squats are a butt builder; squats
widen hips; squats make the waist
look wider; squats make you prone
to knee injuries.
Perhaps the most ludicrous of all
the claims: Other thigh exercises are
just as good as or better than squats.
You can see why that’s a fallacy from
a study presented at the 2006 an-
nual meeting of the Canadian Physi-
ology Society comparing the effects
Sergio Oliva favored machines as Seated cable rows were a staple in Arnold’s back workout,
finishing movements. usually done at the end to give him a final pump.
Machine bench presses Smith-machine squats may be

neglect the stabilizer muscles. better than free-bar squats for
long-limbed trainees.
Model: Derik Farnsworth

Model: Jorge Betancourt

squats. No other muscles showed
significant differences, although
the EMG activity in all monitored
muscles was 43 percent higher
during free-weight squats. The
authors concluded that “the free-
weight squat may be more benefi-
cial than the Smith-machine squat
for individuals who are looking to
Model: Skip LaCour
strengthen plantar flexors (calves),

knee flexors and knee extensors.”
Free-weight squats produced
higher activity than the machine
One study showed that free-
squats in the muscles most in-
bar squats produce more
volved with maintaining stability,
muscle activity than Smith-
with the notable exception of the
machine squats.
lower back. Many who have at-
tempted to substitute machine
of Smith-machine and free-weight for barbell squats experienced
squats. In Smith-machine squats greater stress on knee joints with
the barbell rides on guided tracks. machines, though some machines
While they appear to duplicate the are easier on the knees than others.
movement of free-weight squats, My knees hurt when I tried to use
the reality, according to the new heavier weight on Smith-machine
study, is quite different. squats. When I switched to a squat
Six healthy participants did one machine with different leverage,
set of six to eight reps of both free- the knee pain was completely
weight and Smith-machine squats. eliminated. Still, that didn’t provide
During the exercise the authors the same level of muscle stimula-
used electromyography to measure tion as free-weight squats.
electrical activity in active muscles:
tibialis (front-shin muscle); gastroc-
nemius (calves); vastus medialis and
Special Needs
vastus lateralis (front-thigh mus- If you can’t maintain good squat-
cles); biceps femoris (hamstrings); ting form—maybe you lean too
lumbar erector spinae (lower back); far forward and stress your lower
and rectus abdominis (abdominal back—you should try to use a
muscles). special bar, called a Safety Squat
Higher activity was detected in Bar, when doing squats. That pro-
the calves (34 percent), hamstrings vides the increased control and
(26 percent) and vastus medialis muscle stimulation characteristic
(front thigh, inner lower portion, of free-weight squats. Three-time
49 percent) with the free-weight Mr. Olympia Frank Zane has used
squats than with the Smith-machine his own version of a squat bar for
years. Former Mr. Universe (and
my good friend) Dave Draper also
uses and sells a special device for
stabilizing squats. Until recently,
Gold’s Gym had a special leverage
squat bar. Not only was I able to
maintain perfect squatting form,
but the special bar permitted me to
use weights comparable to conven-
tional bar squats.
Where building muscle is con-
cerned, free weights reign supreme,
but machine-based exercises have
a definite place in any training
routine. They’re great for isolation
exercises and can substitute for
some free-weight exercises that are
Bill Pearl favored flyes over
no longer executable because of
pressing for chest development.
pain or injury. IM

Is It the Ultimate Key to
Extreme Muscle Expansion?
by Steve Holman
Photography by Michael Neveux
e’ve had it hammered into our skulls that

muscle contraction is the ultimate growth
stimulator, but a lot of research points to
something at the opposite end of contraction action—
stretch—that has the potential to increase muscle size
at an amazing rate. You may be picturing a guy in
a track suit, sitting with legs spread, reaching for
one of his feet. That’s not the type of stretch work
linked to extreme muscle size, although that type
of stretching can do good things too. You need
overload, and that comes from weights.
Feel relieved? Did you think we were
going to take you to the planet of
boring postworkout stretching
programs? Nope;
your relief
may be short-
lived, however,
when you realize
that the type of
muscle-traumatizing
stretching I’m talking
about isn’t fun. In fact,
it’s brutally painful—but
the incredible muscle-
building results are well
worth the tears. How about
tripling the size of a muscle in
Model: Mike Morris
about a month’s worth of workouts? It

could happen—and did.

STRETCH OVERLOAD Some scientists
suggest
that stretch
overload leads
to hyperplasia,
or a splitting of
muscle fibers.
At the end of a
standard set of a
stretch-position
exercise like donkey
calf raises, try
holding the stretch
position. A slight
Model: George Farah
Model: Eric Domer
pulsing action may

give you even more
fiber activation.
Are Muscle Fibers “I performed the study using the Some studies show that many
Splitting? stretch model. I used a progressive-
overload scheme whereby the bird
fibers that are classified as type
2B—power—fibers are merely
The study in question was per- was initially loaded with a weight dormant type 2As, which have
formed back in 1994.1 The research- equal to 10 percent of its weight both power and endurance com-
ers progressively added weight to followed by increments of 15 per- ponents and therefore a lot of size
a bird’s wing in order to stretch cent, 20 percent, 25 percent and 35 potential. So perhaps fiber counts
its latissimus dorsi. The stretch percent of its weight. Using this ap- could be skewed due to fiber
overload was increased over the proach produced the greatest gains morphing rather than splitting—it
course of a few weeks interspersed in muscle mass ever recorded in an may just appear as though there’s
with two-day rest periods. After 28 animal or human model of ten- more of a certain type of fiber, but
stretch-overload days the research- sion-induced overload, up to 334 it’s really other types transform-
ers recorded a 334 percent increase percent increase in muscle mass ing.
in muscle mass. (In case you glazed with up to a 90 percent increase in Interesting if you’re into that
over that number, that’s more than a fiber number!” stuff, but the bottom line for
300 percent increase in muscle size!) Is that proof positive that hyper- bodybuilders is that the animal’s
Jose Antonio, Ph.D., one of the plasia exists? Well, some scientists muscle mass increased at a record
researchers who conducted the believe that it’s not splitting but rate. If you’re after rapid muscle
study, is convinced that a lot of the rather fiber transformation. In growth, do you really care if that
size gain was due to hyperplasia, or other words, with certain types of huge mass increase occurred due
fiber splitting, in the bird’s latissi- activity, dormant fibers are called to fiber splitting or fiber morph-
mus muscle: to action, and they hypertrophy. ing? Nope!

STRETCH OVERLOAD
The turnaround point on an
exercise’s stroke, where the
muscle is elongated, appears
to be key for inducing the
most force and hypertrophic
stimulation.
Model: David Liberman

Lifting Speed: Faster the actual weight he has to reverse movements aren’t recommended.
Reps for More Muscle? at the turnaround of a rep, near the
bottom of the stroke, can be double
There are better ways to stress the
muscle in the stretch position, such
Stretch overload produced an or triple the actual poundage he’s as X Reps and stretch-position ex-
incredible increase in muscle mass lifting. That’s due to gravity plus ercises.
in a very short time in the Antonio momentum. If you haven’t seen this info on
study. Other studies show that lifting How does that cause more muscle bodybuilding Internet sites or read it
speed affects muscle gains, but is it growth? Excessive overload at the in IRON MAN, here’s how to perform
really the speed, or is that stretching point where the muscle is stretched, X Reps: At the end of a full-range set
the truth? or at least semistretched. When to exhaustion, lower the weight to
Twelve subjects trained for eight you move fast through the negative the semistretch point, such as near
weeks. They trained one arm using phase of the stroke, as in the study, the bottom of an incline press, and
a fast velocity and the other at a it takes more effort to reverse or do partial pulses from that point up
slow velocity. Type 1, or slow-twitch, stop the poundage at the max-force to near the midpoint. Do as many as
fibers increased in size in both point, where the muscle is elon- you can, then do a static hold at or
cases. Type 2A and 2X muscle fibers gated. very near the semistretch position.
increased in both arms, but the For example, imagine dropping a Also be sure to include stretch-
increases were greater in the fast- heavy weight through the lowering position exercises for every body-
trained arms. phase of a leg curl and then stop- part, like pullovers for the lats and
So faster reps are best for stimu- ping it abruptly right before your flyes for the pecs. Those will place
lating muscle growth, right? Not legs are straight. You traumatize the the target muscle in its most elon-
necessarily. Realize that when you muscle at the stretch point much gated state against resistance—and
move fast, it takes more effort to more than if you slowly lower it you can increase the stretch over-
stop the resistance and/or reverse it. under control. load by using a static hold near the
In fact, research indicates that when Obviously, training fast is much stretch point at the end of a set.
a trainee standing on force plates more dangerous than using a slow- Okay, let’s get negative for a mo-
moves fast and uses momentum, er, controlled cadence. Fast, ballistic ment. (continued on page 126)

STRETCH OVERLOAD
A study using
stretch overload
produced the
greatest gains
in muscle mass
ever recorded
in an animal or
human model of
tension-induced
overload—334
Model: Darrell Terrell
percent in 28
stretch-overload
days.
STRETCH OVERLOAD
as much as lowering a much
Heavy Negatives for heavier weight through those last
Positive Muscle Gains few inches of the stretch position
and then stopping it for a brief
In a 2006 study reported in static contraction.
the Journal of Applied Physiol- So should you include heavy
ogy, researchers concluded that pure-negative sets in your mass-
doing heavy eccentric, or negative, building workouts? If they’re
contractions (lowering a weight) practical. For dips and chins you
reduces growth-suppressing myo- can use your legs to get into the
statin and increases the highly top position so you can lower
anabolic substances of insulin-like slowly. You’ll need a chair or other
growth factor (IGF-1) and mecha- sturdy object to stand on. If you
no-growth factor (MGF).2 All of that can lower the chinning and/or
can result in impressive muscle dipping bars enough so you can
growth in very short periods. use your legs and the floor to get
Other studies have also shown you into position, even better.
superior muscle-building results For some one-arm exercises,
of heavy negative-only work vs. like concentration curls, you can
positive-only work. So heavy nega- use your free arm to raise a heavy
tives are best for muscle growth, weight into the top position so
right? Once again, not so fast. Is it you can lower it slowly. For other
really the heavy negative along the exercises you may need one
full stroke, or is it only the heavy or even two partners to lift the
overload in the stretch position weight into position. That’s usu-
near the bottom that is producing ally not practical. If and when you
results? do pure negatives, be sure to re-
It appears that the stretch over- ally concentrate on those last few
load is the real key. Think about inches for key stretch overload.
how much more stretch overload A more efficient option is to
you’re getting when you do a pure use the forced X-Overload tech-
negative set vs. a pure postive set. nique. Let’s use Smith-machine
With the pure negatives you have incline presses as an example.
to fight the weight through the Load a weight that’s about 20
stretch position and then stop percent more than your normal
it—at least you better stop it, or eight-to-10-rep weight. Lower the
you risk joint damage! With a posi- weight to a few inches off your
tive-only action you’re starting in chest, but don’t pause; drive it
the stretch position from a dead up to just below the midpoint of
stop—and with lighter weight. The the stroke, and then lower again.
result is that the target muscle gets You may get only one or two, but
much less stretch overload. that’s where the forced Xes come
For example, imagine wide-grip in. Your partner should now help
dips. If you have a heavy weight you move through the positive
around your waist, so heavy that portion of the X Rep, but you
you can lower it slowly only six should lower through that bot-
times, without positive move- tom-range eight-inch negative
ment, controlling that resistance with your own power under com-
through the bottom few inches of plete control. Do as many as you
the range produces extreme stretch can with your partner standing
overload—and pectoral-muscle by—and paying complete atten-
trauma. With no weight you can tion.
drive yourself from a dead stop at Of course, you can also do
the bottom position for eight to partner-assisted, or forced, X
10 reps. There’s much less stretch Reps after your standard X Reps
overload and a lot less muscle at the end of a set; however, that
damage, even if you do both the takes a high pain threshold. It
positive and negative strokes, as in really separates the motivated
a standard set. If you do positive- men from the bailing boys. Ei-
only work, you need an explosive ther way—on their own or after a
action to get you started out of regular set—forced X Reps have a
the bottom. That does cause some lot of extraordinary size-building
muscle trauma, but it’s not nearly potential.

STRETCH OVERLOAD
Sissy, or limbo, squats, on

which your thighs and torso
remain on the same plane,
are the best stretch move
for quads.

STRETCH OVERLOAD
X-treme Force, important because the researchers

Maximum Muscle believe that on a molecular level,
the training rapidly led to a produc-
A new study demonstrated tion of intramuscular growth fac-
how important maximum muscle tors, like IGF-1 and MGF. Those led
stress is, similar to that produced to an increase in protein synthesis
by forced X Reps, as well as stretch and faster muscle growth. The
overload.3 Max force coupled with researchers believe it was both the
stretch overload created gains in maximal effort on every rep and the
muscle size that “surpassed previ- enhanced stretch that triggered the
ous expectations of the time re- anabolic environment.
quired to acquire gains.” They also said that the excess
The researchers used a flywheel muscle stretch promotes the or-
leg-extension apparatus to train derly lining of sarcomeres within
subjects’ quadriceps, and it pro- muscle, leading to a stronger
vided more muscle stretch than muscle contraction and setting the
normal leg extension machines and stage for architectural changes in
maximized every rep in a series of the muscle that precede growth.
reps—almost like a group of max That’s more evidence of the impor-
singles in a row. tance of stretch overload for faster
The design of the apparatus is mass gains.
New research:
Excess muscle
stretch promotes
the orderly lining
of the sarcomeres
within muscle,
leading to
stronger muscle
contraction and
setting the stage
for architectural
changes in the
muscle that
precede growth.

STRETCH OVERLOAD
The bottom line for bodybuilders is that

max force and stretch overload get
muscles larger faster, whether from
hyperplasia or fiber hypertropy. Specific
training techniques geared to those
modalities can increase muscle rapidly.

STRETCH OVERLOAD
tical—that is, use a weight that’s
Back to Fiber Splitting 20 to 40 percent heavier than
So it’s obvious that stretch over- your normal eight-rep weight and
load has serious growth stimulating do the lowering portion of the rep
effects. Is hyperplasia a part of all only, getting about six six-sec-
the rapid size accumulation? Ac- ond negatives (focus on keeping
cording to Antonio, who is a leading it slow all the way through the
authority, absolutely. stretch point).
“Researchers took needle biopsy
samples from the outer-quad mus- 4) Do forced X Overload—that
cles of five male bodybuilders, aver- is, use a weight that’s 20 percent
age age 27, who’d been performing heavier than your normal eight-
heavy resistance exercise for at least rep weight and do only X-Rep
two years, and from five male ac- partials in the semistretch posi-
tive but untrained control subjects, tion; do as many as you can, and
average age 30.4 In the bodybuilders then have your partner help you
a preferential hypertrophy of fast- with the positive stroke on the
twitch fibers took place, which was eight-to-10-inch partials while
to be expected, but there was more. you lower slowly on your own.
“The very large hypertrophy of
the outer-quad muscles could not 5) Use static X Reps at the end
be fully accounted for by single- of any of the above—holding a
muscle-fiber hypertrophy. In fact, weight at the stretch or semis-
the cross-sectional area of the tretch point provides excellent
muscle was 54 percent larger in the stretch overload.
bodybuilding group than in the con-
trol group, whereas mean fiber area Note: For a practical application
was only 14 percent larger in the of some of the above techniques in
bodybuilding group. What does that chest and back workouts, see “Tacti-
mean? That the bodybuilders likely cal Torture Training” by William Litz
had to have increased their fiber on page 136.
numbers in order to account for the
much larger total size of the muscle.
“It appears that the increase in Editor’s note: For more on
muscle fiber numbers, or hyperpla- stretch overload and stretch-po-
sia, may account to some degree for sition exercises for each body-
the extreme muscle size the bodypart, see the e-book 3D Muscle
builders attained.” Building, which is available at
All very interesting to those of us www.3DMuscleBuilding.com.
obsessed with such things, but the
bottom line for bodybuilders is that
max force and stretch overload get
References
muscles larger faster, whether from 1 Antonio, J., and Gonyea, W.J.
hyperplasia or fiber hypertrophy. (1993). Skeletal muscle fiber hy-

Here’s a review of ways to enhance perplasia. Med Sci Sports Exerc.
that get-bigger trigger: 25:1333-45.
2 Heinemeier, K.M., et al. (2007).
1) Do X Reps—that is, partial Short-term strength training and the

reps that include the semistretch expression of myostatin and IGF-1
point—at the end of some of your isoforms in rat muscle and tendon:
full-range sets. Differential aspects of specific con-
traction types. J Appl Physiol. 102:
2) Include stretch-position ex- 573-581.
ercises for each bodypart, such 3 Seynnes, O.R., et al. (2007). Early
as flyes for the pecs, stiff-legged skeletal muscle hypertrophy and

deadlifts for hamstrings, pull- architectural changes in response to
overs for lats, incline curls for high-intensity resistance training. J
biceps, sissy squats for quads and Applied Physiol. 102:368-373.
overhead extensions for triceps 4 D’Antona, G., et al. (2005).
(see the e-book 3D Muscle-Build- Skeletal muscle hypertrophy and

ing for more information). structure and function of skeletal
muscle fibres in male bodybuilders.
3) Do pure-negative sets, if prac- J. Physiol. 570:611-627. IM

T3 Chest and Back Blasts With
Partials, Burns and X Reps
by William Litz - Photography by Michael Neveux
hat comes techniques, including my eight- smart if I want to train into middle
to mind week transformation from Shamu age and beyond. I plan to give Bob
when I say to Sergio (okay, not quite Sergio, Delmonteque a run for his money
T3? Movies but I needed an S name). in the longevity department.
about cy- Most T3 training involves four- I’m currently using T3 training
borgs? Thyroid week microcycles, but for my to get into the best shape of my
drugs? In this transformation I ran it straight life. I’m over 30 and have less than
case it’s Tactical Torture Training, a though eight weeks, then took stellar genetics, but I intend to
system that employs rest/pauses, two weeks of active rest. Normally show that anyone can make mas-
drop sets and X Reps. It involves eight-week blocks are too long for sive changes with the right routine
cycling intensity techniques such intense work, but I wanted and the right kind of dedication.
throughout a training cycle. In to see what was possible in two This time around I’m running with
effect each macrocycle contains a months, so I carefully stretched four-weeks-on/one-week-off T3
series of microcycles. out my T3 routine by adding a few cycles. I’ve been doing that since
That may sound confusing, but extra rest days each week. December 2006 and as of this writ-
it really isn’t. I like routines and Often I’d train Monday, Tuesday, ing have already surpassed my pre-
ideas spelled out in simple terms. Wednesday and then take Thurs- vious best. I look forward to seeing
So hang in there, and I’ll explain. day off and train again on Friday. I where the cycle will go. So far I’ve
In “Partials, Burns and X Reps” in adjusted the routine if I was feeling been very impressed, and the X
the April ’07 IRON MAN I touched extra joint pain. Training smarter Reps and extreme stretching have
on the evolution of partials and is something I’ve been thinking really helped loosen my fascia, or
burns into the amazing X-Rep about a lot recently. I’m not as muscle-fiber encasements, leaving
method and my own take on the young as I once was and have to be plenty of room for new growth.

T3 Evolution
T3 training has evolved over the
years. I’ve been in the iron game
for nearly two decades (man, I feel
old saying that), and in that time
I’ve tried some truly great routines
(more than a few stinkers too). What
T3 training does is combine the
routines and ideas I’ve found most
beneficial into one unified system.
Many of these training ideas
came from IRON MAN magazine,
the number-one magazine on the
market for training articles and
advice. That isn’t a paid endorse-
ment but my honest opinion. While
there are some good reads and some
very smart people out there in the
bodybuilding arena, IM is the best
of the best.
One of T3’s most useful concepts
is X Reps. In the previous install-
ment I discussed how I used them
in my calf training—along with Dumbbell Bench Presses
extreme stretching and drop sets. I
used that type of training to go from of 15 reps followed by a gentle stretch. station and superset 20-rep hammer
220 to 210 pounds in eight weeks. From there I grab the 25-pound- curls with 20-rep V-bar or rope push-
While that’s only a 10-pound drop ers and knock off two sets of 20 reps downs. After that warmup I stretch
in scale weight, it was a huge trans- on the dumbbell flat-bench press. out my lats, arms and chest for a few
formation in reality, as I dropped I immediately sit up and do 20-rep minutes. Then, with a nice sweat
bodyfat and added muscle during overhead presses, followed by 10- going and my joints lubed up, I head
that period. (The before and after rep seated laterals. Finally, I take the over to the Smith machine for in-
photos included last time are also at 25-pound dumbbells over to a cable cline presses. (continued on page 142)
www.X-Rep.com in the X-Reppers
section. A photo of my back is on
page 148.)
Now I’ll detail workouts I used for
chest and back. I trained chest and Be sure to
back on separate days most of the warm up.
time. I’ve never been a huge fan of What’s five
training them in the same session,
even though it’s been done with
minutes
great success by the likes of Arnold, of prehab
Lou Ferrigno and Dave Draper. I compared to
find it exhausting and prefer to train five months
chest with shoulders and triceps
and back with biceps.
of rehab?
T3 Chest Training
Warmup
I started off my chest/delt/triceps
workout with a general warmup. I’ve
had rotator cuff issues in the past,
so I often take a few extra minutes
to get ready to rock. Hey, what’s five
minutes of prehab compared to five
months of rehab?
Model: Joey Gloor
First I grab some 15-pound

dumbbells and do two sets of 20
reps on L-flyes. I work up to 20-
pound dumbbells for one more set

(continued from page 138)
Smith-Machine
Incline Presses
Even though I’m warmed up, my
training partner and I still like to
do a few light sets with one plate.
Generally I do 10 reps with a normal
grip, 10 reps with a wide (illegal)
grip and 10 reps with a close grip.
From there we pyramid up to our
first work set. Here, transcribed
from my training log, is the actual
routine I did on my most recent T3
chest workout.
We load up 275 pounds, and I po-
sition myself under the bar, setting
up my shoulders first and working
them back and under me, contract-
ing my back and at the same time
Model: Mike Ryan

getting a good arch in my lower
back while keeping my feet on the
ground and my butt on the bench.
Now I’m set. I unlatch the bar and
bring it down slowly to my upper
pecs, pausing briefly, then exploding
the bar back up just shy of lockout
to keep that all-important tension pushing against a
on the chest and off the triceps and wall as the bar refus-
joints. One rep done. Many more es to budge. After 20
to go, but as Arnold said, focus only seconds I’m toasted,
on the rep you’re doing. You don’t and the bar begins to
have 10 more to go; you just have drop. I hook the bar
one—the one you’re on now. I try to and hobble out from
focus on that as the lactic acid starts under the weight.
its march into my muscles like an I take a brief rest
invading army. to squeeze my chest,
Rep four passes without much feel the blood rush-
fanfare, and I begin rep five. Things ing in and check out
are starting to ache. I lock out after the veins. I’m done—
five reps for a temporary relief from but I see my training
Smith-Machine Incline Presses
the pain and grind out two more partner reducing the
solid, controlled, constant-tension weight to 185 pounds. detail, but suffice it to say he suffers.
reps. My partner helps me get back I roll back onto the bench and For set number two we load up
to the top for another brief rest in crank out 12 deep, full reps. Before 315 on the Smith machine, and
the lock out. Then I lower the bar to failure I lower the bar for some bot- I crank out two solid reps. I then
my pecs and begin the real torture. tom work. I nail 12 more X Reps in proceed to do five top-end partials,
From the bottom, stretch position the X range. The weight is too light, squeezing my chest hard at the top
I begin a series of bottom partials, or but it still gives a nice finishing of each rep. X Reps are best in the
X Reps. I stop the movement rough- pump. I roll off the bench and walk bottom range, but with some ex-
ly halfway up and then lower back over to an upright to stretch my perimentation I’ve found that I get
into the stretch. I spend what seems chest. I hold each side for 30 sec- a good response with top-end work.
like an eternity pulsing in and out of onds and really lean into it to open I suggest you give peak-contrac-
the bottom position. I think of the up the fascia enough to make room tion X-Rep pulses a try; however, I
reps as more of a constant single rep for some serious growth. still find the stretch position to be
than a series of partials. The tension Fascia stretching hurts—a the most important part of the rep
never comes off the pecs, and with lot—but really adds to the shape stroke, so I spend the majority of my
each rep the range of motion drops and texture of the muscle. With pain-zone time in the hole.
off a little. Soon I’m barely moving the chest, I find that after several Now my training partner takes
the weight at all. My training part- sessions of intense stretching, the the weight down to 225, and I con-
ner helps me up to the top again, muscle takes on a fuller appear- tinue the set. I knock off around
and I slowly lower to the midpoint ance. eight reps (at this point the memory
of the stroke for one final isometric I recover from my set and spot is fuzzy; I think lactic acid must
push, a.k.a. static X. It feels like I’m my training partner. I won’t go into travel to the brain). Once more I

delve into the pain zone with X presses on Smith-machine in-
Reps and hit six nice pulse reps in clines. This is a technique similar
the stretch position, overloading to one used by powerlifters but
the muscle and increasing the time slightly different. It’s something
under tension. I ask for 135, and I picked up from Charles Glass. I
my partner takes the weight down set the Smith-machine stops just
to a single plate. I crank out 25 full below the halfway point on the
reps and rack the bar. I’m toasted. rep and rest the bar on the stops.
Time for more fascia stretching. From there I press up to full lock-
Trainer John Parrillo, a pioneer out and squeeze my pecs. Then
in fascia stretching, usually has his I lower the bar back to the stops
clients do poses between sets too, and let it rest on them, but I don’t
as it helps etch in detail. But where relax—I keep a tight grip and then
I train, it just isn’t normal to get off press back up. I let the bar rest on
the bench and pose. If you decide the stops for a few seconds, so I’m
to do it, follow your stretch with a actually doing a series of rapid
most-muscular pose and hold it singles from a dead stop. Charles
for 30 to 60 seconds. You’ll shake Glass says it turns a power com-
like nothing else the first time, but pound exercise into an isolation
try to constantly flex harder each movement. If you do it right, your
second—it’s harder than it sounds. upper pecs will be screaming. It’s
I do isometric poses after cardio at great for building explosive power
home. Call me shy, but I just don’t and for shocking the muscles. You
like posing at the gym. can try it on other movements as
The pump from the poses is very well, such as overhead presses,
intense. Frank Zane used isometric squats, close-grip bench presses
holds to etch in detail before his and so on.
contests, and he was famous for
coming in hard and lean. Definitely Incline Dumbbell Presses
those poses were a huge part of his Next I head over to an incline
precontest equation. bench and adjust the height. I
On a side note, at every other believe in altering the angle from
workout I do bottom-position workout to workout. It keeps
things fresh and
enables me to
Wide-Grip Dips recruit different
aspects of the
muscle struc-
ture. The higher
the incline, the
more it hits the
front delts. The
lower the in-
cline, the more
it hits the over-
all chest. Many
experts, Arnold
included, like
the higher
angle. While
that limits the
weight you can
use, it hits the
upper pecs and
delt-pec tie-ins
more. True, you
can’t shape a
muscle, but you
can stress cer-
Model: Dan Decker
tain areas more

than others and
create an illu-
sion of shaping.

but heavy he wants to work more on his outer
enough to sections.
make the He does several pump sets with
last five reps constant tension, never bringing
a struggle. the ’bells together. That style creates
I don’t hit great flare to the outer pecs, making
failure on the torso appear wider than it actu-
the first set ally is. Arnold loved constant-ten-
but come sion flyes.
darn close
on the Dips
second. If If you have V-shaped dipping
I loosened bars, use them. Go wide and really
up or re- dig in deep for a killer stretch. That
ally pushed was a Vince Gironda favorite—he
it, I might always had a stunning chest, even
have one at a bodyweight of only 170 pounds.
or two reps I’m stuck with regular dipping bars,
left in the but you make do with what you’ve
tank, but got. I do one light set with body-
I’m not after weight for 12 reps just to make sure
failure here, I have the groove. I start with two
just getting 45-pound plates and hit 10 reps. I
some nutri- don’t do any pulse reps on dips; I
ent-rich find it too stressful on my shoulders
blood into (you may be able to handle them if
V-bar Pulldowns the muscles. you don’t have shoulder problems).
After we I hit 10 reps without locking out at
I position myself just as I do on finish two sets, we again do a 30- the top so the stress stays strictly on
Smith-machine presses. I keep my second fascia stretch to loosen the my pecs. I lean forward and into the
shoulders down and back and lift sheath surrounding the muscula- rep. I do one more set with a single
my chest high while arching my ture and give the pecs room to grow. 45 for 12 reps; I then drop the plate
back, keeping my feet firmly planted The pump is downright painful now, and rep out with my bodyweight.
on the ground and my butt against as we can see veins crisscrossing Once I hit failure on those, I drop
the bench. Push through your feet. the chest muscles. It’s hard work but to the floor and hit 15 reps on old-
That’s something that a lot of people damn rewarding too. school pushups.
don’t do. Dave Draper has writ- At this point in the workout we (continued on page 148)
ten a lot about body thrust, and I make a choice;
believe you should use your whole remember, Chins
body to do a compound exercise. By nothing is set
that I don’t mean bringing in other in stone. The
muscles groups per se (using loose only constant is
form) but keeping everything tight the pulsing X-
to prevent injury, to help work on Reps on the first
stabilizer muscles and to get the movement so it’s
body used to working as a whole. worked to utter
For example, pushing your feet into failure. After that
the ground as you press creates a we have room to
strong base in which to power up play. That pre-
the weights. vents boredom
We’re doing high-rep work to and gives you
exhaust the upper threshold of some workout
the chest fibers and to finish our customization.
T3 upper-chest blast with a good For example, my
pump. Whether the pump aids in training partner
muscle growth is debatable. What heads over to
isn’t debatable is that a good skin- a flat bench to
stretching pump feels great and do some dumb-
leaves you with the feeling of a job bell flyes while
well done. We knock off two sets. I move to the
I hit 25 reps on the first and 15 on dipping bars. I
the second with 85-pound dumb- need to work on
bells. Nice weight—not too heavy more chest size;

Dumbbell Pullovers Pec Routine Recap
Warmup (rotator cuff work)
Smith-machine incline presses
Set 1: 275 x 7 + X Reps and one
static hold
Drop set: 185 x 12 + X Reps
Extreme stretching: 30 seconds
Set 2: 315 for 2 full reps plus
top-end partials)
Set 3: 225 x 8 + X Reps
Drop set: 135 x 25
Incline dumbbell presses
Set 1: 85s x 25
Set 2: 85s x 15
Dips
Set 1: 90 x 10
Set 2: 45 x 12
Drop set: Bodyweight pushups
x 15
Extreme stretching, flat-bench
dumbbell flyes: 60-second hold
in bottom position
T3 Back Training
I love back day. There are prob-
ably more movements for back than
any other bodypart. Let me walk
Model: Binais Begovic
you through a recent T3 back work-

out. It dealt more with detail and
lat width, so it excludes my favorite
movement, the deadlift. Nothing
adds mass like it.
(continued from page 144) Author

T3 Extreme Chest Stretch William
Now I meet my training partner, Litz shows
and we each grab a pair of 40-pound
dumbbells and get into the bottom the thick
position of the flat-bench dumbbell results of T3
flye. We hold the stretch for a sear- training with
ing 60 seconds. If we have some fuel
left, we grab a pair of 30s and crank X Reps.
out 12 constant-tension reps, hold-
ing the last rep for 30 seconds in the
full stretch position.
Okay, I’m toasted. Done. Finito.
Wasted. My pecs are pumped, and
my triceps are warmed up. I’m feel-
ing like a roaring lion ready for a
fight, so I finish the workout with
delts and triceps. Then I hit the
showers, have a protein shake and
head home to read (of course) IRON
MAN.

Model: David Yeung
Undergrip Rows Pulldowns

Speaking of mass, T3 training can tension on the lat muscle. during each set. I might have to
really add some new muscular size The lat stretches have done more lower the weights slightly on the
and new spark to your sessions. for my growth and width than al- second round.
most any actual lat exercise. Some So once I hit failure on the chins,
Warmup guys hang from a chinning bar to I hang from the bar and do puls-
I start out with light pulldowns stretch the lats—similar to what I do ing X Reps in the stretch position. I
to the front and some light stretch- as a warmup—but I personally like raise my chest, contracting my lats
ing. Then I do a set of bodyweight the one-arm lat stretches because while keeping my arms completely
hangs from the chinning bar, letting I can rotate my hip and increase straight. That gives the effect of
my lats get a good stretch for 20 the tension on each side of the lat overloading the lats under tension
seconds. From there I do light rota- muscle individually. and provides several more precious
tor exercises and some biceps and seconds of lat stimulation. It’s not
lat stretches. I finish off the warmup Wide-Grip Chins and exactly X Reps, but these partials are
with some standing lat pulldowns Wide-Grip Front Pulldowns similar and create a great constant-
with a V-handle attachment. I got this tip from former Ms. tension pump.
Olympia Lenda Murray, who had a From the chinning bar I move
Close Grip V-bar Pulldowns back many men would envy. She’d to pulldowns. At failure I continue
I do them first to help work the do chins to failure, then immedi- with semistretch-point partials, or
lower-lat region somewhat. I keep ately jump onto the pulldown ma- X Reps, again, getting about five. I
the back arched and pull down to chine and hammer out more reps then reduce the poundage and im-
my upper pecs or face level, hold for with less total weight. Some people mediately rep out.
a count and lower slowly. Nothing like to have someone assist them I perform the extreme stretch
fancy, but it gets those lat fibers fir- with more chins instead of using the after both supersets for 30 seconds
ing. At the end of the set I often get pulldown. Normally I favor chins per side.
in a few extra squeezes in the peak- over pulldown movements, but in
contracted position, firing out three this case I like to go to failure on my Rows—Barbell, Old School
or four contracted-position X Reps. chinup, then do pulldowns to fur- T-bar or Cable
I do three sets of seven to nine reps, ther increase muscular tension. After hammering my lat width, I
alternating them with an intense An added benefit is the ability to move on to building thickness with
stretch. do drop sets on pulldowns. Drop a rowing exercise for three sets.
I stretch each lat for 30 seconds. sets and X Reps form the core of my Rows bring into play smaller mus-
I bend over at the waist while hold- T3 training protocols during inten- cles in the back, along with the thick
ing onto an upright and pull back sity phases. erectors, rhomboids and others that
while rotating my hip away from the I usually do two supersets, with you may not have been hit suffi-
upright bar to increase pressure and a double drop on cable pulldowns ciently with pulldowns and chins.

We hold
the stretch
for a
searing 60
seconds.
Model: Robert Hatch

Flat-Bench Flyes
Which movement I choose de- reps controlled but explosive and Coleman’s DVDs to see how you do
pends on where I am in my cycle pause for a beat at the peak contrac- the movement if you’re unsure. Just
rotation as well as how my lower tion. I don’t do any X Reps on this don’t use as much weight as Ronnie
back feels. If my lower back is caus- great movement, and I rarely do does—unless you feel like spending
ing issues, I do cable rows, as they drop sets, due to the pressure it can a month or two in the hospital.
throw less stress on my spinal erec- exert on the lower back. I keep the I also don’t use X Reps or drop
tors. Barbell rows are the best for reps in the five-to-eight range and sets on T-bar rows; however, I do
back thickness but can overstress hammer them out while keeping my often use rest/pause on the last
the lower back. torso at roughly a 75 degree angle. few reps. I crank out eight, then let
If I do barbell rows, I keep the I do old-school T-bar rows. I’ve the bar rest for a beat, then crank
always loved out two more reps, rest again, then
that style, as crank out two more. Very intense.
the form simply
feels more natu- Pullovers—Machine,
ral. While there Dumbbell or Cable
are some great I like to finish off my lats with a
T-bar machines good stretching movement. I find
out there, many that stretch-position exercises work
seem to be made great as the final T3 extreme stretch.
at an odd angle. The pullover variations are all good,
With the old- and I rotate them throughout my
school method cycle. If you have access to an old
you wedge an Nautilus pullover machine, you can’t
end of an Olym- go wrong. But in a pinch any of the
pic bar into the pullover movements will stretch the
corner of the lats nicely, adding flare and detail. I
gym, straddle don’t use any intensity techniques
the bar and pull. here, as I find the pullover can
Many guys, big put your shoulder in an awkward
Ronnie Coleman position—and I don’t want to get
included, use injured.
a V-bar handle I do two to four sets, depending
from a lat sta- on how I’m feeling that day. (If it’s a
tion and hook it low-carb day, I usually opt for only
under the Olym- two sets.)
pic bar. Watch After the final lat blast, I walk
one of Ronnie back to an upright support, usually

a lat pulldown station, and do a final
60-second extreme stretch per side
to really pull out the lats. The pain
is intense. I suggest not looking at
the clock or you’ll swear the second
hand is moving backward.
After back I go on to biceps, fore-
arms and some grip work. Speak-
ing of grip, I try my best to avoid
using straps. Since I made that
decision, my forearms and biceps
have improved greatly, though they
still have a little way to go to be
considered a threat on the Olympia
stage. For the past year I’ve used
straps only on ultraheavy partial
deadlifts, on which I‘m pulling at
Model: Mike Dragna

least 100 pounds over my max full-
range weight. It was shockingly hard
to train without straps at the start.
Within 30 days my grip had caught
Front Raises
up to my back strength, and I was
powering through chins and rows T3 X-Rep training can be tailored Editor’s note: William Steven
that just a few months before would to any goals you have, even if they Litz is vice president of R. Litz & Sons
have been impossible without first differ from the goals of your train- Co. and is the founder of Cobra-Gym
strapping myself to the bar for help. ing partners, me, Arnold or that guy Training Systems. He’s been training
who’s been hogging the bench for for 15 years and for the past eight has
the past hour. Honestly, how many trained clients of all ages—from high
T3 Back Routine Recap sets is he going to do? school athletes to senior citizens to
Warmup: Pulldowns, hangs Make sure to include deadlifts top-level powerlifters and national-
for overall body growth. If you like, level bodybuilders. He offers online-
V-bar pulldowns
you can do three medium-weight and personal-training consultations
3 sets with end-of-set peak-
sets after legs. Dave Draper has used and is in the process of opening a
contraction X Reps
that approach for years and swears new state-of-the art strength-train-
by it. A few times a year, though, ing facility. IM
per side (after each set of V-bar
devote a block
pulldowns)
of time to a Deadlifts
Superset deadlift-only If you
Wide-grip chins back workout. want to
Wide-grip pulldowns Warm up with
2 rounds to failure; stretch- chins and light
trigger
position X Reps on chins and rows, and then overall
pulldowns; a drop set on pull- max out on growth,
downs deadlifts of
Extreme stretching: 30 to 60 sec- various styles.
include
onds per side Do that for a deadlifts.
Rows few workouts
3 sets (version depends on and watch
goals, fatigue your back
begin to grow.
Pullovers Keep an eye
2 to 4 sets on your squat
Extreme stretching: 60 seconds weight too, as
per side heavy deadlifts
can shoot your
squat pound-
Final Analysis ages through
These two routines constitute the roof!
what I was doing for the majority Note: For
Model: Dave Goodin
of my eight-week transformation more on X

training using my T3 approach Reps, visit
(once again, you can see my before www.X-Rep
and after photos at X-Rep.com). My .com.

A Bodybuilder Is Born

Use Your Superpowers for Good, Not Evil
by Ron Harris Photography by Michael Neveux Episode 22
he Roxy is the Boston nightclub in the presence of a bodybuilder, it would only

where all the Massachusetts meat- be because he was offering her a Prada bag with
heads go. Understand that when I one hand and a box of Godiva chocolates with
use the word meathead, it’s a term of the other.
endearment for my fellow bodybuild- Until recently, my wife and I had never been
ers. If anyone other than a bodybuilder were out with my now occasional training partner
to call me or any other bodybuilder by that Randy (his job as a car salesman meant our
term, however, we would take offense. It’s like schedules were rarely in sync). Mostly that was
African-Americans and the N word. Only we because he rarely had a girlfriend for more than
bodybuilders can call each other meathead; a few weeks. And when he did, they were usual-
otherwise it’s a slur. ly under the age of 21 and couldn’t go anywhere
Anyway, the Roxy on historic Tremont Street we wanted to go. Lately, though, Randy had
is where the jacked-up guys from my area of been dating an older woman, 25-year-old Mara
New England like to hang out. A few years ago from the finance department of his dealership.
the unofficial uniform was a spandex T-shirt She only had two years on him, but I still liked
with a zippered collar. Though it’s been out of to bust Randy’s chops about how he was her
style for quite some time, you can still catch boy toy. They’d been seeing each other for close
guys having fashion flashbacks and sporting the to two months, which I’m fairly certain was a
painted-on-shirt look. Personally, I don’t like to record for commitment-phobic Randy. So final-
wear tight shirts anymore because they attract ly, we all went out for a night of dancing at the
too much attention—some positive but more Roxy. I would have said dancing and drinks, but
negative. the damn drinks are about $8 each these days,
Actually, the two most common reactions and I am too much of a cheap-ass to spring for
I’ve witnessed are amusement and jealousy. more than a couple.
Girls usually think it’s fascinating to see a big- Now, when it comes to bodybuilders show-
muscle guy, in much the same way as it is to ing, there seems to be an inverse relationship
see a dog walking around with two heads—in between the size they carry and the skimpiness
other words, a freak or oddity. Guys are worse of their tops. In other words, the smaller guys
because they tend to feel intimidated at the are usually the ones who still wear the spandex
sight of another male who’s far more muscular shirts, while the bigger dudes cover up more
than they are. That stems mostly from their and tend to wear looser-fitting shirts. Randy,
Model: Lee Priest
erroneous belief that women salivate over who is taller than me and weighs around 190,
bodybuilders. I think if a woman were drooling had the spandex going (continued on page 158)

We have a special heart out. The kid was saying, ‘Real

responsibility that big bodybuilder,’ in a real sarcastic
comes with being tone and grinning at me like a punk.
bigger and stronger “I said, ‘Excuse me, what was
than regular men. that?’ He repeated it, and I was
thinking that he had a death wish.
Not that I’m Bruce Lee or anything,
but I could have mopped up the
floor with this kid, no problem.
Luckily, Janet stepped in and told
him to get lost, loser. I’m pretty sure
she flipped him off too. That did
it, he was humiliated and skulked
away.”
“Didn’t you want to hit him when
Model: Omar Deckard

he was saying that to you?” Randy
asked.
“Yeah, but what then? If I did
that, I would have been arrested for
assault and probably sued too for
damages. I have a nice house and
(continued from page 155) on, while I riences in the area of troublemakers. two kids. I don’t need to deal with
was 235 and in Clark Kent mode. We “Two incidents stand out clearly anything like that.”
hung out together for a while near in my mind. They both happened “You said there were two times
one of the three bars, where a round at the Roxy, because that’s the that happened. What was the other
of drinks for the four of us came out club I like. The first one took place one?” Randy inquired.
to roughly enough for a lease pay- two years ago. I was a few weeks “It was only a few months ago.
ment on a BMW. Janet felt the urge away from a contest and probably Janet was sitting on one of the little
to dance before Randy and Mara, so shouldn’t have even been out in sofas waiting while I was in line
we left them. the first place. I was dancing with to get our coats. This little greasy,
The place was pretty packed and Janet, who was in an amorous mood skinny guy sits down next to her
we didn’t see them again until 2 and started undoing some buttons and starts leaning into her ear to
a.m., when the lights came up and on my shirt. Being all tanned and give her his best rap. I turned back
everyone had to get the hell out. ripped at around 215 at the time and saw it and started yelling to
Randy sidled up to me as I waited in and being that my chest is among draw his attention. With the music
the coat check line, scowling. my best features, I didn’t stop her. still blasting, he couldn’t hear me. I
“Don’t tell me you two are break- That’s when I noticed a young guy was impatient to get our coats and
ing up,” I said. He just shook his staring at me. get over to them, and just as I was
head. “He was a juiced-up little twerp tipping the coat check girl, I saw
“Some jerk was trying to start with a red, puffy face, and from the the guy try to slide his arm around
some sh—,” he growled. “He kept way he was swaying—like he was in Janet while she pulled away. That
trying to dance with Mara even the middle of a hurricane—he must did it. I rushed over and stood in
though I was right there with her. have been pretty drunk. He obvious- front of them. I am not the biggest
Then, when I asked him what his ly had no female companionship, man in the world, but I probably
problem was, he said something and Janet was wearing this red lace had four inches of height and 80 or
like, Ooh, don’t hurt me, big muscle bodysuit that is actually illegal in 12 90 pounds on that slick would-be
man. I swear I would have cracked states. I am sure he was eating his Romeo. I leaned right into his face
him in the jaw if he didn’t take off and snarled, ‘Can I help you with
right then. I wonder if he’s still We were on the dance floor, something? This is my wife, jackass!’
here?” Randy was scanning the He jumped up and took off like the
and Janet was wearing this
milling dance club patrons like the Roadrunner. He may have even
red lace bodysuit that is
Terminator seeking out Sarah Con- done the meep, meep sound effect.
nor.
actually illegal in 12 states. Janet said she had told him she was
“Forget about it, kid. It’s not there with her husband, but the
worth it.” He tried to argue, but I creep didn’t even care.”
shushed him, telling him we could “Why didn’t you go over and blast
talk about it on the drive home, him when you heard that?” Randy
as I had been there and done that demanded.
before. “Because for one thing, it was a
With the women in the backseat total mismatch. I could have broken
chatting about girl stuff (makeup every bone in his body and tied him
tips and brownie recipes, no doubt), into knots like a human pretzel if I
I shared with Randy my own expe- wanted to. But it wouldn’t have been

right.”
“What do you mean? He had it
coming, being so disrespectful like
that.”
“Maybe so, Randy, but at the
same time, we have a special re-
sponsibility that comes with being
bigger and stronger than regular
men. I have a corny saying that
goes, You should only use your su-
perpowers for good, not evil. The
absolute worst scumbags are the
guys who get big and strong and act You may want
like bullies, starting fights to prove to show off your
Model: Moe El Moussawi
what tough guys they are. That kid
hard work out
on the dance floor was like that.
in public, but it
I wish I could take away his gym
membership and ban him from
could get you in
lifting again until he smartens up trouble.
and loses his crappy attitude. People
have the idea already that we body- be so conspicuous. I wouldn’t wear a the Arnold and the Olympia. When
builders are mean and hostile. You shirt like that out again.” the club is packed with meatheads,
can’t feed into that, or else we all “Aw, come on. I can’t show off my you no longer stand out as unusual,
look like A-holes. Luckily, being big hard work in the gym?” he pleaded. and you can relax and have a good
does discourage a lot of would-be “No, show-off being the key word time without worrying about of-
troublemakers from starting any- here. Seeing you flaunting your fending some jealous dweeb with
thing with you. Had I been the same muscles pisses off the regular guys your buffed body.”
size as that creep macking on Janet, and makes them feel insecure. A few Randy was silent now and ap-
he might have tried to start a fight.” of them will react to that by trying peared to be nodding off. I knew
“So what? I have to take crap from to show that they’re tougher than he’d been putting in 70-hour work-
idiots like the one tonight? I can’t you, in spite of your build. Put a few weeks lately and was probably
ever stand up for myself?” drinks into a guy like that, and he exhausted. In a minute he started
“I didn’t say that. If someone con- might even get the bright idea that snoring lightly. I turned the radio
tinues to be disrespectful after you beating you up would make all the down and whispered toward the
have either ignored or warned him, other guys in the place respect him back.
or if he invades the personal space and all the ladies want him.” “Mara?” She and Janet stopped
of you or your woman, then it’s on Randy chuckled at that. “That’s talking.
like Donkey Kong. Light his ass up crazy!” “Yes?”
like a Christmas tree. But fighting “I know, but male pride is a pow- “Do me a favor. I assume I am
should always be a last resort. This erful thing that doesn’t have much dropping off Randy at your place
isn’t fifth grade. Fighting when you to do with reason and logic. But like since he still lives with Mommy and
are an adult has serious conse- I said, dress a little more modestly, Daddy?” It was dark, but I think I
quences, mostly legal in nature. Un- and you’ll rarely have a problem. saw her blushing in the rearview
less you are fighting in the UFC or Another thing I can recommend mirror.
K-1, you will most likely wind up in is to try to do at least some of your “Uh-huh,” she replied. I caught a
some kind of trouble afterward. One clubbing at the after parties that fol- glimpse of Janet glaring at me. That
thing I would recommend is to not low the big bodybuilding shows like glare meant that if I came out with a
crude sexual remark right now, my
own plans of ending the night prop-
Okay gym attire; bad idea to erly could very well be jeopardized.
wear out to a club. “That shirt he has on. When you
get a chance, I want you to rip it up.
You can blame it on your dog.”
“But I don’t have any pets,” she
said.
“Then just tell him you hated it,”
I offered.
“Well, I do.”
“Ron had them in every color a
Model: Jason Armz
few years ago before I tossed them

Show your abs in the all in the trash,” Janet piped in.
gym or at the beach, “Yes, I did,” I remembered fondly.
not on the dance floor. “Those were the days.” IM

Lost Mike Mentzer Interview, Part 2
by John Little
I
recently came across an interview with Mike Mentzer that I had published
in England in 1986. As it provides a fascinating context for fans to see where
Mike’s thinking was at the time, it’s a very interesting document. Here’s Part 2
of the interview, along with the original introduction that was published with it.
***
There are very few men of integrity in this world. Many at times display
elements of character, but closer inspection reveals such outward manifestations
to be either pretentiousness or the correct action for the wrong reasons.
Of the many people that I have encountered in my life, none have possessed
integrity in such abundance as Michael John Mentzer. Aside from his middle
name, the thing that impresses me the most about this man is his unswerving
devotion to intellectual honesty. Just as Socrates, his philosophical ancestor, said
that the unexamined life is not worth living, Mentzer says that “the unexamined
idea is not worth holding.”
Being a man of reason, he declares himself socially an individualist, politically
a capitalist, philosophically an objectivist. In the realm of bodybuilding, he not
only advocates but is the greatest single exponent of high-intensity training.
Without question he has been the single most influential bodybuilder within the
past decade, and his influence has been all to the good.
Balik

Heavy Duty | Part 2
we discussed things of interest to

bodybuilders and touched upon
some philosophical topics. So the
interview is unique in piercing the
superficial to reveal the very soul of
Mike Mentzer. [1986]
JL: When you’re in serious

training, do you prefer solitude
or a crowded gym?
MM: I prefer solitude. The isola-
tion is more conducive to concen-
tration. I tend to become somewhat
withdrawn, especially in the later
stages of the competitive program or
competition training. There’s no way
that I’d train at Gold’s Gym, especial-
ly during the hours when it’s very,
very busy. I’m not sure that there are
any hours when it’s quiet enough for
me to engage in contest training at
this point. The old Gold’s was much
more conducive to contest train-
Neveux \ Model: Cesar Martinez

ing. It was a smaller gym in terms
of square footage, and there wasn’t
anywhere near as large a clientele,
so there was a stronger concentra-
tion of hardcore bodybuilders. Now
it’s diluted; you have more fitness
people and curiosity seekers.
Bodybuilders today (at least those losophy. We subsequently conversed JL: Training seems to have
capable of rational thought) are no so intensely about metaphysics that become more of a social thing
longer one-dimensional misfits who my week had almost ended and I now. I suppose that’s another
live only to train but now regard had yet to interview him regarding reason for people to perform
training as an adjunct to an effica- bodybuilding! higher sets—an excuse to stick
cious lifestyle. Bodybuilders today Eventually we put aside time for around the gym longer and
no longer adhere to dubious and such a dialogue. As you shall see, fraternize.
potentially lethal dietary aberra-
tions, but instead follow a well-bal-
anced, scientifically validated eating “They like the feedback, the camaraderie.
plan that promotes muscle growth
and overall bodily health. Perhaps
What they’ve done is elevate a social
most important, today’s bodybuild- need into a training method.”
ers no longer mindlessly accept the
arbitrary edicts of some champion
(in name only) bodybuilder but
now rightly demand the reasons
behind the edict. They discover, in
most cases, that there are none, and
they refuse to even consider it. The
name of the individual responsible
for the contemporary renaissance?
The aforementioned Michael John
Mentzer.
A few months back, I had the
good fortune to avail myself of a
week in California. Upon checking
into my hotel, I telephoned Mentzer
to notify him of my arrival, and I
was immediately struck by an un-
Fredrick
expected element of mutuality. We

were both serious students of phi-

Heavy Duty | Part 2
MM: That was always the large you could make tremendous prog- and, I think, leads to a lack of under-
reason for the marathon-type train- ress. I’ve done it. But you could make standing regarding intensity, dura-
ing. Most bodybuilders have no even greater progress if you followed tion and so forth. There is a limited
interests outside the gym, and it’s a very good training program and a amount of recovery ability, a limited
one of the few areas where they feel well-balanced diet. amount of growth ability, and both
any degree of control. They like the of them are connected to the body’s
feedback, the camaraderie that their JL: Given that the majority of energy systems. When anything
gym mates give them. What they’ve our readers will be noncompeti- exists in limited quantities, it makes
done is elevate a social need into a tive, what in your opinion would sense to use it as economically as
training method. be the ideal routine for them? possible. It’s a very important factor,
MM: The ideal routine for the and I’m not going to go into it any
JL: What do you think is the noncompetitive bodybuilder is quite more deeply than that, but I’ve writ-
most important factor, if there similar to the ideal routine for the ten on it extensively. [Arthur] Jones
is an “irreducible primary” in competitive bodybuilder. It would has too.
bodybuilding—the training, the be relatively intense—depending In regard to weight training and
nutrition or the mind? upon his priorities—relatively brief recovery ability, any amount of
MM: The mind is of no impor- and relatively infrequent. That is, the training is negative in that it makes
tance whatsoever. It’s all training training should be relatively brief certain inroads into the recovery
and nutrition. Looking at train- and relatively infrequent. The train- ability. So the ideal training rou-
ing and diet, I don’t think that you ing should be an adjunct, geared to tine stimulates maximum muscle
can quantify them. Training is 100 enhance one’s enjoyment of all other growth with the least demand on
percent important and diet is very, aspects of life. It shouldn’t be the pri- the recovery ability, so you have
very important. Those who say that mary focus of life. Once it becomes enough recovery ability and growth
“nutrition is 80 percent” or even that, it disrupts the enjoyment of ability left over to grow on. If you
more are ludicrous. If you were to living, and usually you become one- spend too much time training, you’ll
follow a “perfect diet,” whatever the dimensional; a misfit. [Somewhat eventually exhaust all of your recov-
hell that would be, figured out by facetiously] A misbegotten misfit of a ery ability, with nothing left over for
the world’s greatest supercomputer, misguided nation. growth.
and you followed a haphazard train-
ing program, you wouldn’t make JL: How about recovery abil- JL: What about the idea that
any progress at all. If you ate only a ity? trainees need a bare minimum
mediocre diet but followed a very MM: [Laughs] How about it? That’s of time between workouts to
good training program and were the one factor that really hasn’t been recover? Some say 48 hours.
very enthusiastic and motivated, understood or discussed very much (continued on page 166)
“For the ’76 Mr. America I trained on a full-body, high-intensity workout three days a
week, 45 minutes a workout. So I was training less than three hours a week.”

Heavy Duty | Part 2
JL: Do you really notice a big

difference with steroids with
regard to loss of muscle mass
while dieting?
MM: Oh, yes. That’s the primary
reason for taking steroids once
you’ve obtained a certain amount
of size, what I call critical mass. I’ve
tried dieting without steroids and
have lost as much as nine pounds
in one week, a certain amount of
which was muscle. On steroids I’d
gain two pounds the first week—
even though I was on low calories
and losing fat. I’d end up losing the
same amount of fat ultimately, with-
out losing the pounds, which meant
I was gaining some muscle mass at
the same time. That phenomenon
first manifested itself back in 1976,
Comstock
when I was training for the Mr.
America. The previous year I’d en-
tered at 196 pounds—ripped—and
(continued from page 163) got third place behind Robby [Rob-
“The same criteria should
MM: Well, it’s hard to say. It de- inson] and Roger Callard, and I was
pends on an individual’s physical
be used [to judge the considered a favorite for the next
condition. Also his or her sex, age, women as the men].” year. I’d assumed that in order to be
etc.
JL: Mysticism in training:

You have to do 12 to 20 sets per
bodypart!
MM: [Heavy sarcasm] Because
“they” say you do. Well, who the hell
are “they”? Who are these mystical
elite?
JL: What are the effects of

stringent dieting?
MM: Even on a merely low-carbo-
hydrate diet you will notice some of
the same effects that you have on a
low-carbohydrate/low-calorie diet.
Whenever the fuel of the nervous
system is reduced below adequate
levels, you’re going to have some
dysfunctioning of your nervous
system—personality, impulse con-
trol, concentration, memory, etc. If
you go too low in calories, one of the
immediate manifestations is a dys-
functioning of the nervous system.
Any protracted severe low-calorie
dieting, especially without steroids,
will ultimately lead to a loss of
muscle mass.
“The mind is of no
importance whatsoever.
Model: Ron Harris
It’s all training and

nutrition.”

Heavy Duty | Part 2
MM: No. As a matter of fact, I

found that on a low-carb/low-calo-
rie diet—extremely low-calorie—I
was mobilizing so much fat that
at times I had an abundance of
energy, so long as I kept my supple-
mental potassium intake up. Before
I discovered the importance of
supplemental potassium on a low-
carb diet, I found myself at times
so overwhelmingly fatigued that I
literally couldn’t get out of a chair.
When you’re mobilizing that
much bodyfat, you excrete a chemi-
cal known as ketones, and your
body’s potassium has a very strong
chemical affinity for ketones. And
when you urinate, you urinate the
body’s potassium out with the ke-
tones. But as long as you keep your
potassium high enough, you’ll have
an abundance of energy. I required
less sleep and I got through my
workouts okay. That’s not to say
that I didn’t experience occasional
severe fatigue, but I wasn’t taking
any kind of amphetamines or thy-
Model: Berry Kabov
roid or anything else, and I had an

abundance of energy.
JL: And that was 45 minutes

per workout?
“Man has no instincts. But if he did, they certainly MM: Approximately, yeah. I was
wouldn’t incline him to lift weights.” going to college full time, holding
down a part-time job with a physi-
cian as a stress E.K.G. technician
improved and still be cut the next MM: For that contest I trained and trying to make love to my girl-
year, I’d probably have to weigh on a full-body, high-intensity work- friend at least once or twice every
around 202 pounds, so I started out three days a week, 45 minutes a three hours!
my training six weeks in advance at workout. So I was training less than
216. Three weeks later, after three three hours a week. JL: What are your thoughts on
weeks of starving—at that time so-called instinctive training?
I was on zero carbs—I weighed JL: That’s a radical departure MM: Well, first of all, man has
216. I thought, “What am I going from what most of your fellow no instincts. But if he did, they
to do? I’m starving, I’m training, competitors were doing. certainly wouldn’t incline him to
and I’m not losing any fat!” In fact, MM: Yes; in fact, most of them lift weights. When he walked into
I was losing muscular mass at were training twice a day, two a gym and saw those weights, he’d
the same time. So the next week hours a workout, six days a week. probably take off in the opposite di-
when I started my posing practice They were training 24 hours a rection, but he sure as hell wouldn’t
I noticed that I was getting hard as week vs. my three to four hours a voluntarily stay in that gym and lift
hell! At that point I was around 214 week. And when I got there, the few them for hours on end.
pounds, and I would end up going judges who knew me could barely
into the competition just around believe I was the same guy they’d JL: What are your thoughts on
210 pounds. I lost the last several seen the year before, who entered women’s bodybuilding?
pounds that final week: just water and got third at 196 pounds. Here MM: The same as they are for
shed through nervous activity and I was almost 14 pounds heavier— men’s bodybuilding; the same cri-
a lot of extra activity—traveling, and more ripped—and I won it teria should be used, but, in fact,
getting there and all the anxiety quite easily. are not. The powers that be see its
related to that. commercial potential and are seek-
JL: Did you find yourself over- ing to exploit it. They don’t want the
JL: Do you remember the trained somewhat from all the women to become “too” developed,
routine that you used for that negatives that you performed for reasons known only to them.
contest? during those workouts? (continued on page 170)

Heavy Duty | Part 2
(continued from page 167)

JL: What are your views re- JL: What is the nature of knowl-
garding ethics? How should edge? And what are its ultimate
one behave? What moral grounds?
rules should one follow? MM: Before Ayn Rand there were four
MM: The ethical system that basic schools of thought regarding the
I subscribe to is based on Ayn nature of concepts: the Platonic, the
Rand’s philosophy, objectiv- Aristotelian, the nominalist, the realist.
ism, and would be known as None of them were objectivist at all. The
rational self-interest. I believe first two, Platonic and Aristotelian, were
that selfishness is a virtue. Most intrinsic. They believed that concepts
people mistake “selfishness” revealed, somehow through nonsen-
with vulgar whim worshipping, sory means, the irreversible essence of
but a genuinely “selfish” person things, that what we experience was not
knows that that kind of whim “real” reality.
worshipping will ultimately lead The nominalist and the realist believe
to his destruction. A genuinely that consciousness produced reality
selfish person wants to live long and concepts. They didn’t believe in
range and be happy long range, the primacy of existence but of con-
and so he takes time to consider sciousness. Ayn Rand came up with the
what his desires are. He doesn’t only real nature of concepts. Concepts
act blindly or impulsively on aren’t created by the mind; nor are they
them, but considers their long- revealed by the mind. They have to be
range effect on his survival and gained by the mind through sensory
his happiness. That’s rational means and then given a definition by
self-interest, or enlightened self- using a specific word for each. There is
interest, if you prefer. an objective reality out there.
“Like Ayn Rand, I believe

selfishness is a virtue.”
JL: What is man’s role/function

in the universe?
MM: Man has no function outside
that which he creates and defines for
himself. What you’re asking would
presuppose a Designer, or a God, of
which there is none.
Editor’s note: For a complete

presentation of Mike Mentzer’s
Heavy Duty training system, consult
his books Heavy Duty II, High
Intensity Training the Mike Mentzer
Way and the newest book, The
Wisdom of Mike Mentzer, all of which
are available from Mentzer’s official
Web site, www.MikeMentzer
.com.
John Little is available for phone
consultation on Mike Mentzer’s
Heavy Duty training system. For rates
and information, contact Joanne
Sharkey at (310) 316-4519 or at www
.MikeMentzer.com, or see the ad on
the opposite page.
Article copyright © 2007, John
Model: Peter Putnam
Little. All rights reserved. Mike

Mentzer quotations provided
courtesy of Joanne Sharkey and are
used with permission. IM

Erik Fankho
Monster Leg
How “the House” Lays the Foundation for His Pro-Worthy
by Cory Crow
Photography by Bill Comstock
Everyone in body-
building circles
agrees on the need
for a strong founda-
tion, but the details
are debated frequent-
ly in bodybuilding
circles: What makes a
good foundation for
a great pair of legs?
Is quad mass para-
mount? What about
the hamstrings?

user’s
Training
Lower Body

Leg Training
Erik Fankhouser’s
The calves? You listen to the genetically gifted with good inser- Lower-Body Blast
debates, and you find yourself tion points and aesthetic shape as Squats 5 x 12, 10, 8, 6, 12
thinking, “Does it really matter if so- well. In short, he’s arguably got the Walking lunges 4 x 8-10
and-so doesn’t have the greatest set best calves of any bodybuilder in Leg curls 4 x 8-10
of calves?” Then you see an image of the NPC, and he’d best a lot of pros Leg extensions 4 x 8-10
a bodybuilder who does have really as well. Stiff-legged deadlifts 3 x 8-10
great calf development, and all the Anyone with that type of leg de- Leg-press calf raises 4 x 100
questions fade into the background. velopment has to know something Seated calf raises 4 x 100
A strong foundation for legs that the rest of us can use. We may Sled calf raises 4 x 100
means balanced, complete develop- not be able to match his workout,
ment—which brings me to the sub- but surely there are nuggets of
ject of this feature, Erik “the House” wisdom we can glean. With that Virginia. He graduated from West
Fankhouser. thought in mind, I burned up a few Liberty with a degree in exercise
Want quads? He’s got ’em. Ham- Anytime Minutes in a quest to find physiology, so he and weight train-
strings? No problem. Oh, and about out how he did it. ing are old buddies from way back
those calves.… He’s been compared, (14 years to be exact).
muscle for muscle, to no less than Meet “the House” Erik’s relationship with body-
Mike Matarazzo in that area. Erik’s building training is a different story.
got the type of calves that make Fankhouser has always been an He’s been at that for about two
you wonder who “’shopped” the athlete. In high school he played years.
photo. They’re also complete; all football, ran track and wrestled. He
three muscles have gotten full atten- continued with those sports in col- A Star Is Born
tion, and it shows. Erik’s calves are lege, where he was a multiple letter
diamond shaped and full and flow winner at West Liberty State College, If you know bodybuilding, you
well into his upper legs. He’s been an NCAA Division II school in West know the story. Big guy in the gym
For the ’07 season, Erik will

be focusing on building
his upper body to match
his legs and nailing his
conditioning.

Leg Training
gets spotted by a bodybuilder who
says, “Hey, you should compete!”
So he does—in Erik’s case very suc-
cessfully. He won the heavyweight
and overall titles at the NPC West
Virginia Championships on his first
attempt. That qualified him for na-
tional-level competition. After that
he competed at the ’06 IFBB North
American Championships, where he
finished fourth in the heavyweight
class behind Kirk DeFrancesco,
Grigory Atoyan and Sebastian Zona.
Not bad for a guy’s first crack at a

Walking pro qualifier. While the bodybuild-
ing world started taking notice of
lunges done Erik at the North Americans, Ul-
with a barbell timate Nutrition picked up on his
potential at the West Virginia, offer-
across the ing to sponsor him and giving him
his nickname. As “the House,” Erik
back are keeps a training log and pens hard-
core lifestyle pieces for the compa-
the “new” ny’s Animal Pak Web site.
For the ’07 season, Erik will be
hardcore lift focusing on building his upper body
to match his legs and nailing his
of choice. conditioning, things he feels he will
need at next year’s North Americans
(his next planned contest) if he
wants to contend for the single pro
card given at that show.
Laying the Bricks

In order to get where he is now,
however, he’s invested a lot of work
in building the wheels of what many
believe will one day be a pro phy-
sique. That’s what I wanted to learn
from him: How did he build those
legs?
Like most physique athletes who
compete at the national level, Erik
starts with the basics. Heavy squats,
lunges and deadlifts are the heart
and soul of his workout. In his view,
squats are so important to complete
leg development that he always
does them. He may even add front
squats at the end of a workout, just
to work his quads from a different
leverage point. Erik is a big believer
in using basic lifts and a full range of
motion. “Dip your butt to the floor

Leg Training
Erik tries to
reach failure
on just about
every set
when he’s
working legs.
A Good Blueprint
and push all the way up,” he says. with which you can do 15 but you
“Don’t lose your form, keep your stop at eight, you’re cheating your- Any architect worth his protrac-
head up and back straight. You can’t self. Make sure to find a weight tor will tell you that a builder is
grow if you’re hurt.” that will have you fail at around only as good as the plans he’s been
eight to 10.” given. For building Erik’s legs, his
Don’t Cheat Yourself Don’t underestimate failure trainer, West Virginia–based Andy
either, he says. Erik tries to reach Bartolovich, crafted a workout that
In bodybuilding, cheating is not failure on just about every set would stress every muscle, includ-
always a bad thing. Forced reps, when he’s working legs. His phi- ing the stabilizers, and give the
cheats and X Reps are techniques losophy is to beat the muscle down fibers sufficient stress to stimulate
backed by solid science. To Erik, to ensure a growth response. You growth. It all starts with squats.
however, cheating is selling yourself can do that with legs because, he Erik likes that squats are conducive
short on a set. says, “you usually work them only to moving heavy weights. He feels
“If you put a weight on the rack once per week.” that the way he does them, they’re

Leg Training
almost power squats—they’re more
explosive than slow, more powerlift-
ing than bodybuilding. It works for
him, and he says he gets a better
muscle response than when he tried
more traditional bodybuilding-style
squats.
He also stresses the importance
of taking the time to warm up prop-
erly before getting under the bar
and pounding out heavy reps. Re-
member, you can’t grow when you’re
injured, he says. “Sometimes I’ll do
three or four sets of leg extensions
to warm up, depending on how I’m
feeling.”
After paying penance at the squat
rack, Erik takes a page out of Ronnie
Coleman’s book and gets to steppin’.
Walking lunges done with a barbell
across the back are the “new” hard-
core lift of choice. And why not?
They work. Erik is a creature of habit
as well. His view is that if you like an
exercise and are experiencing good
gains with it, why stop?
“A lot of my lifts are taken from
my football days,” he says. “Lunges
worked then, and they work now.”
What also works is what Erik does
for hamstrings: He gives them a
double dose of stimulation with leg
curls and stiff-legged deadlifts. Just
as you can’t fake biceps work, you
can’t fake hamstring work either. A
lot of lifters work hard on squats and
extensions and let the backside lag.
Balance, in life and bodybuilding,
is always the key. Erik applies the
same principles on those exercises
as he uses on squats: Strive for fail-
ure and full range of motion; don’t
cheat yourself.
He finishes off with a final set of
leg extensions or front squats, de-
pending on what his body is telling
him he needs.
Mining for Diamonds

That leaves calves, Erik’s sig-
nature muscle group. There are a
lot of theories about calf training,
some good, some bad and most in
between. For three relatively small
muscles, they cause a lot of head-
aches for many trainees.
Erik’s philosophy on calves is sim-
ple: Work them from every conceiv-
able angle, and work them hard and
long. By long he means high reps, as
in 100 per set. Yes, that means using

lighter weights, but he believes that overlook.
his calves respond the best to that “The soleus is the base of the
kind of workload. He works calves at calf; without that muscle provid-
every leg workout in the off-season ing support, the entire shape just
to keep them developed, but dur- wouldn’t be there.” That support
ing contest prep he typically trains is what gives the calf its signature
them only as needed, usually once flare and adds width to the dia-
every three or four workouts. mond. To focus on the soleus, Erik
One critical aspect of his calf performs seated calf raises along
training is toe positions. In each set with a couple of exercises that hit
of 10 he changes toe position three the gastrocnemius muscles.
times. He performs 30 to 35 reps He tries to get as much variety
with his toes in, 30 to 35 reps with as he can during what is essen-
them out and then 30 to 35 reps tially a repetition of the same
with them in a neutral position. movement over and over. He
That way he hits the calves from uses the sled and the leg press
every angle, even the soleus mus- to further ensure that his calves
cles, which he thinks many people get hit from every angle and are
sufficiently taxed to spur three-di-

mensional growth. If he could pass
on one “truth” about calf training to
IRON MAN readers, it would be this:
“Stretch all the way down and all the
way back up. The muscle will grow
better that way.”
Having calves that are thick and
wide is a matter of pride with this
young contender. Though he admits
that he was genetically blessed in
terms of structure, he had to work
hard for the size and completeness
he’s achieved.
He’s appreciative of the accolades
he’s received in his emerging career
and understands what a unique
position he’s in. He has a family, in-
cluding a two-year-old son, to keep
him grounded in what’s important
in life as he continues his quest to
be the best in bodybuilding.
For all he’s achieved with his
physique, Erik Fankhouser knows
there’s more work to be done. So
he’ll be back in the gym tomor-
row, working his hardest to nail his
conditioning—and a pro card—this
year. You might say “the House” with
the good foundation has a bright
future.
Editor’s note: To contact Erik

Frankhouser for guest posing or ap-
pearances, send him e-mail at
erikfankhouser@hotmail.com. IM

Fat-Burning
Firestorm
Ephedra-Free
Fat Burners
nless you’ve been keeping company with Rip Van Winkle,
U you’ve probably seen many negative reports concerning

ephedra over the past year or so. Despite its long history of
safe use, the herb has been increasingly subject to reports
of adverse reactions. Touted for its ability to reduce lipogenesis (the
formation of fat) and induce thermogenesis (heat that breaks down
fat cells), as well as treat asthma and upper-respiratory complica-
tions, ephedra has been linked to reported cases of stroke and heart
attacks. Researchers at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration have
speculated that ephedra, coupled with other stimulative products,
is behind those reactions. Even without 100 percent certainty, many
supplement manufacturers stopped using ephedra in their products,
even before the FDA ban went into effect. That initiated interest in al-
ternative products that can induce fat burning without raising blood
pressure or triggering other risk factors. So here’s a review of the best-
known natural fat burners that can be used safely and effectively.
by George L. Redmon, Ph.D., N.D.

Chromium Picolinate
picolinate was 2-to-1 over exercise called lipoprotein lipase and scav-
Discovered by Dr. Gary Evans, alone. enges fat cells.
professor of chemistry at Bemidji Chromium is probably one of the
State University in Minnesota, chro- most widely used mineral supple- L-Carnitine
mium picolinate is the trace mineral ments in fighting the battle of the
chromium bound to picolinic acid, bulge. When chromium is present, Bodyfat used as fuel must first
a natural chelator the body uses to the body is better able to metabolize be freed from the fat cells where
transport nutrients into cells. In the fats, curb appetite, maintain energy it’s stored. The process is known as
case of chromium picolinate, the levels and increase the transporta- lipolysis, and L-carnitine, a non-
target is insulin, which is critical for tion of amino acids into muscle essential
the proper metabolism of fat, carbo- cells. The FDA recommends taking amino acid,
hydrates and protein. Without chro- 50 to 200 micrograms per day of is a key
mium, insulin chromium. substance
can’t do its Note: Some researchers claim that liber-
job properly. that chromium picolinate is poorly ates fat
Chromi- absorbed by the body and that chro- mobiliza-
um’s role and mium polynicotinate, an alternate tion.
its interac- form, may be more effective. There’s
tion with evidence
insulin CLA that im-
was sub- proper
stantiated Conjugated linoleic acid, a free carnitine
in early fatty acid, is unsaturated and vital levels
research to the body’s ability to retain muscle inside the
by Wal- tone and reduce bodyfat—a good cell cause
ter Metz, fat. Naturally found in dairy prod- fatty acids
former ucts, meat and sunflower and saf- to be me-
chief of flower oils, it’s an important natural tabolized
biological compound that’s causing quite a stir very slowly.
chemistry because of its fat-burning proper- That can cause an excessive buildup
at the Wal- ties. To get an adequate daily supply, within the cell and on the areas
ter Reed you’d have to eat three pounds of surrounding it, which can lead to
Army In- hamburger, 25 slices of American elevated blood fat and triglycerides,
stitute of Research. He discovered cheese or a half gallon of ice cream. the most common fat in food. Data
the link between chromium and its In a study at the University of Wis- suggest that you need 1,000 to 3,000
reaction with receptor sites on cell consin, test subjects got CLA at a milligrams of carnitine every day to
membranes. Experiments validated rate of 0.6 per- improve fat metabolism and reduce
chromium’s ability to reduce harm- cent of their blood triglycerides. When sufficient
ful cholesterol and triglycerides in dietary in- L-carnitine is present, the body’s
diabetic and chromium-deficient take. Bodyfat ability to break down fats into fatty
animals. percentages acids is enhanced. Using the anal-
Evidence continues to mount declined by ogy of a shuttle bus, fatty acids are
regarding chromium picolinate’s 46 percent, transported into the mitochondria,
bioavailability to cells and its ability while lean the power plants of the cells, where
to accelerate fat loss while helping muscle they’re burned as fuel and used to
to preserve or even increase lean increased produce energy.
muscle. A 1990 study conducted by by 9 per- L-carnitine is linked to ketosis,
Deborah Hasten, an exercise physi- cent. The described by Dr. Jeffrey Bland as a
ologist at Louisiana State Univer- dosage low-carbohydrate condition in the
sity, showed a meaningful increase recom- body. Proponents of the ketogenic
in lean body mass in a beginning mended diet insist that if your body doesn’t
weight-training program over a by the re- have carbohydrates to draw on
12-week period. A double-blind searchers for energy, it resorts to an alter-
study conducted with off-season is one to nate source of fuel, namely stored
football players who got 1.6 milli- two grams bodyfat. If that diet isn’t monitored,
grams of chromium picolinate over daily. especially in diabetics, the blood
a six-week weight-training program While may become acidic, possibly gener-
revealed that chromium picolinate researchers have yet to find out ating excessive urinary loss of vital
more than doubled the develop- exactly how CLA assists the body, electrolytes as the body eliminates
ment of lean body mass. Research- they do know that it modulates the unused calories. If left unchecked,
ers in that study concluded that metabolism of fat, discourages fat the condition may become life
the net benefit of using chromium storage with the help of an enzyme threatening. Researchers now know

When you cut back on carbs,
you decrease the release
of insulin, thus freeing the
hormone glucagon to unlock
fat cells.
Medium-Chain
Triglycerides
Highly charged fats used ex-
tensively because they enter the
bloodstream and are immediately
converted to glucose, releasing
energy for your workout, MCTs
come with an added benefit. Obe-
sity researchers suggest exchanging
MCT oil for starchy carbohydrates.
that L-carnitine, via its regulation of

fat metabolism, prevents the accu-
mulation of ketone bodies.
L-Phenylalanine
Phenylalanine, an amino acid,
helps suppress appetite by way of
its conversion in the body into neu-
rotransmitters, or brain chemicals,
that carry signals from the brain
cells to other parts of the body.
According to Dr. William H. Lee, a
renowned amino acid researcher,
when there’s a lot of L-phenylala-
nine present, signals between brain
cells become stronger.
The two brain chemicals L-phe- Phenylalanine,
nylalanine produces are norepi-
nephrine and dopamine. Classified
an amino acid,
as excitatory transmitters, they
make us feel good about ourselves.
helps suppress
Norepinephrine also stimulates the
release of the hormone cholecysto-
appetite by way
kinin. When CCK is produced and
released, it signals the brain that the
of its conversion
stomach is full and needs no more
food, thus making you feel sated.
in the body into
The recommended dose is 100 to neurotransmitters,
500 milligrams in the morning on an
empty stomach, to offset competi- or brain chemicals.
tion for absorption, especially that
of protein. You can buy L-phenyl-
alanine in L-form or DL-form; you
want the L-form.
Note: Persons who use MAO in-
hibitors, including some antidepres-
sants, have high blood pressure or
the genetic disease phenylketonia
(PKU) should not use phenylala-
nine. PKU is a condition caused by a
metabolic block, which can lead to
severe mental retardation.

Antifat Nutrients
That change will increase your High-fiber
body’s thermogenic capabilities foods can Dallas Clouatre, Ph.D., of the
twofold. According to nutritionist suppress University of California, Berkeley,
Maggie Greenwood Robinson, when comments that natural weight-
you cut back on carbohydrates, you appetite. loss products are now sold by
decrease the release of insulin, thus numerous pharmaceutical com-
freeing the hormone glucagon to panies. It’s important to remem-
step up its action. Glucagon acts like ber that ephedra is not the only
a key, unlocking fat cells and en- antifat nutrient you have at your
couraging their use as fuel. Insulin disposal. You can obtain a mea-
has an opposite effect—it locks up sure of success by using just one
fat cells and encourages fat storage. nutrient or several in combination
MCT oil used in that capacity will and remain body beautiful and
help speed up metabolism and your ephedra free.
ability to burn bodyfat as well as
preserve lean muscle tissue. Editor’s note: George L. Red-
mon, Ph.D., N.D., is an author, in-
dependent nutritional counselor
and doctor of naturopathy, having
been associated with the natural
health industry for more than 20
years. A graduate of the Clayton
College of Natural Health, Ameri-
can Holistic College of Nutrition
and Walden University, he is the
author of Sensual for Life (Kens-
ington), Natural Born Fatburners
(Safe Goods), Energy for Life (Vital
Health), Managing and Preventing
Arthritis: The Natural Alternatives
(Hohm Press), Managing and
Preventing Prostate Disorders: The
Natural Alternatives (Hohm Press)
and Minerals: What Your Body Re-
ally Needs and Why (Avery).
References
Bland, J. (1983). Medical appli-
cations of clinical nutrition. Keats
Publishing.
Clouatre, D. (1997). Anti-fat
nutrients. Pax Publishing.
Evans, G. W. (1989). The effect
of chromium picolinate on insulin
controlled parameters in humans.
Int J Biosocial Med Res. 11:163-
180.
Frenkel, R., et al. (1980). Carni-
tine Biosynthesis Metabolism and
Functions. Academic Press.
West, D.B., et al. (1998). Effects
and energy metabolism in the
mouse. Am J Phys. 275:R667-672.
Lee, W.L. (1984). Amazing
Amino Acids. Keats Publishing.
Pearson, D., and Shaw, S.
(1986). The Life Extension Weight
Loss Program. Doubleday and Co.
Sheats, C., and Robinson,
M.G. (1995). Lean Bodies. Warner
Books. IM

Bodybuilding.com
Presents

The Best Tri’ Tips and Training Programs
by Matt Weik - Photography by Michael Neveux
How many people like to play horse- triceps is to extend the elbow, apart in the middle of the handle.
shoes? Okay, not that many. How straightening the arm. The sec- Your feet should be shoulder width
many people like to have a huge ondary function is fulfilled only by apart, about 10 to 12 inches back
horseshoe on the back of their arm? the long head of the muscle, and from the handle.
Now we’re talking! that is bringing the arm down to- Fully bend your arms, pressing
The triceps is somewhat neglect- ward the body, called adduction. your upper arms against your torso,
ed in many bodybuilders’ massive where they should stay through the
arm workouts. Too many want bulg- duration of the set. Leaning slightly
ing biceps, but in reality the biceps Triceps Exercises forward, move your forearms down,
is a smaller muscle than the triceps. Here are my top four triceps slowly straightening your arms.
There are many triceps-build- exercises: Hold the straight-arm position mo-
ing choices in the gym, including mentarily while flexing your triceps
dumbbells, cables, barbells—even Pulley pushdowns. A basic intensely. Slowly return to the start-
your own bodyweight. movement, it stresses the entire ing point.
The best thing you can do is try triceps muscle complex, particu- A good variation is to use the rope
as many exercises as possible and larly the outer and medial heads. handle or V-bar. You can also do the
see which ones work for you. First, Grip the bar overhand with your exercise with an undergrip on the
though, you should get up to speed index fingers three to five inches bar and with different grip widths.
on triceps form and function.
Anatomy of the Triceps

The triceps brachii has three
heads that connect the humerus Pushdowns
and scapula bones to the ulna, one
of the forearm bones. The three
heads are known as the lateral, me-
dial and long heads.
The lateral head is located on
the outward-facing side of the hu-
merus. It’s most responsible for the
horseshoe shape of the triceps. The
Model: Derik Farnsworth
medial head is located toward the

midline of the body. The long head
runs along the bottom side of the
humerus; it’s the largest of the three.
The primary function of the

Bodybuilding.com
Presents
Lying Barbell
Extensions
These fundamental favorites
isolate intense stress on the triceps,
particularly the medial and outer
heads. Taking a narrow overgrip in
the middle of a moderately weighted Pullover and presses.
barbell, lie on your back on an ex-
ercise bench. Keep your feet on the
sides of the bench to provide bal-
ance.
Extend your arms straight above
your head. With your upper arms
remaining motionless throughout
the set, bend your elbows. The
barbell should travel downward in
an arc until it slightly touches your
forehead. Reverse the direction of
the movement of the bar, using only
Model: Lee Apperson

triceps strength to slowly straighten
your arms.
Kickbacks.
are fully bent. Without bouncing in

the bottom position, slowly raise the
dumbbell back to the start position.
You can increase the strictness of
the movement by sitting at the end
of a flat exercise bench or on the
floor with your back braced against
Model: Daryl Gee
the bench. A good variation is the

one-arm version.
(continued on page 214)
There are many effective varia-

tions. You could use different grip
widths, do them seated, use an un- One-arm triceps extensions.
dergrip, or use a decline or incline
bench.
One-Dumbbell
Extensions
This movement stresses the entire
triceps muscle complex, particularly
the inner and medial heads. Grip
the dumbbell so that your palms are
facing the inner-top plate and the
dumbbell is hanging straight down,
perpendicular to the gym floor. To
keep the weight from slipping, lock
your thumbs around the dumbbell
handle.
Model: John Cowgill
Lift the dumbbell straight up

above your head. That’s the start
position. Lower the weight slowly
behind your head until your arms

Bodybuilding.com
Presents
Standing Barbell
Extensions
A fundamental triceps exercise,
standing barbell extensions stress
the inner and medial heads of the
triceps muscle complex. Take a
narrow overgrip in the middle of a
moderately weighted barbell. With
feet about shoulder width apart,
stand erect, and extend your arms
straight up from your shoulders.
Keep your upper arms in the
Incline
same position, while you lower the extensions.
weight slowly behind your head
until your arms are completely bent.
Without bouncing in the bottom
position, slowly raise the bar back to
the starting position.
You can vary the width of your
Model: Todd Smith

grip on the bar or use an under-
grip to isolate different parts of the
muscle. You can also do them seated
to isolate your legs from movement,
making the exercise somewhat
stricter. Intermediate Routine
Parallel-bar dips 3-4 x 12-6 Editor’s note: Matt Weik gradu-
Incline extensions 2-3 x 8-12 ated from Penn State University
More Great Triceps with a degree in kinesiology. He’s a
Exercises Advanced Routine bodybuilder and personal trainer.
Pullover and presses 4 x 12-6 For more of his articles visit www
Here’s a list of other effective Lying extensions 4 x 8-12 .Bodybuilding.com. IM
triceps exercises that you should Dumbbell kickbacks 4 x 8-12
check out:
Close-grip
• Reverse-grip bench presses bench
• Bench dips presses.
• One-arm dumbbell extensions

• Two-arm dumbbell extensions
• Reverse-grip pushdowns
• One-arm pushdowns
• High-pulley pushouts
Model: Luke Wood
Model: Eric Domer
• Kneeling high-pulley pushouts

• One-arm high-pulley pushouts Dips.
• Dumbbell kickbacks
• One-arm cable kickbacks
Bench dips.
Top 3 Triceps Workouts

Here are the best of the best tri-
ceps training plans:
Beginner Routine
Close-grip bench presses 3 x 12-6

Pushdowns 2 x 8-12

Bodybuilding.com
Presents
Top
Top 10
10 Triceps
Triceps Routines
Routines
Routine 1
Lying extensions 3 x 10-12
Pushdowns 4 x 10-12
Lying dumbbell extensions 4 x 10-12
Bench dips 3 x max
Routine 2
Pushdowns 4 x 8-10
Bent-over rope extensions 4 x 10-12
One-to-two-arm dumbbell extensions 2-3 x 10-12
Routine 3
Lying extensions 3-4 x 6-15
Pushdowns 3-4 x 6-15
One-arm cable extensions 3-4 x 6-15
Routine 4
Seated one-dumbbell extensions 3-4 x 6-15
Decline barbell extensions 3 x 8-12
Pulley pushdowns 2-3 x 8-12
Routine 5 Incredible Tasting

Seated barbell extensions 6 x 10-15
One-arm dumbbell extensions 6 x 10-15 WPI Formula For Athletes
Pushdowns 6 x 10-15 Who Need To Supplement
Protein Intake
Routine 6 (You Won’t Get Sick of It!)
Lying extensions 4-6 x 6 24g Protein Per Serving
High-pulley cable extensions 4-6 x 6
Kneeling high-pulley cable extensions 4-6 x 6 No Sugar • Aspartame Free
Anabolic/Anti-Catabolic
Routine 7 Power of IntraPro AAC7™
Pushdowns 4 x 8-12
Cable extensions 4 x 6-8 Available In Delicious
Seated one-dumbbell extensions 4-6 x 8-10 Vanilla, Double Chocolate
and Strawberries & Cream
Routine 8 We Make Products That Work!
Close-grip bench presses 4-5 x 12-6
Pushdowns 4 x 8-10
Seated one-arm dumbbell extensions 3 x 8-10
Routine 9
Pushdowns 5 x 8-12
Routine 10 www.gasparinutrition.com
Available at health and vitamin stores,
Decline barbell extensions 3 x 10-12 gyms and select retailers nationwide.

Legends of Bodybuilding
Five-time IRON MAN

Pro Champion.

Flex Wheeler Reminisces and Reflects On His
Bodybuilding Career and the Current State of the Sport
by Rod Labbe
ang it! Just when gears mesh and every duck is lined
up, Murphy’s Law comes along to yank the very
comfortable rug out from beneath your feet.
That’s what went down in 2002, right after I’d
landed a career-defining assignment: profiling Flex
Wheeler. Flex had just completed an outstanding run as one of
modern bodybuilding’s greatest competitors. No longer con-
tracted to Weider, he stood at a career (and lifestyle) crossroads.
What would follow next? An autobiography? Movies? TV? His
own line of nutritional supplements?
Tape recorder on, computer keyboard smokin’, I listened as Flex
described struggles past and present and the mysterious new horizon
that lay before him. He hoped it offered a more rewarding existence,
for he had finally conquered his demons, personal and professional.
We conversed for hours that day and planned one more session.
Then, suddenly, his cell phone number no longer worked, and my
follow-up e-mails were bounced back as “undeliverable.” Uh-oh!
I stored “Flex 2002” on my hard drive and sketched a mental note:
maybe someday.
Someday came three years later. In 2005 Flex launched a Web site,
and I dropped him a line. A little updating here, some tweaking there,
and we produced an account of an extraordinary journey of self.
It’s worth every bit of the wait.

“It may blow

your mind,
but I’ve only
been featured
on five covers
in the United
States!”
Flex Wheeler:
Yesterday 2002
His winning form at
RL: Bodybuilding, early the ’97 IRON MAN
’90s. Flex Wheeler hits the Pro.
scene running, and fans can’t
get enough. But do any of
them see inside your heart?
Just who is Ken “Flex” Wheel-
er?
FW: The Flex of 1993 is a bit-
tersweet memory. This is my first
interview since rediscovering
myself, and I’m glad it’s for IRON
MAN’s Legends.
Here’s how everything started:
When I was in the ninth grade,
I began working out with my
brother, Darnell, and our friend
Mike Garza. We lifted weights in
Mike’s backyard after school and
moved up to a real gym in Fresno
called Dina’s. Mike and I went at
it seriously, but Darnell wasn’t
so dedicated. [Laughs] Someone
told me about a bodybuilding
show, the AAU Mr. Fresno, and
Jeff Lawson said I should com-
pete. Me? No way! Why would I
want to do a bodybuilding con-
test? I’d seen probably two or
three muscle mags in my entire
life!
RL: If competition wasn’t

the game, what did body-
building mean to you?
FW: A way to slap muscle on
my skinny bones. I never, ever
thought about competing. Strut-
ting around onstage half naked
made no sense. Who would want
to look at my body? I could barely
stand to look at it myself!
RL: You signed up, though.

FW: Yeah, yeah. When you’re 15
and everybody’s talking potential
and genetics, it puts stars in your
eyes. I had no idea where it would
lead, but I did know my life up till RL: Something obviously FW: No, I enjoyed lifting too
then hadn’t been so hot. clicked. You competed again the much. Jeff claimed if I ever stopped
next year. chasing girls, I’d have a respectable
RL Fifteen is young. How FW: Sounds trite, but I just want- career as a bodybuilder. [Laughs] He
did your routine go? ed to be a good athlete. There was a even offered to train me.
FW: What routine? [Laughs] I bodybuilding competition between
basically imitated the other body- schools. I entered and won best abs RL: And that led to your col-
builders. I wore my burgundy and got hammered on by just about laboration with Jeff?
underwear, and they weren’t even everybody. FW: Yes, it did. I went to Fitness
new! Ha! Can you imagine pos- Plus and took him up on his offer.
ing like that in front of dozens of RL: You weren’t discouraged I switched from the AAU to the
people? Oh, God. by the criticism? NPC. A big (continued on page 222)

Aesthetic mass.
Second place
at the ’98 Mr.
Olympia, behind
Ronnie Coleman.

weight win at the Governor’s You Can Get
Flex
Flex Wheeler’s
Wheeler’s Pro Cup.
Pro Record
Record
FW: Yeah! I was 198 and a quar-
ter, but I couldn’t tell up from
Bigger,
’93 IRONMAN Pro, 1st down. Heavyweight? Weight class-
es? Huh?
Stronger
’93 Arnold Classic, 1st
RL: In ’89 you bagged the
and Leaner
’93 Grand Prix Germany, 1st Faster Than Ever
Mr. California title. How’d that
’93 Mr. Olympia, 2nd feel? Before!
’93 Grand Prix England, 2nd FW: My honest reaction? It
meant very little to me. After the You don’t have to burn hard-earned muscle
’95 Florida Pro, 1st as you melt away fat. Now you can actually
California I went home, and every- build more muscle size and strength as your
’95 IRONMAN Pro, 1st body said, “Whoa, Flex, you’re Mr. abs get razor sharp and you get ripped.
California; you’re a star.” I had no That’s the attention-grabbing look you want
now, and the new Fat to Muscle 2 shows you
’95 Arnold Classic, 2nd appreciation of what I’d accom- how. You’ll discover:
plished. My ignorance was holding
’95 Mr. Olympia, 8th
me back.
• Precise nutrition guidelines and diets—
eat to max out your muscle mass as pounds
’95 Grand Prix Spain, 5th of ugly bodyfat disappear. (Learn the Carb-
Stacking strategy that can transform mus-
RL: Enter Jim Manion. cle size and stoke the fat-burning furnace.)
’96 IRONMAN Pro, 1st
FW: Yes, Jim. We met, and he • Which substance—found in almost any
’96 Arnold Classic, 2nd asked if I was natural. Natural? kitchen—is the ultimate aid for energy,
better muscular response and fat burning.
Sure, why not. Okay, I’m a natural,
’96 Toronto Pro, 2nd whatever! I didn’t understand it
• How dairy can help you burn fat—
yogurt, cheese and milk can get you leaner.
’96 Florida Pro, 1st had anything to do with drugs! • How to increase fat use with a minimum of
aerobic exercise, and why aerobics may be
’96 Night of Champions, 1st a waste of time for a lean, muscular look.
RL: Your publicity acceler- • The amazing direct/indirect Fat-to-
’96 Mr. Olympia, 4th ated considerably in 1990. Muscle 2 training program—with this
innovative routine it appears as if you train a
FW: The year 1990 was both an bodypart only once a week, but you really
’97 IRONMAN Pro, 1st important and disappointing year. train each twice thanks to indirect work (and
I felt good going into the Junior each workout takes less than an hour).
’97 Arnold Classic, 1st
Nationals, but second place hit me • The 8 key nutrients for faster fat burn-
ing, including how much to take of each.
’97 San Jose Pro, 1st hard. I openly cried from the stage • Top 6 fat-to-muscle tricks. (Great info!)
’98 IRONMAN Pro, 1st all the way to the elevator, sobbing • The 10 rules for super energy.
like a baby. In those days, I did not The secrets to melting away bodyfat as you
’98 Arnold Classic, 1st handle defeat well.
build lean, ripped muscle
are all packed in this IRONMAN
Magazine’
s
’98 Mr. Olympia, 2nd bulletin—eating plans, BULLETIN

#5
RL: What was your next step? workout routines,

metabolism-accelera-
FAT TO
’99 Mr. Olympia, 2nd FW: I collected my stuff and tion techniques and the MUSCLE
went home. As the experience sank best fat-to-muscle
’99 Joe Weider Pro World, 2nd
in, I knew I’d have to keep going.
nutrients. Stop dieting
Pack On Le
2
away muscle—pack As You Shed Mass
an
’99 Grand Prix England, 2nd I was training with Chris Cormier on more as you burn Includes carb
-sta
Bodyfat
diets, grow cking and carb-reducti
fat-burning th hormone activatio on
and Rico McClinton in L.A. Rico fat, and look your wor
and the 10 kouts and supplements
n,
’00 IRONMAN Pro, 2nd hard, muscular best

Rules for Sup
er Energy
and I signed up for the AAU Teen- in record time!

’00 Arnold Classic, 1st age Black America. We were the
’00 Grand Prix Hungary, 1st only two competing, and he was
much bigger than me. I thought,
Just $9.95
plus $6.50 postage & handling ($15 outside North
’00 Mr. Olympia, 3rd Damn, Rico’s gonna beat my butt America) (California residents add 8.25% sales tax)
and steal my trophy. But I beat him Credit card orders call
’02 Mr. Olympia, 7th
instead. 1-800-447-0008, offer ITS
’03 IRONMAN Pro, 3rd
RL: How many AAU shows did YES! I want to transform my physique. Rush
*From GraphicMuscle.com you do? me IRONMAN’s Fat to Muscle 2.
FW: Let’s see. I won 60 to 70
Rush my
......................................................
contests in AAU Fresno. I’d enter
copy to: .....................................................
(continued from page 219) change! I as many as I could in the same
....................................................
was terrified—those guys were for day and leave with five or six titles. Enclose check or money order for $9.95 plus $6.50
real. No disrespect, but the NPC’s That gave me a false sense of se- shipping payable to: Home GYM Warehouse,
1701 Ives Ave., Oxnard, CA 93033.
caliber is so much higher. I did my curity because in the NPC it’s very Credit card orders call TOLL FREE
first NPC show in 1988, the Russ different. 1-800-447-0008, offer ITS
Warner Classic. Won middleweights CA residents add 8.25% sales tax. Foreign orders
(except Canada) add $15 shipping. Payment in
and lost the overall. RL: Okay, now we’re up to ’91 U.S. dollars drawn on U.S. banks only.
and the USA. Quite an ego slam
RL: Followed by a heavy- for Chris Cormier.

Taking the ’98 Arnold

Classic. Flex had also
won it in ’93.

FW: I landed in second place, and

Chris took fourth. He was pissed.
[Grins] I kidded him onstage, whis-
pering, “No way, bro, I shoulda
won!” Number one again at
the ’98 IRON MAN.
RL: And your personal life:
high or low?
FW: The lowest. It sucked! A
bodybuilder’s lifestyle can be quite
expensive, what with gym member-
ships, nutrition and supplements
and the everyday costs of living.
Financially, my picture couldn’t have
been bleaker.
RL: None of it affected your

love for lifting.
FW: No, I was very dedicated. I
wanted to give my all to bodybuild-
ing, to the personal achievement of
designing a great physique—but I’d
never have done it without help. We
were training with Rico. Neal Spruce,
my best buddy, taught me about nu-
trition. Cormier and Rico worked at
the Roxbury as doormen, and they’d
scrape up coin to feed me. Desper-
ate, huh?
RL: Not so much desperate as

eye-opening.
FW: It was a depressing time for
me. I barely had enough cash to go
to the Nationals. Neal went down
and paid my bill without telling me.
That’s the kind of person he is. When
I’d cry, he’d cry. People don’t come
along like that very often in life.
When they do, cherish them.
RL: Were you having regrets?

FW: About bodybuilding? No. But
there’s nothing worse than being
Many think Wheeler had the best back in
broke. It forced me to rethink my bodybuilding—and it tapered to a tiny waist.
priorities.
“Don’t worry, I’ll take care of you.” RL: Though you were a figure to
RL: Despite doubts and per- A contract enabled me to pay for be reckoned with, press coverage
sonal setbacks, your bodybuild- food, and I made my pro debut the was wanting. Shouldn’t there have
ing career was building major following year. been more, especially for a pro?
steam. FW: You noticed that? [Laughs]
FW: True, but push came to shove. RL: That sparked an impres- Maybe I rubbed people the wrong
I decided to compete one more time, sive string of victories. way, but I’ve never had the kind of
and if I didn’t do well, I’d quit. FW: The ’93 IRONMAN Pro attention a champion deserves. It may
cinched it for me. Beating Vince blow your mind, but I’ve only been
RL: The ’92 USA spun things Taylor and Lee Labrada instantly featured on five covers in the United
around, big time. established me as the new threat. States!
FW: Thank God! I went into the
USA with Neal and Chris and Rico. RL: A scenario repeated at RL: Just five covers? Get out.
I won the entire show, my class and the ’93 Arnold. You had mo- FW: No lie! Flex once, the NPC News
the overall, with a perfect score. [Joe] mentum, my friend. twice, IRONMAN once, and Jeff Ever-
Weider and Manion handed me the FW: [Grins] Winning does won- son’s magazine. That’s pathetic! I won
trophy, and Joe whispered in my ear, ders for your self-esteem! the IRONMAN Pro and Arnold Classic

more times than anyone and was

Check out the listed in the 2002 Guinness Book of
improvement World Records—21 titles, 27 shows.
But you won’t see me on covers!
from ’98 to [Shakes head] In ’98 I swept every
2000 (far title I went after, including the Ar-
right). nold, and I’m [Flex’s] cover man
only once. I used to get very angry
about it, but I’m not bitter anymore.
RL: You copped the German

Grand Prix in ’93 too.
FW: With a perfect score. Lee
[Haney] had retired, and I was
pumped for the Olympia. I wanted
to go in and wreak havoc!
RL: It turned out to be a rath-

er historic scene.
FW: An unbelievable night. Sec-
ond place behind Dorian Yates,
a real upset! For the first time, an
amateur making his pro debut was
named the number-two bodybuild-
er in the world. Nobody had ever
heard of such a thing.
RL: For a while you supplant-

ed Shawn Ray as the Great Black
Hope.
FW: It generated a tremendous
response and more seminar work
for me. But soon after, on June 9,
1994, I had a major car accident and
snapped my neck in two places. In
an instant my bodybuilding career
came to a screeching halt. No earn-
ing ability, nothing. I was laid up for
weeks.
RL: Didn’t your Weider con-

tract act as a safety net?
FW: So I thought. Unfortunately,
the Weider group revoked my con-
tract. They sent me a fax stating that
since I couldn’t uphold my endorse-
ment performance, my contract had
been terminated. I tried to reach
Joe, but suddenly he wasn’t avail-
able.
No one even called to check if I
was dead or alive. I faxed them back,
saying I’d compete in the ’95 Arnold
Classic and IRONMAN if they rein-
stated me.
RL: Which they did.

FW: Grudgingly. My contract was
reinstated to only one-sixth of what
it had been. I lost my home, my Har-
ley, everything material. Neal Spruce
came to my rescue again and let me
and my girlfriend stay in his condo.

RL: Were you ever able to

restore their faith in you?
FW: No, though I tried and tried.
1995 was the first year of the South The ’00 IRON MAN,
Beach Invitational. I entered that 2nd place behind
and the IRONMAN, followed by the Chris Cormier.
Olympia. I walked back onstage in
February at the South Beach and
won. But Joe thought very little of
it. At the Olympia, I placed eighth;
I was defeating guys who were
healthy, but Joe could only look at
how I’d been before my accident.
RL: How was your mood af-

fected?
FW: It’s sorely disappointing
when people no longer have faith
in you, but I was happy and satis-
fied with my performances. I’d just
come out of a major injury and had
almost lost my life. To go back on-
stage and make a decent showing—
after only a few months—that’s an
accomplishment, in my opinion.
You know, I’ve always gotten the
crappy end. Remember Dorian’s
famous biceps tear? The mags fell
over themselves covering it. They
called him a hero, a warrior. I re-
cover from having my face literally
ripped from the bone, and no one
blinked!
RL: The mags were doing a

major number on you.
FW: All the magazines were
against me, and I’m still not sure
why. One minute, you’re in favor,
the next, you’re not.
RL: But you continued to

make a very strong comeback.
FW: 1996 was an awesome year!
I won the IRONMAN and came in
second to Kevin Levrone at the Ar-
nold Classic. At the Canada Invita-
tional, Ronnie [Coleman] defeated
me, and was I pissed! I couldn’t wait
to challenge him again.
RL: Man on a mission! You

pummeled his ass at the Flori-
da Pro Cup Invitational.
FW: It set up the Night of Cham-
pions, where I beat him a second
time.
RL: That brought you once

again to the Olympia stage.
FW: [Reflectively] Yeah, but I had
a problem and only placed fourth.
Another bitter pill to swallow.

Arnold himself was quite en-

amored of your abilities.
FW: At the ’97 Arnold Classic he
called me the best bodybuilder in
history—in front of everyone at the
seminar before the competition. I
was flabbergasted.
RL: After the ’98 Arnold you

got your second wind.
FW: Dorian had retired, and
I thought the ’98 Olympia was
gonna be mine. But Ronnie beat
me by three points—three points,
bro!
RL: Wasn’t he behind you

by, like, 17, at one point in the
judging?
FW: Yeah. Somehow, he bridged
that gap. And afterward, Weider
offered him a contract!
RL: You’ve gone up against

Coleman in several forums,
not just the Olympia.
FW: At Joe Weider’s Pro World,
for one—held in England. Once
again, I smacked up against reality;
you just don’t defeat Mr. Olym-
pia. At the ’99 Olympia, I was 17
pounds heavier, in better shape
than ever before, and Ronnie still
slammed it with a perfect score.
Taking home
the big RL: What about 2000?
check and FW: The new millennium. I
a big trophy did the ’00 IRONMAN, and Chris
Cormier beat me. Damn! It hurt my
presented feelings terribly.
by the Big
Guy and Joe RL: Only a temporary set-
Weider at the back. You were able to exact
sweet revenge at the Arnold!
’98 Arnold FW: Oh, very sweet [Laughs]. I
Classic. trounced him!
RL: The ’00 Olympia saw your

return to classic form.
FW: Man, you’re fillin’ me full
RL: Do you ever look back on RL: Sounds like you’ve of compliments. I like it. [Laughs]
your bodybuilding career and grown up. The year 2000 was a good one but
say, “What a blast”? FW: Maturing should be a one of my last. I did the Olympia
FW: Emphatically, no! People natural process, but I learned the and placed third behind Ronnie
ask me if I had a benchmark as a hard way. Impetuousness and not and Kevin [Levrone]. All the Weider
bodybuilder. You’d think it might thinking situations through have guys were picking me off. [Shakes
be my first Olympia, but I was too been the biggest downfalls of my head] And then I became ill and
young and didn’t understand what life! had to go to the hospital. I was
it all meant. Now, I can reflect on fighting colitis, along with other
my career from a more objective RL: You’re describing nasty stuff.
viewpoint and see the missed op- human nature. By ’97 you’d
portunities and situations handled snagged the Arnold Classic RL: At least it gave you time
badly. three times, and I read that to reflect.

FW: Being laid

up allows for lots
of reflection time.
Friends of mine—
Rico, among Onstage with
them—reached out Darrem Charles
to me about beat the ’98 IRON
coming a Christian. MAN Pro.
Around November
2000 we started
studying the Bible
together. We stud-
ied every day. On
June 28, 2001, I
dedicated my life
to God, and on the
29th I was baptized
and quit taking ste-
roids. Cold turkey.
RL: Completely
clean?
FW: Completely.
I don’t use any-
more. I’m one of
Christ’s soldiers,
and my biggest
contest is against
evil. I love speaking
about it, at church-
es, gatherings,
anywhere. There’s
also a book in my
future; I recently
signed a contract,
and one of their
key considerations
is that I stop using.
RL: A book?
Cool! Your life
story?
FW: Yes, and it
will be published
in hardback. They
gave me a great
deal. Since Sep-
tember 2001 I’ve been unemployed. RL: It’s essential to formulate And when I was nicknamed Flex,
Bio-Chem released me, so I’m mak- a backup plan. that’s kind of unforgettable. Even
ing ends meet by personal training. FW: Definitely. My number-one before I was seen, they knew the
piece of advice for any young body- name.
RL: Okay, spill it. Is bodybuilder: Do your homework. Educate
building a lucrative sport? Can yourself so you can’t be misled or RL: It’s been an effective sell-
you actually earn a good living compromised because of a buck. Ask ing point, but it’s more than
from it? how far you can go with your body. mere name recognition. Maybe
FW: The money situation’s awful, When you come up with an answer, bodybuilding was your destiny.
and our exposure’s wanting. People move on from there. FW: Bodybuilding was my desti-
worldwide have no idea who Mr. ny. I mean, I look back at how every-
Olympia is; we’re not up to the stan- RL: Why do you think you went thing unfolded, and I understand
dards of other sports. The cost of so far in bodybuilding, Flex? there’s a divine plan at work. I was
living is rising, all sports income is FW: I was blessed by God to have a born with this physique, to begin
rising, but Weider contracts stay at a different type of physique—a decent with—it’s God given. Plus, I have
certain level or drop off. combination of mass and symmetry. drive and absolutely hate to lose.

RL: Speaking of friction, what

Ready to go about your own involvement?
pro—flexing at a You had an ongoing feud with
Shawn Ray.
’92 photo session FW: Yeah, I’ve been involved in
under the Neveux personality clashes. Some were the
studio lights. result of writers, magazines and
supplement companies pissing tur-
pentine on a brushfire. It wasn’t en-
tertaining—not for me. What readers
should realize is that bodybuilders
are flesh-and-blood people. We have
feelings, we have different personali-
ties, and it’s not at all the way we’re
portrayed in the mags.
RL: Have your feelings

changed about Shawn?
FW: Since God has come into
my life, I’ve tried to make amends.
I publicly apologize to every man
and woman I’ve ever hurt, including
Shawn. All I ask is for them to judge
me on who I am today, in 2002, not
who I was in 1993.
Flex Wheeler:
Today
RL: Here we are a scant four
years later. How ya doin’, big
dawg?
FW: Fine, bro, just fine—now!
Sorry for letting our earlier project
lapse. I had health issues, and my
commitments fell by the wayside.
RL: No problem. I realize

you’ve been ill.
FW: It wasn’t just an illness. I was
at death’s door! Have you ever heard
of focal segmental glomerulosclero-
sis—FSGS?
RL: Was there ever a time doesn’t exist anymore, and that’s
when you felt compelled to sad. I don’t blame the athletes; RL: It doesn’t sound good.
pack on more mass? competitive bodybuilding is a FW: FSGS is the most deadly form
FW: That proved to be a mistake. cutthroat enterprise. of kidney disease known to mankind.
I trained to get bigger and bigger, No cure, no therapy. A kidney trans-
but it just didn’t jive with my body RL: Money is undoubtedly plant’s the only option, and they
type. If I’m a sprinter, it’s best I the culprit. don’t always take. It can come back
sprint and not run a marathon. And FW: Money is the root of every on you so hard; you’re not out of the
I tried running a marathon. evil, but we need it to live. When hospital before you need another
I was with Weider, I received pay transplant. I was diagnosed with it.
RL: You were an important increases until 1993. From 1993
figure for most of the ’90s, a on, nothing—and that’s when I RL: When did all this go down?
bodybuilding superstar who began winning most of my titles! FW: In ’00, right after the Olympia.
seemed to have it all. Were you There were athletes who didn’t The last time we talked, I was hav-
happy? qualify to be on the same stage ing problems, and that’s when they
FW: I was never truly happy, not with me receiving more coverage found out.
in a giddy, overwhelming sense. The and more money. A recipe for
bodybuilding scene isn’t healthy. friction! RL: Did you automatically
The camaraderie of Arnold’s day blame steroids?

FW: My doctors said no, but I’m

sure they didn’t do me much good. Flex today—
Though taking shit for a contest contest
could only aggravate my medical
situation, I went all the way for my photographer/
last show. A foolish, stupid move, reporter/
with near-deadly consequences. videographer
That was the ’02 IRON MAN. Medi- extraordinaire.
cally, I already knew the prognosis;
my doctors had explained it to me
in gruesome detail. “Ken,” they said,
“your condition isn’t getting any bet-
ter, and it never will. We can try to
keep it at a certain level, but eventu-
ally, you’ll need a new kidney.”
RL: A scary moment!

FW: It sure was. So I get out of
the hospital, and I’m controlling my
condition and feelin’ pretty good.
But in the meantime, my earning
potential’s crashing. No more con-
tracts, and I’d earned a reputation
as a dickhead and druggie. So I
figured, hey, if that’s my reputation,
I’ll play it up, medical condition
be damned—might as well make
money while I still had an opportu-
nity.
RL: I read about your trou- FW: Fine, overall. I have my bad
RL: Medical condition be bles. How a girl from your days. When you experience such a
damned? Yikes! church offered you her kidney. devastating condition, you rarely
FW: Exactly. I’m ashamed to That’s some story! bounce back to where you were
admit it, but I was far from natural FW: Dude, I wouldn’t be alive before it began. And there’s the
in 2002. I wanted to make as much today if it weren’t for her. The sur- mortality thing too. I was looking
cash as possible and couldn’t do gery required follow-ups, and I’m death squarely in the face, and all I
that as a natural athlete. I went nuts. on medication for the rest of my kept thinking about were my kids,
Maybe it was kind of a death wish, life. They’ve cut it down for me, but my wife—what would happen to
because at the rate I was going, I I’m quite used to taking pills every them?
was going to be dead! day.
RL: Professionally, you’ve
RL: But you made it to the RL: Were you scarred consid- picked up speed.
IRONMAN. erably? FW: Yeah. I’m working for Mus-
FW: And what I thought would FW: Yeah, but when I look at that cular Development, I have my
be easy turned out to be one more transplant scar, I know I’m alive. martial arts, my mind is clear, and I
disappointment. I came in third, It’s a reminder to walk the straight have the love of family. God’s given
behind Cutler. Something was and narrow, which is what I try to me a second, third and fourth
fucked up in my body—I couldn’t do every minute of the life God has chance, and I won’t blow it again.
drop the water, no matter how I given me. I’m the president of Hardbody
tortured myself. A few days later my Entertainment, a sports-related
family and I were going to church, RL: You look fit, sound great. entertainment company. We were a
and I had an attack. It’s difficult to And you’re carrying consider- title sponsor for the Arnold Classic
describe, except to say I was shaking able size. and the Olympia in 2006 and did
and freaking out. My wife rushed FW: I’m very fortunate, consid- the Olympia Webcast. And I co-
me to the ER. It was a life-or-death ering. You knew I won the ASC 2005 own Flex Wheeler’s Choppers. We
situation. They hooked me up with karate championship, right? specialize in building custom exot-
needles and tubes for dialysis, and ic motorcycles. My kids are getting
immediately, the search for a new RL: I did. A remarkable feat. older, and everything’s beautiful in
kidney started. There was nothing FW: Thanks, man. Martial arts is the neighborhood.
I could do except what the doctors an enjoyable outlet. It gives me a
told me. Otherwise, I’d die. When way to stay competitive. Editor’s note: Check out Flex-
you’re faced with such a decision, WheelerChoppers.com and www
you wake up and do what’s right. RL: How are you feeling? .HardbodyEntertainment.net. IM

Jerry Brainum’s
Bodybuilding Pharmacology
Lance
Yet his feats in the grueling race,
during which cyclists burn more
than 5,000 calories a day, seem
superhuman.
Armstrong’s A pair of researchers from

the Netherlands, however, have
offered an explanation for Arm-
strong’s success. They note that
Secret? Armstrong has always passed

every type of drug test, not only
during the actual race but also at
home, during race-free periods.
The recent drug bust of 2006 Tour de France They think he won because of a
victor Floyd Landis for having a level of tes- quirk in his metabolism—in the
tosterone considered physiologically impos- way his body handles pain and
sible without pharmacological assistance—i.e., fatigue during exercise.
steroids—has again focused attention on the As every person who’s ever
problem of drugs in sports. Landis showed a tes- lifted weights knows, the onset
tosterone to epitestosterone level of 17-to-1. The of fatigue during an intense set is
highest normal level is set at 4-to-1. Even worse, heralded by a burning sensation
another test revealed that the type of testosterone found in the muscle. That burn is caused by a buildup of lactic
in Landis’ blood had a synthetic origin, based on the num- acid that is the consequence of a lack of sufficient oxy-
ber of carbons. Landis still proclaims his innocence, but gen. It’s called anaerobic metabolism. The lactate portion
he’ll have a tough time convincing anyone that he didn’t of lactic acid isn’t the problem, however; it’s the acid, or
resort to drugs for his victory in France. hydrogen protons.
The greatest cyclist ever, Lance Armstrong, also an Increased acidity in muscles interferes with the activity
American athlete, has been continually accused of using of energy-producing enzymes, leading to a rapid loss of
everything from anabolic steroids to growth hormone to muscular function until the excess acidity is neutralized.
attain his record seven victories in the Tour de France. Like The lactate portion travels in the blood to the liver, where
Landis, Armstrong denies using any type of illegal drug. it converts back into glucose in a process called gluconeo-
Regular endurance exercise

leads to a threefold increase
in gluconeogenesis during
exercise as well as less
lactic acid being produced.

genesis. That creates a continuous source
of usable fuel. Studies show that regular One lesson
endurance, or aerobic, exercise leads to bodybuilders
a twofold increase in gluconeogenesis at can learn from
rest and a threefold increase during exer- Armstrong is
cise. That maintains blood glucose during that regular and
long-term exercise. It also leads to less intensive training
lactic acid produced during exercise and changes your
thus more muscle endurance.
metabolism in a
You can see how that relates to Lance
Armstrong’s athletic success if you con- way favorable to
sider his training program. At age 12 continued hard
Armstrong swam 2.5 miles and cycled training.
10 miles before going to school, then
after school cycled 10 miles and swam
another 3 3/4 miles. At age 13 he won the
triathalon for iron kids. When Armstrong
won a grueling hill phase of the Tour de
France, he said that he felt not a second of
pain. When researchers tested him at the
University of Texas, he was found to pro-
duce only a quarter as much lactic acid as
other world-class cyclists.
While some of those attributes may be
written off to genetic gifts, it was none-
theless true that Armstrong was already
regularly engaged in vigorous training
by the time he was 12, so he had years to
perfect his extraordinary athletic metabo-
lism. In that respect, he’s similar to former
baseball player Mark McGwire, who hit
a home run at his first time at bat, then
Neveux \ Model: Tomm Voss

went on to set a local Little League home
run record at age 14 that still stands today.
What makes Armstrong’s success par-
ticularly extraordinary is that he survived
cancer to win. In October 1996, Arm-
strong was stricken with an aggressive
and rapidly spreading cancer that could
easily have killed him. The diagnosis was a choriocarci- metabolism in a way favorable to continued hard training.
noma of the testes, which had spread to his lungs and For example, bodybuilders who train regularly not only
brain. In order to grow and spread, tumors require oxygen use protein more efficiently, making their requirements
for energy. After two years of successful treatment with less than that of beginners, but also produce less cortisol
chemotherapy and surgery, Armstrong returned to com- during training than novice trainees.
petition against all odds. A few new food supplements can also maximize energy
The Dutch researchers’ theory is that Armstrong, who and intensity during training while lowering the level of fa-
already had a superhuman lactic acid disposal system tigue products. Most notable is beta-alanine, which many
within his body, experienced a further upgrade in that are touting as the “new creatine” in terms of effectiveness.
system because of the presence of the tumor. That is, hav- Many using it will likely experience a new ability to train
ing a potentially lethal cancer acted as an ergogenic aid for harder with less fatigue. That probably won’t translate into
Lance. a victory at the Tour de France, but it may produce greater
So what’s the take-home message from Armstrong’s gains in muscle size and strength.
story? For one thing, his success is based on hard training As for the hapless Floyd Landis, that’s another story.
over many years, which conditioned his body to deal with As I noted in last month’s column, the notion that using
the intense rigors associated with long-distance cycling on testosterone may have been largely responsible for Floyd
a competitive level. You certainly wouldn’t want to acquire Landis’ Tour de France victory is fallacious at best. Suffice
a serious tumor as a way to train harder, and Armstrong to say, it takes a lot more than using steroids—or any other
didn’t either. But he had enough faith in his ability to come drug—to win the Tour de France.
back from seemingly insurmountable odds and emerge
the greatest cyclist in history. Bongaerts, G.P.A., et al. (2007). Increased hepatic gluco-
On a more practical level, for those of us not blessed neogenesis: the secret of Lance Armstrong’s success. Med
with Armstrong’s athletic gifts, his story also points to Hyptheses. 68(1):9-11. IM
the fact that regular and intensive training changes your

2007 IRON MAN PRO
1) Toney Freeman

Freeman
Flattens
the Field in
the Season
Opener
Photography by
Michael Neveux,
Savannah Neveux
and Keith Berson
2) Mark Dugdale

2007 IRON MAN PRO
3) Eddie Abbew
See More Photos at

www.ironManMagazine.com

4) Silvio Samuel

2007 IRON MAN PRO
5) Marcus Haley

6) David Henry

2007 IRON MAN PRO
7) Hidetada
Yamagishi

See More Photos
8) Ahmad Haidar

2007 IRON MAN PRO
9) Joel Stubbs
9) Omar Deckard
Tie for 9th place.

11) Kris Dim
Roc Shabazz

2007 IRON MAN PRO
Moe El Moussawi
Daniele Seccarecci
See More Photos at


Dina Al-Sabah Dazzles With Her
Mystique—and her Physique
Story and Photography by Bill Dobbins
www.BillDobbins.com
The International Federation of Bodybuilders, which also sanc-
tions figure and fitness competitions, is gradually getting more
“international.” Judges in the IFBB have always tended to favor
a more mainstream look, especially in figure, but that may be
changing.
Pro figure standout Dina Al-Sabah hopes to help initiate that
change. She is beautiful and sexy, with a striking aesthetic qual-
ity to her physique, not to mention her exotic mystique.
Dina was born in Beirut, Lebanon, in 1974, and her ethnic
background is very delightfully mixed. On her mother’s side she
is Turkish and Syrian, while on her father’s side she is Kuwaiti,
Turkish and East African—she thinks either Somali or Ethiopi-
an. Dina is a one-woman United Nations and a great example of
the benefits of international
relations. She’s also very well
educated, with a bachelor’s
degree in electrical engi-
neering, a master’s degree
in telecommunications and
computers and an MBA.
We live in an increasingly
multi-cultural world, as
evidenced by the successful
movie careers of actors like
The Rock and Vin Diesel and
the rise in the fashion in-
dustry of supermodels from
every continent. Dina plans
to make that type of impact
on the figure world, and
from these photos you can
tell she’s well on her way.
Editor’s note: For more
information on Dina Al-
Sabah, visit www.FitDina.
com. For more photos of her
and other fit females, visit
www.BillDobbins.com.

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.MikeYablon.com
It’s a pleasure for me to review this particu-
lar Web site. Mike Yablon was only 15 years old
when I met him (I was 18), training his heart out
in a small but very hardcore gym in Bellmore,
on New York’s Long Island. He weighed less
than 100 pounds soaking wet back then, but
there was an unmistakable fire in his eyes. Even
then he claimed he’d become an IFBB pro, and
looking at him now, I see him earning his card
very soon. He has a very Labrada-esque look
to his physique, with granitelike conditioning
and a tight-as-can-be waistline. Just check out
his photo gallery to see what I mean. Mike, a
personal trainer in New York City, did the whole
Venice Beach thing back in the early ’90s, and
even worked behind the counter at the mecca,
Gold’s Gym. While there, he became the training partner of one Lee Priest and also on occasion hit the weights with
the likes of Gary Strydom, Mike Christian, the late Paul DeMayo and the current Mr. Olympia, Jay Cutler. In Novem-
ber 2006, Mike took fifth place in the light-heavyweight class at the NPC Nationals, weighing 188 rock-solid pounds,
but in my opinion he should have been a notch or two higher. Mike is already training “harder and smarter” for the
’07 Nationals, however, with the goal of turning pro in order to “make a 23-year dream a reality.” He’s one iron man
that I would not bet against.

>www.sm-musclesports.com/smf/index.php
One way in which the World Wide Web has helped to bring
together bodybuilders and fitness enthusiasts from all over the
globe is through the many discussion boards available on the
Net. They’re wonderful forums for learning, teaching, sharing
and support, as well as for getting to know all kinds of people
who feel the same passion for the iron that you do. Many of
these boards are well established, with thousands of members,
while others are lesser known but no less valuable. I love to
introduce readers to some of the lesser-known Internet gems,
which is why I encourage you to check out sm-musclesports
.com. It’s a rather new discussion board run by a young and
up-and-coming competitive bodybuilder named Aaron Smith.
I’ve known Aaron for a few years, and I coach him for all of
his competitive outings. He’s one of the most passionate and
well-spoken individuals I’ve ever met, and he loves nothing
more than the sport of bodybuilding. If you join his board,
you’ll undoubtedly discover that yourself, and you’ll be able to
feed off his energy and channel it into your own training. He’s
always there to help other young lifters and teach them all he
has learned about training, nutrition and supplementation.
Aaron has forged a rather close friendship with Mr. Olympia
Jay Cutler and has stayed at Jay’s house in Las Vegas, training
and eating right alongside the man who finally dethroned Ron-
nie Coleman. So, if you’re a fan of Jay’s and want some inside
scoop about what the world’s best bodybuilder is up to, take a
moment to check out www.sm-musclesports
.com. I’ll see you there.
>www.GetPhatWithJen.com
This is the official Web site for ’05 Fitness
International and Fitness Olympia champion
Jen Hendershott’s PHAT Camp ’07 tour. What
does PHAT stand for? Power, hard work, am-
bition, triumph (all things that Jen knows plen-
ty about). This is the fifth year she has run the
events, and her main goal is to help all women
be the best they can be. That would be a
great gift for any of you guys to give your iron-
pumping girlfriend or wife (or mistress…who
said that?…shhh), and it’s especially valuable
for women looking to compete in figure or fit-
ness. For a fee of $300—or three good meals
for two at a decent steak house—your girl will
get to train, eat and hang with Jenny and the
members of her talented staff. She’ll be put-
ting on nutritional and motivational seminars, more. The only problem I see with Jen’s PHAT Camp
as well as discussing such topics as supplementa- is that no men are allowed. Oh, she’s having a couple
tion, cooking, time management and commitment. of co-ed camps this year? Do you suppose she con-
Visit GetPhatWithJen.com or JennyH.com to learn siders ogling women a legitimate exercise?

Eric Broser’s
Can I vary Rep Range week from the basic pat-

>Net Results Q&A tern?
Interesting queries and replies from message boards
and forums across the Internet, answered with preci- A: I’m glad you’re
sion, accuracy and plenty of outrageous opinions... doing so well with my
P/RR/S training sys-
Q: I like to do crunches for my abs, but every tem. Hearing feedback
time I do them, I hurt my neck. Is there any way like that is extremely
to eliminate this problem? gratifying.
Many people have
Neveux \ Model: Binais Begovic

A: That’s a told me that they enjoy
common com- and feel Rep Range
plaint. In fact, week the most, so I’m
in my many not surprised to hear
years as a per- you say that. Person-
sonal trainer I’ve ally, I find Shock week
heard it dozens to be the most brutal.
of times. You To answer your question, yes, there are many ways
can do a few to vary the basic Rep Range pattern. First, here’s the
things to make basic version:
your neck more
comfortable Incline dumbbell presses 3 x 7-9
while perform- Barbell bench presses 3 x 10-12
ing crunches. Weighted dips 2 x 13-15
It might Incline cable flyes 2 x 16-20
sound strange,
but the first thing you can try is a little trick I learned Here are some variations:
by studying the work of Paul Chek, expert in the fields
of corrective and high-performance exercise kinesiol- Incline dumbbell
ogy: Place your tongue on the roof of your mouth while presses 1 x 7-9, 1 x 10-12, 1 x 13-15
crunching, as that’s actually the anatomical resting Barbell bench presses 1 x 7-9, 1 x 10-12, 1 x 13-15
position of the tongue. By doing this, you’ll more effec- Weighted dips 1 x 7-9, 1 x 10-12
tively recruit the muscles near the surface of the neck Incline cable flyes 1 x 13-15, 1 x 16-20
that best support your head. When your tongue is in
any other position, the much weaker muscles near the Incline dumbbell
cervical vertebrae are forced to provide much of the presses 1 x 13-15, 1 x 10-12, 1 x 7-9
support, and those muscles are easily strained and/or Barbell bench presses 1 x 13-15, 1 x 10-12, 1 x 7-9
injured when overtaxed. Weighted dips 1 x 10-12, 1 x 7-9
Another thing you can try is resting your head on the Incline cable flyes 1 x 16-20, 1 x 13-15
floor briefly between reps. That will lessen the stress on
your neck by letting the neck muscles relax momen- Incline dumbbell presses 3 x 16-20
tarily. Just don’t rest too long, or you’ll compromise the Barbell bench presses 3 x 13-15
training effect on your abs. Weighted dips 2 x 10-12
Finally, don’t interlock your fingers and place them Incline cable flyes 2 x 7-9
behind your head during crunching movements. That’s
probably the number-one reason for neck strain during Incline dumbbell
abdominal work because as you start to fatigue, you’ll presses 1 x 7-9, 1 x 10-12, 1 x 13-15
most likely begin to initiate each repetition by pulling on Barbell bench presses 1 x 13-15, 1 x 10-12, 1 x 7-9
your neck and head in order to perform more reps. That Weighted dips 1 x 7-9, 1 x 10-12
can overstretch connective tissue and injure the deli- Incline cable flyes 1 x 13-15, 1 x 10-12
cate neck muscles. It’s far better to simply place your
hands by the sides of your head or to cross your arms Incline dumbbell presses 3 x 7-9
over your chest. Barbell bench presses 3 x 13-15
I hope this advice makes your ab training a bit less of Weighted dips 2 x 10-12
a pain in the neck. Incline cable flyes 2 x 16-20
Q: I’m an avid Power/Rep Range/Shock Each of those variations will affect your muscular,
trainee. I’ve been on it for a year straight, and endocrine and central nervous systems in a unique
the gains keep coming. My favorite is the Rep manner and will thus stimulate growth through some-
Range portion, and I often do it for two straight what different pathways. Changing things up like that
weeks before going to Shock. My question is, will also keep you mentally fresh. IM

Lonnie Teper’s
NEWS & ViEWS L.T. and

Eddie Abbew.
’07 Pro Opener
Hot in Pasadena
The sun shines bright on the IM Pro
Talk about money flushed down the toilet. There I was, spending hun-
dreds of dollars on voice lessons for Ron “Yogi” Avidan and Isaac “Lift
Studios” Hinds in preparation for our spectacular rendition of “Rain,”
which was set to kick off the press conference on the opening day of
IRON MAN Pro/FitExpo weekend.
Why did I select the Beatles’ tune to get things going in 2007? Be-
cause Avidan, part of “The Experts,” a trio already noted for its stunningly
accurate predictions (make sure to check out our latest videos at Graph-
icMuscle.com), assured me that the rains would be pouring down on us
in Pasadena for the fourth consecutive year since we moved the event
there in 2004.
I thought our version of the McCartney-Lennon tune
would be a fun way to “warm” up the crowd; of course, as
things (wonderfully) turned out, it not only didn’t rain, tempera-
tures reached record levels of around 90 degrees on Friday and
Saturday before dropping to a terrific 72 on Sunday.
Thank you, Lord. For two reasons. First of all, I wanted the
fans to see all the great things Pasadena has to offer without
having to scramble for their umbrellas and the nearest cab. This
time they were purchasing sunglasses and tanning lotion as
they walked around Old Town Pasadena, frequenting the slew of
wonderful eateries and shops. Second, if you had heard the hor-
Balik to
rific harmonies of my tone-deaf teammates, you’d have cringed, the rescue.
laughed or cried. Probably a bit of all three.
Also thank you, Lord, for having a Brit, England’s Eddie Silvio
Abbew, come out first at the weigh-in. Big Eddie, the world’s most Samuel.
buffed registered nurse, stepped on the scale, and 181 showed up
on the dial. As he quickly pointed out, the scale was registering in
stones, a uniquely British measurement. ”I’m about 18 stone and 12
pounds,” he said.
Never one to shine in math class, I quickly paged the contest
promoter, IRON MAN Publisher John Balik, to the stage. “We
need another scale, boss,” I yelped. Fortunately, J.B. came to the
rescue, bringing out a backup scale that did the trick in big, clear
American measurements. Johnny on the spot, again.
Later, I spotted the brightest Brit of them all, Peter McGough,
the editor in chief of Muscle & Fitness and Flex, and forced him
to give me a quick overview of the subject. “One stone equals 14
pounds,” Peter explained. “The weighing scales in England are in
stones and pounds. At boxing matches they will announce a 160-
pound middleweight as weighing in at 11 stone, six pounds.” Oh,
okay, I’ll be ready next time if it happens again, but, Peter, stay close
by just in case. Shelestov
Danielle Seccarecci was the heaviest competitor, at 300 (right) and
pounds, and the 5’2” Clifton Torres was the lightest at 155. And his “inter-
do I have to tell you to take at least five to seven pounds off for the preter.”
clothes, shoes, padded fanny packs, etc., the athletes were wear-
ing?
Moe El
Moussawi.
STONERS BIG GUY, BIG HOTTEST
Which one of CROWD SHOT
these guys can Jay was a hit See pages 266
actually read in Pasadena and 267
the scale? Page 266
Page 262
As usual, I was right on with

most of my guesses; Hinds ac-
cused me of taking a peek at the
scale, then looking away before
I announced my predictions. I
pled the fifth.
The funniest moment came
when a buddy of Russia’s Ser-
gey Shelestov joined Serg
onstage. Somebody said he was
the interpreter. Then he jumped
on the scale and hit a front lat
shot. With his sweater on. No
luck in getting him to rip it off
and really show the gang what
he was made of.
Then there was the Japa-
nese Elvis look-alike, who was
20 pounds off in his prognostication.
Ruthless Ruth Silverman, who usu-
Toney ally concentrates on the women’s side
Freeman. of the industry, was forced to give an
estimate on one of the guys and was
15 pounds off. But she claimed to be
100 percent on the money when she
declared that Silvio Samuel should
get the Best Glutes award (at least I
think that’s what she said). I think we’ll
make Ruth’s award an annual one.
Shoot—there’s another title I have no
chance of winning!
Mark BIRTHDAY DINNER—After the

Dugdale.
Expo closed down on Friday evening,
a bunch of people met in the bar at
the Sheraton Pasadena Hotel, chatted
for a while (okay, some drank—and
drank—for a while), then headed out
for JJ’s Steak House, Russ DeLuca’s
favorite restaurant in Pasadena. Most
of us walked, since I assured them the
place was but three blocks away; 10 blocks later we
L.T. and settled in.
tickler.
Russ played host to my birthday bash, and about 15
others (including IRON MAN Associate Publisher War-
ren Wanderer) were so kind as to join in to celebrat-
ing my 39th birthday dinner. Hey, no wisecracks—Jack
Benny turned 39 many times over. My MySpace.com
page says I’m 99, so I’m sure there’s a “9” in there
somewhere.
Russ and wife Bridget gifted me with something
to “whip” me into shape (a body tickler, to be specific),
along with a video on sex education (well, sort of) and
two fast-acting tabs of a product called Max Size.
L.T. and Something about enlargement of certain parts of the
Russ. body. My back, perhaps? That Russ and Bridget are
one fun—and crazy—couple!

Ron Avidan and Isaac Hinds gave me a
book by Jay Leno, If Roast Beef Could Fly, com- Silvio
plete with CD. The “Tonight Show” host draws on Samuel.
a true story from his childhood “to make a genera-
tion of young readers laugh out loud.” Obviously,
Yogi and Isaac felt I needed help with my humor
before I had to go to the podium the following
evening.
Although they were not at the dinner, Timea
Majorova and Shawn Ray also presented me
with gifts. The lovely Majorova and her husband,
Josef Drsman gave me a nice bottle of wine,
and Shawn presented me with—what else?—a
copy of his latest DVD, “Fitness After 40.” “And
make sure you hype it in the News & Views,” he
added not so softly. The man truly has a huge
heart.
To everyone who came to help make my latest
(and last, as far as I’m concerned!) birthday a re-
ally enjoyable one, thank you. Too many to name,
but, as they say, you know who you are. Marcus
Haley.
THE CONTEST—What
with “The Experts’” wrap-up
of the IM Pro that’s posted Omar
at GraphicMuscle.com (you Deckard.
have seen it, haven’t you?)
and the slew of contest re-
ports and opinions that have
appeared on the Net since
February 17, there won’t be
much to say by the time you
read this. Here’s just a sum-
mary of my feelings on the David
Henry.
IRON MAN bodybuilding bat-
tle. First, however, come the
kudos to Carol Bratcher,
wife of IM Art Director Terry,
for her beautiful rendition of
the national anthem and to
Michael Neveux and his
team for proving, once again,
why Michael should be in Hidetata
charge of the lighting at every Yamagishi.
major pro contest. Notice
how the bodies pop out at you; that
doesn’t happen by accident.
Toney Freeman was the logical
precontest favorite to win the $15,000
first prize, and his unanimous victory
pretty much went unchallenged by the
fans. Even so, Mark Dugdale and
Silvio Samuel had their supporters
as well, who pointed out that the 6’2”
275-pound Freeman was smaller than
he’d been at his last contest appear-
ance, at the ’06 Olympia. Does that
statement sound funny, or what?
I picked Toney to win it before the
event—and knew that he’d make my
prediction a reality just moments into
the prejudging. The man has beauti-
ful shape—thus, the “X-man” moni- Cutler at seminar (above) and with John
ker—and has plenty of quality muscle to Balik and Ron Avidan. Above right: Mc-
Gough exits the venue.
go with it (ain’t too small to me). The 40-year-old from Atlanta has a small
waist, great arms and wheels, nasty hamstrings, a good back—there
really shouldn’t be much dispute about Freeman’s dominat-
ing victory. Just ask the fans, who gave Freeman another
$1,500 by voting him the winner of Bodybuilding.com’s
“You Be the Judge” online contest which took place during
the company’s live Webcast.
Dugdale, the 5’6”, 205-pound father of three from
Washington, was right on the money and was the judges’
solid pick for the runner-up slot in all three rounds. Mark’s
physique was very polished, set off by those amazing
thighs, hams and calves. He also has sharp abs and a
good chest. Yes, his arms could use more size and his
back more detail, but as you’ll soon see, everyone has
flaws.
Most folks in the house thought the battle for second
was going to be between Dugdale and the vastly improved
Samuel, but Eddie Abbew’s advantage in the size de-
Joel partment eventually earned him third place, which pushed
Stubbs. Troy Alves and the popular Silvio into fourth. Samuel was about 10 pounds
David Henry. lighter than he’d been at the Europa Super Show last
August, and he was much better for it here. Silvio had a
great chest, arms and abs, and he edged out Joel Stubbs
for freakiest-competitor-in-the-show honors, but he needs
to learn how to control his midsection at all times onstage to
keep from looking bloated.
Samuel also needs to have much more separation in
those huge wheels to become a title contender. Still, it was
a tremendous showing for the three-time Spanish champi-
on, with any disappointment with his finish being eased a bit
by the $1,000 he picked up for winning the Vince Gironda
Award for Best Presentation—not to mention his invitation to
Joel compete in the ’07 Mr. Olympia lineup
The Cicherillos. Stubbs. With the IRON MAN now a top-five qualifier, the fourth
and fifth slots have become a lot more significant. I thought
the competition for the final qualifying spot was going to be a tremendous
battle among three guys—Marcus Haley, Hidetada Yamagishi and
Ahmad Haidar. Haley, the ’05 North American champ, looked good
at around 5’8”, 235 pounds, but is a bit flat in the chest and, like Silvio,
needs to work on controlling his midsection. Yamagishi was bigger—and
thicker—than ever before, earning my “Most Improved Bodybuilder”
award for 2007 this early in the game. But the Japanese physique artist
needs to pay attention to the following comment: Don’t get any bigger,
because you’re also starting to look thicker around the middle, and that
ain’t good.
Kristy David Henry, second last year, was off form this time around—and
Hawkins. he still needs to polish the posing segment of his stage presentation. Still,
you don’t need to worry about this cat; that will be about as “off” as you’ll
ever see him. He was peeled in every show he competed in last year, and
I assume that will be the case from here on out in ’07.
Shawn Speaking of peeled, Haidar came in eight pounds lighter than a
Ray. year ago and looked that much better for it. The owner of the best
abs in the sport, Ahmad lacks a bit in taper from the front and is
shallow in the lower back, but his outstanding condition should
have warranted him a strong look for a top-five position. Ditto for
Yamagishi.
Unfortunately, those three guys were never compared to Haley—
or Samuel—at the judging, and that had folks scratching their
heads as they walked out of the Pasadena Civic Auditorium at the
conclusion of the prejudging.
If Joel Stubbs had bigger legs, he’d have surpassed Samuel
as the owner of the freakiest overall physique in the show. The
airline pilot from the Bahamas has one of the best upper bodies
I’ve even seen in the sport and, according to no less an expert than
Chris Cormier Flex Wheeler, the best back in the history of the game.
and Nicole Now, I won’t go that far, but the 6’3”, 290-pound Stubbs is a
Rollolazo.
sight to behold, and, even though he had the inferior wheels, I UP, DOWN AND ROUND
could have seen him finishing a few slots higher in the lineup.
Omar Deckard, last year’s USA Overall champ, made his pro THE PUMP-UP ROOM
debut in Pasadena. Omar has one of the prettiest physiques
in the sport, but he needed to be much more conditioned to
have a shot at battling for a top-five finish.
Sergey Shelestov, the big Russian who used to be an
army captain, should have been considered for a top-10 slot,
and Italy’s Danielle Seccarecci showed a lot of promise too.
Moe El Moussawi was bigger, and better than last year, and
seemed pleased with his improvement in making the top 15.
As mentioned, Samuel won the award for best presentation,
but I would have given strong consideration to Haley. The late
Mickey Hargitay was honored with the Peary and Mabel
Rader Lifetime Achievement Award, and his wife, Ellen Har-
gitay, was there to accept the award from John Balik in an
extremely touching moment.
As always, the award was accompanied by a beautiful slide
show with voice-over. Ellen gave a wonderful speech and really
connected with the audience, which included her children.
Another special treat took place when Joe Weider arrived.
He walked into my dressing room a few minutes before start-
ing time, and we chatted for a couple of minutes. Joe is looking 1 2
healthier by the day and later received a huge ovation from the
fans when he was introduced in the audience. Weider, by the way,
stayed for the entire show. You da man, Joe!
Freeman was trying his best to give a gracious victory speech
at the end of the night, but some disturbed dude in the back of
the auditorium kept screaming, “Silvio!… Silvio!… Silvio!” at a
decibel level of 10, blocking out Toney’s words. I asked if he’d
taken his meds for the evening, since he was surely high, and
requested a straightjacket for him.
As the culprit was being escorted out of the building, I was
stunned to find out that it was none other than Peter Mc-
Gough. I chased Peter down and then forced him to explain why
someone of his status would behave in such a way.
“No, you misunderstood, Lonnie,” McGough explained. “I was
shouting, ‘Hi-ho, Silver!’ I was practicing my role in ‘The Return of 3
the Lone Ranger.’ With my silver mane and other dimensions they
said I was perfect for the part of Silver! Of course, after you forced
me to give you such a detailed discourse on the British weight system, I
was completely stoned.”
Okay, Peter, you’re off the hook. Say, do they need anyone to play
Tonto?
JAY WALKING—Jay Cutler, wearing a suit—a rare occur-

rence—and looking sharp, was on hand at the finals and handed out the
second-place trophy to Mark Dugdale. Jay admitted he’d gotten goose
bumps when I announced him as the “newly crowned Mr. Olympia” and
the crowd gave him a rousing ovation. “It was like winning the title all over
again in Vegas,” he said. “I didn’t sleep real well that night, excited that I
finally am Mr. Olympia!” Hollywood
Later, he joined the crowd at the after party, which was held at the new Ferguson.
Jazz Institute at the Paseo Colorado mall, across from the Pasadena
Civic. He didn’t display any dance moves, but he did get off some
L.T. with
Hany
funny lines directed at Ron Avidan, me (of course), Chris Cormi- Rambod.
er and some of the other major names in the industry who dropped
by. He’s a funny guy if you get the chance to know him.
Jay’s seminar, held on Sunday at 3:30 p.m., was packed even as
the weekend was winding down. Cutler’s blue-collar background and
work ethic help him connect strongly with the fans, and he knows
how to handle the occasional stupid questions thrown his way. (You
know what type I’m referring to.) All in all, the fans really appreciated
having a down-to-earth, everyday Joe holding conversation with
266 MAY 2007 \ www.ironmanmagazine.com Isaac Hinds.

them. Well, an everyday Joe with a not-so-ev-
eryday-Joe bank account.
TEPER’S TALES
Bob Cicherillo, part of the Webcast
team, as usual, with Dan Solomon, brought
wife Tocha and newborn Milania Sofia to
Pasadena for the weekend. Milania was born
on January 18; weighed in at six pounds,
nine ounces and at one month appeared to
be really enjoying the festivities.… Shawn
Ray, whose mother, Yvonne Stribbling,
celebrated her birthday on February 16, was
5 selling his new DVD, “Fitness After 40,” as
4 he worked the VyoTech booth. Sugar Shawn
embarked on a 14-week body transformation
using VyoTech Nutritionals new Orax Goatway
protein as part of his program. He dropped 32
pounds during the period, going from 236 to
204. To order the DVD,and witness the trans-
formation yourself, go to www
.ShawnRay.com.… Desmond Miller, the
’06 NPC Nationals champ, was greeting the
fans at the Met-Rx booth after recently ink-
ing a contract with the company. Miller said
he will make his pro debut at the New York
Pro in May.… Nicolle Rollolazo, a former
USA Fitness champion, says she’s waiting to
hear about a new television fitness show she
is hoping to land.… Kristy Hawkins, the
third-placer in the women’s light-heavyweight
division at the ’06 Nationals (and my pick to
earn her pro card at this year’s Nationals),
took a break from lab work at nearby Cal Tech
6 to check out the action. “Hawk” is earning her
7 doctorate in chemical engineering at the pres-
tigious Pasadena campus.… Troy Alves,
in from Phoenix to watch the show, said he’s
Photography by Lonnie Teper up to 257 pounds (he competes at 218) and
that he’ll be doing the Montreal and Atlantic
City shows just prior to the Olympia—and the
Olympia, after he qualifies, natch.… Isaac
8 Hinds had just put the finishing touches on
the DVD he produced for Phil Heath, “The
Gift….A New Beginning.” For more info on
the exciting video, go to
www.TheGiftDVD.com.…
Jerome “Hollywood” Fer-
guson was working the
Bodybuilding.com booth
and says he’ll be back for
another crack at his pro card
at the ’07 Nationals. And
Neveux
that his wildly popular “Who

1) Eryk Bui phones home. Let the Dogs Out?” routine
To contact Lonnie
2) Ahmad Haidar was sliced and diced. is coming with him.… Hany Teper about material
3) Omar Deckard, the ’06 USA champ, was Rambod, who has worked possibly pertinent to
pumped in Pasadena. with several well-known
4) Kris Dim was tight and trim. News & Views, write
5) Roc Shabazz made his IM debut. competitors over the years, to 1613 Chelsea
6) Being the wife of Rusty Jeffers has its has been hired by BSN as Road, #266, San
perks! the talent and business rela- Marino, CA 91108;
7) Brotherly love: Moe and Abbas El Moussawi. tions manager. IM fax to (626) 289-7949;
8) Letty Schilf gets to know Hidetada Yamagi- 9 or send e-mail to
shi. tepernews@aol.com.
9) Tara Hein was not in the pump-up room, but
she was definitely pumped.
The ’07 FitExpo
Pasadena, California, February 16-18
Photography by Jerry Fredrick and Keith Berson
Bodybuilding.com.
(That’s a picture of Bob
Cicherillo, right? He’s not
really that huge—is he?)
Shawn Ray
and friends at
the VyoTech
booth. (That’s
Shawn in the
middle.)
Nicole Rol-
lolazo finds
good stuff
at the Nx-
Labs booth.
(Psst, try
the Plas-
mavol; it’ll
Cathy LeFrancois flexes her amazing arm at the Gaspari Nutrition pump you
booth. A stunned, but pleased, Steve Wennerstrom looks on. up!)
Smiles and
abs were
blazing at the
Met-Rx booth.
VPX had
motivation
Redlining!

Subway sent a
Prolab had truck full. (The
goodies guy trying to
galore— run away with
wrapped and it must’ve really
unwrapped. been hungry!)
Cytodyne. Xenedrine. Yes!
GNC
knows
how to SAN.
set up Tight
camp. works!
Lonnie Teper, a.k.a. Buff Daddy, Lonnie Teper, a.k.a. Buff Daddy, Brenda and Dave at the
visits the Home-Gym.com booth. MuscleMilk—it does a bodybuilder
visits the Home-Gym.com good.
booth. IRON MAN booth.
Monica
Brant
(right) and
Prosource friend at
had it BSN.
going on!
Lee Labrada and

Sharon Bruneau at
Labrada Nutrition.

Who’s
the
BOSS?
Everyone
at this
booth Don Long
did at the iSS
what- booth.
ever she The man
asked. is look- Kitchen
ing large Craft got
and in things
charge! cooking.
Hard bodies at American Physiques. SUN brightened up the expo aisles.
Worldwide
kept the crowd
pumped.
IDS encouraged folks

to take a shot of their
New Whey.
David Henry signed au-

Biogenetix tographs for fans at the
brought IM booth. The man’s got
computers. some guns, eh, gang?
Nice main-
frame! IM
CAPITAL CLASH
Policky Makes Great

On the Precontest Hype
Norman.
New diva on LeFrancois.

the block—
Heather the
Conqueror.
Lightweight rankings: 1) Tonie Norman, 2)

Cathy LeFrancois, 3) Vicky Nixon, 4) Gayle
Moher, 5) Angela Debatin, 6) Carla Salotti.
Those who muscle diva scored a unanimous win, with Perez (my pick)
thought ’06 getting a unanimous nod for second and Raganot, looking
USA champ better than she did at the Ms. O last year, getting the num-
Heather ber-three spot.
Policky would Had I remembered that Tonie Norman competes as
take a while a lightweight in the pros, I might not have been so quick to
to make a big splash in the pros (this reporter included) were predict that Cathy LeFrancois, the other precontest fave,
eating their words with fava beans and a little hollandaise sauce would win the class. (Yup, that’s right. Two Tonies took top
during this year’s Oscar cast on February 25. The night before honors in Sacramento—try saying that 10 times quickly.)
Policky had cannonballed into 2007 by taking overall honors at Based on Bill Dobbins’ photos (find them at Graphic
the season-opening Sacramento Pro Women’s Bodybuilding Muscle.com), I’d say it was Norman’s top pro presentation to
Grand Prix, beating a good-looking lineup in the heavyweights date. With her full, shapely muscles, sharp definition, grace-
before outmassing lightweight winner Antoinette Norman for ful presentation and entertaining posing, the former Team
the bigger check. Universe champ is one of those competitors who define the
Twenty-three tremendously conditioned female flexers flocked concept of feminine muscle, at least IMHO. It’s wonderful to
to the California capital to take advantage of promoter Jon see her topping a lineup for the second time since she joined
Lindsay’s decision to have weight classes the flex-for-pay circuit.
at his first-ever pro women’s competition. LeFrancois looked good but
The precontest chatter had Policky’s sup- Sacramento top flex- not quite as good as I
ers: Perez, Policky
porters buzzing loudly—with plenty of photo and Raganot.
thought she was going
evidence posted online—that her highly to look when I saw her a
muscular, highly symmetrical, tiny-jointed week earlier at the IM/
body would be in career-best condition. FitExpo. From the pix she
Sage observers thought vets like Kim seemed to have sacrificed
Perez, Heather Foster, Brenda Ra- some aesthetics for size;
ganot and Mah-Ann Mendoza in the on the score sheet she
heavyweights would have something to trailed Tonie by just four
say about that, but according to those points. Both ladies were
who saw the contest live, Policky made headed to Columbus,
her supporters look very prescient. The Ohio, for the Ms. Interna-
judges agreed: One look at Ms. P, and tional competition on March
it was over before it started. The Denver 2. It will be interesting to

Helen Bouchard, Perez SACRAMENTO FLASH
and Policky squeeze it C O N T E S T C AT C H U P
out.
Toney Times Two
International
Talent Toney
Freeman.
One topic that always brings a smile

to this reporter’s lips is star athletes who
give back to the sport by encouraging
amateur competition. For Timea Majo-
rova that’s taken the form of the Timea
Majorova Fit and Beauty Model contest,
which she co-promoted for the first time
in Debrecen, Hungary, last October with
Hungarian organizer Ildiko Burantis as
part of Burantis’ Fit Parade Weekend.
“Thirty girls came prepared in great
shape,” reported the enthusiastic Timea,
a former World Fitness champ from
Slovakia who holds a special affection
for her homeland’s European neighbor.
(Her father was Hungarian, and the ’01 In the city where Governor Arnold
Schwarzenegger makes things
European Fitness Cup, which she won
happen for the state of Califor-
in Budapest, was her final competition.) nia, a new big fella continued his
“The girls got great prize money and also rise to the top of the men’s pro
a pictorial in one of the American fitness ranks.
Heavyweight results: 1) Heather magazines.”
Policky, 2) Kim Perez, 3) Brenda Ra- IRON MAN Pro winner Toney
ganot, 4) Mah-Ann Mendoza, 5) Helen Freeman made it two for two in
Bouchard, 6) Heather Foster, 7) Irene
Anderson, 8) Aurelia Grozajova. ’07 by snatching the top prize from
the fast-moving clutches of Silvio
see which of them finishes higher in that Samuel at the Sacramento Pro
Photography by Ruth Silverman \ Sacramento Pro photography by Bill Dobbins \ www.BillDobbins.com
power-packed no-weight-classes lineup. Grand Prix on February 24.

Other gals who looked fine in the Samuel had tightened up since
photos included Perez (What’ll it take his crowd-disappointing fourth-
to push her to the top again?); Vickie place finish at the IM, and he
Nixon, third in the lightweights; and pushed hard enough to hold the
Mendoza, who seems to be back in 6’2” X-man to a six-point margin
contender condition. of victory. Some observers thought
Olympia qualifications went to the two he’d pushed harder than that, but
class winners. The big question, though, according to IM’s Lonnie Teper,
is whether Policky can blast onto the Ms. who was on hand to emcee for the
I stage with as much force as she had at event, “Toney looked a tad sharper
the Sac. Her cheering section says yes, at the IM but was definitely good
but I’m on record as opining that it’s too enough to win.”
soon for her to be toppling the likes of Hidetata Yamagishi, another
Iris Kyle, Dayana Cadeau and the guy who got noticed at the earlier
rest of the Ms. O elite off their pedestals. show but perhaps didn’t finish as
By the time you read this, however, the high as some would have liked,
pundits could be debating how big a commanded the panel’s full atten-
splash Heather’ll make at the Olympia. tion at the Sac to keep Ahmad
Thanks to new rules that require IFBB Haidar out of the top three and
panels to compare athletes with a wider pick up an Olympia qualification.
range of competitors—for example, the Chalk this up as one picture in IRON MAN
eventual ninth-placer gets to stand next for Toldi Zsuzsa from Budapest, winner
of Timea’s fitness-model search. May she ’07 Sacramento Pro Grand Prix
to the gals or guys who will finish, say, be the first of many. 1) Toney Freeman*
fourth—there’s a good chance Policky 2) Silvio Samuel*
will be compared to some of those 3) Hidetata Yamagishi*
4) Ahmad Haidar
muscle goddesses, even if she doesn’t Ditto for the weekend, which featured 5) Marcus Haley
get the first callout. To discover Heather’s more than 500 competitors in such sports 6) Kris Dim
fate, along with complete multimedia activities as dancing, aerobics, powerlift- 7) Moe El Moussawi
coverage of the Ms., Fitness and Fig- ing and kickboxing. “It was nice to see 8) Joe Stubbs
9) Omar Deckard
ure International competitions, set your so many people having fun and also to 10) Daniele Seccarecci
browser to GraphicMuscle.com. promote fitness and healthy lifestyle,” said
*Qualifies for the ’07 Mr. Olympia.
Timea. “We hope to do it again next year.”

NEW SEASON
Hot Babe Out of the Starting Gate

Monica Mark, a 24-year- Mark’s toughest competition in the 20-woman lineup
old trainer and student from San came in the short class, where Cindy Martinez
Diego, won the ’07 Gaspari Nutri- came all the way from Florida only to come in second.
tion NPC IRON MAN Figure Martinez had a lot of fans among the throng of specta-
Championships on Febru- tors who gathered around the FitExpo stage for the
ary 17, and I guarantee afternoon judging, including some
this is an athlete you’ll educated eyes in the press pit that
be seeing more of thought she could have taken the
as the season class. Look for Cindy to have a good
rolls along. I’m year in the pro qualifiers as well.
not just talk- First-place trophies also went to
ing about the medium-class victor Dawn
Michael Kirkham and tall champ Danielle
Neveux Edmonds. For complete photo
photo shoot coverage of IM’s annual ode to ama-
and IM Hardbody teur figure competition, go to www.
layout she won, GraphicMuscle.com.
either.
Three out
of the previous
four winners of
the IRON MAN
earned their
pro cards later
that season, and
Mark’s hourglass
shape—acces- Most-improved award.
sorized with a Dr. Venus Ramos has
fair-by-figure-stan- lighted up the B class
at the IRON MAN Figure
dards amount of show for the past three
beautiful, shapely years, each year mak-
muscular developing major improvements
ment—makes it an to her physique. Even
so, she dropped to fifth
easy prediction that after earning a third-
Mark in the spot- she’ll follow place trophy in 2006.
light—isn’t she in those sti- IM Figure winners (from left): Monica Mark, Dawn Now, that’s a tough
lovely! letto steps. Kirkham and Danielle Edmonds. competition.
D R E S S I N G R O O M TA L E S Some folks
thought Cindy
Martinez had
Jersey’s Diva Richards pulled ahead in
makes a last-minute ef- the judging.
fort to get her oil to dry.
Ann Treesukol
had the best
hair decora-
tion.
Poised for a pro card? Michele Dawn Kirkham thinks that’s

Cogger took second in the funny. (Well, of course
tight medium, a.k.a. B, class. she’s laughing. Look how
good she looks.)

M O R E I N T E R N AT I O N A L F L AV O R HAPPENINGS
Fitness Soars North AWARDS SEASON

of the Border REPORTER’S
VALENTINE
A huge thankyew to Mike Emery of Bodybuilding
Reviews.net, who made my month and then some by
honoring me with his Award for Bodybuilding Reportage
Photo courtesy of Sandra Wickham

for 2006. In January, Emery published his first annual
bodybuilding magazine awards online, along with de-
tailed analyses of
the four “leading
bodybuilding mag-
Wickham (center) leads the charge of the fitness brigade. azines available in
“Many will be going on to our provincial and national level
shows in pursuit of their IFBB pro cards,” she predicted.
the United States
in 2006,” which he
Talk about competitors who keep the physique fires burning. defined as monthly
Canadian figure pro Sandra Wickham held her third annual newsstand publi-
Sandra Wickham Fall Classic in Burnaby, British Columbia, last cations that cover
November, with entry-level contests in men’s and women’s body- the IFBB and NPC.
building, fitness and figure, and as usual attracted more than a Specifically, that
hundred honed and hopeful physique athletes. That included meant IRON MAN,
15 fitness hopefuls, an astounding number for a novice show Flex, Musclemag
these days. A couple of pros from nearby Washington State, International and
Tanji Johnson and Nicole Rollolazo, guest-posed at the Muscular Develop-
event, and Johnson, who’s on her own mission to encourage ment—an amazing
the growth of fitness, wrote on a popular Internet forum, “I got compliment for the
goose bumps when I saw how many fitness girls there were.” Iron Woman con-
Said Wickham, “We’re superproud of the fitness ladies here sidering the talent
in B.C. We’ll continue to work hard to promote fitness and help pool those publica-
women achieve their dream of competing!” tions bring to the
What is it about the Northwest that’s inspiring this fitness press pit.
fever? It could be the efforts of dedicated athletes like Wick- “She misses noth- “Silverman is, to
ing!” (Except the
ham and Johnson. On the other hand, nothing like cartwheels occasional typo.) my mind, the best
and high kicks to keep you warm during those cold winters, working journalist
eh, ladies? for a bodybuild-
ing mag right now,” wrote Emery, who is a professor of
English at Cottey College in Missouri. “She misses noth-
Midwest ing, on- or offstage.”
entry Sir-
van Ergili
And you thought no one was reading these humble
of Omaha pages.
practices Now, I’d be the first to point out that this is just one
her smile- guy with a Web site, but really, how often does someone
for-the-
camera
notice the editing?
look. In addition to the above comments, Emery’s review
of this magazine was peppered with phrases like, “Copy
editing was solid,” “the [writing] style was plain and clear”
and “columnists are idiosyncratic,” all the things we strive
for here at the IM editorial office, a.k.a. my day job; so
those remarks read like an early Valentine. (Straight As
on my report card from the English prof.)
And before you dismiss this gentleman as some
schmoe who follows the women’s sports, consider this:
“I wish she reported more on the men, but the women
Jersey girl. are lucky to have her.”
Hillary Fon- I couldn’t agree more, Mr. Emery; although there were
seca made a few other comments in your review of this mag that we
the cross-
country trek Some fans at the finals might have a lively discussion about.
to earn fourth were very disappointed To find out what they might be—and see what one fan
in (can’t you when Alecia Rankovic with a Web site has to say about all the major publica-
tell?) the tall landed in second in the tions—find them at BodybuildingReviews.net.
class. tall class.

MORE IM/FIT EXPO TALES
Zhanna Rotar
was not shy
about reveal-
ing why she’d
dropped out of
the Figure In-
ternational, but
I’ll be delicate.
The, um, aug-
mentation sur-
gery she’d had Avis Ware, an ’06 IM
done during the Figure class winner, with
off-season was Kim Oddo. Everywhere
taking longer you go there’s another
than expected Oddo’s Angel taking wing.
to heal. Look for
her at the Cal
I don’t care what anyone says, Terry
Pro Figure at the
Hairston and Kim Harris were the
end of May.
fittest-looking couple at the expo.
IM Art Di-
rector Terry
Bratcher
enjoys a
moment of
quiet at the
Fit/Expo. this family.
the talent in the John- This peek at Cathy LeFrancois’ con-
Will some- ou t th er e’ s no end to er, Za ki ya , dition convinced me she’d win her
Turns r sist er,
one please hnson’s othe Her big sist
give this guy Meet Tanji Jo t compete in fitness. er , think
class at the Sacramento. Of course,
ho do es n’ a, ho w ev a lot can happen in a week.
son w , Safiy time like
something r little sister program. No
to do? Tanji, and he got with the i Jo hnson
e Za ki ya out th e Ta nj
it’s tim dy Z. How ab Vancouver, Washing-
es en t, La
the pr sic in
Figure Clas
Fitness and 31 ?
M ar ch
ton, on
More old
friends.
Gene
Mozée
provided
the info
for the
Mickey
Sitting out season. Having Hargitay
earned her pro card in body- tribute
an
ve Holm at the IM
Chief Ste dder” Goodin building at the ’06 Nationals,
Editor in S h re Pro.
“the es Lisa Bickels plans to take a year
and Dave y Texas produc
wh an any off to rest and train. Know your
discuss ro n e th
oste body, eh, Lisa? We’ll look for
more test .
te your pro debut in 2008.
other sta
What a
treat to You can contact
see P&C’s Ruth Silverman,
old friend Speaking of greeting old friends, the pres-
Tatiana ence of Sharon Bruneau in the house produced fitness reporter
Anderson squeals of joy and hugs wherever the glamor- and Pump & Cir-
(right), dec- ous former bodybuilder went. In fact, her re-
Neveux
orating the union with Timea Majorova would have set off
cumstance scribe,
SAN booth the fantasy meter in most of the guys I know. in care of
with Sara Bruneau has been working in film production IRON MAN, 1701 Ives Ave.,
Flom like for the past eight years, but folks were sug-
a pair of gesting that she might look for something in Oxnard, CA 93033; or via e-mail at
classically the fitness industry again. Any takers? ironwman@aol.com.
designed
bookends.

Only the Strong Shall Survive

How to Keep Injuries From
Keeping You Down
by Bill Starr • Photography by Michael Neveux
believe that I’m not talking about serious inju- because of a momentary lapse in
ries on the scale of fractures or dis- concentration on a high-skill exer-
the majority of locations but about dealing with the cise. There’s no doubt in my mind,
those who read nagging, debilitating injuries that either, that on certain days we’re just
IRON MAN are affect your training and that you can more vulnerable.
manage. While a few may be severe I’ve received a number of let-
totally respon- enough to be checked out by a doc- ters from men dumbfounded that
sible for all as- tor, most aren’t, and you end up re- they got injured. They’d been doing
pects of their training, habbing the sprain, strain or muscle exactly the same routine for a very
tear on your own. I call such injuries long time. They warmed up the
which means they have dings—but minor injuries can still same, went through the same se-
to take care of any in- hurt like hell and bring progress to a quence and topped out with the
jury they incur. Even standstill.
Anyone who trains seriously and
same weights. Nothing was differ-
ent, so why did the elbow suddenly
though scholastic and is constantly striving to move his or act up?
collegiate athletes have her numbers higher is eventually I wrote back that something was
the luxury of a trainer going to sustain some type of injury. different. Your body is constantly in
Those who stay with light weights flux as your biorhythms go through
and sometimes a team aren’t exempt, by the way. In fact, I their cycles. Several times during
doctor to take care of think more people hurt themselves the year two or all three of the cycles
using light weights than heavy cross the midline on the same day.
problems, they still ones. Because the poundages aren’t Those are considered critical days
have to be responsible demanding, they don’t pay close because your body chemistry is
for handling injuries attention to form, and that’s when changing from positive to nega-
problems occur. tive or vice-versa. Should you be
that happen when You get dings for all sorts of rea- training on those days, the odds of
they’re not in school, sons—failure to take the time to sustaining an injury increase dra-
such as over the holi- warm up properly, coming to the matically. Some people think bio-
gym extra tired or piling on the work rhythms are akin to palmistry, but
days and during the so much that you’re chronically many companies use biorhythms to
summer. overtrained. Often something gives cut down on their injury rate. Japan,

evant muscles and attachments are

already tired, and you don’t give as
much attention to a high-rep move-
ment as a low-rep, heavy-weight one.
Technique on exercises for the small-
er groups also gets less care. I see
bodybuilders jamming their elbows
down while doing pushdowns and
letting dumbbells jerk around during
a set of curls. The elbows and shoul-
ders are really quite fragile joints and
can take only so much abuse.
Be sure you warm up properly.
Younger athletes can get away with
jumping right into their programs
without any warmup, but it’s a bad
habit to develop. Sooner or later
training on cold, unprepared muscles
and joints will result in a ding.
Another common factor is a quick
change in the weather, from mild
or warm to cold. Training in a cold,
drafty gym without adequate protec-
tion can lead to a ding, I’ll talk more
Model: Gus Malliarodakis

about that later.
Finally—and it’s only common
sense—avoid exercises that you know
are risky or have given you problems
in the past. For example, I advise
everyone to stay away from behind-
More people hurt themselves using light weights than heavy the-neck exercises such as presses,
ones. Because the poundages aren’t demanding, they don’t pay pulldowns on the lat machine and
close attention to form, and that’s when problems occur. chins. Why? Your shoulder girdle isn’t
designed to move in that range, and
for example, has a national program

in which high-risk workers get a
blue card in their time slots on their
cross days and are relieved of haz-
ardous work on those days. There’s
been an 80 percent reduction in ac-
cident rates since the program was
initiated.
I realize that you may not want
to calculate your biorhythms and
adjust your training accordingly. At
one time I did, although I don’t any
longer. What I do, however, is check
my biorhythms when I get a ding
that I can’t explain. It helps me elim-
inate some other cause. Biorhythms
turn out to be the culprit more often
than not.
Improper technique is high on
the list of reasons for being dinged.
Elbow and shoulder problems espe-
Model: Nathan Detracy
cially are directly related to sloppy

form on the bench press. Rebound-
ing the bar off the chest and exces-
sive bridging will eventually take
their toll. Auxiliary exercises, often
performed with lighter weights, Improper technique is high on the list of reasons for being
come last in most programs. The rel- dinged. Elbow and shoulder problems especially are directly
related to sloppy form on the bench press.
the addition of resistance puts it

under even more stress. Behind-
the-neck movements are potentially
harmful not only to the shoulders
but also to the rotator cuffs. Since
pressing, chinning and doing lat
pulldowns to the front are more
productive and safer than the same
exercises done behind the neck,
why take a chance and do the latter?
If you know that every time you
put front squats back into your
routine your wrists and elbows start
hurting so badly that you have to
gulp down fistfuls of pain pills to
get through the following day, that’s
a bit self-destructive. Every trainee
has one or more exercises that he or
she would love to use but realizes
that they do more harm than good.
Pick an alternative. Your objective
Model: Randy Vogelzang

in weight training, or any type of
athletic endeavor for that matter,
is to enjoy the activity and improve
your overall health and well-being.
Purposely performing a lift that
invariably results in pain and injury
is slightly goofy. Life presents plenty Don’t jam your elbows down when doing pushdowns; move to
of problems without creating more the bottom position with control.
unnecessarily.
Rest assured, somewhere down
the line you’ll incur some type of

injury. It goes with the territory, and
no matter how careful you are, on a
given day something will go wrong.
When it happens to me, the first
thing I do is try to determine why I
got a ding. In some cases, the reason
is obvious, but in others I have to ex-
amine lots of factors. Mostly I can lay
the blame on running my workload
up too rapidly. Like my older friends,
I still possess a competitive nature,
and it’s hard not to add reps or move
numbers higher when they’re there
for the taking. It usually occurs after
I’ve inserted a new exercise into my
routine or one I haven’t done for a
long time. Because it’s new, gains
come rather quickly, and I continue
taking them until my body tells me to
stop. I’m aware of my situation and
try to pay close attention to feedback
from the muscles and joints involved
in that exercise. When I pick up the
early warning signals and heed them,
all’s fine. When I don’t, I pay the price
just like everyone else and have to
deal with a ding.
That means it’s time for the famil-
And don’t jerk the weight on curls. The elbows and shoulders iar acronym RICE: rest, ice, compres-
are fragile joints and can only take so much abuse. sion and elevation. As soon as you

any type of athletic injury, I’ve found

that it doesn’t help with tendinitis in
my elbows. Moist heat works better. I
think that’s because the tendon isn’t
damaged, only unduly stressed. And
if I’m sure that my shoulder is hurt-
ing because I dinged my bursa sac,
I prefer moist heat over ice. I know
that from experience, and it may not
apply to you. I do encourage every-
one to try ice first. If you find that it
adds to the pain, as I did with tennis
elbow and bursitis of the shoulder,
give moist heat a shot.
Even after the ding stops hurting,
I continue to ice it for several days. It
provides a bit of a bonus to the heal-
ing process and doesn’t take much
time or trouble since I’m in the habit
of icing every night anyway. Another
thing I do as a precaution is to ice the
opposing joint or muscle group that
wasn’t dinged. If my right shoulder
is acting up, I ice it, then shift the
ice pack to my left shoulder. I figure
that if some exercise I’m doing has
stressed one shoulder, it is most likely
stressing the other one too. It just
hasn’t reached the breaking point
yet. So I treat the healthy shoulder
as if it were dinged. Again, it’s simple
It’s only common sense to avoid exercises that you know are
risky or have given you problems in the past. enough to do. You already have the
ice pack ready and have to take a
break from icing the dinged area.
Compression and icing go hand
feel pain, the kind that’s telling you lects in a wound, the longer it takes in hand. Wrap an elastic bandage
something is wrong, stop doing the to heal. Ice contracts the blood ves- over the ice pack and lock it firmly
exercise. The dinged area should be sels and eases the pain. in place. If you experience numb-
rested. How long depends on the se- Crush some ice and wrap it in a ness, cramping or pain from the wrap
verity of the injury. For some, a cou- towel before applying it to your skin. being too tight, redo it. You want it
ple of days is sufficient. For others it Keep the ice pack on the injury for snug but not so tight that it cuts off
may be weeks. Just because you’re only 20 minutes. Some authorities circulation. When you remove the ice
injured, of course, doesn’t mean that say 30, but I like to stay on the side
you can’t train. On the contrary, you of caution. When you leave ice on
should be exercising because move- for too long, it acts like heat and
ment will bring blood and healing blood floods the area, creating even
nutrients to the damaged area. What more damage. I learned that the
you don’t want to do is some exercise hard way when I pulled an adductor
that directly irritates the injury. and packed ice on it while I drove
While you’re resting a dinged mus- an hour. My inner thigh filled with
cle or joint, it’s a good opportunity blood and was black from knee to
to spend more time strengthening crotch. If you aim for 20 minutes
some other bodypart. Decide what and forget and it ends up being 30
needs more work and go after it. or 35 minutes before you remove
The energy you used exercising the the ice pack, you’re still okay. If you
hurt area can now be used to make plan on icing for 30 and leave it
a weak group a great deal stronger. on an additional 10 or 15 minutes,
In that way, you can turn a negative you’ll discover that you’ve made the
situation into a positive one. injury worse.
Ice the injury right away, the soon- So ice for 20 minutes, remove for
er the better. When you tear a muscle a half hour or longer, and then ice
RICE is good for dings; that
or tweak a joint, the blood vessels again. Do that until you go to bed. is, rest, ice, compression and
bleed, and the more blood that col- While icing is recommended for elevation.
critical to recovery.
Between your efforts and those of
Mother Nature, your pain is gone,
and you decide to start training the
dinged area again. Step one—select
an exercise or exercises that will
flush blood into the joint or muscle
without aggravating it. It may take
a bit of trial and error. For example,
not all triceps exercises will achieve
that end. The first few reps will tell
you if that exercise is helpful or
hurtful.
Keep in mind that at the begin-
ning of the rehab program you most
likely will experience mild pain in
the damaged area. You must learn
how to differentiate between a dull,
aching type of pain, which is not
harmful, and the sharp, stabbing
pain, which is. It’s often a thin line,
but you’ll know you’re on the right
track if the initial discomfort starts
going away after you reach eight or
10 reps. That’s the movement that
will restore your strength.
First workout back, do only one
set, and limit the reps to eight, 10
or 12. Use light weights, and leave
two to three reps in the bank. If you
feel that you can do 12 easily, stop
When you do a rehab exercise, you must do it in absolutely
perfect form. A lapse in concentration could reinjure you. at 10. That night and the next day,
determine how the dinged area feels
as you go about your daily activities.
Should it be fine, then you can begin
pack, you’ll also remove the wrap of the damaged area, so elevating to add to your workload. I can’t
and leave it off until the next icing your shoulder or calf while icing it emphasize enough the importance
session. aids in the healing process. of proceeding slowly. Not doing so
Elevation is useful but just isn’t What about painkillers? Take is the greatest mistake most athletes
feasible for injuries to the back or them whenever you get dinged. make. The very last thing you want
hips. It’s for leg and upper-body They help break up the pain cycle, to do is aggravate the ding and have
dings. The idea is to keep blood out and that’s beneficial. Painkillers will to start all over again. It will result
also help you rest better, and rest is in another rehab period that will be
valuable when you’re rehabbing an at least two or three times longer
Painkillers injured area. Do not, however, take
help break them prior to training. That’s often Always increase your intake of
up the done, and it’s a huge mistake. You vitamin C and protein whenever
pain cycle don’t want to mask the pain. Rather, you get
and allow you want to know precisely how any dinged.
you to rest exercise is affecting your ding. With
better. pain pills—aspirin, acetaminophen
Take after and ibuprofen—you could do more
training damage to the dinged joint or mus-
only, not cle without knowing it and greatly
before. escalate your problem. After train-
ing is fine, but never before.
Increase your intake of vitamin
C and protein whenever you get
dinged. Also add B6 to help you
assimilate the protein. Magnesium-
calcium tablets are beneficial as well
and will help you get to sleep and
obtain the therapeutic rest that’s so

them to use only a very small
amount, they’d slap it on
anyway. After all, it was free.
Moments later they’d start
dancing around, frantically
trying to wipe it off with a
towel or T-shirt. When that
failed, they’d sprint to the
bathroom and douse their
beet-red skin with water.
Seldom did anyone ask for
more.
The best commercial
product out there now is
Wraps are valuable aids. The type Nicoflex, made in Europe
Tommy Kono designed is the best
and sold by Randy Stros-
for elbows and knees.
sen at IronMind Enterprises
(IronMind.com). It’s not
than the one you just went through. quite as strong as that undiluted
Should you continue to be foolish Hoffman’s Rub, but it’s close.
and reinjure the same area over and When you do a rehab exercise,
over, that minor ding suddenly be- you must do it in absolutely perfect
comes a major problem requiring form. Any lapse in concentration
medical attention. may set you back to square one.
Although the dinged area is feel- That’s why rehabbing is so exhaust-
ing stronger, continue to treat it as ing. It forces you to tap into your
if it were still hurt for several weeks. nervous system much more than
Stay with lighter poundages and usual. Having to perform every
higher reps for two to three sets. rep precisely, however, has a nice
Keep icing after each session, and be carryover benefit because it helps
sure the dinged area is thoroughly improve your technique on that
warmed up before training. exercise.
Muscle rubs and wraps are valu- Everyone is different, of course,
able aids. The type of wraps that but the guideline I use for rehab-
Tommy Kono designed (available at bing is that once I can do three sets
www.Home-Gym.com) is the best of 20, I’m ready to start lowering the
for elbows and knees. They’re made reps and handling heavier weights.
from the kind of rubber used in That needs to be done slowly, not
scuba-diving suits and really hold in abruptly. Lower the reps to 15 and
the heat. If they’re not available, get stay with that for a week, then to 12,
a set of wraps that powerlifters use. 10 and finally back down to fives.
They’re much more supportive and If it takes you three months rather
retain the heat more efficiently than than two get back to full strength,
elastic bandages. what does it matter in the long run?
Should the ding be in an area Knowing how to treat minor inju-
that’s not conducive to wrapping, ries on your own is very gratifying,
use plenty of muscle rub, and make and all it takes is the resolve to take
sure to cover the area with plenty of the necessary steps consistently
clothing. plus a large dose of patience.
That’s particularly beneficial when Observant readers will notice that
you train in a chilly, drafty facility I’ve focused on the upper body and
during colder months, which was legs while mentioning little about
the case at York Barbell. When Smitty the back. Rehabbing the back is a
made a supply of Hoffman’s Rub, he different ball game and deserves its
set aside a batch that hadn’t been own extensive presentation. Watch
diluted with alcohol like the kind this space.
sold to the public. That he gave to
the York lifters. Editor’s note: Bill Starr was a
It was extra potent. We quickly strength and conditioning coach
learned to use it sparingly because at Johns Hopkins University from
it would set our skin on fire. At con- 1989 to 2000. He’s the author of The
tests other lifters would bum some Strongest Shall Survive and Defying
from us, and even though we warned Gravity. IM

Mind
MIND/BODY
Grow With the Flow Get in a hypertrophic state of mind

IRONMIND
C
onsider what’s going through the mind of the typical person is enjoying what psychologists call flow, a mental state
person in the middle of a typical set as he completes in which you might not even be aware of what you’re doing but
his reps: “Wonder what’s for dinner tonight?… I think you’re able to turn out the best possible performance.
I forgot to mail the car payment.… Who’s doing curls over “So,” you ask, “just what is this flow, and how do I get more
there?” Not exactly focused on the task at hand. That person’s of it?”
mind is everywhere but on what he’s supposed to be doing: Flow has been studied extensively by University of Chicago
knocking off a set with full concentration. It may be typical, but psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi for about 20 years. It
it’s not the way to train for best results. characterizes peak performance in everything from skiing to
Next, consider the ideal situation, and just to make it more surgery, and it applies to bodybuilding and lifting. Typically,
appealing, let’s make you the hero. You’re in the gym but not Csikszentmihalyi found, people in flow were engaged in activi-
even really aware of your surroundings. You do each rep with ties they enjoyed for their own sake, not for some external
your mind fixed on the business at hand but without think- reward. In other words, they liked what they were doing and
ing about it. Although you’re training like a madman, it’s as weren’t just doing it for fame or riches. Also, the activities
if you’re not really there—as if you’re impervious to pain and presented a constant challenge and immediate feedback. It
someone else is banging out all of those reps. It’s the perfect sounds as if lifting weights is a perfect fit—the challenge for
way to train. improvement is always present, you always know exactly how
The first person is caught up in all those random thoughts well you’re doing, and most of us lift for love, not money.
and worries. He’s preoccupied by all sorts of things, and, ironi- Daniel Goleman, who covers the behavioral and brain sci-
cally, even if one of his preoccupations is doing well on the set, ences for The New York Times, explains that when we’re in
his many thoughts distract him from his training. The second flow, we’re making the best possible use of our emotions for
maximum performance. When we’re in flow, he says,
we’re not bound by the “ennui of depression or the
agitation of anxiety.”
What happens when you’re depressed? Nothing,
because when you’re really bummed out, you pull in,
batten the hatches and freeze in place. When you’re
really anxious, you also don’t get anywhere, even
though your guts might be churning and you might be
making all kinds of nervous, halfhearted movements.
The experience of flow, Goleman points out, is char-
acterized by an emotional point that lies somewhere
between the two extremes. It provides the emotional
basis for optimal performance: “In flow the emotions
are not just contained and channeled but positive, en-
ergized and aligned with the task at hand.” That could
mean you’re having an amazing workout or a fantastic
competition.
To achieve flow, Goleman suggests, start by paying
extremely close attention to what you’re doing be-
cause concentration is the essence of flow. He notes
Neveux \ Model: Darrell Terrell
that it might take a little effort to get focused at the

beginning of your task, but then your ability to focus
will take on a life of its own. Let’s see how that might
work for bodybuilders and lifters.
Try beginning your workout with a favorite bodypart
or exercise. Maybe you don’t feel 100 percent like
training, but you’re willing to do a little forearm work,

Body
for example. So you start off easy, working through some of
your favorite moves, and build up a little steam, and before
you know it, you’re blasting through your whole workout—
and doing a terrific job on it too.
That might be why you see world champion lifters who
can clean and jerk 250 kilos approach their first warmup
Interaction
The Touch Tactic to Get Lean
R
set in deadly earnest, even if it’s only 60 or 70 kilos. If things esearch
work right, their concentration increases in sync with the suggests
weight on the bar, so they hit the right gear mentally when that positive
they need a big physical effort. The best part is that if every- social interactions,
Neveux \ Models: Amy Lynn and Adrian Janicke

thing really goes right, even a personal-record weight will end especially touching,
up feeling light, and the workout, though it should have killed release oxytocin, a
a horse, will leave you feeling exhilarated. feel-good hormone
Flow also depends on how tough your task is. Actually, that can decrease
what matters is how tough your task is compared to your blood pressure and
skill level. Csikzentmihalyi represents what he calls the “flow stress—and reduc-
channel” as being a good balance between your skill levels ing stress curbs
and the performance expectations. Conversely, when skill your appetite.
levels are well below performance expectations, anxiety will There’s one more
result—which will block flow. Similarly, when skill levels are excuse for getting
well above performance expectations, boredom will re- frequent mas-
sult—which will also block flow. Maybe that’s why so much sages.
effective training involves weights that are in the range of 80 —Becky Holman
to 90 percent of one’s absolute maximum. You’re most likely
to enjoy flow when you have to stretch a little, so you don’t get
bored, but not too much, so you don’t get anxious.
Interestingly, even though flow involves usually high de-
grees of concentration and performance, the brain is actually Hygiene
in a cool, quiet state. Remember we noted that the experi-
ence of flow makes top-level performance seem easy? It’s
as if brain activity mirrors that ease. Once again, when you’re
Toilet Trouble Put a lid on it
stressed out, fatigued, bored or subject to any number of
C
other negative emotional states, your brain is working much lose the lid! Why?
less efficiently and, therefore, much harder. Because flushing
Training is the key to gaining, so anything that helps you a toilet with the lid
train harder, while making it seem easier, sounds like magic. open can send unsanitary
Yet research has shown that there’s a psychological state water droplets up and
that can do just that. So be wise and grow with the flow. out into the bathroom.
—Randall Strossen, Ph.D. That can spread germs
and disease, especially if
Editor’s note: Randall Strossen, Ph.D., edits the quar- toothbrushes are out in the
terly magazine MILO. He’s also the author of IronMind: Stron- open. (Ewww, I’ve been
ger Minds, Stronger Bodies; Super Squats: How to Gain brushing my teeth with
30 Pounds of Muscle in 6 Weeks and Paul Anderson: The what?) Women usually
Mightiest Minister. For more information call IronMind Enter- close the lid before flush-
prises Inc. at (530) 265-6725 or Home Gym Warehouse ing, but men, read this
at (800) 447-0008, ext. 1. Visit the IronMind Web site at item again—and then start
www.IronMind.com. closing the darned lid!
—Becky Holman

Bomber Blast MIND/BODY
Muscle and Might—Live and Learn

W
e haven’t been married • Nutrition is fundamental—quan-
19 years, and already tity and excellence of energy- and
Laree wants to deco- muscle-building foods.
rate the house. It’s that time of • Rest is elementary—sufficiency
year when folks feel obligated and quality of sleep and periods of
to make changes—the typical recuperation.
person in the middle of a typi- • Mental acuity is integral—ability
cal set gets rid of the old and to focus and deal with stress and
brings in the new. The dear lady distraction.
wants to take down the rockin’ • Common sense is price-
’60s posters (Hendrix, Cream, less—logic, instinct and the ability
Stones) and sports banners to discern worthy input from the
(Go, Raiders) and hang smartly useless.
framed oils and watercolors in • Creativity—the ability to invent,
their places. She said some- improvise, fashion and finesse—
thing about repairing the cracks can’t be bought.
and painting the walls. Yeah, • And spirit is invaluable, the
Neveux \ Model: Berry Kabov

right! Just like I’m going to drag place where heart, desire and force
the dismantled ’51 Ford coupe combine.
and copious car parts from the That list, like New York City, is
front yard and plant a lawn in neither long nor wide, but it is deep,
its place. lofty and overflowing. Keep it in
“Let’s move the mattress order and attend it well, and we too
from the living room floor to the will be giants.
bedroom, where it belongs,” I expect we’ll agree that our com-
she says, as if there was space. The bedroom functions as a plaints and grumblings are relative. Some of you remember the
closet, storeroom and office, none of which we have yet. great workouts you had in your garage, backyard or basement,
The refrigerator sounds like a cement mixer; the couch or the boiler room at the Y, where the equipment looked like
sags, the 12-inch black-and-white TV picture is fuzzy, and projects-gone-wrong in high school shop class. The weights
the outhouse is backing up. Those are the comments I hear were loose and rusty and chewed on your hands, the boards
throughout the day. I hope her girl thing is short-lived and we for benches had splinters and nails in secret places, and no
can get on with our lives. one in his right mind stood next to the multiexercise squat rack
Of course, as you well know, needless to say, Laree never device, the one in the corner that rocked and rattled when the
complains about anything. A songbird is she, a soaring eagle, wind blew or someone slammed the door.
my little parakeet. Our house has a bed in the bedroom and We moaned. But never were the workouts better, more
a picture on the wall—and hot and cold running water. In pre- fulfilling, exciting and productive. We knew what we were
senting this week’s words of wisdom, humor and inspiration— doing, where we were going and why, and it all had to do with
he’s feverish and confused, doctor—I was simply constructing muscles and strength and being cool (hi, girls). That was then,
a metaphor you could relate to. the good old days, before we were told how it is, where it is
Some people I know are similarly disgruntled about their and why—by Them, whoever they are. The older we get and
training. Forever complaining, never satisfied, they blame their the more we learn, the dumber and less happy we become.
discontent on everything but themselves—the weights, the Here’s where and when our grievances began: We decided
equipment, the atmosphere, training methods and parking. to make muscle and strength building easier, more convenient,
They say change will do us good. As always, they’re not entire- less basic, more complex, higher, wider, longer, deeper and
ly wrong, and they’re not exactly right. Our training satisfaction more ridiculous than ever. We decided to make big bucks in
and dissatisfaction are based on many things, not just one, two a burgeoning industry. Good-bye, muscle and might. Hello,
or a few. Change can be overrated. trouble—disillusion, fiction, make-believe, exaggeration, magic
Remember the adage: He complained about the size of his and little white lies.
boots till he had no boots. He complained about the size of his Now, 10, 20, 30 years later, there’s a gym next to every
feet till he had no feet. He complained about his complaints till Starbucks. We have gyms putting other gyms out of business
he had no complaints. They buried him by the riverside. May and people scrambling to join. The scramble stops at the gym
he rest in peace. To this day he wishes they’d buried him under floor and is reduced to a cruise on a stationary bike before a
the old oak tree. plasma TV. Muscles are developed, manufactured, exagger-
The essentials must be recognized and organized, under- ated, created, implanted, purchased and sold. I’ll have a pair
stood and applied. They must be acknowledged, practiced, of those lumps in large...ummm, make that extra large, thank
established: you.
• Environment is important—quality of equipment, con- I’ve lamented before: Neighborhood gyms, like tigers, are an
venience of the gym, atmosphere, attitude, circulation of air, endangered species. They’re lean, raw, muscular and quick.
cleanliness, order and odor. The tiger is no bull. You enter unguarded doors, wrestle dumb-
• The workout—exercises, their arrangement and their per- bells on rugged benches, lift barbells off rugged racks and tug
formance—is the nucleus, the center, the indispensable factor. on cables from rugged pulleys. You toil, you groan, you leave.

You’ve gotta love it. There’s no money in the gym biz, unless you’re lucky,
blessed or dishonest.
You can watch countless infomercials on the tube, hawking gadgets that
reduce the hips, bulges and flab and increase the breasts, biceps and sex
appeal. Those things fold into slim slabs no bigger than a laptop and weigh
less than a cell phone or pack of Marlboros. I’m exaggerating, but so are
they. They work. I’m lying, but so are they.
A loopy and flimsy machine that swings like a hammock under the
shapely buttocks of Maxine or the rock-hard abs of Mack performs wonders
till Louie and Betty Bonzo mount its deadly aluminum frame. The gadget
quivers and Betty shivers, the unit quakes and Louie shakes. Time passes,
and the Trim-all crashes.
Some of the design styles of equipment advertised are functional and
worthy and bring health and exercise into the home, should they be acti-
vated and not slid under the bed, sold at the flea market or donated to the
church rec facility. And they no doubt add to the closing of a few of the
gyms along the boulevards. Got my own at home, thanks.
Home gyms work for the already invested lifter, the private yet motivated
and disciplined type, the quick responder, the hobby-bobby trainee and the
severely guilty, self-punishing type. They find refuge in their little sanctuary,
apply themselves regularly, and good things happen. They often eat right
because right eating is the perfect companion of systematic exercise and
the pursuit of health. They confront themselves on the ground floor of life
and take the express elevator up. The company is likable, the conversation
is fine, and there’s no rush. Nice day, how ya doin’? Penthouse, please.
Needless to say, the ardent home trainees, those predating the gizmo
age, actually train under the iron and steel and rack and stack. They fly, they
soar, they roar. Incoming, 11 o’clock. They bench, deadlift and squat.
It’s been a good day. You parked eventu-
ally, signed in dutifully, nodded automatically
and proceeded past the front counter rou-
tinely. The gym floor awaits your presence
patiently. What will you do today?
Curls, presses, taxi, fly, land—whatever
you do, do it enthusiastically.
—Dave Draper
Editor’s note: For more from Dave

Draper, visit www.DaveDraper.com and sign
up for his free newsletter. You can also check
out his amazing Top Squat training tool, clas-
sic photos, workout Q&A and forum.
Abs
Walk Away Weight
I
n a study done at Wake Forest University, 45
Neveux \ Models: Amy Lynn and Adrian Janicke
obese women went on a diet, with two-thirds of

them walking three times a week. At the 20-week
mark all the subjects had lost about 25 pounds, but
those who walked reduced abdominal-fat-cell size
by 19 percent. There was no change in ab-fat-cell
size in the diet-only group. So walking on the tread-
mill isn’t just good for your heart; it can also help
you chisel in those abs faster.
—Becky Holman

Gallery of Ironmen MIND/BODY
MIND/BODY
Paul Conchas
I
n the years just prior to World War
I, militarism was all the rage in Ger-
many, and one supremely powerful
young man took advantage of that
feeling to create a vaudeville act that
showcased his strength, balance
and Prussian patriotism. Lifting and
juggling extremely heavy items had
long been popular with strongmen,
but Paul Conchas combined that feat
with German military might, and in the
process he became a hit with audi-
ences all over Europe and America.
Warner
Conchas was born in Germany
sometime around 1875, but very little
is known of his early years. We do Conchas caught three cannonballs
know that his real name was Paul on his neck and shoulders. The
Hütt and that he began his athletic total weight of the balls was said
career as a wrestler. Starting around to be 350 pounds.
1895, however, as the “Military Her- pole; he’d then knock the pole away
cules,” the young Prussian athlete and catch the plummeting balls on
astounded audiences with his unique the nape of his neck and his shoul-
feats and showbiz flair. Conchas ders. The total weight of the balls was
would march on to the stage to the said to be 350 pounds. The man’s
strains of a stirring German military strength and sense of balance must
march wearing the uniform of the have been extraordinary, and he was
elite household guard, complete with a huge success wherever he went.
sword, brass buttons and an absurdly In 1905 Conchas made his first
elaborate helmet topped with the trip to America and met with great
Prussian eagle. success. The German juggler re-
The act that Conchas presented turned several times to the USA and
was truly amazing. He’d put a 187- each time enjoyed large crowds and
pound artillery shell on one end of a enthusiastic reviews. Conchas distin-
springboard and launch it into the air, guished himself from other strongmen
catching the thing on his neck and by admitting that working out with
shoulders. Even more spectacularly, heavy weights was the source of his
he’d balance on his chin a trio of can- power. Most others claimed that they
nonballs perched on a three-pronged miraculously acquired
or achieved their
He used an
elaborate strength by lifting tiny
Prussian five-pound dumbbells.
military Conchas flatly admit-
uniform in his ted that his power
strongman act. derived from “train-
ing with the weights
and on the wrestling
mats.”
Despite his sol-
dierly appearance,
the Military Hercules
took care to be in the
Lon \ Photo courtesy of the David Chapman collection
United States when

World War I broke out
in Europe. It was while
he was on tour in
America that the great
cannonball juggler
died in 1916.
—David Chapman

New Stuff MIND/BODY
Dormant-muscle
CYCLIN-GF activator
pro-
C
yclin-GF is a scientific
breakthrough of massive grammed
proportions. The latest to be-
research in muscle fiber cell growth come
has revealed that stored deep with- muscle
in muscle tissue is a vast supply of fibers,
millions of dormant muscle precur- or myo-
sor cells. MPCs can be activated to fibers.
start new muscle fiber growth—or Cyclin-GF
they can remain dormant. More- makes
over, MPCs that are activated typi- the
cally don’t achieve maturity due to MPCs
suboptimal anabolic conditions. develop into mature muscle tissue
Until now bodybuilders were by suppressing growth arrestors
tapping into only a fraction of their and making IGF-1 convert into
muscle-building potential. With the IGF-2. That’s important because
development of Cyclin-GF, MHP’s new research has shown IGF-2 to
research team has discovered how be even more critical than IGF-1 for
to activate the dormant MPCs and developing new muscle tissue and
improve the internal anabolic envi- increasing muscle size.
ronment to one that can stimulate Cyclin-GF is your key to wak-
and carry them through the full ing up the millions of sleeping
growth cycle in order to achieve muscle precursor cells and stimu-
massive muscle fiber maturity. lating them to grow into mature
Cyclin-GF awakens dormant muscles. It is without question a
MPCs by increasing the amount major breakthrough in bodybuilding
of the anabolic hormone insulinlike supplementation.
growth factor 1. Upon activation, For more information visit www
MPCs begin dividing and forming .MaxPerformance.com.
pools of myoblast cells that are
www.Home-Gym.com Best Sellers

Books: 4) “IRON MAN’s Swimsuit Spectacu-
1) The lar #9”
7-Minute 5) “Ronnie Coleman’s The Cost of
Rotator Cuff Redemption”
Solution Top E-book:
by Joseph
Horrigan, 3D Muscle Building—Featuring Posi-
D.C., and tions of Flexion, Mass F/X Training
Jerry Rob- and the 20-Pounds-of-Muscle-in-10-
inson Weeks Program by Steve Holman
and Jonathan Lawson (available at
2) Train, www.3DMuscleBuilding.com).
Eat, Grow—The Positions-of-Flexion
Muscle-Training Manual by Steve
Holman
3) 10-Week Size Surge by IRON
MAN Publishing
4) Ronnie Coleman’s Hardcore
5) The Precontest Bible by Larry
Pepe
DVDs/Videos:
1) “Jay Cutler—One Step Closer”
2) “2005 Mr. Olympia”
3) “Ronnie Coleman’s On the Road”

Serious Training MIND/BODY
MIND/BODY
Linda Reho
Photography by Jerry Fredrick
Location: Gold’s Gym, Venice, California

Serious Stats
Weight: 110 contest; 125 off-season
Height: 5’2 1/4” Age: 31
Bodypart split: Monday, shoulders; Tues-
day, back; Wednesday, quads and calves;
Thursday, hamstrings; Friday, chest and
triceps; Saturday, biceps; Sunday, cardio
Sample workout (delts):
Seated presses 4-5 x 12-15
Upright rows 4-5 x 12-15
One-arm lateral raises 4-5 x 12-15
Front raises 4-5 x 12-15
Machine rear-delt raises 4-5 x 12-15
Factoid: “I have two master’s degrees—
master’s of education in exercise physiology
and in sports management and marketing.”
Contest: ’06 NPC Natural Grand Prix Fig-
ure Championships, 1st short and overall

Readers Write
Boomer Bodybuilding Swaggering Back

SPECIAL OVER-40 BODYBUILDING ISSUE—PRIME-TIME MUSCLE
It was like Skip La Cour was talking to me. His article
“Get Your Swagger Back” [March ’07] is the most motiva-
tional thing I’ve ever read, full of life philosophy. It was a
wake-up call for me. I started working out again and have
a new outlook
OVER
™
on just about
everything. Even
40
my wife has
noticed (and I’m
being rewarded
BODYBUILDING more often, if
you know what
I mean!). Thank
you, Skip, and
thank you, IRON
Rachel McLish Clark Bartram
MAN!
How They Do It! Charlie Faust
•Anti-aging Supplements via Internet
•Training Tactics
•Motivation Editor’s note: Watch for Skip’s new column on getting
Research Report: your swagger back (among other things), appearing in
Growth Hormone Lee Apperson, 48 future issues of IRON MAN. Swagger on, Charles!
Jennifer Micheli, 43
Increase Yours Naturally
MARCH 2007
PLUS:
Bill’s Do
$5.98 $7.98 in Canada
0 3>
•Get Your Swagger Back!
•Build Midback Muscle and Might
•DHEA Is Legal—But Is It for You?
0 70992 37390 1 It was fantastic to see the
•IRON MAN Pro/Arnold Classic Preview Please display until 3/6/07 article on Bill Grant [“Frozen in
Time,” March ’07]. I’ve seen him
C1_MAR2007_F.indd 1 12/27/06 3:24:10 PM around and knew he was in great
Thanks so much for devoting an issue to us guys over age shape. It’s about time someone
40. As baby boomers age, we need more and more fitness noticed. He looks great with his
information. I personally would like to see more of IRON shirt off, but in the photo of him
MAN devoted to guys over the age of 50 or, in my case, over in the T-shirt, I’d swear he was
the age of 60. I’m not a muscle guy, but by working out three only 35. Way to go, Bill!
time a week, I can keep up with the young whippersnap- Glenn Hughes
pers who are in their 30s. (I work at a store devoted to home via Internet
improvement, so I have to be in good physical shape.)
Bill Grant, age 60.
Thanks again for the great issue.
Fred (no last name provided)
Calf Roundup
Nashville, TN “3D Calf Training” [February ’07] is the best training
article I’ve read in a very long time. It makes total sense to
Army Iron work muscles from the three [Positions-of-Flexion] angles,
and the tips for muscle growth had me in the gym the next
We thank you and your awesome publication for keep- day strangling my calves. It worked. I gained a half inch on
ing us motivated to stay in shape while overseas. This photo them in only four weeks. After that I got a copy of the e-
was taken at the train station on the north side of Fallujah, book 3D Muscle Building, and the techniques are awesome.
Iraq. We operate out of it and are making it one day at a They’re working for all my muscles, especially arms, which
time. We have a pretty decent hardcore setup for the boys have blown up bigger than they’ve ever been. I’m so excited
when they’re not on missions. We’d like to make it home about training that I can hardly wait to get to the gym on
alive and in one piece, but in the meantime, why not look workout days.
good doing it? Keep up the great work! Carlos Mendoza
Sgt. Jesse F. Buffalo, NY
Rodriguez
1/24 Bravo Co. Editor’s note: For more information on 3D Positions of
via Internet Flexion and X-Rep training, visit www.3DMuscleBuilding
.com and www.X-Rep.com.
Editor’s
note: You guys Vol. 66, No. 5: IRON MAN (ISSN #0047-1496) is published monthly by IRON MAN Pub-
keep up the great lishing, 1701 Ives Ave., Oxnard, CA 93033. Periodical Mail is paid at Oxnard, CA, and at
work too. Stay additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to IRON MAN, 1701 Ives
Ave., Oxnard, CA 93033. Please allow six to eight weeks for change to take effect. Subscrip-
safe. 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
U.S. dollars. Send subscriptions to IRON MAN, 1701 Ives Ave., Oxnard, CA 93033. Or call
1-800-570-4766. Copyright © 2007. All rights reserved. No part of this magazine may be
reproduced in any manner without written permission from the publisher. Printed in the USA.


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