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INSIDE THIS MONTH

DECEMBER 2017

COVER PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF WEIDER HEALTH & FITNESS

FEATURES

44 10 WAYS TO GROW YOUR GUNS

A HULKING LEGACY At 66 years old, iconic actor Lou Ferrigno is breaking new ground in his career. In fact, his latest endeavour could take him all the way to the White House.

A panel of experts offer FLEX their favourite moves for biceps and triceps.

52 RIP TIME

Part 2 of Neil Hill’s allin plan to get you shredded for 2018.

58 COMPOUND POUNDING

Focus on these basic multijoint lifts to for massive muscle.

68 SIX WEEKS TO SIZE

Build mounds of muscle with this bare-bones, fourdays-a-week hypertrophy plan.

86 IT “WORKS”

Break out of any plateau and get on the path to real progress and results.

94 DOMINICAN DOMINATION

Victor Martinez, Jon De La Rosa, and Juan Morel put some Caribbean flavour into training chest, shoulders, and traps.

104 SHOULDER SMACKDOWN

Delt development at a loss? Hit them harder with this winning formula.

114 BEST CHEST MOVES From A to Z, the top chest-training tips from 26 modern chest masters.

14 1ST SET

All the happenings with Mr. Olympia Phil Heath, 212 Olympia champ Flex Lewis, the entire Team Weider roster, and more.

25 LIFT

Techniques that work, routines that produce results, and other things to help you make the most of your gym time.

36 FOOD & SUPPS

All the things you need to eat, drink, or mix first and

FLEX | DECEMBER ’17

then drink, to help you reach your overall fitness goals.

144 THE SHOT

Iconic moments from bodybuilding history.

BE BOLD IN THE COLD Training, diet, and supplementation strategies for staying on track during the wintertime.

124 NO PAINS, BIG GAINS

Solutions for overcoming the most common training injuries.

132 GET BACK

IFBB physique pro Jeremy Potvin offers up a routine to add thickness and width.

CHRIS LUND; IAN SPANIER

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HULKING

LEGACY AT 66 YEARS OLD, BODYBUILDING ICON LOU FERRIGNO IS BREAKING NEW GROUND IN HIS CAREER AND MAXIMIZING HIS IMPACT. IN FACT, HIS LATEST ENDEAVOUR COULD TAKE HIM ALL THE WAY TO THE WHITE HOUSE. BY JOE WUEBBEN

FLEX | DECEMBER Ã&#x2022;17

FLEXONLINE.COM

is at the top of his game. And that’s saying something, considering he starred alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger in the legendary 1977 documentary Pumping Iron before landing his hallmark role in The Incredible Hulk shortly thereafter. Most bodybuilders would have peaked in their 20s with that résumé—and let’s be honest, some Pumping Iron cast members certainly did. Not Ferrigno. Since the Hulk series went off the air 35 years ago, Ferrigno has had more than 40 other movie and TV credits to his name, not to mention dozens of magazine covers. But his recent work is arguably his most notable—and it has landed him on yet another cover. Weeks before this issue went to press, news broke that President Trump had appointed Ferrigno as the head of the prestigious President’s Council on Fitness, Sports & Nutrition.

FLEX | DECEMBER ’17

Arnold Schwarzenegger famously had a similar position under President George Bush in the 1980s. If the appointment goes through, Ferrigno will be as busy as ever. He was spearheading the annual Ferrigno Legacy in Palm Springs, California, in November— a weekend-long event, in its fourth year, that features physique and strength competitions, a host of other sporting events, and a new fitness expo. With these two endeavours, Ferrigno has saved potentially his most important work for late in his career. In an exclusive interview with FLEX, the former Hulk and bodybuilding icon discussed the council appointment and his fastgrowing Legacy event, among other topics. We have a feeling this won’t be Lou Ferrigno’s last magazine cover. FLEX: What would it mean to you to be appointed the head of the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports & Nutrition? LOU FERRIGNO: It would be an important role for me. I want to make America

An early pose shows the potential of a young Ferrigno; good luck getting in that car; sculpting a great set of pecs.

healthy again. I want to deal with the obesity problem we have, and I want to work with kids in schools and get them more involved in fitness and weight training. I want to get kids off the couch. There’s too much involvement with kids sitting around playing video games and living a lazy lifestyle. Playing video games all the time instead of being active with other things makes you very lethargic. It’s great that you bring up video games.

OPENING PAGE: BALIK /COURTESY OF WEIDER HEALTH & FITNESS. THIS PAGE: WEIDER HEALTH & FITNESS & SHANNA FERRIGNO

LOU FERRIGNO

CHRIS LUND

“I WA WANT ANT TO MAKE AMERICA A MER RICA A HEALTHY HEA ALTHY AGAIN. A GAIN. I WANT TO DEAL D EAL WITH THE OBESITY O BESITY PROBLEM PR ROBLEM WE HAVE.” HA AVE.”

FLEX | DECEMBER ’17

more effort into athletics and a fitter lifestyle. Would getting kids off the video games be part of a specific programme you’d want to implement with the appointment? Well, I can’t lay the groundwork yet because I haven’t got the position, but if it happens I would focus more on maybe having kids play video games that

You’re right. It’s not just a problem with kids, is it? No, it’s not. Older people need to be more active, too. In California more people exercise outdoors because it’s a warmer climate. But in other places where it’s colder, they should be more involved with going to the gym or exercising at home. The problem with parents today

FROM LEFT: CHRIS LUND; WEIDER HEALTH & FITNESS & SHANNA FERRIGNO (2)

That seems to be an epidemic these days with young people. When you were growing up that wasn’t the case. For me, when I was a kid I never even wanted to watch sports on TV. Because in my household, a lot of people were watching games all day. I would rather be active and be outside working out and doing things. You need to divide that time and put

From bodybuilding to acting in TV and the movies, Ferrigno has been successful in all endeavours.

include exercise as well. How can we make video games where physical exercise is part of the game? I see too many kids with headphones on—and adults, too. People walking on the train platforms with their headphones on and not paying attention or walking across the street. We’re too involved with our phones and computers.

The FLEXPO is huge, with all kinds of different booths—from anti-aging to fashion to new technology. Have you modelled Ferrigno Legacy after the Arnold Classic? The Arnold Classic has been around for 40-some years, and it’s tremendous. It’s the best bodybuilding expo in the world.

MIKE NEVEUX / WEIDER HEALTH & FITNESS; ART ZELLER/FITNESS PUBLICATION INC. COURTESY OF WEIDER HEALTH & FITNESS

“ I TRAIN THE SAME WAY NOW AS I HAVE THE PAST 40, 50 YEARS. I TRAIN ALL BODY PARTS TWICE A WEEK.”

is they need to be more involved with their children as far as physical activity goes. There needs to be more involvement in fitness with the whole family—parents and kids doing it together. Let’s switch gears and talk about the Ferrigno Legacy event. It looks as if it’s getting bigger and better every year. This is the first year we’ve

had the “FLEXPO” [fitness expo]. We have 300 booths, a strongman competition, powerlifting, and pole dancing as well. We have the best show on the West Coast, and I’m working together with the Arnold Classic so we can help each other. My goal is to have the biggest and best bodybuilding and fitness event possible and have the competitors come here, compete in Palm Springs, and make a holiday out of it.

They’re very supportive of me. We have the Arnold Classic, and we have the Mr. Olympia. But I wanted to have something in California because I wanted it to be like a holiday. I don’t want people to just come down for two days and go home. I want them to come here for longer and have a great time with the whole family. Where do you see the state of bodybuilding right now, particularly with the recent addition of the IFBB’s classic physique division, which harks back to your competition heyday of the ’70s? I think the new division is great because it’s all about symmetry. The regular bodybuilding division is always going to be

FLEXONLINE.COM

hardcore, but the general public also wants to see physiques with that more classic look. Classic physique brings a blend of symmetry and size compared with bodybuilding. Which division do you prefer to watch? Do you like watching the Phil Heaths and Dexter Jacksons or the classic physique shows? Bodybuilders today have to look the way they look because the objective is: How thick can you look, and how much size can you put on your frame? I much prefer the symmetry, because back in the days of Pumping Iron it was more artistic. Today bodybuilders are forced to be big because that’s the

direction it has gone in. It’s not their fault. When you add that size, you often sacrifice symmetry. But when you look at guys like Phil Heath and others competing at the Olympia, those guys are phenomenal, so that’s exciting by itself. And guys like Dexter Jackson and Flex Wheeler competing at older ages and still being in great shape—you have to commend those guys. That shows longevity. Speaking of longevity, what’s your training regimen these days? I train the same way as I have the past 40, 50 years. I train all body parts twice a week, but I train lighter, with high repetitions and machines. I don’t need to build any more size. And I do a lot of cardio. I ride my

FROM BOT TOM LEFT: R ALPH DEHA AN/COURTESY OF WEIDER HEALTH & FITNESS; CHRIS LUND; CARUSO/COURTESY WEIDER HEALTH & FITNESS

Whether it’s on bodybuilding stages or in gyms or inspirational photos, Ferrigno has been inspiring fans for generations.

FLEX | DECEMBER ’17

The Ferrigno Legacy Championships will feature IFBB/NPC competition, powerlifting, strongman, a fitness expo, and more.

bicycle on the beach. I like to keep my body weight around 111. I like to be lean and tight.

I train when I travel, too. And I eat as healthy as I can. I avoid any kind of sugars or starches.

How many days per week do you get to the gym? I try to go seven days a week. I do cardio for 30 minutes and then weight training for 30 minutes.

Are you still active with law enforcement? Yes. One thing I’m doing is writing fitness articles for the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department. I’ve been a deputy sheriff for 13

FLEX | DECEMBER ’17

years. I write these articles because I’m motivating a lot of officers in the police department to get in shape. They’re sitting in police cars all day, and many of them aren’t exercising afterward. It’s important for them to stay active and take care of themselves to have less stress on their lower backs. I also teach them how to eat healthy when they’re on patrol. I’m covering all the areas for them. For more information about the 2017 Ferrigno Legacy, which took place Nov. 18 to 19 in Palm Springs, California, visit ferrignolegacy.com.

MIKE NEVEUX / WEIDER HEALTH & FITNESS; WEIDER HEALTH & FITNESS & SHANNA FERRIGNO

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1 SET ST

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1ST SET

ASK THE CHAMP

BY PHIL HEATH, SEVEN-TIME REIGNING MR. OLYMPIA

ROCKY MOUNTAIN TIMES ARMBRUST GYM, LEGAL MARIJUANA, AND RESISTING THE MUNCHIES.

I like the hardcore atmosphere and also that it’s clean. The feeling being in there is maybe not unlike Gold’s Gym in Venice, with the same type of equipment, the same atmosphere where regularly there are people who are also training for shows. There are old-timers, young people, lots of competitors. It’s a nice community there, one that understands bodybuilding, powerlifting, weightlifting, all that, and understands people who compete in those sports and sports like them.

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THE LEGALIZATION OF MARIJUANA AS A COLORADO RESIDENT?

People here have been talking about it

FLEX | DECEMBER ’17

for quite some time, starting with people who wanted it legalized for medicinal use. It’s a good alternative to prescription medicine, especially for people who prefer that over taking handfuls of pills. I see it as people having voted for more options and more choices, and now there are more opportunities to enjoy the benefits. People are able to use it to treat their conditions

without fear of arrest. On top of all that, it has been good for the economy. So I don’t think legalization has been a bad thing for Colorado.

IS THERE ANYTHING YOU CRAVE DURING PREP THAT YOU WON’T LET YOURSELF EAT?

Cheeseburgers, fries, fish and chips—I like

those a lot. It’s pretty difficult, but eventually what works is that you get your mind off what you’re actually eating. You go out to eat with people you enjoy spending time with, and you focus on things other than food. I used to take my mind off it by watching the Food Network while I was eating so that I could see other people eating food that looked really good.

CHARLES LOW THIAN

WHAT IS THE APPEAL OF YOUR LONGTIME GYM, ARMBRUST PRO GYM IN COLORADO?

FIRST SET

BODYBUILDER OF THE MONTH

BY LOUISE ROGERS

RING THE BELL BRITISH IFBB FIGURE PRO LOUISE ROGERS REVEALS HOW SHE GETS ALL THE BENEFITS OF SQUATS WITH NONE OF THE PAIN.

Try bench kettlebell squats. I love this exercise as an alternative to regular barbell squats and find it puts far less strain on my back. I perform it in a manner that is similar to doing a goblet squat, but instead of doing it on the floor I do it standing on two parallel benches. I prefer to let the kettlebell hang down in front of me, but you can adopt the more traditional method of holding the kettlebell upright in front of your chest if you prefer. Bench kettlebell squats have two major benefits over barbell squats. First, I get better activation in my glutes, as well as my quads, back, and core. Squatting between two benches allows me to go deeper, and I always

FLEX | DECEMBER ’17

get a tremendous burn in the glutes. I sometimes include some rest-pause techniques for added intensity. The second benefit is that this exercise is far less stressful on my back. My body struggles to tolerate barbell squats, which compress my spine. However, bench

kettlebell squats transfer the weight to the front, which makes it easier to keep my spine in a neutral position and reduces spinal compression. This makes it a far better movement for those with back issues. This exercise is particularly good for people who enjoy highrepetition work. It’s

great for hypertrophy and endurance but less beneficial for strength work. It may look a little tricky to begin with, but it’s actually an excellent way to learn good squatting technique without compromising safety. Start from the floor, and once you’re confident, move on to squatting between benches.

CHRISTOPHER BAILEY

BARBELL SQUATS HURT MY BACK. COULD YOU RECOMMEND AN ALTERNATIVE?

1ST SET

ASK THE CHAMP

BY FLEX LEWIS, SIX-TIME 212 OLYMPIA WINNER

IRON MENTOR THE 212 CHAMP AND FORMER GASPARI ATHLETE TALKS ABOUT WORKING WITH AN IFBB LEGEND.

YOU WERE A GASPARI ATHLETE EARLY IN YOUR CAREER. WHAT DID YOU LEARN FROM YOUR ASSOCIATION WITH THE LEGENDARY DRAGON SLAYER?

I learned a tremendous amount from Rich. I’m thankful for the opportunity he gave me. I worked my way up in the business with him, gained insights into the ins

and outs about how things worked in the industry side of bodybuilding from him. I’m proud to call him my big brother. Rich is always learning and always open about sharing what he’s learned. He taught me about old-school raw training when we met and showed me how he trained, and in turn I showed him my unconventional newschool training ideas. He taught me a lot—about ethics, about how to treat fans, even about how to structure a diet. He was a great mentor.

It wasn’t just about learning from a pro how to be a pro, or about maintaining my status as a Gaspari athlete, which was a great honour coming so early in my career. Rich brought me along with him as he attended to all the aspects of the business and involved me in a way that allowed me to understand how it all worked—sales, marketing, quality control, ordering, shipping, manufacturing, creating a new product and not just slapping a label on something that already exists—all of it. I’m actually glad to address this, because there were people who assumed that when I left Gaspari it was done on bad terms, when the truth is that it was the natural progression of my career. Neither of us thought I would be there forever.

KEVIN HORTON

Rich Gaspari won the 1989 Arnold Classic, along with eight other pro contests, and finished second in the Mr. Olympia 1986–88. He launched Gaspari Nutrition in 2001. Flex Lewis signed his first endorsement deal with Gaspari Nutrition in 2007 and worked with Team Gaspari for six years.

FLEX | DECEMBER ’17

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1ST SET

WEIDER ATHLETES WEIGH IN STEVE KUCLO

HOW DOES THE KUCLO HOUSEHOLD SPEND THE U.S. HOLIDAY, THANKSGIVING? Lots of food! The latest tradition is that we have all our family fly into Dallas and we host Thanksgiving weekend at our house. My mum and dad are both excellent chefs, and they help us throw one heck of a feast. One of the new traditions is to go around the table after dinner and have everyone give a couple of things they are thankful for. Being thankful helps fill the heart with peace and joy.

DO YOU LOOSEN THE NUTRITION RULES ON THAT DAY?

IN 2017, YOU TRAVELLED TO BRAZIL, SOUTH AFRICA, AND NEW ZEALAND FOR CONTESTS. WHAT WERE YOUR IMPRESSIONS OF THOSE COUNTRIES? Well, I love Brazil. Last year the contest was in Rio, which was right on the beach. That was like paradise. This year we were in São Paulo, which wasn’t as exciting as Rio, at least for me as a bodybuilder there to compete. When you’re someplace for a contest, you’re not able to tour around a lot or go for hikes or bike rides to check out a place. So you end up staying around the hotel if there isn’t some kind of attraction right nearby. New Zealand was a really nice and beautiful place to

FLEX | DECEMBER ’17

visit. In South Africa I got to visit the lions. I got to get up close. That was the best part of the trip. I basically went on a safari: There were lions and lots of other wild animals around. There was a trainer there, and after watching them and getting instructions from them, you kind of got an idea of how to act around the lions. But I’m not going to lie, it was scary. WHEN YOU’RE GOING TO BE IN VEGAS FOR THE OLYMPIA, BUT NOT COMPETING, DO YOU WORRY ABOUT PREP OR DIETING? I didn’t do any kind of diet or prep before this year’s O. I’m following a bulking diet.

PER BERNAL; IAN SPANIER

JUAN MOREL

It’s a blend of both. But ing the looser nutrition holiday. If something can be substituted like Splenda/stevia for sugar, we tend to swap those out—but certain recipes you just can’t change. For instance, when my good friend who owns MoMo’s Donuts drops off a couple dozen doughnuts, there is no substituting for the goodness there.

SHAWN RHODEN

DO YOU HAVE ANY SPECIAL THANKSGIVING TRADITIONS? The whole meal is basically a traditional Thanksgiving meal. We do a spread. Even though I was born in Jamaica, I moved to the U.S. in my teens, and I guess I do what everyone in the U.S. does—show thanks for what we have. The baked macaroni and cheese is my favourite part of the meal—but anything baked is at the top of the list. All that is great stuff.

ONE MONTH BEFORE THE OLYMPIA, WHAT WAS YOUR DAILY CALORIC INTAKE? Very few people know this, but I broke my jaw in February and had it wired shut for about eight weeks. Everything I ate was through a straw. So I didn’t really have an off-season where I gained a lot of weight. I was consuming between 3,000 and 4,000 calories a day through a straw. So by April, I’d lost 16 kilos. It wasn’t until May that I was able to start prep, and by then there were so many factors to deal with that I left the caloric breakdown to my trainer, Chris Aceto.

WILLIAM BONAC

WHO ARE SOME OF THE BODYBUILDERS—PAST OR PRESENT—WHO INSPIRE YOU? A lot—but to name a few: Lee Haney, Arnold, Flex Wheeler, Coleman, Dexter, and Kai.

CHARLES LOW THIAN

DO YOU PREP DIFFERENTLY FOR GUEST POSING? DO YOU ENJOY GUEST POSING? No, I just try to keep my shape good whether it’s off-season or not. Yeah, I do enjoy it. HAVE YOU RETURNED TO GHANA, WHERE YOU WERE BORN, SINCE BECOMING A PRO? Not yet. Every time I want to go, someone dies in my family over there, and I’m like, “I’d rather give my ticket money to give them a proper funeral.” With God’s will, I will try to go next year.

ASK THE ATHLETES

Have a question for our Weider Athletes? Ask it on the FLEX Facebook page for a chance to see it here.

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FLEX | DECEMBER Ã&#x2022;17

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LIFT

TRAINING STYLES

BY GREG MERRITT

MAY THE FORCED BE WITH YOU

FORCED REPS MAKE A SET HARDER BY MAKING IT EASIER.

FORCED-REP BASICS

The spotter should remove stress from reps only when you’ve reached the verge of failing on your own.

FLEX | DECEMBER ’17

of perspective. When you’re under the iron and you can’t eke out another rep on your own, continuing onward with forced reps will feel anything but easy, even as helping hands lessen the resistance. Forced reps are one of

the most effective methods for blowing through stop signs and barrelling into the pain (and growth) zone.

HELPING HANDS “Assisted reps” would be a more accurate name than “forced

The key to effective forced reps is the transfer of the bare minimum amount of work from you to the spotter. When the spotter does more of the work than you, the set should end.

PAVEL Y THJALL

THERE’S A CONUNDRUM with forced reps, and it’s the key to their effectiveness. By assisting, a spotter makes reps easier, but by making them easier, he makes the set harder. It’s all a matter

Just enough resistance is removed so you can move the weight at the same pace as before.

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LIFT

TRAINING STYLES transfer of resistance from your muscles to his so the reps are not too hard or too easy but just right, progressing at the same pace as all preceding reps and within the same groove. (For this reason, a regular training partner, who should know your strength, is the ideal spotter.) On each subsequent forced rep, more stress will need to be removed. If, after reaching failure at eight reps, your spotter helps just enough for you to grind out four more, you’ll understand that forced is an appropriate adjective, after all.

As with cheating, forced reps don’t work with all exercises. Deadlifts, lunges, and barbell rows are among the ones where it’s impractical for someone to assist. The good news is that forced reps can be used with some exercises you should never cheat, including most lifts for chest (such as incline presses, dumbbell flyes, and dips) and many for legs (including squats, hack squats, and leg presses). Sometimes, as in the case of squats, the spotter should hover closely behind you,

FORCED-REP TIP SHEET Not all exercises lend themselves to forced reps. Deadlifts and lunges are two that can’t be effectively assisted by hand. Reverse forced reps are when the spotter applies extra pressure, such as pushing down on pulldowns. The spotter can make the weight heavier and then lighter on the same set. On unilateral arm exercises, you can do forced reps by using your resting hand to provide just enough pressure to your working arm to keep the weight moving.

PAVEL Y THJALL

reps,” but the latter captures the feeling you might get when just enough resistance is removed for your set to continue beyond your normal limits. You’re forced to keep going. Failure is not an option. And that brings us to the first and most important thing to know about this technique: It’s exercise overtime. A spotter should assist you only when you’re on the verge of failing, and he should apply only enough pressure so you can continue to move the weight at the same pace as before. The key to effective forced reps is the

FLEX | DECEMBER ’17

simulating your movements. Other times, as with hack squats, he stands to one side and pulls up on a weight sleeve.

HOLDING IT DOWN A spotter can also make reps more difficult. These reverse forced reps are effective during the earliest stage of a set. Usually, the first reps serve as precursors, tiring you out before the real growth inducers at the end. But if a spotter makes them harder, you can do maximum-effort reps from the get-go and create a sort of dropset in which resistance is lessened throughout the set. For example, when doing pullups, the spotter can apply downward pressure to your feet, making reps harder. He can then remove stress as the set advances until youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re doing reps by yourself. Then, as you begin to struggle, he can provide upward pressure on your feet, relieving increasingly more resistance on the final reps. In this progression from reverse forced to unassisted to forced, youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re using maximum resistance from the first rep to the last, instead of coasting through the early stage and straining only at the end.

PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER Our triceps forcedreps routine illustrates how forced reps can be applied to a variety of exercises. During the final reps of pushdowns, your spotter can push down

on your hands, pull down on the cable, or lift up on the weight stack. All three methods require careful focus to remove just the right amount of stress. Pushdowns can also be done unilaterally without a spotter; you lightly press down on your working forearm with your other hand. Close-grip bench presses are relatively easy for a spotter. He stands behind you and lifts up on the bar just enough for you to keep pressing at the same

pace. Finally, for lying triceps extensions, the spotter squats behind you and helps move the weight both up and forward in a semi-arc, being careful not to

help too much or not enough. The weight needs to keep moving, you need to stay in the groove, and your muscles need to feel the pain.

TRICEPS FORCED-REPS ROUTINE EXERCISE

SETS

REPS

FORCED REPS

Pushdown

2-4

Close-grip Bench Press

2-4

Lying Triceps Extension

2-4

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LIFT

LAB TO GYM

BY BRYAN HAYCOCK

GIANT SETS MORE DEMANDING AND MORE DAMAGING.

Supersets are two different exercises performed back-to-back with no rest in between. A traditional superset involves two separate muscle groups. Another way of supersetting is doing two exercises for the same muscle group back-to-back. These are called giant sets. It’s hypothesized that if you “pre-exhaust” the target muscle with an isolation exercise and follow it immediately with a compound exercise (e.g., pec deck to bench press), you will better stimulate the muscle.

RESEARCH Brazilian researchers tested the effect of

FLEX | DECEMBER ’17

exercise order (supersets versus giant sets) in muscle activity and markers of muscle damage. The exercises were the leg press, leg extension, bench press, and pec deck. The giant-set group did bench presses followed by pec decks. The superset group performed leg presses followed by pec decks, and bench presses followed by leg extensions.

activation, muscle damage, and delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) compared with traditional supersets.

FINDINGS

CONCLUSION

Performing giant sets in which a compound movement was followed immediately by an isolation movement for the same muscle group led to significantly higher muscle

Giant sets, particularly when compound movements are performed first, are taxing on the muscle and may require longer time to recover between training

sessions for that muscle group.

APPLICATION Pick a target muscle and do giant sets for six to eight weeks. If you’re a seasoned lifter, perform giant sets each time you hit that body part. If you have less training years under your belt, incorporate giant sets once per week for any given body part.

PER BERNAL; GUY CAMERON

HYPOTHESIS

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LIFT

ON TRIAL

BY BRYAN HAYCOCK

BREATHLESS THE TRUTH BEHIND INHALING AND EXHALING.

PROSECUTION Holding your breath and “pushing” is called the Valsalva manoeuvre (VM). This occurs naturally or reflexively when you try to lift something heavy. It occurs involuntarily and also increases intra-abdominal pressure, adding stability to the spine and core in general.

FLEX | DECEMBER ’17

EVIDENCE Research has shown that when loads approaching or exceeding about 80% 1RM, VM is involuntary and briefly unavoidable with maximum exertion. This also holds true for lighter sets taken to failure. Evidence shows that intra-abdominal pressure

increases with exertion at or above 80% 1RM whether you hold your breath or not. Studies have shown that intra-abdominal pressure is actually less when VM occurs during resistance exercise than when subjects are asked to perform the VM by itself. Increasing intra-abdominal pressure from involuntary VM increases stability of the spine, preparing the body for high-axial loading similar to what occurs during squats and deadlifts. Individuals with a history of heart or vascular disease or hernias are high-risk participants in resistance training and are advised to avoid the VM during resistance exercise.

VERDICT Some amount of breath holding during training involving maximal effort or even loads at 80% 1RM is unavoidable and serves an important role in stabilizing the spine. SENTENCING Breath holding during a lift should be allowed to occur naturally. But exaggerating or preventing it could cause dizziness or reduce spine stability. Because of the impact of increasing intra-abdominal pressure on blood pressure, individuals with heart or vascular disease or hernias are advised to avoid the VM during resistance exercise.

PAVEL Y THJALL

OPENING ARGUMENTS DEFENCE: All authoritative bodies in health and fitness warn against holding your breath while lifting a weight. Holding your breath can raise your blood pressure because of increased intra-abdominal pressure. You should exhale during the concentric portion of the lift and inhale during the eccentric portion. The experts recommend that you count your reps out loud to make sure you are not holding your breath.

CROSSHAIRS

LAY IT DOWN PUT THE POP IN YOUR POSTERIOR DELTS.

POSTERIOR (REAR) DELTS serve to figuratively and literally round out shoulder development. They are essential not only for proper arm symmetry and balance but also for back symmetry. Frequently, rear delts are underdeveloped because they are not visible when you throw up a biceps pose. Sounds silly, but it’s true. Most back movements will engage the rear delts to some degree, but to really zero in on

them there is no better exercise than side-lying rear-delt raises. Lie down on your side on a bench. Stabilize yourself by allowing your bottom foot to drop to the floor in front and support your head with your bottom arm. Start with your arm hanging down toward the floor at about chest level. Keeping the arm stiff but slightly bent, raise the weight out in front of you, leading with your elbow (pinkie up). Raise your arm until your elbow is not

LIFT

can also be used as part of a giant set with one-arm dumbbell rows.

quite pointing to the ceiling. Stop before you feel the resistance decreasing. The point of this exercise is to make it burn!

FORM AND FUNCTION The origin is along the lower lip of the posterior border of the spine of the scapula. Its insertion is on the lateral side of the humerus at the deltoid tuberosity. The posterior deltoid extends the shoulder and externally rotates the arm.

ALTERNATIVES Bentover rear-delt raises using low cable, bentover rear-delt raises with dumbbell. WHEN TO FOCUS ON REAR DELTS Rear delts are a good finisher for back. They

SUPERIOR POSTERIOR: DELT WORKOUT Exercise

Sets

Reps

Side-lying Rear-delt Raise

12–15

Bentover Lateral Raise

12–15

Reverse Flye on Pec Deck

15–20

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FOOD & SUPPS NUTRITION TIPS TO FUEL TRAINING AND GROWTH

You don’t have to be Hannibal Lecter to like this proteinpacked lamb gyro burger. As for the liver and fava beans...

FLEX | DECEMBER Õ17

FOOD & SUPPS

MEAL OF THE MONTH

BY SHANE CASH

POWER LUNCHES

FIVE FAST LUNCHES THAT GIVE YOUR MUSCLES THE ROYAL TREATMENT. WHEN THE 18TH-CENTURY Earl of Sandwich asked his servants to bring him a piece of meat held between two slices of bread, he definitely stumbled onto something. Not only did he invent the sandwich, as legend has it, but he also inadvertently

PRO PROVENÇAL TUNA SALAD TUN SANDWICH SAN INGREDIENTS

TUNA SALAD S 170 g white w tuna in water 1 tbsp chopped black olives 1 tbsp chopped celery 1 tbsp light zesty dressing ½ tbsp chopped parsley Salt and pepper

requested the ideal post-workout meal—a simple combination of protein and carbohydrates, which research shows spurs greater muscle growth than protein alone. But with a little knowledge (and some condiments—come on, Earl!), you can make this portable

HOLD THE MAYO

You don’t need it to make tuna tasty. Add flavour with vegetables and light dressing.

SANDW SANDWICH 1 18-cm 18-c baguette 2 lettuce lett leaves 2 tomato tom slices 1 red onion slice 1 hard-boiled har egg, chopped 1 tbsp julienned roasted red pepper 30 ml light zesty dressing

DIRECTIONS

1. In a bowl, toss together tuna salad s ingredients and season with salt and pepper. seaso 2. Cut baguette in half lengthwise. Arrange length lettuce, tomato, and red lettuce onion on o bottom half of baguette. bag Place tuna salad s on top. 3. Top tuna salad with e egg and roasted red pepper. pe Drizzle on dressing. Place top dressi half of baguette on sandwich. sandw

481

42g

25g

22g

CALORIES

PROTEIN IN

CARBS CA A RB S

FAT FA AT

FLEX | DECEMBER ’17

muscle meal even more effective. Reach for these easy-to-prepare recipes to turn steak, lamb, chicken—and even an old can of cranberry sauce—into a gourmet meal fit for a king. Or at least an earl.

WHOLE-WHEA WHOLE-WHEAT TURKEY WRA WRAP INGREDIENTS 1½ ½ ¾ 1 ¼ 1 2 110 1

tbsp whole-grain must mustard tbsp light mayonnaise tbsp orange marmalade tbsp tinned cranberry sauce s tsp white wine vinegar wholemeal wrap brie cheese slices g deli turkey small bunch watercress watercres

DIRECTIONS

1. In a small bowl, mix mustard and mayonnaise. In anothe another bowl, mix marmalade, cranberry sauce, and vinegar. 2. Lay wrap on a clean surface and spread both sauces in centre o of wrap. Place brie, turkey, turkey and watercress on top. 3. Fold sides of wrap toward centre and roll it up from bottom to top.

473

31g

49g

17g

CALORIES

PROTEIN

CARBS

FAT

GRILLED ENTRECOTE STEAK HOAGIE INGREDIENTS

CL AIRE BENOIST

HORSERADISH ORSERADISH SAUCE ¾ tbsp horseradish 1 tbsp low-fat sour cream 1 tbsp light mayonnaise Dash chilli powder SANDWICH NDWICH 170 0 g entrecote steak Salt and pepper 1 18-cm sesame roll 1 small bunch watercress 2 tomato slices ¼ red onion, thinly sliced 2 Muenster cheese slices

DIRECTIONS

1. In a small bowl, mix together horseradish sauce ingredients. 2. Heat grill to medium-high. Season steak with salt and pepper. Grill steak to desired doneness. When steak is nearly done, top with Muenster and let cheese melt slightly. 3. Cut roll in half lengthwise. Spread horseradish sauce on both halves. Add watercress, tomato, onion, and steak to bottom half of roll. Top with other half.

644

67g

28g

CALORIES

PROTEIN

CARBS

FAT

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FOOD & SUPPS

MEAL OF THE MONTH GRILLED ED CHICKEN DI PARMA RMA PANINO INGREDIENTS 1 1 2 85

18-cm ciabatta iabatta roll tbsp basil sil pesto provolone ne cheese slices g boneless, ess, skinless chicken breast, grilled and sliced 2 thin slices es prosciutto ½ roasted red pepper, julienned ¼ red onion, n, thinly sliced 85 g chopped ed artichoke 1 tbsp grapeseed apeseed oil

SPREAD THE HEALTH

You can make your own pesto by combining basil, pine nuts, olive oil, and Parmesan cheese in a food processor.

DIRECTIONS

1. Cut ciabatta batta in half lengthwise e and spread pesto on both halves. alves. Place 1 slice provolone on bottom half of roll, followed wed by chicken, prosciutto, o, roasted red pepper, onion, nion, artichoke, and remaining provolone slice. Top with other ciabatta half. 2. Heat a large arge sauté pan over medium um heat. Lightly brush top of sandwich with oil and d carefully place sandwich top-side down in pan. Brush ush bottom with oil and press ess down with a spatula as s it’s cooking. 3. Carefully ly turn sandwich over and continue cooking until roll is golden brown on both sides s and cheese is melted.

LAMB GYRO BURGER INGREDIENTS

BURGER 1 garlic clove, minced ½ spring onion, minced 225 g minced lamb Dash cumin Pinch lemon zest TZATZIKI SAUCE 60 g plain Greek yogurt 1 tbsp soured cream 1 tbsp peeled and

FLEX | DECEMBER ’17

minced cucumber tbsp fresh lemon juice Dash cumin Dash coriander

SANDWICH 1 large hamburger bun 12 g shredded lettuce 28 g feta cheese 1 large tomato, sliced 1 red onion, thinly sliced

50g

36g

28g

CALORIES CA ALO ORIES

PROTEIN P R

CARBS

FAT

DIRECTIONS

1. In a bowl, mix together burger ingredients. Form into a patty. 2. Heat grill to medium-high and cook burger to desired doneness. 3. In a bowl, mix together tzatziki sauce ingredients. 4. Spread sauce on both halves of bun. Add lettuce, feta, tomato, onion, and patty to bottom half of bun. Top with other half.

452

23g

CALORIES

PROTEIN

42g

18g

CARBS

FAT

CL AIRE BENOIST

SHOWN ON PAGE 26

599

1 FOOD, 5 WAYS

FOOD & SUPPS

TRUFFLES

THE FOOD:

AVOCADO

In a bowl, mash 1 avocado. Melt 175 g dark chocolate chips and mix in with avocado. Add 1 tsp pure vanilla extract and a pinch of sea salt. Place mixture in fridge for 20 to 30 minutes, until batter is set. Scoop out batter and roll into 2.5-cm balls. Pour unsweetened cocoa powder in a bowl and powdered peanut butter in another bowl. Roll truffles through desired powder topping. Store in fridge until ready to serve. Makes 20 truffles.

NEW WAYS TO CONSUME THIS NUTRIENT-DENSE BERRY. (YEP, IT’S A BERRY.)

TUNA SALAD

In a blender, add 1 avocado, 1 tbsp fresh basil leaves, 1 garlic clove, 1 tbsp fresh lime juice, 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, 65 g plain Greek yogurt, salt and pepper to taste, and 1 tbsp water. Blend until well combined. Use this dressing to top roasted vegetables, salads, fish, poultry, or your favourite wholemeal.

In a bowl, combine 170 g diced strawberries, 225 g diced pineapple, 1 medium chopped avocado, 90 g diced red pepper, 25 g chopped fresh coriander leaves, 1 medium chopped jalapeño, 35 g finely chopped red onion, 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, juice of 1 lime, and a pinch of sea salt. Mix well and serve with wholemeal or bean-based crisps.

Peel and slice 2 avocados and squeeze lime juice over the slices, then sprinkle with garlic and herb seasoning. Coat slices with a high-fibre flour like coconut or oat; dip into a beaten-up egg, then wholemeal breadcrumbs. Place slices on a greased baking tray and bake at 200°C/ Gas Mark 6 for 15 minutes. Serve with chipotle-mayo dip or a mix of plain Greek yogurt and hot sauce.

DRESSING

SALSA

FRIES

For a healthier meal, use avocado instead of mayo in your tuna salad. In a bowl, mash ½ avocado. Mix in 1 tin drained tuna fish, 2 large chopped celery sticks, 90 g diced pepper, 1 tbsp plain Greek yogurt, 35 g sunflower seeds, a squeeze of lemon juice, and salt and pepper to taste.

GO GREEN An avocado provides heart-healthy monounsaturated fats (aka good fats), fibre, and nearly 20 vitamins and minerals, making this fruit a nutrient-dense superfood.

ABOUT THE R.D.: Jenna Werner is a New Jersey–based registered dietitian. Instagram: @happyslimhealthy

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FOOD & SUPPS

ASK THE DIETITIAN

BY MARJORIE NOLAN COHN, R.D.N.

FLUID FACTS

DO YOU HAVE TO LUG LITRE JUGS OF WATER AROUND THE GYM TO STAY PROPERLY HYDRATED?

The best time to hydrate is before your workout. This isn’t to say you shouldn’t be drinking during the workout; rather, you should be heading into your workout fully hydrated on a cellular level. Drinking during the workout should be for the purpose of keeping yourself hydrated, not to actually hydrate. If you’re following this rule, then you won’t need a litre jug of water; a regular 700- to 950-ml bottle should be perfectly fine. The American College of Sports Medicine states: “The goal of prehydrating is to start the activity euhydrated and with normal plasma electrolyte levels [aka fully hydrated]. Prehydrating...should be initiated when needed at least several hours before the activity to enable fluid absorption.” This means that if you want to fully benefit from your workout without dehydrating, then you have to focus on getting in your fluids a few hours before hitting the gym.

FLEX | DECEMBER ’17

Marjorie Nolan Cohn, R.D.N., C.S.S.D., is the owner of MNC Nutrition LLC.

GET T Y IMAGES

WHAT’S THE LOWDOWN ON HYDRATION WHEN WORKING OUT?

And the amount of water you need to sustain adequate hydration during a workout depends on the workout and the conditions in which you are working out— for example, if you are exercising outside in 90% humidity or it’s 30¡C, then you’re going to need a lot more water. In order to determine how much water is needed to stay hydrated during a workout, it’s helpful to calculate your “sweat rate,” which doesn’t have to be overly precise for a nonathlete; it’s more of a gauge. You can do this by measuring your weight before and after a workout to determine the difference. Convert the difference into a percentage of your total body weight. Ideally you should lose less than 2% of total body weight—every half-kilo of weight lost is equal to 470 ml of sweat. If you lose a lot more, then you started your workout dehydrated or need to amp up fluid intake during your workout.

SUPP OF THE MONTH

FOOD & SUPPS

BOOST YOUR TESTOSTERONE WITH TESTO-7 ■ You don’t have to be a hardcore bodybuilder to know the importance of testosterone when it comes to muscle mass, strength, and performance. Testosterone is the male hormone responsible for androgenic development (sex drive, sperm production and aggression), as well as anabolic processes (maintenance and increases in muscle mass and strength, faster recovery, increased bone density and greater intensity while training). In addition, it plays a role in mood and well-being, plus fat distribution and body fat levels. In essence, testosterone is what helps to make a man a man! Are You Suffering from Low T? The early warning signs of low testosterone include noticeable reductions in muscle mass and strength, lack of intensity in the gym or lack of desire to exercise, increases in bodyfat, especially around the midsection, slower recovery from training and a reduction of sex drive. Fortunately, if you are experience any of these symptoms, you may be able to regain your edge in the gym and the bedroom with TESTO-7. MuscleForm’s TESTO-7 is a potent high level combination of

ingredients sc scientifically designed and clinically proven p to balance and maintain testosterone testo levels. This powerful power supplement utilizes a non steroidal s anabolic mineral, vitamin vitam and amino acid formula that combines c the genuine InterHealth trademarked tra ZMA with 100% pure D-aspartic Dacid (DAA, also extensively extensive researched) plus a super dose of vitamin C (which has many scientifi scientifically proven benefits). Each Eac 6 gram serving of the supplement supplemen supplies a potent 3,000 mg of DAA D and 46 mg of L-OptiZinc ZM ZMA, plus 1,123 mg of magnesium citrate, ci 268 mg of magnesium oxide, ox 55 mg of zinc aspartate, 750 mg of vitamin C and 6.48 mg of vitamin vita B6.

Available in delicious Berry Blast and Lemon Zing flavours, TESTO-7 contains just 10 calories per serving, with 0 fat, 0 sodium, only 0.3 grams of carbs and just 0.3 grams of sugar. Each 30 serving jar contains no fillers or proprietary blends and boasts numerous EFSA approved health claims. TESTO-7 is also is suitable for vegetarians and vegans. For best results, consume TESTO-7 30-60 minutes before bedtime. Avoid taking with foods or supplements containing calcium, including dairy products, as the absorption of zinc may be impaired.

CHECK IT OUT

To learn more or to order MuscleForm’s advanced TESTO-7 all-natural anabolic test booster, go to muscleform.co.uk and click on the TESTO-7 link.

TESTO-7 KEY ACTIVES EXPLAINED ZMA. In addition to supporting healthy testosterone levels, the zinc in ZMA helps to protect cells from oxidative stress. The magnesium in the blend improves muscle function, increases energy levels, reduces fatigue and aids in the formation of connective tissues.

D-Aspartic Acid. DAA is produced in the pituitary gland, hypothalamus and testes and is an important regulator of testosterone and leutinizing hormone release. Only in the last decade has this amino received attention for the many benefits it offers athletes, including boosting testosterone levels.

Vitamin C. This is an essential water soluble vitamin, but the body doesn’t store excess C, so regular daily intake is required. The benefits of C are many and varied, including improved immune system strength, reduced fatigue and proper functioning of the nervous system.

10 WAYS TO

GROW YOUR GUNS AR ARM RM DAY, DAY, ANYONE? ANYO ONE? ? A PANEL PANEL OF PIPE-BUILDING PIPE-B BUILDING EXPERTS O OFFER FFER FLEX THEIR R FAVOURITE MO MOVES OVES FOR FO OR BICEPS BICEPS AND TRICEPS. BY JOE WUEBBEN 44

FLEX | DECEMBER â&#x20AC;&#x2122;17

CHRIS LUND

Picking the best exercises for building bigger, stronger, more shredded pipes is a little tricky. The ones we select are bound to be debated against those left off the list. But we gave it a shot anyway, reaching out to bodybuilders, trainers, and strength and conditioning specialists. We asked them all one question: “If you could do only one exercise each for biceps and triceps, what would it be?” The answers consisted of some meat-and-potatoes moves and a few surprise submissions— the predictable and the novel. The result is the diverse list of 10 arm moves (five for biceps, five for triceps) on the following pages. We can’t definitively say that these are the best exercises, but we can promise you a bigger, stronger pair of pipes if you put them to use.

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BICEPS

BARBELL CURL Target Point: Biceps long and short heads

Selling Point: “No other isolation exercise for the biceps uses as much weight through a full range of motion as the standing barbell curl,” says Jim “Smitty” Smith, C.P.P.S., the owner of Diesel Strength & Conditioning and the co-author of Special Strength for Team Sports. Action Point: “When performing this movement, make sure to pull the weight—don’t throw it,” Smith says. “Also, keep a neutral posture with your head up and shoulders back.”

FLEX | DECEMBER ’17

SEATED INCLINE ALTERNATING DUMBBELL CURL Target Point: Biceps long head

Selling Point: “This exercise is a great way to avoid front-delt activation and any momentum or swinging,” says Arash Rahbar, runner-up in the Classic Physique division at the 2016 Mr. Olympia. “The slight incline will put a great deal of tension on the biceps and make it work through the entire movement.” Action Point: “Your shoulders must be rolled back,” Rahbar says. “And a slight supination at full contraction [turning the little finger up and out at the top of the rep] will take this lift to another level.”

HAMMER CURL

Target Point: Biceps long head, brachialis, brachioradialis

PAVEL L Y THJALL

Selling Point: “Hammers are a great—and fun—biceps movement. You can, and should, load these heavy because they hit the brachioradialis, which is made up of at least 60% fast-twitch muscle fibres and has great potential for growth,” says Bill Shiffler, the owner of CrossFit Renaissance in Philadelphia and a competitive amateur bodybuilder (renaissancephysique.net). Action Point: Dumbbells are the go-to equipment for most on hammer curls, but mix in the cable variety from time to time as well. To do so, hook a rope attachment to the lower pulley and hold near the ends of the rope just below the rubber stoppers.

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ARMS RACE If training triceps after chest or shoulders, and biceps after back, is your thing, fine. But we’re big fans of giving arms their own day, especially if your pipes are a weak area. We also think supersetting biceps and triceps on your dedicated arm day is the way to go. (For the record, a guy named Schwarzenegger swore by this method in his bodybuilding heyday.) Here are two biceps-triceps superset workouts incorporating the 10 “best” (using that term loosely) exercises presented in this article. For the sake of your arm development, we recommend doing both of them in the next seven days.

ARM WORKOUT #1 EXERCISE

SETS

REPS

Barbell Curl superset with Close-grip Bench Press “Pause”

Prone Lying Cable Curl superset with Cable Pressdown

10+*

Preacher Curl superset with Dumbbell Kickback

12+**

*Do 1 to 2 dropsets on your last set, decreasing the weight 20 to 30% each drop. **Do 1 to 2 rest-pauses on your last set.

ARM WORKOUT #2 EXERCISE

SETS

REPS

High-rep Push Press superset with Seated Incline Alternating Dumbbell Curl

Dip superset with Hammer Curl

To failure* 12

*If you’re able to bang out more than 15 body-weight dips, do weighted dips with a load that elicits failure at 10 to 15 reps.

PRONE LYING CABLE CURL (NOT PICTURED)

Target Point: Biceps short head

Action Point: You’ll be lying faceup on this exercise, but make sure your head isn’t too close to the cable. Your upper arms should be right about perpendicular to the floor throughout. “The key is to hold the contraction,” Dugdale says, “flexing as hard as possible at the end of each rep.”

FLEX | DECEMBER ’17

PER BERNAL

Selling Point: “I like this move for two reasons,” says IFBB pro Mark Dugdale. “One, the cable provides continuous tension; and two, it eliminates cheating on the exercise.”

BICEPS 5

PREACHER CURL Target Point: Biceps short head

Selling Point: “Preachers are great for fully isolating the biceps and eliminating all swinging from the movement,” says Rocky Rogers, a certified personal trainer at Iron City Gym Hardcore in Cypress, Texas. “It’s a great exercise regardless of what equipment you’re using. Preacher machines these days are set with the proper biomechanics for a perfect curl.” Action Point: Keep the backs of your upper arms against the pad throughout— don’t let them lift off so that only your elbows are in contact. Also, Rogers recommends using preachers as a finisher to your biceps workout with the “21s” technique—per set, seven reps in the bottom half of the range of motion (ROM), seven in the top half, and seven full ROM reps.

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TRICEPS 6

DUMBBELL KICKBACK Target Point: Triceps lateral, medial, and long heads

Selling Point: “This is a very overlooked exercise in my opinion, and it’s usually done with light weight,” Rahbar says. “But But I like to go as heavy as possible on kickbacks. Pushed with intensity and good form, this move can be a game changer. Studies have shown that kickbacks effectively hit all three triceps heads, not just one or two with the third one barely activated.” Action Point: Concentrate on keeping your elbow not only in tight to your side the entire time but also up high. Don’t let your upper arm drop down—it should remain at least parallel with the floor.

CLOSE-GRIP BENCH PRESS

Target Point: Triceps lateral head Selling Point: “This is my favourite move for triceps, specifically with a two-second pause at the bottom,” Dugdale says. “Doing this pause on every rep creates a ton of tension on the triceps, while making the transition from eccentric to concentric safer on the tendons.” Action Point: Dugdale’s pause method entails lowering the bar to 5 to 7.5 cm from his chest—not all the way down to touching—and holding it there for a full two seconds before pressing the weight back up and flexing his triceps hard at the top.

FLEX | DECEMBER ’17

CLOCK WISE FROM TOP: PAVEL Y THJALL; PER BERNAL (3)

DIP

Target Point: Triceps lateral and medial heads Selling Point: “I love dips as a size and strength builder for the triceps,” says Mike Hanley, the owner of Hanley Strength Systems and a competitive amateur bodybuilder, powerlifter, and Olympic lifter (hanleystrength.com). “Most triceps exercises are single-joint moves.

CABLE PRESSDOWN

This is one of the few compound exercises, so you’re able to overload the muscles to the maximum.” Action Point: To make sure your dips are targeting the triceps instead of the chest, focus on keeping the torso fully upright (not leaned forward) throughout the set with your elbows in tight.

HIGH-REP PUSH PRESS (NOT PICTURED)

Target Point: Triceps lateral head

Target Point: Triceps lateral and long heads

Selling Point: “This is a great isolation move for the triceps that builds thickness top to bottom,” Rogers says. “What I really like about pressdowns is the endless variety they offer. You can do them with a rope, a bar attachment, one arm at a time, with a reverse grip—you name it.”

Selling Point: “The push press is generally seen as a shoulder exercise,” Shiffler says, “but if you get into the 12- to 20-rep range on these bad boys, your triceps will be screaming.”

Action Point: Keep your elbows pinned to your sides throughout and let your forearms come past parallel with the floor at the top of each rep to achieve a full ROM and the ability to generate more power on the positive portion.

Action Point: “To really get this movement to be more triceps focused, hold that top position [peak contraction] for a good two to three seconds,” Shiffler says.

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RIP TIME PART 2 OF MY ALL-IN PLAN TO GET YOU SHREDDED FOR 2018. BY NEIL HILL

In the last issue of FLEX, I gave you the first instalment of my year-end fat-loss superfeature. Nutrition plays an absolutely pivotal role in maximizing changes in body composition; however, so does training. In this second part, I’m going to show you how to maximize fat loss through training in the gym and your cardio. Follow this plan to the letter, and you can show off a shredded physique just in time for 2018.

FAT-LOSS PITFALLS IN THE GYM

Usually when people switch to a fat-loss phase, there are common pitfalls that slow down progress. After almost 30 years in the world of bodybuilding and performance coaching, I’ve noticed the same mistakes arise on a consistent basis. These are:

Not focusing on performance in the gym while on a calorierestricted diet. As a result, overall performance goes down significantly, leading to an unnecessary loss in muscle mass and reduction in energy expenditure. This leaves the individual with a less aesthetic physique as well as a more compromised metabolism going forward.

FLEX | DECEMBER ’17

Losing sight of the fact that overload and training intensity are still relevant during a fatloss phase. People often become one-dimensional in the gym during a fat-loss transformation, doing lots of volume and just chasing the pump. Since there’s no focus on periodization or global muscle fibre recruitment, their progress suffers dramatically.

Overtraining. More is not always better. Training is there to create a stimulus, which then must be fueled through nutrition and supplementation. By overtraining while in a calorie deficit, you’re at your most vulnerable when it comes to losing muscle mass. Do not fall into this trap—remember, the fundamentals of training remain the same.

PAVEL Y THJALL

Y3T OVERVIEW After decades of finetuning Y3T, I sincerely believe that this is the optimal way to burn body fat in the gym.

Using a broad spectrum of rep ranges, which means that all energy systems become engaged and conditioned to a higher capacity. In essence, this leads to greater energy expenditure. Extreme intensity, which is also tracked specifically over the three-week cycle to generate overload across all muscle fibres, energy systems, and the central nervous system. As such, overall energy expenditure is achieved while positive adaptations within natural hormone output also take place. Specific rep tempo and rest-period prescriptions within the context of various rep ranges. This leads to greater muscle engagement, more significant hormonal response, and higher energy expenditure.

HORMONAL RESPONSE TO TRAINING

Whenever you train you will experience several hormonal responses. During a fat-loss phase, Y3T helps maximize these processes to enhance the rate at which you’re able to lose body fat. The main ones I’d like to focus on are these three pillars.

FLEX | DECEMBER Õ17

TESTOSTERONE PRODUCTION Testosterone production is key for fat loss because ultimately it helps you retain more lean muscle tissue in an energy deficit, as in a fat-loss phase. Improving natural testosterone output can also help improve your free testosterone-to-estrogen ratio, which is also linked to improved fat loss. Y3T training definitely puts the required level of stress on the body, which forces it into a position where it needs to produce as much testosterone as it can to keep up.

GROWTH HORMONE PRODUCTION

Increasing natural growth hormone output is linked with improved fat loss because of its ability to help improve fat metabolization. Again, the body tends to increase growth hormone output when it requires more because of a specific stimulus. In this instance the intensity of Y3T will provide the necessary trigger, indirectly improving fat loss as a result.

PAVEL Y THJALL

INSULIN SENSITIVITY To maximize fat loss you need to be focused on improving insulin sensitivity, which is achieved through nutrition as well as training. By optimizing insulin sensitivity, you will utilize fuel more effectively. Because Y3T training is so physically demanding, it encourages greater glycogen expenditure, resulting in improved insulin sensitivity. Ultimately, it creates more of a need for fuel to be used more quickly and efficiently.

CHEST AND TRICEPS EXERCISE

SETS

REPS

Incline Dumbbell Press (warmup) a

15–20 0

Incline Dumbbell Press superset with Incline Dumbbell Flye

15–20

15-20

Low-cable Crossover

3 (dropsets) t

15–20 20 0p per er drop p

Smith Machine Press

3 (dropsets)

15–20 per drop

Seated Dumbbell mb b Extension n (wa (warmup) a

15–20

Seated Dumbbell Extension

20–25 per drop

Lying EZ-curl u Bar Ba Skull Crusher heer supersett wi with ith EZ-curl Bar ar P Press ree (close grip, and with the same weight)

20–25

As many reps as possible

OPTIMIZED ENERGY EXPENDITURE

Increasing energy expenditure is obviously one of the key things to consider for fat loss. Y3T will definitely help you do this through the following pathways.

Increasing net oxygen debt, which is achieved through the accumulation of lactic acid in the gym. Y3T pushes the lactic acid threshold far harder than most standard weight-training techniques, which means that over the course of a week your body will have to recover from a much more severe oxygen debt. As a result, calorie expenditure is increased, making fat loss happen quicker.

Because of the severe intensity of Y3T, you will become far more efficient at the disposal of glycogen. As a result, your daily calorie expenditure will increase significantly, giving you the opportunity to create more of an energy deficit. This is one of the reasons why most Team Y3T athletes tend not to do as much as other people—they don’t need to.

THIGHS AND HAMSTRINGS

PER BERNAL

EXERCISE

SETS

REPS

Squat (warmup)

15–20

Squat superset with Leg Extension

20–25

14–18

Leg Press (wide stance) superset with Lunge

40–50

20–25 per leg

Lying Leg Curl (warmup)

15–20

Lying Leg Curl

20–25 per drop

3 (dropsets)

15–20 per drop

Stiff-leg Deadlift

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METABOLIC CONDITIONING Because of the structure structu of the Y3T training cycle, where whe you’re moving among low, moderate, mod and high reps with various vario intensity factors built in, in along with adjustments in training tra volume, there is a great deal of metabolic conditioning to be gained from this. Bearing in mind that Y3T has the potential to push pus each energy system to its limit lim while simultaneously targeting targetin specific muscle-fibre types at any a given point, the metabolism becomes b more stimulated. Why? Simply because the body is being be put through a structured programme pr that targets many different diffe physiological responses response along the way, causing huge demands d for energy. As such, aroundaro the-clock Y3T helps drive dri the metabolism upward, making m fat loss happen quicker. quicker

GETTING CARDIO RIGHT

FLEX | DECEMBER ’17

EXERCISE

SETS

REPS

15-20

2 (dropsets)

18–25 per drop

Lat Pulldown (wide grip) superset with Lat Pulldown (narrow grip)

18–25

18-25

Rack Pull

20–25

Hammer High-lever Pulldown

20–25

Two-arm Dumbbell Row, both hands, arms together (warmup) Two-arm Dumbbell Row

Seated Dumbbell Curl (warmup)

15-20

Seated Dumbbell Curl

3 (dropsets)

20–25 per drop

Standing EZ-curl Bar Curl

3 (dropsets)

20–25 per drop

SUMMARY

Training and nutrition have to work synergistically to achieve an optimal rate of fat loss. While nutrition is the foundation for fat loss, you should never underestimate the difference a specific training approach can make. Y3T will undoubtedly give you all the necessary forms of stimulation to burn fuel more efficiently and retain lean muscle tissue during the process.

PER BERNAL

■ I’ve already explained here that usually people using Y3T tend to do less cardio—because the energy demands are so extreme, it isn’t necessary. But this doesn’t mean cardio doesn’t have its place alongside Y3T. In fact, I’m a big advocate of fasted cardio in the morning to increase your rate of fat loss. The key thing is to start small and gradually build according to your rate of progress and the time available to achieve the goal at hand. For instance, you may start with 20 minutes every other morning. Then, as you begin to plateau—and only then—you consider increasing it slightly. The biggest mistake people make with cardio is starting with far too much and then having nowhere to go when they hit a wall. If you begin with one hour every day, what will you do when you hit a plateau? This is how people end up with inefficient metabolisms and have to spend 1½ to two hours per day doing cardio. Do not fall into this trap—start small and gradually build. Remember, Y3T will help you burn fuel very efficiently compared with more traditional programmes.

BACK AND BICEPS

SHOULDERS AND CALVES EXERCISE

SETS

REPS

Seated Dumbbell Press (warmup) Seated Dumbbell Press superset with Dumbbell Lateral Raise

20–25

20-25

Wide-grip Upright Row superset with Standing Straightarm Plate Raise

18–25

18-25

Dumbbell Bentover Lateral Raise

3 (dropsets)

18–25 per drop

15–20

Standing Calf Raise

2 (dropsets)

20–30 per drop

Seated Calf Raise

2 (dropsets)

20–30 per drop

Standing Calf Raise (warmup)

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FLEX | DECEMBER Ã&#x2022;17

CCOMPOUND CO OM OM MPPPOOOUUUNNNDD POUNDING PO OUNDDING

PART 1

FO FOCUS OCUS ON THESE B BASIC ASIC MULTIJOINT LIFTS TO MANIFEST MASSIVE MUSCLE, MU USCLE, SUPERIOR R STR STRENGTH, RENGTH, AND P PRODIGIOUS RODIGIOUS P POWER. OWER R. BY ERIC “MERLIN” BROSER BUILDING A SOLID foundation of strength and power throughout the entire body offers myriad benefits for the bodybuilder, athlete, casual lifter, and anyone with a physically demanding job. The ability to push and pull heavier weights, particularly in multijoint, free-weight lifts, will most certainly manifest into increased muscle mass, improved athletic performance, enhanced work capacity, and perhaps most important, a better quality of life. While isolation movements certainly have their place in many training regimens, they cannot compare with the basic compound exercises (for building true functional strength or power) simply because these types of movements require more balance and coordination, allow for the use of greater kilos, involve multiple muscle groups (performing in concert), and work the body in a manner more specific to real-world human movement. Here are eight of my favourites.

In my early years of lifting I spent quite a bit of time perfecting my technique on dips and eventually became strong enough to perform sets of 10 perfect reps with three 20.4-kg plates hanging from my waist. This strength transferred over to just about every other pushing exercise in my regimen and let me eventually crack the 227-kg barrier in the bench press. Additionally, dips helped thicken my chest and tri’s as few other movements could.

FLEX | DECEMBER ’17

PERFORMANCE TIP To focus more on hitting the chest, keep the torso leaned forward about 45 degrees throughout the set and make sure to get a full stretch at the midpoint of every rep. For greater triceps recruitment, keep the torso straight, and lower to a point where your upper arms are just slightly past parallel to the floor.

OPENER: CHRIS LUND. THIS PAGE, FROM LEFT: PAVEL Y THJALL; PER BERNAL

DIP

MAIN MUSCLES TARGETED Pectorals, anterior deltoids, triceps

BARBELL SQUAT

This one is right at the top of the list since it involves one of the most basic movements we perform in lifeâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; bending at the knees (to sitting position) and pushing back up to a standing position. Additionally, the barbell squat is an exercise that allows for the use of massive kilos, requires great balance and coordination, and stimulates growth throughout the body. MAIN MUSCLES TARGETED Quads, hamstrings, glutes, hips, lower back PERFORMANCE TIP Make sure to keep your head up, lower back slightly arched, and the bar set on the upper traps as you squat slowly to a position where the thighs drop just below parallel to the ground.

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MILITARY PRESS When it i comes to the military the milita press, I prefer the seated version for those lifters more focused on the appearance of their physique and the standing version for athletes and those requiring greater strength, power, and coordination. But done either way, this exercise is one of the most effective upper-body mass builders. MAIN MUSCLES TARGETED Anterior deltoids, upper pectorals, triceps PERFORMANCE TIP Make sure not to lean back too far (especially when seated), or this exercise will become more of an incline press than a military press. For those who have healthy and flexible shoulder joints, the behind-the-neck version of this movement is a solid option at every other shoulder workout.

FLEX | DECEMBER â&#x20AC;&#x2122;17

4 CLOCK WISE FROM LEFT: PAVEL Y THJALL; KEVIN HORTON; PAVEL Y THJALL

BENCH B ENCH STEPUP

Bench stepups are slightly superior to walking lunges when it comes to effectively enhancing functional strength, coordination, and especially balance. In addition, I feel this movement is excellent for increasing vertical leap ability and muscle mass in both the thighs and glutes. MAIN MUSCLES TARGETED Quads, hamstrings, glutes PERFORMANCE TIP Make sure the foot of the working leg is secured entirely on the bench, stable and straight before initiating every rep. Additionally, avoid pushing off with the back leg so that youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re utilizing only the power of the working leg to lift your body upward.

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PULLUP

Exercises where you move your body through space, such as pullups, generally ignite the central nervous system to a greater degree, allowing for more muscle fibres to jump into action. This is awesome for building both power and muscle mass. Additionally, this movement is one of the most this versatile, enabling one to attack versatile, the back musculature from many the angles (via altering grips and angles planes of motion), which will create planes more complete development of this intricate body part. MAIN MUSCLES TARGETED Lats, traps, rhomboids, biceps, brachilis

PERFORMANCE TIP Change the width of your grip workout to workout to stimulate different areas of the back complex. Experiment by pulling your torso to the upper, mid, and/ or lower chest for even greater variation in precisely which motor unit pools are exhausted. Additionally, using an underhand grip on the bar will shift the emphasis more directly toward the belly of the lats and strongly engage the biceps as well.

BARBELL BENTOVER ROW

Whether performed rmed with th an underhand and or overhand verh grip, the barbe bentover barbell er row is one o of our mostt basic and effective e backackmusc builders—from muscle s—from the traps tr to the e lats and nd all a the way down to o the lower back. ck. It requires equi great focus and d control, as s well as stabilization n from the quads, hamstrings, gl glutes, s, and hips.

FLEX | DECEMBER ’17

MAIN MUSCLES TARGETED Lats, traps, rhomboids, lower back PERFORMANCE TIP Keep the knees slightly bent to help support the lower back. Bend the torso to an angle of 70 to 90 degrees. (Note: Every bodybuilder has a sweet-spot angle where they get the best back stimulation.) Pull the bar to the belly button to activate the lats to a greater degree and closer to the chest to hit more of the mid- and upper-back musculature.

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FROM LEFT: CHRIS LUND; PER BERNAL (2)

DEADLIFT This is one of the most m basic movements in the th world of iron, closely resembling re a simple task we all perform rm multiple times every single gle day: bending down d to pick ck something up. But proper er deadlifting requires req meticulous technique, tec with almost every muscle m pitching ching in to take the barbell b through ugh its entire range of motion. Some of the thickest thic and strongest men ever to grace an IFBB stage (Coleman, Jackson, Columbu) were also big deadlifters. MAIN MUSCLES TARGETED Quads, hamstrings, lower back, traps, forearms

BARBELL BENCH PRESS

Known as the king of upperbody exercises, the bench press may be the most commonly performed movement in gyms all over the world—and for good reason. It’s responsible for helping build some of the biggest pecs ever seen, on men like Arnold Schwarzenegger, Lou Ferrigno, Franco Columbu, Ronnie Coleman, and Kevin Levrone.

FLEX | DECEMBER ’17

MAIN MUSCLES TARGETED Pectorals, anterior deltoids, triceps

PERFORMANCE TIP Make sure to keep the rib cage high, the lower back arched, and the shoulders shrugged down and back for maximal pectoral fibre recruitment.

IN PART 2, I WILL SHOW YOU HOW TO USE THESE AMAZING COMPOUND LIFTS TO CREATE THE ULTIMATE POWERBODYBUILDING ROUTINE, SO YOU WILL BE ABLE TO NOT ONLY LIFT HUGE BUT ALSO LOOK HUGE.

CHRIS LUND

PERFORMANCE TIP Rather than rebounding the bar off the floor or rack pins (if doing partials) on each rep, come to a dead stop, which will remove any useless momentum and force the weight to be moved purely by powerful muscular activation.

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SIX SIZE SIZ ZE WEEKS TO

BUILD MOUNDS OF MUSCLE WITH THIS BARE-BONES, BARE-B NES, FO FOUR-DAYS-A-WEEK DA AYS-AHYPERTROPHY HYPER RTR ROPH P PLAN. LA AN. BBYY JO JOE O E WUEB WUEBBEN B B EN

FLEX | DECEMBER CEMB BER R Ã&#x2022;17

HOW COMPLICATED DO YOU WANT TO MAKE IT? NOT VERY, WE HOPE.

PAVEL Y THJALL; PER BERNAL

You go to the gym, you pick big compound moves, hit them as heavy as possible with good form in hypertrophycentric rep ranges, go home, devour tons of protein and some carbs, rest, and repeat. And then you grow.

That’s more or less how mass gaining works. When you start overthinking it, start getting too cute with your exercises and sets and reps, that’s when results stall out. Confusion is good (muscle confusion, that is), but complicating matters is not. We’re into the cold months now, so it’s a great time to stay bundled up and start adding some Winter Mass— that’s what we’re calling this six-week programme. We think you’ll like it. It’s only four days a week, so it won’t rule your life; it’s customizable in that you’re able to pick the exercises you want from our generic movement menu (see the “Exercise Options” section); and it’s grounded in the well-established, linear periodization model. It’s not complicated, nor should it be. It’s simply more size in six weeks.

PROGRAM DESIGN

The programming here follows a basic linear periodization scheme, which simply means that the weights get heavier and rep counts increase each phase (or mesocycle). This programme is broken down into three two-week phases, with the linear model (higher weight, fewer reps) applied to every exercise. The breakdown of sets and reps for most muscle groups will look like this, where “1,” “2,” and “3” refer to the first exercise for a given body part, the second exercise, and the third exercise. The most notable exception to this scheme set/rep scheme

is legs, where the reps are slightly higher because the lower body tends to respond better to higher reps. This is also the case for traps, calves, and abs, which are also known to do well with high reps. As you can see, the reps don’t fluctuate too violently; aside from legs, rep counts don’t exceed 15 for large muscle groups, and they drop only as low as five reps for one exercise in the final two weeks. A vast majority of sets fall between eight and 12 reps, which is ideal for building size.

EXERCISE

PHASE 1

PHASE 2

SETS

REPS

PHASE 3 X

5 x 10

5x8

5x5

4 x 12

4 x 10

4x8

3 x 15

3 x 12

3 x 10

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FLEX | DECEMBER â&#x20AC;&#x2122;17

TRAINING SPLIT PER BERNAL; CHARLES LOW THIAN

Feel free to train on any four days of the week you like—e.g., Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday; Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Sunday; Monday to Thursday, etc. There should be no lifting on rest days, but you’re open to do whatever form of active recovery you want (cardio, yoga, etc.) DAY

BODY PARTS TRAINED

Chest, back

Legs

Shoulders, traps, abs/core

Biceps, triceps, calves

REST

Your rest periods don’t need to change drastically from phase to phase. A good rule of thumb is to rest one to two minutes between sets throughout the programme. The exercises with five sets (5 x 10, 5 x 8, 5 x 5) will be especially challenging, so feel free to take a full two minutes there. Your 60-second rest periods can be reserved for the 3 x 10–15 exercises. You may even be able to drop down to 45 seconds on smaller body parts.

CHEST + BACK DAY 1 EXERCISE

PHASE 1 WEEKS 1–2

PHASE 2 WEEKS 3–4

PHASE 3 WEEKS 5–6

SETS

REPS

Warmup: 5 minutes of light cardio + 50 band pull-aparts + 1–2 light sets of 10–15 reps each BACK Barbell Row

5 x 10

5x8

5x5

Lat Pulldown

4 x 12

4 x 10

4x8

Cable Row

3 x 15

3 x 12

3 x 10

5 x 10

5x8

5x5

Flat Bench Press

4 x 12

4 x 10

4x8

Dumbbell Flye

3 x 15

3 x 12

3 x 10

CHEST Incline Press

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LEGS DAY DA AY 2

EXERCISE

PHASE 1 WEEKS 1–2

PHASE 2 WEEKS 3–4

PHASE 3 WEEKS 5–6

SETS

REPS

Warmup: 5 minutes of light cardio + 1–2 light sets of 15–20 reps of leg extensions + 1–2 light sets of 10–12 reps of squats QUADS/GLUTES Squat

5 x 10

5x8

5x5

Lunge

4 x 15

4 x 12

4 x 10

Leg Press

3 x 20

3 x 15

3 x 12

Romanian Deadlift

4 x 12

4 x 10

4x8

Leg Curl

3 x 15

3 x 12

3 x 10

HAMSTRINGS

The exercises listed in the programme are generic by design. Make this programme your own by choosing whichever version of the movement you prefer. Below is a quick reference guide to help you choose. The variations listed for the generic names are all viable options.

FLEX | DECEMBER Õ17

dumbbell, kettlebell

■ Cable Row: seated or standing, one arm or both arms, bar attachment of your choice

■ Shoulder Press: standing, seated, barbell, dumbbell, machine, kettlebell

■ Incline Press/Flat Bench Press: barbell, dumbbell, machine, Hammer Strength

■ Upright Row: barbell, dumbbell, Smith machine

■ Leg Curl: lying, seated, standing (one leg)

■ Flye: dumbbell, cable, machine (pec deck)

■ Lateral Raise: dumbbell, machine, bentover (if rear delts are a weakness)

■ Squat: back squat, front squat, Smith machine squat

■ Shrug: barbell, dumbbell, machine, trap bar

■ Lunge: barbell, dumbbell, kettlebell, reverse lunge, forward lunge, walking lunge

■ Weighted Crunch: cable, plate (lying on floor), machine crunch

■ Leg Press: 45-degree leg press, vertical leg press, machine hack squat ■ Romanian Deadlift: barbell,

■ Plank: prone, side plank, supine ■ Skull Crusher: straight bar, EZ-bar, dumbbell, flat bench, decline bench

■ Curl: seated, standing, straight bar, EZ-bar, dumbbell, incline dumbbell curl ■ Hammer Curl: dumbbell, cable (rope) ■ Cable Pressdown: straight bar, V-bar, rope, reverse grip, one arm ■ Standing Calf Raise: machine, dumbbell, one leg ■ Seated Calf Raise: machine, dumbbell, donkey calf raise, leg-press calf raise The key is the movement (an incline press, a row, a squat), not the equipment. Feel free to switch exercise variations throughout the programme (e.g., do dumbbell incline presses one week, then barbell incline presses the next, etc.).

PAVEL Y THJALL; PER BRNAL

EXERCISE OPTIONS

■ Lat Pulldown: wide grip, narrow grip, reverse grip, neutral grip

BODY PART SEQUENCE (DAYS 1 AND 4)

When training chest and back and biceps and triceps, feel free to alternate the order whenever you likeâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;doing chest before back, biceps before triceps, or vice versa. You also have the option of supersetting chest and back exercises, something Arnold Schwarzenegger was famously fond of doing.

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SHOULDERS + TRAPS + ABS/CORE DAY 3 EXERCISE

PHASE 1 WEEKS 1–2

PHASE 2 WEEKS 3–4

PHASE 3 WEEKS 5–6

SETS

REPS

Warmup: 50 jumping jacks (focusing on full shoulder ROM) + 50 band pull-aparts + 1–2 light sets of 10–15 reps of shoulder presses SHOULDERS Seated Shoulder Press

5 x 10

5x8

5x5

Upright Row

4 x 12

4 x 10

4x8

Lateral Raise

3 x 15

3 x 12

3 x 10

4 x 20

4 x 15

4 x 12

Weighted Crunch

4 x 20

4 x 15

4 x 12

Plank

3x 30 sec.

3x 45 sec.

3x 60 sec.

TRAPS Shrug ABS

FLEX | DECEMBER Õ17

OPPOSITE PAGE: PER BERNAL; PAVEL Y THJALL. THIS PAGE: PER BERNAL; JASON BREEZE

ARMS + CALVES

DAY 4 EXERCISE

PHASE 1 WEEKS 1–2

PHASE 2 WEEKS 3–4

PHASE 3 WEEKS 5–6

SETS X REPS

Warmup: 50 jumping jacks (to warm up the calves) + 1–2 light sets of 10–15 reps each of curls (biceps) and cable pressdowns (triceps) ARMS Skull Crusher superset with Barbell Curl

5 x 10 5 x 10

5x8 5x8

5x5 5x5

Hammer Curl superset with Cable Pressdown

4 x 12 4 x 12

4 x 10 4 x 10

4x8 4x8

Standing Calf Raise

4 x 20

4 x 15

4 x 12

Seated Calf Raise

4 x 20

4 x 15

4 x 12

CALVES

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TRAINING, DIET, AND SUPPLEMENTATION STRATEGIES FOR STAYING ON TRACK DURING THE WINTERTIME.

PER BERNAL

BBYY ER ERIC R IC “MERLIN” “ MER R LIN”” BROSER B R O SER R

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One of the main reasons I left my native New York and moved, first to South Florida and later to Southern California (where I currently reside), was to avoid the dreaded (and I do mean dreaded) winter months. I am not a big fan of the cold, the snow, or that brutal wind that seems to pierce through your bones no matter how bundled up you are. In fact, I hate to bundle up at all! My extremely limited (but highly cherished) wardrobe of T-shirts, shorts, tanks, and sandals is just fine for me, thank you—and I hope I never have to don a ski cap, gloves, a scarf, or a bulky winter jacket again. Quite frankly, the only “wind chill factor” I ever want to worry about occurs when the air-conditioning kicks on at the exact same moment I stick my head in the freezer to grab some frozen veggies. 78

FLEX | DECEMBER ’17

But the cold is only one of the challenges that avid gymgoers face at this time of year. Winter also means Christmas, New Year, family gatherings and office parties—which make it tempting to skip the gym and way too easy to disrupt even the strictest of diets because of the many sweet and savoury foods suddenly

available to us. While some rare individuals remain unaffected by dropping temperatures and scrumptious feasts, most of us mere mortals need to put an effective strategy into place to keep us on track. At the same time, we have to allow for some extra days off to hibernate and to eat without

STRATEGIC WINTERTIME WORKOUTS WORKOUT 1

Location: Commercial gym Equipment: Barbells, dumbbells, machines (all types), and cables Style: Three-day divided body-part split; antagonistic supersets; supersets

Day 1 Chest/Back/Abs

PER BERNAL; IAN SPANIER

EXERCISE

restriction. With this in mind, FLEX asked me to develop a list of guidelines (or tips) that can help keep readers on a solid path during the winter months. We definitely do not want to see any of you forfeit the hard-earned gains you fought for all year wither away faster than a turkey at Christmas

SETS

REPS

Barbell Incline Press superset with Wide-grip Body-weight Pullup

7–9

Max

Flat Bench Dumbbell Press superset with Close-grip Seated Cable Row

7–9

10–12

Cable Crossover superset with Underhand-grip Pulldown

10–12

Seated Crunch Machine superset with Lying Straight-leg Raise

16–20

Max

Diet Details

WORKOUT 1

Day 2 Quads/Hams/Calves EXERCISE

SETS

REPS

Alternating Barbell Lunge superset with Lying Leg Curl

3 3

10–12 per leg 10–12

Leg Press superset with Stiff-leg Deadlift

7–9

10–12

Body-weight Sissy Squat superset with Seated Leg Curl

Max

7–9

Standing Calf Raise superset with Seated Calf Raise

7–9

13–15

FLEX | DECEMBER ’17

When travelling, make sure to bring easy-to-carry, macronutrient-dense foods like whey protein powder, nuts, rice cakes, and oatmeal that can be consumed quickly and easily on a plane or in a hotel room. On days where you plan to have one or more cheat meals, cut back on the amount of calories (especially from carbs and/or fats) that you consume in your other meals. Since the body is better able to handle higher-calorie carb loads upon awakening (after “fasting” for six to eight hours during sleep) and post– workout (after depleting glycogen), try to time your cheat meals (if possible) strategically at these particular times. During cheat meals, try your best to stop eating once full, rather than eating until you’re feeling uncomfortable, bloated, and sick.

CLOCK WISE FROM TOP LEFT: IAN SPANIER; PER BERNAL; KEVIN HORTON (2)

STRATEGIC WINTERTIME WORKOUTS

Cardio Considerations

Increasing the amount of cardio you normally do can help offset some of the extra calories most consume. If possible, bump up your time on the treadmill, bike, elliptical, or StepMill by 25 to 50% on cheat days. The most effective time to do cardio (in terms of fat-burning potential) is on an empty stomach, first thing in the morning. If you can perform at least some of your daily cardio at this time, definitely take advantage of it. Since time available is certainly an important consideration during festive times, I recommend that you utilize HIIT cardio as your main form since its high-intensity nature allows for greatly decreased workout duration. PHOTO CREDIT

If you plan on performing, say, 60 minutes of cardio in a day, try splitting the total time into two sessions of 30 minutes or even three sessions of 20 minutes, since this will stimulate the metabolism to an even greater degree.

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STRATEGIC WINTERTIME WORKOUTS WORKOUT 1

Supplement Savvy I highly recommend purchasing a complete “digestive enzyme” complex product and utilizing it with any meals containing extra-high calories. While most fitness fanatics do not often think to use fat-burning supplements during the winter months, it is actually a particularly good time to incorporate them. The metabolism-increasing and appetite-suppressing qualities of many of these formulas can assist in offsetting some of the effects of cheat meals by enhancing your fat-burning “machinery” and decreasing calories consumed. (Note: Always follow label directions and never use more than recommended.) It may be worthwhile to include a product that contains northern white kidney bean extract, Gymnema sylvestre, and citrimax in your wintertime supplement arsenal.

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SETS

REPS

Seated Dumbbell Press superset with Alternating Dumbbell Curl

EXERCISE

7–9

DB Lateral Raise superset with Lying Barbell Triceps Extension

10–12

Rear Dumbbell Lateral Raise superset with Overhead Dumbbell Triceps Extension

10–12

Barbell Curl superset with Barbell Reverse Wrist Curl

7–9

13–15

CLOCK WISE FROM TOP LEFT: PAVEL Y THJALL(2); ISA AC HINDS

Day 3 Shoulders/Arms

PHOTO CREDIT

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Training Tactics If you wish to spend less time going to the gym during the winter months, consider moving to a three-day-per-week split on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, which leaves the weekends free. Each of the three workouts can be full-body sessions or divided into chest/ back/abs on Monday, quads/ hams/calves on Wednesday, and shoulders/biceps/triceps on Friday (as one possible example).

If you still want to hit the gym five to six days per week but desire to get out more quickly, try training just one muscle group per day, rather than two or more. Or you can spend minimal time (two to four sets) working strong muscle groups while going full force on weaker areas.

Another method of reducing time spent in the gym without decreasing intensity or overall volume is by strategically supersetting all exercises in each session. (Note: See Day 1.) If you are planning a vacation but still want to get some workouts in, call ahead to see whether your hotel has a sufficient training centre or if there is a commercial gym nearby. When travelling, I recommend taking with you a good set of resistance bands/tubes that can be combined with simple body-weight exercises to allow for muscle-maintaining hotel room workouts. (Note: See Day 2.)

STRATEGIC WINTERTIME WORKOUTS WORKOUT 2

Location: Limited hotel gym Equipment: Dumbbells and basic multistation machine Style: Upper- and lower-body supersets

Day 1: Full Body EXERCISE

SETS

REPS

Incline Dumbbell Press superset with Alternating Reverse Dumbbell Lunge

10–12

13–15 per leg

Flat Dumbbell Flye superset with Alternating Dumbbell Bench Stepup

10–12

13–15 per leg

Wide-grip Pulldown superset with Dumbbell Squat

10–12

16–20

One-arm Dumbbell Row superset with Dumbbell Stiff-leg Deadlift

10–12

13–15

Dumbbell Upright Row superset with Triceps Pushdown

10–12

Arnold Dumbbell Press superset with Low-cable Curl

10–12

Cable Crunch superset with Seated Bench Knee Raise

16–20

Max

WORKOUT 2

Location: Hotel room Equipment: Resistance bands Style: Full-body circuits

Day 2: Full Body Pushup With Feet Elevated on Bed Resistance-band Bentover Row (supinated grip) Resistance-band Squat Chest Dip Between Chairs

REPS Max 20 20 Max

Resistance-band One-arm Row

Resistance-band Stiff-leg Deadlift

Resistance-band Overhead Shoulder Press

Resistance-band Curls

Alternating Body-weight Lunge

Max

Resistance-band Side Lateral

Body-weight Triceps Chair Dip

Max

Jackknife Situp

Max

Take minimal rest between each exercise. Perform 1 to 3 circuits per day, three nonconsecutive days per week. If performing multiple circuits in a single workout, then rest up to 5 minutes between each.

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PER BERNAL

EXERCISE

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IT BY JOE BENNETT PHOTOGRAPHS BY SALOMAN URRACA AND RICK SCHAFF

BREAK THE CYCLE OF

BLINDLY FOLLOWING

EMPTY ADVICE AND GET ON

THE PATH TO

REAL PROGRESS &

RESULTS.

“WORKS” FLEXONLINE.COM

THERE IS NO LACK OF

PEOPLE IN GYMS TODAY WHO ACTUALLY

WANT TO GET BETTER.

Who know that maybe whatever someone else is doing may not actually be the best for them. Who feel as if there could actually be a better way. But when they attempt to follow that thought, to experiment, to perhaps make something fit them or feel better, it’s only a matter of time until being confronted with the stereotypical gym bro who lets them know they are overcomplicating or overthinking it. And some version of the following conversation occurs: “Just stick with the basics, bro. That machine won’t grow your back.” “But I don’t feel barbell rows in my back. They hurt my elbows, wrists, and lower back.” “You can’t argue with results. They work. Look at Ronnie Coleman. Look at Dorian Yates. You think you can grow a back better than them?” And then our “thinker” will generally sulk back to the rack, thinking, “Well, that is true,” and continue to row. (If only he could fast-forward 10 years to see the result of “sticking with the basics”— potentially jacked-up elbows but still no lats.) We’ve all been there! It’s not that “it works” isn’t good logic or a bad reason to choose an activity or exercise. At the end of the day, if it doesn’t produce results, I would agree— why would you do it? I mean, would you follow the training routine of the best marathon runner in the world if your goal was to be Mr. Olympia one day? Of course not. Why? I don’t need

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science or studies to validate the decision, I just know that training that way has never worked— never produced an Olympiacalibre physique. So it does make a lot of sense to start by following a Mr. Olympia routine if you want to look like Mr. Olympia. So what’s the problem? “It works” isn’t the problem. How we define “works” is the problem. So let’s examine a few things I think are important to consider, as we better define this word. Works? For whom? Compared with what? As fast as possible? Injury-free? As efficient as possible?

WORKS FOR WHOM? When you choose “it works” as a justification for how you train, this requires defining the specific population it worked for. Most of the time, the industry will point at the best in the world. If you want a great back, you might as well model your training after the way the best back in the world trained. Makes sense, right? Unfortunately, this focuses only on external influences. Bars, barbells, and equipment—it’s the same for everyone. This completely neglects internal response to the external stimulus. All of which can be best summed up with the word genetics.

But what does that mean? While two people can hold the same barbell and perform the same exercise roughly the same way, what’s on the other side of that barbell drastically influences the outcome. Think bone/joint structure, lever or limb lengths, and muscle bellies, shape, and insertions. All those create a real, quantifiable internal response to external stimulus. And after your body determines how that external load is expressed internally, that does not even take into consideration your body’s physiological and chemical responses to that stimulus. Based on those factors alone, it is impossible to assume that external plus internal equals result (or “it works”) when it is clear the “internal” part of the equation varies drastically from person to person. Even more, possible attribution error has to be a consideration when your sample population is the genetic elite. You cannot train like the elite athletes of your sport. You must learn to make intelligent adjustments to fit the execution and the programme to your body, goals, and needs. Such is the inside joke among strength coaches at the professional level—that the coaches who produce the best results with their athletes are the ones who don’t injure them. Implying that it doesn’t really matter how you train them because they will continue to perform at the highest level if they stay injuryfree. It’s the same with Olympic sprinters and marathon runners. Often bad habits and misinformation are perpetuated by the elite without any proof of the benefit—for example, parachutes for sprinters, or the idea that lifting weights is bad for endurance athletes.

YOU MUST LEARN TO MAKE INTELLIGENT ADJUSTMENTS.

COMPARED WITH WHAT?

INJURY-FREE

The sport of bodybuilding is young, habits and practices are even more easily perpetuated because our population is small, and training history is so brief. Ronnie Coleman walked into a gym one day that was known for being hardcore, so he started using hardcore exercises, and

Luckily, we have a definitive answer to this. Of course it wasn’t really lucky at all—there are many famous injuries that occurred along the way to Mr. O titles. Were these necessary? Are a torn biceps or vertebral/ disc issues a requirement to growing a big back? Of course

tissue, with some muscles, proves it’s not required to grow muscle. Not to mention most likely symptomatic of an underlying cause. So what causes injuries? Overuse? Load (lifting heavy)? I do not believe there is a set usage limit (volume) or load at which things just break. That

not. And what about all the less famous injuries bodybuilders accept as the norm? As if some form of “-itis” is required to grow muscle. If this were true, every bodybuilder with a large, evenly developed physique would have pain in every bit of connective tissue, in every joint attached to their large muscles. The fact that it occurs only in some connective

would be fairly arbitrary, at best—these factors are things that can just accelerate the underlying cause. Misdirected tension. Our bodies and joints have an intended design or use—for example, the hinge joint is designed to handle load in specific planes of motion, the planes the attached limbs move through. While our bodies are

APPLYING THE SAME EXERCISES, THE SAME WAY, TO EVERYBODY MAKES NO SENSE. they worked for him. So why try anything else? What if instead of barbell rows on back day he chose dumbbell rows or a machine row instead as his main rowing exercise? Who’s to say his back would not be as impressive—or even more impressive—with less effort and fewer spinal surgeries? Unfortunately, that study or comparison isn’t exactly practical or realistic.

WAS IT AS FAST AS POSSIBLE? Could these individuals have put on muscle faster? It’s a question we’ll never really know the answer to. They got big fast—relative to what we consider fast. Is it realistic to assume they could not have possibly put on muscle any faster? The only reasonable answer is “of course not.” I don’t think anything, in any realm, at this point in human history, has reached its pinnacle—medicine, tech, or bodybuilding.

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Joe Bennett’s no-bull approach has helped superstar pro wrestler and actor Dave Bautista craft his world-famous physique.

resilient, misapplied load over time (accelerated by the load and volume associated with bodybuilding, a truly extreme amount relative to the norm) can result in wear and inflammation. The fix: Avoid or modify the arbitrary. Your body, structure, and joints are unique. Applying the same exercises, the same way, to everybody makes no sense. Instead, understanding training goals and finding appropriate ways to apply load to your body, adhering to your structure and joints, can theoretically help you completely avoid injuries. Or at least drastically reduce the occurrence.

AS EFFICIENT AS POSSIBLE? Efficiency is really the combination of the above two: Are we putting muscle on as fast as possible and injury-free? Definitely not. The fact that bodybuilders are still getting bigger and bigger implies that we can always grow and develop faster. The fact that injuries are still prevalent in some but not all

FLEX | DECEMBER ’17

also implies we can still apply the loads more efficiently.

WHERE FROM HERE? The point is to think, not to have your workouts guided by emotions or tradition. Analyze your actions in the gym and ask yourself, “Does this truly work for me?” The physical differences from individual to individual are vast, and I would argue the adjustments and “modifications” applied to exercises should be just as vast (even as simple as an adjustment in grip, stance, or range of motion). The truth is, achieving your best physique is not about specifics. It will never be a specific exercise or workout. Rather, it’s about having the right thought process. You can always be better, and your exercises, form, and effort can always improve.

THE POINT POINT IS TOO THINK, NOT TOO HAVE YOUR WORKOUTS WOR RKOUTS GUIDED GUIDDED BBYY EMOTIONS EMOTIO ONS OR OR TRA TRADITION. ADITION. AANALYZE NALYZE YOUR ACTIONS ACTIONS IN THE GYM.

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DOMINICAN

DOMIN DOM MINN 994 4

FLEX X | DECEM DECEMBER MBER Ã&#x2022;17

BY JOE WUEBBEN PHOTOGRAPHS BY PER BERNAL

THE DO DOMINICAN OMINICAN REPUBLIC’S OUTP OUTPUT PUT O OF F ATHLETIC PR PROWESS ROWESS INCLUDES MORE MOR RE THAN JUST BA BASEBALL ASEB BALL P PLAYERS. LAYER RS. THREE THR REE ELITE-LEVEL PRO PR RO BODYBUILDERS—VICTOR B ODYBUILDERS—VICTO OR MAR MARTINEZ, RTINEZ, JON DE LA AR ROSA, OSA, JUAN MOREL— MO OREL— HAIL HA AIL FROM FRO OM THE COUNTRY, TOO. TOO O. HERE, THE TRIO TR RIO PUTS PUTS SOME SO OME CARIBBEAN CAR RIBB BEAN FLAVOUR INTO TRAINING TRA AINING CHEST, SHOULDERS, SHOULD DERS, AND AND TRAPS. TRA APS.

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95 95

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t’s tough to separate these three guys: Victor Martinez, Juan Morel, and Jon De La Rosa. All are of Dominican Republic descent, all currently live in New York, and all are top-level IFBB professionals. And as you can see in the accompanying photos, they’re pretty tight.

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CABLE CROSSOVER

Martinez: “I do a crossover flye press here. First, I make sure I’m going wide enough to hit my outer pecs. I start the movement as a flye, then I drop my elbows and finish with a press. When I push at the end, I make sure I squeeze and extend my arms forward to achieve a full contraction. You’ll sometimes see people actually cross one hand over the other; I would rather just push and squeeze where my hands meet. Most people take that crossover name too literally.”

“We’re really good friends, all three of us,” says Morel. “As competitors, we show each other support, we’re there for one another, and we’re happy if one of the others does well at a show. Some people want to go to war offstage and talk trash, but that makes no sense to us. We’re not

boxing, we’re not fighters.” The next time these buddies compete against one another, there will apparently be no trash talk, but there will be plenty of Dominican muscle—roughly 340 kg of it on the stage (properly reinforced, we hope), with Martinez and Morel each weighing

around 118 and De La Rosa at 104 or so. Building this much mass has a lot to do with the following workouts for chest, shoulders, and traps. Each guy trains a bit differently, but all three approaches seem to be working in (Dominican) dominating fashion. FLEXONLINE.COM

DOMINICANSTYLE CHEST WORKOUTS MARTINEZ’S ROUTINE SETS

REPS*

Dumbbell Flye**

EXERCISE

8–10

Barbell Bench Press or Dumbbell or Barbell Incline Press

8–10

Pec Deck Flye

8–10

Cable Crossover superset with Dip

8–10

12–15

*These rep ranges refer to Martinez’s offseason workouts; pre-contest, he increases reps slightly, typically 12 to 15 per set. **Martinez alternates between flat bench and incline every other workout.

MOREL’S ROUTINE EXERCISE

SETS

REPS

Barbell Bench Press

12–15

Smith Machine Incline Press superset with Incline Machine Press

12–15

Hammer Strength Decline Press superset with Flat Bench Machine Press

12–15

Dip superset with Cable Crossover

10–15

DE LA ROSA’S ROUTINE EXERCISE

SETS

REPS

Incline Barbell Press or Smith Machine Incline Press

8–12

Incline Dumbbell Flye*

8–12

Flat Bench Dumbbell Press*

8–12

Flat Bench Hammer Strength Press

8–12

Cable Crossover**

8–12

*De La Rosa alternates the order of these two exercises; sometimes he’ll do the press first, then the flye. **De La Rosa regularly alternates between cable crossovers, dumbbell flyes, and pec deck flyes.

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DIP

Martinez: “Dips require a lot of control. Most people don’t do them because they don’t feel the effect, and that’s likely because they’re doing them too fast and not focusing enough on form. When I lower down, I make sure my chin is really tucked into my upper pecs. I use dips for the bottom and outer sweep of the pecs—I’m concentrating on this area the entire time. I feel this gives me that sweeping look when I do a side-chest pose.”

MACHINE SHOULDER PRESS

Morel: “I really prefer machine shoulder presses because I think they activate the muscles better than with free weight. Sometimes the stabilizing muscles do too much work when you use dumbbells or a barbell. With the machine, you can hit the shoulders hard without having to worry too much about your joints and hurting yourself. It’s kind of a safe way to overload the delts.”

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DOMINICAN-STYLE DELTS/TRAPS WORKOUTS MARTINEZ’S ROUTINE EXERCISE

MOREL’S ROUTINE

SETS

REPS*

Dumbbell Lateral Raise

4–6

20, 15, 12, 10+ dropsets**

Dumbbell Shoulder Press or Barbell or Hammer Strength Shoulder Press

4–6

8–10

SETS

REPS

Dumbbell Lateral Raise superset with Standing Dumbbell Rear-delt Raise

Smith Machine Shoulder Press

10-15

10–12

Smith Machine Behind-the-neck Press

10–12

Shoulder Press superset with Standing Machine Lateral Raise

10–15

Machine Shoulder Press superset with Seated Dumbbell Rear-delt Raise or Reverse Pec Deck Flye

10–15

Seated Machine Lateral Raise superset with Alternating Dumbbell Front Raise

12–15

Dumbbell Shrug

12–15

Alternating Dumbbell Front Raise or Barbell Front Raise

Seated Dumbbell Rear-delt Raise superset with Dumbbell Shrug

10–12

12–15

*These rep ranges refer to Martinez’s off-season workouts; pre-contest, he increases reps slightly, typically 12 to 15 per set. **Martinez’s typical lateral raise routine, set by set: 9-kg dumbbells for 20 reps, 14s for 15 reps, 18s for 12 reps, 23s for 10 reps, then a dropset finisher, doing 10 reps each with 23s, 18s, 14s, and 9s.

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EXERCISE

DUMBBELL LATERAL RAISE

De La Rosa: “A lot of people end up using more of their traps to get the weight up on lateral raises; they’re squeezing their traps before even really getting the shoulders to do the work. So one of the things I like to tell people is to lean slightly forward and let your shoulders sort of round out your back and completely relax. I find this gives me a better contraction in the side delt heads and makes for a more controlled movement. It’s just a slight lean forward, though; I don’t want people bending all the way over.”

ALTERNATING DUMBBELL FRONT RAISE

Martinez: “Make sure your traps are relaxed when doing front raises so you don’t use too much of them on this movement. And when I say front raises, I’m not talking about kettlebell swings. No swinging. Keep full control of the weights and focus on the negative. And keep the dumbbells relatively light; when you go too heavy, you end up using your traps to lift the weight.”

DE LA ROSA’S ROUTINE EXERCISE

SETS

REPS

Dumbbell Lateral Raise

Machine Shoulder Press

Dumbbell Shoulder Press (seated)

Dumbbell Rear-delt Raise

12–15

Dumbbell Lateral Raise

12–15

Dumbbell Shrug

15–20

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DUMBBELL SHRUG

De La Rosa: “Relax the shoulders so that at your start point your traps are completely stretched out. Again, I’ll lean forward and bend my elbows up and back slightly. I get a little more of a contraction if I shrug up and then pull my shoulders back and up a little bit.”

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SEATED DUMBBELL REAR-DELT RAISE

Morel: “I don’t go heavy on these—I use just enough weight to get a good contraction and squeeze on the muscles. This is a really good exercise to target the rear delts. The front delts get stimulated when we do chest and shoulder presses and stuff like that. The rear delts, on the other hand, barely ever get stimulated, so if you don’t directly target them you could be underdeveloped in that area. You want to have your shoulders look like what they call a pumpkin. And if you don’t develop the rear delts, you won’t get that look.”

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SHO SHOU OU

U ULDER LD D ER R SMACKDOWN IS YOUR DELT DEVELOPMENT AT A LOSS? HIT THEM HARDER HAR RDER WITH THIS WINNING FORMULA, FO ORMULA, AN INTENSIVE ROUTINE DESIGNED TO CRUSH THOSE CAPS AND REIGNITE GROWTH.

BY MICHAEL B BERG, ERG, N.S.C.A N.S.C.A.-C.P.T. A .-C.P P.T.

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SOMETIMES, MET S, AN OLDFASHIONED BEATDOWN IS ALL YOU U NEED NE FOR MOTIVATION. ASK K A CHICAGO C AGO SPORTS FAN. Jordan and Co. went 72–10 on their way to His Airness’ fourth of six championships. Sports have shown time and again that a punch in the mouth can serve as the ultimate wake-up call, helping you return to the fray stronger than ever. It rattles you out of complacency and refocuses your efforts. And it’s an apt lesson for the gym. Consider the shoulders. Made up of three smaller heads— the anterior (front), middle, and posterior (rear) deltoids—their muscle tissue isn’t so easy to break down and set the stage for growth. Training shoulders can get downright tedious, and concentration can wane. The question is, When was the last time you really gave your delts the vicious thumping they need to get growing again?

LATERAL MOVE

OPENER AND THIS SPREAD: PER BERNAL

On Dec. 2, 1985, On 1985 the NFL Chicago Bears rolled into the Orange Bears nge Bowl in Miami with a 12–0 record ord and an ar arrogant swagger. That hat Monday night, a defence that had held eight of its previous nine opponents to 10 points or less was burned by Dan Marino and the Dolphins in a 38–24 whupping. The Monsters of the Midway were tamed—for a day. They went on rolling through the remainder of the season to a storied championship. Fast-forward 10 years. Basketball superstar Michael Jordan returned to the Chicago Bulls, helping his team win 24 of its final 34 games in 1995. Was another NBA title in the offing? Not quite—in the conference semifinals, Chicago was unceremoniously dumped by the Orlando Magic four games to two. Yet the following season, still stinging from the drubbing,

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The key to a great shoulder workout is ensuring that those three heads get pushed harder. While the front head is engaged during chest training and overhead pressing movements, the middle and rear delts aren’t activated to the same degree and require focused attention. This workout accomplishes that—prioritizing the middle head for maximum width building—while keeping the workout interesting from beginning to end by interspersing the variety of raises needed with presses and upright rows. You’ll start with dumbbell lateral raises. This is a warmup, so start light for a 16-rep set and run up the rack from there for three more sets of 14, 12, and eight to 10 reps. By that final set, you’ll want to be at a weight where you hit failure by 10—but not so heavy that you are rocking your upper body to generate momentum. Remember, each delt head is relatively small and can’t handle a ton of kilos on its own, so using excessively heavy dumbbells just means you’re cheating. You’ll also want to lean forward slightly at the hips to let the dumbbells come down in front of your hips (but not clang together)

YOUR SHOULDER

CHARLES LOW THIAN

SMACKDOWN EXERCISE

SETS

REPS

Dumbbell Lateral Raise

16, 14, 12, 8-10

Seated Barbell Press superset with Dumbbell Lateral Raise

12, 10, 8, 6

8-12

Bentover Dumbbell Lateral Raise

16, 14, 12, 8-10

Seated Dumbbell Press superset with Bentover Dumbbell Lateral Raise

12, 10, 8, 6

8-12

Upright Row superset with Dumbbell Front Raise

12, 10, 8, 6 16, 14, 12, 8-10

Cable One-arm Lateral Raise or

12 (plus dropset)

Pike Pushup

To failure

Rest 60 seconds between standard sets, and pause just long enough within supersets to change from one exercise to the other.

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pyramiding up on the press and back down on the raise. For dumbbell presses, you’ll want to work through a complete range of motion, bringing the ’bells down alongside your ears at the bottom and to nearly full elbow extension at the top. They’ll naturally arc toward each other on the way up. But don’t let the plates touch as you reach the top of each rep, which can dissipate the tension on the muscles.

FORWARD PROGRESS

IF YOUR DELTS REALLY NEED A BOOST, CONSIDER MOVING THEM TO THE TOP OF YOUR SPLIT, AFTER A REST DAY, SAVING CHEST AND TRICEPS FOR LATER IN THE WEEK.

ELEVATE YOUR GAME

Next, pair a seated barbell press with more laterals in a superset. You might struggle with the seated press, due to the pre-exhaustion of your middle delt head. But that’s the point—just knock down the weight accordingly, pyramiding up from 12 reps to 10 to eight to six for the final set. When pressing, engage your core and use a full range of motion, bringing the barbell down right in front of your nose and touching down to your clavicles, then pushing up to a

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point just before your elbows go completely straight. You’ll follow each set of presses immediately with raises, running the rack back down, starting one set of ’bells down from where you did your eightto 10-rep set, and striving for momentary failure each time.

REARS IN GEAR

From there, you’ll repeat the same pattern, this time with bentover dumbbell lateral raises and seated dumbbell presses. You’ll begin with four straight sets of raises, beginning with 16 reps, then 14, then 12, then a final set of eight to 10 with a heavy enough weight to elicit failure. Follow up with presses in a superset with more bentover raises—again,

THE FINAL SCORE

By now, all three heads of your delts should be toast—much like the Bears’ gassed D in that fateful Miami showdown. For some of you, ending the workout here is a good choice, especially if you struggled to complete the last of the three superset combos. But for those of you with a little left in the tank, we have one more finishing touch: a dropset of cable lateral raises or pike pushups, your choice. If you go the cable laterals route, use the variation where the cable runs behind your body instead of in front, and start with a weight you can get about 10 reps with. Immediately after hitting failure,

PAVEL Y THJALL; CHRIS LUND

at the bottom, then “lead with your elbows” on the raise—at the top, your elbows and hands should be parallel with the floor and aligned, with one not higher than the other.

The workout continues with front raises and upright rows. This time, you won’t begin with four separate sets of the raise— instead, you’ll go right into the superset, pairing rows with dumbbell raises, pyramiding up in both instances from a lighter warmup resistance to a challenging weight. While you won’t always be able to get it, over time—as with the presses—you’ll strive for a new personal best on the final set of six for the rows.

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drop the weight by about 30% and continue repping. Once you reach failure again, attempt a few final partials, first halfway up and then quarter-reps and pulses. Then switch to the other side, and repeat. Pike pushups can be performed with your hands and feet on the floor, with your butt high in a pike position so your body forms a flipped V. From here, simply bend your elbows to bring your forehead down toward the floor, then extend to raise yourself back up, repeating as many times as you can and terminating the set when you can’t complete a full rep. If you’re more advanced, you can put your feet up on a flat bench—just be careful to end the set before

WINNING STRATEGIES

A final warning: This workout isn’t meant to be used for every shoulder session. It’s a little too much—after all, there’s a big difference between the occasional trouncing and getting your rear end handed to you every week. Instead, you’ll want to dial back the total number of working sets to 15 to 25 on a regular basis, still front-loading with side and rear delt moves earlier in the routine when you have the most energy to give. Meanwhile, pull out this workout every three to four weeks or so. And if your delts really need a boost, consider moving them to the top of your split, after a rest day, saving chest and triceps for later in the week. With that in mind, it’s time to give your delts the arse kicking they so desperately need. Sure, it may not be so easy to take in the moment, but today’s epic beating might just inspire a new level of greatness tomorrow.

JASON BREEZE; PAVEL Y THJALL

THIS WORKOUT ISN’T MEANT TO BE USED FOR EVERY SHOULDER SESSION. IT’S A LITTLE TOO MUCH.

your upper body completely gives out and sends you tumbling to the floor.

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BEST CHEST MOVES FROM A TO Z, THE TOP CHESTTRAINING TIPS FROM 26 MODERN CHEST MASTERS.

PER BERNAL (2)

BY GREG MERRITT

Pecs make the bodybuilder. They form a breastplate, armour cast in flesh, vigilant guards before the engines of life itself. So there’s that. But they’ve also become so emblematic of “jacked” that today’s kids are as likely to hit a mostmuscular as a double biceps when asked to “make a muscle.” We’ve assembled an alphabetical guide to growing your fleshy breastplate—26 top tips from current chest masters. From A (for angles) to Z (for zone) and all the letters in between, this expert advice will help you grow more chest flesh to flex. ➜

ANGLES

“The chest, more than any other body part, has distinct regions that need to be worked with different exercises and hit from different angles. There’s the upper chest, lower chest, inner chest, and outer chest. Each of those should get some work in every chest workout. I’m doing six exercises [incline dumbbell press, Smith machine incline press, incline flye, flat machine press, decline machine press, pec deck flye or cable crossover] to make sure I hit every angle.” —Cody Montgomery

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BENCH PRESS

“I always do some kind of flat press. I use either dumbbells or a barbell, and I switch it up. The dumbbells make me work harder to balance and steady them, and I can also find the perfect groove because I can position my arms in ways I can’t with a barbell. On the other hand, a barbell allows me to put on more weight and just press because there’s less focus on balancing. They both have advantages, but lately I’ve been doing more dumbbell bench presses.” —Lionel Beyeke

DIP

“The advantage of draping chains over your shoulders during dips is they pull you forward, so you work your chest more and your triceps less than when you have a weight dangling between your legs. Also, I don’t really want a weight between my legs if you know what I mean. And when I use two or three chains, I can shed one easily to do dropsets.” —Branch Warren

CABLE CROSSOVER

“Cable crossovers are almost always in my routine somewhere, especially pre-contest. Sometimes I superset them with something else, like Hammer machine presses, and sometimes I do them alone at the end of the workout. They’re all about the contractions. I don’t even care how much weight I use. You can make any weight feel heavy on these if you squeeze your pecs hard enough.” —Dexter Jackson

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“It’s easy to get into a rut with chest training. Variety is crucial, whether you’re switching exercises or switching the order of exercises. [Trainer] Charles Glass is always switching things up for me. Every workout is like a surprise attack for my muscles. It’s only through experimentation that you learn which exercises work best for you, but you also need to keep experimenting— what worked best for you last time might not work best next time.” —Shawn Rhoden

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E EXPERIMENTATION

FLYE “When you bring them together, don’t let the dumbbells touch. Leave a gap of 2.5 cm to maintain the contraction. It’s too easy to bounce the weights off each other if you let them touch. You don’t need heavy dumbbells for flyes.” —Nathan De Asha

GIANT SET

“I do a giant set workout for “I’ll chest with up to 10 different exercises. I did that recently, and a week later my chest was still sore. If I do eight or more exercises, I need to go through that cycle only twice, but I know I’ve hit the tw muscle from every angle and with a variety of stimuli—barbell presses, dumbbell flyes, machine and cable flyes, and dumbbell pullovers.” —Ben Pakulski

PAVEL Y THJALL

H HEAVY

“Heavy is a relative term. It really doesn’t matter what the weight is. If you can bench-press it only four times, then it’s heavy even if it’s only 60. Chest seems to be the body part guys most like to hit with low reps, because everyone wants to get a big bench or big incline. But chest responds best to moderate reps of eight to 12 like other body parts, and sometimes you should aim even higher for 15 reps or more. Heavy reps have a role, but don’t let them dominate.” —Jonathan De La Rosa

I INCLINE PRESS

“I don’t always start my chest workout with incline presses. I probably do it every other workout. The crucial thing is making sure you always do them at some point in the workout. They’re too important for filling in your upper chest to ever skip. I don’t really lose a lot of strength throughout my workout, but if you start losing steam pretty fast on chest day and your upper chest is a weak point, you should definitely do your inclines first in every chest workout.” —Johnnie Jackson

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J JUXTAPOSE

“Some exercises are more effective because of what comes just before or after. You can juxtapose flyes and presses, for example. If you do the flyes first, you can’t go as heavy on the presses, but the presses will work your pecs more. Going the other way around, you can go heavier on the presses and then do the isolation work. There’s no right or wrong way, but each will have a different effect.” —Sergio Oliva Jr.

MACHINE PRESS

“There’s a safety factor when doing a machine press or flye. I feel like I can safely go heavier because the machine is going to keep you in a groove, and you don’t have to worry about a spotter catching the weight. Still, I don’t do really low reps. I like to stick with four sets of 12 for chest. Because chest is a weaker area for me, what I do is I work it more often. I try to hit it twice a week and other body parts only once.” —Roelly Winklaar

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K KNOWLEDGE

“It seems like with all the new machines, a lot of basic knowledge has been lost about chest training. If you look at the guys from the ’70s— Arnold [Schwarzenegger], Franco [Columbu], Lou [Ferrigno]—they had chests every bit as big as guys today, and they did almost nothing but free-weight basics. Sometimes the most important lessons to learn are to see what worked best 50 years ago, because it still works best today.” —Jose Raymond

L LOWER PECS

“As I get older, ignoring my lower pecs can lead to a little loose skin there. So I’ll alternate between a barbell and a dumbbell decline [press] from week to week, and I’ll also do pullovers, which help keep that area extra tight. Most people use pullovers as a lat move, but I’m using them more for chest, and I find the machines restrict your ability to squeeze at the end of the move [compared with] the dumbbell. I’ll also do some body-weight dips to stimulate the outer part of the pecs and get that squeeze at the bottom.” —Victor Martinez

NEGATIVE “Time under tension is a good thing. When I do machine presses, I like to focus more on the negative. You want to stay in control of the weight; don’t let the weight control you. Concentrate on both halves of the rep—the positive and the negative.” —Phil Heath

OVERTRAINING “Any kind of press for chest works the triceps and front delts along with the pecs. So you need to beware of overtraining. If you do a lot of pressing, you may need to do less shoulder and triceps work. And you should arrange your split so there’s at least two days between your chest workout and your triceps or shoulder workouts.” —Guy Cisternino

PER BERNAL (2)

PEC DECK FLYE

When I do these, I keep my arms parallel to the floor, even though the pads are vertical. The pads are between my biceps and my forearms in the crooks of my elbows. This feels more natural to me. I’ll do lots of reps to failure with the whole stack. I don’t want to count the reps. If I count them I might get stuck on that number the next set or the next workout. I can’t limit myself.” —Maxx Charles

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QUALITY “Early on, some of my body parts blew up, like my legs. Others didn’t, like my chest. Part of that was because I was pressing with my shoulders and triceps. Chest took a backseat, not because I wasn’t training it but because I was training it wrong. I never really had someone say, ‘Slow yourself down, and concentrate on the squeeze.’ So I started focusing on the quality of my reps and not the quantity of the weight. I lightened the weights and started pressing just to get that mindmuscle connection. It’s something you really have to concentrate on. You need to feel the muscles working.” —Flex Lewis

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RANGE OF MOTION “I use dumbbells a lot on chest day—presses, flyes, and pullovers. They provide a longer range of motion, and they allow me to find the right groove to stress my shoulders less and work my pecs more. Sometimes I’ll do a whole chest workout using nothing but dumbbells.” —William Bonac

SUPERSET

“I like to superset a free-weight exercise with its machine counterpart. So I’ll do barbell bench presses, then as soon as I’m done with my set, I’ll do a set of machine bench presses. It’s a safe way of extending the set. Or I might do dumbbell flyes superset with pec deck flyes or cable crossovers. The free weights always come first, so with the machine exercise that follows, I can focus more on the squeeze and getting every last fibre stimulated.” —Juan Morel

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TEMPO

“Presses and dumbbell flyes are performed slow and under careful control. With pec deck flyes or cable crossovers, I like to switch up the tempo and go faster. I do these last, so going faster lets me crank out a few more reps and really get a great pump.” —Brandon Curry

PER BERNAL; KEVIN HORTON

UPPER PECS

“To focus more on upper pecs, I start my workout with incline dumbbell flyes and then do incline presses, either with a machine or free weights. The flyes pre-exhaust my upper pecs with an isolation exercise before the compound exercise. Also, by hitting upper pecs first, I’m able to work that area when my energy and focus are greatest.” —Mamdouh Elssbiay

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W X WORKLOAD

“I warm up on every single movement. So you might see me doing 207-kg incline presses, and then next thing you know I’m doing dumbbell bench presses with the 20s. Well, the flat press is a different movement than the incline, so I got warm on the inclines, but I’m not yet warm on the flat press. The stress is different with each as far as how it works the tendons, joints, and muscles. I don’t count warmups as part of my workload, and I can get through them pretty quickly and move up to my working sets. But I always do them for every chest exercise.” —Josh Lenartowicz 122

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X-FRAME

“Most people don’t think of the chest when building an X-frame, but you need really good pec lines to set off the X. It’s important to work every part of the pecs, upper, lower, outer, and inner. If any area is lacking, prioritize it. The upper chest, especially, will draw your eyes up to the shoulders and enhance the X.” —Cedric McMillan

YIELD

“There’s a place for compound and isolation exercises in every chest routine, but if I had to choose just one chest exercise, it would probably be the incline press. That’s the one that’s going to have the greatest yield. It targets more of the upper chest, and it also works the front delts and triceps.” —Clarence DeVis

ZONE

“I like to stay in the moderate zone for chest of 10 to 12 reps per set. I will go lower or higher, but most of the time I’m aiming for 10. That gives me enough reps to work the muscles and not the weight, but not so many reps that I’m not also focused on pushing the intensity and trying to get stronger.” —Ahmad Ashkanani

PHOTO CREDIT

V VOLUME

“I don’t need much volume to work chest. As long as I push every working set to failure and focus on getting more reps than I got last time, my chest is going to grow with just six to eight sets. Any more than that is overkill. The key is what you get out of your sets. If you’re not pushing them to failure and beyond, then you’re going to need more volume, but you’re not going to grow as fast by just doing twice as much half-assed work.” —David Henry

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GUY CAMERON; PER BERNAL

NO PAIN, BIG GAINS SOLUTIONS FOR OVERCOMING THE MOST COMMON TRAINING INJURIES. BY GREG MERRITT

“No pain, no gain” is a horrible maxim if applied to chronic strains or sprains because even a minor but reoccurring ache can force you to give less than your best, and that can be the difference between growth and stagnation. Injuries require a new routine—a means of diagnosing and correcting the problem, a plan for eliminating pain to encourage gains.

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ANKLE This area is accustomed to a lot of low-intensity, short range-of-motion work (e.g., walking) but can become overstressed when the intensity is cranked up.

Strengthen Shin splints are a common injury for anyone who sprints, jogs, or climbs stairs for cardio. It’s caused by the muscles at the back of the lower legs overpowering the much smaller muscles at the front. This imbalance, which can also generate knee pain, can be corrected by working the front of your calves with shin raises. If your gym doesn’t have a shin-raise machine—and most don’t— you can use a leg-curl machine (seated, facing backward), a kettlebell, or a weight plate. Very little resistance is needed; go for four sets of 12 to 20.

Stretch Move your feet from maximum dorsiflexion (toward shins) to maximum plantar flexion (away from shins).

Support You may have seen photos of Arnold Schwarzenegger squatting barefoot in the 1970s. As much as we love the Austrian Oak, don’t follow his lead this time. Instead, if you’re prone to ankle pain, armour up by wearing compression socks and high-top sneakers or boots on leg day.

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Elbow sleeves will bolster this area and keep it warm, which can be especially useful.

ELBOW OPENER PAGE: PER BERNAL. THIS SPREAD: PER BERNAL; KEVIN HORTON

Midarm pain may be in the hinge joint but is more likely at either the front (biceps tendons) or back (triceps tendons).

Diagnose Modify Is the tendinitis caused by When doing upper-body

If youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re prone to ankle pain, armour up by wearing compression socks and high-top sneakers or boots on leg day.

pulling (biceps) or pushing (triceps)? Or is it the result of repetitive motions, such as throwing or swinging? Often, the pain source is only a single movement, and the only way to zero in on it is to eliminate exercises one at a time from your routine until the pain lessens. Start with the most likely culprits: barbell exercises in which the elbows flare out, such as wide-grip upright rows or bench presses or barbell rows done with the upper arms straight out.

exercises, narrow your grip, tuck your elbows in, and use dumbbells. The freer range of motion provided by dumbbells should allow you to find a groove that stresses your muscles more and your joints and tendons less.

Support Elbow sleeves will bolster this area and keep it warm, which can be especially useful on chest and shoulder presses.

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KNEE These two simple hinge joints have to take on a lot of tension when you crank out heavy squats or leg presses. As a result, they can become creaky, stiff, and sore.

Warm Up

Avoid Lockout

Before working quads, do light, high-rep sets of leg extensions (without locking out) and/or five to 10 minutes of low-intensity cardio on an exercise bike.

The lockout transfers all the stress to your knee joints—not a good thing. This is especially true of leg extensions when, at the top, you’re holding the weight up with your legs in a vulnerable position. Stop short of this on every rep.

Dial Back High Intensity

High-impact cardio, like wind sprints, might be part of the problem, so if you regularly experience knee pain, we recommend switching from the treadmill, StepMill, or track to an elliptical machine or stationary bike.

Squat Right

Depth is your friend. If you break parallel, your glutes and hips power you out of the hole. If you don’t, it’s all up to your quads (and knees). Squatting shallow also allows you to carry more weight, which compounds the problem. (Never do partial squats, lifting the barbell a short distance from support bars set high in a power rack. These can help you handle heavier weights, but they’re potential knee

wreckers.) Your feet should be pointed slightly outward, and your knees should follow the path of your feet. Your knees will be strained if they turn in.

Support Knee wraps or sleeves can assist in protecting these vulnerable joints.

Go Lighter

Keep your reps at 10 or higher. Forget the weight and focus instead on maintaining constant muscle tension from the first strict rep to the last.

Forget the weight and focus instead on maintaining constant muscle tension from the first strict rep to the last.

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SHOULDER A ball and socket with a multitude of muscles, ligaments, and tendons in the vicinity, the shoulder joint is complex and vulnerable to injuries. Some nagging pains can persist for years, derailing countless workouts. Even exercises like squats can become untenable because of the agony caused in the shoulders when balancing a barbell behind the neck.

Diagnose Pinpointing the problem for shoulder pain may be easier than eliminating it because it unfortunately tends to linger, like lower back pain. But letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s try to get to the root cause. The most likely suspects are barbell presses, Smith machine chest presses, or shoulder presses.

Work Independently Try replacing barbell presses with their dumbbell counterparts, or use machines with independent arms. This will let you find a more comfortable (and often stronger) biomechanical position.

Stop the Presses If pain persists, eliminate all presses and bilateral shoulder and chest exercises, like upright rows and dips. Instead, do only flyes and laterals for sets of 12 to 15. When the pain subsides, you can return dumbbell presses to your routine.

KEVIN HORTON; JASON BREEZE

Toughen Your Cuffs The rotator cuff, a group of four muscles that act to stabilize each shoulder joint, is prone to strains and tears. The most likely culprits are again heavy barbell presses. Take some time to strengthen this area. Exercises include external rotation (done on your side with a light dumbbell or standing with a cable), reverse flyes, and rope face-pulls.

If pain persists, eliminate all presses and bilateral shoulder and chest exercises.

INJURY CHECKLIST

Seek medical care for acute pain. Use this checklist for nonacute but persistent or recurring joint or muscle aches.

x Locate the source of the pain.

x Eliminate exercises to see if pain subsides.

x Recover via rest, stretching, and massage.

x Apply cold to reduce swelling, and heat

when there is no swelling to promote blood flow.

x Revise your

workouts to avoid problematic exercises.

x Support joints and

muscles with wraps,

belts, sleeves, and compression clothing.

x Supplement with

glucosamine for cartilage formation and curcumin and fish oil to reduce inflammation.

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Determining a reason for your pain can be just as hard as pinpointing its location.

different times. Determining a reason for your pain can be just as hard as pinpointing its location. It could be your chair or bed and almost any standing exercise, from barbell rows to squats to EZ-bar curls, not to mention many back exercises. Even bench presses may be the culprit if you arch too much. What’s more, it could be some combination of exercises and posture factors. None of this is to say you shouldn’t attempt to locate the pain and its principal culprits. It’s just acknowledging that it’s sometimes unattainable.

Revise If you’re unable to determine a specific cause of your back pain to eliminate, stay clear of regular and stiff-legged deadlifts and free-weight rows. Free-weight back squats are another common culprit. Keep your knees slightly bent when performing standing exercises, even light ones like side laterals, and don’t go heavy. Get at least 10 reps per set on all exercises.

Work It Out Conventional wisdom about back

An entire industry is devoted to the management of back pain. Unfortunately, this has fuelled an opioid crisis in the U.S.. The good news is that the best solution for most people doesn’t involve pills, injections, surgery, or even a trip to the doctor’s office.

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Diagnose Lower-back pain is difficult to locate. In fact, about 85% of sufferers have nonspecific pain (as opposed to a pinched nerve, or a slipped disk). Sciatic nerve pressure can cause suffering that radiates down into the legs and up to the trapezius and all the regions in between. Likewise, your spinal erectors—bundles of muscles and tendons—travel much of the length of your spine and can wreak torment along the way and in different spots at

Support Wear a tightly cinched training belt during any exercise that could unduly stress your spine and spinal erectors. This includes lifts like leg presses and dumbbell shrugs, which might not seem like back breakers.

ALEX ARDENTI; JASON BREEZE

LOWER BACK

pain—bed rest, pain killers—has been upended. In February, the American College of Physicians advised a protocol that avoids prescription drugs and instead emphasizes exercise and alternative therapies like massage, yoga, and even chiropractic. (Medical doctors are typically sceptical.) Specifically, body-weight exercises for the rectus abdominis (curl up), oblique and hips (side bridge), and glutes (kickback) strengthen and stretch the core muscles and can improve the lower back without straining it.

Wrist wraps or sleeves can help you correct your grip by making it harder to wag your hands and reminding you to keep your wrists straight.

WRIST Painful wrists are almost always caused by a common training mistake—letting the weight pull your hands back, especially on barbell chest and shoulder presses.

Stay Straight

Bent wrists might seem like the most comfortable position. But over time it will strain your vulnerable wrist tendons. What’s more, it puts you in a weaker position. Throw a punch with your wrist held straight and another with it bent backward, and you’ll realize how much power is lost in the latter slaplike movement. Your hands and wrists are the last links in the chain when doing such exercises as incline presses. So don’t blow it at the very end by allowing your wrists to bend backward.

Support Wrist wraps or sleeves can help you correct your grip by making it harder to wag your hands and reminding you to keep your wrists straight.

Get a Grip Eliminate the weak link by making it as strong as the others. Grip-strengthening exercises include wrist curls, reverse curls, rope pullups, and plate pinches. You can also do some work with a thick bar or a thick bar attachment, which will force you to clutch harder.

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GGETT BACK NEED HELP WITH YOUR BACK? IFBB PHYSIQUE PRO JEREMY POTVIN PO OTVIN GIVES YOU A ROUTINE HE KNOWS WILL ADD THICKNESS AND WIDTH. BY ROGER LOCKRIDGE PHOTOGRAPHS BY IAN SPANIER

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TO BE ABLE TO COMPETE in the IFBB as a pro in any division is an incredible achievement. If you’re blessed enough to stand on the Olympia stage, then you can legitimately call yourself one of the best in the world. Jeremy Potvin placed third at the Physique Olympia last year, and ﬁfth fifth at this year’s show, coming in optimistic that his prep had gone well enough to earn him the title. Here’s Potvin’s plan for a better back.

SNAPSHOT

JEREMY POTVIN

Birth Date: July 21, 1989 Height: 168 cm Contest Weight: 70 kg Residence: San Diego, California Career Highlights: 2017 Olympia Men's Physique Showdown, 5th. 2016 Olympia Men’s Physique Showdown, 3rd; 2016 IFBB Grand Prix men’s physique, 1st; 2014 NPC Nationals Men’s Physique Class A, winner (earned pro card) Instagram: @jeremypotvin_

WHAT TO IMPROVE Regardless of what division you’re in, shows can be won or lost from the back. While Potvin is already known for his shoulder-to-waist ratio, he realizes the judges pay attention to every detail when the athletes turn around. “I want to improve the thickness of my lats, especially my lower lats. I don’t think it’s weak at all, but I know the judges want to see you improve every year.”

MORE VOLUME

This year, Potvin and his coach, Ryan Bentson of Team Zero Gravity, wanted to add more volume, so he made two adjustments. He now trains back twice a week, and he changed his rep scheme. “I usually do everything for eight to 12 reps, but a higher rep count is going to benefit me more, so I’ll take most sets up to 15 reps,” Potvin says. “As for the second workout, it’s about balance, and my arms are already pretty good. I’m training chest twice a week now also.”

EARLY INFLUENCES

Although Potvin competes in men’s physique, it was actually an open bodybuilder who inspired him. “For me it was Johnnie Jackson,” he says. “When I was younger I wanted to lift heavier weights and get really strong. He was both big and strong since he competed in powerlifting too. The shots of his back were unreal.”

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BEGINNER’S TIP Since a beginner might be reading this, Potvin has some advice to share: “Proper form over weight— for everything,” he says. “Learn how to do the exercises correctly first before you start adding weight. It will be worth it when you see the results for yourself.”

POTVIN’S BACK WORKOUT EXERCISE

SETS

REPS

Deadlift

3–4

10–15

Pullup

3–4

10–15

One-arm Dumbbell Row

3–4

10-15

Bentover Barbell Row

3–4

10-15

T-bar Row

3–4

10–15

THE GOAL OF ANY ATHLETE IS TO WIN. I BELIEVE I CAN IMPROVE ON MY PLACING THIS YEAR AND EVEN WIN THE OLYMPIA.

Notes: In the off-season, Potvin does the same exercises for 8 to 12 reps. Rest for 90 seconds between sets.

Monday Chest

Wednesday Legs

Friday Chest

Sunday Legs

Tuesday Back

Thursday Shoulders

Saturday Back

Note: Potvin trains arms

FLEX | DECEMBER ’17

occasionally, but they’re not a part of his contest training split.

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DEADLIFT

You’ll notice that Potvin’s in’s back routine includes basic exercises like the deadlift, eadlift, but he says that if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.. “Deadlifts are a great movement that hits everything,” thing,” he says. “I’ve always used them and still do.” A common debate is about straps on moves like e these. While he isn’t shown using them in the photos, tos, he does advocate for them: “I don’t want grip to hold me back from working my back as hard as I can, so yeah, I use lifting straps.”

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ONE-ARM DUMBBELL ROW A lot of guys use one-arm rows as a power movement to pull more weight, but Potvin performs them a certain way. “I found that when I pull up and back, I can feel my lower lat working more, which is what I had said I wanted to improve. Pulling straight up and letting it drop doesn’t help me do that. I pull back, squeeze the muscle, and lower it under control.”

PULLUP

There are different grips you could use for pullups, but Potvin prefers the traditional double-overhand grip. “I want to work my back and not my biceps,” he says. “So I don’t want to do chins or use any other t ype of grip. Going overhand helps me take the biceps out of it and allows me to work on the lats.”

MAKE SURE YOU LEARN PROPER FORM, ESPECIALLY ON DEADLIFTS. LEARNING TO LIFT CORRECTLY IS MORE IMPORTANT. FLEXONLINE.COM

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BENTOVER BARBELL ROW

SHOT ON LOCATION AT METRO FITNESS NORTH, WORTHINGTON WOODS, OH

Potvin prefers doing the Dorian Yates version of this exercise instead of the Pendlay row, in which you start with the weight on the floor. “If there isn’t an available rack, I’ll pick the weight up off the floor, but I won’t let it down until the set is over,” Potvin says. “I want to keep that tension on n the lats. If a rack is available, I prefer to do them there.” To focus on the lats instead of the he rest of the upper back, he’ll pull the weight into his belly button area.

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GROOMING BY LUDIE SENATUS FOR ZENOBIA

I TRAIN BASED ON WHAT I HAVE AROUND ME TO WORK WITH. I SEE WHATâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S AVAILABLE AND USE IT TO HELP ME.

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T-BAR ROW

The photos show Potvin using a T-Bar station, but he prefers to do this exercise the old-school way. “I’ll use a barbell and put it in a land mine or in a corner with weight on top of it,” he says. “I just like doing them that way better than at a T-Bar station.” When it comes to grip, he likes using both vertical and horizontal grips: “The closer grip helps you target the lats. The horizontal grip focuses on the rest of the upper back and rear delts. They both have their advantages.”

BARBELL SHRUG

Barbell shrugs are an exercise Potvin used to take advantage of, but now, like Johnnie Jackson, he doesn’t do them anymore. “I used to do them when I started training to g because I wanted big traps like he did, but now I don’t do them at all,” Potvin says. “Other moves like deadlifts hit the traps well, so I don’t think I need to do direct work on them anymore.”

USING A T-BAR WITHOUT A CHEST SUPPORT WILL HELP YOU WORK YOUR LOWER BACK AND CORE. I PREFER DOING THEM THAT WAY. 140

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LAST SET

JUDGE’S TABLE

RELAX, YOU GOT THIS HOW TO MAKE EVERY SECOND COUNT WHEN YOU’RE ONSTAGE, AND POINTERS ON PICKING THE SUIT THAT SUITS YOU BEST.

STEVE WEINBERGER

“Standing relaxed” is the first pose you hit onstage, so do it right to look good!

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”Standing relaxed” in the quarter-turns round of bodybuilding is actually a misnomer, as you should never stand relaxed onstage. During quarter-turns, the judges are looking for the classic lines of a bodybuilder—wide shoulders and back tapering to a small waist. The legs should have a good quad and hamstring sweep. All muscle bellies should be full, a look that’s

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DO YOU HAVE ANY POINTERS ON “STANDING RELAXED”? I’M NEW TO THE SPORT AND PREPARING FOR MY SECOND SHOW, AND I DON’T QUITE UNDERSTAND HOW TO HANDLE THIS ASPECT OF THE COMPETITION.

BY MIKE BERG

enhanced by small joints. To emphasize these qualities, stand with your stomach sucked in and your chest held high. Your back and shoulders need to be spread as wide as possible without lifting the arms too high to the sides, and the muscles in the arms and legs should be held in tension to emphasize the size of the muscles and the separation evident in a flexed, lean body. All this must be achieved while keeping the face and neck relaxed and maintaining the appearance of comfort. Even while standing on the side of the stage, while other athletes in your division are being compared centre stage, you must not let your shoulders slump or relax your stomach. Judges are always looking, so posture and presentation are extremely important as to how your body is perceived.

The most common major errors made while standing during the quarter-turn “relaxed” round are: 1. Lifting the arms too high to the sides in the front and rear stance. 2. Letting the stomach protrude. 3. Placing the feet too wide apart, which makes the body appear boxy. 4. Not opening the back as wide as possible.

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5. Letting the shoulders fall and keeping the traps high. 6. Dropping the chest in an attempt to “crunch” the abs.

Details matter when you’re competing at the elite level, so pay attention to everything.

SANDY WILLIAMSON

I’M ABOUT TO BUY A SUIT FOR MY FIRST FIGURE COMPETITION. DO YOU HAVE ANY KEY DOS AND DON’TS AS FAR AS WHAT I SHOULD LOOK FOR IN CUT, STYLE, ETC.? Most important, I would simply look for a suit with a cut that fits your particular physique. For example, if your torso is a little long and your legs are shorter, you want your suit cut higher to make your legs appear longer. Also, under the bright stage lights, pastels often get washed out, so I think a general rule to keep in mind is to go for the darker shades, since you want to create a contrast to your overall colouring— your hair, makeup, and tan. In addition, a little bling is fine if you want it, but too much can actually be distracting. You want the judges to focus on your physique, not your suit.

FLEXONLINE.COM

143

THE SHOT

This ’90s-era shot of Chris Cormier (complete with construction boots and backward cap) captured the Real Deal during his competitive prime. The 1993 USA champ scored his first pro win at the 1997 Night Of Champions and finished his career with an 11th title at the 2005 San Francisco Pro. Along the way, he won the Ironman Pro four times (1999–02), placed third at the Mr. Olympia twice (1999, 2002), and placed runner-up at the Arnold Classic a record six consecutive times (2000–05).

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FLEX | DECEMBER Õ17

CHRIS LUND

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