2009-11

NOVEMBER 2009 / IRON MAN MAGAZINE—WE KNOW TRAINING™

YOUR INFO-TO-GROW WORKOUT GUIDE

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www.ironmanmagazine.com \ APRIL 2006 261

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150 DECEMBER 2009 \ www.ironmanmagazine.com

&217( WE KNOW TRAINING™

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FEATURES 70 TRAIN, EAT, GROW 121 Use continuous change for bigger gains.

102 A BODYBUILDER IS BORN 52 Ron Harris explains why it’s a matter of faith in the last fateful days before a contest. Cuts will come.

110 D-LIGHTFUL, PART 2 Jerry Brainum shows how sunshine can improve muscle building, fat burning and immunity.

124 WHITNEY REID David Young interviews this up-and-coming bodybuilder, who has that special, attainable look.

142 MIX-MASTER CHEST Cory Crow gets the ins and outs of master bodybuilder Lee Apperson’s perfect-pec program.

150 EFFECTIVE BACK TRAINING: LATS From the Bodybuilding.com archive: ISSA-certified trainer Dustin Parsons gives you the tools to build a back so wide you can glide.

142

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WHITNEY REID

176

160 ASSOCIATION OF OLDETIME BARBELL AND STRONGMEN REUNION

Whitney Reid appears on this month’s cover.

Inset is Karen McDougal and Katie Lohmann.

Photos by Michael Neveux.

Vol. 68, No. 11

John Balik and Randall Strossen, Ph.D., report on a legendary get-together.

166 HEAVY DUTY A classic column from Mike Mentzer on rep speed and intensity.

176 POWER SURGE Sean Katterle has tips, tricks and training for notching bigger PRs on your bench and deadlift. You can become a human forklift!

222

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206 PROFILES IN MUSCLE: GRIGORI ATOYAN The new IFBB pro shares personal insights and training and nutrition secrets.

214 FEMME PHYSIQUE Steve Wennerstrom, IFBB Women’s Historian, takes you back in time to 1982, when women’s bodybuilding began to explode worldwide.

222 HARDBODY An eye-popping pictorial of two Playboy Playmates, Katie Lohmann and Karen McDougal, hitting the weights.

234 ONLY THE STRONG SHALL SURVIVE Coach Bill Starr concludes his blueprint for bulletproofing your lower back.

Hitting the hypers is not enough.

166 HEAVY DUTY

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DEPARTMENTS 34 TRAIN TO GAIN Shoulder-and-trap shocker, plus Joe Horrigan looks at elbow pain and what to do about it.

234

50 SMART TRAINING

STRONG SHALL SURVIVE

Coach Charles Poliquin checks out frequencyspecific microcurrent for building strength.

58 EAT TO GROW How to fight muscle-eating acid and a new look at creatine loading.

82 NATURALLY HUGE John Hansen takes a peek at the ketogenic diet. Does it sacrifice muscle in the pursuit of fat loss?

92 SHREDDED MUSCLE Dave Goodin outlines his practices for staying lean. You can’t be supershredded all year!

96 CRITICAL MASS Steve Holman analyzes Arnold’s power-density mass-building tactics.

186 MUSCLE “IN” SITES Eric Broser checks out Anthony Presciano’s site and reviews the new DVD, “Raising the Bar 3.”

192 NEWS & VIEWS Lonnie Teper’s entertaining overview of the always amazing USA—plus his Rising Stars.

208 PUMP & CIRCUMSTANCE Ruth Silverman clicks on the chicks in the hardcurves arena!

216 BODYBUILDING PHARMACOLOGY Jerry Brainum explains the latest research on IGF-1. Is it the ultimate anabolic?

244 MIND/BODY CONNECTION Bomber Blast: Gravity, Iron, Force, Time, Space.

Plus, Evolution Rx (a book review).

256 READERS WRITE

In the next IRON MAN: Our December issue begins with our annual muscle-science roundup—the key studies that you can use to get huge and ripped. Then we have a blockbuster interview with fitness goddess Jennifer Nicole Lee; you’ll recognize her from TV, guaranteed. She’s one smart, fit lady. Also, Jerry Brainum interviews a top researcher of heat shock proteins and reveals what you can do to jack up this amazing muscle-building component. Plus, bodybuilder Todd Jewel guides you to seam-splitting shoulders so you look bigger, even in clothes— right before you rip out of them. Find the December IRON MAN on newsstands the first week of November.

Muscle Beach memories, Natural Anabolics and fast workouts, big results.

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Whatever You Need—Wherever You Train ™

Founders 1936-1986: Peary & Mabel Rader

by John Balik

Vacation Workouts

Neveux

I’ve done an unusual amount of traveling this summer, and it’s forced me to adapt my eating, supplementation and workouts. I made a point of booking hotels that had an acceptable gym or were close to a commercial gym. The good thing is that my family shares my enthusiasm for working out—further motivation to fill our mutual “need.”

One trip was to New York with my son Justin, and another was to Washington, D.C., with my daughter Lilli. In New York City, where I attended the annual Association of Oldetime Barbell and Strongmen awards dinner (see page 160), Justin and I ended up training at a Crunch gym about four blocks from where we were staying. It was very well equipped, and he and I had some great workouts, which translated into feeling good in general. I made the arrangements with Crunch before I left California, which also felt good—one more variable under control.

By their nature, New York and its subways create a lot of walking and stair climbing—I opted out of leg work for the week, but Justin’s 19year-old body could do both—and did.

John and Justin Balik.

As for eating, New York has unlimited choices and places to eat too much. My strategy on this trip was to use meal replacements—Muscle Meals—instead of breakfast and lunch. That’s the best solution for me because if I take away the choice, I save myself from an overindulgent breakfast. With the meal replacement I not only conserve the calories for an indulgent dinner, but I can also be more active and not spend precious daytime hours in restaurants.

New York was typically 12 to 14 hours on the go. My mantra became “never stuffed, never hungry.” In addition, I always kept walnuts and dried fruit in a small plastic bag to stave off the hunger pangs before they struck.

With those snacks and the Muscle Meals plus a “regular” dinner, I was able to eat something five or six times a day. I organized my supplements as I do at home by filling ziplock bags, usually three per day. Our seven days in New York netted four workouts and a return to L.A. at my same bodyweight—I call that a successful trip.

Washington, D.C., was a short four days, and the hotel had an adequate gym. I still used the Muscle Meals to get me started in the a.m.—I was at the Washington Monument to photograph the sunrise—but added protein bars to my “essential equipment” plus my nutrition arsenal. Again, miles and miles of walking but not the stairs of New York.

Lilli and I had three workouts in the hotel gym—she doing her favorite, the Life Fitness elliptical plus abs and an upper-body dumbbell-and-pulley workout. All the walking was getting to my chronically injured ankle, so I just did a weight workout. The ankle is a 30-plus-year-old injury that flares up every once in a while—all that walking really aggravated it. That’s another thing to deal with: reality! In the past I’ve denied the reality of pain, and it’s always made the recovery more extended.

Lilli and Justin were both tremendous motivation for me to get the workouts in. Both wonderful trips were enhanced by our training and the camaraderie of the gym. IM

26 NOVEMBER 2009 \ www.ironmanmagazine.com

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

Marketing Director: Helen Yu, (805) 385-3500, ext. 313 Accounting: Dolores Waterman, (805) 385-3500, ext. 324 Advertising Director: Warren Wanderer (805) 385-3500, ext. 368 (518) 743-1696; FAX: (518) 743-1697 Advertising Coordinator: Jonathan Lawson, (805) 385-3500, ext. 320 Newsstand Consultant: Angelo Gandino, (516) 796-9848 Subscriptions: 1-800-570-4766 or (714) 226-9782 E-mail: subscriptions@ironmanmagazine.com We reserve the right to reject any advertising at our discretion without explanation. All manuscripts, art or other submissions must be accompanied by a selfaddressed, stamped envelope. Send submissions to IRON MAN, 1701 Ives Avenue, Oxnard, CA 93033. We are not responsible for unsolicited material. Writers and photographers should send for our Guidelines outlining specifications for submissions. IRON MAN is an open forum. We also reserve the right to edit any letter or manuscript as we see fit, and photos submitted have an implied waiver of copyright. Please consult a physician before beginning any diet or exercise program. Use the information published in IRON MAN at your own risk.

IRON MAN Internet Addresses: Web Site: www.ironmanmagazine.com John Balik, Publisher: ironleader@aol.com Steve Holman, Editor in Chief: ironchief@aol.com Ruth Silverman, Senior Editor: ironwman@aol.com T.S. Bratcher, Art Director: ironartz@aol.com Helen Yu, Marketing: helen@ironmanmagazine.com Warren Wanderer, Advertising: warren@roadrunner.com Jonathan Lawson, Ad Coordinator: ironjdl@aol.com Brad Seng, Webmaster: brad@ironmanmagazine.com

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Dorian Yates achieved his mass by striving to drive up heavier weights while minimizing the volume of his workouts.

Recently I attended a seminar hosted by six-time Mr. Olympia Dorian Yates.

At one point, while discussing training intensity and the true meaning of momentary muscular failure, Dorian mentioned an analogy he’d heard from Mike Mentzer, which had been passed on to Mike from Nautilus creator Arthur Jones: “Suppose you hit failure on a set of curls, but then some shady character

34 NOVEMBER 2009 \ www.ironmanmagazine.com

put a gun to your head or to the head of your child, and told you to do two more—you’d somehow get those two reps, wouldn’t you?

Since I’d heard that story before, I didn’t really pay much attention. I always train damn hard anyway—or so I thought. I’d also arranged to have Dorian himself put me through a brief workout immediately after the seminar’s

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HE WANTED TO FIGHTUntil I Crushed His Hand!

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Whatever You Need—Wherever You Train ™

352 $'9,&(

It’s All In Your Head

Training With Dorian Yates

conclusion. I chose biceps, for a couple reasons. One, I knew it wouldn’t take long and Yates was doing me a favor as it was. Two, my biceps have never been very good, despite my best efforts over the

years.

Next up were EZ-curl-bar curls—and a similar scenario. I Dorian had me start on chose a weight that was quickly deemed a warmup by the dumbbell concentration curls, still-massive Brit, and again I was asked to do more than an exercise I normally don’t I felt comfortable with—comfortable being the key word do. He scoffed at the weight here. For a split second a chorus of doubts and excuses I selected, and after I’d done ran through my brain. You haven’t eaten in a long time, you a couple of reps, he had me didn’t have any preworkout supplements to boost energy get a heavier ’bell. I was thinkor a pump, you’re even a little dehydrated—and most of all, ing, “This is too much weight.” that’s too heavy for you to curl.

I started curling, and it was Even so, once more I went above and beyond what I heavy as hell. was supposed to be able to do. And it wasn’t Normally I would because of some wonder supplement and You may think you’re have racked it certainly not because of any drug. I worked training hard, but your and gone for a my biceps heavier and harder than I could mind is usually limiting lighter weight—but remember in eons, and the difference had all your capabilities. it was a special been in motivation. occasion. I had If you can summon that burning desire, that one of the greatest bodybuilders of do-or-die attitude that you must achieve this one particular my generation, a man legendary for goal with the weight, and do it again and again consistently, his “Blood and Guts” hardcore trainsuccess is guaranteed. I thought I trained pretty hard, but ing intensity and work ethic, quietly but once I saw what I was truly capable of, I was forced to firmly instructing me to do another rep, rethink my intensity. I have to admit that I had been fooling and another. myself for a long time. The mind is by far the most powerful While it wasn’t quite the same as having factor in bodybuilding, and I hadn’t been using mine to its a gun to my head, it wasn’t far off—not for full capacity. someone like me who would rather puke than —Ron Harris punk out in front of a true icon of the sport I’ve been part of for more than half my life. I eked out Editor’s note: Ron Harris is the author of Real Bodyseven reps somehow with a weight I typically wouldn’t building, available at www.RonHarrisMuscle.com. have even tried to do one rep with.

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YOU CAN BENCH BIG Add 20 Pounds to Your Bench Press Almost Overnight!

How would you like a surge in upper-body power and a bigger bench press—say, 20 extra pounds on the bar—after only a couple of workouts? Sure, adding 20 pounds to your bench in two or three training sessions may sound crazy, especially if your bench press poundage has been stuck in neutral for a while.

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

The rotator cuff muscles stabilize the shoulder joint. During the bench press and almost all other upperbody movements these muscles protect the shoulder joint and prevent ball-and-socket slippage. If these muscles are underdeveloped, they become the weak link in the action and your pressing strength suffers, or worse, you injure your shoulder. One of the best ways to strengthen this area and create an upper-body power surge is with direct rotator cuff exercise.

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Shoulder and Trap Shocker

Joe Mazza Hits World’s Best Bench Press

James “Flex” Lewis

Roland Balik

Not long ago I read about a variation on upright rows practiced by James “Flex” Lewis, one of the stars of the IFBB’s new 202-and-under division.

Though upright rows in general have gotten a very bad rep for wrecking rotator cuffs over the years, longtime IRON MAN readers will know that wide-grip uprights, particularly when performed with dumbbells as advocated by Steve Holman and Jonathan Lawson, can be an even better movement for capping off the side delts than lateral raises.

Lewis uses a bar for his variation, but you could just as easily, or perhaps even more easily, use a pair of dumbbells.

Each set is made up of 21 reps, but these aren’t 21s in the sense of partial movements, as you typically see with barbell curls. Instead, you do seven reps with a wide grip, seven with a grip just inside of shoulder width and seven with a very close grip. In one set you are nailing your medial deltoid heads, your rear delts and your traps.

I don’t know about you, but those are three places I can never have too much meat! I gave it a try recently and was very impressed with how effectively

I was able to stimulate so much muscle mass in the shoulders and traps in just one set. Three of those, and I was toast.

I suggest trying it as a finishing movement on shoulder day, or even at the end of your back routine if your side delts could use a little extra work.

—Ron Harris www.RonHarrisMuscle.com

Neveux \ Model: Derik Farnsworth

James “Flex” Lewis’s style of upright rows.

36 NOVEMBER 2009 \ www.ironmanmagazine.com

On June 27 MHP-sponsored power lifting superstar Joe Mazza gripped the bar over his chest at the IPA Worlds, lowered it to his pecs and promptly pressed a world-record bench press of 685 pounds—in the 165-pound class!

The New Jersey–based strength phenom set the new record on his opening attempt at the IPA-sanctioned event in York, Pennsylvania, pressing a mind-blowing 4.15 times his bodyweight. There are only a handful of men in the world who’ve ever benched four times their weight, and Joe is the lightest lifter ever to do it. Before that 685 bench, Joe previously owned the 165-pound-class record of 675, set last October 18.

“I hit 685 on my opener and was psyched,” Joe says. “But my ultimate goal was to hit 700.

I was unsuccessful at my two attempts at 700, but the last one was very close!

“I had some great training leading up to the IPA Worlds,” he continues, “and my supplementation played a big part in my strength increase. For the last year I added the pre- and postworkout combo of MHP’s Dark Rage and Dark Matter to my regular supplement plan of Probolic-SR and T-Bomb II, and the addition has been huge. I keep getting stronger, my bench keeps going up and I have better training intensity, thanks to Dark Rage.

Its state-of-the-art EPO blood-boosting technology gives me a great pump. I finish each session with the Dark Matter’s unique postexercise muscle-building nutrition, with its creatine, aminos and carb matrix blends.

“I’m very happy about setting the new IPA mark but am in hard training so that I can go 700-plus in the near future.

That’s my goal at my next meet.”

—Steve Downs

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Dave Goodin, age 50.

A: In my experience, a drug-free person at your height with nearly that much bodyfat would really be lucky to weigh 190 to 195 pounds the day of the show—and that is probably on the high side. Depending on how thick the fat and how stretched the skin is around your midsection and any other places that you hold fat, you may need to diet much longer than you think.

Most of the advice I see tells people to diet for 12 weeks for a contest. Because you’ve never competed and don’t truly know what it will take to look great the day of the show, that common time frame won’t be enough. Start figuring everything out and dieting now, even though the show is some nine months away.

I would say that you need to start eating primarily chicken— without skin—egg whites, wild salmon and other coldwater fish and mostly vegetables for your carbohydrates. You have at least 30 pounds of fat to shed, and you may end up losing more muscle than you’d like—unless you’re ready months before the contest so that you have time for your skin to tighten up—assuming that it indeed will tighten up. Also adjust your carbohydrate intake so that you’re eating more as you get closer to the contest, which should make your muscles fuller.

Finally, you really want to see what’s under that fat before you go into any contest.

Take your bodyweight down slowly. Reduce your calories to 225 grams of protein over four or five meals, and eat loads of steamed vegetables—275 to 350 grams over four to five meals. Also include a handful of almonds or other nuts that contain mainly monounsaturated fat. That’s your diet. If you can’t get enough protein from food, use whey protein with water, but don’t try anything exotic now. You just need to diet and let your body and mind get used to it.

The idea is to get rid of as much fat as possible over the next five months or more. Then see what you have to work with and train at that bodyweight for a while. At first you might lose quite a bit of strength, especially on multijoint exercises; however, if your body is down to 4 percent bodyfat, you can start training harder and take in more carbohydrates and find out where you’re burning them optimally. In other words, you want to be ready months early so that you can experiment.

That way you can actually see that you’re adding muscle while keeping the fat off. You may get down as low as 185 to be totally ripped and the skin tight—or the skin may not be tight until you’ve gone through that second stage and then added carbs to fill in the muscle. Your weight doesn’t matter—the only thing that matters is how you look. If you can train hard and slowly add more carbohydrates, you can get that bodyweight back up without looking as if you haven’t eaten in years.

Keep using primarily heavy weights on your multijoint exercises and moderately heavy on isolation exercises. For 40 NOVEMBER 2009 \ www.ironmanmagazine.com

Neveux

Q: I turn 50 next month. I’ve been training for almost 10 years, but I’ve never competed. I want to compete in a drug-tested over-50 bodybuilding contest next May. I’ve already entered to make myself diet and get ready. My main fear is losing muscle. I’m 5’11” and weigh 230 pounds right now.

My bodyfat is probably about 16 percent. What’s the best way to go about this from a training and diet standpoint?

instance, on the bench press your rep count should stay between six and 10; for flyes, 10 to 12. If you find yourself struggling to get five reps on the bench with a weight that you used for 10, drop down and get six to eight good ones.

When you’re onstage, they don’t ask you, “How much can you bench, number 38?” So stick with the plan and don’t get injured.

The key is being ready early so that you can experiment a little with how and when you look best. Don’t do water depletion, sodium loading, potassium loading or other exotic last-minute methods—keep it simple. You may want to restrict water a bit the day before and the day of the show, but that’s all. The main thing is to bring yourself down slowly and get to the weight where you can see all your abdominal and lowerback muscles. Then you have time to keep track of what daily carbohydrate and fat intakes make you look best.

Bodybuilding competition is an art first and a science second. Keep notes for next year’s show—even though what works this time may not work again. That’s what makes it so interesting—and a little frustrating—but what a fun challenge!

—Paul Burke Editor’s note: Contact Paul Burke via e-mail at pbptb@ aol.com. Burke has a master’s degree in integrated studies from Cambridge College in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He’s been a champion bodybuilder and arm wrestler, and he’s considered a leader in the field of over-40 fitness training. You can purchase his book, Burke’s Law—a New Fitness Paradigm for the Mature Male, from Home Gym Warehouse. Call (800) 447-0008, or visit www .Home-Gym.com. His “Burke’s Law” training DVD is also now available.

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How to Strip Bodyfat, Part 3

42 NOVEMBER 2009 \ www.ironmanmagazine.com

burn stored fat.

37) You derive additional health benefits from focusing on lowglycemic-index foods. High-glycemic-index carbohydrates—for example, corn flakes, watermelon, most white rices, white bread, extruded cereals and sugar—can create an insulin rush, which can block the release of stored fat.

Meals rich in high-glycemic-index carbs can produce other harmful effects. To check G.I. ratings, visit www.GlycemicIndex.com.

38) Get about 25 percent of your calories from fats. Good for that are fish high in essential fatty acids—herring, mackerel, salmon and sardines—plus avocados, olive oil, nuts and seeds and flaxseed oil. Butter—in moderation— is vastly different from getting the same total quantity of fat from fried food, margarine, hydrogenated oils or refined vegetable oils.

39) For most people, eating often but reducing portion sizes may be the single most important strategy for fat loss.

It’s best to eat something every two to four hours instead of eating three large meals per day. Redistribute the same number of calories (or a reduced number, if you’re eating too much) over five or six smaller meals.

40) Focus on foods that have fewer calories per bite—that is, foods with a lower energy density—and start at least some of your meals with a low-calorie soup or salad, eating main dishes that are full of vegetables and fruits. Fill yourself up on lower-calorie foods.

41) The afterburn effect—excess postexercise oxygen consumption, or EPOC—occurs when an intensive workout of weights or hard cardio burns calories for a period of time after your workout in addition to what you’d burn had you not exercised. It elevates your metabolism into a state above its normal resting state. To take full advantage of that possibility, do at least some of your hardest workouts in the morning, an hour or two after you’ve eaten so that you have the energy to sustain an intense workout. Your metabolism can stay elevated for several hours after the exercise. If you do your hard cardio at night, for example, your elevated metabolism will plummet when you go to sleep.

Next time I’ll have another bundle of facts and tips to guide you further.

—Stuart McRobert www.Hardgainer.com Neveux

This month I return to the subject of how to strip off bodyfat. The previous two installments of this series, which appeared in the August and September ’09 issues, set the scene for this third part. We left off with item 28. To continue: 29) Avoid processed foods.

Processing removes valuable nutrients, vitamins and minerals and replaces them with rubbish such as sugar, high-fructose corn syrup and chemicals. Eating processed foods can cause your insulin levels to spike, which triggers your body to store fat.

30) If you see “high-fructose corn syrup,” “hydrogenated vegetable oil,” “refined or enriched” or mysterious chemicals on the label, you’re looking at a processed food, and you should avoid it. Be informed and discerning—read nutrition labels.

31) Don’t enhance your food’s taste with high-calorie dressings.

32) It’s essential to eat a nutritious breakfast. It’s the most important meal of the day because it’s the first one. Low blood sugar not only hampers memory and concentration but can also impair physical performance.

33) Skipping breakfast leads to overeating later in the day by spiking the hormone ghrelin in your body It stimulates your appetite at a time when your metabolism is already in a slowed state. Skipping breakfast can reduce your body’s sensitivity to insulin, the hormone that regulates blood sugar.

34) Make time to have breakfast—a healthful one, of course. Boiled eggs and a bowl of oatmeal, for example, would get your day off to a good start, and they don’t take long to prepare.

35) A protein-rich diet helps you lose bodyfat. Your body may burn more calories—that is, go into what’s called dietinduced thermogenesis—than it would if you ate the same number of calories but with less protein and more carbs. Protein also improves satiety, the feeling of fullness. High-protein foods suppress ghrelin release, thereby helping to decrease appetite. That may improve your ability to maintain a reduced calorie intake long-term.

36) Even if you follow a protein-rich diet, you still need healthful carbs and fats. Certain types of carbs may help you lose fat faster. The glycemic index, or G.I., ranks carbs on a scale from 0 to 100 based on the extent to which they raise blood sugar—70 and above means a high G.I., while 55 and below means a low G.I. The index was developed to identify which foods were best for people with diabetes, but it has value for others as well. According to the G.I. theory, focusing on low-glycemic foods—for example, most fruits, vegetables, legumes, pasta and whole-grain breads—helps you prevent rises in blood sugar, control your appetite and delay hunger, lower your insulin count and improve your body’s ability to

Editor’s note: Stuart McRobert’s first byline in IRON MAN appeared in 1981. He’s the author of the 638-page opus on bodybuilding Build Muscle, Lose Fat, Look Great, available from Home Gym Warehouse (800) 447-0008 or www.Home-Gym.com.

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Another Look at Elbow Pain

the sensory portion of the nerve or by itself while the sensory component of the nerve remains entirely intact. The muscles that the ulnar supplies are in the hand.

So what does all of this have to do with arm training?

Everything. Full-range-of-motion biceps and triceps training also stretches and compresses the ulnar nerve. The top of a dumbbell curl, preacher curl, spider curl, hammer curl, triceps pushdown and standing and lying triceps extensions all compress the ulnar nerve. Even bench presses aggravate a very inflamed ulnar nerve.

Some trainees have the symptoms for a few weeks.

Others have them for months or even years. If they sound familiar and haven’t been treated, you should have them evaluated by a sports chiropractor, orthopedic surgeon, neurologist or physiatrist. The problem is confirmed by measuring the velocity of the nerve in a test called, appropriately enough, a nerve conduction velocity. Inflamed nerves don’t fire faster but more slowly.

With or without diagnostic confirmation, if you have these symptoms, you must stop contributing to the problem. First reduce the range of motion of all arm training. You may be causing a delay of healing and not even know it. During the healing time, you can first try to curl halfway up and then back down to the starting point. That applies to all curls. The stretch and compression of the ulnar nerve will occur during the top half of the curl. The same applies to triceps pushdowns. From a finish position with your palms facing your thighs, allow your forearm to raise only up to parallel to the floor or very slightly higher, and then push back down to the finish position with your elbows fully straight.

If those modifications don’t work and you still have ulnar neuropathy symptoms, you’ll need to stop arm training for at least several weeks to enable the nerve to heal. When you resume training, use the modifications described above for a few weeks so you don’t aggravate the nerve again.

—Joseph M. Horrigan

Neveux \ Model: Greg Plitt

I have written in the past about elbow problems associated with weight training. Topics included elbow pain with triceps training, preacher curl precautions, brachioradialis strains and general wear and tear. Another common problem is known as ulnar neuropathy.

The nerves from the neck form a bundle, or plexus, that travels down the arm and separates into individual nerves.

One of them is called the ulnar nerve. It passes down the inner upper arm and continues behind the elbow in a very confined space known as the cubital tunnel. The nerve then travels down the inner forearm to the little finger and ring finger. If you hold your hand in front of you with the palm facing up, the ulnar nerve supplies sensation from the inner elbow down to the 4th and 5th fingers. Once the sensory portion of that nerve is inflamed, you can experience numbness or tingling in the area, known as the ulnar distribution.

Those symptoms are made worse by such ordinary activities as holding a phone to the ear, washing and drying your hair and brushing your teeth. What do these simple activities have in common? The elbow is bent in flexion, which means the nerve is both stretched across the back of the elbow and compressed as it is stretched. Other very common factors make ulnar neuropathy worse. When you sit in a chair at work or in your car, the armrest can press into the ulnar nerve on the inner side of your elbow. Leaning on your bent elbow on a desk while supporting your head can also compress that nerve. The part of the nerve that supplies muscle, know as the motor nerve, can be affected either with

The ulnar nerve

44 NOVEMBER 2009 \ www.ironmanmagazine.com

Editor’s note: Visit www.Soft TissueCenter.com for reprints of Horrigan’s past Sportsmedicine columns that have appeared in IRON MAN. You can order the books, Strength, Conditioning and Injury Prevention for Hockey by Joseph Horrigan, D.C., and E.J. “Doc” Kreis, D.A., and the 7-Minute Rotator Cuff Solution by Horrigan and Jerry Robinson from Home Gym Warehouse, (800) 447-0008 or at www.Home-Gym.com.

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75$,1 72 *$,1 6(5,286 75$,1,1* Nola Trimble Age: 32 Weight: 126 Height: 5’6”

Bodybuilding titles: ’04 NPC Miami Figure Championships, overall; ’07 NPC Junior USA Figure Championships, 6th Split: Monday: chest, butt; Tuesday: quads; Wednesday: delts, calves; Thursday: back; Friday: hamstrings; Saturday: arms, calves Sample routine (quads): leg extensions, 4 x 20; leg presses supersetted with walking lunges, 4 x 20; reverse hack squats, 4 x 20; leg presses, 4 x 20; step-ups, 4 x 25 Factoids: Nola, who switched to bodybuilding for the 2009 season, served seven years in the U.S. Air Force as a surgical technician and firefighter.

She received a golf scholarship to Lynn University in Boca Raton, Florida, where she graduated with a B.S. in business administration. She is currently a federal firefighter and emergency medical technician at March Air Reserve Base in California.

46 NOVEMBER 2009 \ www.ironmanmagazine.com

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Whatever You Need—Wherever You Train™

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Shocking Results and Current Events Q: What do you think of frequency-specific microcurrent as a training aid?

A: Six years ago I learned how to use frequency-specific microcurrent to heal a host of injuries. I used it with great enthusiasm but as an avid learner moved on to other things. That was a mistake. Through my colleague and friend Nick Liatsos I returned to using microcurrent for everything from quieting the adrenals postworkout to recovering from jet lag. Nick programmed a unit for me with a set of frequency protocols for my unique needs.

Oddly enough, I almost immediately saw my strength increasing, heading toward the peak loads I was using when I was 34. I called Nick to report my observations, and he said that he was also amazed by the number of iron-game sportsmen who reported the same thing.

The physiology behind it goes beyond the scope of this column. Bottom line: It works. If you want to get a unit programmed for you and your clients, though, you can attend Nick’s seminar in January 2010. Send e-mail to Janelle@ CharlesPoliquin.com for more details.

By the way, I’m not talking about electrostimulation; I’m talking about a device that sends microcurrent of two frequencies at a time, one for the tissue and one for the condition. For example, channel A may address fascia while channel B addresses inflammation. PICP coaches can get a unit programmed for their needs at any seminar held at the Poliquin Strength Institute.

Q: Is it true that there’s a correlation between teeth health and the ability to make gains in the gym?

Frequency-specific microcurrent can speed recovery, help heal injuries and increase strength.

50 NOVEMBER 2009 \ www.ironmanmagazine.com

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60BSU USBJOJOH When you can do incline curls with a pair of dumbbells in your hands that approach more than 30 percent of your bodyweight, you’ve got one power packed set of guns.

For a 200 pound bodybuilder that would be a 60-plus-pounder in each hand.

For elbow flexors: • Scott reverse curls with 60 percent of bodyweight for six reps • Scott supinated closegrip curls with 73 percent of bodyweight for six reps • Incline curls with each dumbbell at 36 percent of bodyweight for six reps For triceps: • Close-grip bench presses at 158 percent of bodyweight for six reps

A: The health of your teeth affects strength and muscle growth. Chiropractors, who practice many of the offshoots of applied kinesiology, showed that a long time ago.

I’ll give you an example. If you have pockets of inflammation in your gum line and you get them treated with ozone therapy, your work capacity goes up. That means you can do more reps and sets without dropping out—you get stronger and bigger faster. Period.

To find a great practitioner in biological dentistry, you have to ask around. There are very few good ones, and many traditional medical practitioners view biological dentists’ “holistic” orientation as suspect. Practitioners of biological dentistry get at the root of the problem (no pun intended) and treat with methods that are far more in line with how the body is supposed to heal, instead of using materials such as lead and mercury in fillings, which creates havoc in your physiology.

Q: What do you consider strong arms? I’m talking in the top 1 percent in the world.

A: Here are some lifting norms that would indicate strong arms—the kind of loads that get you a second look.

52 NOVEMBER 2009 \ www.ironmanmagazine.com

• Dips at 185 percent of bodyweight for six reps— meaning your bodyweight plus 85 percent tied to it, preferably using a loaded pin tied to a climbing belt. By the way, for a dip to be considered a dip, you should be able to pinch a sheet of paper between your elbow flexors and your forearms in the bottom position. If not, you’re not going low enough.

Q: You’re in your late 40s, as I can see from that recent photo of you with IFBB pro Hidetada Yamagishi, but you still sport a decent pair of arms. How do you keep motivated?

A: There’s no reason hard work can’t be fun. One of the keys to strength-building success is that you should look forward to your workouts. I travel with my staff at least 20 weeks a year, from Australia to Sweden, and I can assure you that every workout is a “world championship.”

We bet with each other on everything from reaching bodyfat percentage by a certain date to incline presses for reps to squat scores using the Wilks formula—whatever it takes to fire ourselves up. It helps to train with younger guys too, as they’re driven and enthusiastic, especially the students who train in poorly equipped gyms. When they come to the Poliquin Strength Institute, they’re like kids in a candy store. That’s another source of motivation.

When I’m in Colorado, I enjoy great workouts at my house gym with my friend Larry. Betting time again. Yes, I am a compulsive competitor. That doesn’t make me a bad

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60BSU USBJOJOH person, just a competitive one.

Another way I stay motivated is by simply trying out other training systems or talking to successful colleagues and trying their approaches in the gym. If you don’t grow, you die. That’s true whether you’re talking about a business or building strength.

Q: In the world of pro sports who are the fittest athletes?

A: Fitness is a specific thing. For example, being fit for ice hockey won’t make you a great running back in football, and vice versa. If you’re asking which sport has a high percentage of athletes committed to being in the best shape possible for their sport, then ice hockey wins hands down. If you’re talking about who has the most natural freaks, then American football is king.

The sad thing is that the hands of most strength coaches in the NFL are tied, and they can’t apply their knowledge to the athletes. That’s why the better strength coaches stay at the college level.

The other problem is that since players don’t have secure contracts waiting like pro players in the other leagues, NFL athletes are just considered meat by management. Injured?

So what. Fifty guys are lined up for your job. I could write a book on the careers that have been tossed away by the lack of care or management. You’d never see such abuse in the NHL, for example.

Baseball is the least athletic sport. If you were to go to the training camp of any Major League Baseball team, it would be hard to find five bodies on the team that look somewhat athletic. Most baseball players have the physique of a small-town circus accountant.

European football, or soccer, as we call it in America, is about 40 years behind in terms of strength and conditioning. Hannah Montana could beat every one of them in a power index test. Soccer players look like children compared to hockey players and infants compared to the speed position players in the NFL. Soccer teams waste fortunes every year on the latest gadgets but won’t invest in a decent strength coach or buy the right equipment. They may have 20 vibration plates but not one matched set of dumbbells; they may buy a $150,000 cooling suit—that fits only one player at a time, 54 NOVEMBER 2009 \ www.ironmanmagazine.com

of course—but they won’t give their players a decent postworkout shake. If soccer managers were to look at what is done in America in terms of conditioning, they would Soccer players are a have a serious reality check. disgrace to the world Someday someone will of athletics when it figure it out, and then it will comes to conditioning. become popular. Ice hockey used to be like that, but the Edmonton Oilers started to win consistently, so conditioning became popular. Within a matter of years all teams had a strength coach.

Rugby is probably the sport that is catching up the fastest in terms of strength and conditioning. Rugby coaches finally got the concept—that players who are stronger and fitter improve the quality of the game. They are also quite progressive at promoting recovery between matches.

I would love to see a fitness test show on TV where the best players of every sport would compete in basic motor ability tests such as vertical jumps and overhead throws, etc. Soccer fans would be in for a real shock and realize that their idols are a disgrace to the world of athletics when it comes to conditioning.

On a scale of 1 to 10, depending on the events, the results would come in like this: American football: 10 Ice hockey: 9 Rugby: 7 Basketball: 3 Soccer: 1 Baseball: -2

Editor s note: Charles Poliquin is recognized as one of the world s most successful strength coaches, having coached Olympic medalists in 12 dif ferent sports, including the U.S. womens track-and-field team for the 2000 Olympics. He s spent years researching European journals (he s fluent in English, French and German) and speaking with other coaches and scientists in his quest to optimize training methods. For more on his books, seminars and methods, visit www .CharlesPoliquin.net. Also, see his ad on page 133. IM

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Fight Muscle-Eating Acid While no one would seriously deny the role of a high-protein diet in building muscle, there is one often overlooked drawback—people don’t eat enough alkaline foods to balance the acid that comes with taking in so much protein. Amino acids containing sulfur, mainly methionine and cysteine, can convert into sulfuric acid in the body. Since optimal body functions require a specific pH—that is, the

measure of acidity and alkalinity in the blood—the body has a number of natural buffers that deal with a rise in acidity, including bicarbonate and phosphate.

Still, protein may overwhelm the system if it’s not balanced by alkaline, or base, foods, such as fruits and vegetables.

Many bodybuilders avoid fruits and vegetables because of their carbohydrate content.

The body deploys alkaline minerals,

58 NOVEMBER 2009 \ www.ironmanmagazine.com

mostly calcium and magnesium, to buffer excess acid. The loss of calcium in the buffering process has led to the idea that a high-protein diet makes you excrete excess calcium. If you don’t replace the calcium in your diet, lowcalcium symptoms, such as muscle cramps, may arise. On a long-term basis, not getting enough calcium—or losing it as a result of buffering—can result in osteoporosis.

While many dietitians still warn about the dangers of calcium loss with highprotein diets, a higher protein intake has been shown to increase bone density.

In addition, the loss of calcium is only a problem if your body is also out of phosphate. Most natural high-protein foods are rich in phosphate, which is why you don’t often see bodybuilders’ bones crumbling during their posing routines.

Potassium is an alkaline mineral, and several studies have shown that taking supplemental potassium can prevent the excessive protein excretion and calcium loss that can occur with a diet high in protein and acidic foods.

The best natural sources of potassium are fruits and vegetables, which helps explain why they’re considered alkaline. A 41-day

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X study involved 19 healthy men and women, aged 54 to 82, who went on both low- and high-protein diets.1 The subjects took supplemental potassium bicarbonate, up to 4,320 milligrams daily, or a placebo.

The results: Potassium supplements reduced the nitrogen excretion that occurs with a diet high in protein and acids. The potassium also increased participants’ calcium absorption while they were on the lower-protein diet.

Potassium reduced urinary nitrogen excretion by 50 percent, which translates into decreased muscle wasting. The most interesting finding of the study, however, was that the supplement increased the count of insulinlike growth factor 1. IGF-1, which is synthesized in the liver and locally in muscle, is a highly anabolic hormone.

Most scientists think that nearly all of the anabolic effects attributed to growth hormone come about because it helps synthesize IGF-1 in the liver. The nitrogen- and calcium-sparing effects of potassium in this study are attributable to the increased IGF-1. Most older people are deficient in both GH and IGF-1 and may be frail for that reason.

The implication of the study is that maintaining a favorable acid-to-alkaline balance in the elderly—in this case through high-dose potassium—can have anabolic effects by upgrading IGF-1 release.

Another way that a high-acid diet can promote muscle loss is by increasing the release of cortisol, the primary catabolic hormone. When cortisol is on the rise, anabolic hormones usually recede, which sets you up for significant loss of muscle mass. Studies show that eating more alkaline foods can offset the rise in cortisol. Because excess cortisol has also been linked to obesity (particularly in the

trunk area), cardiovascular disease and depression, ensuring an adequate alkaline reserve can help protect you against those maladies too. Also, exercise itself, particularly high-intensity weight training, results in a transient acidosis that is exacerbated by a high protein intake. Maintaining a favorable acid-to-alkaline balance helps boost blood buffering capacity and exercise recovery.

So what do you do if you just can’t or won’t increase your intake of fruits and vegetables? One option is to supplement with potassium bicarb and ensure an adequate intake of other alkaline minerals, such as calcium and magnesium. Or you could use a high-quality “green powder” supplement. Researchers have found these products to be effective in increasing the alkaline reserve for those on a high-protein diet.2 While most of the green supplements are rather pricey, they’re potent in small amounts; just one serving a day will do the job. Increasing your alkaline reserve will not only prevent muscle and mineral losses but also result in notably increased feelings of well-being, especially if you’ve been a devotee of an acid-forming high-protein diet.

—Jerry Brainum Editor’s note: Have you been ripped off by using supplements? Want to know the truth about them? Check out Natural Anabolics, available at www.JerryBrainum.com.

References 1 Ceglia, L., et al. (2008). Potassium

in dietary protein and may promote calcium absorption. J Clin Endocrin Metab. 94:645-653.

2 Berardi, J., et al. (2008). Plantbased dietary supplement increases urinary pH. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 5:20.

bicarbonate attenuates the urinary excretion that accompanies an increase www.ironmanmagazine.com \ NOVEMBER 2009 59

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KNOWLEDGE IS POWER The Best of Bodybuilding in the 20th Century Here in one definitive, information-packed volume, you have the best that IRON MAN has to offer. The articles and photos reprinted in IRON MAN’s Ultimate Bodybuilding Encyclopedia are of enormous and enduring value to beginners and experts alike. A tour de force of bodybuilding information with stunning photos of unrivaled quality, this massive volume covers every aspect of bodybuilding with authority and depth.

Included is complete information on: •Getting started •Bodybuilding physiology •Shoulder training •Chest training •Back training •Arm training •Abdominal training •Leg training •Training for mass •Training for power •Mental aspects of training •Bodybuilding nutrition With IRON MAN’s Ultimate Bodybuilding Encyclopedia, you will learn Arnold Schwarzenegger’s insights on developing shoulder and back muscles, along with many other champions’ routines.

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Creatine: How Long to Load?

Creatine is thought to act as an intramuscular backup to supply the phosphate your body needs to regenerate adenosine triphosphate, or ATP, the immediate source of energy for muscle contraction. ATP produces energy when it gives up a phosphate molecule, becoming adenosine diphosphate, or ADP. If enough creatine is stored in the muscle, the creatine donates its phosphate to regenerate ATP. The body synthesizes an average of one gram a day of creatine from the amino acid precursors glycine, arginine and methionine. You get another gram a day if you eat meat and fish.

Shortly after creatine was introduced to the sports-supplement market, a series of studies found that the most efficient way to take it involved loading 20 grams a day in four five-gram doses for five days. After that a maintenance period followed, in which you took three to five grams. It was all designed to fill muscles with creatine rapidly. Later studies demonstrated that you could also load muscles simply by taking three grams a day for 30 days; however, more re cent research shows that you’d need to take five grams a day for the long-term creatine load to work.

Other studies have found that loading creatine for just two days produces a significant ergogenic effect. A recent study of women found that while loading creatine for two days did increase muscle stores, it failed to increase exercise work capacity. The consensus is that muscle creatine peaks after three to six days of loading, although other research shows that after two days of loading, 60 to 70 percent of the dose is excreted.

The latest investigation of creatine loading featured 17 healthy young men randomly assigned to either a creatine or a placebo group. Those in the creatine group took 20 grams a day in five-gram doses four times a day. Both groups lifted weights during the study. The five-day creatine regimen led to a 12 percent increase in anaerobic power, along with an 11 percent increase in one-rep-maximum back-squat strength. The creatine users also experienced an increase in lean mass and a 4 percent drop in bodyfat levels. Taking creatine for only two days didn’t yield those performance gains, although muscle creatine did increase.

It appears that you need to load creatine for five days minimum to get maximum results. Other questions, however, remain unanswered. For example, if the muscles are loaded with creatine after two to three days, why don’t you see exercise improvements until after a five-day load? Also, since we know that after two days of loading creatine you excrete 70 percent of the total dose, what continues to boost exercise power? My guess is that it’s the increased muscle protein synthesis, as well as higher levels of creatine-induced IGF-1. Those would involve reactions that go beyond merely boosting energy stores in muscle.

—Jerry Brainum

Neveux \ Model: David Yeung

That can affect your workouts, weight and wellness • Vinegar-and-oil salad dressing may improve your blood pressure.

Rats given vinegar daily for eight weeks showed an average 20-point drop in systolic blood pressure.

• Arginine may aid in fat loss. Researchers gave obese mice diets fortified with extra L-arginine, and the rats’ bodyfat gains decreased by 64 percent.

• Tomatoes and other red and orange fruits and vegetables may help keep bones strong.

Carotenoids like lycopene appear to safeguard bone density.

• Broccoli has been shown to boost brain power and reduce cancer risk, and now it appears to improve lung health. New research suggests that it may be a key in reducing and/or preventing asthma.

• Avocados contain more muscle-building protein than any other fruit.

They also have more hearthealthy monounsaturated fat, folate and potassium than any other fruit.

Four ounces total about 190 calories, mostly from good fat.

—Becky Holman www.X-tremeLean.com

Law, Y.L., et al. (2009). Effects of two and five days of creatine loading on muscular strength and anerobic power in trained athletes. J Strength Cond Res. 23:906-914.

60 NOVEMBER 2009 \ www.ironmanmagazine.com

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Nitric Oxide: A New Source to Pump You Up Nitric oxide supplements are hot in the bodybuilding supplement world. Most are based on the amino acid arginine, which is the immediate precursor of nitric oxide synthesis in the body. How much arginine converts to NO depends on several factors, including enzyme activity. Another factor is how much arginine gets absorbed into the body. Taking large doses of oral arginine increases the activity of an enzyme in the liver called arginase, which breaks down arginine, thus blunting it’s uptake into the blood.

Some studies show that you need 18 grams or more for arginine to be effectively converted into NO. In contrast most NO supplements contain a modest dose of three to four grams. The larger doses of arginine require intravenous infusion to bypass the arginase barrier in the liver. Attempting to swallow 12 grams of arginine or more at a time usually results in nausea. That’s probably why most NO supplements contain smaller doses.

Several studies have shown that some bodybuilders who’ve used NO supplements experience symptoms indicating excess NO production in the body. One typical side effect is a drop in blood pressure, since NO widens, or dilates, blood vessels. Though it may not be welcome, it does show that the NO supplements are working as advertised. Other studies, however, show that no oral dose of arginine has any effect on blood vessels. As researcher Richard Bloomer, Ph.D., has pointed out, you wouldn’t want a huge sudden release of NO. Excess amounts are implicated in septic shock—sometimes called blood poisoning—which has a 50 percent mortality rate.

Keep in mind that NO is a double-edged biochemical sword.

It’s a free radical, which, when combined with hydrogen peroxide released during normal metabolism, becomes peroxinitrate, one of the more potent and damaging free radicals.

NO offers vital benefits besides the well-known expansion of blood vessels. Studies show that NO generation in the

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heart is involved in important cell-signaling reactions. In the brain NO regulates transmissions across neurons. It’s also involved in release of hormones, including both testosterone and growth hormone. Various diseases have a characteristic NO deficiency—for example diabetes, high blood pressure and pulmonary hypertension.

The most popular method for increasing NO is through the use of Viagra, which lowers blood pressure. Diabetics, who often lack NO, don’t respond as well to Viagra. Nitric oxide combined with vitamin B12 is proving effective for treating dogs that have cancer. The B12 disguises the NO, enabling it to penetrate and destroy tumors through its free-radical action.

Arginine is not the only means of boosting NO synthesis. Another type of supplement combines L-carnitine with propionate, a salt compound, and the amino acid glycine. Taking 4.5 grams of it daily boosts NO by an average of 18 percent. Taking antioxidants also protects against the premature breakdown of NO in the blood.

Perhaps the most overlooked method of boosting NO is also the cheapest and most available—eating vegetables. Why would vegetables boost NO synthesis? They naturally contain nitrate and nitrites, which are the end products of NO metabolism. While they’re usually inert, the body can recycle them into active NO. The best nitrate-rich foods include lettuce, spinach, beetroot and pomegranate. Another option is to drink vegetable juices. Those foods supply a sustained-release alternative to taking large doses of arginine and may prove helpful to those who have defects in the enzymes that convert arginine into NO. —Jerry Brainum www.JerryBrainum.com Butler, A.R.,et al. (2008). Therapeutic uses of inorganic nitrite and nitrate: From the past to the future. Circulation.

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BCAAs and Delaying CNS Fatigue Protein provides your body with amino acids that are vital to building muscle tissue. Among the 22 known biologically active aminos, 14 are considered nonessential—alanine, glycine, serine, cysteine, tyrosine, aspartic acid, proline, histidine, citruline, arginine, ornithine, glutamic acid, glutamine and glycine. Nonessential doesn’t mean they aren’t required, just that the body can produce them.

Eight are considered essential—meaning they can’t be made by the body and must be obtained via the diet: isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine, tryptophan and valine. Each amino has unique attributes.

Grouped together, however, they’re an anabolic force to be reckoned with; for example, leucine, isoleucine and valine, which are the branched-chain amino acids. New research shows that BCAAs regulate alterations within the central nervous system that can adversely affect your physical performance and growth potential.

Revered for their ability to speed recovery and repair of muscle tissue, BCAAs act as anabolic whistle-blowers. They signal the body to extract circulating aminos from the bloodstream at a faster rate, thus feeding cycles of growth and repair. They can also aid fatigue.

Physical fatigue can be felt and quantified by muscle weakness and soreness—a.k.a. peripheral fatigue. The other aspect of fatigue that usually isn’t given any consideration in the recovery process is central nervous system fatigue. CNS refers to the brain and the spinal cord, which make up the main processing center for the entire nervous system and control all of the workings of the body, including muscle contraction.

Current research indicates that during periods of physical exertion, production and metabolism of the brain chemical 5hydroxytryptamine increases, which negatively affects central nervous system processes, resulting in physiological changes

such as diminished glycogen stores and an increase in free tryptophan and serotonin in the brain. That causes poor mental and physical recovery after a workout. New data show that BCAAs increase protein synthesis and reduce muscle tissue breakdown when supplemented postworkout. they also upregulate central-nervous-system processes.

Research conducted by J. Mark Davis at the University of South Carolina clearly shows that BCAAs can improve CNS recovery. Additionally, researchers at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden reported that taking BCAAs prior to exercise reduced concentrations of tryptophan in the blood, so subjects perceived less exertion and mental fatigue.

BCAAs enhance gluconeogenesis, the actual production of new glucose. Intense workouts cause the body to release stored glycogen from the liver and muscles to make new adenosine triphosphate for fuel. Anaerobic exercises like resistance training will rapidly deplete stores of ATP. BCAAs are intimately involved with using nonglucose substances to stimulate gluconeogenesis, which is critical to improving exercise-induced mental and physical muscle fatigue.

Suggested BCAAs dose: Seven to 12 grams divided into equal doses before and after workouts.

—George L. Redmon, Ph.D., N.D.

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Simply cutting back from a full to a half glass of orange juice in the morning will reduce your calories by 75 and your carb intake by 20 grams. Having a small, eight-ounce milk shake with your burger adds a whopping 300 calories to your meal.

—Becky Holman www.X-tremeLean.com

64 NOVEMBER 2009 \ www.ironmanmagazine.com

Blueberries Burn Blubber Researchers at the University of Michigan fed overweight rats the equivalent of one cup of blueberries a day, and the rats stored less belly fat than those that didn’t get the blueberries. Scientists believe compounds in the blue pigment switch on genes related to fat burning.

So when you’re mixing your postworkout shake, throw in some blueberries for an extra blubber-busting kick.

—Becky Holman www.X-tremeLean.com

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Whey Still tops for building muscle?

Neveux

Whey remains the protein of choice for bodybuilders. Scientists recently compared the acute response of mixed muscle protein synthesis to rapidly (whey hydrolysate and soy) and slowly (micellar casein) digested proteins both at rest and after resistance exercise.1 Yep, soy is considered a “fast” protein.

Three groups of healthy young men performed a bout of single-leg resistance exercise and then drank a mixture containing 10 grams of essential amino acids in whey hydrolysate, micellar casein or soy protein isolate. Rather than making the three drinks equal in terms of total protein, the researchers controlled them for the total of essential amino acids. Interesting.

Mixed muscle protein synthesis at rest was higher when the subjects got the faster proteins. In fact, with whey it was about 93 percent greater than with casein and about 18 percent greater than with soy.

A similar result was observed after exercise; muscle protein synthesis following whey intake was approximately 122 percent greater than with casein and 31 percent greater than with soy. Those results confirm another study that looked at protein supplementation over a 10-week training period. Scientists compared the effects of hydrolyzed whey isolate and casein on strength, body composition and plasma glutamine during a 10-week supervised resistance-training program.2 In a double-blind protocol, 13 male recreational bodybuilders supplemented their normal diet with either whey isolate or casein at a dosage of 1.5 grams per kilogram of bodyweight. The whey group gained more lean body mass than the casein group and lost more fat. The whey group also achieved significantly greater improvement in strength than the casein group in each assessment of strength. When the strength changes were expressed relative to bodyweight, the whey group still achieved significantly greater improvement in strength than the casein group.

But here’s the question: Why is there a difference between soy and whey, which are both fast, when the protein doses had the same essential amino acid content? Scientists speculate that the greater total branched-chain amino acid content (about 7 percent more) and leucine content (about 28 percent more) may explain the greater muscle protein synthesis rates with 66 NOVEMBER 2009 \ www.ironmanmagazine.com

whey.

So leucine might serve as the critical trigger for maximally stimulating protein synthesis. I say, why not just add more BCAAs and leucine to soy or casein? Ah, who has time for that?

There you have it. Training data indicate that whey protein is the more anabolic of the two. As for soy, who gives a hooey about that protein anyhow?

—Jose Antonio, Ph.D. Editor’s note: Jose Antonio, Ph.D., is the CEO of the International Society of Sports Nutrition (www.theissn.org) and is a sports science consultant to VPX/Redline.

References 1 Tang, J.E., et al. (2009). Ingestion of whey hydrolysate,

casein, or soy protein isolate: effects on mixed muscle protein synthesis at rest and following resistance exercise in young men. J Appl Physiol. In press.

2 Cribb, P.J., et al. (2006). The effect of whey isolate and resistance training on strength, body composition, and plasma glutamine. Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab. 6(5):494-509.

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The bigger and stronger a muscle gets, the more carnosine it needs to perform at higher intensity levels. You must keep your muscles loaded with carnosine to grow larger and stronger. It all boils down to intensity and the ability to buffer waste products—hydrogen ions and lactic acid—so the muscle doesn’t shut down before growth activation.

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Nitric Oxide: A New Source to Pump You Up Nitric oxide supplements are hot in the bodybuilding supplement world. Most are based on the amino acid arginine, which is the immediate precursor of nitric oxide synthesis in the body. How much arginine converts to NO depends on several factors, including enzyme activity. Another factor is how much arginine gets absorbed into the body. Taking large doses of oral arginine increases the activity of an enzyme in the liver called arginase, which breaks down arginine, thus blunting it’s uptake into the blood.

Some studies show that you need 18 grams or more for arginine to be effectively converted into NO. In contrast most NO supplements contain a modest dose of three to four grams. The larger doses of arginine require intravenous infusion to bypass the arginase barrier in the liver. Attempting to swallow 12 grams of arginine or more at a time usually results in nausea. That’s probably why most NO supplements contain smaller doses.

Several studies have shown that some bodybuilders who’ve used NO supplements experience symptoms indicating excess NO production in the body. One typical side effect is a drop in blood pressure, since NO widens, or dilates, blood vessels. Though it may not be welcome, it does show that the NO supplements are working as advertised. Other studies, however, show that no oral dose of arginine has any effect on blood vessels. As researcher Richard Bloomer, Ph.D., has pointed out, you wouldn’t want a huge sudden release of NO. Excess amounts are implicated in septic shock—sometimes called blood poisoning—which has a 50 percent mortality rate.

Keep in mind that NO is a double-edged biochemical sword.

It’s a free radical, which, when combined with hydrogen peroxide released during normal metabolism, becomes peroxinitrate, one of the more potent and damaging free radicals.

NO offers vital benefits besides the well-known expansion of blood vessels. Studies show that NO generation in the

3$,1 5(/,() Joint Rejuvenator

Squats got your knees in a knot? Joint wear and tear can cause pain that detracts from workouts and sometimes makes training impossible. If you’re having aches and pains, you may want to try the antioxidant pycnogenol. It’s an extract from French maritime pine bark, and it’s been shown to benefit people suffering from osteoarthritis, particularly in the knees.

—Becky Holman

68 NOVEMBER 2009 \ www.ironmanmagazine.com

heart is involved in important cell-signaling reactions. In the brain NO regulates transmissions across neurons. It’s also involved in release of hormones, including both testosterone and growth hormone. Various diseases have a characteristic NO deficiency—for example diabetes, high blood pressure and pulmonary hypertension.

The most popular method for increasing NO is through the use of Viagra, which lowers blood pressure. Diabetics, who often lack NO, don’t respond as well to Viagra. Nitric oxide combined with vitamin B12 is proving effective for treating dogs that have cancer. The B12 disguises the NO, enabling it to penetrate and destroy tumors through its free-radical action.

Arginine is not the only means of boosting NO synthesis. Another type of supplement combines L-carnitine with propionate, a salt compound, and the amino acid glycine. Taking 4.5 grams of it daily boosts NO by an average of 18 percent. Taking antioxidants also protects against the premature breakdown of NO in the blood.

Perhaps the most overlooked method of boosting NO is also the cheapest and most available—eating vegetables. Why would vegetables boost NO synthesis? They naturally contain nitrate and nitrites, which are the end products of NO metabolism. While they’re usually inert, the body can recycle them into active NO. The best nitrate-rich foods include lettuce, spinach, beetroot and pomegranate. Another option is to drink vegetable juices. Those foods supply a sustained-release alternative to taking large doses of arginine and may prove helpful to those who have defects in the enzymes that convert arginine into NO. —Jerry Brainum www.JerryBrainum.com Butler, A.R.,et al. (2008). Therapeutic uses of inorganic nitrite and nitrate: From the past to the future. Circulation.

117:2151-2159.

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Train, Eat,

Grow Muscle-Training Program 121

From the IRON MAN Training & Research Center

by Steve Holman and Jonathan Lawson

Model: Jay Cutler

Photography by Michael Neveux

You probably notice that a lot of the bigger bodybuilders, like Ronnie Coleman or Jay Cutler, don’t have a set training program.

Sure, they have their favorite exercises that they almost always do, but they frequently throw in new ones, change the order and/or insert or delete intensity techniques.

We used to think that’s because of their advanced level and their honed training instincts; however, we’re starting to believe that changing something, even something minor—like adding a couple of rest/pause reps for a bodypart, then doing a drop set at the next workout—is a key to stimulating more growth.

Sure, if you get stronger, you’re changing something and triggering new adaptations, but after your first year or so of training, strength surges happen a lot less frequently. The bottom line is that something has to change to force your body www.ironmanmagazine.com \ NOVEMBER 2009 71

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Muscle-Training Program 121 to adapt and grow—or, as we’re fond of rapping, one small change can trigger bigger gains.

Vince “Iron Guru” Gironda used to say that the body adapts to any given workout in about three ses-

sions. That tells us it may be beneficial to switch up a little something at almost every workout.

IRON MAN Training & Research Center Muscle-Training Program 121 Behind-the-back wrist curls (X Reps) Forearm Bar reverse wrist curls

Workout 1: Chest, Calves, Abs Smith-machine incline presses (X Reps) High cable flyes High cable flyes (drop) Wide-grip dips (X Reps) Superset Cable crossovers Dumbbell bench presses Leg press calf raises (X Reps) Tri-set Standing calf raises Machine donkey calf raises Hack machine calf raises (X Reps) Standing calf raises (freehand) Hanging kneeups Incline kneeups (10x10 style) Ab Bench crunches (X Reps) Giant set Ab Bench crunches (X Reps) Full-range twisting crunches Crunches (freehand) End-of-bench kneeups (X Reps)

4 x 10,8, 6, 15 1 x 10 1 x 10(6) 3 x 10, 7, 15 2 x 8-10 2 x 8-10 2 x 12-15 3 x 12-20 3 x 9-12 3 x 7-10 1 x 40 1 x 15 4 x 10 1 x 8-10 1 x 9-12 1 x 9-12 1 x 9-12 1 x 9-12

Workout 2: Back, Forearms Pulldowns (X Reps) 3 x 10, 8, 6 Parallel-grip chins (X Reps) 2 x 15, 12 Superset Dumbbell pullovers 1 x 8-10 Undergrip pulldowns 1 x 8-10 Superset Machine pullovers 1 x 8-10 Rope rows 1 x 8-10 Superset Stiff-arm pulldowns 1 x 8-10 Rope rows 1 x 8-10 Machine rows (X Reps) 3 x 10, 8, 6 Superset Behind-the-neck pulldowns (X Reps) 1 x 8-10 Bent-arm bent-over laterals 1 x 8-10 Superset Bent-arm bent-over laterals 1 x 8-10 Wide-grip cable rows (X Reps) 1 x 8-10 Shrugs (X Reps) 2 x 12, 9 Superset Cable upright rows 1 x 8-10 Cable high rows 1 x 8-10 Superset Cable upright rows 1 x 8-10 Alternate dumbbell front raises 1 x 8-10 Superset Dumbbell reverse wrist curls (X Reps) 1 x 12 Forearm Bar reverse wrist curls 1 x 8-10 Tri-set Forearm rockers 2 x 17 72 NOVEMBER 2009 \ www.ironmanmagazine.com

2 x 12 2 x 8-10

Workout 3: Quads, Hamstrings, Lower Back Leg extensions (warmup) Machine hack squats Old-style hack squats Leg extensions (X Reps) Superset Leg extensions Sissy squats (X Reps) Superset Leg extensions (X Reps) Dumbbell walking lunges Hyperextensions (X Reps) Hyperextensions Leg curls (X Reps) Wide-stance leg curls (X Reps) Leg curls (drop)

1 x 18-20 3 x 10, 8, 7 2 x 15, 12 1 x 9-12 1 x 9-12 1 x 8-10 1 x 9-12 1 x 12 3 x 10-12 2 x 15, 12 1 x 9-12 1 x 8-10 1 x 9(6)

Workout 4: Delts, Triceps, Biceps Dumbbell upright rows (X Reps) 3 x 8-10 Superset Lateral raises 2 x 8-10 Smith-machine behind-the-neck presses 2 x 8-10 Superset Incline one-arm lateral raises 1 x 10-12 Leaning one-arm lateral raises 1 x 8-10 Superset One-arm cable lateral raises 1 x 8-10 Leaning one-arm lateral raises 1 x 9-12 Overhead lateral raises 1 x 12-15 Bent-over lateral raises 2 x 10, 15 Dumbbell close-grip bench presses (X Reps) 3 x 10, 8, 6 Decline extensions (X Reps) 2 x 15, 12 Rope pushouts (drop, X Reps) 1 x 8(6) Superset Reverse-grip kickbacks 1 x 8-10 Bench dips 1 x 8-10 Superset Kickbacks 1 x 8-10 Elbows-flared pushdowns 1 x 8-10 Preacher curls or undergrip chins 3 x 8-10 Cable curls 2 x 15, 12 Concentration curls (drop) 2 x 9(6) Superset Incline hammer curls 1 x 8-10 Cable hammer curls 1 x 8-10 Seated calf raises (X Reps) 2 x 15, 12 Note: To get an up-to-date look at our daily workouts, visit the X-Training Blog at www.X-Rep.com.

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Muscle-Training Program 121 Change Equals Gains We first had this epiphany when we moved from using double-drop sets to single-drop sets or supersets.

As our ripping-phase workouts started taking a toll on our caloriedepleted bodies, we cut back and switched up some exercises—and it gave the workouts a completely new feel.

We actually noticed a bigger pump with two back-to-back sets as opposed to three. How could that be? Shouldn’t the pump be less? You would think, but the mind may have something to do with it. Knowing you have a third set in a row may have you holding back somewhat on your first two so that you have enough left for the third.

Changing exercises can make for bigger gains as well. For example, for our first midrange biceps move we were doing preacher curls.

Steve’s elbow was bothering him, so he went to undergrip chins. Result: He got a bigger pump immediately and new soreness the next day.

Undergrip chins are a multijoint move for the biceps, so Steve was moving more weight and generating more force up front—a good power uptick.

Here’s another good example: For forearms we were doing a tri-set of forearm rockers—dumbbells down at the sides of our thighs, curling hands in and up for flexors and out and up for extensors—behindthe-back wrist curls for flexors and Forearm Bar reverse wrist curls for extensors. Simply changing the middle exercise from behind-the-back wrist curls to regular forearms-onbench wrist curls produced a new lower-arm fullness and vascularity immediately. We plan to shift back to the behind-the-back wrist curls after a couple of workouts.

Another change we like to make frequently is chins to pulldowns and vice versa. For example, we often start with parallel-grip chinups and pyramid the weight over three sets.

Then we go to pulldowns and do our density sets—15 and 12 reps, with a shorter rest between the high-rep sets. A few workouts later we’ll flip the exercises, starting with pulldowns for the power pyramid and using the chins as our density sets.

Swapping exercises is a good way to change for new gains. For example, we’ll sometimes do undergrip chins as our leadoff biceps exercise instead of preacher curls.

Speaking of Density For the uninitiated, density is training the endurance side of the key type 2A fibers. It was recently discovered that the biggest bodybuilders have those dual-component fibers as the dominant type in their large muscles. That means you need both power and density to get them as big and full as possible— and your physique as massive as it can possibly become.

Take Ronnie Coleman: While Ronnie will pyramid up to 160pound dumbbells for his presses (yes, 160 in each hand!), which is obviously Power, he’ll follow with lateral raises on a Nautilus machine for 20 low-end X-Rep-only reps—

74 NOVEMBER 2009 \ www.ironmanmagazine.com

and he supersets that with 20 reps on Nautilus overhead presses.

That’s 40 back-to-back reps—major density for a massive pump!

For power we mentioned that Coleman pyramids on many exercises. That means he adds weight on each successive set. When we pyramid, our reps go something like 12 (warmup), 10 (warmup), 10, eight, six. That gives the 2As a good power push.

Then for density we’ll lighten the weight and do two higher-rep sets—say 15 and 12. That was one of Arnold’s favorite density techniques.

[See Critical Mass on page 96 for

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Muscle-Training Program 121 more on Arnold and density training.]

Another good density method is 4x10 in 10x10 style; that is, you use a weight with which you could get 15 reps, but you only do 10, rest 30 seconds, do 10 more and so on until you complete four sets. If you get 10 on your fourth set, add weight at your next workout.

Other density methods include drop sets, double-drop sets, the DoggCrapp method, which is multirep rest/pause, and preexhaustion—Coleman’s Nautilus laterals supersetted with Nautilus presses.

As we mentioned last month, we started experimenting with preexhaustion—supersetting an isolation exercise with a multijoint move for the same bodypart—for a few muscle groups, and, like Coleman, we found it works exception-

Pyramid up on pulldowns for power lat work. Then, when you reach exhaustion on the heaviest set, immediately move to chins for as many reps as possible.

That’s a great density superset.

ally well as a bodypart finisher. For example, to end midback we do bent-arm bent-over laterals supersetted with straight-bar cable rows; for chest we do cable crossovers supersetted with dumbbell bench presses.

Why are we mentioning all of these various density techniques?

Because we’ve discovered that you get more adaptation, or growth, if you rotate them frequently, even every workout.

The Density Merry-Go-Round As we mentioned, switching the order of exercises, like chins and pulldowns, up front can promote new muscular adaptations, but so can using a different density tactic.

Let’s look at three different sce-

IRON MAN Training & Research Center Home-Gym Program 121 Workout 1: Chest, Calves, Abs Low-incline presses (X Reps) Bench presses Incline flyes (second set drop) Superset Decline flyes Pushups Donkey calf raises (X Reps) One-leg calf raises (double drop) Hanging kneeups (X Reps) Incline kneeups (10x10 style) Superset Full-range crunches (drop) End-of-bench kneeups

Workout 3: Quads, Hamstrings, Lower Back 3 x 10, 8, 6 2 x 15, 12 2 x 10, 9(6) 1 x 8-10 1 x 8-10 2 x 15, 12 2 x 15(10)(7) 1 x15 4 x10 1 x10(8) 1 x 8-10

Workout 2: Back, Forearms Chins Parallel-grip chins Superset Dumbbell pullovers Undergrip rows Bent-over barbell or dumbbell rows (X Reps) Bent-arm bent-over laterals Shrugs (X Reps) Superset Barbell upright rows Alternate dumbbell front raises Reverse curls (drop) Tri-set Dumbbell rockers Behind-the-back wrist curls Reverse wrist curls

76 NOVEMBER 2009 \ www.ironmanmagazine.com

3 x 10, 8, 6 2 x 15, 12 2 x 8-10 2 x 8-10 4x10,8,6,15 2 x 10, 15 2 x 12, 9 2 x 8-10 2 x 8-10 1 x 10(6) 2 x 12-17 2 x 10-12 2 x 10-12

Leg extensions (warmup) Squats Old-style hack squats Sissy squats Superset Leg extensions Dumbbell walking lunges Hyperextensions (X Reps) Hyperextensions Leg curls (second set drop, X Reps)

1 x 20 3 x 10, 8, 6 2 x 15, 12 2 x 8-10 2 x 10-12 2 x 10-12 3 x 10-12 2 x 15, 12 2 x 9, 9(6)

Workout 4: Delts, Triceps, Biceps Dumbbell upright rows (X Reps) 5 x 10, 8, 6, 15, 12 Incline one-arm laterals 2 x 8-10 Superset Lateral raises 2 x 8-10 Dumbbell presses 2 x 8-10 Bent-over laterals 2 x 10, 15 Close-grip bench presses 3 x 10, 8, 6 Decline extensions 2 x 15, 12 Overhead extensions 2 x 8-10 Superset Kickbacks 1 x 8-10 Bench dips 1 x 8-10 Preacher curls or undergrip chins 3 x 10, 8, 6 Dumbbell curls 2 x 15, 12 Concentration curls (drop) 1 x 10(6) Superset Incline hammer curls 1 x 8-10 Hammer curls 1 x 8-10 Seated calf raises 2 x 12-17

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Muscle-Training Program 121 David Rylah’s “Bodies Made Easy” If you’re looking for high-intensity workouts demonstrated by a bodybuilder with an impressive, attainable physique, David ’ “Bodies Made Easy” should be on your must-watch list—and you’ll no doubt watch it over and over. The info is solid, ylah’s Australian accent gives it that wn-under, train-with-thunder flavor.

So what’s the man’s training philosophy? Quick, intense workouts for maximum muscle stimulation and sufficient ecovery time for growth. Rylah’s workouts are about controlled warmup sets, and then one all-out precision work set for each exercise—very concise, very efficient. For example, for upper chest he does two warmup sets on incline presses—12 and eight reps—one warmup set of incline flyes and then he hits his one all-out work set of incline presses for seven reps. He does four strict reps on his own and three forced reps with the help of a partner. If he doesn’t use forced reps, he does a drop set or rest/pause. Interesting.

Next is incline dumbbell presses—no warmup, one work set. Once again, it’s four reps on his own and three forced reps. Then comes incline flyes, no warmup, five reps plus three forced. On to cable crossovers, his last chest exercise, for a drop set—he does eight reps, reduces the weight and then immediately does four more grueling reps. That does it for pecs—five killer work sets. Mike Mentzer would have been nodding with approval. And Rylah actually gives props to Dorian Yates for heavily influencing his highintensity philosophy.

Rylah calls his work sets “everything” sets and says that his all-out style requires only training each bodypart once a week. Though he does only a few work sets, they are hard and heavy, and he says he’s sore for three or four days after each workout. If he’s not sore, he knows he must train harder at the next workout for that muscle group. In addition, I was pleased to see that he even used end-of-set X-Rep partials on an exercise or two, like close-grip pullowns.

Rylah covers supplements, diet and cardio in the video. He was in precontest mode during the filming, so you get all of his leaning-out tips and tricks, like taking various aminos and nutrients before his morning cardio to prevent muscle catabolism. He’s very big on glutamine, the most prevalent amino in muscle tissue.

As I mentioned, David is a competitive bodybuilder with an impressive physique—very well proportioned and vascular with an attainable, slightly ectomorphic look. In other words, he is not a gigantic drug-infused pro who looks like he’s from another planet—and that’s a big plus in my book; I could identify. His appearance, tips and work ethic will make you realize that you can do this—using fairly short but ultraintense workouts.

“Bodies Made Easy” is a two-disc set, and each is about two hours. Both will motivate you and stimulate new training ideas; however, they will make you realize that you’re probably not training hard enough. I highly recommend this DVD—loads of great information and motivation, and I got a burst of excitement watching it. It’s even got me redesigning some of our bodypart workouts for our next mass phase.

—Steve Holman Editor’s note: “Bodies Made Easy” is available at www.Home-Gym.com.

78 NOVEMBER 2009 \ www.ironmanmagazine.com

Incline presses done on a machine or with a barbell are perfect for a power pyramid.

On the last set grind out five or six reps, then immediately move to incline dumbbell presses for six to eight more reps. That will give you a mass-building density effect.

narios for Smith-machine incline presses: 1) High-rep sets Smith-machine incline presses 5 x 10, 8, 6, 15, 12 You pyramid up over three sets, then reduce the weight and do burnout sets, à la Arnold.

2) 4x10 in 10x10 style Smith-machine incline presses 3 x 10, 8, 6; 4x10 After you pyramid, you reduce the weight to something you could get 15 reps with, but you only do 10; rest 30 seconds, then do 10 more, and so on till you complete four sets.

3) Drop sets Smith-machine incline presses 3 x 10, 8, 6 Incline dumbbell presses 3 x 9(6)(4) After you pyramid on the Smith inclines, you move to dumbbell incline presses and do a double drop—pick a weight with which

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you can crank out nine reps; then immediately grab a lighter pair of dumbbells and do six reps. Grab an even lighter pair and drive out four reps. All of those sets should be to failure.

Model: Robert Hatch

That should give you enough to go—and grow—on. Please experiment along with us. To see how our workouts are evolving, visit our training blog at X-Rep.com.

If you want to explore more about workout density, see the new Ultimate 10x10 Mass Workout or The Ultimate Power-Density Mass Workout e-programs, which are available as instant downloads at X-traordinaryWorkouts.com.

Editor’s note: For workout and nutrition features, the latest e-zines and our X-Blog training and supplement journals, you can visit www.X-Rep.com. One of the best-selling e-workout programs is shown below. IM

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by John Hansen, Mr. Natural Olympia

The Ketogenic Diet and Peaking Q: I’m a fan of your book Natural Bodybuilding and have it out on my coffee table. I’ve followed it for nutrition and even the workout phases. I’d like your take on something. I’m competing in our provincial show—I’m three weeks and five days out— and for the first time I’m working with a trainer on my contest prep. But I’m at a standstill right now, and it’s affecting me to the point of stress—and we know what hormone stress can release. Not good this close to a show. My wife often says that you and I kind of have the same body type, and she thought I should write to get your opinion.

My trainer put me on the ketogenic diet for the last eight weeks, and my training routine hasn’t changed. I know I’m losing muscle mass. A while back I was frustrated to the point that I switched to another trainer because my approach to competing is more in tune with what she thinks. Both of these women are supreme bodybuilders in their own right and have competed on a high level—Nationals,

both in Canada and the United States. Both are very intuitive but so different in their approaches. Now I feel that if I stay any longer on a ketogenic diet and train the way I do, I’m just going to atrophy my muscles, especially in my legs, which are a good feature.

I’m eating hardly any carbs, and, on top of that, she bumped up my cardio from 60 minutes per day to 75 seven days a week, and I still train heavy. To me, that’s just too much cardio at this point. Right now, I’m 194 with 9.5 percent bodyfat, and I’m 46 years old. I’m competing in the masters class. For me to get any leaner is very hard, especially when I carb load.

Yesterday morning I was a bit tight and smooth after training back. Then I went to posing practice with my trainer, and nothing good came out of it except that she bumped up my cardio, told me no cheat meals and is keeping me on the ketogenic diet. I asked her if she was going to load and deplete the week of the show, and her response was she doesn’t know. I feel that if a trainer doesn’t know what to do with you three weeks out from a show, then something is not on schedule. So yesterday afternoon I was a little stressed and decided to load. Guess what? Poof, bang, everything started to pop out, and I looked big standing in natural light and hitting some poses.

Can you give me your two cents on what my training should be like, including cardio and nutrition? I’m on no fats for four days and then one day with fats—but the fat day is just some white fish. I’m in the construction field of work as well, which demands heavy lifting and lots of walking.

Carbohydrates

Neveux

play a big role in muscle size and fullness.

82 NOVEMBER 2009 \ www.ironmanmagazine.com

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A: Nothing against your trainer, but she seems to be giving you a diet that she’s recommended for other cli-

1$785$//< +8*(

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days and only 150 grams on nontraining days.

Within three days I noticed a big difference. The reduction in my carb intake was the determining factor in the change in my physique.

Over the years I’ve noticed that I need to reduce my carbs even more in order to get the same results. I’ve been dieting recently to get ripped for some photos, and my fat loss has again been very, very slow. The same diet that worked before—200 grams of carbs on my training day and 150 grams on my rest days—was no longer effective.

I decided to try lowering my carb count significantly to see if I noticed any difference. I cut it in half from my normal diet, eating only 100 grams or so on my training days and as few as 70 grams on my nontraining days.

I have to admit that the diet was brutal. I immediately noticed a difference in my energy level and brain function. I felt I was in a haze most of the day. Handling more than two people in a row for my personal-training business was extremely difficult.

It took me only about two weeks to discover that that diet wasn’t for me. I decided to increase my carb count again, but the split between training and nontraining days didn’t go up to 200/150 grams. Instead, I kept it at 175/120 grams.

In addition to the slight reduction in carbs, I increased my cardio. Normally I limit my cardio to walking on the treadmill three days a week. I Alternating days of slow, steady-state decided to try high-intensity interval training, or cardio with high-intensity interval work HIIT, alternating high-intensity bursts—sprintcan stimulate more fat loss. ing, for example—with lower-intensity training—walking instead of sprinting. Research has ents in the past without any regard to how you respond to shown that HIIT burns more fat and increases the it. It’s obvious that your body needs more carbohydrate and metabolism throughout the day. that you’re probably overdoing the cardio.

HIIT is also an extremely difficult form of cardio. I had The “no-carb” approach to dieting has been very popular for the past few years. Too much carbohydrate can contribute to fat storage, so it makes sense to keep the count very low in order to get really ripped. Carbohydrate also plays a big role in muscle size and fullness, however. If you eat no or very low-carb foods, you risk losing muscle.

There’s a big difference in carbohydrate intake for natural bodybuilders compared to bodybuilders who are not natural. Anabolic steroids and other physique-enhancing drugs help retain muscle mass regardless of diet. You can eat a very-low-carbohydrate diet and retain muscle when using steroids. For the natural bodybuilder that same diet can lead to a loss of muscle.

As you’re in your mid-40s, you probably need a lowercarbohydrate diet in order to lose bodyfat. Metabolism and hormone activity change as we get older, so we often need to adjust our diets to get really ripped.

When I was younger, I could eat a high-carbohydrate diet and still get ripped for competition. As I reached my late 30s, that diet was no longer effective. It would take me much longer to lose stored bodyfat when I kept my carbs high—250 to 300 grams a day.

During my last year of competing, I knew I needed to make a change in my diet or I wouldn’t reach peak condition in time for the contest. In fact, I was five weeks out from my first contest for that year, and I still had quite a way to go. I wasn’t getting rid of the bodyfat fast enough.

I lowered my carb count to 200 grams on my training

In the beginning I could do only three cycles before I had to stop. My goal was to increase my highintensity cardio workout by one cycle per week. I was surprised at how out of shape I was when it came to that kind of cardio training.

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1$785$//< +8*(

Neveux \ Model: Greg Smyers

to start really slowly. I used the stationary bike because I thought it would be the easiest to adjust the intensity level.

For my highintensity bursts I increased the resistance to level 12 on the bike and pedaled as hard as I could, aiming for 120 rpm.

I maintained that level of intensity for one minute.

After my Using a low-rep routine for too long can high-intensity cause muscle gains to stagnate. Vary burst I reduced your rep range to build more mass. the intensity by lowering the resistance to level 8 and decreasing the speed to 80 rpm.

I maintained that for two minutes before cranking up the resistance and speed for another high-intensity minute.

It was brutal. In the beginning I could do only three cycles before I had to stop. My goal was to increase my high-intensity cardio workout by one cycle per week. I was surprised at how out of shape I was when it came to that kind of cardio training.

One method I used to increase my high-intensity time was to do more than one HIIT session per week. In the beginning I was limiting myself to doing the HIIT cardio only on Saturdays. When I increased the frequency to two or even three days a week, my endurance and capacity for work also increased.

I recommend that you increase your carb intake first.

Count up how many carbs you’re eating on the ketogenic diet and then make some changes. Start by following the guidelines that I recently used—the 175/120 split on training and nontraining days. That should help restore glycogen in the muscle cells and give you more workout energy.

Next, decrease your cardio. Seventy-five minutes of cardio seven days a week has got to be very detrimental to muscle retention. When you combine that much cardio with a very-low-carb diet, the results are even worse. I don’t think there is ever a reason to do cardio seven days a week.

Cut back to four and alternate HIIT with standard, lowerintensity cardio—two days each per week. I seriously doubt whether you’ll need more than that to lose fat.

The combination of more carbs and less cardio will help you fill out your muscles and even decrease your bodyfat.

In my opinion, you’ve depleted your glycogen stores so severely with the no-carb diet and seven days a week of cardio that your metabolism has slowed. If you give your body what it needs—more carbs and less cardio—it should respond by filling out and getting leaner.

Q: I have been on a four-to-six-rep routine, working four to five exercises each day for two to three 86 NOVEMBER 2009 \ www.ironmanmagazine.com

sets each, for the past year and a half. The actual program changes every four weeks, but now I feel like the system is not working anymore. Could you provide me with a “get-big” routine? My weight is starting to plateau. I tried taking a week off, but that didn’t help. I need a new routine.

A: It sounds as if your body has grown accustomed to the low-rep work. Change your program by increasing both volume and reps.

Low reps and high resistance are great for increasing strength and muscle mass. They target the fast-twitch muscle fibers, which are the fibers most responsible for muscle size.

If you increase your repetition range from four to six to eight to 10, you’ll pump more blood into the muscles and get a better pump. That will lead to more muscle growth.

I’m not sure how you’re currently splitting up your workouts, but here’s an example of a get-big program that uses a higher-repetition range and splits the body over two workouts:

Day 1: Chest, back and shoulders Bench presses Incline presses Flyes Wide-grip chins Barbell rows Seated cable rows Seated dumbbell presses Lateral raises Bent-over laterals Dumbbell shrugs

4 x 10, 8, 6, 6 3 x 10, 8, 6 3 x 10, 8, 8 3 x 12, 10, 8 3 x 10, 8, 6 3 x 10, 8, 8 3 x 10, 8, 6 3 x 10, 8, 8 3 x 10, 8, 8 3 x 12, 10, 8

Day 2: Abs, legs and arms Hanging knee raises Crunches Leg extensions Squats Hack squats Leg curls Stiff-legged deadlifts Pushdowns Lying extensions Incline curls Barbell curls

3 x 30-40 3 x 30-40 3 x 15, 12, 10 4 x 12, 10, 8, 6 3 x 12, 10, 8 3 x 10, 8, 8 3 x 10, 8, 6 3 x 10, 8, 6 3 x 10, 8, 6 3 x 10, 8, 8 2 x 10, 8

Editor s note: John Hansen has won the Mr. Natural Olympia and is a two-time Natural Mr. Universe winner.

Check out his Web site at www.NaturalOlympia.com, or send questions or comments to him via e-mail at John@NaturalOlympia .com. Look for Johns DVD, Natural Bodybuilding Seminar and Competitions, along with his book, Natural Bodybuilding, and his training DVD, Real Muscle, at his Web site or at Home Gym Warehouse, www.HomeGym.com. Listen to Johns new radio show, Natural Bodybuilding Radio, at www.NaturalBodybuildingRadio .com. You can send written correspondence to John Hansen, P.O. Box 3003, Darien, IL 60561. IM

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by Dave Goodin

Staying Ripped Q: I had the pleasure of seeing y guest pose at shows in O many years ago. I just saw a clip of y on Facebook guest posing at the ’09 NPC Texas Natural State Championships in July. It’s been 10 to 12 years since I saw you pose in person, and y you’re still in ripped condition—but bigger. That’s impressive! H you now? How do you stay in such gr condition all the time? And why is it that you’re in fantastic shape for appearances, but most of the IFBB pros I’ look 30 to 40 pounds out of shape?

’ ’ ’ ’ ’

Neveux \ Model: Dave Goodin

A: Thank you for your kind e-mail, and thanks for keeping up with me. Those appear and Indiana were 12 or 13 y time flies. I turned 50 this y some days my joints feel like they’ my body is still as good as ever. From watching my guest-posing video, I’d say I’ve put on some muscle size since last year.

How do I do it? Well, my answer to that question is always the same: consistency.

There’s no substitute for it. I don’t miss workouts, I train hard on the basic exercises, and I eat very clean—and I do it consistently.

Now, I want you to know that I’m not in ripped condition all the time. Nobody is. I give myself an off-season, during which time I eat the tortilla chips when I go to a Tex-Mex restaurant or the bread when I’m at a steak house. But I eat desserts only a few times a year (my mom’s apple pie at Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner, for sure!), and I don’t let things get out of hand.

I rarely get more than 10 to 15 pounds out of contest shape—and to I am not in ripped condition all the time. Nobody is. I allow myself an off-season, but I me even that looks bad. rarely get more than 10 to 15 pounds out of contest shape.

I still have abs—I’ve 92 NOVEMBER 2009 \ www.ironmanmagazine.com

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There is no substitute for

consistency.

I don’t miss

workouts, I train hard on the basic exercises, and I eat very clean.

Liberman

pounds. I’m blessed with small joints and full muscle bellies, so I look considerably bigger onstage than offstage. Some IFBB pros who are my height compete at 250 to 280 pounds.

Those guys are so enormous that even at 30 to 40 pounds out of contest shape they’re still impressive onstage because of their immense size.

At 12 to 15 pounds out of contest shape I look like crap. I wouldn’t think of taking a promoter’s money for guest posing looking like that. I diet for my guest appearances because I want the promoter and the fans to get their money’s worth. And I take a great deal of pride in how I look. I want the fans to see the Texas Shredder, not the Texas Cream Puff.

Another thing that people don’t understand is how busy some of the top IFBB pros are. I recently judged at the NPC Branch Warren Classic and had the opportunity to speak with Branch after the show. I asked him how many guest-posing appearances he does per year and how he handles all the travel. He told me that he guest poses at about 35 shows per year and that he takes off for at least eight weeks before the Olympia. That doesn’t leave much downtime.

I usually get four to eight guestposing appearances a year, and I don’t mind doing it close to my competitions. So when you see me onstage, either I’ve dieted specifically for the appearance or I’m getting ready to compete. Either way it’s a blast for me to get onstage and perform, and I get to meet a lot of great bodybuilders and bodybuilding fans all over the country.

As I write this column, I’m

Massive pros like Ronnie Coleman can guest pose in smooth condition and still be impressive onstage because of their enormous size. tpreparing for my next guest-posing appearance at the NPC Capital of Texas Roundup here in my hometown of Austin. Here’s hoping someone has posted my routine on Facebook or YouTube (because I’m nearly computer illiterate, I can’t count on myself to do it). I’m opening my routine with some actual singing and guitar playing. I’m just hoping I don’t end up looking like a dork. By the time you read this, people will think I’m either a multitalented guy or a complete idiot for attempting to pull together my musical talents and my bodybuilding skills in the same act.

Thanks for reading IRON MAN and for keeping up with my natural bodybuilding career. Train hard, eat clean and keep in touch.

Editor s Note: See Dave Goodin s blog at www.IronMan Magazine.com. Click on the blog selection in the top menu bar.

To contact Dave directly, send e-mail to TXShredder @aol.com.

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by Steve Holman

Arnold’s Power-Density Mass Tactic and if Arnold used it, I’m in. [Positions of Flexion] also makes total sense, something I know Arnold used for his biceps, among other bodyparts. My question is, Can I use only the ending contractedposition exercise for each bodypart to get my Density quota? Say, for POF lats, can I train chins heavy, pullovers heavy and then use stiff-arm pulldowns with 5x10 in 10x10 style for Density?

A: What you’re proposing is something similar to Eric Broser’s Fiber Density/Fiber Saturation method or Hany Rambod’s FST-7. Rambod has you end with an isolation exercise for seven sets with 30 seconds between sets—that’s the 10x10 style, but using only seven sets. A lot of bodybuilders are going to that; however, after analyzing Arnold’s workouts, I think they’re missing a key mass-building component by not using Density on a compound move as well.

Arnold used Power plus Density on many of his big

exercises up front. For example, on bench presses, his first chest exercise, he added weight over a number of sets as his reps dropped. When he was up in weight and down to six reps, he pulled off weight so that he could pound out a few 12-to-15-rep burnout sets. That way he continued to blast the mass of his pecs with endurance work, the other component of the fast-twitch 2A fibers. Remember, new research has found that the 2A fibers dominate in the biggest, freakiest bodybuilders.

Arnold was on to something, as the big exercises activate the most muscle fibers. If you use Density only on an isolation exercise, like stiff-arm pulldowns for lats, you’re achieving only limited fiber activation. That’s why Jonathan Lawson and I include a Density method for the big, compound ultimate exercises in our Power-Density Mass Workout at the beginning of each bodypart routine as well.

With that in mind, I suggest that your full Power-Density lat workout look something like the following (you can use different Density methods for each exercise, as you’ll see below):

Arnold used Power plus Density on many of his big exercises up front.

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Balik

Q: Your explanations and methods in the e-book

Ultimate Power-Density Mass Workout make total sense—

Power-Midrange: Chins (pyramid) 3 x 10, 8, 6 Density-Midrange: Pulldowns* (10x10 style) 4 x 10 Power-Stretch: Pullovers 2 x 8-10 Density-Contracted: Stiff-arm pulldowns (double drop) 1 x 9(7)(5) * You’ll probably have to move to pulldowns, as you will have exhausted too many fibers on your Power-pyramid sets of chins to continue with chins on 10x10–style sets.

Now, for those who don’t have time for full-on POF routines for every bodpart, there’s the streamlined Basic Power-Density Mass Workout on pages 12 to 14 of the e-book that has you using only one compound ultimate exercise per bodypart. Nothing else: Power followed by Density—and I suggest you mix up your Density choices often.

Do your Power pyramid on the first few work sets, ending with one of the following Density methods: 1) Lighter sets: Reduce the poundage and do two “burnout” sets of 12 to 15 reps—à la Arnold.

2) Double-drop set: Use a weight you can barely get nine reps with, then reduce it and immediately do a set of about six reps; reduce the weight again and blast out four or five final gut-busting reps. That’s three progressively lighter sets back to back—another Arnold favorite, especially on barbell curls; he called them strip sets.

3) 4x10 (in 10x10 style): Take a weight that you can use for 15 reps, but do only 10, rest 30 seconds, do 10 more, and so on until you complete four sets in about four minutes. The first set will be easy, but the last will be brutal—and the pump and feel will be unreal!

As I suggested, you can rotate Density tactics at every workout. The key is to use one after your Power pyramid on each exercise. And no matter which one you choose, each of your Basic Power-Density Mass Workouts will take only about 35 minutes to complete—one ultimate exercise per bodypart, Power first with a Density chaser. Now that’s efficiency of effort!

As Arnold proved—and as you’ll soon discover—Power plus Density equals muscle immensity.

Q: I’m using the Ultimate Fat-to-Muscle Workout [from the e-book of the same name] because I need to get ripped fast. It feels great, I’m seeing more muscularity, and people are commenting. The thing is, I’m really sold on 10x10. I just read The Ultimate 10x10 Mass Workout, and it sounds awesome. I tried it on arms, and mine blew up bigger than they’ve ever been. My question is, Can I add 10x10 to the Fat-toMuscle Workout somehow?

A: I can tell you’re very motivated, and that’s more than half the battle in getting the ripped, eye-popping physique you’re striving for. You just have to be careful not to overtrain. That said, keep in mind that the 10x10 method is very taxing, which is why I usually recommend using it on only one ultimate exercise per bodypart, with no other work for that muscle.

Yes, I’ve discussed adding one set each of a stretch- and contracted-position move to complete the full-range Positions-of-Flexion chain, but that’s the limit. For example, barbell curls, midrange, 10x10; incline curls, stretch, 1 x 9; and concentration curls, contracted, 1 x 12. Even that may be pushing it for some trainees.

If you use chins as your power move for lats, you’ll have to switch to pulldowns for density work, as fast-twitch fatigue will limit your pulling strength.

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&SJUJDBM 0BTT

Neveux

The Ultimate Fatto-Muscle Workout uses another powerful technique: negative-accentuated sets. They’re designed to trigger excessive muscle trauma, which can ramp up fat burning after the workout. That’s why your muscularity has become more Finishing off a muscle with 4x10 in dramatic.

10x10 style on an isolation exercise When is an excellent Density grand finale. you use NA, you raise the weight in one second and lower it in six for about seven reps. You get almost 50 seconds of tension time, a unique mass stimulus, but the real benefit of the slow lowering is that it increases muscle microtears. That ignites an intense repair process after the workout that can take days—so you’re burning fat 24/7 due to metabolic momentum. Research shows that fat fuels the muscle-repair process, a nice bonus.

You would no doubt overtrain quickly if you used both NA sets and 10x10; however, you can use 10x10 style but with fewer sets—for example 4x10. To work the shorter density sequence into your program, I suggest you end with it on the contracted-position exercise for each muscle—instead of doing the two higher-rep sets listed. For example, here’s how your new Fat-to-Muscle triceps program looks—the only change is on the last exercise: Midrange: Lying extensions Midrange: Lying extensions (NA style) Stretch: Overhead dumbbell extensions Stretch: Overhead dumbbell extensions (NA style) Contracted: Pushdowns (10x10 style)

2 x 9, 7 1 x 6-8 1 x 7-9 1 x 6-8 4 x 10

Remember, 10x10 style means using a lighter weight and doing 10 reps on each set with only 30 seconds between sets. So on pushdowns you start with a weight that you could get about 15 with but do only 10; then you rest 30 seconds and do 10 more, and so on until you complete four sets. The last set should be brutal, and you should not be able to get 10. If you do, add weight to that exercise at your next workout.

The pump and burn you get by doing 4x10 at the end will be unreal, and it’s the perfect growth grand finale for every bodypart. As I mentioned, that’s similar to Eric Broser’s Fiber Damage/Fiber Saturation training and Hany Rambod’s FST-7. Eric suggests that blowing up the muscle after traumatizing it—in this case with negative-accentuated sets and stretch overload—kick-starts anabolic acceleration and recuperation with an influx of nutrient-rich blood.

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I agree; now you can grow and get ripped simultaneously.

Q: What supplements do you suggest preworkout? I don’t want to shortchange my gains, so aside from a protein drink about an hour before, what else should I take?

A: If you’re looking for a preworkout supplement stack that can help your fat-to-muscle efforts, recent research points to conjugated linoleic acid as a good addition. Here’s what researcher Jerry Brainum reported: “A new study compared three groups of weight trainees.

[Int J Sports Nutr Exerc Metabol; 19:79-96. 2009.] Group 1 took six grams of conjugated linoleic acid, nine grams of creatine and 36 grams of whey; group 2 got the same amounts of creatine and whey but a placebo instead of CLA; group 3 got the same amount of whey but no CLA or creatine. Each group got that mix daily for five weeks while on an intense weight-training program. Results: Those taking all three supplements experienced more gains in bench press and leg press strength, along with lean tissue mass gains, than the other groups combined.”

More muscle gain means you’ll burn more calories, even at rest—but CLA has also been shown to help burn off bodyfat as well. Here’s what Jose Antonio, Ph.D., reported when creatine and CLA were used preworkout: “Training improved all measurements of functional capacity and strength, with greater improvement for the CrM+CLA group in most measurements of muscular endurance, isokinetic-knee-extension strength, fat-free mass and lower-fat mass.”

More strength, muscle and fat loss. That’s why Jonathan Lawson, my training partner, and I are using about five grams of CLA, along with two caps of Creakic, MuscleTech’s advanced creatine pill, and two caps of a fat burner right before we train—Jonathan likes SAN’s Tight Xtreme because it contains yohimbine, a stubborn-fat uncoupler, while Steve prefers SAN’s Blaze Xtreme for its forskolin, which has been shown to increase testosterone as well as burn fat. For vasodilation, we both often take three caps of STS’s Nitrocarn GPLC 1500, as new studies show that glycine propionyl-L-carnitine produces a bigger pump than L-arginine.

That combo, along with including negative-accentuated sets and other fat-to-muscle techniques into our PowerDensity workouts, has kicked up our results on all fronts— size, strength and leanness.

Editor s note: Steve Holman is the author of many bodybuilding best sellers and the creator of Positions of Flexion muscle training.

For information on the POF videos and Size Surge programs, see the ad sections beginning on pages 242 and 232, respectively. Also visit www .X-Rep.com for information on X Rep and 3D POF methods and e books. IM

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A Bodybuilder Is Born—Episode 51

A

Matter of

Faith

by Ron Harris

Photography by Michael Neveux

week before the show. What fun would that be, anyway? Suffering builds character. That’s what I tell my wife when she complains about how hard it is being married to me.

In the last week most body builders go through a process of carbohydrate, sodium and water manipulation designed to trick the body into looking both fuller and far more defined than would normally be possible. The body magic is meant to coincide with the moments he or she will be onstage competing.

If you think the CIA has the market cornered on psychological torture, think again. The first half of trick week is pure hell for most bodybuilders. Though I don t have horns or a pitchfork—okay, maybe a plastic pitchfork from my daughter s Halloween costume a few years ago that I like to poke my dog with—by the time Randy got near the end of that rough patch, he was looking at me as if I were the devil in the flesh. He even told me later he was trying to sneak peaks at my

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scalp through my short-cropped hair for the telltale 666 birthmark.

Wednesday, 4 p.m.: T-minus 3 Days I’d instructed Randy to start lowering his carbs on Sunday morning to 75, down from an already low 100 to 200 grams a day—the higher count on weight-training days. At the same time he was to increase his water and salt intake. I didn t want him using prescription diuretics, which are powerful and dangerous drugs with the potential to kill someone if misused. Who would have ever dreamed that something that could shrivel your body up like a raisin and cause acute kidney failure might be trouble?

So instead, I was having Randy sodium load. He d been sprinkling salt on his food for the past few weeks; now I had him really pour ing it on so his chicken breasts looked as if they’d been lightly dusted with snow—or dandruff.

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Model: Antoine Vaillant

I’ve heard it said that people today have lost faith, that we re no longer spiritual. Our need for concrete evidence and guarantees in virtually everything says something about our national character, I suppose. Sometimes, though, you really do just have to have faith in something. Me, I believe in UFOs, Bigfoot, the Loch Ness monster and that pro wrestling is real. Randy is more of a doubting Thomas.

At three weeks before the contest, Randy had been at the sticking point that’s inevitable in any diet.

I’d assured him that his panic was unnecessary and that the fat would start coming off again. He just had to trust me. And so it did. Two weeks later he was looking even leaner than he had been for his first competition the year before, but he was easily 10 pounds fuller in all the right places, with the density and muscle maturity only another year of hard training could have imparted.

Even so, it wasn t going to be all smooth sailing during the final

www.ironmanmagazine.com \ NOVEMBER 2009 103

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Faith

“No contest was ever won or lost because of veins popping out or not, silly rabbit.

Since he’d also doubled his water intake, the poor guy Vascularity looks really impressive in your was now a nice, puffy, bloated specimen, holding so much bathroom mirror, but from where the judges water beneath his skin that he are sitting it’s hardly noticeable unless all your seemed to have given up on dieting long ago and binged veins are the size of garden hoses.” on pizza and ice cream.

But wait, it gets better! On Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, he had to go through full-body circuits with fairly light weights and machines, doing high reps and resting very little between sets, the purpose of which was to drain his muscles of every last molecule of glycogen. In other words, we were emptying his tank completely in order to be able to fill it back up again and top it off. The total effect, by the third day, was that Randy was not only watery and smooth looking, but also flatter than Kate Moss’ butt.

That was Randy’s condition when we met at the gym so I could take a look at him before we started carbing him up and flushing the water out. Guys about to be executed by lethal injection would have looked more upbeat.

“There’s nothing there,” he moaned, standing relaxed in a pair of shorts in the aerobics room. I watched, arms folded, as he tried in vain to tense muscles that did not respond. Randy hit a front doublebiceps shot; the difference between flexed and not flexed was minimal.

He was losing it. “What the hell happened?” he said.

“You’re right on schedule, just perfect,” I replied.

“On schedule for what, last place?” His voice was rising to a high-pitched whine.

“No, no, relax. I’ve done this many times before. If you don’t look like crap at this point, you didn’t do it right.”

“Well, I guess I did it right, because I look like I’ve never touched a damn weight in my life!”

“That’s not true,” I chuckled. “You

just look like you’ve never touched a heavy weight. How do you feel?”

He glared at me behind sunken eye sockets, not amused in the least. “Exhausted. All I want to do is sleep. I actually started falling asleep this morning training Claire.”

“I’ve got good news, Junior. The worst is all over now. No more training until the show is over.

Tomorrow morning you start eating more carbs, cut the salt, and then the next day we begin tapering your water off. You’re going to be looking better by the hour, I promise.”

He perked up a bit. “Pinkie promise?” he asked, offering the little finger of his right hand the way my seven-year-old son does—

Randy crunched into a crab most-muscular. His pecs were splintered across with detail and riddled with veins. Even his upper chest, long a weak point, had thickened up.

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Faith

“Bad idea! You start eating things your body isn’t used to, and you can start spilling over with water, not to mention get the worst bellyache of your life. You might not even make it to the stage because you could be glued to a toilet seat trying to give birth.

No, stick with yams and rice.”

Friday, 7 p.m.: T-minus 17 Hours Only those of us who have been through the crazy sport of competitive bodybuilding could possibly comprehend what a difference three days can make in a physique. Randy looked and felt like a totally different person on the eve of the contest. One last time I appraised him at the gym.

He was fully carbed up, and the excess water had been flushed away.

Not only that, but he’d put two coats of Pro Tan on the night before. He looked like a bronze god. As he hit a few poses, the carbs did their magic, and his muscles pumped up before my eyes. The kid looked like a winner, and his broad smile communicated that he felt like one.

“Wow,” he said and flexed a quad, stunned at the striations and veins popping out in bold relief. He crunched into a crab most-muscular.

His pecs were splintered across with detail and riddled with veins. Even his upper chest, long a weak point, had thickened up.

I couldn’t resist gloating. “I told you everything would be okay, didn’t I? O ye of little faith.”

“Yeah,” Randy said, “but it was hard to believe when I looked like something my cat left in the litter box.” He pulled over his gym bag and took out a plastic grocery bag.

Looking truly joyous, he presented various articles of candy—Raisinets, Skittles and assorted candy bars.

Then he produced a bottle of red wine—and the $2.99 price tag told me it wasn’t a very good year.

“For after the show, I presume?”

“No, Ron, for before I go on to-

morrow so I can be all crazy full and vascular!”

“Let me see that.” I confiscated the whole mess. “Bad idea! You start eating things your body isn’t used to, and you can start spilling over with water, not to mention get the worst bellyache of your life. You might not even make it to the stage because you could be glued to a toilet seat trying to give birth. No, stick with yams and rice. Those are good, slowburning complex carbs that won’t give you any problems.”

“At least let me have the wine! It brings out the veins.”

“No contest was ever won or lost because of veins popping out or not, silly rabbit. Vascularity looks really impressive in your bathroom mirror, but from where the judges are sitting it’s hardly noticeable unless all your veins are the size of garden hoses.”

He frowned, but not for long.

Randy was in a good place.

“How do you think I’ll do tomorrow?”

“It all depends on who else shows up and stands next to you onstage. But you will be ready, that’s for sure.”

Each hour from now until he got onstage was going to seem like an eternity. That’s how time gets distorted near the end. Very soon,

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though, more than a year of hard training and good eating would come to its fruition in just a few minutes under the bright lights. Randy looked even better than I’d hoped he would. A couple more coats of Pro Tan and the last bits of subcutaneous water wrung out were going to take it up another notch. This was going to be good.

Editor’s note: Ron Harris is the author of Real Bodybuilding: Muscle Truth From 25 Years in the Trenches, which is available at RonHarris Muscle.com. IM

Only those of us who have been through the crazy sport of competitive bodybuilding could possibly comprehend what a difference three days can make in a physique.

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Model: Quincy Talor

his version of having something notarized. I sighed and linked pinkies with him.

“Pinkie promise.”

D

-Lightful The Latest on the Sunshine Vitamin and Its Amazing Effects on Your Immune System and Life Span Part 2

by Jerry Brainum

The Cancer Connection As with cardiovascular disease, people who live at higher latitudes and are exposed to less sun appear to be at greater risk for various cancers, including Hodgkin’s lymphoma and colon, pancreatic, ovarian and breast cancers, than those who live at lower latitudes. Having counts of 25-hydroxyvitamin D in the blood of less than 20 nonograms per milliliter is associated with a 30 to 50 percent increase in the risk of getting colon, prostate or breast cancer and more chance of death resulting from it. Several studies have found an increased incidence of colon cancer in subjects low in 25-hydroxy D. A study of prostate-cancer patients found that the disease developed three to five years later in those who worked outdoors than in those who worked indoors. Data obtained from 980 women revealed that those highest in vitamin D had a 50 percent reduced risk of

breast cancer; vitamin D inhibits estrogen-stimulated breast cancer. One study even found that those who developed malignant melanoma, the most deadly form of skin cancer, had less death risk than those who had less sun exposure.15 Since the kidneys don’t increase production of the active, or hormonal, form of vitamin D in response to sunlight, how can vitamin D offer cancer protection? The organs and tissues affected by cancer contain the enzyme that converts 25-hydroxyvitamin D—the circulating form in the blood—to the activated hormonal form. Most of the conversion occurs in the kidneys.

The local production of hormonal D controls genes that put the brake on the cell proliferation that is the hallmark of cancer. If a cell does become malignant, hormonal D supports apoptosis, or suicide, of tumor cells, and prevents angiogenesis, or the

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development of new blood vessels required for tumor growth. That done, hormonal D stimulates a gene that leads to its own destruction, which prevents it from entering the blood and affecting calcium metabolism.

Recent research showed how vitamin D may help prevent prostate cancer, the second leading cause of cancer death in men.16 In the course of normal cell metabolism, abundant oxygen leads to the formation of free radicals, which are unpaired electrons. They damage cellular DNA, leading to cellular mutations and cancer. With hormonal D levels high, the D links to an enzyme called glucose-6phosphate dehydrogenase, which deactivates excess free radicals in prostate tissue.

That protects against DNA mutation and subsequent cancer formation. The process occurs only in healthy prostate cells. Vitamin D also inhibits two enzymes—matrix metalloproteinase and cathepsin—

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In Part 1 Brainum covered some vitamin D history and the consequences of a deficiency, including higher incidence of cardiovascular disease. In Part 2 he discusses more diseases related to not getting enough of the sunshine vitamin, including cancer and obesity.

www.ironmanmagazine.com \ NOVEMBER 2009 111

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that are required for prostate cancer to spread. (Taking DHEA eliminates this effect because it inhibits G6PD.) Not all studies confirm D’s protective mechanism. When researchers from the National Cancer Institute compared blood counts of vitamin D in 749 men diagnosed with prostate cancer to the counts in 781 men without cancer, they found no significant differences in the groups. They did identify an increased risk of aggressive prostate cancer with higher levels of D, but it wasn’t considered statistically significant.17 On the other hand, a study of 3,299 cancer patients showed that death was reduced by 55 percent among those

be prevented by increasing intake of vitamin D, especially in countries north of the equator.

In another study from the National Cancer Institute that involved 16,818 subjects, vitamin D was found not to protect against most cancers, with the exception of colon cancer. Those with the greatest vitamin D in their bodies were 72 percent less likely to die from colon cancer than those with the least.20 Studies also show that vitamin D counteracts the tumor-growth effects of IGF-1 in both prostate and breast cancers.

Cedric Garland, a cancer-prevention specialist in San Diego, estimates that 250,000 cases of colorectal cancer and 350,000 cases of breast cancer could be prevented by increasing intake of vitamin D, especially in countries north of the equator. who had more vitamin D in their blood.18 Another study confirmed those results and found that patients with the most vitamin D were 48 percent less likely to die from any cause, and 39 percent less likely to die from colon cancer than those whose blood was low on D.19 Cedric Garland, a cancerprevention specialist in San Diego, estimates that 250,000 cases of colorectal cancer and 350,000 cases of breast cancer could

Bodyfat, Bodybuilding and Vitamin D The incidence of type 2 diabetes is increasing exponentially around the world. Primary risk factors for the disease include genetic predisposition and greater bodyfat.

Animals with vitamin D deficiencies have impaired function of the beta cells of the pancreas that produce insulin. Insufficient D is also linked to insulin resistance, which is now considered a prediabetic state.

A recent study of 4,423 men and women aged 40 to 69 found an inverse relationship between

vitamin D intake and diabetes.21 Another study showed that a combined daily intake of 1,200 milligrams of calcium and 800 units of vitamin D lowered the risk of type 2 diabetes by 33 percent.22 The most recent study monitored men and women aged 40 to 74 who did not have diabetes when they enrolled in a health survey.23 After 22 years 412 had developed type 2 diabetes, while 986 showed no signs of the disease. Men with the highest blood vitamin D were 72 percent less likely to develop diabetes than the men with the lowest. Women didn’t show any relationship between D and

Further analysis showed that the men with the highest blood vitamin D were 72 percent less likely to develop diabetes than the men with the lowest.

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Neveux \ Model: Dan Decker

diabetes, although the women in the study did have lower amounts of D in their bodies than the men.

Vitamin D works on diabetes through cell receptors in the pancreas. Vitamin D tends to be sequestered in those with high bodyfat, explaining why another study found that 50.7 percent of patients with the metabolic syndrome, characterized by higher bodyfat, had a vitamin D deficiency.24 One hallmark of the metabolic syndrome is a low count of high-density lipoprotein, or HDL, the kind of cholesterol that helps prevent cardiovascular disease. Vitamin D is required to maintain the primary protein structure of HDL, explaining why low HDL may be prevalent in the metabolic syndrome. Another study found an inverse relationship between high counts of vitamin D and insulinlike growth factor 1 in the metabolic syndrome.25 A few emerging studies show a trend toward bodyfat reduction with higher blood vitamin D. For example, when 60 overweight women, aged 20 to 35, were put on two types of fat-loss diets, those with more blood vitamin D lost more bodyfat than those with less.26 Some studies have suggested that higher hormonal D levels lead to weight gain.

Isolated-cell studies have demonstrated that high concentrations of hormonal D stimulate fat synthesis and inhibit fat breakdown.27 Other studies sug-

A few emerging studies show a trend toward bodyfat reduction with higher blood vitamin D. gest that hormonal D may bring on fat gain by suppressing UCP-2, a primary thermogenic protein. On the other hand, the obese are often 50 percent lower in vitamin D because it gets sequestered in fat and is unavailable for metabolic needs.

A recent study confirmed that those with more bodyfat do indeed have less active D, thus making the purported relationship between fat

gain and vitamin D unlikely.28 Many bodybuilders complain about constant joint pain, and that may be related to less-than-optimal vitamin D intake. The adult form of rickets, known as osteomalacia, is characterized by bone pain. Common pain syndromes, such as fibromyalgia, can easily be mistaken for vitamin-D deficiency.

One study showed that giving 2,000

The obese are often 50 percent lower in the sunshine vitamin because it gets sequestered in fat and is unavailable for metabolic needs.

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DMany bodybuilders complain about constant -Lightful

joint pain, and that may be related to less-than-optimal vitamin D intake. athletes to bone and stress fractures.

One recent study of 800 women, aged 50 to 79, found that a lack of vitamin D increased the rate of hip fractures by 70 percent.30 Another study found that getting sufficient D intake lowers

Neveux \ Model: Tony Bresnik

units of vitamin D daily to those in pain produced a 67 percent increase in blood D, along with a 50 percent reduction in pain after three months. Another study suggests that one out of four patients suffering from chronic pain has inadequate blood D. Still another study provided 5,000 units of vitamin D to those suffering from idiopathic back pain29—meaning the cause of the pain was unknown. All back pain disappeared in those who had been deficient in vitamin D, which was 85 percent of the subjects.

Unless you get out in the sun every day, you’re not likely to have optimal levels of vitamin D. Even exposing yourself to sunlight won’t help if you live in northern latitudes in the winter. That’s because the sun’s angle during the winter in northern climes makes the atmosphere filter out UV rays. One researcher noted that you could walk around naked in Boston during the winter and not synthesize any vitamin D—though you’d probably get arrested for indecent exposure or freeze to death.

Most food supplements contain between 400 and 800 units of vitamin D, but that won’t optimize vitamin D in your blood. Cod liver oil is a good source of vitamin D, although the vitamin A it also contains interferes with D metabolism, but the omega-3 fish oils many athletes take contain none.

Studies show that many athletes do not even meet the minimal suggested intake of D. One study of young Finnish runners and gymnasts found that 68 percent were deficient. A study of 85 East German athletes, aged eight to 27, also found that 37 percent were short on D. Being D-deficient can predispose

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the risk of falls, which often precipitate hip fractures in older people, by 22 percent. Vitamin D receptors exist in skeletal muscle, where hormonal D is thought to play a role in muscle protein synthesis, and a lack of D causes muscular weakness.

Studies of older people also show that vitamin D increases the size of

the invading organism. That, coincidentally, is precisely how antibiotic drugs work. Some intriguing studies have found that higher blood concentrations of D help protect against colds and flu.

Excess inflammation delays muscle recovery, and D can help. It helps release anti-inflammatory cyto-

that food sources of D are notoriously minimal. Sunlight is available during summer months, but less so during the winter in northern latitudes. Many dermatologists strongly advise against any sun exposure, noting that UV light is a potent carcinogen. Using a tanning booth or machine can significantly increase blood D, but again, there’s a risk of cancer and accelerated skin aging.

The truth is that you can get 20,000 units of D in your body thorough exposing your face, arms and legs to sunlight for only five to 30 minutes. Doing that two times a week will significantly protect against D deficiency, unless you’re fat, old or both. On the other hand, a recent study found that older people who engage in regular outdoor activity when the sun is at its peak—about 12 noon—have blood D levels comparable to younger people.31 That, once again, wouldn’t apply to those living in northern areas during the winter.

Most vitamin D experts suggest that in the absence of sunlight or tanning-bed exposure, you need to take a minimum of 1,000 units of supplemental D daily. Since D is fat-soluble, it could be toxic, but that isn’t likely. Don’t forget, you make that 20,000 units with only 15 minutes of sun exposure. Cases of D intoxication have involved doses of 150,000 to some 2 million units taken for two years, resulting in elevated blood calcium and phosphorus—dangerous because those minerals cause soft-tissue calcification, high blood pressure and heartrhythm disturbances.

On the other hand, taking 10,000 units of D daily for five months doesn’t lead to toxicity. One noted Canadian D researcher takes 8,000

Some intriguing studies have found that higher blood concentrations of D help protect against colds and flu. kines, immune-cell substances that help temper inflammation.

Indeed, some evidence points to vitamin D’s opposition to autoimmune diseases, in which the immune system begins to attack healthy body tissue. Examples include multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis.

As for direct improvements in sports performance, early Russian and German research showed that exposing hard-training athletes to ultraviolet light appeared to improve recovery from intense training.

Neveux \ Model: Dan Decker

type 2 muscle fibers.

Vitamin D may boost immunity in athletes through the release of antimicrobial peptides, which are small proteins that kill bacteria by destroying the cell membranes of

Sources of Big D Should you consider getting your vitamin D from sunlight or supplements? We’ve seen

Early Russian and German research showed that exposing hard-training athletes to ultraviolet light appeared to increase recovery from intense training.

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units daily, and most users average around 4,000. Don’t take vitamin A with a D supplement; vitamin A interferes with D metabolism.

tes. Diabetes Care. 30:2569-2570.

22 Pittas, A.G., et al. (2006). Vitamin D and calcium intake in relation to type 2 diabetes in women.

29 Al Faraj, S., et al. (2003). Vitamin D deficiency and chronic low back pain in Saudi Arabia. Spine. 28:1779.

Studies of older people show that vitamin D seems to increase the size of type 2 muscle fibers, but no such research exists with athletes as yet.

Editor’s note: Jerry Brainum has been an exercise and nutrition researcher and journalist for more than 25 years. He’s worked with pro bodybuilders as well as many Olympic and professional athletes. To get his new e-book, Natural Anabolics—Nutrients, Compounds and Supplements That Can Accelerate Muscle Growth Without Drugs, visit www.JerryBrainum.com.

References 15 Berwick, M., et al. (2005). Sun Exposure and mortality from melanoma. J Natl Cancer Instit. 97:195199.

16 Bao, B.Y., et al. (2008). Protective role of 1A, 25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 against oxidative stress in nonmalignant human prostate cancer cells. Int J Cancer. 122:2699-2706.

17 Ahn, J., et al. (2008). Serum vitamin D concentration and prostate cancer risk: A nested case-control study. J Nat Cancer Inst. 100(11):796804.

18 Pitz, S., et al. (2008). Low levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D predict fatal cancer in patients referred to coronary angiography. Canc Epid Biomark Prevent. 17:1228-1233.

19 Ng, K., et al. (2008). Circulating 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels and survival in patients with colorectal cancer. J Clin Oncol. 26:2984-2991.

20 Freedman, D.M., et al. (2007).

Prospective study of serum vitamin D and cancer mortality in the United States. JNCI. 99(21): 1594-1602.

21 Mattilla, C., et al. (2007). Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentration and subsequent risk of type 2 diabe-

Diabetes Care.

29:650-66.

23 Knekt, P., et al. (2008).

Serum vitamin D and subsequent occurrence of type 2 diabetes.

Epidemiology.

19:666-671.

24 BotellaCarretero, J., et al. (2007).

Vitamin D deficiency is associated with the metabolic syndrome in morbid obesity. Clin Nutr.

26(5):573-80.

25 Hypponen, E., et al.

(2008). 25-hydroxyvitamin D, IGF-1, and metabolic syndrome at 45 years of age. Diabetes.

57(2):298-305.

26 Ortega, R.M., et al.

(2008). Preliminary data about the influence of vitamin D status on the loss of body fat in young, overweight/obese women following two types of hypocaloric diet. Brit J Nutr. 100(2):269-72.

27 Shi, H., et al. (2001). 1, 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 modulates human adipocyte metabolism via nongenomic action. FASB J. 15:2751-2753.

28 Konradsen, S., et al. (2008).

Serum 1,25-dehydroxyvitamin D is inversely associated with body mass index. Eur J Nutr. 47:87-91.

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Neveux \ Model: Dave Goodin

Maybe one day they’ll put vitamin D back in beer. I bet that will go a long way toward preventing D deficiency—and give new meaning to the line from the song, “Sunshine almost always makes me high.”

30 Cauley, J.A., et al. (2008). Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentrations and the risk for hip fractures.

Ann Intern Med. 149:242-250.

31 Scragg, R., et al. (2008). Frequency of leisure-time physical activity and serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels in the U.S. population: Results from the third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Am J Epid. 168:577-86. IM

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How

Whitney Reid

Transformed His Physique

by David Young Photography by Michael Neveux

hitney Reid went from playing football in high school and college to powerlifting. After attending the NPC Nationals to watch a friend compete, he changed course to become a competitive bodybuilder—but that desire morphed into a move toward fitness modeling.

A good choice, as his very first photo shoot was for a cover.

Let’s catch up with Whitney and learn the secrets of his success.

W

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DY: Congratulations on your first IRON MAN cover. How do you feel?

WR: It feels great. I also got to shoot with Figure Olympia winner Jennifer Gates, and it was such an honor. I was amazed to be chosen for that.

DY: Jennifer is gorgeous. I know it took a lot of discipline and hard work to achieve your condition for the cover. Is it your best condition to date?

WR: Yes. Over the past two years I’ve been slowly transitioning my body from a powerlifter’s build to a leaner fitness physique. My goals have drastically changed. They used

126 NOVEMBER 2009 \ www.ironmanmagazine.com

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to be to pack on mass and lift as heavy as possible. Now I stay lean all year long, not only for photo shoots but as a part of a healthy lifestyle.

DY: What is the primary challenge that you face getting ready for a photo shoot?

WR: Staying lean all year is a huge challenge for me because I love to eat. I’m from the South, so fried foods and homemade baked goods are always nearby, but nowadays I stick with a clean diet seven days a week and try to keep my bodyfat as low as possible. My training style has also changed.

DY: How did you overcome the mental challenges that it took

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to achieve your condition?

WR: To keep your body at a cer tain level of conditioning is a never ending task. I work hard daily to make improvements. I like to do certain things to stay focused mentally—that applies to my health, finances, career or any other aspect of my life. You can apply them to any aspect of your life as well: 1) Have a written plan.

2) Review that plan daily and make changes as needed.

3) Say the plan out loud, discuss it with a training partner, trainer, friend, someone close to you.

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4) have a vivid mental picture of the outcome you want.

If it’s to be in the best shape of my life, I will plan for that and see how I look; if it’s to make a certain amount of money, I set that goal and imagine what it will be like once I’m there.

It’s critical to know your eventual result. If not, how do you know you have achieved your goal?

DY: I love that approach and use a similar strategy daily. How did the changes in your diet and training come about?

WR: Two years ago I started working with the “Pro Creator,” Hany Rambod, and he introduced me to his training system, FST-7—Fascia Stretch Training. At the end of each bodypart routine you perform an exercise for seven sets of 15 reps with only a 30second rest between sets. That program is designed to stretch the fascia tissue that surrounds muscle fibers. The stretching will enable maximum muscle growth. It also brings vitamins, minerals, amino acids and oxygen into the muscle. Plus, I’ve incorporated cardio into my training at least five days per week.

DY: I’ve seen similar massbuilding approaches, such as Eric Broser’s FD/FS and Steve Holman and Jonathan Lawson’s Power-Density. How did you and Hany design your nutrition program?

WR: When preparing for a photo shoot, it’s a combination of my meal plan, training, cardio and supplements. Hany has been the key to my success when it comes to being razor sharp for my photo shoots. He designs my entire plan and makes adjustments weekly to keep me on

track.

DY: How about giving us a sample day of eating meal by meal.

WR: My meal plan stays consistent throughout the year. I stick with a moderate-carb, lowfat and high-protein diet with an occasional cheat meal—but if my obliques begin to vanish, I get rid of the cheat meal. When I diet for a photo shoot, I drop carbs, raise protein and keep fat intake the same. Here’s an example of my diet four weeks out from a photo shoot:

Meal 3 Protein shake

Meal 1 12 egg whites 1/2 cup oatmeal

For my final week before a shoot every meal consists of ground turkey or tilapia; I remove all egg whites and protein shakes—I like to stick with all whole foods the week before my shoot.

DY: Do you work with a train-

Meal 2 8 ounces ground turkey 3 ounces sweet potato

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Meal 4 8 ounces tilapia 1/2 cup rice 1 cup broccoli Meal 5 8 ounces tilapia 1/2 cup broccoli Meal 6 12 egg whites

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“My meal plan stays consistent throughout the year.”

ing partner?

WR: Absolutely. Having a workout partner is crucial to the success of my training. I think it’s important to have someone training with you who has similar goals so you keep each other on track. It’s great to have someone there to push you through your workouts and keep the intensity high in the gym. It can be tough to train alone and stay focused when dealing with dieting, especially when you’re extremely low on carbs.

DY: Is your training partner an important part of the preparation process?

WR: My training partner is also my business partner, Ron Stack. He’s a former personal-training client of mine and has had tremendous success in the gym over the past two years. He is a former college athlete and approached me to help get him

As the Trojan man

132 NOVEMBER 2009 \ www.ironmanmagazine.com

back into shape. To date he’s lost nearly 30 pounds and is in excellent shape.

DY: That’s awesome. So is personal training your main source of income?

WR: I work only with a select few clients now. My business is East Coast Fitness. We sell new and used fitness equipment, and we’re certified to service all major gym equipment brands. For new equipment we deal with Matrix, and for used equipment we deal with every major brand. We completely refurbish all used pieces to make them look and feel new, and our prices are anywhere from 30 to 40 percent off retail. We help start-up gyms, small personal-training facilities, hotels, apartment complexes and corporate clients fully equip their facilities at a great value.

DY: That sounds like a great business. [Editor’s note: Find contact info for East Coast Fitness Equipment at the end of the interview.]

WR: Well, I’m also actively pursuing fitness modeling and acting work with the help of my agent, Silver Model Management. I was just cast as the Trojan condom man.

We shot the first commercial three weeks ago. I’m the first real person to play the Trojan man.

DY: I’ve never interviewed a real superhero before. Tell me more about your training. Did you start out bodybuilding?

WR: Before I started working with Hany, my training focused mostly around the bench, squat and deadlift—all heavy. I originally started working out to be more competitive in athletics, concentrating on gaining size for football. Now I train more like a bodybuilder, focusing on building quality muscle rather than just putting on mass.

DY: Which bodyparts respond easily for you, and which have been more challenging?

WR: Chest and tri’s have always been the most responsive muscle groups for me. I’ve always been naturally strong with all pushing exercises—bench, inclines, pushdowns.

Hany has me focusing mostly on my upper chest now, doing heavy incline dumbbell presses, incline flyes and incline cable crossovers.

The most difficult muscle group for me to develop has been my

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quads. I’m 6’3” at 220 with long legs, so it seems no matter how hard I train them, I see very little growth. I actually enjoy training legs. In fact, squats—ass to calves—are one of my favorite exercises, but it’s been a slow process bringing my quads up to match my upper body.

DY: What are your favorite exercises? Are there any exercises you’re unusually strong on?

WR: My favorite exercises are incline dumbbell presses for chest and deadlifts for back and lower body. I’ve had a big bench from the day I started weight training. I usually work up to the 160-pound dumbbells for sets of 10 incline presses. My best deadlift to date is 595 pounds.

DY: Those are impressive numbers. How do you break out your training week?

WR: My training days rotate each week. I usually decide the day before I train what bodypart I’m going to work on. A typical week might break out like this:

Workouts Day 1: Chest Incline dumbbell presses Incline dumbbell flyes Hammer Strength incline presses Cable flyes Day 2: Back Pulldowns Top-end partial lat pulldowns Deadlifts Dumbbell rows Barbell rows Cable pullovers

Day 1: Chest Day 2: Back Day 3: Legs Day 4: Shoulders Day 5: Arms DY: Give me a week of your typical training program bodypart by bodypart.

WR: I’ll list a sample workout for a week [at right], but as I stated before, which days I train a bodypart may actually be different depending on travel, work schedule or my energy level.

DY: You said you’re 6’3” at 220.

What was your weight for the IRON MAN cover?

WR: I weighed 212 pounds when I shot the cover. I’m currently 220 and about the same bodyfat percentage.

DY: What improvements did you make during your preparation for the cover?

WR: While training for this shoot, I noticed the best gains in my back and bi’s. I trained my back harder than ever, doing dumbbell rows, barbell rows and deadlifts every back workout. My favorite exercise for putting the finishing touches on a back workout is wide-grip cable pullovers.

134 NOVEMBER 2009 \ www.ironmanmagazine.com

5 x 10 4 x 12 3 x 12 7 x 15

3 x 12 2 x max 4 x 10 4 x 12 3 x 10 7 x 15

Day 3: Legs Leg extensions Leg curls Squats Leg presses Leg extensions

5 x 12 5 x 12 4 x 12 4 x 10 7 x 15

Day 4: Shoulders Dumbbell presses Plate front raises Machine rear-delt flyes Upright rows Dumbbell shrugs Lateral raises

4 x 10 3 x 12 5 x 12 3 x 12 4 x 12 7 x 15

Day 5: Arms Close-grip bench presses Overhead dumbbell extensions Pushdowns Straight-bar curls Alternate dumbbell curls Hammer curls Hammer Strength preacher curls

3 x 10 4 x 12 7 x 15 3 x 12 4 x 10 3 x 12 7 x 15

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DY: Who inspired you in your fitness career?

WR: I’m inspired by guys like Frank Sepe, Greg Plitt, Sebastian Siegal. Those guys have done great things with their careers, magazine covers, TV movies. I hope to one day be on the same level.

DY: Which nutritional products do you find useful?

WR: Supplements are a huge part of my training program. When you train as hard as possible every time you walk in the gym, supplements are key to helping recovery and muscle growth.

I stick with the basics, like Cytosport whey protein, Met-Rx meal replacements, Eggwhites International and EVO, a supplement created

by Hany that his pro and NPC athletes have been using over the past year.

DY: What kinds of mistakes did you make early on with your training and nutrition, and how did you end up with the program you use today?

WR: When I began weight training, I had no clue what I was doing. My main focus in the gym was to lift as heavy as possible. I didn’t realize the importance of correct form and actually working the muscle and not just moving the weight.

My diet was horrendous as well. I was a hardgainer and thought that eating fast food every day would be a great

way to get extra calories and put on the size that I wanted. Needless to say, it didn’t work, and before I knew it, I was fat and didn’t get any stronger. Lesson learned.

The crossover point in my training and nutrition came after I finished playing college ball. I became fascinated by bodybuilding. My competitive days on the field were over, and I discovered a way to channel that energy into the fitness world. At that point I realized how important proper diet and nutrition were to building quality muscle and keeping my bodyfat low.

DY: That’s an important lesson. At what point did you realize that fitness was what you wanted to do?

WR: As a youth I played sports all year round, and as I became more competitive and moved on to college ball, my fitness level and sport-specific training were a major part of my success. After college I focused my competitive nature on training and improving my physique. In 2004 I went to my first major bodybuilding show with [now IFBB pro] Curtis Bryant to watch him compete in the NPC Nationals.

After the show I knew that I had to be involved in the industry, but I wasn’t sure where I could fit in.

When I first started training with Hany, our goal was to prep me for a state-level bodybuilding show.

After training for several months, he suggested that I change my approach and move toward fitness modeling. At first I resisted the idea, but he knew what he was talking about, and my first photo shoot was for a cover. I love the exposure and feeling of accomplishment after training for weeks for the shoot. I hope the exposure I receive from the magazine covers becomes a platform for me to write, train and teach others interested in the fitness industry.

DY: That’s a great goal. So what’s next for you?

WR: With the fitness industry I see so many opportunities—commercial, print, video and all media outlets. The fitness industry continues to grow each year. As a personal trainer I’ve seen a huge increase in the baby boomer generation’s becoming more concerned with health and fitness. Given such a large demographic, I believe that the industry will continue to change,

“I’m 6’3” and weighed

212 pounds

when I shot the cover.”

136 NOVEMBER 2009 \ www.ironmanmagazine.com

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of the past and present exemplify the type of physique you consider to be ideal?

WR: My favorite bodybuilder of all time is Shawn Ray. As for today’s bodybuilders, I think Phil Heath is hands down the best.

With Phil Heath adapting to baby-boomer needs.

I also stay close to the bodybuilding world, helping local competitors prep for contests. I go to all major bodybuilding shows, and I just recently started judging NPC shows. I’m a huge fan of the sport, and it’s my way of connecting with the fitness world. I aspire to write and be more involved in the fitness industry. I hope that this is only the beginning for me.

DY: Let’s switch subjects. Who

With Curtis Bryant DY: Good choices. What have been your biggest challenges in life and in your bodybuilding career? How did you overcome them?

WR: To be honest, I am chal-

lenged on a daily basis to train as hard as possible and to stay consistent with my meal plan. Sometimes I feel as if I alienate myself from friends and family because I stay so focused on my goals. Choosing a lifestyle with fitness being the center point is difficult. I can’t go out for my favorite Mexican food and beer with my friends on a weekly basis, visit the local Krispy Kreme or skip out on my training because I had a long day at work, but that’s the choice I make to achieve the outcome I want.

Editor’s note: To contact Whitney for fitness equipment, send e-mail to EastCoastFitnessEquipment@gmail. com, join the East Coast Fitness Equipment Facebook fan page, or call (804) 612-9561 and get a full list of inventory. To contact Whitney for modeling or trade shows, go to www.SilverModels.com. IM

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$ESCRIPTIVE ERRORS SUBJECT TO CORRECTION

Mix-Master

Chest Training

142 NOVEMBER 2009 \ www.ironmanmagazine.com

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Lee Apperson’s

Change-to-Gain Pec-Etching Program

by Cory Crow Photography by Michael Neveux

W

hat would you say if I suggested that the most cutting-edge training theories in bodybuilding may belong to a 51-year-old IFBB pro who’s been lifting for 26 years and is approaching his next competition, the ’09 Atlantic City Pro, with a goal of making the top 15? That I’m crazy? Well, I may have been spending too much time at the computer lately, but I’m pretty sure I’m not crazy—although getting this type of response during a bodypart-training interview will drive a writer a little nutso: CC: So, what’s your chest routine?

LA: I don’t have a set routine.

My first thought? “Awww crap.” After that I contemplated the children’s book I wanted to write—or maybe the next great American novel. Then it hit me: This is something entirely different from what anyone else is doing, and it’s being done by a veteran of the iron game who’s competing against men half his age. Lee Apperson’s philosophy regarding weight training is to constantly move forward, to never be satisfied with the status quo. He believes that it’s folly to go back to where you were, that a routine is limiting in and of itself.

“Everything is part of a big puzzle,” he says. “How you put the puzzle together decides whether or not you’ll be successful.”

It’s chest training without a net, always finding new ways to pound the muscles into submission, to stimulate them from new angles, with more weight, creating a balance and flow that many feel are missing from the bodybuilding stage today.

Lee readily admits to being a throwback to a bygone age when bodybuilding contests also involved feats of athleticism and people on the beach were building muscles and engaging in sport, wanting to look both good and athletic at the same time. He is so out of the norm from the modern physique standard that it appears at times that the judges don’t quite know what they’re supposed to do with him. When you think about it, it makes sense.

Bodybuilders from the so-called golden age of bodybuilding were physical culture Renaissance men.

They possessed a lithe, streamlined look that would be considered not thick enough compared to today’s behemoths.

The physiques more closely resembled ancient Greek statues than comic book drawings, and athletic prowess was valued above

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Apperson mass. Some would call the modern look progress; others would disagree. The wonderful thing about bodybuilding is that there s no right or wrong answer, only opinion. Unless you re in a competition, that is. In that case there is a right” opinion—the opinion of the judges.

“I wish they’d bring back the masters shows, says Lee. “It’s

Lee Apperson’s Sample Chest Programs Week 1 Incline barbell presses 2 x 30 x 135 1 x 10 x 185 2 x 8 x 275

harder to prepare for a contest when you know you re competing for 15th place.

In masters events Apperson is very competitive. At the ’08 Atlantic City Pro, where there was a masters contest, he finished second in the over-50 category. In masters events held from 1999 to 2003, he finished ninth, 11th, eighth, 14th and 15th.

When he competes against the “boys, he s a little less successful.

From 2004 to 2007—when there were no masters shows—Lee entered four competitions, placing outside of the top 15 every time.

Earlier in his career Lee was one of the top amateur bodybuilders in the country, winning the AAU Mr. America title in ’94 and ’95, the

NABBA Mr. USA in ’96 and the NPC Masters Nationals in ’98, when he earned his IFBB pro card. Lee also finished in the top 10 at the NABBA Mr. Universe in ’97 and ’98, just before he turned pro.

So what keeps a guy who s used to getting the good callouts going when he s relegated to the last ones? The process.

There are a lot of ways to stay in this game, Lee suggests. There s photography and writing, commentary and personal training, but I’m trying to forestall all of that for as long as I can.

There s also the faint hope that masters shows will come back into vogue. Should that happen, Lee feels that he ll have a built-in ad-

Cable crossovers (clavicle level) 1 x 20 x 50 1 x 15 x 70 1 x 10 x 120 Dumbbell bench presses 2 x 20 x 60s 1 x 15 x 90s 1 x 10 x 120s Week 2 Hammer Strength flat-bench presses (not upright type) 1 x 20 x 225 1 x 12 x 315 1 x 10 x 405 Incline dumbbell presses 1 x 15 x 70s 1 x 12 x 90s 1 x 10 x 110s Pec deck flyes

1 x 15 x 100 1 x 12 x 180 1 x 10 x 220

Week 3 Cable crossovers (at floor level; don’t raise handles higher than top of abs) 1 x 20 x 70 1 x 15 x 80 1 x 10 x 100 Pushups (handles on floor, feet on bench) 1 x 15 x bodyweight 1 x 12 x 45 Hammer Strength incline presses 1 x 20 x 225 1 x 12 x 315 1 x 10 x 405 144 NOVEMBER 2009 \ www.ironmanmagazine.com

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Apperson “The only thing I don’t do in my chest training is

flat-bench presses with a barbell.”

146 NOVEMBER 2009 \ www.ironmanmagazine.com

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vantage over the other competitors because he s stayed in the game while everyone else has been away from the grind of contest prep.

Then there s the small fact that he loves the competition, loves the prep and lifting, loves going through the process of getting ready for a show, meeting fans along the way and knowing that he s put forth his best effort.

If there s a word that best describes Lee Apperson s chest training, it’s different. He strives to hit the chest from different angles every week. There s nothing so out there that Lee won t try it at least once. If it works, he ll keep tweaking it and adapting it to his program.

The only thing I don t do in my chest training is flat-bench presses with a barbell, he reveals. His reason has to do with injury concerns.

At 50 I can t do some of the things I was doing at 20 or even at 40. You have to be conscious of that and keep yourself healthy.

In other words, it’s hard to build muscle when you re in a sling or recovering from surgery. Beyond that, Lee s chest training is a mishmash of machines, free weights, isometrics—you name it.

“I’m constantly working on finding new ways to use a machine, he says. Currently, Hammer Strength machines and dumbbells are two of his favorite tools.

When pressed on the dumbbell question, Lee confides that he prefers using them to a straight bar because they are the ultimate free weights. His training philosophy is built around developing muscle while maintaining a balanced phy sique. Using dumbbells gives him a greater range of motion, brings the stabilizing muscles into play and provides greater control while he s pounding the target muscle into submission.

Another point he makes is that newer doesn t always equate to better. Lee s evaluation of equipment can be summed up as follows: Was the guy who invented it smart in the 1950s? Was the guy who invented it smart today? All I care about is whether the machine in question properly works the muscle. Hearing a guy say, ‘Oh, they have new equipment, is useless. The real question is,

Does a gym have equipment that works?”

Speaking with Lee Apperson is like getting a chance to speak with bodybuilders of the ’50s and ’60s. Its refreshing to do a chesttraining interview that’s something more than just a rehash of the benefits of compound vs. isolation movements and pounding away at free weights until your pectorals quiver.

To most of us bodybuilding is about much more than that.

Bodybuilding is an important part of our daily lives. For Lee Ap person it’s much the same—he s just more accomplished at it than we are.

Editor s note: Lee Apperson is an IFBB pro based in Florida.

To contact him for guest posing, training or sponsorship, visit him at www.LeeApperson.com.

IM www.ironmanmagazine.com \ NOVEMBER 2009 147

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Presents

150 NOVEMBER 2009 \ www.ironmanmagazine.com

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Effective Back Training

LATS The

by Dustin Parsons

Photography by Michael Neveux

B

ack work has long been an area of controversy in strength training. Questions about lat development are especially prevalent: Is the lat pulldown the best and safest exercise for the latissimus dorsi?

Why are most people stronger on a lat pull or a pullup when they use a palms-up grip? Are the lats involved in row-type exercises? Does changing my arm position during rowing exercises affect which back muscles are worked?

A basic understanding of the anatomy and kinesiology of the latissimus dorsi and surrounding structures makes those questions much less intimidating.

Lat Anatomy The latissimus dorsi is a large muscle with a very broad origin on the vertebrae and ribs of the middle and lower back, tapering into a narrow insertion on the front of the head of the humerus on the upper arm. On the surface it runs in a mostly vertical fashion up the sides of the back, giving the upper body its V-shape. All of the muscle fibers in the latissimus dorsi are virtually parallel, making the entire muscle participate in the same action on the arm. That’s very different from

the pectoralis major, with its two heads and distinctly different fiber angles and actions on the arm. You cannot train parts of the latissimus dorsi.

Any discussion of the latissimus dorsi must include a mention of the teres major, which is commonly referred to as the “lats little helper because it contributes to the same action on the arm. It s impossible to train one without the other.

The origin of the teres major is on the lower edge of the shoulder blade, above the latissimus dorsi.

The insertion is on the head of the humerus, in virtually the same spot as the insertion of the latissimus. For that reason you should consider the teres major to be an extension of the latissimus dorsi.

Kinesiology The latissimus dorsi has two main actions involving the arm.

It functions in adduction—pulling the arm to the side of the body from an out-to-the-side position— and extension—pulling the arm down from a horizontal position straight out in front of the body.

Understanding those two primary actions will be a great tool for handling lat-exercise dilemmas.

Exercise and Development Lat pulldowns. The pulldown is indeed a great exercise for the latissimus dorsi. When performed with a variety of arm positions, there s probably no other exercise that targets the lats so effectively.

When you re using a wide grip, the motion is pure arm adduction.

A narrow grip—hands shoulder width—incorporates arm extension. An in-between grip gets in both extension and adduction. To most effectively train the lats, it’s best to use a variety of grip widths to work them in both of their prime actions.

One point to remember as we go through some additional points about pulldowns: The pullup is mechanically the same exercise as the pulldown, so the same principles apply.

There is one drawback to the lat pull. Repeated arms-over-the-head types of activities have been linked to shoulder-impingement syndrome. So if a physician has ever told you that you have or are prone to that condition, it’s advisable to use other exercises, such as rows, to train your lats.

Why are most people stronger on pulldowns and pullups when they use a palms-up grip? That has to do

www.ironmanmagazine.com \ NOVEMBER 2009 151

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1) Undergrip pulldowns 2) Wide-grip pulldowns 3) Close-grip cable rows 4) One-arm rows

3 4

with the biceps. Elbow flexion is a part of the lat pulldown movement, and the biceps are a primary muscle responsible for elbow flexion. The biceps have a mechanical advantage in elbow flexion when the palms are up, or supinated, as opposed to down, or pronated, partly because of the different positions of the radius, where the biceps insert, during pronation and supination of the hand.

The biceps contribute more force to the movement when your palms are up, causing you to produce more force in the exercise.

Rows. Now for the row dilemma.

The list of possible rowing exercises includes the seated cable row, T-bar row, bent-over dumbbell or barbell row and any machine that simulates those movements. The real question is, Do rows work the lats?

It all depends on the position of your arms. Keeping your elbows close to your sides during a row creates arm extension. As extension is a prime action of the latissimus dorsi, doing the exercise in that fashion does work the lats very well.

Doing the exercise with your elbows high, or arms perpendicular to the body, reduces the lats’ leverage. The movement becomes horizontal arm abduction, which is not a prime action of the lats. It is very much a prime action of the rear deltoids, teres minor and infraspinatus, so it’s not a very effective way to train the lats.

Understanding the above information can help you get the most effective results from your back training. If you haven’t already had to face these issues, it’s merely a matter of time before you do. Now you are armed with the facts that will lead you to professional solutions.

1

Model: Dave Goodin

2

152 NOVEMBER 2009 \ www.ironmanmagazine.com

Editor’s note: Dustin Parsons is certified by the International Sports Science Association, www.ISSAonline .edu. Contact him at parsons@ISAA online.com. For similar articles visit www.Bodybuilding.com. IM

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2009 Association of Oldetime Barbell and Strongmen Awards Dinner

by John Balik • Photography by Roland Balik • Illustrations by Jim Sanders I always look forward to the AOBS would see Bill Seno bench-pressing awards dinner because it’s much huge weights and generally trainmore than a dinner—it’s an all-day ing like a man possessed. Bill was a celebration that brings together world-class powerlifter housed in a those who enjoy the history of bodybuilder’s physique—an amazstrength and muscle and the people ing athlete. who created that history. Founded by I’ve photographed Carla Dunlap the late Vic Boff and now produced many times in her bodybuilding

by Artie career and had always found her to Drechsler, be a very elegant athlete with a sparthe event kling personality. I had asked Steve marked its Wennerstrom, chronicler of wom26th year in en’s sports and our mutual friend, 2009. to come to the event, as he was the Artie person who introduced Carla to and his bodybuilding. Family commitments team did a precluded his attendance, but I wonderful know he was there in spirit to honor job—it’s his friend of 25-plus years. I hadn’t a labor of seen Carla in 20 years and Bill in 40. love—in Are those numbers possible? Wow! creating As I’ve written many times, the and susreal pleasure of being a part of this taining world is the people. Some are great Bill Seno. this special champions who happen to be wonevent. The Association of Oldetime derful people, and others just share Barbell and Strongmen reunion is an our fascination with strength and opportunity to honor the legends of muscle. the iron game and to renew friendThe third honoree was Bruce ships. The iron game has many segWilhelm, whom I know through ments—from power and Olympic our mutual friend, the legendlifting to bodybuilding and strongary photographer Gene Mozée. I man exhibitions. If you use a barbell, will let Randy Strossen’s recap of you’re a part of it. The day included Bruce’s seminar give you a snapshot wonderful seminars given of Bruce. I was

by Tommy Kono and present at that Bruce Wilhelm, Strongseminar, and it man exhibitions and was a mixture of Olympic-lifting demonsolid information strations, plus the awards and wonderful dinner. anecdotes—a This year was esperollicking good cially memorable for me time. Gene would because two of the honhave loved being orees, Bill Seno and Carla there to honor Dunlap, have been a part his friend, but he of two different segments couldn’t make the of my life. In the early dinner because ’60s I sometimes trained he is his sister’s at the Sayre Park Field primary caregiver.

His dedication to house in Chicago, and I Carla Dunlap.

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her is a measure of his character.

Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to attend Tommy Kono’s seminar, but I did see Randy Strossen’s. I have, of course, read Tommy’s book Weightlifting, Olympic Style. Much more than a training manual, it’s a historical document written by the most accomplished Olympic weightlifter the United States has ever produced. The writing is very personal and inspiring, and the book is a must-have for anyone interested in exploring the mind of a champion and discovering a treasure trove of training wisdom.

Bob Goldman, M.D., is Bruce Wilhelm. a very strong supporter of the AOBS, and I had the pleasure of being a part of his table at dinner. “Dr. Bob,” as always, was a gracious host. Denie Walter, who was editor in chief of Dan Lurie’s Muscle Training Illustrated, sat next to Dr. Bob and was his usual font of enthusiasm. The ageless Bill Grant sat across from me, as did IRON MAN scribe Roger Schwab.

Roger always brings a special intelligence to any gathering, and his enthusiasm was fun to experience.

Next to him was John Heck, a friend from the ’70s, a lifelong bodybuilder whom I first met in the health-foods business. Next to me was my son Roland, who came up from Delaware to photograph the event for IRON MAN. Great job, Roland. To see all of the pictures is a reminder of a wonderful day now secure in my memory.

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Carla Dunlap.

Bill Seno.

Carla Dunlap and Artie Drechsler.

Joe Rollino.

Bruce Wilhelm.

Joe Abenda and Roger Schwab.

Isaac Berger and Bill Grant.

Tommy Kono.

John Balik and Bill Grant.

Denie Walters, Doris Barrilleaux and Dr. Bob Goldman.

Bill Seno.

Deborah Diana, Doris Barrilleaux and Carla Dunlap. www.ironmanmagazine.com \ NOVEMBER 2009 161

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Wisdom From the Top Tommy Kono and Bruce Wilhelm Seminars

by Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D.

Tommy Kono.

Two things that make the annual Association of Oldetime Barbell and Strongmen reunions unique are the quality and type of people leading the seminars. This year Tommy Kono and Bruce Wilhelm did the honors.

Let me introduce Tommy Kono by saying that one year at the Arnold Expo, the man himself pointed to Tommy Kono, saying how as a youth he wanted to be “studly” like Tommy—so muscular and strong. How’s that for a compliment? When’s the last time Arnold said that about you? Of course, Tommy Kono deserves no less, as he’s an Olympic gold medalist, world champion and world-record holder. He’s considered one of the all-time greats in the sport of Olympic weightlifting, and for a time he was a pretty impressive bodybuilder.

Somewhere along the way, the mild-mannered, bespectacled Tommy Kono became a radical of sorts, in that he’s not afraid to point out rampant technical flaws he sees in lifters. He’s also not shy about saying that with the stagnation in U.S. national weightlifting records, it’s time to give ourselves a swift kick in the rear end if we’re tired of sending American weightlifters to the world championships or the Olympics and usually have them not even break into the top 10.

“We have coaches galore,” Tommy says, “but where are the medals?” And lest you think that Tommy’s just an iconoclast, he’s not—he’s been at the very pinnacle of the weightlifting world, which takes a rare streak of individuality, so that’s what’s coming through here. As he learned when he was a lifter, “You are on the platform by yourself,” and people who have enough spine for that, if they’re lucky, can transfer that perspective and skill set to other walks of their lives.

That was the gist of Tommy’s talk at the AOBS: Lifters need to improve their technique, and as a nation the United States needs to improve its performances if it’s ever to return to days of glory in the world of international weightlifting competition.

If that’s too abstract for your tastes and in case you haven’t quite finished reading his book, here are three quick tips guaranteed to add some kilos to your next snatch and clean and jerk: 1) Maintain a strong arch in your back when you pull.

2) Start slowly when you pull the bar from the floor.

3) Stand tall when you finish your pull.

Bruce Wilhelm.

162 NOVEMBER 2009 \ www.ironmanmagazine.com

Finally, with all this emphasis on correct pulling, don’t underestimate the importance of the jerk: Tommy Kono recommends that it be treated as a lift unto itself.

A 2009 AOBS honoree, Bruce Wilhelm was world-class in three Olympic sports—track, wrestling and weightlifting—and at the ’76 Olympics he tied for third on the total, but his bodyweight bumped him down to fifth place. Still, he had the second highest snatch, so he got a world championships silver medal to prove his excellence in Montreal. Funny thing, though, in some ways

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Bruce is even better known for winning what he refers to as “the so-called World’s Strongest Man contest.”

Besides his tremendous athletic ability and great strength, Bruce Wilhelm was never a shy person.

“Holding forth” has been noted as what Bruce does best, and while he once said, “I should have been a clown,” he then added, “I am a clown.” The man is all of these things. In addition, he’s a great student of lifting history. Because he doesn’t suffer fools or charlatans gladly, Bruce Wilhelm is an unusually good source when you’re trying to sort the wheat from the chaff in the lifting world.

Weighing a svelte 235 pounds these days, roughly 100 pounds below his competition bodyweight, Bruce has never been one to be fooled by gimmicks, and he made fun of the guys who are busily banging away on event training for the first couple of World’s Strongest Man contests—Bruce was adamantly op-

Tommy Kono on Iron Man’s July 1950 cover . posed to that approach. “Strong is strong,” he declared. For him it was simple: The Olympic lifts and squats were the basics that would get you

where you wanted to go. Bruce has two World’s Strongest Man titles, not to mention the subsequent fame and fortune, to prove his point.

Since he’s a guy who likes to fly first class, aspires to see his name on cranes worldwide and has the experience of paying private-school tuition for his kids, it might be especially worth noting the importance Bruce Wilhelm places on not having things too easy if you want to succeed as an athlete. Wilhelm applied the starving artist model to his athletic career, and he’s emphatic that it hardened his resolve and improved his performance. By extension, making things too easy for an athlete could be his undoing ather than making—a point that jibes with Tommy Kono’s experience as well. IM Editor’s note: Randall Strossen and IronMind are well known throughout the strength world; please visit IronMind on the Web at www.IronMind.com. IM

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166 NOVEMBER 2009 \ www.ironmanmagazine.com

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Heavy

The Wisdom of Mike Mentzer

Duty

Every so often we reach back into the archives and run a Heavy Duty Q&A written by Mike Mentzer. This one appeared in the June ’00

IRON MAN.

Balik \ Model: Mike Mentzer

Q: Where I live on the East Coast, a number of high-intensity body builders and trainers emphasize something called superslow training, in which you take 10 seconds to do the positive portion of the rep and 10 seconds to do the negative, or lowering, portion. I tried it in my last workout and found it tedious. How do you feel about superslow training? Also, just how important is the issue of rep speed? It s one of those aspects of exercise that I’ve never thought much about.

A: Every aspect of weight training is important, including rep speed. None of the studies I’ve seen that declare the superiority of volume training have ever mentioned the issue of rep speed. That alone makes such research highly suspect.

I don t agree, however, with the super slow advocates that a 10/10 cadence is imperative. While most of the support for that idea is merely anecdotal, Ken Hutchins of the Super Slow Exercise Guild claims that lifting and lowering a weight any faster than eight seconds on each part of the rep brings momentum into play, thereby reducing the intensity of the muscular contraction. My own observation of my clients’ training tells me that Hutchins’ assertion isn t true. In fact, Hutchins and the other superslow advocates don t even refer to rep speed”; instead, they talk about time. Speed is defined in terms of relative rate of motion, such as driving a car at 60 miles per hour. In weight training that might equate to performing pulldowns at one foot per second. So their intellectual base is founded on a false premise.

Years ago Arthur Jones and the Nautilus www.ironmanmagazine.com \ NOVEMBER 2009 167

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Heavy

Duty

Company conducted studies of subjects lifting weights while standing on a force plate. When the subjects employed any sudden jerking, yanking or thrusting to get the weight started and/or to keep it moving, momentum came into play. In extreme cases using momentum led to the muscles’ getting resistance only at the start and the end of a movement, with little or none through most of the arc of motion. That’s a highly undesirable situation, as you need resistance throughout the

rep to ensure complete development. Thrust and momentum are outside forces. When they come into play during weight training, they reduce the force, or intensity, of the muscle contraction and so reduce the growth stimulation. Contraction intensity is the primary factor in exercise science.

The only significant point about rep speed is that you must lift and lower the weight with full muscular control—control being the key word. Initiate each movement de-

168 NOVEMBER 2009 \ www.ironmanmagazine.com

liberately, with no sudden jerking or thrusting, proceed under strict control through the positive portion of the repetition, pause for three seconds in the contracted position and lower under strict control.

There’s no length of time that’s absolutely best. It would be impossible to conduct a study that would discover the optimum rep speed; however, Arthur Jones and others, including me, have found that a four/three/four cadence—four seconds up, three seconds holding

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stimulation. in the contracted position and four seconds down—is enough to avoid creating momentum and give you full, high-intensity muscular contractions.

Remember also that you’re a bodybuilder, not a weightlifter. Your primary purpose is not to hoist the heaviest weights possible but to achieve maximum muscle contractions to induce optimum growth stimulation. Lifting and lowering weights smoothly, evenly and slowly—but not superslowly—under

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As a bodybuilder your primary purpose is not to hoist the heaviest weights possible but to achieve maximum muscle contraction to induce optimum growth

strict control helps you do just that.

Using a standardized cadence, such as four/three/four, will also prove invaluable in accurately measuring your training progress, another issue of great importance in a scientific approach to exercise.

If you perform your reps at varying speeds from workout to workout, you won’t know how much work the muscle is performing. You may think you’re progressing when, in fact, you’re regressing, and vice versa—as occurred in the studies

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Heavy

A slower, steady cadence is safer. I see many trainees literally bounce the weight up, with no pause. mentioned above.

A somewhat slower, steady cadence is safer as well. I see many trainees literally bounce the weight up, with no pause in the contracted position, and then let it flop back down without any control during the negative movement. That minimizes the stress on the muscle, making the exercise much less productive, and it causes the forces involved to increase well beyond those of the actual weight, greatly increasing the risk of injury to the muscles, joints and connective tissue.

Q: I’m a personal trainer in New Jersey with a clientele of about 30 people. I recently switched to Heavy Duty, high-intensity training, but I’m having a problem convincing people that one set per exercise is all they need. How do you deal with that issue?

A: Some people have a hard time switching from the blind, nontheoretical, volume approach to high intensity, even when they’ve accepted it intellectually. That’s due largely to subconscious biases about doing only one set. Most have the idea that since $100 is better than $1, doing more sets is better than doing fewer. The fallacy in that argument

is known as “context switching”— that is, taking a principle from one context, such as economics, and applying it blindly to another, in this case exercise science. That’s something you can explain to your clients: You can’t take a principle from one context and misapply it to another and expect to get meaningful results.

You can also tell them that they’re so mesmerized by the number one that they fail to consider the nature of what that one thing is. The solution is to alter their standard of notation. A properly performed high-intensity set of 10 reps to failure involves lifting the weight under full control to work positive strength, holding it in the contracted position for two to three seconds to work static strength and then lowering it slowly to work negative strength. That’s quite different from the norm, as described above. Each rep consists of three distinct elements, so in a set of 10 reps there are a total of 30 units of exercise.

Years ago I wrote an article titled “The Loneliest Number.” In it I explained to skeptics of the one-set idea that it takes only one bullet to kill a person, only one well-placed blow from a hammer to stimulate an explosion with a stick of dynamite and only one sperm to fertilize

170 NOVEMBER 2009 \ www.ironmanmagazine.com

an ovum. So, why can’t one set to failure of an exercise be sufficient to stimulate an optimal increase in strength and muscular size?

If people deny the possibility that your point may be true, say to them, “If you’re certain that one set is not enough to stimulate an increase, then you need to tell me precisely how many sets are required.” At that point they won’t have a clue as how to answer, or they’ll simply mimic the bodybuilding orthodoxy and the exercise science establishment, citing the arbitrary number four.

Of course, the best way to convince someone of the effectiveness of one-set training is to marshal the evidence. You might cite Dorian Yates, Casey Viator, Ray Mentzer, Aaron Baker, David Paul, Roland Kickinger and me. Also, you can refer to my past articles and my Web site, www.MikeMentzer.com, which feature numerous verifiable success stories.

Editor’s note: For a complete presentation of Mike Mentzer’s Heavy Duty training system, consult his books Heavy Duty II, High Intensity Training the Mike Mentzer Way and The Wisdom of Mike Mentzer, which are available from Mentzer’s official Web site, www.MikeMentzer.com. See the ad on the opposite page. IM

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Duty

Power Specializing on the Bench Press and the Deadlift, PART 1

by Sean Katterle Do the thing, and you shall have the power: but they who do not the thing have not the power.

—Ralph Waldo Emerson

A

s the fitness industry continues to grow by leaps and bounds, the number of training gurus also grows exponentially.With each new fad and system the blueprint becomes increasingly more complicated. You ve got Russian Smolov, High-Intensity Training, Bill Starr s 5x5, Progressive Periodization,Westside Barbell, Joe Aver age, Rippetoe s Starting Strength, Sheiko Training, the Poliquin Principles, Cross Fit, Plyometrics, Dinosaur Training, Positions of Flexion, German Volume Training, the Weider Principles, the double split (made famous and partially created by Schwarzenegger and his training partners) and so on and so forth.

With all these training programs, systems and theories within reach of anyone who has access to the Internet or to a bookstore, the ongoing debate, not surprisingly, revolves around which system works best for who and who should be employing which work out. The abundance of choices

causes novice lifters to change their training plans the way they change their socks. It s rare for beginning lifters to give a system a year s time to prove its worth and return on investment.

This is the first in a series of Power Surge installments written specifically for people whose main priority in the gym is to deadlift (without a powerlifting suit) and bench-press (without a bench super shirt) the most weight they can possibly lift for one to three reps. If you ve got other iron goals that are higher up on your Maslow s Pyramid, then you probably shouldn t commit yourself to following this series and morphing into a benching and pulling monster. But if you look in the mirror and dream about having the build of a national-level push-puller—thick, dense back muscles, titanic traps, a bull s neck, corded muscles running down your arms, boulder-sized front delts and a physique that’s built for a burst of maximal power output—then this might be the

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program for you!

Nutrition Notes Out of all the factors that influence your success in training, the four that are most important are, in order, nutrition, rest, training and biochemistry and genetics.

The majority of steroid-using weightlifters are using way more anabolics than they really need to maximize their gains. Most steroid gurus at the gym, if they’re being honest, will cite test dosages ranging from 500 to 2,000 milligrams per week! And then on top of that they’ll discuss the options of orals plus additional injectables.

All that notwithstanding, on just a 250-milligram shot of doctor-prescribed testosterone for HRT, my levels jumped up the point scale to 1,600! It was 160 percent of the very top end of what experts believe a natural collegiate athlete s testosterone levels could be. I’m suggesting that anyone interested in HRT should avoid the street dealers

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With a lion’s roar Al Davis successfully defended his Kings of the Bench title yet again, becoming a three-time heavyweight champ. Davis has twice gone over 600 pounds on MHP’s pro platform, but this year he had to settle for a 560-pound effort, due to his battling a severe head cold on the contest weekend. Davis is also a former NPC Ronnie Coleman Classic heavyweight bodybuilding champion. See more contest coverage on page 180.

Photo courtesy of Josh Winsor

SURGE

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and Internet suppliers entirely and instead meet with an open-minded but safe-thinking endocrinologist and get some advanced blood work done. After that the doctor can put you on a program that will adjust your body’s chemicals so you’re best prepared for the rigors of heavy training and the recovery demands it imposes.

How far can lifters take their strength levels without the aid of prescription strength anabolics? One of the best examples of success is Brian Siders. For years he competed in USA Powerlifting and the International Powerlifting Federation. Because he pushed himself to the top of the heap, he was randomly and routinely tested for steroids. Not only did they test him at competitions, but he had to keep the IPF informed as to his whereabouts so they could show up unannounced at any time and insist on his taking yet another piss test.

Brian also consented to being polygraphed by a professional tester, and he passed every lie detector and fluid-based test he was given. So, assuming that all the testing validates him as being drug-free for his entire powerlifting career, we can look at his results as having stemmed from

years of scientific training, intelligent recovery methods and advanced nutritional intake and supplementation. What’s more, without the artificial boost of powerlifting suits and bench press shirts, Brian has competition squatted 785 pounds, benchpressed 650 pounds and deadlifted 810 pounds at a bulked up, mid-300pounds bodyweight. Simply put, he is a giant with the power to match his mass.

For years now Siders has worked with the folks at MHP on his nutrition and supplementation. With their guidance and support he’s captured national and world powerlifting titles—in the largest federation in the world, with the most competitors— and he’s now doing battle at highprofile shows such as the World’s Strongest Man, Arnold Strongman Classic and Canada’s Fortissimus.

To get the lowdown on what exactly Brian Siders is taking, I contacted MHP’s headquarters to find out what was in Brian’s shipment every month and the science behind those products. Here’s what I learned: Before every training session Brian takes MHP’s Dark Rage. What makes Dark Rage’s pumps so immense is their ability to stimulate the release

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Neveux \ Model: Greg Smyers

Lifters in their teens, 20s and 30s have the most potential for making real leaps in their performance and ability, and more rest equals more priceless growth hormone output.

of a powerful hormone, erythropoietin, or EPO, which increases red blood cell production and blood volume. Pumps come as the result of delivering more blood to muscle tissue, so while the use of nitric oxide– stimulating ingredients like arginine alpha-ketoglutarate—AAKG—and arginine are somewhat effective because they cause vasodialation, they do not increase blood volume.

Dark Rage’s dual EPO-NO action causes what scientists call “hemodynamic blood plasma vasodialation”: Basically, a larger supply of EPO-induced blood is transported through nitric oxide–induced vasodialated veins and capillaries to muscle tissue. That not only increases the size and effects of the muscle pump but also has a profound muscle-building effect as it engorges your muscle tissue with Dark Rage’s other active ingredients, including creatine, beta-alanine, BCAAs, AAKG and arginine, among others. Furthermore, increased blood supply also means increased oxygen supply, so it enhances Siders’ performance and delays muscle fatigue.

After training Brian takes MHP’s Dark Matter because it’s absorbed faster than whey isolate. Also, the

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WaxiMAX-C3G spikes his insulin and the HydroSIZE creatine transport replenishes his glycogen and increases the volume of his cells.

In addition to the pre- and postworkout supplements, Brian drinks shakes containing MHP’s Up Your Mass or Probolic protein powders between his regular high-quality solid-food meals. Up Your Mass provides the precise percentages of macronutrients his body needs to create tremendous muscle size and strength—45/35/20—and the sus-

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Calves are probably the least worked muscles in powerlifting.

tained-release, bio-engineered protein in MHP’s Probolic has the amino acid makeup and nitrogen-retention properties that trigger muscle growth and keep him in a prolonged anabolic state.

The final MHP product Brian uses on a daily basis is A-Bomb, a supplement that triggers genetic muscle-building machinery from multiple pathways and synergistic anabolic actions. The first is the nutrient-dependent pathway, in which A-Bomb uses specific amino acids and nutrients to adjust signaling through pathways traditionally triggered by hormones. The second is the insulin-dependent pathway, in which A-Bomb has the unique ability to facilitate the release of insulin without raising blood sugar.

Rest Quotient Now that we’ve gotten the biochemistry out of the way, let’s talk about rest. The need for getting enough rest is often undervalued by younger athletes. That’s unfortunate

because lifters in their teens, 20s and 30s have the most potential for making real leaps in their performance and ability, and more rest equals more priceless growth hormone output. No wonder they say youth is often wasted on the young. Nonetheless, here’s my one sales pitch for convincing you that rest is one of the most crucial factors when you’re training for explosive and forceful physical strength.

1) A larger muscle takes longer to recover than a smaller muscle does.

So the larger your muscles get, the more time they need to recuperate once you’ve trained them properly.

2) Your body has two main types of muscle fibers, red and white. The red are the slow-twitch, endurance fibers, and the white are the fasttwitch fibers that are best suited for power movements. Powerlifting is all about white muscle fibers because it’s an explosive, one-rep-maximallifting competition. Large white muscle fibers take longer to recover than red muscle fibers and the smaller white muscle fibers.

3) The deadlift and bench press are both full-range compound movements that tend to cause more microtrauma to connective tissue, a.k.a. ligaments and tendons, and so the connective tissues of power athletes need more time to recover between training sessions.

4) The deadlift and bench press are also movements that, together, involve all of the body’s largest muscle groups—the butt, legs, back and chest. Since those larger muscles need more time to rebound than the smaller muscles do—you guessed it—that factor adds to the rest time that push-pullers need between training sessions.

What’s the right amount of rest time between training days? For competition push-pullers I’d say three to four days off between bench press sessions and four to five days off between deadlifting sessions.

Where did I come up with those numbers? Mostly from group consensus but also from the four pointers I just made. Athletes who are getting eight or more hours of quality sleep per night, optimum nutrition and who are more naturally inclined to be strong can probably get away with 72-hour rest periods between bench and even deadlift training sessions, but most of us aren’t function-

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CONTEST COVERAGE MHP’s Kings of the Bench III and Clash of the Titans II Photos courtesy of Josh Winsor

F

or the fourth time gravity gladiators from all over the country—plus one superbencher from Switzerland— donned their weightlifting belts, chalked up their hands and prepared to face off against each other on MHP’s professional powerlifting stage. This year’s event was held at the ’09 Ronnie Coleman Classic Expo in Mesquite, Texas, just east of Dallas.

Previous MHP title-sponsored super showdowns have taken place at two Olympia Expos and one Europa Super Show, and the status of those events increased the turnout to a record number of power sport pros.

Once again, in keeping with our classic lifting format, the equipment was limited to knee wraps, wrist wraps, powerlifting belts and chalk. Bench press super shirts and powerlifting suits were not allowed. All the competitors had to walk their squats out in the traditional manner. Our weigh-in took place just two hours before the competition started, so the lifters were vying for titles under their legitimate bodyweights and not at a lighter weight class thanks to dehydration techniques.

The judging was very fair, but the contestants were forced to convincingly break parallel with their squats; follow start, press and rack commands on the

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Scott Smith of Bloomington, Illinois, arrived with an impressive résumé, and he did not disappoint.

Smith not only took the 275-pound division, but he also bested the superheavyweights by squatting 830 pounds, benching 550 and pulling up 750 pounds of bar weight for the biggest total in MHP Pro Powerlifting to date—2,130.

North Georgia Barbell Club in Kennesaw, just outside Atlanta, is one of the top-flight weight clubs in the United States. Its coach, Jon Grove, is a battle-scarred veteran of many national and worldlevel showdowns. Grove’s somewhat chronic pec/delt inflammation and partially healed muscle tear caused him to only take a token bench attempt, but he wowed the Dallas audience with a deep 750-pound squat and a 700pound deadlift. If he’d been able to bench heavy, Grove would have had a good shot at winning the heavyweight division, and he’ll definitely be a prize-money contender when we run our next single-lift competition.

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At 43 years young Jesse Kellum made it clear to the powerlifting public that up-and-comers were running out of time to take a shot at “the old man” in an open division. Kellum’s callout got some quality responses, but no one was quite up to the task in Dallas. Coming in to the show seven pounds under the 225-pound weight requirement, Kellum won the middleweight title with a huge 750-pound squat, a 520 bench and a 680-pound deadlift!

bench and avoid hitching or only partially locking out their deadlifts if they wanted the attempts to count.

For all of you who couldn’t make the trip to this year’s trade show, you can catch all the lifting on video thanks to the folks at Bodybuilding.com. Simply log on and do a search for “2009 Kings of the Bench,” and you can see more than nine hours of streaming video—from front-and-center and roaming onstage camera angles.

Thanks entirely to MHP the cash prizes totaled $10,000. In addition, we were able to give out more than $2,000 in prizes from www.SLAPPA.com and www.EOSportsGear.com, making this year’s event the biggest payout of the four promotions we’ve put together so far.

Brandon “C4” Cass actually got 850 pounds moving off the floor—almost four times his bodyweight!—after blowing up a 770 to take second place in the middleweights.

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ing in an ideal setting for strength sports. The safe bet is to give yourself the four- and five-day layoffs and experiment with briefer rest periods, then chart your progress and see what schedule works best for you.

Here’s how that training pattern would lay out over the first 30 days: Bench press–building sessions on days 1, 5, 9, 13, 17, 21, 25 and 29 Deadlift-building sessions on days 2, 7, 12, 17 (combined with bench), 22 and 27 Rest with or without cardio and calf training on days 3, 4, 6, 8, 10, 11, 14, 15, 16, 18, 19, 20, 23, 24, 26, 28 and 30 That’s still eight intense bench days and six intense deadlift days over roughly a month. Out of 30 calendar days you’ll put in 14 heavy training days, and that’s enough. As for the cardio sessions on off days, I’m talking low-to-moderate intensity for a standard 30-to-60-minute fitness session.

Why did I randomly throw calf training into the mix? The calves are made up mostly of small red muscle fibers, so they recover very quickly and usually respond best to training sessions that take place as soon as the muscle soreness from the last calf training session has fully subsid-

Neveux \ Model: Daniele Seccarecci

The deadlift and bench press are both full range compound movements that tend to cause more microtrauma to connective tissue.

ed. Also, the calves are probably the least worked muscles in powerlifting, as is evident in all the competitive powerlifters who’ve got hulking torsos, arms and upper legs—and chickenlike lower legs sticking out of the bottom of their shorts. So there’s nothing wrong with putting in some time working your calves above and beyond what your bench and deadlift training requires from them.

Consider also the factor of rest between work sets. You’re welcome to warm up at a speed that suits the way your muscles respond best. For me it’s simply a matter of 10 to 20 minutes of medium-paced walking followed by a few mid-to-high-rep sets done with 45 to 135 pounds on the bar and then a few rotator cuff exercises before benching and by a few hamstring and hip stretches before deadlifting. Even so, once the working sets start, your body will need at least two to four minutes between sets, and, since most of us don’t want to sit there with a stopwatch, I suggest paying attention to the music you’re listening to and letting one song go by before you start into your next set. That’s an easier way to gauge the time than staring at a watch, especially when you could be people watching and having fun visiting with your training partners

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instead while letting your ears monitor your rest intervals.

Taking two to four minutes between sets might not give you the incredible pumped feeling that bodybuilding does, but it’s more conducive to making strength gains.

During heavy lifting, your energy requirements are fulfilled by metabolic processes that are not dependent on oxygen consumption. Your body needs more ATP than its oxygen delivery system can supply. When you go into oxygen debt, your system relies on ATP, creatine phosphate and glycogen to make up the difference.

To quote Fred Hatfield, Ph.D., “When there is no more available glycogen, the level of lactic acid in your muscles builds and you experience muscle fatigue. Oxygen is then required in order for you to continue....

If you cannot [recover] or if you don’t have enough time to recover, you will not be able to [lift] as explosively as when you were fresh.”

So you want to approach each working set feeling as recovered and fresh as possible without your muscles becoming cold—and that’s where the two-to-four-minute-rest rule stems from.

To quote the great Dr. Squat once more: “To be great, get lazy!”

The final element of the rest factor is the general rest and sleep you get every day. It’s crucial that you log in at least six to eight hours of sleep at night and that, if at all possible, you take one or two 30-minute naps during the day. Whether it’s taking an extra 30 minutes of lunch break at work or lying down on the couch to watch the news or read a book after you get home, do what you can to get some downtime when your body asks you for it. Don’t fight off fatigue with caffeine, energy pills or drinks or cold water splashed on your face.

If your system’s telling you that you need to lie down for a few minutes, give in to that urge if at all possible.

You’ll be glad you did when you get that new personal-best lift in the gym.

Taking a siesta isn’t culturally embraced in all parts of the world, but it should be. View your resting as seriously as you view your lifting. You wouldn’t miss a training day, right?

Then don’t miss a 30-minute nap either. Get lazy and snooze your way to greatness in the iron game.

I’ll get into training details in Part 2. IM

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by Eric Broser If you find something on the Web that IM readers should know about, send the URL to Eric at bodyfx2@aol.com.

>www.AnthonyPresciano.com Looking at him now, you’d hardly believe that Anthony Presciano fought a serious battle with childhood obesity. Until the age of 14 he was badly overweight and lacked the education or desire to make a change.

When he entered middle school in 1989, however, Anthony decided to try out for the football team, and with the guidance of his older brother he lost more than 40 pounds between the seventh and eighth grades.

His passion for football and improving his physique continued throughout high school and college, where he found his greatest fulfillment in hitting the field and the gym with the utmost intensity. He also threw himself into his studies and maintained a 3.5 GPA while focusing on nutrition, exercise physiology and business management. That led him to leave college in his senior year and open two retail nutrition stores in order to put his knowledge to work in the real world.

In 2001, while living in Florida and running his business, Anthony was given the incredible opportunity to try out for the Dallas Cowboys’ 2001 roster. Sadly, his dream of playing in the NFL came to a screeching halt when he severely tore his left hamstring while testing for the 40-yard sprint. Although he worked hard for six months to rehabilitate his injured leg, he was unable to bring his NFL dream to fruition.

Despite that major disappointment, Anthony 186 NOVEMBER 2009 \ www.ironmanmagazine.com

stayed in top shape year-round, which is what eventually propelled him to a career with BSN, one of the biggest and most successful sports supplement companies in the fitness and bodybuilding industry. He now works full-time as BSN’s director of customer service, while representing Team BSN at industry events, expos and media campaigns as the company’s main spokesperson.

His Web site is one of the more impressive that I have seen among fitness celebrities and bodybuilders. There are tons of valuable information about the training, diet and supplementation regimens that have enabled Anthony to obtain one of the most muscular and chiseled physiques in the industry, as well as a photo gallery, up-todate blog and even downloadable podcasts. Anthony Presciano is a rising star, and with his drive and determination, along with the backing of supplement juggernaut BSN, we are likely to see more and more from him in the years to come.

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>DVD Review: “Raising the Bar 3” While most bodybuilding DVDs look very much alike, “Raising the Bar” stands alone. It peels away layer after layer to reveal the true emotion, passion, psychology and mind-set that fuel athletes’ relentless pursuit of the heights in this often misunderstood sport. It’s the story of top amateur bodybuilder Dave Pulcinella and the intense emotional journey that he undertook while preparing for his final attempt to turn pro at the ’07 IFBB North American Championships.

In viewing “RTB 3” I found myself laughing at some points and nearly crying at others. The story is both inspirational and educational, carrying with it some powerful lessons, not only about bodybuilding but life itself. Here’s one destined to

become a classic, and I highly recommend it to any trainee who’s chasing a dream. It’s not only a great film but, in my opinion, a very important one. It’s available at www.MikePulcinella.com.

>Broser’s Net Results Q&A

intensity. The beta-alanine helps increase intracellular carnosine, which acts as a buffer and helps soak up hydrogen ions and keep muscle pH stable. That enables you to lift with greater intensity for longer periods, which is necessary for stimulating hypertrophy. My recommendation is about three grams on an empty stomach 45 minutes before training.

I also recommend branchedchain amino acids. Aside from the documented positive effects BCAAs have on protein synthesis, staving off catabolism, increasing nitrogen retention and helping burn bodyfat, they assist in delaying overall fatigue while you train. During an intense workout plasma BCAAs begin to drop while tryptophan goes up. Tryptophan is a direct precursor of serotonin, a brain neurotransmitter whose function is to depress the central nervous system, producing feelings of calmness and fatigue—obviously not something you want when training hard and heavy. Proper use of BCAAs will balance out the tryptophan and keep serotonin at bay in the gym. That results in improved mental and physical performance. Add 10 to 15 grams of BCAAs to your water bottle and sip it throughout your workout.

Write to me after implementing the supplement strategy and let me know how your workouts are going.

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

Q: Right now I’m trying to gain lean mass, so I’m keeping my diet pretty tight. I’m happy with my results so far; however, I’m finding that during my workouts I’m strong for the first half and then begin to fall off badly. That happens after only about 40 to 45 minutes. I supplement with creatine and an NO booster preworkout, but I don’t use stimulants because I get too jittery. I also drink tons of water while training. What can I do?

A: Since you’re keeping your diet tight, I’ll assume that you’re on maintenance calories or perhaps even below that, which could be the cause of your midworkout shutdown, especially if your fat and/or carbohydrate levels are too low. Make sure you’re fueling your workouts with adequate carb or fat, as you don’t want to use protein for anything but muscle repair and growth. Personally I find that a preworkout “meal” of whey protein and a good dose of healthful fats from natural peanut butter, almonds or walnuts keeps my blood sugar and energy stable throughout my 90-minute workouts. I find I’m not quite as productive with preworkout carbs as I am with fats. That’s something you can try if you’re not already doing it.

As for supplements, you’re off to a good start with creatine and a quality NO booster, but I do have suggestions. You’re truly missing the boat if you don’t combine beta-alanine with your creatine before you train. As you continue through an intense workout, more and more hydrogen ions build up, which lowers pH within muscles, creating a more acidic environment.

That acidity reduces performance by compromising the muscles’ ability to contract forcefully against resistance—and you end up with less-than-optimal training

Q. I have been using the basic P/RR/S training protocol for a year straight and have experienced my best gains thus far. Without a doubt my favorite week is Shock because it’s the most brutal and challenging. I read somewhere that there are advanced Shock-week techniques. Can you describe them? Will you be making a DVD about those as well? www.ironmanmagazine.com \ NOVEMBER 2009 187

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Neveux \ Model: MIke Icolari

have experienced this on barbell curls, but Shock-week you can also use technique: it successfully Pause reps are (and painfully) brutal. on many other movements.

Pause reps: With pause reps you pause for two to three seconds in the middle of each repetition.

Sometimes I use concentric pauses and at other times eccentric pauses.

When particularly suicidal, you could use pauses during both contractions. Using lying leg curls as an example, if you were performing concentric pauses, you’d lift the weight halfway, hold for two to three seconds, then complete the repetition and lower once again to the starting point. With eccentric pauses you’d raise the weight to the top position, lower slowly halfway, hold for two to three seconds, and then lower to the bottom and repeat. As I mentioned, if you’re in the mood for some true torture, you could pause during both the concentric and eccentric contractions. Trust me when I say that the technique is extremely intense and challenging.

Heavy/light sets: This is one of my favorite ways to approach Shock week, as it truly screams growth.

The premise here is simple: For each Shock superset you do the first exercise power style for four to six reps, and the second for either 13 to 15 or 16 to 20 reps— depending on the size of the bodypart. When performing a heavy/light drop set, choose a weight that gives you only four to six reps to failure, with a quick drop to a light enough poundage to get another 13 to 15 or 16 to 20 reps. Let me tell you, that stuff is no joke.

So there you have it: Four new ways to spice up your Shock week workouts for even more growth-generating pain. As for an advanced technique P/RR/S DVD—well, you never know.

A. Wow, pretty rare to hear someone say that Shock is his favorite P/RR/S week. Most P/RR/S users say they like Power week because they love to lift heavy, or Rep Range week because of the great pump it induces.

I think the majority of Team P/RR/S—which is what I call those who use my program—have kind of a love/ hate relationship with Shock week because it can be brutal, painful and nauseating, yet it produces a worked sensation in the muscles as no other form of training does. When I do Shock week, my purpose is to see just how much I can take—how far I’m willing to go to grow.

And, yes, I both love and hate how it makes me feel.

There certainly are advanced Shock week techniques, which I have written about many times right here in IRON MAN and on my P/RR/S discussion board. Since that’s something you’re interested in, however, I’m assuming others are missing that info.

Here are some of my favorite advanced Shock protocols: 1 1/2 reps: Perform a half rep followed by a full rep or vice versa, depending on the exercise and/or your preference. For example, if you’re doing pullups, you could begin at full stretch, pull all the way up, lower yourself slowly halfway, pull up again, then lower slowly to the start position. That’s one repetition. You could also begin with a half rep and follow with a full rep, which again would equal a single 1 1/2 rep. The technique works really well for chest and shoulder presses, curling movements and quad exercises like extensions, leg presses and squats—where they’re particularly insane.

5/5/5 sets: Here you perform a set of 15 repetitions broken into three distinct parts. The first five reps are half reps—from the beginning to midpoint of the concentric contraction. The next five are half reps—from the midpoint to the completion of the concentric contraction. Finally, you do five full reps. Most trainees 188 NOVEMBER 2009 \ www.ironmanmagazine.com

Editor’s note: Eric Broser’s new DVD “Power/Rep Range/Shock MaxMass Training System” is available at Home-Gym.com. His e-book, Power/Rep Range/Shock Workout, which includes complete printable workout templates and a big Q&A section, is available at www .X-traordinaryWorkouts.com. IM

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OFXT&W JFXT LONNIE TEPER’S

’09 USA Championships

Train and Weight Alvisi to Take It Slow but Sure The Swami came up with another stunning pick for the ’09 NPC USA Bodybuilding Championships, which took place in Las Vegas on July 24 and 25. As predicted, Florida physique artist Mark Alvisi took both the heavyweight class and the overall.

Unlike the gents who finished second and third in the overall balloting and also received pro cards—Daryl Gee and Grigori Atoyan, who jumped into pro shows immediately—Alvisi, wisely, is going to take it slow regarding getting on a flex-for-pay stage. Though he tipped the scales at 216 at the weigh-in, Alvisi told me he was only 212 by the time the prejudging began. He also said there was no way he would compete again this year, because “I don’t just want to make a good showing in my pro debut, I want to win.”

At 5’9” Mark has good lines and always shows up in prime condition. He wants to put 10 to 12 pounds on his frame before he makes his pro debut. At this point it looks like the Army vet might be taking aim at the Tampa Pro next August, which would give him a full year to fill up. He would also have a slew of family and friends in the seats, as he resides in Delray Beach, Florida.

I also tossed another suggestion his way: Take the entire 2010 season off and make his pro debut at the ’11 IRON MAN Pro. That Grigori would give Alvisi, who turns 33 in January, 18 months to put together the package he needs to have a shot at winning at the next Atoyan. level. If he can show up with 220 to 222 pounds of highly conditioned muscle and keep his lines, he will be a factor. And, for those who think Alvisi would lose the edge he gained by winning the USA if he stayed away from the stage that long, I have two words for you: Evan Centopani.

Centopani, if you’ll remember, took the Nationals in November ’07 and then waited until May ’09 to compete again—and you know how that turned out. He won the New York Pro. And how much did it hurt Phil Heath to sit out backto-back Olympias after he first qualified? ’Nuff said.

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Daryl Gee.

Stan McQuay.

Isaac Hinds \ www.liftstudios.com

ADD ALVISI AND GEE—When I read online that Larry Pepe had said on “Pro Bodybuilding Weekly” that Gee would be a better pro than Alvisi, I had to contact the Pepster to make sure the Internet “reporting” of his statements on the Web-radio show was accurate.

Larry’s a sharp dude and I love bantering with him (like our ongoing debate over the pros and cons of the 202and-under division).

Larry appreciated the chance to make things clear: What he actually said was that he feels Gee can be a more successful pro in the lighter

Mark Alvisi.

L.T. under attack

by Larry Pepe and Flex Lewis.

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GANG WARFARE? Or just a typical L.T.-Pepe debate Pages 192-193

WINNERS A family affair Page 196

SIX-PACKS The USA had a slew of them Pages 192-197

Mike Feulner.

Kristal Marshall and Jon Lindsay.

J.M. and L.T. keep plugging.

division than Alvisi can be against the big boys. “I see Gee as a potential top-five Olympia guy in the 202, whereas I don’t see Alvisi coming close to that in the open division,” Pepe said. “If I were Daryl, I’d take the O off, come back next year at 180 to 183 [at 5’5”] and be a force in that class.”

Hmm. Well, Daryl definitely will have the easier option. A lot of great bodybuilders won’t finish in the top five at the Big Dance. As a matter of fact, “The Experts,” despite our awardwinning credentials, suffered more anguish in trying to predict this year’s Olympia top 10 on the morning after the USA than we did from the sun’s painful rays.

All I’m gonna say about the video is that I put my impeccable credentials on the line by predicting that Jay Cutler will be the first former champ to win back the Sandow, while Isaac “Hardbody” Hines went with his Colorado cohort Heath, and Ron “Yogi” Avidan tabbed Victor Martinez. Watch it at IronManMagazine.com to see how we handicapped the deepest Olympia in years, if not ever. I mean, name one other year where there were five competitors having a legit shot at the title? As in Cutler, Heath, Martinez, Kai Greene and, of course, the defending champ himself, Dexter Jackson.

In fact, the results may be in by the time you read this—find them at IronMan Cassie Manion and Lindsay Livolsi meet the Magazine.com as well.

Jonas Brothers.

Photography by Roland Balik, Lonnie Teperr, Merv and Ron Avidan

Tamer El-Guindy.

ADD PEPE—When I disagreed with Hinds and Avidan, who cor rectly predicted that Daryl would spank Peter Putnam at the Jacksonville Pro 202-and-under event the week after the USA (okay, I did concur but wanted to stir things up a bit), Pepe commented, “The smaller they are, the more Lonnie doesn’t like them.”

Now, Larry, you know that’s not true at all. I think the little guys are great. Just check out the photo of me with the USA bantamBest grandpa Jim. weights on page 197. The only other division I agreed to be photographed with was the bikini winners.

Not convinced? Let’s take it even farther. I have a grand idea for how to prove my affection for the 202and-under division: You put up the cash—sanction fee, prize money, awards, some extra moolah for my efforts, etc.—and I’ll see if it’s okay with Jaguar Jon Lindsay to add a 202-and-under show to my NPC West Coast Classic next June (if there is a West Coast Classic, of course). I’ll settle for a lineup of, say, David Henry, Flex Lewis, Stan McQuay, Gee and Mark Dugdale—for starters. Of course, if Kevin English and The Experts in Eduardo Correra want to jump in, it would be, as Creed once sang, Vegas.

“Arms Wide Open.” Might even throw in half-off on tickets for adults under 150 pounds.

A deal? Keep me posted.

ADD VIDEOS—A must-see among the ’09 USA videos on the Web www.ironmanmagazine.com \ NOVEMBER 2009 193

Free download from imbodybuilding.com

OFXT&W JFXT at IronManMagazine.com: “L.T., J.M. Manion Keep on Plugging.” I didn’t realize Roland Balik had the camera running when I was apologizing to J.M. for letting the “hat” out of the bag when I asked him about the latest weaves he was displaying in Vegas. Wait till you hear what other big industry name gets busted in the conversation! A hint?

Well, I’ve always suspected that this person’s perfectly plastered-down coif was more a product of Hirleman’s Hair Club for Men than it was great genetics.

ADD MANION—Who was the happiest Manion of the weekend of July 24 and 25? J.M.’s daughter, Cassie, thanks to the connections of the “best grandfather in the world.” Cassie’s grandfather, NPC Prez Jim Manion, was able to get Cassie and her girlfriend backstage at the Jonas Brothers concert taking place in Pittsburgh. Cassie wasted no time in making the most of the moment. She positioned herself right next to Joe before almost fainting.

Alvin Viernes.

Travis Rogers.

ADD LINDSAY—It was another record-setting weekend for Jaguar, promoter of the USA, who saw 467 competitors sign up to take the stage at the Artemus W. Ham Hall on the campus of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

Admittedly, I was nervous about taking the stage myself—as the emcee—for this one. After getting the crowd out of their seats by 10 p.m. the past two years, I was hoping that an 11 o’clock finish (with 137 more athletes than last year) wasn’t wishful thinking. The Jag—and judge Steve Weinberger—were in suspense about the projected finish time as well. As a promoter I know well the concern about running into overtime charges.

This was our first USA without the late, great Steve Stone heading up the backstage team. Thanks to the terrific job of the backstage staff, led by Mike Feulner, we were able to wrap things up at 10:29. Thumbs-up to the gang: Andrea Stone, Tracey Greenwood, Vinnie Papagno, Lisha Dean, Jennifer Hernandez, Rod Larsen, Arnold Clemente and, of course, the music men, Charley Sharp and Ron Stranc. Apologies if I left anyone out. And, yes, I still had my voice when we shot the videos later that night and the next day. Barely.

ADD PRO CARDS—For the first time at the USA three pro cards in bodybuilding were given out—to the top-three finishers in the men’s overall posedown. It was apparent to most observers that Alvisi and Gee would easily nab the first two, which they did, but who would get the third card?

A lot of folks had it going to light-heavyweight champ Tamer El-Guindy, who was coming off an upset class victory over Branden Ray. Tamer was understandably disillusioned when I called out Grigori’s name instead.

My solution: We need to give out four pro cards next year. Dave Palumbo and I agreed on the postcontest wrap-up video that all class winners should get a shot at moving on to the pro ranks. J.M. Manion jumped in and explained—very well, at that—why that honor is reserved strictly for the Nationals. It makes a lot of dollars and sense: Nationals promoter Steve Karel pays the highest sanction fee and deserves to have an edge. “The Nationals is like the Olympia; the USA is like the Arnold Classic,” said J.M. Point well taken.

By the way, let’s not forget to mention the other class champs in Vegas: welterweight winner Luis Santa, lightweight titlist Tra vis Rogers and bantamweight victor Alvin Viernes.

194 NOVEMBER 2009 \ www.ironmanmagazine.com

Luis Santa.

Lee Banks.

Fred Smalls.

Shavis Higa with Diana Tinnelle.

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MORE OPINIONS—Several people told me they felt that Alvisi and Lee Banks were the two best flexers in the show. Banks, unfortunately, was in the same class as Alvisi and had to settle for second. As I write this, I hope that Banks is concentrating on the North Americans at the end of August. If he does compete and he shows up the way he did in Pete Las Vegas, he’ll join Mark on the next level.

Ciccone.

I blogged about Fred “Biggie” Smalls right before the show, and the Delaware Dandy didn’t disappoint.

I think Fabulous Freddy has been the most improved bodybuilder in the industry over the past couple of years and feel he has a shot at winning his class at this year’s Nationals, which are set for Fort Lauder dale, Florida, in November. If he does, of course, he also nabs that precious pro card. Imagine if that happens—all three top heavyweights from the USA going pro the same year. Could happen.

L.T. and Amanda Latona.

USA Standouts DON’T FORGET ABOUT DEBT—Shavis Higa, the brilliant Hawaii-based muscleman who, after winning three USA titles over the past decade in the bantamweight, lightweight and welterweight classes, moved up yet again—to middleweight—to try and make it four. At 5’3” and 169 pounds Higa looked very good but wasn’t in nearly the condition it would have taken to grab the title from Gee Whiz. I told Shavis he should drop back to welterweight and enter the Nationals. Now you’ve got my Swami selection for that class way in advance.

Betty Vasquez, before and after.

Claire Rohrbacker-O’Connell with Roberts and L.T.

Mary Roberts and hubby Tom Nista.

HAPPIEST MAN ONSTAGE—It had to be Pistol Pete Ciccone, who just missed landing in the top five and getting to pose at last season’s USA. You could see the joy in Pistol’s eyes when he found out he would get to pose at the finals this time. Pete truly adores the industry, sponsoring many events through his 619 Muscle when he isn’t competing and always pushing athletes into competing in various shows from his San Diego base. The fiancé of pro figure star Meriza DeGuzman, Ciconne is one of those guys you love to see succeed.

BEST LUNGS—Although, as the emcee at the California Championships, I announced Amanda Latona’s win in the bikini tall class, I never spoke with the Las Vegas resident until after the Los Angeles Championships, where she took the overall. A week later at the USA she won her class and earned her pro card.

I had learned from Isaac Hinds that Amanda was a successful singer early in her career and had dated Backstreet Boy A.J. McLean, so I just had to tell her I had two of the boy band’s discs in my car CD player when we posed for photos after the show. I did stop just short of breaking into my version of “I Want It That Way,” which I sang to Timea Majorova at the Junior Cal a few years back. Lucky for Latona.

The 5’6”, 125-pound Latona was born in Pittsburgh and lived in Florida, where she was an original member of the all-girl group Innosense. Some kid named Britney Spears was the featured player in that one. Latona eventually inked a record deal with J Records, headed by Clive Davis.

Later, Amanda got into fitness modeling and finally into competition, where she has excelled as well. Want to hear for yourself if she’s got the lungs? Google her, and tell me what you think. I say she’s going to be one of the top pro-bikini stars in the IFBB and expect to see her onstage at the www.ironmanmagazine.com \ NOVEMBER 2009 195

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OFXT&W JFXT Bikini International in Columbus, Ohio, next March, right, Jim Lorimer?

Beating the Odds Dept Another athlete from the L.A. Championships who has a great story is Betty Vasquez, the masters 35-and-over short-class and overall figure champ, who had to defeat a lot more than a host of other women nearly four years ago. Vasquez, whose husband is in the Air Force, was living in Okinawa, Japan, in 2005 when she met a 42-year-old mother of eight who was preparing for her first bodybuilding show. Impressed with the woman’s transformation, the 5’3 1/2”, 140-pound Vasquez hired a personal trainer and made some drastic changes to her diet.

Giving up caffeine was one of them, but she soon began suffering from severe headaches. MRI results—coming on her birthday, no less—indicated that Betty had a brain tumor.

Vasquez was told that, even if she got the okay to have surgery, she might never walk again. “The Air Force was kind enough to move me to Phoenix so that I could meet with a team of neurosurgeons at the Barrow Neurological Institute and be near my family,” said Vasquez. Eight months after her diagnosis Betty underwent a craniotomy—and walked out of the hospital two days later. “It took me a couple of years to get back on track, but in September 2007 I competed in my first figure competition and placed in the top five. The following year I won the overall!”

After her victory at the L.A., Vasquez went on to compete in the USA. Ironically, the 37-year-old resides in a town called Surprise. After seeing the tremendous odds she’s beaten, nothing would surprise me.

Paul Love with Sarah and Jeff Malone.

Do You Know the Way…?

It had been so long since I’d been to the Northern California city Dionne Warwick once sang about, I almost forgot my way. But Paul “Brother” Love (finally) brought me back to emcee his San Jose Championships in July. Although I was only there for one day, it was eventful. At first I was afraid that fatigue had set in when, on the way to the prejudging, I thought I had double vision.

Fortunately, it was just the Tenner twins—Melvin, who was competing, and Calvin, who will compete for the first time next June in my contest. Right, Calvin? Calvin’s girl, too, now that I think about it.

I remember Melvin from local shows—a 6’2”, 240-pound lifetime natural who I think could make his mark at the Team Universe in 2010—after, of course, he joins his twin on my stage.

At the auditorium I met Paul and his co-promoters, Geff and Sarah Malone, the owners of Max Muscle Santa Cruz. Of course, I also stopped by to say hello to Ed Corney, per usual. I got my biggest thrill of the weekend, though, when I was walking with Shawn and Claire Rohrbacker-O’Connell to Regular Joe’s for lunch. Claire said they were meeting Mary Roberts and her hubby. Mary Roberts?

That Mary Roberts? One of my all-time-favorite female bodybuilders?

Yup, it was that Mary Roberts. Having admired her in the muscle mags for years, I actually got to see her up close. Mary, who now lives in Elk Grove, California, was told of my long-standing devotion, and her husband, Tom Nista, was kind enough to invite me to join them, despite my drooling. Mary still looks great, even as birthday number 60 approaches.

Tom mentioned that his father, Joe Nista, a former Mr. World and ’68 Mr. America, had passed away a couple of years back. Tom, 55, still competes in masters event and said he’ll be in the lineup at the West Coast Classic next June. Holding ya to it, Tommy.

After a great time at lunch—it was extra splendid because generous Tom picked up the tab—I got ready to host the finals. The show had an unusual hook. Call this one “A Family Affair.” The men’s champion, 30-year-old Ruben Escobar, followed up Fatima Johnson s victory in the women’s division. Fatima, 53, is Ruben’s mother. Talk about Nicaraguan genetics!

A couple of Vietnamese Vikings—Masay Quy and Megan Fei—took 196 NOVEMBER 2009 \ www.ironmanmagazine.com

Masay Quy and Megan Fei. L.T. with Calvin (left) and Melvin Tenner.

Free download from imbodybuilding.com

Ruben Escobar and Fatima Johnson.

UP, DOWN AND ROUND THE ’09 NPC USA Photography by Ron Avidan

4 1

2

1) Heather Mae French and Jerome “Hollywood” Ferguson.

2) Shaun Crump.

3) Kevin Sperling.

4) L.T. and the bantamweights.

5) Alvisi’s abs.

6) Jimmy Nguyen.

7) IM s Merv and Roland Balik were a little too excited about being in Vegas.

3

5

6

7

the bikini and figure divisions, respectively. Quy went on to finish third in her class at the USA, while Fei placed a respectable 13th. I can see both of them on a pro stage in the near future.

I also got guest poser Ronnie Coleman to spill the beans. The Big Nasty put to rest numerous rumors that he would be making a comeback at the Olympia this year.

“I’m through,” he said, “for this year.… Since you are asking me directly, though, I will admit I will be competing at the Mr. Olympia in 2010.”

At 46? Does he have any shot at winning number nine?

Wait till the Experts weigh in on that one.

John and Shirley were great bodybuilders, winners of the USA Mixed Pairs in 1987, the same season they won their respective overall titles at the Masters Nationals. And who isn’t aware of the huge number of top bodybuilders who have trained at John’s Diamond Gym in Maplewood, New Jersey?

Tina was a charismatic young lady and for a short time followed her parents to the posing dais. After winning a local teenage title, Tina finished sixth in the middleweight class at the ’92 Junior Nationals. Somebody named Kim Chizevsky took the heavyweight and overall honors in that one, by the way. Tina chose to retire at the spritely age of 23 to pursue other interests—mainly cooking, eventually becoming a chef.

In 1998, while covering the Team Universe for this mag, I had lunch with Tina and younger sister Mara, now 29 Bob Bonham sent me the tragic news via e-mail; John (Kimberley, 27, is the youngest of the Kemper daughters).

Kemper followed up with a phone call three days later.

They were so nice—and funny to boot! After the finals the John’s oldest daughter, Tina, had passed away on July 30. three of us joined John and Shirley for dinner. I had a great Her fiancé had found her body in bed at their New Jersey time; the Kempers were not only one of the industry’s most home. She had just renowned families, they were also extremely warm and turned 40. unpretentious.

I have known the I hadn’t had much contact with Tina since then and was Kemper family for stunned to learn of her death. Another taken far too soon. more than 20 years.

My deepest condolences to the To contact Kemper Tina and Mara Kemper with L.T. in 1998. family and Lonnie those who Teper about material were close possibly to her. IM pertinent

Tina Kemper

to News & Views, write to 1613 Chelsea Road, #266, San Marino, CA 91108; fax to (626) 289-7949; or send e-mail to tepernews@aol.com.

www.ironmanmagazine.com \ NOVEMBER 2009 197

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Merv

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LONNIE T EP ER’ S Ri si n g S tars

OFXT&W JFXT

Andrea Isaac Hinds \ www.liftstudios.com

Taylor Age: 24

Weight: 110 Height: 5’4” Residence: Riverside, California Occupation: Fitness trainer Contest highlights: ’09 NPC USA Bikini Championships, C-class, 1st; ’09 NPC Orange County Bikini Classic, short, 1st Factoids: A former high school and college cheerleader, she’s a competitive ballroom dancer. She graduated from the University of California, Irvine, with a B.A. in history in three years.

Contact: www.ATayloredBody .com

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LONNIE T EP ER’ S Ri si n g S tars

OFXT&W JFXT ,521 0$1

Richard

Fredrick

Age: 23 Weight: 195 contest; 220 off-season Height: 5’7 1/2” Residence: Murfreesboro, Tennessee Contest highlights: ’09 NPC Junior National Championships, light heavyweight, 3rd; ’08 Chattanooga Battle at the River, light heavyweight, 2nd Factoid: He has trained with Brandon Curry and James “Flex” Lewis.

Contact: oacrmb@yahoo .com

Fredrick

Burke

www.ironmanmagazine.com \ SEPTEMBER 2009 199

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LONNIE T EP ER’ S Ri si n g S tars

OFXT&W JFXT

Ian Ware \ IASE Photogra

phy

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Renel

Age: 19 Weight: 153 contest; 165 off-season Height: 5’5 1/2” Residence: Coral Springs, Florida Occupation: College student Contest highlights: ’09 NPC Southern States Championships, teen, overall; ’08 NPC John Sherman Classic, novice, overall Factoid: The son of pro star Darrem Charles, he’s studying to be a professional pilot and wants to fly and compete like IFBB pro Joel Stubbs.

Ian Ware \ IASE Photography

Charles

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LONNIE T EP ER’ S Ri si n g S tars

OFXT&W JFXT ,521 0$1

Sunny

Daye

Age: 36 Weight: 100-105 Height: 4’11” Residence: Long Beach, California Occupation: Licensed health practitioner Contest highlights: ’09 NPC Junior California Figure Championships, short, 1st, and overall; ’08 NPC Pacific USA Naturals, figure Aclass, 1st, and Masters 35and-over, overall Factoid: The Chicago native was born into a life of show business. A singer, she has performed with Stevie Wonder, Michael Bolton and Julio Iglesias.

Contact: Sunny@Sunny Daye.com

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3SPGJMFT JO 0VTDMF

3SPGJMFT JO 0VTDMF

Grigori Atoyan IFBB Pro and Cytogenix Athlete Compiled by Ron Harris

Full name: Grigori Atoyan Nickname: Greg Date of birth: November 21, 1972 Height: 5’8”

retail stores in Rockland and Rancho Cordova, California Marital status: Married 16 years to Narine Children: Sons Harutyan, 15, and Martik, 13

Off-season weight: 256 Contest weight: 230 Current residence: Sacramento, California Years training: 19 Occupation: Owner of Max Muscle 206 NOVEMBER 2009 \ www.ironmanmagazine.com

Hobbies: Bodybuilding was my hobby until I finally turned pro at the ’09 USA. Now it s spending time with my family, going to the beach at San Francisco or Monterey Bay, going to movies and trying different restaurants.

Free download from imbodybuilding.com

How did you get into bodybuilding? I started going to an Olympic lifting gym in Armenia at age 17 to try to strengthen my upper body in preparation for my mandatory military service in what was then the USSR. I had been a semiprofessional soccer player and already had strong legs. I was inspired by the physiques I saw in movies of Arnold, Sylvester Stallone and Jean-Claude Van Damme. A former Olympic lifting champion named Armen Gevorkyan took me under his wing and showed me how to train. I didn’t really learn about bodybuilding proper until I moved to the USA in 1993, but I always knew I wanted to do it. Once I entered my first contest in 1996 and won the overall at just 159 pounds, there was no turning back.

Who inspired you when you were starting out? In Armenia some photos would occasionally make their way to us. One that always stood out in my mind was of Shawn Ray winning the 1987 Cal. As soon as I saw that photo, I wanted a physique like his. I was also very inspired by Lee Haney, Flex Wheeler and Berry DeMey and aspired to those types of physiques. As fate would have it, my genetics dictated a different type of look.

Top titles: ’09 NPC USA Championships, superheavyweight, 1st; ’07 IFBB North American Championships, superheavyweight, 1st; ’02 NPC California Championships, heavyweight, 1st, and overall; three-time runner-up at the NPC Nationals Favorite bodypart to train: All

giving up.

Favorite exercise: Don’t have one Least favorite exercise: Deadlifts Best bodyparts: Legs and calves Most challenging bodyparts: Back and chest, though I’ve brought both of them up through years of very hard work.

Obstacles overcome: Living in Armenia in the years following the collapse of the Soviet Union was very difficult, as we were invaded by several other nations.

During much of that time staples like food and water were in very short supply, and we were without electricity. Moving to the USA without knowing the English language was not easy. I had a partial quadriceps tear in 2007 and couldn’t train legs for three months. I also married and had children fairly young, which presents other challenges for anyone.

Do you have a quote or a philosophy you try to live by? Not really, but I do believe in working hard for what you truly want and never

How do you stay motivated?

I love the sport of bodybuilding, and I don’t know how to quit!

How would you describe your training style? It’s high-volume, and I always pyramid up in weights. I don’t like to rest too long between sets because I lose my pump that way.

Training split: Monday: back (plus abs, but only precontest); Tuesday: chest; Wednesday: arms; Thursday: shoulders and traps; Friday: legs and calves; Saturday: arms; Sunday: off Favorite clean meal: Breakfast— oatmeal and egg whites Favorite cheat meal: I guess pizza or cheesecake, but I really love a great omelet with the works—meat and tons of cheese.

What’s your favorite supplement, and why? I have two Cytogenix products that I absolutely love. Xenadrine is my fat burner of choice because it doesn’t contain too much caffeine. I’ve never particularly cared for stimulants and the way they make me feel. Xenadrine peels off the fat without making me feel jittery or nervous. I also love the preworkout product Cyto NOX. It has just enough caffeine to give a boost but not too much.

It also has an advanced blend of L-arginine.

Goals in the sport: Some people laugh when I say it, but I do want to be Mr. Olympia. I know I’m not a kid, and it took me a while to turn pro, but that’s my dream, and I won’t stop chasing it. IM

www.ironmanmagazine.com \ NOVEMBER 2009 207

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• USA Sizzle • Flexin’ Divas • Pump-pourri

&,5&8067$1&( Photography by Roland Balik and Ruth Silverman

’09 USA CHAMPIONSHIPS

STRIDE ’N’ SNAPPERS

PEAS IN A… How did I know when I snapped this shot that Michelle Gullett (right) and Sheyla Solano were about to get the top two trophies in the B-class? All the class winners, including Michelle, earned pro cards.

WHAT A HONEY! Former WWE Diva Kristal Marshall has a Betty Grable moment at the first USA Bikini Championships— and wins the overall. Don t know who Betty Grable was?

Consult the Google.

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SASSY LASSIES “Bikini is sass with class” says Eclass champ Jamie Baird (left). A-class topper Michele D’Angona and Alicia Meza agree. Catch my interviews with Kristal, Jamie and Michele at IronManMagazine.com.

heavyweight classes, respectively, when they gave this thumbs-up. And not for the first time.

3) Angela Rayburn, third behind Holly and Michelle, honed her wheels to move up from sixth last year.

1 2

WOMEN’S BODYBUILDING

SERIOUS CONTENDERS

FLEXIN’ DIVAS

CHARMING THIRD-TIMER “It’s mine,” says Angela Salvagno, who scored her third USA light-heavy win before commanding the overall crown. What has Angie been doing since her last appearance, in 2007?

Becoming a mom to Giselle, now a year old.

SPEAKING OF SASS Symmetrical Akila Pervis, third last year and eighth at the ’08 Nationals, took the middleweights, and many in the crowd were stunned when she earned the second pro card. I wasn’t one of them.

3

1) Holly Geersen squeezed out a unanimous victory in the heavies but couldn t persuade the panel to give her a pro card. For the first time the NPC passed out two cards in women s bodybuilding at the USA. 2) Chris Szabo and Michelle Brent were about to take second in the heavy- and light-

4

4) Angela Robertson washed out in figure at this show two years ago and came back as a middleweight. Got my attention—and the judges .

They placed her third.

www.ironmanmagazine.com \ NOVEMBER 2009 209

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SHOWSTOPPERS

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GUSHING DEBUT Twenty-one-yearold Listy Allen nailed the figure overall in her first national show. And you thought they didn’t build ’em like that anymore. Below: I get to know Listy at the the NPC News photoshoot on the morning after the finals. Find my interviews with Listy and Akane at www.IronMan Magazine.com.

Merv

DID SOMEONE SAY FIGURE? Pro cards went to all class winners in the contest of quarter-turners, including a deserving Akane NigroIsmeal.

U N F O R G E T TA B L E FAC E S nated fan to beat the heat in the pump-up room.

3) Best kimono shot.

Based on the callouts, Mandy Henderson, predicted a top-two finish for herself, and she was right.

3

Second of 27 in the figure-As is not bad at all.

1

1) Most expressive.

Bikini comer Kat Holmes left the hall in Las Vegas with a fourth-place trophy.

2) Most practical.

Once again Ann Pratt brought a color-coordi-

210 NOVEMBER 2009 \ www.ironmanmagazine.com

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4) Also not too shabby. Teale Mueller took sixth out of 47 in the figure-Ds. She also gets props for having the best name and taking the second best kimono shot.

JUST BECAUSE Bradford

DON’T LET THIS COMPARISON SHOT FOOL YOU It was only round one.

In the end Jenny Lynn (center) took third at the Jacksonville Pro Figure on August 1. Jessica Paxson-Putnam (right) picked up her first pro win, and Erin Stern got her ticket to the O by coming in second.

Find hundreds of photos, videos, interviews from the ’09 Olympia Weekend at IronMan Magazine.com ROUGH AND TUMBLE Heather Mae French will pass the pigskin for the Denver Dreams of the Lingerie Football League this season. The 5’ centerback will play all the Dreams’ games but one: Coach Allen Watkins has given her September 25 off to compete in the Figure O.

HEY, VENUS. OH, VENUS… Dr. Venus Ramos, sidelined in fitness by a shoulder injury, took a stab at bikini—or as some were calling it after the judging, the pump and grind.

ATLANTIC CITY BOUND

DOUBLE VISION? No, it’s not two shots of Kristy Hawkins, although both of these long-haired blondes are headed for the Atlantic City Pro on September 11 and 12. At left is Marnie Holley, the ’07 Canadian National Fitness champ, who’ll make her debut. At right: the real Kristy Hawkins.

ROCKERS New pro Candace Houston celebrated with Sydney, 13, and Brock, eight.

“They rock, said Candace of her kids.

“I’m the luckiest mom in the world!” www.ironmanmagazine.com \ NOVEMBER 2009 211

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It’s my first time staying at the host Embassy Suites, where the greeter looks very familiar. Turns out L.T. and the king are old friends.

USA PUMP-POURRI

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Roland Balik

High-rep utation.

“I’m addicted to jujitsu,” says Momo Minton (below), who switched from figure to bikini and nailed her pro card. Training for the B-sport works much better with her jujitsu training, she adds. And who could disagree?

Even in curlers Sheyla Solano looks like a winner.

For a peek at the after shot see page 208.

Jacquelyn Geringer brings a little color to the proceedings—and earns the distinction of being the only person I photograph backstage who isn t wearing black.

Tamer ElGuindy and Zhanna Rotar wait his turn onstage in their usual spot. His light-heavy win is not enough to keep them from being there next year.

Ye olde switcheroosky.

The last time I saw Yolanda Martinez, she was doing figure.

The veteran California flexer has seen the light, she says, and is back in the middleweight lineup.

On a rehab hiatus from competition, fitness pro Lisha Dean (left) joins the backstage crew. Looks like her left wrist is coming along nicely.

Being six months pregnant doesn’t keep Carla Sanchez from keeping an eye on the athletes she brought to compete.

Just a natural mother hen.

Photography by Ruth Silverman Outside the auditorium at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Catherine Holland (near left) tutors new figure pro Terri Turner for her booth babe 101 exam.

Above left: Erin Tucker gets a lesson in dues paying at her first big national show.

Left: Newlyweds Monica Mark-Escalante and Guillermo Escalante take the competition-togetherness test.

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

Femme Physique

YOU ’82?

Where Were

In

Story and photography by Steve Wennerstrom, IFBB Women’s Historian

E

ven if you were young and energetic in 1982, you might well have been struggling to understand Reaganomics. It was, after all, the Reagan era. Movie theaters drew us to “An Officer and a Gentleman,” “Poltergeist,” “Tootsie” and “Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan.” At home, television saw the debut of “Late Night With David Letterman,” “Cheers,” “St. Elsewhere” and “Rem-

ington Steele.”

The San Francisco 49ers won the Superbowl, and the St. Louis Cardinals won the World Series.

The Dow Jones average hovered around the 1,000 mark, and Time’s Man of the Year was the computer (a nonhuman for the first time ever).

Fans of electronic gadgets were in a frenzy as Sony released the first compact disc player. Women with powerful voices topped the charts in

Kay Baxter.

BODY & POWER was the first national newsstand publication devoted exclusively to women’s bodybuilding. It was launched in 1982.

214 NOVEMBER 2009 \ www.ironmanmagazine.com

songs such as “I Love Rock-n-Roll”

by Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, “Gloria” by Laura Branigan, and Olivia Newton-John’s “Physical”—a tune that would accompany hundreds of women’s posing routines at bodybuilding contests across the country.

The price of a gallon of gas was $1.30, and bodybuilders bought a dozen eggs for 84 cents.

A Gallup poll found that 51 percent of those questioned stated that homosexuality was not normal.

Moreover, the country was in the midst of a recession—proof that some things either never change or are very slow in reaching the public awareness.

If you were a female bodybuilder in 1982, however, it was, some say, the golden era of the sport. Visible muscle on women had become the age. Television was coving major contests, newspapers ound the country sought out local competitors for inviews, and mainstream magazines— along with all the bodybuilding publications of the day—dashed to cover the “new” female phenomenon.

Competitively, the NPC was still a year away from including women in its amateur event schedule. Female bodybuilding contests at the time were sanctioned by the American Federation of Women Bodybuilders and run by its president, Doris Barrilleaux.

Carla Dunlap, who would become Ms. Olympia in 1983, had just won her second consecutive American

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Carla Dunlap.

Pillow.

Laura Combes.

Women’s Bodybuilding Championship, in a contest staged in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Meanwhile Rachel McLish won the IFBB Pro World Championship and recaptured the Ms. Olympia title, which she had surrendered to Finland’s Kike Elomaa in 1981 after winning the inaugural event in 1980.

Californian Stella Martinez flexed her way to the overall crown at the United States Women’s Bodybuilding Championships—now known as the NPC USA—in Las Vegas, a locale the contest would return to 16 times over the next 27 years.

Mixed-pairs competitions were enjoying popularity, with such successful couples as Cory and Jeff Everson, Shelley Gruwell and Tony Pearson and the dynamic Diana Dennis–Kevin Lawrence duo all

making names for themselves in what the general public saw as a beautiful combination of male and female physical beauty put to music.

The rest of the world was jumping on the female physique bandwagon as women’s events were being staged throughout Europe, as well as Australia and Asia. The ’82 IFBB Pro World Championship, dominated by contestants from the United States, saw four competitors enter from Australia, with Taiwan sending its first female bodybuilding representative, Hsu Lee Dan, to the event.

The ’82 Ms. Olympia also saw its first Asian competitor when Japan’s Kazuko Nakao traveled to Atlantic City for the event. England’s first pro bodybuilder, Carolyn Cheshire made her third of what would be six successive visits to the Ms. O stage between 1980 and 1985.

The first IFBB European Championships took place in London in 1981; the 1982 edition was equally

well attended by contestants and fans in Zurich. Holland’s Jacqueline Roos claimed the lightweight class with a lean and highly defined physique, while Finland’s Marjo Selin dominated the middleweight class, much as her countrywoman Kike Elomaa had a year earlier.

Numerous countries began holding national contests. The 1982 Canadian Championships, held in Montreal, saw Michelle Tennier win the lightweight class and Paula Dosne take the middleweights. It was an event that would spawn numerous outstanding competitors in the coming years.

The North American Championships also got its start in 1982, with a young, athletic former track-andfield athlete named Cory Everson winning the inaugural event.

Meanwhile, the pro level continued to establish itself more firmly.

The second edition of the IFBB Pro World Championships was staged on April 3, 1982, at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. In a large field of 26 contestants representing six countries, Rachel McLish outscored them all. Pennsylvania’s Candy Csencsits placed second, and Arizona’s Lynne Pirie finished in third.

The Ms. Olympia, in its third year, welcomed 25 athletes, and Rachel McLish collected her second major title of the year as she regained her crown.

With the size of these events evolving at a dizzying rate, the standard of muscularity also increased dramatically. Heated controversies emerged over the level of “acceptable muscularity.” By 1982 the furor over judging decisions was reaching a fever pitch.

Competitors such as Kay Baxter, Pillow and Laura Combes developed large fan followings due to the impressive levels of muscle they had developed. At the same time these muscular pioneers endured placings well below what the sport’s hardcore followers anticipated, setting off a media frenzy.

There can be no argument: 1982 was a benchmark year that helped spin women’s bodybuilding into public awareness while vividly illustrating that muscular development was no longer an exclusively male domain. IM

www.ironmanmagazine.com \ NOVEMBER 2009 215

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by Jerry Brainum

IGF-1: Is It the Real Deal?

Insulinlike growth factor-1 is so named because of its resemblance to insulin. It consists of 70 bonded amino acids, which makes it a protein-peptide hormone. That means that like growth hormone, IGF-1 must be injected.

Otherwise it degrades in the gut, rendering it useless.

IGF-1 is considered the key to growth hormone’s anabolic effects, and GH release promotes its synthesis in the liver. The liver also synthesizes six binding proteins that work with IGF-1, with one, IGFBP-3, being the primary IGF-1-bonding protein in the blood. A substance called the acid-labile subunit prevents the premature degradation of IGF-1. The complex of IGF-1, binding protein and the acid-labile subunit extend the time that IGF-1 lasts in the blood to 15 hours or more—compared to the 10 minutes that unbound IGF-1 lasts.

Because IGF-1 is so similar to insulin, it can interact with insulin cell receptors and produce some of the same effects as insulin. In fact, the primary side effect of both excess insulin and IGF-1 is hypoglycemia, or low blood glucose, although insulin is 10 times more potent than IGF-1 in that effect.

When you train for an extended time—more than one hour—the liver upgrades its release of IGF-binding protein 3 to prevent the onset of hypoglycemia that would otherwise ensue because of the increased release of IGF-1. IGF-1 also amplifies the action of insulin, even at low doses. Insulin helps maintain blood IGF-1 by boosting the synthesis of IGFBP-3.

The primary role of IGF-1, though, isn’t to transport glucose into cells, as in the case of insulin.

Instead, it fosters cellular division and growth. It’s also involved in cell repair, particularly in brain, heart and muscle. Its function in cell division has led many scientists to suggest that IGF-1 has a role in several types of cancer. That makes sense, since cancer is a process of uncontrolled cellular division; however, the evidence for that is not yet definitive by any means. True enough, IGF1 inhibits apoptosis, or cellular suicide. Out of that you get the theory that tumors would upgrade synthesis of local IGF-1 to keep themselves alive and thereby encourage the spread of cancer throughout the body. Yet some research216 NOVEMBER 2009 \ www.ironmanmagazine.com

ers suggest that it’s a classic chicken-and-egg scenario, in that IGF-1 doesn’t cause cancer but is instead produced by tumors.

Meanwhile, studies show that people low on IGF-1 have a greater chance of dying from a heart attack. That’s because IGF-1 prevents the death of heart cells and offers protection when the cells are highly stressed, as occurs during a heart attack.

While the liver synthesizes IGF-1 and packages it with the binding proteins for transport into the blood, two variants of IGF-1 that are produced in muscle, one of which is called mechano growth factor, play a major role in muscle gains.

They spur the activity of other proteins that are involved in muscle protein synthesis and encourage the activity of muscle stem cells, called satellite cells, which repair damaged muscle—and training does damage muscle. In fact, intense weight training is a primary stimulus of the release of IGF-1 in muscle.

(Another protein, myostatin, prevents muscle growth by interfering with satellite-cell proliferation.)

A recent study used specially bred mice that produced only tiny amounts of IGF-1 in their livers, 75 to 85 percent lower than normal mice.1 Despite that, they show normal growth patterns and development. Their bodies compensate by secreting a lot of GH. The IGF-1-deficient mice have low bodyfat and tend to stay lean as they age. The reason they make so much GH is that IGF-1 is the primary feedback inhibitor of GH release from the pituitary gland. Less IGF-1 in the blood equals more GH release from the brain. Interestingly, human studies show that testosterone also blunts the IGF-1 signal to the brain, thus helping maximize the effects of GH. That’s likely one reason why GH is considered synergistic with testosterone and anabolic steroids, which are synthetic forms of testosterone.

But back to the mice. The lack of systemic release of IGF-1 doesn’t affect its local production in muscle. Researchers showed that by having the mice engage in resis-

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tance exercise. No, the mice didn’t do any barbell curls or squats. They climbed a ladder with tiny weights attached to their bodies—a 16-week rodent weight-training routine. Another group of mice not deficient in IGF-1 did the same exercise. The groups produced equivalent muscle gains. The researchers concluded that systemic IGF1 produced in the liver isn’t required for muscle hypertrophy. The IGF-1 forms produced in muscle following exercise are the important ones.

Bodybuilders and other athletes have been using IGF-1 injections for years. The drug is often used along with GH, anabolic steroids and insulin. One popular formulation is Long R3IGF-1, which is thought to be more potent than IGF-1 produced in the body. The hormones can interact with cellular receptors only when they’re free, or unbound from their plasma-binding proteins. Because the Long R3 IGF-1 lasts longer in the blood than natural IGF-1, it could present a serious threat to health. The free IGF-1 can interact with tumors, causing cancer progression. It could also convert a benign or inactive tumor into an active one.

Another experimental form of IGF-1 said to be used by athletes is des(1-3) IGF-1. It’s a short form of IGF-1 that is not protein-bound and is often directly injected into muscles, and it’s rumored to lead to hyperplasia, or the splitting of muscle fibers to form new fibers. It’s strictly conjecture, as there is thus far zero proof of the effect in healthy athletes.

The prescription form of IGF-1 is mecasermin, trade name Increlex. Manufactured using recombinant DNA technology, it’s used to treat IGF-1 deficiency and growth problems. Increlex is also prescribed for patients who have developed antibody resistance to GH therapy. Unlike Long R3 IGF-1, Increlex is identical to natural IGF-1, retaining the 70 amino acid sequence of IGF-1 that the body produces.

Although it appears that only the version of IGF-1 produced in muscle has any true anabolic effects, many bodybuilders and athletes who’ve used IGF-1 claim to have benefited from the drug. There is no scientific evidence for that, but there is some evidence of benefits for

much glucose, which perpetuates the insulin insensitivity and can eventually result in diabetes.

Indeed, IGF1 is being considered as a diabetes-prevenMice studies show that it’s the IGF-1 tion drug. produced in muscle that is anabolic, not From an what’s in the bloodstream. athletic point of view, IGF-1 may share insulin’s role in increasing glycogen synthesis, which powers intense training.

Possible side effects of IGF-1 injections include jaw pain, facial and hand swelling and heart-rhythm disturbances.

The last-named effect is more likely if doses of more than 100 micrograms are injected. That can cause the heart to stop beating (yikes!) and blood pressure to drop dramatically. The effect is caused by an IGF-1-induced drop in blood phosphate and can be prevented by administering phosphate with the IGF-1. An increase in IGF-1 caused by either GH or IGF-1 injections is thought to play a major role in producing the repulsive bloated abdomen seen on some competitive bodybuilders.

Adding insulin to the stack exponentially increases the chance of that particular side effect showing up. Note that all internal organs have an extensive supply of both insulin and IGF-1 cell receptors. Providing an abundance of either or both hormones will lead to organ growth, contributing to the abdominal bloat.

Several factors affect IGF-1 production in the body.

Insufficient protein or calories cause it to plummet, and excess calories may cause it to increase. One study of

Exercise boosts IGF-1. IGF-1 maintains both muscle and connective tissue, as well as brain and heart cells, so it’s not a stretch to think that having more IGF-1 will make you feel and possibly look younger. people deficient in IGF-1. Hormone-deficient patients who get IGF-1 experience increased rates of fat loss and fat oxidation. What causes that isn’t known, but one theory is that the IGF-1 may suppress circulating insulin.

In addition, fat cells contain IGF-1 receptors, so the hormone can interact with fat cells.

From the standpoint of protein synthesis, IGF-1 injections provide the anticatabolic effects of insulin combined with the increased protein synthesis induced by GH. Like insulin, IGF-1 encourages amino acid uptake into muscle cells. It stimulates peripheral tissue uptake of glucose, which lowers blood glucose levels. It also suppresses liver glucose production, which is actually good for those who are insulin resistant, since the liver under that circumstance tends to produce too

normal-weight women who overate found a 19 percent increase in IGF-1 after two weeks of gorging, with 46 percent of the bodyweight gain attributed to lean mass and 54 percent to bodyfat. Fasting insulin doubled in the women, and testosterone levels rose significantly. Thus the lean mass gain produced by overeating could be the result of an increase in IGF-1, insulin or testosterone—or all three. I would quickly add that overeating is not a good method of adding muscle mass, as most of the weight gain consisted of bodyfat. It does, however, explain why bulking up was a popular technique for gaining mass among bodybuilders of the past and, to a certain extent, those of today. Other nutrients necessary to maintain IGF-1 in the body include the minerals magnesium and zinc and thiamine, a.k.a. vitamin B1. Zinc www.ironmanmagazine.com \ NOVEMBER 2009 217

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%PEZCVJMEJOH 3IBSNBDPMPHZ

No one has any idea of how to detect

gene therapy doping yet. The only

possible way would be a muscle biopsy, but even that would prove problematic because complete uptake of the IGF-1 gene may not occur. is particularly important.

Exercise boosts IGF-1. Some studies suggest that the antiaging effects of DHEA use come from an increase in IGF-1 in the body. IGF-1 maintains both muscle and connective tissue, as well as brain and heart cells, so it’s not a stretch to think that having more IGF-1 will make you feel and possibly look younger. Recent human studies confirm the antiaging effects of IGF-1 and GH. Yet animals deficient in IGF-1 live longer and show no cancer whatsoever. Clearly, that’s an example of how animal physiology may differ from that of humans. On the other hand, countless people who’ve used GH therapy say that they feel younger, but that’s rarely evident in their appearance. Excess bodyfat is associated with lower IGF-1 and GH. One recent study examined lifestyle factors that affect IGF-1 in college-age women and found a positive correlation with soy protein and the mineral selenium.2 Drinking alcohol blunted the effects of IGF-1 in the women.

The greatest future use of IGF-1 will without doubt involve gene therapy, which directly places genes that produce IGF-1 in muscle, usually by attaching them to an inactive virus or vector that penetrates the muscle cells.

Studies with young mice show that the procedure results in a 15 percent increase in muscle mass, along with a 14 percent increase in strength. Gene therapy in old mice led to a 27 percent increase in strength, along with a total regeneration of aged muscle. In another mouse study, the IGF-1 gene was placed in the animals’ glutes and calves, which resulted in a 17 to 115 percent increase in musclecross-sectional area. One hopes the growth occurred mainly in the calves rather than the glutes!

Studies with the muscle-specific form of IGF-1 have yielded similar or better results. Some scientists speculate that once the procedure is perfected for humans, it will spell the end of age-related muscle weakness and frailty. They foresee an 80-year-old man who can produce the same muscle gains as a 19-yearold. Older people don’t gain as much muscle as younger 218 NOVEMBER 2009 \ www.ironmanmagazine.com

people because satellite cell activity either doesn’t occur or is ineffective. That defect is completely repaired with IGF-1 gene therapy.

Some predict that gene therapy will replace drugs as the main form of doping in the future. No one has any idea of how to detect gene therapy doping yet. The only possible way would be a muscle biopsy, but even that would prove problematic because complete uptake of the IGF-1 gene may not occur, and the biopsy may reveal just normal muscle tissue.

Rumors abound that some athletes have already subjected themselves to IGF-1 gene therapy. That isn’t hard to believe when you consider that one of the therapy’s developers, H. Lee Sweeney, Ph.D., of the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, says he’s besieged by athletes and coaches from around the world who offer to be his guinea pigs. In truth, however, the technique is not ready for prime time, for some earlier gene-therapy experiments resulted in patient deaths. Future subjects could experience fatal immune reactions to the vectors used to place the gene in the body. Another danger is an inability to control the expression of the gene, which could translate into a rapidly spreading cancer. Or the expression of the gene could extend from skeletal muscle into heart muscle, resulting in excessive heart muscle growth that portends premature heart failure.

Last and perhaps not least, while IGF-1 injections work great on paper, real-world results are mixed. Most athletes suggest that using IGF-1 alone does little or nothing to boost muscle gains, which makes sense in light of the mouse study that linked only local muscle IGF-1 to mass gains. Many steroid manuals suggest that IGF-1 injections are best used with other anabolic agents, such as GH, testosterone and insulin. In that case, how do you ascertain just how well IGF-1 is working? The gains attributed to IGF-1 may in fact result from the other drugs in the combo. Nor can you discount the placebo effect. If you think something will work and truly believe that it will, it often does. Perhaps those who tout the “massive muscle gains” they’ve allegedly made from IGF-1 injections made those gains because they trained harder and believed from their head down to their diamond-shaped calves that the drug would work.

And for them, it did. Or did it?

References 1 Matheny, W., et al. (2009). Serum IGF-1-deficiency does not prevent compensatory skeletal muscle hypertrophy in resistance exercise. Exp Biol Med. 234:164-170.

2 Karl, J.P., et al. (2009). Diet, body composition, and physical fitness influences on IGF-1 bioactivity in women.

Growth Hor IGF-1 Res. In press.

Editor s note: Jerry Brainum has been an exercise and nutrition researcher and journalist for more than 25 years. He s worked with pro bodybuilders as well as many Olympic and professional athletes.

To get his new e-book, Natural Anabolics— Nutrients, Compounds and Supplements That Can Accelerate Muscle Growth Without Drugs, visit www.JerryBrainum.com. IM

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IRON MAN Hardbody

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by Ruth Silverman Photography by Michael Neveux • Hair and Makeup by Teri Groves

K

aren McDougal and Katie Lohmann may appear to be extreme opposites, but they have a lot in common. For one thing, as former Playboy Playmates of the Month—Karen for December ’97 and Katie for April ’01—they belong to a special sisterhood. For another, they’ve both been on the cover of IRON MAN, becoming part of an even rarer sisterhood: hot mainstream models who have transitioned to fitness.

For both women the Playboy connection came early in their careers. Karen, who was named the Playmate of the Year for 1998 and was runner-up in a 2001 readers’ poll of the Sexiest Playmates of the ’90s, was a cheerleader and played volleyball and softball as a kid, but for the most part, she says, “I was a prissy girlie-girl.”

Though the 5’8” Indiana-born brunette always wanted to be a model, she says, “I didn’t think I had what it takes.”

She was a preschool teacher in Michigan when she won a swimsuit contest and was spotted by a Playboy photographer.

“Playboy gave me the confidence. It opened up doors for me,” she says, “everything from modeling to acting, if I wanted it, to hosting events to charities.”

Her migration to fitness modeling was not intentional. “It just so happened that I was in great shape, so they started using me in fitness magazines.” McDougal was IRON MAN’s featured Hardbody in the January ’06 issue and appeared on our June ’07 cover with Sebastian Siegel. “I think it’s great that at 38 I’m capable of doing fitness stuff,” she says.

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TheYin and the Yang

US TOUR

Karen McDougal & Katie Lohmann

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IRON MAN Hardbody Katie s career was anything but accidental. She discovered per forming at an early age and admits to being a natural-born ham.

“I always loved the camera, she says. “My mom used to sew little blankets and sell them, and I would always want to take pictures with the blankets because I thought it would help them sell.

The 5’4” hazel-eyed blonde, who grew up in Arizona, started putting together her modeling book at about age five. After high school she moved to Los Angeles, the Playboy shoot already secured.

“I was lucky because the first place I lived in Los Angeles was the Playboy Mansion, she says. They set me up with agents, I got to go to parties—like Madonna s albumrelease party. I got to have tea at Rod Stewart s house. I’ve been here about nine years, and it s been an incredible ride.

One particularly intriguing gig Lohmann had was playing quar terback for Los Angeles in the 2006 Lingerie Bowl.

“I was always very athletic, played every sport you can imagine, but never football because that was for the boys, she says. She got to be the quarterback because, at the tryout I actually intercepted the ball and ran it about 10 yards.

As with Karen, Katie s entry into fitness modeling happened by accident. On a casting call several years ago, she was told she didn t have the right look for fitness. Out to prove the photographer wrong, she earned shoots at a slew of mags, including appearances on IM s cover in July ’05 and July ’06. Both she and Karen work out regularly, with Karen training five days a week for one to 1 1/2 hours and Katie taking a boot camp class three times a week and working out in her home gym.

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“We have the Playboy thing in common. We both have a good head on our shoulders.

We both love to stay in shape and shoot beautiful pictures.

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IRON MAN Hardbody Karen McDougal and Katie Lohmann are good friends. “Katie is very easy to work with, says Karen.

“People love hiring us together because we re the yin and the yang— the blonde and the brunette—and we come across very well together.

We re similar but we re also very different, acknowledges Katie.

We have the Playboy thing in common. We both have a good head on our shoulders. We both love to stay in shape and shoot beautiful pictures.

The differences—other than the blonde and brunette thing? “I’m a little bit more outgoing than Karen is, Katie says. “Karen is more re served. She really has a true model presence—and when she walks into a room, she probably intimidates a lot of people.

One reason the two click so well is their shared sense of humor.

We re both funny, says Karen. We like to laugh and make people feel good. Also, she says, We talk a lot—we don t shut up.

One senses that when Neveux got the two together to shoot the beautiful photos that appeared on these pages, there was a lot of talking, laughter—and sizzle—on the set. IM

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IRON MAN Hardbody For more information about Katie Lohmann, check out www .KatieLohmann.com, or you can contact her at www.myspace.com/ realkatielohmann For more on Karen McDougal, go to www.KarenMcdougal.com, or to find out about McDougal s new line of health-care and antiaging products, go to www .PharmoreAlternatives.com.

www.ironmanmagazine.com \ NOVEMBER 2009 229

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Only the Strong Shall Survive

Bulletproof

Lower Back Build Lumbars of Steel

by Bill Starr Photography by Michael Neveux

L

ast month I went over the many reasons that aspiring strength athletes need to include at least one specific exercise for their lower backs in a weekly program. For young athletes or those just getting started on a strength routine, the lower back forms the foundation of all future progress in the weight room and success in any sport.

A strong set of lumbars enables intermediate and advanced athletes to move to higher levels of overall strength. The number-one exercise in any strength program is the squat, either front or back.

In order to handle heavier weights on that lift, the lumbars must be as proportionately strong as the hips and legs and middle and upper back. Otherwise the power gener ated by the lower body can t be transferred upward from the lumbars and through the rest of the back into the bar itself.

Quite often lifters numbers on the squat come to a grinding halt simply because lower-back strength has fallen too far behind hip and leg strength. In many cases athletes fail with heavy poundages because they can t maintain a solid upright position throughout the lift. Relatively weak lumbars cause them to lean forward excessively, which spells failure on max

attempts. Plus, athletes who don t rectify the problem but continue to use sloppy technique may develop habits that are hard to break.

Any type of pulling exercise also depends heavily on strong lumbars—whether it’s an explosive movement like the snatch, clean, high pull or shrug, or more static lifts such as bent-over rows and deadlifts. You need strong lumbars to hold a tight starting position. Otherwise your hips will climb upward faster than the bar, and that will take the weight out of the correct line of pull. If the lower back isn t sufficiently strong, the power generated by the hips and legs won t be adequately transferred up into the back, shoulders and arms.

Most athletes understand the concept for their squats and pulls, yet a high percentage do not see the relevance of lower-body strength to upper-body exercises. While you may be able to bench-press and dip with weak lumbars, every other shoulder-girdle exercise requires a strong lower body—even inclines and seated presses. The overhead lifts, presses, push presses, jerks and push jerks, along with power and full snatches, directly depend on the muscles of the midsection to help lock out and control a weight

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overhead.

Even those who train for general overall strength fitness and have absolutely no desire to move big numbers must recognize how important it is to build and maintain a relatively strong lower back. That definitely includes older athletes.

I’ll address that group later on.

Meanwhile I’m reading that eight out of 10 adults experience some kind of back pain, mainly in the lower back. Just look at all the ads in the print media and on TV offering solutions to lower-back pain—everything from magical pillows to engineered mattresses, exercise regimens and gadgets to the long list of pharmaceuticals.

To be sure, some cases need medical attention. I believe, however, that if people who have an aching lower back would embark on a fitness program with attention to the lumbars, alter their diet to lose unwanted pounds around the middle and consistently exercise their lower back, they could avoid not only a great deal of pain and discomfort but also save a lot of money and the aggravation that comes with navigating the medical community.

So why don t more people take to a systematic exercise routine and

Part 2

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www.ironmanmagazine.com \ NOVEMBER 2009 235

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tion may not seem like much, but once you try it, you learn that it does change the workout just a bit.

You can do good mornings with a flat back or rounded back or while seated. I have athletes do seated good mornings only when they have an injury that prevents them from doing any standing exercises—such as a problem with a hip, knee or ankle—or when I want to give them some variety in their routines.

I allow them to do seated good mornings only occasionally, however, perhaps every six or eight weeks, because that’s the easiest version of the exercise and should not be substituted regularly for

you pay the price to gain overall results. Those who subscribe to this doctrine experience success in the weight room.

Those who don’t fail in their quest for greater strength.

Speaking of quests, I have been on one for more than 30 years to alter the commonly used name for the exercise from stiff- or

By bending your knees slightly, you eliminate the possibility of injuring your lower back and hamstrings, and the results are the same or in some cases even better.

]

plates are in abundance and, I believe, are more effective for the simple reason that working with free weights is harder than working on any machine and therefore is more productive.

Last month I went into detail on the merits of good mornings and how to do them correctly. As I’ve frequently stated, I consider them the very best exercise for building and maintaining lower-back strength.

Let’s briefly review. The weight you use on good mornings eventually needs to be 50 percent of what you handle on the back squat for eight to 10 reps. So if you’re a 400-pound squatter, you’ll do your final set of good mornings at 200 x 8-10. I use eight or 10 reps because I like to alter the set-and-rep count every other week, from four sets of 10 to five sets of eight. The slight varia-

the standing version unless there is a valid reason.

Although good mornings are my favorite lumbar exercise, I also believe that almost-straight-legged deadlifts have merit. Once again, though, you have to do them with taxing weights. The final set, or sets, should make your eyes cross. If you’re not exhausted at the end of the session, you need to put more weight on the bar. Staying in the comfort zone just doesn’t get the job done on lower-back work. You can never regard attacking the lumbar muscles as fun. The rewards do not come in feelings of physical pleasure but in knowing that when you improve your lower-back strength, you’re going to be able to handle more weight on your other primary exercises, such as squats, power cleans and overhead exercises. So

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]

straight-legged deadlifts to almost-straight-legged deadlifts. Why? It’s potentially risky to the lower back and even more risky to the hamstrings to lift or lower a weight with locked knees (any exercise that hits the lumbars will also involve the hamstrings). Most learn that after a strenuous session on a lower-back movement. They tell me that their hamstrings were sorer the morning after the workout than their lower backs.

Unfortunately, models who demonstrate the exercise in magazines are invariably shown with their knees tightly locked. Risk aside, there’s absolutely no reason to lock the knees while doing this form of deadlifts. By bending your knees slightly, you eliminate the possibility of injuring your lower back and hamstrings, and the results are the

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Model: Derik Farnsworth

drop some bodyweight rather than opting to lay out chunks of cash for pills or devices to get relief from their lower-back pain? In a nutshell, people are lazy, and working the lumbars is not easy. In fact, to really achieve strong lumbars, they will have to eventually do good mornings and/or almost-straight-legged deadlifts, which rank near the top of the list of most demanding strengthtraining exercises.

Sadly, many strength athletes avoid those two exercises for the same reason. They find a million and one excuses, from “they hurt my neck or shoulder” to the rationale that they’re getting plenty of lower-back work when they squat and deadlift. If you’re truly serious about getting considerably stronger, however, you absolutely must attack your lower back in a specific manner. I should mention that you can make your lumbars stronger by working on a well-designed reverse-hyper or hyper machine, but they aren’t available to most people.

On the other hand, bars and

same or in some cases even better.

Another common practice with the almost-straight-legged deadlift is to stand on a bench or platform.

I don’t like that because balance becomes a factor that does nothing to enhance the exercise. I’ve seen many athletes lose their balance while standing on a bench and instantly drop the bar across the bench, causing severe damage to a rather expensive bar.

If you happen to own the equipment, suit yourself. If not, stay on the floor.

I realize that the reason athletes stand on benches or plat-

until he masters the movement, and in due course he’ll have plenty of weight on the bar. After the initial warmup set with 95 pounds, he adds two more 25s, then two more and so on—and soon he’s looking at moving 245 for 10 reps. That’s as heavy as I take anyone first time out, and few get that far if the earlier sets are done correctly. At that point the athletes fully comprehend that when they add enough 25s to the bar, they can end up with a very taxing poundage.

Use straps. Although you may not need them for the lighter sets, they’re most useful for those final work sets. Straps help you concentrate on the movement without having to be concerned with holding onto the bar.

Plus they enable you to handle more weight— always a good thing in strength training.

The technique for the almoststraight-legged deadlift is very easy to learn, and for that

forms is so they can lower the bar farther and activate more muscles in the process. Makes sense, right?

Well, you get the same benefits by staying on firm ground and using 25-pound plates instead of 45s. They’ll enable you to go very low.

The bar will touch the tops of larger athletes’ shoes, and that’s certainly as deep as anyone needs to stretch downward.

Whenever I teach an advanced athlete how to do almost-straightlegged deadlifts and instruct him to put a 25-pound plate on each side of the bar, he objects, stating that he can use a lot more than that. I remind him that he needs to start light

stead of off the floor. That way I can set up the exact line I want more readily than I could if I were moving the bar upward. You position the bar on pins set outside a power rack or on the bottom rung of a staircase squat rack. Set your feet at shoulder width, and plant them solidly into the floor. Take the bar from the rack, and fix it against your thighs. If you start with the bar on the floor, tuck it in against your socks and shins.

The key is to start and keep the bar extremely close to your body on both the up and down movements.

If you let it wander away so much as an inch, you’ve made the exercise much more difficult—and more risky.

Before lowering the bar, bend your knees—not much but definitely some—to take the stress off your hamstrings. Once they’re bent, they should not bend any further.

They must stay in exactly the same position throughout the movement. Lower the bar until the plates touch the floor. At that point the bar should be across the tops of your shoes and against your shins. Don’t get into the habit of rebounding the bar off the floor—something most deadlifters pick up quickly because rebounding helps set

]

]

Risk aside, there’s absolutely no reason to lock your knees while doing this form of deadlifts.

reason athletes tend to just go through the motions rather than focusing on the key form points. That’s a mistake, particularly when the weights get demanding and the muscles become tired.

An improper move on the final few reps of the last couple of sets can cause a minor ding or something more serious, so you must concentrate on doing every rep perfectly, from the first warmup set to the last rep with the heaviest poundage.

Use a clean grip or one slightly wider. I like to start from the top in-

the bar in motion more easily. Even though it seems like a neat idea, it’s counterproductive. When you bounce the weights off the floor, you’re bypassing the muscle groups responsible for that action. That means when the weights get heavy, those muscles aren’t ready for the task ahead. In addition, when you rebound the weight, you throw your body out of position so that the bar is no longer in the precise line it should be in.

If you learn from the very beginning to pause just for a second at the bottom on each and every rep, you’ll ingrain this move into the lift

www.ironmanmagazine.com \ NOVEMBER 2009 237

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A Word About Lower Back Pain

and never have any difficulty when you move up to the demanding poundages.

You need to do the exercise in a controlled, deliberate fashion, not fast or in a herky-jerky manner.

The bar should move up and down in precisely the same line every time, as if you were doing the exercise in a Smith machine.

Also, you don’t have to come all the way back up to benefit. You can stop the upward motion at midthigh. At that point the lumbars have already done their job. If you’re more comfortable straightening up, however, that’s okay too.

Head position. It doesn’t matter whether you look down, up or straight ahead, as long as you don’t lock your head in a rigid position. Your head

]

Head position doesn’t matter, as long as you don’t lock your head in a rigid position.

]

238 NOVEMBER 2009 \ www.ironmanmagazine.com

should be relaxed and allowed to float free. Of course, any exaggeration of looking up or down is not advisable, as that places your upper spine under duress.

Whenever I tell athletes that I’m going to teach them how to do almost-straight-legged deadlifts and that they’ll do them instead of good mornings for a time, they’re delighted, figuring that they’re in for a walk in the park. They change their tune, of course, when I explain that I have numbers for this lift, just as I do for good mornings. You need to use 75 percent of what you can squat on the almost-straight-legged deadlifts for eight to 10 reps. That means if you’re squatting 400, you should be finishing up with 300 x 8-10. That’s no walk in the park.

Keep in mind that I’m talking about the eventual goal, to be achieved after several weeks or even months of doing the exercise.

Until you master the form, you can stay in the light or moderate range, but once you feel you’re doing the movement correctly, you should ease the numbers up to satisfy the 75 percent. Then, as the squat improves, the almost-straight-legged deads tag along.

Some of my more advanced

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Model: Sebastian Siegal

If you’ve just embarked on a strength routine that includes at least one specific core exercise for your lower back and you also do some distance running, you might find this useful. (By distance, I mean anywhere from two to six miles.) A number of football, basketball, lacrosse and soccer players frequently came to me complaining of aching lower backs while they were running. The pain was so severe that they had to stop until it went away.

I explained why that was happening, When you exercise your lower back hard and heavy, your body builds new muscle fibers. That doesn’t pose a problem during activity that is sustained for an extended length of time, such as running—unless you begin to lean forward. That typically occurs near the end of the run as you tire. The leaning causes more blood to flush into the new muscles in the lower back, and a dull ache results. The solution: Maintain an erect posture throughout the run. There will be no problem. Your lower back will send you signals should you start to lean, and if you make the correction immediately, you’ll be fine. That isn’t a bad thing by any means. It indicates that your lumbars are growing. Besides, any track coach will tell you that your upper body should stay ramrod straight while you’re running.

—B.S.

]

]

You need to use 75 percent of what you can squat on the almost-straight-legged deadlifts for eight to 10 reps

strength athletes have requested that they be allowed to use more than 75 percent of their squats.

I’ve agreed, on one condition: that they be able to do them perfectly. If they started lowering their hips when the weights got extremely heavy— making the exercise resemble a conven-

tional deadlift—I’d have them use less resistance.

Alter the sets and reps each time you do almoststraight-legged deadlifts: five sets of eight with four sets of 10. Use five or 10 more pounds when you do eights. Even though the change is small, it has a positive effect on strength gains.

What other exercises are good for building stronger lumbars? The conventional deadlift is excellent, mainly because you can overload the muscles of the lower back.

Weighted hyperextensions are most beneficial. The Russian lifters did them along with good mornings and achieved amazing lower-back strength and development. Some use plates behind their heads, but I prefer a bar, as it can be stabilized more securely. You don’t want to be twisting your torso in the slightest when doing them.

For any type of back hyperexten-

sion, do not come up past the parallel position, and make sure your knees are unlocked.

In order to use any type of resistance on hypers, you must have a well-padded bench.

Otherwise you’ll be more content to run the reps up. Start with 20 and add a couple every time you do them, and eventually you be knocking out 100 or more.

John Saxe, who played football,

captained the tennis team and lifted on the Olympic weightlifting team at Hopkins, did 150, yet he still got sore from the good mornings.

I have my athletes do one set of hyperextensions as part of their warmups prior to a lifting session, along with an ab exercise, then finish up with reverse hypers and another ab movement.

This serves two functions: 1) It ensures that the lower back is warm and ready for the work ahead, and 2) it adds to the overall workload for those muscle groups.

I like reverse hypers because you can do them just about anywhere.

I’ve done them on desks, counter tops, tables and situp boards. It’s difficult to add resistance to them unless you have a pair of Iron Boots or ankle weights; the workload has to be increased with repetitions.

Reverse hypers and conventional hypers hit the lumbars in different

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When the resistance gets taxing, go to twice a week, and on four other days do either reverse back hypers or regular back hyperextensions or both. In the process of hitting your lower back six days a week, you’ll be able to establish a solid strength base that will enable you to do more on your other exercises.

And because the overall volume isn’t that big, you should be able to recover rather easily. Pay attention, though, to how your lower back feels the morning after a workout.

Should you feel overly tired, skip a day. Move slowly. There’s no need to hurry, and it’s smarter not to overtrain.

Whether you want to get considerably stronger to become more proficient in your chosen sport, are trying to move up in the ranking of Olympic lifting, powerlifting or the strongman events or simply want to be able to take a long hike or

Lower the bar until the plates touch the floor. At that point the bar should be across the tops of your shoes and against your shins.

240 NOVEMBER 2009 \ www.ironmanmagazine.com

]

work in your garden without suffering lower-back pain for your efforts, you must give priority to your lower back in your strength-training program. After all, the lumbars are called the keystones of strength for good reason.

Editor’s note: Bill Starr was a strength and conditioning coach at Johns Hopkins University from 1989 to 2000. He’s the author of The Strongest Shall Survive—Strength Training for Football, which is available for $20 plus shipping from Home Gym Warehouse. Call (800) 447-0008, or visit www .Home-Gym.com. IM

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only a dozen reps for a couple of sets. The next day add to the rep count, but stay with two sets. Continue to run the reps up until you can do 40 to 50. Then find something heavier, such as a 25-pound bar. Drop the reps back to 12 and start climbing the reps up again until your reach 50. Now you’re ready for the 45-pound Olympic bar.

Lower the reps—although you may not need to go back to 12—and add another set.

When you’re able to do 40 to 50 with the Olympic bar, add weight, and stay with 20 reps for four sets from then on. Some trainees advance to the point where they can use 100 pounds, at which point two sets of 20 work well for most. Adjust your sets and reps to fit your needs.

During the time you’re building a base with light weights, do good mornings and/or almost-straightlegged deadlifts three times a week.

]

ways, so include both in your weekly program.

Put the primary lower-back exercises in your routine on the light day, right behind squats. The squats help warm up the lumbars and legs and make the good mornings or almost-straight-legged deadlifts a bit easier to do—not a lot, but every little bit helps. Never do either of those lower-back movements prior to squatting. You don’t want to squat with a fatigued lower back, even when you’re just handling light poundages. When your lower back is tired, you’ll resort to using improper technique on the squats, and that often carries over to the following squat workouts with heavier weights.

Nearly everyone can do good mornings or almost-straight-legged deadlifts unless there’s a physical problem that blocks those movements. So, as promised, here’s some advice if you’re not interested in moving heavy weights or even gaining considerable strength but do want to stay strong enough to enjoy an active lifestyle and not suffer from lower-back pain. Maybe you’re an older athlete or haven’t been training for some time and are starting back. Or maybe you’re recovering from a serious illness, accident or surgery and need to rebuild a much weakened lower back.

For starters, forget the squatweight percentages I mentioned.

They’re for younger, ambitious athletes. Start out light, and learn how to do the exercises correctly. You can use a broomstick or a section of metal or plastic pipe. Do

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Gravity, Iron, Force, Time, Space

L

the objective is the same: to look good.

Maybe, when the sun’s shadows shorten and temperatures drop and fair-weather festivities fade, people notice that health is wealth and discipline builds character; the oneness of lifting weights and the magic of hocus-pocus focus. More power to them, but right now looking good tops the charts.

Nothing’s changed. It hasn’t gotten better. The swelling of the swollen, having swelled, swells on. The same folks who vowed and sought to look good a year ago are back for more— or less. A few are absent, having succeeded or surrendered, and more are present. Alas, the crowd is growing bigger along with the individual.

Nothing’s changed. It hasn’t gotten easier. Losing bodyfat, building muscle and accentuating curves— looking good—is not an easy gig. The way It’s all about may be clear, but those with no will have looking good. no way. No courage, nowhere. No discipline, nothing.

Nothing’s changed. Take hold of the iron, set your mind to the steel, make the metal move, and good things happen.

Muscle and might are born, strength and health come alive, and the mind and spirits awaken.

While shadows are yet long and the sun pours down like molten gold, let us cast a pair of pure and precious bodyparts. Chest and back are my favorite grouping, unless we’re to consider bi’s and tri’s, whereupon we just might agree those two are a handsome and accommodating couple.

Shoulders and arms, on the other hand, are a mean alliance devoted to long and deliberate torture. The truth comes out before the first reps, but the truth isn’t enough. In charge of the brutal act, we, the frantic lifters, seek the essence of life, another dimension, a portal in time, a bold glimpse of the future. We also seek bowling-ball deltoids, lightning bi’s ’n’ thunder tri’s.

Call us crazy.

Here’s one (don’t ask me why; it just feels good): a powerhouse leg workout (squats, squats, squats) followed by a closet-sized arm workout—just big enough to rack four or five pairs of well-pressed close-grip benches with matching Olympicbar curls. Nothing sophisticated, basics only; moderate impression with subtle effects. Think casual and comfortable, pumps and burns only.

The last time I did a split routine—half in the a.m., half in the p.m.—was the spring, Neveux \ Models: Danny Hester and Tina Jo Bange

et’s face it, bomber, that’s what it’s all about. Iron! Gravity! Force! Some folks think there’s more to life—like, what are we here for, what’s it all mean? By the time they come to zero conclusions, I have half my workout done, a good burn and a decent pump.

Huge and ripped, that’s my motto. Veins and striations, that’s my cry. Thick and powerful, hear my plea. Chic and svelte...my heart’s desire, I suppose, if I were a girl. Weird there for a sec, thinking of what a girl might be thinking if I was one...gave me the shivers.

The goal of the smiley, wide-eyed gym member is no deep secret: to look good. Power is nice, but slice it, dice it, or stand it on its head and the main aim of the game is the same: to look good. You might elaborate on your emphatic, or faint, gestures at your spa and health club, conveying messages of health, athleticism, inner strength and discipline, but

244 NOVEMBER 2009 \ www.ironmanmagazine.com

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&216(59$7,21 Pee Ditty

Neveux \ Model: Moe El Moussawi

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summer and fall of 1970. The reason, as I recall, was some upcoming pro contests that involved duds like Zane, Katz, Columbu, Arnold and Tiger Woods, I think. Did I say duds?

I meant dudes. Honest! I was 28, going on 12-to-life. That’s what you get, if you get caught and don’t have a good defense lawyer. I escaped shortly thereafter, fleeing L.A. to hide out in the vast, bewildering forests of central California.

Funny, the things you remember without really trying. Funnier yet, the things you can’t forget though really trying.

We press on. We never let go. We never quit.

—Dave Draper

id you know that when you flush the toilet, down goes about five gallons of water?

Yep, that’s quite a waste, so to conserve that precious fluid (the water, not your pee), go ahead and squirt in the shower. You think that’s disgusting? Not hardly. Urine is sterile and nontoxic, and it can even help cure athlete’s foot. See all that dirty water going down the drain? It might as well have a little pee mixed in so you don’t have to flush even more after you dry off.

—Becky Holman

+($/7+

Exercise, Sleep and Cancer

A

10-year study of 6,000 people found that those who exercised but slept less than seven hours a night increased their cancer risk by 50 percent compared to exercisers who slept more than seven hours. Not getting enough sleep appears to cause hormone disturbances that can cancel the benefits of exercise and lead to a higher risk of cancer.

—Becky Holman

©iStockPhoto.com \ Ben Goode

Editor’s note: For more from Dave Draper, visit www.DaveDraper .com and sign up for his free newsletter. You can also check out his amazing Top Squat training tool, classic photos, workout Q&A and forum.

www.ironmanmagazine.com \ NOVEMBER 2009 245

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0,1' %2'< BodySpace Physique of the Month

Tiffany Forni

Photography by Ian Sitren \ SecondFocus

O

ne of the most inspirational women on all of BodySpace: That certainly describes Tiffany Forni. Twenty-four-year-old Tiffany has gone from a 235-pound hockey-playing self-described nerd to the embodiment of physical fitness. After losing 70 pounds in only three months, she went on to figure competition, taking a first-place trophy in October 2008 and qualifying for NPC national-level competition after having lost almost 100 pounds.

In the process, Tiffany earned the coveted title of Body Building.com’s Female Transformation of the Year. And given all of the great people on BodySpace who live and love fitness, that’s no small accomplishment. At her favorite gym in Portland, Oregon, she now trains other people to build their fit and healthy selves.

Tiffany is always busy—creating her own recipes for healthful foods, planning and cooking her meals, prepping ideas, writing books and doing her own video series on BodyBuilding.com.

In between she holds down a job in the hotel business and travels a great deal. “Any excuse to get out of town and see new places,” she says. Among the new places Tiffany has seen on her fitness travels are Los Angeles for the FitExpo/ IRON MAN Pro and Columbus, Ohio, for the Arnold. Next up, the Team Universe in New York and shortly thereafter a visit to the Olympia in Las Vegas.

You’ve probably seen Tiffany in the ads for BodySpace here in IRON MAN and other magazines, but she’s somewhat new to modeling. Physique of the Month is one of her first professional photo shoots, so I hope you enjoy the results. Visit Tiffany on BodyBuilding.com at http://BodySpace.com/31233.

That’s right—her screen name is 31233, so be sure to ask her what that’s all about.

—Ian Sitren

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

246 NOVEMBER 2009 \ www.ironmanmagazine.com

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0,1' %2'< Memories

The Urge to Splurge

or most of us spending money on ourselves gives us a buzz. Getting something new can cause an endorphin release that can make you happier—at least for a few moments. New research suggests that spending your money on memories rather than material things makes you happier longer. For example, spending on a short vacation or even a day at the beach or a night out with friends will have a longer effect on health and happiness than spending the money on, say, new shoes.

New clothes lose their appeal more quickly than happy memories, which can last a lifetime.

—Becky Holman

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Neveux \ Models: Greg Plitt and Alicia Marie

F

R

esearch from the UCLA School of Medicine suggests that one of the keys to happiness is the big O. No, not that O—others, as in people. Scientists found that isolation and loneliness can produce excessive inflammatory responses as well as a suppressed immune system. Those two negatives combined lead to a downward spiral of health and a significant increase in risk of disease, including cancer.

—Becky Holman

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Lower Cholesterol

Slower muscle growth?

Neveux \ Model: Carl Silvani

S

tatin drugs that lower cholesterol are becoming more and more popular; however, all drugs have side effects. Many statin users report fatigue—for reasons that a recent study may have demonstrated. It appears that higher doses affect the ability of skeletal muscles to regenerate and repair. Subjects experienced a reduction in satellite cells, which means slower results from your workouts. If you’re taking statin drugs, you may need more recovery time between workouts.

—Becky Holman

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0,1' %2'< Review Practical Guide to Harnessing Our Evolution Rx AInnate Capacity for Health and Healing

T

he author of Evolution Rx, William Meller, M.D., is fascinated by the evolution of humankind’s immune system and how it has helped us survive. The first part of the book is devoted to how cavemen lived and the infections they had to survive and then explains how germs evolved. Interesting to some, but others would say the first chapters give a bit too much ink to background rather than action and application. You’ll have to hunt and gather past the first third of this 300-pager to find the author’s recommendations for how to use our evolved immunity for better health now, but it’s worth it.

One of Meller’s more interesting conclusions is that instead of “overprotecting our children and thereby putting them at risk, we need to put them in nature’s way.” In other words, exposure to dirt and germs—even farm animals—builds immunity early in life. For example, “Evolutionary-minded researchers are now finding that it may be best to feed infants peanuts and other potential food allergens in infancy in order to avoid allergies later.”

Interesting!

You’ll learn a lot, about everything from food allergies to germ replication to Stone Age eating. Meller smashes many myths on subjects that range from eating to exercise to cancer prevention. For example, if you think cancer is increasing due to our toxic environment, think again: “The single most important reason cancer is increasing in the developed world is that we are living longer.” Our immune systems get old and finally become overwhelmed. He explains that “eating well without overeating, quitting smoking, decreasing the number of menstrual periods and seeking vitamin D from the sun together can decrease the risk of the most common cancers by 90 percent.”

You’ll see that our bodies have evolved to handle the small amounts of toxins in our food supply, so you re-

ally don’t have to go organic or be terrified of mercury in the fish you buy. Your body is good at detoxing if you eat right.

Oh, and don’t forget to get out in the sun—without sunblock.

You need vitamin D from sunlight rather than from food or supplements: “Vitamin pills usually contain only one kind of vitamin D. Our bodies need five varieties, and we make all five when exposed to sunshine.” Not only that, we need more sun exposure as we get older because our bodies can’t produce vitamin D as efficiently.

What about the deadly skin cancer melanoma? Meller is ready for that one: “The principal cause of melanoma, which causes 75 percent of all skin cancer deaths, is not sun exposure. It’s in our genes.... Melanomas appear frequently on parts of the body never exposed to sun.”

Meller even shatters so-called truths about injury healing. He says that everything from icing injuries to stretching to massage to physical therapy has little to no effect on our healing—and some of it prolongs the recovery process. Stretching actually produces microtrauma in muscle and connective tissue, so if you do it before an event, you increase your risk of injury. Even drinking water during exercise can divert blood to the stomach to absorb the water, which can deprive the muscles and brain during a workout.

Meller also makes surprising observations and recommendations on sleep, dating, mating, attraction, happiness and aging well. Once you hit the second half of this book, where all the interesting evo facts reside, you’ll have a new perspective on how to better cope with life’s rocky road. It’s all about evo-solutions. By the way, one of the standout suggestions: “No matter what your age, exercise to build muscle.” Sound advice!

—Becky Holman

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0,1' %2'< Mortality Die of a Broken Heart?

Neveux \ Model: Henrik Jansson

A

ccording to Nicholas Bakaler’s new book The Medicine Cabinet of Curiosities: An Unconventional Compendium of Health Facts and Oddities from Asthmatic Mice to Plants That Can Kill, death from a broken heart is real: “Acute stress can cause heart failure, and a failed romance may be stressful enough to do it. So that’s dying of a broken heart, kind of. But sometimes people under stress already have heart disease, so whether the stress caused the fatal heart failure is unclear. Yet there is a syndrome called acute stress cardiomyopathy, which looks a lot like a heart attack but isn’t one and is caused by stressful events. Its victims are usually people without evidence of cardiac disease

who come into the hospital after acute emotional or physical trauma.

The most common emotional triggers are grief (the death of a loved one, for example) or fear (being robbed at gunpoint or being involved in a car accident).”

—Becky Holman

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0,1' %2'< Health & Aging

I

n order to ascertain whether optimistic people have longer life spans than their pessimistic counterparts, a team

of researchers from the Netherlands interviewed approximately 1,000 men and women between the ages of 65 and 85 about health, selfrespect, morale, optimism and relationships.

The study, which was led

by Erik Giltay, M.D., Ph.D, of the Psychiatric Center GGZ Delfland, in Delft, included two key questions regarding optimism: “Do you often feel like life is full of promise,” and “Do you still have many goals to strive for?”

Answering yes to those questions revealed a sense of optimism.

During the nine-year follow-up period, Dr. Giltay and his colleagues found that participants who had reported higher levels of optimism were 55 percent less likely to die from any cause and 23 percent were less likely to die from a heartrelated illness compared to the pessimistic group.

Another study, led by Dr. Hilary Tindle from the University of Pittsburgh, found similar results.

The researchers used data from the Women’s Health Initiative, an ongoing government study of more than 100,000 women over age 50 that began in 1994. Participants completed a standard questionnaire that measured optimistic tendencies based on their responses to statements like “In uncertain times, I expect the worst.” Their results showed that eight years into the study, women who scored the highest in optimism were 14 percent more likely to be

252 NOVEMBER 2009 \ www.ironmanmagazine.com

alive than those with the lowest, most pessimistic scores, with pessimists more likely to have died from any cause, including heart disease and cancer.

In addition, pessimistic black women were 33 percent more likely to have died after eight years than optimistic black women, while white pessimists were only 13 percent more likely to have died than their optimistic counterparts.

As Dr. Tindle notes, pessimistic women tended to agree with statements like, “I’ve often had to take orders from someone who didn’t know as much as I did” or “It’s safest to trust nobody.” “Taking into account income, education, health behaviors like controlling blood pressure and whether or not you are physically active, whether or not you drink or smoke, we still see optimists with a decreased risk of death compared to pessimists,” she says.

Although the exact reasons behind the correlation are not known, Dr. Tindle suggests two key explanations that she is hoping to validate in clinical trials: Optimistic people tend to have more friends and a larger social network on which they can rely during crises, and they can better handle stress, a risk factor associated with high blood pressure, heart disease and early death in previous studies.

—Dr. Bob Goldman www.WorldHealth.net Editor’s note: For the latest information and research on health and aging, subscribe to the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine e-zine free at WorldHealth.net.

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Neveux \ Model: Jen Hendershott

Optimism, Health and Longevity

Muscle Beach Memories

Natural Anabolics I got Jerry Brainum’s e-book [Natural Anabolics] and was blown away by the research he put into it. I was impressed because Mr. Brainum explained everything in terms I could understand. His “applications and recommendations” section at the end of each chapter helped me organize all that I’d read and actually use the information he presented. My hat is off to him, and I’ve been following his Natural Anabolics Supplement Schedule [listed with supplements and times for each] for a few weeks now and have made great strides in size and strength. Thank you, and I can’t wait for the sequel.

Seth McClaine via Internet Editor’s note: For more on Jerry Brainum’s Natural Anabolics—Nutrients, Supplements and Compounds That Can Accelerate Muscle Growth Without Drugs, visit www.Jerry Brainum.com.

Heat Shock Supplements?

Jerry Brainum’s feature on heat shock proteins [“Shocking Muscle Growth,” September ’09] was interesting and explained the nuts and bolts of HSPs, but I’m wondering 254 NOVEMBER 2009 \ www.ironmanmagazine.com

if all the new heat shock protein–activating supplements work. Are there ingredients I should look for that would make them increase HSPs, or is it more of a drug-induced state that I really can’t control, being drug free?

Gerald Simpson via Internet Editor’s note: Jerry did mention a number of natural substances that can increase HSPs, like caffeine; however, he’s digging deeper. He will have an interview with a top heat shock protein researcher next month.

Fast Workouts, Big Results

Neveux \ Models: Steve Holman and Jonathan Lawson

Like IRON MAN publisher John Balik, I was mesmerized by the photos and stories from Muscle Beach in my youth. Unfortunately, I never made it out to Southern California during that golden age, which is why I am so happy to see IRON MAN pay homage to that special time and place. Balik’s editorials on the men and women who made it what it was are priceless. In his last Publisher’s Lettter [“Founding Fathers of Fitness,” September ’09] I was very excited to learn that IRON MAN is part of a documentary in the making on that magical place. With passionate men like Balik behind it, I’m sure it will show the true historical significance of Muscle Beach and those who made it so magical.

Sal McGilvery Trenton, NJ

[Steve Holman and Jonathan Lawson] have been fantastic training coaches. I started at the beginning of this year with their first e-book, The Ultimate Mass Workout, and now I’m finally getting those “You look great!” comments consistently.

I haven’t lost much weight; instead, I have lost inches from my waist and added inches to my chest, arms and legs! I find the program I’m using to be the ultimate addition to my martial arts training: I train two to four hours a week in karate, so I don’t have the time or the energy to spend hours at the gym. The Basic Ultimate Mass Workout programs—done in 45 minutes—are life savers. My son, 16, has also had great success with those [X-Rep] programs. Thank you.

Andre Vachon via Internet Editor’s note: For more on X Reps and The Ultimate Mass Workout e-book, visit www.X-Rep.com.

Vol. 68, No. 11: IRON MAN (ISSN #0047-1496) is published monthly by IRON MAN Publishing, 1701 Ives Ave., Oxnard, CA 93033. Periodical Mail is paid at Oxnard, CA, and at additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to IRON MAN, P.O. Box 90968, Long Beach, CA 90809-0968. Please allow six to eight weeks for change to take effect.

Subscription rates—U.S. and its possessions: new 12-issue subscription, $29.97. Canada, Mexico and other foreign subscriptions: 12 issues, $49.97 sent Second Class. Foreign orders must be in U.S. dollars. Send subscriptions to IRON MAN, P.O. Box 90968, Long Beach, CA 90809-0968. Or call 1-800-570-4766 or 1-714-226-9782. Copyright © 2009. All rights reserved. No part of this magazine may be reproduced in any manner without written permission from the publisher. Printed in the USA.

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