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NatuRAL b o d z m a g a z i n e . c o m

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C O N T E N T S

Australian Natural Bodz Magazine

2017 volume 7 Issue 6

REGULARS 10 14

PUBLISHER / EDITOR IN CHIEF Steve Jones GENERAL MANAGER Steve Jones

fitness Newz Catch up with all the latest news & gossip within the health & fitness industry.

ASSOCIATE EDITORS Antonietta Jones ART DIRECTOR Antonietta Jones

Nutrition Knowledge Centre

artwork@naturalbodzmagazine.com

Coffee better stimulant than caffeine pill. Over drinking water can be fatal! Fructose makes you fatter and lazier. Olive Oil Compound has anabolic properties. Skip breakfast to lean up faster.

GRAPHIC DESIGN Natural Bodz Australia Pty Ltd

Train Smart 10 minutes, 3 times a week for a fitter healthier, slimmer body! The definition of over training. High reps produce long lasting muscle. Exercising before breakfast still the best recipe for fat loss. The Dangers of bulking up!

Supplement Central

admin@naturalbodzmagazine.com www.naturalbodzmagazine.com

Health Sex & Longevity

100 Natural Chef

NATIONAL ADVERTISING MANAGER Antonietta Jones Ph: 07 56301561 Mobile: 0410 169 595

Australian Natural Bodz Magazine Subscription Enquiries: P.O.Box 3572 Robina Town Centre QLD, 4230 Ph: 07 55 930 753

A little caffeine makes your pre workout shake more effective. Fenugreek Boosts testosterone. Vitamin D boosts the anabolic effect of L leucine.

Anti inflammatory foods that protect the heart. Latest research reveals the fountain of youth! Handful of nuts everyday extends lifespan.

Australian Natural Bodz Magazine is Published by: Natural Bodz Australia Pty Ltd

ACN: 131310711 ABN: 50448838146

Low carb Cauliflower Pizza Crust.

DISCLAIMERS

102 Hot Shots

Images of the hottest natural fitness athletes in the industry.

102

W W W. N AT U R A L B O D Z M A G A Z I4N E . C O M

This magazine includes exercise instruction and nutritional information. Before starting any new exercise or nutrition program it is recommended to consult your physician for advice. Opinions and views expressed in Australian Natural Bodz Magazine do not necessarily represent those of the editor staff or publishers.

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C O N T E N T S 2017 volume 7 Issue 6

FEATURE ARTICLE CONTRIBUTORS Steve Jones Regie Simmons George L Redmon Dr Corey Mote Mark Robinson

FEATURES

20 LIFE CHAMPION: winning traits you need to know

Everyone wants to achieve success! In this issue Natural Bodz Editor Steve Jones shares some insight into what is required to reach new heights of success across all avenues of life. Part one in a self development series.

24 Hot Bodz Star Profile - pro BIKINI model

20 24

cameron biafore

In this issue 2016 Ms Bikini America / Bikini Pro shares her story of success with Natural Bodz readers. Find out how this stunning Brunette took out one of the Worlds biggest Bikini Titles in her first year of competing, a truly inspiring story.

EDITORIAL CONTRIBUTORS Kelechi Opara Natalia Muntean Obi Obadike Prof Brian Peskin Chris Woodley Mark Ottobre Mikhael East Mark Robinson

PHOTOGRAPHERS Steve Jones Robert Bell G.W. Burns John Dorton Liana Louzon John Dorton Ralph DeHaan Adam Devir ABC Creative Alex Ardenti Noel Daganta Peter Kotsa Gordon Smith Arsenik Photography Jason Ellis Steve Di Bartolomeo Impact Photography

32 2016 musclemania australia event report

So many amazing athletes hit the stage at last years Musclemania Australia. This is your chance to view some of the incredible images captured at the show and recap on the final results.

52 cutting through the diet non-science by steve jones

Steve Jones shares some of his 30 plus years of knowledge dissecting some of the current diet fads that are often both misleading and confusing to say the least. Find out what really works when it comes to building a fitter and leaner body.

COVER MODELS Megan Granville & Liam Burnham

Photography by Steve Jones

66 2016 Fitness americaâ&#x201E;˘ weekend event report

Featuring a massive 20 plus pages of inspiring images captured by Editor Steve Jones at the 2016 Fitness Americaâ&#x201E;˘ Weekend in Las Vegas. Features our 2016 Natural Bodz Team Australia and many of the International Superstar Natural Athletes that took part in last years event.

84 feature star profile on physique pro

Australian Natural Bodz ISSN is published bi-monthly. Nothing appearing in Australian Natural Bodz may be re-printed, either wholly or in-part without written consent of the publisher. Editorial Submissions: Send editorial submissions to Australian Natural Bodz, P.O.Box 3572, Robina Town Centre, QLD 4230, Australia.

memo del solar

Memo Del Solar has risen to the top of the competitive Physique world in two short years. His latest victory was taking out the 2016 Musclemania Physique Overall and the Natural Bodz Pro League Physique Class. This young man is a true inspiration with a rare work ethic that can only guarantee many years of ongoing success.

v Australian Natural Bodz Magazine

W W W. N AT U R A L B O D Z M A G A Z 6I N E . C O M

All letters, photos, manuscripts etc will be considered as intended for publication, and Australian Natural Bodz reserves the right edit and/or comment.

editors message v IF YOU WANT THE RAINBOW YOU’VE GOT TO PUT UP WITH THE RAIN

Steve Jones Editor / CEO Australian Natural Bodz

If you want the rainbow you’ve got to put with with the rain. To truly achieve success and inner peace in life you have to learn to embrace both success and failure in equal measures. I often see athletes that compete in Fitness and Bodybuilding events struggle if they don’t get the result they desire. Speaking on a personal level, I placed in a lot more shows than I won. But I never saw this as a fail, I took it as an opportunity to assess, learn and move forward. It fuelled me to become a better version of myself. Noticed I used the word “Placed” in fact sometimes I didn’t even place! Perception is everything, as success is also different for everyone. While one competitor sees losing 25kgs and actually stepping on stage success, another sees a 2nd place as a failure! Life is not all wine and roses. True success and inner peace only comes about when we learn to embrace everything that happens in life. In order to have light you must have dark, in order to have up you must have down. A good example is the ancient Chinese symbol Yin and Yang. According to yin yang philosophy, the universe and everything in it are both constant and cyclical. In this infinite cycle, one force dominates and is then replaced by the opposing force. Examples illustrating the yin yang philosophy include: Life and death Heaven and earth Night and day Dark and light Health and sickness Poverty and wealth Success and Failure Cold and hot Positive and negative

losing family members at a young age. I could have let that eat me up and spit me out. However from dark comes light, and to be 100% honest I would have missed out on what has been so far an amazing chapter of my life, including owning a gym here in Australia for 5 years, meeting my beautiful Wife, starting my own supplement company, not to mention meeting so many amazing athletes and helping and sharing their success through this very magazine. Having the pleasure to produce two amazing Natural Fitness Events the Natural Bodz Asia Pacific and Musclemania Australia. If not placing where you wanted in a Bodybuilding or Fitness event is the worst thing that ever happens to you, count that as a blessing. Learn from it, don’t live in denial or become a victim of your own ego. Stop being so sensitive and trying to please others, stop seeking approval. Stop the nonsense about haters, not everyone will like everything you do. Let it go. Move on. Become the authentic self, automatically you will be more real and likeable. Define your true intentions as intention sets direction! Just make sure your intentions are positive. Why do you do what you do? The correct answer is because it makes you happy. But is your happiness based purely on success? If it is you will never be truly happy because you have not embraced the duality of life itself. Light and dark, positive and negative, success and failure. This is life! I will finish with my opening quote. If you want the rainbow you’ve got to put with with the rain. Celebrate life and all it bestows. Yours in health and fitness

Steve Jones

I have had some pretty tragic experiences in my life,

Natural Bodz Magazine

Editor

Revealing the cold hard facts on health and fitness.....

Be sure to check out our Fan Page at www.facebook.com/naturalbodzmagazine

v This section is to keep everyone within the industry up to date with all the latest news and gossip, if you have some hot news off the press please let us know. Send any news submissions to: editor@naturalbodzmagazine.com

LIAM BURNHAM

CONGRATULATIONS

TEGAN AND ZAC MEREDITH

INTERNATIONAL POSTER BOY

016 Natural Bodz Pro Zac Meredith and gorgeous wife Tegan Meredith have been busy and soon will be even busier with their baby due October 25th. A physique boy or bikini girl ? but there is no doubt that the little one will have amazing genes and will stand out from the crowd just as like this beautiful couple. We wish them the very best as they prepare and enter this exciting new adventure and wish them all a lifetime of health, love and happiness.

old Coaster Liam Burham is getting some well deserved International exposure being featured on three Musclemania Event Posters across the globe.

Liam earned himself a first place victory at last years Fitness America™ Weekend in Las Vegas where he took out first place in the Physique Category. He now joins the elite Musclemania Pro ranks and will be making his Pro Debut at this years Fitness America™ Weekend in Pro Physique Category. Liam is without doubt one of the most dedicated and hardest working athletes in the industry. He always emits a positive energy and vibe whenever he hits the stage and epitomizes the true essence of a champion. He was part of the 2016 Natural Bodz Team that took part in the Fitness America™ Weekend and was always on hand to help out fellow team members. We are looking forward to witnessing Liam’s Pro debut at this years Fitness America™ Weekend as we make the journey to Vegas once again to capture some amazing images and share the teams success.

THIS ISSUES COVER MODELS W

e are dedicated to providing well deserved International exposure to athletes that put in the hard yards and take the opportunity to compete in our events and also take part in our Media Day shoots. This issue features two outstanding fitness ambassadors Megan Granville and Liam Burnham. Megan is a multi-title holder across Fitness Model and Bikini Events. She won the Natural Bodz Asia Pacific Classic Fitness Class and more recently the Classic Bikini Class. Megan is also featured in this years Sports Model International Calendar. Liam Burham has been competing in our events for a number of years now, having taken top honours in both Muscle Model and Physique. In 2016 he earned Musclemania Pro Status by winning the Overall Musclemania World Physique Title in Las Vegas. In June this year he also took out first place in the Pro League Fitness at the Natural Bodz Asia Pacific. Without question two superb ambassadors for the Natural Bodybuilding and Fitness Industry and its a pleasure to have them grace our Cover. Natural Bodz Magazine is available on two of the biggest Digital Platforms in the world, Pressreader.com and Magzter.com. These platforms reach millions of readers across the world, with Pressreader reaching out across Universities, Cruise Ships and major Hotel chains. For information and subscriptions www.naturalbodz.com 10

Fitness NEWZv

TOP NATURAL ATHLETES HAVE THEIR EYES ON THE PRIZE FOR MUSCLEMANIA OZ

thletes from across Australia are on their final weeks of preparation leading into the 2017 Musclemania Australia to be hosted on Queensland’s Gold Coast.

Many of the athletes taking part have their eyes on cracking the top 3 in their respective class so they can qualify for the 2017 Musclemania Worlds / Fitness America™ Weekend to be held in Las Vegas. The ultimate goal is to become the Overall Champion in their respective category as this achievement earns the athlete Musclemania Pro Status. Taking top honours in a Musclemania event is not easy task, with the Musclemania World’s in Vegas attracting well over 600 athletes annually! Yes indeed this is a real World title with over 50 countries taking part over the massive two day event. Natural Bodz is proud to present Musclemania Australia and provide a World Class stage for athletes to gain Global Industry exposure. Check the 20 page Fitness America™ Weekend report in this very issue. It features all of last years Team Australia along with some of the incredible International champions that took top honours at the 2016 show. Some of the line ups had close to 100 athletes! As they say if you want to be the best you have to beat the best. There is certainly no shallow victories at the Musclemania Worlds, it is one tough show but it makes the victory that much sweeter when you come out on top! Be sure to lock the 17th September in you calendar. For event info www.musclemaniaaustralia.com

billie paea

Follow on Facebook @musclemaniaau On Instagram @musclemaniaau

2016 musclemania australia overall champion

COFFEE BETTER STIMULANT THAN CAFFEINE PILL F

itness fanatics, bodybuilders and other strength athletes train better after two cups of coffee than after a pill containing caffeine, write British sports scientists Darren Richardson and Neil Clarke soon in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. Study The researchers got nine trained male students to do a simple two-sets to failure bench press workout on different occasions. On one occasion the subjects drank two cups of coffee an hour before starting their workout [COF]. The students consumed 0.15 g instant coffee per kg bodyweight. That provided them with 5 mg caffeine per kg bodyweight. On another occasion the subjects drank two cups of decaffeinated instant coffee an hour before starting their workout [DEC]. The students consumed 0.15 g decaffeinated instant coffee per kg bodyweight. On yet another occasion the subjects drank two cups of decaffeinated instant coffee an hour before starting their workout, and took caffeine pills as well [D+C]. The students consumed 0.15 g decaffeinated instant coffee and 5 mg caffeine per kg bodyweight. On another occasion the students just took caffeine pills an hour before doing their strength training [CAF]. They then consumed 5 mg caffeine per kg bodyweight. Finally, the students were given a placebo on one occasion an hour before the workout. [PLA] Results The subjects managed more reps when they did squats after drinking ordinary coffee, or decaffeinated coffee plus caffeine than when they had been given a placebo, caffeine pills or decaffeinated coffee. Apparently coffee contains more stimulants than just caffeine - or possibly substances that reinforce the stimulatory effect of caffeine. Conclusion “The practical implications of the present study are that the ingestion of caffeinated coffee, providing 5 mg•kg-1 of caffeine (approximately two large cups i.e. 300 ml per cup) prior to resistance exercise, can enhance performance”, the researchers wrote. “Further research should be conducted to observe if enhancements in performance can be procured from a lower dose of caffeine from coffee, for example 3 mg/kg-1, which would be a more practical amount of coffee to drink (approximately 1 large cup i.e. 300 ml).” Reference: J Strength Cond Res. 2016 Feb 12.

chauny taylor Photo by Steve Jones

OVER DRINKING WATER CAN BE FATAL

ew study says drink water for thirst, rather than trying to get in 8 glasses, especially as drinking too much water can cause water intoxication.

There is a new study that challenges the long-standing idea that it is “mandatory” for our health to drink at least eight glasses of water every day. Associate Professor Michael Farrell of the Monash University Department of Medical Imaging and Radiation Sciences, of the Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute was the overseer for the work done by PhD student Pascal Saker, at the University of Melbourne. This was also part of a collaboration with the University of Melbourne, the Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, and the Baker IDI and Diabetes Heart Institute. Many who advocate drinking eight glasses or more of water every day don’t seem to realize that over-drinking can actually cause water intoxication that could potentially be fatal. The researchers state that we are fortunate that we have a mechanism to regulate fluid intake in our human body that normally keeps us from over-drinking. The study showed for the first time that the brain activates a ‘swallowing inhibition’ when excess liquid is consumed. Participants in the study had to rate the amount of effort that was required to swallow water following exercise when they were thirsty, and then later when they were persuaded to drink an excessive amount of water. There was a threefold increase in the swallowing effort after over-drinking, which validated that the swallowing reflex is inhibited when enough water has been consumed. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used to record the activity in different areas of the brain that focused on the short period that occurs just before swallowing. The right prefrontal areas were made more active when the participants attempted to swallow with a great effort, meaning that the frontal cortex steps in to override the swallowing inhibition, in order to avoid water intoxication. Intoxication occurs when the vital levels of sodium in the blood become abnormally low, which can potentially cause symptoms ranging from lethargy and nausea to convulsions and coma. Farrell recounted that there have been times when athletes running in marathons were advised to fill up with water and then died, because they followed those incorrect recommendations and drank far in excess of their actual need. Associate Professor Farrell advocates going by what our bodies demand, stating we should just drink according to our thirst, not a deliberate schedule. We should trust in our ‘swallowing inhibition’ that the brain activates, if excess liquid is consumed. This helps maintain tightly calibrated volumes of water in our bodies.

FRUCTOSE MAKES YOU FATTER AND LAZIER I

f you consume large amounts of sugar you’ll not only get fatter, you’ll also get fatter faster than if you consume large amounts of glucose. That’s because fructose – one of the components of sugar – makes you lazy, which means you move less. Nutritionists at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign discovered this when they studied the effect of a high-fructose diet on mice.

intake levels of fructose.

Glucose, fructose and sugar You probably know already, but we’ll repeat it just in case. Thanks to the food industry we consume too much refined carbohydrates. These are not healthy for us and the unhealthiest of all refined carbohydrates are sucrose and fructose.

Results The mice in both groups put on weight, but the fructose mice became fatter than the mice in the glucose group.

Study The researchers gave mice food that contained 180g fructose per kg for 11 weeks. The food was an imitation of the diet of heavy consumers of fructose. A control group was given food that contained 180 g glucose per kg.

The researchers used cameras to monitor how much the mice moved around in their cages at night [mice are nocturnal animals]. They observed that the mice in both groups started to move less when the experiment began. But the decrease in movement was bigger in the fructose group than in the glucose group.

Fructose is a component of sucrose, ordinary sugar, but an increasing number of foods also contain fructose alone. Fructose is a component, for example, of High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS).

Conclusion “In support of our observations, a recent study reported that ingestion of fructose (25% energy intake, 10 weeks) in human volunteers also resulted in reduced energy expenditure in relation to a diet with the same glucose dose”, the researchers wrote. [Eur J Clin Nutr. 2012 Feb;66(2):201-8.]

Researchers like Robert Lustig have been warning for years about the consequences of a high fructose intake. Fructose doesn’t convert easily into glucose. It’s glucose that stimulates the production of insulin, the hormone that induces cells to absorb glucose. With fructose the process doesn’t go so smoothly, so fructose tends to hang around more in the bloodstream. As a result, a diet that contains a lot of fructose is more likely to lead to diabetes, cardiovascular disease and overweight than a diet that contains a lot of glucose. The animal study done at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, which was recently published in scientific Reports, confirms the dangers of our current

“Such changes in energy expenditure are likely to have important implications in regard to regulation of body weight and energy balance in long-term consumption of fructose. It is realistic to consider an increase in physical activity as a way to ablate the potential negative impact of fructose consumption in body weight.”

OLIVE OIL COMPOUND HAS ANABOLIC PROPERTIES O

leuropein is a compound that occurs naturally in olive oil and helps the body to use proteins more economically. In a Japanese study, published in the Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry, rats that had a protein-rich diet retained no less than 46 percent more protein when large amounts of oleuropein were added to their food. In addition, they produced more testosterone and less cortisol.

made from oleuropein into the rats’ circulatory system. This increased secretion of LH may be a consequence of the higher adrenalin and noradrenalin levels caused by the oleuropein, the Japanese think.

Oleuropein is found in olives, olive oil and leaves of the olive tree. Supplements containing olive-leaf extracts have been on the market for years, and if you look carefully you’ll find cheap extracts containing 25 percent oleuropein. With a bit of chemical tinkering you can remove the glucose group from the oleuropein molecule, leaving you with a pareddown version – chemists call it an aglycon – of oleuropein. The Japanese experimented with the natural version of oleuropein. Seven years ago the Japanese reported that virgin olive oil boosted the metabolism of rats. It was the phenol oleuropein that was responsible for this, they discovered later. [J Nutr Sci Vitaminol (Tokyo). 2008 Oct;54(5):363-70.] Oleuropein boosted the secretion of adrenalin and noradrenalin in rats, and made the brown fat cells burn more fatty acids. The discovery of the adrenergic effect of oleuropein prompted some manufacturers to add oleuropein to bodybuilding supplements. Fifteen years ago the same researchers discovered that garlic had approximately the same effect. And when the Japanese combined garlic supplementation with a protein-rich diet, they observed that the garlic boosted anabolism: lab animals retained more nitrogen, and produced more testosterone and less cortisol. That’s why the Japanese were curious whether oleuropein also had a similar anabolic effect. The researchers gave three groups of rats food containing 10, 25 or 40 percent protein [Casein] for 28 days. Half of the rats in each group were given food containing 1 g oleuropein per kg. The researchers counted the number of nitrogen molecules in the urine and droppings of the rats, which enabled them to calculate how much nitrogen the rats retained. The more nitrogen you retain, the more proteins your body builds up. Nitrogen is an essential component of proteins. The study showed that the rats retained relatively more nitrogen, the more oleuropein they consumed. In the group that ate food containing the most protein, supplementation with oleuropein boosted the amount of nitrogen retained by 46 percent. In the rats that ate large amounts of protein, oleuropein tripled the concentration of testosterone in the testes, while the concentration of cortisol in the blood went down by more than half. The concentration of LH increased as the researchers introduced increasingly higher concentrations of aglycon 18

The researchers believe that these hormonal effects are the key to explaining the anabolic effect of oleuropein. “Oleuropein supplementation enhances protein anabolism and suppresses protein catabolism owing to hormonal regulation by the stimulation of steroid hormones via noradrenaline, leading to a higher testicular testosterone level and a lower plasma corticosterone level in rats fed a high-protein diet”, the researchers conclude. Interestingly, the rats that were given oleuropein did not put on weight. As far as the researchers could see – although they did not study the effect on body composition extensively – the rats became slimmer. Their fat deposits did shrink at least. So doing a quick calculation: a rat eats about 50 g feed per kg bodyweight daily. That means 50 mg oleuropein. Converted to human proportions, that means 8 mg oleuropein per kg bodyweight per day. So if you weigh 80 kg, you’d need 640 mg oleuropein daily. If you can get that quantity out of an olive leaf extract that consists of 25 percent oleuropein, you’d need about 2.6 g extract each day. That’s manageable. Ref: J Nutr Biochem. 2013 May;24(5):887-93.

SKIP BREAKFAST TO

LEAN UP FASTER M

iss breakfast and go jogging for an hour in the morning. The calories you miss out on at breakfast you won’t consume later in the day. On the contrary: as a result of the combination of physical exertion and missing breakfast you’ll consume less throughout the day than you would have if you had eaten breakfast. American sports scientist Jessica Bachman, of the University of Scranton, wrote about this in the Journal of Nutrition and Metabolism.

Study The researchers performed an experiment with 12 male runners, aged 18-30, who they got to run on two separate occasions on a treadmill in the morning for 60 minutes at 60 percent of their maximal oxygen uptake. If you’re fit that’s the intensity at which you can just continue a conversation and at which your fat burning is optimal. On one occasion the participants ate breakfast before running and on the other they skipped breakfast. The researchers also measured the amount of food that the participants ate on the days that they ran. Results When the participants skipped breakfast they did not make up for the missed calories later in the day. What’s more: they even ate less after lunch than they did when they had had breakfast. The participants burned an average of 900 kilocalories while running. It made no difference whether they had eaten breakfast or not. But the participants who had not had breakfast burned significantly more fat when running. Conclusion “With a growing interest in exercising in a state of reduced carbohydrate availability - ‘training low’ - it is important to discover the effects these protocols may have on a variety of physiologic markers,” the researchers wrote. “Previous research on training low has found some beneficial improvements in markers that could potentially lead to improvements in athletic performance.” “The combination of skipping breakfast and exercising in the fasted state may have an additive effect on suppressing energy intake hours after exercise is completed. It is currently unknown if following this type of protocol over a prolonged period of time could have implications for weight management.” Source: J Nutr Metab. 2016;2016:1984198.

self development series part one

lifechampion winning traits you need to know by STEVE JONES

successful people understand that failure is not permanent,it's a minor glitch in the cycle of life!

he winner takes all, win at all costs, winners are grinners. I am sure you have either heard or read these quotes at some stage in your life. We all love to win; it’s programmed into us from early childhood, when we use to play board games with our family and friends, when we took part in sporting events in high school. In the academic world we aim to have the highest grades in the class, or achieve the highest accolades in our chosen field. In the fitness industry we want to become the best and take home that winner’s trophy. However, what is the true definition of a winner and what are the common traits that all winners, or we could say successful people have in common. Over the last 30 something years I have had the opportunity to meet and observe a lot of people, I have owned and operated 3 gyms across the globe, competed in over 100 bodybuilding events, met a host of business owners through my creation of my own supplement brand. I am a big believer in observing the actions of others and taking this information and using it to shape my future and helping others. This article is the first part of a self development series.

The Chinese have had this covered for thousands of years with the Yin and Yang. You know that black and white symbol that many think is just emulating the male and female side of humans. Not so. According to yin yang philosophy, the universe and everything in it are both constant and cyclical. In this infinite cycle, one force dominates and is then replaced by the opposing force. Examples illustrating the yin yang philosophy include: • Life and death • Heaven and earth • Night and day • Dark and light • Health and sickness • Poverty and wealth • Success and Failure • Cold and hot • Positive and negative

paula blaxland Photo by Steve Jones

Are there winners and losers, or successes and failures? As cruel as it may sound the answer is yes. But it’s not all bad. One can’t exist without the other, and neither is permanent. How we perceive success and failure, or winning and losing is the most important factor in life, or I should say living a life of inner peace and harmony. I am not going to go off on some kind of self-help cult like believe in yourself pitch as we have heard all that before. Some people pay thousands of dollars to be told that their mind is broken and needs fixing and going to one of these guru worship “I can do anything” seminars is going to solve all their imaginary problems. For starters I want to share some points with you that will change the way you think and feel about both success and failure.

You are not broken First off, stop feeling sorry for yourself. You are not broken, the only thing that needs fixing is the way you perceive. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise, no matter who they are. You are unique and have everything within you to succeed. All you need to do is learn to accept and learn from “everything” that happens to you in life. And I mean everything. Because everything takes us closer to where we want to be, but only if we learn from it. In fact our biggest lessons come from our failures not our successes. So success can’t exist without failure, winning can’t exist without losing. So just because you have not won right now does not mean you can’t win in the future. The world and life itself is a cycle. So let go of the thought that you are broken in any shape or form.

Accepting duality in life Things happen, that’s a given in life. Some good, some bad and this is never going to change. You have to drop the thought that life is all wine and roses. It’s not and never will be.

Photography by Steve Jones

naturalbodzmagazine.com v

Photo by Steve Jones

kjae bailey mc donald & editor steve jones

self development series part one

lifechampion

winning traits you need to know Photography by Steve Jones

Yin and yang are complementary (rather than opposing) forces that interact to form a dynamic system in which the whole is greater than the assembled parts. Hence you can see that success can’t exist without failure! And failure can’t exist without success. Winning can’t exist without losing. Is this starting to make a lot more sense to you now? Winners/successful people all have a clear understanding of this. They know that failure is not permanent; it’s a temporary glitch in their life cycle. I will share a little personal story; I have competed in over 100 bodybuilding events in my life. Yes I started competing at the age of 13 as a teenager. Did I win every show? No way. I got placed or often did not even make the top 3 in many shows I entered. However, I learned more from the shows I lost than the ones I won! Why? Because I took the time to analyze and review why I win or place. Where is the times I won, I just ended up basking in the glory and didn’t think about anything else. I feel sad for many competitors these days because they struggle with failure. When they don’t win, it kills them mentally. Why, because they don’t understand duality in life. Success and failure are one, and one can’t exist without the other. Just like night and day, hot and cold, positive and negative. Instead many choose the blame game, oh it must have been the judges, or politics or some other obscure reason created in their mind. This is extremely sad because this type of mindset never truly realizes success, and will always be tormented and never at peace. So the first step in unleashing the winners mind set is accepting the duality of life. Success and failure are not permanent, you will win some, lose some. But more importantly you learn from it all and move forward. And on the topic of moving forward lets jump to the next important trait.

Letting go, and not being so sensitive! We live in a very touchy world, people are so sensitive. In fact it’s hard to say anything without someone taking it the wrong way and getting offended. Unfortunately social media has fueled this fire. First off, and this is extremely important raymond lim if you want to develop yourself as a person and a successful one at that. LET GO of wanting continual

approval - and stop being so damn sensitive. You will never be able to please everyone so stop trying, not everyone is going to like or agree with your lifestyle. One of the most mythical words of the digital generation is “Haters” get this clear, just because someone does not like something does not mean they hate it. In the perfect world everyone would like everything, but the world is not perfect and never will be. People are not perfect, so it’s time to let go and stop being so sensitive. Time to move on, chill out and let go.

Stop following, become the authentic you Jump back through history and take a look at one of the most common traits of successful people. They never followed, they were unique, creative individuals that lived their life as they wanted not through others or to blend or fit in to a current trend. People involved in the Fitness Industry are some of the worst abusers of following without thinking. I guess much of this habit is created by social media, it’s founded on “following” so we are brainwashed into following others or trends. A classic example, millions of novice gym goers around the world mindlessly picking heavy weights up off the ground and banging them onto the floor – otherwise known as deadlifts! The same applies to squats, now squatting is no doubt a great exercise but when performed with weights that are beyond the realms of what one can lift it is a highly dangerous movement for both the back and knees. But hey, who care because it’s the thing to do! Posting PB’s (Personal Bests) while squatting down with a 2 inch range of movement is hardly a PB, or smashing you butt into a weight bench behind you. Let’s put all of this into perspective, doing dangerous movements just to fit in. That’s all it is. Plain and simple. It does not matter if the movements are totally counterproductive to the goal at hand as most people performing them are competing in events judged on aesthetics not strength! So what’s the point in putting yourself at risk. I find it mind boggling that this “follow me” mentality is not only limited to younger generations. Many of the old school trainers have fallen victim to the herd mentality. A number of times I posted warnings on social media about doing this sort of stuff and some of the very people that probably read my posts continued and ended up tearing hamstrings, doing their backs, knees, hips. Wow,

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the price some people pay to supposedly fit in! Time to become the authentic you, someone that thinks before they follow. The you that does not follow the herd, someone that is truly unique, creative. Learn a lesson from the leagues of successful people in the past and present, they are all successful because they choose not to follow, they choose to be different. They are true to themselves and authentic.

You can easily harness the power of good intention anytime you desire. It’s your inner super power that will make your life a whole lot more rewarding and happier. Start when you get up in the morning, set your intentions. Say to yourself “today is going to be an awesome day, I am going to get so much from this day”. Before you head to the gym, set your intention to have the best most intense workout in your life.

Learn to appreciate, give gratitude

If you are a Fitness Competitor set your intentions the morning of the show to have fun on stage, be confident and enjoy the moment. Remember intention determines direction and outcome.

Sadly enough appreciation for this new generation has now become entitlement. Someone does something nice for someone or goes out of their way and the receiver does not pay thanks as they feel entitled! How bizarre is that. I see this happen all the time, in fact I experience it firsthand. I personally spend countless hours promoting athletes in my own time, which I don’t really need to do. I do it because I can’t change my nature, I am inherently a giving, generous person. Do I get thanks for it? Sometimes, but most times it never happens. Photography is a good example, I could spend an hour editing a photo of someone to make it pop and look really impressive. I obviously add my photo by “Steve Jones” as a credit just as all photographers do. Then I find someone has chopped the credit and reposted on social media with no reference to me being the photographer. This happens numerous times, I have learned to lower my expectations so it does not bother me, but in principle it’s always nice to be acknowledged for your work. It’s kind of funny because those that do this love to get thousands of likes on the photo but offer no credit to the creator of the image! Strange. Social media is full of people that over value their own time or product and under value everyone elses! Successful people do NOT think this way full stop. It’s disrespectful and ultimately those that act this way never succeed. Then there are those that always have a sob story, nobody has helped them, they play the victim cards all the time. They keep reminding everyone they are a self made success! That statement alone defies logic and all laws of physics and nature. Let’s be honest nobody makes it on their own. A successful business needs customers, a contract manufacturer, marketing team and so on. It’s a team effort. The “I did it all on my own” mentality shows all the signs of a megalomaniac. Google that one. People with this mindset probably don’t even thank their mum and dad! Appreciation costs nothing to give; it’s an acknowledgement and proves to the world that you have not become a victim to your own ego. This is just one example, but the message is learn to appreciate everything you have in life at this current moment in time, because you never know when it could be taken away. Appreciate your partner, your friends, family, house, car, all your possessions. Appreciation and gratitude are common traits for most of the successful people that I have had the pleasure of meeting. Despite their level of success they are always appreciative and show gratitude to those that have helped them along their life journey.

Intention sets direction Do you know what you really want out of life and where you are going?How many times have you got up in the morning and just thought this is going to be a great day, and low and behold it was a great day! Why? Because you intended it to be. Everything starts with intention, if your intentions are positive and good 95% of the time the outcome will be good. If you get up in the morning and say, oh today is going to be miserable because the weather is lousy what do you think the outcome with be? Not great.

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In fact this very method forms the foundation on most of the fancy pants self help programs that many folk pay thousands of dollars for! Even religion utilizes a similar concept, its called prayer! Honestly this is a true super power that all successful people use on a day to day basis and now you can use it to super charge your life. It makes such a big difference, as positive intention sets your inner personal success compass that guides your ship. Why not jump aboard and make your life a voyage of happiness, self development and ongoing success. I hope this short article has provided some insight into the traits of successful people, this is part one of a series of articles I will present on winning, success and self development.

ryan keegan

Photo by Steve Jones

photography by steve jones

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n o r e m a C iafore Feature Profile

want to start by congratulating you on a very successful 2016 in the competitive Bikini Circuit. How did it feel to not only take out your Class in the Bikini Australia but to also go on to Win Overall Bikini America and earn Pro Status? Thank you! Honestly, I was super surprised both times, being so new to the world of fitness shows and competitions, I had no idea what to expect! I knew I was just aiming to give it my all and showcase my hard work, and nothing felt more incredible than the feeling of all your hard work paying off!

You were born in the USA, but Australia has become your second home. What has your experience been like so far living down under? I absolutely love Australia! Ever since I made the daring move about a year and nine months ago, my life has changed ten fold. I knew when I moved here, I was going to try new things, face my fears, and constantly test my comfort zones. It wasn’t until I pursued my passion for fitness that I started smashing goals left and right. Last year was hands down the best year of my entire life and I am beyond thankful for everyone who I have met along the way. I’m not sure if there is something in the water here, but everyone I have became friends with, has made a massive and positive impact on my life. I love the culture, weather, lifestyle and opportunities. Its great! Who or what inspired you to hit the gym and then go on to compete in your first Bikini show? It was a monumental chat that actually took place at my gym, with my personal trainer Karin, who I approached whilst she was working out on a bike. I told her I have been looking at the musclemania poster that was displayed on the gym bulletin board nearly every time I was there, and that I wanted to learn more about it and asked for her opinion. She was super excited, and that chat went on for a good hour. She gave me the recommendation for my coach Josh, along with everything else bikini comp related and I couldn’t thank her enough for it! If it wasn’t for that chat, I definitely wouldn’t have pursued competing. I almost didn’t even go to my first initial meeting with my coach because I was too nervous! However, I faced my fears, met my coach, got fired up and then started

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n o r e m Ca Biafore e l i f o r P e r u t a e F

b i 0

Name: Cameron Biafore Nickname: Cam Date of birth: 14/05/1993 Birth place: Silver Spring, Maryland, USA Country/state you live: Maryland, USA. Family, brothers, sisters? Parents live in Maryland, Brother in California. Favourite car: Range Rover

learning the ins and outs of all things bikini. I already went to the gym a fair bit before hand, but as soon as I had a solid goal, I went at it full force to the point everyone at my gym noticed and thought I was nuts! It appears by some of your FB and Insta posts that you have either a dance or gymnastics background can you share that with our readers and do you believe this has helped with your overall journey into the gym world and competing?

Favourite colour: Yellow Hair colour: Brown Balayage Colour eyes: Brown Height: 160cm Contest weight: 56kg Off season weight: 57.5kg Occupation: Student, Entrepreneur Hobbies/interests: F45, Traveling the World, Reading, Personal Development

I knew that as long as I kept thinking positive, everything will pull through. My biggest rule is to never compare yourself to anyone else. Ever! Fitness competitions are tough because everyone looks good, worked hard, and have amazing physiques. No matter the circumstance, I never focus on anyone else because im there to show off my hard work. Its funny because i had no idea what the girls looked like i was up against until well after the competition photos came out. I always smile and go over daily affirmations to keep me happy and feeling good

I was actually apart of the competitive cheerleading scene for 10 years, where i competed at the highest level and even went to the cheerleading worlds in 2011! Cheerleading is a huge deal in the states, and its full on. Because i did it for so long, out of muscle memory im still able to flip around at will, and i was used to being in the gym a lot lifting people, as well as in the gym lifting weights. I guess this is a huge reason why i dont have stage fright as well. I actually love being on stage and thrive from it! I was always used to hundreds of people watching, so being on stage came naturally. I would say this part of my life is a huge reason for my success so far. How many days a week did you train leading up to your wins at the Musclemania Bikini Australia and the Fitness America Weekend in Las Vegas? I have always believed that the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s best athletes put forth the most effort and energy in their sports than anyone else, which in returned made them the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s best. I applied this to myself, and I was at the gym 6 days a week, twice a day, for about 3 hours total. Even though that sounds extreme, I knew if I wanted to win I needed to be working harder than everyone else. I trained like I was already in second place going for first. It worked! You always seem to have a great energy and zest for life about you. How important do you feel having a positive outlook is leading into an event? It is beyond important! I practice personal development everyday, and I believe my thought process is another main reason I was able to be successful. There were times during prep i felt extra low, lonely, tired, and want to give up, but

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photo by steve jones

Your overall stage presence is superb, do you have any tips for aspiring Bikini and Fitness Models looking to compete for the first time? OWN IT. Think Beyonce. After all those hours of strenuous work, you only get about a minute to show it off, so why wouldn’t you step out on that stage like you own the place?! I told myself in my head that everyone was there to see me, I visualized myself as someone with great confidence and making an unforgettable presence so that’s what I did. After all, you want to shine and be different! What’s your take on diet, do you count calories or go more by macros or have any tips you can share that have helped you stay on track? Diet is the most important thing. Because I prepped for a very short amount of time ( 5 weeks for the first comp and 7 for my second comp ) my diet was very strict. Luckily I was able to completely alter my diet to bring me in as fast as possible. It was definitely a hard mental game when it came to portions, and eating the same thing everyday, but I did it! My coach wrote out my plan and had the macros and calories counted, however I personally didn’t count macros. I also didn’t cut myself off of things I love ( aka anything sugar ) so as bad as it sounds, my nightstand next to my bed is actually a snack cabinet filled to the brim with candy and snacks. Any time I was feeling like I was about to go psycho, I would eat a small treat. I’m talking a mini lollipop or a piece of a kit kat to keep me sane. I didn’t have full cheat meals or day either just little fixes here and there when I absolutely needed it. Willpower is everything. How did you find the whole Las Vegas Team experience and travelling with like minded athletes? It was an unforgettable experience! Although everyone was peaking and in zombie mode at the very beginning of the trip, everyone was super supportive of each other which went a long way. I think going to vegas would have been a lot more difficult without the support from like minded athletes all in the same boat as you. It was so much fun meeting everyone who came from all different parts of Australia and I must admit I felt pretty BA being American on the Australian team as well Dieting into a show can be tough, what do you feel are the 3 biggest mistakes made by athletes when it comes to diet? Everyone is different but I would have to say 1. I do notice a lot of athletes bingeing post comp which i have seen destroy figures and metabolisms. I knew this beforehand, and made sure i watched my intake. 2. Alcohol will wreck your physique, i know this because I’ve experienced it, and it doesn’t matter how hard you workout, if you drink it will delete all your progress. 3. If you are going to have a cheat meal make sure you are mindful. For example: a slice or two of pizza is fine, a whole pizza is not. Do you implement cardio into your training program if so what works best for you? Yes, I was doing cardio everyday. I do not believe in fasted cardio as i feel its not a good idea to workout on an empty stomach or even supply the energy to actually have a good workout so I don’t do it. I don’t run on the treadmill or use an elliptical. I absolutely love F45 for HIIT because not only is it fun, different, and you burn more calories, but you actually use your entire body and rev your metabolism up more so than standard boring cardio

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n o r e m Ca Biafore e l i f o r P Feature

Everyone that gets into this game wants to improve, what areas do you feel you need to work on to bring your A game to your next show? Easy question! This time around iIm focusing on building my arms a bit more and building a rounder booty. Even though I already won a world title with my physique, taking it to the next level at Ms. Bikini Universe means training like the best in the universe. Even 6 months out and I still see my PT twice a week every week to work on these areas.

Yes because I don’t want to have to push myself as hard as I did before, and I don’t mind looking great all the time either! Currently I’m just a kilo off from my last stage weight, which I think is pretty good. I’m focusing on muscle development, and I know when it comes time to shred down, it wont take long since i’ve been maintaining weight. If you were to place a percentage on weights vs cardio when designing a routine what would be the ideal breakdown?

If you could only do three exercises in order of importance what would they be and why?

Weights over cardio any day. I was shocked at the difference when I focused more on weights. My whole body

1. Burpees - they work your whole body, get your heart rate up, and they can be mixed up whichever way you want to make them easier or harder. 2. Jump rope - great way to get your heart rate up and also work your legs and arms 3. Squats - strong legs are everything! How important is it to have a good family and friend support base when preparing, or competing in an event? Very important, like I said before, support is everything. Even though I live across the world, thanks to all forms of social media, it is beyond easy to stay connected with your friends and family. I was posting my progress and workouts constantly and I am grateful that I got so much positive feedback and support from everyone. This also gave me more confidence when it came time to compete as well. How do your friends and family feel about the whole competitive Bikini and Fitness Scene? At first no one really knew what i was getting into as i am the only one in my close knit of friends and even family to ever compete like this. After, i posted everything from my first competition so more people were on board. i made sure i videoed my journey to capture exactly what i was doing How do you feel about the whole off season, on season mentality? It all depends on the person. I knew how much time and energy I put into getting into the best shape of my life, so afterwards I wasn’t going to take it too far and take too long off to ruin what I achieved. Right after I got home to australia, I jet setted over to Bali for a month to chill out. I put on some weight there naturally, but I deserved it after 3 hard core months of school/training/prep. Off season I am enjoying myself, traveling a lot, training a little bit less, but still training hard so I can go out on the weekend or go to taco tuesday if I want without feeling guilty. Do you prefer to stay close to comp shape year round?

photography by Steve jones

photo by steve jones

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main protein source is strictly basa fish. Saying basa or even looking at it now makes me sick! (Haha) it sucks, but I know what works and changing my diet a month out I was able to see changes faster What do you consider the perfect breakdown for Protein/Carbs/Fats? What works best for you? My coach broke everything down into charts. I personally like a higher protein diet. What works best for me is consistency. I don’t really need to change or switch anything up, I like routine and I didn’t mind eating the same thing every day A winning mind set is vital for success, what’s your mantra for happiness and success, and your favourite quote? Work on yourself for yourself. But most importantly love yourself! It took me a long time to have the mindset I do and outlook I have on life now. 2 years ago I hit an all time low where I sadly attempted to take my own life.

changed shape! 80% weights 20% cardio depending on how much you need to lean down I would adjust the amount of cardio Do you believe in cheat days while dieting and if so why?And where do you draw the line? I personally didn’t have set cheat days and had a day where I looked forward to having a little splurge. Only because in my head I was thinking It was extra energy and effort to work off, so I avoided it since I already worked my butt off! However, I did have breaking points, one time In particular I came home from the gym about to cook basa for a meal prep and just started hysterically crying! It was times like that when I thought alright lets go to sizzlers and I would have a little cheat. While on the topic of diet what does a typical days eating look like for you? How many meals foods types etc? During prep it was very strict, I’m talking same thing breakfast/Lunch/snacks/dinner every single day. Chicken but mainly fish, aside from protein shakes were my main sources of protein. Off season however I’m what I think very lenient with my eating. I still get only healthy options when I’m out to eat with my friends, at the same time, I go to mcdonalds when I want for some chicken nuggets. But it’s very rare to see me eating pizza/pasta/ice cream/burgers etc. these I keep for very special occasions so I appreciate them more Does your diet change much as you get closer to a competition, and if so what changes do you introduce? One month out I eat my eggs for breakfast with my oats, but the rest of the day along with whatever veggies, my

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n o r e m a C Biafore e l i f o r P Feature

I’m happy that I had an intervention then, and now I look at everything differently! I work on personal development, go to workshops, and read all the time. The more you know the more you grow, so I am constantly working at myself! Now I’m happier than ever, but to have a winning mindset you must first love yourself because then you’ll have the confidence to believe in yourself, and I believe belief is everything. To be the best you have to believe and think you are the best right?. “Thoughts turn into feelings and feelings turn into actions and actions get you results”. I guess I’m living proof of this! Success is different for everyone, what’s your definition of success? Happiness. It is rare people find and pursue what they are 100% passionate about and turn that into something bigger. Sometimes it’s because of comfort zones or again, not having the belief you can be who they want to be, do what you want, go where you want, and how you want! True happiness is success, because it means you are doing things that make you feel good. today we live in a world where people are still having a hard time breaking out of their shells. I found the more I follow what makes me the happiest, the more opportunities come knocking at my door. Since I’ve started going after what I want, I have felt like I have had the whole world at my hands. That’s success right there, wouldn’t you say?! I can see you are pretty active on social media, how important do you feel it is to maintain a balance between the virtual world and the real world? I am a very social person. I love meeting people and I believe it’s important to keep a balance. However, since half of my friends and family live on the other side of the world and a quarter of them are scattered around the world in other countries, the best way I keep in touch is through the Internet. I don’t see anything wrong with that all! I think it’s brilliant that I am able to FaceTime someone in Ireland or back in the states, whatever the case may be. It’s impossible to lose touch these days. Sure there’s a lot of opinions on people glued to their phones but who knows they may be connecting with someone 13,000 miles away in my case and that’s pretty cool! It’s the final two weeks before your next big Bikini Model Event, what would your diet look like? Any secrets you can share? I am excited to be able to compete this year in pro league, so I’m going to assume whatever I did last time 2 weeks out ( which is push myself the hardest) will be double the effort this time. I’m going to be pushing myself twice as hard and my hard was already psycho hard to begin with! I won’t be eating basa again ( lol ) but instead chicken and incorporating more carbs. I like experimenting so it will be

photography by Steve jones

interesting what the outcome will be when I do make the changes. If I had a secret to share is to practice visualization. Practice seeing yourself on stage from the second you walk up, to the poses ( that’s another thing, I practiced posing here and there but it wasn’t until the night before that I went to bed visualizing exactly what poses I wanted to do, and then naturally I pulled them on stage. Seems risky, but it works because it saves you from overthinking and stressing over a pose you practiced for months ). I would visualize every detail from how I looked, to winning a trophy, to how I was going to react. When I watched back

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at the videos, Its still pretty crazy to say that exactly what I did on stage was exactly what I visualized in my head 5000 times before. It was verbatum. I visualized what I wanted and In return like I said before, my thoughts turned right into actions on stage. Felt like magic! When your comp diet is over what’s your favourite meal? CHEESEBURGER

Twitter: @ohnanathellama ( don’t ask hahaha ) Editors note: Congratulations on your success last year no doubt there will be many more successes and opportunities to follow. Thanks for sharing your journey with our readers and I wish you ongoing success in all your personal endeavors.

Who has had the most impact on your life? How? My best friend amanda. I met her my freshman year of college in a sports and recreation science class. We became friends after we were partnered up for a game where I ended up jumping on her and we both fell over! Since then, she has been my back bone for 6 years. She has been there through my breakdowns, downfalls, messes, highs, lows, life decisions ( like spontaneously moving to Australia with no plan ) everything! Not to mention we travel the world together now. Shes from New Jersey, and when I made the big move over to Australia, we FaceTimed every day ( once in the morning and once at night) . She visited me here 2 years ago for Christmas, ( which is a huge deal since she is a massive family person ) how amazing of a friend is that? Not to brag, but she also met me in Fiji for my birthday, flew to Vegas to support me in my competition, met me in Bali 3 weeks later for New Years, and NOW SHE MOVED HERE TO LIVE WITH ME! Sorry I can’t hold back my excitement because she is truly one of a kind and I am so blessed to have a best friend who has done more than I feel like I could ever deserve. She is “my person” What are your goals over the next 12 months in respect to competitions and your career in general? I’m very entrepreneurial , so I am busy creating a brand around myself as a bikini model, influencer, and also as a health and wellness coach. I like writing, and I plan on starting my first book. In respect to competing, I have two competitions in June that I’m putting most of my focus on. After that, I plan on taking a short break and traveling Europe with my close friends, I’ll head back to Vegas for a business event in August, and then I’ll begin prepping to start the next season in the fitness category. Hopefully I will gain the opportunity to be apart of the Australian natural bodz team for the second time, where I’d go to Vegas again in November! As far as Christmas and New Years I have honestly no idea where I’ll be in the world since I tend to always top myself! I love living, socializing, learning, growing, and I don’t really chill ever. I plan on this being my biggest year yet and a massive starting point for a lot of breakthroughs What do you do to relax in between all of this? I don’t really lmao! I travel a lot, even when I’m traveling I find a way to be active. I relax by mostly reading in my spare time. Can you share your Website, or Social Media pages for fan that wish to follow your journey? Instagram: @cameronbiafore Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cameron.biafore Email: cameronbiaforefitness@gmail.com

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@ m u sc l e m a n i a a u

# m u sc l e m a n i a a u

Photography by Natural Bodz

nce again it was all on as Natural Bodz Magazine presented the 2016 Musclemania Australia Championships. With some of the finest Natural athletes from across Australia and the Asia Pacific region taking part in the event there was a lot at stake, as the top three in each respective class would qualify for the one and only Fitness Americaâ&#x201E;˘ Weekend in Las Vegas, plus the overall winners would receive prestigious PRO Status! This feature includes a MASSIVE 20 PAGES of amazing images captured by Natural Bodz Photographers. Get ready to be inpsired and be sure to join us on September 17 this year as we showcase more incredible Natural Talent at our 2017 event. For Information and tickets visit: www.musclemaniaaustralia.com

BILLIE PAEA - overall champion

musclemania pros

marinus van stolk, billie paea, kwame duah

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jordan morrison

BODYBUILDING RESULTS Teenage Men Alex Jack 1st Brendan Harris 2nd Josh Whant 3rd Ross Bennett 4th

lightweight class under 75kgs Babak Eskandari-Marandi

Junior Men Adika Njemanze 1st Beau Jones 2nd Grand Masters (Over 50) Paul Gibney 1st Grant Johnson (DSQ) Masters (Over 40) Brett Maguire 1st Jim Hosie 2nd Rob Quatro (DSQ) Grant Johnson (DSQ)

adika njemanze

Bantamweight (Under 65) Jayrick Russell 1st Ross Bennett 2nd Lightweight (Under 75) Billie Paea 1st Domingos Carceres 2nd Cody McAuliffe 3rd Middleweight (Under 80) Adika Njemanze 1st Beau Jones 2nd Grant Johnson (DSQ)

cody mc auliffe

Light Heavyweight (U90) Murray Calcutt 1st Paul Gibney 2nd Heavyweight (O90) Babak Eskandari-Marandi 1st OVERALL WINNER Billie Paea (Pro Status)

brett maguire

domingos carceres

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2016

Photography by Natural Bodz

jim hosie

jayrick russell paul gibney

ross bennett

alex jack

beau jones

teenage mens class

murray calcutt

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josh whant

2016

Photography by Natural Bodz

sam barry liam burnham

murray calcutt

sam love

lee nagorcka

physique overall

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declan maguire

memo del solar - overall champion PHYSIQUE RESULTS Physique Novice Lee Nagorcka 1st Liam Burnham 2nd Sam Barry 3rd Declan Maguire 4th Andrew Gerrie 5th Adam Stephan 6th Sunny Singh 7th Physique Juniors Aaron Pollard 1st Josh Nichols 2nd Josh Whant 3rd Same Love 4th Andrew Gerrie 5th Joel Hawken 6th Sam Pratt 7th

matt swann

josh whant

aaron pollard

Physique Open Memo Del Solar 1st Matt Swann 2nd Lee Nagorcka 3rd Murray Calcutt 4th Andrew Gerrie 5th OVERALL WINNER Memo Del Solar Earning Pro Status.

physique junior class

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2016

Photography by Natural Bodz

bree grima

tiffanie smith

kelsie sheppard - overall champion

kelsie sheppard , tiffanie smith

classic figure class

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heidi quatro

2016 FIGURE AUSTRALIA RESULTS Classic Class Heidi Quatro 1st Kylie Dryden 2nd Novice Medium Rebecca Steele 1st Bree Grima 2nd Kasey Morrison 3rd Stacey Beard 4th Emma Keogh 5th Kylie Dryden 6th Masters Class Helen Longmuir 1st Open Medium Class Tiffanie Smith 1st Peta Falua 2nd Rebecca Steele 3rd Kasey Morrison 4th Open Tall Class Kelsie Sheppard 1st Bree Grima 2nd Mikaela Kemister 3rd Rachel Arnold 4th OVERALL WINNER Kelsie Sheppard

rebecca steele

peta falua

mikaela kemister

novice medium class

tiffanie smith

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2016

Photography by Natural Bodz

stacey beard

kasey morrison

rachel arnold

helen longmuir

kylie dryden

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MUSCLE MODEL RESULTS Jake Dunn 1st Sam Barry 2nd Liam Burnham 3rd Aaron Pollard 4th Jason Sheekey 5th

sam barry

jake dunn

aaron pollard

liam burnham

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sam barry

liam burnham

2016

Photography by Natural Bodz

aimee salmon

jacqueline gray - overall champion

emma keogh

melissa pellegrin

open model class

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ellie mc clymont

MODEL AUSTRALIA RESULTS Women Classic Francesca Beresford 1st Melinda Hopson 2nd Ginger Draper 3rd Kylie Adams 4th Nadja Kundrus-Little 5th Women Junior Class Aimee Salmon 1st Danyelle Fox 2nd Jasmine Hendry 3rd

francesca beresford

melissa fainges

danyelle fox

Women Novice Class 1 Jacqueline Gray 1st Melissa Pellegrin 2nd Zoe Hackett 3rd Samantha Penrose 4th IsmaĂŤlle Toi 5th Karein Fulham 6th Women Novice Class 2 Ellie Mcclymont 1st KJae Bailey-McDonald 2nd Aimee Salmon 3rd Sherina Ellis 4th Alana Lukes 5th Stacey Beard 6th Women Open Class Melissa Pellegrin 1st Melissa Fainges 2nd Emma Keogh 3rd Kelly Vincent 4th IsmaĂŤlle Toi 5th OVERALL WINNER Jacqueline Gray

kjae bailey-mc donald

melinda hopson

zoe hackett

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2016

Photography by Natural Bodz

nathan howe

josh nichols

josh nichols - overall winner

nathan howe

liam burnham

open model class

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MODEL AUSTRALIA RESULTS Male Classic Fabian Ahuriri 1st Troy Methorst 2nd Josh Blair 3rd Gary Carroll 4th Male Junior Class Joshua Nichols 1st Jared Layt 2nd Lachlan Thompson 3rd Shodan Caril 4th Michael Mackie 5th

jared layt

fabian ahuriri

Male Novice Class Sam Barry 1st Farren Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Brien 2nd Troy Methorst 3rd Lachlan Thompson 4th Josh Farr 5th Hayden Busk 6th Michael Kassouh 7th Male Open Class Nathan Howe 1st Liam Burnham 2nd Dave Barrie 3rd

farren oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;brien

OVERALL WINNER Joshua Nichols

junior model class

Classic model class

sam barry

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lachlan thompson

troy methorst

2016

Photography by Natural Bodz

Demelza mc bride

chantelle taylor

junior bikini class

danyelle fox

cameron biafore

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2016 BIKINI AUSTRALIA RESULTS Masters Class Francesca Beresford 1st Helen Longmuir 2nd

Allahnah Sargent 3rd Jenna Phillips 4th Domonique Jagga 5th

Classic Class Naomi Powell 1st Ginger Draper 2nd Tiffany O’Reilly 3rd Kylie Dryden 4th

Novice Tall Class Kayla Robbins 1st Sherina Ellis 2nd Ellie Mc Clymont 3rd Leisha Ervin 4th Kerryn Davison 5th Elisha Field 6th Kylie Adams 7th

Junior Bikini class Cameron Biafore 1st Chantelle Taylor 2nd Deme Mc Bride 3rd Danyelle Fox 4th Debbie Lugthart 5th Domonique Jagga 6th

classic bikini class

Novice Short Class Zoe Hackett 1st Ismaelle Toi 2nd Emma Kilpatrick 3rd Samantha Penrose 4th Catriona Gillespie 5th Novice Medium Class KJae Bailey-McDonald 1st Chauntelle Taylor 2nd

francesca beresford

tiffany o’reilly

Open Class Chantelle Taylor 1st Drea Peluko 2nd Melissa Fainges 3rd Alana Lukes 4th OVERALL WINNER KJae Bailey-McDonald (PRO STATUS) For more information on Musclemania Australia musclemaniaaustralia.com @#musclemaniaau

ginger draper

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naomi mc donnell powell

2016

emma kilpatrick

Photography by Natural Bodz

melissa fainges

alana lukes

drea peluko

bikini open class

chantelle taylor

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zoe hackett

overall bikini line up

kjae bailey-mc donald - overall champion

sherina ellis

kayla robbins

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g n i l e Fe ? d e r i T

Photo by Natural Bodz Photo by Natural Bodz

CUTTING THROUGH tHE DIET

NON-SCience making sense of the dietary dilemma by STEVE JONES

he year is 2017 and the debate continues on which diet is better for losing weight. We have the “Calorie is a Calorie” side, “The IIFYM Followers”, and the “Low Carb, High Protein” group. All trying to convince everyone within their reach that their way is the only way. It’s actually got quite entertaining to watch them go at it on social media posts, battling to the bitter end to prove their theory is the only one that works. Although sometimes I am not sure if they are just trying to get more people to agree with what they are saying so they can feel better about all the mistakes they are making themselves! Yes, it is self justification in its finest form, and as humans we are all guilty of this trait!

steve jones

So who’s right? What is the best diet to not only lose weight but also build or at least maintain lean muscle and enhance longevity. Let’s be honest, it’s not purely about losing weight, it is a lot more than that…Well it should be if you really care about your health and fitness. I guess I need to start with a little introduction about my history with diet and nutrition, health and fitness. My journey began at the young age of 13 back in New Zealand where my Dad introduced me to my first barbell. Like many other young guys I was bitten by the iron bug, addicted to the pump and building a stronger more muscular body. I was lucky my Dad had trained with some of the best Natural Bodybuilders in the business back in the 1950s. Yes, this was the true Old School. Like any teenager I went through all the muscle magazines, combining this with knowledge I picked up from my Dad. I constructed what I considered to be a pretty good bodybuilding type of diet. Well it seemed like it was back then. But I later learned from a lot of trial and error that there are some dietary fundamentals that have to be followed in order to achieve success. I actually stepped onstage in my first ever Bodybuilding event at age 13, I didn’t win nor did I win my first three or four shows. But I did learn something new from each experience, and I adjusted my diet along the way and eliminated foods that I felt were preventing me from getting that ripped look. I know what you are thinking, but what has an extreme bodybuilding diet have to do with general weight loss? Everything! Now, I am not going to give you my entire life story I will leave that for the up and coming book I am working on. Just imagine we have jumped into a time machine and I am now here present day year 2017 sharing with you over 30 years of trial and error, accrued knowledge not only from my own personal experiences but having owned 3 gymnasiums across Australasia and having training a huge number of gym members that I had come through omy facilities. Over those 30 years I have competed and won a host of Bodybuilding events, appeared on and in numerous international magazines, written articles for major health and fitness magazines, and on top of all this written countless articles and done hundreds of hours of research for this very magazine. So, I feel I am reasonably qualified to talk on the topic of diet/nutrition. I want to start by taking a closer look at the various

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Photo by Natural Bodz

CUTTING THROUGH tHE DIET

NON-SCience making sense of the dietary dilemma

dietary theories or trends whatever you want to call them that are currently taking up a good chunk or internet bandwidth. Now, I am not going to pull any punches here, I may come across as a little blunt or to the point but I am sure you want the facts right?

Tymon Mcbirney Photo by Natural Bodz

a Calorie is a Calorie To be quite honest I find this theory totally insulting to the amazing human machine. We are not made of numbers, we are made from nutrients. Counting calories, counting how much we burn. Now, this would all be fine and dandy if the human body was a simple furnace, but it’s not! I liken the human body to a very complex chemical processing plant, one that takes “Nutrients” not numbers and converts these nutrients into energy, new muscle, skin, hair, brain, blood cells and so on. I know it’s great to have some kind of reference point with allocated numbers to make people feel like they are accountable and on track but its nutritional nonsense. Or I like to call in non science because some text book heroes keep pulling poorly conducted clinical studies on diet and posting them on social media and blurting out “I told you so, you are all doing it wrong”. The truth is most of the studies are so confusing and so poorly conducted on tiny numbers of the population. None of the study participants are in the same genre as gym enthusiasts; usually they are somewhat sedentary people with office jobs. One of the latest non-science reports ( Posted on Social Media) was a study that stated weight loss is purely about calories, and reducing carbs does not have any effect. It’s about overall calories from protein, carbs and fats. Seriously, posts like this are better than watching the comedy channel, and most of all its free to air. Once again it appears to be a common thread on social media for people that have guru-ish tendencies’ to try and get everyone on their side, or agree with what they are pitching. Why, because it makes them feel better about the mistakes that they are making. There is comfort and reassurance if you can get a bunch of sheep to agree with you. Enough social media talk let’s get to the nitty gritty. Not all calories are equal, of course they are not. This is why we have essential amino acids and essential fatty acids, because our body can’t produce them. Have you ever heard of an essential carby acid? I think not, because it does not exist. This is the take home message if you are really serious about getting into great shape, living a longer and healthier life your only concern should be to monitor nutrient intake. Because nutrients are the foundation of every cell in your body. Focus on what your

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billie paea Photo by Steve Jones

cutting through

nOn-science body really needs what is “Essential”. Namely amino acids and essential fatty acids. Your body can’t make these on its own. Then pay close attention to your carb intake, when you ingest the carbs and the quanity. Because over eating carbs will turn off your ability to burn fat and also add copious amounts of adipose (Fat) tissue to your body.

amanda aldridge Photo by Steve Jones

IIFYM (If It Fits Your Macros) I love this one. Makes me laugh louder than the “Calorie is a Calorie” non-science. I really want to know who invented this lame term because it has probably been one of the biggest screw ups of the dietary world since the upside down food pyramid that the WHO recommended in the 80’s and 90’s. In fact the theory is not a lot different than the previous Calorie is a Calorie one because it is based on numbers to a degree and just meeting your daily requirement of protein, carbs and fats but it does not pay a lot of attention to where these calories/macros come from! Now, that’s a problem. In life there is good and bad, black and white, night and day. Food is the same. It does not take a scientist to figure out that some foods are highly nutritious while others are totally devoid of nutrients but loaded with crap you could say. Or empty calories are literally nutritionally baron. I do believe the founders of the IIFYM deal were trying to make a point of difference. But all it has achieved is given a lot of lazy people an excuse to eat pizza instead of chicken and vegetables! This is an excerpt from one IIFYM web pages. • Forget about eating dry chicken and steamed broccoli every two hours. • Forget about not eating carbs at night or going to bed hungry. • Forget about saying “no” to foods you really want to eat. Can you see the red flags with this style of eating? If not you seriously need help and I don’t think I can help you. To get results, whether in the gym or from nutrition/diet you are going to have to make a few sacrifices and compromises. I am sure if someone came up with a plan where they could get paid but not go to work a ton of people would jump onboard, but that is just not going to happen. So what’s the difference with IIFYM? There is a distinct trend these days, a generation that wants everything but does not really want to change, or do it tough.

Wake up, the law of returns remains the same. If you don’t work hard with a sound plan you will not get any real results. Don’t be mistaken or mislead by those that pitch this IIFYM deal and show someone that is already genetically predisposed to being lean. As this person, who is probably 2% of the population could get lean on Burgers and Fries everyday! If you put the average joe or jane on this IIFYM the results would be zero to nothing as far as losing weight and improving overall health.

Low Carb / High Protein Yippe, hi, yeh…. From one extreme to another, the low carb diet came in with the Atkins Diet. With the theory that eating very little carbs, and a bit more fat, higher protein would help drop body fat a faster rate. It did just this for many, but it’s not sustainable for any length of time. Why, because we are humans and we like to eat our carbs. I am keeping it real here, because I myself enjoy the odd carb or two, or three. Now, for bodybuilders or competitive fitness athlete’s low carb is probably the most common approach used. The reason why it works fast, the main reason being is much of the initial loss is water weight. Every gram of carb you eat holds four times it 55

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CUTTING THROUGH tHE DIET

NON-SCience making sense of the dietary dilemma

weight in water. So drop the carbs and you get what appears to be a super body transformation. This is a fave with most of the coaches, because it keeps the client happy. Well, before the show it does, after could be a problem! I mean the first two dietary theories are nutritionally flawed because they don’t pay attention to what your body is built on, nutrients… That’s why we call it nutrition! Swapping lean chicken for pizza is just fooling yourself, as is getting away with eating carbs at night if you are looking to compete in a fitness show. Sure you can still compete but you won’t be in anywhere near the condition that you could potentially be. Believe me; I have tried all of this and more. I have made the mistakes. What happens when someone can no longer sustain the low carb deal? Mega weight gain, because it’s easy come easy go. Low carb diets prime your body to store more glycogen as soon as you jump of it. This is what most athletes do before a show, they restrict carbs and then load up say 24 hours or so before in the attempt to super compensate. The body releases more glycogen synthase allowing more glycogen to be stored in the muscle.

can’t ignore them, you have to acknowledge them and then release them. Food is your friend not your enemy, it’s good for you.

2. Stop counting! This relates to what I have said above. It reinforces what you can’t have, for example you can only have 1800 calories per day, or 30gms of protein per meal, etc. Counting is the ultimate diet killer.

3. Think Nutrients. Your body wants one thing and one thing alone, and that’s NOT numbers, or calories. It craves nutrients.

ellie mc clymont

But what happens after the show, once an athlete keeps eating, and eating, more and more carbs? They explode, often gaining more fat and water than when they started the diet! You can look it as mega super compensation, because they have primed their body to suck up food like a sponge and store it as fat and water. If you have monk-like control over your urges the low carb diet may be sustainable, but most of us mortals are not blessed with super-monk powers. Hence if you can’t sustain it, you can’t maintain it. So super low carbs will generally not work for 95% of the population over the long term.

So what works? I get asked this question all the time, especially when I post a photo of myself on Social media. I do tend to stay in pretty good condition all year round, so I guess people want to know what my secret is. I don’t have enough time to go into precise detail in this article but I will give you an overview. I will be covering my nutrition plan in full detail in my up and coming book, along with my training style, supplementation and one of the most important the winning mind set. I don’t like to call them secrets as I feel this is somewhat of a cheesy internet guru term. I like to call them “Nutrition Fundamentals’” as most of the time fitness enthusiasts look for complex solutions where the answers are sitting right in front of their nose! So here we go.

1. Stop over thinking Dwelling on what you can’t eat as these thoughts are not real it’s just your inner critic telling you that this whole diet thing is going to be hard work. When these thoughts come into your head, recognize them and just let them go. You Photo by Steve Jones

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cutting through

nOn-science Supply it what it needs and it will thank and reward you for it. Make sure you have a basic understanding of protein, carbs and fats. Protein and Fats have essential elements we require on a daily basis to sustain, build and provide energy to the body. Carbs are not as important, because there is no such thing as an essential carb! You body can use fats and amino acids to create glucose for energy. Don’t fall for the old “Carbs for energy”. Because as soon as you program your subconscious mind with this nonsense you will always crave carbs, the fact is carbs or I should say over eating carbs make you more tired and drowsy. Have you ever noticed how sleepy you feel after a big bowl of pasta of high sugar food! So if carbs were all for energy, why do you feel tired?

4. Stop fooling yourself All calories are not equal. Junk food is nutritionally barren… You can’t swap a lean healthy chicken and veg meal for pizza. That’s a BIG red flag, that’s a little like saying you can stay at home yet still receive your weekly paycheck. It’s not going to happen, not in this world. You will have to make a few changes and sacrifices to facilitate change. Nothing plus nothing equals nothing, so don’t expect results from folling yourself that ALL things are equal!

5. Don’t eat too much Real science, yes the studies that have more than 8 participants have shown that under eating, even intermittent fasting enhances longevity (You live longer). Think of your body as a giant chemical processing plant, like a machine.

Divina jamon

The more you ram food into that machine the quicker it is going to wear out, right? Its logic, just like a car…the more you thrash it, the more kilometers on the clock the shorter its life span. The secret is to give you body what it needs but nothing over and above what it needs. How do we know exactly what quantities per meal? This is where numbers kill the situation once again. Don’t be concerned about how much per meal; just cut back your total number of meals per day. Forget the eating every 2.5 hours that is total nonsense. Believe me it is. Eating more often will actually make things a whole lot harder for you because every time you eat you spike your insulin. Hence you get hungry quicker. The idea is to stabilize your blood sugar levels and this can only be achieved by eating fewer meals per day. This may not compute for many folk, but believe me meal placement (timing) is more important than meal quantity. I will cover this in detail in my book.

6. Don’t let your weight fluctuate too much If you are into the gym stuff and are looking to build a lean body drop all this off season, on season, lean bulk business. This alone will destroy any potential for “real progress” that you may have. High body fat levels boost estrogen and lower testosterone. Not an ideal playing field for those seeking aesthetic prowess. I am not talking about bulking up by eating junk food, I am talking about bulking up by eating too much food full stop. You can still get fat on healthy food if you eat enough of it. If you are a competitive athlete you should be staying within 3-5 kilos of your prime condition.

Summary I hope this article has shed some light on the whole dietary non-science that is circulating. It does not have to be complicated, but at the same time you have to have a clear understanding of what foods do and the effect they have once they enter your body. It’s about nutrients, not numbers, not counting, not fooling yourself that you can get away with replacing chicken with pizza.

Photo by Steve Jones

Scientists themselves still struggle to get their heads around what really matters when it comes to diet and how it affects the human body. Why? Because they are numbers people, and for that matter very few of them actually workout yet alone eat healthy or look remotely healthy themselves.

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10 MINUTES, 3 TIMES A WEEK FOR A FITTER, HEALTHIER, SLIMMER BODY I

f you spend just ten minutes doing interval training three times a week you’ll find yourself becoming noticeably fitter, healthier and slimmer. Canadian sports scientists have written about it in PLoS One. And it doesn’t stop there: during the very short training sessions, you only have to exert yourself to the max for 20 seconds, three times. Study For a period of 12 weeks the researchers got nineteen healthy men with a sedentary lifestyle to train in a gym three times a week. Six men did not training and functioned as the control group. [CTL] Ten men cycled for 45 minutes at an intensity of 70 percent of their maximal heart rate [MICT]. Nine men did an interval training [SIT] session that lasted only ten minutes. During this short period the men cycled as fast as they could three times for 20 seconds. Between the short explosive bursts the men cycled for two minutes at low intensity.

and skeletal muscle mitochondrial content to the same extent as traditional moderate-intensity continuous training, despite a five-fold lower exercise volume and training time commitment”, the researchers wrote. “This investigation represents the longest comparison of sprint interval training and moderate-intensity continuous training to date and demonstrates the efficacy of brief, intense exercise to improve indices of cardiometabolic health.” “While sprint interval training is clearly a potent stimulus to elicit physiological adaptations, this type of exercise requires a very high level of motivation and is clearly not suited for everyone.” Reference: PLoS One. 2016 Apr 26;11(4):e0154075.

murray calcutt

Results The men in the two training groups all lost a small amount of body fat. In both groups the fat percentage decreased by two percentage points. The maximal oxygen uptake, the most important indicator of fitness, increased by almost twenty percent in both training groups. PRE = before training started; MID = after 6 weeks of training; POST = after 12 weeks of training. If you spend just ten minutes doing interval training three times a week you’ll find yourself becoming noticeably fitter, healthier and slimmer. Canadian sports scientists have written about it in PLoS One. And it doesn’t stop there: during the very short training sessions, you only have to exert yourself to the max for 20 seconds, three times. The study showed that the short interval training improved insulin sensitivity almost as much as the traditional longer training sessions did. The researchers regard this as “perhaps the most striking and novel finding from the present work”. The researchers took a small piece of muscle fibre from their subjects’ vastus lateralis muscle and measured the activity of the mitochondria using citrate synthase. The enzyme citrate synthase is needed for the first step of the citric acid cycle, a complex reaction in which cells convert nutrients into energy. The test showed that the interval training and conventional training sessions boosted the activity of citrate synthase by the same amount. Conclusion “The major novel finding from the present study was that 12 weeks of sprint interval training in previously inactive men improved insulin sensitivity, cardiorespiratory fitness, Photo by Steve Jones

THE FACTS: THE DEFINITION OF OVER TRAINING A

ccording to the Oxford Dictionary of Sport Science and Medicine , overtraining is a complex syndrome, and it is described as a combination of signs and symptoms of overtraining which typically causes the sufferer to feel mentally fatigued in absence of physical fatigue and causes deterioration of performance. The sufferer’s basal metabolic rate is elevated, there is usually a loss of body weight associated with a negative nitrogen balance, and the rate of return of exercise pulse-rate to resting pulse-rate is delayed.

The overtraining syndrome involves changes in the neuron and endocrine systems, particularly the hypothalamus. Overtraining is understood as a long-term form of overloading, whereas overreaching is short-term overtraining. It’s suggested that two stages of the adaptation process related to the average load of training (volume × intensity). In the beginning, the performance increases with a load up to a plateau, and beyond this, there is a slight decrease of performance named overreaching followed by a dramatic loss due to the stages of Overtraining. However, this division is only a rough guideline because the transitions between the points listed above are fluent. However, the causes, symptoms, and treatments of OT are not sport-specific, and the results of a study most studies are transferable to many other sports. There are intrinsic factors that also play key roles in the effect of overtraining. Insufficient nutrition will result in the body not being able to recover adequately after intense bouts of exercise. Lack of sleep has also shown to increase stress hormones, namely cortisol. This being one of the key catabolic hormones secreted from the adrenals when the body is under stress. The human body can only take so much physical exertion, and most often overtraining is seen in athletes who perform excessive workload and do not listen to their body when it’s telling them to slow down a little. If you are continually feeling tired, lack the motivation to exercise this is one of the signs that you may be pushing the limits of your body’s recovery system. Overtraining is quite common in newcomers to any sport because they are overly enthusiastic yet do not understand the need for recovery and value of nutrition. For example if you have just commenced a weight training program with the goal of adding lean muscle to you frame you may feel that going to the gym more often will enable you to reach your goals faster. The truth is when it comes to weight training it can’t be related to any other sport because it is highly dependent on paced workouts and recovery time. For example the more you practice golf of tennis the better you become, as these are more skill based sports. When it comes to weight training it’s not a “practice makes perfect” protocol.

This is why many new comers to weight training end up dropping off after a few months, they overtrain which then leads to lack of motivation and ultimately failure to add any degree of lean muscle mass because their body has entered into a overtrained state. It’s important to understand the concept of weight training and employ the less is more approach. It’s remarkable the results that can be obtained from working out with weights for as little as 30 minutes three times per week! The secret is to balance your exertion with periods of rest and make weight training a long term investment in your health and fitness. Not a frenzied short-lived burst where you fizzle out after 2-3 months. Take a close look at your weight training program, spending too long in the gym? Or doing too much cardio work? Listen carefully to your body, if you have feelings of lack lustre it’s advisable to take a week or two off from all exercise because you may be falling into an overtrained state. Return with a plan that complements your lifestyle and allows for solid nutrition and adequate recovery time.

HIGH REPS PRODUCE LONGER LASTING MUSCLE! I

f you do strength training with heavy weights, you build up more muscle than if you work out with moderate weights. But if you stop doing weight training, your body breaks down the muscle you built up with heavy weights more quickly. Sports scientists at Democritus University of Thrace in Greece discovered this when they did experiments with twenty elderly people with an average age of 65. Ageing and muscle decline go hand in hand. Weight training helps, but elderly people are more often ill than young people, and therefore train less than younger people. So older people do well with a training schedule that means as little decline as possible during periods when they are unable to train. The researchers were curious as to whether the number of reps makes a difference.

Ten elderly subjects trained for twelve weeks at 80 percent of their 1RM [HI]. Another ten trained during the same period at 60 percent of their 1RM [MI]. Imagine that on the bench press you can manage just one rep at one hundred kilograms. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s your 1RM. Eighty percent of that is eighty kilograms; sixty percent is sixty kilograms, and so on. After the training period the subjects then did nothing for twelve weeks. In technical terms, sports scientists call this detraining. Then the researchers looked at the amount of muscle strength and muscle mass the test subjects managed to retain. The results showed that the HI group showed more progress during the training period, but that they lost more strength during the detraining period. Muscles built up from higher reps last longer when training stops! What can we learn from this study? If you want to hold onto more muscle mass you are better training in accordance to your goals with standard rep ranges and not focusing on 1RM. Also maintaining joint integrity should be important especially as we reach mid life. We not only want to look great but also have 100% mobility! Reference: Clin Physiol Funct Imaging (2009) 29 316â&#x20AC;&#x201C;19.

EXERCISING BEFORE BREAKFAST STILL THE BEST RECIPE FOR FAT LOSS I

f you want to lose fat by doing more exercise, then exercise as much as possible on an empty stomach. In the short term doing this burns more fat than if you exercise while you’ve still got nutrients in the bloodstream, but in the long term the slimming effect is even stronger. By exercising beforebreakfast you probably train your fat tissues to break themselves down. British researchers at the University of Bath reached this conclusion in a small human study. Study The Brits got 10 healthy but heavy men to jog a moderate intensity for an hour in the mornings. The men ran at 60 percent of their VO2max. On one occasion the men ran on an empty stomach [Fasted]; on the other occasion they ran two hours after having eaten a breakfast of about 650 kilocalories [Fed].

University of Bath in a press release. “After eating, adipose tissue is busy responding to the meal, and a bout of exercise at this time will not stimulate the same [beneficial] changes in adipose tissue. This means that exercise in a fasted state might provoke more favorable changes in adipose tissue, and this could be beneficial for health in the long term.” Reference: Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab. 2017 Mar 14:ajpendo.00006.2017.

chauny taylor Photo by Steve Jones

Results When the men ran on an empty stomach they burned 20 g less carbohydrates and 7 g more fat than they did when they ran after breakfast. That was not much of a surprise. More interesting was what happened to the men’s fat tissue. Jogging activated all kinds of genes that stimulate fat burning, but this happened mainly after jogging in the fasted state. ATGL adipose triglyceride lipase, an enzyme that splits fat in fat cells into free fatty acids and glycerol. HSL hormone-sensitive lipase, an enzyme that splits fat in fat cells into free fatty acids and glycerol, and reacts to hormones such as adrenalin. FAT/CD36 fatty acid translocase/cluster of differentiation 36, an enzyme that stores long fatty acids in fat cells. PDK4 pyruvate dehydrogenase lipoamide kinase isozyme 4, an enzyme that inhibits the burning of glucose, which makes cells burn more fat instead. MCP1 monocyte chemo-attractant protein 1, an enzyme that gets immune cells to clear up old fat cells so that fat tissue can make young cells to replace them. Conclusion “This study provides the first evidence that the feeding status alters the response of adipose tissue to acute exercise,” the Brits concluded. “Several genes involved in lipid metabolism, insulin signaling and glucose transport were differentially expressed in adipose tissue when exercise was performed in a fed versus fasted state with either lower or opposing responses after feeding.” “Given the nature and direction of these differences, we propose that feeding is likely to blunt long-term adaptations induced within adipose tissue in response to regular exercise.” So if you exercise after a meal, your fat tissue is faced with “competing challenges”, explained the research team leader Dylan Thompson of the

THE DANGERS OF BULKING UP T

his is not exactly an article on training, however it is extremely relevant to your muscle building goals and it can and will determine whether you succeed or fail. Do you “Bulk up” in the hope to try and gain a few kilos of muscle mass? Are you carrying a little excess baggage around your mid section? Once you have read the following words you may want to re evaluate the bulking up approach in the future and that layer of fat around your waistline. It is scientifically proven that gaining additional body fat has no benefits other than increasing your chances of decreasing lean muscle, lowering Testosterone levels and developing a set of man boobs. In fact latest research has proven that fat cells create Aromatase an enzyme that converts Testosterone into Estrogen. Aromatase enzymes reduce levels of testosterone which then allows the forming of abdominal fat that produces more Aromatase enzymes resulting in more formation of Estrogen.

PAUL FOOTE FITNESS

CHANGE, GROW & INSPIRE

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The additional bulk (fat) that is gained during a typical off season actually serves the opposite purpose of what you set out to achieve. To build muscle and burn fat your body needs to have a higher testosterone and lower estrogen ratio, bulking up reverses the scenario. You can see this is a self defeating cycle proving the old theory of bulking up has nothing to do with the actual gain in lean muscle tissue. There may be a few die hard trainers from the old-school who believe bulking up still works but I am afraid they can’t argue with science. This research is of vital importance to natural athletes who are seeking to increase lean muscle mass and keep Estrogen and Aromatase in check. The big message here is stay as lean as you can to keep your Testosterone/Estrogen balance stacked in your favour. Remember the fatter you get the higher your Estrogen levels and the lower your Testosterone! Not the ideal situation for building a lean muscular physique.

For More Information visit

WWW.PAULFOOTEFITNESS.COM June Foote Paul Foote

2016

cameron biafore

liam burnham

billie paea Photography by Steve Jones

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With 600+ athletes competing at the 2016 Fitness America™ Weekend one can only imagine the excitement and the electric atmosphere at the Golden Nugget Hotel and Casino. The magnificent stage was set to provide the perfect back drop for the finest Natural Athletes in the industry.

he energy is always off the scale in Las Vegas, it is without doubt one of the most exciting locations in the world to host a Bodybuilding and Fitness Event. The Fitness America™ Weekend has been running for over 25 years in Vegas, it has grown to become the absolute pinnacle of Natural Bodybuilding and Fitness Events on the planet, attracting well over 600 of the finest Natural Athletes each year. Our 2016 Team Members were ready to show the rest of the World what they were made of. We had a great array of athletes competing across the two day event including Bodybuilding, Figure, Physique, Model and Bikini. This show is not an easy show to win, it is a true World Title and each and every competitor is out to take top honours for their Team and Country. Athletes from the UK, France, India, Middle East, Japan, Finland, Canada, New Zealand, Korea and of course Australia are just some of the participating Countries! Korea always brings an extremely strong team with close to one

hundred athletes! My Wife and I have been making the Vegas journey since 2009 and it is always a pleasure to not only share each athletes success but also the whole Las Vegas experience. In all due respect we are proud of each and every one of our Team Members as they all represent Australia with pride and style. Sure not everyone is going to win or place, but thats not the point. This is about coming together, building new friendships, sharing the experience from the 12 hour flight, the city of Las Vegas, to stepping onto one of the biggest Natural Event Stages in the world. It’s the entire experience! Probably the best way for me to express and reflect on the 2016 show is through the amazing images we captured over the course of the event. They say a picture is worth a thousand words. In this instance that saying could not be further from the truth as you will see throughout the following 20 pages of imagery. I have listed names and placings where applicable but as I said each and every athlete should be incredibly proud of their achievements and without question we are looking forward to doing it all again on November 17-18 for the 2017 Fitness America™ Weekend.

liam burnham Winner of the 2016 Overall Musclemania Physique World Title

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kimberley maree byrne

4th place Bikini America Short

cameron biafore

1st place Bikini America Short / Overall Ms Bikini America for 2016

ms bikini america short class top 5 Photography by Steve Jones

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chauny taylor

7th place Ms Bikini Americaâ&#x201E;˘ Medium

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melinda hopson

melanie pellegrin

francesca beresford

6th place Ms Bikini Americaâ&#x201E;˘ Medium

cameron biafore

kimberley maree byrne Photography by Steve Jones

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chauny taylor

dave barrie

liam burnham

julian tanaka

3rd place Model Americaâ&#x201E;˘ Muscle Model

1st place Model Americaâ&#x201E;˘ Muscle Model

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Photography by Steve Jones

liam burnham

dave barrie

sam barry

2016 model americaâ&#x201E;˘ - muscle model top 5 Photography by Steve Jones

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melinda hopson

francesca beresford

allanna jones 1st place Model Americaâ&#x201E;˘ Sports Model

jessica vasquez 2nd place Model Americaâ&#x201E;˘ Sports Model

allanah carman 5th place Model Americaâ&#x201E;˘ - Sports Model

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allanah carman 5th place Model Americaâ&#x201E;˘ - Sports Model

chauny taylor

2016 model americaâ&#x201E;˘ - sports model top 5 Photography by Steve Jones

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melissa pellegrin

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kaz o’brien 2nd place Figure America™ Classic Class

win marsh

Figure America™ Masters Class

2016 figure america™ - classic class top 5 Photography by Steve Jones

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juanita o’dell Figure America™ PRO Class

sheree paltridge

Figure America™ Open Class

kaz o’brien 2nd place Figure America™ Classic Class

karyn ward

Figure America™ Masters Class

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kylie dryden

Figure America™ Classic Class

sam barry 4th place Musclemania World Physique Medium Class

liam burnham

Overall Winner Musclemania World Physique

liam burnham

1st place Musclemania World Physique Short Class

lee nagorcka 5th place Musclemania World Physique Tall Class

Photography by Steve Jones

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sheree paltridge

5th place Musclemania World Physique Class

karyn ward 6th place Musclemania World Physique Class

julian tanaka

1st place Musclemania World Classic Medium Class

murray calcutt 9th place Musclemania World Classic Division

terrence teo 1st place Musclemania World Classic Tass Class

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billie paea

marinus van stolk

3rd place Musclemania World PRO Short Class

5th place Musclemania World PRO Short Class

2016 musclemania world - pro short class top 5 Photography by Steve Jones

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2016 musclemania world - heavyweight top 5 paul gibney

murray calcutt

5th place Musclemania World Masters

2nd place Musclemania World Heavyweight

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brandon flihan

1st place Musclemania World Junior Class

jun choi

1st place Musclemania World Heavyweight

dez carlo

5th place Musclemania World PRO Tall Class

adika njemanze

2nd place Musclemania World Junior Class

billie paea

fred shaka

1st place Musclemania World PRO Tall Class

Photography by Steve Jones

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3rd place Musclemania World PRO Short Class

bertrand lim

1st place Musclemania World PRO Short Class

chul soon

1st place Musclemania World PRO Medium Class

fred shaka 1st place Musclemania World PRO Tall Class

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A LITTLE CAFFEINE MAKES YOUR PRE WORKOUT SHAKE MORE EFFECTIVE

f you make sure your muscle cells get enough amino acids before, during or after your workout, you’ll build up strength and muscle mass faster. You can probably make your pre- and post-workout nutrition even more effective if you add a small amount of caffeine. We deduce this from a Dutch study published fifteen years ago in the Journal of Applied Physiology.

megan granville Photo by Steve Jones

Study The study we’re talking about here was funded by Novartis. The idea behind the study was to find a solution to a problem that many athletes who use energy drinks complain about. During training sessions or competitions they sometimes find it difficult to keep the stuff down. The researchers wanted to find out whether the body reacts better during exertion to a sports drink with caffeine added. On three different occasions the researchers gave ten well-trained men aged between 18 and 25 either water, or a sports drink containing electrolytes and 7 g carbohydrates per 100 ml [CES], or a sports drink containing electrolytes, carbs and 15 mg caffeine per 100 ml [CES+Caf]. After the subjects had drunk the water or sports drink, the researchers got them to cycle hard. The carbohydrates the researchers added to the drink were 3-O-D-methyl-m-glucose [3-OMG] and rhamnose. The gut cells don’t automatically absorb 3-O-D-methyl-glucose. To do so they need energy, in the form of ATP molecules. The ATP molecules enable transport proteins in the gut cells to function. This is the case not only for 3-O-D-methyl-m-glucose, but also for glucose, amino acids and peptides. To absorb rhamnose, however, the gut cells do not require any energy: it’s absorbed passively. Results In the subjects’ urine the ratio of 3-O-D-methyl-m-glucose to rhamnose altered as a result of the presence of caffeine, the researchers discovered. The relative amount of 3-OD-methyl-m-glucose increased. That means that caffeine boosts the uptake of glucose during physical exertion. It’s worth mentioning that not all subjects reacted positively to caffeine. For one of them, the addition of caffeine had the reverse effect. There’s a pretty good chance that your pre-workout shakes will be more effective if you take a bit of caffeine at the same time. A cup of coffee should provide enough caffeine to do this. Reference: J Appl Physiol (1985). 2000 Sep;89(3):1079-85.

FENUGREEK BOOSTS

TESTOSTERONE

odybuilders who take 500 mg fenugreek extract daily increase the amount of bio-available testosterone in their blood, write sports scientists at the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor in the International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism. Their study suggests that fenugreek has an anti-oestrogenic effect. Animal and human studies have shown that fenugreek has a mild anabolic effect. According to the sponsor of these studies, the Indian Indus Biotech, this is because fenugreek boosts testosterone levels, but the studies don’t actually provide proof of this. But then there’s the study that this article is about. It was published in 2010, and was done by a respected group of researchers in the US. Thirty young strength athletes, average 21, were the test subjects for this study. Half of them took a daily 500 mg fenugreek extract [AI] for eight weeks. The extract was produced by Indus Biotech, in this case also the sponsor of the study. The extract was standardised for graecunins, a group of steroid-like compounds – spirostanes to be exact – found in fenugreek. The other half of the group were given a placebo [PL]. In the eight weeks that the study lasted, both groups increased their strength by about the same amount. The lean body mass increased in both the placebo group and the experimental group by 1.6 kg. The amount of bio-available testosterone increased by 26 percent in the experimental (Fenugreek) group. The estradiol levels did not increase by this much, although you might have expected that to happen. Apparently Fenugreek extract inhibits the conversion of testosterone into estradiol. The study showed the percentage decrease of fat mass in the test subjects. The fat percentage of the athletes in the fenugreek group fell from 18.9 to 17.1 percent. In the placebo group the decrease was from 18.4 to 17.8 percent. Fenugreek proves to be a worthy addition to any natural athletes supplement program. Just look for fenugreek that has higher saponins level. Reference: Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab. 2010 Dec;20(6):457-65.

JUST

S T C A DA F

VITAMIN D

BOOSTS THE ANABOLIC EFFECT OF AMINO ACID LEUCINE

dding the amino acid leucine to protein-rich meals is perhaps the most effective supplementation strategy for strength athletes seeking to speed up muscle growth. Researchers at Clermont Universite in France have discovered that the higher the concentration of vitamin D3 in the blood, the greater the anabolic effect of leucine.

luke tonegano

Study The researchers exposed C2C12 muscle cells in test tubes to leucine, insulin and varying concentrations of 1,25(OH)2vitamin D3, which also goes by the name of calcitriol. This is the active form of vitamin D. The researchers also added labelled valine to the test tubes, so they could see whether the muscle cells built the valine into their protein structures. This enabled them to measure the anabolic effect of the leucine-insulin cocktail. The more 1,25(OH)2-vitamin D3 there was in the test tubes, the greater the anabolic effect. Results When the researchers looked closely at the production and activity of anabolic signal proteins, they noticed that 1,25(OH)2-vitamin D3 made the insulin receptor more sensitive. The greater the concentration of 1,25(OH)2vitamin D3, the greater the activity of anabolic signal proteins such as Akt, GSK3, p70-S6K and 4EBP1. The researchers reveal the way in which 1,25(OH)2-vitamin D3 gets the muscle cell’s anabolic machinery to work harder. Vitamin D3 induces muscle cells to manufacture more insulin receptors. At the same time the muscle cells also produce more vitamin-D receptors as a result of exposure to 1,25(OH) 2-vitamin D3, an effect that other researchers had already observed. [Endocrinol Metab Clin North Am. 2010 Jun;39(2):255-69.] Conclusion “The transcriptional induction of these genes as well as a potentiation of the insulin and leucine action on key related proteins is likely one of the central mechanisms of action of vitamin D on skeletal muscle anabolism”, the researchers write. “Overall, our data open up perspectives for potentially valuable nutritional interventions coupling vitamin D and amino acid supplementation, mainly in situations like sarcopenia where vitamin D and amino acid response is deficient, to support muscle fiber protein synthesis.” Reference: Mol Nutr Food Res. 2013 Dec;57(12):2137-46.

Photo by Steve Jones

Photography by Steve Jones

r a l o S l e D Memo Natural Bodz

Physique Pro

Name: Guillermo Nickname: MEMO

StarProfile

Date of birth/star sign: 18 march pisces Birth place: lima / peru Country/state you live: QLD, Australia Family, brothers, sisters? 2 Sisters Do you have pets: no Favourite car: Corvette stingray chevrolet Favourite colour: black Hair colour: Black Colour eyes: Brown Height: 170cm Contest weight: 76kg Off season weight: 83kg Occupation: fitness coach Hobbies/interests: weight lifting, nutrition, watching weight lifting videos. competing.

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o r P e u q i s P hy When and where did your journey into the world of health and fitness begin and who or what inspired you to get into weight training? I started looking after my nutrition and feeling passionate for sports as a very young surfer. I’ve always worked hard to be the best at what I do. Then I moved into Muay Thai, I won several championships. I started with weight lifting when I moved to America, I didn’t have many friends then and my English wasn’t good. Weight lifting is a sport where you don’t need a team, so it became my favourite hobby. I committed to it and started seeing results. That was the motivation that kept me going and pushing harder every time. Congratulations on your recent victory at the 2017 Natural Bodz Asia Pacific Championships where you took out Pro League Physique Category. Can you share how it felt to capture these top honors in the event? Thank you very much! It’s hard to describe, it’s months and months of preparation, discipline and hard work, all released in one day. I felt happy, excited and more than anything “rewarded”. All those hours, late gym sessions and very little social life, all those sacrifices are paying off. I feel that this experience has been a great motivation to keep training harder and moving forward as an athlete. This is only the beginning. Are you involved in any other sports or have previously had success in any other sporting endeav-

ours. Do you believe involvement in these sports has helped forge the physique you have today? Yes of course. I competed as a teenage surfer but never achieved any big titles. As a muay thai fighter I won several tournaments. I think that these experiences rewarded me with a good understanding of what it means to prepare to compete, and most importantly, train aggressively with the determination of winning. As a fighter I didn’t develop a very muscular physique, however I got used to train harder than anyone else. Once I transferred that spirit into bodybuilding, I started to get results very fast. Did you do anything different leading into the Asia Pacific, in regards training and Nutrition? I started loading on carbs almost three days before the event, earlier than usual. I think that helped me to look better than previous competition. I also felt stronger on stage. Apart from that I always train the same before a comp, around two and a half, sometimes three hours. Every day. How important do you feel it is to have professional guidance leading into an event in regards body conditioning and stage confidence? It’s super important, it can make the difference between taking the first place, placing top three or not placing at all. Stage presence is everything, you have to master it. It’s important to remember that a bodybuilding competition is a “show”, that’s why I love the events organised by NATURAL BODZ, because you have more freedom with your routines and that allows you to add some of your personality in your performance. My advice to everyone out there thinking on competing for the first time will be to hire a coach with experience, that can help you find your best angles and take your posing to the next level, and also provide you with the right advice in regards you meal plan. Nutrition is always a stumbling block for many looking to compete for the first time. What sort of diet did you follow leading into the Asia Pacific event. Are you a high protein – low carb person or preferred the more balanced approach? Yes, I can relate to that. The diet becomes more ‘manageable” with time and experience, but being hungry is never fun. Watching your body changing every day is the motivation that would help you push through those days when you feel low and weak. I definitely drop my carbs intake gradually as show day approaches, nothing too drastic. I save my last tricks for Peak Week. I’ll say that I maintain my protein intake the same, however I’ll increase my ‘fats’ as I drop the carbs. Avocados and peanut butter are my favourite. How important is mental focus and a positive attitude when it comes to getting into great physical shape? It’s all about the mind. Knowing the you’re working at your best capability to look your best on stage, will give you the confidence that you need to step under those lights on show day, feeling like a winner and knowing that you’re in your best condition ever. It’s important to feel that you deserve to be there, competing against the best of the best. Do you believe in having an off season or prefer to stay in good shape year round. What’s the maximum weight anyone should gain post comp? For male and

Photography by Steve Jones

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r a l o S l e D Memo female? I usually eat exactly the same all the time, which is a good balance of chicken, red meat, fish, vegetables and simple carbs. No sugars. No deep fried food. In saying that, I believe it’s rewarding for your body and mind to experience different types of food and flavours, so if I’m not preparing for a competition, I’d allow myself to eat some pizza, a burger or even a doughnut. Sometimes once a week, sometimes once every two weeks. I usually put on 4 to 5 kilos after a comp. I stay lean all year round without struggle, I enjoy what I eat. That’s just me, I know some people gain a lot of weight through the “off season”. I can’t relate to that.

How many days a week and what sort of program do you follow leading into a competition? Can you provide our readers with an example split? I’ll train every day no matter what. I’ll leave my ‘rest days’ for days when I really need it, or if I’m sick. I just love training and feels weird not to be at the gym. After lifting for around two hours I’ll go on the treadmill and fast walk on an inclined platform for about 40 minutes. In all honesty, I’m flexible with my sessions. I usually decide what I’m going to train on the day, however I know I’ll train my back and legs twice a week, no matter what. The rest of the week is divided between arms and shoulders, chest, core and sometimes full body high intensity sessions. Are you a big cardio man or prefer to use diet and weight training to drop body fat prior to a show? Even if I do enjoy a good cardiovascular set, it’s not my priority at the moment. I’m not training to run a marathon, I’m a bodybuilder. I enjoy lifting weights and that’s my foundation when training for a show. Of course I’ll do the 40 minutes fast walk on the treadmill leading to a show, but that’s it. The diet will do the rest. How important is it to have a good family and support crew behind you when preparing for a show? I don’t think that makes a big difference in my case. I got used to the fact of giving myself 100% on the gym floor just because of my work ethics and because I don’t want to let myself down. My main determination is to be the best at what I do. At the same time I have to say that it feels really good when people compliments your hard work and dedication. It motivates me to go even harder. Do you use any special training techniques if so can you share some of them with our readers? No special techniques. No secret formula. I train as hard as I can every-single-time. I invite the readers to try that for 1 month, train 5 to 6 session a week and keep your diet clean. I can pretty much guarantee they’ll see the results they want.

Photography by Steve Jones

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P hysique Pro Free weights or machines, what works for you? Both. I love super-setting two, sometimes three exercises in the same set. Apart from weight training what other forms of exercise do you include or recommend for those seeking a physique like yours? I like to do calisthenics sometimes, just because it allows me to engage my core to the fullest and get a lot of definition through areas like the serratus anterior, posterior and inferior. Apart from training super hard, dedication with my diet is what helps me to look apart. How much is too much when it comes to weight training, what’s your take on the whole over training debate? I’m a Fitness and Health Coach, so my advice for everyone out there is to listen to your body. Through the years I’ve built the strength that allows me to train pretty much every day for hours, so I don’t expect people to do what I do. I enjoy hard-core sessions and that’s pretty Photography by Steve Jones

much the only way I can build my dreamed physique. I’ll say that I over train. I can handle it. Staying motivated is one of the areas when many folk suffer. How do you stay motivated to maintain that hunger to succeed? The mirror never lies. Improving my condition with every session is what keeps me going. We all feel flat sometimes, in those days I go on You Tube and watch the best bodybuilders in the world training at the gym. Their passion and dedication reminds me what it takes to be a champion. That’s all the motivation I need. Pre workout and coffee helps as well, Lol. What are the most common mistakes you see in beginners when it comes to weight training? Form and Technique would be my number one. Low Intensity and long resting periods the second. How to mix and combine the exercises, number three. My number four, which could be even more important than number one, is Diet and Supplementation. The Physique class is somewhat new and gaining a lot of popularity. Why do you feel it appeals to many guys out there? I guess that not everyone is after the “Hulk” look. Physique is a very versatile category that allows you to be muscular in a fashion that appeals not only to other people that workout, but also to the general public that doesn’t know anything about bodybuilding. What I’m trying to say is that the “Physique Look” is not extreme. It’s like a “Roman statue”. For any aspiring athletes looking to compete in a Fitness Model/ Physique event where do you suggest they start? I’d strongly suggest to book a meeting with an experienced coach, who can be honest with you and point at your weaknesses so you can work on them and also guide you in the right direction. Not only with your posing, but also training, diet and supplementation. It will save you a lot of time. We don’t have time to lose. We are lucky, here on the Gold Coast we have some of THE BEST coaches in the country. How important is water prior to an event are you an advocate of water loading or any other kind of tweaks in water intake? Yes of course. I do it myself. I love PEAK WEEK because is when everything happens! I’ll start with lots of water on Monday, dropping gradually every day to end up only sipping before show day. Being thirsty isn’t fun, but that’s why bodybuilding competitions are not for everybody. Do you use sport supplements in your nutrition plan, if so which ones? Of course! They’re super important to make sure that I can push my body to the limit prior comp maintaining muscle size and density. I’m fortunate to be supported by one of the best brands in the industry, Team 360 Health. I use their Pre workout, Glutamine, Creatine, L-Carnitine, BCAA’s and of course Protein. They have helped me to take my Physique to the next level.

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r a l o S l e D o Mem

Photography by Natural Bodz Magazine

Do you document and count calories, protein and grams of carbs when working out your diet or prefer a more instinctive approach? I use the scales and that’s as far as I go. I’ve been competing for a while so at this point I have a fair idea of what I need to eat, how much and when. If I track my calorie intake is only for general knowledge.

We host a number of Events in Australia, do you feel that these events are a great place for aspiring athletes to gain exposure, opportunities and experience? Of course! Natural Bodz events are probably the best organised shows in the industry, and they get better every year! If you have the chance to travel with the team, they offer great opportunities to compete overseas in big events along with the best in the world. You also have the chance to be coached by people that know the industry very well. Steve Jones is a legend! Who do you admire most in the industry? I have to say that I feel very lucky to be friend with two of the most inspirational people I know, Rob Quatro & Mark Robinson. World Champions doing a lot for the Fitness Industry. Who has had the most impact on your life? My first coach as a Muay Thai fighter when I was a teenager. Back then I couldn’t pay for the classes, however he took me under his wing. Rodrigo would be in my corner in every fight for 5 years before I left Peru. We won some epic battles. Muay Thai gave me the self-confidence and work ethics that today guide my life. Today, when I meet younger people that want to train and can’t afford a coach, I give them some sessions for free. We train together. That’s my way of giving back. How do you feel about the use of drugs in sport, and is there any room for improvements to keep it clean? I never judge. All I can say is that to me, the beauty of the sport relies on the effort, passion and dedication that you put in your training, diet and lifestyle. Somehow the use of steroids seems to be a shortcut, a very dangerous one, just because you never know how your body is going to react to them. I’ll never put in risk my health for the look. I’m happy to keep working hard for what I want, all natural. What are your immediate goals in respect to your career and competing in the next 12 months? My determination is clear. I want to travel overseas and take over the first place. I’m aiming for any of the MUSCLEMANIA events around the world. Keep your eyes on my Social Media Channels so you know what’s up. All these achievements help me to move forward with my business as a Health and Fitness Coach. Contact Memo for Coaching and Media Bookings Email: guidelsolar@gmail.com Instagram: @memo.del.solar Facebook Athlete Page: @memodelsolarfitness

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ANTI INFLAMMATORY FOODS THAT PROTECT THE HEART A

diet that contains relatively large amounts of magnesium, turmeric, omega-3 fatty acids, fibre, red peppers, vitamin C and lots more things that we like to write about reduce the amount of inflammatory factors in the body. We’ve written before about the fact that these anti-inflammatory factors may slow down the aging process and reduce the chance of developing cancer. According to a study that Swedish researchers published in Nutrition Journal, a diet with a low dietary inflammatory index also reduces the chance of a heart attack. Study The researchers used data gathered for the Northern Sweden Health and Disease Study. This study has been running since the 1980s. The researchers compared the inflammatory index of the diet of the 1389 participants who had had a heart attack during the time that the study had been running compared with that of the 5555 study participants who had not had a heart attack. Results Among the men, the chance of having a heart attack increased by a factor of 1.57 if their diet had a low inflammatory index. For the women, dietary inflammatory index had no effect. The results showed the effect of smoking and the dietary inflammatory index [DII] on the likelihood of having a heart

attack. For the men the dietary inflammatory index is a significant factor, but this effect is negligible compared with the risk from smoking. So if you smoke it’s more sensible to stop that habit than to add lots of red pepper and turmeric to your diet. Conclusion “In this prospective, population-based study with long follow-up, a more pro-inflammatory diet was associated with an increased risk of first myocardial infarction in men,” the Swedes summarised. “These findings support inflammation as a link between diet and cardiovascular risk.” Minor grumble We are not so sure whether a diet that is high in anti-inflammatory factors has no influence on the chance of women having a heart attack. In the period that the data was gathered for this study, doctors were often unaware of heart attacks in women, as the symptoms of a heart attack in women were not generally known. It may be the case that if the study were carried out now that a link would be found in women too between heart attacks and dietary inflammatory index. Either way it makes sense to include foods like tumeric, green vegetables, peppers, tomatoe, fatty fish, nuts like almonds, walnuts, berries. Once again prevention is the key to longevity! Reference: Nutr J. 2017 Apr 4;16(1):21.

THE FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH LATEST RESEARCH REVEALED!

he fountain of youth might reside deep in our brains. Stem cells in the hypothalamus have been found to influence the aging process.

According to some new research, the key to living longer may reside deep in our brains. In a major breakthrough for our understanding of how the brain controls aging, scientists managed to both speed up and slow down the aging process in mice by disrupting the volume of neural stem cells found in the hypothalamus.

how the hypothalamus seems to act as a central command center for controlling aging. Alongside the myriad of other anti-aging research currently occurring, from epigenetic regulation to a new class of drugs called senolytics, it is becoming increasingly believable that future generations of humans could live significantly longer than we do now. Ref: Albert Einstein College of Medicine

Back in 2013, a team from New York’s Albert Einstein College of Medicine discovered that a region of the brain called the hypothalamus seemed to play a key role in the way the body regulated its aging processes. The hypothalamus was already known for being responsible for many functions, including growth, development, reproduction and certain metabolic processes, but its relationship with aging was new. “Our research shows that the number of hypothalamic neural stem cells naturally declines over the life of the animal, and this decline accelerates aging,” says Dongcheng Cai, senior author in the research. The initial studies involving mice looked at the correlation between age and the number of hypothalamic stem cells. It was observed that as healthy mice got older, the number of these stem cells began to diminish. “By old age – about two years of age in mice – most of those cells were gone,” says Dr. Cai. In order to confirm the connection between aging and these stem cells, the scientists then selectively disrupted the hypothalamic stem cells in middle-aged mice. This action was observed to significantly accelerate the aging process of mice compared to a control group. The final, and most exciting, stage of the team’s research was to experiment with whether an addition of hypothalamic stem cells to the brain could actually counteract aging. Hypothalamic stem cells were injected into the brains of healthy old mice and the treatment was seen to slow, or even in some instances reverse, various measures of aging. In trying to understand how this anti-aging action was occurring, the researchers discovered that these hypothalamic stem cells released molecules called microRNAs (miRNAs) into cerebrospinal fluid. When the researchers replicated this process artificially by injecting extracted miRNAs into the cerebrospinal fluid of mice, they again observed significantly reduced measures of aging. This breakthrough discovery doesn’t offer us an immediate “fountain of youth” treatment for living forever, but it does deliver researchers a new understanding into

HANDFUL OF NUTS EVERY DAY EXTENDS LIFE SPAN

dding nuts and seeds to your diet will slow down the speed at which you age. American researcher Larry Tucker discovered this during an epidemiological study involving 5582 adults. The more nuts you eat each day, the longer the telomeres in your DNA - an indication that your molecular clock is ticking more slowly.

base pairs shorter. That’s the telomere length that therefore represents one year of life in your biological clock. That means that a group of people who eat a handful of nuts and seeds every day will live 1.7 years longer than people who do not do this. Ref: J Nutr Health Aging. 2017;21(3):233-40.

Study A couple of days ago we wrote about another recent publication of Tucker’s. That one was about the effect of drinking coffee on telomere length. In both that study and the one you’re reading about now Tucker used data that was gathered for the NHANES project. This involved 5582 adults, for whom Tucker was able to obtain information on their telomere length and their consumption of nuts and seeds. Results The more nuts and seeds that the participants consumed, the longer their telomere length. The regression coefficient (1) was 8.5. That means that for every 10 g nuts and seeds that the participants ate their telomeres were 8.5 base pairs longer. A handful of nuts weighs about 30 g. So for every handful of nuts that a group of people eat daily, their telomere length will be 25.5 base pairs longer. Tucker found that the most important predictor of telomere length was - predictably - age. For every year older that the participants were their average telomere length was 15.4

PEO’s - Are You Getting Enough? Our bodies require special fats that make it possible, among other important functions, for sufficient oxygen to reach the cells.These special fats are highly oxygen-absorbing, and are called EFAs. PEOs consist of parent omega-6 and parent omega-3. “Parent” means they are the whole form of the essential oil as it occurs in nature before it’s broken down or built up into any of its components, which are called derivatives. Why are the parent forms - PEOs - so important? EFAs sold in stores consist of manufactured EFA derivatives. Your body Many of the E doesn’t need or want many of these derviatives, because it makes its own derivatives out of the Parent Essential Oils ( PEOS ). Our bodies cannot make PEOs they must come from our diet. Unfortunately most food processing destroys the all important oils often converting them into harm full trans fats. YES™ PEOs provide a perfect solution to get these all important oils back into your diet the way nature intended in a 100% organically produced supplement. Available from Australian Natural Bodz online emporium or call 07 55 930 753 for all wholesale and retail enquiries.

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v Send in your recipes: If you have a healthy low carb, high protein recipe send it through so you can share it with our readers. Email : editor@naturalbodzmagazine.com OR Through www.facebook.com/naturalbodzmagazine

CAULIFLOWER PIZZA CRUST Low GI

High Protein

Low Carb

No Added Sugar

hen you think “low-carb,” pizza is probably not one of the first things that comes to mind. Indeed, with a crust made with high-carb, heavily refined flour, traditional pizza is a far cry from low-carb. In fact, many would argue that overconsumption of refined carbohydrates (like the flour in pizza crust) is to blame for increasing rates of obesity and myriad negative health outcomes. In fact, in a commentary published in the prestigious American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Harvard researcher and professor of Nutrition and Epidemiology Dr. Frank Hu said, “Refined carbohydrates are likely to cause even greater metabolic damage than saturated fat.”3 What’s more, numerous studies have linked consumption of these highly processed carbohydrates to obesity.4–6 Knowing that yet not being ignorant to how amazingly delicious pizza is, I wanted to find a way that we could have our “pie” and eat it too. Enter what I like to call the white vegetable wonder: Cauliflower. Move over kale, there’s a new superfood in town! By replacing the traditional refined flour crust with cauliflower, you’ll slash carbs and calories and dramatically boost the nutrient density of your pizza.

Gluten Free

| Low Fat

3. Fill a large pot with about an inch of water and bring to a boil. Put the cauliflower in a steamer insert and place in the pot. Allow cauliflower to steam for roughly 15 minutes, stirring continuously. 4. Remove the cauliflower from the pot and place into a strainer. Once you’ve strained it, transfer it to a thin, clean dish towel, twist it up, and squeeze out ALL the remaining water. This is key. 5. Place cauliflower rice in a large bowl and stir in grated parmesan cheese, egg, and seasonings until well blended. 6. Transfer the mixture to a baking sheet and shape into desired pizza crust shape. 7. Bake for 10-15 minutes until crust is golden brown. 8. Remove from oven and add your favorite healthy toppings (e.g., tomato sauce or olive oil, fresh veggies, lean proteins, fresh mozzarella). 9. Bake for an additional 10-15 minutes.

From a nutrition standpoint, cauliflower’s got it going on! Fun fact: The USDA has reported that 250 slices of pizza are consumed every second. That means that, on any given day, 13% of the population is eating pizza! Cauliflower Pizza Crust Ingredients: • ½ head of cauliflower, coarsely chopped • ½ cup grated parmesan cheese • 1 egg, beaten • seasonings of choice • salt and pepper to taste Directions: 1. Preheat oven to 450F. 2. Place the cauliflower in a food processor and blend until you achieve a rice-like texture.

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of capturing some great images Natural Bodz Editor Steve Jones the 2016 Media Shoot. Fitness Model Alana Lukes at

ge strikes a The outstanding Amanda Aldrid Steve Jones. pose for Natural Bodz Editor

Demi Jefferys bringing beauty Natural Bodz Media Day shoot and style to the in June.

The beautiful Sarah Martin looking simply amazing for the Natural Bodz Cameras.

Ready, set go..... Melissa Fainges strikes and impressive sprint pose for the Natural Bodz Cameras.

The lovely Maricor Herman made Natural Bodz Asia Pacific in June. her stage debut at the 2017 Pictured here looking the part at the Natural Bodz Media Photo shoot.

The Gold Coasts stunning Megan Granville always brings her best both on stage and in front of the camera.

Hot, hot, hot...Mackay’s Belinda Cook turning up the heat at the 2017 Natural Bodz Media Shoot at the Asia Pacific in June

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Looking beyond perfect, Mack Blaxland at the 2017 Natural ay’s Paula Bodz Media Shoot.

We want your photoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s whether they are candid, gym shots, beach shots, modeling shots or just any crazy shots you feel will be

great for our Hot Shots section. Send your photos on CD along with comments to: Hot Shots - Australian Natural Bodz, P.O.Box 3572, Robina Town Centre 4230,QLD. Or email to editor@naturalbodzmagazine.com (please ensure images are high res & you have permission to use the images) or Hit us up on Facebook.com/naturalbodzmagazine

Sublime Tanning girls on point and working hard to ensure every competitor hits the stage with a winning Tan at the 2017 Natural Bodz Asia Pacific.

Shredded does not describing Musclem even come close to ania Physique Pro Liam Burnham. Pro Fitness Model Ellie Mc Clym stunning at the Natural Bodz ont looking simply Media Shoot in June.

Lovely ladies chilling out at the Pacs rego. L-R ( Heidi Quatro, 2017 Natural Bodz Asia Kasey Morrison, Bec Steele)

Kavanagh look in this Boom...How good does Kelly al Bodz Media Shoot. black one piece for the Natur

Del Solar ays on point...Memo Ripped, ready and alw at the Asia Pacific Shoot. in front of the camera

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h looking the part You are under arrest! Win Mars for the Natural in her Police Woman theme wear Apacs. Bodz Media Shoot at the 2017

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