>4

417
17 MUSCLE-BUILDING TIPS INSIDE!
JOE WEIDER’S
BRITISH EDITION

THE SECR
SECRET
RET TO... P
PERFECT
ERFECT
BIG
BICEPS
BICEPS
B
BODY
ODY
PLAN
Frank Zane
OOnn How
Hoow Hee
AND THE HUGE BBuilt
uilt thee
MISTAKE YOU Greatest
Greeatest
NEEDD TO AAVOID!
VOID!! PPhysique
hysiqque
Ever!
Eve er!

5 MOVES
FOR
FO
OR A
MASSIVE
MA
ASSIVE
THE RIGHT
WORKOUT
WORRKOUT
CHEST FOR
R YOU!
FORGE
FORRGE THE
BUILD A ULTIMA
ULTIMATE
ATE
BEASTLY X-FRAME
X-FRAAME
BACK!
WITH THIS
www.flexonline.co.uk
APRIL 2017 £4.20
04

KILLER ROUTINE 9 770955 121136

JORGE „JOJO“ GONZALEZ
PERSONAL TRAINER
COACH
IFBB PHYSIQUE PRO
 A L L 1 0 . 2 / A 07
H
VISIT US AT

J O G O N Z A L ES
AND MEET J O

IF EVERY DAY IS HEAVY DAY,

YOU ARE AN ATHLETE. ISO100®. Clean & Pure Muscle Building
Whey Protein Isolate.
The difference between striving for your goals
and crushing them is ISO100. Our 100% whey
protein isolate (of which 50% is hydrolysed) is
free of fat and sugar. Developed with the
optimal amount of protein and ratio of BCAAs
per serving. Use the award winning ISO100
before your workouts, after workouts or
anytime you need. Optimise your protein intake
to support a lean and powerful physique.
Crush your goals with ISO100.

#GetDymatized
WORLD’S BEST and show us what makes you an athlete.
SELLING ISOLATE*
* Visit us at dymatize.com
AWARD
WINNING
ISOLATE
2013-2016
P E R P O R T I O N **
PROTEIN whichof BCAAS of
which LEUCINE SUGAR/FAT
25 g 5.7 g 2.7 g FREE
* * Gourmet Vanilla

** Gourmet Vanilla
INSIDE THIS MONTH APRIL 2017
DEPARTMENTS

16
MIND OVER
8

9
EDITOR’S LETTER

ONLINE
Stay current with all the
hot topics trending now at
MUSCLE FLEXonline.com.
Olympia legend
Frank Zane 14 JUST THE FACTS
Groundbreaking research
talks about and must-have tips in the
his strongest training and nutrition
body part universe.
during his
bodybuilding 34 CLASSIC MUSCLE
heyday: his April sees the new season
brain. begin with the new FitCon
expo and the UK Nationals.
We profile classic
bodybuilder Jonathan
Lofthouse and actress-
turned-bodyfitness star
Emi Wokoma.

54 1ST SET
All the happenings with
Mr. Olympia Phil Heath,
212 Olympia champ Flex
Lewis, and more.

THIS PAGE: COURTESY OF WEIDER HEALTH & FITNESS; PER BERNAL

68 LIFT

COVER PHOTOGR APH COURTESY OF WEIDER HEALTH & FITNESS.

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

80 FOOD & SUPPS

All the things you need to
eat, drink, or mix first and
then drink, to help you
reach your bodybuilding
and fitness goals.

132 LAST SET

Contest results, athlete
profiles, and more from
the world of competitive
bodybuilding and fitness.

144 THE SHOT

FEATURES
10 IT’S ONLY MY OPINION 84 SMOOTHIES

94
Chris Lund reminisces on the The best new smoothie recipes.
camaraderie years of
bodybulding. 104 THE X FACTOR
How to construct an X-frame BACK TO
26 THE NEXT BIG THING physique BASICS
British junior champion Azeez Veteran
Salu is shaking up the sport at 110 CONTEST PREP 101: PART 2 Mark Dugdale
just 21 years old. Part two of your contest prep has found a
plan. winning recipe
42 LOOKING BACK for building
A look at power builder Dave 120 PECS IN FIVE championship-
Henry. Conquer your chest woes with calibre lats.
William Bonac’s five-pronged
pec workout.

4 FLEX | APRIL 2017

 LOW FAT

AV

Y AV T

Maximuscle is a division of GSK Consumer Healthcare.Trade marks are owned by or licensed to the GSK group of companies.
CHGBI/CHMAXI/0026/16. *Maximuscle WPI Strawberry only.
 Chairman, President & Chief exeCutive offiCer
David Pecker

ChiEF ConTEnT DirECTor EVP/groUP PUbLishing DirECTor

Shawn Perine Chris Scardino
EDITORIAL ADVERTISING & MARKETING
Managing EDiTor Leah Whisler EUroPEan aDVErTising saLEs DirECTor Samantha Lund
arT DirECTor Matt Dolingo assoCiaTE PUbLishEr-inTEgraTED MarKETing James Cress
UK ConsULTanT John Plummer aDVErTising DirECTor Dara Markus
e-mail: jplummer@amilink.com MarKETing ManagEr Samantha DiTata
nUTriTion ConsULTanTs sEnior ProDUCTion ManagEr Tisha Paul
Mark Gilbert, B.Sc (Nutrition), CISSN aDVErTising CoorDinaTor Irene Coles
and Tim Ziegenfuss, Ph.D., CSCS, FISSN To aDVErTisE Tel: +44 (0) 1423 550 848, e-mail: slund@weideruk.com

US EDITION
EDITORIAL ART
EVP/groUP PUbLishing DirECTor Chris Scardino arT DirECTor Sean Otto
ChiEF ConTEnT DirECTor Shawn Perine PhoTo DirECTor Anthony Nolan
Managing EDiTor, EnThUsiasT groUP/booKs Brian Good
PhoTo assisTanT Gaby Chiang
sEnior WriTEr Greg Merritt
PhoTograPhErs
sEnior WEb EDiTor Angelica Nebbia
EDiTor Andrew Gutman Per Bernal,
ConTribUTors Bryan Haycock, Charles Lowthian
Joe Wuebben, Michael Berg, ConTribUTors
Steven Stiefel, Adam Bible Albert Busek, Caruso,
CoPy ChiEF Pearl Amy Sverdlin Bill Comstock, Isaac Hinds,
CoPy EDiTors Jeff Tomko, Heidi Jacobs Kevin Horton, Chris Lund, Art Zeller
rEsEarCh James Riley
EDiToriaL ProDUCTion DirECTor Russell Mendoza MANUFACTURING & PRODUCTION
EDiToriaL assoCiaTE DirECTor Victor Kim sEnior ProDUCTion DirECTor Ann McCaffrey
aCCoUnTing CLErK Jason Williams DisTribUTion sErViCE ManagEr Marc Melcher

WeIDeR PuBLICATIONS, LLC, A SuBSIDIARy OF AMeRICAN MeDIA, INC.

ChairMan, PrEsiDEnT & ChiEF EXECUTiVE oFFiCEr David Pecker

EXECUTiVE ViCE PrEsiDEnT, ChiEF MarKETing oFFiCEr Kevin Hyson
EXECUTiVE ViCE PrEsiDEnT, ChiEF FinanCiaL oFFiCEr, TrEasUrEr Chris Polimeni
EXECUTiVE ViCE PrEsiDEnT, DigiTaL MEDia oPEraTions/ChiEF inForMaTion oFFiCEr David Thompson
sEnior ViCE PrEsiDEnT, oPEraTions Rob M. O’Neill
EXECUTiVE ViCE PrEsiDEnT, ChiEF DigiTaL oFFiCEr Brian Kroski
ViCE PrEsiDEnT, ConsUMEr MarKETing ephraim R. Brennan
4 New York Plaza, 4th Floor, New York, NY 10004 USA. Tel: 001 212 339 1900

CIRCuLATION CirCULaTion DirECTor Patrick Napier, e-mail: pnapier@weideruk.com

PRINTeD IN POLAND By Quad/Graphics Tel: 0048 22 33 67 093

DISTRIBuTeD By COMAG Tel: 01895 433600
DIGITAL SuBSCRIPTIONS One year (12 issues) £34.99 available in apple app store and google Play.
PRINT SuBSCRIPTIONS Dovetail email flex@servicehelpline.co.uk
one year (12 issues) £34.99. Europe £49. rest of the World £69. To subscribe go to weider.subscribeonline.co.uk or call 01795 592801

President of the IFBB Professional League JIm maNION

Founder and Chairman Emeritus JOE WEIDEr (1920–2013)

We assume no responsibility for returning unsolicited material, including but not limited to photographs, artwork, manuscripts, and letters.
Every care is taken to assure the accuracy of the information in FLEX, but no responsibility can be accepted for the consequences of actions based on the advice contained herein.
Weider Publishing Ltd makes every effort to ensure that the advertising contained in FLEX is derived from respectable sources. It does not; however, assume responsibility
for the advertisements, nor any claims and representations made therein, nor the quality or delivery of the products/services themselves.

Editorial articles relating to food supplementation and sports nutrition reproduced in this issue of FLEX are for information purposes only and are not intended to solicit or otherwise
promote any commercialised product containing the mentioned supplements. FLEX is distributed on an international basis. To the extent permitted by law, Weider Publications LLC
and its affiliates: Weider Publishing Ltd, Weider Publishing Italia Srl and Mediafit SARL, do not accept liability for the effects of reported supplements or products, legal or illegal or
any loss, injury or damage caused by their use. It is the responsibility of the individual to abide by the laws and dosage allowances specific to their country of residence.
Always consult a doctor before commencing supplementation or changing dosages. Some supplements may not work effectively outside specific dosage ranges and may
potentially cause harm if taken in excess. Not all supplements, combinations of supplements, or dose ranges of supplements may be suitable, safe or effective for everybody.

Copyright © (2016) Weider Publications, LLC. Published under license from Weider Publications, LLC. All rights reserved. Reprinted with permission.
‘FLEX’ is a trademark of Weider Publications, LLC. and may not be used or reproduced without the permission of Weider Publications, LLC.

The information in FLEX is intended to educate. Do not substitute it for the advice of a qualified health care practitioner.
 FROM THE EDITOR By JOHN PLUMMER

THE ROAD TO The baTTle

To be 2017
briTish

NOTTINGHAM
champion
begins This
monTh.

Azeez Salu, who ■ One off the privileges of this job is

we feature this being ableble to get behind the scenes at
month, is bidding the biggestest moments, and there is no
to win the overall bigger moment
oment in this country than the
title, even though British Championships
hampionships in Nottingham.
he’s still a junior. It’s the
e only domestic contest
that offers
ers a route into the IFBB
pro league ue so emotions run high,
especially ly in the pump-up room to
the side of the stage. I’ve seen very
grown men cry tears of joy and
pain in this
his room, throw tantrums
and sufferfer stage fright. The poor
backstage ge helpers tasked with trying
to herd all the competitors together
are alwaysays frantically trying to find
someone e who has disappeared two
minutes before they’re due on.
Every year leaves a different
memory.. Last year, it was the
bewildered red look on Luke Sandoe’s
face as he sat alone in a stairwell
moments s after he’d won, struggling
to take in n that he’d just achieved
everything ng he’d been training towards
for the last
ast three years. There were
no words—he s—he was trying to process
the joy and nd disbelief. That’s what
makes the he British Championships
so compelling
pelling and the road to
Nottingham am gets underway this
month with five UKBFF qualifiers,
beginning g with the new Celebration
Classic in n Birmingham.
The start
tart of a new season always
invites speculation about who will
be the last
ast man standing in October
and there re is a very real prospect
that this year it could be a junior.
Azeez Salu alu is only 21 years old, but
he is already
eady a two-time British
junior champion,
hampion, Diamond Cup
winner and a runner-up in the open
heavyweights
eights at last year’s national
finals. His is 20-inch biceps are almost
the same e number as his age. Make
no mistake—he’s
ake—he’s a contender.
CH RI STO PH ER BA IL EY

Read our interview with Azeez this

month aboutbout his remarkable story
from Nigerian
gerian Prince to the man who
would be e king of British bodybuilding
and try his arm workout. Will he be
the one celebrating in that tan-stained
pump-up p room in a few months time?

8 FLEX | APRIL 2017

 ONLINE NOW MONTHS

ARMS, ARMS & MORE ARMS

There is one thing that every guy in the gym has in common—
wanting a bigger set of guns! Because there is no one-size-fits-
all workout for everyone, we’ve compiled our best arm training
routines and tips into one place so you can get busy blasting
those bi’s and tri’s into a monstrous pair of pipes.
flexonline.com/flexyourarms

7 BEST BODYBUILDING FOODS

The greatest performance diets may seem complicated and
fancy, but they are all built on a foundation of basic principles
and simple foods. Eat the right ones, and your body will respond
accordingly. If your current regimen doesn’t include these
“bodybuilders,” make a beeline to the supermarket and stock
up on them, stat. flexonline.com/7bestbodybuildingfoods CALL or CLICK to subscribe
Call: 01795 592801 QUOTE CODE M03
Open weekdays 8am-9.30pm,
LIKE US AT FACEBOOK.COM/FLEXMAGAZINE Saturday 8am-4pm
AND INTERACT WITH OUR 2 MILLION OTHER FANS. Click:
CHRIS LUND

weider.subscribeonline.co.uk/musc/M03
CHECK OUT OUR DAILY UPDATES BY FOLLOWING
US ON TWITTER AT @FLEX_MAGAZINE. *This is a direct debit offer open to UK residents only. This offer is
not available to Digital Edition subscribers. Payments will increase to
£16.99 every 6 issues unless advised to stop
 Last
fLex set

The
comment

CAMARADeRIe
CAMARADERIE
CAMARAD
YeARS
YEARS
It’s onLY mY oPInIon
 Mike Christian,
an incredible
genetic freak,
squeezed his
workouts in
between
phone calls!

flexonline.com
11
TexT by Chris Lund, uK ediTor sinCe 1985
 fLex comment It’s onLY mY oPInIon
■ i was sitting in Joe Weider’s
plush Woodland Hills office when,
out of the blue, he asked, “What
do you think makes a true
professional?” Before i could
respond, he began:
“A true professional always
improves or gets better, and
that’s what i want you to do.
Arnold always did, and that’s
why he became the greatest
bodybuilder in the entire world,
and, another thing,” he continued
passionately, “camaraderie. find
me all the bodybuilding
camaraderie you can. Arnold
regularly trained with franco
columbu, frank Zane, Dave
Draper, ed corney, and Ken
Waller. He did something that no
one ever did before. He
introduced camaraderie to
bodybuilding, and i want your
pictures to capture this just like
Artie Zeller used to do!”
Afterwards, my mind was a
whirlpool of ideas, with
camaraderie number one on the
list. So, the next day, i headed
straight for Gold’s Gym in Venice.
As i looked around the huge
rooms packed with every piece
of training equipment you could
imagine, i started thinking
seriously about what Joe had
said the day before. While i
couldn’t actually see Arnold, and
his merry men doing heavy
squats, preacher curls, and
Arnold dumbbell presses, etc,
(Arnold had retired by then)
there was, believe me, still plenty
of action taking place inside the
walls of the mecca. in fact, back
in the early 1980’s a brand new
era of camaraderie was
happening right before my very
own eyes, and this new ‘Golden
era’ of bodybuilding would last
for more than a decade.
Tom Platz, who had come so
close to winning the 1981 ifBB
mr. olympia, in columbus, ohio,
formed a huge part of this new
era, and he was renowned for
training his upper body at World
Gym, situated about a mile away
from Gold’s. After his workout he
would drive down to Gold’s to
train his legs, and, needless to
say, squats were always Tom’s
number one exercise. He would
do set after set, even up to 50
reps with 600 lbs, until he
actually collapsed on the floor.
12 FLEX | APRil 2017
However, Tom was not the only
one who helped form this new
era in bodybuilding. This was
also the time of the mentzer
brothers, Ray, and especially his
brother mike, literally redefined
the art of hardcore bodybuilding.
They had both drastically
reduced their workouts from 20
sets a body part, which was
what Arnold and the others were
doing at that time. mike and Ray
shocked the bodybuilding world
by doing no more than five or six
sets total per body part. They
were using incredible training
intensity that had never been
seen before. But, boy, were they
growing. Sometimes they even
did only one set to total failure of
an exercise, which was simply
unheard of at that time.
JOe WeIDeR TOLD Me,
“ARNOLD DID SOMeThING ThAT
NO ONe eVeR DID BeFORe.
he INTRODuCeD CAMARADeRIe
TO BODYBuILDING.”
There’s absolutely no doubt
that mike mentzer during his time
at the top of world-class
bodybuilding, (and after)
captured the heart and soul of
more trainees around the world
than any other bodybuilder since
the great Arnold himself. He
accomplished this because he
was such an inspirational and
prolific writer who consistently
wrote more creative training
articles than any bodybuilder
had ever done before, or since.
He also wrote books and
courses and gave regular
awe-inspiring seminars about his
favourite subject, which he
called Heavy Duty. mike also
gained the respect of fans
worldwide because he had an
amazing, power packed
physique, which was second to
none, despite the fact that he
was narrowly beaten by frank
Zane at the 1979 ifBB mr.
olympia!
Another hardcore advocate
who formed a major part of
these camaraderie years was
the incredible casey Viator, the
youngest bodybuilder to ever
win the AAU mr. America, and a
controversial third at the 1982
london, ifBB mr. olympia
contest. Believe it or not, Viator
was actually mike mentzer’s
inspiration, because when mike
saw him win the 1971 AAU mr.
America, he was simply
awestruck by casey’s
unbelievable muscular size, and
when he found out that he had
only been training three times a
week for the show, mike mentzer
almost freaked out. He needed
to know more, which led him to
pick the brains of nautilus genius
Arthur Jones, who had been
training casey.
casey was a real character,
and at that particular point in
time, was one of the most
ferocious and strongest trainees
in bodybuilding history. His
workouts had to be seen to be
believed. He also had
unbelievable forearms, and,
when i asked him how he trained
them, i was shocked when he
casually told me, “Wanna know
something? i’ve never trained my
forearms in my life!!”
However, i often saw casey
doing one-arm dumbbell
concentration curls over one
knee with a 100-pound dumbbell,
for reps, and he would do them
until the weight dropped out of
his hands.
i will never forget the images in
my mind of Robbie Robinson who
had moved from florida to
california to further his
bodybuilding career. Robbie was
always happy and singing away
to the music in the gym, when it
was still music. He was also
building the greatest biceps the
bodybuilding world had ever
 The 1988 European GP
camaraderie tour.
seen, and he is still doing exactly
the same thing today, 35 years
later, aged 70!
Two other characters who
carved their names in the sweat
of Gold’s Gym during this era were
the Barbarian Brothers, who were
extremely hardcore, and trained
so heavy at times, it was almost
scary. They also performed odd
lifts like reverse grip bench
presses with 495 pounds!
mike christian, an uncrowned
mr. olympia as far as i was
concerned, was without doubt,
an incredible genetic freak. mike
spent a lot of time on the
telephone which was situated at
the front desk, and he squeezed
his workouts in between phone
calls. i once told him that i
thought he did his real workouts
at another gym! When he heard
this, his eyes opened as far as
possible, and then his mouth
widened as well. finally he burst
out laughing like only mike
christian could.
charles Glass who was mike’s
trainer at the time told me that he
had never encountered anyone
with mike’s genetics “He doesn’t
train or go near the gym at all
after every mr. olympia.” charles
exclaimed one day. “But, then he
comes back here in January, or
february, and with only three
weeks training he looks better
than everybody else in the gym!”
Another amazing bodybuilder
and character who trained at
Gold’s Gym during these
camaraderie years, was the one
and only mike Quinn. mike was a
tremendous bodybuilder to
photograph, and he would push
himself to the limit if he knew
some great photos would come
out of the shoot. He was always
super aggressive and very
strong at every workout, and
photo session. i actually
photographed and got to know
mike extremely well during this
period in time, and even though
he could be scary at times, (he
really should have been a
professional wrestler) he had a
good heart.
During the 1970s Arnold
brought his own form of camara-
derie to the sport of hardcore
bodybuilding, when he encour-
aged the best bodybuilders in
the world to work out together.
The next, and in my opinion,
the greatest camaraderie years,
took place in Gold’s Gym
between early 1980 until about
1995, and despite the fact that
these great bodybuilders didn’t
always train together, they were
always in the gym at the same
time every day except Sunday.
They were always there for each
other ‘out of loyalty, and friendly-
feeling among comrades.’
There’s been nothing like it
since!
See YOu NexT MONTh
AND keep TRAINING,
ChRIS LuND
flexonline.com 13
 Just the Facts health & nutrition

8
Percentage of
fast-food
eaters who read
calorie counts
on menus and
use them to
make healthier
choices, a new
York u. studY

Why
WHY
saYs.

Protein
PROTEIN ditch diNNEr
to droP
Makes
MAKES kilos?
finishing your last

you FEEL
YOU Feel
meal of the day by
midafternoon and
not eating again

Full
FULL until breakfast
has been found to
reduce appetite
Getting lots of protein ViBraNt Foods swings and
in your diet has been could Boost increase fat
BraiN EFFiciENcy burning at night, a
shown to help curb appetite Colourful foods like greens Pennington
and help with weight loss, but and peppers have Biomedical
scientists haven’t really been compounds called research centre
sure how it works. A recent carotenoids that give them study says. it also
Imperial College London their vibrant hues and found that
study on mice showed that work as antioxidants in the metabolic
body. A study from the flexibility, or the
a product of digested protein—
University of Georgia ease with which
phenylalanine—boosts levels the body can
discovered that lutein and zeaxanthin, which are
FR ANK BEAN/GET T Y IMAGES; BLEND IMAGES/AL AMY

of GLP-1, a hormone that tells switch between

known to help with eye health—have been shown to
us when we are full and to stop make the brains of older folks work more efficiently. burning carbs or
stuffing our face. fat for fuel, also
improved.

FiBrE FEEds your gut Bugs
a new study appearing in the journal
cell found that when gut bacteria don’t
get the food they need to thrive—mainly
the fibrous material that makes up
plants—they start to devour the mucus
lining that coats the inside of the gut. if too
much gets eaten away, bad bacteria can
break through and cause infections in the
colon that may lead to illness.
ExErcisE NEgatEs BiNgE EatiNg
u. of michigan scientists discovered that
the negative health effects of a one-time
overeating binge can be offset by regular
exercise. the study looked at people who
ate 30% more calories for one week but
still stuck to doing cardio for at least 150
minutes and worked out at least six days.
BoozE could ProtEct
good cholEstErol
a new american heart association study
discovered that moderate alcohol intake
may help slow the loss of good, or hdl,
cholesterol. the research focused on
daily drinking habits and found that those
who drank moderately (one to two
servings a day) kept their hdl levels
higher for longer.

14 FLEX | APRIL 2017

 I S Y O U R P R E - W O R K O U T

R I G H T F O R Y O U ?
INTRODUCING THE WORLD’S FIRST FULLY DOSED, GOAL SPECIFIC PRE-WORKOUT RANGE

C O M I N G S O O N F R O M

P E R F O R M A N C E N U T R I T I O N

    
Ph D -S U PPLE M E NTS .CO M # T H E D I F F E R E N C E
Zane
Olympia legend Frank Zane talks
The abOut his strOngest bOdy part during
his bOdybuilding heyday: his brain
inTerview by Joe wuebben

Way Long before he began marketing “The Zane Experience” as a

personal seminar in which one could train with and learn from a
bodybuilding legend at his personal gym in Southern California,
three-time Mr. Olympia Frank Zane had a less formal “Zane Experience.”
It was all in his head, literally.
We’re talking about Zane’s mental approach to training. Nothing was
random; everything he did had a purpose. His focus was intense, and,
consequently, so were his workouts. The results spoke for themselves:
arguably the most aesthetically pleasing physique of all time and a
legacy carved in stone.

16 FLEX | april 2017

F
Frank Zane ne is aging
like fine wine. Did you follow whereas before that I would
Stilll training a strict programme? train three out of five days.
I did everything on That’s pretty much how I
regularly,
gularly, looking schedule. I kept journals, did it all the time. and then
and I planned my peaking after I retired my whole
great,at and out in advance. I generally concept was basically to
churning out books allowed six months to get work out with my clients,
into top shape. Some people and I still do that. When I
(his most recent call it periodization, but I like don’t have clients, at my age
one e being 91 Day to refer to it as seasonal
training because there are
two workouts per week is
all I need to stay like this. I
Wonder
nder Body, four distinct emphases in train upper body one day a
what I did. My hard training week and legs another day,
available
ailable at was always spring and and that’s it. Simple.
frankzane.com
nkzane.com), summer, peaking in the
autumn for competition. What about the micro
he’s
he’ss on our short after that, basically what approach? How were
I would do is go into you approaching
list for an interview maintenance training and individual workouts?
when ultimate just work weak points. That
lasted a couple of months,
I’m not thinking about
anything when I’m in the gym.
wisdom is sought. then I’d come back in early I’m just doing it and getting a
spring and start building good workout. as far as
strength. and then after psyching myself up to get a
This past December, we building my strength and good workout, if that doesn’t
got Zane on the phone for size up to the level I wanted happen on its own, then I’m
a question-and-answer in the springtime, by about not motivated and I don’t
session that had very little to July I was already going into train as hard. It takes care of
do with sets, reps, posing, training for definition by itself. I don’t really have to do
or even his famed six-pack increasing intensity. also, anything to psych myself
abs. Rather, we asked him my workout spacing was up—ever. If I was training for
what went through his head Third from closer together. I would be a competition, the mindset
when building his iconic left, Zane training for a competition automatically fell in place the
physique back in the 1960s adopts his three days in a row and closer I got to the contest.
trademark resting on the fourth day, Because I did it for so long.
and 1970s. His responses
“relaxed”
were every bit as insightful pose.
as we’d hoped for. Enjoy this

PREVIOUS SPREaD anD THIS SPREaD: COURTESY OF WEIDER HEalTH & FITnESS
exercise for your brain.

FLEX: Athletes talk a lot

about “taking it one game
at a time” or “one
practice at a time.” Did
you approach your
training in a “one workout
at a time” sort of way?
FRANK ZANE: no, I
didn’t. One workout doesn’t
lead to anything. It’s
continuous workouts, and
how that goes depends on
my motivation. You’ve got to
have a reason for doing any
kind of hard training.
That’s what it takes to get
in shape. It’s not just going to
the gym three times a week.
It’s more of a dedicated
thing, and the only way
you can get that maximum
motivation, I think, is through
competing. That’s why I did it
for so long, for 23 years.

18 FLEX | aPRIl 2017

“one workout doesn’t
lead TO
LEAD to ANYTHING.
anything.
it’s CONTINUOUS
IT’S continuous
workouts, AND
WORKOUTS, and HOW
how
that goes depends on
my motivation.”
 An early By the time i was winning
version Olympias, i had already
of a pose
been training for so long.
he would
transform
no overnight sensation
into a here. That was always my
classic. approach—take your time
and do a good job. pay
attention to details. Over
Zane’s time, by taking a lot of
attention to photographs, i got to see
details was what was what. and when
a driving i went onstage, i already
force in
knew what i looked like
how he
trained.
because i saw it in
photographs. at a show,
nobody asks you how big
your arms are. What do they
do? They look at you. in any
scientific experiment, if you
want to be successful, you
have to cut out extraneous
BOB garDnEr/COUrTESY OF WEiDEr HEalTH & FiTnESS

variables. get things out of

there that don’t matter. Don’t
waste your time looking at
measurements. That’s what
i did. i concentrated only on
what i looked like.

Would this also apply

to the exercises you do?
Meaning, get rid of
the exercises that are
extraneous and make
sure every movement
you do serves a specific
purpose?
Yes, as my overall purpose.

20 FLEX | april 2017

 The Zane
front
ZEllEr/©FiTnESS pUBliCaTiOnS, inC./COUrTESY OF WEiDEr HEalTH & FiTnESS

double
biceps
pose was
proportion
at its best.

With the
Master
Blaster, Joe
Weider.

But actually, when i do each So if you’re not

exercise, my purpose and
my goal is to get a good
pump on every set. and
if i don’t, something’s wrong.
get a good pump in the
area i want it—that was the
whole thing. That’s not
something i had to think
about; that’s just something
i did because i had been
doing it so long and practising
it. it was just habit.
getting a good pump,
what’s usually the
culprit? Exercise form?
Form is always a culprit, but
what you eat before your
workout is also important.
if you’re on a low-carb diet
in the final stages before a
competition, for example,
it’s hard to get a pump. You
need some carbs before
your workout to get a pump.

FlExOnlinE.COM 21
So i always looked at that.
i looked at everything.
i was pretty well-adjusted.
When i got to the gym, it
always worked.
What were those
training sessions like?
When i would be in the gym,
i never wanted to talk to
anyone during a workout,
especially if i was training
for something, because
that’s a distraction. in my
training, my purpose was
always to go to the gym
when there was hardly
anybody there. Or if there
were people there, they’re
very serious people. like
gold’s gym in the late ’60s,
early ’70s. if you go to the
gym at 6:30 or 7 in the
morning, the people there
are serious about their
workouts and are there for a
22 FLEX | april 2017
purpose. There’s no talking,
no noise. Come 9 a.m., all the
loudmouths come in. i’d be
leaving then. So that was my
goal: get there when there’s
no distractions, and take
advantage of that. if
someone comes in when
you’re training and starts
asking you questions, your
workout’s already gone. Just
because you rest between
sets or between exercises
doesn’t mean you should
break your focus. What i
always did in my training
was stretch between sets.
after every set, i would
stretch for 15 seconds, and
then go into the next set.
So the stretching
between sets helps
you stay engaged?
That, plus it keeps you
warmed up.
With wife
Christine
and Arnold
Schwar-
zenegger
at the
1970 Mr.
Universe.
Repping
out leg
curls
under the
watchful
eye of
Weider.
COUrTESY OF WEiDEr HEalTH & FiTnESS
 Consistency is obviously
critical for success on
any programme. What
does consistency mean
to you?
To me, being consistent
means being on a
programme and following it.
This whole concept of
changing your routine every
month to something entirely
different—the problem with
that is you never get to be
good at anything. if you want
to get good at something,
you have to do it a lot. The
basis of learning is
repetition. Do it over and
over and over again. That’s
what you do in the gym;
we’re educating the muscles
by doing a lot of sets and
reps.
The way i see it, there
are really two kinds of
bodybuilding. One is “get
big fast” and the other is
“training for longevity”—and
they’re just the opposite.
get big fast is what a lot of
young people do, where they
do anything it takes to get
that way. Usually that kind of
bodybuilding is short-lived,
because they’re not
motivated to stick with it.
Training for longevity is
where you basically commit
to doing it for the rest of
your life. and in the course
of doing that, your goals and
the way you train is going to
change over time. That’s
part of growing up. i’ve
experienced both ways.

A lot of people have

trouble staying motivated
The body
enough to make that that won
commitment to keep three
training. What motivation straight Mr.
advice can you offer? Olympias
Motivation is based on two (1977-79).
things. When you start out,
it’s a different kind of Zane’s
motivation. Most people popularity
start working out because reached
they don’t like where they’re around the
at and they want to improve. globe in his
CHriS lUnD; CHriSTinE Z anE (2)

it’s called deficiency heyday.

motivation. That’s good
motivation to start with.
Then, after you do it for a
while and you’ve made
improvement, now you’re
motivated to keep going
because you want even more
improvement. That’s the best

FlExOnlinE.COM 23
 “iF you Want to get
good at something,
you have to do
it a lot. the basis
oF learning is
repetition.”

COUrTESY OF WEiDEr HEalTH & FiTnESS

24 FLEX | april 2017

 Showing
great form
kind of motivation if you’re in Olympic
going to keep doing this—to get weight-
rewarded for what you’re lifting.
doing. give yourself a reward,
and i don’t mean eating junk
food or doing something that’s Aesthetic
contrary to your goals. reward perfection
yourself in a positive way. in his day,
Zane’s
One way i was able to stay
body of
motivated all those years was work still
through the seasonal training reigns as
approach i mentioned before. the ideal
Every year i would come back physique
in the springtime with a new for many of
look, because i had worked on today’s iron
my weak points harder, and athletes.
now they’re in better relation to
the whole body.

So focusing on your
weak points helped you stay
motivated?
The thing is to always have
ZEllEr/©FiTnESS pUBliCaTiOnS, inC./COUrTESY OF WEiDEr HEalTH & FiTnESS

goals. Set sensible goals and

work hard at reaching them.
But don’t sacrifice yourself to
your goals to the point where In his book The Workouts: Personal Training Diaries, Frank Zane chronicled a workout he performed
you can’t be happy in the the morning of Sept. 9, 1977, which at the time he called his “best back, biceps, forearms training yet.”
moment. Because if you’re
always striving for something
ExErcisE sEts rEps ExErcisE sEts rEps
you don’t have, what does that
say about right now? BAcK Low Incline Dumbbell Curl 3 10
Try to have both. i know that’s Front Pulldown 3 10 Preacher Cable Curl 3 10
not easy. i remember when i
was training hard all those Bentover Barbell Row 3 10 Alternate Dumbbell Curl 3 8
years, i would have these great One-arm Dumbbell Row 3 10 FOrEArMs
photos from artie Zeller, and i
Low Cable Row 3 10 Barbell Reverse Curl 3 10
would look at them and always
think, “i still need this, i got to do Pulldown Behind Neck 3 10 Wrist Curl 3 15
that…” and so on. i never found Stiff-arm Pulldown 3 10 ABs
anything that good with them.
and now when i look at the BicEps Roman Chair Situp - 200
same photos, i think, “Wow, Dumbbell 3 10,8,8 Seated Twist - 100
how was i able to do that?” it’s Concentration Curl Crunches - 100
all a matter of perspective.

FlExOnlinE.COM 25
Wide
Horizons
HORIZONS
21-year-old Azeez S SAlu was
born a prince in nigeria and is
now bidding to become the king
of british bodybuilding.
By John Plummer PhotograPhy By ChristoPher Bailey

azeez Salu doesn’t come from the average bodybuilding background. “My dad is
a king in Nigeria,” he says. “He’s got about 10 wives and 100 children. i don’t know
the exact numbers.”
it isn’t the usual start to an interview, but Salu isn’t your usual bodybuilder. at just 21
years old, he is shaking up the sport in a way few have before. He’s already won two
British junior championships and the Diamond Cup. Now, the Nigerian prince is bidding
to become the overall British champion.
26 FLEX | april 2017
flexoNliNe.CoM 27
 s
Salu is the most exciting prospect
to emerge from these shores
since flex lewis and Nathan De
asha. When lewis became British
junior champion for the first time
in 2003, Salu was an eight-year-
old living in lagos. He left Nigeria
for the somewhat cooler climate
of Wakefield 10 years ago with his
mother, two sisters and three
brothers and has made his mark
through sport. Naturally strong
and powerful, he was a back-
flipping, sponsored BMx rider
between the ages of 14 to 16
before he then switched to rugby
league and played semi-
professionally for Dewsbury
Celtic. Weight training was part of
the club’s programme, but it was
videos of phil Heath that opened
AB
ABOVE
BOVE Doing
his eyes to the wider world of
cable crossovers
weights when he was 18. for chest.
inspired by Heath, who he still Right
R ight Front lat
idolises, Salu began training spread
seriously. BELOW
B ELO
OW With
He watched his first coach Rob taylor.
bodybuilding contest in leeds in
2014 and was so impressed by
one of the winners, rob Taylor,
that he pursued Taylor backstage
and asked if he’d train him. a
bemused Taylor told him to come says. it proved to be the start of
to his gym, Muscle Unit in an enduring friendship between
Barnsley, which fortunately is only the two men and the first chapter
a 20-minute drive from Wakefield. of a success story that continues
“i didn’t think he was serious, but to unfold.
he was there first thing on
Monday,” recalls Taylor. TayLor MadE
Taylor, who went on to win like flex lewis and Neil Hill, or
British titles in the first timers and ryan Terry and Ken roscoe, the
intermediate categories in 2014 bond between Taylor and Salu
and 2015, had not prepped goes way beyond the usual
anyone until then, but immediately athlete-coach relationship. Taylor
knew that he had a rough diamond has become coach, training
although he wasn’t convinced it partner, friend and mentor to his
would amount to much. “He was a protégé. “i take him to every show
bit of a party lad back then,” he and bring him back, and book us

28 FLEX | april 2017

 Azeez SAlu
AGE 21 TRAINING ADVICE
BORN Nigeria Take your time and
LIVES Wakefield train how you want
HEIGHT 180 cm / 5 to train. There’s no
ft 11 right or wrong way.
CONTEST WEIGHT SPONSORS BPI
98 kg / 216 lbs Sports, LV2LFT
CAREER HIGHLIGHT clothing, FitPack
Two-time British Meals, The Meat
junior champion; Man
2016 Diamond Cup SOCIAL MEDIA
champion. Instagram:
AMBITION To be the zeez_the_future
best and follow the YouTube:
likes of Flex Lewis. Azeezthebeast

into hotels. i believe in the kid, so i
don’t mind,” says Taylor. Salu
acknowledges, “i wouldn’t have
achieved what i have without
rob.”
Salu started shaking things up
when he made a winning UKBff
debut in the juniors at the North-
West Championships in
Warrington in 2015. Juniors can be
as old as 23 and nobody could
believe the size of Salu, who had
only just turned 20. Taylor,
however, wasn’t impressed with
Salu’s condition and with typical
Barnsley bluntness said so. “i told
him to buck his ideas up.”
five months later, Salu became
British junior champion and
suddenly realised he had the
potential to go far. He knuckled
down to 12 months of hard graft in
the gym before returning with a
vastly improved physique at last
year’s British Championships
where, in a strong junior line-up,
he stood out as the clear winner.
later that day, he almost caused
an upset in the open
heavyweights by finishing second
to Jenev Varghese. a week later,
he beat a strong international

flexoNliNe.CoM 29
BArBell CurlS
4 x 20, 15, 12 and 10
“i go at a fast pace but pause
for one second at the top of the
movement and squeeze. i
usually curl 45 kg.”

30 FLEX | april 2017

 Ar for
Armed
success
su
BiCepS
BiC
Singl Arm
Single
mAchine
mA Ach curlS
4 x 20 20,
0, 15, 12 and 10
““Do
D o them
thee nice and slow
with
wi i th a tw
two-second hold at
thee mimid-point
id - and a stretch
att the
a e end
e n of the
movement.”
mo ove e mee

Dumb
Dumbbell bbe curlS
4 x 20 20,0, 15
15, 12 and 10
““The
The e important
imp po thing is to
be
b e in
in control
co o nt of the
movement
mo ove e me e nt so don’t go too
fast.
faa st. I twist
twiis the dumbbells
as
a s I bring
b riingg tthem up so I
rreally
ea
e a l ly feel
feee
e e l it
i in the peak.”

line-up at the
Diamond Cup. The
future had arrived.
or Salu, a
for
personal trainer at
xercise 4 less in
Wakefield, it’s now all
about taking the overall
British title in october
and an ifBB pro card.
only then will the prince
become king and have
the chance to compete
alongside Britain’s two
international superstars. “i
look up to Nathan and flex,”
he says. “in future, i want to
be the one winning shows in
New York and competing at
the olympia.” Taylor has no
doubt he can do it. “i think he
can go all the way to the
olympia,” he says. “i came into
the sport relatively late. He’s
only 21. in two more years, he
will be a pro.”
Salu is currently focusing on
bringing up his hamstrings, glutes,
calves, and back. He weighed 98
kg last year, so, chances are, he
will be a 100 kg-plus super-
heavyweight monster this year.
He could also enter the under-23s
and attempt to become the first
three-time British junior
champion. He could even win a
fourth junior title next year. “There
is more pressure now,” he admits.
“people know who i am. i need to
make sure i bring it. But i’m
confident. if have good offseason
and nail it i could be dangerous.”
dorian STyLE
Salu travels regularly across
Yorkshire from Wakefield to
Barnsley to train with Taylor.
Between them, the two men
have won four British titles, so
they know what they’re doing a
nd they’re very much in the Dorian
Yates tradition of basic, heavy
compound moves. one warm-up
set followed by two moderate
sets and a final all-out set to
failure is the rule. occasionally
they mix things up with higher
volume but most workouts are
short and very sharp. “it’s usually
35 to 40 minutes in and out,”
says Taylor.
everything is based around the
squat, deadlift and bench. “i class
everything else as shaping
exercises,” says Taylor. “When we
do bench we always mix up the
grips. and we always deadlift
every week. everything builds up
to that. Some say deadlifting
thickens your waist, but azeez’s is
ro
rope
o pe hAmmer
hAAm curlS
4x2 20, 15, 12 and 10
“I find I get a better
contraction with a rope
than a bar. I go as heavy as
I can on this exercise.”
ArnolD curlS
4 x 20, 15, 12 and 10
“Basic exercises are best
and this is a great single
arm isolation exercise.”
TriCepS
Skull cruSherS
4 x 20, 15, 12 and 10
“I do this with an EZ bar
and use a 60 kg bar. It’s a
very tough exercise but
great for triceps.”
cloSe grip
bench preSS
4 x 20, 15, 10 and 8
“I put my hands on the bar
and touch my thumbs
together. That’s how wide I
grip it.”
DipS
4 x 15
“Keep your body upright
and go all the way down
and up. Don’t lean forward
because that brings in the
chest.”

flexoNliNe.CoM 31
Single Arm
reverSe
CABle
pulldownS
4 x 20
“i like to play around
with the angle on this
exercise. the weight
doesn’t have to be
heavy: you just want
to get your blood
pumping before you
move on to
compound exercises.
so this is a good
exercise to start
triceps with”

only 27 inches.”
The two men can push some
serious weight, including one-rep
maxes of 300 kg on squat and 220
kg on bench press. Neither likes to
fail first. “it’s competitive,” says
Salu. “if he does 20 reps, i’ve got to
make sure i do no less. We push
each other.”
Salu’s youth and tough
workouts mean he can enjoy his
food. He has six meals a day,
including a cheat meal after every
workout. “i’m obsessed with
Nando’s,” he says. “every day i get
20 chicken wings, a large portion
of rice and a chicken wrap with
halloumi cheese. i don’t do low
carbs even when i’m dieting. The
only time i go without carbs is for
2-3 days during depletion week.”
Salu doesn’t do any offseason
cardio. During contest prep, he
does 30 minutes walking every
day and occasionally another 20 TrAining SpliT
minutes later in the day if he’s Monday AM Back PM Traps and
behind schedule. right now, calves
building legs and back are the Tuesday AM Shoulders PM Arms
priority—later on, it will be about
Wednesday AM Quads PM
getting lean. one body part he Hamstrings
doesn’t have to worry about
Thurs AM Chest PM Traps and Arms
too much are his arms. They
Friday Back
already measure 20 inches. Try his
biceps and triceps routine and see Saturday Rest
if you can shock your arms into Sunday Chest and Arms
growth. FLEX

32 FLEX | april 2017

 v-BAr
p
puShdownS
4 x 15, 12, 10 and 8
“i stand close to the
bar so the cable wire
is almost on my neck
then i lean right over
the bar and push down.
A great exercise for
developing roundness
in the triceps.”
flexoNliNe.CoM 33
OLYMPIA LEGENDS
London venue hosts new FitCon expo this month. BY John pLummeR

Sergi
Constance
is among the
superstars
scheduled
to appear
at the expo.

■ The 2017 British contest
season gets underway in a
muscle-packed April, which also
sees the launch of a new fitness
expo called FitCon.
FitCon will take place at
London’s Olympia from April
21–23. Special guests due to
appear include eight-time Mr.
Olympia Ronnie Coleman, fitness
model Sergi Constance, and
figure pro Larissa Reis. There
will also be a UKBFF contest.
April also sees the first
international qualifying event
of the year, the UK Nationals,
which returns to the Echo Area
in Liverpool on April 15. This
drug-tested event, which offers
winners the chance to represent
the UK at the IFBB world and
European Championships later
in the year, has launched the
careers of many current top
CHRISTOPHER BAILEY
stars, including men’s physique
pro Ryan Terry and bikini pro
Karina Skowronska.
The Celebration Classic, a
new event that celebrates 70
years of Pakistan independence,
gets the season underway
on April 9 in Birmingham. The
South Coast Championships in
Portsmouth and the North-West
Championships in Warrington
round off a busy month.

celebrating the most aesthetic physiques of yesterday and today

34 FLEX | MARCH 2016
CLASSIC MUSCLE PROFILE
BODY
DOUBLE
Emi Wokoma, who has appeared
on EastEnders and Holby City
and played leading roles in
London’s West End, had a go at
bodybuilding last year and finished
fourth in the bodyfitness class
at the British Championships.
She’s now got the bug and is
aiming to go higher in 2017.
FLEX: How did you get
into bodybuilding?
Emi Wokoma: Being 5 ft 9 and
broad shouldered, I’d walk into an
audition room and look different
from other actresses. I was told in
drama school that I should never
show my legs and to always keep
my calves covered. Someone
even advised me not to weight
train if I wanted to continue to be
employable. These things spurred
me on to love my body even
more and celebrate my genetics
instead of trying to blend in.
How did this evolve into
competing?
Four years ago after performing
night-after-night with an injury, I
ended up suffering a prolapsed
disk and was unable to walk.
After my rehabilitation, I decided
I wanted to try something a little
different and enjoy feeling healthy
and fit again.
What are your contest
results?
My first show was the UKBFF
Kent Classic in August, which I
won. Six weeks later, I finished
fourth at the British finals. I am
still shocked how my first season
has turned out.
How do you train?
My trainer Ian Dowe’s style can
36 FLEX | APRIL 2017
ACTRESS EMI WOKOMA HAS
DEVELOPED A STARRING ROLE
IN BRITISH BODYBUILDING.
only be described as old school:
no frills, just tried-and-proven
exercises. We perform full range
of movement in every single
compound or isolation exercise,
whether it’s a squat or a single
overhead triceps extension.
Rather than standing over me and
counting my reps, Ian monitors
my form on every single exercise.
What do you do in
a typical week?
Monday Quadriceps, calves,
and delts
Tuesday Abs and cardio
Wednesday Back and Arms
Thursday Cardio
Friday Glutes, hamstrings,
and chest
Saturday Back and abs
Sunday Rest
I tend to lean out quickly once I
start dieting, so my cardio alters
weekly depending on how I look.
I am extremely hyperactive, so
I’m always on the go and love to
keep busy. I’m also a qualified
personal trainer and spin
instructor, so I teach various
group fitness classes, as well as
reformer pilates.
How did you get lean?
During the first 6 to 8 months
of training with my coach, we
experimented with different
foods to see how my body
responded, so by the time we
got to contest prep, there wasn’t
any need to be on any set meal
plans and I was actually eating a
lot more food than I was before.
As the competition approached,
depending on how I was looking,
we would reduce or increase the
meals. I stopped teaching spin
BY JOHN PLUMMER
EMI
WOKOMA
AGE 32
PLACE OF BIRTH
Port Harcourt, Nigeria
LIVES London
HEIGHT
175 cm / 5 ft 9
WEIGHT
70 kg / 155 lbs
CAREER HIGHLIGHT
4th in bodyfitness at
2016 UKBFF British
Championships.
AMBITION To be cast
in an action film.
TRAINING ADVICE
Women, want to lose
weight? Weight train.
Create curves? Weight
train. Feel sexy and
confident? Weight train.
SOCIAL MEDIA
Instagram: Tamunoemi_pt
and running when we noticed it
wasn’t agreeing with my body.
We stuck to the step machine and
StairMaster. I think I’ve watched
every single episode of The Real
Housewives of Atlanta while
stepping on that machine!
How far do you aim to go?
I never thought I’d finish my first
competitive season in the top
six amongst those strong and
beautiful women, so I’m not
putting any pressure on myself
or on the process at all, and
I’m taking everything one step
at a time. I am excited for
next season. I would love to
compete again, so, for now,
it’s back to the drawing board
to grow and be better.
 “I WANTED TO
TRY SOMETHING
DIFFERENT AND
ENJOY FEELING
HEALTHY AND
FIT AGAIN.”
VALENTIN CALINESCU
ClassiC musCle PROFile
RAGE AGAINST
THE MACHINES
Jon Lofthouse on why barbeLLs and dumbbeLLs work best.
At 24 years old, Jon Lofthouse
is one of the younger British
competitors, but in many ways,
he is a throwback to 1970s and
1980s bodybuilders. He trains for
aesthetics as much as for size,
can hit the rarely seen vacuum
pose, and is a fierce advocate of
no-frills barbells and dumbbells
over more modern machines.
FLEX: Why do you prefer
free weights?
Jon Lofthouse: I have always
been attracted to powerful-looking
physiques that look as if they were
carved from granite and built from
hours of shifting heavy poundages.
I’ve trained solidly for nearly a
decade and I haven’t once ‘racked
out’ the dumbbells! All this stretch
and squeeze-type bodybuilding
was never around when I started—
it was pick up a heavy ass weight
and shift it for as many reps as
you can. Progressive overload is
the foundation of bodybuilding.
So why are machines
so popular?
I believe it is down to laziness.
Our bodies know calorie
expenditure on a machine is less
than it is on a free weight, yet
people have been led to believe
machines can get the same
results. The excuse is, “Oh, I feel
my back much better on this
machine and barbell rows hurt
my lower back.” Maybe that’s
because you’ve never done it
the other way properly! The
pros do use machines, but as
part of a structured regime that
includes free weights as the main
compounds.
Do you ever train on
machines?
Yes I do use machines—probably
about 30 per cent of my
workouts incorporate them.
38 FLEX | APRIL 2017
Machines definitely have their
place in bodybuilding, but I don’t
see them as the predominant tool
for building muscle.
Give us a body part workout
using only free weights.
Try this for back:
Dumbbell Pullovers
4 x 10-15
Barbell Row
1 x 6-8
2 x 12-15
Single-Arm Dumbbell Row
3 x 8-12
Deadlifts
1 x 6-8
2 x 12-15
Reverse Dumbbell Flyes
4 x 12-15
What’s your split?
Day 1 Chest, shoulders, calves,
and abs
Day 2 Legs
Day 3 Back, calves, and abs
Day 4 Rest
Day 5 Arms and shoulders
Day 6 Repeat Day 1
What is a perfect classic
physique?
The three main factors are: a
huge chest sitting on top of a
well-developed, thick ribcage
with well-defined serratus; thick
dense lower lats that flare well
in a double biceps pose; and the
ability to hit a vacuum pose. The
level of aesthetics it brings to a
physique is breathtaking.
What’s the secret to
hitting a vacuum?
The secret is practice and pain!
Every morning, I would practice
it like any other exercise, doing 5
sets of 10, holding each rep for
as long as I could. Pull in each rep
as hard as you can, it hurts, but
the deeper you get it, the more
control you have over it during
By JOHN PLUMMER
poses. Using heavy dumbbell
pullovers is also vital because it
helps expand the ribcage.
What do you eat in a
typical day?
A normal day would be:
Meal 1 6 whole eggs
with 100 g oats
Meals 2, 3 and 4 180 g chicken
breast, vegetables, and
100 g white rice
Post-workout 180 g steak, 300 g
white potato, and 100 g Coco Pops
Before bed 300 g of zero
per cent fat yoghurt
I also have 50 g of cyclic dextrin
and 1 scoop of fast digesting
protein intra workout.
Why Coco Pops?
That first post-workout meal is
the one where you can get away
with a little more in terms of carb
sources. Since you have depleted
your glycogen stores, the body
will happily use any carb source
as needed. Everything is getting
pushed into the muscle during
this period, so it makes sense to
take the edge off the diet and eat
something you enjoy.
What do you do for cardio?
During prep, I use the StairMaster.
I do a combination of low intensity
fasted cardio in the morning and
high intensity post-workout. The
duration depends on my progress.
Favourite bodybuilder?
It’s a cliché, but Arnold
Schwarzenegger is my all-time
favourite. He was the first
bodybuilder I ever saw when
my brother introduced me to
Pumping Iron. I was hooked from
then. Even now, I still look back to
him: the way his physique flowed
and the way he posed and carried
himself in general is something I
will always idolise.
 “I pRACTISE
THE vACuuM
poSE by
doING 5 SETS
of 10 ANd
HoldING
EACH REp
foR AS loNG
AS I CAN.”

JON
LOFTHOUSE
AGE 24
boRN Essex
lIvES Norwich
HEIGHT 177 cm / 5 ft 10
CoNTEST WEIGHT
84 kg / 185 lbs
CAREER HIGHlIGHT
3rd place in classic
bodybuilding at 2016
UKBFF British
Championships
AMbITIoN To become an
IFBB pro.
TRAINING AdvICE
There are no shortcuts in
bodybuilding. Performing
the basics on a day-to-day
basis will reap rewards.
SpoNSoRS
Fully Pumped Gym,
Norwich
SoCIAl MEdIA
Instagram: Jon_Lofthouse
Facebook: upnpump
SIMON HOWARD
 CLASSIC MUSCLE PROFILE
OLYMPIAN
PHYSIQUE
EVER WONDERED what it
takes to reach the summit of men’s
physique? A personal trainer who
has competed at the sport’s
premier event, the Olympia,
gives the lowdown.
FLEX: Did you compete in many
sports before men’s physique?
Jojo Gonzalez: When I was in high
school, I played football and
baseball and enjoyed it very much.
How did you get into
bodybuilding?
I had experienced some rough and
very challenging times as well as
issues in my life, so luckily the gym
was my escape and solace for
getting through those times. In
2012 I found out about the men’s
physique category of bodybuilding
and decided to train and
participate in competing.
What was it like competing
at the Olympia?
It’s the pinnacle of our sport and to
be considered one of the best in
the world is very humbling as well
as a dream come true in relation to
all the hard work it takes to make it
to that point, so in a word,
euphoric!
What’s your training split?
MONDAY Legs
TUESDAY Chest and biceps
WEDNESDAY Back and calves
THURSDAY Shoulders
and triceps
FRIDAY Legs
40 FLEX | APRIL 2017
SATURDAY Calves and abs
SUNDAY Biceps and triceps
Describe a favorite workout
That’s challenging because every
workout is a favorite in its own
unique way but if I had to choose
then it would be drop sets while
training shoulders. I start with high
weight for lateral raises and work
my way down the rack until failure.
What do you eat
in a typical day?
As muscle growth and muscle
recovery are the most important
aspects of my nutrition, I have to
be sure to get a large amount of
protein per meal, per day.
Consuming frequent meals high
in protein is only the start. Besides
my daily diet of beef or chicken,
jasmine rice and one cup of
greens, convenient products
like shakes and bars help me to
save time and meet my daily
requirements. My nutrition partner
not only helps me here with a very
good protein breakdown per gram:
in my opinion they do the best job
JOJO
GONZALEZ ON
TRAINING FOR
THE TOP IN
MEN’S
PHYSIQUE.
in terms of perfect nutritional
values and taste. This is so
important because when I am
training and need to get in a
post-workout protein drink, I can
rest easy knowing that I am getting
the highest quality of essential
protein and BCAAs. If you want
to reach the summit in this sport,
you need a nutrition partner like
Dymatize behind you who is
working as hard on perfect
products as I do for my body.
What do you do for cardio?
For cardio training I usually switch
it up between the stair climber or
treadmill. Depending where we are
on prep I typically perform
moderate and steady work for 20
to 30 minutes when I’m off contest
prep and during contest prep it
increases up to 50 minutes.
Where do most guys go
wrong in the gym?
I feel that where most go wrong
is with form, that is the biggest
problem. If many would just let
go of the ego and lighten the
weight for better control and
contractions, then consistent and
safe strength/muscle gains would
be better guaranteed.
PH O T O S C O UR T E SY OF DY M AT IZE
What are your
upcoming highlights?
I’ll be attending Fibo in Cologne,
Germany from April 6-9 with my
nutrition partner Dymatize so
come and meet me at the
company’s booth.
 VON JOHN PLUMMER

JOJO GONZALEZ is a
Dymatize athlete
who will be appearing
on the company’s
booth during FIBO,
which takes place in
Cologne from April 6-9.

ON COMPETING
CO
OMPETING
AT THE O
OLYMPIA
LYMPIA
“It’s the pinnacle
of our sport...to be
considered one of the
best in the world is
very humbling.”
CLASSIC MUSCLE LOOKING BACK

42 FLEX | april 2017

TEXT AND PHOTOS BY CHRIS LUND

POWER BUILDER
DAVE HENRY:

flexonline.com 43
 CLASSIC MUSCLE LOOKING BACK
after winning the middleweight
class at the npc nationals then
turning pro in 2002, Dave Henry
regularly flew to costa mesa to be
photographed for flex magazine.
at the time, he was in the US air
force, working as a ncoic of
maintenance, on the a-10 and
HH-60 pavehawk Helicopters. He
was also one of the greatest and
most powerful bodybuilders in the
world. in fact, his strength was
truly amazing, right up there with
the most powerful bodybuilders
i’ve ever photographed. at 5’ 5”
and weighing 203 pounds in
contest condition, he displayed
mindboggling muscular size and
razor sharp definition. He always
appeared to be extremely laid
back, but very disciplined, and he
was always determined to give
you 100% effort, which led to
some amazing photographs at this
particular time in his career. last
november, i tracked him down at
his home in Western
massachusetts, and asked him to
look back over his amazing
bodybuilding career. i began by
asking him how it all began. Here
is what he had to say:
i started training when i was 16
years old after i noticed a guy
with what i thought were huge
arms back then. i later found out
that his dad worked with my
mother on the base. i sought out
his assistance and he began to
train me the old school way. i
would like to mention the fact that
i did not start training because of
the insecurities of today’s youth.
Sure, i was a small teen, but i was
never underweight or picked on all over the place, no real setup, Who was the first to help you
because of my size. i was sort of per se. i only trained for a year train properly?
a jerky teen with an attitude issue, before i said, forget this, it’s not rich Doherty, from Beverly
but i never thought of size as supposed to feel this bad. i couldn’t international. rich helped me after
being a factor in fights or figure out why i was sore all the my post-9/11 deployment. He drew
arguments. my initial training was time. i knew i had the gift of the up a diet and helped me get ready
definitely not motivated by a kind of genetics that could take me for the USa’s in 2002. i grew
bigger-is-better mentality. i will to the top of the industry because i faster and stronger than all the
always remember that my first already had a physique better than others around me. i had a drive
workout was pretty intense, even most guys in their twenties. i was inside me that wanted to be better
though i felt oK afterwards. i was only 16, and shredded! after i than everyone else in anything,
really sore all the time. i don’t joined the military, i realized that i period. i’m extremely competitive
recall what the level of my did not want to be one of those about all things and i hate to lose.
strength was compared to others, people who regretted not going for in a way, though, bodybuilding has
because there were no other it, so i began training on my own, humbled those feelings, and i now
teens working out around me. about two to three days a week. i know how to lose gracefully. But,
When i looked around the gym, all made great progress almost other than something subjective, if
i saw was a bunch of older dudes, overnight, but i was not where i there has to be a winner or loser,
a few women, and me…the lone should have been because i did not i’m game to try and win at all cost.
teen! have the proper diet and training and i’ll rub it in if i win!
my early training was shotgun, guidance i needed. in addition to rich, the only

44 FLEX | april 2017

 “I HAD
A DRIVE
INsIDE
mE tHAt
WANtED tO
BE BEttER
tHAN
EVERYONE
ELsE IN
ANYtHINg,
PERIOD!”

flexonline.com 45
FLEX

‘I used a power-
building approach,
which was
basically a power-
lifting movement
coupled with some
bodybuilding
exercises.’
other person i can attribute my
success to (obviously, besides my
wife nicki), is Scott Stevenson.
this man was a friend to start out,
but he introduced me to Dc
training, and later voluntarily took
on the role as my coach to help
me blast into the upper levels of
bodybuilding fame.
You are known for training
super intense, with very heavy
weights. How did this come
about?
that’s just what i took to after
striking out on my own for a few
years. then, i was introduced to
Dc training at a later time. Before i
won my pro card in 2002, i used a
power-building approach, which
was basically a power-lifting
movement coupled with some
bodybuilding exercises. this kind
LOOKING BACK
of power training gave me the
base to keep training heavy with a
little bit of style to it.
Since you turned pro you
have competed every single
year, except for 2011. This is a
remarkable achievement by any
standards. You always placed
high at most of these shows,
then you found your forte
when the 212 pound class was
reinstated. In fact, after you
won the lightweight class at the
2008 Mr. Olympia, you became
THE bodybuilder to beat in that
division. How did that feel?
i actually turned pro the same
year at the Dallas nationals back
in november 2002. However, i did
not compete as a pro until 2004
due to missing the whole ‘request
a contract’ debacle. i found out
CLASSIC MUSCLE
about that later. When they
reinstated the 212 pounds class
again the plan was to highlight the
best bodybuilders that had a
“vertical” disadvantage, as
opposed to the taller competitors.
the eye is drawn to the bigger
picture and, as a lower weight
competitor, this sort of placed us
at a level of unfair judgements
because of that alone. not many
can say that they have placed in
the top 10 or top 5 even against
open competitors. i have done
this then some. So, as far as
being tHe one to beat, it gave me
a sense of notoriety and attention
to the division as a whole.
Can you give FLEX readers
some ideas of your best
training poundages on your
favourite exercises?
flexonline.com 47
 CLASSIC MUSCLE LOOKING BACK
“ If I’m A
fREAk Of
NAtURE
BEcAUsE
mY BODY
REsPONDs
LIkE A
mAcHINE,
tHEN sO
BE It.”

i use six 45-pound plates on each

side of the hammer strength incline
press. nine 45 pound plates on
each side on leverage squats. i use
two 120lb dumbbells for across
the body hammer curls. i can do
405 lbs on barbell bentover rows,
and, i use five 45-pound plates on
each side for seated single arm
shoulder presses.

Wow! You are an unbelievably

powerful bodybuilder Dave.
Do you really need to train so
heavy?
Yes, because that’s how you
build long lasting strength and
muscular size.

How do you normally train

your back and shoulders?
for my upper back, i like to do an
exercise that i call pUllDoWnS
to tHe top of tHe HeaD. i use a
parallel grip on the bar and pull it
down to only the top of my head.
no further. i always keep my
upper body rigidly straight
throughout the exercise and i
usually always do 3 sets, of 12 back. two sets of 8-12 reps exercises: SeateD DUmBBell
reps with maximum poundage. should be sufficient. preSS facing the pad. i always
my second favourite exercise my final exercise for the middle like to drop the seat all the way
for the upper back is DUmBBell of the back is SeateD loW down to where my elbows are
incline roWS with the bench set pUlleY roWS using the V bar. i right at 90 degrees from the
at a 45-degree angle. i lie face take a seated position on the low starting position. Your shoulders
down on the bench holding a bench and lean slightly forward should be right in line with the
heavy dumbbell in each hand. i throughout the exercise. i then pull forearms during this movement.
pull both dumbbells up together the V bar until it reaches my upper this is a tremendously effective
until they reach the armpit area, chest area, right under the chin. way to work your shoulders,
and then i lower them back down When i reach this position i always and again i do three sets, of
pHoto creDit

again in a slow controlled fashion. contract both my shoulder blades. 10-12 reps.
this exercise is a superb lat i do three sets, of 10-12 reps. a favourite combo for mid and
builder and it totally eliminates any for my shoulders i like to start front delts is the UpriGHt roW/
chance of straining your lower with one of my favourite front raiSeS with a cambered

48 FLEX | april 2017


bar. pick out a weight which is
suitable for your workload and
perform one rep of upright rows
followed immediately by one rep
of front raises using the exact
same weight. one rep of upright
rows and front raises counts as
one rep. try to do at least 10
reps on both exercises, and go
no higher than chin level on each
movement. Do three sets of
pHoto creDit
10-12 reps on both movements.
my last shoulder exercise is
my all-time favourite: DoWn tHe
racK SiDe lateralS. Start out
Ut acerror aut et
aliquas susam
dempore ne quate
volupta temoluptae
alisti omnimus
daesequi omnihil
lorpos aut eaque
with the heaviest pair of
dumbbells you can handle
in strict and safe form. Do 5
reps, then rack the dumbbells.
Without any rest pick up another
pair that are 5 pounds lighter,
and do 5 reps again. Keep on
doing 5 reps with 5 pounds less
each set, until six sets have been
executed.
How about your pre-contest
diet, and how does it
compare to your off-season
way of eating?
my diet is pretty basic during
contest prep. i only eat carbs on
training days and once on non-
training days. this varies from my
off-season because i am not
restricted to what i can eat and
how much. So contest prep time
is a ketogenic diet up until training
time and then i have upwards of
400 grams of carbs, post
training. this consists of mainly
rice, simple sugars and pasta.
protein sources are varied: from
chicken, beef, ground turkey,
shrimp, and fish. portion sizes
stay at around 10oz each, and i
eat 6-7 meals a day.
Dave Henry gave FLEX
magazine a really interesting
and unique take on his views
about nutrition for the
bodybuilder. Although he does
wish to point out that he no
longer follows exactly the
same diet that he used to
when he was interviewed for
this particular article. Either
way, I am sure you will agree
that Dave Henry is certainly
not your average bodybuilder.
Basically, my problem was my
off-season eating. i always
thought i ate enough, but i never
did. i was having a tough time
putting on weight. looking back, it
was not really that hard. i just had
to get my head in the game. i had
to determine how far i wanted to
go and how i could get there
safely and smartly. i pooled my
resources and i bugged a lot of
people. i was reading everything
about protein. i thought how can
eating food to put on muscle be so
complicated?
once i found the proper diet, i
blew up. i had switched to what i
call a 90-10 diet. five days out of
the week (about 90% of the time)
i follow a bodybuilder’s diet. the
other two days are basically a
free-for-all. monday through to
friday afternoon, i follow a
“typical” bodybuilding diet. i eat
clean, which means no added
fat. i have chicken, and rice, beef
and sweet potato, which are
simple things that are the staples
of a bodybuilding diet. come
friday afternoon, when i leave
work, it’s on! it’s all-you-can-eat
sushi or time to fire up the grill.
i’ll even have a few beers while i
cook ribs!
flexonline.com 49
 CLASSIC MUSCLE LOOKING BACK
it gives me a lot of freedom.
Dave in Some people may smirk and
fantastic shake their heads at the stuff i do,
shape at the but i don’t preach what i don’t
2006 IfBB practice. i don’t tell everybody
mr Olympia. that this is what they should do.
i’m not trying to put myself in the
category of nutritional expert,
because i’m not. i do this uniquely
for me. if i’m a freak of nature
because my body responds like a
machine, then so be it. i’m going to
keep it going.
What’s worked for me is a lot of
red meat, and i really mean a lot. i
love eating ground beef and
steaks. i’m a big costco freak. i’m
an executive member, and i easily
spend $250-300 at a time in that
store. the quality of meat is very
good, and if you’re going to spend
the money, just get the good stuff.
personally, i can eat a 12- to
16-ounce steak if it’s very tender,
because my jaws don’t get tired.
With a subpar piece of meat,
you’re going to be playing with that
for a while. i get rib eye, filet
mignon, and strip steaks, and
usually marinate them in lemon
and lime juice. i love garlic; i eat
garlic all the way up to a contest. i
even use lots of garlic in many of
my other dishes. i sprinkle it on
everything, even my dog’s food. it
gives a nice flavour, especially
when you’re sodium restricted.
Grilling is the easiest way to add
flavour to your food and not add a
whole bunch of extra fat. taste is
definitely important, but you also
have to determine your priorities.

Are you trying to gain lean

mass? Or are you trying to get
huge for the sake of getting
huge to scare people because
you’re a doughboy?
i have certain favourite dishes
that i can eat all the time. i love
hamburgers, bratwurst and my
own home-style ribs. there are
days when i have used only red
meat as a protein source, and i
sometimes have to be reminded to
add chicken, fish and ground
turkey to my diet.
recently, i’ve increased my fish
intake, to break up my protein into
different bioavailability sources. i
actually like most fish. i eat
pHoto creDit

grouper, halibut, orange roughy

and salmon. Salmon is a great
source of omega-3 fatty acids,
especially since i don’t take in

50 FLEX | april 2017

 other fats. Visually, 12 oz of fish
looks like 16 oz of cooked ground
beef, and the protein content is
pretty much equal. i don’t eat a lot
of whole eggs. instead, i’ve been
using liquid egg whites that come
in big cartons. they are easy to
mix with steak and other protein
sources, and they’re already
pasteurized, so there’s no worry
about salmonella.
i love cheese in all forms. it’s
probably my only source of dairy.
i don’t remember the last time i
had a glass of milk or a bowl of
cereal. milk smoothes me out, but
i’m not lactose intolerant. as a kid,
hell, we would drink gallons of milk
at a time. But now, i’d rather put a
slice of cheese on a burger patty
and be done with it.
i rotate my carbohydrates in
the off-season and i don’t
consume the same amount every
day. that is, if i have them at all,
because i sometimes forget.
there are days i’ve had to be
reminded that i need some carbs,
because i haven’t had any in two
or three days. i’ve been eating a
whole crap load more vegetables
than i used to, and i feel better. i
use hummus when i’m contest
prepping. it’s made from
chickpeas, so you really can’t go
wrong with it. even the stuff i eat
for pre-contest i prepare so well
that i eat it in the offseason, too,
and enjoy it just as much, but in
larger amounts. most days, i try to
do whole foods if i have the time.
Drinking nutrients is quicker, but
that’s only in a pinch, when i don’t
want to slow down. the 90-to-
120-gram shakes that i use are
really light and easily to diges. two
90-g shakes are pretty much a
third of my protein intake.
You need to be slow and in
control for weight gain; don’t be in
a rush. Some people’s frames are
not ready to handle a large
increase in weight. i didn’t think
mine was, but i managed to trick it
through show after show to take
on the weight. i’m naturally
ectomorphic, but i’ve become an
ectomeso. i changed my body’s
shape through training and diet,
and it will definitely be evident
onstage. from the last contest till
now, even two pounds is a
significant difference on my
frame, at least. it’s time to stop
bringing out the vertically
challenged questions and change
the comments to “Damn, he’s done
a great job for what he’s got!”
When I last photographed you
were still in the Air Force.
i retired from the air force a few
years ago. i did my 20 years then
punched out aSap. nothing has
really happened to me since then.
my life has gotten better and full
of great things in my
surroundings. i work a few jobs,
enjoy family life, travel to compete,
and have no worries. i would say
that’s a pretty good way to live for
many people. also, i would like to
mention that i have been married
to my wonderful wife nicki for
years, and she has had to put up
with all my shenanigans. i also
have two wonderful daughters,
alyssa who is 23, and Brynna who
is only three years old. finally, i
would like to thank my man Scott
Stevenson who has taken my
physique and added his touch of
master class to it, and this is
where i shine now.
fOLLOW DAVID
EMAIL
David@toopumped.net
SNAPCHAT
davidhenryifbb
INSTAgrAM
david_henryifbbpro

cAREER
■ 2001 Winner - IFBB, 6th Olympia - IFBB, - IFBB, Lightweight, 1st
Nationals - NPC, San Francisco Pro - Olympia - IFBB, 10th Lightweight, 2nd
Q 2014
■
Middleweight, 11th IFBB, 7th Tampa Pro
Q 2008
■ Arnold Classic - IFBB,
Toronto Pro - IFBB, 7th Championships - IFBB,
Q 2002
■ Arnold Classic - IFBB, LightWeight, 2nd
Lightweight, 1st
Nationals - NPC, Q 2006
■ 12th Grand Prix Australia
Middleweight, 1st Arnold Classic - IFBB, Ironman Pro Invitational Q 2010
■ - IFBB, 7th
USA Championships 11th - IFBB, 12th Battle of Champions Korean Grand Prix -
- NPC, Middleweight, 2nd Colorado Pro New York Pro - IFBB, Lightweight, 2nd IFBB, Lightweight, 5th
Championships - IFBB, Championships - IFBB, Jacksonville Pro - IFBB, Olympia - IFBB,
Q 2004
■
3rd Open, 4th Lightweight, 1st Lightweight, 9th
Florida Pro Xtreme Ironman Pro Invitational New York Pro Olympia - IFBB,
Challenge - IFBB, 10th Q 2015
■
- IFBB, 2nd Championships - IFBB, Lightweight, 2nd
Ironman Pro Invitational New York Pro Lightweight, 2nd Korean Grand Prix -
- IFBB, 6th Q 2012
■ IFBB, Lightweight, 3rd
Championships - IFBB, Olympia - IFBB,
San Francisco Pro - 4th Lightweight, 1st Europa Supershow - Olympia - IFBB,
IFBB, 8th Olympia - IFBB, Did not Olympia - IFBB, 15th IFBB, Lightweight, 1st Lightweight, 4th
place Tampa Pro Olympia - IFBB, Prague Pro
Q 2005
■
Championships - IFBB, Lightweight, 2nd Championships - IFBB,
Arnold Classic - IFBB, Q 2007
■ Sheru Classic India Lightweight, 2nd
12th Open, 3rd
Arnold Classic - IFBB, Tampa Pro - IFBB, Lightweight, 1st
Europa Supershow - Q 2016
■
14th Championships - IFBB,
IFBB, 4th Q 2013
■ Arnold Classic - IFBB,
Atlantic City Pro - IFBB, Lightweight, 1st
Ironman Pro Invitational 3rd Olympia - IFBB, Lightweight, 3rd
- IFBB, 7th Colorado Pro Q 2009
■ Lightweight, 2nd Korean Grand Prix -
pHoto creDit

Olympia - IFBB, 14th Championships - IFBB, New York Pro Phoenix Pro - IFBB, IFBB, 2nd
Olympia Wildcard 5th Championships - IFBB, Lightweight, 1st Olympia - IFBB,
Showdown - IFBB, Ironman Pro Invitational Lightweight, 3rd Sheru Classic India Lightweight, 5th

flexonline.com 51
FREE WHEN YOU SUBSCRIBE TO
*

FLEX MAGAZINE
THIS SUPER LEAN MUSCLE FOOD
RRP
21 DAY MATURED STEAK HAMPER
£33
 MUSCLE FOOD
HAMPER CONSISTS OF:
10x 6-7oz Free Ranged, Grass
Fed 21 Day Matured Rump
Steaks
1x Grillstock Great Taste Award
Winning Seasoning
1x A4 Healthy High Protein
Recipe Card
1x Transformation Diet &
Exercise Plan

4 Rump Steaks
4 Restaurant Quality
4 Buttery and Tender

Lean Meats Delivered To Your Door

www.musclefood.com/steakhamper

IIT’S EASY TO SUBSCRIBE...

ONLINE
GO TO: http://weider.subscribeonline.co.uk/flex/F04

BY PHONE
PHONE 01795 414792 - QUOTE F04
Weekdays 8am-8pm, Saturday 9am-1pm

WHY SUBSCRIBE?
4 The world’s best bodybuilding magazine
4 Muscle Food Steak hamper - worth £33.00
4 Delivered to your door
4 Never miss an issue
4 Save over 30% on newsstand price
4 Get your issue before it hits the shops

*Offer available to UK direct debit holders only, £16.99 every six months. Limited stocks. The minimum subscription term is 12 months.
Subscriptions may be cancelled by providing 28 days notice prior to the first anniversary of the subscription. Offer ends 15/04/2017.
Please allow 28 days for delivery of gift. This subs offer is not available to digital subscribers.
1 SET st ALL THE HOT
TOPICS IN
BODYBUILDING
& FITNESS

This bodybuilding
champ from
the early 2000s
had some of the
widest lats ever
seen onstage.
Here’s how he
built his wings.
CHRIS LUND
 ARE YOU LOOKING FOR THE
MOST INTENSE WORKOUT
EXPERIENCE EVER?

The ONLY super-concentrated

pre-workout product that uses
the exclusive pharmaceutical grade
TyroPure™ for dramatically increased
endurance, exercise capacity and
mental performance! Each serving
also delivers a solid dose of
Beta-alanine to ensure muscles
are primed for maximum
performance, workout intensity
and continual gains!

AVAILABLE AT HARD CORE GYMS, PROGRESSIVE SPORTS NUTRITION STORES AND LEADING ONLINE RETAILERS
FOR UK AND EUROPEAN TRADE ENQUIRIES, CONTACT BODY TEMPLE ON 01782 281222. EMAIL: info@bodytemple.co.uk
1st set ASK THE CHAMP
Q My shoulders just
don’t seem to grow.
They don’t even get
sore after a workout,
no matter what I do.
Do you have any advice?
Firstly, the soreness of a body part
does not indicate whether or not
you had a good workout. My
shoulders don’t get sore, either,
and they grow fine!
I went through a phase when I
GIVE THIS ROUTINE A TRY
ReaR delt
machine oR
bentoveR
dumbbell Raises
3 warmup sets followed
by 1 heavy set of 8-10
reps
56 FLEX | APRIL 2017
By Anth Bailes, IFBB Pro and 2012 British Champion
thought my shoulders were not
progressing and I had hit a sticking
point. Like most people, I had
have weak rear delts, so hitting
them first helps to bring them up.
always started shoulder workouts Keep it basic.
with heavy presses, so I decided Keep it as heavy as
to mix it up by pre-exhausting first. possible with good form.
Now, I hit rear delts first then try to progress your
side delts before moving on to poundages.
presses. As soon as I began doing ensure that your
this, my shoulders started to nutrition and rest are
progress again. Another on point.
advantage of pre-exhausting is
that most bodybuilders seem to —and your delts WILL grow.
Anth shows
some impressive
shoulder width.
seated ReaR delt seated
dumbbell side machine oR militaRy pRess
lateRal Raises bentoveR oR seated
(the seated dumbbell Raises dumbbell pRess
version is stricter) 3 warmup sets (alternate every
CHRISTOPHER BAILEY
2 warmup sets followed by 1 heavy set few workouts)
followed by 1 heavy of 8-10 reps 2 warmup sets followed
set of 8-10 reps by 1 heavy set of 6-8 reps
 By Phil heath
Six-time mr. OlymPia (2011–16) ask the champ

READY FOR A
CLOSE-UP
Mr. O lOOks fOrward tO the
Media turning a larger
spOtlight On bOdybuilding

It seems like When you’re

Hollywood and
the IFBB are
growing closer—
CBS Sports will be
covering the O in 2017!
Do you see this as
good news?
It’s amazing! And the timing
couldn’t be better for me.
I’ve always hoped that by
the time I was reaching the
peak of my career,
bodybuilding would return
to television. I’m so
impressed with everyone
involved in all of that—
David Pecker and AMI,
Robin Chang, Jim Manion
among them—because
collectively they have done
exactly what the sport
needs, which is fulfill for
the athletes the promise of
a wider audience.
Really, it’s what the
world needs, too. What
better way to motivate
people to think about their
bodies, their health, their
physical fitness? I hope it
will lead to more opening
up of the sport. Let them
see not only the results we
bring to the stage but also
how hard we work to get
there. I hope we will be
able to let them learn
about the journey. All the
athletes are pumped
about this news because
everyone believes it will
bring more opportunities
to the bodybuilding
community. ty
n SPAnIeR
IAn
retired from
bodybuilding,
what would be the
ideal weight for
your 175-cm frame?
I can see myself probably
around 102. I’ll want to
guess that at 40 I’ll be
around 114, and then start
to drop 2.5 kilos every
year until I hit 102. Then I
could still do other sports,
and I would eventually be a
shredded old man. I’d have
to see how it goes. Look at
Jay Cutler—he’s been
trying, but he can’t get
under 114 kg.
If Hollywood
did come calling
after I retired,
and they wanted
me to stay right
where I am, in
terms of weight
and build, to
cast me in a
role, I would
have no problem
doing that.”

fLexonLIne.CoM 57
1st set ask merlin By eric “merlin” Broser

ASK MERLIN
I am a college student
with a schedule that
allows me to get to the
gym up to five days
per week. However, I know
that more is not always
better and that training
needs to be balanced with
rest, or else growth will
not occur. What kind of
body-part split would you
recommend for me?
You are absolutely right when you
say that more is not always better
and mention the need for ample
rest. What I will suggest in your
case is something I call a rotating
split. During Week 1 you will
train five days per week; during
Week 2 you will hit the weights
four days per week; and in Week 3
you will work out only three days.
Then, after Week 3 is complete,
you begin the rotation again.
This type of plan is extremely
effective for adding muscle mass,
as it allows for varied body-part
groupings, levels of volume
per individual muscles, and days
of stimulation versus recovery.
Below is what a three-week
programme might look like.
I really want to build
my biceps, but
whenever I am doing
curls and really
pushing myself, my
forearms get pumped up
like crazy, but my bi’s—not
so much. What can I do?
This is a common problem, as
most lifters initiate biceps
exercises by curling the wrists
inward, especially when nearing
fatigue. While this will certainly
improve leverage by strongly
engaging the forearm flexors, it
will also reduce the work put in
by the target muscle—your biceps.
What you actually need to do
is cock your wrists backward
during curls in order to effectively
eliminate the forearm flexors from
the movement (by putting them in
a mechanically weak position).
This will then force the biceps to
become the main elbow flexor
during all curling exercises. You
may need to reduce your curling
kilos initially; however, in time, you
should be able to return to your
normal weights but with far bigger
biceps to show for it!

week 1
Monday Chest, calves
Tuesday Lats, abs
Wednesday Quads, hams
Friday Shoulders,
traps, calves
Saturday Biceps, triceps,
abs

week 2
Monday Chest, front and
side delts, calves
Tuesday Lats, rear delts,
traps, abs
Thursday Quads, hams,
calves
Friday Biceps, triceps,
abs

week 3
Monday Chest, lats,
traps, abs
Wednesday Quads, hams,
calves
Friday Shoulders,
kevIn horTon

biceps, triceps,
abs
ASK If you have something you would like to ask Merlin, send him an e-mail
MERLIN at bodyfx2@aol.com.

58 FLEX | aprIl 2017

 By FLEX LEWIS, FIVE-TIME
BY
OLyMPIA 212 ShOWdOWn
FIvE-TIME
DOWN WIWINN
WInnEr
NNER
MOTIVATNG
FORCES
Focusing on the people who matter
Where do you
find the motivation to
keep working out?
It changes year to year. Last
year was all about being a dad. I
focused on the people who are
there for me, and I cut the others
out, which really helped my state
of mind. I had no drama, no issues
that distracted me. Professionally,
2016 was the year of the fan—I
PAVeL Y THJALL
wanted to be a better champion
onstage. It’s going to be the
same in 2017. I figure that if you’re
up at the top only for the title, it’s
pretty shallow. I want my fans
to know that I don’t always follow a
set guidebook and that I’ve done
my job.
How did you
celebrate your fifth
Olympia 212 win?
About three weeks afterward,
the people close to me threw me a
surprise party, and it was great.
It happened after the Korea Grand
Prix 212 and just a couple of days
before I had my last appearance
of the season—which was a
Ask The ChAmp
guest-posing in the US—so the
celebration not only marked
my win but also the start of my
time off.
When did you
get married?
Ali and I finally were able to have
our wedding ceremony in July last
year, after delaying the event
following our daughter’s birth. We
got married at the Cathedral Room
in Boca Raton, Florida, in front of
about 150 guests, lots of them
UFC fighters and other athletes
whom we’re close with. Guy
Cisternino and Jose Raymond
were there and Rumble Johnson.
Lots of people flew in. I wore a kilt.
We had to delay the honeymoon
until the end of the season—didn’t
head out until later in November.
FLexoNLINe.Com 59
 1st set training facts

tendon loving care

Researchers wanted to know
what happens to your
tendons when you suddenly
stop training (for example,
after injury). After reviewing
the literature, they concluded
that when training stops,
tendons undergo metabolic
and structural changes that
could predispose the lifter to
injury if care is not taken when
training is resumed.

130 The body weight of supermassive

Mamdouh “Big Ramy” Elssbiay at the
2016 Mr. Olympia. That’s more than 16
kilos heavier than bigger-than-life Phil
Heath, who took the title.

resistance test longer rest intervals are no need to accentuate

A study published in the European Journal
of Applied Physiology compared the
effects of variable resistance (such as
machine with cam) to constant resistance
(such as free weights) on fatigue
resistance and hypertrophy. They found
better for strength and mass
Researchers from the University of Central
Florida found that eight weeks of training
using four sets of three to five reps with
three-minute rest intervals stimulated
significantly greater 1RM bench-press and
Researchers from Edith Cowan University
Australia, compared the effects of
“accentuated” eccentric loading with
traditional loading schemes in trained
subjects. Accentuated eccentric loading
means that weight was added during the
PER BERNAL

that although variable-resistance arm-mass gains compared with four sets eccentric portion of each rep. They found
machines produced improved fatigue of 10 to 12 reps with one-minute rest that accentuated eccentric loading did not
resistance, there was no difference in intervals in resistance-trained men. increase gains in hypertrophy compared
muscle hypertrophy. with traditional loading over 10 weeks.

60 FLEX | APRiL 2017

 By lee haney
PATIENCE IS A
VIRTUE
Q I want to pack on
size quickly. How
soon can I expect to
see results?
It depends on your body and
genetics, how you train, and
how you eat. It also depends
on how you define results and
what your expectations are.
All that aside, what it comes
down to is this: You can’t rush it.
Building a great physique takes
time—years, not months. It takes
hard work and dedication, both in
the gym and in the kitchen. It’s fine
to set short-term goals, but don’t
be in a hurry. Trying to rush things
will not give you the results you
want; patience and persistence
will. And I have the experience to
prove it.
NeVeUx; CHRIS LUND
A CHAmpIonsHIp pHysIQue,
KILo By KILo
When I won my first NPC Nationals,
I weighed 103 kg. When I won my
first Mr. Olympia, I weighed 110 kg.
You can’t rush a great phYsique—
train hard and eat properlY,
but also take Your time
That was from 1982 to ’84. We’re
talking about nearly 8 kilos in two
years.
In 1991, I retired from
bodybuilding at a weight of 115 kg
for my last Mr. Olympia. So it took
me seven years to gain 5 more
kilos. But that was intentional,
because keeping the taper of the
waist was important to me. I also
wanted to maintain a good
vacuum pose.
Five kilos may not sound like
much, but it was a quality 5 kilos.
The goal for me, and for guys like
Frank Zane and Robby Robinson,
was for growth needed to be
quality growth.
And it took time for my physique
to mature. I never wanted to get
bigger at the expense of losing
the lines that made my physique
beautiful.
In my early days of competing, I
looked up to guys like Reg Park
and Lou Ferrigno (in addition to
Frank and Robby). You look at Reg
playing Hercules and Lou playing
ask lee
Weighing 103
kg in 1982 (left)
and 115 kg in
1991.
the Incredible Hulk; they looked
athletic. They had taper and
balance, and it drew the
population to want to look like that.
Diet is obviously important, but
the training system you follow is a
huge part of it too. I came up in
the sport with a six-days-on,
one-day-off split. Then I went to
a three-days-on, one-day-off
split, and that was the routine I
settled into. It was a great
balance of developing quality
muscle size with the perfect
recovery time.
My training system may not
work exactly the same for you,
but that goes back to patience
and persistence. Take the time to
find out what style of training
works best for you to achieve the
physique results you want. This is
something that can’t be rushed. If
you keep working hard and paying
attention to your body, the results
will come. How soon? That’s hard
to say, but you’ll be satisfied with
the result. I promise.
FLexONLINe.COM 61
1ST SET WEIDER ATHLETES WEIGH IN
MAMDOUH
ELSSBIAY
Any truth to the rumours that you injured yourself last
autumn while trying to do a backflip onstage and that this
was why you didn’t compete in the 2016 Olympia Europe?
A: It’s true that I did hurt my vastus lateralis—I didn’t tear it, but
I did pull it and maybe stretched some ligaments too—while I
was guest posing at the Sheru Classic in India. It didn’t happen
because of a backflip. It was an enthusiastic audience that was
pushing up against me, and I think it was just the weight of them
that caused it. More serious than that was that I also got sick
before I left India, which led to me being severely dehydrated.
I couldn’t hold anything down, so I could not train, eat, or prep
for the contest, so I could not compete.
62 FLEX | APRIL 2017
CODY MONTGOMERY
Do you have a contest in mind for 2017?
When will we see you onstage again?
A: I haven’t picked one out just yet,
but I am definitely looking to return
to the stage in 2017 in hopes of qualify-
ing for the Mr. Olympia. I am hungrier
than ever to try to put my best foot
forward the next time I am onstage.
Regardless of what happens next,
I am so thankful for my sponsors,
the IFBB, and my family and friends
for making this all possible!
SHAWN RHODEN
You’ve been holding the Shawn Rhoden
Classic in the Philippines annually since
2013 and added a Puerto Rican version in
2016. How did you end up choosing those
places for your shows?
A: What happened was back in 1997 I was
in the Philippines with a friend and we
noticed that there were a lot of bodybuild-
ers who were in really good shape—and no
one knew who they were. We are talking
ALEX ARDENTI; ERICA SCHULTZ; PAVEL Y THJALL
about middleweights and heavyweights
who looked phenomenal, and my friend
and I were shocked, and immediately we
wanted to get them exposure.
I had always promised myself that if
I became a pro, I would give back to the
sport, and this was a chance to do that.
The contest has been growing every year.
In 2016 we had more than 200 competi-
tors. We had to close down the registra-
tion, and still there were people showing
up the day of the show ready to compete.
I have great partners in this venture, and
we expanded to Puerto Rico in 2016, with
great hopes for the future of that show too.
 JUAN MOREL
You took time off from competing in 2016 to
grow. How strict were you with your training
and nutrition?
A: Did I keep it strict? Yes, of course. You’ve
always gotta be eating clean and working hard.
The time I took off from competing was about
making my best improvements. This was all
about taking the time and making the most of it.
How high did your weight go in the off-season?
A: It was 134 this year. It was a lot. Couldn’t do a
lot of things I’m normally able to do because it’s
a lot of kilos. It took a while to get used to
carrying around that much weight.

STEVE KUCLO
When it’s not Olympia weekend, what is your favourite thing
to do in Vegas??
A: Since my wife [IFBB bikini pro Amanda Latona] is from
Vegas, we occasionally go back to visit her mom and love to
do the typical Vegas stuff like gamble a little—I’m a craps or
poker guy. We enjoy unique dinners and love to go to the
amazing Cirque du Soleil shows.
CLOCK WISE FROM TOP: PER BERNAL(2); JAMES PATRICK; PER BERNAL

DANY GARCIA
How long have you been interested in competitive
bodybuilding?

WILLIAM BONAC A: I would say that I have been

actively involved in the sport
What is your most memorable moment with a fan during the since about 2011, when my
end-of-the-year contest tour? husband, Dave Rienzi, who is also
A: That was when one fan asked for a picture. There was a table a bodybuilder, said, “Why don’t
between the athletes and fans, and when I said yes, this lady you do this now?” I have always
dived underneath the table and popped up on our side so she been an athlete, and I have always
could come stand next to me for the photo. enjoyed training—but I never
You went on the post-Olympia tour. How do the audiences at thought getting to a professional
contests in the U.S. compare with those elsewhere in the world? level in this sport was a possibility
A: The only difference is that the U.S. audiences are much until I decided to give it a try. The
bigger than they are overseas. But then again, my reference women’s physique division was
point is the Mr. Olympia—the Super Bowl of bodybuilding. starting up, so I trained and
prepped and loved it.

ASK THE Have a question for our Weider Athletes? Ask it on

ATHLETES the FLEX Facebook page for a chance to see it here.
1st set retro athlete By greg merritt

OR
ORVILLE
RVILLE
BURKE
The Ja
Jamaican
amaicaan
american
amerrica
an builT
Twoooof
f huma
humaniTy’s
aniTy’s
widesT
wid
desT wings

burke’S back
routine
Early in this century, a quiet the same year he won two pro EXERCISE SETS REPS
Jamaica-born New Yorker was shows. In November 2002, during
Front Pulldown 4 10
bodybuilding’s next big thing. elbow surgery, his heart failed
Orville Burke had a startling and he lapsed into a coma. Barbell Row 4 8
physique. At 178 cm and 114 kg, he Though Burke recovered, he One-arm 5 8
Dumbbell Row
was seemingly as wide as he was never competed again. He
Deadlift 5 8
tall. His lats attached high, but vanished from the bodybuilding
spread beneath his broad scene, but his incredible width,
clavicles, they seemed broad elite muscularity, and gregarious
enough for hang gliding. In 1999 he nature have not been forgotten.
told FLEX about his childhood in
Jamaica: “My friends and I would F L E X FAC T
do chins every day after school to BURKE ON BACK FOR EIGhT yEARs
see who was the strongest. When
we started this competitive chins TRAINING IN ThE LATE ’80s
ANd EARLy ’90s,
game, I had a very narrow back, “I train back before traps once every
five days.” “My credo is that if you’re not
but after months of doing chins
every day, I eventually developed
rowing—and I mean with a barbell, a T-bar,
or a dumbbell—then you’re not building BURKE wORKEd IN
sECURITy FOR
the V-taper you see today.” your back.” “I don’t do chins anymore,
After his pro debut in 1999 at
CHRIS LUND

but they were the key to my back width.”

age 36, Burke finished in the
Olympia top 10 the following three
“Deadlifts put the final touches on back
thickness, so I do them last.”
dONALd TRUmp’s
autumns. He was sixth in 2001, COmpANy.
64 FLEX | ApRIL 2017
 BY STEVE DOWNS ARNOLD CLASSIC

ONLY THE STRONG

THE ARNOLD STRONGMAN CLASSIC COMBINES OLD-TIMEY
FEATS OF STRENGTH WITH TODAY’S STRONGEST LIFTERS
ORIGIN RULES WHAT WHY IT’S COOL
First held in 2002, Each lifter gets three Staged before more Watching huge dudes
the Arnold Strongman successively heavier than 100,000 fans like Game of Thrones
Classic (ASC) pays attempts in the deadlift. during a whole actor Hafthór Björnsson
homage to old-time For the Austrian Oak lift weekend, the Arnold (205 cm, 192 kg)
circus strongmen and Cyr Dumbbell push Strongman Classic is lift up ridiculously heavy
like Louis Cyr and press, lifters get one purely about heavy objects doesn’t get old.
Arthur Saxon from the attempt for reps with lifting, as opposed to Only six men have won,
COURTESY OF ARNOLD SPORTS FESTIVAL

late 19th and early 20th the heavier weight; focusing on endurance including WWE’s Mark
centuries. ASC events anyone failing that feat and speed like the Henry and World’s
include the 204-kg then does reps with a World’s Strongest Man. Strongest Man victor
Austrian Oak overhead lighter weight. The Zydrunas Savickas
log lift, one-handed Bale Tote has two (with eight wins).
overhead push press heats ending with 700 The ASC also hosts
with the 136-kg kg, while the 500-kg Rogue Record Breakers,
Cyr Dumbbell, and Timber Carry features in which athletes
454-kg-plus deadlift. one attempt for distance attempt feats of
Also contested are Pro in 30 seconds. These strength that qualify
Women and Amateur events take place over them for Guinness World
Men’s/Women’s events. three days. Records acceptance.

FLEXONLINE.COM 65
1sT seT On The Rise

dual persona
allen Grimsby

ClassiC physique athlete sean harley has made a name for

himself in both the sport and business of bodybuilding.
66 FLEX | april 2017
 By RogeR LockRidge

if you’ve been following the

new classic physique division,
then there’s a good chance
you’ve seen sean Harley making
quite the impact. starting out
as a model, Harley eventually
made his way to the men’s
physique division, where he
earned his pro card at the 2012
nationals. He competed
in that same pro division for
the next three years until he
got word that classic physique
would be coming to the iFbb
in 2016. Harley knew that he
needed to make a change if he
wanted to maximize his potential.
“i saw the standards for
the division and liked the look
that they were going for in
classic physique, so i decided
i would transfer over—and i
think i made the right decision,”
Harley says. That would seem
to be an accurate assessment
because 2016 was Harley’s
most successful year as a
pro. He competed five times—
including his debuts at the
arnold and the Olympia—and
took two runner-up placings,
at the miami muscle beach pro
and at the Omaha pro (which
was held in Omaha, nebraska,
where Harley currently resides
with his wife, mindy).
To view Harley’s success
based solely on his athletic
accomplishments isn’t giving
him enough credit. He has done
very well in the business of
bodybuilding as well. He is
a partner in iThinkFit Gym in
Omaha and also owns his
own supplement line, rock
solid nutrition. SEAN
“Our gym started out as a HARLEY
big open space with a couple
of pieces of equipment, then HARLEY’S CLASSIC born
Sept. 7, 1979
we slowly invested in more
until we had a full gym. as for BACK WORKOUT HEIGHT
178 cm
rock solid nutrition, we wanted
ExErciSE SEtS rEPS WEIGHT
to give our clients supplements
that we knew everything that rack Deadlift 5 5 87 kg (contest); 93
kg (off-season)
was in them, so it made sense Seated row* 4 8**
to create them ourselves. both FacEbook
Pronated Lat Pulldown 4 8** Sean Harley Fan
the gym and supplement line
Page
are doing very well.” Supinated Bentover row 4 6
The 2017 iFbb classic Serratus Pulldown*** 4 10 InsTaGram
physique competition schedule rocksolidharley
wasn’t out as of this writing but * Use shoulder-width, neutral-grip attachment
TWITTEr
Harley does intend to stay in his **4-second negatives
@rocksolidharley
***Pull down with one arm and contract your serratus.
new division, and he’s working
to win his first show to qualify
for next year’s Olympia.

FlexOnline.cOm 67
 Negative reps
seem contrary
to “lifting
weights,” but
lowering a
heavy barbell
or dumbbell
can actually
make you
stronger and
bigger. Find
out how to
incorporate
this technique
into your
workouts.
PAVEL Y THJALL

LIFT TRAINING
TIPS TO
POWER
UP YOUR
WORKOUTS
Lift training styLes

THE POSITIVES
OF NEGATIVES
PAVEL Y THJALL

Slow down the eccentric halveS of repS to Speed up gainS

70 FLEX | APriL 2017
 By greg merritt

drop the weight—your muscles

remain under tension.
Furthermore, you’re about 25%
stronger during the negative
halves of reps than during the
positive halves. in other words, if
you can bench-press 110, you can
lie on a bench and slowly lower a
bar weighing 136.
On many lifts you should focus
more on the negative. Spend three
to six seconds lowering each rep.
This is especially effective for
isolation exercises like biceps
curls and leg extensions. Still, that
extra strength you have on the
eccentric explains why, even if
you go slow, you don’t usually feel
your muscles working as hard on
the descent as the ascent. To truly
go negative, you need to erase the
strength imbalance and make the
eccentric halves harder. There are
three ways to do this.

BEYOND FAILURE
Do 6–10 reps, and stop only when
you can’t grind out another rep on
your own. Then have a training
partner help you raise the weight.
it’s OK if he does more work than
you, because you’re no longer
focused on the positive. You’re all
about the negative. Maintaining

negative-rep basics
You’re about 25% stronger on the eccentric halves
of reps than the concentric halves.
Negatives can be used to extend a set beyond
full-rep failure.
A forced positive is when resistance is reduced on
the concentric so you can focus on the eccentric.
A forced negative is when resistance is added to
only the eccentric.

strict form, lower the weight

Every up has a down.
Every ascent has a descent.
Every extension has a
contraction. There are two sides
to every rep, and if you slow it
down enough, the negative half
can stimulate growth just as the
positive half does. Going negative
can win not just elections but also
workouts.
GOING NEGATIVE
The positive (or concentric)
halves of reps are when the
muscle contracts; the muscle
lengthens during the negative (or
eccentric) halves. The former
occurs when raising the weight,
and the latter occurs when
lowering it, but during all that
time—assuming you don’t simply
slowly, taking three to six
seconds for the descent. Do two
to five of these negative reps. in
effect, you use 100% of your
strength on the 6–10 positive reps
and burn through that extra 25%
on the two to five negatives.
FORCED POSITIVE
You can also do entirely negative
sets. Select a weight that’s about
25% greater than what you’d use

FLExOnLinE.cOM 71
Lift training styLes
for a regular set of 6–10 reps.
Have a partner do much of the
lifting so that you don’t tax
yourself on the concentric halves
of reps. Your focus will be on the
eccentric. Lower the weight
slowly and controlled over three
to six seconds. Do 6–10 such
negative reps. On some machine
exercises, you can do this without
any assistance by lifting the
weight bilaterally and lowering it
unilaterally. For example, on the
leg extension, raise both legs but
then lower one leg. You can either
alternate legs or do 6-10 reps with
one leg and 6–10 with the other. in
a few free-weight exercises, you
can accomplish this by loosening
your form on the positive. For
example, you do a regular deadlift
on the positive but a stiff-leg
deadlift on the negative, or you do
a standing clean on the positive
and a barbell curl on the negative.
negative-rep
hamstrings
routine
EXERCISE SETS REPS
Lying Leg Curl 4 6–10
+ 2–4
Seated Leg Curl 4 6–10
Stiff-leg Deadlift 4 8–12
72 FLEX | APriL 2017
FORCED NEGATIVE
So far we’ve focused on reducing
stress on the positive halves of
reps so you can ramp it up on the
negative halves. Alternatively, you
can increase stress on the
negative. The spotter pushes or
pulls down on the weight while
you resist. For example, on
pulldowns, you’ll bring the bar
down on your own (or the spotter
can help you). Then, as the weight
stack lowers and the bar rises,
the spotter pushes down on the
bar, increasing resistance. The
key is for him to add just enough
to make the negative harder but
not so much that you can’t
smoothly yet slowly lower the
weight over at least three
seconds.
ABOUT THE ROUTINE
Our sample hamstrings routine
shows you how to incorporate all
three types of negatives. The
lying leg curls negatives are done
after reaching failure. A spotter
helps on the concentric halves
and you slowly lower the
eccentric halves. The seated leg
curls are done with forced
negative reps. A spotter pushes
down on your ankles or the ankle
negative-rep
tip sheet
Negatives are
inappropriate for
compound and ballistic
exercises that are difficult
to spot.
In most cases, you need a
spotter to help add or
reduce resistance.
Some machine exercises
can be done alone by
raising the weight
bilaterally and lowering it
unilaterally.
pad to make the negatives 25%
harder. Finally, the stiff-leg
deadlifts are forced positives.
These can be done in a Smith
machine with a partner helping to
lift the bar from the side so you
can resist the negative, or they
can be done alone and free-
weight by performing a
conventional deadlift on the
positive but a slow, stiff-leg
deadlift on the negative.
PAVEL Y THJALL
 LIFT LAB TO GYM
REMEMBER WHEN?
IS MUSCLE MEMORY STORED IN YOUR NERVOUS SYSTEM?
HYPOTHESIS:
Muscle memory refers to the
observation that when a person
begins lifting weights after a
prolonged layoff, it is much easier
to return to his or her previous
levels of size and strength than it
was to get there the first time
around. A hypothesis has been
proposed that the key to muscle
memory lies in the central
nervous system, or, in other
words, a large part of achieving
the original gains was due to an
increase in muscle coordination. It
is thought that this coordination is
retained and facilitates regaining
the strength and subsequent
muscle size after a layoff.
RESEARCH:
Researchers from Texas A&M
University investigated the effects
of previous strength training and
retraining following a long-term
period of no training on muscle
mass and contractile properties.
Rats were forced to climb a ladder
with 50–100% of their body weight
tied to their tail for eight weeks.

Then training was stopped for 20 weeks, and then
another eight-week period of training was conducted.
FINDINGS:
As expected, retraining led to a significant increase
in muscle size, surpassing the results of the first
training period. Interestingly, the contractile
properties were not significantly altered by
the original training period.
CONCLUSION:
Muscle memory is evidenced by a rapid regain of
previous gains in muscle size; however, there was
no significant evidence that muscle memory was
a result of long-term changes in the nervous system
or contractile properties of the muscle.
BY BRYAN HAYCOCK, PH.D.
APPLICATION:
Although this study did not prove that
muscle memory is a function of the nervous
system, it does reinforce the notion that long
breaks from training do not mean lost
opportunities for muscle growth. It could
very well be that extended breaks from
training (i.e., four to six weeks) could actually
bring about changes in the muscle that
resensitize it to the training stimulus. This is
the principle behind HST’s Strategic
Deconditioning. If you have been training
consistently and eating well and yet have not
been experiencing gains for a long time, it
could be that a layoff is what you need to bust
through that plateau.
LIFT NEIL “YODA” HILL
HYDRATION
Hydration is as important as any other topic in bodybuilding
because it affects everything else. Your health, performance, body
composition, sleep, recovery, mental focus, and even joint health
are all affected by your state of hydration. I’m not talking about being
hydrated for your workout. I mean in general: from the time you
wake up to the moment you go to bed. Sustaining a constant state of
hydration is critical for us all.
1. RENAL HEALTH
Renal function refers to your
kidneys, which are responsible
for processing a lot of waste
from your system. As with any
organ, kidneys can come under
stress when you’re not hydrated,
especially when you consider
the amount of food, protein, and
supplements you’re asking them
to process. Consuming enough
water helps the kidneys function
properly, processing the waste
products within your body,
which in turn helps reduce toxins
inside you.
If you’re dehydrated, then
your renal function will
immediately suffer, potentially
putting you at risk of suffering
from kidney stones.
2. BLOOD PRESSURE
Failing to remain hydrated can
elevate your blood pressure in a
matter of days, as your body
begins to gradually shut down
parts of the capillary network. As
a result, there’s more pressure put
on your more significant arteries,
which is where the increase in
blood pressure comes from during
a state of dehydration.
You don’t need me to explain
why experiencing an increase in
blood pressure can be a negative
thing—in this instance, one you
could completely avoid with
some effort.
3. PERFORMANCE
Being dehydrated by just 2%
to 3% can reduce overall
performance in the gym by up to
20%! This is because your ability
to transport nutrients, regenerate
76 FLEX | APRIL 2017
ATP, and flush the body of lactic
acid is drastically reduced when
you’re not hydrated correctly. All
of a sudden your workout
becomes far more challenging
than it should be, thus reducing
your overall intensity, which
naturally affects your results.
I’m sure you’ve had workouts
when you’ve felt very lethargic as
a result of not drinking enough
water. Going back to the point
above about blood pressure, your
capillary networks are not as
freely open in a state of hydration,
which means blood flow to the
muscles will also suffer.
4. FAT LOSS
Being hydrated means upping
your overall water intake
significantly, which in turn means
your body is going to be producing
7 THINGS YOU
NEED TO KNOW.
more urine, which is a warm fluid.
The energy required means that
you’re burning more calories at
rest just by drinking more.
Combine that with the fact that
the cold water you’re drinking
forces your body to constantly try
to maintain its core temperature,
which again gives a boost to
thermogenesis.
It has often been said that the
simplest way to burn fat is to drink
more water. Increased water
intake will also significantly
improve your rate of satiety,
which means cravings and overall
hunger will occur less.
5. MUSCLE
VOLUMIZATION
Depending on your source of
information, muscle is 70% to
80% water, which says something
very important about the value of
hydration when it comes to
building muscle. When you
consider things like cell swelling
and the volumization of a muscle,
this largely depends on having
enough fluid present; otherwise,
you will appear flat.
6. FLUID RETENTION
The ironic result of not drinking
enough water is that you will
appear more watery, since your
body holds on to sodium when
dehydrated, which makes you hold
more water subcutaneously.
Having a constant flow of water
into your body helps push through
any water retention, and it also
improves your sodium balance.
7. RECOVERY
Nutrient transportation,
assimilation, overall gut health,
and even joint health all correlate
to being hydrated. In a state of
dehydration, your gut cannot
process food correctly; therefore,
KEVIN HORTON
it cannot assimilate the nutrients
from that food as efficiently. This
will affect your ability to recover
and grow, as well as perform.
 BY NEIL HILL

Shawn Ray knows

the importance of
staying hydrated
before, during, and
after workouts.
Tip: The 4-litre jug
is optional for those
who do not want to
look like a 1990s
meathead.

WATER WORLD
You can clearly see how being
dehydrated can affect multiple
areas of your body, which will
have an extremely negative effect
on your overall results. The key to
remaining hydrated is to consume
at least four litres of water per
CHRIS LUND
reside in. For instance, in a humid
climate like Florida, you might
need 6 litres per day. On top of
this, you need to add extra natural
electrolytes to your water and
lightly season your meals with sea
salt to help improve fluid retention
well in the gym. It’s about all the
problems that dehydration can
cause you and the effect those
problems will have on your health
and results. There is really no
excuse for ever allowing yourself
to become dehydrated.

day and potentially more within the muscles.

depending on your weight, your As I mentioned at the start, You can sign up for Neil’s FREE daily
e-mails at y3tdisciple.com.
occupation, and the climate you this isn’t just about performing

FLEXONLINE.COM 77
Lift ON tRiAL

PAVEL Y THJALL

78 FLEX | APRIL 2017


ALL ABOUT
FUNCTION
OPENING ARGUMENTS
Defence The barbell squat is
an exercise that has achieved
iconic status in all weight-training
circles. Squats deserve such
a status due to the inherent
difficulty of balancing heavy
weight on your back, descending
down into the crushing depths
of a “full squat,” and then
ascending triumphantly having
overcome both the fear and
pain of being crushed. This
free-weight manoeuvre is
unstable and is therefore
inherently better than the leg
press for improving balance.
Prosecution It is true that
balance is required to control
a free weight resting on your
shoulders as you drop and come
CHRIS LUND
up; nevertheless, the act of
pressing with the legs is not all
that different mechanically
WHICH IS BETTER FOR
FUNCTIONAL BALANCE:
SQUATS OR LEG PRESSES?
speaking compared with the
leg press. Aside from the “skill”
required for squatting, absolute
strength and even balance may
just as likely be achieved using
the leg press.
EVIDENCE
■ The compound pressing
movement of the squat and leg
press are equivalent at the
hip and knee, differing only in
range of motion.
■ Recent research published in
The Journal of Sports medicine
and Physical fitness compared
the effects of squats, leg press,
and a combination for increasing
dynamic balance (i.e., balance
during movement). Results
demonstrated that the leg press
had the greatest impact on
improving balance, whether done
alone or combined with squats.
By Bryan Haycock, PH.D.
VERDICT
Contrary to popular belief,
strength-training exercises,
such as the leg press, performed
on fixed-plane machines are
able to enhance dynamic
balance, perhaps to an even
greater extent than free-weight
exercises such as squats.
SENTENCING
■ Proponents of functional
strength should not dismiss
fixed-plane exercises like
the leg press out of hand.
This study shows that these
exercises not only contribute
but also may be important for
developing functional balance.
fLExoNLINE.Com 79
FOOD &
SUPPS
NUTRITION
TIPS TO FUEL
TRAINING
AND GROWTH

10-MINUTE
GAME-DAY
CHILI
SERVES 3
BY NICK MASSIE

INGREDIENTS
450 g organic, grass-fed
ground beef
2 tsp cumin powder
1 tbsp granulated garlic
½ tbsp sea salt
Olive oil
2 tsp fennel seeds
1 large onion, diced
2 red peppers, diced
225 g enchilada sauce
1 chipotle pepper in adobo
85 g tomato puree Calories

453
1 small bunch coriander,
chopped
DIRECTIONS
Protein
Place beef, cumin, garlic, and salt in a bowl and use your
hands to combine. Heat a medium
me
high heat, then add oil and fe
sauté pan over medium-
fennel seeds, toasting the seeds
until they turn golden brown.
brown Add the meat mixture, mixing
45g
well so the seeds don’t burn
burn. Use a wooden spoon to break Carbs

28g
up the meat and fold in the fennel
fe seeds. Cook for 2 to 3
minutes, then add onion. Con
Continue to break up meat with a
wooden spoon and cook for 5 minutes longer. Add peppers
and cook until meat is compl
completely done. Add enchilada Fat
sauce, chipotle pepper, and tomato puree, stirring well to
incorporate. Bring the chili to a simmer and check season-
ing. Adjust with salt as neces
necessary. Top with coriander before
serving, and enjoy with fresh lime juice and chopped spring
19g
onions and jalapeños, if you like.

PHOTO BY BRIAN KLUTCH

80 FLEX | APRIL 2017 FOOD & PROP ST YLING BY SUSAN OT TAVIANO
 FOOD & SUPPS FOOD FOCUS BY ADAM BIBLE

TRY THESE
BUTTON/
CREMINI/
PORTOBELLO
These common
mushrooms
The phytonutrient are all the same
pyrogallol is thought type (Agaricus
to be responsible bisporus) sold at
for mushrooms’ different stages
natural anti- of development.
inflammatory power.
SHIITAKE
This Asian
mushroom has
been cultivated
since the 1200s in

MAKE
Japan. Shiitakes
have a smoky
flavour and may
help with
cardiovascular

ROOM FOR
health by
protecting blood
vessels.

OYSTER

MUSHROOMS
This thin
mushroom is one
of the most
sought after in
the wild and is
commonly
FILL UP ON FUNGI TO PROTECT AND BUILD cultivated. A
study found that
MAXIMUM MUSCLE, PROMOTE STRONG BONES, it may lower
AND TAMP DOWN INFLAMMATION cholesterol.

ENOKI
Mushrooms are often forgotten about activated it regulates many genes that Long and thin
when picking foods that can provide you affect muscle building, muscle strength, with small caps,
with a dense dose of nutrition, but they and muscle size. Type 2 muscle fibres— they are often
actually have a tremendous amount of the type of muscles that are necessary found in Asian
dishes. They
potential to be a game changer when for explosive athletic feats—are extremely
contain a protein
added to your plate. “Mushrooms are full sensitive to the effects of vitamin D that has been
of fibre and are rich in B vitamins,” says deficiency.” These fibres are known to linked to
Kim Larson, R.D.N., C.D., C.S.S.D., a atrophy when they don’t get enough immune-system
spokeswoman for the Academy of vitamin D but can bounce back quickly regulation.
Nutrition & Dietetics. “Other key nutrients when adequate D is ingested.
include potassium and important It’s common for athletes to have low MAITAKE
minerals like selenium, copper, iron, and vitamin D levels under 30 ng/mL, Larson A wood-loving
phosphorus.” They are also high in says. “When athletes struggle with stress mushroom,
maitake is also
vitamin D (which helps us absorb fractures, musculoskeletal pain, muscle
known as hen
calcium), play an essential role in keeping weakness, or frequent sickness, it’s likely of the woods or
muscles and bones healthy, are an they may be vitamin D–deficient.” Low sheep’s head.
immune-response modulator, and vitamin D levels are also associated with Studies have
reduce pain and inflammation. elevated blood pressure, which can found that it can
GET T Y IMAGES

“There is also a strong correlation affect strength levels. Check your D help stimulate
between adequate vitamin D levels and levels with your doctor the next time you immune-system
optimal muscle function,” Larson says. get your physical, and add vitamin D to cells.
“Vitamin D is a hormone, and when it’s your diet if you have a large deficiency.

82 FLEX | APRIL 2017

 BY ALISSA RUMSEY, R.D.
RIGHT
ON TIME
WHEN YOU EAT YOUR MEALS CAN BE JUST AS
IMPORTANT AS WHAT YOU EAT
Is it worth it to time my
meals? How can I get the
most out of doing so, and
will it help my gains?
GET T Y IMAGES; CHRIS LUND
Like many areas of nutrition
science, there is no consensus
regarding the effect of meal
timing on body composition, body
weight, and performance. Recent
data suggest that the total amount
of protein, carbohydrates, and
calories you eat over the course
of a day is more important for fat
loss and muscle gain than nutrient
timing. For people who are trying
to lose weight and improve their
muscle-to-fat ratio, as long as
they’re eating the right foods in
the right amounts, meal
frequency seems to come down
to personal preference.
That said, there are certain
cases when nutrient timing is
more important. In advanced
ASK THE DIETITIAN
Follow these guidelines:
Eat the majority of
your carb-based meals
immediately before and
during your workout and
within three hours after.
At all other meals,
eat portion-controlled
servings of protein, fat, and
nonstarchy vegetables,
with less than 25% of your
meal as starchy carbs.
For optimal fat loss, your
main carbohydrate intake
should be within three
hours post-workout.
Take in protein and
carbohydrates within two
hours post-workout. Aim for
0.25–0.4g protein/kg (15–25g)
and 0.8–1g carbohydrate/kg
to stimulate insulin.
weightlifters, nutrient timing can
be beneficial. Same goes for
endurance events that are longer
than two hours or two-a-day
workouts.
One important note: The
best nutrient timing won’t make
up for a low-quality diet and
inconsistent food intake. Pay
attention to how much you are
eating, what you are eating,
how you are eating, and why
you are eating. Once you have
a consistent, high-quality diet,
implement nutrient timing for
optimal gains and fat loss.
Alissa Rumsey, R.D., C.D.N.,
C.N.S.C., C.S.C.S., is a
spokeswoman for the Academy
of Nutrition & Dietetics in New
York. alissarumsey.com
FLEXONLINE.COM 83
 YOUR
SMOOTHIES
IT’S TIME TO FORGET ABOUT If there is a common bond among muscle men it’s
the propensity to pound protein shakes (aka

THOSE SAME OLD BORING

smoothies). Since blenders were invented, fitness
fanatics have gulped these drinks down as
a means to quickly gain access to the nutritional

SMOOTHIES YOU BLEND UP building blocks that a physique in transformation

craves. Too often, however, people fall into a

EVERY DAY. BE
lacklustre shake routine by whirling together the
same tired smoothie formula: milk, ice, protein
powder, and maybe a bit of fruit. Functional, yes,

ADVENTUROUS WITH SOME but a boring combination that can quickly lead to
blender burnout.

NEW AND UNIQUE RECIPES

BY MATTHEW KADEY, R.D.
PHOTOGRAPHS BY BRIAN KLUTCH
FOOD & PROP STYLING BY SUSAN OTTAVIANO
To keep your taste buds guessing, start thinking
of smoothies as being infinitely riffable and ready
to welcome all sorts of ingredients. Yes, everything
from beetroots to ricotta to pears can play a starring
roll in your next blender creation. To shake up your
approach to smoothie production, here are a handful
of nutrient-dense and delicious recipes that
unapologetically break the rules.
 SERVES

4
SMOOTHIE PACKS
SMOOTH MOVE: So-called green
smoothies are an easy way
to sneak more veggies into
your diet. But gathering all
the ingredients when you
want to blend one can be a
pain. So plan ahead with these
ready-to-go subzero smoothie
packs, and you’ll be sipping a
nutrient payload in mere
moments. Cottage cheese and
nutty-tasting hemp seeds
make sure all that green
goodness also comes with a
hefty dose of mass-making

STRIKE A BALANCE
protein.

A perfect smoothie should have INGREDIENTS

a well thought-out mix of quality 2 oranges, peeled and
carbs, protein, and healthy fats. segments separated
Protein can come from powders, 2 medium bananas, sliced
dairy like yogurt or cottage cheese, into 1.25-cm pieces
and even silken tofu. Sources of fat 400 g broccoli florets
include nuts, seeds, and ground 120 g spinach
flax. Carbohydrates should hail
flax. 25 g fresh basil leaves
from whole food sources like 1 piece fresh ginger (2.5 cm),
fruits and vegetables. peeled and thinly sliced
8 tbsp hemp seeds
(hemp hearts)
960 ml coconut water
or tap water
675 g cottage cheese

DIRECTIONS
1. Divide orange segments,
banana pieces, broccoli,
spinach, ginger, and hemp
seeds among four zip-top
freezer bags. Seal shut and
freeze until solid.
2. When ready for a smoothie,
place 240 ml coconut water or
tap water, 170 g cottage
cheese, and contents of
1 frozen smoothie pack in a
blender container and blend
until smooth.

MACROS
(per serving)

CALORIES CARBS
363 36g
PROTEIN FAT
33g 11g

FLEXONLINE.COM 85
 SMOOTHIE SERVES

1
SMOOTH MOVE: Hold the bread.
This smoothie, inspired by
America's favourite sandwich,
is jam-packed with nutritional
goodies. Up-and-coming tangy
kefir is even richer in gut-
friendly probiotics than yogurt,
dried cherries are plush in
antioxidants that may help
accelerate post-workout
muscle recovery, and wheat
germ supplies a range of
must-have nutrients like zinc,
magnesium, and B vitamins.
Bonus: Peanut butter supplies
a bit more protein than other
nut butters.

INGREDIENTS
240 ml plain kefir drink
1 scoop plain or
vanilla protein powder
2 tbsp wheat germ
2 tsp unsalted
peanut butter
40 g dried tart cherries
½ tsp pure vanilla extract
(omit if using vanilla protein)
½ medium frozen
banana, chopped
1 tbsp chopped peanuts
(optional)

DIRECTIONS
1. Place all the ingredients
except for the peanuts in a
blender and blend until smooth.
Pour into a glass and sprinkle
on peanuts if using.

MACROS
(per serving)

CALORIES
462
PROTEIN
33g
CARBS
63g
FAT
10g

86 FLEX | APRIL 2017


SERVES
1
POWER POWDERS
Beyond whey, you can
now source out a
number of alternative
plant-based powders
such as hemp and pea.
These also have an
arsenal of mass-making
amino acids.
SMOOTHIE
SMOOTH MOVE: When it comes to
smoothies, it’s time to root for
naturally sweet beetroot. And this
one tastes nothing like borscht.
Send this rich-tasting drink down
the hatch and you’ll flood your body
with the exercise-boosting nitrates
present in beetroots, anabolic whey
protein from ricotta, and heart-
healthy omega-3 fat found in
walnuts. High-powered blenders
can make quick work of raw
beetroot, but if you’re working with
a wimpy machine, then tossing in a
cooked beetroot might be a better
idea. Some supermarkets carry
precooked beetroot.
INGREDIENTS
180 ml buttermilk
165 g ricotta cheese
½ scoop protein powder
1 medium-size beetroot,
peeled and chopped
1 tbsp walnuts
1 tsp honey
1 tsp orange zest
¼ tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp ginger powder
150 g frozen strawberries
DIRECTIONS
1. Place all the ingredients
in a blender in the order
listed and blend on high for
1 minute or until smooth.
MACROS
(per serving)
CALORIES
517
PROTEIN
37g
CARBS
45g
FAT
22g
FLEXONLINE.COM 87
 MACROS
(per serving)

CALORIES
SERVES 448
4 PROTEIN
30g
CARBS
60g
FAT
11g

FLAVOUR BOOSTERS
A touch of spice like cinnamon
or nutmeg can instantly transform
a smoothie from meh to memorable.
Other nearly calorie-free items
including fresh herbs, citrus zest
such as orange, and extracts
like vanilla or almond are also
great ways to take your DIRECTIONS
shakes to a new level. 1. To make granola,
heat coconut oil and
honey in a skillet over
medium heat until
melted. Add rolled oats,
pecans, cranberries,
cinnamon, and a pinch
of salt to skillet and heat
until oats are toasted,
about 5 minutes, stirring
frequently. Spread
mixture on a baking
sheet or a cutting board
to cool.

SMOOTHIE
2. To make a smoothie
INGREDIENTS bowl, place 60 ml milk,
GRANOLA 170 g Greek yogurt,

BOWL WITH QUICK

1 tbsp coconut oil 80 g egg whites,
1 tbsp honey 1 chopped pear, ½ tsp
60 g rolled oats vanilla, ¼ tsp cinnamon,
30g pecans and ¼ tsp ginger powder
40 g dried cranberries in a blender container
½ tsp cinnamon and blend until smooth.
SMOOTHIE The mixture should be
240 ml milk thick, but blend in a small
675 g plain Greek yogurt amount of additional
SMOOTH MOVE: Creamy and crunchy at once, this bowl of good 325 g pasteurized carton milk if needed to assist
nutrition will breathe new life into your breakfast routine. egg whites with blending.
Pasteurized egg whites are perfectly safe to eat straight 4 pears, chopped 3. Place smoothie
from the carton, letting them team up with Greek yogurt to 2 tsp pure vanilla extract in a bowl and scatter
infuse each bowl with top-notch muscle-sculpting protein. 1 tsp cinnamon on one-quarter of
Seasonal pears are a good source of fibre, which most 1 tsp ginger powder the granola.
muscle men need to eat more of.

88 FLEX | APRIL 2017

 MILKSHAKE
SMOOTH MOVE: The nutritional
overachiever known as avocado
gives this drink its deliciously
thick, fudgy consistency without
tasting anything like guacamole.
Dissolved coffee enhances the
chocolaty flavour, while dried
plums deliver natural sweetness.
You’d be forgiven if you blended
this up for a quick dessert, but the
combo of protein, carbs, and
healthy fats also make it a stellar
postgym recovery aid. Plus, a
British study found that people
perceive thicker drinks to be
more filling than those with a
thinner consistency, even when
they contained the same
number of calories.
MACROS
(per serving)
CALORIES
409
PROTEIN
34g
CARBS
44g
FAT
14g
SERVES
1
INGREDIENTS
1 tsp instant espresso powder
or finely ground coffee
240 m milk of choice
½ small avocado
1½ scoops chocolate protein powder
3 dried pitted plums
1 tbsp cocoa powder
¼ tsp cinnamon
¹/8 tsp chili powder (optional)
1 cup ice cubes
DIRECTIONS
1. Dissolve instant espresso powder
in 1 tbsp hot water and let cool.
2. Place dissolved coffee and remaining
ingredients in a blender and blend until
smooth. If the mixture is too thick, blend
in additional milk.
FOLLOW
THE LEADER
For easier blending, add liquids first,
then soft items like yogurt and nut
butters, then harder ingredients such as
raw vegetables, and finally
finally frozen items
such as fruit or ice cubes. This helps
lubricate the blender’s blades so they’ll
easily cut through the harder stuff
and also extend the life span of less
powerful machines. Start
at the lowest speed, then work
your way up to high.

SERVES
1 always have an appetite for a frosty
MAKE AND TAKE
Need a smoothie to go?
After blending, pour your
drink into an insulated
bottle that is up to
the task of keeping your
drinks frosty or steamy for
several hours.
90 FLEX | APRIL 2017
SMOOTHIE
SMOOTH MOVE: When the weather
outside is frightful, you may not
smoothie. This sultry, rich-tasting
blend will help warm your bones while
delivering immune-boosting vitamin A
(found in spades in sweet potato) and
fat-torching dietary fibre (courtesy of
chickpeas—trust us, you won’t even
notice this stealth ingredient). If you
desire higher protein numbers, simply
blend in some protein powder.
INGREDIENTS
135 g peeled and cubed sweet potato
300 ml water
35 g milk powder or
coconut milk powder
1 scoop vanilla protein powder
55g tinned chickpeas
2 tsp almond butter
2 tsp molasses or pure
maple syrup
½ tsp pure vanilla extract
¼ tsp ground allspice
DIRECTIONS
1. Place sweet potato cubes and
1 tbsp water in a microwave-safe
bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and
poke a few holes in plastic to allow
for venting. Microwave on high for 6
minutes or until potato is fork tender.
2. Heat remaining water in a kettle to
just under a boil. Blend together hot
water, milk powder, and protein
powder. Add sweet potato and
remaining ingredients and blend
until smooth.
MACROS
(per serving)
CALORIES CARBS
452 62g
PROTEIN FAT
33g 8g
 MAXIMUM
PERFORMANCE
Looking for the ultimate gains from your supplements? We
guarantee to provide the finest natural products, formulated
without compromise, available at unbeatable prices, all backed
by over 30 years nutritional expertise.
We offer a 100% satisfaction guarantee, plus a price promise.
It’s easy to see why over 99% of our customers re-order!

FREE 20% TOP

UK OFF 10
DELIVERY ONLINE RATED
FREE UK P&P on every EXTRA 20% OFF all Ranked 5th and rated
single order with no orders over £40. Code 9.7/10 for customer
Minimum Spend! SAVE14 at checkout. service on TrustPilot.

www.muscleform.co.uk 01953 528008

MUSCLEFORM - Aviform Ltd, Chestnut Drive, Wymondham Business Park, Norfolk, NR18 9SB
CALL US NOW:
FOOD & SUPPS UNDER THE MICROSCOPE
GROWTH
FREAK
MUSCLE-
BUILDING
PROTEIN
■ Growth Freak is a high quality
muscle-building protein that
contains two types of protein
(whey protein concentrate,
whey protein isolate), creatine
monohydrate, glutamine,
and magnesium. A 33 gram
serving contains 122 kcal (511
kJ) of energy, 1.9 grams of
carbohydrates, 23 grams of
protein and only 1.4 grams of
fat. Growth Freak is designed
to help you meet your daily
protein requirements while
providing key nutrients to help
maximize muscle growth.
WHEY PROTEIN ISOLATE
(WPI) - Whey protein is the
water-soluble portion of milk.
Unlike whole milk, WPI has
no lactose, cholesterol or fat,
and this is the reason it is
preferred by many consumers
who are lactose intolerant
and/or have problems with
digesting protein powders.
WPI is typically very high in
protein content (i.e. usually 90%
or greater) in comparison to
other forms of protein that can
range from only 10-50%. WPI
is high in L-cysteine, all nine
essential amino acids (histidine,
isoleucine, leucine, lysine,
methionine, phenylalanine,
threonine, tryptophan and
valine), and all three branched
92 FLEX | APRIL 2017
chain amino acids (BCAA =
leucine, isoleucine and valine).
L-cysteine helps regulate blood
sugar, decreases blood vessel
inflammation and reduces
exercise-induced oxidative
stress. The BCAAs are useful
for helping reduce muscle
soreness and speeding muscle
recovery from intense training.
Leucine is probably the most
important amino acid of all as
it can increase muscle protein
synthesis all by itself. This
“leucine trigger” has been well
documented and requires a
dose of at least 2.5 grams
per food or drink serving
to stimulate muscle protein
synthesis. In other words, make
sure your protein powder (WPI
or otherwise) has a minimum
of 2.5 grams of leucine in it.
WPI is considered a “fast”
protein because it is absorbed
and digested very quickly and
causes sharp increases blood
levels of amino acids that
lasts for about 60-90 minutes.
This is particularly useful for
breakfast, and during the
post-workout period, where
a rapid delivery of amino
acids to muscle can quickly
reverse the catabolic effects
of resistance exercise (in other
words, WPI is a very effective
stimulator of muscle recovery
after training). WPI is also quite
versatile in that its digestion
and absorption can be slowed
down by co-consuming it
with heart healthy fats and/
or foods high in fiber, or even
simply mixing it with cow’s milk
(which contains 80% casein
by weight – a “slow” protein).
WHEY PROTEIN
CONCENTRATE (WPC) is a
fast-acting protein that contains
a high concentration of the
branched chain amino acids
(BCAA) leucine, isoleucine,
and valine. When WPC is cold
micro-filtered and contains at
least 80% protein by weight,
it retains very important
fractions from milk that other
proteins (like whey protein
isolate) sometimes leave out.
These native fractions (e.g.,
alpha-lactalbumin, beta-
lactoglobulin, lactoferrin,
various immunoglobulins,
glycomacropeptide, etc) have
immune-enhancing properties
and help regulate over 200
different genes within our
body. One study that compared
WPC to whey protein isolate
reported greater improvements

in peak power, work capacity
and decreased body fat in the
WPC group. Other studies have
shown improved antioxidant
status in subjects ingesting
WPC. This shows that a
high quality WPC has very
powerful recovery effects.
CREATINE has been the
subject of hundreds of
research studies in humans
since 1992. In general, men
and women who ingest 3-5
grams of creatine per day for
6-8 weeks gain an average
of 2.8-3.2 kg of lean mass.
Despite popular rumors of
“water retention”, these gains
in lean mass have been shown
to be the result of four main
factors: 1) increases in muscle
fiber protein content, an effect
which results in a doubling of
muscle fiber size compared
to resistance training without
creatine supplementation; 2)
increases in several myogenic
regulatory factors (i.e. proteins
that activate gene expression
in muscle); 3) increases the
number of “satellite cells” (i.e.
immature or baby muscle fibers
that can eventually mature into
muscle cells); and 4) increases
in intramuscular IGF-1 content
(a potent growth factor in
muscle). In terms of improving
physical performance and
power output, creatine
supplementation that results
in an increase in intramuscular
creatine stores of 15-40% has
been shown to enhance the
energy capacity and production
from the phosphagen energy
system (which includes
adenosine triphosphate
[ATP] and phosphocreatine
[PCr]). In addition, creatine
supplementation is also
thought to buffer changes
in intramuscular pH due to
hydrogen ion accumulation
(translation = less fatigue during
intense muscle contractions).
In addition to the above
benefits, scores of research
studies have also dispelled
many unsubstantiated myths
of responsible creatine use,
including: muscle cramps,
muscle strains, dehydration,
liver and/or kidney stress,
etc. The fact is, NO study
to date using a placebo-
controlled double blind design
(considered to be the gold
stand in clinical research)
has found an increased
incidence of these side
effects in subjects consuming
creatine. Media reports
that claim otherwise usually
involve case studies from
uninformed athletic trainers,
coaches and physicians.
GLUTAMINE is a “conditionally
essential” amino acid that
makes up about 50% of the
total amino acid pools in our
body. It plays critical roles as a
fuel for intestinal and immune
cells, is a precursor to the
powerful antioxidant molecule
glutathione, stimulates the
production citrulline (which
has anti-fatigue and nitric
oxide producing properties),
regulates acid-base balance,
acts as a carrier of nitrogen
between various tissues, and
is a precursor of many other
important compounds within
the body. This superstar amino
acid has been the darling of
the supplement industry for
decades, and has leagues
of devoted and convinced
followers despite a clear
lack of evidence supporting
its anabolic or anti-catabolic
effects in healthy humans.
What is clear though, is
that glutamine is extremely
beneficial for gastro-intestinal
health, prevention of upper
BY TIM N. ZIEGENFUSS, PHD, CSCS, FISSN
respiratory tract infections,
and for anyone who has a low
dietary intake of glutamine
containing foods (meat, poultry,
seafood, liver, cabbage). It has
also been shown that intense
exercise decreases plasma
glutamine levels. In short,
glutamine may or may not help
your muscle building efforts,
but it certainly wont hurt either.
Moreover, there are many
reasons to ingest supplemental
glutamine, namely to promote
cardiovascular/gastro-intestinal
health, and to reduce muscle
loss during any kind of muscle
wasting, trauma, or infection.
MAGNESIUM is a mineral that
is found mainly in leafy green
vegetables, almonds, cashews,
and fortified cereals. Within the
body, magnesium participates
in over 300 chemical reactions,
including energy production,
DNA/RNA synthesis, blood
pressure regulation, and
muscle contraction. Almost
90% of the magnesium
contained in the human body
is found in the skeleton and
skeletal muscles. A few studies
have reported increases in
total and free testosterone
values in subjects taking
magnesium for at least four
weeks. One seven-week study
reported that subjects who
took magnesium supplements
increased their leg strength
20% more than those who
took a placebo. Many athletes
I work with have magnesium
levels that are below what is
considered optimal for health
and performance because
they do not eat enough
magnesium-rich foods. This
is important to correct since
previous research has shown
that even small deficiencies
in magnesium intake can
impair athletic performance.
FLEXONLINE.COM 93
ONE-ARM DUMBBELL ROW
“I’ll typically grind out reps with heavier weight. The key is
to still get a nice full range of motion and allow the weight to
hang and stretch your muscles briefly at the bottom. My
lower-back issues don’t allow me to do bentover barbell rows
anymore, so this is my primary mass builder for back. A good
intensity technique I like here is “dead-stop” rows, where you
set the dumbbell down on the floor on each rep, pause, and
then drive the elbow back explosively. A standard dropset
on the final working set is a great technique, too.”
BACK TO
BASICS
Veteran Mark DugDale
has found a winning recipe
for building championship-
calibre latsBy JOe WueBBen photographs By PeR BeRnAL

flexonline.com 95
BUILDING WIDER
LATS AND THICKER
RHOMBOIDS
BECOMES A TRICKY
PROPOSITION WHEN
YOU HAVE LOWER-
BACK ISSUES.
With a perfectly healthy lumbar
spine, it’s pretty simple: Go heavy
and intense on bentover rows,
T-bar rows, pulldowns, and
pullups. Rinse and repeat, then
keep repeating. Done.
With a bum lower back,
however, those heavy rows will
land you in a chiropractor’s
office—or worse, confined to bed
rest—long before they widen your
lats and thicken your rhomboids.
No one knows this better than
veteran IFBB pro Mark Dugdale.
Back in his 20s, the now 42-year-
old did what every 20-something
bodybuilder does: He went as
heavy and intense as possible on
the biggest compound moves.
Squats, rows, you name it. The
result? A great physique with
slabs of muscle hanging off it, but
also tons of wear and tear on his
body that’s forced him to evolve
his training.
“Squatting 218 kilos in my 20s
significantly impacts my present-
day back workouts due to lower-
back issues,” says Dugdale. “My
overall training philosophy has
changed significantly in just the
past five years. Simply moving
heavy weight no longer returns
the results it did when I was new
to training. As you get older, you
have to train smarter rather than
harder. I still train with intensity,
but in a safer fashion and utilizing
more volume. HIT/Yates-style
training served me well up to my
early 30s, but then injuries
96 FLEX | APRIL 2017
MARK’S
METHODS
Two Workout Types
“I train six days per week
with a ‘primary’ and
‘secondary’ training day
for each body part.
Primary days include
more intensity
techniques like dropsets
and extended sets and
occurred. Dorian was sidelined pushing to failure
by 37 from training injuries, if I occasionally, whereas
have my dates correct, so to secondary days are
some extent I’m ploughing new more about the pump
ground still competing in my 40s.” and moving lighter
Dugdale’s training style now—
high volume with moderate weight explosively to
weights and keeping intensity in encourage CNS [Central
check—is in stark contrast to Nervous System]
what he cut his teeth on early recovery.”
in his career. In case you’re
not familiar with how Dorian
Yates used to train, High HIIT Cardio
Intensity Training (HIT) is defined “I don’t do cardio in the
by very few working sets (low off-season. Pre-contest
volume), but those working sets I’ll do 10 minutes
are performed as heavy and of Tabata-style training
intensely as possible. Fortunately
for Dugdale, his current regimen on an Assault AirBike
is working wonders for his back a few days a week.”
development, not to mention his
contest placings. Abs and Calves
“In the past, my back was “I typically work in
considered a weak area, but
when I won the Arctic Pro 212, abdominals and calves
Chicago Pro 212, and Vancouver between sets during
BC Pro 212, this past year I my secondary
was told that my back shots workouts.”
cinched the wins,” he says.
“While I feel this was largely due
to my conditioning—being very Yoga Year-Round
lean allows me to capitalize best “Throughout the year
on my structure—I also think it [off-season and pre-
was a result of my approach to contest], I do one hour
back training. Feeling the of hot yoga [Hatha]
muscles working trumps moving
heavy weight. If I can’t feel the three days per week in
target muscle working with a addition to my
given exercise or weight, I stop workouts.”
doing it.”
You live and learn, right?
SHOT ON LOCATION AT CIT Y ATHLETIC CLUB, L AS VEGAS, NV
98 FLEX | APRIL 2017 GROOMING BY TIFFANY DANIELS
 BACK WORKOUT
EXERCISE SETS REPS
Lat Pulldown 4 10
One-arm Dumbbell Row 4 6-8
Dumbbell Pullover 4 10
One-arm Kneeling Lat Pulldown 4 10
“I change exercises, sequencing, and intensity techniques
on a weekly basis,” says Dugdale, “but this is what a typical
back workout might look like for me.”

TRAINING SPLIT
Monday Primary Chest, Shoulders, Triceps
Tuesday Secondary Quads and Hamstrings
Wednesday Primary Back and Biceps
Thursday Secondary Chest, Shoulders, Triceps
Friday Off
Saturday Primary Quads and Hamstrings
Sunday Secondary Back and Biceps

LAT PULLDOWN
“I like to start with pulldowns to help open up my back. Bring
the bar just to your chin (not all the way to your chest) and
hold the contraction for a one-second count, squeezing as
hard as possible before slowly extending your arms back up.
This one-second hold in the contracted position will ensure
you’re using muscle power and not momentum. I typically fail
to maintain this form by the sixth to eighth rep—after this
point, I pump out the remaining reps to get all 10.”
 ONE-ARM
KNEELING
LAT PULL-
DOWN
“This is a great
feel-type exercise
that makes for a
good finisher to hit the
lower lats. The key is
to stretch at the top
and pronate your wrist
[face your palm
forward]; then, as you
pull down, supinate the
wrist [face your palm
toward you] and
contract hard in the
flexed position for a
one-second count
before reversing the
motion. Sometimes
I’ll alternate between
each side with no rest
breaks for four sets,
going to failure on each
one. Keep in mind,
failure isn’t when you
can no longer do
another rep, but rather
when you can’t do
another rep with
perfectly prescribed

DUMBBELL PULLOVER
form. There’s no point
in moving weight just
“By this point in the workout, pullovers are a nice way to give your for the sake of getting
biceps a break and stretch your already fully pumped lats. The key is reps if you don’t feel the
to not bring the dumbbell all the way up over your head, which turns muscle working.”
it into a chest exercise. Maintain tension on the lats by reversing the
movement as you bring the dumbbell to forehead level. Focus on
flexing your lats throughout the entire range of motion.”

100 FLEX | APRIL 2017

 sNAPsHOT
Height // 168 cm
Weight // 93 kg
Birth Date // Dec. 25, 1974
Residence // Bothell,
Washington
Career Highlights // 2016: Arctic
Pro 212, 1st; Chicago Pro 212,
1st; Vancouver Pro 212, 1st;
2014: Europa Phoenix Pro 212,
2nd; 2013: Toronto Pro
Supershow 212, 2nd; New York
Pro 212, 3rd; 2009: Olympia
202 Showdown, 4th; 2004 NPC
USA, light-heavyweight and
overall (earned pro card)

102 FLEX | april 2017

 FLEX
JOIN 100,000 IRON ADDICTS AT THE WORLD’S BEST FITNESS EXPO

WORLD CLASS ATHLETES | INCREDIBLE BODYBUILDING CONTESTS

TICKETS ARE AVAILABLE AT:

WWW.BODYPOWER.COM

BodyPowerExpo BodyPowerUK bodypowerexpo

 THE
X
FACTOR How to construct an
X-frame pHysique
By GreG Merritt

■ x is bodybuilding’s ideal shape. Broad shoulders and lats above quads with dramatic outer sweeps and
with a wispy waist in the middle form an hourglass. It’s a look that’s both classical and modern, and it conveys
both aesthetic advantages and heavy-metal toil. Genetics might give you the ideal framework, but you’ve still
PER BERNAL

got to build the body. Not everyone can possess a dramatic x-frame, but everyone can enhance their top,
middle, and bottom to maximize their x.

fLExON
ONLI
LINE
NE.COm 105

■ for the longest time, body-
THE X
building’s ideal shape was a V. Don
Howorth, 1967 IfBB mr. America,
was just one of the champs
celebrated for his torso’s V-taper.
Guys simply didn’t have enough
FILES
quad mass to form the inverted V
at the bottom of an x. By modern
standards, even the legs of Arnold
Schwarzenegger and Sergio Oliva
are undersized. The latter is known
foremost for his V-shaped victory
pose. The first prominent x-man
106 FLEX | APRIL 2017
was ’80s amateur phenom matt
mendenhall. He owned the outer-
quad sweep to complement his
capacious shoulders and slender
hips. As leg standards expanded in
the ’90s, the term x-frame came
into vogue. When he won his first
three Olympias, Ronnie Coleman’s
silhouette formed a broad x. And,
in my opinion, flex Wheeler circa
1993 possessed the greatest
hourglass of all time.
As the name suggests, an
x-frame begins with the skeleton.
If you’re blessed with wide
clavicles and narrow hips, you’re
starting a 100-metre race with a
30-metre lead. The same is true
of your muscle attachments. If
you have lats that are neither too
high nor too low and widen from
bottom to top, and if your vastus
lateralis (outer quads) expand
easily, you can fill out ideally. It’s
Not everyone
can possess a
dramatic X-frame,
but everyone
can enhance
their top, middle,
and bottom to
maximize their X.
also worth noting that most, but
not all, great x-men have been 175
cm and over. Shorter
bodybuilders tend to have
correspondingly narrow
clavicles, and if they’re propelled
by appropriately large legs they’ll
likely have a blockier look. (The
160-cm Ahmad Ashakanani is an
exception to that clavicle rule, as
was 165-cm franco Columbu,
although neither is/was exactly
x-shaped.)
But don’t dwell on what you
can’t change and instead focus on
what you can. The truth is no one
R ALPH DEHA AN; PAVEL Y THJALL
gets a great x without working for
it, and everyone can improve
their x, even if they’re originally
shaped more like a 1 or a 0. Let’s
break the x-frame components
down to the top (shoulder width),
near top (lat width), middle (waist
and hip slenderness), and bottom
(outer quads).
TOP
■ Phil Heath has narrow clavicles.
They’re so slim his critics used to
claim he’d never own a Sandow.
He now has a sextet of Sandows,
and before he’s done he may have
more Olympia wins than anyone
ever. Nothing about his skeleton
has changed. What changed
was the muscle he packed on
that foundation. Specifically, he
expanded the size of his delts,
thus widening his shoulders by
adding fleshy extensions to the
ends of his clavicles.
The key to this is targeting your
medial deltoids. Work your middle
delt heads first when your strength
parallel to the floor. Alternately,
you can do dumbbell upright rows
with your arms at your sides as if
to shrug. Pull your elbows up and
out while keeping the dumbbells
brushing against you. Both of
SHOULDER-
WIDTH ROUTINE
EXERCISE
Dumbbell Lateral Raise
SETS
4
REPS
10–15
these exercises will work the
medial delts with the trapezius, but Wide-grip Upright Row 4 10–12
by doing them after side laterals
Seated Dumbbell Press 4 10–12
you should be able to focus
more on your delts. With the top Machine Rear Lateral 4 10–15
side laterals, lower the (light) Dumbbell Top Lateral 2 20–30
dumbbells only halfway to Raise
maintain continuous tension.

NEAR
Without sweeping lats to accompany
and energy are greatest, and do EXERCISE SETS REPS
your wide shoulders, your upper body
at least two exercises for this area. will resemble a T and not a V. Like your Stiff-arm 4 12–15

TOP
Our sample shoulder-width shoulders, your back is a complex Pulldown
routine starts with two medial delt body part that should be worked with
exercises—dumbbell side laterals a plethora of exercises. But also as Front 4 10–15
and wide-grip upright rows--and with shoulders, you need to prioritize width. Do Pulldown
ends with a final high-rep set of top your pulldowns and pullups with a medium-to-wide, T-bar Row 4 8–12
side laterals to make certain you’ve overhand grip and go through a full range of motion
on each rep. Many bodybuilders go too heavy on One-arm 3 8–12
pumped your “medials.” for the Dumbbell Row
pulldowns to feel their upper lats contracting. Our
upright rows, take a grip that’s
routine also includes stiff-arm pulldowns to take One-arm 2 10–15
slightly beyond shoulder width your biceps out of the movement and isolate your
and focus on getting your elbows Pulldown
upper, outer lats.
so high that your upper arms are

fLExONLINE.COm 107
MIDDLE
■ The great conundrum of
x-frame enhancement is how to
minimize your middle. You can’t
do anything to reduce your hip
skeletal structure, which is the
primary component of middle
width. There’s not a lot of muscle
on the outside of the hips, but
what’s there is your gluteus
medius. Its primary function is
pulling your legs outward, so
don’t do any hip abduction
exercises. This is probably just
telling you to avoid something
you’ve never done. The more
pertinent question is,Should you
skip free-weight squats and
deadlifts, which can expand the
gluteus medius—a stabilizer in
such exercises. If you’re a
physique or classic physique
competitor, the answer is
probably yes. But most
bodybuilders will find the
growth-enhancing benefits of
squats outweigh the downside
of slightly wider hips, because
you can’t get big wheels without
getting bigger glutes.
The external obliques lie on
the sides of the abdomen. To
avoid greatly expanding these
muscles, don’t do heavy side
bends. On the other hand, don’t
fear oblique work. Your biceps,
unfortunately, don’t rapidly
expand just because you crank
out a dozen sets of curls once
weekly. So why expect your in. Wear a lifting belt during slenderizing ab workout, but do it
obliques to balloon outward exercises like leg presses, squats, outside the gym, as well, to help
because you do some twisting and barbell rows to prevent your you keep your waist in, and thus
crunches? They grow as slow as waist from stretching outward smaller, at all times.
any other muscle. Include some with your exertion. You also need
moderate- to high-rep oblique to work the ab muscles you don’t
work in your ab routine to see, the transverse abdominis.
accentuate these muscles and This is a sheath that lies beneath SLENDERIZING
create a visual frame for your
middle. You don’t want a blank
your rectus abdominis and
obliques that functions to keep
AB ROUTINE
canvas at the centre of your x, your waist from protruding EXERCISE SETS REPS
so train to grow your abs. outward and pulls your abs
Vacuum 4 20–30
Diet and cardio are the most inward. The best way to work it is seconds
important components in to vacuum your abs in as far as
KEVIIN HORTON

slenderizing your waist. Never let possible and hold for at least 20 Cable Woodchop 4 15–20
yourself get so smooth that your seconds. You can do this anytime, Rope Crunch 4 12–15
abs completely vanish. A “blown- standing, sitting, or lying. We’ve
Hanging Leg Raise 4 12–15
out” waist will be hard to pull back included vacuuming in our

108 FLEX | APRIL 2017

 THE
UNLIKELY
X-MEN
These five
champs prove
you can achieve
a superb X
despite
structural or
muscle
deficiencies

STEvE KUCLO
He lacks a wispy
waist, but Kuclo’s
front-lat spread
forms an hourglass
because of his
shoulder and leg
breadth.

FLEX LEWIS
Despite standing 165
cm with narrow lats,
the Welsh Dragon
attained the best X
in the 212s
by accentuating his
delts and outer
quads and keeping
his waist thin.

ED NUNN
Back is his major

BOTTOM
weakness. Still,
Nunn sports a
stellar hourglass
because of his
invisible hips and
curvy legs.

SHAWN RHODEN
No one owns a
better combo of
monster-truck
■ A broad base to the x is all about you perform any of the remaining wheels and
outer-quad sweep, and the muscles exercises so that they too target svelte waist than
responsible for this are the vastus your outer quads. Flexatron. Though
lateralis, which lie on the outside of his shoulders and
your thighs. most quad muscles back have long
lagged, he expanded
function together, so you’ll work
the lateralis with any set of squats, OUTER-QUAD them enough for
a second in the
leg presses, leg extensions, etc., ROUTINE Mr. Olympia.
regardless of your foot position.
However, to target this area, you EXERCISE SETS REPS FLEX WHEELER
need to take a narrow stance on The three-time
Leg Extension (toes in) 4 12–15 Olympia runner-up
squatting or pressing exercises
achieved arguably
and angle your toes in on leg Narrow Hack Squat 4 12–15
the greatest X of all
extensions. Our sample outer-quad Leg Press 4 12–15 time by constructing
routine pre-exhausts the vastus
PER BERNAL

on his relatively
lateralis by frontloading toes-in leg Sissy Squat 3 15–20
narrow clavicles.
superset with
extensions and narrow-stance
Walking Lunge 3 30 steps
hack squats. It’s optional whether
110 FLEX | APRIL 2017
 CONTEST
PREP 101
PART 2
HOW TO KEEP PROGRESSING
TOWARD YOUR ULTIMATE GOAL
OF STEPPING ONSTAGE IN THE
BEST SHAPE OF YOUR LIFE

If you are reading this now, I hope you

have already read Part 1 of this series
and successfully absorbed/processed all
the information presented. In Part 2 we
will simply be building on the foundation
programme (Weeks 12 to 9) so that
progress is continuous and progressive.
The goal of any contest-preparation
regimen should be to manifest an
improved physique every week by
making small, painless, and highly
strategic tweaks to your diet, training,
and supplements so that your peak is
timed perfectly for contest day.
BY ERIC “MERLIN” BROSER

STAY MENTALLY STRONG

Often the first four weeks of contest prep are the most difficult from a
mental standpoint. Why, you ask? Well, that’s because after four
weeks your body fat will be down, but it might not really show just yet
on your physique. Because your skin has been stretched due to
off-season weight gain (and, as I mentioned in Part 1, hopefully not too
much weight gain), it is likely that it needs more time to adhere and
“shrink-wrap” around your muscles. This can make you feel smaller
and flatter (rather than more ripped) and leave you wondering, “What
the heck is going on?” But I assure you, my friends, this is all a normal
part of the process—and that if you stay on point, you will soon be
rewarded greatly for your efforts!

FLEXONLINE.COM 111
WeeKs 8, 7, 6, and 5

Diet
Below you will find
the slightly updated
list of high-quality
foods that can be
included in your diet
for Weeks 8 to 5 of
prep, as well as a
sample meal plan so
you can see how to
properly put things
together. As we move
along, more and more
foods will be
removed, and the
macronutrient profile
will be adjusted. This
is to allow for
continuous progress
to take place every
week right up till
the show.

Proteins
96% lean beef, 99% lean
chopped turkey meat, turkey
breast, chicken breast, steak,
egg whites, game meats,
white fish, salmon, nonfat
cottage cheese, protein
powders (can be used for up
to three meals per day)

Carbohydrates
Brown rice, white rice, sweet
potato, white potato,
whole-grain bread, oatmeal,
cream of wheat, quinoa, rice
cakes, pasta, carb powder

Vegetables
All green and coloured types

Fats
Walnuts, peanuts, almonds,
avocado, olive oil, fish oil, flax
oil, coconut oil, nut butters

Diet ADJUStMeNtS SAMPLE MEAL PLAN

prEViOUS SprEaD: pEr BErNal.

Meal 1 Meal 3
For these four weeks of the programme, 93% lean beef was P Whey/casein protein powder (Pre-WorKout)
THiS paGE: KEViN HOrTON

replaced with 96% lean beef, 93% lean turkey was replaced with mix (approximately 2 scoops) P Tilapia (212 g cooked)
99% lean turkey, fruits were removed from the carbohydrates list, C Oatmeal (65 g uncooked) C Large mixed salad
and cheddar cheese was removed from the fats list. F No added fats F Olive oil (1 tbsp)
At this point in the prep, it is time to lower overall fat intake, as
well as remove fruit sugar (fructose). While fruit is very healthy, I Meal 2
have found that fructose is not an optimal carbohydrate when fat P Chicken breast (180 g cooked)
loss is the major goal. Additionally, cheddar cheese was removed C Brown rice (140 g cooked)
so that greater focus is put on essential fatty acids. F No added fats

112 FLEX | april 2017

 MONDAY
eXerCise
WeeKs
8, 7, 6, and 5
sets rePs teMPo rest
Chest
60-degree Incline Dumbbell Press 3 7–9 2/0/2 2–3 min.
Smith Bench Press (to upper chest) 3 10–12 2/0/2 2–3 min.
Weighted or Machine Dips 2 13–15 2/0/1 2–3 min.
Cable Crossover or Pec-deck Flye 2 16–20 2/0/2/1 2 min.
Biceps
90-degree Side Barbell Preacher Curl 3 7–9 2/0/2/1 2 min.
or Prone Incline Barbell Curl
Meal 4 C Sweet potato 116 g cooked)
Seated Incline Alternating Dumbbell Curl 2 10–12 2/1/2 2 min.
(Post-WorKout) F No added fats
P Whey protein powder Front Biceps Pose Upper Cable Curl 2 13–15 2/0/2/1 2 min.
Meal 6
(approximately 2 scoops)
C White potato (285 g cooked)
P Casein protein powder Forearms
(approximately 2 scoops)
F No added fats Reverse Barbell Curl 2 1 x 7–9 2/0/2 2 min
C None
Meal 5 F Natural peanut butter (2 tbsp) Single-arm Dumbbell Wrist Curl 2 1 x 13-15 1/0/1/1 2 min.
P Rump steak (per side)
(180 g cooked)
Abs
paVEl Y THJall

totals Cable Crunch 1 16–20 2/0/1 2 min.

Protein 285g Carbs 165g Lying Bent-leg Hip Raise 2 21–25 or max 2/0/1 2 min.
essential Fats 28g Lying Side Crunch 1 26–30 1/0/1 2 min.
(per side) or max
WeeKs 8, 7, 6, and 5

Every exercise
done in the gym
translates to the
appearance of
your physique
onstage,
particularly in the
mandatory poses.

SUPPLeMeNtS
Here is a list of very basic supplements proven effective (both scientifically and in the
trenches) at promoting greater muscle retention, increasing strength and power, enhancing
muscular endurance, and improving general health (worth considering when under the
increased stress of competition prep)

Creatine beta- bCaa MultiVitaMin/ Fish oil l-leuCine

alanine Mineral
paVEl Y THJall; pEr BErNal

In the next phase of prep, I will add two more supplements to aid in revving up the
metabolism to further ignite the fat-burning process, while also increasing energy, focus,
and vasodilation (the “pump”) during workouts. These will include:

Pre-WorKout therMogeniC Fat burner

114 FLEX | april 2017

 tUeSDAY
WeeKs 8, 7, 6, and 5
eXerCise sets rePs teMPo rest
Quads
Leg 2 7–9 2/0/2/1 2–3
Extension min.
Barbell 3 10–12 2/0/2 3 min.
Squat
Single-leg 2 13–15 2/0/2 3 min.
Press (per leg)
Single-leg 2 16–20 2/0/1/1 2–3
Extension (per leg) min.
Hamstrings
Lying Leg 2 7–9 2/0/2/1 2 min.
Curl
Seated Leg 2 10–12 2/0/2/1 2 min.
Curl
Straight-leg 2 13–15 2/0/1 2–3
Barbell Good min.
Morning
Adduction 2 16–20 2/0/1/1 2 min.
Machine
Calves
Machine or 2 1 x 7–9, 2/1/1 2 min.
Smith
Standing 1x
Calf Raise 10–12
Seated Calf 2 1x 2/0/1/1 2 min.
Raise 13–15,
1x
16–20

SUPPLeMeNt ADJUStMeNtS
Personally, I do not favour pre-workout products that amp me up and overstimulate me, especially when I am
also utilizing a fat burner. I prefer pre-workout products that contain ingredients that increase blood flow to
the working muscles and provide a maximized pump. When blood flow is enhanced, there will be a greater
delivery of nutrients, hormones, and oxygen directed toward the target muscles.
Some effective ingredients to look for when the goal is to maximize the “pump” are citrulline malate,
beetroot extract, agmatine sulfate, red wine extract, and glycerol.
When it comes to fat burners, you must first make sure that your heart is healthy and that you can tolerate
the stimulants often associated with these products. The goal is increased metabolism, fat burning, energy,
and focus, without side effects such as jitters, racing heart, anxiety, or overheating. Research these
supplements carefully and never use more than the label directs. If negative side effects occur and persist,
please stop using that particular product. You cannot get onstage from a hospital bed!
WeeKs 8, 7, 6, and 5

SPeeDiNG UP
FAt LOSS
As with everything in a well-planned
contest-prep regimen, cardio
should be increased in small
increments weekly to allow for a
steady loss of body fat while
retaining a maximum amount of lean
muscle mass. With cardio sessions
of 40-plus minutes, you have the
option of splitting it into two halves.
This would mean performing half
the amount of required cardio in the
morning before meal 1, and the
other half in the evening, perhaps in
between meals 5 and 6. Here is the
cardio plan for Weeks 8 to 5.

8 WeeKs out
40 minutes on non-workout days and 20 minutes
on workout days

7 WeeKs out
40 minutes on non-workout days and 25 minutes
on workout days

6 WeeKs out
45 minutes on non-workout days and 25 minutes
on workout days

5 WeeKs out
50 minutes on non-workout days and 25 minutes
on workout days

ReP-RANGe
tRAiNiNG
In the first instalment of this series, I explained
how it is vital to keep training with 100%
intensity and drive during the entire contest-
prep period, but also to vary your method of
attack so that all your anabolic pathways are
triggered in a cyclical fashion (every four
weeks). We began by utilizing the “power”
portion of my P/RR/S training protocol, which
requires the use of heavy weight for lower
reps, with slow eccentric contractions and
explosive positives. Now that your body fat
is down, cardio has increased, and calories
have dropped, it becomes increasingly
dangerous to force your joints to handle very
heavy weights. So at this point we will switch
to “rep range,” which will stimulate a different
population of muscle fibres and ignite
anabolism via varied mechanisms.

116 FLEX | april 2017

 tHURSDAY WeeKs
8, 7, 6, and 5
eXerCise sets rePs teMPo rest
Lats
Close-grip T-bar Row 3 7–9 2/0/2 3 min.
Incline Two-arm Dumbbell Row 3 7-9 2/0/2 3 min.
(palms inward)
Seated Cable Row (underhand grip) 3 10–12 2/0/1/1 3 min.
Wide-grip Pulldown or 2–3 13–15 2/0/2 2–3
Assisted Pullup Machine min.
Stiff-arm Pulldown or 2 16–20 2/1/2 2 min.
Pullover Machine
Lower Back
Partial Rack Deadlift from Knee Height 2 1 x 7-9, 1 x 10-12 1/1/1 3 min.
Weighted Hyperextension 2 13–15 2/0/1/1 2–3
paVEl Y THJall; pEr BErNal

min.
Abs
Weighted Incline Situp 2 13–15 2/0/2 2 min.
Hanging or Supported 2 16–20 2/0/1 2 min.
Straight-leg Raise
Cable Side Crunch 1–2 21–25 (per side) 1/0/1 2 min.
WeeKs 8, 7, 6, and 5

FRiDAY WeeKs
8, 7, 6, and 5
eXerCise sets rePs teMPo rest
Shoulders
Seated Dumbbell or 2 7–9 2/0/2 3 min.
Machine Press (palms
facing inward)
Prone Incline Front Barbell 3 10–12 2/0/1/1 2 min.
Raise (shoulder-width grip)
Standing Dumbbell 2 13–15 2/0/1 2 min.
Side Lateral
Single-arm Bentover 2 16–20 1/0/1 2 min.
Rear Lateral
Traps
Close-grip Barbell 2 1 x 7–9, 2/0/2 2–3
Upright Row 1x min.
10–12
Dumbbell Shrug 2 1x 1/0/1/1 2 min.
10-12,
1x
13-15
Triceps
Incline Two-arm Overhead 3 7–9 2/1/2 2 min.
Barbell or EZ-bar Extension
Straight-bar Pushdown 2 10–12 2/0/1/1 2 min.
Lying Single-arm 2 13–15 2/0/2 2 min.
Dumbbell Extension
Correct
orreect
training,
tra
ainiingg, Calves
CHriS lUND; pEr BErNal

cardio,
ca
ardiio, aand
nd
d Calf Press 2 1 x 7–9, 2/0/1/1 2 min.
nutrition
nutriitiion are
aree 1x
the
e keys to o 10–12
success
succe ess onon
the
e contest Single-leg 2 1x 2/0/1 2 min.
stage. Seated Calf Raise (per leg) 13–15

118 FLEX | april 2017

 Visit us online!

Powertec has gained a very strong following of repeat customers. The main reason being,
our equipment is carefully designed and engineered to be precise in motion. We came
from the commercial gym background so we have many years of experience in building
5% off
POWERTEC
equipment for the most demanding market that accepts nothing less than perfection.
Powertec owns its factory so aside from having a highly experienced workforce; we can PRODUCTS
flex5
also control and maintain our quality. We have always done all production procedures
under one roof. we source only the finest materials and component parts available. promo
code
BEWARE OF INFERIOR IMITATIONS!
RRP
Was £1799

RRP RRP
£1329
Was £549 Was £599

£399 £499

Workbench Half Rack Powerack

k Workbench Multi System

BUY NOW PAY 6 MONTHS LATER: Subject to status. Please call for
full details or written quotation

RRP
Was £829
£599
RRP
RRP Was £1299
Was £429
£999
£299

Isolateral Leverage Multi Press Olympic Bench Workbench

kbench Lever Gym

Fitness Nutrition now available in our 9 Nationwide Showrooms

Start enjoying your new fitness regime today!

Call 01604 673000 or visit

www.fitness-superstore.co.uk
COME VISIT US AT ONE OF YOUR LOCAL FITNESS SUPERSTORE SHOWROOMS
Northampton 13 Gate Lodge Close, Round Spinney, Northampton, NN3 8RJ
Gloucester 2 Fuller Ct, Westgate St, Gloucester, GL1 2UN Manchester Chill Factore, Unit 14/15 Trafford Way, Trafford Quays Leisure Village, Manchester M41 7JA
Surrey 30-32 High Street, Frimley, Surrey, GU16 7JD Newcastle Royal Quays Outlet, Coble Dene, North Shields, NE29 6DW
Livingston Units 91, 92 & 54b, Livingston Designer Outlet, Almondvale Avenue, Livingston EH54 6Q Leeds Junction 32 Retail Outlet, Tomahawk Trail, Glasshoughton, WF10 4FR
Kent 30-34 Grosvenor Rd, Tunbridge Wells, Kent, TN1 2AP Chelmsford 35 New London Road, Chelmsford, CM2 0ND

* Weights sold separately

Bodypower Sports PLC - Sole UK distributor for Powertec Fitness Products Find us on
120 FLEX | april 2017
5 By Michael Berg, N.S.c.a.-c.P.T. Photos By iaN SPaNier

PECS IN FIVE
Conquer your Chest woes by
slapping on thiCkness and Carving
in detail, with William Bonac’s
five-pronged peC workout
 6–10 reps each, the three working sets per

H
second a mix of
compound and isolation
exercises for 8–12 reps
using moderate
weights, and the third
14– to 30-plus rep
sets of compound
and isolation moves
performed at high
intensities. “i do two
warmup sets and
exercise,” he explains,
“plus i improvise a bit
with my own ideas now
and then. it’s based on
how i feel that day.”
Within that
framework, here are
the chest exercises
Bonac relies on to push
his body to its stomach-
churning limits.

Had you paid a visit to

William Bonac’s Facebook page
on Jan. 11, you would have come
across a nasty sight: a close-up
view of the Conqueror’s half-
digested dinner coating the
gym toilet.
“leg day made me throw
TRAINING SPLIT
up my macaroni—had four more
sets to go on the seated leg
monDaY Back (width) and biceps
press,” he wrote. “So after
TUESDaY Chest and triceps
helping myself with a finger in WEDnESDaY Quads and hamstrings
my throat, i man[ned] up and THURSDaY Shoulders, traps,
finished my sets!” and calves
So it goes for one of the best FRiDaY Back (thickness)
bodybuilders on the planet. No WEEKEnD rest
rest, no relenting. That’s because
the 34-year-old Ghana native
knows that there are no medals
or accolades for “almost.” Having
marched up the Mr. Olympia
Y3T SYSTEM
ranks, from 15th in his 2014
debut to eighth in 2015 to fifth
in 2016 is impressive, but he has Week 1: Heavy (6–10 reps) compound
exercises
no time to stop and bask in past
Week 2: Moderate (8–12 reps) compound
glories. The only thing that counts and isolation exercises
is what’s ahead, and his sights Week 3: High-rep (14–30+ reps) and
are firmly set on contending for high-intensity compound and isolation
the Sandow this year. exercises
“What does that top five
placing mean to me? it means
that hard work pays off, and that
nothing is impossible,” he says.
“Now, me and my coach [Neil Hill]
CHEST WORKOUT
will do all we can to top it in
September.”
in addition to focusing on EXERCISE SETS REPS
his two major off-season goals—
Cable Crossover 3 8-12
further developing his back and
expanding his shoulder width— Flat-Bench Dumbbell Flye 3 8-12
Bonac, who now makes his home Incline Bench Press 3 8-12
in amsterdam, aims to maintain
his impressive chest, pounding it Flat Bench Press 3 8-12
each Tuesday with Hill’s famous Hammer Strength Incline Press 3 8-12
Yoda Three Training (Y3T)
system.
The “three” in Y3T refers to
the weekly progression, with
the first week anchored by
heavy compound exercises of

122 FLEX | april 2017

SHOT ON lOCaTiON aT CiT Y aTHleTiC
eTiC CluB,
Clu l aS veGaS, Nv

FlexONliNe.COM 123
1 CABLE CROSSOVER

F
or this warmup exercise, Bonac
takes his place in the direct centre
of a cable cross station, his knees
slightly bent, one leg just a touch in front of
the other for balance, grasping a d-handle
attached to the upper pulleys in each hand.
His arms outstretched, the fibres of his
pectorals taut, elbows locked into a slightly
bent position, he inhales deeply, then begins.
The pecs flex, pulling his arms across the
front of his body in an arc, and his fingers
come within a couple of cetimetres of one
another in front of his lower abdominals.
GrOOMiNG BY Nadia SHaliNi r aMNaTH
There, he squeezes hard—as if he’s crushing
a can between the inner ridges of his
pecs—as he blows out his breath, then slowly
allows his arms to retreat back to the
starting position.
Pro Tip “don’t let the weight stack touch
down between reps,” he warns, noting that
it’ll immediately dissipate the resistance and
counteract the valuable constant muscular
tension that cables provide.
2 NOT PICTURED
FLAT-BENCH
DUMBBELL FLYE
Sometimes, Bonac will do flyes
instead of crossovers for his first
move out of the gate. lying faceup
on a flat bench with his feet planted
on the floor, Bonac holds a dumbbell
in each hand, resting at his chest, palms facing
in. To begin, he extends his arms out to the
sides while keeping a firm bend in his elbows.
Then—maintaining that same upper- to lower-
arm angle throughout—he flexes his pecs to
bring the weight in an arc up and over the top of
his middle chest, holds the peak for a brief
count, then lowers the dumbbells back along
the same path.
during each rep, he concentrates on the
hard contraction of his muscles to move the
weight and the slow release, feeling the blood
as it floods into the area, warming it up for the
heavy lifting to come.
PRo TiP “Maintain the arm angle through the
set,” he says. “if you open and close your
elbows, you reduce the stress on the pectorals.”
FlexONliNe.COM 125
 4 FLAT
BENCH PRESS
3 NOT PICTURED
INCLINE
BENCH PRESS

For his first

major compound
exercise of the
day, Bonac will do
either an incline
barbell or dumbbell press. “i’ll
go up to 150 kilos by the final
working set, or if dumbbells, i’ll
go up to 60 kilos and just pump
until failure, since my gym
doesn’t have dumbbells any
heavier than that,” he says.
When barbell pressing,
he’ll lie back on the incline
station bench, setting his feet,
splayed to each side, firmly
on the floor for support. He
grasps the barbell with a false
grip—with his thumb on the
same side of the bar as his
fingers, although this is not
recommended for beginners
or early intermediates
because of the danger of
slippage—and lifts it from the
supports, his training partner
helping guide the bar into
place over his chest.
Methodically, he’ll lower
the bar, arresting the motion
as it touches down to his
upper chest, then breathes
out forcefully as he extends
his elbows and calls on his
pecs to press the weight back
up to full extension.

PRo TiP “Control the weight

on the way up and the way
down,” he says. “You don’t
want to put your elbow in a
bad position by hitting the top
too hard and locking out. You
want to finish the rep but not
let the elbows hyperextend.”

126 FLEX | april 2017

L
ying faceup on a flat bench
station, feet firmly pushed
into the floor, Bonac
reaches up, finds the circles
etched in the barbell, and wraps
his fingers around the bar at a
distance just outside shoulder
width, again using a false grip.
He pulls in a breath and clears
the bar from the supports with
the help of his spotter.
He brings the bar down
slowly, stopping only when
the bar contacts his pecs just
above his nipples, then with
a controlled explosive force,
he pushes the bar skyward,
stopping just before complete
elbow lockout. Throughout
each rep, Bonac’s wrists remain
aligned directly over his elbows,
and his elbows angled out away
from his sides, which puts his
pecs under the full stretch they
need for max stimulation.
Pro Tip “The key to doing
the bench press right is to
keep your shoulders shifted
back as you do it and also
stick your chest out,” he says.
“Think about keeping a big,
full chest.”
5 HAMMER STRENGTH
INCLINE PRESS
A
fter loading his plates
on each side, Bonac
settles into the seat and
grabs each handle, again with
the false grip. Raising his elbows
so that they align with his wrist
and hands, he lifts his chest and
focuses his gaze forward. With
a strong push, he moves the
handles forward to lift the
weight, extending his elbows
while powerfully flexing his pecs
to handle the workload.
At the apex of the motion, his
elbows are nearly straight but
not locked out. He holds the peak
contraction for a quick count,
then reverses course. From
here until the end of the set, he
doesn’t allow the weights to
touch down, maintaining tension
on the muscle throughout.
As he does on each set,
Bonac pyramids the weight up
over the course of four to five
sets, topping out at 130 kg.
Once he’s done on the Hammer
Strength, he’ll tack on one
more isolation movement—often
a seated cable crossover, in
which he sets a short-back
bench or flat bench in between
the cables and pumps out a few
sets to total failure.
Pro Tip “Whether it’s this or
any exercise, the aim is to
keep it simple,” Bonac says.
“The only additional technique I
might do is rest-pause. Over
time, I’ve also trained myself to
take less rest between sets
without backing down on the
amount of weight I use or
number of reps I do.”
FLEXONLINE.COM 129
29
 SNAPSHOT

Birth Date: May 18, 1982

Birthplace: Ghana
current Residence: amsterdam.
Height: 170 cm
Weight: 105 kg contest
Sponsor: ultimate Sports Nutrition.
contest Highlights: 2016 Mr. Olympia, 5th;
2016 Nordic pro, 1st; 2016 prague pro, 1st;
2015 Nordic pro, 1st; 2015 dayana Cadeau
pro, 1st; 2014 Golden State pro, 1st; 2014
russian Grand prix, 1st
Web: instagram @william_bonac;
Facebook @William-Bonac
FlexONliNe.COM 131
THE SIZE
GAME
RYAN JOHN-BAPTISTE
PONDERS MOVE
TO BECOME
BRITAIN’S FIRST
CLASSIC
PHYSIQUE
PRO.

CHRISTOPHER BAILEY
Ryan John-Baptiste
on stage at last
year’s Men’s
Physique Olympia.

LAST SET
YOUR ONE-STOP SOURCE FOR MUSCLE NEWS
 POWERLINE

GET YOUR ULTIMATE HOME GYM EXTRA

POWER UP
GET RIPPED! WITH HIGH QUALITY HOME STRENGTH TRAINING EQUIPMENT
Ssmooth friction-free
-free
5%OFF
ONLINE USE PROMO

FLEX5

movement
required
no

SAVE SAVE SAVE

30% OUR PRICE £149
RRP £199 25% OUR PRICE £149
25% OUR PRICE £599
FOLDING INCLINE/DECLINE BENCH SEATED CALF RAISE* RRP £199 POWER RACK PACKAGE* RRP £799
7 positions adjustments / Transport wheels for mobility Operates on a 3:1 weight ratio for developing calves 3x1” diameter weight posts for even distribution

Comfortable
SAVE
handgrips SAVE SAVE
20% OUR PRICE £199
20% OUR PRICE £399
20% OUR PRICE £129
VERTICAL KNEE RAISE RRP £249 CABLE CROSS OVER* RRP £499 SQUAT RACK* RRP £159
Push-up station is a full 12” off the floor Includes two cable handles and one ankle strap Bar supports height adjustments from 30-60 inches

Dont miss out! Why not call today and receive your exclusive FREE catalogue
Now Available! Order by phone, online or visit one of our 9 UK stores : Open 7 days a week!
✔ In store demostration ✔ Buy Now - Pay Later ✔ Expert Advice ✔ Free Delivery ✔ Price Promise Guaranteed

Freephone: 01604 673000

or visit: www.fitness-superstore.co.uk
* Weights sold separately. Bodypower Sports PLC - Sole UK distributor for Powerline Fitness Products
 LAST SET JUDGE’S TABLE
THE
JUDGES
■ STEVE
Q
WEINBERGER
ALL EYES
■ SANDY
WILLIAMSON
ON ME
WHY COMPETITORS NEED TO BE LOCKED IN AND ALWAYS PUTTING THEIR BEST
FOOT FORWARD—EVEN WHEN NOT AT CENTRE STAGE.
Q: During a callout, do you
pay attention to the guys
waiting on the sidelines?
STEVE WEINBERGER:
It’s important to maintain good
posture at all times while they are
onstage. This includes those times
when a number of athletes are
being compared in the middle of
the stage, and the rest of the
athletes are in lines, at the side of
the stage, usually on the diagonal.
Even if a competitor is not
involved in the current callout,
some judges may have finished
scoring the selected athletes and
may be scanning the lines for their
next callout.
Also, judges are always
looking at the competitors and
comparing them with one
another. If an athlete is standing
relaxed, he will not look his best,
especially if the athletes standing
close to him are maintaining their
competition posture. This can
mean that a competitor may drop
in the rankings or be called out in
a later group.
134 FLEX | APRIL 2017
I’d recommend athletes hold
their competition stage stance for
the full time that they are in any
position to be seen by the judges.
Q: It seems that in figure
competitions, some great
physiques get marked down
because the athlete doesn’t
know how to best present
herself onstage. How do
you recommend posing to
showcase the body?
SANDY WILLIAMSON: I think
the biggest mistake made by
figure athletes, both amateur
and professional, is that they
bend too far forward in both
the front and rear poses. When
posing to the front—since the
judges are below the level of
the stage—it’s OK to tilt a little
forward. But athletes often
bend too far, which distorts
their physiques.
When performing the rear pose,
athletes bend too far forward in
order to tighten the glute/ham
area, but because we’re sitting
BY MICHAEL BERG
below the athletes, this pose
tends to widen and flatten the
glutes while narrowing the upper
body, which directly contrasts
what the athlete is trying to
accomplish. Instead, figure
competitors should arch their
lower backs and push the glutes
out, which will not only tighten the
glute-ham area but also allow
them to open up their backs and
lats to enhance their V-taper.
Another common mistake is to
lift the shoulders, narrowing the
shoulder width—it tends to make
the torso look long as well.
My recommendation is to
practise, practise, practise.
Posing is often left to the final
days before competition, rather
than being part of competition
preparation from Day 1, as it
should be. There are many NPC
seminars presented throughout
the country by top NPC officials.
Additionally, you’ll find videos on
npcnewsonline.com that cover
PER BERNAL
posing in the various divisions
that were done by Steve
Weinberger, Gary Udit, and me.
 BY JOHN PLUMMER NEWS

Left: Georgia
Lewis on stage
in the Dominican
Republic.
Right: Stephen
Emuobonuvie
had a year to
remember.

■ Georgia Lewis was the star of

the UK team that flew 4,000
miles to the Dominican Republic
for the IFBB World Junior and
IGOR KOPCEK / EASTL ABS (LEWIS); CHRISTOPHER BAILEY

Masters Championships.
Lewis brought home the team’s
sole medal, a bronze in the junior
bikini fitness category, to extend
her growing medal haul, which
already included gold medals at the
British Championships and UK
Nationals in 2015. This was her
final year as a junior and she is
now considering whether to do the
open European Championships in
May.
Stephen Emuobonuvie rounded
off a memorable year in which he
emerged as an international force
by finishing fifth in masters men’s
physique. Sydni Fisher, another

STATE OF
relative newcomer to the stage,
also placed fifth in the junior
fitness division.
British over-50s champion Alfie

GEORGIA
WELSH BIKINI ATHLETE
GEORGIA LEWIS SHINES AT
WORLD JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIPS.
Noda was seventh in masters
bodybuilding and Liz Richardson,
another national champion in
Nottingham in October, returned
with ninth place in masters bikini
fitness.
Ricky Beckford, Katarina
Kutmanova and Katarina Castro
also represented the UK but didn’t
make the top 10.

FLEXONLINE.COM 135
 LAST SET NEWS

1 2

Medal Rush
CHRIStOPHER BAIlEy (3)

San Marino proved ■ British athletes won gold,
silver, and bronze medals
to be a happy in San Marino when the tiny
hunting ground country hosted a pro show
and Amateur Olympia on the
once again for same weekend.
uK athleteS. In the pro show, Ryan
John-Baptiste (1) narrowly
failed to defend the men’s
physique title that he won
last year to secure his invita-
tion to the Olympia, where he
placed 11th.
John-Baptiste was second

136 FLEX | APRIl 2017


this time, which was still a great
result but also frustrating
because he didn’t land the
coveted Olympia spot. the
ZSOlt DunAvOlgyI (JOHnSOn)
londoner is one of the more
muscular men’s physique guys
and the result left him
contemplating a move up to a
category that rewards greater
size. “I may consider being the
first classic physique pro from
the uK,” he says.
kaRina skowRonska’s (2)
3 4
super-structure helped her
secure the best result of her
short pro bikini career so far, as
she finished third. A shredded
louise Rogers was an unlucky
ninth in pro figure and fellow Brit
Maria Scotland was 16th.
In the Amateur Olympia, pride
of place went to Russian-born
iRina osokina (3), who
followed up her second place at
the Diamond Cup in liverpool
with first place in the over 172
by John Plummer
cm bikini fitness class.
keeley Johnson (4) placed
second in the up to 163 cm bikini
fitness division in her debut
international competition.
Silvana Imbrogno continued her
great form with third place in
women’s physique. there were
also top 10 finishes for Joanna
Wolosz in bikini fitness,
Rus Ali in classic bodybuild-
ing and Karol Olender in
bodybuilding.
flExOnlInE.COM 137
 LAST SET NEWS
FAMILY AFFAIR
MEET THE WELSH MOTHER AND DAUGHTER WHO BOTH COMPETE.
■ Many parents disapprove when
their children enter physique
contests. Not Cheryl Davies—she
was so inspired by daughter Carlie
that she decided to have a go too.
Carlie, 22, started competing in
bikini fitness in 2013 and won the
Welsh Championships that year
and again in 2014. Mum Cheryl, 40,
was more of a cardio queen until
she saw her daughter get in
contest shape and fancied doing
the same. “I’ve always liked the
muscular look, but you never
believe it’s achievable yourself,”
says Cheryl
Cheryl. “I used to go to the
gym and do a bit of running but it
Carlie Davies
(right) and
mum Cheryl.
138 FLEX | APRIL 2017
was only when I started taking it
seriously that my body really
started taking shape.”
Carlie’s bodybuilder boyfriend
Ryan Cartwright agreed to
prepare Cheryl for a contest and
just seven months after they
began working together, she lined
up in the masters bodyfitness
class at last year’s Welsh
Championships, where she placed
third. “My body changed an insane
amount,” says Cheryl. “The hardest
part for me was walking on stage
in that bikini. It felt like one of those
dreams when you are naked in
front of people.”
Carlie admits she didn’t think her
mum would go through with it, but
she’s proud of her. The two women
live in different cities, so they don’t
train together, but whenever they
meet up people comment on their
likeness. “Since I was about 13, I’ve
got people saying ‘are you sisters?’”
says Carlie. “Even my nan looks
really young and people think she’s
my mum and my mum is my sister.”
Mother and daughter both hope
to be back onstage this year.
Cheryl plans to do the Flex Lewis
Classic in May and Carlie is
preparing for the English Grand
Prix in June.
CHRISTOPHER BAILEY

INSIDE PANTHER’S
LAIR
CHAMPIONS CELEBRATE
LONDON GYM’S 21ST
BIRTHDAY.
■ Panther’s Gym near London’s
Heathrow airport is one of
Britain’s best-known body-
building and fitness gyms.
Owners Sean and Helen O’Reilly
are major figures in the sport:
both are past bodybuilding
champions who now give back
through their work as judges for
the UKBFF and IFBB and as
contest prep experts.
Sean competed alongside
six-time Mr. Olympia Dorian
Yates. Helen is a British,
European, and Overall Universe
champion who also played
Panther in the original series of
TV show Gladiators. Although
they no longer compete, both
continue to live the lifestyle and
help others achieve their goals,
so it was no surprise to see a
great turnout of champions
when the huge gym recently
THOMAS MONE
celebrated its 21st birthday.
2015 British super-
heavyweight winner Jamie
Christian-Johal and heavyweight
BY JOHN PLUMMER
Left: Guns out for the birthday
celebration.
Below: Jamie Christian-Johal
(left) and Lee Swinhoe.
Bottom: Sean and Helen O’Reilly.
prospect Lee Swinhoe were
amongst the parade of
champions, which also included
IFBB men’s physique pro Abies
Nosa and his brother Etin, British
muscular men’s physique
champion Jason Thompson,
British classic bodybuilding
champion Piotr Jablonski, former
British bikini fitness champion
Krish Kataria and a host of other
leading national and international
names, including Reno Banks,
Rasto Valent, Luciana Del
Giudice, Veronica Martynyshyn,
Katalina Jasztrab, Olga
Vilchinskaya, Emi Roberti, Vicky
Cale, Kuba Jakub and Agnes
Lagare. Bobby Khan, Britain’s
first classic bodybuilding star
who recently returned to the UK,
was also present.
Sean, who is the UKBFF
education manager, has helped season about to get underway, it
many of the athletes on their looks like being another busy
routes to the top. Many have also year for Sean and Helen, who
benefited from Helen’s stage- will also be promoting the English
ready workshops. With the UK Grand Prix in Reading on June 4.
FLEXONLINE.COM 139
 Last set posedown

LEWIS VS. RAY Lighter Legends

FLex Lewis and
shawn ray compare
their cLassic
physiques

FLEX SHAWN
LEWIS RAY
age age
33 51
pro wins pro wins
17 2
years years
as pro as pro
8 13
pro pro
contests contests
26 19
weight weight
96 95
height height
168 168

Who is the best 212-or-under that if an award had been given Mr. Olympia top five a record 12 years
bodybuilder of all time? This may seem each year to the 212-or-under in a row (1990–2001), including two
PER BERNAL; CHRIS LUND

like a settled question. After all, Flex
Lewis has won all five 212 Olympias,
and, at 14-0, he’s undefeated in the 212
division. There’s no disputing he is the
greatest IFBB 212 competitor, and
that’s a distinction he could hold for
a very long time. And yet, in our
September issue, we computed
bodybuilder who finished highest in
the Mr. Olympia, Shawn Ray would
have nine such titles.
Based merely on a tally of wins,
Lewis’ 16 212 or 202 titles crush Ray’s
two pro titles. But Ray competed
when there were only open pro
shows, and he finished in the
seconds. Would Lewis crack Mr. O top
fives? In a head-to-head, Ray’s chest
and traps would be a great advantage,
but Lewis’ collection of lines could give
him the edge in the rear double biceps.
It would be a battle of two shorter,
lighter men who did it the right way—
with shape and conditioning.

140 FLEX | APRIL 2017

 By greg merritt

FLEX LEWIS
best pose
rear Double
biceps
strengths
balance,
conDitioning,
calves
worst pose
siDe triceps
weaknesses
back wiDth,
chest

SHAWN RAY
best pose
front relaxeD
strengths
balance,
conDitioning
PER BERNAL; CHRIS LUND

worst pose
rear lat spreaD
weaknesses
back wiDth

FLExONLINE.COM 141
LAST SET BODYBUILDER OF THE MONTH BY JOHN PLUMMER

DAVID
HENDERSON
■ No bodybuilder from
Northern Ireland had ever
won a weight class at the
UKBFF British Champion-
ships until last year, when a
solid and sharply condi-
tioned David Henderson
took the winner’s trophy in
the under-80 kg middle-
weight division home to
Coleraine. The personal
trainer plans to next com-
pete at the Arnold Classic
Europe in September.

PREVIOUS
WINNERS
JANUARY
Luke Sandoe
FEBRUARY
Azeez Salu
MARCH
James Watts

CHRISTOPHER BAILEY
 *

WHEN YOU SUBSCRIBE TO FLEX

Generation Iron is a riveting cinematic

experience that delves far beyond
bodybuilding and fitness culture. The
collector’s edition director’s cut is a
must-have for everyone.
The Generation Iron Collector’s Edition
Director’s Cut DVD release marks
USUAL the first time since the 1970s that a
PRICE
£24.99
documentary exploring the lives of the
best bodybuilders in the world has
become available to the public
for home viewing…and a lot has
changed since then.

DON’T MISS THIS

GREAT OFFER,
SUBSCRIBE TODAY!
Telephone:
01795 414792 QUOTE CODE F01
Open weekdays 8am-8pm, Saturday 9am-1pm
Go online:
weider.subscribeonline.co.uk/flex/F01

*Offer available to UK direct debit subscribers only. £16.99 every 6 months (6 Issues). Limited stocks. Subscriptions may
be cancelled by providing 28 days notice prior to the first anniversary of the subscription. Please allow 28 days
for delivery of gift. This offer is not available to Digital Edition subscribers
facebook.com/flexonlineuk
 THE SWEET TASTE
OF SUCCESS
For the third year in a row, Jeremy
Buendia walked offstage with the
first-place trophy for the Men’s
Physique Olympia. In 2013 the rookie pro
won four shows and p placed runner-upp
in his Olympia debut. He came back the
following year to take the title and
shows no signs of relinquishing his iiron
grip on the coveted hardware in his
hands. With his blend of shape, detail,
and fullness, the competition will have
to be spot-on to dethrone
o the champ
at this year’s Men’s Physique Olympia.
The ShoT

DARREN BURNS
DODIGW N L O A D
AL EDITION OF FLEX
THE IT

Free 30 day trial on all subscriptions