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 INSIDE THIS MONTH
FEATURES
12
THE LION OF WINTER
Ten years after he last
competed, eight-time Mr.
Olympia Ronnie Coleman
is back and perhaps
better than ever before.
20
DESERT HEAT
Europe’s fastest-rising
star Nathan De Asha
reveals how he’s planning
to turn up the temp in Las
Vegas this month.
28
HARTE STOPPER
Britain’s No. 1 female
competitor reflects
on the incredible 12
months leading up to her
upcoming Olympia return.
68
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2 FLEX | SEPTEMBER 2017
SEPTEMBER 2017
DEPARTMENTS
6
FROM THE EDITOR
100 Flex Lewis, Ryan Terry,
and Nathan De Asha lead
GET RIPPED...WITH NO
CARDIO! the British challenge at
Zap calories and shed this month’s Olympia.
fat without ever lacing
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34
108 CLASSIC MUSCLE
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Think you can’t build Terry, physique champ
major mass with Jason Thompson, and
118
machines? Think again! bikini fitness competitor
This four-week machine- Zulmira Woodrow.
only chest routine could
THE OLYMPIA be the shock treatment
RANKINGS 42
your pecs need for
While celebrating the FIRST SET
incredible growth.
53rd Mr. Olympia, we Phil Health, Flex Lewis,
rank the first 52. Lee Haney, Dany Garcia,
118 Steve Kuclo, and others
RISE AND DINE answer reader questions.
of powerlifting and The most important
bodybuilding to build meal of the day is now 52
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dense muscle and freak LIFT
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isolation move for building
1 MOVE 6 WAYS: SQUATS massive quads; strategies
Six squatting variations 94
to keep muscle gains
guaranteed to yield ARNOLD: IN HIS going; and more.
OWN WORDS
massive gains.
On July 30, Arnold
62
Schwarzenegger
94 FOOD & SUPPS
celebrated his 70th
PUMPING IRON AT 40 Secret benefits of chia
birthday. Now, we’re
Part 2 of our interview seeds; the power of tart
reviewing the life
with director George cherries; a new way to
and times of this
Butler, the man behind extraordinary talent
cook chicken; meatless
meals; and more.
the film that inspired a through the prism of his
generation of lifters. own words.
138
LAST SET
Bodybuilder of the month
Joval Gordon; inside the
world of judging with two
top pros; and a classic
posedown between
Ashkanani and Columbu.
144
THE SHOT
Lee Haney goes retro in
this classic FLEX shot.
 CHAIRMAN, PRESIDENT & CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
David Pecker

CHIEF CONTENT DIRECTOR EVP/GROUP PUBLISHING DIRECTOR

Shawn Perine Chris Scardino
EDITORIAL ADVERTISING & MARKETING
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 FROM THE EDITOR
Ryan
Terry
TRIPLE
ASSAULT
FLEX LEWIS, RYAN TERRY, AND NATHAN DE
ASHA LEAD THE BRITISH CHALLENGE AT THIS
MONTH’S OLYMPIA IN LAS VEGAS.
■ It’s difficult to think of a time when
British prospects at the Olympia
have been brighter. Indeed, it’s
possible that two of the eight
champions in the various divisions
could hail from these shores.
Our best bet is once again Flex
Lewis, who is aiming for his sixth
consecutive victory in the 212
Showdown. It would take a brave
man to bet against Lewis, who is
undefeated in this class since it
began in 2012. A sixth win would
equal the amount of Olympia titles
won by Dorian Yates and, although
few would dispute that Yates
6 FLEX | SEPTEMBER
Flex
Lewis
remains our greatest of all time, it
would nevertheless be a
monumental achievement by the
Welshman.
One British Olympia champion
would be satisfying—two would be
remarkable, but it might just
happen. Ryan Terry finished fourth
and second in men’s physique in
2015 and 2016, respectively, and
has the wind in his sails after
winning the Arnold Classic in
America so this might be his
moment to knock three-time and
defending champ Jeremy Buendia
off his perch. Terry has the best
BY JOHN PLUMMER
Nathan
De Asha
abs in the business and a terrific
overall package. Last year, only his
poor back posing prevented him
from winning.
The Mr. Olympia remains this
weekend’s hottest ticket. It’s 20
years since Yates’ era ended, and
no Brit has come close to
repeating his success. Indeed,
every champion since has been
American and that’s unlikely to
change this year. Most speculation
centres on whether Phil Heath can
win title number seven but British
fans will be keeping a keen eye on
Nathan De Asha, who finished 12th
upon his Olympia debut last year. If
De Asha can move into the top 10,
he will solidify his reputation as
one of the sport’s emerging
superstars. The likeable
Liverpudlian reveals this month
how he’s added a stone of muscle
CHRISTOPHER BAILEY
to enhance his prospects.
Good luck to all the British pros
competing in Las Vegas, as well as
our best amateurs as they prepare
for this month’s Arnold Classic
Europe in Spain.
 ONLINE NOW

EVERYTHING O Make sure you keep your browser at FLEX for everything O--constant updates,
backstage photos, contest results, and live streaming.

SOCIAL ALL-STARS
20 but get it done. Then the last 5 sets, put your feet close
together and do 20 reps. Take off a plate and keep getting 20
reps with no rest until you’re at the weight where you started.

PHIL HEATH STEVE KUCLO

Y’all thought the last few years I was motivated… boy, oh boy, You know it’s a legendary workout when you have the puke
this year will be even more ferocious! There will be carnage! bucket on deck. That’s why I love this sport so much.

FLEX LEWIS WILLIAM BONAC

Push yourself—because no one else is going to do it for you.
JUAN MOREL
I want you guys to try this workout. It’s 10 sets of leg presses all
together. First 5 sets, do 20 reps, and after every set add a plate.
Your only rest will be adding the plate. That last set will be a hard
Work, work, work! You must either modify your dreams or
magnify your skills.
SHAWN RHODEN
YOU control your outcome, YOU control your happiness,
YOU control your BODY, YOU control your life.

IFBB VANCOUVER PRO

The third-annual Vancouver Pro/Am on July 8 to 9 showcased IFBB Pro League competition and BCABBA
Provincial Championships. All IFBB pro division winners qualified for this year’s Olympia Weekend. At the expo,
Battle Field Fight League hosted a professional and amateur event that will be a stepping-stone to the UFC. Plus, it
included the Canadian National Qualifier for powerlifting and the BC Provincial Championships for strongman and
-woman. See coverage at FLEXonline.com. For more, go to vancouverproshow.com.
AMIR MAR ANDI

LIKE US AT FACEBOOK.COM/FLEXMAGAZINE AND CHECK OUT OUR DAILY UPDATES BY FOLLOWING US

INTERACT WITH OUR 2 MILLION OTHER FANS. ON TWITTER AT @FLEX_MAGAZINE.

FLEXONLINE.COM 7
JUST THE FACTS TRAINING

BAND AID
Research TO EAT OR NOT TO EAT?
A study at the University of Bath investigated whether eating
on young before exercising was helpful by gathering up a small group of
rugby players that overweight guys. Subjects were put through a moderate treadmill
appeared in the test either on an empty stomach or two hours after eating a high-
Journal of Strength carb breakfast. Blood samples taken after the workout showed that
& Conditioning the fat in the men responded differently depending on whether they
fasted or ate before exercising. By checking the gene expression of
Research found that the tissue, the researchers saw that two genes linked to burning
variable resistance stored fat and energy were activated when the fasted men worked
training—using out, but those genes had decreased expression for the guys who
bands or chains on had eaten breakfast first.
barbells to keep the
resistance changing
throughout the lift—
gave them bigger
strength increases BOOST MEMORY
in 1RM benches Intense resistance exercise was shown in a study published in the Journal of
PAVEL Y THJALL

Science and Medicine in Sport to boost a brain protein that encourages new
versus guys who did neuron and synapse growth for more and better-working grey matter, plus it
it old-school style. may improve long-term memory.

8 FLEX | SEPTEMBER 2017

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 JUST THE FACTS HEALTH & NUTRITION
THE NOSE KNOWS
University of Florida
researchers surveyed
consumers on different
types of produce to find
out what drives people
to make their choices.
They found that
consumers often
choose based on
appearance, which,
researchers say, is not
the best way to do it.
Also, consumers tend
to think that the quality
of the flavour of the
produce is based on
luck, which is not
actually the case.
The study authors
stated that for one,
appearance is not a
good indicator of taste
or aroma. Instead,
check over the fruit
thoroughly before
buying, and to follow
your nose most of the
time—if it smells good, it
will probably taste good.

PASS THE
AVOCADO DIP
Some scientists on the
avocado-loving trip
recently published a
comprehensive review
of studies on the
multitude of health
benefits of the
avocado in the
journal Phytotherapy
Research. Their
extensive research
showed that no matter
what part of the
avocado studied—
peel, flesh, seed,
even leaves—all of it
has some type of
beneficial effect on
lowering risk of
PRO POTASSIUM metabolic syndrome, a
collection of disorders
A USC study on nutritious nosh focused on the that leads to diabetes
fruits and vegetables with a high potassium and heart disease.

content, like sweet potatoes, avocados, spinach,

GET T Y IMAGES; AL AMY

beans, and bananas. Researchers found that eating

more food with lots of potassium can counter-
balance high sodium levels, which leads to lower
blood pressure.

10 FLEX | SEPTEMBER 2017

 HOME-COOKING RULES MONTHS
Research from the U. of Washington
confirms that the more you prepare
food at home, the healthier you’ll eat, and
you’ll even save a few bucks along the way.
The study, which involved 437 adults in
Seattle, featured a supervised questionnaire
with detailed queries on what they ate and
where in the last week. The results showed
that those who ate a majority of home-
cooked meals ate healthier and saved about
£103 a month on food costs.

PROTEIN ROUND THE CLOCK

A U. of Illinois study gave two groups of rodents 16% of calories
from protein—one fed animal-based protein from whey or eggs,
another got plant protein from soy and wheat—and found that the
animal protein group had increased muscle synthesis compared
with the plant group. The veggie protein rats also had 20% more CALL or CLICK to subscribe
body fat at the end of the first study. Call: 01858 438865 QUOTE CODE MMAFM03
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of protein were shown to have greater muscle mass than those
on the unbalanced diet.
www.subscription.co.uk/weider/MAF/MMAFM03
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£16.99 every 6 months unless advised to stop
 THE
TEN YEARS AFTER HE LAST
COMPETED, THE EIGHT-TIME
MR. OLYMPIA IS OLDER, WISER,
BRUISED, AND BATTERED AND
HARBOURS AN UNWANTED
CONSTANT COMPANION, BUT
HE’S STILL IRREPRESSIBLY
RONNIE “AIN’T NUTHIN’ BUT A

LION OF
PEANUT” COLEMAN.

WINTER
CHRIS LUND; KEVIN HORTON

BY PETER McGOUGH
MROLYMPIA.COM 13
 IT’S ALWAYS
THERE,
ALWAYS.
Oh, the intensity levels fluctuate;
some days are not as bad as
others, but it’s always there. Like
death and taxes, it’s always there;
a throbbing reminder of the
ransom paid for past glories.
14 FLEX | SEPTEMBER 2017
What’s always there? In the case of
eight-time (1998–2006) Mr. Olympia
Ronnie Coleman, it’s pain. At times
stultifying pain, but it doesn’t stop
him from being who he is and
sustaining a philosophy he has
followed since he started
competitive bodybuilding
back in 1990.
This writer knows the pain
is always there. I’ve seen it in
his eyes. Let me tell you a story.
Rewind to Sunday, March 6,
earlier this year. I’m in the lobby
of the Hilton Hotel in downtown
Columbus, Ohio, the day after the
conclusion of the 2017 Arnold
CHRIS LUND
Classic. It’s just after 6 p.m., and
my wife and I are ready to go out
to dinner with Betty Weider.
 (Listen, grasshopper, the first
rule of name-dropping is that if
you want to drop a name, drop
a whopper—“Fred from the local
gym” just doesn’t cut it.) We are
set to leave the lobby y when a
hobbling Ronnie Coleman
appears, navigating his way
through the hotel’s revolving
doors. He is supported by two
crutches, the legacy of surgeries
from the past 10 years. He beams
that big smile that has toured and
beguiled the bodybuilding world
for nearly three
decades.
Arguably more Incidentally, in
famous for the reference to the
weights he sobriquet “the
pushed in the gym Big Nasty,” it
than for winning
does not really
eight straight
Mr. Olympias,
fit him, as that
Ronnie Coleman smile could
remains a body- light up Ohio. I
builder’s body- approach Ronnie
builder through and give him the
and through. traditional hug
and exclaim,
“Wow! Ronnie, is it raining outside?
Your top is wet.”
He grins and responds, “Nah, I
just got back from the gym—that’s
KEVIN HORTON; CHRIS LUND

sweat, man.”
He is a little unsteady as I ask
almost incredulously, “You can
hardly walk. What are you doing
going to the gym after you have
manned a booth the whole
weekend, when anyone else who
is here this evening is relaxing?”

MROLYMPIA.COM 15

In that Southern lilt, Ronnie
says, “I train every single day.
It’s something I do, like going to
church—it’s my duty.”
Despite his assurance, it just
didn’t make sense to me that
he would submit his battered body
to daily punishment, especially
when he has every excuse to just
put the dumbbells down and do
curls with a few brews instead.
It seemed incongruous to me
that he is still using the tools that
caused his incapacitation. But
then I’m not Ronnie Coleman—you
may have noticed.
On that blustery Columbus
evening we said our goodbyes,
but the riddle of why Ronnie was
16 FLEX | SEPTEMBER 2017
still repping intrigued me, and I
was determined to investigate his
rationale on a deeper level at the
next available opportunity.
THE INTERVIEW
That chance came when my old
buddy Shawn Perine, now VP and
editorial director at AMI, asked
me to interview Ronnie to get an
update on his present situation.
In opening, Ronnie listed the
multiple surgeries he’s had since
2007, the largesse from having
eight Sandows on his mantel-
piece. (On mine I have a photo-
graph of me as a 5-year-old St.
Hugh’s milk
Big Ronnie was
monitor and
an underdog one of crazy
to Flex Wheeler, Uncle Arthur
Kevin Levrone, strangling a
Shawn Ray, and stoat.) The
a host of others surgeries
going into the represent a
1998 Mr. Olympia. crazy list—our
But he did what
subject has
those future
legends never
been involved
accomplished. in more
operations
than Dwight Eisenhower in World
War II. Neck, hips, back, knees,
legs (why did the lyric “My hip
bones connected to my
backbone” drift into my
consciousness?)—they’ve all been
the focus of a surgeon’s knife.
It’s the back surgeries that
have been the most debilitating
and have left him in crutch mode.
The most serious took place on
Feb. 2, 2016, a few days before
he was about to get on a plane to
fly home from Russia, when his
legs gave way and he couldn’t
walk. The problem was that four
big screws inserted into his lower
back during an earlier operation
had broken and rendered
him to nonwalking status. The
subsequent operation to insert
stronger screws took 13 hours,
confining him to a hospital
bed for a whole month as he
became even more acquainted
with his unwanted companion:
constant pain.
At that February 2016 point he
CHRIS LUND
was told that he would be on
crutches for two years, during
which time he would follow a
 Coleman attributed
his phenomenal
back to bread-
and-butter moves
like this barbell
row, the deadlift,
and T-bar rows.
His competitors
followed suit, but
none could match
his thickness
or width.
gruelling rehabilitation programme.
Currently he works on his own
rehabilitation every day and twice a
week has intensive sessions with a
physiotherapist. He’s also been told
there will be one more operation in
the future to fine-tune the effects
of the 2016 surgery. The good news
is that last April he had an MRI and
was told everything was coming
along fine and as it should be.
NO GAIN, PLENTY
OF PAIN
Several times in our conversation
I tried to flush him out on the
seeming contradiction of his still
being a daily gym rat, a practice
that brought him to this place: a
place of pain and discomfort that
CHRIS LUND
makes Les Misérables seem like
Sesame Street.
His response: “I’ve been in
constant pain for many years now.
Luckily, I’ve always had a high
tolerance for pain. A lot of people
are in a much worse place than
me, so I don’t dwell on it or feel
sorry for myself. Look, I’ve been
training for 28 years. Bodybuilding
started out as a hobby for me.
I joined the Arlington, Texas, police
department when I was 26. A
fellow officer trained at the local
Metroflex gym and persuaded me
to go along and join him. The gym
owner, Brian Dobson, saw me and
told me I could be a bodybuilding
world champion and said I should
compete. I said, ‘Nah, I don’t want
to do any bodybuilding, because
you have to do all that dieting and
stuff.’ Then Brian offered me a
free membership for life if I started
competing. So I started competing
and turned pro in 18 months by
winning the heavyweight title at
the 1991 IFBB Amateur World
Championships. What happened
was that the hobby evolved
into—I’ll say it—an obsession. I just
can’t stop training and doing
cardio every day no matter what
the circumstances are. Even with
my injuries I’m able to train every
body part. But, nah, I don’t train
heavy anymore.”
Relieved that his days of
363-kg squats are behind him. I
ask him, given his present
tribulations, does he ever in the
dead of night ruminate on the
situation and regret giving his
body such a pounding over so
many years? (For the record,
besides those 363-kg squats,
he’d rep out on the bench with 227
FLEXONLINE.COM 17
kg, do barbell rows with 272 kg, that. I never dreamed I would be NO COMEBACKS
and complete seated presses driving around in a Rolls-Royce. After finishing fourth at the 2007
with 170 kg.) I’ve done everything I ever Mr. Olympia, Ronnie still entertained
He almost shrieks in defiance, wanted to do in life because of thoughts of competing. As
“No! No! I keep a positive mindset bodybuilding and those heavy recently as 2012 he said he hadn’t
in everything I do. Do I regret weights. There can be no better ruled it out. It always seemed to me
using such heavy weights? No, thing in life than getting paid well that Ronnie, maybe more than any
those weights took me to eight for just doing your hobby. So, other bodybuilder, loved competing
Olympia titles when I never no, I have no regrets about how I and revelled in the onstage
thought I’d win one. Those trained—don’t even think about it.” connection with an audience.
weights enabled me to retire from
my job as a police officer. The
results of those heavy weights
took me all over the world to
meet so many enthusiastic
fans. It enabled me to buy my
mum a brand-new house and a
succession of new cars as a way
of thanking her for the sacrifices
she made for me. I never dreamed
I would be able to repay her like

Right: Coleman took on all

challengers, such as Jay Cutler
(centre) and Victor Martinez.
Below: He bested Cutler with
this final rear lat spread to
win the Challenge Round at the
2004 Mr. Olympia.

KEVIN HORTON

18 FLEX | SEPTEMBER 2017

 So how big a wrench was it
for him to finally accept that he
would never compete again? He
answered softly and slowly: “I
didn’t want to let go. It was really
difficult for me to accept it was
over. I wanted to go on competing,
but my back injury gave me so
much pain and restricted my
movements and workload so much
that I had to face facts and let go.
I hated to admit it was over, but I
knew there was no chance I could
compete again at the highest level.
So it was hard, but on the other
hand there was a fait accompli feel
about it. There was no room for
discussion—I had no choice. I told
myself, ‘You had a fabulous career;
the truth is, you overachieved in
winning eight Olympias. You’ve
achieved a lot, and now as you
look back at your legacy you have
a lot to be proud of.’ ”
His final words, “I’m happy with
the life I’ve lived and the one I’m
living now.”
And Ronnie, we’re happy with
the joy you gave us as you ruled
your particular jungle like the lion
you are, and the ferocious and
brave lion you continue to be. The
pain is always there, but also
always there is your remarkable
spirit and fortitude. You taught us
many things in the gym and
PUBLICATIONS INC./COURTESY of WEIDER HEALTH & FITNESS

onstage, but with your present

circumstances, with your undying
resolve, positive attitude,
and sheer will to persevere
you are teaching us all how to
embrace and live life. Thanks,
Ronnie, for the memories
and the lessons. Enjoy your
winter; you’ve earned it.
KEVIN HORTON; PER BERNAL; ART ZELLER/FITNESS
ZELLE

Who was the greatest

bodybuilder of all time? The
debate continues. In this
virtual posedown, Coleman
and Arnold Schwarzenegger
hit their best poses. You be
the judge.

FLEXONLINE.COM 19
DESERT
HEAT
EUROPE’S FASTEST RISING STAR,
NATHAN DE ASHA, REVEALS HOW
HE’S PLANNING TO TURN UP THE
TEMPERATURE ON HIS MR. OLYMPIA
RIVALS IN LAS VEGAS THIS MONTH.
BY JOHN PLUMMER

Little more than a De Asha has built his success

year ago, Nathan on a tight waist and aesthetic
De Asha was a proportions. This year, he plans to
barely known touch down in Las Vegas a stone
British bodybuilder heavier. If he can do this while
about to make his retaining his shape and condition
pro debut. Now, after an he will be well placed to continue
incredible rookie season in which his ascent towards the summit of
he won two pro shows and the sport. Here, the man known
finished runner-up twice, he as The Prophecy talks about how
PER BERNAL

is preparing for his second he’s been training to get bigger as

Mr. Olympia as one of Europe’s part of the Oxygen team in Kuwait.
top contenders.

20 FLEX | SEPTEMBER 2017

MROLYMPIA.COM 21
FLEX: What is your goal for
the 2017 Olympia?
Nathan De Asha: The main
goal is to do better than last year.
Some people felt I deserved 7th or
8th at last year’s Olympia, but it
didn’t work out that way. Top
seven would be awesome. Top 10
I’d still be happy.

How do you plan to

achieve this?
The package I will bring this year
will be a bigger version of the one
I brought last year. I’m looking at
being six to eight kilos heavier and
will make sure my condition is just
as hard.

How will you do that and retain

your tight waist?
I’m still doing certain things to
keep my waist in check—mainly by
not overeating. My waist is always
tight come contest time, but if I do
have to sacrifice a couple of
centimetres on my waist for 4.5
kilograms of muscle it won’t really
be noticeable.

“Top 7
would be
awesome.
Top 10,
I’d still
be happy.”
Last year, you sailed under the
radar. Do you feel under more
pressure this year?
The only pressure I’m under is that
I put on myself to do better than
last time. I’m still nearly a rookie
and some top guys don’t rate me.
When I walk around expos I just
blend in because I look normal. I’m
not a freak and a lot of guys want
to see freaks. But having no
pressure means I can work
harder and stun people.
CHRISTOPHER BAILEY

How do you rate yourself

amongst European pros?
I don’t really like to rate myself Nathan’s
because it might sound arrogant. sensational
But put me and Lionel Beyeke pro debut on
together, and I reckon I could beat home soil.
him, but Dennis Wolf could kick my

22 FLEX | SEPTEMBER 2017


TOP Comparing
biceps with
fellow Oxygen
gym member arse! Most of us European guys
Big Ramy. are under-rated but if we bring
BOTTOM Side our A game I know we can shock
chest with the a lot of Americans. We just have to
legendary Kevin bring it sharp and full.
Levrone.
What is your strategy for this
show?
Everyone said last year that, from
the front, I was on par with a lot of
the guys up to the top 5 or 6, but I
GARY PHILLIPS
didn’t have enough thickness in
the back, rhomboids, and
hamstrings. I’ve been focusing on
these areas and it seems to be
working. People say that my back
is wider and thicker.
How has your training evolved
to achieve this?
We’ve been hitting back twice a
week. One session we will
perform pulling exercises for
width, then during the other, we
will do close-grip exercises for
thickness. I’m also hitting quads
and hamstrings twice a week—one
session is heavy weights and low
reps; the other is lighter weights
and higher reps using all kinds of
variations to hit the muscle from
every angle.
Have you backed off any body
parts?
I’ve eased back on biceps and
shoulders. They’re my gifted body
parts. I know if I hit them solidly
for a month they will soon catch
up with everything else.
You’ve been training in Kuwait
with Big Ramy—what’s that
like?
Originally, it was hard because
he’s so strong while I’m used to
training quickly. Now, he’s training
a lot faster and I’m getting
stronger so it works well. Even
though we are rivals on stage, we
want to see each other do well.
You’re known for your super-
fast metabolism. How far
above your contest weight did
you go offseason and how
much cardio are you doing?
I don’t do any cardio, mate! Last
year, we started contest prep for
BodyPower at 122 kilograms and I
got on stage at 116 kilograms with
basically no cardio. This year I
went up to 128 kilograms
offseason and was in 20 to 30 per
cent better condition than when I
started dieting last year. When I
finish dieting I will have come
down by 5-7 kilograms maximum. I
might do 3 sessions of 30 minutes
of cardio for the first two weeks
of prep, but that’s about it. I can
easily drop 2 kilograms every
week without any.
What’s the most important
thing you’ve learned about
training in Kuwait?
To be more selfish. Back home
training with my friends I was
doing what they wanted to do.
MROLYMPIA.COM 23
 Nathan’s
trademark most
muscular shot.

“Most of us European
guys are underrated, Nathan
but if we bring our A De Asha
games, I know we can AGE 31
BORN Liverpool

shock a lot of Americans.” LIVES Liverpool

and Kuwait
HEIGHT 178 cm
Now, I do it for me and focus more hummus. Since I’ve been a pro, WEIGHT 129
on my weak points. I know I have I’ve been to lots of places and kilograms
a big chest, but my upper chest the Middle East has the best CAREER
is weaker than my lower chest, food in the world. HIGHLIGHT
so I hit more upper chest. Back Two-time IFBB Pro
home, the lads would say ‘let’s Have you fully adapted to Show Champion;
just hit it’ and just go as heavy as the Kuwait lifestyle? 12th at 2016 Mr.
we could. I can be a little bit lazy Yeah. I’ve realised that life’s not Olympia.
but the guys here never give you all about partying and going AMBITION
a rest—they’re on your case 24/7. crazy at weekends. It’s not about To eventually place
Even if I’m having a bad day and where you’re going; it’s about in the top 5 at the
only feel like squatting 4 plates a who you’re with. I call the guys Mr. Olympia.
side instead of my usual 5 or 6, here brothers because of the TRAINING
TOP LEFT; PER BERNAL; CHRISTOPHER BAILEY

they make sure I do 5 or 6. things they do for you. Coming ADVICE Always
here was well worth the chance I believe in yourself
and don’t listen to
Has your diet changed much took. I’ll go back home for
people who put
over the last year? Christmas with my children, then you down. And put
Yes. Back home I was having 7 or I’ll come back because I plan to your family first.
8 meals a day because I felt I had do the Arnold Classic in Ohio.
SPONSORS
to eat more to get bigger. Now, Yamamoto,
I’m only eating 6 meals a day, but What do you miss most Iron Rebel, and
I’m having a little more junk about England? Pro Tan.
because if I’m on a totally clean Just my family. I don’t miss the SOCIAL MEDIA
diet, my weight just drops. When lifestyle, because I’ve realised Instagram @
I say junk, I mean I’m having more that certain people aren’t who nathandeasha
red meat meals, such as lamb they say they are. I can still
with rice, or Kofta kebabs or follow Liverpool FC on TV! FLEX

24 FLEX | SEPTEMBER 2017

DE ASHA’S DREAM
DEBUT YEAR
BodyPower Pro, 2nd
It was emotional,
making my pro debut on
a home stage. The entire
audience was for me
and the buzz was crazy.
I was up against guys
who’d been on the
Olympia stage and
shocked a few people.

New York Pro, 7th

The entire trip was
manic. It was my first
time in New York and I
didn’t know where I was
going and I was late for
everything.

California Pro, 2nd

I thought that I had won
this show, but the judges
went for Steve Kuclo. It
was an awesome show,
nevertheless—so well put
together.

Toronto Pro, 1st

I was overwhelmed by
winning and to think that
I had actually come from
the UKBFF amateurs
and had now qualified
for the Olympia.

Mr. Olympia, 12th

I was nervous,
emotional, and anxious.
But in the end I was
happy how I turned up. I
couldn’t have been
better and I was
overwhelmed by the
response.

Kuwait Pro, 6th

I came in bigger and
fuller. It was an
awesome show, like one
from the 1980s. We
walked out in darkness
and into a spotlight
while our stories were
being broadcast on
a big screen. The
lighting was amazing.

Ferrigno Legacy, 1st

I just wanted to beat
Justin Compton. People
believed that I had beat
him at the Olympia, so I
wanted to beat him here.
To meet Lou Ferrigno
was crazy. I felt like a
child next to him.

MROLYMPIA.COM 25
 a r t e
p e H er
S t o p R
E ‘ R
C
E
AL’ H
A
AS MALE EDIBLE
OSI ENT F AN INCRIS
RTE

N AMESE CURR S ON INING L U M M E R

T A
H F LEX ER ON EFLEC ER TR . BY J O H N P
B H
M ONT ’S NUM E SHE R HOW LYMPIA
THIS RITAIN R. HER EVEALS THE O
AS BPETITO AND R ACK TO
—
COMONTHS O GET B
12 MLVING T
EVO

26 FLEX | SEPTEMBER 2017

KEVIN HORTON

FLEXONLINE.COM 27
W
inning awards is
rapidly becoming a
habit for women’s
physique pro Rosie
Harte…IFBB Rookie
of the Year, IFBB What changes
Dallas Pro champion, are you
UK Amateur Olympia planning to
champion—all of make to your
these over the last 18 months. physique?
This month, she tops our chart I’d like to bring up
as Britain’s number one female my biceps and
pro. But there is one prize that shoulders a little. I
still eludes her: the Olympia. She also think my
finished 12th last year and her hamstrings could
entire strategy for 2017 is based be much thicker
on beating that. In the run-up to for the side and
her first show of 2017, Rosie rear shots. Last
talks about her amazing 2016 and year, I was training
how she plans to better it in the alone most of the
months ahead. time, which can
limit your progress
when your main
FLEX: Were you aim is to gain
pleased with your physique strength and size.
at the Olympia? This year, I’m
Rosie Harte: I was about 80 per training with some
cent happy. My physique suits great bodybuilders
being very lean and super crisp at Ultraflex in
and I was just a little off my best. Leeds.
Just a half-to-1 kilo over or under
on my tiny frame makes a
massive difference in how sharp Do you need more size to
I look. A long and mentally place higher?
challenging year of prep played a My physique is always going to
big part in me not quite being at get a lot of love from people
my best. My coach Patrick Tuor who appreciate that old school
and I focused on bringing a fuller female bodybuilding look with
package with more muscle. We symmetry, nice lines, and a
achieved that, but trying to

et a
maintain it and decide which look
was best was new territory. We
g to g
now have a clear image of what
s go i n i a te
we want to present this year and
understand how I react to
a ay
lw ho a pp r ec
e i s
siqu people w building
different elements of prep.

p h y
What is your abiding
“My ve from ale body s, and a
memory of Las Vegas?

ot o f lo o l fem ice line

I just remember being like a deer
l sc h o r y,n
in the headlights when I stepped
o l d e t
that ith symm .”
on stage. I’m normally calm and
come alive posing, but it felt like

look wg physique
my first time onstage. It was a
great learning experience that’s

n
flowi
given me motivation to improve in
all areas. I won my pro card in
2015, but I think 2017 is when I’ll
step on stage feeling like a pro.
Also, getting to sit between
JOHN PLUMMER

Juliana Malacarne and Cedric

McMillan at the superstars’ table
was mind blowing.

28 FLEX | SEPTEMBER 2017

 Left: Rosie going
through her
quarter-turns on
stage at the
Olympia last year.
Main pic:
Bringing back the
1980s look.

Right: Showing
her classical style
in Las Vegas.

flowing physique. To place

higher, I definitely do need more
size, but my weakness of being
small is also my strength. I love
the look from the 1980s era and
many people say this is what we
should be going back to.

How do you see the

women’s physique
category evolving?
I can see women’s physique
getting bigger and more
ripped. It’s already
trended that way since
Dana Linn Bailey won.
I’ve been paying
attention to the new
wellness class. I doubt
I’ll ever switch, but if I
did, it would be to this
class.

What are your

contest goals this
year?
I’ve decided to compete
at the Tampa Pro in
August. I had a long time
off the gym whilst I was
dancing, so I need as
much time as possible
to make improvements.
My main goal is to
qualify for the Olympia
again and, if I could get
into the top six, that would be
KEVIN HORTON; JOHN PLUMMER

ever so nice.

What have you been doing

since the Olympia?
A few years ago, an amazing
contemporary dance
choreographer called Melanie
Lane contacted me. She’s based

MROLYMPIA.COM 29
 u a l if y
is to q
goa l n . If I
m a i n a g i
a that
e ia
“Th e Olymp top six,
for th et into theo nice.”
can g be ever s
would

ROSIE
‘RASCAL’
HARTE
AGE 35 AMBITION
To make top
PLACE OF
six at this
BIRTH
year’s
Lancaster
Women’s
LIVES Physique
Yorkshire Olympia.

HEIGHT TRAINING
155 cm ADVICE
Set realistic
WEIGHT goals and
59 kg timeframes
CAREER in which to
HIGHLIGHT achieve
Winning my them with
IFBB pro your
card at the training.
2015 SPONSORS
Amateur Harlequin
CHRISTOPHER BAILEY, KEVIN HORTON

Olympia in Bikinis and

Liverpool. HealphiYou
The time,
thought, and SOCIAL
heart that MEDIA
were Instagram @
invested into rosie1rascal
that dream
Facebook @
over 12
Rosie Rascal
years were
Harte
immense.

30 FLEX | SEPTEMBER 2017


in Berlin and wanted to create a
piece of dance about public
attitudes towards physically
strong and muscular women. So
myself and IFBB pro Nathalie
Schmidt spent six weeks in a
studio creating the show
Wonder-Women, which we
performed in Leipzig and
Cologne. We are heading back to
Germany this year to perform
the show in Berlin. I’ve also been
working on some exciting fitness
projects. You’ll be able to see my
partner Giles Thomas and I on
our own YouTube show “The
Tiger and Rascal show.” I’m
trying to expand the audience I
reach, so I’m building my ‘Rascal’
brand. It’s about having a certain
state of mind that achieves
happiness, positivity, success,
and feelings of calm. With the
right tools, I believe I can help
many people to enjoy a better
quality of life. Health and fitness
ROBERT BARTHOLT
is a big part of that. Besides
social media and YouTube, I’ll
have a new Rosie Rascal website
where people can join the
members’ section for updates or
follow my blogs.
Rosie is equally at
home on the
bodybuilding and
theatre stages.
Here she is
performing in the
show Wonder-
Women with
fellow IFBB pro
Nathalie Schmidt.
Tell us about your dance
background.
I started dancing at three years
old, doing ballet, tap, and jazz. I
continued with dance exams until
I was 16. I then got a degree in
contemporary dance and
theatre. I was a professional
singer for seven years also. I’ve
always been confident to
perform and act the clown.
Onstage is where I’m happiest. I
can now combine all of my skills
in my posing routines and guest
spots.
Where do you get the ideas
for your routines?
I get inspiration from different
elements of my character, so I
like to include humour, something
cheeky, and also tender sections
to connect with the audience.
Sometimes, I might just hear a
piece of music and I can already
see how the choreography will
go. Dance choreography is like
watching a movie in my head: I
can see all the steps and how it’s
going to fit together before I’ve
stepped into the studio. Then,
other times I can just go into the
studio and improvise.
How long do you plan to
compete?
Anywhere from 2 to 5 years. I’ve
already been competing for over
10 years and I’m 35 years old.
There’s so much I can still give to
the fitness industry without
stepping onstage, but for now I
still have an awful lot more
improving to do and personal
goals to achieve.
MROLYMPIA.COM 31
 CLASSIC CELEBRATING
THE MOST AESTHETIC

MUSCLE PHYSIQUES
OF YESTERDAY
AND TODAY

GOING
FOR GOLD
Britain’s Ryan Terry
aims to become
Olympia men’s
physique champion
this month.

He finished fourth in 2015 and

second in 2016…now Ryan
Terry aims to complete his rise
to the top of men’s physique by
winning the Olympia, which
takes place in Las Vegas from
September 14-17.
The former plumber from
Worksop missed out on taking
the world’s premier men’s
physique title by just one
point to Jeremy Buendia in
2016. Since then, he has won
this year’s Arnold Classic in
Columbus, Ohio, and moved
to the United States to pursue
his career.
Terry won the world’s
premier male beauty contest
before switching to men’s
physique in 2013. He won the
UK Nationals, Arnold Classic
Europe, and British
Championships in his first year
of competing to turn pro and
has continued his remarkable
rise in the pros, with victory at
this year’s Arnold marking a
new high point.
“This year started on a
high. Now, I want it to end on
one,” says Terry. “I’m giving
the Olympia my best shot,
determined to do all I can to
improve on my second place
finish last year.”
If Terry wins he will
become Britain’s fourth
Olympia champion after
Dorian Yates (Mr. Olympia
1992-97), Andrulla
Blanchette (Lightweight Ms.
Olympia 2000), and Flex
Lewis (212 Showdown
winner 2012–2016).
* Read Ryan Terry’s
SIMON HOWARD

exclusive monthly column for

Muscle&Fitness, on sale now.

32 FLEX | SEPTEMBER 2017

CLASSIC MUSCLE PROFILE

MUSCULAR
APPEAL
JASON THOMPSON IS BRITAIN’S FIRST
MUSCULAR MEN’S PHYSIQUE CHAMPION.

The UK introduced a new

bodybuilding category last
year called muscular men’s
physique for men’s physique
guys who want to get bigger
without crossing the line into
bodybuilding. It proved popular
and, at the end of the year,
Jason Thompson emerged as the
country’s first champion.

FLEX: What is the right look

for muscular men’s physique?
Jason Thompson: You need
mature muscle mass with good
density and to be lean and dry,
but not look overly conditioned.
Think of smooth and tight rather
than grainy.

What does it mean to be the

UK’s first champion?
The standard of competition on
the day was very high, so taking
home the title meant so much to
me. The next challenge will be to
retain it in 2017.

How did you get into training?

Growing up, my dad and
his brothers set up a
mini-gym at my nan’s house,
so I often saw them lifting. It
wasn’t until my dad gave me his
old dumbbells that I started to
attempt to lift—16 kilograms
was a pretty heavy weight for me
back then.

Give a brief overview of your

contest history.
1st, South Coast Men’s Physique
3rd, English Grand Prix Muscular
Men’s Physique
5th, Arnold Classic Europe
Muscular Men’s Physique
1st, British Championships
Muscular Men’s Physique
1st, Diamond Cup Muscular Men’s
Physique

34 FLEX | SEPTEMBER 2017


“I ENJOY TRAINING CHEST
THE MOST BECAUSE I
LOVE THE PUMP AND THE
FEELING OF FULLNESS.”
1st, UK Nationals Muscular
Men’s Physique
4th, European Championships
Muscular Men’s Physique
Describe a typical
training week.
MONDAY Chest, Shoulders,
and Triceps
TUESDAY Back and Biceps
WEDNESDAY Legs and Abs
THURSDAY Rest
FRIDAY Chest and Back
SATURDAY Shoulders and
Abs
SUNDAY Legs
Volume or high intensity?
I use both and believe that’s one
reason my programmes are so
effective. My first two or three
exercise are high intensity, low
volume—6 reps x 5 sets with just
30-second rest periods. All my
other exercises are low intensity
and high volume to really engage
the mind-to-muscle, doing 20
reps x 4 sets with rest periods of
60 to 90 seconds.
Which body parts do you most
and least enjoy training?
I enjoy training chest the most,
simply because I love the pump
and the feeling of fullness. I least
enjoy training calves. Genetically,
it’s my weakest area and;
therefore, one I need to work on
the most.
JASON THOMPSON
AGE: 32 BORN: Reading AMBITION: To compete on the
CHRISTOPHER BAILEY
HEIGHT: 183 cm / 6 ft Olympia stage as an IFBB pro.
WEIGHT: 90 kg / 198 lbs TRAINING ADVICE:
CAREER HIGHLIGHT: 2016 British Drop the ego, train effectively.
Muscular Men’s Physique Champion.
BY JOHN PLUMMER
Give us a good abs workout.
EXERCISE REPS
Hanging Leg Raises 20
Decline Crunch With Weight 20
TRX Mountain Climbers 20
Elevated Feet Russian Twist 20
Plank 1 min
* Repeat circuit 3-4 times
Best form of cardio?
Steady-State on the StairMaster
for 40 minutes. I have it on around
level 8 and try to do this 3-4 times
in a week. I generally increase my
cardio closer to competitions and
add HIIT workouts if required.
What do you eat in a
typical day?
I keep my diet relatively simple—
there’s enough to think about
when you’re preparing for a
contest with diet brain! My protein
sources come from mainly white
poultry and fish. All carbs are
complex, so I have things such as
rice, potato (white and sweet),
oats, and maltodextrin post-
workout. I tend to keep my fats
relatively low. They’re consumed
mainly from nuts and coconut oil.
If you could only have
three supplements, what
would they be?
Whey isolate, BCAAs, and
maltodextrin.
SPONSORS: Trec Nutrition, Mark
Bell’s Slingshot, and Fresco Box.
SOCIAL MEDIA:
Instagram: @Jay_T85
Facebook: JayT Fitness & Nutrition
MROLYMPIA.COM 35
 CLASSIC MUSCLE PROFILE
FABULOUS AT 40
ZULMIRA WOODROW IS ONE OF BRITAIN’S
BEST BIKINI FITNESS COMPETITORS.
Zulmira Woodrow started
competing relatively late in life,
but is more than making up for it.
In her debut season last year she
became British masters bikini
fitness champion and, so far this
year, has beaten women half her
age to win the UK Nationals and
finished second at the European
Championships. How does this
super-fit mother do it?
FLEX: Why did you get
into bodybuilding?
Zulmira Woodrow: I have
always been into exercise and
fitness or trained in a gym. I got
into bodybuilding about two
years ago. Initially, I just wanted
to tone up for a family holiday,
but, within a year, I had entered
“MY FAVOURITE WORKOUT
IS GLUTES BECAUSE
THERE ARE SO MANY
EXERCISE VARIATIONS.”
and won my first bikini
competition.
How does it feel defeating
younger women?
I am still amazed by it. Holding
my own and winning against
younger women in the open
category is a massive personal
achievement which makes me
feel immensely proud.
Do you have to train or diet
differently when you get over 35?
This is a difficult question for me
to answer because I have always
eaten a healthy, balanced diet, and
always exercised. I didn’t get into
bodybuilding until my late 30s,
anyway, so my training has always
incorporated a five or six-day
training week, but I think this is the
case for most bikini competitors
and bodybuilders.
Is the bikini look
36 FLEX | SEPTEMBER 2017
BY JOHN PLUMMER
mainstream now? EXERCISE SETS REPS
The increase in popularity of fitness
modelling across social media has Glute circuit (starting with band
activation work)
made bodybuilding, and especially
the bikini look, a lot more Single-leg glute 5 10
mainstream. I find people to be bridge
really supportive and positive about Weighted hip 5 10
my training and competing. People thrusts
often approach me to tell me what
Weighted curtsy 5 20
an inspiration my success has been
lunges (each leg)
to them and I find this really
encouraging and motivational. Single-leg Smith 5 10
squat (each leg)
Describe a typical Bench squats 5 20
training week.
Outer thigh 5 10
Offseason, I train five days a
machine (sitting
week. However, leading up to a off chair)
competition and during prep I train
six days a week up to twice a day, Cable donkey 5 20 (10
splitting weights and cardio. kickbacks back/10
diagonal)
workout is glutes because there
are so many different variations of
exercises that I like to do. I could
literally spend hours training
glutes in the gym, which is also
great for the bikini category look.
TRAINING SPLIT Provide a sample favourite
MONDAY Legs and calves workout. What do you eat in a
TUESDAY Shoulders typical day?
I eat five small meals a day
WEDNESDAY Chest and Back averaging around 1,500-1,650
THURSDAY Hamstrings, calories a day during my
Glutes, and Calves maintenance phase. Typically
FRIDAY Shoulders consisting of:
and Arms
Meal 1 Oats mixed with whey
SATURDAY Glutes, Abs,
isolate protein and a handful of
and Core
berries.
How much cardio do you do? Meal 2 Large chicken salad with
Depending on where I am in my either rice or sweet potato.
prep, it can range from zero to 30 Meal 3 Prawn pasta with large
or 60 minutes a day. salad or mixed vegetables.
Meal 4 Salmon with asparagus
Which body parts do you most and mixed grilled vegetables.
and least enjoy training? Meal 5 Flavoured Greek yoghurt.
I dislike training abs the most
because I find the exercises If you could only have two
difficult and monotonous. supplements, what would
Fortunately for me, the bikini they be?
category goes for a softer BCAAs intra workout and whey
abdominal look. My favourite isolate protein.
 ZULMIRA
WOODROW
AGE: 40
BORN: Great Yarmouth,
Norfolk
LIVES: Gorleston, Norfolk
HEIGHT: 158 cm / 5 ft 2
CONTEST WEIGHT: 48
kg / 106 lbs
CAREER HIGHLIGHT:
2016 UKBFF British Bikini
Fitness Masters Champion.
AMBITION: To win an
IFBB pro card.
TRAINING ADVICE: Be
consistent with your training
and healthy eating and don’t
expect results overnight.
SOCIAL MEDIA:
Instagram @Zulmirabikini
Facebook @ Zulmira
Woodrow Bikini Athlete
CHRISTOPHER BAILEY

MROLYMPIA.COM 37
FLEX SET
LAST COMMENT IT’S ONLY MY OPINION
Ronnie had built the
most amount of
muscular mass
ever seen on a
human being.

38 FLEX | S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 7
TEXT AND PHOTOS BY CHRIS LUND, UK EDITOR SINCE 1985

DEDICATION &
DISCIPLINE

MROLYMPIA.COM 39
 FLEX COMMENT IT’S ONLY MY OPINION
■ I often write in this column about
short, result-producing workout
routines, of no more than three
workouts a week. I really still
believe that these programmes are
more productive and appropriate
for the average, aspiring, young,
and not-so-young bodybuilder. I do
this because I know that your
average bodybuilder probably has
a full-time job that might require
long working hours, which often
requires its own particular brand of
dedication. Your average trainee
may also have a family to support,
which, believe me, is the greatest
form of dedication you will ever
encounter in a lifetime.
Paying off a mortgage, bringing
up children, and doing well at your
job are all major forms of
dedication. In the world of
professional bodybuilding,
dedication is a whole different
ballgame, as they say. With few
exceptions, all the top pro
bodybuilders I worked with didn’t
have fulltime jobs outside of
bodybuilding. They had a totally
different perspective on the
meaning of dedication.
Their dedication is closer to
physical and mental discipline and
it’s not something I would
recommend. When I used to work
with eight-time Mr. Olympia Ronnie
Coleman (the greatest bodybuilder
of all time, in my estimation), I was
always blown away by his total
focus on the art of building his
body, even though he was one of
the very few who actually had a
proper job outside of the sport.
Every single day in his life was
centred on his training and eating.
He was always extremely strict and
meticulous about everything he did,
every single day of the week,
month in, month out. I can’t think of
any other sport that requires that
level of dedication and discipline.
This physical and mental
lifestyle, which involves daily
training and a diet that is
unbelievably strict and often boring,
would probably lay you off work for
a month. But, that’s the thing. They
do not always become great
bodybuilders because they train
harder or are stricter with their
diets. They become champions
because their superior genetics
allow them to train that way. They
make faster gains in strength and
40 FLEX | S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 7
muscular size than anyone else in
the gym—or town or country, for
that matter.
These people are specially
gifted, true genetic giants. In fact,
they are only a select few, amongst
tens of thousands, who can train
the way they do and still actually
build outrageous strength and
muscle. The rest of us should
admire them, but don’t try to
emulate the way they train and eat.
Gunter Schlierkamp shocked the
bodybuilding world when he beat
the unbeatable, slightly out of
shape, Ronnie Coleman at the 2002
GNC Show of Strength. Ronnie
became a man possessed after he
returned home to Texas. Already
infamous for his awesome intense
power style of training, Ronnie took
the art of building muscle to a new
level. He began training with even
heavier weights and did more reps
on his exercises than he had ever
done before. When he returned to
the Mr. Olympia stage a year later,
his physique was frightening.
Ronnie had built the most amount
of muscular mass ever seen on a
human being. He was a mass
monster in pure outrageous
muscular shape. He was, at this
period in his life, absolutely
unbeatable.
In effect, Ronnie Coleman
rewrote the meaning of building
huge muscle mass, and also
brought new meaning to the term
dedication and discipline. So the
question is this. Should you, the
average non- genetically gifted
trainee, apply the same outrageous
dedication and discipline that
Ronnie did back in 2002? It’s only
my opinion, but my answer is a
resounding no. Ronnie, even with
his one-in-a-million superior
genetics could not continue to keep
punishing his body like that forever.
When I last photographed him in
2006, ten days before the Mr.
Olympia, I knew instinctively that
something was indeed very wrong.
This was not the same big Ron.
Sure, he was still as dedicated
and disciplined as he always was,
ever since I began photographing
him every singe year for the last
ten years. But even though he still
looked fantastic, he definitely did
not quite look the same.
During the gym photo shoot, I
asked him how he was feeling going
“THE REST OF
US SHOULD
ADMIRE
THEM, BUT
DON’T TRY
TO EMULATE
THE WAY
THEY TRAIN
AND EAT.
into the Olympia. After all, he had
already equalled Lee Haney’s
record of eight Olympia victories
and was favoured to pull off his
ninth. He mentioned something
about injuries, but was, as usual,
economically responsive with any
concrete details.
Ten days later, Jay Cutler
narrowly beat the greatest
bodybuilder of all time. Cutler had
always displayed his own version
of dedication and discipline. Every
time we did a photo shoot, he
would make the same prediction. “I
will beat this guy. Believe me, I will!”
And he did.
Dedication and discipline are
required in all aspects of life, and
bodybuilding is no different. It takes
dedication and discipline to train
when you don’t really fancy it. Or
maybe you didn’t push yourself as
hard as you should have during that
last set of squats? Maybe you were
feeling a bit guilty for eating too
much garbage instead of healthy
bodybuilding food? The list could go
on, but this is exactly where
dedication and discipline come into
the equation.
Do not confuse it with the kind of
dedication and discipline that
Ronnie Coleman, Jay Cutler, Phil
Heath and the rest of the great
bodybuilding champions have,
though. Be thankful for your gains
and that you have doubled your
strength. You don’t have to be a
bodybuilding champion for your
friends and family to compliment
you on how much bigger, healthier,
and stronger you look since you
discovered the mysterious world of
modern bodybuilding. Just be
proud of it.
SEE YOU NEXT MONTH
AND KEEP TRAINING,
CHRIS LUND
 1 SET ST ALL THE HOT
TOPICS IN
BODYBUILDING
& FITNESS

“You can’t be
Mr. Olympia
and have
people boo
you.” See
what else
Shawn
Rhoden has
to say about
Phil Heath!

PER BERNAL

42 FLEX | SEPTEMBER 2017

 1ST SET O ZONE

I GOT
SOMETHING
TO SAY...
JOE WEIDER’S 2017
OLYMPIA WEEKEND is just
around the corner, and as you can
imagine, things are heating up!
Josh Brown sat down with Mr. O
top contender Shawn Rhoden,
2016 Bikini O champ Courtney
King, and 2017 Bikini International
winner Angelica Teixeira for a
series of hard-hitting interviews.
Here are some excerpts to
whet your appetite. For the full
interviews, go to mrolympia.com.

FLEXATRON
FIRED UP!
Shawn Rhoden, last year’s
Mr. Olympia runner-up, unloads on
the reigning Mr. O. You gotta read it
to believe it.

BIGGEST PET PEEVE

People who try to be something
that they’re not.

HE’S A THREE-TIMER
Phil [Heath] won only three Olympias
to begin with. So, saying Phil has
what it takes to be a 10-time Olympia
winner—hey, congratulations on the
six that you won, but in my opinion,
you should have won only three. Kai
[Greene] should have won in 2014.
2015, and 2016. I don’t think Phil should
have won.
10? GIMME A BREAK!
To say Phil is going to win 10
Mr. Olympias is disrespectful to all
the other athletes. I don’t know if
he’s trying to psych himself up, but
that shit doesn’t do anything for me
but make me shake my head and say,
“Hey, good luck!” There are too many
good bodybuilders out there. Phil isn’t
you could shake your head at and
say, “Hey, you know what? He’s going
to win 10 Mr. Olympias.”
STILL MORE ON
WINNING 10
You can’t be Mr. Olympia and
have people boo you. You can’t be
Mr. Olympia and have the audience
walking out during the Olympia
speech. So I don’t see him winning
10. Not while I’m competing.
LOW-ENERGY SHAWN?
posing, you’re not supposed to be
up there shaking like a leaf. Practice
makes perfect. There’s a look of
confidence that says, “Hey, I’ve
done all I could possibly do.”
Bodybuilding is an art. It’s supposed
to look effortless. You’re not
supposed to be onstage fighting
yourself to hit a pose. You should be
able to hit a pose, have it pop, yet still
look relaxed.”
MY VICTORY SPEECH
Thank you, guys, for walking with
PER BERNAL

that far out from everybody else. He’s That’s a bunch of bullshit. [Laughing] me. Thank you, guys, for your support
not dominating the sport. In 2012, yes, I pride myself on certain things when and standing by me. I told you guys it
he looked great. Last year he was a it comes to bodybuilding. When you was coming, and here we are. We did
little bit better, but he wasn’t someone spend a lot of time practising your it together.
 1ST SET O ZONE
BIKINI RUMBLE
Bikini O champ Courtney King and
Angelica Teixeira, who avenged
her 2016 O runner-up by beating King
earlier this year at the Bikini International
(by one point!), open up about their
newfound rivalry.
BIGGEST FEAR IN LIFE
COURTNEY KING Not doing
something I’m truly passionate about.
A goal for me beyond the stage would
be to focus on the bigger picture by
helping people with holistic nutrition
and pursuing what I really want to do
beyond competing.
ANGELICA TEIXEIRA I’m very
close to my family, so to lose
someone very close. So, you know,
the only thing that I really fear in
life is someone that I really love
could die. Thank God that everybody
is healthy.
IF I COULD CHANGE...
COURTNEY Not being such a
people pleaser to everyone. I tend to
44 FLEX | SEPTEMBER 2017
do what other people want to do
unless I put my foot down.
ANGELICA My feet! I don’t like
my feet.
UNDER PRESSURE
COURTNEY Pressure fuels
me. When you’re on top, everyone
wants to knock you off. I did the
Arnold, and I did have pressure.
People were asking me, “Why are you
doing the show?” I said, “To prove I
could still do it!” I actually got
second to Angelica, but that is gonna
fuel me so much more for the
Olympia. Don’t look outside at
anyone else, stay in your own head,
and just focus on yourself, you
can push past pressure and
produce results.
ANGELICA I don’t worry about
who is going to be there. We have
social media, of course, so I see
other photos that come out. But I’m
never trying to compare myself to
them. I like to keep focused on myself
and try to do my best.
DO THE CLAWS
COME OUT?
COURTNEY I feel that the bikini
division is the cattiest, where some
girls won’t talk to one another. It’s like,
why? I feel like, me, I get along with
every single athlete. I’m never rude.
That reminds me of high school
stuff and not how I’d like to represent
the IFBB.
ANGELICA Thank God, no.
Backstage the feeling is nothing is ever
going to happen until we line up—then,
OK, it’s on. But when we’re backstage,
we kind of have fun. So, I can’t
complain. I’ve never had this problem.
GETTING R-E-S-P-E-C-T
COURTNEY I do feel like we’re
getting more respect. I feel like the
bikini girls are setting a more athletic
but feminine look. It’s showing you
can’t just go and do yoga and train a
couple of times a week. We train five,
six, or even seven times a week like
any other athlete.
ANGELICA I think the respect is
growing for sure. More people from
outside the bodybuilding world come
up and say how much they see how
hard I diet, how dedicated I am, and
how I’m giving it 100%.
FAKERS BEWARE
COURTNEY I don’t like to bash
anyone. Whatever you think the ideal
look of fitness is to you, whether
it’s vegan, competing, having a fake
butt—or whatever. Of course, I
don’t think Photoshop sends the
right message, because it portrays
something fake or false to the
audience. At the end of the day, as
I said, whatever you think fitness
should be is what you should follow.
ANGELICA I feel a little down
sometimes, because I see some
people faking the fitness lifestyle. I’m
not saying everybody is like this, but
some people put on gym clothes, act
like they are going to exercise, but
they aren’t. They take a [fake] picture
and buy followers and do very well.
Sadly, most people can’t see what’s
going on. I like to go to the gym
and build muscle. That’s why I love
bodybuilding. I have nothing against
these people, but at least be real.
Like, “OK, I bought it; this is an
implant.” Because if you are telling
your followers and you’re giving them
a booty workout to get a booty like
yours, but you bought it, how is that
a good message? Photoshop is also
an issue. It gives the illusion of a
perfect body. I go to the gym no less
than five times a week, and it’ll never
PER BERNAL
be perfect. With a touch of the mouse,
[some of the stars on social media]
will be perfect. A lot of followers
believe it and give up.
 BY PHIL HEATH,
SIX-TIME REIGNING MR. OLYMPIA ASK THE CHAMP 1ST SET

DIVIDENDS QUESTIONS ABOUT MONEY

AND A POSSIBLE POSEDOWN
WITH THE 212 CHAMP.

AS BODYBUILDING
GROWS IN POPULARITY,
DO YOU WORRY ABOUT
THE INFLUENCE OF
MONEY ON THE SPORT?
I’m not worried at all. That’s the
kind of worry we want to have.
If it all goes to the athletes, then it’s
a good thing for the athletes, and
it’s a good thing for the sport.
It’s not like the NFL—we don’t have
data to quantify what kind of
money is in the sport and where it
all goes. Now that we’re growing
again, I hope that will improve,
and that the athletes will benefit
from the growth as well.

WHAT’S THE
MAXIMUM
WEIGHT YOU ALLOW
YOURSELF DURING
THE OFF-SEASON?
127 kilos.

THE LIGHTWEIGHT
CHAMP, FLEX
LEWIS, HAS SAID HE
WOULD LIKE TO DO A
POSEDOWN ONSTAGE
AT THE O WITH YOU,
TO SHOW THE WORLD
HOW THE LIGHTWEIGHT
AND HEAVYWEIGHT
CHAMPIONS COMPARE.
IS THAT SOMETHING
YOU’D CONSIDER DOING?
I think it’s flattering. Flex Lewis
is a champion, no doubt. I like the
idea—show what it’s about the
way Arnold and Franco did. But I
would need to know more
before I could get 100% behind
the idea. The way the O contests
are structured now is different
than it was when lightweight
and heavyweight competed as
one group. What is the benefit of
doing it—and is the benefit for
the audience or the bodybuilders
PHOTO CREDIT

or both? Would it be an exhibition

PER BERNAL

or a contest to win? Those

would be some things I’d want
to clarify first.

MROLYMPIA.COM 45
 1ST SET ASK THE CHAMP BY FLEX LEWIS, FIVE-TIME
OLYMPIA 212 SHOWDOWN WINNER

MIND
GAMES
A FANTASY
FOOTBALL
TEAM, AN O
POSEDOWN,
AND HI5TORY.

FILL OUT YOUR

SIX-A-SIDE
FOOTBALL TEAM
WITH YOURSELF
AND
212 PROS. WHAT
POSITION DO
YOU PLAY?
[Guy] Cisternino as a
forward, because he’s
an Italian, old-school,
mouthy player who
gets it done on the field.
Me as a forward, too.
For the defenders,
Jose Raymond and Hide
Yamagishi, and Eduardo
Correa in the midfield. It’s
either Charles Dixon or I’d love for it to happen in
[Sami] Al Haddad in
goal, hard
2017, is all I will say.
I just want to get us HI5TORY
to choose between next to each other, because If you want to know what a four-time
those two. it would be great to 212 O champ goes through while
compare, for history’s prepping to defend his title, check out
THE HOPED-FOR sake. It seems like it would Flex Lewis’ 2016 Olympia documentary
POSEDOWN be silly to look back 20 HI5TORY at FLEXonline.com. You’ll learn
WITH YOU AND years from now and not what was going through Lewis’ mind in
MR. O PHIL HEATH have seen for ourselves or the weeks before he captured his fifth
DIDN’T HAPPEN IN shown the fans what the 212 Olympia title in September 2016 and
KEVIN HORTON

2016. ARE YOU top of the heavyweight find out from Lewis’ training partner
HOLDING OUT and lightweight divisions Eric Hart what it takes to train with the
HOPE THAT MIGHT look like next to each other. Welsh Dragon.
HAPPEN IN 2017?

46 FLEX | SEPTEMBER 2017

 BY LEE HANEY ASK LEE 1ST SET

A DATE
WITH
DESTINY
THE YEAR 1982 WAS
A BIG ONE FOR LEE
HANEY—THAT’S WHEN
HIS HARD WORK
AND DEDICATION MET
SUCCESS ONSTAGE

AT THE AGE OF 21 my entire

existence revolved around my
workouts. I wanted to look like
the legends of bodybuilding
who graced the pages of FLEX
and all the other bodybuilding
magazines. I
read everything I could get my
hands on concerning these
athletes’ training routines, food
recommendations, and how
ZELLER/©FITNESS PUBLICATIONS INC./ COURTESY OF WEIDER HEALTH & FITNESS

they prepared for competition.

I was a sponge, soaking up
knowledge wherever I could get it.
Being from a small town, where
everyone was pretty close, I had
an awesome core of musclehead
buddies who all wanted to be
bodybuilding superstars just like
me. Our entire lives—every day
from waking up to lying down—
were all about growing bigger
and stronger muscles.
After graduating from
Spartanburg Methodist College,
one of my friends and I decided
to open our own gym. With blood
money from our parents, we
opened the Olympian Fitness
Centre in South Carolina.
Man, we were in hog heaven
after that. Training and eating
were all we thought about.
As a result of our passion for
training and with support from
our community, we opened a
second gym six months later.
The road to bodybuilding
success wasn’t without its
challenges, though. The year
prior to preparing for the 1982
NPC Nationals, I developed a
cyst on my right wrist. It caused
so much pain that I had to have
surgery to remove it. It was
during my time of healing that
I decided nothing was going to
stop me from achieving my
bodybuilding goals.
As my training buddies and I
sat talking a few weeks after my
recovery, I made this profound
prediction: “I will shock the world
of bodybuilding in 1982.”
I trained like never before, gave
my body the best quality nutrition,
and I made sure to get the proper
rest I needed every day to repair
for the next workout. To add to all
of this, I worked full time at my
gym and brought my family home
in the middle of the summer.
And shock the world of
bodybuilding I did! In 1982, I won
the Atlantic USA, became the first
NPC Junior National champion,
the NPC Nationals champion, and
then the IFBB World Amateur
heavyweight champion.
There’s a proverb that goes:
“Convenience is made through
inconvenience.” The earlier you’re
about the business of discipline
and hard work, the sooner you’ll
find the fruits of your labour just
around the corner.

MROLYMPIA.COM 47
1ST SET WEIDER ATHLETES WEIGH IN

WILLIAM BONAC
WHAT QUESTION DO
PEOPLE ASK YOU ABOUT
BODYBUILDING THAT
YOU’D LIKE TO NEVER
HEAR AGAIN?
Well, I’m laughing a little because,
to start with, I think that’s a very
common question, too! But
seriously, I don’t like when people
ask me questions like, “What did
you take aside from supplements
to get this big?” Those questions
are based on stereotypes and
disregard the hard work pro
bodybuilding requires.

DOES YOUR MIDDLE

NAME, KWAKU, HAVE A
SPECIAL MEANING?
Yes, it does. It’s called a
“day name” in Ghana. Every boy
and girl gets his or her second
name, and it refers not only to the
day of the week they were born,
but also it is supposed to describe
the character of the person, sort
of like a horoscope. Mine is
Wednesday. Kwaku translates
as “born on Wednesday.”

DANY
GARCIA
CLOCK WISE: JAMES PATRICK; PAVEL Y THJALL; IAN SPANIER;

WHAT’S THE BEST WAY TO ASSESS YOUR OWN BODY

OBJECTIVELY? IS IT OK TO JUST TRUST THE MIRROR?
I think the best way to assess the body is by taking weekly
photographs at the same time and ideally in the same location.
The photos begin to create a great narrative as to shape, density,
CHARLES LOW THIAN (2)

and conditioning. I also rely heavily on “expert” opinion. I stress

expert because feedback as to one’s physique is a very special
thing, and individuals who are training for any type of body
advancement should treat their process with the highest level of
respect and be particular as to who gets invited to provide
feedback. Honest, unbiased, and constructive are the require­
ments. It’s worth the effort to find people who have that ability.

48 FLEX | SEPTEMBER 2017

 JUAN MOREL
AFTER NINE MONTHS
AWAY FROM THE
STAGE, YOU
COMPETED IN THE
ARNOLD CLASSIC IN
COLUMBUS, OHIO.
HOW GREAT WAS IT
TO BE COMPETING
AGAIN?
It was great to be onstage
again, especially at the
Arnold. It’s a great contest.
Truth is, I wanted to do
better than I did [Morel
finished fifth], but I put on a
lot of muscle in my time off,
and I still need to make a
few corrections to go along
with those gains. I’m going
to do that before I compete
next, at the Arnold Classic
Brasil in April.

SHAWN STEVE KUCLO

RHODEN YOU DON’T HAVE A
REPUTATION AS A TRASH-
ANY TIPS FOR
TALKER. WHAT ARE THE
SOMEONE WHO IS
BOUNDARIES WHEN IT COMES
JUST STARTING OUT
TO COMMENTING ABOUT
IN THE SPORT?
BODYBUILDERS?
Be prepared. Be
Being that bodybuilding is a subjective
professional on the stage.
sport, there are always going to be
A lot of guys, all they know
opinions about each competitor’s
about it is what they’ve
physique. It seems like most of the
seen in the videos, and
time, the opinions are very negative. I
they get onstage and try to
like to stay on the positive side of life
emulate what they’ve
and not drink the “HaterAid,” as my
seen, and it doesn’t work.
pastor says. You have to be able to
Natural is better. And
take a little criticism. It crosses
always work on bringing a
the boundaries when the criticism
better package each time.
turns into personal attacks—it becomes
“talking trash” versus just plain
HOW DO YOU FIND being an asshole!
THE MOTIVATION TO
KEEP COMPETING?
I love the sport, that’s
what it’s about. That’s
what it takes to keep at it,
and that’s also the
explanation for sponsoring
my own shows. If you’re in
it for money, fame—well,
that’s going to take you
only so far. I like watching
the sport grow.

ASK THE ATHLETES Have a question for our Weider Athletes? Ask it on
the FLEX Facebook page for a chance to see it here.
1ST SET RETRO ATHLETE BY GREG MERRITT

DENNIS
JAMES ON
CHEST TRAINING
“I like doing inclines with dumbbells

JAMES
because they allow me to get a full
range of motion.”
“I don’t do flat bench presses—ever.
They’re responsible for more shoulder
damage than any other exercise.”
“I change the angle on cable
DENNIS “THE MENACE” SPORTED crossovers consistently to hit every
TWO OF THE ALL-TIME DENSEST PECS part of my chest.”
“Pre-contest, I focus more on the
feeling—contracting hard at the end
of each rep.”
IF I WERE RANKING THE BEST crab most-musculars ever
crunched, at the top of the list would be Ronnie Coleman, Markus
Rühl, Dennis Wolf, and Dennis James. Coincidentally, those last three
all hail from Germany. But James, born in 1966 to an American
serviceman and a German mother, was always American. And in
1998, as a 173-cm super-heavyweight, he romped to a surprising JAMES’ CHEST ROUTINE
victory at the NPC USA Championships in a EXERCISE SETS REPS
FLEX FACT country in which he’d never resided. The next
WHEN HE WAS A year, he began a 14-year, 38-contest pro career Incline Dumbbell Press 4 10–12
TEENAGER, D.J.
that included three wins and six Olympia top 10s. Flat Dumbbell Flye 4 10–12
WAS A CHAMPION
He never had the most aesthetic or high-def
PAVEL Y THJALL

BREAK-DANCER. Seated Machine Press 4 10–12

physique, but what DJ possessed was a surplus of
Cable Crossover 2 10–15
density. A phenomenal crab most-muscular requires extreme
shoulder width and stupendous deltoid and chest thickness. During
the ’00s, Dennis the Menace possessed all of the above and more.

50 FLEX | SEPTEMBER 2017

 BY ERIC “MERLIN” BROSER ASK MERLIN 1ST SET

CHEST ESSENTIALS
WANT GREAT
PECS?
AVOID THESE
PITFALLS.

YOU HAVE
ALWAYS BEEN
NOTED FOR YOUR
OUTSTANDING
PECTORAL
DEVELOPMENT.
WHAT ARE THE
TOP THREE
MISTAKES PEOPLE
MAKE WHEN
TRAINING THEIR
CHESTS?
Thank you for the
compliment! I’m glad
you posed this question
to me, as I get quite
frustrated at the gym
watching so many
aspiring bodybuilders
make the same common
errors when training held high while the (while primarily working means utilize explosive
their chests. Hopefully, lower back keeps a anterior delts and reps. However,
what I am about to say slight arch. This position triceps). You must make if your primary goal is
will help more and more must be maintained sure to go low enough hypertrophy, you
lifters achieve the full, from the first repetition so that the pecs reach a need to keep the target
thick, and dense pecs to the last if you want fully stretched position— muscle under tension
they work so hard for! your pec fibres to the point at which they for at least 40 seconds.
receive the stimulation will contribute most Again, because too
NO. 1 FAILURE TO necessary to grow strongly to the many trainees want to
SET THE TORSO bigger and stronger. concentric (positive) impress their social
CORRECTLY contraction. In addition, media fans with how
BEFORE EACH SET NO. 2 USING AN it’s best to not much weight they can
This is absolutely vital IMPROPER RANGE completely lock your press, they often fail to
when it comes to OF MOTION elbows at the top of a exhaust nothing more
maximally effective This very common error press, which will serve than their joints and
chest training. Before usually occurs because only to take tension off nervous system while
beginning any set of when it comes to chest your chest and further leaving the pecs largely
presses or flyes, you training, most lifters exhaust the triceps. underworked. The best
must make sure to focus too intensely on chests have been
shrug your shoulders how much weight is NO. 3 NOT ENOUGH constructed using sets
downward while at on the bar rather than TIME UNDER in the range of eight to
the same time pushing on the quality of each TENSION (TUT) 12 reps, while taking
PER BERNAL

them back into the repetition. Going only If you want to build between four and five
bench. In addition, halfway down does pure strength and seconds to complete
the rib cage should be little to engage the pecs power, then by all each individual rep.

MROLYMPIA.COM 51
 LIFT TRAINING TIPS
TO POWER UP
YOUR WORKOUTS

Dips, pullups,
almost every
ab exercise
known to man,
and more can
be done sans
weight for a
great workout.
PAVEL Y THJALL

52 FLEX | SEPTEMBER 2017

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LIFT TRAINING STYLES

PULLING YOUR
OWN WEIGHT
YOU ARE THE
RESISTANCE.
Whether you weigh 70
or 140, you’re hauling
those kilos around
HOW TO TRAIN INTENSELY WITH ONLY every day. What you’re
BODY-WEIGHT RESISTANCE probably not doing is
using your body’s
weight for a workout.
However, you could, and
maybe you should. With
a minimum amount of
stationary equipment—
chinning bar, dipping
bars—or no equipment
at all, you can train
your entire physique,
so, when you can’t get
to a gym, you have
no excuse for not
squeezing in a workout.

NO WEIGHTING
You’re a member of a
gym chock-full of
dumbbells and barbells
and all manner of
machines, so why
would you want to train
without all those tools?
Maybe you’re travelling,
stuck in a hotel room or
a campsite. Maybe
you’re too busy to get to
the gym for a few days.
Or maybe you just want
to try something

BODY-WEIGHT
TRAINING BASICS
Body-weight workouts
can be done almost
anywhere.
The easiest way to use
virtually all your body
weight as resistance is
to pull or push while
suspended, as with a
pullup or dip.
Because choices are
limited, you may need
to focus on a single
exercise for eight or
more sets.
PER BERNAL

Change hand or foot

placements.

54 FLEX | SEPTEMBER 2017

 BY GREG MERRITT

different to free than 15 reps on your

yourself from the rut own, use a chain or
of those same old helping hands to add
metallic moves. And you BODY-WEIGHT CHEST/BACK ROUTINE resistance. The other
don’t have to do a full EXERCISE SETS REPS key back exercise is the
workout sans weights. Dip 4 8–15 inverted row. This is
There are likely several Wide-grip Pullup 4 8–15
essentially a pullup
flesh-resistance with your heels on the
exercises that you can Decline Pushup 4 8-15 floor and body held flat.
incorporate into your Close-grip Pullup 4 8–15 Set a Smith machine
current routine. Incline Pushup 4 8-15 bar or a barbell in a
power rack at slightly
Inverted Row 4 8–15
CHEST Dips focus on higher than arm’s length
your lower pecs. Lean when you’re lying on the
into each rep to work floor, and pull yourself
your chest more and up as if rowing upside
triceps less. There’s torso elevated, the how strong you are in down.
also the grade-school tension is greater on the the pullup. Pullups can
favourite: the pushup. lower pecs. Place your be performed with a SHOULDERS You can
Done in the standard hands closer together variety of grips (wide, approximate a shoulder
style, it’s the equivalent and you’ll work the inner moderate, close, press with your body
of an upside-down pecs (and triceps) more. overhand, underhand). weight. The handstand
bench press. But there If you can’t get eight pushup is done next to
are several variations. BACK Like chest, this reps on your own, use a wall, facing away, with
PAVEL Y THJALL

With your legs elevated, is another easy body a band under your legs your heels against the
pushups focus more part to hit without or helping hands to wall. Press yourself up
on the upper pecs. weights, though to some remove some stress. and down. Your head
Conversely, with your degree that depends on If you can get more will limit your range of

MROLYMPIA.COM 55
LIFT TRAINING STYLES
motion. If you’re not
strong enough to knock
out 10 handstand
pushups, do pike
pushups. Again, your
torso will be upside
down, but your toes will
be supported on a
bench or chair so your
legs are approximately
parallel to the floor and
your body forms an
inverted L. There’s also
the pushback pushup.
Each rep starts and
ends like a traditional
pushup, but you
push yourself back,
straightening your arms
and bending your
knees. Pushbacks have
the advantage of a
longer range of motion
than handstands or
pikes. Each of these will
target your front delts,
as do, to a lesser
degree, conventional
dips and pushups.
Rear delts will get some
work with pullups and
inverted rows. Medial
delts get a rest.
BODY-WEIGHT
TRAINING
BICEPS Go underhand TIP SHEET
on pullups or inverted
rows (and set the bar When you can
higher so you’re more do 15 reps of a
upright), and you’ll work body-weight
the biceps more and exercise,
your back less. increase
difficulty by
TRICEPS Stay upright reducing rest.
on your dips and do Boost intensity
your pushups with by doing
narrow hand placement, supersets,
and you’ll focus more on trisets, or
your triceps and less on giant sets.
your pecs. You can also simultaneously but go and not holding anything A training
do bench dips with your glutes-to-ankles on to steady yourself. Rise partner can
hands slightly behind each of many, many up very slowly, squeeze add or reduce
you and your legs reps. You should be hard, and hold each resistance.
straight out in front able to crank out at contraction. You can For example,
of you. least 30 reps. Wall also do weightless calf he can hold
squats and walking raises unilateral, raising you down or
THIGHS Don’t think you lunges are two more and lowering yourself lift you up
can escape squatting. exercises that can be with only one calf at during pullups.
You can do squats with effective without a time. Leg exercises
one leg at a time. (The weights. usually require
nonworking leg is bent ABDOMINALS Many high reps and
PAVEL Y THJALL

with that foot behind CALVES Make the ab exercises—leg raises, maximum
you and against a standing calf raise planks, crunches—can ranges of
bench.) You can also harder. Try going be very productive with motion.
work both legs barefoot on a flat floor only body weight.

56 FLEX | SEPTEMBER 2017

 BY BRYAN HAYCOCK, PH.D.
EXTEND
YOURSELF
THIS ISOLATION MOVE CAN HELP
YOU BE A QUADROSAURUS.
BODYBUILDING WAS
INTRODUCED to truly massive
quads by Tom Platz. Since Platz’s
day, the expectations for leg
development are truly on another
level. Skipping leg day is not an
option. There are many good
options for hitting the quads, but
the one that isolates them to the
greatest extent is leg extension.
It’s also the exercise that allows
full activation of the rectus
femoris. When performing leg
extensions, be sure to position
PER BERNAL
yourself in the seat so that your
knee lines up with the axis of the
hinge of the lever arm. More
important than worrying about
pointing your toes in or out is
focusing on contracting the
quads and using a consistent
tempo of one second up and one
to two seconds down. Don’t
“kick” the weight up. Focus on
the muscle, not on the weight.
ALTERNATIVES
Leg press with narrow stance,
split squat with emphasis on
back leg.
WHEN TO ISOLATE
THE QUADS
If your quads are a weak body
CROSSHAIRS LIFT
QUADZILLA
QUAD WORKOUT
EXERCISE SETS REPS
Squat 3 12–15
Split Squat 3 12–15
Leg Extension
Machine 3 10-15
part, train them first. Do your
heavy compound movements
such as squats or leg presses
first, then move to leg extensions.
FORM AND FUNCTION
The quadriceps are made up of
four muscles, the rectus femoris,
vastus lateralis, vastus medialis,
and the vastus intermedius. The
origin of the rectus femoris is on
the ilium. The origin of the vastus
muscles is along the body of the
femur from the trochanter to the
condyles. The insertion for all four
muscles is on the tibial tuberosity
by way of the patellar tendon. The
quadriceps serve to extend the
knee, with the rectus femoris also
assisting in flexing the hip.
MROLYMPIA.COM 57
 LIFT LAB TO GYM BY BRYAN HAYCOCK, PH.D.

STRATEGIC
DECONDITIONING
HOW TO KEEP
MUSCLE
duration of elevated weeks) as part of my showing the effects of
GAINS GOING muscle protein Hypertrophy-Specific training, followed by
synthesis post-workout Training (HST) method. deconditioning, and then
slows to a crawl in At the time, a lot of retraining once again.
experienced lifters. people dismissed it They chose a two-week
Back in 2000, in an because there was period of deconditioning,
HYPOTHESIS effort to overcome this no actual research to as this was shorter than
Increases in muscle effect, I suggested support such a practice. previous studies had
mass and strength are something called Today, some 17 years used. They also chose to
easy to come by when strategic deconditioning. later, the research give half of the subjects
one first begins training, It was a specified time validating strategic a whey protein supple-
but after several of no training designed deconditioning is ment after training only
months, the gains begin to resensitize the muscle starting to emerge. on training days. Partic-
to slow significantly. tissue to the training ipants trained four days
This is well known stimulus. This was not RESEARCH per week for four
both anecdotally the same as taking a A recent study weeks, then decon-
and in research, as it is “break” from training to conducted at Baylor ditioned for two weeks,
sometimes referred to rest. It was done on a University in Texas then retrained for four
as the “repeated bout specific schedule (i.e., sought to build on more weeks (four on,
effect.” The rate and every six weeks for two previous research two off, four on).

FINDINGS
Two weeks of
deconditioning (i.e., no
training) did cause a loss
of strength or muscle
mass in resistance-
trained subjects. The
impact of taking whey
protein post-workout
improved strength and
mass gains, but these
gains did not reach
statistical significance in
this short study. The
authors attribute this to
insufficient protein intake
and too few calories.

CONCLUSION
In trained individuals,
two weeks of
deconditioning does
not result in a loss of
strength or muscle mass.

APPLICATION
Plan your training so
that every six weeks
PAVEL Y THJALL

you take two weeks to

strategically decondition
and then begin your
training again.

58 FLEX | SEPTEMBER 2017

 BY BRYAN HAYCOCK, PH.Dc ON TRIAL LIFT

I WAS A TEENAGE
BODYBUILDER HOW YOUNG IS TOO
YOUNG TO START
HITTING THE WEIGHTS?

OPENING ARGUMENTS
Defence: During puberty, the
bones are growing rapidly.
Growth occurs in the long bones
in regions at the ends of the bone
called the epiphyseal growth
plate. The area of bone just
beneath the growth plate is not
solid bone and is susceptible to
damage. Weightlifting could
damage the growth plate and
result in stunting of bone growth.
For this reason, kids should not
begin weightlifting until after
puberty, when their bones are no
longer growing.
Prosecution: There is no
evidence that weightlifting with
proper supervision is unsafe
for kids.

EVIDENCE
Activities such as football,
skateboarding, and just about
any other youth sport result in
far more injuries to young bones
than weightlifting.
An analysis published in the
Journal of Strength and
Conditioning Research of
resistance-training injuries that
resulted in visits to U.S.
emergency rooms demonstrated
that children have lower risk of
resistance-training-related
SENTENCING injuries than adults.
A study conducted at the
I received my first weight set when I was 8 years old. It University of Pennsylvania in
was one of those DP sets that had plastic weights filled with Philadelphia concluded that
cement. I began then and have continued training for the strength training is safe for
past 40 years. True to the literature, I did not really begin to kids is consistent with data from
experience injuries until I was in my 20s and pushing heavier the medical literature.
weight. If you have a son, little brother, or other young family
BILL COMSTOCK

member who wants to start training, the evidence says its VERDICT
OK as long as they are taught proper lifting techniques and Weightlifting appears to be
are supervised in order to avoid horseplay. safe for children with proper
supervision.

MROLYMPIA.COM 59
LIFT NEIL “YODA” HILL BY NEIL HILL

back, it’s essential for

added thickness that
you achieve overload in
every rep range. This
is why Y3T focuses on
targeting every muscle-
fibre population and
forcing overload to take
place. Many people find
their back responds
particularly well to
moderate- and high-rep
ranges, as well as the
more standard lower-
rep ranges. Becom-
ing stronger will add
thickness, but doing so
in multiple rep ranges
will, in my experience,
compound this effect
several times over.

BIOMECHANICAL
LEVERAGE
Adjusting your posture,
grip, and the positioning
of your “levers” (arms)
will have a direct impact
on the overall muscle
recruitment within your
back and, therefore, the

3-D
level of density you’re
able to build. In terms of
adding thickness to
your back, focus on

BACK
these two things:
1. When doing unilateral
rows, keep your arms
pinned to your sides,
driving your elbows
backward and contracting
HOW TO THICKEN YOUR BACK TO in order to stimulate all your scapulas together.
GET THAT BODYBUILDER LOOK. of these different fibres. 2. When doing pulldowns,
In doing this, you can make sure your back is
create more thickness arched in order to
and “knotty” muscle, maximize recruitment all
which gives that 3-D the way through your
back, again with your
THE PHRASE thickness, which I’ll look from every angle.
scapulas pushed together.
“DEVELOPING BACK explain in detail. Then This is why I will
THICKNESS” refers I’m going to give you a include overhead pulling It’s also very crucial
to the act of adding Y3T back workout angles, bentover pulling that you keep your head
knots of dense muscle specifically designed angles, and variations looking straight ahead or
throughout the rear of to focus on these areas. between the two. even in a position where
your torso. Sometimes Sometimes using the you’re looking upward.
a back that appears VARIED ANGLES same exercise with a
wide lacks the depth Within the back area slightly different gradient REP CONTROL
that ultimately gives it a you have several can help attack a totally Taking control of rep
3-D illusion. To develop muscle groups work- new area of your back. tempo is essential
an overpowering back, ing together, which because ultimately this
you need thickness in means there are many MULTIFACETED is how you maximize the
OVERLOAD
PER BERNAL

abundance, and I’ll tell muscle fibres running in stress and load within
you how to do that. different directions. As Since there are many the back muscles. No
There are four key a result, you need to different fibre types matter how much
points to building back work each specific area running through the weight you’re lifting, if

60 FLEX | SEPTEMBER 2017

 the rep tempo isn’t bentover rows, etc.
sufficiently causing your
back to work hard
This will help protect
your lower back. Keep
SAMPLE 8-WEEK
enough, you are not to a full range of motion, Y3T BACK PROGRAMME
going to see that and incorporate rest- Over the eight-week period, do the following
thickness develop. pause on each working workouts in this order:
Tempo will change set to maximize failure. 1. Week 1 3. Week 2 5. Week 1 7. Week 2
depending on the Maximizing stress 2. Week 1 4. Week 3 6. Week 1 8. Week 3
exercise and rep range and load in the area you
within the Y3T training are targeting is key for
cycle. However, to optimum results and
activate muscle fibres progress. Make sure
optimally, you should you’re keeping your
combine explosive back under tension
SAMPLE 8-WEEK Y3T BACK PROGRAMME
concentrics with slow- throughout the positive
controlled eccentrics. phase of each rep. EXERCISE SETS REPS
On top of this, you Contraction is king and Y3T WEEK 1
should incorporate key to forcing growth
isometric holds in order to take place in your T-bar Row 4 Warm up
to maximize muscle- targeted area. T-bar Row 3 8-12
fibre recruitment. Make sure you’re Lying Back Medium
By doing this, you always in control of the Close-grip Pulldown 3 8-12
will optimize muscle- negative phase of the
Medium-grip Low-pulley
fibre recruitment, and movement, controlling Cable Row 3 8-12
as a result your back the weight in this phase
muscles will appear and increasing greater Single-arm Dumbbell Row 3 8-12
thicker and more stress and load to the Barbell Rack Pull 2 8-12
developed over time. muscle group/area of
NOTES: Keep eccentric to three to four seconds. One-second
the back you’re targeting.
static hold at peak contraction position. Rest period between
APPLYING Y3T FOR This will enhance your working sets 90 seconds.
BACK THICKNESS back’s overall thickness
The workouts below, as and development.
Y3T WEEK 2
designed, are really Use lifting wraps
going to target maximum and straps, as well as Medium-grip
back thickness. That a belt to protect your Lat Pulldown 4 Warm up
being said, you must lower back on exercises Medium-grip
keep your core tight on that put you in a Lat Pulldown 3 14-18
exercises like deadlifts, vulnerable position. Seated Hammer Row 4 12–18
Lying Incline Dumbbell
Hyper Row 3 14-18
Medium-grip Bentover
Barbell Row 4 14-18

NOTES: Keep eccentric to three seconds. One-second static

hold at peak contraction position. Rest period between
working sets, 90 seconds.

Y3T WEEK 3
High-lever 4 Warm up
Hammer Row
High-lever 2 15-20
Hammer Row (dropsets) on each drop
Bentover 2 15-20
Dumbbell Row (dropsets) on each drop
Medium-grip Lying 2 15-20
Back Pulldown (dropsets) on each drop
Barbell Deadlift 2 15-20
(dropsets) on each drop

NOTES: Keep eccentric to two seconds. Rest period between

CHRIS LUND

working sets two minutes.

MROLYMPIA.COM 61
 FOOD & SUPPS
NUTRITION TIPS TO FUEL TRAINING AND GROWTH

Cherries
aren’t just for
topping your
sundae—
this anti-
inflammatory
can soothe
muscle pain
and improve
health.
GET T Y IMAGES

62 FLEX | SEPTEMBER 2017

 1 FOOD, 5 WAYS FOOD & SUPPS

CHIA SEEDS
FIVE SIMPLE AND
DELICIOUS WAYS
TO ADD THIS
1 ADD THEM
TO YOGURT 3 MAKE THEM
INTO A PUDDING
Sprinkle 2 tsp chia seeds Whisk together 1 tbsp chia
LONG-LASTING into 245 g plain
into l i nonfat
f Greek
G k seeds
d and d 180 mll apple
l or
ENERGY SOURCE TO yogurt with pineapple. They’re other fruit juice. Let stand 20
YOUR DIET, COURTESY best when fresh, so seeds minutes and enjoy. Add fruit
OF CULINARY are still crunchy. Sprinkle with for more flavour.
NUTRITIONIST JACKIE coconut chips for extra tropical
NEWGENT, R.D.N. flavour and crunch.
4 TOSS THEM
INTO A STIR-FRY

2 MIX THEM
INTO A SALAD
Add 2 tsp chia seeds to a
chicken- or beef-and-broccoli
Sprinkle 2 tsp chia seeds into stir-fry. Serve over cooked rice
practically any salad, such as a mixed with 1 tsp chia seeds.
tuna- or a salmon-topped leafy
mixed-greens salad.

5 ADD THEM
TO AN OMELETTE
Whisk together 1 tbsp chia seeds
and 3 tbsp water and let stand
20 minutes. Whisk mixture with
2 eggs and prepare omelette.
Stuff with fresh spinach, tomato,
and goat cheese.

Chia seeds are

also available milled,
making them a great
flour substitute
when baking.

ABOUT THE COOK

Jackie Newgent is a registered
dietitian, nutritionist, and
award-winning cookbook author.
FOOD & SUPPS ASK THE DIETITIAN
CHERRY ON TOP
TART CHERRIES ARE NOT JUST
FOR TOPPING YOUR SUNDAE—THIS
POWERFUL ANTI-INFLAMMATORY
CAN SOOTHE MUSCLE PAIN AND
IMPROVE HEALTH
I’VE HEARD MORE
AND MORE ABOUT
TART CHERRIES
LATELY. WHAT
ARE THEY GOOD
FOR AND CAN
THEY HELP ME IN
THE GYM?
Tart cherriess are
phytochemical-rich
cal-rich fruit
that are highh in
anthocyanins, s, which
have been shown
hown to
have a beneficial
ficial effect
in health, inflammatory-
flammatory-
related diseases
ases
(diabetes and d gout), and
sleep quality.. This
high-phytochemical
hemical
content is also
so incredibly
useful for reducing
ducing
post-workout ut
inflammation, n, which in
turn reduces s muscle
pain and improves
proves
recovery.
A recent study
by Texas researchers
searchers
showed thatt 23
resistant-trained
ained
males had marked
improvements ts in
delayed-onset et muscle
soreness (DOMS)
OMS)
and reductions
ons in blood
markers of muscle
protein breakdown
kdown after
taking 480mg g of freeze-
dried Montmorency
morency tart
Cassandra Forsythe, Ph.D., R.D., C.S.C.S., is an cherry skin powder.
assistant professor in the physical education and Subjects supplemented
pplemented
exercise science department at Central with the cherry powder
Connecticut State University. for one week before
a strength challenge—
64 FLEX | SEPTEMBER 2017
BY CASSANDRA FORSYTHE, PH.D.
10 sets of 10 reps of
back squats at 70% of
1RM—and two days
following. The
researchers also
ensured that the men
maintained their habitual
dietary intake during
the study along with
their normal high
amount of dietary
protein. Overall, the
study showed that at
least 480mg of tart
cherry powder taken
daily for a week can
reduce post-workout
muscle soreness and
muscle protein
breakdown.
Compared with
other functional foods,
the high anthocyanin
content of both tart
(Montmorency cherries)
and sweet (Bing
cherries) have also
proven beneficial in
reducing the risk of
inflammatory-related
diseases like
cardiovascular disease,
diabetes, osteoarthritis,
and gout, along with
improving sleep quality.
Success in the clinical
setting with cherries—
particularly tart
cherry whole fruit,
concentrates, and juice
blends—has spurred
an increase in exercise-
based research to
prove beneficial effects
in mitigating muscle
damage, oxidative
ANDREW SMALL /EYEEM/GET T Y
stress, inflammation,
and muscle pain with an
incentive to increase
performance, so don’t
be afraid to try some out
for yourself and
see if tart cherries
improve your workouts
and recovery.
 MEAL OF THE MONTH FOOD & SUPPS

SERVES 1

LEMON CHICKEN
QUICK TIP
Lemon juice can
help you better
WITH ROCKET CHICKEN IS A
digest a meal by
stimulating
CORNERSTONE OF ANY
stomach acids. DIET—WHETHER IT’S
FLAVOURLESS OR A
FEAST DEPENDS ON
HOW YOU DRESS IT UP.
LEMON AND A LITTLE
OIL ADD BIG TASTE
WITHOUT A TON OF
CALORIES, AND IT’S
LOW IN CARBS.

INGREDIENTS
2 tbsp olive oil
225 g skinless chicken breast,
cut into thin strips
Salt and pepper to taste
1 lemon, juiced
40 g rocket, uncooked

DIRECTIONS

1. Place a saucepan over

medium heat and add 1 tbsp
oil. Add chicken.
2. Season chicken with
salt and pepper and drizzle
lemon juice over it.
3. In another pan, heat
the remaining oil over
medium heat and add the
rocket. Season.
4. Cook chicken until it is
white, and cook rocket until
soft. Plate and serve.

692 3g
CALORIES CARBS

67g 46g
PROTEIN FAT

MYOLYMPIA.COM 65
FOOD & SUPPS MEATLESS MEALS BY CHRISTOPHER
MOHR, PH.D., R.D.

RING THE GO ALL OUT

BELL
Even a few seconds
of high-intensity
intervals can boost
your fat burn and
change your body for
the better!

START YOUR
MORNING WITH
A VEGETARIAN
BREAKFAST
THAT PACKS
PROTEIN AND
VITAMIN C.

Egg
Frittata
Fritta
with
Peppers
Pepp
SERVES 1

INGREDIENTS
2 tsp olive
ol oil
½ red p
pepper,
cut into
in thin strips
½ yellow pepper,
cut into
in thin strips
¼ small onion,
cut into
in thin strips

479
3 eggs
1 tbsp feta
f cheese
1 slice sprouted-grain
bread
1 tbsp peanut
p butter CALORIES

DIRECTIONS
1. Heat olive
o oil in a
medium skillet over
28g
medium heat. Add
peppers and onion PROTEIN
and cook
coo until tender,
about 3 minutes, stirring
occasionally.
occasio
2. Crack eggs into a
32g
bowl an
and whisk until well
blended. Add to skillet.
blended CARBS
3. Top w
with feta cheese.

28g
Cover and
a cook until
eggs are no longer
runny, about
a 3 minutes.
4. Toast bread; top with
FAT
peanut butter.
b

66 FLEX | SEPTEMBER 2017

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FMYOLYMPIA.COM 67
 POWER-
BUILDING
COMBINE THE BEST
OF POWERLIFTING
AND BODYBUILDING
SCIENCE TO BUILD
DENSE MUSCLE AND
FREAK STRENGTH
IN SIX WEEKS
BY DON SALADINO
PHOTOGRAPHS BY JASON ELLIS

68 M U S C L E & F I T N E S S M AY 2 0 1 5
68 FLEX | SEPTEMBER 2017
MROLYMPIA.COM 69
 W
When you’ve been in the
iron game awhile, you
begin to ask yourself some
tough questions: How do
I maximize size without
sacrificing strength? How
do I get stronger without
getting injured? In short,
how can a lifter have it
all—muscle, power, and
pain-free joints—to enjoy the
benefits? The answer is a
combination of powerlifting
and bodybuilding
programming, colloquially
known as powerbuilding,
blended in the formula we
offer here. See results in
six weeks! Seriously.
THE DYNAMIC DUO
Our programme is a mix of the
Westside Barbell powerlifting
template and old-school high-
volume bodybuilding. The
Westside Conjugate Method,
as it’s known, is a system that
alternates heavy workouts and
lighter ones. The heavy days
are called max-effort sessions
because you work up to a max,
the heaviest weight you can
use for reps in the one to five
range. The lighter days can
be done in two different ways.
Most lifters who powerbuild
along the lines of a Westside
programme do the lighter
workouts exclusively with higher
reps and go for the pump, and
that works fine to build muscle.
Our routine includes plenty of
pump work, but we’re also making
use of the dynamic effort method
(DE)—a technique whereby you lift
light weights explosively. Even
though the weight may not feel
challenging, moving it as quickly
(and as violently) as you can
70 FLEX | SEPTEMBER 2017
trains your nervous system to
recruit the biggest, strongest
muscle fibres, and it helps you
overcome sticking points. If
your bench press usually stalls
midway through a rep with a
heavy weight, DE can help you
develop the speed off your chest
to blast through.
LIFTING FOR LIFE
Of course, building muscle and
setting PRs isn’t much fun if it
wrecks your body in the process.
Heavy training is hard on the
joints, but by rotating your main
lifts and generally changing up
the workouts on a weekly basis,
you can avoid the overuse and
overtraining injuries that plague
so many lifters. The main lift in
each max-effort workout should
be switched every week. In fact,
you can switch out practically
every exercise in the programme
week to week if you like—just
follow the basic template we set
up here. (It includes two weeks of
sample workouts.)
On the first max-effort day, for
instance, when you’ll train your
chest and biceps, stick to three
to four chest exercises and three
biceps lifts per session; the exact
exercises you pick are up to
you. The main lift can be a bench
press one week, an incline press
the next, then a floor press
after that if you like. Feel free to
experiment and find exercises
that work best for you and keep
the workouts fun.
Directions
THE SCHEDULE
You’ll perform two triceps. Note that it Day 3 in each
max-effort and will take two weeks training week is
two dynamic-effort to work each body for cardio and
workouts per week, part wit
with both the recovery. It will
rotating through a max- anand dynamic- help improve your
body-part split of effort mmethods; performance in
chest and biceps, follow tthe template the workouts as
back, legs, and for how they fit well as protect
shoulders and together.
togethe against injury.
 BACK EXTENSION
Be sure to hinge at the
hips when you perform
each rep. Your lower
back shouldn’t round
over on the descent.
Always squeeze your
glutes as you extend
your hips to come up.

SHOT ON LOCATION AT METROFLEX GYM, LONG BEACH, CA

 WEEK

MACHINE FLYE
Don’t let your arms
extend behind you.
Protect your shoulders.

PULLOVER
Lower the weight
until you feel a stretch
in your lats, then pull it
back over your face,
not your chest.

72 FLEX | SEPTEMBER 2017

DAY 1
CHEST,
BICEPS
(MAX EFFORT)
EXERCISE SETS REPS
Bench Press As Work
(any variation) many up to
as 3–5RM
needed
Dumbbell 4 8
Bench Press
Machine Flye 5 12–15
Seated 4 8
Dumbbell Curl
Hammer Curl 2 10
Barbell Curl 4 10–12

DAY 2
BACK
(DYNAMIC EFFORT)
EXERCISE SETS REPS
Pullup 8 3*
Chest-
supported 4 10–15
Row
Reverse-
grip Pulldown 4 10
One-arm
Dumbbell 3–4 10
Row
Pullover 3 15–20

Strength

MAX-EFFORT
TRAINING
Max-effort workouts focus on
improving one main lift. To do that,
you need to train heavy. Warm up
thoroughly, then choose a variant
of whatever the main exercise is
(some type of squat, bench press,
deadlift, or overhead press) and
begin working up in weight slowly. REVERSE-GRIP
Add weight in small increments and PULLDOWN
keep your reps to five or fewer until Pull the bar down to your
you reach a load that allows you collarbone. The palms-
only three to five reps. When you’ve toward-you grip hits the
maxed out those reps, move on to biceps more directly than
the next exercise. conventional pulldowns.

MROLYMPIA.COM 73
 WEEK

1
DAY 3
CARDIO
Use the exercise of your choice
to raise your heart rate to a moderate
level (120 to 140 beats per minute)
and keep it there for 30 to 60 minutes.
Afterward, foam-roll and stretch.

DAY 4
LEGS
(MAX EFFORT)
EXERCISE SETS REPS
Squat (any As Work up to
variation) many as 1–5RM
needed
Unilateral
Leg Press 3–4 10–12
Goblet Squat 2 11–12
Leg Extension 3 8
Glute-ham 4 As many
Raise, Back as possible
Extension,
or RDL**
RDL
Leg Curl 3 15

DAY 5
SHOULDERS,
TRICEPS
(DYNAMIC EFFORT)
EXERCISE SETS REPS
DIP Seated 8 3*
Try to get your Overhead
upper arms Press (any
parallel to the variation)
floor on each rep. Seated 4 10–12
You can lean Dumbbell
forward to Lateral Raise
emphasize the
pecs, or try Machine 4 11–12
to stay perfectly Rear-delt
upright to Flye
emphasize the Close-grip 4 6–8
triceps. Bench Press
Dip 4 10–12

74 FLEX | SEPTEMBER 2017

 GOBLET
SQUAT
Focus on sitting
back with your
hips and opening
your knees to
Speed achieve depth.

DYNAMIC-
EFFORT
TRAINING
The goal of dynamic-
effort work is to
move a weight as fast
as possible. (Note
that when doing DE
pullups on back
day, you’ll be lifting
your body weight.)
Aim for 60 to 70% of
your max on these
exercises and keep
the reps to three. If
that feels too heavy,
or if your latter few
sets get sluggish,
reduce the weight.
The point is to be as
explosive as possible
while maintaining
perfect form, so
don’t get eager to
add weight.

OVERHEAD
PRESS
Keep your
forearms
vertical as you
press. The bar
should be in
line with the
back of your
head in the
end position.

MROLYMPIA.COM 75
 WEEK

2
HAMMER
CURL
Keep your upper
arms at your
sides so your
elbows don’t
drift forward.
Your palms face
each other.

GROOMING BY FOUFOU MAKEUP

DAY 1 DAY 3
CHEST, CARDIO
BICEPS
Use the exercise of your choice to
raise your heart rate to a moderate
(DYNAMIC EFFORT) level (120 to 140 beats per minute)
and keep it there for 30 to 60 minutes.
EXERCISE SETS REPS Afterward, foam-roll and stretch.
Bench Press
(any 8 3*
variation)
Incline DAY 4
LEGS
Dumbbell 4 10
Press
As many (DYNAMIC EFFORT)
Pushup on
3 as
Handles EXERCISE SETS REPS
possible
Dumbbell Leg Press 10 3*
3 8
Flye Hack Squat 4 12
EZ-bar Curl 4 8 Bulgarian
3 15
Hammer Curl 2 10–12 Split Squat

Incline Seated Leg

3 15
Dumbbell 4 10–12 Curl
Curl Lying Leg
2–3 12–15
Curl
50–
Farmer’s 100
4
Walk me-
DAY 2 tres

BACK
(MAX EFFORT)
DAY 5
SHOULDERS,
EXERCISE
Deadlift (any
SETS
As
REPS
Work up
TRICEPS
(MAX EFFORT)
variation) many to 1–5RM
as EXERCISE SETS REPS
needed Overhead As Work
Lat Press (any many as up to
4 12 variation) needed 1–
Pulldown
5RM
T-bar One-
4 10 Cable 4 10–12
arm Row
Lateral Raise
One-arm
4 12–15 Face-pull 4 12–15
Pulldown
Straight-arm Skull Crusher 4 10–12
2 15
Pulldown Triceps
Pushdown 4 12–15

ABOUT *For pullups, simply perform reps as

explosively as possible on both the positive
THE and negative phases. On the unilateral leg
TRAINER press, choose a moderate weight that you
Don Saladino is can move explosively with one leg. (Perform
a trainer of three reps on one leg, switch legs and do
celebrities and three, then rest.) For the other exercises that
athletes. He are done with dynamic effort, choose a load
owns Drive495 in that is 60 to 70% of your one-rep max. Rest
New York City. 60 seconds between all dynamic-effort sets.
donsaladino.com **If you don’t have a glute-ham bench, try a
weighted back extension or a Romanian
deadlift for sets of 15.

MROLYMPIA.COM 77
 OLYMPIA
THE

WE RANK THE FIRST 52 BY GREG MERRITT

78 FLEX | SEPTEMBER 2017

 The Mr. Olympia is like sex
or, if you prefer, pizza. Even
at its worst, it’s good. But when
it’s great, minds get blown. As we
prepared for the 53rd Olympia,
we ranked every previous
Olympia from No. 52
to No. 1. Our judging emphasized
what enthralled fans then and
what’s still captivating today—
epic battles, raging controversies,
new champs, loaded lineups.
And here’s the thing: Our bottom
dozen still serve up Arnold
Schwarzenegger, Sergio Oliva,
Lee Haney, Ronnie Coleman,
and many more legends, just like
our top 10, because the quality
ranges from pretty damn
good to mind completely blown,
unforgettably awesome.

SYMBOL KEY
# AS Arnold
Schwarzenegger
Number of
Competitors CD Chris
Dickerson
DJ Dexter
Jackson
New Winner DY Dorian Yates
FC Franco
Columbu
FZ Frank Zane
Controversial
JC Jay Cutler
Decision
LH Lee Haney
LS Larry Scott
PH Phil Heath
Mr. O’s
Competing RC Ronnie
Coleman
SB Samir Bannout
SO Sergio Oliva

RANKINGS
Mr. O’s Winner

MROLYMPIA.COM 79
52 & 51 Dickerson (second) and a greatly
improved Tom Platz (third). 42
1968 1 SO & 1971 1 AS Interesting, like a train wreck.
2004 19 RC JC DJ

Good news: Sergio (’68) and
Arnold (’71) in their primes. Bad
news: no one else. Each legend
won unopposed.
47
1989 21 LH SB
Haney’s sixth in a row (yawn) and
another year in which the runner-
up couldn’t hang with his width
(yawn). This time, in Italy, it was
Lee vs. Lee: Haney vs. Labrada.
Ronnie at his biggest—nearly
three hundred—overshadowed
Cutler, just as Cutler
overshadowed everyone else.
Show was marred by a unique
format, the challenge round,
which allowed competitors to
pick poses for duels but mostly
fostered confusion.

46 41
1967 7 SO 1982 16 CD FZ SB

Sergio’s initial O victory lacked the A previous Mr. O, Zane was

drama of his seizing the crown second, and a future Mr. O,
from Scott. Also, Oliva wasn’t yet Bannout, was fourth, but
mythical. Harold Poole beat him undersized Dickerson’s London
on the first ballot. victory underwhelmed.

50 Rich Gaspari
and Lee Haney
duelled three
1976 7 FC FZ straight years
in the ’80s.
With Arnold retired, Franco finally
rose to the top. He beat Zane, but
the lineup was mass deficient.

49
1966 4 LS SO

Second rendition suffered

45 & 44 & 43 40
COURTESY OF WEIDER HEALTH & FITNESS

sophomore slump. Repeat of Scott (OPPOSITE PAGE,

vs. Harold Poole duel with same TOP LEFT )

result. Scott announced his

retirement onstage.
1986 15 LH & 1987 18 LH 1983 15 SB LH FZ
& 1988 20 LH SB Bannout nailed it in Munich

48 Three years in a row, in three

1981 17 FC CD SB
Franco returned at 40. Observers
claimed anyone else in the top five
should’ve beat him, including Chris
diverse locales, Haney bested
to secure his first (and next-to-
last) pro victory. But he was
another sub-90-kg champ, and
Rich Gaspari. Significantly
shorter and lighter, Gaspari there was a collective longing for
never endangered Haney’s more mass.
reign. The closest thing to drama:
Who would finish third?

80 FLEX | SEPTEMBER 2017

 In the late
1970s, classicist
Frank Zane won
Sandows with
shape and cuts.

39
1985 24 LH SO

Big lineup, but no one to challenge

Haney. Finishing second was
Albert Beckles. Sergio was eighth,
like the year before, but with
much less fanfare.

38
COURTESY OF WEIDER HEALTH & FITNESS (2); BILL COMSTOCK; CHRIS LUND (2). THIS PAGE: MICHAEL NEVEUX; CHRIS LUND

1973 3 AS FC
PREVIOUS SPREAD, CLOCK WISE FROM TOP LEFT: COURTESY OF WEIDER HEALTH & FITNESS; BILL COMSTOCK;

Only three competitors, but they

are legends: Arnold, Franco, and
Serge Nubret. Probably Arnold’s
best look.

37 & 36 & 35
1977 8 FZ & 1978 9 FZ
& 1979 15 FZ CD
These were the last three O’s with
two classes, so lightweight Victor
Zane—a paragon for today’s men’s
physique division—was pitted
against the heavyweight champs,
Robby Robinson in the first two
and Mike Mentzer in the third.
Those annual duels in Columbus,
Ohio, delivered drama, but the
lineups were otherwise shallow.

34 33 Kevin Levrone (second), Chris

2015 23 PH DJ
A relatively easy Heath victory—the
fifth in a row—memorable mostly
for the surprising absence of Kai
Greene. What it lacked in tension,
it made up for with a deep lineup.
2002 25 RC DJ
A year of missed opportunities.
After his shocking second in ’01,
Cutler sat this one out. He
probably would’ve won, because
smaller, smoother Coleman was
at his worst. But no one—including
Cormier (third), or Dexter Jackson
(fourth)—could overtake the
champ. The contest launched
Günter mania when Günter
Schlierkamp rocketed to fifth
and a thunderous standing
ovation, and perhaps should have
been first. (He beat Coleman
two weeks later.)

MROLYMPIA.COM 81
32
2005 21 RC JC
Can anyone dethrone Ronnie?
At 41, he was in decline but still
won his record-tying eighth O.
Some observers, including some
judges, thought Cutler deserved
the victory. The closer-than-
before contest and a deep lineup
would’ve ranked this O higher if
not for a repeat of the challenge
round, this time as an unwanted
sideshow. (Gustavo Badell won,
as voted by past O winners.)
31
1965 3 LS
You might think the initial Olympia
should rank higher, but historical
significance can get you only so
far when there are merely three
competitors, none named Arnold
or Sergio.
Larry Scott
strikes a
trademark pose
on his way to
winning the debut
Olympia.
82 FLEX | SEPTEMBER 2017
30
2009 23 JC DJ PH
All year long, after Jackson’s
victory in ’08, this was hyped
as a duel between him and
Heath. But Cutler roared back
to reclaim his crown with what
was arguably his best-ever
look. Branch Warren was a
surprise second, as Jackson
slipped to third, and Heath,
who was ill, dropped to fifth.
29
1990 14 LH SB
Drug-tested Olympia nearly
shook things up enough to
knock Haney from his throne.
Smaller but sharper Lee
Labrada led after prejudging
and may have deserved the
victory in Chicago over the
downsized champ.
28
2016 19 PH DJ
Heath got No. 6 over Shawn
Rhoden (second) and Jackson
(third). Oh, and fiftysomething
Levrone made a comeback.
Lacked first-callout suspense,
but possessed strongest top 10
since the early ’00s.
27
2010 20 JC PH DJ
Heath ascended to second
behind his mentor, Cutler, but
many felt he deserved first.
Set up 2011 rematch.
26 & 25
1999 16 RC DJ & 2000 13 RC DJ JC
Lineups stacked with ’90s
legends. Not much suspense
about the victor because Ronnie
was at his best ahead of Wheeler
(’99) and Levrone (’00), but these
were solid shows. First Olympias
staged in the entertainment
capital, Las Vegas, where the
O has resided ever since.
24
2003 16 RC JC DJ
This was supposed to be the
year ascendant Cutler (who sat
out ’02 after nearly winning in
’01) assumed the throne from
Coleman, who was beaten by
Schlierkamp just after the ’02 O.
Instead, Ronnie remade himself as
a 130-kg colossus to relegate
Cutler to second again. Ronnie’s
first appearance, so cartoonishly FROM LEFT: COURTESY OF WEIDER HEALTH & FITNESS;
huge that many in the audience
laughed with astonishment, is an
Olympia high point.
23
PAVEL Y THJALL; KEVIN HORTON
2007 24 JC DJ RC
A lot going on this time. Cutler’s
win sparked controversy because
runner-up Victor Martinez was
sharper. And many thought
stunning fifth-place finisher Dennis
Wolf should’ve come out on top.
Coleman’s last hurrah; his 15th
and final O.
22
1980 16 AS CD FZ SB
Most-debated Olympia of all time.
Making a surprise comeback,
Arnold was at his smallest, but, in
keeping with the preceding Zane
trifecta, he brought the cuts to
Australia. Was he still good enough
to win? Should the Sandow have
gone to Dickerson (second) or
defending champ Zane (third)?
And what of enigmatic Mike
Mentzer, who, after falling to fifth,
never competed again? Sometimes
you’ve just got to be there.
21
2008 19 DJ JC PH
Anything can happen in Vegas.
Having never finished higher than
third, 38-year-old journeyman
Jackson soared to a shocking
victory over two-time champ
Cutler. Just behind them, in his
Olympia debut, was Heath, as
Mr. O’s—present, past, and
future—filled out the top three.
20 & 19 & 18
1995 16 DY & 1996 14 DY RC
& 1997 13 DY RC
Yates, Coleman, Flex Wheeler,
Kevin Levrone, Shawn Ray,
Nasser El Sonbaty, Chris Cormier,
Vince Taylor—these three O’s in
three locales delivered a
cornucopia of bodybuilding
legends at or near their peak.
The last two even offered
a monstrous phenomenon in
Jean Pierre Fux. Yates peaked
in ’95, when Levrone was
second, and was not far off in
’96, when Ray was second,
but his body began breaking
down, fuelling a debate that
Three
Mr. O’s—Dexter
Jackson, Phil
Heath, and Jay
Cutler—in the top
three in ’08.
runner-up El Sonbaty
deserved the Sandow in ’97,
Yates’ last hurrah.
17
2011 24 PH JC DJ
Heath finally beat his mentor,
Cutler, and he did it while in
stupendous condition. Kai
Greene was third, setting up
future battles.
16
2001 21 RC JC DJ
Cutler nearly came from nowhere
(he was eighth out of 13 the year
before) to win bodybuilding’s
Super Bowl. He led comfortably
after prejudging, but Ronnie
barely overtook him at the finish
line, fuelling outrage and launching
a rivalry that raged for six years.
15
1993 22 DY
A new size paradigm was initiated
when Yates showed up in Atlanta
at a grainy 117 kg and blew away a
stacked lineup. In his Olympia
debut, a nearly flawless Flex
Wheeler soared to second.
14
1991 27 LH DY SB
The passing of the torch. Haney,
at his biggest, secured his record
eighth Sandow in Orlando by
fending off O rookie Yates, who
never lost again. In addition to
three Mr. O’s onstage, Coleman
was working backstage just to
be at this monumental event, and
the biggest-ever lineup included
five legends who finished second
in Olympias without winning: Lee
Labrada, Shawn Ray, Rich
Gaspari, Robby Robinson, and
Albert Beckles.
MROLYMPIA.COM 83
 Oliva and the other is Arnold
Schwarzenegger. They duelled in
Lee Haney
reacts in 1984 three epic Olympias. These were
to winning his the first two. The 1969 contest
first of eight was close, as a greatly improved
Olympias. Arnold nearly erased the Myth.
The next year, when Sergio was
smooth, Arnold, at only age 23,
launched his six-year dynasty.

4
1994 23 DY RC SB
Because the lineups were so
stacked in the ’90s, almost any of
Yates’ sextet of wins could have
made our top five. Even though
Flex Wheeler, the previous year’s
runner-up, was absent, we went
with ’94 because this Atlanta show
served up a three-way race. Yates
was off, while Shawn Ray (second)
was at his all-time best, and Kevin
Levrone (third) wasn’t far from
his, spawning an enduring debate
about which of the divergent body
types deserved the Sandow.

three, many fans favoured Greene.

13 & 12 The rivalry presented a stark
contrast in body types and
1974 5 AS FC FZ & 1975 8 AS FC FZ personalities and became so
The end of the first golden era. contentious that even the preshow
Arnold easily won his final two O’s press conferences were must-see,
(before his ’80 comeback). Both and in the final contest, the two
years he defeated heavyweights nearly threw fists. The 2013 O is

Serge Nubret and Lou Ferrigno and
then lightweight victor Franco
Columbu. The 1975 contest, held in
South Africa, was chronicled in
Pumping Iron.
FROM LEFT: ZELLER/© FITNESS PUBLICATIONS INC./COURTESY OF WEIDER HEALTH & FITNESS;
also notable for the return of Cutler
(sixth) and the debut of gargantuan
Mamdouh Elssbiay.
7

KEVIN HORTON; COURTESY OF WEIDER HEALTH & FITNESS; CHRIS LUND

1984 20
11
LH SB SO CD
Here comes the Haney dynasty.
1992 22 DY SB RC The 24-year-old champ was at his

A new dynasty began in Helsinki as
Yates won his first O over superb
rookie Kevin Levrone. Another
neophyte, Ronnie Coleman, quietly
missed the top 15. Returning after a
17-year absence, Lou Ferrigno
finished 12th.
10 & 9 & 8
crisp best this year as he romped
to an easy victory over 73-kg
Mohamed Makkawy (second) and
defending champ Samir Bannout
(sixth) in front of a raucous New
York City audience. Making his
highly anticipated Olympia return
after 12 years away was 43-year-
old Sergio Oliva (eighth).
3
2006 22 JC RC DJ
It finally happened, bodybuilding’s
earthquake. No defending champ
had lost since 1984. But this year in
Vegas, eight-time victor Ronnie
Coleman was bested by the man
who had nearly done so in 2001 but

2012 19 PH DJ & 2013 20 PH DJ JC 6&5 had instead finished second to him

& 2014 19 PH DJ
Phil vs. Kai years. Though Heath
won with straight firsts in all
in four frustrating O’s. When Jay
Cutler was announced the winner,
1969 2 SO AS & 1970 3 AS SO
the entire Orleans Arena audience
Sometimes you need only two leaped to its feet with a deafening
competitors—if one is Sergio roar. Unforgettable.

84 FLEX | SEPTEMBER 2017

2
1998 18 RC
The most anticipated Olympia in
history exceeded expectations.
Staged in New York City, where it
all began, this was the first Mr. O
since 1977 to have no defending or
previous champ in the lineup (that
hasn’t occurred since), and after
eight years of Haney, then six of
Yates, bodybuilding was starved
for a new king. The four legends
who had finished second to Yates—
Flex Wheeler, Nasser El Sonbaty,
Kevin Levrone, Shawn Ray—filled
out the best-ever top five. But it
was another soon-to-be legend
who stunned even himself by
edging past Wheeler. Though he
had never previously made an
O top five, Ronnie Coleman, in the
shape of his life, rocketed to first.
1
1972 6 AS SO FZ FC
This contest, staged in Essen,
Germany, played like a
Shakespearean drama. You had
the current king, Arnold, battling
the returning, vanquished king,
Sergio. Also on the battlefield
were two future potentates,
Columbu and Zane, and a prince
from another dominion, Serge
Nubret. Arnold kept the throne,
but many contended—and
many still contend—that Sergio
bested him that day in the
most memorable bodybuilding
contest of all time.
Sergio and
Arnold battle in
1972, and fans
still debate the
result.
MROLYMPIA.COM 85
 1 MOVE

WAYS SQUATS
NOT INTO DOING
BARBELL BACK
SQUATS? NO
PROBLEM. DO
ONE OF THESE
SIX SQUATTING
VARIATIONS
INSTEAD TO
MAKE UP FOR IT.
BY JOE WUEBBEN
 1
ONE-LEGGED
NE-LEGGED SMITH MACHINE SQUAT
Defining Difference Training each leg hip-width apart. Lift one foot a few centimetres
individually
vidually is great for working on imbalances off the floor and hold it out in front of you, then
fromm side to side. Standard two-leg squats rotate the bar to unrack it. Keeping your eyes
are great, but they typically don’t allow you to focused forward, chest out, and back flat,
accurately
urately assess just how weak one leg is slowly squat on your working leg until your thigh
compared
pared with the other. With the Smith machine, reaches parallel with the floor. Press through
you’re
re able to load up the weight because balance that heel to drive yourself back to standing (still
isn’t much of an issue, at least not compared on one leg), stopping just shy of full knee lockout.
with free-weight versions of one-legged squats Repeat all reps on that leg, then switch legs.
KEVIN HORTON

like pistol squats and Bulgarian split squats.

When to Do It As your first squat movement
Execution Stand inside a Smith machine with in a leg workout (alternated with front squat and
the bar across your upper back and your feet safety bar squat).

MROLYMPIA.COM 87
T
Th
There’s noo such thing as a good excuse
not to squat.
no at.
Yeah, we said it. Bad knees, bum
low back,
lower ck, lack of equipment—these
excuses for
exc or not squatting won’t cut it,
es
especially y when you consider all the
gre variations
great ations that exist for the “king
of exercises.”
ses.”
You don’tn’t want to put a barbell on
your back and squat with it? OK, then
don’t. But you must do some version of
the movement to build lower-body
strength; add appreciable muscle mass
to the quads, glutes, and hamstrings;
optimize core stabilization and function;
maintain adequate range of motion in
the hips, knees, and ankles; and ensure
a respectable level of overall fitness.
Squat until your thighs reach at
least parallel with the floor, then
properly use the biggest muscles in
your body to stand back up. Repeat
this many times over and you’re
officially squatting, just as nature
intended. How you choose to squat is
up to you. On these pages, you’ll find
six great variations, plus a sample
leg-training routine showing you
how to incorporate them. Start with
one or more of these and leave the
excuses behind.

SQUAT-CENTRIC
LEG WORKOUT
EXERCISE SETS REPS
Quads/Glutes/Hamstrings
Leg Extension 2–3 15
(warmup)
Front Squat* 4 8
Dumbbell Lunge 3 10–12 per leg
Hack Squat** 3 15–20
Hamstrings
Romanian Deadlift 4 10
Lying or Seated 3 12
Leg Curl
Calves
Standing Calf 4 20–25
Raise
Leg Press Calf 4 12–15
Raise or Seated
Calf Raise
*Alternate every other workout with
safety bar squat and one-legged Smith
machine squat.
**Alternate every other workout with
barbell hack squat and Jefferson squat.

88 FLEX | SEPTEMBER 2017

 2
FRONT SQUAT
Defining Difference In relation to the barbell
back squat, front squats (1) put more emphasis on
the quads versus the glutes and (2) force the lifter’s
torso to remain more upright during the set. This
makes the front squat a great alternative for anyone
with lagging quads and/or lower-back issues.

Execution Stand inside a power rack with a barbell

resting across your front delts and upper chest.
Cross your arms over your chest, grab the bar with
each hand over the opposite shoulder, unrack the
bar, and step back sixty centimetres or so to clear
the rack. With your chest up, back flat, and core
engaged, bend your knees and hips as if sitting down
on a chair until your quads are parallel with the floor.
For the positive portion of the lift, explosively drive up
through your heels to stand back up with the weight,
PAVEL Y THJALL

keeping your torso upright throughout.

When to Do It As your first squat movement in a leg

workout (alternated with safety bar squat and one-
legged Smith machine squat).

MROLYMPIA.COM 89
 3
BARBELL
HACK SQUAT
Defining Difference With the
bar behind your legs, staying back
on your heels as you explode up
is fairly easy. Some may see this
move as a deadlifting alternative,
and rightfully so, but there’s a
reason it has squat in its name—
because, when done correctly,
the quads take on a majority of
the load. That’s not the case
with the deadlift, which hits more
of the hamstrings, glutes, and
lower back.
Execution Stand with a shoulder-
90 FLEX | SEPTEMBER 2017
width stance in front of a barbell
sitting on the floor. Bend your
knees and hips to lower down,
and grasp the bar with a shoulder-
width grip.
With your back flat (not rounded)
throughout, forcefully extend your
hips and knees to stand up with
the bar, pulling it up the backs of
your legs. Finish in a standing
position with your shoulders back
and chest out, then reverse the
motion under control to lower the
bar back to the floor.
When to Do It As the second
squat movement in a leg workout
(alternated with machine hack
squat and Jefferson squat).
COURTESY OF ARTIE ZELLER/ WEIDER HF
 4
SA
SAFETY
tto
T BAR
o skip standard
lower-back
of preexisting
AR
Defining Difference Many

isting injuries
i
SQUAT
any people are forced
ndar back squats,
ck or knee issues
ats, not because of any
s but rather because
to their
heir shoulders or even
their wrists. With the safety squat
quat bar, stress
on the shoulders is virtually eliminated
your hands grab the bar in front
not behind it. As
A for the wrists,
minated because
nt of your body,
rists, they stay in a nice,
is up against your neck and the other two pads
are over your shoulders. Unrack the bar and
start in a standing position with your hands
holding the pads over your shoulders. Keeping
your weight over your heels and your chest
out, squat down until your thighs reach slightly
past parallel with the floor. Drive back up to
standing, keeping your back flat and chest out
CHARLES LOW THIAN

comfortable, neutral
n position
tion throughout. the entire time.

Execution Stand
St inside a power rack facing away When to Do It As your first squat movement
from a safety squat bar racked just below shoulder in a leg workout (alternated with front squat and
height. Step back into the bar so that the back pad one-legged Smith machine squat).

MROLYMPIA.COM 91
 5
HACK
SQUAT
SQU
Defining
Difference
Thee move
movement
is essentially
ssenti
same (hip and
the

knee extension),
but the machine
allows you to
place your feet
farther in front
of you to save
your knees
for a deeper,
safer squat.

Execution Step
inside a hack
squat machine,
placing your
shoulders and
back against the
pads and your
feet shoulder-
width apart
on the platform
with your legs
extended. With
your chest out
and abs pulled in
tight, unhook
the safety bars
and slowly lower
yourself until
your knees are
past 90 degrees.
Forcefully
extend your hips
and knees to
press yourself
up to the start
position without
locking out your
knees at the top.

When to Do It
As the second
squat movement
in a leg workout
(alternated with
PER BERNAL

barbell hack
squat and
Jefferson squat).

92 FLEX | SEPTEMBER 2017

 6
JEFFERSON
F N SQUAT
Defining Difference Similar
the Jefferson
son allo
ar to barbell hack squats,
allows you to keep

and lowerr back.

eep your weight back
over yourr heels to take pressure
sure off both the knees
and one hand behind. With your core tight, chest out,
and back flat, stand up with the bar by extending your
hips and knees and pressing through your heels.
Lower the bar back to the floor by pressing your hips
back and bending your knees.
PAVEL Y THJALL

Execution From
Fro a standing g position, straddle a
loaded barbell sitting on the floor and running When to Do It As the second squat movement in a
diagonally between your feet.
diagonally eet. Squat to grab the bar leg workout (alternated with machine hack squat and
with a shoulder-width grip, one hand in front of you barbell hack squat).

MROLYMPIA.COM 93
94 FLEX | SEPTEMBER 2017
PUMPING
IRON
PART 2 OF OUR
INTERVIEW WITH
AT
40
DIRECTOR GEORGE
BUTLER, THE MAN
RESPONSIBLE FOR
MAKING BODYBUILDING
A CULTURAL MAINSTAY
THAT HAS INSPIRED A
YOUNGER GENERATION
OF LIFTERS.
It’s hard to overstate the impact
of director George Butler’s 1977
documentary Pumping Iron, not
just on bodybuilding, but on
society. For one thing, it intro-
duced the world to pre-Conan
Arnold Schwarzenegger, whose
incredible success might not
have been possible without his
breakout performance as
himself in P.I.
Then there’s the mainstreaming of
gyms that can be traced to the film’s
release. Beginning in the late 1970s and
well into the ’80s, the health club
industry saw massive growth, with
chains popping up throughout the
world, and with them, a surge in gym
memberships.
Pumping Iron is the reason many of
us, myself included, got into working
out in the first place, so it’s with great
pleasure that I wish George, Arnold,
and the rest of the film’s cast and crew
a happy 40th anniversary.

MROLYMPIA.COM 95

FLEX: What was your first
professional experience
with bodybuilding?
George Butler: Charles Gaines was
assigned by Sports Illustrated to
write an article on a bodybuilding
contest for the July ’72 issue. He
asked me to take the photographs.
What was the contest?
It was the Mr. East Coast, which was
held in Holyoke, Massachusetts, and
was won by a wonderful bodybuilder
named Leon Brown.
Were you familiar with
PUMPING IRON:
The film that almost wasn’t.
With the exception of the brothers Weider,
few people have had as much of an
influence on the popularization of body-
building as George Butler. As the engine that
conceived, directed, and then brought the
film Pumping Iron to cinemas 40 years ago,
Butler has given bodybuilding fans the world
over a visual touchstone that still serves
as everything from historical reference to
motivational guide to celluloid bible.
Right. We did the entire book and trying to bring the film to
turned the manuscript in to Sandy the screen? Was Charles
Richardson, who was editor in chief involved?
at Doubleday, and he wrote us a Charles decided he didn’t want to be
letter saying, “I want my money back. involved in the movie. Pretty much
No one will ever read this book, and everyone deserted by this point.
no one will ever be interested in
Arnold Schwarzenegger.” Did you have funding
at this stage?
So then you shopped it Well, funding came in very erratically
around in New York? and with great difficulty. I actually
Yeah. We ended up at went to 3,000 people one by one to
Simon & Schuster. finance the film.
That was in 1974? 3,000?!
Late 1974. Yeah, it’s really true. I’m

bodybuilding at the time,
or was it a new experience
for you?
I had grown up in Jamaica and the
West Indies, and I used to work out
in a gym in Jamaica, and bodybuilding
was a big sport down there. I saw
my first bodybuilding exhibit actually
at a political rally in a church in
Savanna-la-Mar, Jamaica.
How did that come about?
A friend of mine was running for
parliament in Jamaica, and he had a
political rally in the parish church,
and part of his rally included a
bodybuilding exhibition with a guy
named Samson. The power went out
in the middle of it, so they lit it with
kerosene flares.
After the Sports Illustrated
article came the book. I
understand that you faced a
few obstacles in attempting
to get it published. Hadn’t
Doubleday given you an
advance to do the book?
And was it a success?
Yes. It made The New York Times
Best Sellers list.
How many editions have
there been?
I think about 20 printings.
Your book is what inspired
me to take up bodybuilding.
When I was about 10, I
remember thumbing through
a copy in a department store
and coming to the picture of
Arnold with a topless girl on
his shoulders, and I thought,
“That’s what I want to be.”
Well, bear in mind that the woman on
his shoulders was the top woman
bodybuilder at the time. I took those
photos for a Playboy article, and
Arnold was supposed to be the male
bodybuilder, and Heidi was supposed
to be the female bodybuilder.
So after the book comes the
movie. What was it like
P R E V I O U S S P R E A D : Z E L L E R / © F I T N E S S P U B L I C AT I O N S , I N C . / C O U R T E S Y O F W E I D E R H E A LT H & F I T N E S S
not exaggerating.
So you then went out and
shot some footage?
We shot a test film, and I screened it
in New York for 100 investors, and
[actress] Laura Linney’s father
[playwright Romulus Linney] got up
and said, “George, if you ever make a
movie about Arnold Schwarzenegger,
you’ll be laughed off 42nd Street.”
That kind of negative attitude still
astounds me. What you’ve got to
understand is that back in the early
’70s, bodybuilding was the least
glamorous sport in the world. The
prevailing view was that it was purely
homosexual, that bodybuilders were
totally uncoordinated, that when they
grew older their muscles would turn
to fat, and that they had no intel-
ligence whatsoever. Charles Gaines
said that it was like trying to
promote midget wrestling. It was so
tawdry…everyone we knew was
laughing at us.
It’s amazing not only how f

96 FLEX | SEPTEMBER 2017

 ar bodybuilding has risen
since then but how far it
seems to have fallen at that
time. Back in the 1940s and
1950s, guys like Charles
Atlas and Steve Reeves
didn’t portray that image.
Yeah, but there were limited pockets
of bodybuilding. If you look at Charles
Atlas, he wasn’t really much of a
bodybuilder, and Steve Reeves made
it in the movies and was very
handsome. Look at it this way:
Arnold Schwarzenegger arrived in
America in 1968, and when we met
him in 1972, the Mr. Olympia contest
was held in a tiny little auditorium in
Brooklyn and the prize money was
something like $1,000 and only
Arnold and Franco were making it as
professional bodybuilders. Everyone
else had another job. Leon Brown
worked at a laundromat.
I know that Steve Michalik
was a graphic artist.
Steve had to have a full-time day job,
and he was Mr. America. It was a
joke it was so bad.
How big a crew did you have
for the filming?
Well, the way I shoot films, my crews
expand and contract. For instance,
when I was shooting at Lou
[Ferrigno]’s gym in Brooklyn, it was
really just half a dozen people. When
we were shooting at Gold’s Gym, we
had a bigger operation. It was
probably 12 people, which included
the cinematographer, gaffer, the
assistants, and me, and some
electricians, etc. Basically I’m very
proud of the fact that I’ve always
Z E L L E R / © F I T N E S S P U B L I C AT I O N S , I N C . / C O U R T E S Y O F W E I D E R H E A LT H A N D F I T N E S S
worked with a small crew. When we
were filming in South Africa at the
contest, we were running about six
cameras, and with South African
assistants we probably had 30
people.
It feels like a larger produc-
tion, though, especially the
competition scenes in which
you go from backstage to the
audience’s perspective to
onstage. What kind of a
budget did you have?
I raised $400,000 to make the movie.
Amazing that you could
film for so long on such a
small budget. You shot
for about three or four
months, I figure.
Yeah.
And so when Pumping Iron
was released, was it straight
to the art houses, or did it
have a wide release?
Actually it began at the Plaza Theatre,
which was a regular cinema in New
York, and it broke every box office
record there was at the Plaza.
Were the reviews generally
positive? Are there any
memorable stories related to
the film’s release?
Oh, yeah. Well, it got fabulous
reviews, and through a friend I got
Jacqueline Onassis to come to a
lunch for Arnold and that sent people
through the roof. And I put Arnold
before that in the Whitney Museum
and in a ballet studio, and I got Jamie
Wyeth to paint him.
Now, I remember the movie
from PBS. It was before
VCRs, so I used to run to the
TV with my audio tape
recorder and tape the audio
for later listening. When did
PBS start airing it?
Probably, I would say, in late ’77.
So pretty soon after the release.
Well, it was released in January ’77.
So probably in October/November, it
went on PBS. Even that was
exasperating. The distributor, which
was a company called Cinema 5,
which was like the Miramax of its
day, sold Pumping Iron to PBS for 30
grand. About a week later, ABC came
to me, and Tony Thomopoulos, the
president, asked me if he could buy
it. I said, “Well, how much?” and he
said, “$1,000,000.”
And by that time it was too
late?
Yeah.
Now among the bodybuilding
set, there is a lot of specula-
tion concerning a few of the
scenes in Pumping Iron. I’ve
talked to others who have
wondered if some of the film
is documentary or maybe a
little bit of the guys acting
for the camera. One case in
particular that everyone
talks about is the “missing
T-shirt/crusher scene” and
the on-screen friction be-
tween Ken Waller and Mike
Katz. How much
of that was real?
The only tricky thing involved there is
that Waller evidently stole Katz’s
T-shirt because we got on film Katz
saying, “Where’s my T-shirt? I bet
Waller took it.” And so we filmed the
before after.
With him tossing the football
around with Robby and
Roger talking about how he
was going to do it?
Exactly.
What about Arnold? He told
so many great stories that
are still debated, like wheth-
er he really missed his
father’s funeral (as he states
in the film).
MROLYMPIA.COM 97

That’s true. He did not go to his
father’s funeral.
And when he made his
analogy of a pump feeling
like an orgasm, did he clear
that with you first or was it
just extemporaneous?
No, that was extemporaneous.
Were there any things that
didn’t make it to the screen
that were great, funny, or
remarkable?
[Laughing] Thousands of things.
Any that you can share?
Yeah. I’ve got Louie saying on film,
“All I want to be is the Hulk,” and this
was several years before he became
the Hulk.
Amazing. Now you’ve got
four main protagonists in the
film, and each one was
pretty different from the
others. I’d like to get your
thoughts on each. What was
your impression of Mike
Katz?
I adored him. He was authentic, and
he always wore his heart on his
sleeve, so you could tell on his face
what was going on in his mind. The
most amazing thing I know about
Mike Katz is that he was a high
98 FLEX | SEPTEMBER 2017
Arnold works with
a professional
dancer to improve
the fluidity of
his posing.
school teacher. We filmed him at his
high school, and I watched him
playing touch football, and he began
on the goal line, and he ran 100
metres down the field. There were a
lot of good high school athletes
there, and no one could touch him. I
mean he went so fast, and he was
so agile. You’ve got to remember, this
was a guy who played track, hockey,
and (American) football. Three
sports, All-American in college. You
know, he was a New York Jets
lineman, and I’m pretty sure he could
have played professional hockey or
could have thrown the discus or
something like that. I mean, he’s an
astonishing athlete and a great
human being.
I’ve had the opportunity to
speak with him and found
him to be a thoughtful and
considerate person.
He’s a fine human being.
What was it like shooting the
scenes with Lou Ferrigno
and his dad?
Well, when you make a film like
Pumping Iron, you’ve got to put a
good story together, and I had a keen
insight into Louie’s relationship with
his father. I knew that he was the
perfect bodybuilder to set up as the
guy who could, or might, knock off
Arnold. And the contrast was
perfect. Louie worked out in a small,
dark gym in Brooklyn that was
actually R&J Health Studio, which
was owned by a man named Julie
Levine. And Gold’s Gym in California
was the exact opposite. Louie would
work out in these tiny little rooms
with one person around him and his
father, and Arnold would work out in
a gym in California that had its doors
open, was wide open, right on the
beach. And it was light and airy, and
Louie’s was dark. Louie was dark
and brooding. Arnold was blond and
big and beachy and stuff like that.
But both men are sons of policemen.
I found that very interesting, and I’m
sure Arnold subconsciously regis-
tered that. So the film set up this
wonderful contest between these
two men, and of course Louie was
196 cm and he’s a giant, really.
But here’s something interesting
not many people know. Nik Cohn
wrote a movie called Saturday Night
Fever. He wrote the screenplay for it,
and the whole Italian family, John
Travolta’s family, is modelled on Louie
and his family.
You’re kidding! Actually, I
can see it. Like the scene in
which Louie’s family is
sitting around the
kitchen table…
Yes! It’s all John Travolta’s family.
With his sister and brother and the
Catholic Church and everything
else. It was modelled on them in
Pumping Iron.
That’s too funny! Moving on
to Franco. He seemed like a
lot of fun to be around.
I was always very fond of Franco. It
was my idea to go to Sardinia and
film there. That’s when we were
really doing seat-of-the-pants
filmmaking because three of us went
to Sardinia: myself, Bob Fiore, and
his girlfriend, who was Marshall
McLuhan’s daughter. I did sound and
B U T L E R / C O U R T E S Y O F W E I D E R H E A LT H & F I T N E S S
lighting, and Bob did lighting and
camera work, and we were able to
do key scenes for the movie in
Sardinia with literally a two-man
crew. And it worked. And we got
stopped by the police in the moun-
tains. It was very exciting stuff
because Franco’s mother and father
were real shepherds, and I’m not
even convinced any other Americans
had been to his village before us. It
was way, way up in the mountains in
Sardinia, and it was so remote, and it
 was so high up that there was still
ice in June on the lakes. At one point
Franco chopped a hole in the ice and
caught some trout, which he served
us for lunch. Another Time, Franco’s
family put me in the only available
bedroom, which was his sisters’
room. Five of his sisters were going
to sleep in the room with me, so this
was quite wonderful. Then I realized
Franco’s father was sitting right
outside the window at the foot of my
bed, watching me all night long.
How long were you
in Sardinia?
Probably a week.
That’s fun footage. The
movie is so international,
and it’s amazing how you did
it on such a small budget
with such a small crew and
yet it’s this globe-hopping
excursion.
Well, we filmed in Los Angeles, San
Francisco, Montreal. We filmed at the
Whitney Museum in New York. We
filmed in Connecticut. We filmed in
Massachusetts. We filmed in Paris,
and we filmed in South Africa.
Now I’d be hard-pressed to
figure out exactly which
scenes were shot where.
Well, where Franco blows up the
C O U R T E S Y O F W E I D E R H E A LT H & F I T N E S S
George Butler and crew film Arnold repping out a set of barbell curls in preparation for his sixth Mr. O in Pretoria, South Africa.
hot-water bottle is in Massachu-
setts. Mike Katz was filmed in
Connecticut. The movie actually
opens in San Francisco.
Is that the ballet scene?
The ballet scene was New York
City. That was another location I
forgot to mention. It was shot in
Joanne Woodward’s dance studio
in Manhattan.
Another interesting titbit.
Turning now to Arnold. We
all know that he is this
self-made man. What was
your impression of him? Did
he just seem like a guy who
was born to be successful?
Yeah, well, the reason I made the
film was because I thought he was
very charismatic and interesting
and smart. But initially, when I met
him, he had been in America four
years and virtually nothing had
happened. You know, he wasn’t in
other movies. We were the first
people outside of bodybuilding to
interview him.
Yeah, he did Hercules in
New York and then kind of
laid dormant for a while.
Hercules Goes Bananas.
With Arnold Stang.
[Laughing] Yeah. And even his voice
had to be redubbed in that movie.
That’s probably the best
aspect of it: the overdubbed
voice.
And I’ll tell you another little sidebar.
When I was trying to get Pumping
Iron going, I was very short on
money. So I went to this lab in New
York, and I had just come back from
shooting the initial part of the film. I
asked them if they’d give me some
credit, which is the kind of thing
they normally do when you get
going on a movie. This was a place
called DuArt Film Lab, and the
owner of it was someone named
Irwin Young. So I went in with my
hat in my hand and asked him if he
would give me $15,000 worth of
credit. He said, “Tell me what you’re
doing,” and I said, “Well I’m making a
movie about bodybuilding.” Then he
said, “Does it have anything to do
with Arnold Schwarzenegger?” and
I said, “Yes.” So he said, “Forget it. I
won’t give you any credit. I had a
movie in here called Hercules in
New York, and they never paid a
bill, and they owe me 30 grand.”
That’s a riot! What a
coincidence.
[Laughing] It was an
unfortunate one. FLEX
MROLYMPIA.COM 99
GET
RIPPED
…WITH NO CARDIO!
UTILIZED CORRECTLY, THE
SAME BARBELLS, DUMBBELLS,
AND MACHINES WE USE TO
IGNITE HYPERTROPHY CAN
ALSO BE EXTREMELY
EFFECTIVE TOOLS FOR MELTING
BODY FAT LIKE ICE IN A FLAME!
BY ERIC “MERLIN” BROSER

100 FLEX | SEPTEMBER 2017

PER BERNAL
W
With summer fast ending it’s time to think less
about drinking six-packs and instead focus
on how you will maintain your own. Before
you cringe at the thought of adding hours of
stationary biking, treadmill walking, and
stairclimbing to your programme, let’s look
into an alternative route that may prove more
productive, and a heck of a lot more fun!

102 FLEX | SEPTEMBER 2017

Let’s face it: For most of us gym
rats, repping out with heavy
iron is something we look forward
to as a kid does with ice cream and
sprinkles. However, performing
cardio is right up there with stamp
collecting or watching grass grow.
Whether it be HIIT, steady state, or
anything in between, when it’s time
to jump on the hamster wheel, most
of us iron warriors cringe in disgust.
But isn’t it this exact type of
mundane exercise that allows us
to most efficiently incinerate body
fat and reveal the finer details of
PAVEL Y THJALL; CHRIS LUND
 WORKOUT A
THE QUICK-PACED FAT KILLER
EXERCISE SETS REPS REST BETWEEN
SETS
Alternating Barbell Lunge 3 12–15 60 seconds
our hard-earned muscles
each leg
underneath? Not necessarily, my
friends. Properly packaged, the Barbell Squat 4 12–15 60 seconds
resistance training we all love
(even crave) can rip us up just as Stiff-leg Deadlift 4 12–15 60 seconds
fast as it can build us up! The keys Underhand-grip Barbell 3 10–12 45–60 seconds
lie in choosing the right exercises,
Bent Row
incorporating the proper rep
range, and arranging your Standing Military Press 3 10–12 45–60 seconds
workouts in a manner that forces
the body to tap into fat stores for Narrow-grip Bench Press 3 10–12 45 seconds
energy. Follow the guidelines Close Underhand-grip 2 Max reps 45–60 seconds
below, and you may never need to
Pullup
calculate your target heart rate
ever again! Incline Bent-leg Hip Raise 3 Max reps 30 seconds
 Exercise
Efficiency
When utilizing weight training
to stimulate fat loss, it is the
compound lifts that will give you
the most bang for your buck,
which means the foundation
of your routine should centre
around movements like presses,
rows, deadlifts, and squats.
It is these types of exercises
that will most effectively boost
the heart rate, burn off calories,
increase natural growth
hormone production (GH is a
powerful fat-burning hormone),
and enhance the metabolic rate.

Rep-Range
Regulation
Since the primary goal is to melt
off body fat (while keeping lean
tissue intact), you want to keep
repetitions in the medium to
medium-high range throughout
each workout. This translates to
about 10 to 12 (reps per set) for
upper-body exercises and 12 to
20 for the lower half. These
higher (but not too high) rep
ranges will force more calories
to be burned, stimulate lactic WORKOUT B
THE SUPERSET
acid production (which also
increases GH release), and
greatly ignite the metabolism,
while still providing your FAT SCORCHER
muscles with resistance that is
challenging enough to foster
continued growth. EXERCISE SETS REPS
Hack Squat 3 12–15
Proper superset with Weighted Dip 3 10–12
Programming Leg Press 3 12–15
superset with Wide-grip Pullup 3 Max reps
Most of the time when focusing
our efforts exclusively into Alternating Dumbbell 2 12–15 per leg
building pure muscle mass, we Bench Stepup
utilize a “straight sets” approach, superset with Seated Dumbbell Press 3 10–12
with 2–4 minutes rest in
between. However, when the Dumbbell Stiff-leg Deadlift 2 12–15
goal is single-digit body-fat superset with Barbell Curl 2 10–12
levels, and a physique “peeled”
enough to display a rock-solid Lying Leg Curl 2 12–15
“washboard” with gnarly superset with
separations, cuts, veins, and Standing Two-arm Overhead 2 10–12
striations pouring through every Dumbbell Extension
muscle group, it is far more
effective to speed things up by Hanging Straight-leg Raise 2 16–20
using supersets, circuits, and superset with Barbell Good Morning 2 13–15
CHRIS LUND

mega-fast-paced training.
NOTES: Rest between supersets should be no longer
than 2 minutes.

104 FLEX | SEPTEMBER 2017

 SPEED UP
FAT BURNING
WITH SUPERSETS
AND CIRCUITS.
PER BERNAL
 WORKOUT C
THE PSYCHO CIRCUIT
FAT INCINERATOR
EXERCISE REPS
Deadlift 12–15
Incline Barbell Press 10–12
Leg Press 12–15 BONUS TIP
Weight training in this manner can be very
One-arm Dumbbell Row 10–12 demanding on your muscles and cardio-
Smith Alternating Reverse Lunge 12-15 per leg vascular and nervous systems. I highly
recommend that you take a full day’s rest
Wide-grip Barbell Upright Row 10–12 after completing any of these workouts. If
you still wish to perform small amounts of
Seated Leg Curl 12–15 cardio, it would be best to do it on your off
Weighted Bench Dip 10–12 days. All exercises should be performed with
perfect technique and full control throughout
Cable Crunch 12–15 every rep. Feel free to change some of the
Close-grip Underhand-grip Pullup Max reps movements to better fit your needs but
always make sure the majority are basic
NOTES: Perform as many circuits as you can in 60 compound exercises in order to get the
minutes. Move from one exercise to the next as rapidly greatest fat-burning effect. Combine these
as possible. Do not go to failure on each movement, workouts with the right diet and supplement
PAVEL Y THJALL

programme for your jaw-dropping shredded

but perhaps 1 to 2 reps short. Rest about 3 to 5 physique!
minutes in between each circuit by slowly walking
around the gym until ready.

106 FLEX | SEPTEMBER 2017

108 FLEX | SEPTEMBER 2017
 PECS
MACHINE-MADE
THINK YOU CAN’T BUILD MAJOR MASS WITH
MACHINES? THINK AGAIN. THESE FOUR-
WEEK MACHINE-ONLY CHEST ROUTINES
COULD BE THE SHOCK TREATMENT YOUR
PECS NEED TO GROW. BY JOE WUEBBEN
PAVEL Y THJALL

MROLYMPIA.COM 109
110 FLEX | SEPTEMBER 2017
 We use machines to build
things every day. Machines
build cars; they build roads;
they build computers; they
build robots. So why not build
your body with machines?
Ask a dozen trend-following New Age trainers this question, and
about 10 of them will respond emphatically, “Because machines
aren’t functional.”
Incorrect. Machines are without a doubt functional—that is,
functional at building lean muscle mass in all areas of the body, in
this instance the pecs. We’re big fans of dumbbells and barbells
on chest day, but we’re also proponents of selectorized chest
press machines, Hammer Strength equipment, and cable-
crossover stations.
Machine presses allow you to overload the pecs without calling
on as many smaller assistance muscles to help balance the load
and keep it on the right path of motion, as is the case with free
weights. More overload equals more growth potential. And cables?
Frankly, we generally prefer them to dumbbells on flye movements
because of the constant tension they provide through every
centimetre of every rep.
Please, don’t ditch the free weights. All we’re asking is that you
take a month or so to focus on machine moves for your chest
workouts using the following pec-training programme. Load up the
weights on machine presses, feel the burn on cable crossovers,
and enjoy your newfound mass before refocusing on dumbbells
and barbell work to build even more size.

MACHINE-MADE PECS PROGRAMME

■ Below are four separate
EXERCISE SETS REPS
machine-only chest workouts
to be performed over the Workout 1: All Straight Sets
course of four weeks—Workout
Smith Machine 4 12
1 in the first week, Workout 2 in
Bench Press
the second week, and so on.
Hammer Strength 4 12
■ Do the workouts on whatever Incline Press
day you would normally train
chest. If you typically train Cable Crossover 3 15
another muscle group with the Pec Deck 3 20
chest (for example, triceps,
biceps, or shoulders), feel free
to train it as you normally would Workout 2: Dropsets
after the chest workout. Smith Machine 4 8
Incline Press
■ These workouts were written
to be your only chest training Selectorized 4 8
during the four-week period. Machine Chest
However, if you’re dead set on Press*
training your pecs twice per
Low-pulley Cable 3 10**
week and/or refuse to give up
Crossover
free-weight chest exercises for
an entire month, you can add Pec Deck 3 12**
one lower-volume free-weight
BERNAL

*Or Hammer Strength flat bench

chest workout to each week as
PERCREDIT

press.
you wish; just make sure to
**On your last set, do two to three
space the two chest workouts
PHOTO

dropsets.
at least 72 hours apart to
ensure recovery.

MROLYMPIA.COM 111
 HAMMER STRENGTH BENCH PRESS
MACHINE-MADE HOW-TO Adjust the seat of the machine so the handles are in line with
your middle chest (not down at your lower chest or up above your

PECS PROGRAMME shoulders). Sit with your back flat against the pad, feet on the floor and
grasping the handles. Contract your pecs to press the handles out and up
(the machine’s fixed path of motion). Stop just shy of elbow lockout, then
slowly lower back down without letting the weight rest on the machine
EXERCISE SETS REPS between sets.
Workout 3: Pre-exhaust + Supersets
HAMMER STRENGTH VARIANTS Hammer Strength offers chest
Pec Deck 4 12 press machines that mimic incline (as shown below) and decline presses;
these are great options, provided the gym you train at has them. Utilize
Smith Machine Bench 4 8
whatever Hammer Strength equipment you can, alternating between
Press
different angles on a regular basis.
Hammer Strength 3 10
Incline Press
superset with 3 15
Cable Crossover
Workout 4: Pre-exhaust + Supersets +
SMITH MACHINE INCLINE PRESS
HOW-TO Centre an incline bench in a Smith machine so that the bar
Dropsets touches your upper chest at the bottom of each rep. Lie back on the
bench, grab the bar outside shoulder width, unhook the latches, and begin
Low-pulley Cable 4 10
with your arms extended. Slowly lower the bar to your chest, touch down
Crossover 4 10
lightly, then press the bar back up to the arms extended position without
superset with
locking out your elbows.
Hammer Strength
Incline Press 4 10
SMITH MACHINE VARIANTS Smith machine flat and decline
Selectorized Machine 3 15 presses can be done by simply adjusting the bench to the appropriate
Chest Press* angle and performing the same motion. When doing this, slide the bench
forward to make sure the bar touches your middle/lower chest at the
Pec Deck 3 12** bottom of each rep.
*Or Hammer Strength flat bench press.
**On your last set, do two to three
dropsets.

112 FLEX | SEPTEMBER 2017

PER BERNAL

MROLYMPIA.COM 113
CABLE
CROSSOVER
HOW-TO
Stand in the middle
of a cable-
crossover station
with D-handles
attached to both
columns at roughly
shoulder height.
Grab the handles,
step forward to lift
the weight off the
stacks, and start
with your arms
extended out to
your sides. With
a slight bend in
your elbows and
your torso upright
throughout,
contract your
pecs to pull your
hands together
out in front of you.
When your hands
meet, squeeze
your pecs for a
count, then slowly
return to the start
position.

CABLE
CROSSOVER
VARIANTS
Crossovers
can and should
be performed
from a variety of
angles to target
all areas of
the chest. Focus
on the upper
pecs by moving
the cable pulleys
to their lowest
settings and
pulling the handles
upward so your
hands meet in
front of your
upper chest. To
target the lower
pecs, keep the
pulleys up high
and bring your
hands together
at waist height.

114 FLEX | SEPTEMBER 2017

 PEC DECK
HOW-TO Adjust the seat of a
flye machine so that the handles are
at chest level. Sit on the seat with
your back flat against the
pad, grasp the handles, and begin
with your arms straight out to the
sides and your elbows slightly bent.
Contract your pecs to bring your
hands together. When your hands
touch, squeeze your pecs hard for a
count, then slowly return to the start
position without letting the weight
rest on the stack.

PEC DECK VARIANTS

Not all pec deck (also called a
machine flye) equipment is identical,
but the basic movement is: pulling
your arms together toward the
midline of your body. Some machines
keep the arms extended, while
PER BERNAL

others have them bent with your

forearms on a vertical pad. Use
whatever pec deck or flye machine is
available at your gym.

MROLYMPIA.COM 115
SELECTORIZED MACHINE
CHEST PRESS
HOW-TO Adjust the seat of the machine so that the
handles are outside your chest in the down position.
Keeping your feet flat on the floor and your back
and head against the seat back, press the weight up
until your elbows are extended but not locked out.
Slowly lower your hands to the down position without
letting the weight rest on the stack between reps.

MACHINE PRESS VARIANTS Most selectorized

chest press machines involve a standard horizontal
press that mimics a flat-bench movement, as opposed
to pressing at an upward angle to target the upper pecs.
What can be varied is hand position. Experiment with
placing your hands as wide as possible on the bars and
also in close to hit the chest from different angles.

CABLE FLYE
HOW-TO Place a bench in the middle of a cable-
crossover station with D-handles attached to both
CHARLES LOW THIAN; PAVEL Y THJALL

columns on the lowest level. Grab the handles, sit back on

the bench, and start with your arms extended out to your
sides. With a slight bend in your elbows, contract your
pecs to pull your hands together in a hugging motion. When
your hands meet, squeeze your pecs for a count, then
slowly return to the start position.

CABLE FLYE VARIANTS Flyes can and should be

performed from a variety of angles to target all areas of
the chest. Focus on the upper pecs by using an incline
bench, the middle pecs with a flat bench, and the lower
chest with a decline bench.

116 FLEX | SEPTEMBER 2017

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THE MOST IMPORTANT MEAL OF THE
DAY IS NOW THE MOST DELICIOUS. THESE
PROTEIN-PACKED RECIPES GUARANTEE
YOU’LL START YOUR DAY AHEAD OF THE GAME.

BY MATTHEW KADEY, M.S., R.D.

PHOTOGRAPHS BY NICK FERRARI
FOOD STYLING BY ED GABRIELS
MOCHA
PANCAKE
STACKS
SERVES 4

75 g oat flour or spelt flour

30 g plain or vanilla protein powder
2 tbsp cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
Salt
1 large egg
180 ml + 2 tbsp milk or buttermilk
1 tbsp instant espresso powder
1 tsp vanilla extract (omit if using vanilla
protein powder)
1 tbsp unsalted butter
85 g unsalted nut butter, such as almond,
hazelnut, or peanut
115 g whipped cream cheese
330 g sliced strawberries

1) In a large bowl, stir together flour,

protein powder, cocoa powder, baking
powder, bicarbonate of soda, and a
couple pinches of salt. In a separate
bowl, whisk together egg, milk,
espresso powder, and vanilla. Add wet
ingredients to dry ingredients, mix
gently, and let batter rest 15 minutes.
2) Melt butter in a skillet over medium
heat. Pour 60 ml batter for each
pancake into pan and cook for
2 minutes per side. You should end
up with 8 pancakes.
3) Spread 2 tsp nut butter and 1 tbsp
whipped cream cheese on each
pancake. Top with strawberries.

368 20g 28g 22g

CALORIES PROTEIN CARBS FAT

MROLYMPIA.COM 119
 DAYBREAK
EGG TACOS
SERVES 2

4 large hard-boiled eggs

170 g tinned pinto or black beans,
drained and rinsed
1 plum tomato, diced
1 small red pepper, chopped
¾ tsp paprika
¼ tsp sea salt
120 ml reduced-fat soured cream
½ avocado
Juice of ½ lime
4 small corn tortillas, preferably
warmed in the microwave
1 tbsp chopped fresh coriander

1) Place peeled eggs in a

large bowl and roughly mash
CHEF’S TIP with a fork. Stir in pinto
For perfect hard-boiled beans, tomato, red pepper,
eggs, place eggs in paprika, and salt.
a medium-size saucepan and 2) Place soured cream,
bring water to a boil. avocado, and lime juice in a
Once water is at a rumble, blender and blend until smooth.
remove pan from heat 3) Divide egg mixture among
and let eggs stand covered tortillas and top with avocado
for 15 minutes. Plunk eggs sauce and coriander.
in an ice-water bath
then peel.

518 25g
CALORIES PROTEIN

59g 23g
CARBS FAT

120 FLEX | SEPTEMBER 2017

 BLUEBERRY
PROTEIN
SMOOTHIE
BOWL
SERVES 1

60 ml milk
80 g plain Greek yogurt
1 scoop plain or vanilla protein
powder
1 medium-size frozen
banana, chopped
70 g frozen blueberries
1 tsp fresh ginger
¼ tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp almond extract (optional)
2 tbsp hemp seeds
(hemp hearts)
1 tbsp cacao nibs (optional)

1) Place milk, yogurt, protein

powder, banana, blueberries,
ginger, cinnamon, and almond
extract in a blender and blend
into a thick, smooth mixture.
Add a bit more milk if needed
to help with blending.
2) Place blueberry mixture in a
bowl and top with hemp seeds
and cacao nibs.

382 45g
CALORIES PROTEIN

44g 10g
CARBS FAT

CHEF’S TIP
Using frozen fruit
and a low amount
of liquid helps make
your smoothie
deliciously thick
and spoonable.

MROLYMPIA.COM 121
 YOGURT
& GRANOLA
SERVES 2

1 tbsp coconut oil

2 tsp honey
80 g rolled oats
25 g chopped almonds
or pecans
2 tbsp raw pumpkin seeds
(pepitas)
½ tsp cinnamon
Salt
2 tbsp dried cherries
480 g reduced fat Greek yogurt

1) Heat coconut oil and honey

in a skillet over medium heat
until melted. Add rolled oats,
almonds, pumpkin seeds,
cinnamon, and a pinch of salt
to skillet and heat until oats are
toasted, about 5 minutes,
stirring frequently. Stir in
cherries and spread mixture
on a baking sheet to cool.
2) Divide yogurt among serving
bowls and top with granola.

465 29g
CALORIES PROTEIN

44g 21g
CARBS FAT

CHEF’S TIP
If you’re going
gluten-free, you
can either choose
gluten-free oats
or use nutritious
quinoa flakes.

122 FLEX | SEPTEMBER 2017

 MAPLE
BACON
OATMEAL
SQUARES
SERVES 4

150 g steel-cut oats

225 g back bacon rashers
50 g oat flour
35 g chopped walnuts
50 g raisins
1 tsp cinnamon
2 large eggs
80 ml semi skimmed milk
60 ml pure maple syrup

1) Place oats in a large bowl,

cover with water, and let soak for
at least 2 hours.
CHEF’S TIP 2) Cook bacon in a lightly oiled
Too reheat leftovers, skillet over medium-low heat until
place
lace squares on a beginning to brown and turning
plate
ate and microwave crispy. Transfer to a cutting
on medium power board lined with a paper towel
(about
about power level and let cool. Once cool, chop
5 out of 10) for about bacon into 1.25-cm pieces.
5 minutes. 3) Preheat oven to 180°C/Gas
Mark 4. Drain oats, return to bowl,
and stir in bacon, oat flour,
walnuts, raisins, and cinnamon. In
a separate bowl, lightly beat eggs
and stir in milk and maple syrup.
Add wet ingredients to dry
ingredients and stir to combine.
4) Place oat mixture in a greased
20-cm-square baking pan. Bake
for 30 minutes, or until set. Let
cool in pan for several minutes
before slicing into 4 squares.

520 29g
CALORIES PROTEIN

65g 17g
CARBS FAT

MROLYMPIA.COM 123
 BARBELL

BOOT
CAMP
GET IN THE BEST DAMN SHAPE OF YOUR LIFE
WITH NOTHING MORE THAN A BARBELL SET, A
BENCH, AND YOUR METTLE BY MICHAEL BERG, N.S.C.A.-C.P.T.
CHARLES LOW THIAN

FLEXONLINE.COM 125

For an Army Special
Forces soldier, life
without modern
amenities is expected.
Travelling through dangerous territory with nothing
more than the pack on your back as you wade
through thick jungle terrain or traverse scorching
desert stretches, passing through makeshift camps,
you’re lucky to end up with a decent meal at the end
of the day. Running water is a luxury, the Internet is a
miracle, and a gym? Only in your fever dreams.
126 FLEX | SEPTEMBER ’17
The world’s toughest soldiers learn
to make do. They get strong and
stay strong with the simplest of
implements. So when they return
home from deployment, you can
imagine what magic they’re able to
conjure with even the basic tools
of training.
That’s the mission we gave
Dustin Kirchofner, former
Army Special Forces soldier and
free-fall instructor—yes, that’s
practise for parachuting out of
planes into enemy territory. If given
an Olympic barbell, a set of weight
plates, and a simple adjustable
bench, how could someone
achieve the best fighting shape
of their life? This is the battle plan
he crafted.

The “Big 4”
“When getting fit, the tools don’t
matter nearly as much as the
effort,” says Kirchofner, who
is also a certified strength and
conditioning coach and the
owner of Modern Warfare Fitness
in Colorado. “The programme I’ve
created is basic, but it’ll definitely
get you big—and strong if you
tackle each exercise seriously—
and challenge you to improve your
form, concentration, and stamina.”
Kirchofner focused his four-day
split on what he calls the “Big 4”
exercises: the bench press, the
military press, the deadlift, and the
squat. He also breaks it into two
four-week phases: the first aimed
at gradually acclimatizing your
tendons and ligaments while
promoting muscle hypertrophy
along with some muscular
endurance; the second all about
driving up your strength levels.
“During the first four weeks,
you’ll do sets of six to 12 repetitions
of each exercise at 75 to 85% of
your one-rep max [1RM] for your
working sets,” he explains. “Keep
your rest between sets minimal,
at 60 seconds or less. To really
shock your system, I’ve suggested
one to two sets of 20 reps for
some movements.”
During the following four weeks,
you’ll transition to sets of one to
five reps at 85 to 100% of your
1RM, extending your rest periods
MILITARY PRESS
SETUP
ETUP Clean the bar to shoulder level,
or if you have a power rack, off pins
set high on it. Hold the barbell with an
overhand grip, palms up and elbows
pointed forward, as it rests balanced
across your upper chest. Set your feet
about shoulder-width apart or just
outside, toes angled slightly out.
ACTION From this position, explosively
drive the bar overhead to full elbow
extension, hold it there for a count, then
lower it until it contacts your upper chest.
Repeat for reps.
to three to five minutes between
your heaviest lifts. “After that,
you can either revert to the first
phase or you can shift to a
dynamic strength phase where
you introduce explosive
movements—with quick bursts
on the positive reps and a slow,
controlled negative—along with
plyometrics to further round out
your overall power and
conditioning,” Kirchofner says.
Indeed, you can easily make
this programme your own,
depending on your goals, by
modifying the sets, reps, intensity,
rest periods, and exercises,
Kirchofner adds. “This workout,
as basic as it
may seem, will definitely get you
big and strong,” he says. “It allows
you to add, take away, or even
change the exercises, as long as
you know your own physique
goals and enough about working
out to change out the exercises.
“For instance, if you have a
weakness in, say, your shoulders,
you can incorporate upright rows,
behind-the-neck presses, laterals,
and pike presses with your hands
on the floor and feet on the bench,”
he says. “Also know that the days
these lifts are scheduled for are
not set in stone and should be
arranged around your life. Just
make sure you do them once a
week, or accelerate that by doing
them on a five- to six-day split,
where the sixth or seventh day
begins again at the first workout.”

THE BARBELL BOOT

CAMP Monday: Shoulders, Traps, and Arms
PROGRAMME
Do these workouts on a five-, six- or
EXERCISE SETS REPS SETS REPS
(PHASE 1) (PHASE 2)
seven-day split, depending on your
personal agenda and your ability to Military 5 12, 10, 5 5, 4, 3, 2, 1
schedule recovery time and maintain Press 8, 7, 6
your diet. All moves listed are with a
barbell and, where applicable, an Front Raise 4 10, 8, 6, 20 4 5, 5, 3, 3
adjustable bench. In Phase 1, you’ll aim Rear Delt 4 12, 10, 8, 6 4 5, 5, 3, 3
to use 75 to 85% of your 1RM during Row
working sets, while in Phase 2 you’ll
work in the 85 to 100% range. You’ll Skull 4 12, 10, 8, 6 4 5, 5, 3, 3
pyramid up the weight from set to set Crusher
where applicable, but on sets of 20, Standing 4 10, 8, 6 20 4 5, 5, 3, 3
drop the weight enough so that you can Biceps Curl
eke out 20 reps. Warmups aren’t listed,
CHRIS LUND

but do as many light sets as needed. Shrug 4 10, 8, 6, 20 4 5, 5, 3, 3

MROLYMPIA.COM 127
 THE BARBELL
BOOT CAMP PROGRAM
Tuesday: Back, Abs, and Lower Body
EXERCISE SETS REPS SETS REPS
PHASE 1 PHASE 2
Deadlift 5 12, 10, 5 5, 4, 3, 2, 1
8, 7, 6
Romanian 5 12, 10, 5 5, 4, 3, 2, 1
Deadlift 8, 7, 6
Stationary 4 10, 8, 4 5, 5, 3, 3
Lunge 6, 20
Hack Squat 5 12, 10, 5 5, 5, 3,
8, 7, 6 3, 3
Kneeling 4 20, 12, 4 To failure
Ab Rollout 12, 12

Thursday: Chest, Back, and Triceps

EXERCISE SETS REPS SETS REPS
PHASE 1 PHASE 2
Bench Press 5 12, 10, 5 5, 4, 3, 2, 1
8, 7, 6
Incline Press 5 12, 10, 5 5, 4, 3, 2, 1
8, 7, 6
Barbell Row 5 12, 10, 5 5, 4, 3, 2, 1
8, 7, 6
Prone 4 12, 10, 4 5, 5, 3, 3
Biceps Curl 8, 6
Close-grip 4 10, 8, 4 5, 5, 3, 3
Bench Press 6, 20

Friday: Legs and Abs

EXERCISE SETS REPS SETS REPS
PHASE 1 PHASE 2
Squat 5 12, 10, 5 5, 4, 3, 2, 1
8, 7, 6
Good Morning 4 12, 10, 4 5, 5, 5, 3
8, 6
Front Squat 5 12, 10, 5 5, 4, 3, 2, 1
8, 7, 6
Calf Raise 4 20, 20, 4 To failure
12, 12
Barbell 4 20, 12, 4 To failure
Ab Rollout 12, 12

SHRUG
SETUP Stand holding a barbell
with an overhand grip just outside
shoulder width, elbows straight.
ACTION Keeping your chest up and
core flexed for stability, shrug your
shoulder caps straight up towar
toward
your ears, squeezing your traps
trap
at the top of the range of motion.
mot
Slowly reverse the movement
to lower the bar the few centimetres
it travelled, back to the start.

128 FLEX | SEPTEMBER ’17

 DEADLIFT
EADLIFT
SETUP With your toes beneath
the
he barbell, squat down and grasp
it with a slightly wider-than-
shoulder-width grip. Allow the bar
to rest flush against your shins.

ACTION With your chest up and

back flat, lift the barbell from the floor
by extending your hips and knees to
full extension. Be sure to keep your
elbows straight (but not locked)
throughout as you drag the bar up
your shins and thighs until you’re
in a standing position. Squeeze your
back, legs, and glutes, then lower
the bar along the same path until it
touches the floor.

STATIONARY
STA IONARY
LUNGE
LUNGE
NGE
SETUP Standnd with your feet about
shoulder-width
shoulder-width
width apart holding a bar
across your upper back.

ACTION Step forward with one

foot and bend your forward knee
to lower your hips straight down,
making sure that knee doesn’t pass
your toes. Stop just short of your
rear knee touching the floor and
reverse ddirections, driving
d through
h h
the heel of your forward foot to
return to the start. Alternate legs
from rep to rep.
CLOCK WISE FROM LEFT: PER BERNAL; PAVEL Y THJALL; PER BERNAL

MROLYMPIA.COM 129
THE SIMPLEST
TOOLS, LIKE THE GOOD
OLD BARBELL, CAN
STILL PRODUCE THE
BEST RESULTS.

CLOCK WISE FROM LEFT: CHRIS LUND(2); PER BERNAL

INCLINE
INE PRESS
SETUP Lie on an incline
bench set at approximately
30 to 45 degrees and place your
feet wide and flat on the floor
for support. Grasp the barbell
with an overhand grip just
outside shoulder width and
unrack it, holding it directly over
your upper pecs.
ACTION Slowly lower the bar
to your upper chest, touching
down for a brief count before
powerfully pressing it back to
full elbow extension.
CALF RAISE (not pictured)
SETUP Stand with a
barbell across your upper
back, the balls of your feet
on a step with your heels
off the edge.
ACTION Lower your heels
toward the floor as far as
you can stretch them, then
press up onto your toes
as high as possible.

130 FLEX | SEPTEMBER ’17

BENTOVER ROW
SETUP Standing with your feet
shoulder-width apart, knees slightly
bent, grasp a barbell with a wide,
overhand grip. Lean forward at your
hips until your torso is at a 20- to
30-degree angle to the floor. The barbell
should hang straight down in front of
your shins.

ACTION Without raising or bouncing

your upper body, pull the barbell
up toward your abdomen, bringing
your elbows high and above the level
of your back. Hold the bar in the peak-
contracted position for a brief count,
then slowly lower it along the same path.

SQU T
SQUAT
SETUP Stand withw yourour feet about
shoulde
shoulder-widthth apart,
t, holding a bar
across your uupper back. Your knees
should be slightly bent and your toes
turned out slightly.

ACTION Keeping your head in a neutral

position, abs tight, and torso upright,
bend at the knees and hips to slowly
lower your body as if you were going to
sit in a chair. Go as deep as you can,
ideally to a point where your thighs are
parallel or just below parallel to the floor
while maintaining your natural lower-
back arch, then forcefully drive through
your heels, extending at your hips and
knees until you arrive at the standing
position.

MROLYMPIA.COM 131
ARNOL IN HIS
OWN
WORDS

ON JULY 30, ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER CELEBRATED HIS

70TH BIRTHDAY. IT’S BEEN A REMARKABLE 70 YEARS IN WHICH
HE ATTAINED NO. 1 STATUS IN THREE DIFFERENT ARENAS:
BODYBUILDING, HOLLYWOOD, AND CALIFORNIA POLITICS. IN THIS
FEATURE WE REVIEW THE LIFE AND EXTRAORDINARY TIMES OF
THE FORCE OF NATURE THAT IS ARNOLD THROUGH THE PRISM OF
HIS OWN WORDS. COMPILED BY PETER McGOUGH

132 FLEX | SEPTEMBER 2017

LD
When I first started lifting
weights in 1962, my mother
cried, saying, “Where did
I go wrong? My boy has
pictures of naked oiled-up
men on his wall, and all his
friends have pictures of
girls in their rooms.”
As children we would
be sitting in the classroom
with the parents at the
back. If the teacher
said something
negative about my
work, my father would
come forward and
smack me, as other
parents would do to
their kids.
never had. And I owe him
so much for bringing me to
America. Without Joe I
wouldn’t have had the life
I’ve had.
When I was 15, I thought
the Weider Research
Clinic was a huge research
centre somewhere in
California connected to
the movie industry and
full of guys wanting to
be Hercules.
At the 1972 Mr. Olympia
[which Arnold won
controversially] in Essen, it
didn’t occur to Sergio Oliva

AFTER THE 1968 MR. UNIVERSE IN LONDON,

I RECEIVED A TELEGRAM FROM JOE
WEIDER. IT READ, “CONGRATULATIONS.
I WANT YOU TO COME TO AMERICA
TO COMPETE IN THE IFBB MR.
UNIVERSE.” I WAS LIKE, “WHAT TIME IS
THE NEXT PLANE?”

I was lonely as a child. that my white body would

Now I see there was an
advantage of sitting by
myself for hours, day after
day. It gave me the chance
to think and visualize and
form my goals.
Joe [Weider] had a habit of
finishing sentences for
you. And with Joe being
Joe, if he finished the
thought, then the whole
thought became his.
I think Joe came to look
upon me as the son he
stand out against the dark
wall behind us, while his
would blend right in.
There will never be
another like Sergio—
that I can guarantee.
Everything after him is
fake. He was the original.
He was “the Myth.”
From 1970 my instinct was
to win: Eliminate anyone
who was in competition,
destroy your enemy, and
move on without any

MROLYMPIA.COM 133
The Austrian Oak—a force
of nature who would
conquer the bodybuilding
world, become a global
movie star, and get
elected the governor of
California—unfurls his
lats in a lakeside setting.
hesitation at all. I was the Terminator
years before the movie was made.
The pump is like cuming. It’s terrific,
right? [This maybe explains why
Arnold believed in long workout
sessions completed twice a day,
six days a week.]
People say I have “it,” whatever “it”
is. My personality is a combination
of the zest for life, curiosity, being
entertaining, being in the spotlight.
Typical Leo.
Jim Lorimer and I have been
together for 47 years. We have
continually operated on a simple
handshake agreement: No
contract has been necessary and
our steadfast faith in each other
will continue.
There was talk of a sequel to the
1988 movie Twins, in which I
appeared as Danny DeVito’s twin
brother. The idea was there would
be a third triplet played by Eddie
Murphy. I can see the poster. “They
found another one! Triplets! Only
their mother can tell them apart!”
134 FLEX | SEPTEMBER 2017
CARUSO/COURTESY OF WEIDER HEALTH & FITNESS; ZELLER/© FITNESS PUBLICATIONS INC./COURTESY OF WEIDER HEALTH & FITNESS. THIS PAGE: ALBERT BUSEK; COLOR PHOTO BY ROBERT REIFF WITH ORIGINAL IMAGE USED FOR CUTOUT
OPENING SPREAD FROM LEFT: COURTESY OF ARNOLD/ WEIDER HEALTH & FITNESS; COURTESY OF ARNOLD: THE AMERICAN DREAM/AMI; COURTESY OF WEIDER HEALTH & FITNESS; CARUSO/COURTESY OF WEIDER HEALTH & FITNESS:
In Kindergarten Cop I played a virgin.
IN PUMPING IRON, This took tremendous acting.
I GOT TO PLAY ONE
OF THE ALL-TIME Back in the ’80s I always tried to
outdo Sylvester Stallone on the
GREAT CINEMATIC physique side; or who had the most
CHARACTERS— awesome weapons in a movie; how
many people we killed in a movie;
MYSELF. who killed the villain in the most
outrageous or funny way; whose
movie grossed the most. It was
crazy, intense competition, an all-
out war in a sense.
When I came to America in 1968,
Sly was my English teacher.
I turned down a part in the movie
The Rock [released in 1996], which
starred Sean Connery and Nicolas
COURTESY OF WEIDER HEALTH & FITNESS
Cage. I didn’t have confidence in the
script. The next thing you know it
was a great hit.
What is interesting about failure is
that it is more important as a
learning tool than a victory. If you
win you don’t have to sit and think
out a different approach.
 When people say to me, “I’d like to
send a letter—what’s the address?”
I say, “Arnold, Earth.” I always get
the letter.

Do you know what it was like for this

Austrian kid to find himself standing
with Nelson Mandela in his prison cell
in Robben Island and help light a
symbolic “Flame of Hope”
as part of a Special Olympics
event in 2001?

I know journalists very well, I sleep

with one. [Said during his marriage to
Maria Shriver.]
CLOCK WISE FROM LEFT; COURTESY OF WEIDER HEALTH & FITNESS; ALBERT BUSEK; ZELLER/© FITNESS PUBLICATIONS INC./COURTESY OF WEIDER HEALTH & FITNESS

You know, apart from the good stuff he

did, Bill Clinton will always be known
for two things: One, he said
he smoked but didn’t inhale. And
two, he got his helmet polished in
the White House.

It was like it was meant to be. I had

resigned myself to wait until ’06, but
the opportunity just opened up right
before me. It was like, “Come and
get it. What, do you want a written
invitation?” [In regard to the incumbent
California governor, Gray Davis, being
recalled in 2003, causing Arnold to
enter and win the election.]

On my first day as governor, as I

walked into the office I said to myself,
“OK, I won the election, now what the
f@#k do I do?”

There is no school to go to that

teaches you how to be a governor.
Sitting in that office and that building,
with all its history, can be a little
overwhelming.

I come from a country where

everyone had health care, so
California having 8 million people
who were uninsured was totally
unacceptable to me. (top) One of the greatest side chest
poses of all time; joking with Lou
Ferrigno (bottom from left) on the set
of Pumping Iron; leg presses at Gold’s
The polls do not decide anything. As
Gym with Ed Corney.
an athlete, I know all about peaking.
An athlete can be out of shape in
the off-season, but as contest day
approaches, he plans to peak on that
day. So I don’t worry about the scoring
on days when there is no contest.

MROLYMPIA.COM 135
Over the seven years of being
governor of California, I gave up
maybe $200 million from potential
movies roles and spent $40 million
or so of my own money on funding
election campaigns and other
propositions.

Dieter Rauter [Arnold’s movie

stand-in and close friend] is
very good to his mother...he
never goes home.

I saw the film See Arnold Run [the

2005 movie with Roland Kickinger
playing the young Arnold and Jürgen
From the tiny village of Graz in
Prochnow playing the modern-day
Austria, to Muscle Beach and
Arnold], and it upset me. What does Gold’s Gym, to Hollywood and
it say for my acting? I mean, this is beyond, Arnold did it all his way.
a movie about me, and they didn’t
even ask me to play me.

Political courage is not

ZELLER/© FITNESS PUBLICATIONS, INC./COURTESY OF WEIDER HEALTH & FITNESS; COURTESY OF WEIDER HEALTH & FITNESS; COLOR
political suicide.

Money doesn’t make you happy. I

now have $50 million, but I was just
as happy when I had $48 million.

PHOTO BY ROBERT REIFF WITH ORIGINAL IMAGE FOR CUTOUT COURTESY OF WEIDER HEALTH & FITNESS
For Expendables 2 [starring Arnold,
Sylvester Stallone, Bruce Willis,
Jason Statham, Jet Li, Dolph
Lundgren, Chuck Norris, and
Jean-Claude Van Damme], they
rounded up every action star
between the ages of 30 and 100.

I’m always interested in new ideas.

I’m like a sponge ready to absorb
any information. I’m hungry for
knowledge. I’m hungry for the
experience of doing new things.

MY LOVE FOR
I am a person who hates to look THE SPORT, MY
back. I only want to look forward.
I only want to move forward. APPRECIATION,
IS BASED ON
I don’t want to pinch myself too hard, THE FACT THAT
because I don’t want to wake up and EVERYTHING
find the whole thing was really a
dream. Can you imagine? I wake up at
I ACHIEVED IN
5 a.m. and someone is shaking me LIFE ORIGINATED
saying, “Komm, Arnold, Zeit für Ihre FROM
Schicht im Stahlwerk!” [Translation:
“Come on, Arnold, time for your shift BODYBUILDING.
at the steel mill.”]

136 FLEX | SEPTEMBER 2017

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 LAST SET
YOUR ONE-STOP SOURCE FOR MUSCLE NEWS

Brandon
Curry (with
Arnold)
put the
bodybuilding
world on
notice by
capturing
the Arnold
Australia.
PHOTOPHILLIPS
GARY CREDIT

138 FLEX | SEPTEMBER 2017

 BY JOHN PLUMMER BODYBUILDER OF THE MONTH LAST SET

Winning this year’s UK

Nationals in Liverpool.

PREVIOUS WINNERS
January Luke Sandoe
February Azeez Salu
March James Watts
April David Henderson
May Alfie Noda
June Austin Williams
July/August Arfhan Malik

JOVAL GORDON
CHRISTOPHER BAILEY

■ At just 22 years old, Joval Gordon’s physique is far from fully developed, but his pleasing overall structure has
already enjoyed notable success. The former sprinter from Leicester, whose dad was a bodybuilder, became a
three-time junior champion at this year’s UK Nationals and he has also achieved three top 10 placings at the IFBB
World and European Championships in the under-23 ranks. Gordon is currently preparing for next month’s
British Championships.

MROLYMPIA.COM 139
LAST SET JUDGE’S TABLE
competitor in the
same weight class. As
a shorter competitor,
you’re able to come
into a contest with a
thicker physique, with
fuller muscle bellies.
Obviously, at your size,
you need to come into
a competition close to
the upper limit of your
class or otherwise
you give away this
advantage. Concentrate
on developing balance.
If an area seems harder
to develop, you must
make it a priority.
The key to winning
a bodybuilding
competition, of course,
is to reduce body-fat
Taller is not
levels to a minimum
necessarily better,
especially at the while maintaining full
amateur level muscle bellies. If you
where there are reduce your caloric
weight classes. intake too low or don’t
get enough protein,
your muscles will
atrophy. So that your
muscle bellies stay full
for competition, you
need to ensure that you
don’t overdehydrate.
The balance between
“drying out” and
“staying full” is a
delicate one, and most
competitors will make
mistakes while learning
how to present their
own bodies in the best
way possible.
Overall, no matter
what your size, to
compete with the best

STANDING TALL
possible chance of
winning, you must
decide that you are
going to make yourself
into the “perfect”
bodybuilder. That
STEPPING I’M A 30-CM SHOULD BE DOING means symmetrical in
UP A CLASS BANTAMWEIGHT ONSTAGE AS FAR all ways, evenly and
IS ALL ABOUT AND WANT TO AS PRESENTATION fully developed in your
THE RIGHT MOVE UP A CLASS. WHEN UP AGAINST upper and lower body,
WHAT WOULD A TALLER left and right sides,
PREPARATION. YOU RECOMMEND COMPETITOR? front and back. The
I FOCUS ON IN muscles will be well
TRAINING IN STEVE WEINBERGER developed, full and well
ORDER TO BEST In the amateur divisions defined, with sharp
JEFF BINNS

COMPETE WITH with a weight limit, lines defining the edges

TALLER GUYS? IS you actually have an of individual muscle
THERE ANYTHING I advantage over a taller sections. Admittedly,

140 FLEX | SEPTEMBER 2017

 BY MICHAEL BERG

you may not be

perfect in the end, but
you need to make
yourself as well
prepared as possible.
Apart from the size,
shape, and definition of
your muscles, you can
beat a taller competitor
by presenting yourself
better onstage. Know
the correct technique
and position for all the
mandatory poses,
and practise, practise,
practise. Don’t leave
any aspect of your
preparation out.
Check your grooming,
your tan, down to
the colour of your
posing trunks—are they
the best colour for your
complexion? Do they
enhance or detract
from your physique?
Remember, if you’re
in great shape for a
contest—big, full, and
well defined—and you
weigh the same as Unlike bodybuilders,
another competitor figure competitors
who is taller than focus more on shape
you, then you’ll appear and fullness over
thicker and fuller than bone-dry condition.
they do.

THE JUDGES

■ STEVE
WEINBERGER

THIS MAY TEND TO GET that it’s more about

SOUND REALLY STRIATED overall shape and
LIKE A WEIRD WHEN I DIET muscle fullness rather
PROBLEM, BUT IS DOWN. than conditioning. I think
THERE SUCH A women tend to over-
THING AS BEING SANDY WILLIAMSON diet, especially when
TOO LEAN Yes, it’s true—you they first start out, so
FOR FIGURE? can come in too they end up losing some
I’M NOT TALKING conditioned for figure. of the muscle that
JEFF BINNS

■ SANDY MUSCLE MASS If you look at the top they worked so hard to
WILLIAMSON BUT ACTUALLY Olympia competitors, achieve. Don’t make
BEING TOO CUT—I for instance, you see that same mistake.

MROLYMPIA.COM 141
LAST SET POSEDOWN

ASHKANANI
VS. COLUMBU
WHO IS THE
WIDEST SHORT
BODYBUILDER
OF ALL TIME? AHMAD
ASHKANANI
WEIGHT
96
HEIGHT
Width usually
corresponds to height— 160
but not always. For YEARS
AS PRO
more than four
decades, there was no 2
debate about who was PRO
CONTESTS
the widest short
bodybuilder ever. 3
Franco Columbu held PRO WINS
that unofficial title and 2
without much
competition. At 163 cm,
the 1976 and 1981 Mr.
Olympia was seemingly
as broad as he was tall.
“He could fly with that,”
Danny Padilla quipped
in Pumping Iron
upon seeing
Franco’s wings
unfurled at the
1975 Olympia.
Now, at last,
the “Sardinian
Strongman” has
a challenger in the
Kuwaiti sensation,
Ahmad Ashkanani.
Though shorter than
Columbu, the winner of FRANCO
this year’s Arnold COLUMBU
Classic 212 appears WEIGHT
even wider than the
legendary two-time Mr.
89
HEIGHT
O. Like Columbu’s,
Ashkanani’s legs lag
163
YEARS
behind his upper half, AS PRO
and yet his side-to-side
vastness could eclipse
7
PRO
the lat spreads of guys CONTESTS
CARUSO; PER BERNAL

in the Mr. O posedown,

including Phil Heath. He
8
PRO WINS
is the human hang glider.
As Padilla said about 4
“the bat” 42 years ago,
“He could fly with that.”

142 FLEX | SEPTEMBER 2017

 BY GREG MERRITT

AHMAD
ASHKANANI
best pose
REAR LAT SPREAD
worst pose
ABS AND THIGH

strengths
BACK,
DELTOIDS

weaknesses
QUADS,
HAMSTRINGS

FRANCO
COLUMBU
best pose
REAR LAT SPREAD
worst pose
FRONT DOUBLE
BICEPS
PER BERNAL; COURTESY OF WEIDER HEALTH & FITNESS

strengths
BACK, CHEST, ABS
weaknesses
QUADS,
HAMSTRINGS

MROLYMPIA.COM 143
THE SHOT

SIGN OF THE TIMES

In this throwback cover from
December 2007, an ’80s era Lee Haney
(complete with stone-washed jeans),
shows the unrivalled mass and shape
that dominated the sport in a reign
that started at the 1984 Mr. Olympia
and continued until he broke Arnold
Schwarzenegger’s record for Olympia
wins when he grabbed his eighth
Sandow in his farewell to bodybuilding
at the 1991 Mr. Olympia. Check out
Haney’s recollections of his journey
JOHANSEN KR AUSE

from his humble roots in Atlanta,

Georgia, to bodybuilding’s greatest
stage in his monthly column, Ask Lee.

144 FLEX | SEPTEMBER 2017

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

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 It’s the energy to train harder and longer.
It’s the focus to fight through the burn.
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