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THE BODYBUILDING WORLD is on the edge of its proverbial seat right now, waiting to see who will be crowned champion at Sepetmber’s Mr Olympia in Las Vegas. It could be Phil Heath. It could be anyone. As you’ll see in this issue, there are plenty of massive contenders who reckon they’ve got what it takes to win. Old faces and new will be gearing up to pose down at the O, and I’m stoked to see some Aussie and Kiwi young blood in the mix. Check out our stories on Josh Lenartowicz (page 42) and Steve Orton (page 80). Obviously a strong body and a strong mind can equal big gains – both on the bodybuilding stage and in life. You’re going to find plenty of inspiration in this…
250,000 The average number of muscle fibres believed to comprise the biceps. TRUE & TRI’D • Universiti Malaysia Perlis researchers wanted to see if the three heads of the triceps worked as a single unit by measuring fatigue. The highest fatigue rate was observed in the long head, followed by the medial and the lateral head. The triceps do not work as a single unit, and fibre composition is different for each head. CLENCH TIME • Clenching your jaw may increase strength output. This is called “concurrent activation potentiation”. Researchers from Spain showed that a customised bite-aligning mouthpiece provoked a significant ergogenic effect on measures of maximal upper body isometric strength and lower body muscular power. STAY SINGLE • A Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research study showed that…
61 % Percentage of Australians who are clinically overweight or obese, according to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. PICK PULSES TO DROP WEIGHT • Pulses (legumes harvested for the dry seed, like beans and lentils) may help cinch your waist, says a meta-analysis of clinical trials in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Subjects lost an average of three-fourths of a pound (340g) over six weeks by eating three-fourths of a cup of pulses per day, with no change to their diet or activity levels. HIGH-CARB HEART BARB High-carb shakes may damage your heart. In a study from Vanderbilt University, US, a study of 33 people found that in the six hours after drinking a 264-calorie high-carb mixture, they produced less than normal levels of…
What music is on your gym playlist? I usually listen to rap and heavy metal. These two types of music hit the spot no matter what type of mood I’m feeling walking in the gym. On a regular day, when you’re not preparing for a contest, how many calories do you try to consume? My typical diet is around 4000– 5000 calories each day and I will have “high days” which can go as high as twice that. Which Olympia competitor are you most looking forward to competing against? I would say all of them, since they’re all seasoned and proven professionals. I’ve looked up to many of these champions for years, growing up reading the magazines and watching them move up through the ranks.…
MAMDOUH ELSSBIAY Is bodybuilding popular in Kuwait? It wasn’t always, but now, yes, it is very popular. The fans are very supportive. Do you have a training DVD? If so, where can I buy it? I don’t have one, but I do have some training videos on YouTube, and I put a lot of short videos from my daily workouts on Instagram. How big are your legs and arms? The last time someone checked, my quads measured 35½ inches (90.1cm) and my arms were 24 inches (60.9cm). But measurements are not really important to me. It’s what they look like onstage that matters. Do you think you can beat Kai Greene and Phil Heath at this year’s Olympia? Yes, I believe I can beat them both. That’s what I’m working…
How many hours a week do you spend managing your many enterprises? Every hour, every day, with every three hours designated to family, store, brand, businesses inside and outside of bodybuilding, 24/7. I don’t have downtime. I don’t know what I would do with downtime. I’m trying to grow a legacy – you can’t rely on a contest showing to do that. To create a legacy and brand, you need to work at it tirelessly. That goes for competing, travelling, making contacts, a nonstop hustle – and I become a stronger businessman every year because of it. What is the rebound effect that 212 guys talk about? Lots of competitors relax their diets after a show, and there’s a rebound effect when it’s very easy to put on 20 to…
