Tabla de contenidos para Apr/May 2016 en FLEX Australia

QI eat around 2 grams per kilogram a day. Are there are any drawbacks to consuming so much protein? – Damien S A big imbalance in whatever we eat can lead to problems, Damien, but a high-protein intake is considered safe. While some studies suggest that excess protein can lead to kidney failure or brittle bones, a more comprehensive review of 111 studies that appeared in Nutrition & Metabolism in 2005 took a look at protein intake and renal function and found that athletes who consumed more than 2g/kg of protein showed no issues with kidney function. A high-protein diet can be beneficial, but too much can hurt your muscle-building goals. Enough protein is needed to provide amino acids for building muscle and driving protein synthesis, but any excess protein…

A big, fat, juicy side of beef was the protein of choice for old-school iron men coming up in the time before anyone cared about fat content, high cholesterol or animals being fed antibiotics or hormones. But cholesterol and heart disease concerns made lean chicken the protein du jour, and fatty steak was regulated to more of a once-in-awhile indulgence. These days you can still satisfy some of your cravings for a sizzling steak and get a high-quality protein source by adding buffalo to your training plate. Water buffalo have been present in northern Australia since the 1820s, and now it’s easier than ever to get a delicious meat experience without the calories or harmful fats. Though buffalo are related to domestic cattle, their meat beats out beef as a…

A COMPLETE DIET BENEFITS HEALTH AND MUSCLE GROWTH. Competitive bodybuilding nutrition plans are typically divided into two distinct phases: off-season mass-gaining diets and pre-contest cutting diets. But what if you don’t want to alternate the two eating strategies because competing onstage is not your immediate goal? In other words, you want one plan that combines the best of both worlds so you can look as large and lean as you can year-round. That’s what the 10 tips on the following pages will do. Learning to work with your body type is a key component in keeping your metabolism in an optimal muscle-building state. On our plan, hardgainers with fast metabolisms will find that they can consume foods, many higher in fat, that will help them achieve their goals. Those with…

“I WOKE UP EVERY MORNING TO THE SOUND OF WEIGHTS CLANGING TOGETHER,” RECALLS JEREMY BUENDIA OF HIS CHILDHOOD. The noise emanating from the basement of the Buendia residence in California, US, was Jeremy’s father, Louie, a dedicated lifter in his own right who passed the love of iron on to his son. “I watched my dad weight train ever since I could remember,” Buendia says. “He raised me to be an athlete, and he started training me at the age of 6 doing various speed drills, push-ups, and other calisthenics-type exercises. My dad introduced weights to me at 10 or 11 years old, and it became a part of my everyday life.” By age 24, Buendia was the Olympia Men’s Physique Showdown winner, and with his successful title defense last…

If you’re like the average gym rat, there’s probably one day of the week that you don’t really look forward to: leg day. You see people waiting for chest and arms machines, but rarely will you see a line for the squat rack. But Juan Morel is not you’re average gym rat. For starters, he’s an IFBB pro with three contest wins to his name. He cracked the toughest top 10 in the world in his Mr Olympia debut in 2014 and just barely missed it again last year when he placed 11th. Though he wasn’t at his best, he’s still near the top of many “ones-to-watch” lists for 2016. Oh, yeah, and he loves leg day. BRING THE PAIN Morel’s unbridled passion for leg training stemmed from what was…

These are the building blocks most used by champions and children alike. They are the simple movements that involve the body’s complicated system of muscles, bones and ligaments advantageously, safely, and joyously. They are the basics. They work best. The rest is up to sound nutrition. Of the top 20, extract six to eight major moves on which to concentrate to avoid excessive instruction time and learning time and, therefore, devote more intense training time in near-future workouts. This will assure greater muscle and strength response. Stick to the basic exercises that work the larger muscle groups completely and are responsible for fuller and more effective muscle growth. Exercise repetition is needed to gain the maximum an exercise has to offer. Changing exercises frequently defeats one’s purpose to grow in…

OPENING ARGUMENTS Lifting straps are used for exercises that place a heavy demand on grip strength, such as rows, chins, shrugs and deadlifts. Bodybuilders use straps to prevent their grip from giving out. Defense Grip strength is critical in both powerlifting and strongman competitions. Lifting straps reduce the grip-strengthening effect of some exercises. Prosecution Bodybuilding contests do not involve lifting onstage, so using straps in the gym does not impact your chances of winning or losing a competition. EVIDENCE In a recent study at the University of Texas, US, subjects performed deadlifts both with and without straps. The use of straps resulted in lower rep speed and greater muscle force and duration when compared with lifters who did not use straps; additionally, using straps increased the amount of work performed…

“I GENUINELY BELIEVE IF THEY HAD PUT 500KG ON THE BAR THIS YEAR, I’D HAVE PULLED IT.” IN THE WORLD OF STRENGTH & MUSCLE, there is nobody quite like Eddie Hall. Nobody looks like him. At 178kg and with a beard and mohawk, he gets stopped whenever he goes out. No other strongman trains like him – he qualified for his first World’s Strongest Man by training purely as a bodybuilder. And, most of all, nobody lifts as much as him – he owns the heaviest deadlift in history. Hall hoisted 463kg in July to beat his own world record and did it with such ease it got everyone wondering whether he could become the first man to lift half a ton of weight. The deadlift is the purest…

It’s not a bad start for a pro bodybuilder when your entry into the big leagues elicits a parallel to the legendary Shawn Ray. That’s not to say Dallas McCarver’s physique prompts direct comparisons to the two-time Mr Olympia runner-up. At 185cm and 118 kilos, McCarver brings more height and mass compared with the flowing, aesthetic lines of 170cm, 93kg Ray in his prime. Yet they both accomplished something rare in the iron game: great success at a very young age. McCarver won his pro card at 21, in just his third bodybuilding competition, by taking the super-heavyweight and overall class at the 2012 North American Championships. The last to nab a pro card at 21? Ray, when he turned pro at the NPC Nationals in 1987 with a light-heavyweight…

WHAT’S IN A NICKNAME? For 25-year-old Aussie bodybuilder Calum von Moger, a lot. He’s already been dubbed “Arnold 2.0,” and both the resemblance and résumé are fitting. At 188cm and 112 kilos, von Moger’s size is comparable to Arnold’s, plus he’s already won three Mr Universe titles, albeit not in the US. Hell, even his native country is only a few letters off from Arnold’s place of birth (Austria). The dark hair, the good looks – more attributes that are strikingly Arnold-esque. And it would seem that’s what von Moger is going for, as he openly admits to being inspired by vintage bodybuilders like the Oak, Dave Draper and Steve Reeves rather than by modern behemoths like Phil Heath and Jay Cutler. But despite the similarities, he’s not trying to…

After an intense workout, protein is must, whether it’s in the form of a shake or a bar. Well, a new study is confirming that fast food is just as useful as a post-workout food choice as a protein supplement. The International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism published a study in which a student and his colleagues had top-notch male athletes complete what seemed to be a pretty asinine experiment. The student had the athletes fast for four hours and do a 90-minute treadmill workout. Half of the athletes were given the typical post-workout nutrition regime of Gatorade, energy cubes and protein bars. However, the rest of the athletes were given hashbrowns, hamburgers, fries and soft drink – food items you would probably steer clear from. Once both…

No need to relegate cinnamon to just your coffee – this bittersweet spice can be used to boost vitality, improve circulation, aid in digestion, bloating and overeating, and help stabilise blood-sugar levels and improve insulin sensitivity. When you eat a meal with a high glycaemic load, it’s quickly broken down into glucose, which causes your pancreas to secrete insulin. The insulin tells which cells to absorb the blood sugar, and if you eat a lot of carbs, a bunch of that energy will be stored as fat since the body can’t use it all at once. Keeping blood sugar in check allows your body to burn stored fat. “Stabilising blood sugar will also prevent spikes and crashes in energy and help support a longer and more effective training session,” says…

A is for Ali Rosen She’s an IFBB pro bikini winner, registered dietitian and Lewis’ fiancée. Rosen and Lewis planned to marry in February. B is for Back Like Phil Heath, Lewis possesses narrow clavicles, which limit his lat width. But also like the four-time Mr O, this three-time 212 O champ made the crucial rear double-biceps pose his “lights out” winner by accentuating all the components others neglect – traps, rhomboids, lat density, spinal erectors – and that’s before we even get to his superb lower body. Let’s take just one area, his spinal erectors, which are arguably the best in the IFBB Pro League. Many bodybuilders neglect this body part, but not the Welsh Dragon. In each back workout, he gives it a special focus with power-rack deadlifts…

“Judge me by my size, do you?” YODA IN THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK You can’t have everything. That’s one thing bodybuilding teaches you– as if you didn’t already know. Phil Heath was gifted with many genetic advantages. But the one present the Gift didn’t get was broad clavicles. Therefore, by Mr Olympia standards, he’s never going to have wide-screen lats. And yet in each of his five Olympia victories he’s schooled his toughest competition in the two rear shots, especially the crucial rear double biceps – the pose that shows the most. Heath does it with density, shape, and details– all those ridges and divots that draw your eyes away from the bigger canvases nearby. Three weeks before the 2015 Olympia, we journeyed to Armbrust Gym in suburban Denver, Colorado,…

JOHNNIE JACKSON HAS THE GREATEST TRAPEZIUS DEVELOPMENT OF ALL TIME Yes, superior to the shoulder mountains of Ronnie Coleman or Markus Ruhl. Better, too, than the twin peaks atop the clavicles of Lou Ferrigno, Kevin Levrone, that other Jackson – Dexter – and anyone else you name. At his best, when crunching a most muscular, Jackson’s traps rise so high they seem at risk of detaching. And from behind, the granite kite on his back jumps at you in 3D. Up near the top, the flesh on either side of his neck forms a dramatic ring around an oddly elevated vertebrae, creating a look so freakishly unique that when a rear shot of him appeared in GQ, anyone who also read FLEX knew instantly it could only be Johnnie. But…