Tabla de contenidos para Dec/Jan 2016 en FLEX Australia

Q You haven’t competed in decades, but you still call yourself a bodybuilder in interviews. Why? – JAMES B At the end of the movie Pumping Iron, after I win the Mr Olympia title, I make a speech where I tell the audience that I’m retiring from competition but I’ll never stop being a bodybuilder. I meant it then, and I feel the same now. If you think of bodybuilding in the broader sense not just as a sport but a lifestyle dedicated to the cultivation of one’s physical potential, and the mental and spiritual benefits that come along with it – why would anyone just quit? I’ve been a movie star, businessman, political leader and many other things in my life, but my first great accomplishment was becoming a…

JUAN MOREL Q What was the biggest lesson you learned after your first Mr Olympia? I was happy with the way everything played out, so I have no complaints as far as what I could have done differently. If you give your all during your entire prep, that’s all anyone can ask. Is the Olympia really that much bigger than any other pro contest or is it hype? Yes, it really is! I went to the Olympia two years in a row before I stood onstage, so I knew the scope of the contest. That prepared me, so I wasn’t totally overwhelmed. Also, several of my friends have competed in the O, so I knew what to expect. What areas are you trying to improve? I want to keep improving…

Workouts reached peak volume in the 1970s when Arnold Schwarzenegger hit most body parts with a 15- to 25-set barrage three times weekly and abs and calves daily. But Arnold didn’t just do half his workload one day and the other half the next, because the resulting sessions would’ve lasted more than four hours. He also went a step further and split each day’s workload, doing half in the morning and the other half in the afternoon or evening. By double-splitting, he moderated the volume of his 12 weekly workouts. We’re not recommending you follow Arnold’s high-frequency split long term. But there are three ways you can benefit from a routine daily double. “I DID A LOT OF VOLUME, AND I WORKED MUSCLES THREE TIMES A WEEK, SO RATHER THAN…

OPENING ARGUMENTS Defense Daily undulating periodisation has been shown to produce superior strength gains compared with periodisation in which the weight loads progress linearly from light to medium to heavy over the course of several weeks or months. Prosecution Most periodisation models have a fixed schedule of progression that lifters are not allowed to deviate from regardless of their “readiness” on the workout day. Flexible periodisation allows the load to be selected on the day of each workout based on the lifter’s readiness. EVIDENCE 1 A 2010 study from St. Francis College in the US compared two methods of periodisation, daily undulating and flexible, in a 12-week college weight-training class. 2 Both groups performed the same total training volume. Those in the flexible periodisation group significantly increased their leg press…

Q How do you stay healthy and injury-free? The biggest key is to learn how to listen to your body. I modify my training plan to accommodate how my body is feeling from day to day. Now, at first that might seem like a very simple and easy thing to do, but when you’re training for a big contest sometimes the last thing you want to do is listen to your body when you’re tired, sore or just need a couple of days of lighter training. One key takeaway here is the importance of keeping detailed notes on your training – sets and reps, rest periods, how you feel, etc. I also get rehab treatment one to two times per week, which includes stretching and soft-tissue work. I keep my…

1 Cook couscous Pulse cauliflower head in a food processor to form couscous. Heat 2 tbsp olive oil over medium heat in a pan. Sauté cauliflower with pine nuts, raisins and 1 clove minced garlic. Reduce heat for 2 minutes. Finish with chopped basil. 2 Grill a “steak” Heat grill to high. Cut 2 “steaks” from centre of large cauliflower head. Add spices and drizzle with coconut oil. Grill steaks on both sides and reduce heat for 3-4 minutes. Drizzle with lime juice, minced jalapeño and coriander. 3 Stir up a soup Cut cauliflower head into 2.5cm chunks. In a large pot, heat 2 tbsp coconut oil and sauté cauliflower with garlic and 1 minced shallot for 3 minutes. Add 1 can coconut milk and 1 drizzle rice vinegar and…

Vitamin A supports eye health, improves recovery from intense weight-training workouts, increases energy and boosts immunity. The downside is that too much supplemental vitamin A can be toxic because it’s fat soluble and accumulates in your liver. Harmful side effects include liver abnormalities, central nervous system disorders and decreased bone density. To avoid these problems, many bodybuilders opt to supplement beta-carotene, either as a stand-alone or as part of their multivitamin. Both options are better than supplementing vitamin A because your body won’t convert beta-carotene to vitamin A beyond the level it needs. Below is a list of the best whole-food sources of beta-carotene. Remember that you don’t have to worry about overconsuming beta-carotene. Your body will simply excrete the excess. SWEET POTATO 225g CALORIES 249 BETA-CAROTENE (MCG) 30,976 PUMPKIN…

Before and after he was the Hulk, Lou Ferrigno was bodybuilding’s ultimate behemoth. When Arnold Schwarzenegger was winning Olympias at 235 (106.5kg), Lou was 275 (125kg). And when Dorian Yates was collecting Sandows at 265 (120kg), Lou was 315 (143kg). In fact, the future not-so-jolly green giant first broke the 300-pound barrier in the off-season at the age of 20 – an unprecedented muscular body weight in the early ’70s. At 196cm, he towered over competitors, but whereas most tall bodybuilders have trouble filling out, Ferrigno carried his mass proportionately with pleasing symmetry. He’s the best over-188cm bodybuilder of all time, and if he hadn’t spent 17 years off posing stages, he may have collected a mantel full of Sandows. In celebration of what was and what could’ve been, Lou…

Although the off-season provides a much-needed break from rigid calorie restrictions and diligent precontest training prep, it shouldn’t be viewed as a free-for-all when it comes to diet and training. Bodybuilders sometimes fool themselves into believing they can pull a Ronnie Coleman. The eight-time Mr O could wolf down tubs of barbecue-covered chicken and trays of french fries and somehow turn up onstage with jaw-dropping size and condition. Chances are you don’t possess Coleman’s freaky genetics, and all you’ll end up doing is digging a hole to climb out of when it’s time to move back into prep mode. To help you avoid putting on too much mass too quickly – or not enough – during your off-season, we’re bringing you some top diet and training tips. For nutritional advice,…

One-arm dumbbell overhead triceps extension “This is one of the best, if not the best, exercise for the posterior head of the triceps – but only if you get a deep stretch,” says Zane. “I encourage people to lean back a little bit and hold the upper arm close to the head, go way down behind the neck with the dumbbell and don’t quite lock out at the top. Stop just a little short of lockout. With a lot of exercises, locking out is resting the area we’re working. We don’t want that. We want to go right to the point where the tension is increased to the max, and then go back down with it.” Overhead triceps stretch Zane advises: “The best stretch after pullovers is the one-arm shoulder…

Traditional stretching techniques are a lost art in modern-day bodybuilding as well as in the fitness community at large. But Zane still swears by it, placing as much emphasis on stretches as he does on lifting sets. Frank says: “The way we train here at my gym is, immediately after we do a set we do a stretch that works the body part we’re training. So if you’re doing, let’s say, front pulldowns or low cable rows, you do a two-arm lat stretch to keep the blood in the area, to keep it warmed up and to enhance flexibility. The one-arm lat stretch is just hitting one lat at a time, and that’s what we do right after one-arm dumbbell rows to pop out the lats. Enhanced flexibility will help…

says 2015 IFBB Tampa Pro champ Maxx Charles. He’s sharing details about his typical volume-heavy, three-hour leg workout and explaining the motivation behind such self-inflicted torture. Before he gets to discussing his latest training session at Bev Francis Powerhouse Gym in New York, he explains what led him down the iron path. “When I was 6 or 7, I was in awe of Arnold Schwarzenegger, whom I knew only from the movies. He was amazing. Then someone said, ‘You know he does this other thing – he’s not just an actor.’ And when I saw this other thing Arnold did – bodybuilding – and I saw his pictures in the magazines, that was all I wanted to do with my life. I wanted to be a bodybuilder, and “I wanted…

PHIL HEATH “The Gift” takes out his fifth Olympia. Can he make it six? Check out his track record so far: 2015 IFBB Mr Olympia: 1st 2014 IFBB Mr Olympia: 1st 2013 IFBB Mr Olympia: 1st 2013 IFBB Arnold Classic Europe: 1st 2012 Sheru Classic: 1st 2012 IFBB Mr Olympia: 1st 2011 IFBB Mr Olympia: 1st 2011 Sheru Classic: 1st 2010 IFBB Mr Olympia: 2nd 2010 IFBB Arnold Classic: 2nd 2009 IFBB Mr Olympia: 5th 2008 IFBB Mr Olympia: 3rd 2008 IFBB Arnold Classic: Runner-up 2008 IFBB Ironman Pro: 1st 2007 IFBB Arnold Classic: 5th 2006 IFBB New York Pro: 1st 2006 IFBB Colorado Pro Show: 1st 2005 NPC USA’s: 1st Men’s Heavyweight & Overall Champ (Pro Card) 2005 NPC Junior Nationals: 1st Men’s Heavyweight: Overall Champ 2004 NPC Colorado…

Q As a contest promoter, what is a common mistake you see competitors make? The biggest problem I see is that there are too many chiefs and not enough Indians. What a competitor needs is one Indian who says, “You look like shit. You’re not ready.” Competitors need to work on getting their tans right, they need to listen to their music and practice posing to it – not just the night before the contest, but also every day for weeks until they have it down. And then two times a week. And then three times a week after that just to get good at it. Do you think tattoos work against a competitor? I have a small tattoo on my biceps, and a lot of other pros have tattoos…

HYPOTHESIS Researchers from the Sport Performance Research Institute in New Zealand wanted to find out which variation of the barbell squat – deep, parallel or front – produced the greatest activation of the glutes, quads and hamstrings. RESEARCH Thirteen experienced resistance-trained female subjects performed a single set of 10 reps using their 10-rep max for each squat variation. Electromyography (EMG) electrodes were placed on the quads, hamstrings and glutes. Maximum voluntary isometric contraction (MVIC) testing was performed and recorded for each muscle group. Foot placement was the same for all variations. FINDINGS No differences in muscle activation were found for any of the squat variations. The authors speculate that because the 10RM load was adjusted to accommodate differences in strength, their results are different from some reports of greater EMG…

I wish there were a way to avoid spray tans before bikini competitions. No matter how many times I do it, which is a lot, I always find a way to mess it up. Being a high school nurse is so rewarding. My kids know I’m a personal trainer, but they’re a little too young to see the photos. My husband likes to joke that my office is especially busy with “sick” boys all the time. I’m scared of the sound a balloon makes when it pops. When my 5-year-old son has a balloon and it’s heading towards the ceiling fan, I feel like I should hit the deck. I’ve had to work hard at my posing and stage presence. It doesn’t come naturally to me. When someone is comfortable…

The deltoids are composed of three portions: the front (anterior), side (lateral) and the rear (posterior). Well-developed front delts are common among weightlifters because they’re highly involved in pressing movements such as dips, chest press and shoulder press. Another reason? People tend to pay more attention to muscles they can see in the mirror. Well-developed rear delts, on the other hand, are far less common. Not only are they out of sight, out of mind, but they’re also more difficult to achieve. The primary action of the rear delt is to bring the arm from front to back in the horizontal plane with the elbows high and out. Wide-grip rows to the chest, bentover laterals, reverse pec decks and, in particular, lying laterals – a great isolation exercise – all…

Figs can be a solid addition to a bodybuilder’s diet because they’re somewhat sweet and high in fibre. In other words, figs don’t cause a large spike in insulin, and they help you succeed on a relatively low-carb nutrition program. One dose of a fibre supp such as Metamucil has about 3 grams of fibre per serving. But you can get in about 2 grams of fibre with every large fig you consume. Each of these figs also comes with about 47 calories and a half-gram of protein. When calories are not your main concern, figs can help process other macros and reduce insulin impact. Consume a fig or two with meals when you want to slow absorption. But it’s best to avoid figs before and after workouts: this is…

TART CHERRY EXTRACT Tart cherry is a relatively new supplement to the industry that really packs a punch. It has been shown to act as an anti-inflammatory agent, reducing stress posed on muscles during workouts. Along with reducing muscle soreness, tart cherry also provides support for healthy joints and a proper sleeping pattern. L-THEANINE The tea-derived amino acid helps relax your mind from the pile-up of daily stress by taking some ease off the cardiovascular system. This is key in achieving a fully recovered nervous system to get your body full-firing before your next workout. VITAMIN C Vitamin C plays an important role in growth and development. It’s used to rebuild bodily tissue and get rid of free radicals. Maintaining a constant supply of vitamin C will allow you to…

Ferrigno’s last contest before going green on TV occurred the day before he turned 24. Sub-200-pound (91kg) bodybuilders won seven of the next eight Olympias. When Lou made his comeback, he was 41. His best years were spent on TV and movie sets, and his 17-year posing hiatus left a huge hole in bodybuilding history. How many Sandows could he have won had he competed in his prime? 1973 Mr America 1st Place AGE 21 1973 Mr Universe 1st Place AGE 21 1974 Mr International 1st Place AGE 22 1974 Mr International 1st Place AGE 22 1974 Mr Olympia (HWT) 2nd Place AGE 22 1975 Mr Olympia (HWT) 3rd Place AGE 23 1992 Mr Olympia 12th Place AGE 41 1993 Mr Olympia 10th Place AGE 42 1994 Masters Mr Olympia…

Phil Heath has become the first man since Ronnie Coleman to win five Mr Olympia trophies. In the absence of Kai Greene, who failed to sign the contract to enter the event, Heath started the 2015 Olympia weekend in Las Vegas as clear favourite, although he faced strong opposition from Dexter Jackson, Shawn Rhoden and Dennis Wolf. Once again Heath was off on the Friday night pre-judging but he roared back at the finals 24 hours later to retain his title and claim the $400,000 first prize at a near sell-out Orleans Arena. It was, nevertheless, a sub-par performance compared with his 2011 and 2013 victories but The Gift showed he still has the best genetic structure. Dexter Jackson, who Heath named as his main rival at the pre-contest press…

The two had to meet. Just look at the resemblance. Sadik Hadzovic, owner of arguably the most aesthetic male physique in the world after winning the men’s physique title at the 2015 Arnold Classic, and Frank Zane, the man who set the bar for aesthetics during a bodybuilding career that saw him win three consecutive Mr Olympia titles from 1977–79. No doubt Zane, now 73, could teach Hadzovic a thing or two considering his perspective and reputable wisdom for all things developed, chiselled and symmetrical. “What’s funny is, the past 10 years of my life, no matter what gym I went to, everyone has been comparing me to this guy Frank Zane,” says Hadzovic. “And I had no idea who he was. I literally thought that he was somebody my…

HADZOVIC’S TRAINING SPLIT DAY 1 Chest DAY 2 Back DAY 3 Legs DAY 4 Delts DAY 5 Cycle repeats (no rest days) “I do HIIT cardio every single morning in a fasted state,” says Hadzovic. “I train abs every other day, and I don’t train arms anymore because I don’t want them to get too big. I like training arms, but we have to cater to the judges.” ZANE’S TRAINING SPLIT (Circa Late-1970s) DAY 1 Back, biceps, forearms, abs DAY 2 Abs, thighs, calves DAY 3 Chest, shoulders, triceps, abs DAY 4 Rest DAY 5 Cycle repeats…

1 Weight training and proper eating combined is the most direct way to build muscle and might. 2 Right living and quality rest contribute significantly to the lifter’s progress. 3 Genetic make-up is a determining factor in structural and muscular development, strength and rate of advancement. 4 Many people start weight training to achieve fitness goals, only to give up because they don’t reach their expectations quickly, and because the activity is demanding. 5 Immature trainers pursuing extraordinary goals are easy prey for marketing hype. 6 Early weight training requires order in exercises, sets and reps, and practice as the lifter focuses on form, muscle engagement, discomfort, endurance, exercise groove and pace. 7 Exercise and eating are basic and simple in form, yet tough in application. 8 Gain weight too…

WEBB’S STATS AGE 29 OFF SEASON WEIGHT 118 KG COMPETITION WEIGHT 100 KG BEGAN TRAINING 2011 TRAINS 6-7 DAYS PER WEEK “I train chest twice a week to bring it up as I feel it’s a weak point on my body. I also t rain legs twice a week to break up the leg in to two. One day is quad dominant and the second is hamstrings dominant. “I also like to put an arm day in to help bring up my arms as I feel I don’t get a lot of size from just doing them with chest and back, so I like a day just for them! “A lot of my training is hypertrophy, so a lot of my reps are around 12-18 and sets of 4. During…

CrossFit is a 21st-century sensation, but the incorporation of various workout methods is nothing new to bodybuilding. For example, two-time Mr Olympia Franco Columbu sometimes did powerlifting, boxing, Olympic weightlifting and running in addition to traditional bodybuilding sets and reps. And that was in the Nixon era. Back then this was called “holistic”. Today’s bodybuilders can also benefit from similar inclusiveness by incorporating a variety of techniques in the same workouts or in separate sessions throughout a program. Going holistic can broaden your workout focus beyond gaining muscle to burning fat, boosting power and even increasing dexterity. “Whether I’m following Y3T or not, I’m always incorporating different styles and techniques in my training. ‘Be flextraordinary’ is my saying, and to do that you have to think outside the box.” —…

Well-developed traps are visible from the front and rear, as part of the shoulders and back. The primary function of the traps is to elevate the shoulder girdle and rotate and stabilise the scapula. Deadlifts and shrugs place the greatest loads on the upper traps, while seated rows and bentover lateral raises target the middle and lower traps. In order to fully activate the traps on seated rows and bentover lateral raises, spread the shoulder blades at the bottom of the movement and then retract and squeeze them together at the top. When doing shrugs, it is not necessary or helpful to roll the shoulders forward or backward. The only line of resistance is the line of gravity, which is straight up and down. It’s also important to keep the…

Why buffalo instead of other protein? Buffalo aren’t fed hormones or antibiotics; they’re free-range animals that eat foods from their natural habitat. The end result is leaner meat that tastes like beef. “Isolated meats in remote areas are naturally fitter and leaner than domesticated animals as they are constantly on the move and roam vast outback territory,” says Marnie Flanagan from Naturally Wild (naturallywildproduce.com). “The fat does not got through the muscle, hence the result is a very lean protein.” Try this mini burrito recipe for a new take on this high-quality protein source. THE MACROS In an 85g serving CALORIES 418 PROTEIN 23 G FAT 18 G CARBS 42 G MINI BURRITO BAKES SERVES 6 INGREDIENTS 500g buffalo mince 1 ear of fresh corn, kernals removed 425g black beans…

Consuming citrus fruit supplies you with many nutrients, but you may not know all the benefits that come with these rich sources of vitamins and minerals. Two recent studies indicate that consuming citrus promotes health and improves bodybuilding gains. A study in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition concluded that consuming grapefruit flavanones improves arterial health. Yeah, that’s great for old ladies, but it’s also important for bodybuilders. When these vessels are more elastic it means that blood and nutrients can reach your working muscles more quickly. This is comparable to studies showing benefits for amino acids – arginine and citrulline – demonstrated by research to improve blood flow. Another study in the International Journal of Food Sciences and Nutrition showed that consuming extracts from a blend of citrus fruit…

Chicken breast is the primary whole-food protein source for many bodybuilders. This makes sense because it’s low in calories and high in protein. However, should a dieting bodybuilder gravitate toward dark meat or white meat? And does either help or hinder the ability of younger men seeking to add quality mass? WINNER QUALITY CUTS Are you trying to cut calories or carbs? Neither white nor dark meat contains any carbs. When you’re dieting you need saturated fats to improve satiety and support hormone production. We’ve been beating the drum, encouraging bodybuilders to emphasise saturated fats for boosting hormones such as testosterone while also suggesting that they supplement omega-3s because they’re vastly underrepresented in Australian and even bodybuilding diets. Therefore, bodybuilders should focus on quality cuts of organic chicken rather than…

WITH FINGERLING POTATOES SERVES 1 INGREDIENTS 1 tbsp macadamia nut oil 225g salmon fillet (skinned) ½ cup fingerling potatoes, diced ¼ cup diced red capsicum, ¼ cup diced green capsicum ¼ cup Spanish onion, diced ¼ cup asparagus, diced 1 tsp thyme ½ tsp minced garlic DIRECTIONS Preheat oven to 190°F. Add macadamia nut oil to a sauté pan. With low flame, heat for 30 seconds and add salmon. Cook for 30 seconds and turn to the opposite side. Add remaining ingredients, except for the garlic. Remove salmon and place in the oven for 20 minutes. Cook vegetables until tender, stir often for about 10-12 minutes. When cooked, add minced garlic. Stir again, place in a serving dish, and top with the salmon fillet. THE MACROS In an 85gserving CALORIES…

Here’s an exercise that beginners and advanced bodybuilders alike think they have down pat. Not much to it, right? You lower the weight down until just before the plates rest on the stack, then you extend your knees all the way and hold the contraction for a count or two at the top of each rep. Zaane has a different idea about how to perform leg extensions for carving in maximum quad detail. Frank says: “Sadik needs to do a lot of leg extensions and basically learn to show cuts in his quads without having his knees locked all the time. That was one of the things we worked on. And then one-leg extensions is something he can do before competition using, like, four sets of 25 reps per leg…

You’d expect to find a few classic machines from yesteryear in Zane’s personal gym. The donkey calf raise is one such piece that caught Hadzovic’s eye as he perused the weights room. But this machine is anything but a relic in Zane’s mind; he still considers it one of the best calf developers there is. Makes you wonder why so many gyms got rid of them. Frank says: “They still make these Nautilus donkey calf raise machines. I have one of the originals from 1978. Donkeys are one of the best exercises for working your calves.” Sadik says: “Frank likes this exercise a lot. For me, I just saw that donkey calf raise machine and said, ‘Bro, that’s an awesome calf machine. Can I try it?’ I liked the way…

The straight-arm pulldown is an exercise that requires a high degree of mind-muscle connection to hit the desired target. It’s an isolation move that can easily cease to isolate when you use too much body English. Most people consider this a dedicated lat exercise, but not Zane. Frank says: “With any exercise, you have to discover if you’re doing it right by, first of all, feeling the pump in that area while you’re working it, and then getting sore there the day after the workout. That’s how you find out what’s working what. With this exercise, you should feel it in the serratus and also the posterior head of the triceps, just as you do with pullovers. I would work that combination as the last exercises in my chest routine,…