Flex UK - December 2017

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INSIDE THIS MONTH DECEMBER 2017 COVER PHOTOGRAPH
COURTESY OF WEIDER HEALTH & FITNESS
FEATURES
4
A HULKING
44 10 WAYS TO GROW
YOUR GUNS
A panel of experts
LEGACY offer FLEX their
At 66 years old, favourite moves for
iconic actor biceps and triceps.
Lou Ferrigno is
breaking new 52 RIP TIME
ground in his Part 2 of Neil Hill’s all-
career. In fact, in plan to get you
his latest shredded for 2018.
endeavour
could take him 58 COMPOUND
all the way to POUNDING
the White Focus on these basic
House. multijoint lifts to for
massive muscle.
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86 IT “WORKS”
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the path to real
progress and results.
94 DOMINICAN
DOMINATION
Victor Martinez, Jon
De La Rosa, and
Juan Morel put some
Caribbean flavour
into training chest,
shoulders, and traps.
104 SHOULDER
SMACKDOWN
Delt development
at a loss? Hit them
harder with this win-
ning formula.
114 BEST CHEST MOVES

From A to Z, the top
chest-training tips
DEPARTMENTS from 26 modern
chest masters.
14 1ST SET
All the happenings with Mr. then drink, to help 124 NO PAINS,
Olympia Phil Heath, 212 you reach your overall BIG GAINS
Olympia champ Flex Lewis, fitness goals. Solutions for
the entire Team Weider overcoming the most
roster, and more. 144 THE SHOT common training
Iconic moments injuries.
25 LIFT from bodybuilding history.
Techniques that work, 132 GET BACK
CHRIS LUND; IAN SPANIER
routines that produce IFBB physique pro

results, and other things to
76
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A
HULKING
LEGACY
AT 66 YEARS OLD, BODYBUILDING ICON
LOU FERRIGNO IS BREAKING NEW
GROUND IN HIS CAREER AND
MAXIMIZING HIS IMPACT. IN FACT,
HIS LATEST ENDEAVOUR COULD TAKE
HIM ALL THE WAY TO THE WHITE HOUSE.
BY JOE WUEBBEN
4 FLEX | DECEMBER Õ17

FLEXONLINE.COM 5
Arnold Schwarzenegger
LOU FERRIGNO famously had a similar
is at the top of his game. position under President
And that’s saying George Bush in the 1980s.
something, considering If the appointment goes
he starred alongside through, Ferrigno will be as
busy as ever. He was
Arnold Schwarzenegger
spearheading the annual
in the legendary 1977 Ferrigno Legacy in Palm
documentary Pumping Springs, California, in
Iron before landing his November—
hallmark role in The a weekend-long event, in its
fourth year, that features
Incredible Hulk shortly
physique and strength
thereafter. Most competitions, a host of other
bodybuilders would sporting events, and a new
have peaked in their 20s fitness expo.
with that résumé—and With these two
endeavours, Ferrigno has
let’s be honest, some
saved potentially his most
Pumping Iron cast important work for late in
members certainly did. his career. In an exclusive
Not Ferrigno. interview with FLEX, the
former Hulk and bodybuilding
OPENING PAGE: BALIK /COURTESY OF WEIDER HEALTH & FITNESS.
Since the Hulk series icon discussed the council An early healthy again. I want to deal
went off the air 35 years appointment and his fast- pose shows with the obesity problem THIS PAGE: WEIDER HEALTH & FITNESS & SHANNA FERRIGNO
ago, Ferrigno has had growing Legacy event, the potential we have, and I want to work
more than 40 other movie among other topics. of a young with kids in schools and
and TV credits to his name, We have a feeling this Ferrigno; get them more involved in
good luck
not to mention dozens of won’t be Lou Ferrigno’s fitness and weight training.
getting in
magazine covers. But his last magazine cover. that car;
I want to get kids off the
recent work is arguably sculpting a couch. There’s too much
his most notable—and it FLEX: What would it great set of involvement with kids sitting
has landed him on yet mean to you to be pecs. around playing video games
another cover. appointed the head of and living a lazy lifestyle.
Weeks before this issue the President’s Council Playing video games all the
went to press, news broke on Fitness, Sports & time instead of being active
that President Trump had Nutrition? with other things makes
appointed Ferrigno as the you very lethargic.
head of the prestigious LOU FERRIGNO: It would
President’s Council on be an important role for me. It’s great that you bring
Fitness, Sports & Nutrition. I want to make America up video games.

“I WA
WANT
ANT TO
MAKE
AMERICA
A MERRICAA
HEALTHY
HEAALTHY
AGAIN.
A GAIN. I
WANT TO
DEAL
D EAL
WITH THE
OBESITY
O BESITY
PROBLEM
PRROBLEM
WE HAVE.”
HA
AVE.”
CHRIS LUND
include exercise
as well. How can
we make video
games where
physical
exercise is part
of the game? I
see too many
kids with
headphones
on—and adults,
too. People
FROM LEFT: CHRIS LUND; WEIDER HEALTH & FITNESS & SHANNA FERRIGNO (2)
walking on the
train platforms
From with their headphones on
bodybuilding and not paying attention or
to acting walking across the street.
in TV and We’re too involved with our
the movies, phones and computers.
That seems to be an more effort into athletics Ferrigno
has been
epidemic these days and a fitter lifestyle. You’re right. It’s not
successful
with young people. in all just a problem with
When you were Would getting kids endeavours. kids, is it?
growing up that wasn’t off the video games No, it’s not. Older people
the case. be part of a specific need to be more active,
For me, when I was a kid I programme you’d want too. In California more
never even wanted to watch to implement with people exercise outdoors
sports on TV. Because in my the appointment? because it’s a warmer
household, a lot of people Well, I can’t lay the climate. But in other places
were watching games all groundwork yet because I where it’s colder, they
day. I would rather be active haven’t got the position, but should be more involved
and be outside working out if it happens I would focus with going to the gym or
and doing things. You need more on maybe having kids exercising at home. The
to divide that time and put play video games that problem with parents today

The FLEXPO is huge, with
all kinds of different
booths—from anti-aging to
fashion to
new technology.
Have you modelled

Ferrigno Legacy after
the Arnold Classic?
The Arnold Classic has
been around for 40-some
years, and it’s tremendous.
It’s the best bodybuilding
expo in the world.
“ I TRAIN
THE SAME
WAY NOW
AS I HAVE
THE PAST
40, 50
YEARS.
I TRAIN
ALL BODY
PARTS
TWICE A
WEEK.”
They’re very supportive
of me. We have the Arnold
Classic, and we have
the Mr. Olympia. But I
wanted to have something
in California because I
wanted it to be like a
holiday. I don’t want people
to just come down for two
days and go home.
I want them to come here
MIKE NEVEUX / WEIDER HEALTH & FITNESS; ART ZELLER/FITNESS
for longer and have a great

PUBLICATION INC. COURTESY OF WEIDER HEALTH & FITNESS
is they need to be more had the “FLEXPO” [fitness time with the whole family.
involved with their children expo]. We have 300 booths,
as far as physical activity a strongman competition, Where do you
goes. There needs to be powerlifting, and pole see the state of
more involvement in dancing as well. We have bodybuilding right
fitness with the whole the best show now, particularly with
family—parents and kids on the West Coast, and I’m the recent addition
doing it together. working together of the IFBB’s classic
with the Arnold Classic physique division,
Let’s switch gears so we can help each which harks back to
and talk about the other. My goal is to have your competition
Ferrigno Legacy the biggest and best heyday of the ’70s?
event. It looks as bodybuilding and fitness I think the new division is
if it’s getting bigger event possible and have great because it’s all about
and better every the competitors come here, symmetry. The regular
year. compete in Palm Springs, bodybuilding division is
This is the first year we’ve and make a holiday out of it. always going to be
FLEXONLINE.COM 9
hardcore, but the direction it has gone in.
general public also It’s not their fault. When
wants to see physiques you add that size, you often
with that more classic sacrifice symmetry. But
look. Classic physique when you look at guys like
brings a blend of symmetry Phil Heath and others
and size compared competing at the Olympia,
with bodybuilding. those guys are phenomenal,
so that’s exciting by itself.
Which division do you And guys like Dexter
prefer to watch? Do Jackson and Flex Wheeler
you like watching competing at older ages
the Phil Heaths and and still being in great
Dexter Jacksons shape—you have to
or the classic commend those guys.
physique shows? That shows longevity.
Bodybuilders today have
to look the way they look Speaking of longevity,
because the objective is: what’s your training
How thick can you look, regimen these days?
and how much size can I train the same way as I
you put on your frame? have the past 40, 50 years.
I much prefer the symmetry, I train all body parts twice
because back in the days a week, but I train lighter,
of Pumping Iron it was with high repetitions and
more artistic. Today machines. I don’t need to
bodybuilders are forced to build any more size. And
be big because that’s the I do a lot of cardio. I ride my
Whether
it’s on
bodybuilding
stages or
in gyms or
inspirational
photos,
Ferrigno
has been
inspiring
fans for
generations.
FROM BOT TOM LEFT: R ALPH DEHA AN/COURTESY OF WEIDER HEALTH & FITNESS;
CHRIS LUND; CARUSO/COURTESY WEIDER HEALTH & FITNESS

“ MY GOAL IS
TO HAVE
THE BIGGEST
AND BEST
BODYBUILDING
AND FITNESS
EVENT
POSSIBLE
AND HAVE THE
COMPETITORS
COME HERE.”
years. I write these

articles because I’m
motivating a lot of officers
in the police department
to get in shape. They’re
sitting in police cars all day,
MIKE NEVEUX / WEIDER HEALTH & FITNESS; WEIDER HEALTH &
and many of them aren’t
exercising afterward.
It’s important for them to
stay active and take care
of themselves to have less
The Ferrigno bicycle on the beach. I like I train when I travel, too. stress on their lower backs.
Legacy
to keep my body weight And I eat as healthy as I I also teach them how to
Championships
will feature
around 111. I like to be lean can. I avoid any kind of eat healthy when they’re
and tight. sugars or starches. on patrol. I’m covering all
FITNESS & SHANNA FERRIGNO
IFBB/NPC
competition, the areas for them.
powerlifting, How many days per Are you still active
strongman, a week do you get to with law enforcement? For more information
fitness expo, the gym? Yes. One thing I’m doing about the 2017 Ferrigno
and more. I try to go seven days is writing fitness articles Legacy, which took place
a week. I do cardio for for the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Nov. 18 to 19 in Palm
30 minutes and then weight Department. I’ve been Springs, California, visit
training for 30 minutes. a deputy sheriff for 13 ferrignolegacy.com.

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1ST SET ASK THE CHAMP BY PHIL HEATH,
SEVEN-TIME REIGNING MR. OLYMPIA
ROCKY
MOUNTAIN
TIMES
ARMBRUST
GYM, LEGAL
MARIJUANA,
AND RESISTING
THE MUNCHIES.
WHAT IS THE
APPEAL OF YOUR
LONGTIME GYM,
ARMBRUST
PRO GYM IN
COLORADO?
I like the hardcore
atmosphere and also
that it’s clean. The
feeling being in there
is maybe not unlike
Gold’s Gym in Venice,
with the same type of
equipment, the same
atmosphere where
regularly there are
people who are also
training for shows.
There are old-timers,
young people, lots of
competitors. It’s a
nice community there,
one that understands for quite some time, without fear of arrest. those a lot. It’s pretty
bodybuilding, power- starting with people On top of all that, it difficult, but eventually
lifting, weightlifting, all who wanted it legalized has been good for the what works is that
that, and understands for medicinal use. It’s a economy. So I don’t you get your mind off
people who compete good alternative to think legalization has what you’re actually
in those sports and prescription medicine, been a bad thing for eating. You go out to
sports like them. especially for people Colorado. eat with people you
who prefer that over enjoy spending time
HOW DO taking handfuls of IS THERE with, and you focus on
YOU FEEL pills. I see it as people ANYTHING things other than food.
ABOUT THE having voted for more YOU CRAVE I used to take my
LEGALIZATION DURING PREP
CHARLES LOW THIAN
options and more mind off it by watching

OF MARIJUANA choices, and now there THAT YOU the Food Network
AS A COLORADO are more opportunities WON’T LET while I was eating so
RESIDENT? to enjoy the benefits. YOURSELF EAT? that I could see other
People here have People are able to use it Cheeseburgers, fries, people eating food
been talking about it to treat their conditions fish and chips—I like that looked really good.

FIRST SET BODYBUILDER OF THE MONTH BY LOUISE ROGERS
RING
THE BELL
BRITISH
IFBB FIGURE
PRO LOUISE
ROGERS
REVEALS HOW
SHE GETS ALL
THE BENEFITS
OF SQUATS
WITH NONE
OF THE PAIN.
BARBELL
SQUATS HURT
MY BACK.
COULD YOU
RECOMMEND AN
ALTERNATIVE?
Try bench kettlebell
squats. I love this
exercise as an
alternative to regular
barbell squats and find
it puts far less strain
on my back.
I perform it in a
manner that is similar
to doing a goblet squat,
but instead of doing it
on the floor I do it
standing on two parallel
benches. I prefer to let
the kettlebell hang down
in front of me, but you
can adopt the more
traditional method of get a tremendous kettlebell squats great for hypertrophy
holding the kettlebell burn in the glutes. I transfer the weight to and endurance but less
upright in front of your sometimes include the front, which makes beneficial for strength
chest if you prefer. some rest-pause it easier to keep my work. It may look a little
Bench kettlebell techniques for added spine in a neutral tricky to begin with, but
squats have two major intensity. position and reduces it’s actually an excellent
benefits over barbell The second benefit spinal compression. way to learn good
squats. First, I get is that this exercise is This makes it a far squatting technique
CHRISTOPHER BAILEY
better activation in my far less stressful on better movement for without compromising
glutes, as well as my my back. My body those with back issues. safety. Start from the
quads, back, and core. struggles to tolerate This exercise is floor, and once you’re
Squatting between two barbell squats, which particularly good for confident, move on to
benches allows me to compress my spine. people who enjoy high- squatting between
go deeper, and I always However, bench repetition work. It’s benches.

1ST SET ASK THE CHAMP BY FLEX LEWIS, SIX-TIME
212 OLYMPIA WINNER
IRON MENTOR
THE 212 CHAMP AND FORMER GASPARI ATHLETE
TALKS ABOUT WORKING WITH AN IFBB LEGEND.
and outs about how things It wasn’t just about learning

worked in the industry side of from a pro how to be a pro, or
bodybuilding from him. I’m about maintaining my status as
proud to call him my big brother. a Gaspari athlete, which was a
YOU WERE A GASPARI Rich is always learning and great honour coming so early in
ATHLETE EARLY IN always open about sharing what my career. Rich brought me
YOUR CAREER. WHAT he’s learned. He taught me about along with him as he attended to
DID YOU LEARN FROM old-school raw training when all the aspects of the business
YOUR ASSOCIATION we met and showed me how he and involved me in a way that
WITH THE LEGENDARY trained, and in turn I showed allowed me to understand how
DRAGON SLAYER? him my unconventional new- it all worked—sales, marketing,
I learned a tremendous amount school training ideas. He taught quality control, ordering,
from Rich. I’m thankful for the me a lot—about ethics, about shipping, manufacturing, creating
opportunity he gave me. I worked how to treat fans, even about a new product and not just
my way up in the business with how to structure a diet. He was slapping a label on something
him, gained insights into the ins a great mentor. that already exists—all of it.
I’m actually glad to address
this, because there were people
who assumed that when I left
Gaspari it was done on bad
terms, when the truth is that it
was the natural progression of
my career. Neither of us thought
I would be there forever.
Rich Gaspari won the 1989 Arnold

Classic, along with eight other pro
contests, and finished second in the
Mr. Olympia 1986–88. He launched
Gaspari Nutrition in 2001. Flex Lewis
signed his first endorsement deal with
Gaspari Nutrition in 2007 and worked
with Team Gaspari for six years.
KEVIN HORTON

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1ST SET WEIDER ATHLETES WEIGH IN
STEVE KUCLO
HOW DOES THE KUCLO
HOUSEHOLD SPEND THE
U.S. HOLIDAY,
THANKSGIVING?
Lots of food! The latest
tradition is that we have all
our family fly into Dallas
and we host Thanksgiving
weekend at our house.
My mum and dad are both
excellent chefs, and they
help us throw one heck
of a feast. One of the new
traditions is to go around
the table after dinner and
have everyone give a
couple of things they are
thankful for. Being thankful
helps fill the heart with
peace and joy.
DO YOU LOOSEN
THE NUTRITION
RULES ON THAT DAY?
It’s a blend of both. But
ing the looser nutrition
holiday. If something can
be substituted like
Splenda/stevia for sugar,
we tend to swap those
out—but certain recipes
you just can’t change. For
instance, when my good
friend who owns MoMo’s
Donuts drops off a couple
dozen doughnuts, there
JUAN
is no substituting for the
goodness there.
MOREL
IN 2017, YOU TRAVELLED TO BRAZIL, visit. In South Africa I got to visit
SOUTH AFRICA, AND NEW ZEALAND the lions. I got to get up close. That
FOR CONTESTS. WHAT WERE YOUR was the best part of the trip. I
IMPRESSIONS OF THOSE COUNTRIES? basically went on a safari: There
Well, I love Brazil. Last year the were lions and lots of other wild
contest was in Rio, which was animals around. There was a
right on the beach. That was like trainer there, and after watching
paradise. This year we were in them and getting instructions from
São Paulo, which wasn’t as them, you kind of got an idea of
exciting as Rio, at least for me as how to act around the lions. But
a bodybuilder there to compete. I’m not going to lie, it was scary.
When you’re someplace for a
contest, you’re not able to tour WHEN YOU’RE GOING TO BE IN
around a lot or go for hikes or bike VEGAS FOR THE OLYMPIA,
rides to check out a place. So you BUT NOT COMPETING, DO YOU
WORRY ABOUT PREP OR DIETING?
PER BERNAL;
end up staying around the hotel if

IAN SPANIER
there isn’t some kind of attraction I didn’t do any kind of diet or

right nearby. New Zealand was prep before this year’s O. I’m
a really nice and beautiful place to following a bulking diet.

SHAWN RHODEN
DO YOU HAVE ANY SPECIAL
THANKSGIVING TRADITIONS?
The whole meal is basically a
traditional Thanksgiving meal. We do
a spread. Even though I was born in
Jamaica, I moved to the U.S. in my
teens, and I guess I do what everyone
in the U.S. does—show thanks for
what we have. The baked macaroni
and cheese is my favourite part of the
meal—but anything baked is at the
top of the list. All that is great stuff.
ONE MONTH BEFORE THE

OLYMPIA, WHAT WAS
YOUR DAILY CALORIC INTAKE?
Very few people know this, but I broke
my jaw in February and had it wired shut
for about eight weeks. Everything I ate
was through a straw. So I didn’t really
have an off-season where I gained a lot
of weight. I was consuming between
3,000 and 4,000 calories a day through
a straw. So by April, I’d lost 16 kilos. It
wasn’t until May that I was able to start
prep, and by then there were so many
factors to deal with that I left the caloric
breakdown to my trainer, Chris Aceto.
WILLIAM BONAC
WHO ARE SOME OF THE
BODYBUILDERS—PAST OR
PRESENT—WHO INSPIRE YOU?
A lot—but to name a few:
Lee Haney, Arnold, Flex Wheeler,
Coleman, Dexter, and Kai.
DO YOU PREP DIFFERENTLY

FOR GUEST POSING?
DO YOU ENJOY GUEST POSING?
No, I just try to keep my shape
good whether it’s off-season
or not. Yeah, I do enjoy it.
HAVE YOU RETURNED TO

GHANA, WHERE YOU WERE BORN,
SINCE BECOMING A PRO?
Not yet. Every time I want to go,
someone dies in my family over
there, and I’m like, “I’d rather give
my ticket money to give them a
CHARLES LOW THIAN
proper funeral.” With God’s will, I

will try to go next year.
ASK THE ATHLETES Have a question for our Weider Athletes? Ask it on the FLEX Facebook page for a chance to see it here.
FLEXONLINE.COM 23
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LIFT TRAINING STYLES BY GREG MERRITT
MAY THE FORCED

BE WITH YOU FORCED REPS MAKE
A SET HARDER BY
MAKING IT EASIER.
FORCED-REP
BASICS
The spotter should
remove stress from
reps only when you’ve
reached the verge of
failing on your own.
Just enough
resistance is removed
so you can move the
weight at the same
pace as before.
THERE’S A of perspective. When the most effective
CONUNDRUM with you’re under the iron methods for blowing The key to effective
forced reps, and it’s and you can’t eke out through stop signs and forced reps is the
the key to their another rep on your barrelling into the pain transfer of the bare
effectiveness. By own, continuing onward (and growth) zone. minimum amount of
work from you to
assisting, a spotter with forced reps will
PAVEL Y THJALL
the spotter.
makes reps easier, but feel anything but easy, HELPING HANDS
by making them easier, even as helping hands “Assisted reps” would When the spotter does
he makes the set lessen the resistance. be a more accurate more of the work than
harder. It’s all a matter Forced reps are one of name than “forced you, the set should end.

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LIFT TRAINING STYLES
reps,” but the latter transfer of resistance As with cheating, FORCED-REP
captures the feeling you from your muscles to forced reps don’t TIP SHEET
might get when just his so the reps are not work with all exercises. Not all exercises lend
enough resistance is too hard or too easy but Deadlifts, lunges, and themselves to forced
removed for your set to just right, progressing barbell rows are among reps. Deadlifts and
continue beyond your at the same pace as all the ones where it’s lunges are two that
normal limits. You’re preceding reps and impractical for can’t be effectively
forced to keep going. within the same groove. someone to assist. assisted by hand.
Failure is not an option. (For this reason, a The good news is that
Reverse forced reps
And that brings us to regular training partner, forced reps can be are when the spotter
the first and most who should know your used with some applies extra pressure,
important thing to know strength, is the ideal exercises you should such as pushing down
about this technique: It’s spotter.) On each never cheat, including on pulldowns. The
exercise overtime. A subsequent forced rep, most lifts for chest spotter can make the
spotter should assist more stress will need to (such as incline weight heavier and then
you only when you’re on be removed. If, after presses, dumbbell lighter on the same set.
the verge of failing, and reaching failure at eight flyes, and dips) and
On unilateral arm
he should apply only reps, your spotter many for legs (including
exercises, you can do
enough pressure so you helps just enough for squats, hack squats, forced reps by using
can continue to move you to grind out four and leg presses). your resting hand to
the weight at the same more, you’ll understand Sometimes, as in the provide just enough
pace as before. that forced is an case of squats, the pressure to your
The key to effective appropriate adjective, spotter should hover working arm to keep
forced reps is the after all. closely behind you, the weight moving.
PAVEL Y THJALL

simulating your
movements. Other
times, as with hack
squats, he stands to
one side and pulls up
on a weight sleeve.
HOLDING IT DOWN
A spotter can also
make reps more
difficult. These reverse
forced reps are
effective during the
earliest stage of a set.
Usually, the first reps
serve as precursors,
tiring you out before
the real growth
inducers at the end.
But if a spotter makes
them harder, you can
do maximum-effort
reps from the get-go
and create a sort of
dropset in which
resistance is lessened
throughout the set.
For example, when
doing pullups, the
spotter can apply
downward pressure to
your feet, making reps
harder. He can then
remove stress as the
set advances until
you’re doing reps by
yourself. Then, as you
begin to struggle, he
can provide upward
pressure on your feet,
relieving increasingly
more resistance on the
final reps. In this
progression from on your hands, pull pace. Finally, for lying help too much or not
reverse forced to down on the cable, or triceps extensions, the enough. The weight
unassisted to forced, lift up on the weight spotter squats behind needs to keep moving,
you’re using maximum stack. All three you and helps move you need to stay in
resistance from the methods require the weight both up and the groove, and your
first rep to the last, careful focus to forward in a semi-arc, muscles need to feel
instead of coasting remove just the right being careful not to the pain.
through the early stage amount of stress.
and straining only at Pushdowns can also
the end. be done unilaterally
without a spotter; you
PUTTING IT ALL lightly press down on TRICEPS FORCED-REPS ROUTINE
TOGETHER your working forearm
Our triceps forced- with your other hand. FORCED
reps routine illustrates Close-grip bench EXERCISE SETS REPS REPS
how forced reps can presses are relatively Pushdown 4 8 2-4
be applied to a variety easy for a spotter. He
Close-grip Bench Press 4 8 2-4
of exercises. During stands behind you and
the final reps of lifts up on the bar just Lying Triceps Extension 4 8 2-4
pushdowns, your enough for you to keep
spotter can push down pressing at the same
FLEXONLINE.COM 31
LIFT LAB TO GYM BY BRYAN HAYCOCK
GIANT SETS
MORE DEMANDING
AND MORE DAMAGING.
HYPOTHESIS exercise order (super-

Supersets are two sets versus giant sets)
different exercises per- in muscle activity and
formed back-to-back markers of muscle
with no rest in between. damage. The exercises
A traditional superset were the leg press, leg
involves two separate extension, bench press,
muscle groups. Another and pec deck. The
way of supersetting is giant-set group did
doing two exercises for bench presses followed
the same muscle group by pec decks. The
back-to-back. These superset group
are called giant sets. It’s performed leg presses activation, muscle sessions for that
hypothesized that if you followed by pec decks, damage, and delayed muscle group.
“pre-exhaust” the target and bench presses onset muscle soreness
muscle with an isola- followed by leg (DOMS) compared with APPLICATION
tion exercise and follow extensions. traditional supersets. Pick a target muscle and
it immediately with a do giant sets for six to
compound exercise FINDINGS CONCLUSION eight weeks. If you’re a
PER BERNAL; GUY CAMERON
(e.g., pec deck to bench Performing giant sets Giant sets, particularly seasoned lifter, perform
press), you will better in which a compound when compound giant sets each time you
stimulate the muscle. movement was movements are hit that body part. If you
followed immediately by performed first, are have less training years
an isolation movement taxing on the muscle under your belt,
RESEARCH for the same muscle and may require longer incorporate giant sets
Brazilian researchers group led to significantly time to recover once per week for any
tested the effect of higher muscle between training given body part.

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LIFT ON TRIAL BY BRYAN HAYCOCK
BREATHLESS
THE TRUTH BEHIND INHALING AND EXHALING.
OPENING ARGUMENTS increases with exertion at or VERDICT

DEFENCE: All authoritative bodies in health and fitness above 80% 1RM whether you Some amount of breath
warn against holding your breath while lifting a weight. hold your breath or not. holding during training
Holding your breath can raise your blood pressure Studies have shown that involving maximal effort
because of increased intra-abdominal pressure. You intra-abdominal pressure is or even loads at 80% 1RM
should exhale during the concentric portion of the lift actually less when VM occurs is unavoidable and serves
and inhale during the eccentric portion. The experts during resistance exercise an important role in
than when subjects are asked stabilizing the spine.
recommend that you count your reps out loud to
to perform the VM by itself.
make sure you are not holding your breath. Increasing intra-abdominal SENTENCING
pressure from involuntary Breath holding during a
VM increases stability of the lift should be allowed to
PROSECUTION EVIDENCE spine, preparing the body occur naturally. But
Holding your breath and Research has shown that for high-axial loading similar exaggerating or preventing
“pushing” is called the when loads approaching or to what occurs during squats it could cause dizziness or
Valsalva manoeuvre (VM). exceeding about 80% 1RM, and deadlifts. reduce spine stability.
This occurs naturally or VM is involuntary and briefly Individuals with a history Because of the impact of
reflexively when you try to lift unavoidable with maximum of heart or vascular disease increasing intra-abdominal
PAVEL Y THJALL
something heavy. It occurs exertion. This also holds or hernias are high-risk pressure on blood pressure,
involuntarily and also true for lighter sets taken participants in resistance individuals with heart or
increases intra-abdominal to failure. training and are advised vascular disease or hernias
pressure, adding stability to Evidence shows that to avoid the VM during are advised to avoid the VM
the spine and core in general. intra-abdominal pressure resistance exercise. during resistance exercise.

CROSSHAIRS LIFT
LAY
IT DOWN
PUT THE POP IN
quite pointing to the
ceiling. Stop before
you feel the resistance
decreasing. The point
of this exercise is to
can also be used as part
of a giant set with
one-arm dumbbell rows.
FORM AND FUNCTION

YOUR POSTERIOR DELTS. make it burn! The origin is along
the lower lip of the
ALTERNATIVES posterior border of
Bentover rear-delt the spine of the
raises using low cable, scapula. Its insertion
POSTERIOR them there is no better bentover rear-delt is on the lateral side
(REAR) DELTS exercise than side-lying raises with dumbbell. of the humerus at
serve to figuratively and rear-delt raises. Lie the deltoid tuberosity.
literally round out down on your side on a WHEN TO FOCUS The posterior deltoid
shoulder development. bench. Stabilize ON REAR DELTS extends the shoulder
They are essential not yourself by allowing Rear delts are a good and externally rotates
only for proper arm your bottom foot to finisher for back. They the arm.
symmetry and balance drop to the floor in front
but also for back and support your head
symmetry. Frequently, with your bottom arm.
rear delts are Start with your arm
underdeveloped hanging down toward SUPERIOR POSTERIOR: DELT WORKOUT
because they are not the floor at about chest
visible when you throw level. Keeping the arm Exercise Sets Reps
up a biceps pose. stiff but slightly bent, Side-lying Rear-delt Raise 3 12–15
Sounds silly, but it’s true. raise the weight out in Bentover Lateral Raise 3 12–15
Most back movements front of you, leading
will engage the rear with your elbow (pinkie Reverse Flye on Pec Deck 2 15–20
delts to some degree, up). Raise your arm until
but to really zero in on your elbow is not
FLEXONLINE.COM 35
FOOD & SUPPS
NUTRITION TIPS TO FUEL TRAINING AND GROWTH
76
You don’t
have to be
Hannibal
Lecter to like
this protein-
packed lamb
gyro burger.
As for the
liver and fava
beans...

FOOD & SUPPS MEAL OF THE MONTH BY SHANE CASH
POWER LUNCHES
FIVE FAST LUNCHES THAT GIVE YOUR MUSCLES THE ROYAL TREATMENT.
WHEN THE 18TH-CENTURY requested the ideal post-workout muscle meal even more effective.
Earl of Sandwich asked his meal—a simple combination of Reach for these easy-to-prepare
servants to bring him a piece of protein and carbohydrates, which recipes to turn steak, lamb,
meat held between two slices of research shows spurs greater chicken—and even an old can of
bread, he definitely stumbled onto muscle growth than protein cranberry sauce—into a gourmet
something. Not only did he invent alone. But with a little knowledge meal fit for a king.
the sandwich, as legend has it, (and some condiments—come on, Or at least an earl.
but he also inadvertently Earl!), you can make this portable
PRO
PROVENÇAL
TUNA SALAD
TUN
SANDWICH
SAN
INGREDIENTS HOLD
TUNA SALAD
S
THE MAYO
You don’t need it to
170 g white
w tuna in water
make tuna tasty.
1 tbsp chopped black olives
Add flavour with
1 tbsp chopped celery
vegetables and light
1 tbsp light zesty dressing
dressing.
½ tbsp chopped parsley
Salt and pepper
SANDW
SANDWICH
1 18-cm
18-c baguette
2 lettuce
lett leaves
2 tomato
tom slices
1 red onion slice
1 hard-boiled
har egg, chopped
1 tbsp julienned roasted
red pepper
30 ml light zesty dressing
DIRECTIONS
1. In a bowl, toss together
tuna salad
s ingredients and
season with salt and pepper.
seaso
2. Cut baguette in half
lengthwise. Arrange
length
lettuce, tomato, and red
lettuce
onion ono bottom half
of baguette.
bag Place
tuna salad
s on top.
3. Top tuna salad
with eegg and roasted
red pepper.
pe Drizzle on
dressing. Place top
dressi
half of baguette on
sandwich.
sandw
481 42g 25g 22g

CALORIES PROTEIN
IN CARBS
CA
A RB S FAT
FA
AT

WHOLE-WHEA
WHOLE-WHEAT
TURKEY WRA
WRAP
INGREDIENTS
1½ tbsp whole-grain must
mustard
½ tbsp light mayonnaise
¾ tbsp orange marmalade
1 tbsp tinned cranberry sauce
s
¼ tsp white wine vinegar
1 wholemeal wrap
2 brie cheese slices
110 g deli turkey
1 small bunch watercress
watercres
DIRECTIONS
1. In a small bowl,
mix mustard and
mayonnaise. In anothe
another
bowl, mix marmalade,
cranberry sauce,
and vinegar.
2. Lay wrap on a clean
surface and spread
both sauces in centre o of
wrap. Place brie, turkey,
turkey
and watercress on top.
3. Fold sides of wrap
toward centre and roll it
up from bottom to top.
473 31g 49g 17g

CALORIES PROTEIN CARBS FAT
GRILLED ENTRECOTE STEAK HOAGIE

INGREDIENTS DIRECTIONS
HORSERADISH
ORSERADISH SAUCE 1. In a small bowl, mix together horseradish
¾ tbsp horseradish sauce ingredients.
1 tbsp low-fat sour cream 2. Heat grill to medium-high. Season steak with
1 tbsp light mayonnaise salt and pepper. Grill steak to desired doneness.
Dash chilli powder When steak is nearly done, top with Muenster
and let cheese melt slightly.
SANDWICH
NDWICH
3. Cut roll in half lengthwise. Spread horseradish
170
0 g entrecote steak
Salt and pepper
sauce on both halves. Add watercress, tomato,
1 18-cm sesame onion, and steak to bottom half of roll. Top with
roll other half.
1 small bunch watercress
2 tomato slices
¼ red onion, thinly sliced
644 67g 28g 28g

CL AIRE BENOIST
2 Muenster cheese
slices
CALORIES PROTEIN CARBS FAT
FLEXONLINE.COM 39
FOOD & SUPPS MEAL OF THE MONTH
GRILLED
ED CHICKEN
DI PARMA
RMA PANINO
INGREDIENTS
1 18-cm ciabatta
iabatta roll
SPREAD
1 tbsp basil
sil pesto
THE HEALTH 2 provolone
ne cheese slices
You can make your own
85 g boneless,
ess, skinless chicken
pesto by combining basil,
breast, grilled and sliced
pine nuts, olive oil,
2 thin slices
es prosciutto
and Parmesan cheese in
½ roasted red pepper, julienned
a food processor.
¼ red onion, n, thinly sliced
85 g choppeded artichoke
1 tbsp grapeseed
apeseed oil
DIRECTIONS
1. Cut ciabatta
batta in half
lengthwise e and spread pesto
on both halves.
alves. Place 1 slice
provolone on bottom half of
roll, followed
wed by chicken,
prosciutto, o, roasted red
pepper, onion,
nion, artichoke, and
remaining provolone slice.
Top with other ciabatta half.
2. Heat a large
arge sauté pan
over medium um heat. Lightly
brush top of sandwich
with oil and d carefully place
sandwich top-side down
in pan. Brushush bottom with
oil and press
ess down with a
spatula as s it’s cooking.
3. Carefully ly turn sandwich
over and continue cooking
until roll is golden brown on
both sides s and cheese is
melted.
599 50g 36g 28g

CALORIES
CA
ALO
ORIES PROTEIN
P R CARBS FAT
SHOWN ON PAGE 26 DIRECTIONS

LAMB GYRO BURGER 1. In a bowl, mix together
INGREDIENTS minced cucumber burger ingredients. Form
into a patty.
452 23g
BURGER 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 garlic clove, minced Dash cumin 2. Heat grill to medium-high
½ spring onion, minced Dash coriander and cook burger to desired
225 g minced lamb doneness.
Dash cumin SANDWICH 3. In a bowl, mix together CALORIES PROTEIN
Pinch lemon zest 1 large hamburger bun tzatziki sauce ingredients.
12 g shredded lettuce
4. Spread sauce on both
TZATZIKI SAUCE 28 g feta cheese
halves of bun. Add lettuce,
42g 18g
CL AIRE BENOIST
60 g plain Greek yogurt 1 large tomato, sliced

1 red onion, thinly feta, tomato, onion, and
1 tbsp soured cream
sliced patty to bottom half of bun.
1 tbsp peeled and CARBS FAT
Top with other half.

1 FOOD, 5 WAYS FOOD & SUPPS
4
TRUFFLES
In a bowl, mash 1 avocado.
Melt 175 g dark chocolate
chips and mix in with
avocado. Add 1 tsp pure
vanilla extract and a pinch of
sea salt. Place mixture in
fridge for 20 to 30 minutes,
until batter is set. Scoop out
batter and roll into 2.5-cm
balls. Pour unsweetened
cocoa powder in a bowl and
powdered peanut butter in
another bowl. Roll truffles
through desired powder
topping. Store in fridge
THE FOOD: until ready to serve.

Makes 20 truffles.
AVOCADO
NEW WAYS TO CONSUME THIS
NUTRIENT-DENSE BERRY. (YEP, IT’S A BERRY.)
5
TUNA SALAD
For a healthier meal, use
avocado instead of mayo
in your tuna salad. In a bowl,
mash ½ avocado. Mix in 1 tin
drained tuna fish, 2 large
1 2 3
chopped celery sticks, 90 g
diced pepper, 1 tbsp
plain Greek yogurt, 35 g
DRESSING SALSA FRIES
In a blender, add 1 avocado, 1 In a bowl, combine 170 g Peel and slice 2 avocados and sunflower seeds, a squeeze
tbsp fresh basil leaves, diced strawberries, 225 g squeeze lime juice over the of lemon juice, and salt and
1 garlic clove, 1 tbsp fresh diced pineapple, 1 medium slices, then sprinkle with pepper to taste.
lime juice, 2 tbsp extra-virgin chopped avocado, 90 g diced garlic and herb seasoning.
olive oil, 65 g plain Greek red pepper, 25 g chopped Coat slices with a high-fibre
yogurt, salt and pepper to fresh coriander leaves, 1 flour like coconut or oat; dip
taste, and 1 tbsp water. medium chopped jalapeño, into a beaten-up egg, then
Blend until well combined. 35 g finely chopped red wholemeal breadcrumbs. GO GREEN
Use this dressing to top onion, 1 tbsp extra-virgin Place slices on a greased An avocado provides
roasted vegetables, salads, olive oil, juice baking tray and bake at 200°C/ heart-healthy monounsatu-
fish, poultry, or your of 1 lime, and a pinch of Gas Mark 6 for 15 minutes. rated fats (aka good fats),
favourite wholemeal. sea salt. Mix well and Serve with chipotle-mayo dip fibre, and nearly 20 vitamins
serve with wholemeal or a mix of plain Greek yogurt and minerals, making this fruit
or bean-based crisps. and hot sauce. a nutrient-dense superfood.
ABOUT THE R.D.: Jenna Werner is a New Jersey–based registered dietitian. Instagram: @happyslimhealthy
FLEXONLINE.COM 41
FOOD & SUPPS ASK THE DIETITIAN BY MARJORIE NOLAN COHN, R.D.N.
FLUID
FACTS
DO YOU HAVE TO LUG LITRE JUGS
OF WATER AROUND THE GYM TO
STAY PROPERLY HYDRATED?
And the amount
of water you need to
sustain adequate
hydration during a
WHAT’S THE workout depends on
LOWDOWN ON the workout and the
HYDRATION conditions in which
WHEN WORKING you are working out—
OUT? for example, if you are
The best time to hydrate exercising outside in
is before your workout. 90% humidity or it’s
This isn’t to say you 30¡C, then you’re going
shouldn’t be drinking to need a lot more
during the workout; water. In order to
rather, you should be determine how much
heading into your water is needed to stay
workout fully hydrated hydrated during a
on a cellular level. workout, it’s helpful to
Drinking during the calculate your “sweat
workout should be for rate,” which doesn’t
the purpose of keeping have to be overly
yourself hydrated, not precise for a non-
to actually hydrate. If athlete; it’s more of a
you’re following this gauge. You can do this
rule, then you won’t by measuring your
need a litre jug of water; weight before and after
a regular 700- to a workout to determine
950-ml bottle should be the difference. Convert
perfectly fine. the difference into a
The American College percentage of your total
of Sports Medicine body weight. Ideally you
states: “The goal of should lose less than
prehydrating is to start 2% of total body
the activity euhydrated weight—every half-kilo
and with normal plasma of weight lost is equal
electrolyte levels [aka to 470 ml of sweat. If
fully hydrated]. Pre- you lose a lot more,
hydrating...should be then you started your
initiated when needed at workout dehydrated
least several hours or need to amp up fluid
before the activity to intake during your
enable fluid absorption.” workout.
This means that if
you want to fully benefit
from your workout Marjorie Nolan Cohn,
without dehydrating, R.D.N., C.S.S.D., is the
GET T Y IMAGES
then you have to focus owner of MNC

on getting in your fluids Nutrition LLC.
a few hours before
hitting the gym.

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10 WAYS TO
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YOUR
GUNS
AR
ARM
RM DAY,
FOR
FO
DAY, ANYONE?
ANYO
PIPE-BUILDING
PIPE-B
ONE?
? A PANEL
PANEL OF
BUILDING EXPERTS O
FLEX THEIR
OR BICEPS
OFFER
R FAVOURITE MO
FFER
MOVES
OVES
BICEPS AND TRICEPS. BY JOE WUEBBEN

Picking the best
exercises for
building bigger,
stronger, more
shredded pipes is a little
tricky. The ones we
select are bound to be
debated against those
left off the list.
But we gave it a
shot anyway, reaching
out to bodybuilders,
trainers, and strength
and conditioning
specialists. We asked
them all one question:
“If you could do only one
exercise each for biceps
and triceps, what would
it be?”
The answers consisted
of some meat-and-pota-
toes moves and a few
surprise submissions—
the predictable and the
novel. The result is
the diverse list of 10 arm
moves (five for biceps,
five for triceps) on
the following pages. We
can’t definitively say
that these are the best
exercises, but we can
promise you a bigger,
stronger pair of pipes if
you put them to use.
CHRIS LUND
FLEXONLINE.COM 45
BICEPS
1
BARBELL
CURL
Target Point:
Biceps long and
short heads
Selling Point:
“No other isolation
exercise for the
biceps uses as
much weight
through a full
range of motion
as the standing
barbell curl,”
says Jim “Smitty”
Smith, C.P.P.S.,
the owner of
Diesel Strength &
Conditioning and
the co-author of
Special Strength
for Team Sports.
Action Point:
“When performing
this movement,
make sure to pull
the weight—don’t
throw it,” Smith
says. “Also, keep
a neutral posture
with your head up
and shoulders
back.”

2
SEATED INCLINE
ALTERNATING
DUMBBELL CURL
Target Point:
Biceps long head
Selling Point:
“This exercise is
a great way to
avoid front-delt
activation and any
momentum or
swinging,” says
Arash Rahbar,
runner-up in the
Classic Physique
division at the 2016
Mr. Olympia. “The
slight incline will
put a great deal
of tension on the
biceps and make it
work through the
entire movement.”
Action Point:
“Your shoulders
must be rolled
back,” Rahbar
says. “And a slight
supination at
full contraction
[turning the little
finger up and out at
the top of the rep]
will take this lift to
another level.”
HAMMER
3 CURL
Target Point: Biceps long head, brachialis,
brachioradialis
Selling Point: “Hammers are a great—and

fun—biceps movement. You can, and should,
load these heavy because they hit the
brachioradialis, which is made up of at least
60% fast-twitch muscle fibres and has
great potential for growth,” says Bill Shiffler,
the owner of CrossFit Renaissance in
Philadelphia and a competitive amateur
bodybuilder (renaissancephysique.net).
Action Point: Dumbbells are the go-to

L Y THJALL
equipment for most on hammer curls, but

mix in the cable variety from time to time as
well. To do so, hook a rope attachment to
PAVEL
the lower pulley and hold near the ends of

the rope just below the rubber stoppers.
FLEXONLINE.COM 47
ARMS RACE
If training triceps after chest or shoulders,
and biceps after back, is your thing, fine.
But we’re big fans of giving arms their own
day, especially if your pipes are a weak area.
We also think supersetting biceps and triceps
on your dedicated arm day is the way to go.
(For the record, a guy named Schwarzenegger
swore by this method in his bodybuilding
heyday.) Here are two biceps-triceps superset
workouts incorporating the 10 “best” (using
that term loosely) exercises presented in this
article. For the sake of your arm development,
we recommend doing both of them in the next
seven days.
ARM WORKOUT #1
EXERCISE SETS REPS
Barbell Curl 4 10
superset with
Close-grip Bench 4 10
Press “Pause”
Prone Lying Cable Curl 3 10+*
superset with
Cable Pressdown 3 10+*
Preacher Curl 2 12+**
superset with
Dumbbell Kickback 2 12+**
*Do 1 to 2 dropsets on your last set, decreasing
the weight 20 to 30% each drop.
**Do 1 to 2 rest-pauses on your last set.
ARM WORKOUT #2
EXERCISE SETS REPS
High-rep Push Press 3 20
superset with
Seated Incline Alternating 3 15
Dumbbell Curl
Dip 3 To
superset with failure*
Hammer Curl 3 12
*If you’re able to bang out more than 15
body-weight dips, do weighted dips with a load
that elicits failure at 10 to 15 reps.
4 PRONE LYING CABLE CURL

(NOT PICTURED)
Target Point: Biceps short head
Selling Point: “I like this move for two

reasons,” says IFBB pro Mark Dugdale. “One,
the cable provides continuous tension; and
two, it eliminates cheating on the exercise.”
Action Point: You’ll be lying faceup on

this exercise, but make sure your head isn’t
PER BERNAL
too close to the cable. Your upper arms

should be right about perpendicular to the
floor throughout. “The key is to hold the
contraction,” Dugdale says, “flexing as hard
as possible at the end of each rep.”

BICEPS
5
PREACHER
CURL
Target Point:
Biceps short head
Selling Point:
“Preachers are great
for fully isolating the
biceps and eliminating
all swinging from the
movement,” says
Rocky Rogers, a
certified personal
trainer at Iron City Gym
Hardcore in Cypress,
Texas. “It’s a great
exercise regardless
of what equipment
you’re using. Preacher
machines these days
are set with the proper
biomechanics for a
perfect curl.”
Action Point:
Keep the backs of your
upper arms against
the pad throughout—
don’t let them lift off so
that only your elbows
are in contact. Also,
Rogers recommends
using preachers as a
finisher to your biceps
workout with the “21s”
technique—per set,
seven reps in the
bottom half of the range
of motion (ROM), seven
in the top half, and
seven full ROM reps.
FLEXONLINE.COM 49
TRICEPS
6
DUMBBELL
KICKBACK
Target Point: Triceps lateral,
medial, and long heads
Selling Point: “This is a very

overlooked exercise in my
opinion, and it’s usually done
with light weight,” Rahbar says.
“But
But I like to go as heavy as
possible on kickbacks. Pushed
with intensity and good form,
this move can be a game
changer. Studies have shown
that kickbacks effectively hit
all three triceps heads, not just
one or two with the third one
barely activated.”
Action Point: Concentrate

on keeping your elbow not only
in tight to your side the entire
time but also up high. Don’t let
your upper arm drop down—it
should remain at least parallel
with the floor.
7 CLOSE-GRIP
BENCH PRESS
Target Point: Triceps lateral head
CLOCK WISE FROM TOP: PAVEL Y THJALL; PER BERNAL (3)
Selling Point: “This is my favourite

move for triceps, specifically with a
two-second pause at the bottom,”
Dugdale says. “Doing this pause on
every rep creates a ton of tension on
the triceps, while making the transition
from eccentric to concentric safer
on the tendons.”
Action Point: Dugdale’s pause

method entails lowering the bar to 5 to
7.5 cm from his chest—not all the way
down to touching—and holding it there
for a full two seconds before pressing
the weight back up and flexing his
triceps hard at the top.

8
DIP
Target Point: Triceps This is one of the few

lateral and medial heads compound exercises,
so you’re able to
Selling Point: “I love dips overload the muscles to
as a size and strength the maximum.”
builder for the triceps,”
says Mike Hanley, the Action Point: To make
owner of Hanley Strength sure your dips are targeting
Systems and a competitive the triceps instead of the
amateur bodybuilder, chest, focus on keeping
powerlifter, and Olympic the torso fully upright (not
lifter (hanleystrength.com). leaned forward) throughout
“Most triceps exercises the set with your elbows
are single-joint moves. in tight.
HIGH-REP
9 CABLE
PRESSDOWN
10 PUSH PRESS
(NOT PICTURED)
Target Point: Triceps
Target Point: Triceps lateral head lateral and long heads
Selling Point: “This is a great isolation Selling Point: “The push

move for the triceps that builds thickness press is generally seen
top to bottom,” Rogers says. “What I really as a shoulder exercise,”
like about pressdowns is the endless Shiffler says, “but if you get
variety they offer. You can do them with a into the 12- to 20-rep range
rope, a bar attachment, one arm at a time, on these bad boys, your
with a reverse grip—you name it.” triceps will be screaming.”
Action Point: Keep your elbows pinned Action Point: “To really
to your sides throughout and let your get this movement to be
forearms come past parallel with the floor more triceps focused, hold
at the top of each rep to achieve a full ROM that top position [peak
and the ability to generate more power on contraction] for a good
the positive portion. two to three seconds,”
Shiffler says.
FLEXONLINE.COM 51
RIP
TIME PART 2 OF MY ALL-IN PLAN
TO GET YOU SHREDDED FOR 2018.
BY NEIL HILL
In the last issue of FLEX, I gave you the first instalment of my year-end
fat-loss superfeature. Nutrition plays an absolutely pivotal role in
maximizing changes in body composition; however, so does training. In
this second part, I’m going to show you how to maximize fat loss through
training in the gym and your cardio. Follow this plan to the letter, and you
can show off a shredded physique just in time for 2018.
FAT-LOSS PITFALLS IN THE GYM

Usually when people switch to a fat-loss phase, there are common pitfalls
that slow down progress. After almost 30 years in the world of bodybuilding
and performance coaching, I’ve noticed the same mistakes arise on a
consistent basis. These are:
1 Not focusing on
performance in the
gym while on a calorie-
2 Losing sight of the
fact that overload
and training intensity are
3 Overtraining. More
is not always better.
Training is there to create a
restricted diet. As a result, still relevant during a fat- stimulus, which then must
overall performance goes loss phase. People often be fueled through nutrition
down significantly, leading become one-dimensional and supplementation. By
to an unnecessary loss in in the gym during a fat-loss overtraining while in a
muscle mass and reduction transformation, doing lots calorie deficit, you’re at
in energy expenditure. of volume and just chasing your most vulnerable when
This leaves the individual the pump. Since there’s it comes to losing muscle
with a less aesthetic phy- no focus on periodiza- mass. Do not fall into this
sique as well as a more tion or global muscle fibre trap—remember, the funda-
compromised metabolism recruitment, their progress mentals of training remain
going forward. suffers dramatically. the same.

PAVEL Y THJALL
Y3T
OVERVIEW
After decades of fine-
tuning Y3T, I sincerely
believe that this is the
optimal way to burn
body fat in the gym.
Using a broad spectrum of
rep ranges, which means that
all energy systems become
engaged and conditioned to a
higher capacity. In essence,
this leads to greater energy
expenditure.
Extreme intensity, which is

also tracked specifically over
the three-week cycle to
generate overload across all
muscle fibres, energy systems,
and the central nervous
system. As such, overall energy
expenditure is achieved while
positive adaptations within
natural hormone output also
take place.
Specific rep tempo and

rest-period prescriptions
within the context of various
rep ranges. This leads to
greater muscle engagement,
more significant hormonal
response, and higher energy
expenditure.
HORMONAL RESPONSE TO TRAINING

Whenever you train you will experience several hormonal responses. During a fat-loss phase, Y3T helps
maximize these processes to enhance the rate at which you’re able to lose body fat. The main ones I’d like
to focus on are these three pillars.
INSULIN SENSITIVITY TESTOSTERONE GROWTH HORMONE

To maximize fat loss you need to PRODUCTION PRODUCTION
be focused on improving insulin Testosterone production is key for Increasing natural growth hormone
sensitivity, which is achieved through fat loss because ultimately it helps output is linked with improved fat loss
nutrition as well as training. By you retain more lean muscle tissue because of its ability to help improve fat
optimizing insulin sensitivity, you in an energy deficit, as in a fat-loss metabolization. Again, the body tends to
will utilize fuel more effectively. phase. Improving natural testosterone increase growth hormone output when
Because Y3T training is so physically output can also help improve your free it requires more because of a specific
demanding, it encourages greater testosterone-to-estrogen ratio, which stimulus. In this instance the intensity of
PAVEL Y THJALL
glycogen expenditure, resulting in is also linked to improved fat loss. Y3T Y3T will provide the necessary trigger,
improved insulin sensitivity. Ultimately, training definitely puts the required level indirectly improving fat loss as a result.
it creates more of a need for fuel to of stress on the body, which forces it into
be used more quickly and efficiently. a position where it needs to produce as
much testosterone as it can to keep up.

CHEST AND
TRICEPS OPTIMIZED
ENERGY
EXERCISE SETS REPS
EXPENDITURE
Incline Dumbbell 4 15–20
0 Increasing energy expenditure
Press (warmup)
a is obviously one of the key things
to consider for fat loss. Y3T will
Incline Dumbbell Press 3 15–20
definitely help you do this
superset with
through the following pathways.
Incline Dumbbell Flye 3 15-20
1
Low-cable 3 (drop- 15–20
20
0pper
er Increasing net oxygen debt,
Crossover sets)
t dropp which is achieved through the
Smith Machine Press 3 (drop- 15–20 per accumulation of lactic acid in the
sets) drop gym. Y3T pushes the lactic acid
threshold far harder than most
Seated Dumbbell
mbb 3 15–20 standard weight-training tech-
Extension
n (wa
(warmup)
a niques, which means that over the
Seated Dumbbell 3 20–25 per course of a week your body will
Extension drop have to recover from a much more
severe oxygen debt. As a result,
Lying EZ-curl
u BarBa 3 20–25 calorie expenditure is increased,
Skull Crusher
heer making fat loss happen quicker.
supersett wi
with
ith
EZ-curl Bar
ar P
Press
ree 3 As many
(close grip, and with reps as
the same weight) possible
2 Because of the severe
intensity of Y3T, you will
become far more efficient at the
disposal of glycogen. As a result,
your daily calorie expenditure will
increase significantly, giving you
the opportunity to create more of
an energy deficit. This is one of
the reasons why most Team Y3T
athletes tend not to do as much as
other people—they don’t need to.
THIGHS AND
HAMSTRINGS
EXERCISE SETS REPS
Squat (warmup) 3 15–20
Squat 3 20–25
superset with
Leg Extension 3 14–18
Leg Press (wide stance) 3 40–50
superset with
Lunge 3 20–25 per leg
Lying Leg Curl (warmup) 3 15–20
PER BERNAL
Lying Leg Curl 3 20–25 per drop

Stiff-leg Deadlift 3 (dropsets) 15–20 per drop
FLEXONLINE.COM 55
METABOLIC
CONDITIONING
Because of the structure
structu of the
Y3T training cycle, where
whe you’re
moving among low, moderate,
mod
and high reps with various
vario
intensity factors built in,
in along
with adjustments in training
tra
volume, there is a great deal of
metabolic conditioning to be
gained from this.
Bearing in mind that Y3T
has the potential to push
pus each
energy system to its limit
lim while
simultaneously targeting
targetin specific
muscle-fibre types at any a given
point, the metabolism becomes
b
more stimulated. Why? Simply
because the body is being
be put
through a structured programme
pr
that targets many different
diffe
physiological responses
response along
the way, causing huge demands
d
for energy. As such, around-
aro
the-clock Y3T helps drive
dri the
metabolism upward, making
m
fat loss happen quicker.
quicker
GETTING
CARDIO RIGHT BACK AND BICEPS
■ I’ve already explained here that
usually people using Y3T tend to do EXERCISE SETS REPS
less cardio—because the energy Two-arm Dumbbell Row, both 4 15-20
demands are so extreme, it isn’t hands, arms together (warmup)
necessary. But this doesn’t mean
cardio doesn’t have its place along- Two-arm Dumbbell Row 2 (dropsets) 18–25 per drop
side Y3T. In fact, I’m a big advocate Lat Pulldown (wide grip) 2 18–25
of fasted cardio in the morning to superset with
increase your rate of fat loss. Lat Pulldown (narrow grip) 2 18-25
The key thing is to start small
and gradually build according to Rack Pull 2 20–25
your rate of progress and the time
Hammer High-lever Pulldown 2 20–25
available to achieve the goal at hand.
For instance, you may start with Seated Dumbbell Curl (warmup) 4 15-20
20 minutes every other morning.
Seated Dumbbell Curl 3 (dropsets) 20–25 per drop
Then, as you begin to plateau—and
only then—you consider increasing Standing EZ-curl Bar Curl 3 (dropsets) 20–25 per drop
it slightly.
The biggest mistake people make
with cardio is starting with far too
much and then having nowhere to
go when they hit a wall. If you begin
with one hour every day, what will
SUMMARY
Training and nutrition have to work
you do when you hit a plateau? This
is how people end up with inefficient synergistically to achieve an optimal rate of
metabolisms and have to spend 1½ fat loss. While nutrition is the foundation for
to two hours per day doing cardio. fat loss, you should never underestimate the
Do not fall into this trap—start small difference a specific training approach can
and gradually build. Remember,
make. Y3T will undoubtedly give you all the
PER BERNAL
Y3T will help you burn fuel very

efficiently compared with more necessary forms of stimulation to burn fuel
traditional programmes. more efficiently and retain lean muscle tissue
during the process.

SHOULDERS
AND CALVES
EXERCISE SETS REPS
Seated Dumbbell Press (warmup)
Seated Dumbbell 3 20–25
Press
superset with
Dumbbell 3 20-25
Lateral Raise
Wide-grip 3 18–25
Upright Row
superset with
Standing Straight- 3 18-25
arm Plate Raise
Dumbbell Bentover 3 (drop- 18–25 per
Lateral Raise sets) drop
Standing Calf Raise 3 15–20
(warmup)
Standing Calf Raise 2 (drop- 20–30 per
sets) drop
Seated Calf Raise 2 (drop- 20–30 per
sets) drop
FLEXONLINE.COM 57
CCOMPOUND
CO
OM
OM
MPPPOOOUUUNNNDD PART 1
POUNDING
POOUNDDING
B
BASIC
FO
FOCUS
OCUS ON THESE
ASIC MULTIJOINT LIFTS
TO MANIFEST MASSIVE
MUSCLE,
MU
USCLE, SUPERIOR
R STR
STRENGTH,
RENGTH,
AND PPRODIGIOUS
RODIGIOUS P
POWER.
OWERR.
BY ERIC “MERLIN” BROSER
BUILDING A SOLID
foundation of strength
and power throughout
the entire body
offers myriad benefits
for the bodybuilder, athlete,
casual lifter, and anyone with a
physically demanding job. The
ability to push and pull heavier
weights, particularly in multijoint,
free-weight lifts, will most
certainly manifest into increased
muscle mass, improved athletic
performance, enhanced work
capacity, and perhaps most
important, a better quality of life.
While isolation movements
certainly have their place in
many training regimens, they
cannot compare with the basic
compound exercises (for building
true functional strength or
power) simply because these
types of movements require
more balance and coordination,
allow for the use of greater kilos,
involve multiple muscle groups
(performing in concert), and work
the body in a manner more
specific to real-world human
movement. Here are eight of my
favourites.
1
DIP
In my early years of lifting I spent
quite a bit of time perfecting my
technique on dips and eventually
became strong enough to perform
sets of 10 perfect reps with three
20.4-kg plates hanging from my
waist. This strength transferred
over to just about every other
pushing exercise in my regimen
and let me eventually crack the
227-kg barrier in the bench press.
Additionally, dips helped thicken my
MAIN MUSCLES
TARGETED
Pectorals, anterior deltoids,
triceps
PERFORMANCE TIP
To focus more on hitting
the chest, keep the torso
leaned forward about
45 degrees throughout the
set and make sure to get a
full stretch at the midpoint
of every rep. For greater
triceps recruitment, keep
the torso straight, and lower
to a point where your upper
FROM LEFT: PAVEL Y THJALL; PER BERNAL
OPENER: CHRIS LUND. THIS PAGE,
chest and tri’s as few other arms are just slightly past
movements could. parallel to the floor.

2
BARBELL
SQUAT
This one is right at
the top of the list
since it involves one
of the most basic
movements we
perform in life—
bending at the knees
(to sitting position)
and pushing back
up to a standing
position. Additionally,
the barbell squat
is an exercise that
allows for the use of
massive kilos,
requires great
balance and
coordination, and
stimulates growth
throughout the
body.
MAIN MUSCLES
TARGETED
Quads, hamstrings,
glutes, hips, lower
back
PERFORMANCE
TIP
Make sure to keep
your head up, lower
back slightly arched,
and the bar set on
the upper traps as
you squat slowly
to a position where
the thighs drop just
below parallel to
the ground.
FLEXONLINE.COM 61
the
3
MILITARY
PRESS
When it i comes to
the military
milita press,
I prefer the seated
version for those
lifters more focused
on the appearance
of their physique
and the standing
version for athletes
and those requiring
greater strength,
power, and
coordination. But
done either way,
this exercise is one
of the most effective
upper-body mass
builders.
MAIN MUSCLES
TARGETED
Anterior deltoids,
upper pectorals,
triceps
PERFORMANCE
TIP
Make sure not to
lean back too far
(especially when
seated), or this
exercise will
become more of an
incline press than a
military press. For
those who have
healthy and flexible
shoulder joints, the
behind-the-neck
version of this
movement is a solid
option at every
other shoulder
workout.

4
BENCH
BENCH
STEPUP
Bench stepups are slightly
superior to walking lunges when
it comes to effectively enhancing
functional strength, coordination,
and especially balance. In
addition, I feel this movement is
excellent for increasing vertical
leap ability and muscle mass in
both the thighs and glutes.
CLOCK WISE FROM LEFT: PAVEL Y THJALL;
MAIN MUSCLES
TARGETED
KEVIN HORTON; PAVEL Y THJALL
Quads, hamstrings, glutes
PERFORMANCE TIP
Make sure the foot of the working
leg is secured entirely on the
bench, stable and straight before
initiating every rep. Additionally,
avoid pushing off with the back
leg so that you’re utilizing only the
power of the working leg to lift
your body upward.
FLEXONLINE.COM 63
6
PULLUP
Exercises where you move your
body through space, such as
pullups, generally ignite the central
nervous system to a greater
degree, allowing for more muscle
fibres to jump into action. This is
awesome for building both power
and muscle mass. Additionally,
this movement is one of the most
this
versatile, enabling one to attack
versatile,
the back musculature from many
the
angles (via altering grips and
angles
planes of motion), which will create
planes
more complete development of
this intricate body part.
MAIN MUSCLES TARGETED

Lats, traps, rhomboids, biceps,
brachilis
PERFORMANCE TIP
Change the width of your grip
workout to workout to stimulate
different areas of the back
complex. Experiment by pulling
your torso to the upper, mid, and/
or lower chest for even greater
variation in precisely which
motor unit pools are exhausted.
Additionally, using an underhand
grip on the bar will shift the
5
emphasis more directly toward
the belly of the lats and strongly
engage the biceps as well.
BARBELL
BENTOVER ROW
Whether performed rmed MAIN MUSCLES TARGETED
with
th an underhand and or Lats, traps, rhomboids, lower back
overhand
verh grip, the
barbe bentover
barbell er row is PERFORMANCE TIP
one o of our mostt basic Keep the knees slightly bent to
and effective
e back-
ack- help support the lower back. Bend
musc builders—from
muscle s—from the torso to an angle of 70 to 90
the traps
tr to thee lats degrees. (Note: Every bodybuilder
and
nd all
a the way down has a sweet-spot angle where they
to
o the lower back. ck. It get the best back stimulation.)
requires
equi great focus Pull the bar to the belly button to
andd control, as s well activate the lats to a greater degree
as stabilization n from and closer to the chest to hit more
the quads, hamstrings, of the mid- and upper-back
gl
glutes,s, and hips. musculature.

FROM LEFT: CHRIS LUND; PER BERNAL (2)
FLEXONLINE.COM
65
DEADLIFT
8
This is one of the most
movements in the
day: bending down

d
deadlifting requires
req
m
m
meticulous technique,
tec
almost every muscle
in to take the barbell
b
Jackson, Columbu) were

also big deadlifters.
MAIN MUSCLES
TARGETED
Quads, hamstrings, lower
back, traps, forearms
PERFORMANCE TIP
basic
th world of
iron, closely resembling
re
simple task we all perform
multiple times every single
a
rm
gle
to pick
something up. But proper
ck
er
with
pitching
its entire range of motion.

Some of the thickest
thic and
strongest men ever to grace
an IFBB stage (Coleman,
Rather than rebounding the

ching
through
ugh
bar off the floor or rack pins

(if doing partials) on each rep,
come to a dead stop, which
will remove any useless
momentum and force the
weight to be moved purely by
powerful muscular activation.
IN PART 2, I WILL
SHOW YOU HOW
BARBELL
7
TO USE THESE
AMAZING
COMPOUND
BENCH PRESS
LIFTS TO CREATE
THE ULTIMATE
POWER-
BODYBUILDING
Known as the king of upper- MAIN MUSCLES
body exercises, the bench TARGETED ROUTINE, SO YOU
press may be the most Pectorals, anterior WILL BE ABLE TO
commonly performed move- deltoids, triceps NOT ONLY LIFT
ment in gyms all over the
PERFORMANCE TIP HUGE BUT ALSO
CHRIS LUND
world—and for good reason.

It’s responsible for helping Make sure to keep the rib LOOK HUGE.
build some of the biggest pecs cage high, the lower back
ever seen, on men like Arnold arched, and the shoulders
Schwarzenegger, Lou Ferrigno, shrugged down and back
Franco Columbu, Ronnie for maximal pectoral fibre
Coleman, and Kevin Levrone. recruitment.

FLEXONLINE.COM 67
SIX WEEKS TO
SIZE
SIZ
ZE BUILD MOUNDS OF MUSCLE WITH
THIS BARE-BONES,
BARE-B NES, FO
HYPER
RTR
FOUR-DAYS-A-WEEK
HYPERTROPHY
ROPH P
BBYY JO
JOE
DA
AYS-A-
PLAN.
LA
AN.
O E WUEB
WUEBBEN
B B EN
68 FLEX | DECEMBER
CEMB
BER
R Õ17
HOW
COMPLICATED
DO YOU WANT
TO MAKE IT?
NOT VERY,
WE HOPE.
You go to the
gym, you pick big
compound moves,
hit them as heavy as
possible with good
form in hypertrophy-
centric rep ranges,
go home, devour
tons of protein and
some carbs, rest,
and repeat. And
then you grow.
That’s more or less how
PROGRAM
mass gaining works. When is legs, where the reps are
you start overthinking it, start slightly higher because the
getting too cute with your lower body tends to respond
DESIGN
exercises and sets and reps, better to higher reps. This
that’s when results stall out. is also the case for traps,
Confusion is good (muscle calves, and abs, which are
confusion, that is), but also known to do well with
complicating matters is not. The programming here follows high reps.
We’re into the cold months a basic linear periodization As you can see, the reps
now, so it’s a great time to scheme, which simply means don’t fluctuate too violently;
stay bundled up and start that the weights get heavier aside from legs, rep counts
adding some Winter Mass— and rep counts increase each don’t exceed 15 for large
that’s what we’re calling this phase (or mesocycle). This muscle groups, and they drop
six-week programme. We think programme is broken down only as low as five reps for
you’ll like it. It’s only four days into three two-week phases, one exercise in the final two
a week, so it won’t rule your with the linear model (higher weeks. A vast majority of sets
life; it’s customizable in weight, fewer reps) applied fall between eight and 12 reps,
that you’re able to pick the to every exercise. which is ideal for building size.
exercises you want from our The breakdown of sets and
PAVEL Y THJALL; PER BERNAL
generic movement menu reps for most muscle groups PHASE 1 PHASE 2 PHASE 3
(see the “Exercise Options” will look like this, where “1,” EXERCISE SETS SETS SETS
section); and it’s grounded “2,” and “3” refer to the first X X X
REPS REPS REPS

in the well-established, linear exercise for a given body part,
periodization model. It’s not the second exercise, and the 1 5 x 10 5x8 5x5
complicated, nor should third exercise. 2 4 x 12 4 x 10 4x8
it be. It’s simply more size The most notable exception
in six weeks. to this scheme set/rep scheme 3 3 x 15 3 x 12 3 x 10
FLEXONLINE.COM 69
TRAINING REST
SPLIT
Your rest periods
don’t need to change CHEST + BACK
DAY 1
drastically from phase PHASE 1 PHASE 2 PHASE 3
Feel free to train on any four to phase. A good rule of WEEKS WEEKS WEEKS
thumb is to rest one to 1–2 3–4 5–6
days of the week you like—e.g.,
Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, two minutes between EXERCISE SETS SETS SETS
X X X
Friday; Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, sets throughout the REPS REPS REPS
Sunday; Monday to Thursday, programme. The
Warmup: 5 minutes of light cardio + 50 band
etc. There should be no lifting on exercises with five sets pull-aparts + 1–2 light sets of 10–15 reps each
rest days, but you’re open to do (5 x 10, 5 x 8, 5 x 5) will
whatever form of active recovery be especially challenging, BACK
you want (cardio, yoga, etc.) so feel free to take a full
Barbell Row 5 x 10 5x8 5x5
two minutes there. Your
PER BERNAL; CHARLES LOW THIAN
DAY BODY PARTS TRAINED

60-second rest periods Lat Pulldown 4 x 12 4 x 10 4x8
1 Chest, back
can be reserved for the Cable Row 3 x 15 3 x 12 3 x 10
2 Legs 3 x 10–15 exercises. You
CHEST
3 Shoulders, traps, abs/core may even be able to drop
down to 45 seconds on Incline Press 5 x 10 5x8 5x5
4 Biceps, triceps, calves smaller body parts. Flat Bench Press 4 x 12 4 x 10 4x8
Dumbbell Flye 3 x 15 3 x 12 3 x 10
FLEXONLINE.COM 71
LEGS
DAY
DA
AY 2
PHASE 1 PHASE 2 PHASE 3
WEEKS WEEKS WEEKS
1–2 3–4 5–6
EXERCISE SETS SETS SETS
X X X
REPS REPS REPS

Warmup: 5 minutes of light cardio + 1–2 light sets
of 15–20 reps of leg extensions + 1–2 light sets of
10–12 reps of squats
QUADS/GLUTES
Squat 5 x 10 5x8 5x5
Lunge 4 x 15 4 x 12 4 x 10
Leg Press 3 x 20 3 x 15 3 x 12
HAMSTRINGS
Romanian 4 x 12 4 x 10 4x8
Deadlift
Leg Curl 3 x 15 3 x 12 3 x 10
EXERCISE
dumbbell, kettlebell ■ Curl: seated, standing,
■ Lat Pulldown: wide grip,
straight bar, EZ-bar, dumbbell,
narrow grip, reverse grip, ■ Leg Curl: lying, seated,
incline dumbbell curl
neutral grip standing (one leg)
OPTIONS
■ Hammer Curl: dumbbell, cable
■ Cable Row: seated or ■ Shoulder Press: standing,
(rope)
standing, one arm or both arms, seated, barbell, dumbbell,
bar attachment of your choice machine, kettlebell ■ Cable Pressdown: straight
bar, V-bar, rope, reverse grip,
■ Incline Press/Flat Bench ■ Upright Row: barbell,
The exercises listed Press: barbell, dumbbell, dumbbell, Smith machine
one arm
in the programme are machine, Hammer Strength ■ Standing Calf Raise: machine,
■ Lateral Raise: dumbbell,
generic by design. dumbbell, one leg
■ Flye: dumbbell, cable, machine, bentover (if rear delts
Make this programme machine (pec deck) are a weakness) ■ Seated Calf Raise: machine,
your own by choosing dumbbell, donkey calf raise,
■ Squat: back squat, front ■ Shrug: barbell, dumbbell,
whichever version leg-press calf raise
PAVEL Y THJALL; PER BRNAL
squat, Smith machine squat machine, trap bar

of the movement you The key is the movement (an
■ Lunge: barbell, dumbbell, ■ Weighted Crunch: cable, plate
prefer. Below is a kettlebell, reverse lunge, (lying on floor), machine crunch incline press, a row, a squat),
quick reference guide forward lunge, walking lunge not the equipment. Feel free to
■ Plank: prone, side plank, switch exercise variations
to help you choose.
■ Leg Press: 45-degree leg supine throughout the programme
The variations listed press, vertical leg press, ■ Skull Crusher: straight bar, (e.g., do dumbbell incline
for the generic names machine hack squat EZ-bar, dumbbell, flat bench, presses one week, then barbell
are all viable options. ■ Romanian Deadlift: barbell, decline bench incline presses the next, etc.).

BODY PART
SEQUENCE
(DAYS 1 AND 4)
When training chest and
back and biceps and
triceps, feel free to alternate
the order whenever you
like—doing chest before
back, biceps before triceps,
or vice versa. You also have
the option of supersetting
chest and back exercises,
something Arnold
Schwarzenegger was
famously fond of doing.
FLEXONLINE.COM 73
SHOULDERS
+ TRAPS
+ ABS/CORE
DAY 3
PHASE 1 PHASE 2 PHASE 3
WEEKS WEEKS WEEKS
1–2 3–4 5–6
EXERCISE SETS SETS SETS
X X X
REPS REPS REPS

Warmup: 50 jumping jacks (focusing on full
shoulder ROM) + 50 band pull-aparts + 1–2
light sets of 10–15 reps of shoulder presses
SHOULDERS
Seated 5 x 10 5x8 5x5
Shoulder
Press
Upright 4 x 12 4 x 10 4x8
Row
Lateral Raise 3 x 15 3 x 12 3 x 10
TRAPS
Shrug 4 x 20 4 x 15 4 x 12
ABS
Weighted 4 x 20 4 x 15 4 x 12
Crunch
Plank 3x 3x 3x
30 sec. 45 sec. 60 sec.

OPPOSITE PAGE: PER BERNAL; PAVEL Y THJALL. THIS PAGE: PER BERNAL; JASON BREEZE
ARMS + CALVES
DAY 4 PHASE 1
WEEKS 1–2
PHASE 2
WEEKS 3–4
PHASE 3
WEEKS 5–6
EXERCISE SETS X REPS SETS X REPS SETS X REPS
Warmup: 50 jumping jacks (to warm up the calves) + 1–2 light sets of 10–15 reps each of curls (biceps)
and cable pressdowns (triceps)
ARMS
Skull Crusher 5 x 10 5x8 5x5
superset with Barbell Curl 5 x 10 5x8 5x5
Hammer Curl 4 x 12 4 x 10 4x8
superset with Cable Pressdown 4 x 12 4 x 10 4x8
CALVES
Standing Calf Raise 4 x 20 4 x 15 4 x 12
Seated Calf Raise 4 x 20 4 x 15 4 x 12
FLEXONLINE.COM 75
TRAINING, DIET, AND SUPPLEMENTATION
STRATEGIES FOR STAYING ON
TRACK DURING THE WINTERTIME.
BBYY ER
ERIC
R IC “MERLIN”
“ MER
R LIN”” BROSER
B R O SER
R
PER BERNAL
FLEXONLINE.COM 77
One of the main reasons I
left my native New York and
moved, first to South Florida
and later to Southern
California (where I currently
reside), was to avoid the
dreaded (and I do mean
dreaded) winter months.
I am not a big fan of the cold,
the snow, or that brutal wind
that seems to pierce through
your bones no matter how
bundled up you are. In fact,
I hate to bundle up at all!
My extremely limited (but
highly cherished) wardrobe
of T-shirts, shorts, tanks,
and sandals is just fine for
me, thank you—and I hope I
never have to don a ski cap,
gloves, a scarf, or a bulky
But the cold is only one of the available to us.
winter jacket again. Quite challenges that avid gymgoers While some rare individuals
frankly, the only “wind chill face at this time of year. Winter remain unaffected by dropping
factor” I ever want to worry also means Christmas, New Year, temperatures and scrumptious
about occurs when the family gatherings and office feasts, most of us mere mortals
parties—which make it tempting need to put an effective strategy
air-conditioning kicks on at
to skip the gym and way too easy into place to keep us on track. At
the exact same moment I to disrupt even the strictest of the same time, we have to allow
stick my head in the freezer diets because of the many sweet for some extra days off to
to grab some frozen veggies. and savoury foods suddenly hibernate and to eat without

STRATEGIC
WINTERTIME
WORKOUTS
WORKOUT 1
Location: Commercial gym
Equipment: Barbells,
dumbbells, machines
(all types), and cables
Style: Three-day divided
body-part split; antagonistic
supersets; supersets
Day 1
Chest/Back/Abs
EXERCISE SETS REPS
Barbell 3 7–9
Incline Press
superset with
Wide-grip 3 Max
Body-weight
Pullup
Flat Bench 3 7–9
Dumbbell Press
superset with
Close-grip Seated 3 10–12
Cable Row
Cable Crossover 3 10–12
superset with
Underhand-grip 3 10–12
Pulldown
Seated Crunch 3 16–20
Machine
superset with
Lying Straight-leg 3 Max
Raise
restriction.
With this in mind, FLEX asked
me to develop a list of guidelines
PER BERNAL; IAN SPANIER
(or tips) that can help keep readers

on a solid path during the winter
months. We definitely do not want
to see any of you forfeit the
hard-earned gains you fought for
all year wither away faster than a
turkey at Christmas
STRATEGIC
WINTERTIME
WORKOUTS Diet Details
CLOCK WISE FROM TOP LEFT: IAN SPANIER; PER BERNAL; KEVIN HORTON (2)
When travelling, make sure to bring
WORKOUT 1 easy-to-carry, macronutrient-dense
Day 2 foods like whey protein powder, nuts,
rice cakes, and oatmeal that can be
Quads/Hams/Calves consumed quickly and easily on a
plane or in a hotel room.
EXERCISE SETS REPS
Alternating Barbell Lunge 3 10–12 On days where you plan to have one
superset with per leg or more cheat meals, cut back on the
Lying Leg Curl 3 10–12 amount of calories (especially from
carbs and/or fats) that you consume
Leg Press 3 7–9 in your other meals.
superset with
Stiff-leg Deadlift 3 10–12 Since the body is better able to
handle higher-calorie carb loads upon
Body-weight Sissy Squat 3 Max awakening (after “fasting” for six to
superset with eight hours during sleep) and post–
Seated Leg Curl 3 7–9 workout (after depleting glycogen), try
Standing Calf Raise 3 7–9 to time your cheat meals (if possible)
superset with strategically at these particular times.
Seated Calf Raise 3 13–15 During cheat meals, try your best to
stop eating once full, rather than eating
until you’re feeling uncomfortable,
bloated, and sick.

Cardio
Considerations
Increasing the amount of cardio you normally do
can help offset some of the extra calories most
consume. If possible, bump up your time on the
treadmill, bike, elliptical, or StepMill by 25 to 50%
on cheat days.
The most effective time to do cardio (in terms

of fat-burning potential) is on an empty
stomach, first thing in the morning. If you can
perform at least some of your daily cardio at
this time, definitely take advantage of it.
Since time available is certainly an important

consideration during festive times,
I recommend that you utilize HIIT cardio as your
main form since its high-intensity nature allows
for greatly decreased workout duration.
If you plan on performing, say, 60 minutes of

PHOTO CREDIT
cardio in a day, try splitting the total time into

two sessions of 30 minutes or even three
sessions of 20 minutes, since this will stimulate
the metabolism to an even greater degree.
FLEXONLINE.COM 81 FLEXONLINE.COM 81
STRATEGIC
WINTERTIME
WORKOUTS
WORKOUT 1
Day 3
Shoulders/Arms
Supplement Savvy EXERCISE SETS REPS
I highly recommend purchasing a Seated Dumbbell 3 7–9
complete “digestive enzyme” complex Press
product and utilizing it with any meals superset with
containing extra-high calories. Alternating 3 7–9
Dumbbell Curl
While most fitness fanatics do not often
think to use fat-burning supplements DB Lateral Raise 3 10–12
during the winter months, it is actually superset with
a particularly good time to incorporate Lying Barbell 3 10–12
them. The metabolism-increasing and Triceps Extension
appetite-suppressing qualities of many
PAVEL Y THJALL(2); ISA AC HINDS
of these formulas can assist in offsetting Rear Dumbbell 3 10–12

Lateral Raise
CLOCK WISE FROM TOP LEFT:
some of the effects of cheat meals by

enhancing your fat-burning “machinery” superset with
and decreasing calories consumed. Overhead 3 10–12
(Note: Always follow label directions and Dumbbell Triceps
never use more than recommended.) Extension
Barbell Curl 3 7–9
It may be worthwhile to include a product
superset with
that contains northern white kidney bean
Barbell Reverse 3 13–15
extract, Gymnema sylvestre, and citrimax
Wrist Curl
in your wintertime supplement arsenal.

PHOTO CREDIT
FLEXONLINE.COM 83
STRATEGIC
Training Tactics WINTERTIME
If you wish to spend less time
going to the gym during the
Another method of reducing
time spent in the gym without WORKOUTS
winter months, consider moving decreasing intensity or overall
to a three-day-per-week split on volume is by strategically WORKOUT 2
Mondays, Wednesdays, and supersetting all exercises in each Location: Limited hotel gym
Fridays, which leaves the session. (Note: See Day 1.) Equipment: Dumbbells and basic
weekends free. Each of the three multistation machine
workouts can be full-body If you are planning a vacation Style: Upper- and lower-body
sessions or divided into chest/ but still want to get some supersets
workouts in, call ahead to see
back/abs on Monday, quads/
hams/calves on Wednesday, and whether your hotel has a Day 1: Full Body
shoulders/biceps/triceps on sufficient training centre or EXERCISE SETS REPS
Friday (as one possible example). if there is a commercial gym
nearby. Incline Dumbbell Press 2 10–12
If you still want to hit the gym five superset with
to six days per week but desire to When travelling, I recommend Alternating Reverse 2 13–15
get out more quickly, try training taking with you a good set Dumbbell Lunge per leg
just one muscle group per day, of resistance bands/tubes
that can be combined with Flat Dumbbell Flye 2 10–12
rather than two or more. Or you superset with
can spend minimal time (two to simple body-weight exercises
to allow for muscle-maintaining Alternating Dumbbell 2 13–15
four sets) working strong muscle Bench Stepup per leg
groups while going full force on hotel room workouts.
weaker areas. (Note: See Day 2.) Wide-grip Pulldown 2 10–12
superset with
Dumbbell Squat 2 16–20
One-arm Dumbbell Row 2 10–12
superset with
Dumbbell Stiff-leg Deadlift 2 13–15
Dumbbell Upright Row 2 10–12
superset with
Triceps Pushdown 2 10–12
Arnold Dumbbell Press 2 10–12
superset with
Low-cable Curl 2 10–12
Cable Crunch 2 16–20
superset with
Seated Bench Knee Raise 2 Max
WORKOUT 2
Location: Hotel room
Equipment: Resistance bands
Style: Full-body circuits
Day 2: Full Body

EXERCISE REPS
Pushup With Feet Elevated on Bed Max
Resistance-band Bentover Row 20
(supinated grip)
Resistance-band Squat 20
Chest Dip Between Chairs Max
Resistance-band One-arm Row 15
Resistance-band Stiff-leg Deadlift 20
Resistance-band Overhead Shoulder Press 15
Resistance-band Curls 15
Alternating Body-weight Lunge Max
Resistance-band Side Lateral 15
Body-weight Triceps Chair Dip Max
Jackknife Situp Max
Take minimal rest between each exercise.
Perform 1 to 3 circuits per day, three nonconsecutive days
PER BERNAL
per week.
If performing multiple circuits in a single workout, then rest
up to 5 minutes between each.

FLEXONLINE.COM 85
IT
BY JOE BENNETT PHOTOGRAPHS BY SALOMAN URRACA AND RICK SCHAFF
BREAK
THE CYCLE OF
BLINDLY
FOLLOWING
EMPTY
ADVICE
AND GET ON
THE PATH TO
REAL
PROGRESS &
RESULTS.
“WORKS” FLEXONLINE.COM 87
THERE IS NO LACK OF
But what does that mean?
While two people can hold
the same barbell and perform
PEOPLE IN GYMS TODAY

the same exercise roughly the
same way, what’s on the other
side of that barbell drastically
influences the outcome. Think
WHO ACTUALLY
bone/joint structure, lever or
limb lengths, and muscle bellies,
shape, and insertions. All those
create a real, quantifiable
WANT TO GET BETTER.

internal response to external
stimulus. And after your body
determines how that external
load is expressed internally,
that does not even take into
Who know that maybe whatever science or studies to validate the consideration your body’s
someone else is doing may not decision, I just know that training physiological and chemical
actually be the best for them. that way has never worked— responses to that stimulus.
Who feel as if there could actually never produced an Olympia- Based on those factors alone,
be a better way. But when they calibre physique. So it does it is impossible to assume that
attempt to follow that thought, make a lot of sense to start by external plus internal equals
to experiment, to perhaps following a Mr. Olympia routine if result (or “it works”) when it is
make something fit them or feel you want to look like Mr. Olympia. clear the “internal” part of the
better, it’s only a matter of time So what’s the problem? equation varies drastically from
until being confronted with the “It works” isn’t the problem. person to person.
stereotypical gym bro who How we define “works” is the Even more, possible
lets them know they are problem. So let’s examine a few attribution error has to be a
overcomplicating or overthinking things I think are important to consideration when your sample
it. And some version of the consider, as we better define population is the genetic elite.
following conversation occurs: this word. Works? For whom? You cannot train like the elite
“Just stick with the basics, Compared with what? As fast athletes of your sport. You must
bro. That machine won’t grow as possible? Injury-free? As learn to make intelligent adjust-
your back.” efficient as possible? ments to fit the execution and
“But I don’t feel barbell rows the programme to your body,
in my back. They hurt my elbows, WORKS FOR WHOM? goals, and needs.
wrists, and lower back.” When you choose “it works” Such is the inside joke among
“You can’t argue with results. as a justification for how you strength coaches at the
They work. Look at Ronnie train, this requires defining the professional level—that the
Coleman. Look at Dorian Yates. specific population it worked coaches who produce the best
You think you can grow a back for. Most of the results with their
better than them?” time, the industry athletes are the
YOU MUST
And then our “thinker” will point at the ones who don’t
will generally sulk back to the best in the world. injure them.
rack, thinking, “Well, that is If you want a great Implying that it
true,” and continue to row. (If
only he could fast-forward
back, you might as
well model your LEARN TO MAKE doesn’t really
matter how you
10 years to see the result of
“sticking with the basics”—
training after the
way the best back INTELLIGENT train them
because they
ADJUSTMENTS.
potentially jacked-up in the world will continue to
elbows but still no lats.) We’ve trained. Makes perform at the
all been there! sense, right? highest level if
It’s not that “it works” isn’t Unfortunately, they stay injury-
good logic or a bad reason to this focuses only free. It’s the same
choose an activity or exercise. on external with Olympic
At the end of the day, if it doesn’t influences. Bars, barbells, sprinters and marathon runners.
produce results, I would agree— and equipment—it’s the same Often bad habits and
why would you do it? I mean, for everyone. This completely misinformation are perpetuated
would you follow the training neglects internal response by the elite without any proof of
routine of the best marathon to the external stimulus. the benefit—for example,
runner in the world if your goal All of which can be best parachutes for sprinters, or the
was to be Mr. Olympia one day? summed up with the idea that lifting weights is bad for
Of course not. Why? I don’t need word genetics. endurance athletes.

COMPARED WITH WHAT? INJURY-FREE tissue, with some muscles,
The sport of bodybuilding is Luckily, we have a definitive proves it’s not required to
young, habits and practices are answer to this. Of course it grow muscle. Not to mention
even more easily perpetuated wasn’t really lucky at all—there most likely symptomatic of
because our population is small, are many famous injuries that an underlying cause.
and training history is so brief. occurred along the way to Mr. O So what causes injuries?
Ronnie Coleman walked into a titles. Were these necessary? Overuse? Load (lifting heavy)?
gym one day that was known for Are a torn biceps or vertebral/ I do not believe there is a set
being hardcore, so he started disc issues a requirement to usage limit (volume) or load at
using hardcore exercises, and growing a big back? Of course which things just break. That
APPLYING
THE SAME
EXERCISES,
THE SAME WAY,
TO EVERYBODY
MAKES NO
SENSE.
they worked for him. So why try
anything else? What if instead of
barbell rows on back day he
chose dumbbell rows or a
machine row instead as his main
rowing exercise? Who’s to say
his back would not be as
impressive—or even more
impressive—with less effort and
fewer spinal surgeries?
Unfortunately, that study or
comparison isn’t exactly
practical or realistic.
WAS IT AS FAST
AS POSSIBLE?
Could these individuals have
put on muscle faster? It’s a
question we’ll never really know
the answer to. They got big not. And what about all the less would be fairly arbitrary, at
fast—relative to what we famous injuries bodybuilders best—these factors are things
consider fast. Is it realistic to accept as the norm? As if some that can just accelerate the
assume they could not have form of “-itis” is required to grow underlying cause. Misdirected
possibly put on muscle any muscle. If this were true, every tension. Our bodies and joints
faster? The only reasonable bodybuilder with a large, evenly have an intended design or
answer is “of course not.” I don’t developed physique would have use—for example, the hinge joint
think anything, in any realm, at pain in every bit of connective is designed to handle load in
this point in human history, has tissue, in every joint attached to specific planes of motion, the
reached its pinnacle—medicine, their large muscles. The fact that planes the attached limbs move
tech, or bodybuilding. it occurs only in some connective through. While our bodies are
FLEXONLINE.COM 91
Joe Bennett’s no-bull
approach has helped
superstar pro wrestler and
actor Dave Bautista craft his
world-famous physique.
resilient, misapplied load over

time (accelerated by the load
and volume associated with
bodybuilding, a truly extreme
amount relative to the norm) can
result in wear and inflammation.
The fix: Avoid or modify the
arbitrary. Your body, structure,
and joints are unique. Applying also implies we can still apply
the same exercises, the same the loads more efficiently.
way, to everybody makes no
sense. Instead, understanding WHERE FROM HERE?
training goals and finding The point is to think, not to have
appropriate ways to apply your workouts guided by
load to your body, adhering to emotions or tradition. Analyze
your structure and joints, can your actions in the gym and ask
theoretically help you completely yourself, “Does this truly work for
avoid injuries. Or at least me?” The physical differences
drastically reduce the from individual to individual are
occurrence. vast, and I would argue the
adjustments and “modifications”
AS EFFICIENT applied to exercises should be
AS POSSIBLE? just as vast (even as simple as
Efficiency is really the an adjustment in grip, stance,
combination of the above two: or range of motion). The truth
Are we putting muscle on as fast is, achieving your best physique
as possible and injury-free? is not about specifics. It will
Definitely not. The fact that never be a specific exercise or
bodybuilders are still getting workout. Rather, it’s about having
bigger and bigger implies that we the right thought process. You
can always grow and develop can always be better, and your
faster. The fact that injuries are exercises, form, and effort can
still prevalent in some but not all always improve.

THE POINT
POINT IS TOO THINK,
NOT TOO HAVE YOUR
WORKOUTS
WOR
RKOUTS GUIDED
GUIDDED BBYY
EMOTIONS
EMOTIO ONS OR
OR TRA
TRADITION.
ADITION.
AANALYZE
NALYZE YOUR ACTIONS
ACTIONS
IN THE GYM.
FLEXONLINE.COM 93
DOMINICAN
DOMIN
DOM
MINN
994
4 X | DECEM
FLEX DECEMBER
MBER Õ17
BY JOE WUEBBEN
PHOTOGRAPHS
BY PER BERNAL
THE DO
DOMINICAN
OMINICAN REPUBLIC’S OUTP
OUTPUT
PUT O
OF
F ATHLETIC PR
PROWESS
ROWESS INCLUDES
MORE
MORRE THAN JUST BA
BASEBALL
ASEB
BALL P PLAYERS.
LAYERRS. THREE
THRREE ELITE-LEVEL PRO
PR
RO
BODYBUILDERS—VICTOR
BODYBUILDERS—VICTO OR MAR
MARTINEZ,
RTINEZ, JON DE LA
ARROSA,
OSA, JUAN MOREL—
MO
OREL—
NNATION
ATIONN
HAIL
HA
AIL FROM
FRO
OM THE COUNTRY, TOO.
TOOO. HERE, THE TRIO
TR
RIO PUTS
PUTS SOME
SO
OME
CARIBBEAN
CAR
RIBBBEAN FLAVOUR INTO TRAINING
TRAAINING CHEST, SHOULDERS,
SHOULD DERS, AND
AND TRAPS.
TRA
APS.
FLEXONLINE.COM
FLEX
XON
NLIN
NE OMM 95
95
I
t’s tough to separate these three guys: Victor Martinez,
Juan Morel, and Jon De La Rosa. All are of Dominican
Republic descent, all currently live in New York, and all
are top-level IFBB professionals. And as you can see in
the accompanying photos, they’re pretty tight.
CABLE
CROSSOVER
Martinez: “I do a
crossover flye press
here. First, I make sure
I’m going wide enough to
hit my outer pecs. I start
the movement as a flye,
then I drop my elbows
and finish with a press.
When I push at the end,
I make sure I squeeze
and extend my arms
forward to achieve a
full contraction. You’ll
sometimes see people
actually cross one hand
over the other; I would
rather just push and
squeeze where my
hands meet. Most people
take that crossover
name too literally.”
“We’re really good friends, all boxing, we’re not fighters.” around 118 and De La Rosa at
three of us,” says Morel. “As The next time these buddies 104 or so.
competitors, we show each other compete against one another, Building this much mass has
support, we’re there for one there will apparently be no trash a lot to do with the following
another, and we’re happy if one of talk, but there will be plenty of workouts for chest, shoulders,
the others does well at a show. Dominican muscle—roughly 340 kg and traps. Each guy trains
Some people want to go to war of it on the stage (properly a bit differently, but all three
offstage and talk trash, but that reinforced, we hope), with approaches seem to be working
makes no sense to us. We’re not Martinez and Morel each weighing in (Dominican) dominating fashion.
FLEXONLINE.COM 97
DOMINICAN-
STYLE CHEST
WORKOUTS
MARTINEZ’S ROUTINE
EXERCISE SETS REPS*

Dumbbell Flye** 4 8–10
Barbell Bench Press or 4 8–10
Dumbbell or Barbell
Incline Press
Pec Deck Flye 4 8–10
Cable Crossover 4 8–10
superset with
Dip 4 12–15
*These rep ranges refer to Martinez’s off-
season workouts; pre-contest, he increases
reps slightly, typically 12 to 15 per set.
**Martinez alternates between flat bench and
incline every other workout.
MOREL’S ROUTINE
EXERCISE SETS REPS
Barbell Bench Press 5 12–15
Smith Machine 4 12–15
Incline Press
superset with
Incline Machine Press 4 12–15
Hammer Strength 4 12–15

Decline Press
superset with
Flat Bench Machine Press 4 12–15
Dip 3 10–15
superset with
Cable Crossover 3 15
DE LA ROSA’S ROUTINE
EXERCISE SETS REPS
Incline Barbell Press or 4 8–12
Smith Machine
Incline Press
Incline Dumbbell Flye* 4 8–12
Flat Bench 4 8–12
Dumbbell Press*
Flat Bench Hammer 4 8–12
Strength Press
Cable Crossover** 4 8–12
*De La Rosa alternates the order of these
two exercises; sometimes he’ll do the press
first, then the flye.
**De La Rosa regularly alternates between cable
crossovers, dumbbell flyes, and pec deck flyes.

DIP MACHINE
Martinez: “Dips require
a lot of control. Most
SHOULDER
people don’t do them PRESS
because they don’t feel Morel: “I really prefer
the effect, and that’s machine shoulder presses
likely because they’re because I think they
doing them too fast and activate the muscles
not focusing enough on better than with free
form. When I lower weight. Sometimes the
down, I make sure my stabilizing muscles do too
chin is really tucked into much work when you use
my upper pecs. I use dips dumbbells or a barbell.
for the bottom and outer With the machine, you can
sweep of the pecs—I’m hit the shoulders hard
concentrating on this without having to worry
area the entire time. too much about your joints
I feel this gives me that and hurting yourself. It’s
sweeping look when I kind of a safe way to
do a side-chest pose.” overload the delts.”
FLEXONLINE.COM 99
DOMINICAN-STYLE DELTS/TRAPS WORKOUTS
MARTINEZ’S ROUTINE MOREL’S ROUTINE
EXERCISE SETS REPS* EXERCISE SETS REPS
Dumbbell Lateral Raise 4–6 20, 15, 12, 10+ Dumbbell Lateral Raise 3 10
dropsets** superset with
Standing Dumbbell Rear-delt Raise 3 10
Dumbbell Shoulder Press or Barbell or 4–6 8–10
Hammer Strength Shoulder Press Smith Machine Shoulder Press 3 10-15
Alternating Dumbbell Front Raise or 4 10–12 Smith Machine Behind-the-neck Press 4 10–12
Barbell Front Raise
Shoulder Press 3 10–15
Seated Dumbbell Rear-delt Raise 4 10–12 superset with
superset with Standing Machine Lateral Raise 3 10–15
Dumbbell Shrug 4 12–15
Machine Shoulder Press 3 10–15
*These rep ranges refer to Martinez’s off-season workouts; superset with
pre-contest, he increases reps slightly, typically 12 to 15 per set. Seated Dumbbell Rear-delt Raise or
3 10–15
Reverse Pec Deck Flye
**Martinez’s typical lateral raise routine, set by set: 9-kg dumbbells for
20 reps, 14s for 15 reps, 18s for 12 reps, 23s for 10 reps, then a dropset Seated Machine Lateral Raise 3 12–15
finisher, doing 10 reps each with 23s, 18s, 14s, and 9s. superset with
Alternating Dumbbell Front Raise 3 12–15

DUMBBELL ALTERNATING
LATERAL RAISE DUMBBELL
De La Rosa: “A lot of people end up
using more of their traps to get the
FRONT RAISE
Martinez: “Make sure your
weight up on lateral raises; they’re
traps are relaxed when doing front
squeezing their traps before even
raises so you don’t use too much of
really getting the shoulders to do the
them on this movement. And when I
work. So one of the things I like to tell
say front raises, I’m not talking
people is to lean slightly forward and
about kettlebell swings. No
let your shoulders sort of round out
swinging. Keep full control of the
your back and completely relax. I find
weights and focus on the negative.
this gives me a better contraction in
And keep the dumbbells relatively
the side delt heads and makes for a
light; when you go too heavy,
more controlled movement. It’s just a
you end up using your traps to
slight lean forward, though; I don’t
lift the weight.”
want people bending all the way over.”
DE LA ROSA’S ROUTINE
EXERCISE SETS REPS
Dumbbell 4 15
Lateral Raise
Machine 3 12
Shoulder Press
Dumbbell Shoulder 3 12
Press (seated)
Dumbbell Rear-delt 4 12–15
Raise
Dumbbell 4 12–15
Lateral Raise
FLEXONLINE.COM 101
DUMBBELL SEATED DUMBBELL
SHRUG REAR-DELT RAISE
De La Rosa: “Relax the Morel: “I don’t go heavy on these—I use just enough
shoulders so that at your start weight to get a good contraction and squeeze on the
point your traps are completely muscles. This is a really good exercise to target the rear
stretched out. Again, I’ll lean delts. The front delts get stimulated when we do chest
forward and bend my elbows and shoulder presses and stuff like that. The rear delts,
up and back slightly. I get a little on the other hand, barely ever get stimulated, so if you
more of a contraction if I shrug don’t directly target them you could be underdeveloped
up and then pull my shoulders in that area. You want to have your shoulders look like
back and up a little bit.” what they call a pumpkin. And if you don’t develop the
rear delts, you won’t get that look.”

FLEXONLINE.COM 103
SHO
SHOU
OU
U
ULDER
LDD ERR
SMACKDOWN
IS YOUR DELT DEVELOPMENT
AT A LOSS? HIT THEM
HARDER
HARRDER WITH THIS WINNING
FORMULA,
FO
ORMULA, AN INTENSIVE
ROUTINE DESIGNED
TO CRUSH THOSE CAPS
AND REIGNITE GROWTH.
BY MICHAEL B
BERG,
ERG, N.S.C.A
N.S.C.A.-C.P.T.
A .-C.P
P.T.
FLEXONLINE.COM 105
O
SOMETIMES,
MET S, AN OLD-
FASHIONED BEATDOWN IS ALL
YOU
U NEED
NE FOR MOTIVATION.
ASK
K A CHICAGO
C AGO SPORTS FAN.
On Dec. 2, 1985,
On 1985 the NFL Chicago Jordan and Co. went 72–10 on
Bears rolled into the Orange
Bears nge Bowl their way to His Airness’ fourth
in Miami with a 12–0 recordord and an of six championships.
ar
arrogant swagger. That
hat Monday Sports have shown time and
night, a defence that had held again that a punch in the mouth
eight of its previous nine can serve as the ultimate wake-up
opponents to 10 points or less call, helping you return to the fray
was burned by Dan Marino and stronger than ever. It rattles you
the Dolphins in a 38–24 whupping. out of complacency and refocuses
The Monsters of the Midway were your efforts. And it’s an apt lesson
tamed—for a day. They went on for the gym.
rolling through the remainder of the Consider the shoulders.
season to a storied championship. Made up of three smaller heads—
Fast-forward 10 years. the anterior (front), middle, and
Basketball superstar Michael posterior (rear) deltoids—their
Jordan returned to the Chicago muscle tissue isn’t so easy to
Bulls, helping his break down and set the stage
team win 24 of its final 34 games for growth. Training shoulders
in 1995. Was another NBA title in can get downright tedious, and
the offing? Not quite—in the concentration can wane. The
conference semifinals, Chicago question is, When was the last
was unceremoniously dumped time you really gave your delts
by the Orlando Magic four games the vicious thumping they need
to two. Yet the following season, to get growing again?
still stinging from the drubbing, LATERAL MOVE
OPENER AND THIS SPREAD: PER BERNAL

FLEXONLINE.COM 107
The key to a great shoulder
workout is ensuring that those
three heads get pushed harder.
While the front head is engaged
during chest training and overhead
pressing movements, the middle
and rear delts aren’t activated to
the same degree and require
focused attention. This workout
accomplishes that—prioritizing the
middle head for maximum width
building—while keeping the workout
interesting from beginning to end
by interspersing the variety of
raises needed with presses and
upright rows.
You’ll start with dumbbell lateral
raises. This is a warmup, so start
light for a 16-rep set and run up the
rack from there for three more
sets of 14, 12, and eight to 10 reps.
By that final set, you’ll want to be
at a weight where you hit failure
by 10—but not so heavy that you
are rocking your upper body to
generate momentum. Remember,
each delt head is relatively small
and can’t handle a ton of kilos on its
own, so using excessively heavy
dumbbells just means you’re
cheating.
You’ll also want to lean forward
slightly at the hips to let the
dumbbells come down in front of
your hips (but not clang together)
YOUR SHOULDER
SMACKDOWN
EXERCISE SETS REPS
Dumbbell 4 16, 14, 12,
Lateral Raise 8-10
Seated Barbell Press 4 12, 10, 8, 6
superset with
Dumbbell 4 8-12
Lateral Raise
Bentover Dumbbell 4 16, 14, 12,
Lateral Raise 8-10
Seated Dumbbell 4 12, 10, 8, 6
Press
superset with
Bentover Dumbbell 4 8-12
Lateral Raise
Upright Row 4 12, 10, 8, 6
superset with 16, 14, 12,
Dumbbell Front Raise 4 8-10
Cable One-arm 1 12 (plus
CHARLES LOW THIAN
Lateral Raise or dropset)

Pike Pushup 1 To failure
Rest 60 seconds between standard sets, and
pause just long enough within supersets to
change from one exercise to the other.
FLEXONLINE.COM 109
pyramiding up on the press and
back down on the raise.
For dumbbell presses, you’ll
want to work through a complete
range of motion, bringing the ’bells
down alongside your ears at the
bottom and to nearly full elbow
extension at the top. They’ll
naturally arc toward each other
on the way up. But don’t let the
plates touch as you reach the top
of each rep, which can dissipate
the tension on the muscles.
FORWARD PROGRESS
IF YOUR DELTS
REALLY NEED A
BOOST, CONSIDER
MOVING THEM TO
THE TOP OF YOUR
SPLIT, AFTER A REST
DAY, SAVING CHEST
AND TRICEPS FOR
LATER IN THE WEEK.
The workout continues with
front raises and upright rows.
This time, you won’t begin with
four separate sets of the raise—
instead, you’ll go right into the
superset, pairing rows with
dumbbell raises, pyramiding
up in both instances from a
lighter warmup resistance to a
challenging weight. While you
won’t always be able to get it, over
time—as with the presses—you’ll
strive for a new personal best on
at the bottom, then “lead with your point just before your elbows the final set of six for the rows.
elbows” on the raise—at the top, go completely straight.
your elbows and hands should be You’ll follow each set of THE FINAL SCORE
parallel with the floor and aligned, presses immediately with raises, By now, all three heads of your
with one not higher than the other. running the rack back down, delts should be toast—much like
starting one set of ’bells down the Bears’ gassed D in that fateful
ELEVATE YOUR GAME from where you did your eight- Miami showdown. For some of
Next, pair a seated barbell press to 10-rep set, and striving for you, ending the workout here is
with more laterals in a superset. momentary failure each time. a good choice, especially if you
You might struggle with the seated struggled to complete the last
press, due to the pre-exhaustion REARS IN GEAR of the three superset combos.
of your middle delt head. But From there, you’ll repeat the same But for those of you with a
that’s the point—just knock pattern, this time with bentover little left in the tank, we have one
down the weight accordingly, dumbbell lateral raises and seated more finishing touch: a dropset
PAVEL Y THJALL; CHRIS LUND
pyramiding up from 12 reps to 10 dumbbell presses. You’ll begin of cable lateral raises or pike
to eight to six for the final set. with four straight sets of raises, pushups, your choice. If you go
When pressing, engage your beginning with 16 reps, then 14, the cable laterals route, use the
core and use a full range of then 12, then a final set of eight variation where the cable runs
motion, bringing the barbell to 10 with a heavy enough weight behind your body instead of in
down right in front of your nose to elicit failure. Follow up with front, and start with a weight
and touching down to your presses in a superset with more you can get about 10 reps with.
clavicles, then pushing up to a bentover raises—again, Immediately after hitting failure,

FLEXONLINE.COM 111
drop the weight by about 30% your upper body completely gives
and continue repping. Once you out and sends you tumbling to
reach failure again, attempt a the floor.
few final partials, first halfway
up and then quarter-reps and WINNING STRATEGIES
pulses. Then switch to the A final warning: This workout
other side, and repeat. isn’t meant to be used for every
Pike pushups can be shoulder session. It’s a little too
performed with your hands and much—after all, there’s a big
feet on the floor, with your butt difference between the occasional
high in a pike position so your trouncing and getting your rear
body forms a flipped V. From end handed to you every week.
here, simply bend your elbows Instead, you’ll want to dial
to bring your forehead down back the total number of working
toward the floor, then extend to sets to 15 to 25 on a regular
raise yourself back up, repeating basis, still front-loading with side
as many times as you can and and rear delt moves earlier in the
terminating the set when you routine when you have the most
can’t complete a full rep. If you’re energy to give. Meanwhile, pull
more advanced, you can put your out this workout every three to
feet up on a flat bench—just be four weeks or so. And if your delts
careful to end the set before really need a boost, consider
moving them to the top of your
split, after a rest day, saving chest
THIS WORKOUT and triceps for later in the week.
With that in mind, it’s time to
ISN’T MEANT TO give your delts the arse kicking
BE USED FOR they so desperately need. Sure, it
may not be so easy to take in the
EVERY SHOULDER moment, but today’s epic beating
SESSION. IT’S A might just inspire a new level of
greatness tomorrow.
LITTLE TOO MUCH.
JASON BREEZE; PAVEL Y THJALL
FLEXONLINE.COM 113
BEST
CHEST
MOVES
FROM A TO Z,
THE TOP CHEST-
TRAINING
TIPS FROM 26
MODERN CHEST
MASTERS.
BY GREG MERRITT
Pecs make the
bodybuilder. They
form a breastplate,
armour cast in flesh,
vigilant guards before
the engines of life itself.
So there’s that. But
they’ve also become so
emblematic of “jacked”
that today’s kids are as
A
likely to hit a most-
muscular as a double
biceps when asked to
“make a muscle.” We’ve
assembled an
alphabetical guide to
growing your fleshy
ANGLES
breastplate—26 top tips “The chest, more than any other body part, has
from current chest distinct regions that need to be worked with different
masters. From A (for exercises and hit from different angles. There’s the
angles) to Z (for zone) upper chest, lower chest, inner chest, and outer
chest. Each of those should get some work in every
and all the letters in
chest workout. I’m doing six exercises [incline
PER BERNAL (2)
between, this expert dumbbell press, Smith machine incline press, incline
advice will help you flye, flat machine press, decline machine press,
grow more chest flesh pec deck flye or cable crossover] to make sure I hit
to flex. ➜ every angle.” —Cody Montgomery
FLEXONLINE.COM 115
B
“I always do some kind of flat press. I use either
dumbbells or a barbell, and I switch it up. The
dumbbells make me work harder to balance and
steady them, and I can also find the perfect
BENCH PRESS groove because I can position my arms in ways I

can’t with a barbell. On the other hand, a barbell
allows me to put on more weight and just press
because there’s less focus on balancing. They
both have advantages, but lately I’ve been doing
more dumbbell bench presses.” —Lionel Beyeke
D DIP
“The advantage of draping chains
over your shoulders during dips is
they pull you forward, so you
work your chest more and your
triceps less than when you have a
weight dangling between your
legs. Also, I don’t really want a
weight between my legs if you
know what I mean. And when I
use two or three chains, I can
shed one easily to do dropsets.”
—Branch Warren
E EXPERIMENTATION
C
“It’s easy to get into a rut with chest
training. Variety is crucial, whether
CABLE you’re switching exercises or

switching the order of exercises.
CROSSOVER
[Trainer] Charles Glass is always
switching things up for me. Every
workout is like a surprise attack for
“Cable crossovers are almost always in my routine somewhere, my muscles. It’s only through
experimentation that you learn which
especially pre-contest. Sometimes I superset them with
exercises work best for you, but you
something else, like Hammer machine presses, and sometimes also need to keep experimenting—
I do them alone at the end of the workout. They’re all about the
PER BERNAL
what worked best for you last time

contractions. I don’t even care how much weight I use. You can might not work best next time.”
make any weight feel heavy on these if you squeeze your pecs —Shawn Rhoden
hard enough.” —Dexter Jackson

F
FLYE
“When you bring
them together,
don’t let the
dumbbells
touch. Leave a
gap of 2.5 cm to
maintain the
contraction. It’s
too easy to
bounce the
weights off each
other if you let
them touch.
You don’t
need heavy
dumbbells
for flyes.”
—Nathan
De Asha
G GIANT
SET
“I do a giant set workout for
“I’ll
chest with up to 10 different
exercises. I did that recently, and a
week later my chest was still sore.
If I do eight or more exercises, I
need to go through that cycle only
twice, but I know I’ve hit the
tw
muscle from every angle and with
a variety of stimuli—barbell
presses, dumbbell flyes, machine
and cable flyes, and dumbbell
pullovers.” —Ben Pakulski
H HEAVY
“Heavy is a relative term. It really doesn’t matter what the weight
I INCLINE PRESS
“I don’t always start my chest workout with incline presses.
is. If you can bench-press it only four times, then it’s heavy even if I probably do it every other workout. The crucial thing is
it’s only 60. Chest seems to be the body part guys most like to hit making sure you always do them at some point in the
with low reps, because everyone wants to get a big bench or big workout. They’re too important for filling in your upper
incline. But chest responds best to moderate reps of eight to 12 chest to ever skip. I don’t really lose a lot of strength
PAVEL Y THJALL
like other body parts, and sometimes you should aim even higher throughout my workout, but if you start losing steam pretty
for 15 reps or more. Heavy reps have a role, but don’t let them fast on chest day and your upper chest is a weak point, you
dominate.” —Jonathan De La Rosa should definitely do your inclines first in every chest
workout.” —Johnnie Jackson
FLEXONLINE.COM 117
J JUXTAPOSE
“Some exercises are more effective
K KNOWLEDGE
“It seems like with all the new
L LOWER PECS
“As I get older, ignoring my lower pecs
because of what comes just before or machines, a lot of basic knowledge can lead to a little loose skin there. So I’ll
after. You can juxtapose flyes and has been lost about chest training. If alternate between a barbell and a
presses, for example. If you do the you look at the guys from the ’70s— dumbbell decline [press] from week to
flyes first, you can’t go as heavy on Arnold [Schwarzenegger], Franco week, and I’ll also do pullovers, which
the presses, but the presses will [Columbu], Lou [Ferrigno]—they had help keep that area extra tight. Most
work your pecs more. Going the other chests every bit as big as guys today, people use pullovers as a lat move, but
way around, you can go heavier on and they did almost nothing but I’m using them more for chest, and I find
the presses and then do the isolation free-weight basics. Sometimes the the machines restrict your ability to
work. There’s no right or wrong way, most important lessons to learn are to squeeze at the end of the move
but each will have a different effect.” see what worked best 50 years ago, [compared with] the dumbbell. I’ll also do
—Sergio Oliva Jr. because it still works best today.” some body-weight dips to stimulate the
—Jose Raymond outer part of the pecs and get that
squeeze at the bottom.” —Victor Martinez
M
MACHINE
PRESS
“There’s a safety factor when
doing a machine press or flye. I
feel like I can safely go heavier
because the machine is going to
keep you in a groove, and you
don’t have to worry about a
spotter catching the weight. Still,
I don’t do really low reps. I like to
stick with four sets of 12 for
chest. Because chest is a weaker
area for me, what I do is I work it
more often. I try to hit it twice a
week and other body parts only
once.” —Roelly Winklaar

FLE
N
NEGATIVE
“Time under tension is a good
thing. When I do machine presses,
I like to focus more on the
negative. You want to stay in
control of the weight; don’t let the
weight control you. Concentrate
on both halves of the rep—the
positive and the negative.”
—Phil Heath
O
OVER-
TRAINING
“Any kind of press for chest works
the triceps and front delts along
with the pecs. So you need to
beware of overtraining. If you do a
lot of pressing, you may need to
do less shoulder and triceps
work. And you should arrange
your split so there’s at least two
days between your chest workout
and your triceps or shoulder
workouts.” —Guy Cisternino
P PEC DECK
FLYE
When I do these, I keep my arms parallel to the
floor, even though the pads are vertical. The pads
are between my biceps and my forearms in the
crooks of my elbows. This feels more natural to
me. I’ll do lots of reps to failure with the whole
stack. I don’t want to count the reps. If I count
them I might get stuck on that number the next set
PER BERNAL (2)
or the next workout. I can’t limit myself.”

—Maxx Charles
FLEXONLINE.COM 119
Q
QUALITY
“Early on,
some of my
body parts
blew up, like
my legs.
Others
didn’t, like
my chest.
Part of
that was
R
because
I was
pressing
with my
shoulders
and triceps.
Chest took a
backseat,
not because
I wasn’t RANGE
OF
training it
but because
I was
training it
wrong. I
never
MOTION
really had “I use dumbbells a lot
someone on chest day—presses,
say, ‘Slow flyes, and pullovers.
yourself They provide a longer
down, and
range of motion, and
concentrate
on the they allow me to find
squeeze.’ So the right groove to
I started stress my shoulders
focusing on less and work my pecs
the quality more. Sometimes I’ll do
of my reps a whole chest workout
and not the using nothing but
quantity of dumbbells.”
the weight. I
—William Bonac
lightened
S T
the weights
and started
pressing
just to get
that
mind-
muscle
connection.
It’s
SUPERSET TEMPO
something “I like to superset a free-weight exercise with its “Presses and dumbbell flyes
you really machine counterpart. So I’ll do barbell bench are performed slow and
have to presses, then as soon as I’m done with my set, under careful control. With
concentrate I’ll do a set of machine bench presses. It’s a safe pec deck flyes or cable
on. You way of extending the set. Or I might do dumbbell crossovers, I like to switch
need to feel
flyes superset with pec deck flyes or cable up the tempo and go faster.
the muscles
working.” crossovers. The free weights always come first, I do these last, so going
—Flex Lewis so with the machine exercise that follows, I can faster lets me crank out a few
focus more on the squeeze and getting every last more reps and really get a
fibre stimulated.” —Juan Morel great pump.” —Brandon Curry

U
“To focus more on upper pecs, I start my
workout with incline dumbbell flyes and
then do incline presses, either with a
machine or free weights. The flyes
pre-exhaust my upper pecs with an
isolation exercise before the compound
PER BERNAL; KEVIN HORTON
exercise. Also, by hitting upper pecs first,

I’m able to work that area when my
UPPER PECS
energy and focus are greatest.”
—Mamdouh Elssbiay
FLEXONLINE.COM 121
V
“I don’t need much volume to work chest. As long as I push
every working set to failure and focus on getting more reps
than I got last time, my chest is going to grow with just six to
eight sets. Any more than that is overkill. The key is what
VOLUME
you get out of your sets. If you’re not pushing them to failure
and beyond, then you’re going to need more volume, but
you’re not going to grow as fast by just doing twice as much
half-assed work.” —David Henry
W X
WORK-
X-FRAME
“Most people don’t think of the chest when
building an X-frame, but you need really good
LOAD pec lines to set off the X. It’s important to
work every part of the pecs, upper, lower,
“I warm up on outer, and inner. If any area is lacking,
every single prioritize it. The upper chest, especially, will
movement. draw your eyes up to the shoulders and
So you might enhance the X.” —Cedric McMillan
see me doing
207-kg incline
presses, and
then next thing
you know I’m
doing dumbbell
bench presses
with the 20s.
Well, the flat
press is a
different
movement than
the incline, so
I got warm on
the inclines, but
I’m not yet warm
on the flat press.
The stress is
different with
each as far as
Z
how it works the
tendons, joints,
Y
and muscles. I
don’t count
warmups as
part of my ZONE
YIELD
workload, and I
can get through “I like to stay in the moderate
them pretty zone for chest of 10 to 12 reps
quickly and “There’s a place for compound and per set. I will go lower or higher,
move up to my isolation exercises in every chest but most of the time I’m aiming
routine, but if I had to choose just one for 10. That gives me enough
working sets.
chest exercise, it would probably reps to work the muscles and
But I always do be the incline press. That’s the one not the weight, but not so many
PHOTO CREDIT
them for every that’s going to have the greatest yield. reps that I’m not also focused on
chest exercise.” It targets more of the upper chest, pushing the intensity and trying
—Josh and it also works the front delts and to get stronger.”
Lenartowicz triceps.” —Clarence DeVis —Ahmad Ashkanani

GUY CAMERON; PER BERNAL
FLEXONLINE.COM
123
NO
PAIN,
BIG
GAINS
SOLUTIONS FOR
OVERCOMING THE
MOST COMMON
TRAINING INJURIES.
BY GREG MERRITT
“No pain, no gain” is a horrible maxim

if applied to chronic strains or
sprains because even a minor but
reoccurring ache can force you to
give less than your best, and that can be the
difference between growth and stagnation.
Injuries require a new routine—a means of
diagnosing and correcting the problem, a plan
for eliminating pain to encourage gains.
FLEXONLINE.COM 125
ANKLE
This area is
accustomed to a lot
of low-intensity, short
range-of-motion work (e.g.,
walking) but can become
overstressed when the
intensity is cranked up.
Strengthen
Shin splints are a common
injury for anyone who
sprints, jogs, or climbs
stairs for cardio. It’s caused
by the muscles at the
back of the lower legs
overpowering the much
smaller muscles at the front.
This imbalance, which can
also generate knee pain, can
be corrected by working
the front of your calves
with shin raises. If your gym
doesn’t have a shin-raise
machine—and most don’t—
you can use a leg-curl
machine (seated, facing
backward), a kettlebell, or
a weight plate. Very little
resistance is needed; go
for four sets of 12 to 20.
Stretch
Move your feet from
maximum dorsiflexion
(toward shins) to maximum
plantar flexion (away
from shins).
Support
You may have seen photos
of Arnold Schwarzenegger
squatting barefoot in the
1970s. As much as we love
the Austrian Oak, don’t
follow his lead this time.
Instead, if you’re prone to
ankle pain, armour up by
wearing compression socks
and high-top sneakers or
boots on leg day.

Elbow sleeves
will bolster this
area and
keep it warm,
which can be
especially useful.
ELBOW
Midarm pain may be in the hinge joint but is
more likely at either the front (biceps tendons)
or back (triceps tendons).
Diagnose Modify
OPENER PAGE: PER BERNAL. THIS SPREAD: PER BERNAL; KEVIN HORTON
Is the tendinitis caused by When doing upper-body

pulling (biceps) or pushing exercises, narrow your
(triceps)? Or is it the grip, tuck your elbows
result of repetitive in, and use dumbbells.
motions, such as The freer range of
throwing or swinging? motion provided by
Often, the pain source is dumbbells should allow
only a single movement, you to find a groove that
and the only way to zero stresses your muscles
in on it is to eliminate more and your joints
exercises one at a time and tendons less.
from your routine until the
pain lessens. Start with
If you’re prone to
ankle pain, armour
the most likely culprits:
barbell exercises in which
Support
up by wearing Elbow sleeves will bolster
compression socks and the elbows flare out, such this area and keep it
high-top sneakers or as wide-grip upright warm, which can be
boots on leg day. rows or bench presses especially useful on chest
or barbell rows done and shoulder presses.
with the upper arms
straight out.
FLEXONLINE.COM 127
Warm Up Avoid Lockout wreckers.) Your feet
should be pointed slightly
Before working quads, do The lockout transfers all outward, and your knees
light, high-rep sets of leg the stress to your knee should follow the path of
extensions (without locking joints—not a good thing. your feet. Your knees will
out) and/or five to 10 This is especially true of leg
KNEE
be strained if they turn in.
minutes of low-intensity extensions when, at the
cardio on an exercise bike. top, you’re holding the
weight up with your legs in Support
a vulnerable position. Stop
Dial Back short of this on every rep.
Knee wraps or sleeves can
assist in protecting these
High Intensity vulnerable joints.
These two simple High-impact cardio, like
Squat Right
hinge joints have to
wind sprints, might be
part of the problem, so if
Depth is your friend. If you Go Lighter
take on a lot of tension break parallel, your glutes Keep your reps at 10 or
you regularly experience
when you crank out and hips power you out of higher. Forget the weight
knee pain, we recommend
heavy squats or leg the hole. If you don’t, it’s all and focus instead on
switching from the
up to your quads (and maintaining constant
presses. As a result, treadmill, StepMill, or track
knees). Squatting shallow muscle tension from the
they can become creaky, to an elliptical machine or
also allows you to carry first strict rep to the last.
stiff, and sore. stationary bike.
more weight, which
compounds the problem.
(Never do partial squats,
lifting the barbell a short
distance from support
bars set high in a power
rack. These can help you
handle heavier weights,
but they’re potential knee
Forget the weight

and focus instead
on maintaining
constant muscle
tension from the
first strict rep to
the last.

SHOULDER
A ball and socket with a
multitude of muscles, ligaments,
and tendons in the vicinity, the
shoulder joint is complex and
vulnerable to injuries. Some nagging
pains can persist for years, derailing
countless workouts. Even exercises
like squats can become untenable
because of the agony caused in the
shoulders when balancing a barbell
behind the neck.
Diagnose
Pinpointing the problem for shoulder
pain may be easier than eliminating it
because it unfortunately tends to
linger, like lower back pain. But let’s
try to get to the root cause. The most
likely suspects are barbell presses,
Smith machine chest presses, or
shoulder presses.
Work Independently
Try replacing barbell presses with
their dumbbell counterparts,
or use machines with independent
arms. This will let you find a more
comfortable (and often stronger)
biomechanical position.
Stop the Presses

If pain persists, eliminate all If pain persists,
presses and bilateral shoulder and eliminate all
chest exercises, like upright rows presses and bilateral
and dips. Instead, do only flyes shoulder and chest
and laterals for sets of 12 to 15. exercises.
When the pain subsides, you
can return dumbbell presses to
your routine.
Toughen Your Cuffs INJURY CHECKLIST

Seek medical care for acute pain. Use this checklist for
The rotator cuff, a group of four
nonacute but persistent or recurring joint or muscle aches.
muscles that act to stabilize each
shoulder joint, is prone to strains and x Locate the source of when there is no belts, sleeves, and
the pain. swelling to promote compression
KEVIN HORTON; JASON BREEZE
tears. The most likely culprits are

again heavy barbell presses. Take x Eliminate exercises to blood flow. clothing.
some time to strengthen this area. see if pain subsides. x Revise your x Supplement with
Exercises include external rotation x Recover via rest, workouts to avoid glucosamine for
(done on your side with a light stretching, and problematic cartilage formation
massage. exercises. and curcumin and
dumbbell or standing with a cable),
reverse flyes, and rope face-pulls. x Apply cold to reduce x Support joints and fish oil to reduce
muscles with wraps, inflammation.
swelling, and heat
FLEXONLINE.COM 129
Determining a
reason for your pain
can be just as hard different times. Determining a
as pinpointing its reason for your pain can be just
location. as hard as pinpointing its
location. It could be your chair or
bed and almost any standing
exercise, from barbell rows to
squats to EZ-bar curls, not to
mention many back exercises.
Even bench presses may be the
culprit if you arch too much.
What’s more, it could be some
combination of exercises and
posture factors. None of this is
to say you shouldn’t attempt to
locate the pain and its principal
culprits. It’s just acknowledging
that it’s sometimes unattainable.
Revise
If you’re unable to determine a
specific cause of your back pain
to eliminate, stay clear of regular
and stiff-legged deadlifts and
free-weight rows. Free-weight
back squats are another
common culprit. Keep your
knees slightly bent when
performing standing exercises,
even light ones like side laterals,
and don’t go heavy. Get at least
10 reps per set on all exercises.
Work It Out
Conventional wisdom about back
pain—bed rest, pain killers—has
been upended. In February, the
American College of Physicians
advised a protocol that avoids
prescription drugs and instead
emphasizes exercise and
alternative therapies like
massage, yoga, and even
chiropractic. (Medical doctors
LOWER
are typically sceptical.)
Specifically, body-weight
exercises for the rectus
Diagnose abdominis (curl up), oblique and
BACK
hips (side bridge), and glutes
Lower-back pain is difficult to (kickback) strengthen and
locate. In fact, about 85% of stretch the core muscles and
sufferers have nonspecific pain can improve the lower back
(as opposed to a pinched nerve, without straining it.
or a slipped disk). Sciatic nerve
Support
pressure can cause suffering
An entire industry is devoted that radiates down into the legs
ALEX ARDENTI; JASON BREEZE
to the management of back and up to the trapezius and all Wear a tightly cinched training
pain. Unfortunately, this has fuelled the regions in between. Likewise, belt during any exercise that
an opioid crisis in the U.S.. The your spinal erectors—bundles of could unduly stress your spine
good news is that the best solution muscles and tendons—travel and spinal erectors. This
for most people doesn’t involve much of the length of your spine includes lifts like leg presses and
pills, injections, surgery, or even a and can wreak torment along the dumbbell shrugs, which might
trip to the doctor’s office. way and in different spots at not seem like back breakers.

Wrist wraps or
sleeves can help you
correct your grip by
WRIST
making it harder to
wag your hands and
reminding you to keep
your wrists straight.
Painful wrists are

almost always caused
by a common training
mistake—letting the weight
pull your hands back,
especially on barbell chest
and shoulder presses.
Stay Straight
Bent wrists might seem like
the most comfortable position.
But over time it will strain
your vulnerable wrist tendons.
What’s more, it puts you in a
weaker position. Throw a
punch with your wrist held
straight and another with it
bent backward, and you’ll
realize how much power is lost
in the latter slaplike movement.
Your hands and wrists are
the last links in the chain when
doing such exercises as incline
presses. So don’t blow it at
the very end by allowing your
wrists to bend backward.
Support
Wrist wraps or sleeves can
help you correct your grip by
making it harder to wag your
hands and reminding you
to keep your wrists straight.
Get a Grip
Eliminate the weak link by
making it as strong as the
others. Grip-strengthening
exercises include wrist curls,
reverse curls, rope pullups,
and plate pinches. You can
also do some work with a thick
bar or a thick bar attachment,
which will force you to clutch
harder.
FLEXONLINE.COM 131
GGETT
BACK
NEED HELP WITH
YOUR BACK? IFBB
PHYSIQUE PRO
JEREMY POTVIN
PO
OTVIN
GIVES YOU A
ROUTINE HE
KNOWS WILL
ADD THICKNESS
AND WIDTH.
BY ROGER LOCKRIDGE
PHOTOGRAPHS BY
IAN SPANIER

FLE
TO BE
ABLE TO
COMPETE
in the IFBB as a pro in any
division is an incredible
achievement. If you’re
blessed enough to stand on
the Olympia stage, then you
can legitimately call yourself
one of the best in the world.
Jeremy Potvin placed third
at the Physique Olympia last
year, and fifth
fifth at this year’s
show, coming in optimistic
that his prep had gone well
enough to earn him the title.
Here’s Potvin’s plan for a
better back.
SNAPSHOT
JEREMY POTVIN
Birth Date: July 21, 1989
Height: 168 cm
Contest Weight:
70 kg
Residence:
San Diego, California
Career Highlights: 2017
Olympia Men's Physique
Showdown, 5th.
2016 Olympia Men’s
Physique Showdown,
3rd; 2016 IFBB Grand
Prix men’s physique, 1st;
2014 NPC Nationals
Men’s Physique Class A,
winner (earned pro card)
Instagram:
@jeremypotvin_
WHAT TO
IMPROVE
Regardless of what division you’re in, shows can be
won or lost from the back. While Potvin is already
known for his shoulder-to-waist ratio, he realizes the
judges pay attention to every detail when the athletes
turn around.
“I want to improve the thickness of my lats, especially
my lower lats. I don’t think it’s weak at all, but I know THE GOAL
the judges want to see you improve every year.”
OF ANY
ATHLETE IS
MORE BEGINNER’S TO WIN. I
VOLUME TIP BELIEVE
This year, Potvin and his coach,
Ryan Bentson of Team Zero
Since a beginner might be
reading this, Potvin has I CAN
Gravity, wanted to add more
volume, so he made two
some advice to share:
“Proper form over weight—
IMPROVE
adjustments. He now trains back for everything,” he says. ON MY
PLACING
twice a week, and he changed “Learn how to do the exercises
his rep scheme. “I usually do correctly first before you
THIS YEAR
everything for eight to 12 reps, start adding weight. It will be
but a higher rep count is going to worth it when you see the
AND EVEN
benefit me more, so I’ll take most results for yourself.”
sets up to 15 reps,” Potvin says.
“As for the second workout, it’s
WIN THE
about balance, and my arms are
already pretty good. I’m training POTVIN’S OLYMPIA.
BACK
chest twice a week now also.”
EARLY WORKOUT
INFLUENCES
EXERCISE SETS REPS
Deadlift 3–4 10–15
Although Potvin competes in Pullup 3–4 10–15
men’s physique, it was actually an
open bodybuilder who inspired One-arm 3–4 10-15
him. “For me it was Johnnie Dumbbell Row
Jackson,” he says. “When I was Bentover Barbell Row 3–4 10-15
younger I wanted to lift heavier
T-bar Row 3–4 10–15
weights and get really strong. He
was both big and strong since he Notes: In the off-season, Potvin does the same
competed in powerlifting too. The exercises for 8 to 12 reps. Rest for 90 seconds
shots of his back were unreal.” between sets.
POTVIN’S Monday
Chest
Wednesday
Legs
Friday
Chest
Sunday
Legs
occasionally,
but they’re not
TRAINING a part of his
SPLIT Tuesday
Back
Thursday
Shoulders
Saturday
Back
Note: Potvin
trains arms
contest training
split.

FLEXONLINE.COM 135
DEADLIFT
You’ll notice that Potvin’s
in’s back routine includes basic
exercises like the deadlift,
eadlift, but he says that if it ain’t
broke, don’t fix it.. “Deadlifts are a great movement
that hits everything,”
thing,” he says. “I’ve always used them
and still do.” A common debate is about straps on
moves like e these. While he isn’t shown using them in
the photos,
tos, he does advocate for them: “I don’t want
grip to hold me back from working my back as hard
as I can, so yeah, I use lifting straps.”

ONE-ARM DUMBBELL ROW
A lot of guys use one-arm rows as a power movement to pull more weight,
but Potvin performs them a certain way. “I found that when I pull up and
back, I can feel my lower lat working more, which is what I had said I
wanted to improve. Pulling straight up and letting it drop doesn’t help me
do that. I pull back, squeeze the muscle, and lower it under control.”
PULLUP MAKE SURE YOU LEARN

There are different grips you could
use for pullups, but Potvin prefers PROPER FORM, ESPECIALLY
the traditional double-overhand
grip. “I want to work my back and
ON DEADLIFTS. LEARNING
not my biceps,” he says. “So I don’t TO LIFT CORRECTLY IS
MORE IMPORTANT.
want to do chins or use any other
t ype of grip. Going overhand helps
me take the biceps out of it and
allows me to work on the lats.”
FLEXONLINE.COM 137
BENTOVER BARBELL ROW
Potvin prefers doing the Dorian Yates version of this exercise instead of the Pendlay row,
in which you start with the weight on the floor. “If there isn’t an available rack, I’ll pick the
weight up off the floor, but I won’t let it down until the set is over,” Potvin says. “I want to keep
that tension on
n the lats. If a rack is available, I prefer to do them there.” To focus on the lats
instead of the
he rest of the upper back, he’ll pull the weight into his belly button area.
SHOT ON LOCATION AT METRO FITNESS NORTH, WORTHINGTON WOODS, OH

I TRAIN
BASED
ON WHAT
I HAVE
AROUND ME
TO WORK
WITH. I SEE
WHAT’S
AVAILABLE
AND USE IT
TO HELP ME.
GROOMING BY LUDIE SENATUS FOR ZENOBIA
FLEXONLINE.COM 139
T-BAR
ROW
The photos show Potvin
using a T-Bar station, but
he prefers to do this
exercise the old-school
way. “I’ll use a barbell and
put it in a land mine or in a
corner with weight on top
of it,” he says. “I just like
doing them that way
better than at a T-Bar
station.” When it comes to
grip, he likes using both
vertical and horizontal
grips: “The closer grip
helps you target the lats.
The horizontal grip
focuses on the rest of the
upper back and rear delts.
They both have their
advantages.”
BARBELL
SHRUG
Barbell shrugs are an exercise
Potvin used to take advantage of,
but now, like Johnnie Jackson, he
doesn’t do them anymore. “I used
to do them when I started training
to g
because I wanted big traps like
he did, but now I don’t do them at
all,” Potvin says. “Other moves
like deadlifts hit the traps well, so
I don’t think I need to do direct
work on them anymore.”
USING A T-BAR WITHOUT A CHEST SUPPORT

WILL HELP YOU WORK YOUR LOWER BACK AND
CORE. I PREFER DOING THEM THAT WAY.

FLEXONLINE.COM 141
LAST SET JUDGE’S TABLE
RELAX,
YOU GOT
THIS HOW TO MAKE
EVERY SECOND
COUNT WHEN
YOU’RE ONSTAGE,
AND POINTERS
ON PICKING THE
SUIT THAT SUITS
YOU BEST.
STEVE WEINBERGER
DO YOU HAVE
ANY POINTERS
ON “STANDING
RELAXED”?
I’M NEW TO THE SPORT
AND PREPARING FOR
MY SECOND SHOW,
AND I DON’T QUITE
UNDERSTAND HOW TO
HANDLE THIS ASPECT
OF THE COMPETITION.
”Standing relaxed” in the
quarter-turns round of
bodybuilding is actually
a misnomer, as you
should never stand
relaxed onstage.
During quarter-turns,
the judges are looking
for the classic lines of
“Standing a bodybuilder—wide
relaxed” is shoulders and back
the first tapering to a small
pose you hit waist. The legs should
onstage, so
have a good quad and
PER BERNAL
do it right to
look good! hamstring sweep. All
muscle bellies should
be full, a look that’s

BY MIKE BERG
enhanced by small
joints.
To emphasize these
qualities, stand with
your stomach sucked in
and your chest held
Details matter
high. Your back and when you’re
shoulders need to be competing at
spread as wide as the elite level,
possible without lifting so pay attention
the arms too high to the to everything.
sides, and the muscles
in the arms and legs
should be held in tension
to emphasize the size
of the muscles and
the separation evident
in a flexed, lean body.
All this must be achieved
while keeping the
face and neck relaxed
and maintaining the
appearance of comfort.
Even while standing
on the side of the stage,
while other athletes in
SANDY WILLIAMSON
your division are being
compared centre stage,
I’M ABOUT
you must not let your TO BUY A
shoulders slump or SUIT FOR MY
relax your stomach. FIRST FIGURE
Judges are always COMPETITION. DO YOU
looking, so posture HAVE ANY KEY DOS
and presentation are AND DON’TS AS FAR
extremely important as AS WHAT I SHOULD
to how your body is LOOK FOR IN CUT,
perceived. STYLE, ETC.?
Most important, I would
simply look for a suit
with a cut that fits your
The most common particular physique. For
major errors made
example, if your torso is
while standing during
the quarter-turn a little long and your
“relaxed” round are: legs are shorter, you
want your suit cut
1. Lifting the arms too
higher to make your
high to the sides in the
front and rear stance. legs appear longer.
Also, under the bright
2. Letting the stage lights, pastels
stomach protrude.
often get washed out,
3. Placing the feet too so I think a general rule
wide apart, which to keep in mind is to go
makes the body for the darker shades,
appear boxy.
since you want to
4. Not opening the create a contrast to
back as wide as your overall colouring—
possible. your hair, makeup, and
5. Letting the tan. In addition, a little
shoulders fall and bling is fine if you want
keeping the traps high. it, but too much can
6. Dropping the chest actually be distracting.
PER BERNAL
in an attempt to You want the judges to

“crunch” the abs. focus on your physique,
not your suit.
FLEXONLINE.COM 143
THE SHOT
GETTING
REAL
This ’90s-era shot
of Chris Cormier
(complete with
construction boots
and backward cap)
captured the Real Deal
during his competitive
prime. The 1993 USA
champ scored his first
pro win at the 1997
Night Of Champions
and finished his career
with an 11th title at the
2005 San Francisco
Pro. Along the way, he
won the Ironman Pro
four times (1999–02),
placed third at the
Mr. Olympia twice
(1999, 2002), and
placed runner-up at
the Arnold Classic a
record six consecutive
times (2000–05).
CHRIS LUND

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