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BY STEVE BLECHMAN, Publisher and Editor-in-Chief
WOLF GETTING PUMPED FOR THE OLYMPIA On The Hun For The Sandow!
“I’M TOTALLY FOCUSED ON WORKING MY ASS OFF. I WON’T DISAPPOINT YOU GUYS AT THE NEXT OLYMPIA.”
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Dennis Wolf ferociously flexing his biceps on the cover of this month’s MD sends a beastly warning to those who might compete against him onstage: the Big Bad Wolf is out for blood. Dennis is coming off his best year ever as a bodybuilder in 2014, when he won the Arnold Classic and the Arnold Classic Europe. Dennis views all bodybuilders who might oppose him as potential prey, and he has sharpened his bodybuilding claws to go in for the kill. When Dennis howls in 2015, which bodybuilders will be whimpering? Dennis didn’t compete in this year’s Arnold Classic, looking to repeat his victory from last year. As he tells MD’s Peter McGough in “The Wolf Pact” on page 92, Dennis is lying low and following a 12-month plan of attack on the 2015 Mr. Olympia contest. As Dennis puts it, “I’m totally focused on working my ass off” and he vows: “I won’t disappoint you guys at the next Olympia. I will do everything in my power to be at my absolute best. I will be better than ever, I promise you that.” Gentleman, MD gives you the right to bear some big-ass arms! In “Six Your ‘Can’t Fail’ Guide to Bigger Bi’s and Tri’s” on page 102, MD’s Ron Harris tells you how to build thick, peaked biceps and sweeping horseshoe triceps that burst out of your shirtsleeves and radiate strength and power. When Alexis Rivera Rolon swept the super heavyweight and overall titles at the 2014 Nationals, he displayed a jaw-dropping 5’9”, 238-pound physique that featured some of the best biceps and quads in the entire show, as well as the type of crystal-clear condition that’s typically lacking in the bigger men these days. Rolon also became Puerto Rico’s first Overall Champion. Meet on page 110. Branch Warren, Victor Martinez and Evan Centopani are all known for their tremendous shoulder
musculardevelopment.com April 2015
ELO
T STEVE BLECHMAN
PUBLISHER EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
PETER MCGOUGH
SENIOR EDITOR SENIOR ONLINE EDITOR
ANGELA T. FRIZALONE
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DENISE GEHRING
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development, as well as their hardcore “no wimps allowed” training style. We brought these three deltoid demons together to talk about how to craft your own pair of monster delts in “Team MD Delt Blast! Branch, Victor and Evan on Building Boulder Shoulders” on page 118. Muscular Development has spent more than a half-century shining a spotlight on the most well-developed arms in the world. We’ve shared workouts and tips for arm training, and our photographers have captured many of the most celebrated and structurally sound arms known to man. But the question we receive more than any other is one that Dan Solomon and a panel of legendary names in bodybuilding answers this month on page 128: “Who Has The Best Arms of All Time?” The rest of the book is packed to the binder as usual— making MD your one-stop, most authoritative source for optimizing muscular development with the latest cutting-edge research on training, nutrition, fat loss, performance-enhancing drugs, muscle growth and bodybuilding science— and exclusive information from the industry experts, insiders and bodybuilding legends who make it all happen. See you next month!
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MD 17
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feaures
Alexis Rivera Rolon Is Puero Rico’s Firs Overall NPC Naionals Champion By Ron Harris
Dennis Wol Reveals Why He Is Lying Low and Following a 12-Monh Plan o Atack on he 2015 Mr. Olympia Cones By Peer McGough
118 20
y Ron Harris
128 musculardevelopment.com April 2015
FAT LOSS
deparmens
By Seve Blechman & homas Fahey, Ed.D.
THE WEIGHT ROOM
By Daniel Gwarney, M.D.
Phoography by Adina Zanolli
28 HOW I SEE IT
DRUGS
By Kevin Levrone, Shawn Ray and Dorian Yaes By Bob Cicherillo
By Seve Blechman & homas Fahey, Ed.D.
34 TRUE BRIT By Peer McGough
By Daniel Gwarney, M.D. By Bev Francis and Seve Weinberger
TRAINING By William Llewellyn
By Adina Zanolli
By Adina Zanolli
Can Ligh Weighs Enhance Muscle Growh? By Brad Schoeneld, Ph.D., CSCS, FNSCA
By Rick Collins, JD, CSCS
Wih Vicor Marinez, Dennis Wol and Juan Morel
By 4-Tme Mr. Olympia, Jay Culer
By 8-Tme Mr. Olympia, Lee Haney By Ron Harris
By 8-Tme Mr. Olympia, Ronnie Coleman By Dorian Yaes
PERFORMANCE By Ron Harris By Seve Blechman & homas Fahey, Ed.D.
By Sephen E. Alway, Ph.D., FACSM By Seve Blechman & homas Fahey, Ed.D.
By Seve Blechman & homas Fahey, Ed.D.
ON THE COVER: DENNIS WOLF By IFBB Pro Guru George Farah, he Pro Creaor Hany Rambod, Maser rainer Charles Glass and IFBB Pro/ Cones-Prep Specialis Fakhri Mubarak
PHOO BY GREGORY JAMES
HEALTH & PERFORMANCE
Anioxidan Updae: Muscle Growh and By Vicor R. Prisk, M.D.
74 NUTRITION PERFORMANCE Gluamine Dilemma: Immune Enhancer? mOR
By Seve Blechman & homas Fahey, Ed.D.
By Michael J. Rudolph, Ph.D. By Seve Blechman & homas Fahey, Ed.D. By eam Muscleech ®
By Anhony Ricciuo
New Muscle-Enhancing Drugs Block More By Michael J. Rudolph, Ph.D.
140 BODYBUILDING SCIENCE Less Res or More Muscle Growh and Srengh By Michael J. Rudolph, Ph.D.
Your “Can’ Fail” Guide o Bigger Bi’s and ri’s By Ron Harris
INSIDE STACK 16 EDITOR’S LETTER By Seve Blechman By Angela heresa Frizalone & Manda Machado
MD 21
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THE
APRIL 2015
OF BODYBUILDING
2014 EVLS PRAGUE PRO, CZECH REPUBLIC AND NORDIC PRO, FINLAND
BY DAN SOLOMON
BUILDING A SUCCESSFUL BODYBUILDING CAREER BY SHAWN RAY, DORIAN YAES
MARKEING 101
DORIAN YAES: HE NIGH I RIED O GE HIM DRUNK!
BY BEV FRANCIS AND
BY ADINA ZANOLLI
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Czech Republic BY ADINA ZANOLLI
ti, Finland
NORDIC PRO Lah
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WITH SHAWN RAY, DORIAN YATES AND KEVIN LEVRONE Muscular Development is proud to bring you “How I See It,” featuring three IFBB Hall of Fame bodybuilders, and legends of the industry that we are honored to have on Team MD. Between Shawn Ray and Kevin Levrone, they have a total of six runner-up finishes at the Mr. Olympia, and Dorian Yates won the Mr. Olympia title six consecutive times.
What are some of the vital things a new pro athlete needs to be aware of to create a lasting and prosperous career? Conversely, what advice can we pro vide them with to avoid the pitfalls and mistakes that can sidetrack a career?
BODYBUILDING CAREER
Shawn ray Even as an amateur coming up in the business, my thought was that I was “the product.” I am Shawn Ray Productions, meaning that whatever I accomplished onstage, I would need to work extra hard to parlay into some kind of return or reward. Unlike many other athletes during my time, I didn’t have a trainer, manager, PR team, guru, dietitian or even a support
Olympia, I stayed in school and took courses that related to business. I was taking classes in acting, communica tions, race relations … anything and everything related to the business of bodybuilding. When I won my pro card at 21 at the 1987 NPC Nationals, not only was I prepared physically to take the next step, but also prepared from a business standpoint. Shawn Ray Productions sold merchandise, produced
Dorian Yates
involved in every facet of my career to learn what my true value as an athlete was on the seminar and guest-posing circuit. I had to measure the fi how much I could charge accept “bargain basement” apI had to do the math as it related to making appearances. I had to factor the costs of my travel expenses into my personal appear-
naïveté, offering money and housing in exchange for scandalous behavior and favors. Our sport has a dark side, where athletes have historically been taken advantage of regarding photo shoots without pay— or some individuals would pretend to be legitimate photographers who would seduce and trick athletes into taking inappropriate pictures that last a lifetime. I avoided a lot of stressful aspects of our sport simply by seeking advice from the most successful people in the industry, and experienced professionals who had been where I was trying to go. I was mindful that I was the product, ever mindful about what I was doing, where I was going, how much was being spent and how much was coming in— so I had accountability to all things related to the big picture. At the end of the day, there are many ways to succeed regardless of contest placement, but it still comes back to the athlete being ready and educated when his time comes. Twitter: @sugarshawnray
work altogether. There were a lot of sharks/ schmoes in the water
That’s a tough act to follow, as Shawn was always the best businessman of all of us, but I will do my best. First off, it’s good to generate as much publicity for yourself as you can, which is something I never focused on. And it was tougher to do that in the old days before the Internet and social media. Back then we had to rely on the magazines, whereas now an athlete can post blogs, photos and video clips on any number of outlets online. But whether it’s online or in person, I would say you should always carry yourself with respect and profes-
promoters. I would also have
AND HO W MUCH WAS COMING IN. 28
MD
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HOW I SEE IT!
sionalism. Be on time, be polite and be accessible. These things go a long way toward building a solid reputation. This is a relatively small industry, and people talk. Make a good impression, and that will help how you are looked at. Conversely, doing things like being rude, late or not returning calls, texts, or emails will contribute toward a bad impression of you that will also be talked about. As you become more successful as an athlete, there will be more distractions and more demands on your time. People will push and pull you in a hundred different directions, and you will probably be traveling quite a bit more as well. There will be people who try to make your decis ions for you, things like when and where you will compete for maximum impact. Over the years I’ve seen a lot of bodybuilders who were very successful amateurs, but once they turned pro and these other factors enter ed the equation, they los e it. They allow themselves to be distracted by new people, information and opportunities, and they start questioning what they did to get there in the first place. I’m not saying you shouldn’t make any changes or listen to other people, but never forget the hard work and focus that got you to the pro ranks. Even if you have these other commitments like traveling, appearances, interviews and photo or video shoots, you still have to stay consistent with your hard training and good eating.
KEVIN LEVRONE Shawn and Dorian both gave very comprehensive, detailed answers to that question. I’m glad they covered all those bases, because I’d prefer to go a little deeper with my response, based on what I know now as a man looking back over my bodybuilding career. All my life, I’ve always been a man who followed his own heart at all times. We are created in such a way as men that we all have the ability to take leadership in matters of business, personal relationships, what have you. My best advice not only to new professional bodybuilders, but also to anyone out there reading this who seeks personal growth and contentment, is to stay true to who you are. You may feel pressure to be someone or something else, either from within or as suggestions from others. Don’t do it. In the end, all you have is yourself, and you must not lose that. Stand alone and make your own decisions based on information you collect. Spend time alone to reflect and medi tate, get in touch with who you really are, and reinforce that. Don’t believe everything you are told, and don’t let others tell you what to believe. Finding yourself and the purpose you were put here on this earth might happen by the age of 25, or it could happen when you’re 80. Know that it will happen sooner when you are fully aware of what is happening to and around you and why, and when you are spiritually connected to others who have either discovered their purpose or are earnestly seeking it. Never be afraid to make mistakes. When you think about it, is there even such a thing? Each one is still a step forward in growth, and a valuable life lesson. Be unique, but never be afraid to learn and borrow from greats not only in athletics, but all fields. Take the best ideas and methods
30
MD
Another bit of advice: Don’t be an asshole to your fans! Treat your fans with sincere respect and gratitude, even if you’re tired, hungry or not in the best mood for whatever reason. One thing I always tried my best to remember as a pro was that I was once a fan of bodybuilding looking up to those guys in the magazines as heroes. If you’re a fan and your idol is rude to you when you meet him, it can be devastating. Like some commercial used to say, you only get one chance to make rst impression. On the subject of treating your fans well, I’ll never forget when Tom Platz came out to the U.K. and I went to his appearance to meet him. There were so many ques tions I had for him and so many things I wanted to tell him about how much of an inspiration he was to me, but I was simply in awe and couldn’t manage to do anything more than to shake his hand and say something like, “Hello, Mr. Platz.” But I did watch him with the other fans. He had a smile and something encouraging to say to each and every one of us. You could tell he really appreciated his fans. And if you are a new pro or even a veteran, you really should appreciate the fans most of all. Without them, there would be no contests, no magazines, nobody to buy your merchandise— really there would be nothing! So my best advice is, treat everyone the way you’d like to be treated and never forget where you came from. .
from all these successful people, and keep them stored in your mind so you can apply them to your own life and your own goals. Take those, combine them with your own thoughts and methods, and you will have your own unique recipe that no one else can duplicate. In bodybuilding, that can translate into a training style, the way you pose or your very physique. Do things your way, and you will stand out as an individual. Strive to leave a legacy that’s yours and yours alone, not quite like anyone who came before you or who will follow you. The hardest thing for a man to do is to find his own identity. To do so, you have to trust your own feelings and let your heart guide you in all decisions, minor to major. Just as a small example, I was known for having very powerful, moving posing routines. Would you believe that I made every single one of them up on the spot? I never practiced them. They just came to me. But that’s because I had studied great posers like Arnold, Frank Zane, Lee Labrada and Lee Haney. I didn’t copy their style or their poses, but I did channel the special way they had of expressing powerful emotions through the poses and more so, the transitions in between. So don’t emulate anyone else. Just trust and believe i n yourself that you have your own voice, and it must be heard. Everything you do must come from your true core, and then nobody else will ever be able to duplicate it. Once you do that, you will have created something everlasting that will resonate with people long after your days on the bodybuilding stage are over. ■ Twitter: @LevroneKevin, Instagram: KEVINLEVRONE www.levronereport.com
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WITH BOB CICHERILLO
BOB? APRIL 4TH IFBB/NPC S.LOUIS PRO
APRIL 11TH FIBO, GERMANY
APRIL 18TH IFBB/NPC BAYOU CLASSIC, NEW ORLEANS Probably the question I’m asked the most throughout the year is, “How do I market myself in the bodybuilding industry?” First and f oremost, my initial answer is always the same: “Are you getting yourself out there and being a part of what’s going on?” You would be surprised to hear how many times that is answered with, “Not really.”
I’ve been involved in the business in one form or another for over 30 years now, and one thing I have yet to hear is the story of a bodybuilder sitting at home, while a knock at the door comes from a business offering a contract on the spot. If you want to be seen and heard in this business, you need to BE seen and heard— it’s that simple. I realize people don’t have unlimited funds or time to travel the globe attending shows, however, strategically picking out a few to be at can mean the difference in getting that contact and securing a deal … just being in the right place at the right time. The best shows to attend will be your “expo” style events. Why? Because they have a bigger collection of supplement- and industr y-related companies in one place at one time. The Europa Games, for example, have become a great source of business and opportunity, whether or not you’re competing in the show. Consider this an investment in yourself, just as much as you justify any prep costs for a competition. Yes, you’ll have to get a flight, or take the drive … yes, you may have to spring for a room for a night or two. I consider this a pretty small investment for what could possibly be your ticket to becoming a rep or spokesman. Make yourself up a small résumé. And by small, I mean NOT HUGE. I can’t begin to tell you how many of these novels I’ve been presented with. Here is a hint: no owner of a company needs to see you in every pose by every photographer, taken at every angle imaginable. Try and keep irrelevant information out of the piece … no one cares that you were in the local church choir at age 7. PLEASE don’t send selfies taken by your own phone from the bathroom
APRIL 25TH IFBB/NPC BEER BODIES, IRVING, X
Speaking of social media, here is a relatively new problem I’ve seen lately. IFBB pro Joe Rockhead was fortunate to get himself a contract with one of the bodybuilding magazines. These contracts are usually exclusive, and involve making yourself, your photos and your training available to the magazine and subsequently to its website. Unfortunately, Joe posts everything he does, including “update” photos on his Facebook page … telling his closest 500 friends what he’s thinking, feeling, etc. Guess what? The company now has no reason to use you, or more importantly … PAY YOU! The company has no reason to compensate you when you’re putting yourself out there for free. You have to treat yourself (and what you share) the same way you would treat a different company looking for an interview. What you can do is use your social media presence to make yourself more attractive to prospective companies. Having a good following, making regular updates, hashtagging, etc. are all excellent tools to help bring increased awareness (and sales) to your company. One final piece of advice … DO NOT, under any circumstances, go to a company with a laundry list of what YOU are looking for … “I need X amount for show prep, flights, food, clothes, monthly check, blah, blah.” You lost me at “I need.” Companies are looking for a spokesman to help THEM, not the other way around. To paraphrase the late, great JFK … “My fellow bodybuilders … ask not what your company can do for you, but what you can do for your company.” ■
FOR YOU, BUT WHAT YOU CAN DO FOR YOUR COMPANY. -
ced firs and Overall as a Super Heavy- . ason, including he Mr. Olympia.
THE
THE BODYBUILDING HISTORIAN
Some have heard the first part of this month’s story before; well, we all know that repetition is the bed rock of bodybuilding. Having said that, I’ve never told the second part of this saga before.
PART ONE: AN “UNFORGETTABLE” NEW YEAR In 1992, I relocated to the United States and have lived here ever since. However, in those 23 years I have regularly returned to my native U.K. to visit relatives and friends. For the 1995 festive season, my wife Anne and I flew back to our Nottingham home, and had arranged to celebrate New Year’s Eve with Dorian Yates, and stay at his home in Sutton Coldfield near Birmingham, some 40 miles away. In the weeks before the visit, I had told my host that this was one occasion he could let his hair down and enjoy a few curls in the style of sinking a few beers, and maybe a couple of Scotches with my own bad self. I believed he seemed somewhat amenable to the idea, but then again I used to believe in Santa Claus, having ristmas ve until I was o ew ear s ve arrive went to orian s favorite ir o i a fon farewe . ow is a fan of negative reps, r. ympia a roit y si est on, it’s nine months from the amber nectar down your e quietly cares white wine stroke a unti , o mot C ca
which point Dorian had drunk a hardly breathalyzer-challenging one-quarter of that glass of wine. Once the traditional song had been sung, Dorian, quicker than you can say “Two more reps, Leroy” ordered, “OK, everybody, let’s go home and have a drink.” Now you’re talking, thought my “foaming at the mouth for the foamy liquid” self. I thought, “Oh, so the big man wants to go home and sink a few— that’ll do for me. Don’t want to drink too much here in town with the roads being navigated tonight by so many drunks— lucky blighters.” Once home, I was scanning for the whereabouts of the Yates liquor cabinet when the master of the house walked into the kitchen and asked everybody, “What do you want to drink?” Before you I could say Scotch and dry ginger, he continued, “The choice is milk or tea.” Suddenly I knew what Prohibition back in the ‘20s felt like. Ten minutes later, our new year celebrations were over as Anne and I were tucked up in bed. (Which reminds me of the old joke of the hotel guest saying to the chambermaid, “If you don’t tuck the sheets in properly, you and I are going to fall out”). But we digress. You see, dear reader, for Dorian Yates, January 1st, 1996, wasn’t the dawn of a new year— it was,“Leg day: Gotta be at the gym at 11:00 a.m. sharp.” Nine months later, he took his fifth Sandow.
PART TWO: DORIAN TURNS THE TABLE When he was competing, Dorian Yates lived the life of a monk. Everything was focused on the next Olympia and he didn’t cheat on his diet, and as far as alcohol was concerned, it was like kryptonite
SOME THING OF A PAR T Y ANIMAL. 34
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THE BODYBUILDING HISTORIAN
From lef: Dorian Yates, Peter and Anne McGough, ully Mangoed!
to Superman. He retired in 1998, and was livelier than a hobo’s vest; its Argentwo years or so later, the former 100 tinean-themed atmosphere throbbing to a fast-paced, nonstop tango rhythm, with percent monk approach had been slowly replaced by some new habits that turned wild dancing by the emporium’s scantily him from a gym animal into something of clad dancers taking place on the bar. a party animal— although training and Furthermore, Dorian was a VIP and we healthy diet still came first, as it does to were ushered to a front-and-center table. this day. Dorian instructed that we only drank Strange thing is that although after his magnums of champagne with shots, retirement we saw each other regularly and led by the six-time Mr. Olympia we at the big contests, because of conflict whooped it up, the champers [British ing schedules we never went out drinkslang, meaning champagne] and shots ing, or as we say in the U.K., “Let’s go and flowing as our speech went in the oppoget rat-arsed!” site direction. Watching our ringleader All that changed on the night of in celebratory action, I couldn’t help but December 11, 2011, a day after the Pro think the metamorphosis from the 1995 Masters World staged shunner of alcohol to in Miami. It was a Sunthe living-it-up dude day evening about 8:00 in view at Mango’s was p.m., and Anne and like witnessing Mary I were in the contest Poppins changing into hotel bar— when in Miley Cyrus. walked Dorian, ac After a couple of companied by his close hours, we were all English friend Andy in the party spirit, in Coulson, mastermind of every sense of that the Protein Bites comphrase, as you can pany. Anyway, after a judge by the accompapleasant hour of shootnying photo of Dorian, Dorian Yates and Peter ing the breeze, Dorian McGough: Who’s holding Anne and me fully who up? said he and Andy were Mangoed. Yes, Dorian heading off to Mango’s had his revenge, provTropical Café, one of ing that he could be the hottest spots in town, and asked us to just as heavy duty in a bar as behind a join them. We resisted, saying 9:00 p.m. bar. is closer to our turning in time than our There is a certain symmetry to those going out time. Dorian, remembering two December nights, the dry run of our 1995 New Year’s Eve experience, 1995 being bookended by the hooch fest goaded me by saying, “C’mon, man … of 2011, leaving me, in a reversal of roles, you were the one always ribbing me for a shadow of my earlier evening self. Yes, not drinking.” Suitably compromised, it was a wild, wild night at Mango’s. How we set off for Mango’s. Looking back, wild I’d like to tell you, but I just can’t its conjures up a foolhardiness akin to bloody remember. accepting a sparring session challenge from Mike Tyson at his devastating best. Well, that's my story this month and I’m Once there, we discovered Mango’s schtiking to it.
musculardevelopment.com April 2015
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was celebraed as a vicory or muscle-bound women around he world. he year was 1980, and Philadelphia was he hos cit or he very firs Ms. Olympia. Unil hen, Joe Weider’s presigious ile had been exclusive o he male bodybuilder. Rachel McLish’s vicory a ha inaugural even was a springboard or a corner o he indusry ha had suddenly ound susainable momenum. In recen years, as heir bodies have evolved, he emale bodybuilder has ound hersel fighing or accepance, acing ewer opporuniies o compee. he spor ook is firs big blow las year when he Arnold Classic announced ha is presigious Ms. Inernaional Women’s Bodybuilding Championship had been removed rom he lineup in Columbus. he news wasn’ enirely unexpeced. he growing popularit o several new divisions was creaing challenges or promoers who aced he challenge o rying o squeeze seven IFBB pro divisions ino a single weekend. Following he Columbus decision, we began hearing whispers ha promoers o he Ms. Olympia were conemplaing somehing similar. he rumor picked up seam earlier his year, when he IFBB released is cial pro league schedule. here were a oal o six evens lised under he secion devoed o he Women’s Bodybuilding division. For he firs ime since 1979, he Ms. Olympia was no among hem. As I wrie his column, i’s widely assumed ha las year’s Ms. Olympia cones may have been he las … unless he indomiable Jake Wood has somehing o say abou i. he dedicaed co-ounder o he popular Wings o Srengh websie has become one o he indusry’s bigges supporers. His sponsorship dollars have helped launch pro evens in ampa, Chicago and Houson. His suppor has undoubedly benefied all divisions, while his hear remains wih emale bodybuilding. When I asked him why i’s imporan or ans o oher divisions o suppor women’s bodybuilding, he responded, “Any show ha has our Wings o Srengh name aached is unded by
women’s bodybuilding in ull or in par .” His poin is simply ha his women’s bodybuilding business is generaing unds ha are being used o suppor evens (and ahlees) in ALL divisions. Any decision o limi women’s bodybuilding can poenially have a rickle-down effec, limiing opporuniies or ahlees, in all divisions, who compee a he evens ha he suppors. ha his year’s Ms. Olympia will be canceled, he responded swifly. “A his poin, I can no longer allow mysel o be concerned. By all indicaions pu ou by [even direcor] Robin Chang and AMI, i seems ha he Ms. O will no be par o he nex Olympia Weekend. he idea o his is seriously disappoining, bu I can’ change ha. Robin and I have no been able o come o an agreemen or us o license he Ms. Olympia or 2015. I’m sure Robin will coninue looking or a willing promoer elsewhere. So he ae o he Ms. Olympia a his
is o simply pu on a beer championship even or women’s bodybuilding han has been seen or many years.” Jake Wood hopes o urn lemons ino lemonade wih he creaion o a new Women’s World Championship. While plans are sill preliminary, Wood has already mapped ou an ambiious plan or an even ha would coninue he Ms. Olympia radiion, poenially under a new name. As he explained, “Firs place will receive $50,000 and a new vehicle, s econd $25,000, hird $12,500, ourh $7,500 and $5,000 or fifh. he sage will be incredible and like all oher producions ha [promoer] Tm Gardner pus his hands on, he show will be ousanding.” o women’s bodybuilding, here’s simply no debaing ha is survival has become one o he indusry’s mos compelling sorylines. And while some are predicing is demise, i’s beginning o look like he sory o is survival may have jus begun. ■
Dan Solomon is he Senior Feaures Edior a Muscular Developmen. For nearly 15 years, Dan has conduced many o he mos prominen bodybuilding inerviews o all ime, including memo- rable visis wih Arnold Schwarzenegger, Joe Weider and oher icons o he spor. Creaor o he popular “PBW Radio” program, Dan has served as moderaor o he Olympia Press Conerence and lead commenaor a many o he world’s bigges bodybuilding evens. Follow Dan on witer @DanSolomon100 and une in o PBW a sore.musculardevelopmen.com/pbw.
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musculardevelopment.com April 2015
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By Seve Blechman and homas Fahey, Ed.D.
Drug Developmens OBESITY RATES VARY BETWEEN 25 TO 35 PERCENT IN COUNTRIES AROUND THE WORLD. Obesit has severe healh consequences, bu die and exercise sraegies o preven he problem have been largely unsuccessul. Spanish researchers concluded ha weigh-loss drugs are he mos viable opion or large-scale obesit reamen in he general populaion. Drugs ha increase meabolic rae such as siburamine and ampheamine have proven dangerous and only minimally successul. New approaches use drugs ha influence hunger and saiet. he challenge is o find effecive drugs wih minimal side effecs. (Drug Design Developmen herapy, 8: 2391-2400, 2014)
A FAMOUS 2007 STUDY IN THE NEW ENGLAND JOURNAL OF MEDICINE FOUND THAT SOCIAL NETWORKS PROMOTE OBESITY— OBESE PEOPLE TEND TO ASSOCIATE WITH OTHER OBESE PEOPLE, AND THE SIZE OF THE OBESITY NETWORK INCREASES OVER TIME. In oher words, obesit is conagious. A review o lieraure by German researchers ound ha pes are obesit prone. Impulsive people— people who do hings on he spur o he momen— have an increased risk o obesit. Neuroic behavior— overly disressed and showing signs o anxiet, depression, anger, conusion, low sense o sel-worh and perecionism— predics obesit in women bu no men. Exroversion (social and riendly people) is also linked o obesit in boh sexes. Abou 69 percen o Ame ricans are obese or pes. (Obesit Reviews, 16: 32-63, 2015)
IN 2013, THE AMERICAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION CLASSIFIED OBESITY AS A Ninet-five percen o people who lose weigh gain i back again wihin 12 monhs. Obesit and being overweigh are diffi cul healh problems ha are highly resisan o cure. Briish researchers, in a review o lieraure, concluded ha while die and exercise are imporan, biological acors relaed o geneic conrol need more research emphasis. Geneic acors, influenced by he environmen, can lead o weigh gain due o increased appeie and reduced energy expendiure. he researchers challenged scieniss o sudy he ineracion beween geneics and environmen so ha we can develop more effecive reamens agains obesi. (Clinical Endocrinology, published online Sepember 22, 2014)
Marijuana Users
MARIJUANA SMOKING TRIGGERS THE MUNCHIES. Convenional wisdom would be ha marijuana users would more likely be obese or overweigh han nonusers. Inuis, who were naive o norhern Canada, were sudied as par o he Nunavik Inui Healh rae. However, Inuis who used marijuana showed reduced a mass and lower body mass index (measure o weigh o heigh) and insulin levels. he auhors could no explain he reason why marijuana users were leaner. (Obesit, published online December 31, 2014) 50 MD
SOME WEIGHT-CONTROL EXPERTS CAUTION DIETERS THAT PHYSICAL ACTIVITY HAS LIMITED EFFECTS ON WEIGHT CONTROL BECAUSE IT INCREASES APPETITE AND FOOD INTAKE. Caia Marins rom Norway, and colleagues, ound ha neiher inense nor coninuous exercise influence appeie, ood inake or hormones conrolling appeie. he researchers sudied overweigh and obese people who perormed single bous o moderae-o vigorous-inensit exercise perormed hree hours beore lunch. All orms o exercise reduced insulin, bu none had any effec on lunchime eeding behaviors. In he shor run, vigorous- or moderae-inensit exercise does no increase appeie. (Medicine Science Spors Exercise, 47: 40-48, 2015) musculardevelopment.com April 2015
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MIRABEGRON (TRADE NAME MYRBETRIQ AND DEVELOPED BY ASTELLAS PHARMA, INC.) STIMULATED BROWN FAT ACTIVITY AT A DOSE OF 200 MILLIGRAMS— ACCORDING TO A STUDY LED BY AARON CYPRESS FROM HARVARD MEDICAL SCHOOL. he human body conains small amouns o a calorie-burning issue called brown a ha convers ood energy direcly ino hea. Whie adipose issue does dissipaes energy raher han soring i. Unil recenly, mos scieniss believed ha brown a was insignifican in human obesit and meabolic conrol. New echnology (i.e., PE scans) showed ha some humans have considerable amouns o brown a, and ha his issue could help explain why some people are so suscepible o obesit. Mirabegron, a bea3-adrenocepor agonis currenly approved o rea an overacive bladder, can increase calorie burning by acivaing brown a. I may be an eff . (Cell Meabolism, 22: 33-38, 2015)
Imporan Regulaor of Fa Cells THE THYROID GLAND IS LOCATED IN YOUR THROAT, JUST ABOVE THE STERNUM (BREASTBONE). he gland releases wo hormones— hyroxine (also called 4) and riiodohyronine (3). Boh hormones simulae meabolism. 3 is more powerul han 4. Also, mos 4 is convered o 3 in issues ouside he hyroid gland. Meabolism decreases by 50 percen when your body can’ secree hese hormones. Likewise, meabolic rae increases 60 o 100 percen i your body secrees oo much. hyroid hormones increase meabolism mainly by simulaing
chemicals called uncoupling proeins (UCPs) in he cells’ energy ceners— he miochondria. UCPs are a dieer’s dream— hey cause you o lose ood energy as hea raher han soring i as a. UCP levels decrease by 300 percen in people wih low hyroid uncion and increase by 600 percen in hose wih overacive hyroid glands. Scieniss are acively sudying he role o hyroid hormone and uncoupling in brown and whie a cells. (Froniers in Physiology, published online December 2014)
Mainain Weigh Loss INCREASING THE PROTEIN CONTENT OF THE DIET BY FIVE PERCENT AFTER SIGNIFICANT WEIGHT LOSS (25 POUNDS) RESULTED IN BETTER WEIGHT MAINTENANCE THAN CONSUMING DIETS CONTAINING VARIOUS TYPES OF CARBOHYDRATES. his was he conclusion o researchers o he Diogenes Projec, a randomized clinical rial ha was conduced in eigh ceners across Europe. he es subjecs ollowed an 800-calorie-per-day die or eigh weeks and los an average o 25 pounds. Increasing proein inake helps people mainain weigh loss and improves blood pressure, blood as and inflammaion in aduls and children. he pos-weigh-loss die was paricularly significan because no aemp was made o reduce caloric inake. Increasing proein inake is an easy, effecive way o help conrol bodyweigh. (Inernaional Journal o Obesit, published online December 26, 2014) 52 MD
musculardevelopment.com April 2015
By Seve Blechman and homas Fahey, Ed.D.
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“figh-or-fl was effecive in he reamen o prosae cancer. cancer. Capsaicin sensiizes prosae cancer cells, so ha hey require lower lower radiaion doses during reamen o he dise ase. I also suppressed prosae cancer cell
TWO RECENT STUDIES SHOWING AN INCREASED RISK OF HEART ATTACK AND STROKE IN MEN RECEIVING TESTOSTERONE SUPPLEMENTS HAVE INITIATED A FULL-BLOWN INVESTIGATION BY A SUBCOMMITTEE OF THE U.S. FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION (FDA). here were nearly 2.3 million prescripions or esoserone in 2013. More han hal o hese men were also aking cardiovascular medicaions o rea blood cloing, h igh blood pressure, high choleserol and ches pain. he ineracion o esoserone wih hese drugs is poorly undersood. he commiee suggesed ha he possibilit o increased cardiovascular cardiov ascular risk should be added o he drug’s labeling. he commiee suggesed ha urher sudies be conduced o assess he cardiov cardiovascular ascular risk o esoserone supplemenaion in aging men. (J ournal American Medical Associaion, published online December 11, 2014)
Muscle Physiology ANABOLIC STEROIDS TRIGGER LONG-TERM CHANGES IN MUSCLE CELL STRUCTURE THAT PERSISTS AFTER ATHLETES STOP TAKING THEM. During hyperrophy, hyperrophy, he muscle cells incorporae saellie cells ino he cell cyoplasm (inner cell space). Muscle growh acors cause he saellie cells o combine wih sressed or damaged muscle cells during raining and assis in cell repair and muscle growh. Seroid use increases saellie cell ormaion more han raining alone, and his persiss in he muscles even afer cessaion o he drugs. Former seroid users have an advanage over non-users because hey have more muscle saellie cells, which will give h em a higher poenial o gain srengh. Ahlees who es posiive or seroids pically receive a wo-year suspension. An ediorial in he Scandinavian Scandinav ian Journal o Medicine & Science in Spors quesioned wheher his is enough. (Scandinavian Journal o Medicine & Science in Spors, 24: 869-870, 2014) 2014)
HELPS PREVENT SARCOPENIA SARCOPENIA IS THE AGE-RELATED AGE-RELATED LOSS OF MUSCLE MASS AND FUNCTION. Men lose 20 percen o heir muscle mass beween ages 40 and 60. Muscle mass and srengh declines urher and aser afer ha. Sarcopenia increases he risk o alling, racures, weakness, disabilit, poor qualit o lie and deah. A review o lieraure by scieniss rom Saniago, Chile concluded ha sarcopenia is a complex problem, and ha prevenion requires a combinaion o exercise, proper nuriion and esoserone supplemens. (Froniers in Endocrinology, published online December 18, 2014)
54 MD
musculardevelopment musculard evelopment.com .com April 2015
DRUGS C������-E��� R������� Supplemens MOST EUROPEAN MUSCLE-BUILDING SUPPLEMENTS CONTAIN ANABOLIC STEROIDS— ACCORDING TO A STUDY FROM THE INSTITUTE OF PHARMAC PHARMACEUTICAL EUTICAL SCIENCE AT KING’S COLLEGE LONDON. Researchers ound ha 23 o 24 bodybuilding supplemens esed conained banned subsances. Several o he producs conained doses high enough o rigger significan anabolic effecs. hese were European spors supplemens, so i is no known wheher hese resuls apply o producs sold in he Unied Saes. More han 10 years ago, a sudy led by Ron Maughan and colleagues rom he Unied Kingdom ound ha more han 25 percen o bodybuilding supplemens sold on he Inerne conained banned drugs. hings haven’ changed much since hen. (Drug esing Analysis, published online Ocober 6, 2014)
Therapy in Aging Men THE SAFETY AND EFFECTIVENESS OF TESTOSTERONE SUPPLEMENTS HAS BEEN CONTROVERSIAL SINCE THEIR DEVELOPMENT IN THE 1930s. Several recen sudies ound an increased risk o hear aack and sroke in men receiving esoserone, bu hese sudies have been severely criicized by mos hormone specialiss. elevision ads warning o he dangers o “low ” has ripled he number o prescripions wrien or esoserone in he las 10 years. Nearly our percen o men in he Unied Saes over 60 ake esoserone. German Rodriguez rom he Wes Park Medical Group in New York York Cit concluded ha h e wo sudies showing severe side effecs lef many unanswered quesions abou he saet o esoserone herapy, paricularly in older men. Anoher sudy rom he U.S. Deparmen o Veerans Affairs ound ha deah raes were lower in men receiving esoserone herapy. herapy. Rodriguez concluded ha unil more inormaion is available, physicians could coninue offering esoserone o aging men wih low levels o he hormone. (Inegraive Medicine, 17 (12): 133-136, 2014)
SOME BODYBUILDERS TAKE TAMOXIFEN TO PREVENT INCREASES IN ESTROGEN AND REDUCE THE RISK OF GYNECOMASTIA— THE DEVELOPMENT OF FEMALE-LIKE BREAST TISSUE IN MEN. I occurs in many bodybuilders who ake anabolic seroids. Some seroids are convered o esrogen by a process called aromaizaion. amoxien amoxien also affecs body a. A sudy on mice by researchers rom Virginia ech ech Universit showed ha amoxien reduced body a by promoing he producion o reacive oxygen species— highly reacive chemicals produced hey speculaed ha he drug riggered cell deah in he a cells. his was an animal sudy, so he resuls may no apply o humans. (Cell Deah and Disease, 6: e1586, 2015) 56 MD
musculardevelopment musculard evelopment.com .com April 2015
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GATHER 100 OR SO EXERCISING, SWEATY PEOPLE IN A LARGE ROOM AND YOU WOULD EXPECT SOME PUNGENT ODORS. A sudy led by Carla Ramos rom he Universit o Lisbon in Porugal showed ha gym air polluion goes way beyond he smell o swea. Air-qualit measuremens in 11 large healh clubs in Lisbon showed ha levels o carbon dioxide, dus, ormaldehyde and carbon monoxide exceeded public healh sandards. Sources o he air polluion included chemicals used or cleaning, inadequae saniaion and high gym use raes. Air qualit was measured during he lae afernoon and early evening when he gyms were mos crowded. he poor air qualit could conribue o aigue and rigger lung problems such as ashma and shorness o breah. (Building and Environmen, 82:349-360, 2014)
Affec Healh? THE LINK BETWEEN ALCOHOL AND HEALTH IS CONFUSING TO THE AVERAGE PERSON. For years, coaches, religious
Wha o Do Abou Thinning Hair EVERYBODY LOSES HAIR AS THEY AGE— SOME PEOPLE MORE THAN OTHERS. Male-paern hair loss occurs mainly in he ron o he scalp, while age-re-
laed hair loss occurs hroughou he scalp. Sress can rigger emporary hair loss, as can coloring, blow-drying and chemically sraighening your hair. Drugs like minoxidil can promoe hair growh, bu hey can decrease esoserone levels and sex drive and rigger depression. Hair-loss remedies such as bioin are unesed, bu hey probably can’ hur. People can camouflage hair loss, bu his is ofen ridiculous as in he case o he classic comb-over. Hair ransplans can be effecive in some people, and oher people eliminae he problem by shaving off all heir hair. Hair loss is par o he human condiion. he mos significan problem is in he mind, so suck i up! (Harvard Women’s Healh Wach, Sepember 2014)
groups and mos healh expers warned us o say away rom alcohol. In he Unied Saes, we had a consiuional ban on he sale, imporaion and ransporaion o alcoholic beverages ha remained in place rom 1922 o 1933. Our views abou alcohol changed gradually beginning in he 1990s, when large populaion sudies showed ha moderae alcohol consumpion promoed longevit and reduced he risk o hear disease. A panel o 41 inernaional scieniss who sudied he ecs o alcohol on healh concluded ha moderae alcohol consumpion (one or wo drinks a day, depending on body size) was beneficial. Alcohol decreases blood cloing, reduces inflammaion and increases HDL— he good choleserol. However, excessive alcohol consumpion is linked o high blood pressure, cancer, domesic violence and accidens. Researchers concluded ha he American view o alcohol is probably a rehe Ialians go o America. (Medscape, Ocober 30, 2014)
of Sudden Cardiac Deah SUDDEN CARDIAC DEATH IS RARE, PARTICULARLY IN ATHLETES. In people under 35, a condiion called hyperrophic cardiomyopahy is he mos common cause. In older aduls, coronary arery disease is usually he culpri. A sudy led by Selcuk Adabag rom he Veerans Affairs Medical Cener in Minneapolis ound ha abdominal obesit increased he risk o sudden cardiac deah by 100 percen, compared o abdominally lean people. Abdominal obesit was idenified by high body mass index (weigh proporional o heigh), wais circumerence and wais-o-hip raio. he resuls were adjused or he effecs o high blood pressure, diabees, abnormal blood as and he presence o hear disease, hear ailure and hear enlargemen. Researchers speculaed ha abdominal a deposiion migh increase whole-body inflammaion. (Hear, published online November 19, 2014) 58 MD
musculardevelopment.com April 2015
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Raes Increasing MELANOMA IS AN EXTREMELY AGGRESSIVE FORM OF CANCER. he 10-year survival rae o unreaed melanoma is approximaely zero. Each year, physicians in he Unied Saes diagnose 76,000 new cases o melanoma and repor more han 9,700 deahs. he deah rae rom melanoma in he Unied Saes has increased consisenly since 1930. Cancer specialiss pu much o he blame on excessive sun exposure and he use o sun anning beds. While air-skinned people are a greaes risk, melanoma can also srike people wih darker skin. Dermaologiss recommend ha people limi exposure o ulraviole ligh and use a sunscreen. (Naure, 515 (7527): s108-s126, 2014)
Muscle Rupures RUPTURES OF THE PECTORALIS MAJOR MUSCLE ARE RARE IN THE GENERAL POPULATION, BUT SOMEWHAT COMMON AMONG SERIOUS BODYBUILDERS AND STRENGTH ATHLETES. he injury usually occurs during he bench press, bu also happens during pass blocking in ooball or during upper-body plyomerics. A review o lieraure by Briish researchers concluded ha pecoralis major muscle rupure is accompanied by severe pain, weakness and deormit in he ches and shoulder. An MRI is he bes way o assess he seriousness o he injury— in addiion o manual perormance ess. Serious bodybuilders and srengh ahlees should have surgical reamen or mos pecoralis major rupures. Non-operaive reamen is successul in only 27 percen o cases, while 88 percen o surgically reaed paiens have excellen resuls. (Journal o Shoulder and Elbow Surgery, published online January 1, 2015)
POST-EXERCISE SORENESS IS PAINFUL AND DEBILITATING. Eccenric exercise (lenghening muscle conracions), such as downhill walking or negaives, ofen causes sore muscles by riggering muscle injury and secondary muscle inflammaion. Mos sudies ound ha popular remedies such as ice, non-seroidal ani-inflammaory drugs (e.g., Advil) and hea do no speed recovery. Several recen sudies ound ha massage decreased pos-eccenric exercise inflammaion and promoed recovery, paricularly i done immediaely afer exercise. An Ausralian sudy showed ha massage decreased muscle siffness, even in people who hadn’ exercised. Researchers measured he siffness o he cal muscles using a echnique called ulrasound shear elasography. Massage reduced siffness or only a shor ime, bu i was effecive. (Scandinavian Journal o Medicine Science Spors, published online December 8, 2014)
Is a Wase of Money THE PHYSICAL EXAM IS AN ANNUAL RITUAL THAT MANY PEOPLE GET TO PROMOTE HEALTH AND HELP THEM LIVE LONGER. Ezekiel Emanuel, Vice Provos a he Universit o Pennsylvania, quesioned is value. Sudies o he effecs o healh exams adminisered beween 1963 and 1999 showed no reducion in annual deah raes or deahs rom cancer or hear disease. Consequenly, he U.S. Prevenive Services ask Force and Canadian medical guidelines eiher have no recommendaions abou annual physicals or recommend agains hem. Physical exams do almos nohing o aver leading causes o deah such as uninenional injuries or suicides. hey also have lile effec on chronic diseases such as Alzheimer’s. Physical exams increase he risk o alse posiives ha are incredibly expensive o he healh care sysem. Abnormaliies in rouine blood ess, or example, ofen lead o addiional, expensive ess ha usually don’ find anyhing. Healh habis ha promoe healh and longevit include regular physical acivit, annual flu shos, proper nuriion and a colonoscopy every 10 years afer age 50. (he New York Tmes, January 9, 2015) 60 MD
musculardevelopment.com April 2015
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By Seve Blechman and homas Fahey, Ed.D.
FISH OIL IS HIGH IN OMEGA-3 FATTY ACIDS. Consuming oily fish or fish oil supplemens increase blood levels o omega-3, and shifs he a balance oward omega-3s and away rom omega-6 a acids. A sudy rom ufs Univeround ha omega-3s prevened elomere shorening in he cells, which promoes cell longevit. elomeres orm he ends o he DNA srands and hold he srands ogeher. he sizes o he elomeres are reduced during cell division, which shorens hem over ime. Evenually, his reduces he eciveness o he immune sysem, which riggers illness and deah. Janice Kiecol-Glaser rom Ohio Sae Universit, and co-workers, in a sudy on overweigh middle-aged and older aduls, ound ha supplemening omega-3 a acids improved he balance beween omega-3s and omega-6 acids, bu did no affec elomere lengh. Pas sudies showed ha more prolonged exposure o omega-3 preserved elomere lengh, so heir findings sugges ha omega-3 a acid supplemens could improve cell healh and longevit. (Brain Behavior Immunit, 28: 16-24, 2013)
Cell Aging
COCONUT OIL IS THE LATEST FOOD TO CAPTURE THE IMAGINATION OF FOOD FADDISTS. Healh claims include weigh loss, improved cardiovascular healh, prevenion o demenia and being an ani-bacerial agen. Lile evidence exiss o suppor any o hese claims. Coconu oil conains medium-chain riglycerides (MCs), which have a small effec on weigh loss, bu he MC conen in coconu oil is much lower han used in weigh-loss sudies. I’s no likely ha coconu oil has any significan effec on weigh loss. Coconu oil is probably bad or cardiovascular healh because i increases LDL choleserol, which is associaed wih coronary arery disease. here is no evidence ha coconu oil promoes brain healh, prevens demenia or improves immunit. he widely promoed healh benefis o coconu oil are based more on hype han realit. (Nuriion Acion Healh Leer, December 8, 2014)
CARBOHYDRATES, PARTICULARLY SIMPLE CARBS, HAVE BEEN PAINTED AS NUTRITIONAL BAD GUYS. Some researchers have specula-
ed ha rapid increases in blood sugar rigger obesit, insulin resisance and hear disease. A Harvard sudy o 163 overweigh aduls— who consumed our differen dies conaining various amouns and kinds o carbohydraes— ound ha dieary carbohydrae composiion had no effec on blood sugar regulaion, blood as or sysolic blood pressure (highes blood pressure number). One’s liestle, including exercise, ood inake, sleep habis, smoking and sress affec healh more han isolaed acors in he die. (Journal American Medical Associaion, 312: 2531-2541, 2014)
VITAMIN D SUPPLEMENTS DO NOT INCREASE TESTOSTERONE LEVELS— ACCORDING TO A STUDY FROM THE VU UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER IN AMSTERDAM, THE NETHERLANDS. Viamin D is synhesized in he body in a reacion involving sunligh. Viamin D can also be consumed in he die by eaing a fish, mushrooms and supplemens. Several recen sudies have linked low viamin D levels o poor bone healh, muscle weakness, deficiencies in reproducive hormones, low aerobic capacit and increased body mass index (he proporion o weigh o heigh). Mos sudies show ha viamin D has lile or no effec on acors linked o esoserone levels, such as muscle mass, srengh and power. he recen enhusiasm abou viamin D supplemens or ahlees seems o be more hype han subsance. Viamin D is imporan or healh, bu i is no a significan supplemen or mos bodybuilders. (Clinical Endocrinology, published online January 2, 2015) 62 MD
musculardevelopment .com April 2015
Fa and Improves Blood Sugar Conrol REDUCING CARBOHYDRATE INTAKE FROM 55 PERCENT OF CALORIES TO 43 PERCENT TRIGGERED DECREASES IN BODYWEIGHT, ABDOMINAL FAT DEPOSITION AND INSULIN RESISTANCE IN MIDDLE-AGED, OVERWEIGHT ADULTS— according o a sudy by Barbara Gower and Amy Goss rom he Universit o Alabama a Birmingham. Fa loss rom he lower-carbohydrae dies was greaer in Arican-Americans han in European-Americans. Proein inake was equal or boh dies. he lower-carb group also showed lower levels o resing blood sugar. Reducing carbohydrae inake only slighly has a posiive effec on body composiion and blood sugar regulaion. (Journal Nuriion, 145: 1707s-183s, 2015)
EATING MORE WHOLE GRAINS IS ASSOCIATED WITH INCREASED LONGEVITY AND A LOWER DEATH RATE FROM CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE, ACCORDING TO A STUDY OF MORE THAN 110,000 PEOPLE LED BY HONGYU WU FROM THE HARVARD UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH. Deah raes rom cancers were no alered by whole grain consumpion. Consuming whole grains may reduce he risk o premaure deah by 15
percen. he sudy confirms he recommendaions o naional dieary guidelines ha people consume more whole grains in heir die. he sudy examined daa rom he Nurses’ Healh Sudy and he Healh Proessionals Follow-up Sudy. hey acored ou he effecs o age, body composiion, physical acivit and overall die. he sudy examined daa and deah raes over a 25-year period. (JAMA Inernal Medicine, published online January 6, 2015)
he Validit of he Paleolihic Die WERE AVAILABLE DURING THE STONE AGE, OR PALEOLITHIC PERIOD, BEFORE THE he reasoning is ha human genes evolved over millions o years o reflec he huner-gaherer liestle. he Paleo Die ries o avoid oods such as dairy, grains, legumes, processed oils and refined sugar ha were unavailable o cave men. Anhropologiss Ken Sayers and Owen Love joy concluded ha he elemens o he Paleo Die are almos impossible o deermine. Cave people ae whaever was available, and no specific ood group was universally imporan. he average
some lived o be older. Nuriion was based on survival and reproducion, so geneic adapaions were no necessarily aimed a exreme longevit. Also, modern ruis and vegeables have been seleced over ime o promoe desirable properies ha are much differen rom hose available during Paleolihic imes. Many diseases linked o poor nuriion occur because we are living so much longer. I’s cul o say wheher consuming a simulaed Paleolihic die— whaever ha is— is any healhier. (he Quarerly Review o Biology, published online December, 2014)
Bulletproof Coffee: The Latest Diet Fad BULLETPROOF COFFEE IS A BEVERAGE CONTAINING COFFEE, UNSALTED GRASS-FED BUTTER Medium-chain riglycerides are as ha provide a lo o energy in a small volume, jus like a, ye are absorbed and meabolized rapidly, jus like carbohydraes. Medium-chain riglycerides may reduce body a, improve he meabolism o carbohydraes and proeins, enhance he absorpion o essenial elemens such as calcium and poassium, and decrease he risk o hear disease by reducing blood choleserol and riglycerides. here are claims ha he Bulleproo line o drinks curbs hunger, improves menal ocus and speeds weigh loss. hese claims are doubul. he brain uses mainly carbohydraes as uels, so he high a conen o he drink would no help brain energeics. Animal sudies show ha high-a dies decrease menal uncion and promoe memory loss. People use Bulleproo coffee as a meal replacemen. A cup conains more han 300 calories, which would promoe weigh gain i people also ae normally. Also, MCs rigger only minimal weigh loss. Fads come and go, so i will be ineresing o see i Bulleproo coffee is around one or wo years rom now. (Lipids in Healh and Disease, 13: 194, 2014; he New York Tmes, December 14, 2014)
April 2015 musculardevelopment.com
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By Seve Blechman and homas Fahey, Ed.D.
During Weigh Loss MUSCLE MASS IS EXTREMELY DIFFICULT TO PRESERVE WHEN CUTTING FAT FOR A CONTEST. During reduced caloric consumpion (dieing), he body uses energy rom proein or uel. In oher words, he body eeds on isel. Amy Hecor and Suar Phillips rom McMaser Universit in Canada, and colleagues, ound ha whey proein supplemens could preven decreases in muscle proein synhesis during weigh loss. hey sudied men and women aged 35 hrough 65 who consumed 750 ewer calories han normal. he es subjecs supplemened heir dies wih eiher whey or soy proein. Whey proein effecively prevens decreases in muscle proein synhesis during weigh loss. (Journal Nuriion, published online December 17, 2014)
Abdominal Fa Loss CITRULLINE IS AN AMINO ACID THAT PROMOTES PROTEIN SYNTHESIS AND FAT LOSS. A French sudy rom Paris Descares Universit on overweigh ras ed high-a dies ound ha supplemening cirulline reduced blood sugar producion in he liver, and riggered abdominal a loss. Cirulline increases brown a acivit, which increases caloric expendiure and promoes a burning. Brown a is a highly hermogenic issue ha dissipaes energy as hea insead o soring i as a. Cirulline increased levels o hormone-sensiive lipase by 150 percen, which also promoed a mobilizaion and use. (Molecular Nuriion Food Research, 58: 2320-2330, 2014)
SPANISH RESEARCHERS REPORTED THREE CASES OF LIVER TOXICITY IN PATIENTS WHO TOOK A HAIR-LOSS SUPPLEMENT CALLED he supplemen is available on popular Inerne sies such as Amazon.com. he produc is adverised as he firs nuriional concenrae ha reduces hair loss, reinorces hair and prolongs color. he produc conains epigallocaechi n gallae (EGCG), which is a chemical ound in green ea. EGCG in oher producs has been l inked o liver damage. (Revisa Espanola de Enermedad es Digesivas, 106: 552-555, 2014)
and he Ugly EPIGALLOCATECHIN GALLATE (EGCG) IS A POLYPHENOL FOUND IN GREEN TEA EXTRACT THAT ENHANCES THE ACTION OF INSULIN, IMPROVES BLOOD VESSEL HEALTH, LOWERS BLOOD PRESSURE AND PROMOTES WEIGHT LOSS. However, a sudy on mice rom Penn Sae Universit ound h a EGCG was oxic o he liver, bu prereamen wih he same supplemen reduced is poisonous effec. Bodybuilders should be exremely careul abou aking supplemens ha affec individual perormance or physiological variables. While hey migh have some beneficial effecs, hey could also have serious side effecs. (Food and Chemical oxicology, 76: 103-108, 2015) 64 MD
musculardevelopment.com April 2015
Combining Vitamin D
Could Be Dangerous
CALCIUM AND VITAMIN D SUPPLEMENTS ARE EXTREMELY POPULAR, AND HAVE INDIVIDUALLY BEEN TOUTED Healh expers ofen recommend calcium supplemens or srenghening bone, improving blood cloing and opimizing nerve conducion and muscle conracion. Viamin D supplemens have been recommended or prevening cancer, hear disease, racures and alls, auoimmune diseases, flu, tpe 2 diabees and depression. A review o lieraure by Briish researchers cauioned ha he combinaion o calcium and viamin D supplemens could be dangerous because hey migh promoe hear aack and increase blood pressure, abnormal blood as and insulin resisance. One sudy in women showed ha a supplemen conaining a combinaion o calcium and viamin D reduced he risk o breas and colon cancer by nearly 20 percen, bu increased he risk o hear aack by 24 percen. More research is needed on he combinaion o hese supplemens because o heir widespread use. (Aherosclerosis, 238: 388-398, 2015)
Composiion LEUCINE IS AN AMINO ACID THAT SERVES AS A BUILDING BLOCK FOR PROTEIN— ACCORDING TO A LITERATURE REVIEW BY RESEARCHERS FROM THE MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE IN CHINA. MORE IMPORTANTLY, IT IS AN IMPORTANT REGULATOR OF PROTEIN AND FAT METABOLISM. I acivaes he mOR pahway, which is vial or muscle proein synhesis. I also promoes he growh o miochondria, which are cellular energy ceners vial o cell healh and longevit. Leucine is paricularly vial as a nurien in aging aduls, lacaing women and people on calorie-resriced dies. Bodybuilders should ake leucine supplemens o increase muscle mass and cu a. (Froniers in Bioscience, Landmark, 20: 796-813, 2015)
CREATINE MONOHYDRATE IS A WONDER SUPPLEMENT! I increases muscle mass, booss srengh and power, improves perormance during inerval raining, spares muscle mass during aging, prevens muscle deerioraion in diseases like muliple sclerosis, improves menal ocus and booss energy levels. Brazilian researchers showed ha i reduced average resing blood pressure by hree millimeers o mercury (mmHg) in young adul men, a decrease o nearly 10 percen. Creaine also improved he vialit o blood vessels and increased skin capillary densit. Creaine monohydrae works by increasing creaine phosphae levels in cells. Creaine phosphae is a high-energy compound ha indirecly uels mos cell uncions. (Nuriion, Journal 13: 115, 2014)
April 2015 musculardevelopment.com
By Seve Blechman and homas Fahey, Ed.D.
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of Them All? A HARD PENIS IS THE HALLMARK OF SEXUAL PROWESS IN AGING MEN. Japanese researchers, in an Inerne survey o nearly 8,000 men who were no using erecion-promoing drugs such as Viagra, showed ha heavy smokers had he mos rouble mainaining firm erecions during middle age. Oher imporan risk acors included a hisory o he meabolic syndrome (a marker o poor meabolic healh), high blood pressure and tpe 2 diabees. Erecion hardness decreased wih age, and had a srong influence on sexual confidence and qualit o lie. (Sexual Medicine, 1: 76-86, 2013)
ERECTILE DYSFUNCTION AFFECTS MORE THAN 50 PERCENT OF MEN AGED 40 THROUGH 70. he incidence is even greaer in men who smoke and hose wih abdominal obesit, insulin resisance, high blood pressure and poor meabolic healh. Since he 1990s, men have relied on drugs such as Viagra, Levira and Cialis o figh he problem. Unorunaely, hese drugs required advanced planning, which decreased sponaneit. Also, shor-acing drugs such as Viagra caused uncomorable side effecs in many men, such as headache and congesion. Modern reamen includes low daily doses o hese drugs, which improves sexual sponaneit and decreases he incidence o side effecs ha accompany larger doses. his mehod works even wihou esoserone replacemen herapy. (Endocrine News, December 2014)
Ejaculaors PREMATURE EJACULATION IS THE MOST COMMON SEXUAL PROBLEM, PARTICUhe problem has been aribued o sexual inexperience and overenhusiasm because i usually goes away
66 MD
Premaure Ejaculaion ABOUT ONE-THIRD OF MEN IN THE WORLD ARE CIRCUMCISED— MOST FOR MEDICAL, CULTURAL OR RELIGIOUS REASONS. Fort percen o men have problems wih premaure ejaculaion (PE). Circumcision is widely repored o decrease penile sensiivit, so some men ge circumcised as aduls o reduce he incidence o PE. A urkish sudy ound ha 30 men circumcised as aduls experienced reduced penile sensiivit, bu no enough o jusi he surgery. In developing counries, adul circumcision reduces he risk o sexually ransmied diseases such as AIDS, bu hese resuls have no been consisenly demonsraed in he Unied Saes. (Inernaional Journal Impoence Research, 26: 121-123, 2014)
as men age. Chinese researchers, however, ound a physiological cause or he problem. hey applied numbing cream (prilocaine and lidocaine) and measured nerve acivit in he spinal column and around he head o he penis. Premaure ejaculaors showed increased neural acivit, which shows ha hyperacivit was an imporan cause o he problem. I you are a premaure ejaculaor, ry numbing creams o increase saying power. (Inernaional Journal Impoence Research, 26: 186-190, 2014)
musculardevelopment.com April 2015
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‘Squiring’ Revealed SQUIRTING, THE INVOLUNTARY RELEASE OF FLUID FROM THE VAGINA DURING FEMALE ORGASM, IS A POPULAR THEME IN PORNO FILMS AND WEBCAM SEX SHOWS. I is also conroversial among sex researchers. French researchers ound ha squiring is mainly he involunary release o urine during sexual aciv. hey sudied he chemical composiion rom he secreions o seven women who were prolific squirers during orgasm. he women empied heir bladders and hen sexually simulaed hemselves unil orgasm. he scieniss ound ha he secreions were mainly urine wih some chemical residue rom he Skene’s gland (emale prosae gland). Ulrasound showed ha he women’s bladders filled somewha jus prior o orgasm. his sudy will help you beer undersand porno films. (Journal o Sexual Medicine, published online December 24, 2014)
Predicor of Hear Atack ERECTILE DYSFUNCTION (ED) AFFECTS MORE THAN 30 PERCENT OF MEN AGED 40 THROUGH 70. STUDIES FROM AROUND THE WORLD HAVE SHOWN THAT ED IS A SENSIOne o he principal causes o ED is blood vessel disease in he penis, which inereres wih he secreion o niric oxide— an imporan regulaor o blood flow. Drugs such as Viagra and Cialis can help men wih ED, bu men mus also improve cardiovascular disease risk acors by losing weigh, increasing physical acivit, quiing smoking and improving heir die. (Asian Journal Andrology, 17: 3-4, 2015)
Dysfuncion THE METABOLIC SYNDROME IS A GROUP OF SYMPTOMS LINKED TO METABOLIC PROBLEMS THAT INCLUDE INSULIN RESISTANCE, HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE, ABDOMINAL FAT DEPOSITION, TYPE 2 DIABETES, ABNORMAL BLOOD FATS AND INFLAMMATION. he meabolic syndrome is an imporan risk acor or cardiovascular disease, as is erecile dysuncion (ED). Chinese researchers combined he resuls o 10 sudies using a echnique called mea-analysis and ound a srong link beween he meabolic syndrome and erecile dysuncion. Erecile dysuncion is exremely common in middle-aged and older men, and should be considered a risk acor or cardiovascular disease and poor meabolic healh. (Inernaional Journal Impoence Research, 26: 196-200, 2014)
Following Prostate Surgery reamen ofen involves surgical removal o he prosae gland. Unorunaely, he surgery usually riggers erecile dysuncion because o damage o he cavernous nerve in he penis. Consequenly, drugs like Viagra and Cialis may be ineffecive or promoing erecions ollowing prosae surgery. Moses ar rom Alber Einsein College o Medicine in New York Cit, and colleagues, in a sudy on ras, ound ha applicaion o a cream conaining niric oxide nanoparicles improved erecions and blood flow o he penis. he cream direcly affecs penis blood flow and does no require nerve simulaion. I pereced in humans, his would be an imporan new reamen or erecile dysuncion, paricularly ollowing prosae removal surgery. (Journal Sexual Medicine, published online Ocober 2014) 68 MD
musculardevelopment.com April 2015
performance
By Vicor R. Prisk, M.D. er
ANTIOXIDANT UPDATE:
AND PERFORMANCE Our bodies are in a sae o “homeosasis,” a balancing ac ha can easily all ino disease and dysuncion. When we oversress he man on he ighrope, we run he risk o him alling off. Meaphorically ranslaed, we need o avoid overraining or our bodies will break down. Exernal sressors are applied o he body, o which he body has o consanly adap. We lif heavy weighs o apply sress on our m uscles. his encourages our muscles o grow in order o deal wih ha sress, should i ever arise again. he goal o high-inensit raining is o invoke as much sress need or adapaion as possible wihou oally desroying he muscle; in oher words, “NO PAIN, NO GAIN.” Coupled wih adequae res, recovery and anabolic suppor, you are on your way o he Olympia sage.
FREE RADICALS AREN’T ALWAYS A BAD THING We like o miigae he pain o muscle soreness such ha we can ge back o he weighs as soon as possible. he pain is induced by damage o he muscle rained. High-inensit raining resuls in he producion o reacive molecules called “ree radicals.” Free radicals can iniiae chain reacions ha damage cell membranes and proeins, leading o issue breakdown and inflammaion. However, as we will soon discuss, ree radicals aren’ always a bad hing. Anioxidans are compounds ha comba ree radicals and miigae he damage hey can cause. Our bodies produce many naural anioxidans like he powerul amino acid-derived compound, gluahione. However, many o our oods, especially ruis and vegeables, provide he anioxidans we need o figh off ree radicals. hese anioxidans come in he orm o viamins, minerals, polyphenols and many oher tpes o complex compounds. As I alluded o, ree radicals aren’ compleely bad. For insance, our immune cells produce ree radicals o desroy inruders like baceria. Low and physiological levels o ree radicals are required or normal orce producion in muscle, alhough hey are damaging in excess. 1,2 Free radicals urn on genes or meabolic adapaions o exercise and sress.
IGF-1 AND MUSCLE GROWTH As an avid reader o Muscular Developmen, you are probably amiliar wih he powerul muscle growh-promoing paracrine hormone, IGF-1. Exercising muscle produces IGF-1, which evenually produces growh o he working muscle. Laboraory research has demonsraed ha he producion o ree radicals is criical o he uncion o IGF-1 in muscle growh. When anioxidans are applied o muscle cells in he lab, IGF-1’s uncion is oblieraed. Even hough high-inensit exercise can produce an abundance o damaging ree radicals, evidence is overwhelmingly in suppor o exercise’s meabolism-boosing healh benefis. For insance, exercise appears o increase insulin sensiivit hrough mechanisms ha are dependen on he ormaion o ree radicals. Furhermore, his increase in insulin sensiivit is almos compleely abrogaed by daily ingesion 70
o supraphysiologic doses o he commonly used anioxidans viamin C and viamin E. hus, anioxidan supplemenaion blocks some o he beneficial meabolic effecs o exercise. Addiionally, he anioxidan Nacet Nirie is imporan in he producion o niric oxide, no only or your “pumpiude” bu also or many meabolic processes. Our muscles can only make adapaions when hey see sress (a disrupion o homeosasis). he producion o ree radicals under he sress o inense exercise inorms he machinery o muscle growh ha i is ime o adap and grow, in order o avoid damage rom uure sress. he ree radicals do his hrough acivaion o genes and enzymes ha lead o Alhough much o he research on he oxidaive sress o exercise is done in models o aerobic endurance exercise, some have looked a is role in muscle-building, anaerobic exercise. Research shows ha your muscle cells need o experience ree radical oxidaive sress in order o increase heir naural abilit o resis oxidaive In oher words, exposure o ree radicals auomaically oughens he cells up o resis ree radicals. he same applies in reverse; i you don’ sress he cells, hey (and you) lose he abilit o resis sress. Sound amiliar? I you don’ use, i you lose i! A balance beween ree radical producion and anioxidan deense mechanisms appears o represen a criical componen o many adapive responses in skeleal muscle, as well as hyperrophy and arophy. I he producion o ree radicals is ideal (i.e., a lile higher han basal levels), he adapive response is hyperrophy; bu i he levels o ree radicals are increased manyold above basal levels and anioxidan deensive capabilit In oher words here, is a “Goldilocks” level o ree radicals and anioxidans o simulae and proec.
IS MODERATION THE KEY? Ineresingly, he “Goldilocks” heory o anioxidans has been demonsraed in supplemenaion rials. here are a ew sudies ha compared viamin A, C and E supplemenaion during high-inensit exercise in rained subjecs. here were mixed resuls in hese sudies, wih some showing improvemen in perormance and ohers wih derimen. I was he lower-dosed sudies ha acually showed improvemen, whereas higher dosages o he viamins led o no effec or derimen o raining. he combinaion o he anioxidans viamin C and NAC a high doses acually aced as “pro”-oxidans in a model o eccenric (negaives) arm curls. Is moderaion he key o anioxidan success? he mos recen updae o his opic was published online in December 2014, and examined he effecs o high-dosed viamin C and E (1,000 milligrams per day and 235 milligrams per day, respecively) on muscle hyperrophy and srengh developmen. Researchers noed ha he anioxidan combo bluned he resisance exercise-induced signaling pahways ha urn on muscle growh. However, muscle hyperrophy wasn’ saisically limied by his effec. Some o he negaive effecs o he anioxidans migh have been miigaed by a reducion in issue break-
musculardevelopment.com April 2015
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performance down. he anioxidans did resul in a noiceable hampering in biceps curl srengh improvemens rom he 10-week sudy.
POLYPHENOLS, RESVERATROL AND RED WINE Polyphenols are probably he mos popular anioxidan supplemens in recen years. his was especially rue wih he explosion o ineres in he ani-aging compound resverarol rom red wine. Polyphenols are complex compounds ound in ruis and vegeables ha have srong anioxidan effecs. Sudies have evaluaed supplemenaion wih rui juices and exracs. In one sudy, ar cherry juice (providing 600 milligrams o polyphenols) reduced he loss o srengh by 50 percen one day afer biceps raining wih pain-provoking negaives. Muliple sudies have examined he effecs o he polyphenols on delayed onse muscle soreness (DOMS) and recovery o srengh, bu very ew have ocused on muscle hyperrophy. Animal sudies have shown ha resverarol can reverse inflammaioninduced muscle arophy hrough increasing mOR and reducing muscle breakdown.10 Complicaing he picure even urher, fisein, a flavonol presen in vegeables and ruis, which possesses anioxidaive and aniinflammaory properies, reduces mOR signaling. he anioxidan lipoic acid also causes lean mass loss in animal models hrough reducions in mOR signaling.12 Can we win here?
PROBLEM WITH THE RESEARCH o he variables and varieies o anioxidans. here is lile consensus on dosing, iming and which anioxidan is bes. here are so many polyphenols in oods ha sudying hem all is impossible wih modern echnology. Sudies ofen ail o accoun or he amoun o anioxidans ound in he subjec’s dies. Some may ea more ruis and vegeables and have greaer anioxidan levels o begin wih. One hing I believe o be rue is ha i you don’ ea your ruis and vegeables, you may be a risk o being anioxidan deficien. ake anioxidan supplemens in moderaion i you aren’ a rabbi. here’s always a ne balance when i comes o any nuriional supplemenaion; more isn’ always beer. ■
ow and again, we are so bellicose about using supplements that we lose sight of the possibility that they could possibly harm us. This is especially true when we are considering ways to boost our testosterone levels. More should be better, right? Although the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) doesn’t necessarily monitor every supplement on the market, supplement manufacturers have to ensure the safety of their product or face the wrath of the FDA, should harm be done. When it comes to herbal supplements like Tribulus terrestris (TT), taken to boost testosterone, it is often assumed that herbs = safe. However, we often forget that tobacco is also an “herb” and it causes cancer and a whole host of metabolic problems, any way you chew it. A recent study in the journal Pharmaceutical Biology examined the toxic potential of this popular testosterone booster. Researchers were particularly interested in whether the extracts of TT caused cell damage leading to cancerous tendencies or disruption of healthy endocrine function. Using various laboratory tests and cell models, the scientists made some interesting findings.
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Dr. Vicor Prisk is a board cerified orhopaedic surgeon and IFBB proessional bodybuilder in Pisburgh, PA. Dr. Prisk is an acive member o he GNC Medical Advisory Board and creaor o he “G.A.I.N. Plan.” He is an NCAA All-American gymnas, champion swing dancer and NPC Welerweigh Naional Champion.
Reerences: 1. Gomes EC, e al. Oxidans, anioxidans, and he beneficial roles o exerciseinduced producion o reacive species. Oxid Med Cell Longev 2012;2012:756132. 2. Powers SK, Jackson MJ. Exercise-induced oxidaive sress: cellular mechanisms and impac on muscle orce producion. Physiol Rev 2008;Oc;88(4):1243-76. 3. Handayaningsih AE, e al. Reacive oxygen species play an essenial role in IGF-1 signaling and IGF-1-induced myocye hyperrophy in C2C12 myocyes. Endocrinology 2011;Mar;152(3):912-21. 4. Risow M, e al. Anioxidans preven healh-promoing effecs o physical exercise in humans. Proc Nal Acad Sci USA 2009;May 26;106(21):8665-70. 5. Draeger CL, e al. Conroversies o anioxidan viamins supplemenaion in exercise: ergogenic or ergolyic effecs in humans? J In Soc Spors Nur 2014;Feb 19;11(1):4. 6. Childs A, e al. Supplemenaion wih viamin C and N-acetlcyseine increases oxidaive sress in humans afer an acue muscle injury induced by eccenric exercise. Free Radic Biol Med 2001;Sep 15;31(6):745-53. 7. sikas D, e al. N-acetlcyseine (NAC) inhibis renal nirie and nirae reabsorpion in healhy subjecs and in paiens undergoing cardiac surgery: Risk o niric oxide (NO) bioavailabilit loss by NAC? In J Cardiol 2014;Nov 15;177(1):30-3. 8. Paulsen G, e al. Viamin C and E supplemenaion alers proein signaling afer a srengh raining session, bu no muscle growh during 10 weeks o raining. J Physiol 2014;Dec 15;592(P 24):5391-408. 9. Connolly DA, e al. Efficacy o a ar che rry juice blend in prevening he sympoms o muscle damage. Br J Spors Med 2006;40(8):679-83. 10. Wang D, e al. Resverarol prevens NF-alpha-induced muscle arophy via regulaion o Ak/mOR/FoxO1 signaling in C2C12 myoubes. In Immunopharmacol 2014;Apr;19(2):206-13. 11. Jung CH, e al. Fisein regulaes obesit by argeing mORC1 signaling. J Nur Biochem 2013;Aug;24(8):1547-54. 12. Wang Y, e al. Alpha-lipoic acid increases energy expendiure by enhancing adenosine monophosphae-acivaed proein kinase-peroxisome prolieraor-acivaed recepor-gamma coacivaor-1alpha signaling in he skeleal muscle o aged mice. Meabolism 2010; Jul;59(7):967-76
First of all, water extracts of TT lead to mutations of genes. If mutations can occur from exposure, TT may have the ability to mutate a cell into diseases like cancer. Secondly, their endocrine assessments demonstrated estrogen-stimulating effects, NOT androgenic effects. This suggests that TT’s direct effect may be on activation of estrogen receptors. There are a number of hypotheses on how TT may improve libido and free testosterone levels. Whether TT’s effects on testosterone can lead to muscle growth has yet to be shown. With this new data and the topic of this column, it is important to remember that it is entirely possible to get too much of a good thing. ■ Reerence: Abudayyak M, e al. Invesigaion on he oxic poenial o ribulus erresris in viro. Pharm Biol 2014; Dec 4:1-8.
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NUTRITION performance
BY MICHAEL J. RUDOLPH, PH.D. SENIOR SCIENCE EDITOR
DILEMMA TOR ANTAGONIST? he amino acid gluamine is one o 11 nonessenial amino acids ound in he body. I is also one o he 20 amino acids used o biosynhesize proein molecules, and is one o he ew amino acids ha
ergogenic benefi on muscle growh or immune sysem uncion— especially in healhy, well nourished individuals.
Gluamine is primarily ound circulaing in he blood and sored wihin muscle issue. I becomes condiionally essenial, requiring inake rom ood or supplemens, in saes o illness or injury. Gluamine has become a popular nuriional supplemen because o is alleged posiive influence on muscle growh and he immune sysem. However, despie he ac ha gluamine has a physiological role in he anabolic process o muscle growh and modulaion o he immune sysem, especially during inense exercise, dieary supplemenaion wih gluamine apparenly has no definiive
GROWTH Cerain amino acids modulae he acivit o he muscle-building enzyme mTOR, ulimaely playing a key role in he anabolic process o muscle proein accreion. The inake o essenial amino acids, especially during he recovery period afer exercise, promoes amino acid upake ino muscle— increasing he rae o proein synhesis while decreasing he rae o proein breakdown, ulimaely resuling in muscle proein accumulaion and muscle growh. One o hese essenial amino acids, he branched-chain amino acid leucine,
is he mos effecive a acivaing mTOR and inhibiing muscle proein breakdown while increasing muscle proein synhesis.3,4 By conras, gluamine has been shown o acually inacivae mTOR uncion in isolaed muscle cells, conceivably reducing muscle growh. Gluamine’s influence on mTOR uncion was observed despie he ac ha no decrease in proein synhesis was shown in his sudy afer gluamine exposure, even hough mTOR was inacivaed. The auhors o he sudy propose ha his unexpeced influence on proein synhesis is due o he experimens being carried ou on isolaed muscle cells ha were in a cerain growh phase ha perurbed proein ranslaion raes wihin he cell, ulimaely skewing he resuls. Noneheless, he resuls o his sudy sill demonsrae ha supplemening wih gluamine is unlikely o provide an anabolic advanage.
PROMOTE STRENGTH, EITHER In addiion o he apparen inabilit o gluamine o rigger muscle growh, gluamine is also evidenly incapable o increasing srengh. A sudy by Candow e al. showed ha supplemening wih gluamine or six weeks while srengh raining resuled in no change in srengh and no addiional gain in muscle mass, when compared wih srengh raining done wihou gluamine supplemenaion. Furhermore, oher sudies invesigaing he impac o gluamine on endurance srengh showed no posiive impac rom gluamine inake. In one o hese sudies, gluamine supplemenaion one hour afer exercise was ineffecive a increasing he number o repeiions perormed on he leg press or bench press. The previously menioned sudy by Candow e al. also showed no increase in raining volume afer supplemening wih gluamine and resisance raining or six weeks relaive o he placebo group. Alogeher, hese sudies show ha gluamine supplemenaion ails o consisenly demonsrae any posiive ergogenic benefi on srengh or srengh endurance.
“Supplemening wih gluamine is unlikely o provide an anabolic advanage.” 74 MD
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GLUTAMINE, THE IMMUNE ENHANCER? Gluamine direcly suppors he prolieraion o immunological cells known as lymphocyes. Gluamine also provides energy o hese cells, alogeher making gluamine essenial or lymphocye survival. 8 Unlike muscle issue, lymphocyes canno synhesize gluamine. So, hey are largely dependen on muscle as a gluamine source. Exensive exercise is associaed wih a decrease in gluamine levels in he body, generaing he hypohesis ha an exercise-induced decrease in gluamine could reduce lymphocye perormance, impairing uncion o he immune sysem. A posiive relaionship beween srenuous raining and upper respiraory rac inecions, indicaing a weakened immune sysem, has been shown in several sudies. his relaionship is mos commonly aribued o changes in lymphocye uncion afer exercise, due o a reducion in gluamine levels. As a resul, supplemenaion wih gluamine has been proposed as a poenial way o miigae he negaive impac o exercise on he immune sysem, resuling in ewer inecions. However, here is a considerable amoun o scienific evidence showing no consisen effec o gluamine supplemenaion on incidence o upper respiraory rac inecions afer exercise. 13 Furhermore, addiional sudies sugges ha gluamine supplemenaion has no deecable effec on exerciseinduced changes o he immune sysem. In one sudy showing his effec, Rohde e al.14 had subjecs exercise a 75 percen o heir maximum capacit or 30, 45 and 60 minues, wih wo-hour ress beween each session. Subjecs were ed gluamine 30 minues beore and afer exercise. he resuls o he sudy showed ha despie he abilit o gluamine supplemenaion o preven he all o plasma gluamine levels, i did no preven he decline in lymphocye prolieraion. In addiion, several oher sudies have also shown ha gluamine supplemenaion ha prevens a reducion in plasma gluamine levels rom inense exercise did no p . While he vas majorit o sudies show no influence rom gluamine supplemenaion on immunit, only one sudy by Casell e al. 16 has been able o provide evidence ha gluamine supplemenaion miigaes he occurrence o upper respiraory inecions in runners. In his sudy, ulra-marahon and marahon runners were given eiher five grams o gluamine or a placebo immediaely afer running. he runners ingesing gluamine sel-repored a lower occurrence o upper respiraory rac inecions relaive o he placebo group. However, i is unlikely ha he gluamine dose used in his sudy was high enough o preven a decline in plasma gluamine. his hypohesis is based on anoher repor ha showed supplemenaion wih five grams o gluamine resuled in a decline in plasma gluamine levels similar o he placebo group immediaely er inense exercise17, which indicaes ha doses in excess o five grams need o be ingesed o susain plasma gluamine concenraions several hours pos exercise. ■
For mos o Michael Rudolph’s career he has been engrossed in he exercise world as eiher an ahlee (he played college ooball a Hosra Universit), personal rainer or as a research scienis (he earned a B.Sc. in Exercise Science a Hosra Universit and a Ph.D. in Biochemisry and Molecular Biology rom Sony Brook Universit). Afer earning his Ph.D., Michael invesigaed he molecular biology o exercise as a ellow a Harvard Medical School and Columbia Universit or over eigh years. ha research conribued seminally o undersanding he uncion o he incredibly imporan cellular energy sensor AMPK— leading o numerous publicaions in peer-reviewed journals including he journal Naure . Michael is currenly a scienis working a he New York Srucural Biology . Reerences: 1. Lee WJ, Hawkins RA, e al. Gluamine ranspor by he blood-brain barrier: a possible mechanism or nirogen removal. Am J Physiol 1998;274, C1101-1107. 2. Buchman AL. Gluamine: commercially essenial or condiionally essenial? A criical appraisal o he human daa. Am J Clin Nur 2001;74, 25-32. 3. Manders RJ, Koopman R, e al. he muscle proein synheic response o carbohydrae and proein ingesion is no impaired in men wih longsanding tpe 2 diabees. J Nur 2008;138, 1079-1085. 4. Walker DK, Dickinson JM, e al. Exercise, amino acids, and aging in he conrol o human muscle proein synhesis. Med Sci Spors Exerc 2011;43, 2249-2258. 5. Deldicque L, Sanchez Canedo C, e al. Anagonisic effecs o leucine and gluamine on he mOR pahway in myogenic C2C12 cells. Amino Acids 2008;35, 147-155. 6. Candow DG, Chilibeck PD, e al. Effec o gluamine supplemenaion combined wih resisance raining in young aduls. Eur J Appl Physiol 2001;86, 142-149. 7. Anonio J, Sanders MS, e al. he effecs o high-dose gluamine ingesion on weighing perormance. J Srengh Cond Res 2002;16, 157-160. 8. Ardawi MS and Newsholme EA. Gluamine meabolism in lymphocyes o he ra. Biochem J 1983;212, 835-842. 9. Parry-Billings M, Budge R, e al. Plasma amino acid concenraions in he
overraining syndrome: possible effecs on he immune sysem. Med Sci Spors Exerc 1992;24, 1353-1358. 10. Peibois C, Cazorla G, e al. Biochemical aspecs o overraining in endurance spors: a review. Spors Med 2002;32, 867-878. 11. Nieman DC and Bishop NC. Nuriional sraegies o couner sress o he immune sysem in ahlees, wih special reerence o ooball. J Spors Sci 2006;24, 763-772. 12. Nieman DC. (1997). Immune response o heavy exerion. J Appl Physiol 1985; 82, 1385-1394. 13. Moreira A, Kekkonen RA, e al. Nuriional modulaion o exercise-induced immunodepression in ahlees: a sysemaic review and mea-analysis. Eur J Clin Nur 2007;61, 443-460. 14. Rohde , MacLean DA and Pedersen BK. Effec o gluamine supplemenaion on changes in he immune sysem induced by repeaed exercise. Med Sci Spors Exerc 1998;30, 856-862. 15. Krzywkowski K, Peersen EW, e al. ec o gluamine supplemenaion on exercise-induced changes in lymphocye uncion. Am J Physiol Cell Physiol 2001;281, C1259-1265. 16. Casell LM, Poormans JR and Newsholme EA. Does gluamine have a role in reducing inecions in ahlees? Eur J Appl Physiol Occup Physiol 1996;73, 488-490. 17. Casell LM and Newsholme EA. he ecs o oral gluamine supplemenaion on ahlees afer prolonged, exhausive exercise. Nuriion 1997;13, 738-742.
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By Daniel Gwarney, M.D.
appears o circulae hrough he bloodsream and affec a number o issues, including whie a. Fa comes in wo orms, whie and brown. Whie a is he a we all know and hae, soring hose excess calories, displaying o he world our momens o gluony. Brown a is a hea-producing issue ha burns a raher han soring i.
INCREASING BROWN FAT TO REDUCE OBESITY Drug companies have been searching or ways o increase he amoun and acivit o brown a o reduce obesit and eaures o he meabolic syndrome. I should be no surprise ha exercise has an effec on his process, mediaed via irisin. When irisin ineracs wih whie a, or is precursor cells (like sem cells), i urns on cellular “programs,” like a compuer code, ha cause he whie a o look and ac like brown a.
exciing discovery published in 2012 revealed one o he more imporan and relevan roles o exercised muscle in improving oo long hough o be a “onerick pony” good only or mobilit, skeleal muscle demonsraed ha, like a issue, i communicaes wih he body. Recall ha or years, a was hough o be a “lazy” sorage depo ha jus accumulaed excess calories. hen lepin was discovered, along wih a number o oher a cellderived messenger hormones called “adipokines.” I was deermined ha muscle releases “myokines” ha simulae changes in nearby cells o induce saellie cell ormaion and usion o allow or greaer muscle volume. However, here was lile awareness ha muscle released sysemic hormones ha affec issues locaed in oher pars o he body. Searching or such a molecule, scieniss discovered irisin, a proein hormone spli off a rom a larger proein under he influence o PGC1alpha, an inracellular signal caller ha causes a number o posiive changes or improving meabolic healh and body composiion. Irisin
incredible, because brown a and whie a do no develop rom he same precursor cells. I would be like planing an avocado seed and somehing in he soil caused i o grow ino an apple ree. O course, scieniss have o look a new discoveries in he mos minue deail, ofen conusing he overall message. Despie early sudies in animals and humans showing ha exercise increases irisin, oher sudies arose demonsraing no change. Mos sudies have shown irisin o be associaed wih body mass and more specifically lean mass or biceps circumerence.3,4 In men, circulaing irisin is greaer in lean men and hose . Oher sudies were published reporing ha elevaed irisin concenraions in he blood were seen NO in healhy, acive people, BU in hose wih he meabolic syndrome, non-alcoholic a liver disease, obesit or cardiovascular disease.6-9 his challenged he basis or he idea ha an exercise-induced, muscle-derived hormone could do somehing good o he body, like conver sorage a ino meabolically acive “burning” a issue. OK, oss ha ou he window. Bad irisin, bad exercise, good pills ha lower choleserol— o course no.
SCIENCE VS. THE REAL WORLD here is he usual disconnec beween science and he real world. his is no o bash science. Lie is so complex, ha i has o be looked a one deail a a ime. he “ar” o biological sciences, such as medicine, is puing i ogeher in he conex o a person or organism. Masering science requires ha one be able o pu hings ogeher in specific cases, and recognize when a “piece o he puzzle” does no fi or is missing. Skeleal muscle releases hundreds o molecules ha migh fi under he caegory o “myokines.” hese molecules can affec a person’s me-
Drug companies have been searching for ways o increase he amoun and acivit of brown fa o reduce obesit and feaures of he meabolic syndrome. I should be no surprise ha exercise has an effec on his process, mediaed via irisin. 76 MD
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Boosts Fat Burning he holy grail in a loss is “somehing or nohing.” his is rue or clinicians as well as he public, as all know ha problemaic obesit is poorly reaed wih die and exercise a he socieal level. he process ha bes mees ha goal is called “uncoupling,” which reers o a response in he miochondria o disconnec energy producion (AP) rom calorie burning (oxidaion). Fragmens o sugars, amino acids and a acids can ener he acids— componens o sored a— ha are mos relevan. Uncoupling occurs naurally in skeleal muscle, brown a and perhaps oher organs. I is a proecive mechanism o keep he body emperaure normal in cold
ailure, wih some requiring a liver ransplan.2 hus, a void or a sae uncoupler remains. Uncoupling is naurally achieved by increasing a proein in he miochondria called UCP (uncoupling proein). here are various orms, bu he concep is he same. UCP changes he membrane poenial o he miochondria, and ha allows i o “leak” proons— a charged hydrogen ion. Don’ worry abou his. I jus describes he process ha disconnecs “passing” he energy rom oxidizing he ragmens o a acids, sugars or amino acids o produce AP. hink o i as revving he engine o your car while holding down he cluch pedal in a manual ransmission car.
abou losing a ew pounds— heir concerns had DNP was so more o do wih poen and danno reezing o gerous because deah and holdi accumulaed ing on o sored energy. Uncoupling happens naurally, body. People using even in he modern I is sill a bi premaure o DNP develop a “couch poao” leap ino he berberine fan yellow coloring o man. Sudies have heir issues, suffer club, bu he resuls of his rom hyperhermia shown ha he majorit o people comprehensive sudy are (elevaed body will increase a emperaure), ree cerainly exciing. burning in muscle radical damage and brown a when and aigue— i he emperaure drops ino he mid-60s F hey survive wih coninued use. A more or cooler. his is also called non-shivering pracical soluion is a chemical ha he hermogenesis. However, o “wase” calobody does no accumulae, can be cleared ries as hea or he purpose o geing rid o by enzymes ha will increase in he even hem is obscene o he healhy physiology, o an overdose, does no affec issue or so here is an opporunit or pharmaceuicellular “healh” and is no capable o causcal or nuriional uncouplers o provide a ing serious harm when used responsibly. . A number o agens are in various he classic pharmaceuical uncoupler is phases o research, bu here are some 2,4-dinirophenol or DNP. his is an indusnuriional componens ha have a sligh rial chemical ha is no meabolized by he o modes effec on uncoupling. hough i body, and can easily resul in organ or issounds imid, his is ideal, as i does no sue damage, even deah in healhy, young overax he regulaory mechanisms, and is A “nuriional” supplemen less likely o cause harm. Recenly, i was called usnic acid claimed o have he same repored ha berberine reduced weigh in ec, bu was pulled rom he marke afer reaed mice, and did so hrough a number o mechanisms ha increased energy numerous consumers developed acue liver
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abolism individually, bu ha usually requires a pharmaceuical concenraion o he hormone. he myriad o hormones, myokines, nuriens, co-regulaors, ec. is designed o ac in concer— in oher words, work ogeher. Furher, when he body ges a “drug” signal o do somehing and he condiions o he environmen are promping a differen, ofen anagonisic response, drug herapies can ail or resul in unexpeced, adverse effecs. Bodybuilders are very aware o he limiaions o esoserone and oher anabolic seroids. Wihou consisen and inense resisance raining, he amoun o muscle growh rom using anabolic seroids is modes (unless you had a preexising esoserone deficiency). Furher, o gain any significan srengh or muscle mass jus rom dosing anabolic seroids wihou raining, he doses required would resul in undesirable or harmul side effecs. he same is rue o weigh-loss drugs used wihou dieing or exercise. Le’s firs look a he observaion ha he obese or hose wih he meabolic syndrome have higher irisin concenraions in he blood han lean, acive individuals. his suggess ha similar o lepin, resisance o irisin may occur in hose wih unhealhy liestles or a mass. In ac, going back o he exercise sudies, he increase in irisin is shor-lived, wih a signaling-like spike ha would be expeced o a hormone. he obese have elevaed irisin (in some sudies) a res, and wih weigh loss or exercise, his goes down. Compare ha o he sae o insulin resisance, which precedes tpe 2 diabees. Insulin-resisan individuals have elevaed insulin, even beween meals, and cells (including a cells) do no respond o insulin as a hormone in his sae. Obese people have elevaed lepin— a a cell-derived hormone, bu do no respond wih a reduced appeie or increased meabolic rae (calorie burning) as is seen in normal-weigh individuals. hey develop lepin resisance. I is a reasonable hypohesis ha he same tpe o dysuncional response is seen wih irisin in such individuals.6 his would be unorunae, as hose mos needing he poenial herapeuic benefis o irisin would be less likely o respond. I is also possible ha he paren proein, FNDC5, is dysuncional in chronic disease saes and does no produce a normal irisin molecule.
musculardevelopment.com April 2015
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ack expendiure (calorie burning). hese processes did no involve greaer acivit, bu an increase in issue uncoupling acivit AND he abilit o hose cells o burn a acids. I is one hing o say ingredien “X” causes weigh loss, bu hese researchers covered nearly all he bases— in mice. he berberine-reaed animals had: more brown a; more acive brown a; whie a ha convered ino brown a and “wased” calories; greaer concenraion o he enzymes involved in burning a; more miochondria in he cells ha burn calories; imp by increasing glucose (sugar) upake by muscle cells; and an increase in PGC1-alpha, a messenger involved in he processes o uncoupling and convering whie a (sorage tpe) ino brown a (hea “wasing” tpe). he reaed mice were also beer able o respond o a cold challenge by mainaining a normal body emperaure. One imporan observaion made by he researchers is ha mice raised in a cool environmen realized all o he benefis noed above, whereas hose raised in cages kep in a hermoneural environmen (he mice didn’ have o do anyhing o mainain a normal body emperaure) did no see hese resuls, or did bu o a much lesser degree. his is all “WOW” suff scienifically. he quesion remains i he same would be seen in humans. As i seems o require a cool environmen and mos people preer o be comorably warm, his may ail or hose who are no willing o olerae a bi o early discomor. Also, i may be seasonally effecive or hose who live in climae zones ha have ho summers. As i complemens many o he effecs o exercise, berberine may add o he weigh-loss and body-composiion changes caused by exercise. Remember ha exercised muscle increases he hormone irisin, which increases uncoupling in whie a. he increase in AMPK acivit is also seen in exercise, and wih he use o meormin (a diabees drug) and alpha-lipoic acid. I is sill a bi premaure o leap ino he berberine an club, bu he resuls o his comprehensive sudy are cerainly exciing. For more inormaion on berberine, go o advancedmolec- ularlabs.com. Berberine is now available in new hermo Hea Muli, advanced meabolism-enhancing muliviamin.
Reerences: 1. Grundlingh J, Dargan PI, e al. 2,4-dinirophenol (DNP): a weigh loss agen wih significan acue oxicit and risk o deah. J Med Toxicol 2011;7:205-12. 2. Foi RS, Dickmann LJ, e al. Meabolism and relaed human risk acors or hepaic damage by usnic acid conaining nuriional supplemens. Xenobioica 2008;38:264-80. 3. Zhang Z, Zhang H, e al. Berberine acivaes hermogenesis in whie and brown adipose issue. Na Commun 2014 Nov 25;5:5493(15 pp). 4. Hu Y, Young AJ, e al. Meormin and berberine preven olanzapine-induced weigh gain in ras. PLoS One 2014 Mar
25;9:e93310(9 pp).
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THROUGH A FOGGY WINDOW here is anoher rusraing issue ha complicaes irisin research. he molecule has only recenly been discovered, and he mehods used o measure irisin levels in he blood are marginal. here are quesions abou specificit, and more han one meh od is used, making i hard o compare sudies. A bes, we are currenly looking a irisin hrough a oggy window. Focusing on sudies ha uilized normalweigh individuals, here is a greaer uniormit among he resuls. Animal sudies benefi rom using mice, ras or oher animals ha are bred o be geneically similar and are raised in he exac same environmen. Humans are as varied as snowflakes, unless you are a “Figh Club” an, and live in widely varied environmens. I was repored ha exercise increases PGC1-alpha in muscle, and irisin in he blood. Seady-sae aerobic exercise (e.g., jogging) can increase irisin, bu i was only recenly ha i was shown ha he bes orm o exercise or spiking irisin is resisance raining, even beer han high-inensit inerval raining.10 he quesion hen arose, is here a difference in irisin response o exercise beween healhy men and hose wih he meabolic syndrome, when compared a he same ime? In ac, here is no, when you look a he percenage change ha occurs ollowing exercise. Irisin response in healhy men, and hose wih he meabolic syndrome (mached or age, BMI and oher acors) rose he same relaive amoun ollowing all tpes o exercise, wih he greaes (~17%) increase ollowing resisance exercise, compared o ~seven percen afer boh orms o “aerobic” condiioning. hough he number cance, hose wih he meabolic syndrome did have a higher baseline (resing) irisin concenraion, suggesive o some degree o irisin resisance.
ACADEMICS CAN REJOICE he divergence o findings beween all he sudies causes academics o squeal wih glee, as hey can cas doub on a finding o major significance i viewed properly. In healhy, acive people, irisin increases wih muscle mass. his apparenly is due o an exercise-induced increase in PCG1-alpha, among oher acors. In animal sudies, and “es ube” experimens, his causes sorage (whie) a o develop ino brown a-like issue capable o burning calories and increasing energy expendiure. his could aid in weigh loss. However, he obese and meabolically unhealhy do no appear o benefi rom his. Imaging sudies o brown a have shown ha around one-hird o people don’ have
much acive brown a, and ha i is only “urned on” in cool o cold environmens. An ineresing sudy menioned in he accompanying sidebar noed berberine is capable o increasing brown a hermogenesis, bu only in animals housed in cages kep cooler han he “hermoneural” emperaure. In oher words, signaling or brown a developmen and acivit is worhless i he body does no sense a need o wase calories. Irisin’s sory has no been finished. In ac, i has hardly begun. Irisin producion has been associaed wih cerain agens wih known or suspeced meabolic benefis. Wheher boosing irisin response o exercise, or wheher an irisin-like drug can benefi he obese, is uncerain. Lepin ailed as a drug herapy, and is sory is very similar. he real benefi may be in hose ollowing he bes pracices o mainaining a moderae-o-low a mass and exercising regularly. Perhaps augmening he irisin response in healhy people o delay or preven he onse o obesit could be he mos pracical approach. ■ Reerences: 1. Bosröm P, Wu J, e al. A PGC1-alpha-dependen myokine ha drives brown-a-like developmen o whie a and hermogenesis. Naure 2012;481:463-8. 2. Irving BA, Sill CD, e al. Does IRISIN Have a BRIE Fuure as a herapeuic Agen in Humans? Curr Obes Rep 2014;3:235-241. 3. Huh JY, Panagioou G, e al. FNDC5 and irisin in humans: I. Predicors o circulaing concenraions in serum and plasma and II. mRNA expression and circulaing concenraions in response o weigh loss and exercise. Meabolism 2012;61:1725-38. 4. Kurdiova , Balaz M, e al. Eff , diabees and exercise on Fndc5 gene expression and irisin release in human skeleal muscle and adipose issue: in vivo and in viro sudies. J Physiol 2014;592:1091-107. 5. Moreno-Navarree JM, Orega F, e al. Irisin is expressed and produced by human muscle and adipose issue in associaion wih obesit and insulin resisance. J Clin Endocrinol Meab 2013;98:E769-78. 6. Hee Park K, Zaichenko L, e al. Circulaing irisin in relaion o insulin resisance and he meabolic syndrome. J Clin Endocrinol Meab 2013;98:4899-907. 7. Choi ES, Kim MK, e al. Associaion beween serum irisin levels and non-alcoholic a liver disease in healh screen examinees. PLoS One 2014 Oc 24;9(10):e110680(8 pp). 8. Crujeiras AB, Pardo M, e al. Irisin: “a” or areac. Clin Endocrinol 2014 Oc 7. [Epub, ahead o prin] 9. Sesi G, Andreozzi F, e al. High circulaing irisin levels are associaed wih insulin resisance and vascular aherosclerosis in a cohor o nondiabeic adul subjecs. Aca Diabeol 2014;51:705-13. 10. Young Huh J, Siopi A, e al. Irisin in response o exercise in humans wih and wihou meabolic syndrome. J Clin Endocrinol Meab 2014 Dec 16. [Epub, ahead o prin]
musculardevelopment.com April 2015
review
By Anhony Ricciuo
TIME TO GET DICED! Beore you know i, summer will be righ around he corner. So i you wan o dial in your abs and look good on he beach, preparaion is o key imporance! Far oo ofen, hose who are looking o pack on size in he winer insead ea like gluonous slohs, only o realize hey have quie a bi o work o do o ge lean or he warmer monhs. We all know ha die and cardio are imporan acors in helping shed he unwaned a ha builds up during he rigid season like a polar bear in he arcic. Bu he realit is ha hese wo acors are no enough o help you ge shredded. op Secre Nuriion has he answer wih heir newes a-loss marix known as Ab Ignier Black.
N U T R I T I O N
AB Igniter Black ELITE STRENGTH FAT BURNER • Burns unwaned a in record ime • Increases meabolic rae and hermogenesis or amazing resuls • Amazing energy wihou he crash • Improves ocus and menal acuit or laserlike concenraion • Helps reduce muscle soreness or improved recovery • Suppors healhy immune uncion or opimal healh
A SCIENTIFIC MASTERPIECE I am very impressed wih he compound breakdown o Ab Ignier Black, and you will be oo once you see wha’s in sore. I conains a wide variet o he mos effi cien a-incineraing ingrediens o help burn a, increase energy, and keep your mood and ocus on poin. Le’s ake a look a wha’s under he hood o his bad boy. crease basal meabolic rae and energy oupu.
CAFFEINE (ANHYDROUS AND GUARANA): his dual combinaion
delivers a big-ime bump in energy wih a sof landing. Guarana is a Souh American shrub radiionally used by Naive Indians o help mainain energy levels. Research suggess ha guarana, when aken consisenly, is beneficial o supporing a healhy meabolism. Addiionally, guarana has been sudied or is mild cogniive and menal simulaing effecs. ALPINIA GALANGAL (SIAMESE GINGER), AND HUPERZINE (CHINESE CLUB MOSS PLANT): Boh srongly in-
hibi acetlcholineserase, he enzyme ha breaks down acetlcholine. his is a subsance ha plays an imporan role in menal uncion. Alpinia galanga is high in anioxidan properies. Sudies have shown ha huperzine may improve menal uncion, including memory and mood. CAPSIATE: his compound is exraced rom CH-19 swee peppers. CH-19 swee peppers are unique, nonpungen swee peppers ha are rich in capsinoids. Capsiae is a naural compound ha has been shown o in-
NELUMBO NUCIFERA: Also known as Indian lous. In radiional Chinese Medicine (CM), i has been culivaed and grown as a medicine crop or housands o years. An examinaion o is chemical consiuens has ound ha i conains several differen flavonoids including hyperin, isoquercein and asragalin. Is alkaloid compounds have been sudied or heir ani-lipidemic ecs. One o hose consiuens is higenamine, which is a powerul bea2 adrenergic agonis. We all know ha bea-2 adrenergic agoniss can help reduce subcuaneous a sores and ha is jus wha you are looking or. YOHIMBINE HCL: his is wihou a doub one o he sronges alpha 2 adrenergic anagoniss available wihou a prescripion. In he a cell, he alpha 2 adrenergic recepor is he off swich or a release. Since yohimbine HCL is an alpha 2-adrenergic anagonis, i helps block he off swich. his no only helps you burn more a wih ease, bu i specifically arges areas in he glues, highs and hips.
REAL DEAL RESULTS So as you can see, op Secre Nuriion did heir homework on his ormulaion and didn’ leave any sone unurned in creaing he ulimae a-burning marix. Designed o help you burn a rom muliple pahways, Ab Ignier Black ges he job done like no oher. I personally like ha here is no crash aferwards, which is somehing I can’ say or ohers. You can acually eel he menal mood-boosing effecs, which is much needed— especially when you are raining hard in a caloric defici nuriion regimen, which can leave mos people eeling irriable and grouchy. I really liked Ab Ignier Black and believe me, I don’ impress easily. So, i you are looking o dial in he abs wih summer on he horizon, sop wasing your ime wih producs ha all shor. Give Ab Ignier Black a ry, because I am sure you will like i jus as much as I did! ■ For more inormaion, visi opsecrenuriion.com.
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musculardevelopment.com April 2015
updae
ew cuing-edge research ocused on curing several tpes o muscle-wasing diseases in humans could be on he verge o launching a new era in perormance-enhancing drugs. his research has resuled in several new musclebuilding drugs ha uncion by inhibiing a proein known as myosain, as well as oher compounds ha uncion similarly o myosain, as muscledepleing molecules. Myosain is a member o he ransorming growh acor-bea super amily o growh acors where, despie being a growh acor, i acually reduces muscle growh by iniiaing several pahways ha inhibi muscle hyperrophy while simulaing muscle arophy. When myosain binds o is naural recepor, known as he acivin pe II recepor, several signaling cascades are iniiaed— and his inhibis muscle growh, while simulaing muscle arophy. Myosain inhibis muscle growh primarily by inhibiing he ormaion o new muscle fibers, a , while also inhibiing muscle proein synhesis. In addiion, myosain promoes muscle arophy by simulaing a caabolic process known as auophagy wihin he muscle cell, which involves he degradaion o he muscle cell’s own componens, hus decreasing muscle size.3 In agreemen wih he muscle-depleing uncions o myosain, here have been numerous observaions showing ha geneic muaions ha block myosain acivit in a range o species, including cale, dogs and humans, resul in considerable gains in muscle mass.4-6 Consequenly, i seems pre eviden ha sopping he negai ve influence o he myosain pahway on muscle growh by way o hese new, innovae drugs will .
IN ITS TRACKS Anibodies are proein molecules normally and neuralize oreign objecs such as baceria or viruses, ulimaely prevening or miigaing illness. Anibodies have also become a major ool used by bioechnology and pharmaceuical companies, where hey are designed o specifically counerac any argeed subsance, such as myosain. In ac, an ani-myosain anibody, known
84
as MYO-029, has been creaed ha inhibis myosain uncion in mice wih muscular dysrophy, alleviaing some o he muscle-wasing eaures associaed wih his disease. In addiion, his myosain-neuralizing anibody was also shown o increase muscle mass in a second group o mice wihou muscular dysrophy by approximaely 30 percen over hree monhs. Given hese resuls, researchers waned o see i his ani-myosain anibody could have a posiive effec on muscle uncion and growh in humans. So a sudy by Wagner e al. invesigaed he influence o MYO-029 on muscle acivit and hyperrophy in es subjecs wih muscular dysrophy. he resuls o his sudy showed ha MYO-029 was acive in he body, causing some subjecs o increase m uscle size by approximaely 2.4 percen relaive o he placebo group. Ye, despie he gains in muscle size, here were no significan improvemens in muscle srengh in any o he es subjecs during he sudy. he auhors o he sudy sugges ha he scope o his invesigaion was oo small o decipher saisically significan improvemens in muscular srengh. However, anoher reason his sudy did no show greaer gains in size, or any gains in srengh, migh be due o recenly discovered molecules ha inhibi muscle growh in a similar ashion o myosain ha would no be inhibied by an ani-myosain anibody. I will explain more abou hese myosain-like molecules laer in he aricle.
MYOSTATIN PROPEPTIDE STUDY In addiion o using an anibody o direcly block myosain uncion, a second sudy by Bogdanovich e al. looked a anoher way o inhibi myosain. In his sudy, researchers used he myosain propepide, which is known o naurally inhibi myosain acivit in he body. he resuls o he sudy clearly show ha myosain propepide injecions in mice wih muscular dysrophy generaed improvemens in muscle mass, represened by a 32 percen increase in mass o he exensor digiorum longus muscle, relaive o he placebo. Furhermore, he increase in muscle mass correlaed wih a considerable srengh improvemen o 38 percen in absolue wich orce wihin he same muscle group, relaive o he placebo.
By Michael J.Rudolph, Ph.D. Senior Science Edior
MORE THAN MYOSTATIN Sudies have shown ha myosain uncions as a negaive regulaor o muscle growh, primarily by way o he acivin tpe II recepor.10 he abilit o enhance muscle growh by influencing he uncion o he acivin tpe II recepor appears o be much greaer han ha achieved by simply blocking myosain alone. his is because recen scienific work has shown ha oher molecules in he body also bind o his recepor, inhibiing muscle growh. So, blocking he acivin tpe II recepor will no jus block he negaive influence o myosain, bu i will block oher molecules in he body ha also preven muscle growh by way o his recepor. he firs hin ha here were oher subsances in he body ha prevened muscle growh came when a group o scieniss adminisered an inacive orm o he acivin tpe II recepor o mice ha were geneically alered so hey could no produce myosain. he inacive orm o he recepor is able o bind and inacivae molecules ha would normally simulae muscle loss by way o he acivin tpe II recepor. Basically, he inacive orm o he recepor acs like a sponge, soaking up all compounds ha acivae he acivin tpe II recepor. hereore, one would surmise ha adminisraion o he inacivaed recepor in mice no producing myosain would no have much o an influence on muscle growh, since here is no myosain o bind and inacivae in hese mice. Noneheless, his experimen sill produced muscle growh, indicaing he presence o oher muscle-depleing molecules ha were inacivaed by he iner orm o he recepor. Given his inormaion, a group o scieniss a he pharmaceuical company Novaris developed an anibody called BYM338, ha blocks he acivin tpe II recepor, so hey could preven binding o all muscle-depleing ligands o he recepor and inhibi is acivit or greaer prevenion o muscle loss.12 Alogeher, he researchers showed ha BYM338 dramaically increased skeleal muscle mass in mice more poenly han he myosain propepide ha solely inhibis myosain-driven muscle loss. In addiion, a mouse version o he anibody boosed muscle growh in myosain-deficien mice— urher confirming he beneficial effec on muscle growh beyond
musculardevelopment.com April 2015
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updae myosain inhibiion ha occurs when blocking he acivin tpe II recepor. All in all, hese daa demonsrae he remarkable poenial o BYM338, and oher drugs like i, o bolser enormous muscle growh. In summary, recen research has shown ha reducion o myosain levels generaes remendous muscle growh. Science has also uncovered he presence o oher molecules in he body ha inhibi muscle growh by acivaing he same recepor as myosain. Moreover, his recen scienific insigh shows ha inhibiing hese molecules can produce similarly impressive gains in muscle mass. he illici use o hese compounds o enhance he physique is probably very risky. hereore, alernae means should be considered ha naurally minimize myosain levels, such as creaine13, or oher compounds ha inhibi he uncion o he acivin tpe II recepor, such as ginkgo biloba. aken ogeher, hese wo compounds may synergisically release he srong hold ha he myosain pahway has on muscle growh, resuling in ormidable gains in muscle mass wihou he poenial side effecs. ■
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For mos o Michael Rudolph’s career he has been engrossed in he exercise world as eiher an ahlee (he played college ooball a Hosra Universit), personal rainer or as a research scienis (he earned a B.Sc. in Exercise Science a Hosra Universit and a Ph.D. in Biochemisry and Molecular Biology rom Sony Brook Universit). Afer earning his Ph.D., Michael invesigaed he molecular biology o exercise as a ellow a Harvard Medical School and Columbia Universit or over eigh years. ha research conribued seminally o undersanding he uncion o he incredibly imporan cellular energy sensor AMPK— leading o numerous publicaions in peer-reviewed journals including he journal Naure . Michael is currenly a scienis working a he New York Srucural Biology Cener doing conrac work or he Deparmen o .
Reerences: 1. Allen DL, Hiel DS and McPherron AC. Expression and uncion o myosain in obesit, diabees, and exercise adapaion. Med Sci Spors Exerc 1997;43, 1828-1835. 2. Amirouche A, Durieux AC, e al. Downregulaion o Ak/ mammalian arge o rapamycin signaling pahway in response o myosain overexpression in skeleal muscle. Endocrinology 2009;150, 286-294. 3. Lee JY, Hopkinson NS and Kemp PR. Myosain induces auophagy in skeleal muscle in viro. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2011;415, 632-636. 4. McPherron AC and Lee SJ. Double muscling in cale due o muaions in he myosain gene. Proc Nal Acad Sci U S A 1997;94, 12457-12461. 5. Schuelke M, Wagner KR, e al. Myosain muaion asso-
ciaed wih gross muscle hyperrophy in a child. N Engl J Med 2004;350, 2682-2688. 6. Mosher DS, Quignon P, e al. A muaion in he myosain gene increases muscle mass and enhances racing perormance in heerozygoe dogs. PLoS G ene 2007;3, e79. 7. Bogdanovich S, Krag TO, e al. Funcional improvemen o dysrophic muscle by myosain blockade. Naure 2002;420, 418-421. 8. Wagner KR, Fleckensein JL, e al. A phase I/IIrial o MYO-029 in adul subjecs wih muscular dysrophy. Ann Neurol 2008;63, 561-571. 9. Bogdanovich S, Perkins KJ, e al. Myosain propepidemediaed amelioraion o dysrophic pahophysiology. Faseb J 2005;19, 543-549. 10. Han HQ, Zhou X, e al. Myosain/acivin pahway anagonism: molecular basis and herapeuic poenial. In J Biochem Cell Biol 2013;45, 2333-2347. 11. Lee SJ, Reed LA, e al. Regulaion o muscle growh by muliple ligands signaling hrough acivin tpe II recepors. Proc Nal Acad Sci U S A 2005;102, 18117-18122. 12. Lach-Trifilieff E, Minei GC, e al. An anibody blocking acivin tpe II recepors induces srong skeleal muscle hyperrophy and proecs rom arophy. Mol Cell Biol 2014;34, 606-618. 13. Saremi A, Gharakhanloo R, e al. Effecs o oral creaine and resisance raining on serum myosain and GASP-1. Mol Cell Endocrinol 2009;317, 25-30. 14. Bidon C, Lachuer J, e al. The exrac o Ginkgo biloba EGb 761 reacivaes a juvenile profile in he skeleal muscle o sarcopenic ras by ranscripional reprogramming. PLoS One 2009;4, e7998.
musculardevelopment.com April 2015
muscle plan
“LIFT HEAVY TO GROW!” his manra has been preached since he early days o bodybuilding. Curren research-based resisance raining guidelines are consisen wih he heavier-is-beer-menalit, proessing ha loads below ~65 percen o one-repeiion maximum (1RM) primarily build muscle endurance wih lile effec on increasing muscle size. he conenion ress on he premise ha heavy loads are required o recrui he ull spec rum o moor unis (MUs) in a given moor pool. 1,2 I rue, his would subsaniae he need o go heavy, since maximal muscle developmen is dependen on recruiing as many MUs as possible, and keeping hem simulaed or a sufficien period o ime. Recenly, some in he field have challenged he allegaion ha heavy ing is necessary o build muscle. Proponens claim ha as long as raining is carried ou o muscular ailure, ligh-load raining will recrui he ull specrum o moor unis (and hus muscle fibers), allowing or gains similar o ha o using heavy loads. 3,4 Indeed, here is evidence ha aiguing muscular conracions resul in a corresponding increase in elecromyographic (EMG) ampliude, presumably driven by an increased recruimen o high-hreshold MUs o mainain orce oupu. Wheher EMG findings acually ranslae ino greaer hyperrophy remains speculaive, however; he rue answer can only be deermined by raining sudies ha measure changes in muscle size over ime.
CONFLICTING STUDY RESULTS A number o longiudinal sudies have been carried ou o compare he effecs o low- versus high-load raining on muscular adapaions. he resuls o hese sudies have been conflicing; some show a hyperrophic superiorit o heavier lifing 6-8 while ohers show no differences, regardless o he magniude o load. 9-13 A big issue when rying o draw conclusions on he opic is a problem inheren o virually all long-erm resisance-raining sudies— hey are very cosly and imeconsuming o carry ou. his invariably leads o small sample sizes and a corresponding lack o saisical power o deec a significan difference beween condiions (a so-called a tpe II error). In oher words, here migh acually be differences avoring one tpe o raining proocol over he oher, bu saisical measures would no be sensiive enough o observe hese differences. In order o achieve clarit on he opic, my lab recenly carried ou a mea-analysis encompassing he curren body o lieraure. 14 A meaanalysis convers he resuls o all relevan sudies ino a somehing called an “effec size,” which is basically a measure o he magniude o 88
By Brad Schoeneld, Ph.D, CSCS, FNSCA
he effec in a given oucome (in his case, srengh and hyperrophy). By sandardizing resuls in his manner, he daa can be pooled ogeher and hen compared, essenially as one big sudy. he upsho is ha saisical power is heighened, providing a greaer abilit o deec significan differences beween condiions i hey do in ac exis. o be included in our analysis, sudies had o be randomized, conrolled rials, involving boh ligh- (<60% 1RM) and heavy-load (>65% 1RM) raining ha spanned a leas six weeks, and direcly measured muscle hyperrophy and/or srengh. Ulimaely, a oal o 10 sudies me our inclusion crieria— nine o which invesigaed srengh as an oucome, and eigh ha invesigaed hyperrophy. he resuls migh surprise you.
NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES Conrary o prevailing heory, no significan differences were seen beween low- versus high-load raining in eiher srengh or hyperrophy, alhough a rend or greaer increases was noed in boh condiions. Based purely on saisical probabilit (i.e., he odds ha resuls are due o chance), his implies ha rom a srengh- or muscle-building sandpoin, i really doesn’ maer wheher you use heavy or ligh loads, provided raining is carried ou o muscle ailure. While hese findings migh seem counerinuiive, several hings need o be aken ino accoun when emping o draw pracical conclusions. Firs and oremos, saisical rends were noed or greaer resuls in boh srengh and hyperrophy. Since only 10 sudies me inclusion crieria, he rends imply ha he saisical power o he mea-analysis may have been insuffi cien o deec a rue difference or he heavy-load condiion (he pe II” error previously menioned). Oher saisical measures sugges his was in ac he case. In paricular, he pooled effec size or srengh was markedly higher in he heavy- versus ligh-load condiion (2.30 versus 1.23, respecively), indicaing a large posiive difference avoring highload raining. Moreover, all nine sudies ha invesigaed srengh as an oucome avored high-load raining, and six o hem showed a moderaeo-srong difference in magniude o effec. Considering he oalit o he evidence, i can be concluded wih confidence ha maximal srengh gains require heavier loads. Differences in effec sizes were also seen or hyperrophy oucome sudies, wih an advanage seen or high versus low loads (0.82 versus 0.39). While he effec size differenial wasn’ as grea as ha seen or srengh, i neverheless disincly avored he use o h eavier weighs. Combined wih he ac ha increasing srengh would allow or greaer
musculardevelopment.com April 2015
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muscle plan mechanical ension during hyperrophy raining 15, i would appear ha a leas some heavy-load raining is needed i he goal is maximal hyperrophy.
ADVANTAGE OF HEAVIER LOADS In summary, resuls o he mea-analysis provide compelling evidence ha low-load raining can be an effecive means o increase muscle size and srengh— and he popular belie ha lifing ligh weighs can’ build muscle clearly is misguided. ha said, here does appear o be an advanage o using heavier loads or maximizing muscular adapaions. I is ineresing o speculae ha combining high and low loads migh be he ideal approach rom a hyperrophy sandpoin. Recen work rom my lab shows significanly greaer mean and peak muscle acivaion when perorming he leg press a 75 percen o 1RM compared Low-load raining o 30 percen o 1RM.16 One cavea: he ligh-load se lased can be an effecive hree o our imes longer han means o increase he heavy-load se, indicaing ha fibers acivaed during muscle size and ligh-load raining received considerably greaer ime under srengh— and he load. Given he ac ha tpe popular belief ha I fibers have a higher aigue ing ligh weighs hreshold, he greaer ime under load provided by lowcan’ build muscle load raining would conceivably clearly is misguided. simulae hese fibers o a greaer degree han he use o heavy weighs. Hence, i can be hypohesized ha perormance o heavier load ses will bes arge he tpe II fibers, while incorporaing ligher-load raining will provide an opimal hyperrophic simulus o he endurance-oriened tpe I fibers. A primary limiaion o he curren lieraure is ha he relevan sudies have been carried ou exclusively in unrained individuals— and as I’m sure you know, newbies don’ respond o inense raining in he same manner as hardcore lifers. he good news is h a I’m in he process o compleing a sudy on he opic wih subjecs who are highly experienced in resisance raining. I’ll look orward o sharing he resuls and pracical implicaions o his sudy wih he readers o MD in he near uure. Say uned! ■ Brad Schoeneld, Ph.D., CSCS, FNSCA, is widely regarded as one o he leading auhoriies on raining or muscle developmen and a loss. He has published over 60 peer-reviewed sudies on various exercise- and nuriion-relaed opics. He is also he auhor o he bes-selling book, he M.A.X. Muscle Plan and runs a popular websie and blog a www.lookgreanaked.com. Reerences: 1. American College o Spors Medicine, posiion sand. Progression models in resisance raining or healhy aduls. Med Sci Spors Exerc 2009;Mar;41(3):687-708. 2. Kraemer WJ, Raamess NA. Fundamenals o resisance raining: Progression and exercise prescripion. Med Sci Spors Exerc 2004;Apr;36(4):674-88. 3. Carpinelli RN. he size principle and a criical analysis o he unsubsaniaed heavier-is-beer recommendaion or resisance raining. J Exerc Sci Fi 2008;6:67-86. 4. Burd NA, Michell CJ, e al. Bigger weighs may no bege bigger muscles: Evidence rom acue muscle proein synheic responses afer resisance exercise. Appl Physiol Nur Meab 2012;Jun;37(3):551-4.
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5. Spiering BA, Kraemer WJ, e al. Resisance exercise biology: Manipulaion o resisance exercise programme variables deermines he responses o cellular and molecular signalling pahways. Spors Med. 2008;38(7):527-40. 6. Campos GER, Luecke J, e al. Muscular adapaions in response o hree differen resisanceraining regimens: Specificit o repeiion maximum raining zones. Eur J Appl Physiol 2002;11;88(1-2):5060. 7. Schuenke MD, Herman JR, e al. Early-phase muscular adapaions in response o slow-speed versus radiional resisance-raining regimens. Eur J Appl Physiol 2012;Oc;112(10):3585-95. 8. Holm L, Reielseder S, e al. Changes in muscle size and MHC composiion in response o resisance exercise wih heavy and ligh loading inensit. J Appl Physiol 2008;Nov;105(5):1454-61. 9. Michell CJ, Churchward-Venne A, e al. Resisance exercise load does no deermine raining-mediaed hyperrophic gains in young men. J Appl Physiol 2012;Apr 19. 10. Ogasawara R, Loenneke JP, e al. Low-load bench press raining o aigue resuls in muscle hy-
perrophy similar o high-load bench press raining. In J Clin Med 2013;4:114-21. 11. Popov DV, svirkun DV, e al. Hormonal adapaion deermines he increase in muscle mass and srengh during low-inensit srengh raining wihou relaxaion. Fiziol Cheloveka 2006;Sep-Oc;32(5):121-7. 12. animoo M, Sanada K, e al. Effecs o wholebody low-inensit resisance raining wih slow movemen and onic orce generaion on muscular size and srengh in young men. J Srengh Cond Res 2008;Nov;22(6):1926-38. 13. animoo M and Ishii N. Eff resisance exercise wih slow movemen and onic orce generaion on muscular uncion in young men. J Appl Physiol 2006;Apr;100(4):1150-7. 14. Schoeneld BJ, Wilson JM, e al. Muscular adapaions in low- versus high-load resisance raining: A mea-analysis. Eur J Spor Sci 2014;Dec 20:1-10. 15. Schoeneld BJ. he mechanisms o muscle hyperrophy and heir applicaion o resisance raining. J Srengh Cond Res 2010;Oc;24(10):2857-72. 16. Schoeneld BJ, Conreras B, e al. Muscle acivaion during low- versus high-load resisance raining in well-rained men. Eur J Appl Physiol 2014;114(12):2491-7.
musculardevelopment.com April 2015
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DENNIS WOLF RE V E A L WHY HE IS LYING LOW AND FOLLOWING 12-MONTH PL AN OF A TT ACK ON THE 2015 MR. OLY MPI CONTEST April 2015 musculardevelopment.com
Dennis Wolf is a different kind of bodybuilder, with a different kind of intensity. Oh, he’s as intense as the next man. And for him, the term “next man” usually means Shawn Rhoden, Kai Greene or Phil Heath, who are all intense in their own way. But Wolf’s intensity is measured. Four-time Mr. Olympia Jay Cutler calls the giant German the most dedicated bodybuilder he knows. How controlled Wolf’s intensity is was proved by what happened last September 20 in the Orleans Arena, in Las Vegas, at the conclusion of the 2014 Mr. Olympia contest. As Phil Heath was announced the four-time Mr. Olympia champ, Dennis was (as were all top-six finishers) still onstage standing in line. Moments earlier he had been awarded fourth place and was bitterly disappointed, as he felt he should have been maybe third or even fighting for second. But in tandem with Heath being
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“I MENT A LLY PREPA RE, DECIDING EX ACTLY WH A T I AM GOING TO DO: WH A T EXERCISES WILL I USE, HOW HE AV Y I WILL LIFT, HOW MAN Y REPS I WILL DO. IT DOESN’T A LW A Y S FOLLOW THRO UGH TO COMPLETION — LIKE WITH LEGS, I SOMETIMES THROW UP BEFORE M Y QUOT A I AND TH A T ME ANS THE END OF THE WORKOUT.” proclaimed the winner of the 50 th Olympia, confetti in ticker tape-style came cascading down from the ceiling, accompanied by celebratory music. Wolf’s bitter reflection tur ned to sweet harmony as he chose to augment that moment by waving his arms in the air and swaying from side to side in disco dancing style. It was a unique moment and thanks to the Internet, the video of that moment went viral and became one of the main talking points of the evening finals. That he didn’t stand onstage brooding about his placing shows the character of this man. He had given 100 percent and more in the quest to become the best bodybuilder in the world, but such labors don’t consume him in a negative way. He was able to shrug off his disappointment and instead celebrate the end of a great contest. That Dennis Wolf has known harsher fates than finishing fourth in an Olympia contest is verified by learning of his younger days. Back in his youth as a 12-year-old in the early ‘90s in the small village of Topki, Siberia, he would, with his parents, stand outside a food shop in freezing temperatures. He would be part of a long queue that formed for the once-a week delivery of essential food items, like bread and milk. This state of affairs was caused by the collapse of the Soviet Union’s economy. He would wait for hours shuffling forward as each preceding customer was served. Often they would get nearly to the front when the storeowner would signal that there was nothing left. The line would break up and his family would face another hungry night. Hungry like a wolf, indeed. Of his dancing escapade he says, “Sure, at that point I was disappointed but it wasn’t the end of my life. Sure, everybody wants to win but the decision had been made so that’s it. For me,
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that moment was like, Wow, here comes the confetti. The biggest show in bodybuilding is over, so let’s celebrate. (Dennis, the “Dancing With The Stars” crew will be in touch.) After winning the 2014 Arnold Classic, Dennis entered last September’s Olympia with high hopes of improving his thirdplace finish of 2013— so fourth was going in the opposite direction. Of that placing he reflects, “Yes I was disappointed, but more with myself than anybody else, because if I’m not happy with my placing, I have to be better next time. It’s as simple as that: I could have been better. The problem again was one of achieving
maximum fullness and holding it. I was flatter at Friday’s prejudging than I was at the Saturday finals. I dropped behind at the prejudging and couldn’t make up the leeway. Fullness is a matter of how much you eat, and on Friday I thought my intake would make me retain the fullness, but it didn’t. I still think I should have finished one place higher and quite honestly, I think I could have beaten Kai.”
DENNIS THE PEACEMAKER The flashpoint moment of the 2014 Olympia was the confrontation at the prejudging between Kai Greene and Phil Heath. The tension between Heath and Greene had been on full view at the press conference 48 hours before the prejudging. At the prejudging while jockeying for position, the two were bumping elbows and all the other handbags at dawn [a catty variation of “pistols at dawn”] stuff that goes down in comparisons, when Kai suddenly turned
“I STILL THINK I SHOULD H AV E FINISHED ONE PL ACE HIGHER AND QUITE HONESTLY, I THINK I COULD H AV E BE A TEN K A I.”
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and went face-to-face with Phil, and challenged him to a more physical confrontation. Phil came back with his own rejoinder while Dennis, standing next to Kai, had the best seat in the house. He just put his hands on his hips and smiled, before head judge Steve Weinberger quickly told Dennis to stand between the two would-be combatants. The Blond Bomber quickly did so, acting almost as a referee. Asked about the incident, our subject muses, “There is genuine animosity between them. For two years, Kai has been signing himself as Mr. Olympia on official posters. That not only pissed Phil off, it pissed off a lot of fans. They didn’t hit each other, but I smiled because I thought, these two guys are getting distracted, which is good for me because I’m not distracted— I’m concentrating fully on the contest.” Although the focus for 2014 had been to move up the Olympia pecking order, Dennis’ year was not yet over. He went on to compete at the Arnold Europe (placing first) Prague Pro (first) and San Marino Pro (second). Of the year, he says, “2014 was my best year in bodybuilding: three firsts, including the Arnold in Columbus and Spain. I fulfilled a long-held dream by winning the Arnold in Columbus, which had always been my number-one ambition.”
“I’M TOT A LLY FOCUSED O WORKING M Y ASS OFF.”
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THE WOLF IN WINTER By the San Marino show of October 5th, he knew we would not be competing in the early-season shows in 2015. His body was sending him a message, as he explains: “After the San Marino show I was so burnt out, I decided my body— my whole physiological system— needed a rest. For three months I worked out only lightly two or three times a week, just to pump blood through my muscles. I ate a lot less calories—three meals a day— and cleaned my system up. My bodyweight went down to 265 pounds, when I’m normally 300 pounds a few weeks after a contest. In early January, I got back to fullblown workouts and eating. As of now [late January], I’m 287 pounds and expect to get up to 300 in a few weeks. The bottom line is that last October, I listened to my body and it told me I need a break.” So he was never tempted to defend his Arnold title on March 7th, for which he would have been the favorite to pick up the $130,000 check, which is a lot of money? He laughs in response, “Yeah it’s a lot of money, but if I did everything solely for money, I probably wouldn’t be alive right now.” I remind him he’s been a pro for 10 years now— does he look at his competitive career any differently now than he did a decade ago? “Yeah, I’m 36 now and I’ve been a pro for 10 years nearly, and I can’t do at this age the kind of things I could do when I was 26. At that age, you don’t really feel pain or burnout but as you get old, those things happen. On the flip side, you get smarter and get to know what your body can and can’t do. We all pick up injuries from time to time, but if you listen to your body they will only be small injuries— they won’t develop into big injuries. Like I have a problem with my elbows at this point. I know if I tried dips, it would feel like the bone might pop out of my elbows— so I don’t do dips.” I asked him if has he any thoughts on when his career might end. “I see myself being around for another three or five years. If I reach a level where I cannot make top five at the Olympia, then I probably wouldn’t see any point to continue.”
RHODEN: BODYBUILDING’S GRE A TEST RI VA LRY WOLF
Over he years, bodybuilding has hrived on heaed rivalries. We’re alking Arnold vs. Sergio; Haney vs. Gaspari; Yaes vs. Ray; Tus vs. Kamali; Culer vs. Coleman. Presenly, he Heah vs. Greene rivalry has racheed such mach-ups o a new more conenious level. In reviewing hose aoremenioned pairings, he word “rivalry” wasn’ enirely appropriae. Haney never los o Gaspari, or insance. I reminds me o he 2005 Wimbledon Men’s ennis finals when Andy Roddick, finishing as runner-up or he second year in succession o Roger Federer, was asked abou heir “rivalry.” he hones Roddick replied ha he had o win one agains Roger beore heir duels could be called a rivalry. he premise here is ha he real rivalry in modern bodybuilding is he one beween Dennis Wol and Shawn Rhoden. Since he 2012 Olympia (when Shawn finished in a breakhrough hird while Dennis was sixh), he duo
WOLF ATTACK: 2015 Asked what his main goals will be in the gym this year, he replies, “The short answer is I’m totally focused on working my ass off. I will train as heavy as possible and make my shoulders and chest more rounded, and my back thicker. For most of the year, I train four days a week but for my 12-week Olympia contest-prep period, which starts in late June, I will increase it to six days a week. Each body part is trained
2012 L A N R E B R E P Y B S T O H S E G A T S
2013 2014
Mr. Olympia Arnold Europe Prague Pro Mr. Olympia Arnold Europe Arnold Classic Mr. Olympia Arnold Europe Prague Pro San Marino Pro
WOLF Sixh Second Firs hird hird Firs Fourh Firs Firs Second
has compeed agains each oher 10 imes, wih Wol coming ou on op on six occasions, and Rhoden ha surrounds he Heah vs. Greene showdowns, he dynamics beween Wol and Rhoden are a he opposie end o he scale. hey socialize a coness, speak requenly, and neiher biches abou being beaen by he oher. Remarkably, Wol and Rhoden have known each oher or 12 years. Dennis, as an unknown amaeur, was asked o do a gues-spo appearance a a Philadelphia show in 2003. Gues posing was an equally unknown Shawn Rhoden. hey sruck up a conversaion. O ha meeing, Dennis says, “welve years ago, I don’ hink eiher o us would have imagined ha one day we’d be going o and rom on he Olympia sage. He’s a grea guy and we’re very cool ogeher. He is a grea ahlee and deserves all he success he’s been having. I respec him immensely.”
RHODEN hird Firs Second Fourh Fourh Second hird Second hird Firs
he duo has clashed 10 imes in he pas hree seasons, wih Wol coming ou ahead six imes and Rhoden our. hey nex ime hey mee will be he 2015 Mr. Olympia, on Sepember 18h and 19h in Las Vegas, seconds ou.
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once a week. I’ve experimented with trying to work some body parts twice a week, but the thing is, with every body part I am so sore for two to three days that it’s not possible. If I trained chest on Monday and then tried to do it again on Thursday, it would woul d kill me. me.” ” He uses the word “focus” regularly and I asked him to expand on what it means to him. “Even though it’s called the off-season, I am totally focused 100 percent on making gains for the Olympia. I force myself to eat six times a day. If I eat, I lift heavier and get stronger. Eating enough is not easy for me, but I do it. The rest of my bodybuilding lifestyle I love— the training, the reduced diet and the contests themselves. Eating a lot is the only part I don’t enjoy. My focus on the Olympia is applied to every workout, and it starts before I go to the gym. At home I mentally mentally prepar prepare, e, deciding exactl exactly y what I am going going to do: what exercises will I use, how how heavy I will lift, how many
reps I will do. It doesn’t always follow through to completion— like with legs, I sometimes throw up before my quota is up and that means the end of the workout. The Olympia is more important to me now because I know I can do better than my best of third in 2013, when I also took a year to t o prepare.” prepare.” In a rare outburst of braggadocio he states in conclusion, “I want all Muscular Development readers of the magazine and online to know that I appreciate and am humbled by their support. Winning the Arnold Classic had always been my bodybuilding dream. When I won it in 2014, my main ambition a mbition had been accomplished. Before that win, I never dreamed of winning the Olympia, Olympia, now … it’s it’s a little little different. different. If I’m good enough to win the Arnold, maybe I can go a bit higher? I won’t disappoint you guys at the next Olympia. I will do everything in my power to be at my absolute best. I will be better than ever, I promise you that.”
A TYPICAL WOLF BACK WORKOUT Exercise Close-curl Grip La Pulldowns Barbell Rows or -bar rows One-arm Machine Rows Machine Chins Close-grip Cable Pulley Rows Deadlifs or Hyperexensions Hyperexen sions
Ses 4 3-4 3-4 3 3 3 3 3
Reps 10-12 10-12 10-12 10-12 10-12 10-12 10 o ailure
WOLF’S SUGGESTED BACK ROUTINE FOR INTERMEDIATES Exercise Close-curl Grip La Pulldowns Barbell Rows Close-grip Cable Rows Deadlifs
Ses 4 4 4 4
Reps 10 8-10 8-10 8-10
Warm up wih a ligh se o 20 reps o la pulldowns. Go o ailure on each se.
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“I WON’T DISAPPOINT YOU GU Y A T THE NEXT OLY MP MPI A . I WILL DO E V ERYTHI ERYTHING I M Y POWER TO BE A T M Y A BSOLUTE BEST. I WILL BE BETTER TH AN E V ER, ER, I PROMISE YOU TH A T.”
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WEEKS TO
YOUR ‘CAN’T FAIL’ GUIDE TO BIGGER BI’S & TRI’S DO I EVEN NEED TO ASK? It’s safe to say that arms are the most popular muscle group of all. I don’t need to come up with any convincing arguments as to why you should want to have bigger biceps and triceps— if you’re a bodybuilder, it’s a given that you do! Ask anybody, from a 5-year-old boy to a middle-aged housewife, to “make a muscle” and they never ask, “which one?” or throw up a side chest or a quad shot. On command, a biceps is flexed. Big 102
“big muscles.” To those of us who have dedicated our lives to bodybuilding, arms have an even more special significance. They were probably the first muscles we ever dreamed of building to superhuman size, as we gazed in wide wonder at magazine photos of Arnold, Robby Robinson, Larry Scott, Albert Beckles, Boyer Coe, Ronnie Coleman, Lee Priest and the rest of the arm gods who walked among men. The current crop of newbies has arm kings like Phil Heath, Roelly Winklaar musculardevelopment.com April 2015
BY RON HARRIS PHOTOGRAPHY BY GREGORY JAMES
ham hocks. Few of us are current arm developmen is just what you need.
WHAT CAN BE DONE I experie been new be o r p
p
re talking about the ar needs to gain mass and you will probably need to weigh somewhere around 190-200 pounds. This does not mean that isolated arm growth is impossible. By following a specialization routine such as the six-week blast you are about to embark on, you can indeed expect to accelerate the growth of your biceps and triceps. How much you will gain is impossible to accurately predict, but I can assure you that your arms will improve if you follow the program, more so than if you merely continued to do what you have been doing for them lately. And considering that I am willing to bet that most of you haven’t seen an increase in your arm size in a very long time, you will be pretty damned happy when that happens.
TO THE BICEPS AND TRICEPS As with any muscle group, your individual genetic makeup will strongly influence the potential for development of your biceps and triceps. I know it doesn’t seem fair, and it isn’t, but the fact is that some people will train all their lives and never get arms as big as others who have never even touched a weight. Vince Taylor had 17-inch arms before he started training, and men like Phil Heath and Paul Dillett had 20-inch arms within just a year of lifting. Those are extreme examples of the genetically gifted, and it’s a very small group. But you should also know that it’s also a pretty small percentage of men that is destined to never have big arms. Most of us fall in between, a huge group you could call the genetically average.You will know where you fit into that sliding scale after about a year of hard and consistent training, by observing whether your arms have blown up like crazy, look almost exactly the same as before, or have grown an inch or two. There are two distinct genetic factors to be aware of that you can check right now. One is the length of your biceps. Hold your arm up at a right angle, with the upper arm bone parallel to the ground and the forearm straight up and down.
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We all aspire to own thick, peaked biceps that bulge forth from tight shirtsleeves and radiate manly power, and sweeping horseshoe triceps like those belonging to Heath, Roelly or Kevin Levrone that hang like ham hocks. Flex the biceps and see how much of a gap there is from the crook of your elbow to where the biceps inserts, or ends. The less of a gap, the longer your biceps muscle, and the greater its potential for mass. Those with a large gap have shorter biceps muscles. However, that sets you up in a positive way for the second factor— muscle shape. Some bodybuild ers have “full” biceps, like Sergio Oliva and Kevin Levrone, while others have “peaked” biceps, such as Arnold, Robby Robinson, Albert Beckles, Darrem Charles, Kai Greene and Ronnie Coleman. Usually those with longer biceps muscles have less of a peak, and the best peaks are typically found on men with shorter biceps. It’s a bit trickier to accurately assess the length of your triceps, since that muscle has three heads. You can still get a pretty good idea by observing your triceps with your arm fully straightened down at your side with the triceps flexed. The less of a gap you observe from the insertions of the heads and the elbow joint, the more muscle cells you have to work with.
THOSE OF THE PROS s that e capable hat the ge, even in lean are usly, a not be 0-inch ithout ted oils nthol, it thing caution ng as arms are rms on y to erformed varies both the ed arm it is today, ut whether ilder’s, rm and I assure you, from speaking to hunamong that unusual group.
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Articles that claim you can add an inch of permanent muscle to your arm measurement in one day are full of it. THE ARM SPECIALIZATION SPLIT The key to seeing rapid results in any given body part is specialization. As the term implies, for a limited time period, in this case six weeks, you will devote disproportionately more time and energy toward training your arms. Giving them greater attention via increased training volume and frequency is the catalyst that will stimulate better gains than you have seen in a very long t ime. However, it is critica l that your overall training volume remains unchanged, otherwise the ability of your arms to recover and grow from this program will be thwarted, and your chances of seeing new gains is vastly diminished. To accomplish this, you will need to cut back somewhat on your workouts for all other body parts in order to give your arms the resources t hey need. You will be training legs once a week, and the entire torso— chest, back and delts— the next day. Arms will be given their own dedicated training days twice a week, following full rest days to allow for maximum energy and focus in their workouts. Also, a leg day follows one arm workout and two rest days follows the other, so that their recovery isn’t hampered by being worked indirectly in another workout for a torso muscle group. If you haven’t figured it out yet, you absolutely must reduce your normal training volume for chest, back and delts in this six weeks, or else that workout will take you two or three hours. You need not worry that they will shrink, because compound movements that involve both the back and the chest are featured in your arm workouts. The net result of this split is to provide an opportunity for you to devote more time and energy to your arm workouts, along with ensur ing they have ample t ime to recover and grow from this intense six-week attack. Got all that? OK, this is the split to follow for the next six weeks. And as you’ll see, I was nice enough to give you weekends off!
SUNDAY: MONDAY: UESDAY: WEDNESDAY: HURSDAY: FRIDAY: SAURDAY
OFF ARM WORKOU A LEGS CHES, BACK AND DELS OFF ARM WORKOU B OFF
THE WORKOUTS
As the above split shows, you will be performing two different workouts for arms each week. In most cases, biceps will come first in the first workout, and triceps will be done first in the second workout each week. The rep ranges are designed so that you hit failure within their parameters, so add or subtract weight until you are failing in the recommended range. A wide variety of intensity techniques is being used as well as a decent amount of overall volume, so do not add any further exercises or sets to what is listed.
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WORKOUT A – WEEKS 1 AND 2
BICEPS Alternate Dumbbell Curls
2 drop ses o 10, 8, 6, 6 reps (no res beween drops) 3 ses o 21s 3 x 10-12 3 ses o 12-15 reps each arm
Standing Barbell Curls Barbell Reverse Curls Single-arm Cable Curls TRICEPS
Warm-up: Machine Dips
Weighted Dips Lying EZ-bar Extensions on Decline Bench Overhead Rope Cable Extensions One-arm Reverse-grip Cable Pushdowns
3 x 20 4 x 8-10 4 x 10-12 4 x 10-12 4 x 10-12
WORKOUT B – WEEKS 1 AND 2
TRICEPS
Lying EZ-bar Extensions
hree drop ses wih hree reducions in weigh, aiming or 10 reps wih each weigh used, or 30 oal reps. 4 x 8-10
superse wih
Close-grip Press (same bar)
4 x 12-15 *Perorm he wo exercises back-o-back our imes, resing 90-120 seconds beween ses.
BICEPS Sar wih weigh you can ge or 10-12 reps, alernaing arms wihou resing. Keep swiching back and orh beween arms, cuting weigh as necessary, unil you can no longer do any reps wih hal he weigh you sared wih.
Standing Cable Curls
3 x 8-10. er ailing on each se, do as many parial reps in he op quarer range as possible.
Cable Concentration Curls*
3 x 8-10. Use oher hand o ge wo orced reps afer ailure on each se. *Squa down a a low cable saion, and brace he working arm on he inner high o ha leg. WORKOUT A – WEEKS 3 AND 4
BICEPS Spider Barbell Curls
3 x 8-10
superse wih
Standing EZ-bar Curls
Chin-ups
3 x 6-8 hree drop ses - five reps, drop weigh o ge eigh reps, drop a hird ime o ge 10 reps. wo ses o ailure. Afer each se, jump up and ge wo slow negaives wih 10- o 20-second negaives or each rep. Use a narrow, underhand grip.
TRICEPS ri-se (hree exercises, no res in beween). Four ses means he hree exercises are done our imes, resing only 90-120 seconds beween each round.
Reverse-grip Cable Pushdowns Reverse-grip Overhand (standard) Pushdowns Close-grip Press on Smith Machine
4 x 6-8 4 x 6-18 4 x 6-8
WORKOUT B – WEEKS 3 AND 4
BICEPS/TRICEPS SUPERSETS Cable Curls
3 x 20
superse wih
Cable Pushdowns Hammer Dumbbell Curls
3 x 20 3 x 15
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Overhead EZ-bar Extensions Close-grip Chin-ups
3 x 15 3 x 10-12
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Close-grip Push-ups
3 x 10-15 MD 107
WORKOUT A – WEEKS 5 AND 6
BICEPS Incline Dumbbell Curls
One-arm Machine Curls
Hammer Rope Cable Curls
3 x 8-10. Sar wih boh arms a once, alernae when you ail, and hen sand up and finish wih a ew more reps, alernaing. 3 x 8-10. Use your ree hand o ge wo or hree orced reps er each se, and hen hold he weigh in he conraced posiion or 10-20 seconds. When you can no longer hold i, use your ree hand o help curl he weigh up and ge wo slow negaives, 10-20 seconds each i possible. 3 x 8-10 (hold ropes ogeher)
TRICEPS Standing V-bar Cable Pushdowns 4 x 10-12 superse wih*
Weighted Dips Rope Kickbacks
4 x 6-8 4 x 10 (each arm) *Perorm he wo exercises back-o-back our imes, resing 90-120 seconds beween superses.
WORKOUT B – WEEKS 5 AND 6
TRICEPS Rope Pushdowns
3 x 15-20
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Overhead Cable Extensions 3 x 12-15 4 x 8-12 Machine Dips One-arm Reverse-grip Pushdowns 3 x 10-12 each arm BICEPS Preacher Curls Seated Barbell Curls*
3 x 12-15 3 x 12-15
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Standing Barbell Curls Dumbbell Concentration Curls
3 x 8-10 3 x 10-12 each arm *Use he same bar. Do reps seaed o ailure, which are essenially parial reps only in he op hal o he range o moion. Upon ailure, sand up and coninue curling o ailure.
MIND-MUSCLE CONNE CONNECTION CTION It’s absolutely critical that you get quality contractions and stretches on your reps and not simply move the weight from point A to point B. Think “squeeze” as you lift the weight on the positive, and “stretch” as you lower the negative stroke. If you can’t do this, you are probably using more weight than you can handle properly. Do not hesitate to lower the weight until you can really feel the muscle working hard, down to the very last fibers. Gyms all over over the world are full of guys who heave up impressive weights on their arm exercises, yet lack impressive arm development. Don’t be one of them. And if you are, it’s time to cut the weight, truly work the biceps and tr iceps at last, and make them grow. Nobody cares about how much weight you use in the gym! Your arms either look big or they don’t, and that’s the bottom line.
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Giving arms greate greater r attention attenti on via increased increased training volume and frequency is the catal cat alyst yst that that will stimulate stimula te better gains than you have seen in a very long time. PRE- AND POST-WORKOUT NUTRITION
YOUR ARMS WILL BE BIGGER IN SIX WEEKS!
As you should already know, even the best workouts will fail to yield results in the absence of ad equate nutritional support. It’s It’s important to take in nutrients at regular intervals from the time you wake until bedtime, bedtime, but the phases preceding and following following your workouts work outs are especially especially crucial. Your pre-workout pre-workout meal should include a lean protein and a complex carbohydrate along with plenty of water to provide sustained release release of amino acids and glucose to fuel muscular contractions and a great pump. p ump.You may choose to sip branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) and a fast carb while training. training. Immediately following following the workout, workout, a shake should be consumed that pro provides vides 30-50 grams of whey protein along with 50-100 grams of fast carbs. Many also add BCAAs, BCAAs, creatine creatine and L-glutamine to this shake. Thirty to 60 minutes later, another meal should be consumed, with the same nutrient profile as the pre-workout meal. Meals should never be missed in general, but these nutrients are even more valuable valuable and will contr ibute to the success of your arm-building efforts.
Follow this diligently for six weeks, get enough sleep and plenty of quality protein, complex carbs and essential fats, and watch your biceps and tr iceps grow thicker, fuller and rounder. Be sure to take “before-andafter” measurements measurements as well as photos to document your progress. progress. If you decide to d o this specialization routine again, I strongly suggest you wait at least three months. It’s a lot of work for the arms, which are a smaller muscle group that happen to be involved indirectly indirectly in your chest, back and shoulder training every week too. Shocking them with a targeted blitz such as this every once in a while can help spur results, while doing it all the time would simply overtrain them into the g round. A thread will be started on MD’ MD’ss No Bull Forum to get your feedback and allow you to share your before-and-after measurements and photos, so make sure to take those so you can show off your new, bigger guns!
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THE NEXT GENERATION A decade ago, we saw the meteoric rise of a bodybuilder from Puerto Rico named Gustavo Badell, nicknamed “The Freakin’ Rican.” After languishing near the bottom of score sheets in his first six seasons as a pro, he had a breakout season in 2004 where he catapulted all the way to top three at the Mr. Olympia. Gustavo finished in the top three the following year at both the Arnold and the Olympia, and went on to win three pro shows as well as being an MD athlete for several years. It’s safe to say that Badell was the best pro bodybuilder to ever come out of that island of 3.5 million people, a United States territory, with another 6 million Puerto Ricans living on the United States mainland. The problem is, Gustavo wasn’t really Puerto Rican. He was born in Venezuela, and moved to Puerto Rico at the age of 5. Also, Puerto Ricans are U.S. citizens, and thus eligible to compete and earn professional status at NPC pro qualifiers such as the USA and Nationals. Yet Gustavo turned pro via a win at the IFBB Caribbean and Central American Championships. There have been several born-and-bred Puerto Rican men who have turned pro at those shows in recent years, notably 212 competitors Luis Santa and Luis Santiago, and Milton Martinez; yet none have ever won the overall at one of our pro qualifiers— until now. At the 2014 NPC Nationals in Miami, 33-year-old Alexis Rivera Rolon swept the super heavyweight and overall titles with a stunning 5’9”, 238-pound package that featured some of the best biceps and quads in the entire show, as well as the type of crystal-clear condition that’s typically lacking in the bigger men these days. Perhaps the most surprising aspect of his feat was that not only was he competing as a super for the very first time, but his two previous attempts at the Nationals had both seen him land in 11th place. To say Alexis wasn’t one of the favorites going into the event would be an understatement. Bearing that in mind, this new star.
CONTEST HISTORY 2010 Mr. Puero Rico 2010 Unique Finess Classic 2011 Copa Alcalde 2011 Unique Finess Classic 2011 Mr. Puero Rico 2011 NPC Souheasern USA 2011 NPC Naionals 2012 NPC Naionals 2013 NPC Garden Sae 2014 NPC Naionals
Novice Winner Fourh, Heavyweighs Heavyweigh & Overall Champion Heavyweigh & Overall Champion Heavyweigh & Overall Champion Novice Overall, Heavyweigh & Overall 11h, Heavyweighs 11h, Heavyweighs Heavyweigh & Overall Champion Super Heavyweigh & Overall Champion
O OOG S IN BAYAMÓN
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Rolon grew up in Rico’s second-larges family of four brothe e was goo enoug the Little League World Series, with his
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ALEXIS RIVERA ROLON SWEPT THE SUPER HEAVYWEIGHT AND OVERALL TITLES WITH A STUNNING 5’9”, 238-POUND PACKAGE THAT FEATURED SOME OF THE BEST BICEPS AND QUADS IN THE ENTIRE SHOW, AS WELL AS THE TYPE OF CRYSTAL-CLEAR CONDITION THAT’S TYPICALLY LACKING IN THE BIGGER MEN THESE DAYS. team placing third against youth teams from all over the USA. But living on the beach, he also spent many days riding the waves on his boogie board. Oddly enough, it was a shoulder injury from boogie boarding at the age of 20 that led him to pick up his first weight as part of the rehab process. Others in a local gym remarked about his gifted genetics, since he was already a lean 187 pounds. He was encouraged to consider training for a competition, but Alexis simply had no interest yet. That would change in a couple years. One of his older brothers started training, and experienced excellent results before quitting. At that point, Alexis had started checking out a few magazines and was beginning to admire the look of the bodybuilding physique more and more. “The one guy who inspired me the most was Flex Wheeler,” he says. “To me, he just looked perfect, better than I imagined a real person ever could. And I also looked up to Gustavo Badell, because he had done so well and made so many of us here in Puerto Rico very proud.” So in 2005 at the age of 24, Rolon made up his mind to become a bodybuilder. Still, despite the praise heaped on him by his fellow gymmates, he didn’t feel he was quite ready to get onstage, and wouldn’t do so for another five years. Few have such patience, which is why we often see novice competitors sorely lacking in overall mass or completely missing a body part or two. Biding his time paid off for Alexis. His first contest was the Mr. Puerto Rico, where he entered and won the novice division at 208 pounds. The following year, he entered three contests in Puer to Rico, winning the heavyweight and overall titles at each, including the Mr. Puerto Rico. He capped off the year with his first two trips to the USA to compete in NPC events, winning yet another overall at the Southeastern USA in Florida before giving the NPC Nationals a
“WHEN I WON, GUSTAVO TEXTED ME THAT NOW I WAS THE NEW FREAKIN’ RICAN.” MD 113
ROLON WAS DECLARED THE BEST SUPER AS WELL AS THE OVERALL CHAMPION, JOINING A LIST OF DISTINGUISHED FORMER OVERALL NATIONAL CHAMPIONS THAT INCLUDES LEE HANEY, SHAWN RAY, KEVIN LEVRONE, VICTOR MARTINEZ, JOHNNIE JACKSON AND EVAN CENTOPANI. try. Just making the cut, or the top 15, at the biggest amateur event in a nation of 310 million people is an accomplishment, and Rolon did that. But 11 th place wasn’t what Rolon had trained for. He trained a full year for the 2012 Nationals, and was disappointed to get the same exact ranking. Something was missing, and Rolon was beginning to realize he wasn’t going to be able to reach the next level all on his own.
JOINING TEAM LONG Don Long was one of the best amateur bodybuilders of the early to mid 1990s, capping it off by winning the heavyweight and overall NPC Nationals title in 1995. Though he competed successfully for several years, his pro career was cut tragically short by kidney issues that nearly claimed his life. Since then, Don has earned a solid reputation as a coach, working with athletes in bodybuilding, Bikini and Figure. After Don left a complimentary comment on one of Rolon’s Instagram photos, Alexis decided to contact him and inquire about working together. After several exchanges, they officially teamed up at 20 weeks out from the 2014 NPC Nationals. Don immediately recognized his potential, and knew that TRAINING SPLIT with better condition and Day 1: Ches improvements to his delts and Day 2: Quads and calves back, Rolon would be damn Day 3: Biceps, riceps & abs hard to beat. Day 4: OFF With no time to spare, Long Day 5: Dels and raps had Alexis begin his unique Day 6: Hams and calves “touch-up training” methods to Day 7: Back his program for his shoulders Day 8: OFF, repea and back. “Instead of working a lagging body part twice a week, he has you do just three or four sets for it at the end of your other workouts. It worked very well for me,” he explains. But it was the improved condition that proved to be the real key ingredient to victory. Any of you who have watched pro qualifiers know that for every guy in superb condition, there are always at least a few with killer size and shape who could have possibly won the whole show if only they had been leaner. Not only was Alexis finally in that elite level with striated, dry glutes and hams for the first time, he was also up a full 13 pounds from the previous year. “We had originally planned on bringing him in as a heavy again,” Long said in an interview, “but he was looking so good a few weeks out at 245-250 that I knew he would be a super this time.” That he was, and it also meant he would be in the same class as heavy precontest favorite Michael Lockett. In the end, it didn’t matter— Rolon was declared the best super as well as the Overall Champion, joining a list of distinguished former overall National Champions that includes Lee Haney, Shawn Ray, Kevin Levrone, Victor Martinez, Johnnie Jackson and Evan Centopani.
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HIS FELLOW BORICUAS Not only did Alexis have Don Long in his corner, he also had the support of a large group of friends and family, 30 of whom made the trip to Miami to see him win. You could have easily assumed there were several times as many there for Alexis, based on the sheer volume of their chanting “Yo soy boricua, pa que tu lo sepas ,” which translates to, “I’m Puerto Rican, just so you know.” I was also surprised to learn that Rolon got help with his posing leading up to the contest from none other than the original Freakin’ Rican himself, Gustavo Badell, who is back living in Puerto Rico again after several years out in Las Vegas. The two have actually become friends. “When I won, Gustavo texted me that now I was the new Freakin’ Rican,” Alexis laughs. One person Alexis wanted to be sure to thank was his girlfr iend, Yaira Rios. “I can’t even begin to say how much she does for me and how much I appreciate having her in my lif e,” he told me. I also have to thank Yaira, who was in the room assisting with this interview while Alexis had his iPhone on speaker. With his English being even shakier t han my Spanish, she was a tremendous help.
PUERTO RICO PRO SHOW IN MAY? It seemed almost too convenient that the first IFBB pro show in Puerto Rico is set to be held on May 30 of this year in San Juan. It would have been the obvious choice for Alexis to make his pro debut, six months after earning professional status. But alas, as of now that event is set to feature divisions for 212, Men’s Physique and Bikini, with no Open Men’s pro bodybuilding. Expecting to compete well over 240 pounds next time, that leaves him out of the equation. Rolon didn’t seem too upset about this. “I think that is probably too soon for me anyway,” he explains. “I feel I need more mass to be a good pro, and I still need more work on my back and my shoulders especially. I don’t want to compete just to be there, I want to have a chance to win.” One thing Alexis plans to do is keep his shape and small waist, like his two favorites on the current pro scene, Shawn Rhoden and Lionel Beyeke. “To me, bodybuilding should be about being big but also having that nice shape and lines, the ideal that Flex Wheeler represented years ago,” he says. For now, Rolon is hard at work making those improvements while working as a personal trainer and prep coach for local athletes. He’s made history already by being the first Puerto Rican to win the overall at a pro qualifier on the United States mainland, where nearly 5 million of his fellow boricuas reside along with another 3.6 million on the island itself. Next, he hopes to follow in the footsteps of Gustavo Badell, and be a force to be reckoned with on the pro stage— the new Freakin’ Rican! Facebook: Alexis “Freakin-Rican” Rolon IFBB Pro IG: @ifbbfreaking_rican
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PERFORMANCE TECHNOLOGIES
BY RON HARRIS PHOTOGRAPHY BY GREGORY JAMES
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BUILDING BOULDER SHOULDERS
It’s a three-headed muscle, so why not get three of Team MD’s best together to talk shoulder bombing? Branch Warren, Victor Martinez and Evan Centopani are all known for their tremendous deltoid development. We captured them training, and hit them up with questions about how they built their boulders, what’s most effective and what pitfalls to avoid as you craft your own pair of monster delts. First off, I want to go back in time to when all three of you were starting out. The way you train now isn’t too relevant to the readers, because you all have pretty much all the size you could ever possibly want or need. So in your early days of training, what was your shoulder training like, and what kind of results did you see? EC: I would have to say that shoulder training came naturally to me. I seemed to have an instinct for it. From the start, I could tell if I was working the muscle correctly, and I would make subtle shifts with my form until I knew it was hitting it right. My training was a lot heavier than it is now, and I used to do almost all my pressing behind the neck. It just felt natural to me, and I was pretty strong. I could do 315 for a good set of 10 reps with a pause at my traps on each rep. I was doing that in college, around the age of 19 or 20. I did them seated, but I also did that exercise standing too, up to 275 behind the neck. Pressing behind the neck has a bad rap, but if you can do it with a full range of motion comfortably, I don’t think there’s a better exercise for overall shoulder mass. Pressing to the front
forces you to lean back a little and arch your spine, and that’s a very awkward position for your spine to be in with a heavy load bearing down on it. I got a lot out of behind-the-neck presses, but they just don’t feel right anymore. My guess is that I’ve lost some flexibility in my shoulder girdle as I’ve gotten bigger, because I don’t put a lot of time into stretching. If I do barbell presses at all anymore, it’s lighter and at the end of my workouts. But for the most part, I use dumbbells for pressing now. But yes, my shoulders grew very fast and were probably right there with my arms as far as my best body parts, early on. BW: My shoulders were my worst body part, for sure. My legs are genetically gifted, but I am very sure my delts are not at all. It just took years of hard work. For about six or seven years, I trained them twice a week. I had to stop that after a couple of months because they were starting to feel like mush. They weren’t recovering. My shoulders were weak both to look at, and in actuality. I remember struggling to try and get just a couple of reps with 95 pounds on the military
press as a teenager. Pretty sad. I had to get pretty creative to bring my shoulders up. For a long time, I would pick one shoulder exercise every day and do five or six sets of it. That was the case no matter what else I happened to be training that day. I would throw in laterals at the end of chest day, and rear delts and front raises after back. I also did my full shoulder workout once a week. Later, I did shoulders twice a week with a heavy and a lighter day for three years, and that also helped them grow. But I knew if I did that forever, they would have just gotten overtrained. The exercises I did in the early years are the same ones I do today: military presses, lateral raises, rear laterals and upright rows. You don’t need to get
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I SEE SOMEONE FLINGING UP 80 OR EVEN 100 FOR LATERALS, I THINK TO MYSELF, MYSELF, WHAT AN IDIOT. IDIOT. NOBODY, NOBODY, AND I MEAN NOBODY,, NEEDS THAT MUCH WEIGHT NOBODY WEIGHT ON LATERALS. CONTROL THE WEIGHT AND TRY TO GET A CONTRACTION AT THE TOP, OR YOU’RE JUST WASTING YOUR TIME.” —EVAN too fancy with shoulders. My form has changed a lot on certain things. I was training with these older guys who were all huge and strong, including Ronnie Coleman and Brian Dobson, and I was determined to use the same weights that they did. On presses I was OK, but on my lateral raises it was all momentum. My form sucked, and my lack of side delts showed it. It got to the point where I finally realized how stupid I was being. I cut the weights in half, used much stricter form with my arms pretty much locked straight the whole time, and all of a sudden I could feel my shoulders doing the work. They started responding soon after that. VM: When I first started training, all I remember doing was presses on the
Universal multi-station at the school gym. Remember those things? We also used to do these 100-rep sets of something we called called “elbo “elbow w pushbacks, pushbacks,” ” that were were sort of a mix between a rear lateral raise machine type of movement and an external rotation like you would do for the rotator cuff. Those were without weights, weight s, mor more e of an an isometric isometric moveme movement, nt, but you sure felt them. Not long after I started training, I joined Elmo’ Elmo’ss Gym and and had more more of a routine. I did a lot of dumbbell and barbell pressing, but I had no idea you were wer e supposed supposed to stop the motion motion when when your upper arm bones were parallel to the ground. I went down all the way until the bar or dumbbells touched my shoulder. It was really overstretching overstretching the
shoulder joints. Luckily I was young and flexible, so I didn’t get hurt. Then once I started looking at the magazines, I saw pictures of guys like Aaron Baker and Flex Wheeler doing shoulder should er presses, and they only went to parallel. I said, “Oh … OK” and fixed my form. Speaking of form, my lateral raises were wer e really really rough in the beginni beginning. ng. I pretty much just threw the weights up and would do that little “knee dip” d ip” move, move, too. The other exercise I did a lot was close-grip upright rows. The big guys who came came out of jail did them that that way, so we all figured that was the right way. Only later did I figure out you hit mostly traps that way way.. You need to go wider to to work mor more e of the the side delts. delts. My shoulders grew pretty well.
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MY LEGS ARE GENETICALLY GIFTED, BUT I AM VERY SURE MY DELTS DELTS ARE NOT AT ALL. IT JUST TOOK YEARS OF HARD WORK.” —BRANCH
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They took a while to get stronger. I remember being proud when I could finally press a pair of 60s as a teenager. The dumbbells Elmo’ E lmo’ss had were loose and rattled around like crazy. I can still remember the way they sounded when you pressed them, like jangling keys. RH: Branch, I know you have done military presses with 405 before. Evan, what would you say is your most impressive feat of strength for shoulders so far? EC: I’ve done 315 for 14 reps on the military press before. I think I’ve gotten 365 for eight, but I’ve never tried to go any heavier than that. I never saw the point, and it didn’t seem like a smart idea. RH: Branch, what about dumbbells— how heavy have you gone? BW:: I’ve pressed the 150s for a lot of BW reps. I can do front raises with 120s, too. RH: Victor, what are some big weights you have used on shoulder day over the years? VM: I used to do 315 on the military press and the behind-the-neck press too. The heaviest I’ve I ’ve pressed with dumbbells is a pair of 130s. That’s an exercise I don’t think it even makes sense to try and go super heavy h eavy on. You reach a point with the big dumbbells where wher e they’r they’re e so awkwar awkward, d, that just just getting them up into position to press
is a workout in itself . You could have training partners hand them to you, but then you’re making them get a workout just handing handing you you weights. weights. RH: What are the most common co mmon mistakes you see guys in the gym making with their shoulder training? EC: I see people using too much momentum, especially on lateral raises. They’re They’re trying to make a power p ower movement out of an exercise that was never meant for that. You should try to challenge yourself, but when I see someone flinging up 80s or even 100s for laterals, I think to myself, what an idiot. Nobody, and I mean nobody, needs that much weight on laterals. Control the weight and try to get a contraction at the top, or you’re you’re just wasting you yourr time. time. I remember seeing photos of Francis Benfatto doing laterals years ago, and his form was perfect. I think it was a pair of 25s. He started with the dumbbells in front of him and touching, for a better range of motion. Benfatto had some of the roundest delts you’ve ever seen. Most guys start with the dumbbells at their sides. That cuts the range of motion and lets them go heavier, but the medial heads of the delts don’t get as much stimulation stimu lation that way way.. BW: Everything Evan said, plus using too many machines and cables. I can see pressing on a machine or
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using cables as maybe a finishing move or to hit the rear delts, but barbells and dumbbells are what will build huge shoulders for the most part. It’s tempting to use a lot of machines if a gym has a bunch of them, but you need to be careful you don’t start using all machines. VM: First off, you don’t think about it until you’re a little older usually usua lly,, but you need to take plenty of time to warm up and also to do your rotator cuff exercises. Skipping those is a mistake you might not feel the impact of for years, but you will deeply deeply regre regrett it later later on. Peopl People e also use the worst form on lateral raises, just
heaving them up. You never see anybody who does does laterals laterals like like that that with nice, nice, capped side delts. Use less weight and do them right. Don’t lock out your elbows on overhead presses, or your elbows will be in agony eventually. And back to those upright rows— use at least a shoulder width grip if you you want want them to hit the delts. Close grip is all traps. RH: What would you say have been the most productive exercises for your shoulders? EC: Easy— the barbell military press, upright barbell rows, dumbbell lateral raises and dumbbell d umbbell rear laterals. Those
four exercises are really all you need if you work hard and use decent form. BW:: I would say barbell military BW press, dumbbell laterals and front raises. VM: Dumbbell presses and dumbbell lateral raises. Those are the two that give you the most roundness and width. RH: Do you train the front delts specifically,, or do you think yours get specifically enough work from pressing for the chest and shoulders? EC: I never train front delts. I don’t feel it’s necessary for me. BW: He doesn’t need to, but my delts were wer e a weak weak point point for so long long that I got in the habit of working all three heads. I honestly don’t know if I really needed to for a while, but now I have cut back a little on the weights I press with for chest and shoulders, so I definitely def initely do them t hem now. now. VM: I do at least one exercise for front delts, but I don’t do d o them on shoulder day. I do them after chest— that way way,, they’re they’re very warm warm already already and and pre-exhau pre-exhausted. sted. Do you think it makes any difference whether you do your shoulder presses with free weights or a machine? BW: It does make a difference. Free weights are much harder harder to use. That’ That’ss why you can’ can’tt really really compar compare e two or three plates a side on a Hammer machine or even a Smith machine with the same weight on a barbell. barbell.With the exer exercises cises
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until later in the workout when their side delts are “pre-fatigued.” Does that idea make sense to you? EC: Personally, I think that’s a sound strategy. I find that when I do laterals first, I feel the presses working the muscle fibers a lot more effectively than if I press first. Many times I do my presses last on shoulder day. It’s not so different from squatting last on leg day, which I’ve been doing for a while now. The weights can’t be as heavy, but in this case that’s not a bad thing— quite the opposite. Less weight is safer on your joints, and at that point where the muscle is fatigued already, it’s working the muscle as hard if not harder than a heavier weight would have. VM: That makes a lot of sense to me. When you do your presses fresh, a lot of the surrounding and assisting muscle groups work hard to move the weight. But if you do isolation movements for the side and rear heads of the shoulder first, you won’t have the triceps and front delts taking too much of the work away when you press. You can’t go as heavy when you press later on or last in the workout, but you will you choose, harder is almost always get a lot more out of the movement in better, more effective. the shoulders, where you want it. I CUT THE WEIGHTS VM: It makes a very big BW: I don’t think that way is wrong, IN HALF, USED difference! Machines restrict your but I don’t do that most of the time. MUCH STRICTER movement and lock you into a very Usually I do my presses first, just specific pattern. You can’t always because they take the most energy and FORM WITH MY find the right groove for your body concentration to execute properly. But ARMS PRETTY MUCH and structure with a machine, but there are times, like in the winter when LOCKED STRAIGHT with free weights you can make it’s cold in the gym [note: Metroflex subtle shifts and adjustments until does not have heat], that I will do one THE WHOLE TIME, it’s perfect for you. I don’t think you or two exercises first. If you have any AND ALL OF A can ever get the full mind-muscle shoulder problems and need them to SUDDEN I COULD connection with most machines. be really warm, you probably shouldn’t press first. Go ahead and do your EC: I just think free weights are FEEL MY SHOULDERS far more effective at stimulating laterals. DOING THE WORK. muscle growth during presses, RH: Have your rear delts always THEY STARTED due to the extra factor of having been equal to the other two heads, to stabilize the weight. You want to or was there ever a time you found RESPONDING SOON hear something weird? As a kid, you had to specialize on them? AFTER THAT.” I always did my barbell presses EC: Like most guys, my rear delts —BRANCH behind the head like I said, and were pretty weak compared to my it was because a book I had that front and side heads when I was showed the various exercises showed that version, not to the younger. But when I was in my early 20s, my training partner front. And it felt natural to me. When I tried pressing to t he pointed it out to me. He said, “Evan, your shoulders look front, that felt unnatural. Your head is in the way! awesome from the front. From the side, it looks like part of I think pressing behind your neck is a superior way to do them was hacked off— there’s nothing back there at all.” From presses if you can, because I feel it more in the whole shoulder. that day on, I started doing rear laterals at every workout. You A good compromise is dumbbell presses.You can lower see a lot of guys who have great shoulders from the front, but the weights down right next to your ears, so the movement when they turn to the side they don’t look impressive anymore. really is straight up and down over the shoulder joints. The Having equal development in all three heads gives your only problem with dumbbells is that once they get pretty shoulders a rounder, more complete look. heavy, getting them up into position to start the set is tough. BW: Mine were never weak. I always worked them, plus But overall, I would rate behind-the-neck presses the best, I’ve always done a lot of heavy rowing and deadlifting. You dumbbell presses a close second, and military presses third. have to remember that I cranked up the volume of my back Those seem to hit more front delts than anything else. workouts pretty high to improve it. So all that extra back work helped me out with rear delts t oo. A trend I’ve heard lately is more bodybuilders focusing mainly on lateral raise movements, and saving presses VM: My rear delts were very average for a long time,
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because it took me a few years to really figure out how to make them contract and do the work. In that way, they are like the back and the hams— they are all behind you, so it’s not as easy to make that connection with them. I think for a long time, I was hitting mostly upper back muscles like the traps and rhomboids when I was trying to work rear delts. Once I got that connection going, my rear delts caught up pretty fast. RH: How has the way you train shoulders changed over the years, or is it still very similar to what you have been doing since the start? BW: I work them once a week now instead of twice, and I’ve learned to get more out of doing less overall. I still go heavy, but not as heavy as I did in years past. I’m 40 years old now. You just have to be more careful at that age, and not push the envelope too far.
EC: I stopped doing presses behind the neck a few years ago. The bigger I got, the more dangerous they started to feel. I could feel a lot of pressure on the rotator cuffs, and I knew it was only a matter of time before I got hurt. Having known people who have wrecked their shoulders, I wanted no part of that. RH: What else has changed? EC: I use the same exercises, but the overall sets have come down. It’s not a stubborn body part for me, so I don’t see any point in expending extra energy that could be better used on something else. Plus, your shoulders get a lot of residual work on chest and back days. I don’t think the shoulders need to be blasted with tons and tons of exercises and sets, because you’re using them a lot. RH: Victor, how is your shoulder training different now from what you did years ago?
VM: It’s changed in a few ways. I think my form is a lot tighter and more precise on every exercise I do now. The weights aren’t as heavy as they used to be, but I’ve learned they don’t need to be. It’s all about the feeling in the muscle. My reps used to be eight to 10 for the most part, now they are usually 15-20. I also tend to start with rear delts, whereas in the old days I always did them last. And it showed in their development! RH: Shoulder injuries and pain are very, very common among bodybuilders who have been training for years. How have you made sure you weren’t in that big, unhappy group? EC: I can’t say I have any secret warm-up tips, though I do gradually work up to heavier weights with as many warm-up sets as I feel I need on any particular day. I think the real
MY SHOULDERS GREW PRETTY WELL. THEY TOOK A WHILE TO GET STRONGER. I REMEMBER BEING PROUD WHEN I COULD FINALLY PRESS A PAIR OF 60 AS A TEENAGER.” —VICTOR
key is that I’ve tried to listen to my body and avoid movements that don’t feel right. Like I said before, I loved behind-the-neck presses and they delivered excellent results for me. But after a while I could see that they were going to lead to an injury sooner or later. I know guys who say that upright rows kill their rotators— yet they keep doing them! You have to be smarter than that or else you’ll be out on the injured list. Listen to your body and don’t ignore the little warning signs. Those usually precipitate bigger problems. BW: When I was only 17 or 18, Brian Dobson tore his rotator cuff, and he was never the same again— in size or strength. That taught me a lesson. I never wanted that to happen to me, so I do my rotator cuff exercises and stretch every day. People don’t like to take the time— they want to get right to the workout. This is how I make my living, so I can’t get hurt. I’ve been hurt enough with the tears I’ve had, the last thing I need is a shoulder injury. VM: Yes, you have to do those rotator cuff exercises even though they are boring! I do them religiously before every single chest or shoulder workout. Another thing that’s critical toward injury prevention when you’ve been training a long time and have built up some good mass is to get deep tissue massages. These break up a lot of the bound tissue and adhesions so you have better flexibility and blood flow. As you get bigger, your muscles do tend to get tighter. I get a massage done at least every other week in the off-season, and every week during prep.
SHOULDER ROUTINE Reverse Pec Deck Seaed Barbell Miliary Press Dumbbell Laeral Raises Dumbbell Fron Raises Sanding Machine Press superse wih Barbell Uprigh Rows Seaed Overhead Cable Press
4 x 15 4 x 10 4 x 10 3 x 10 3 x 15 3 x 10 3 x 12
VICTOR’S SHOULDER ROUTINE Roaor Cuff Exercises wih Dumbbell Rear Del Machine or Lying One-arm Rear Del Raises Dumbbell Laeral Raises Seaed Dumbbell Press Seaed or Sanding Barbell Press
5 x 15-20 4 x 15-20 4 x 15-20 4 x 15-20 4 x 15-20 4 x 15-20
EVAN’S SHOULDER ROUTINE Dumbbell Laerals Ben Dumbbell Laerals Barbell Uprigh Rows Seaed Dumbbell Press
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3 x 10-12 3 x 8-12 3 x 10-15 3 x 8-12
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wih his wie and wo children in he Boson area.
MD 127
SCHWARZENEGGER
O S U R A C Y M M I J
LEE PRIEST
128
PHIL HEATH
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Y B O I G R E S D N A D L O N R A ; S O T O H P L A N R E B R E P
SERGIO OLIVA
RONNIE COLEMAN
TIME? BY DAN SOLOMON
ROELLY WINKLAAR
Long before the term bodybuilding was coined, the perceived measure of a man’s strength was found in the size of his arms. The Romans gave us stone and bronze statues, revealing some of the first recorded arm development. Before Arnold, there was Hercules, and as generations passed, the genetic ceiling rose. Over time we learned how to build our arms, discovering that beneath the skin lies a complex compilation of muscle. We learned that the biceps has both a short head and a long head. We unearthed how to develop the long, medial and lateral heads of the triceps. And as science evolved, we identified movements
MD 129
WINKLAAR
RONNIE COLEMAN
NEVER HAVE I PERSONALLY SEEN A BODYBUILDER WITH AS MUCH SIZE AND SHAPE AS RONNIE COLEMAN IN THE ARM DEPARTMENT. HE HAD ARGUABLY THE BIGGEST ARMS IN THE SPORT’S HISTORY.”
to develop the anterior and posterior portions of the forearm. To put it simply, the arms race has long been the centerpiece of the global muscle obsession. Here at Muscular Development, we’ve spent more than a half-century shining a spotlight on the most welldeveloped arms in the world. We’ve shared revelations in arm training, and our photographers have captured many of the most celebrated and structurally sound arms in the history of the human race. But the question we receive more than any other is: WHO HAS THE BEST ARMS OF ALL TIME?
may have had the best biceps ever, with mountainous peaks befitting an Austrian, but his forearms and triceps lagged in comparison. By ‘arms’ we mean the whole enchilada. That means biceps, triceps, brachialis and forearms.” When asked to provide an assessment of Phil Heath’s celebrated arm development, McGough shared, “The reigning champ has round muscle bellies, razor triceps and huge forearms that look like they have another biceps in the flexor region.” Yes, that’s the type of analysis MD has deployed to help us choose the GREATEST arms of all time.
HOW CAN WE POSSIBLY CHOOSE? So what exactly are the criteria for determining the best arms of all time? Is it simply a matter of size? Is a bigger, ultra-muscled arm superior to a wellconditioned, superbly proportioned arm? Or, does this discussion require a far more complex analysis? Bodybuilding guru Hany Rambod says, “The process of determining the best arms begins by assessing not only the size of the arm, but also the proportion between the biceps and triceps, as well as the amount of overall muscle detail.” Given the realities of evolution, is it possible to compare the arm of a 1970s Schwarzenegger to the arm of the present-day superstar? Peter McGough, MD’s senior editor, explains, “Arnold
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THE GREAT ARM DEBATE
LEE PRIEST
There are countless ways to build a pair of world-class arms, but when it comes to opinions on whose arms are the greatest, the number is even greater. MD’s panel of experts was asked to rank their top five
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; O S U R A C Y M M I J
Y B O I G R E S D S N N I A B B D L O O D N L R L I A B ; S Y B O T N O O H S P N L I B A O N R R E Y B B R B E O P R
arms of all time. The individual responses were strikingly different. Hall-of-Fame bodybuilder Shawn Ray proclaimed Robby Robinson, the 1977-78 Olympia runner-up, as the owner of the best arms of all time. In making his case, Ray noted, “Robby had perfect peaks, and full mountainous, bulging, strong muscle bellies.” Ron Harris, MD’s senior writer, gives the honor to Lee Priest, explaining,“Those arms of his were just ridiculous! A legit 22 inches at only 5’4”, they featured jagged biceps peaks, swooping, striated triceps, and Popeye forearms— a strong point on Lee’s physique since his earliest competitions at age 13, and they only became thicker and freakier as the years went by.” Retired bodybuilder Bob Cicherillo calls the arms of Phil Heath “the most complete” and deserving recognition as the greatest of all time. While Heath landed on nearly all of our expert’s lists, Shawn Ray was not willing to include Heath, explaining,“Phil has very complete and well-developed
ROBINSON
SERGIO WAS A FREAK, A MASS MONSTER DECADES AHEAD OF HIS TIME AND HIS MASSIVE, BULGING ARMS WERE A SIGHT TO BEHOLD.”
PHIL HEATH
SERGIO OLIVA
SCHWARZENEGGER
THE REIGNING CHAMP HAS ROUND MUSCLE BELLIES, RAZOR TRICEPS AND HUGE FOREARMS THAT LOOK LIKE THEY HAVE ANOTHER BICEPS IN THE FLEXOR REGION.”
LEE PRIEST
arms that may well be a tad disproportionate to the rest of his body, but they do not define his otherwise complete physique. His legs, back and conditioning are all on par with his arm development, whereas the top five on my ballot includes athletes whose arm development is typically the topic of discussion, before discussing the rest of their physiques.” There were other bodybuilding legends whose arm development earned the reverence of our panel. Harris spoke of the late Mike Matarazzo’s freaky proportions, recalling, “Fans couldn’t get enough of those monstrous Matarazzo guns. As youngsters, we all dreamed of having arms so big and bad that people’s first reaction to seeing them would be an awestruck, ‘What the f**k?! ’ And that’s exactly how you felt when big Mike flexed those 22-inch-plus cannons.”
Among the surprises on the respective top-five lists was McGough’s assertion that Roelly Winklaar owns the second-best arms of all time, explaining,“So much mass just hangs from his upper limbs that Roelly’s arms just stop the show when he’s on point.” The name Ronnie Coleman also appeared on more than a few ballots, including Shawn Ray’s. His explanation: “Never have I personally seen a bodybuilder with as much size and shape as Ronnie Coleman in the arm department. He had arguably the biggest arms in the sport’s history and probably the strongest!” Curiously, the name Ronnie Coleman is nowhere to be found on McGough’s list. He explains, “Ronnie had terrific biceps, with forearms and triceps that didn’t match up.” While so much attention is given to Schwarzenegger’s legendary biceps, some
RE VEALED! How Each o Our Paneliss Voed LEE HANEY 8-Time Mr. Olympia 1. Robby Robinson 2. Larry Scott 3. Arnold Schwarzenegger 4. Albert Beckles 5. Darrem Charles
M D Se n io r Ed i to r, H is to r ia n 1. Lee P r ies t 2. Roe l l y W i n k la a r h t ea 3. P h i l H u l D i l le t t 4. Pa i ne n vo la r ko Sa 5. Ma BOB CICHERILLO Olympia Emcee 1. Phil Heath 2. Ronnie Coleman 3. Lee Priest 4. Arnold Schwarzenegger 5. Roelly Winklaar
COLEMAN
THE ARMS RACE HAS LONG BEEN THE CENTERPIECE OF THE GLOBAL MUSCLE OBSESSION.
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Y WN R A SH A Ha ll-of-Fame Bod yb uilder, A na l ys t 1. Ro b by Ro binson 2. A rno ld Sc hwa rzenegger 3. Ronnie Colema n lbert Bec k les 4. A 5. Bo y er Coe
I S ON H A RR ri ter, y Insider 1. Lee Priest 2. Sergio Oliva 3. Ronnie Co lema n 4. P hi l Hea t h 5. Mi ke Ma ta ra zzo
D A N SOLOMON MD Featur es Editor, V eter an Commentator 1. Phil Hea th 2. Lee Priest 3. R oell y W inkla ar 4. R onnie Colema n 5. Serg io Oliv a
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S N I B B O D L L I B Y B N O S N I B O R Y B B O R ; S O T O H P L A N R E B R E P
(Poin Toal) 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14.
Lee Pries (17 poins) Phil Heah (15 poins) Ronnie Coleman (12 poins) Robby Robinson (10 poins) Arnold Schwarzenegger (9 poins) Roelly Winklaar (8 poins) Sergio Oliva (5 poins) Alber Beckles (4 poins) Larry Sco (4 poins) Paul Dille (2 poins) Darrem Charles (1 poin) Boyer Coe (1 poin) Mike Maarazzo (1 poin) Marko Savolainen (1 poin)
have suggested that one of Arnold’s primary rivals is far more deserving of the accolades. According to Ron Harris, “Sergio Oliva’s biceps attached so low down to his elbow joint that he was actually unable to fully contract them! Photos of Sergio in the front double biceps shot show that his arms were bigger from the top of his biceps to the bottom sweep of his hanging triceps than his head. And what about that classic overhead pose? Few have been able to duplicate it with any
legitimate comparison over 45 years later. Sergio was a freak, a mass monster decades ahead of his time and his massive, bulging arms were a sight to behold.” Eight-time Mr. Olympia Lee Haney, also one of our esteemed panelists, gave his top two votes to Robby Robinson and Larry Scott, explaining, “Robby had perfectly balanced arms that climbed like mountains. And Larry’s arms were perfect in every way. Great balance. They were as classic as he was.”
ROBINSON
GREATEST? To establish a credible, definitive ranking of the greatest arms of all time, we created a panel comprised of some of the bodybuilding world’s most respected and knowledgeable evaluators. Each was asked to submit a list, ranked from one to five. First-place votes were assigned a point value of 5, a second-place vote earned 4 points, and so forth. The points were then tabulated The objective was to and a composite ranking was determine who has the best established. Each panelist was arms of all time, a matter of instructed to consider any historic importance, and it a bodybuilder, from any era, responsibility that we took very seriously. regardless of circumstance.
THE RESULTS! After reviewing the ballots, it didn’t take long to appreciate the diversity of opinions. A total of 14 different names appeared on the combined ballots. Each of the ballots contained five names, ranked one to five, but only three men received first-place votes— Phil Heath, Lee Priest and Robby Robinson. After all the votes were counted, the arms belonging to Lee Priest received the most points, and recognition as
MATARAZZO
It’s been 10 years since he competed as an IFBB pro bodybuilder, but the voting panel hasn’t forgotten the overall quality of the two limbs that helped make him extremely dangerous to rival competitors.
Among the panelists who gave their coveted firstplace vote to Priest, Peter McGough made a rather convincing case for the former Australian champion. “Priest was thick, round and developed from every angle,” McGough said. “He gets my top vote because of the sheer, unequaled balance between all aspects of his massive arm development.” When all the votes were counted, Priest narrowly defeated Phil Heath by just two points. Ronnie Coleman landed in third, ahead of fourth-place finisher Robby Robinson. Schwarzenegger rounded out the top five. Congratulations, gentlemen. In a world obsessed with bulging biceps and sleeve-splitting arms, yours are the best this planet has ever known. And at just 5 feet 4 inches tall, Australia’s Lee Priest stands tall as the owner of the best arms of all time. Case closed … for now.
MD 133
TESTOSTERONE
By Daniel Gwarney, M.D.
produc is being used exclusively or purposes o a clinical rial ha is he subjec o an effecive invesigaional new drug applicaion.” I doub mos bodybuilders comply wih ha. Furher, he law now mandaes ha companies use Inernaional Union o Pure and Applied Chemisry (IUPAC) nomenclaure in labeling. his means no more hiding behind some awkward chemical name ha may be descripively accurae, bu no acceped or recognized by chemical scieniss. I is like saying “my siser’s cousin’s moher’s only sibling, and he is male” insead o “my aher.”
AN EXCEPTION
UPDATE
orney Rick Collins has discussed his in his book, Legal Muscle. Wihin he pas decade, he law has expanded beyond idenified pharmaceuical anabolic-androgenic seroids (AAS) o include androgen-based chemicals inroduced ino he reail consumer marke as dieary supplemens. Over he years, he U.S. Food and Drug Adminisraion (FDA) banned specific chemicals in a reacive manner. However, in response o he markeers o hese producs, who display a willingness o eiher coninue o sell banned “designer seroids” ha are unlabeled or “masked” by using a differen chemical name— or in response o hose capable o synhesizing new “designer seroids” ha have no been named o he lis o banned agens— a sweeping and all-encompassing piece o legislaion has been passed ha essenially closes he door on he sale o any seroid-based supplemen ha acs on he androgen recepor.
ANDROGEN-LIKE STEROIDS H.R. 4771, or he Designer Anabolic Seroid Conrol Ac o 2014, amended he Anabolic Seroid Conrol Ac o include essenially any androgen-like se134
esrogens, progesins, coricoseroids and dehydroepiandroserone) ha is no lised in subparagraph (A) and is derived rom, or has a chemical srucure subsanially similar o, one or more anabolic seroids lised in subparagraph (A) shall be considered o be an anabolic seroid or purposes o his Ac i— (I) he drug or subsance has been creaed or manuacured wih he inen o producing a drug or oher subsance ha eiher— (aa) promoes muscle growh; or (bb) oherwise causes a pharmacological ec similar o ha o esoserone; or (II) he drug or subsance has been, or is inended o be, markeed or oherwise promoed in any manner suggesing ha consuming i will promoe muscle growh or any oher pharmacological effec similar o ha o esoserone. his was signed ino law on December 18, 1
So, no only are auhenic, anabolic “designer seroids” banned, bu so are any o he myriad o unproven or ineffecive seroids, markeed as muscle building. Noe, he markeing claims and inen o he seroid are as significan as he acual effeciveness o he chemical. Also, hose believing ha “research chemicals” are exemp, bes consider ha wih his new law, exempion only applies i “such
One o he iniial excepions is dehydroepiandroserone, or DHEA as i is bes known. DHEA is echnically an androgen, and in euses, children and women, can produce male-like rais when presen in excess. I is also he seroid ha is presen in he highes concenraion in he blood, ound in wo orms— ree and sulaed. Free DHEA is similar o ree esoserone in ha i has a rapid clearance (10 minues or so) and can easily ravel rom he bloodsream ino issues. his includes passing he “blood-brain barrier,” which proecs he brain rom being affeced by a large number o circulaing acors. Sulaed DHEA, or DHEA-S, was long considered o be deacivaed DHEA ha was processed or clearance. When i is sulaed, DHEA-S canno cross ino he blood-brain barrier and does no appear o ener mos cells. As i has a much longer hal-lie, and here are enzymes ha can conver DHEA ino DHEA-S, and back rom DHEA-S o DHEA, i can be considered o have a “carrier” uncion. his would be similar o “bound” esoserone. DHEA-S consiues over 99 percen o circulaing DHEA. he Journal o Seroid Biochemisry and Molecular Biology recenly dedicaed an enire issue o DHEA— 314 pages worh. Many o he aricles were relevan o hose wih ineress in bodybuilding and finess. DHEA was firs discovered in he 1930s, and here has been a considerable amoun o research ha included measuring DHEA. However, very lile o i looked a DHEA specifically, or was capable o deermining wheher here is any biological acivit or healh associaions. ha changed wih he adven o “ani-aging,” as DHEA concenraions are noed o decrease wih age. Furher, DHEA levels seem o be associaed wih
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TESTOSTERONE a lower risk o cardiovascular disease, cancer deahs and a longer lie span in men. he daa or women is no conclusive. However, his is somewha complicaed, as mos disease saes will lower DHEA, making i diffi cul o know i here was low DHEA firs, or a serious healh issue ha caused DHEA levels o drop. By Daniel Gwarney, M.D.
CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE hough here is no absolue agreemen beween all sudies, i does appear ha when men have higher DHEA levels (naurally, no supplemened) beween he ages o 50 and 70, here is some proecive uncion. Since DHEA is no paened, here is no financial reward or researching supplemenaion. hus, i is difficul o sae ha DHEA supplemenaion will offer benefis, bu he research cerainly suggess his may be so. As he greaes benefi appears o involve proecion agains cardiovascular disease, and he group ha would benefi mos includes men o an age where cardiovascular disease is he greaes healh risk, here is supporive raionale behind he pracice o men over he age o 45 o 50 o consider a DHEA supplemen. Sandard doses in sudies using subjecs in his age group have ranged rom 50 o 100 milligrams per day. As wih oher seroids (e.g., viamin D), i is bes o ake DHEA wih a a-conaining meal o allow or he greaes absorpion rom he gu. Surprisingly, DHEA aces lile challenge wih regard o spors supplemenaion. In par, his is because i is believed o be very “weak” i i has any effec a all. When aken orally, i is sulaed o a high degree, making i diffi cul o raise “ree” DHEA concenraion. Clinical applicaions end oward opical applicaions (e.g., creams). Perhaps he mos common use is or reaing vaginal arophy in posmenopausal women. No exacly wha a bodybuilder wans o hear. Whereas DHEA concenraions can vary by 30 percen during he day, DHEA-S concenraion is relaively sable. DHEA is also diffi cul o define as an “endocrine” hormone, as is producion in he adrenal glands is no regulaed by a specific signaling hormone (like piuiary LH increases esoserone producion), and here is no idenified DHEA-specific recepor. he lack o an idenifiable ergogenic benefi does no dissuade he media and cerain regulaory agencies rom casigaing he use o DHEA. DHEA is banned by he World Ani-Doping Associaion, he governing body or drug esing or numerous spors organizaions. I is no so much because o he hrea o DHEA creaing anoher Ben Johnson, bu he inen o he ahlee, or perhaps “masking” oher seroids also presen on he banned subsance lis.
ROLE AS A PROHORMONE he basis or acceping he banning o DHEA may be due o is role as a prohormone. In humans, DHEA is one o he earlies seroids produced in he chain o reacions ha creae sex seroid hormones (esrogens, progeserone and esoserone) rom choleserol. However, very lile circulaing (in he blood) esoserone comes rom adrenal gland-derived DHEA. Even sudies in he elderly ha showed increases in srengh, decreases in body a and greaer muscle mass when combined wih exercise did no repor changes in libido. Some auhors have ourigh saed ha DHEA has no ergogenic benefis. DHEA does affec neuroransmier acions in areas o he brain involved wih mood and memory, and appears o comba some o he cellular effecs o corisol, a caabolic seroid ofen reerred o as he “sress hormone.” 5 he role DHEA plays appears o be as a prohormone or inracellular hormone producion, or inracrinology. his means ha a cell generaes, a hormone affecs changes inside isel, raher han going ino he bloodsream and changing oher cells/issues. here are a ew examples ha quickly illusrae he acions o DHEA as a prohormone. In he brain, DHEA acs as a precursor o esoserone, DH, esradiol and DHEA-S. Each o hese is associaed wih behavioral effecs when concenraions change in specific regions o he brain. DHEA 136
odybuilders and ohers who misuse anabolicandrogenic seroids (AAS) are, or should be, aware ha here are known and unknown healh risks ha may be associaed wih seladminisering hese poen drugs and hormones. Sadly, ew consider hese risks when making such a decision, and scarcely any consider long-erm complicaions ha may no become eviden or decades. On occasion, a sudy is repored looking a cells under he microscope, or in animals, ha suggess esoserone or oher AAS may have an effec on brain cell healh. In oher words, he brain cells die a a higher rae or lose/change uncion. hose o you who have an older relaive who has suffered rom demenia may appreciae how devasaing ha condiion can be o he individual and his/her amily. he public is mos amiliar wih Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Alzheimer’s disease occurs predominanly in older people, and i an auopsy is perormed, shows abnormal proeins wihin and beween cells in he brain. Oher orms o demenia exis, relaed o aging, geneic predisposiion or oher causes. esoserone, and is meabolies esradiol and
DH, have proecive effecs on AD. Researchers invesigaed wheher renbolone may ec nerve cells or specific sies in he brain involved in AD progression, posiively or negaively. his is cerainly relevan o bodybuilders— renbolone is among he mos preerred AAS, bu i can also make is way o people who live in areas wih cale eedlos. renbolone implans are among he mos common growhenhancing agens used in mea producion. he seroid is passed unchanged in cow urine, and eners he waer supply. his has effecs on fish and wildlie, so i is reasonable o invesigae any poenial effec on humans. Using boh live ras— male, emale and pregnan emales— as well as “es ube” nerve cell culures, scieniss looked or changes seen in he brains o AD paiens or cellular changes ha precede he developmen he dose used was acually in he range o wha many bodybuilders use in cycles; he human equivalen o he ra doses was 85 milligrams per week or a 220-pound man. renbolone is tpically used a a dose o wo o hree imes ha, according o surveys o AAS users. he firs par o he sudy
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P R E - W O R K O U T
TESTOSTERONE has been observed o improve mood and memory. 5,6 Cells ha carry ou immune uncions perorm beer in he presence o DHEA. In skeleal muscle, DHEA can be enzymaically convered ino esoserone, DH or esradiol. hese enzymes may be induced by exercise, which may explain why some o he benefis are only seen when used in conjuncion wih exercise in he elderly. Supporing he idea o DHEA as an “inracrine” hormone is he presence o meabolizing enzymes in muscle ha “deacivae” he esoserone, DH and esradiol produced. No sudies have been perormed o deermine i he availabilit o DHEA in he blood is a limiing acor, bu i does no appear ha supplemening DHEA in healhy, young aduls provides any measurable benefi in regard o muscle srengh or mass. he relevan condiion where a young, fi person may benefi rom DHEA (assuming hey begin wih normal producion) is in he sae o overreaching or overraining. DHEA concenraions all during periods o physical sress, as corisol levels rise. his emporary sae is associaed wih decreased perormance, increased injury and inecion rae, depressed mood and oher changes ha are seen in saes wih low DHEA. Furher, paiens wih adrenal gland disorders ofen have a hisory o earlier deah, higher inecion rae and muscle weakness— in he seing o low DHEA.
THE LAST MAN STANDING DHEA is essenially he las man sanding in he world o prohormones, bu DHEA is a lile man. his is no o say ha DHEA may no have significan and varied healh benefis, paricularly in saes o chronic sress or sysemic inflammaion, as well as meabolic challenges. While aging men (over 50) may see healh benefis rom DHEA supplemenaion, he elderly improve when DHEA is combined wih exercise, and women wih low concenraions o DHEA may improve healh saus or sexual uncion, i remains o be seen wheher young and fi aduls migh benefi rom a reasonable DHEA supplemenaion. Exaggeraed doses have been sudied in he obese and oher populaions, bu bear in mind ha like androsenedione supplemenaion, he increase in esradiol is usually greaer han he insignifican increase in esoserone in men, and may resul in signs o esrogen excess (e.g., gynecomasia). hose who hope o proec agains aging or overreaching and overraining would be bes served by resricing supplemenaion o he doses used in he clinical sudies, namely 50 o 100 milligrams per day or less. One sudy in posmenopausal women repored improvemens in sexual uncion and requency o inercourse. I is imporan o noe ha women reporing sexual dysuncion have a much greaer risk o DHEA concenraions below he normal range. Women may be beer served by beginning wih a very low dose o deermine individual olerance o he poenial increase in androgenic effecs (e.g., skin changes, predominaely). Reerences: 1. govrack.us. ex o he Designer Anabolic Seroid Conrol Ac o 2014. hps:// www.govrack.us/congress/bills/113/hr4771/ex, accessed January 12, 2015. 2. Ohlsson C, Vandenpu L, e al. DHEA and moralit: Wha is he naure o he associaion? J Seroid Biochem Mol Biol 2015;145C:248-253. 3. Collomp K, Buisson C, e al. DHEA, physical exercise and doping. J Seroid Biochem Mol Biol 2015;145C:206-212. 4. Quinn J. Muscle drug finds a legal loophole. NY Daily News June 3, 2007. p://www.nydailynews.com/spors/baseball/muscle-drug-find s-legal-loopholearicle-1.219591, accessed January 12, 2015. 5. Sárka L, Dušková M, e al. Dehydroepiandroserone: A neuroacive seroid. J Seroid Biochem Mol Biol 2015 Jan;145:254-60. 6. Pluchino N, Drakopoulos P, e al. Neurobiology o DHEA and effecs on sexualit, mood and cogniion. J Seroid Biochem Mol Biol 2015;145C:273-280. 7. Sao K, Iemisu M. Exercise and sex seroid hormones in skeleal muscle. J Seroid Biochem Mol Biol 2015;145C:200-205. 8. Rukowski K, Sowa P, e al. Dehydroepiandroserone (DHEA): hypes and hopes. Drugs 2014;74:1195-207.
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confirmed ha renbolone did reach expeced concenraions in he blood, bu also was presen in he brain and crossed he placena o expose developing euses. As renbolone was no eserified, he hal-lie was very shor, resuling in rapid, high peaks and near-complee clearance in 12 hours. I would be ineresing o look a he ec o an aceae or oher eser ha may have resuled in less exaggeraed peaks (ampliude) and greaer persisence o he drug. Also ineresing, male ras had a longer hal-lie, hough he drug was sill nearly cleared a 12 hours. A lower ampliude, chronic exposure would be more relevan o he purpose o he sudy or he general populaion— so don’ run away rom home ye i you do live in a rural par o he counry, wih perormance-enhanced cale pee in your waer supply. Do be aware, hough, and ollow he research i you are planning a pregnancy. renbolone is only one example o environmenal endocrine disrupers ha may be presen locally. For he male bodybuilder, he ollowing may be o mos ineres. Remember, renbolone was shown o cross ino he proeced blood supply o he brain, and was presen in he hippocampus, a significan sie or AD-relaed nerve cell changes. Under he microscope, he brains o male renbolone-reaed ras showed a significan and dramaic increase in one o he damaging proeins ha cause AD. Ineresingly, he emale ras were no affeced in he same way, bu hey also responded o renbolone reamen wih a rapid rise in esrogen and progeserone, possibly proecing he nerve cells rom he drug-relaed damage. he “es ube” nerve cells demonsraed a significanly increased rae o cell deah, and changes consisen wih nerve cell desrucion, as well
as damage o he miochondria. hese changes were no seen when he nerve cells were exposed o esoserone or DH. When combined wih renbolone, esoserone ered some proecion, whereas DH worsened he damage. I is difficul o deermine how concerned bodybuilders who have used renbolone should be. Cerainly, i is commonly used and earlyonse demenia has no been repored among his group. Parabolan was an exremely popular AAS used during he 1960s unil i was disconinued in he 1990s. Many bodybuilders during his era have gone on o success in business, even governmen. Former Caliornia Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, rumored o have used Parabolan during his reign as Mr. Olympia, has no demonsraed any loss o memory or oher signs o demenia. I is possible ha he airly modes doses used by some bodybuilders in he pas, and presence o esoseronebased AAS used as par o a sack, or perhaps nandrolone’s acivit a he progeserone recepor, proeced hose men. Nowadays, he exaggeraed dosing, longer/persisen cycles and use o aromaase inhibiors may make modern bodybuilders more suscepible o damage. here are risks, known and unknown wih AAS misuse; especially a he abusive levels being praciced. Sadly, his paricular effec may be hidden rom view or years, evenually suracing as a devasaing and progressive loss o memory and ineracion wih loved ones . ■ Reerences: 1. Ma F, Liu D. 17 β-renbolone, an anabolic-androgenic seroid as well as an environmenal hormone, conribues o neurodegeneraion. oxicol Appl Pharmacol 2014;282:68-76.
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science
By Michael J.Rudolph, Ph.D. Senior Science Edior
key acor influencing raining inensit is he amoun o res aken beween ses. When raining or srengh, he recommended res inerval pically lass beween wo o five minues. his lengh o ime provides he recovery necessary o mainain he desired repeiion range hroughou he workou or he mos posiive influence on srengh. 1-3 Alernaively, decreasing he res inerval o around 30 o 60 seconds does no allow or complee recuperaion, puing considerable sress on he muscle ha preerenially drives muscle growh.4-6 Alhough he suggesed lengh o he res inerval appears o be well esablished, sudies show ha requen raining wih shor res inervals and relaively heavy weighs resuls in adapaions wihin he body ha can preserve raining inensit, or repeiion range, hroughou he workou, even while using shor res periods. In heory, he capacit o simulaneously heavier weighs wih shorer res periods should resul in excellen gains in boh size and srengh. Furhermore, research also indicaes ha supplemening his raining scheme wih cerain ergogenic aids ha speed up muscle recuperaion, such as creaine monohydrae, will promoe even greaer levels o concurren muscle growh and srengh gains.
TO SHORTER REST PERIODS
S TRE N 140
he capacit o he human body o adap o resisance exercise is a well-known phenomenon wih clear-cu rules ha a imes appear immuable. In he world o exercise science, one deep-rooed principle ha is tpically unquesioned is he opimal lengh o res required beween ses or differen oucomes, such as muscle hyperrophy or muscle srengh, wih srengh gains tpically requiring relaively longer res inervals. Despie hese apparen cerainies, a sudy by Kraemer e al. suggess hese rules should be challenged— as i was ound ha specific raining pracices can reduce he amoun o res needed beween ses, even while raining wih moderaely heavy weighs. In ers perormed circui raining or he enire body ha involved 10 differen exercises. Each exercise included hree consecuive ses using a weigh ha allowed 10 repeiions in each se. Subjecs resed 10 seconds beween ses, and abou 60 seconds in beween each exercise. he crucial finding o his sudy was ha he bodybuilders were much beer a susaining he desired repeiion range hroughou he enire workou, conceivably because his raining approach was perormed wih weighs and res inervals tpically used by compeiive bodybuilders. Consequenly, he bodybuilders were able o resis he effecs o muscle aigue because o adapaions caused by le. he auhors o his sudy concluded ha some o he key raining adapaions ha improved mus-
musculardevelopment.com April 2015
science cular perormance in he bodybuilding group wihin he muscle, which would enhance he muscle cell’s energy producion, hus resising muscular aigue. Addiionally, he researchers heorized ha an enhanced buff wihin he muscles o he bodybuilding group would miigae he negaive influence ha lacic acid has on muscular conracion, ulimaely improving exercise perormance. Alogeher, he resuls o he above sudy highligh he remarkable abilit o he body o adap o differen exercise simuli, which in his case specifically, provides he abilit o susain raining inensit, even while using shor res periods.
Seeing ha he res inerval also lessens muscle aigue wih longer res periods normally required or opimal srengh raining, perhaps he use o creaine monohydrae could decrease he requiremen, o some degree, or longer res inervals beween ses when lifing heavier weighs. Creaine monohydrae could ecively permi shorer res periods ha promoe sufficien res o suppor srengh gains, while also providing he anabolic simulus normally riggered by shor res periods. o see i creaine monohydrae could reduce he absolue requiremen or longer res periods while using airly heavy weigh, a sudy by Souza-Junior e al. 10 compared srengh and hyperrophy responses o resisance raining programs ha used eiher longer res inervals o wo minues, or shorer res inervals ha decreased during he eighweek sudy, rom 105 seconds o 30 seconds. All subjecs did he same exercises while perorming eigh o 10 reps or all ses. In addiion, all subjecs supplemened wih idenical amouns o creaine monohydrae hroughou he sudy. he resuls o he sudy showed ha he combinaion o creaine monohydrae supplemenaion wih resisance raining increased muscular size and srengh o a similar degree, despie he res inerval lengh beween ses. he auhors o he sudy concluded ha because he volume o raining was significanly greaer or he group using a wo-minue res inerval compared o he group ha had shorer res inervals, bu srengh gains were similar in boh groups, ha creaine supplemenaion apparenly improved srengh more effecively or he shor res inerval group. hese resuls sugges ha creaine monohydrae can reduce he requiremen or longer res inervals when raining wih heavier weighs or srengh gains. Clearly, he above sudy would have been more conclusive i i included a hird group ha consumed creaine, used shor res inervals and perormed a raining volume similar o he group uilizing wominue res inervals, o see i hey gained he mos size and srengh. Neverheless, despie he shorcomings o his sudy, he daa suppor he hypohesis ha creaine monohydrae improves he recuperaive capacit o muscle issue, reducing he requiremen or more exensive periods o res beween ses— paricularly during high-inensit raining, which normally requires longer periods o res or opimal muscular perormance. ■
of res beween ses.
ENHANCE SIZE AND STRENGTH he adapaion o he body o shor res inervals demonsraed in he aoremenioned sudy by Kraemer e al. suggess ha shorer res inervals wih high-inensit raining should increase boh muscle size and srengh simulaneously. In order o see wheher his raining approach could achieve size and srengh, a sudy by Villaneuva e al. invesigaed a workou approach mixing high-inensit raining wih shor res inervals. In his sudy, researchers exposed wo groups o high-inensit resisance raining, while allowing shor res periods o 60 seconds or one group and 90 seconds or he second group. he resuls show ha boh groups increased esoserone levels, which booss muscle mass, while also exhibiing considerable srengh gains.
STRENGTH Creaine monohydrae supplemenaion combined wih resisance raining has been shown o synergisically accenuae muscle hyperrophy and srengh. he posiive effecs rom c reaine monohydrae on muscle issue occur, in par, because c reaine is convered in he body ino creaine phosphae, which uncions by replenishing energy in he orm o AP wihin he muscle cell. he increased energy wihin he muscle cell exends he duraion o muscular conracion, ecively resising muscle aigue, which ulimaely improves muscle growh and srengh.
For mos o Michael Rudolph’s career he has been engrossed in he exercise world as eiher an ahlee (he played college ooball a Hosra Universit), personal rainer or as a research scienis (he earned a B.Sc. in Exercise Science a Hosra Universit and a Ph.D. in Biochemisry and Molecular Biology rom Sony Brook Univer). Afer earning his Ph.D., Michael invesigaed he molecular biology o exercise as a ellow a Harvard Medical School and Columbia Univeror over eigh years. ha research conribued seminally o undersanding he uncion o he incredibly imporan cellular energy sensor AMPK— leading o numerous publicaions in peer-reviewed journals including he journal Naure . Michael is currenly a scienis working a he New York Srucural Biology Cener doing conrac work or he Deparmen o Deense on a .
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Reerences: 1. Richmond SR and Godard MP. he effecs o varied res periods beween ses o ailure using he bench press in recreaionally rained men. J Srengh Cond Res 2004;18, 846-849. 2. Willardson JM and Burke LN. he effec o differen res inervals beween ses on volume componens and srengh gains. J Srengh Cond Res 2008;22, 146-152. 3. Willardson JM and Burke LN. he effec o res inerval lengh on he susainabilit o squa and bench press repeiions. J Srengh Cond Res 2006;20, 400-403. 4. Goo K, Nagasawa M, e al. Muscu lar adapaions o combinaions o high- and low-inensit resisance exercises. J Srengh Cond Res 2004;18, 730 -737. 5. Kraemer WJ, Marchielli L, e al. Hormonal and growh acor responses o heavy resisance exercise proocols. J Appl Physiol 1990;69, 1442-1450.
6. Kraemer WJ and Raamess NA. Fundamenals o resisance raining: progression and exercise prescripion. Med Sci Spors Exerc 2004;36, 674-688. 7. Kraemer WJ, Noble BJ, e al. Physiologic responses o heavy-resisance exercise wih very shor res periods. In J Spors Med 1987;8, 247-252. 8. Villanueva MG, Villanueva MG, e al. Influence o res inerval lengh on acue esoserone and corisol responses o volume-load-equaed oal body hyperrophic and srengh proocols. J Srengh Cond Res 2012;26, 2755-2764. 9. Buord W, Kreider RB, e al. Inernaional Socio Spors Nuriion posiion sand: creaine supplemenaion and exercise. J In Soc Spors 2007;Nur 4, 6. 10. Souza-Junior P, Willardson JM, e al. Srengh and hyperrophy responses o consan and decreasing res inervals in rained men using creaine supplemenaion. J In Soc Spors Nur 2011;8, 17.
musculardevelopment.com April 2015
ANA BOLIC RESE A RCH
BY WILL IAM LLEW ELLYN
Q &A A N D
N BOLO N E
here is no much argumen abou i. renbolone is he new heavyweigh o injecable anabolic-androgenic seroids (AAS) hese days. O course, esoserone is sill more popular. Bu renbolone is a more poen anabolic seroid. I is one o he bes muscle builders, and mos juicers know i. As a resul, i is in demand, and he labs are cashing in. Bu don’ run ou and look or renbolone jus ye. I is also generally regarded as one o he mos oxic injecables. I is prone o causing side effecs like disurbed HDL/ LDL choleserol, elevaed blood pressure, acne, hair loss, increased aggression … he basic issues you find wih any srong androgen. his drug isn’ even approved or human use in he Wes hese days; I always assumed due o such properies. hereore, I was quie ineresed o read a new sudy in he journal Seroids , which suggesed ha renbolone migh have applicaions or improving cardiovascular Wha!? Le’s ake a look. Firs, he sudy I’m reerring o used ras or he experimens. A oal o 12 animals “paricipaed,” and were divided ino wo groups. Hal were implaned wih osmoic inusion pumps delivering cyclodexrin vehicle (conrol). he oher hal had pumps giving hem wo milligrams per kilogram per day o renbolone. his wen on or six weeks. A he end o he six weeks, some sriking changes were noiced in lab repors o he renbolone-reaed animals. No necessarily or he worse. hese animals los a mass (37%), gained lean mass (11%) and had noable improvemens in serum riglycerides, LDL choleserol, HDL/LDL choleserol raio and insulin sensiivit. Benign prosaic hyperplasia was also noiced in he reaed animals, so i was no all posiive. Sill, his did poin o remarkable changes in body composiion and resuling improvemens in risk acors— ha migh offer benefis well afer he drugs are 144
disconinued. We would need o see more ollow up, o course. Is here some real healh value here? Perhaps here is. renbolone is a very srong anabolic seroid. I surely does carry healh risks when abused or bodybuilding purposes. his is jus obvious a his poin. However, ha doesn’ necessarily exclude is poenial or herapeuic use. Consider his. Many men are suering or beginning o suffer he ills o age, sedenary liestle and resuling poor meabolism (obesit, insulin resisance, sysemic inflammaion). A big issue here is believed o be he loss o lean muscle mass. I a drug like renbolone could aler body composiion drasically and or he beer in a “Trenbolone shor period o ime or such paiens, why couldn’ here be some value? Perhaps here are beer lean migh have body mass-supporing AAS herapies han esoserone o be ound. applicaions he main issue wih his sudy, obviously, is ha for improving i was only one, and i was conduced on ras. his is cardiovascular common, o course. All drugs ge esed on animals firs, and ras provide very good models or esing disease risk he effecs o drugs ha may someday be given o people. Sill, he ac remains ha renbolone was no facors.” ye shown o have such avorable properies in acual human es subjecs. his sudy may poin o very angible value here; hopeully an area where more research will be conduced in he uure. For now, i is jus oo early o say, and renbolone is definiely oo srong o recommend or HR (hormone replacemen herapy) or sarcopenia (age-relaed wasing). I will, o course, say on op o his one, and provide any updaes i I see hem.
TAURINE AS ANCILLARY AGENT? Here is anoher really ineresing (bu also very early) paper abou seroids and healh. I involves he common amino acid aurine. In he sudy i discusses, a selecion o male ras was aken and divided ino groups. hese groups were conrol (no reamen), nandrolone decanoae (100 mg/kg/week), aurine (100 mg/ kg/day) and nandrolone decanoae plus aurine. his wen on or eigh weeks. A he end o he sudy, here were surprising differences beween he seroid-aking animals, avoring aurine. In paricular, he ras given AAS plus aurine did no noice he same disurbances in sex seroids as he seroid-only group. hese animals mainained normal esoserone levels and sperm qualit. he researchers aribued he benefis o aurine o i having anioxidan, ani-inflammaory and ani-apopoic (preserving cell lie) effecs. While i is very early o make any judgmens, aurine is a very naural and airly non-conroversial amino acid supplemen. Perhaps i is worh adding some ino your nex program i you ake AAS, jus o see? Reerences 1. Donner DG, Beck B, e al. Improvemens in body composiion, cardiomeabolic risk acors and insulin sensiivit wih renbolone in normogonadic ras. Seroids 2014;Dec 30. pii: S0039128X(14)00310-9. in ras by aurine: Effecs on seroidogenesis, redox and inflammaory cascades, and inrinsic apopoic pahway. oxicol Appl Pharmacol 2014;Dec 24.
musculardevelopment.com April 2015
ANA BOLIC RESE A RCH
BY WILLIAM LLEWELLYN
Q &A A N D
FUTURE OF REAL GEAR?
TRENBOLONE SUSPENSION
Two o my avorie seroids have always been Anadrol and Dianabol. I am also one o hose people who worry abou wha I pu ino my body. I avoid non-organic oods because o he pesi- cides. You ge wha I mean. So I always spend he exra money on pharmaceuical gear. I don’ see oo much o my avorie drugs anymore, hough. Tons o underground, bu none o he old pharma brands I remember. Wha is he deal?
I jus go 30 ampules o renbolone suspension. I conains 50 milligrams per millilier o base renbolone in waer. I haven’ used i ye. I have been old ha you are supposed o ake one ampule per day beore you work ou. I decided on using i or a monh o see i i can push me over my plaeau. Wha do you hink o his?
I undersand your concern. Unorunaely, i you are in search o pharmaceuically manuacured mehandrosenolone and oxymeholone, i is going o be a lile diffi cul. You see, hese drugs largely exised during he las 25 years or so or doping. While here have been legiimae medical applicaions, hese have been relaively ew and ar beween. he pharmaceuical indusry as a whole has aken a lo sronger o a sance agains he doping marke in recen years, as have governmen agencies and poliicians. As a resul, i is exceedingly diffi cul o find real drug companies making Anadrol and D-bol hese days. A ew do, bu no many. esoserone is largely dominan now, almos o he poin o exclusion in many regions. Pharmaceuical-grade mehandrosenolone and oxymeholone do exis on he underground marke in some cases. Pharma grade jus means ha i is “up o he level” o a pharmaceuical produc. his would mean, among oher hings, ha here is no baceria, no conaminaion wih oher subsances, and exac or near-exac dosing o he acive seroid. Some labs can find pharmaceuical-grade raw powders and make ormulaions o hese sandards. No many, perhaps, bu some. he rouble is knowing who hey are. Underground businesses are enirely ha— underground. Wihou a governmen agency looking over heir shoulders, how do you ulimaely know who is producing seroids his way and who is no? Consumers are lef in a very ough spo. I wish I had an easy soluion, bu i is an illegal underground business. All logic says his exra risk and unceraint will remain, so long as he laws do.
As you’ve read already, I hink renbolone is a very powerul seroid o begin wih. Using i as a suspension is only going o increase his poency or he average user. You’d hink ha in erms o milligram-ormilligram o renbolone delivered, aceae, enanhae and suspension would all be highly comparable in heir resuls. he esers break off and leave you wih renbolone, afer all. Neverheless, base seroid suspensions really do seem o give some exra kick. I remember esoserone suspension very well. I always ouperormed cypionae. I hink i has a lo o do wih he sheer heigh o he dosage spike. Wih slower-acing esers, he drug delivery is much more conrolled and spread ou. he peaks are more mued. Wih suspensions, you end o ge a very rapid and sharp increase over a shor period o ime. One hing, hough— 50 milligrams per day is quie a lo o renbolone. ha is 350 milligrams per week. I hink someone could ge excellen resuls on hal ha, aking 50 milligrams every oher day. his is sill requen enough o a schedule, I’d suspec. Whaever you decide, be careul and be sure o keep up wih your healh checks.
BAYER DIANABOL I’ve recenly ound hese 10 milligrams o meh- androsenolone (Mehandienone) ables. They come 100 o a botle and are supposed o be made rom Bayer. This isn’ legi, righ ? Bayer doesn’ make Di- anabol, do hey?
No, hey don’. his is a ake, as you suspec. I’m no sure why some counereiers choose o go wih such high-profile names. I’d hink i would be airly obvious o he average buyer ha a major pharmaceuical company like Bayer would no be in he D-bol business in 2015. Perhaps, hough, I overesimae how much he average person knows abou drug companies and he seroid marke. Your guess is as good as mine as o wha is acually in ha produc. I have heard o his counerei beore, and know i is circulaed in high enough volume. Perhaps he underground maker behind i decided ha i would be a rip-off in name only, and pu 10 milligrams o real mehandrosenolone in here. Who knows? Please repor back any experiences o you or your riends, i anyone does ry i. I’d be curious o hear. Be sae. ■ Go a quesion or William Llewellyn? You can ask him direcly on he MD websie and have William personally answer your quesion! Go o www.musculardevelopmen. com, MD Forums, MD Saff and Pros, Q and A or William Llewellyn.
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musculardevelopment.com April 2015
MUSCLE TECH research report
BY TEAM MUSC LETECH RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
WITH PHOSPHATIDYLSERINE Phosphaidylserine (PS) has been he ocus o scienific research or decades, hanks o is documened benefis o hard-raining ahlees. Along wih poenial ergogenic properies, PS has been shown o reduce corisol response o physical sress, while improving corisol o esoserone raio, along wih perceived well-being and muscle soreness pos-exercise. he modern low-a, low-choleserol Wesern die is depleed o phospholipids, wih an average daily inake esimaed a jus 130 milligrams. Found in oods such as egg yolks and organ meas, his essenial compound may be in paricularly limied supply in ahlees who mainain a raining die ha resrics as and choleserol, leading researchers o sugges ha ahlees may benefi rom daily phosphaidylserine supplemenaion. “Sudies examining ahlees involved in cycling, weigh raining and endurance running sugges ha PS migh speed up recovery, preven muscle soreness, and migh possess ergogenic properies,” wrie researchers in a 2007 sudy published in Journal o he Inernaional Socie o Spors Nuriion. However, since phosphaidylserine has hisorically been derived rom he bovine corex in cale, he poenial risk o ranserring inecious diseases rendered bovine corex-derived PS a supplemen o avoid— bu scienific ineres in soy-derived PS (S-PS) has recenly experienced a resurgence, and i is now widely considered a sae alernaive. As vial building blocks o cell membranes, phospholipids no only ac as srucural molecules o help ensure he inegrit o he cell membrane, hey also carry ou muliple regulaory uncions. Phosphaidylserine, or example, is involved in modulaing he acivit o recepors, enzymes, ion channels and signaling molecules, making i an essenial componen in he regulaion o all cellular aciviies. O course, hard-raining ahlees are well versed in he language o overraining— sore
muscles, increased resing and submaximal hear rae, higher levels o corisol and lower levels o esoserone. In ac, chronic overraining can acually lead o an imbalance in he raio beween he anabolic esoserone hormone and he caabolic corisol hormone, which can spell disaser or effecive recovery and opimal perormance, and even resul in injury. his has led researchers o invesigae he poenial o phosphaidylserine supplemenaion beore exercise o help improve markers o hard raining— and he resuls look promising. In a 2008 double-blind, placebo-conrolled sudy published in he Journal o he Inerna- ional Socie o Spors Nuriion , researchers demonsraed ha a moderae daily dose o 600 milligrams o S-PS aken or 10 days was effecive a combaing exercise-induced sress and prevening physiological deerioraion in healhy, male subjecs. he researchers concluded ha “PS supplemenaion promoes a desired hormonal saus or ahlees by bluning increases in corisol levels”— by an impressive 39 percen compared o placebo! Consisen wih prior research, he 2008 sudy also demonsraed ha S-PS supplemenaion can resul in poenial rending increases in esoserone levels wihin he normal male range, since high corisol levels impair he biosynhesis o esoserone in men. A reducion in he esoserone o corisol raio is associaed wih a negaive physiological sae indicaive o overraining, suggesing ha supplemenaion resuls in an increase in he anabolic/caabolic raio, hereby improving he physiological sae. In anoher sudy conduced a S. Cloud Sae Universit, as lile as 300 milligrams o S-SP supplemenaion was shown o significanly lower creaine kinase (CK) acivit, which is generally recognized as an indicaor o cell membrane damage and desrucion o muscle fibers. In healhy, resed muscles, CK is conained wihin he muscle plasma membrane, bu when an
inense raining simulus is applied, CK acivit wihin he plasma and blood increases. So when rained runners supplemened wih S-PS or placebo or 15 days in his double-blind sudy, hose aking S-PS exhibied less muscle damage afer a 90-minue run on he 15h day, compared o he placebo group. Plent o oher research has solidified phosphaidylserine as an effecive supplemen or hard-raining ahlees, wih he added poenial o improving ahleic perormance, exercise capac, perceived muscle soreness, well-being and even brain uncion. So or ahlees who are a risk o overraining rom regularly puing hemselves hrough srenuous workous, supplemening daily wih a clinically researched 600-milligram dose o soy-derived PS per day can be a grea way o ensure opimal recovery and perormance. Choosing he highes qualit supplemen ha supplies he ull clinical daily dose— like he Essenial Series Phosphaidylserine rom Muscleech®— will be key o neing hese benefis and making he mos ou o every brual workou.
CENT COMPARED TO PLACEBO! 148
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2015
DEVELOP DEVELOP, AND WHAT DID YOU FIND WAS EFFECTIVE AT FINALLY MAKING IT GROW?
I was lucky ha mos o my body pars responded pre well and a abou he same rae, bu my calves definiely didn’ ge he memo! When you don’ have grea geneics or calves, i’s rusraing because you do see guys ou here wih awesome calves who don’ even rain heirs. Probably even worse was ha I used o wach guys wih good calves when hey rained hem, no realizing ha i you have decen cal geneics, you can ge away wih some pre sloppy orm and sill have big calves. hey would do hose shor lile bouncy reps on he sanding cal raise and he seaed cal machine, and hey sill had 20-inch diamonds. I copied wha hey did, and mine weren’ even good enough o be cubic zirconia. I also hough ha working legs more ofen would make hem grow, so I rained hem every oher day. he firs hing I fixed was my orm. I sared doing my reps slower, wih a ull range o moion and pausing or a wo-second hold a he op o every rep. I made sure I lowered he weigh slowly and go a ull srech, oo. I sared o noice my calves were looking a lile beer. hen I gave hem an exra res day and only rained hem every hird day, which usually averages ou o wice a week. Low reps did nohing or me, so I sared doing no less han 20 and ofen as many as 50, unil he burn was so bad I couldn’ sand i. Bu i did pay off. My calves aren’ ever going o be he bes around, bu hey are a lo beer han hey were in my early years as a pro.
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My legs, as everyone knows, are he area I have been working hardes on o cach up o everyhing else. he reason is ha in my early years o bodybuilding, I didn’ really know much abou rep ranges and all ha. I rained my legs like a powerlifer, geing sronger and sronger bu always doing pre low reps. I worked or my upper body, bu my legs didn’ respond he same. Luckily, i’s no an issue o geneics or an injury— I jus need ime o ge my legs o mach my upper body. I you’ve seen phoos o me rom he las ew years, you can see hey are caching up more and more. Laely, I’ve been doing higher reps or legs, and a lo o superses. he goal is o ge a lo o blood pumping and eel a crazy burn. Usually I have rouble walking a he end o he workou! For squas, I say wih around 10-15 reps on my heavy leg day, hen 20 reps on he ligher day. Wih machines i’s always 15-20 reps. Since I do a lo o superses, a se usually winds up being around 40 reps oal. Some o he superses I like are squas wih hack squas, leg press wih hack squas or even wo differen tpes o leg presses, back o back. I rain a Bev’s, and hey have a leas a dozen differen leg presses o choose rom. Someimes I will do leg presses on he Cybex machine wih my ee narrow, hen go righ o he Nebula one nex o i and use a wider sance o hi he adducors, hams and glues more. My legs ge sore he nex day, every ime. I’m enjoying a nice long off-season now, so hey are definiely growing.
Everybody knows my calves have been my bigges challenge o all. Geneically, hey were never mean o be a grea body par like my dels or quads, bu I never gave up on hem. I ried many differen hings over he years, and he one hing ha’s helped hem grow a lile is hiing hem almos every day. I’m sill nowhere near being happy wih my calves, bu hey are beer han hey used o be. My back and my hamsrings were wo areas ha weren’ as impressive as he res o my physique, and people poined ha ou or years. I knew I needed o improve hem boh or else winning a big cones like he Arnold Classic or he Mr. Olympia would be impossible. For me i was a maer o adding more exercises or boh, bu more so jus learning how o eel he muscle much beer while I am raining i. ha’s somehing ha was no possible in my early years o raining. he beer I was able o eel my back and my hamsrings conracing and sreching during a se, he beer boh o hose body pars became. his is why jus lifing he weigh is no enough, unless you have some body par ha jus responds no maer wha you do. You really need o learn how o squeeze he muscle and eel every lile fiber working i you wan o bring up an area ha’s more subborn.
“You really need o learn how o squeeze he muscle and feel every lile fiber work- ing if you wan o bring up an area ha’s more subborn.” —Dennis Wolf
MD 151
GOALS for OFF-SEASON WHAT ARE YOUR GOALS FOR THIS OFF-SEASON, ha’s a ricky quesion, because as I wrie his on December AND ARE YOU TRYING 10, 2014, I sill haven’ 100 percen made up my mind abou ANY NEW METHODS OUT TO REACH THEM? wheher or no o compee in he Arnold Classic. I love ha show,
boh he way i’s run and he way hey rea he ahlees. And I have also been hinking abou compeing in he firs-ever Arnold Classic Ausralia ha’s only a week laer. I I do ha, i would only make sense o do he one in Ohio
DENNIS WOLF
a he Arnold in early March, and hen did he ampa Pro a he end o he summer, hen he Olympia plus he Arnold Europe, Prague Pro and San Marino Pro all he way hrough Ocober. Dieing and raining or a show all hose monhs akes season or a good five or six monhs or so, i I could. I I don’ compee in he Arnold, I’m looking a eiher he New York Pro in May or somehing laer on. hings ge ricky i you wai oo long, because hen you have ewer and ewer shows lef ha quali you or he Mr. Olympia. I have my size back, so i’s no an issue o needing an off-season o ge bigger or o bring up lagging body pars. I’s really a maer o no running my body ino he ground by compeing oo ofen. I’ve been a pro or 14 years now, and realisically I probably will only compee or anoher couple o years. So wih ha in mind, i’s ough o pass up grea shows like he Arnold a his poin. By he ime his issue comes ou, he lis will be up or he Arnold and you’ll know wha I decided.
season where I can make very real improvemens. I am skipping he Arnold Classic and no compeing again unil he 2015 Mr. Olympia, so ha gives me a ull 10 monhs o rain hard and ea los o good ood. Bu even hough I say ha, I’m no going o be eaing 10 meals every day. I’s no abou adding weigh or me anymore. hough I do plan on coninuing o bring up my back and my hamsrings, muscle qualit and deail are wha I am raining o have more o. As a bodybuilder, you’re never 100 percen happy wih wha you see in he mirror, or he phoos and videos you see o yoursel rom a cones. Even i i’s he bes you have ever looked, you sill see hings you know can be beer. ha’s wha moivaes me every ime I walk ino he gym o ge ou here and kick ass wih he weighs! As ar as new mehods— no, no really. Wha I have been doing has been working well or he las ew years as I have been geing beer and doing beer a he bigger coness.
JUAN MOREL keeping my midsecion in check. ha’s one o my advanages onsage ha I don’ wan o lose. A 255 pounds, my wais ges down o 28 inches. Even Wol’s wais isn’ ha slim. he only guy who migh have i pre close is Shawn Rhoden. I’m sill doing i all on my own wihou a coach, because I eel like I know my body beer han a coach ever could. I’ve also been raining wih a lo o new guys. here are a bunch o young aspiring bodybuilders a Bev’s who are hungry o ge huge and win coness, and laely I have been picking wo a a ime o hi a body par wih. hey look up o me, and I eed off heir energy and enhusiasm. I also sill rain a imes wih my buddy George as well as wih Kevin English. So ar everyhing has been going perecly, and I am looking orward o he 2015 season so I can show wha I’ve been working hard on. 152
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VICTOR MARTINEZ years ago, hey wouldn’ be a requiremen. You knew hey weren’ up unil hen, because he posing runks were a lo bigger. hey were pracically diapers compared o he runks we wear now, ha show hal your ass! So you can’ hide i i your glues are sof like he guys back in he old days could. I used o have heories abou why some guys never could ge heir glues in. Like Lee Pries. He used o ge ino crazy condiion everywhere bu his glues. I hough i was because he had shor legs. Bu hen I saw Jose Raymond come along a ew years ago wih pre much he same proporions, and he ges his glues shredded every ime. I hink par o i is ha some guys who don’ ge ha look should rain heir glues, bu hey’re oo macho o si here in he gym and do i. I’s no considered very hardcore or a big male bodybuilder o ge on a machine like he Bu Blaser ha usually only women use. Even he name o he machine is embarrassing! Bu deep squas and ha machine, along wih sep-ups, lunges and cardio on he SepMill, will develop he glues and give hem ha same muscle maurit ha helps you ge sriaions in oher areas like your pecs and quads. My glues have come in really clear a ew imes, bu no every ime. I’s ough o say big and ull and hi ha super shredded and dry condiion you need o have in order o display ruly sriaed glues. Bu hese days, you have o a leas show some blurry sriaions in your glues or else your condiion is looked a as being off. I don’ know i geneically some guys really can’ ge sriaed glues, or i hey’re no willing o do wha i akes wih raining hem— really suffering wih he die and doing all he cardio needed.
WHY CAN SOME GUYS GET STRIATED GLUTES, AND SOME NEVER DO?
DENNIS WOLF One hing no everyone undersands, because hey are only hinking abou he condiion par o i, is ha firs you need o have developmen in he glues. Some guys have ha jus rom doing hings like squas and leg presses, while ohers like mysel find ha you need o do direc work on hem o make hem grow. My glues were pre small and underdeveloped, even hough I was able o do heavy squas and leg presses and my quads go very big. Evenually I figured ou ha my glues weren’ geing much work rom hose, and I had o do hings like ha glue kickback machine ha usually only women use. Once you have glue developmen, hen o course you need o ge exremely lean and hen ge he waer ou a he las minue o see sriaions, and ha’s no an easy hing o do. I’s ricky because you sill wan o say as big and ull as you can. I you don’ care abou losing muscle size and ullness, anyone can ge sriaed glues, I hink. Bu in bodybuilding, you can’ jus be ripped. You need o have size oo. Sriking ha balance isn’ easy. I’s also a iming problem. You can only hold ha balance o size and condiion or a very shor ime beore he body sars losing one o hose qualiies. So ar, he bes combinaion I’ve shown was a he Arnold Classic in Madrid ha I won afer he 2014 Mr. Olympia. I was very happy wih my condiion Friday nigh a he Olympia, bu no wih my ullness. You can’ be fla when you’re going up agains Phil and Kai! Bu or he guys who never have sriaed glues, i’s probably eiher because hey don’ have he developmen here, hey never ge lean and dry enough, or boh.
JUAN MOREL sriaed glues. Firs o all, someimes a muscle group jus doesn’ have he geneics, no maer how lean he person ges. You see i wih big ches, bu even when he’s in grea condiion, you don’ see any cross-sriaions when he his his crab sho. hen you see a guy wih a ches hal ha size wih splis and grooves like crazy all across his pecs. I hink i’s he same wih glue sriaions. Bu mos o he ime, he bodybuilder in quesion jus doesn’ ge lean enough. hey look ripped rom he ron, bu hey urn around and hey’re sof. ha’s because you usually have o ge much leaner overall or your glues and hams o be jus as hard as he res o you. You have o suffer wih your die and your cardio. Guys will ell you hey did everyhing righ and don’ undersand why heir glues didn’ come in, bu who knows wha hey really did or didn’ do? Behind closed doors, hey migh have been bingeing on junk ood. hey migh have been slacking on heir cardio, using easier machines like a saionary bike insead o he SepMill. Or i hey do use he SepMill, hey lean on he hing and hug i once i ges ough. I akes a lo o very hard work o ge shredded o he poin where your glues are in, and mos guys won’ go ha exra mile i akes. hey ge o a cerain poin and jus figure ha’s i, ha’s as lean as hey’re going o ge or heir show. I hink i’s a combinaion o being lazy, and being araid o lose any more weigh. Guys ge i in heir heads ha hey are going o compee a some specific bodyweigh. hen hey migh be a monh ou rom he show and hey see hey’re already a ha weigh. Insead o pushing harder and geing ha exra condiion hey need, hey sor o go ino a holding paern wih heir die and heir cardio. I you know a lo o guys who compee, you have seen his happen a bunch o imes.
MD 153
A CUT ABOVE POST-WORKOUT NUTRITION: TIMING IS EVERYTHING I ake in approximaely 31 grams o carbohydraes and eigh grams o BCAAs as soon as I’m done working ou. Should I be concerned wih eaing a meal as soon as I ge home 15 minues laer, or am I OK wih ha unil I ge hungry enough o ea, which is usually abou an hour afer he workou? An hour is fine. Really, anywhere in he 45- o 60-minue window afer your workou is OK, bu you don’ wan o go longer han ha. I would bump up your carbs o 50 grams pos-workou, hough. Assuming you’re somewhere in he average size range o 180-210 pounds, your body needs ha much o replenish spen glycogen sores. I used o ake in wice ha amoun in he off-season. Wha a lo o bodybuilders do is ake in more carbs in heir pos-workou shake on days hey rain larger body pars like legs and back, so you should consider ha oo.
WHEN LAT PULLDOWNS WORK BETTER THAN CHINS A your sronges, how much weigh could you add on or chin-ups?
Being ha I hovered close o 300 pounds mos o he year, here was really no need or me o add any exra weigh or chin-ups. Way back a Gold’s in Worceser when I was abou 50 pounds ligher han ha, I used o srap on a 45-pound plae on one o hose bels wih he chains and do ses o six o eigh reps. Bu as ar as adding 100 or 200 pounds and doing chins … nope, no me. La pulldowns were somehing ha I ound offered me much beer conrol over he movemen.
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HERNIATED DISK Hey champ! How are you? I began serious weigh raining wo years ago, and have compeed in wo shows here where I’m saioned a in Japan. I’m now 34. Afer my las show, I herniaed my L4-L5 disk doing T-bar rows. The pain was horrible, bu evenually wen away. Then i came back when I was squating hree weeks ago. Is his a game-ender, or somehing common ha weighlifers/bodybuilders ge or have requenly? I’s knocked me down and back, and leg raining is ou or now— bu I don’ wan o be one o hose guys wih jus a ches and arms. Any advice is grealy appreci- aed, big Jay!
serious injury ha’s ough o come back rom. For a lo o guys who aren’ oally commied o raining and improving, i ofen is a game-ender because hey don’ wan o ake he ime and make he effor o rehabiliae he injury. Your wo main tpes o herapy o look ino are deep-issue massage and chiropracic adjusmens. Chiropracors usually also have oher tpes o herapy a heir disposal, like elecrical muscle simulaion (EMS) and inrared herapy. In he meanime, you are going o have o do your bes o work around he injury. he main exercises o avoid are hose ha compress your spine under heavy loads, including bu no limied o deadlifs, back squas, heavy shrugs, sanding cal raises and overhead barbell presses. You can sill rain your back and your legs, bu you do have o choose exercises where your back is suppored. For back, you can do all tpes o la pulldowns and chins (no spinal compression— hey should acually help alleviae some pain by sreching ou he spine), suppored -bar rows wih your ches on a pad, dumbbell rows lying down on an incline bench and Hammer Srengh machines. For legs, I would sugges pre-exhausing your quads and hams wih leg exensions and leg curls beore moving on o he leg press. On he leg press, be careul no o lower he plaorm ino such a deep srech ha your bu sars coming off he pad. Mos guys don’ go ha ar down anyway, bu I had o make sure I cauioned you. You can also finish off wih ron squas on he Smih machine. Fron squas orce you o say oally uprigh, and because he glues and lower back can’ assis as much as hey do in a back squa, you won’ need o go very heavy a all. For insance, i you used o squa 315 on back squas doing hem firs hing in your leg workou, chances are ha i you do ron squas afer exensions, leg curls and he leg press, you won’ need o pu more han a 45 on each side o he Smih bar. Ge ha disk aken care o, bu in he meanime here’s no need or you o sop raining back and legs.
musculardevelopment.com April 2015
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He didn’ believe in doing any abdominal exercises wih anyhing oher han your own bodyweigh, as hese are muscles ha we don’ wan o be overly developed and hick. Crunches, leg raises and so on should be done or higher reps such as 20-30. As or requency, you can do a lile bi every day, such as a se o abs in beween ses or oher muscle groups, or wo or hree exercises or wo o hree ses each, every oher day.
THE FINAL PIECES OF THE PUZZLE So ar in he las wo monhs, we’ve alked abou in our spor oday, and how o rain o ge i back in oday’s ahlees so we can reurn o hose days o physiques ha were magnificen and inspiraional. his monh, we conclude wih he final pieces o ha puzzle: proper raining o he midsecion, and nuriional sraegies so he waisline remains compac and igh. Remember, all he muscle in he world won’ maer i you have a big, bloaed belly!
PROPER ABDOMINAL TRAINING Firs and oremos, you mus always be conscious o your waisline as a bodybuilder, and keep i a priorit a all imes. I you can gain 10 pounds and you can sill see your abs, grea! I you gain five pounds and now your abs are buried under a, ha’s bad! In oher words, never gauge your progress only in erms o bodyweigh gain. I you lose sigh o your abs, you’re a, period. And you know wha I say: “You can’ flex a!” Abdominal raining or mos bodybuilders is an erhough. hey migh work abs once or wice a week a mos, i a all. Bu don’ jus hink in erms o how ofen you specifically rain your abs. You should keep hem “a aenion” a all imes, and no le your belly hang over your bel. ha’s one reason you should never allow yoursel o ge 30-40 pounds or more over your sage weigh. Mos o ha exra weigh will jus be flab. You never saw he sars o he ‘80s or ‘90s do ha, which is why we all had apered waiss and could hi a vacuum. I’ve said his so many imes, and I will keep saying i as long as bodybuilders insis on geing oo heavy: “I you can’ flex i, don’ carry i!” As or he acual abdominal raining, here are also some rules o ollow. Firs is o never rain your obliques wih weigh. When I was living ou in Caliornia very early in my pro career, he grea Robby Robinson saw me doing side bends while holding a dumbbell. He immediaely sopped me and cauioned me ha developing he obliques would evenually give me a wide, blocky wais. ha was he las se o side bends I ever did in my lie! Since Robby had one o he greaes midsecions o all ime, including anasic abs and eched serraus muscles, you know I lisened when he alked.
TIGHT WAISTLINE his will sound ar oo simple, bu he mos imporan guideline is don’ overea! I alk o bodybuilders who ell me hey suff hemselves a every meal o he poin where hey can hardly move or breahe. ha’s ridiculous and compleely unnecessary, and eeding your body a huge surplus o calories beyond wha i acually needs will only lead o geing a. I you’re experiencing indigesion, bloaing and gas, your body is rying o ell you o cu back on your porions. Make every effor o ea resh oods packed wih nuriens like fish, chicken, eggs, urkey, rice, oas, yams and plent o resh ruis and vegeables. Mos bodybuilders shy away rom hose las wo, and ha’s unorunae. No only are hey loaded wih viamins, minerals and anioxidans, bu hey conain ample fiber o keep you regular. Proper eliminaion o wase is criical or good healh, and also or mainaining a rim and igh midsecion. ha’s also why I advise agains eaing a lo o red mea. I can ake your body up o 24 hours o ully break red mea down, and in he meanime i’s siing here in your digesive rac.
LET’S GET IT BACK! I or one miss he days when physiques were more symmerical, proporionae, and sh apely, wih dramaic V-apers and greaer emphasis on posing and presenaion. hese are hings we have los along he way, bu we can and mus ge hem back i we wan our spor o move orward and reurn o he ideals i once represened. hen, and only hen, I believe we will see i begin o grow and flourish again. ■
Would you like o rain wih eigh-ime Mr. Olympia Lee Haney? Lee offers boh online and personal raining or ou-o-own guess. Visi www. leehaney.com or a complee lis o services! Check ou videos rom he IAFS workshops a hps://www.youube.com/user/IAFSCerificaion. For more inormaion, please visi he websie a www. iascerificaion.com. Go a quesion or Lee Haney? You can ask him direcly on he MD websie and have Lee personally answer your quesion! Go o www. musculardevelopmen.com, MD Forums, MD Saff and Pros, Q and A or Lee Haney Zone.
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2015
WITH 7-TIME MR. OLYMPIA ARNOLD SCHWARZENE
BY RON HARRIS
SUCCESS Arnold wroe his book Arnold’s Bodybuild- ing or Men in 1980, a a pivoal poin in he finess indusry. For decades, “gyms” had been ew and ar beween. Every cit had a weigh room in is YMCA, and here were some posh healh spas ha caered o he wealhy and ocused more on ameniies like seam rooms and massage, bu as ar as places ha were purely dedicaed o physical finess wih he main emphasis on weigh raining, hey were rare indeed. All ha changed in he early 1980s, as a finess boom swep across he USA, and suddenly “working ou” became a household phrase. Gyms sprung up in he ens o housands in he ‘80s and ‘90s, rom more mainsream tpes like Bally’s o acual hardcore chains like Gold’s, World and Powerhouse Gyms, no o menion a plehora o smaller chains and independen gyms ha caered specifically o bodybuilders and powerlifers. Hard or you younger guys o imagine, isn’ i? I is, because in 2015, hose “hardcore” gyms have dwindled away or he mos par, run ou o business by mega chains like Plane Finess and Work Ou World (WOW) ha eaure very cheap membership prices, generic machines and only limied ree weighs, and discourage any acual effor. I’s now jus abou as hard o find a good gym or people like us who srive o become bigger and sronger as i was 35 years ago when Arnold wroe hese words: “A ew good bodybuilders are able o rain a home or in heir garages, bu or mos he key o success is raining in he righ kind o gym. You don’ necessarily have o come ou o Caliornia and rain a World Gym or Gold’s
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Gym, bu you do have o find a place where here is enough inensit so ha unusual effor is considered normal. I you can do a 250-pound bench press and nobody around you can do any beer, you are going o have rouble progressing o 300 pounds. Bu i here are some bodybuilders pressing 500 pounds righ beside you, you are no going o remain saisfied wih your own effors or long. You need a gym wih boh he r igh kind o aciliies and he righ kind o amosphere.” I’s almos as i Arnold had a crysal ball and saw he Plane Finess phenomenon ha lay ahead, so-called “gyms” where gruning or making so much as a peep resuls in a lunk alarm or ejecion rom he gym, where even ank ops are orbidden because any acual muscle migh be enough o inimidae and shame he oher members and ou-oshape sad sacks enjoying he acil’s ree doughnus. Arnold’s musings rom 1980 could jus as easily apply o he sae o affairs in 2015. He goes on o discuss he value o a raining parner in your ques o build he bes physique you can: “You have o be able o concenrae on wha you’re doing, and some gyms allow his, while ohers discourage i. I you can find he righ kind o raining parner, so much he beer. When you are aiming a 100 percen inensit in your workous, you need somebody o kick you in he behind rom ime o ime as well as praise you and give you encouragemen when you finally ge i righ.” His nex quoe alks abou visual moivaional cues o help oser he proper mindse: “Along wih his physical environmen, you need he righ kind o menal environmen, oo. I remember I used o increase my moivaion by hanging up
phoos around my room o bodybuilders like Reg Park and Bill Pearl, huge guys whom I waned o emulae. And I also wen o see a lo o moivaional films, someimes oally unrelaed o bodybuilding. I would use he inspiraion o grea heroes and hose who conquered agains grea odds o make me work harder or my own success.” he above is paricularly relevan when alking abou he bes gyms or bodybuilders oday. A places like Bev and Seve’s Powerhouse, Gold’s in Venice, emple Gym in Birmingham, U.K, and seleced oher hardcore havens ha sill survive oday, you will sill see plent o images o champion bodybuilders on he walls. Gold’s in paricular has a whole series o lie-size phoos o e ach Mr. Olympia champion in he cavernous firs room. As ar as moivaional films, Arnold’s words were wrien jus beore every home had a VCR, allowing us o wach films. Now, i’s common or bodybuilders o wach his classic documenary Pumping Iron, as well as oher meahead avories like Conan, 300, Gladiaor or any one o he champ’s raining videos beore heading off o blas some iron a he gym. We can even wach hose or hings like MD videos on our ables or smar phones wherever we migh be or ha muchneeded inspiraion whenever we need i. So once you have he righ place o rain, a good parner and any magazines or video conen you may need o ge psyched, you will have he perec environmen, boh lierally and figuraively, o creae your own physical maserpiece. ■
Arnold’s musings from 1980 could jus as easily apply o he sae of airs in 2015.
Source: Arnold’s Bodybuilding For Men , by Arnold Schwarzenegger wih Bill Dobbins (c) 1981 Simon &Schuser,
musculardevelopment.com April 2015
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by Facebook I 2015
WITH 2008 MR. OLYMPIA DEXTER JA
WHILE DIETING Bob Cicherillo wroe in MD abou how bodybuilders in he old days used o die on oally bland, plain oods, whereas com- peiors in bodybuilding oday can’ seem o prep unless hey can have ons o sugar-ree reas and syrups. Bob hinks his is one reason why we don’ see condiion as crisp now as i was in he old days. Do you agree ha eaing and drinking all hose sugar-ree goodies will preven you rom geting as lean as you should? I hink here is a problem when ahlees orge ha hose iems sill have calories, and go crazy wih hings like sugar-ree cookies and hard candy, suff like ha. Bu I have used hings like sugar-ree popsicles and Jell-O in my dies and I sill go in shape. Anoher hing o keep in mind is ha hey didn’ necessarily do hings beer in he old days. For insance, i used o be common pracice o cu sodium ou a 12 weeks or more rom a cones. Your muscles need sodium o ge a pump! he only ime you possibly wan o cu sodium ou is in he las day or wo beore a cones when you’re flushing ou all he subcuaneous waer. Bu see, hey didn’ know any beer back hen. Sugar-ree reas are fine when you’re dieing, in moderaion. I you have any doubs,
hough, don’ use hem. You can sill use seasonings and spices on your mea, poulry and sh. here’s no reason o ea ood ha has no ase a all. ha won’ ge you any more ripped!
FOR LAGGING BODY PARTS I you have a body par ha lags behind, do you hink i makes sense o do a litle exra work or i on oher raining days? Don Long calls i “ouch-up” raining, and suppos- edly i has helped some guys. Have you ever ried anyhing like ha or have you known anyone who did? And do you hink i could also be a good idea i you have a body par ha’s bigger on one side han he oher? I can’ say I have ever ried ha mehod, bu i sounds like i would possibly work. You really have nohing o lose by giving i a sho. I’ve never really had any lagging body pars, because everyhing pre much grew a he same rae. I have had o deal wih asymmery, one side being a lile more developed han he oher. You also saw i near he end wih boh Jay and Ronnie. My imbalances aren’ so noiceable, bu my lef biceps and lef quad are boh a lile bigger han he righ side. Wha I have done or hose is o do a ew exra reps per se or hose limbs. I will do unilaeral movemens like a dumbbell preacher curl or biceps or a leg exension or quads, and sop he se a bi shor o ailure on he srong side. Le’s say ha ends up being 10 reps. For he weaker side, I will go o oal ailure, which migh be 15 reps. ha’s worked pre well or me, because now you really have o look hard o see any difference rom side o side.
I’LL BE THERE Dexer, have you heard o any plans o hold he Masers Mr. Olympia cones again? I i was pu on again, would you ener i and go or anoher Masers Mr. Olympia ile, or are you all se wih one o hose along wih a Mr. O and our Arnold Classic iles so ar? I don’ know o any plans, bu i he money is righ, I am down. I earned $100,000 or he Masers Pro World win in 2011, hen $75,000 or he Masers Mr. Olympia he year afer ha. I am a proessional ahlee, and his is how I make my living. So sure, i he prize money is a ha level again, coun me in.
SHOULD I WEAR A WEIGHT BELT WHEN I TRAIN? Some people have criicized me or wearing a bel when I rain. I eel a lo more secure wih i on or many exercises, because I’ve hur my back a ew imes over he years. Bu hey ell me I’m weakening my core by using a bel. Do you hink ha’s rue? And how imporan is core srengh or a bodybuilder, anyway? I ell you wha, squa heavy wihou a bel and i won’ be long beore you wish you’d worn one! Personally, I wear a bel all he ime when I rain, wheher I need i or no. I doesn’ maer i I’m raining legs, back, ches or even arms. I jus eel more secure and proeced wih he bel on. As or core srengh, you’re asking he wrong guy abou ha. I don’ even rain my abs! ■ Follow Dexer on wier: @MrOlympia08 and on Insagram: mrolympia08. Go a quesion or Dexer Jackson? You can ask him direcly on he MD websie and have Dexer personally answer your quesion! Go o www.musculardevelopmen. com, MD Forums, MD Saff and Pros, Q and A or Dexer Jackson.
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musculardevelopment.com April 2015
WITH 8-TIME MR. OLYMPIA RONNIE C
MINE ARE STILL 22 INCHES
COMPLETE LEG DEVELOPMENT
Ronnie, I saw phoos you posed a ew monhs ago online where your arms go small, or a leas small or you— 17.3 inches. Why did ha happen? Did you sop raining compleely or a while? When was he las ime hey were ha small, in high school? And how as did hey ge back o heir normal 20-21 inches? ha was a joke! I was jus messing wih everybody, bu I knew a lo o hem would buy ino i. he las ime my arms were less han 20 inches was when I was in high school, and even by he ime I graduaed, hey were probably righ around 20 inches. When I played ooball in college, hey were abou 22 inches a 225 pounds. My weigh now is 265-275, so hey are always around 22 inches or maybe a lile bigger. I’s unny how many people really hough my arms had los ha much size, hough. I mean, I was flexing in he picure and you could see hey weren’ ha small!
FDA’S BAN ON PROHORMONES As he owner of a supplemen company, wha’s your opinion on he recen FDA ban on prohormones? Did ha affec any of your prod- ucs? Do you feel he FDA did he righ hing in making hose tpes of producs illegal? I didn’ affec me or my company a all. My business parner, Brendan, and I alked abou his even beore I sared he Ronnie Coleman Signaure Series. Every so ofen, some prohormone produc would ge banned, and his is going back maybe seven or eigh years. I was clear ha he day would come when he FDA jus decided o ban he whole caegory and classi hem as drugs. I’m surprised i ook hem as long as i did! We could have come ou wih somehing like ha i we waned o, bu we decided rom he sar
and no include any ingrediens ha could ge us in rouble. As or he FDA doing he righ hing, I don’ really eel he governmen should ell people wha hey can and can’ pu in heir bodies. hey le people smoke cigarees ha give hem cancer, and people can buy alcohol ha 162
desroys heir livers. Bu hey wan o ell you his supplemen or ha one is so bad or you ha you can’ buy i? Jus seems kind o srange o me.
NO THANKS You’ve been he greaes bodybuilder in he world, and now you own a successul supple- men company. Have you ever hough abou opening up your own gym or chain o hardcore gyms? I am sure awesome spos or body- builders o rain! People have asked me why I have never opened my own gym, and here’s why. I’ve spoken wih more han a ew gym owners over he years, and mos o hem old me i’s a whole lo o work or no much money. I remember Milos Sarcev elling me how much o a headache his Koloseum Gym in Caliornia was. Jus geing he righs o he name was a whole ordeal. And he had a very nice hardcore gym ha used o be he Gold’s o and a lo o he Orange Count pros all used o rain a.
I seems o me ha squas, ron squas, leg presses and hack squas are all pre much he same moion. Mos people seem o agree ha squas are he bes exercise or building huge highs, so shouldn’ we jus work hard on hose and do more ses o hem insead o adding in hose oher compound movemens? Wha’s he poin o doing hem? I don’ agree ha all hose movemens are he same. Squas were he mos imporan exercise in my leg workous, because hey hi everyhing: quads, hams and glues. Bu here was no way I could have goen complee developmen in all he differen areas I waned o jus wih sandard back squas. Fron squas were how I was able o ocus on he upper quads, where hey wen oward he hips. Hack squas were perec or working more on he ouer quads or a beer sweep o he highs. And hen here are leg presses, where you can pu your ee in differen posiions on he plaorm o work differen areas. I I wen wide, i was more o he inner highs working. Wih a narrower sance, I was hiing ha ouer sweep again. Wih my ee a lile lower, my quads worked harder, and puing my ee up higher go more hams and glues. Leg presses were also a grea way o load up my highs wih a lo o weigh wihou my lower back being a weak link, no ha i ever really was. Squas are he bes exercise, and you should definiely work real hard on hem. Bu i you wan he tpe o complee leg developmen rom every angle like a champion bodybuilder has, you need o do all hose oher exercises oo. ■
CHECK OUT RONNIE’S WEBSITES ronniecoleman.ne, bigroncoleman.com, Facebook: Ronnie Coleman Signaure Series, Insagram: @ RonnieColeman8
musculardevelopment.com April 2015
WITH 6-TIME MR. OLYMPIA DORIAN YA
I’ve eard con icing repors a ou your leg rai ing. Some like o use you exampl en legs wihou is ha really rue? And do you rcise Firs arly 1980s, a ving big legs as suddenly a age in bodybuilding. here were om Plaz, T d Jeff King who all a remen eg men, an who we e all known or being amaz es o a bodybuilder, as i was he mos axi he exer l vemen o bac he he m I sared raining a ha g pres ar ly anyone . r very d on s s, going as h vy as I co and doin y reps “ass he ” jus like Bu in 1986 I suffered e n asc ver gh hip whil ing. hen e was very lile inorma or rehab, so I jus res an en wen c o g again. I coninued o be oblem, so in 19 or a minor sur ery o remove ar issue. While I as here, measur ere one an rne a my rig leg was slighly shorer an my lef. I hink i was only an eighh o a quar r-inch a mos, bu i was e ha doi g barbell on my back creaed oo much sre s on one side. h uas ipped e o ha srucur issue. Onc I was ready o resume le raining, I gave mac ne squas a ry. ound s ha I was able o remain more
“Squaing was seen as he rue es of a bodybuilder, as i was he mos axing of all he exercises. I was also he main leg movemen for all of us back hen.”
upr g , a quads as opposed o more o a orward lean and greaer involvemen o my lower back, glues and obliques wih barbell squas (and bigger obliques are no a good h ing or a bodybuilder). I also began incorporaing he leg press and hack squa as ime wen by, and my legs coninued o grow and improve. So you can say ha I did do my air share o squaing as an amaeur and did build much o my leg mass doing squas, bu as a pro I never did ree-weigh squas. As or heir value, I acually consider squas o be he mos producive overall exercise you can do or srengh and healh.
UNILATERAL TRAINING I have a quesion abou he various machines ha allow or each limb o be worked independenly, such as he Hammer Srengh line. Is i bes o push r pull wih boh limbs a he same ime, o alernae righ and lef, or do all your reps wih one side firs and hen swich? I see people using jus one arm a a ime or back machines in paricular, bu when i comes o pressing movemens or he ches r shoulders, everybody always seems o be pushing boh arms a once. This even seems o bear rue or all he raining shos I recall seeing wih you rom back in he day. Since mos o us use hese machines, wha’s he bes way? I’s a good idea o use he machines unilaerally or back raining, because your orso is kep sabilized wih he pad agains your ches. Bu wih he ches- and shoulder-pressing machines, here is no addiional benefi o raining one limb a a ime. In ac, i’s airly awkward and diffi cul o keep yoursel sabilized ha way. So you can use he back machines wih one arm a a ime or boh, bu I would do your presses wih boh arms. ■ For inormaion on DY Nuriion, visi www. dorianyaesnuriion.com. o inquire abou Dorian Yaes Gym ranchises, see dorianyaesgym.com. Go a quesion or Dorian Yaes? You can ask him direcly on he MD websie and have Dorian personally answer your quesion! Go o www. musculardevelopmen.com, M D Forums, No Bull, he DY Zone.
musculardevelopment.com April 2015
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The Gifed One BY RON HARRIS
WITH 4-TIME MR. OLYMPIA PHIL HEATH JAY CUTLER— HIS GUARDIAN ANGEL
IN
TWO YEARS
Since he won he 2005 USA, Phil Heah has had access o one o he mos respeced and sough-afer coaches in he indusry, Hany Rambod. Bu in 2003 when he was preparing o ener his firs cones in his naive Colorado, he advice ed.
as a bodybuilder now. I was doing hese woHeah’s supendously gifed geneics
rs cones, as well as rip-roaringly as as you migh have hough, as well as how ha rs win was a urning poin or him ha changed his uure rom ha momen onward— and seered him oward he pah ha led him o he Mr. Olympia sage jus a ew years laer. “Over ime, I was able o gain weigh. Bu I mean, I weighed 180 pounds when I played ball in college, I weighed 190 a my firs show. So i wasn’ oo dramaic. he only hings I really cu ou were pizza and beer, which I immediaely re-implemened he minue I sage afer winning. Afer ha show,
could sill lose. I makes no sense. Bodybuilding was very rewarding. So afer ha, I decided o keep going, and I
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Due in large par o his nickname o “he Gif,” here is a widespread ye inaccurae assumpion ha Phil came rom money and never had o sruggle. Here he les us know ha here was a ime when he was indeed living paycheck o paycheck, bu ha hrough he benevolence o his riend and menor Jay Culer, he was able o move ou o ha saion much sooner han expeced. “Beore ha happened in 2005, I remember I was really going hrough a lo o mess. I was he same broke-ass bodybuilder ha I see and alk o so many o on our. We all have he same sory. We’re spending all our resources in he hope ha we can be beer in he gym. I was working wo jobs. I had me Jay Culer, and he had old me o ge some images o him. He passed hem around o differen people. In 2005, I sared geing calls rom differen companies. I go phone calls rom Seve Blechman wih MD and Peer McGough rom FLEX. I was ready o ge sponsored. I was acually sponsored going ino he Junior Naionals. We all know ha doesn’ really happen, bu I was really orunae, because he day o he Junior Naionals, I had 43 dollars o my name. I remember doing he juniors and hinking, I’m jus happy o finally be here, because I had no money and no suppor sysem. I was ough. I knew nobody. I was here a he show by mysel. I knew one guy in he show who wen o my gym. I won ha show and go sponsored by AMI/Weider.” Finally, Heah alks abou he firs car he ever owned, which was no, as some imagine, a Lamborghini. And along wih he good orune, he shares wih us a lile-known negaive even— he effecs o which linger o his day. “I was able o buy my firs car wih ha money. I was driving a Lincoln LS, green, decen wheels, nohing crazy. ha came laer. I go rear-ended a hal-mile rom my house. So now I’m geing ready or he USA wih a bea-up car. People a he gym were like, Couldn’ Weider ge him a nicer car? I remember he residual ecs o ha acciden, which sill resides o his day. Any ime I ge really lean, my back goes ou. I ge back spasms, and i almos can’ be fixed.” Luckily, hanks o grea chiropracic and acupuncure care in more recen years, Phil’s back problems have been managed o he poin where he has been able o win he world’s op bodybuilding ile or he pas our years in a row. ■
SOURCE: NPC NEWS ONLINE VIDEO “Phil Heah Seminar 10-23-14, Bev Francis Powerhouse Gym: How he began his bodybuilding career.”
musculardevelopment.com April 2015
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BY STEPH EN E. ALWAY, PH.D., FACSM ILLU STRATIONS BY WILL IAM P. HAMI LTON, CMI
WITH SUMO DEADLIFTS Lifing heavy weigh off he floor ranks among he bes boosers or mass building ha a bodybuilder can ake advanage o during he off-season. No only will heavy deadlifs increase orso and core srengh, bu hey will also develop ousanding grip srengh and add muscle mass and deph. he convenional deadlif powerully acivaes hip exensor muscles such as he hamsrings 1,2, as well as muscles along he spine and glueus maximus , which provide a base or lower body srengh. he sumo version o he deadlif will supercharge he quadriceps beer han convenional deads , and ends o minimize he risk or lower back srain.
BY SUMO DEADLIFTS he quadriceps muscles o he anerior (ron) high are acivaed o conrol he weigh on he way down, and when sraighening he knees o move he weigh up. he fibers o he recus emoris muscle run rom he hip along he ron o he high o join he quadriceps endon above he kneecap (paella). he vasus medialis, inermedius and laeralis muscles are anchored o he emur bone o he high on he inside, middle and ouside o he high, respecively, and hey all aach o he quadriceps endon. When he quadriceps muscles conrac, hey pull on he ibia, which exends he leg (i.e., sraighens he knee) in he upward lif o he barbell rom he floor. I urns ou ha boh back and hamsring muscles are very acive hip exensors in s.5,6 he long head o he biceps emoris o he hamsrings begins on he ischial uberosit o he hip. he fibers o he shor head o 168
he biceps emoris sar on he lower one-hird o he emur bone, jus above he knee. Boh heads o he muscle use ino a hick endon, which crosses he laeral side o he knee join o aach o he fibula bone on he knee. he muscle fibers o he semiendinosus muscle anchor o he ischial uberosit, and inser on he medial side o he ibia (he large medial bone o he leg). he semimembranosus muscle also begins on he ischial uberosit, and aaches o he poserior par o he medial condyle o he ibia, jus below he knee join. he erecor spinae5 is a group o muscles o he back ha are locaed around he spine in doubles, wih one on he righ side o he verebral column and he oher muscle on he lef side. his muscle group exends rom he horacic o he cervical verebrae in he neck. When boh he lef and righ pars o hese back exensors conrac ogeher, he verebral column is exended.
musculardevelopment.com April 2015
Oher back muscles, including he rapezius and he laissimus, and oher smaller scapular muscles, are acivaed o sabilize he bar as i is lifed upward.2,3 he upper and middle pars o he rapezius are worked srongly in sumo s.
SUMO DEADLIFTS When learning how o do a sumo deadlif, i is imporan o find he mechanical “swee spo” where your hips and orso are opimally posiioned over he barbell, o pull he weigh rom he fl o find he bes posiion or you, i will be necessary o sar wih he bar slighly behind your hips, and hen pull yoursel backward unil you eel he bes mechanical posiion o begin your lif. Once you find i, ake he ime o posiion yoursel o hi he correc posiion each ime you he weigh rom he floor. Afer you deermine your saring posiion, he res will all ino place. 1. Place he bar on he floor. Ensure ha you are wearing non-slip shoes. 2. Se your ee very wide apar, much like a sumo wresler’s saring sance. However, he widh o your ee should also allow you o comorably squa down and ge back up, all while mainaining good balance (i.e., keeping your ). 3. ake a reverse grip on he bar, wih one palm up (supinaed) and one palm down (pronaed). Sar wih your arms hanging sraigh down rom your shoulders. hey should se up beween your knees. he bar should be up agains your lower leg (ibia). 4. Push rom your heels (no he ron o your ee) as you pull he weigh off he floor. Your
back should remain sraigh. Some lifers preer o hink o he hrus by pushing heir ee as i hey were rying o burs he ouside seams o heir raining shoes while he weigh is lifed upward. By driving he highs ouward in his ashion, you will be able o sabilize your hips while generaing more orce hrough your lower body o ge he weigh off o he floor. 5. ry o accelerae he bar as i moves upward, and move your hips orward as you approach a sanding posiion. Do no lean backward . 6. In he uprigh, sanding posiion a he op o he lif, he barbell should be across your upper highs. 7. Reverse he sequence as you flex your knees and reurn he weigh o he floor, and hen repea he series or he nex repeiion. Keep . I you have no done sumo deadlifs beore, you will be surprised how much o a beaing your highs will ake. Alhough you migh eel like deadlifs will kill you, you can be assured ha i s 8,9 are even used in cardiac rehabiliaion. Sumo deadlifs are a grea srengh and power builder, bu doing hem once a week is likely enough o generae sufficien simulus o maximize muscle growh. Wih new srengh will come greaer muscle fiber acivaion ha will allow you o lif heavier— and his benefi will resul in more mass or boh upper- and lowerbody muscles. Sumo deadlifs will ransorm your muscle mass and power, and you should be prepared o
urn up he amps o ge hrough your ses— as hey will elecri your physique. ■ Reerences. muscle orce and acivaion under sable and unsable condiions. J Srengh Cond Res 24: 2723-2730, 2010. 2. Escamilla RF, Francisco AC, e al. An elecromyographic analysis o sumo and convenional le deadlifs. Med Sci Spors Exerc 34: 682-688, 2002. 3. Hamlyn N, Behm DG and Young WB. runk muscle acivaion during dynamic weigh-raining exercises and isomeric insabilit aciviies. J Srengh Cond Res 21: 1108-1112, 2007. 4. Gulle JC, Tllman MD, e al. A biomechanical comparison o back and ron squas in healhy rained individuals. J Srengh Cond Res 2009;23:284-292. 5. Moore KL and Dalley AF. Clinically orienaed Anaomy, Fourh Ediion. Lippino, Williams & Wilkins, 1999; pp. 467-474; 554-560; 563-571; 685-756. 6. Ono , Higashihara A, Fukubayashi : Hamsring uncions during hip-exension exercise assessed wih elecromyography and magneic resonance imaging. Res Spors Med 2011;19:42-52. 7. Escamilla RF, Francisco AC, e al. A hreedimensional biomechanical analysis o sumo and convenional stle deadlifs. Med Sci Spors Exerc 2000;32:1265-1275. 8. Sagiv M, Amir O, e al. Lef in response o uprigh isomeric exercise in hear ransplan recipiens and healhy men. J Cardiopulm Rehabil Prev 28: 17-23, 2008. 9. Sagiv M, Hanson P, e al. Lef venricular in men wih coronary arery disease. Am J Cardiol 55: 1298-1302, 1985.
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BY RICK COLLI NS, J.D., cscs
” Q: YOU POSTED ON FACEBOOK ABOUT THE NEW PROHORMONE BAN. I’M NOT INTO LONG READING THAT WON’T AFFECT ME, SO TELL ME … HOW IS BANNING PROHORMONES A BAD THING?
I you wan a specific breakdown o he newly passed Designer Anabolic Seroid Conrol Ac o 2014 (DASCA), read my blog a supplemencounsel. com (he direc link is posed a Facebook.com/RickCollinsOnline). In his column, I’ll provide a more general overview o he good and bad poins o DASCA, along wih some broader observaions. he good: Proponens o DASCA say i proecs consumers rom dangerous drugs. Alhough he 25 lised synheic “designer seroids” ha DASCA ecively pulls off he shelves were never legal o marke as dieary supplemens in he firs place, exising U.S Food and Drug Adminisraion (FDA) regulaions and spo enorcemen wasn’ enough o a deerren o sellers. By now giving jurisdicion o he Drug Enorcemen Adminisraion (DEA) o regulae, DASCA makes coninued sales o seroids much riskier or sellers. he law also blocks creaive chemiss rom making sligh weaks o any o he seroids on he lis. Fewer designer seroids on he marke mean less in he hands o eenagers who migh buy hem over he Inerne. I also means ewer headaches due o supplemen-based ailed doping ess or he U.S. Ani-Doping Agency, which lobbied heavily or Congress o pass he DASCA. he bad: he DASCA isn’ jus a ban on sales; i uses he Conrolled Subsances Ac o accomplish is ends. ha means ha no only are he sellers on he criminal hook, bu so are he buyers. Consumers who bough hese producs— markeed as “legal”— in healh ood sores naionwide beore he DASCA ook effec are now ederal drug criminals i hey possess he producs. Due o he lack o a grace period in he law, anyone wih even a single capsule can be arresed and ederally prosecued or possession o illegal drugs as o December 18h. Criminalizing consumers overnigh seems a quesionable way o “proec” hem. And here’s
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currenly no provision in he DASCA or consumers or markeers o desroy heir sock in order o comply wih he law (check ou seroidlaw.com or any updaes on his). he ruh: When i comes o laws, even well inenioned ones, he devil is ofen in he deails. You say you’re no ino “long reading o somehing ha won’ affec” you. I ge i. We all have bills o pay, kids o drive o school on ime, pressures a work or he like. I’s oally undersandable o no ocus on he fine poins o new laws ha don’ seem o affec us. Bu ha allows new legislaion o pass, largely unexamined by he masses. Mos people only have ime or cachphrase synopses, tpically creaed by special ineres groups, poliicians or he media, each wih heir own agenda. hese headlines are processed hrough he prism o our individual perspecives and biases. hose more supporive o law-and-order iniiaives will avor a law oued as keeping illegal drugs masquerading as supplemens off he srees and ou o he hands o children. Liberarians may inerpre he same headlines as showing a “nanny sae” governmen oversepping is bounds and unnecessarily limiing personal healh choices or maure aduls— and in his case, “saving” Americans by auhorizing heir prosecuion as ederal drug criminals. hey would say ha even he possibilit o a consumer arres is ourageous. I recenly raised his poin o criminalizing adul consumers in a conversaion wih a ederal agen invesigaing producs on he dieary supple-
men marke. Regarding designer seroids, her response was ha consumers “should be ar more worried abou wha happens when hey pu his poison in heir bodies han abou me coming o knock on heir door.” Wheher she’s righ or no, her commens and oher signs sugges o me ha he governmen may be saring a more aggressive examinaion o he spors nuriion marke. A he end o he day, I hink binary hinking— ha laws, hings or people are eiher “good” or “bad”— is overly simplisic. Few hings are blackand-whie. he ruh is ha nohing is all good or all bad. Binary hinking ignores nuances and deails. Wha’s worse is ha or many people, once hey make his judgmen i’s nearly impossible o change heir minds abou i, regardless o new acs. here’s no seeing he oher side’s poin o view. Beyond designer seroids, i’s his radically polarized approach o issues ha conribues o he conenious sae o poliical discourse in America oday. ■ Rick Collins, JD, CSCS [www.rickcollins.com] is he lawyer ha members o he bodybuilding communit and nuriional supplemen indusry urn o when hey need legal help or represenaion. [© Rick Collins, 2014. All righs reserved. For inormaional purposes only, no o be consrued as legal or medical advice.]
quesionable way o “proec” hem. musculardevelopment.com April 2015
with The Bodybuilding Wizard & Master Trainer Charles Glass
CERTIFICATIONS AND EDUCATION My co-worker’s son wans o make a career ou o per- sonal raining, and his aher was picking my brain abou personal rainer cerificaions since he knows I ake my rain- ing very seriously. I suggesed NASM and ISSA. The aher waned o know abou advanced educaion and degrees ha his son migh pursue, such as he bes schools and wha pe o degrees. Honesly he ques- ioning was a bi oo much, bu I and old him I’d see wha I could nd ou. Can you please give me your bes advice? he wo cerificaion programs you menioned are boh very good, and o be hones, all he major ones are jus abou he same as ar as I’m concerned. I also don’ hink hey each you a whole lo. ypically here is a single exbook you read, and hen you ake a sandardized es held in your area. Oher cerificaions are a bi beer because hey will have you aend a weekend workshop wih hands-on insrucion beore aking an exam. In more recen years, a lo o universiies have sared offering personal raining accrediaions hrough heir exension programs, and I find hose o be ar more comprehensive. Usually hese are 10-week courses, so ar more maerial is covered. UCLA has an excellen program or his, and your riend can look ino ohers. As ar as acual our-year degrees, ha’s anoher opion. He could major in exercise science or a more popular one hese days, srengh and condiioning. hose are more suied or hose who wan o work or high school, college or even proessional spors programs as heir srengh and condiioning coach.
KEEP THEIR NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTION Like mos gyms, mine saw a big influx o new members joining and plen o members I hadn’ seen in monhs or even years reurning, righ afer New Year’s. As you migh expec, no even a monh laer, mos o hem were nowhere o be seen. I’s hard or me o undersand because I love raining and can’ even imagine quiting, bu why do hese people give up so as? Wha would i ake o make hem sick around and keep working ou he way guys like us do?
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No maer wha, a big chunk o hose people aren’ going o las, simply because hey really have no inenion o doing so. hey jus wan o say hey ried, and hen will come up wih excuses like hey couldn’ find he ime, he energy or he moivaion. hen hey’ll disappear unil nex January! Bu a lo o he New Year’s resoluion tpes genuinely do wan o change heir bodies and heir lives, and ge ino beer shape. Sadly, mos have no clue wha o do or how o do i. hey walk ino a gym and ge overwhelmed by all he equipmen, and inimidaed by he more serious rainers here who are already in grea shape. ha’s where we come in. No doub you have seen hese people wandering around looking los and conused. Why no go on over wih a riendly smile, inroduce yoursel, and ask hem i hey need any help? I’m no suggesing you sar raining all hese people or ree. Bu wha would i hur o ake a couple minues o your ime o show hem a hing or wo? Mos will be very graeul, and now hey have some direcion. Par o he reason a lo o hese people give up is because hey don’ know anybody a he gym and eel awkward. Now hey know you! Say hi o hem when you see hem. A le kindness goes a long way. And wheher you realize i or no, mos o hese people look up o you. hey are en inimidaed as I said a firs, bu once you break ha ice hey will see you as a posiive reinorcemen. A lile encouragemen every once in a while and maybe answering a quesion or wo, and hey will probably sick around or good.
MORE FROM WORKOUTS Do you hink here are some bodybuilders ou here who are able o rain jus as hard on heir own as hey would wih a rainer? I ask because I’ve wached many videos wih Ronnie Coleman and Dorian Yaes raining, and i’s hard o imagine ha eiher one o hose guys could have possibly rained any harder, even wih someone like yoursel pushing hem. Can hey rain jus as hard? Absoluely. he wo men you menioned were exremely sel-moivaed. I acually did rain Ronnie a ew imes, and ha man worked hard in he gym! Bu here’s he hing, could hey have rained smarer? Yes. And by ha I mean, I or any oher highly experienced rainer would have helped hem ge more ou o using a bi less weigh, and heir bodies would have been beer off in he long run. Ronnie had hree spinal surgeries and jus had boh hips replaced. Dorian ore a biceps and a riceps. Ronnie’s pro career lased rom 1992 o 2006, 14 years. Dorian’s was only rom 1990 o 1997. Now look a Dexer. He sared compeing as a pro in 1999. I’s 2015, and he’s sill winning shows a age 45, wih no injuries. I’ve been working wih him only or he las ew years, bu we have been making sure he says sae while sill raining as hard as he needs o. I do hink everyone would be beer off wih a good rainer in his corner, because he empaion o go oo heavy and push oo hard is jus oo much o resis or a lo o guys who are inen on being he bes in he world. ■
Go a quesion or Charles? Email i o him a edior@musculardevelopmen.com and you could see i answered righ here in MD!
musculardevelopment.com April 2015
with the IFBB Pro George Farah
LOSE WEIGHT George, I am a gym ra bu or some reason, my 10-year-old son has gained so much weigh his pas year. Every ime I menion o my husband ha we should make our son exercise and pu him on a die, my husband ges mad, saying our son is oo young or ha. Is 10 really oo young, and i his is he case, wha should I do o help my son lose weigh? Well, le’s see. In some ways your husband is righ, bu as parens we are responsible or he healh o our children and how hey look. Wha I mean by ha is, your son isn’ making his own ood or buying i. You as a paren should be seing his ood plan wihou necessarily calling i a die. Childhood obesit is a big problem in our counry due o all o he as ood and processed ood ha is eaen. Planning healhy meals ahead o ime is he way o keep your son’s weigh in check. You need o sop and ake he ime, or make ime, o eed him he righ ood. Insead o ars or higher sugar cereal or breakas, make him some eggs wih oas and rui. Never rely on wha hey serve in school— insead, send him here wih a good meal and healhy snacks, and make sure ha he is involved . he boom line is ha as parens, we need o remember ha our children are he mos imporan par o our lie, a leas mine are, and
BIGGER RESULTS Guru, las year I made my New Year’s resoluion o lose weigh. I killed mysel and spen a couple o hours in he gym every day, bu no even a monh wen by and I was back o my old sel— I sopped exercising and wen back o binge eaing. Honesly, I waned o win a show so badly, and i has been my dream since I was a eenager. I don’ undersand how people can ea plain ood year-around and never miss a day rom he gym. Can you please help? ha’s a very good quesion. Funny you’re bringing his subjec up, because I wen o he gym a ew days afer New Year’s Day, and I couldn’ find a parking spo or my ruck. Mind you, all year around he gym i’s pracically empt. I know exacly wha you’re alking abou, and I have seen his phenomenon over and over again hroughou he years ha I
we should always sop and give hem all he ime we can— rom eaching hem a game o ooball o helping hem make all he righ choices, including ood. ake care and I hope ha his helps— because afer all, our children are our uure.
have been involved in lifing and exercising. he problem is ha many people, including some who conac me, wan i all and hey wan i righ now. For example, and I am kidding you no, a leas once a week I ge an email rom someone who wans o be on he Olympia sage— and hey have never, ever compeed beore! All I do is shake my head. I mean, come on— don’ you hink you should ener a local show beore hinking you wan o be on he Olympia sage? Remember, I am no saying ha you shouldn’ dream big— no, absoluely no— bu you are almos seing yoursel up or ailure when you go abou i his way. My suggesion o everyone who wans o be a champion, or a leas shed he pounds, is o se achievable arges and work oward your goals, one sep a a ime. I am sure you have heard o baby seps, righ? Well, ake i rom me, even less han ha is beer. Wha I
mean is, going rom no doing any exercise o going o he gym daily or hours isn’ a good sar. Likewise, downing six-packs every nigh along wih a large pizza, and hen suddenly eaing chicken breas wih plain rice isn’ a grea idea, eiher. Make lile changes in order o achieve bigger resuls— oherwise, you guessed i … you will all off he wagon like many do. Sar wih a ew days o cardio and a ew days in he gym, along wih cleaning up your die a lile, and ge more aggressive as you go on. Le i ake you a year or wo— don’ be in a hurry and mos imporanly, don’ le hings disrac you. Always have a vision in your mind o wha you wan o do or look like, and go or i, one sep a a ime. Believe me, nohing is impossible i you are willing o work or i, bu never orge ha less han baby seps will do. Good luck and unil nex ime, say healhy and lif smar. ■
George Farah is presening his opinions and he does no, in any way, shape or orm, encourage or condone he use o any illegal or conrolled subsances. Nohing conained herein is o be consrued as medical advice. Use o any dru gs and exercise regimen should only be done un der he direcions and auspices o a licensed physician. he wrier does no claim o be a medical docor nor does he purpor o issue medical advice. Follow George Farah on Facebook a hps:// www.acebook.com/georgearahdieguru or on wier @gvarah. For more inormaion, visi www.georgearah.ne.
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musculardevelopment.com April 2015
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with the Pro Creator Hany Rambod
SUPPLEMENTS Many o oday’s younger bodybuilders don’ realize how ar he supplemen indusry has come in he las 20-25 years, because hey weren’ around and buying producs back hen. As someone who was an avid supplemen user rom he early ‘90s on hrough he end o he decade, le me ell you a lile bi abou how hings were. I sared lifing a he age o 13, and by high school I had become very serious abou raining and nuriion. I was especially ascinaed by he science behind supplemens, which is why I spen much o my ree ime reading summaries o clinical sudies and research aricles on hings like creaine, arginine and gluamine, which were brand-new o he marke. As odd as his will sound, I don’ hink I’ve read more han a couple o ficion books or pleasure in my lie. More han 99 percen o wha I read has been bodybuilding-relaed, various opics relaed o raining, muscle growh, a loss, nuriion and especially supplemenaion. I’s jus he way I’m wired. Even hough I’ve always had o deal wih ADD, I’ve never had rouble ocusing on hose subjecs. I was heavily ino reading up on research and clinical rials by he ime I was 15 or 16. Because I was so well read, he company I bough mos o my producs rom in my early years was he one ormerly owned by MD publisher Seve Blechman and his brohers, winlab. he science behind heir producs was solid, and hey consisenly esed well in erms o purit and poency. he place I go my supplemens was called Good Lie Nuriion in San Jose, and i’s sill here o his day— and now hey sell my Evogen Nuriion producs! he reason I
wen here was because Joe, he owner, had prices ha were 20 percen lower han GNC. I was a cramped lile hole-inhe-wall wih boxes sacked o he ceiling, unopened. he firs couple o imes I wen here, I assumed here had jus been a delivery, and Joe hadn’ had ime o unpack i ye. Bu no, hey were always like ha. Soon I figured ou ha a lo o people would come in and buy enire boxes o producs because he prices were so good. Remember, here was no Inerne ye and brick-and-morar sores were how we all go our supplemens.
JIM QUINN
“The science behind heir producs was solid, and hey consisenly esed well in erms of purit and poency.” 176
I happened o menion Good Lie o Seve Blechman no long ago, and he remembered i quie well— i was acually winlab’s bigges accoun on he Wes Coas! One tpe o produc ha was very popular in he early ‘90s was he high-calorie weigh-gain powder. hese hings lierally came in buckes, and he scoops were more like shovels. Mos o hem were loaded wih sugar. he serving sizes sared off a 1,000 calories each, and rose o he poin where many were 5,000 calories in one shake, o be aken once or wice a day in addiion o meals. Needless o say, plent o guys go a or became affliced wih diarrhea drinking hese. Since I definiely waned o gain, my gainer produc o choice was winlab’s Gainers Fuel 2500. he prin ad or i was one o he classics o ha era. I showed wo eleporer/gene-splicing machines as seen in he movie “he Fly,” wih a skinny guy going ino one and IFBB pro Jim Quinn, all 270 vascular pounds o him, emerging rom he oher. I be I bough enough cans o ha suff o pay or new rims on Seve Blechman’s Hummer! Anoher winlab produc I used religiously was heir Amino Fuel liquid aminos. Le me ell you righ now, ha i you are enjoying all he delicious flavors ha amino powders come in oday, like my Cell K.E.M. produc, you have no idea how oul hey were jus 20-25 years ago. Flavor echnology was very primiive, o say he leas. I used o sip ha Amino Fuel beore, during and afer my workous. I had a disinc pecin ase o i ha you never quie go used o. Anyway, one day I was in a science class, and i was he las period o he day. We were waching a biology movie. I had my Amino Fuel ou, because I was headed o he gym afer school. My buddy, who also rained, saw me and asked or a sip, having no idea wha he was in or. He hrew back a sho, handed i back o me and hen promply vomied all over he classroom floor. he proein powders back hen were pre disgusing oo, a leas he ones I used, because hey esed ou well. My avorie was he proein rom AS. I especially liked i because I was naural, and heir spokesman was a Bayarea naural bodybuilder named Skip LaCour. I i was good enough or him, I needed i oo! One tpe o produc ha was acually very effecive back hen was he a burner. My avorie was he original Ripped Fuel by winlab, eauring he reaky IFBB pro Roland Cziurlok in heir ads. Many people sill alk abou ha produc. his is jus a small sample o wha he supplemen landscape was like back hen when I was saring ou as a bodybuilder. I you all like i and wan o read a “par wo,” le me know! ■ Insagram: hanyrambod wier: hanyrambod Facebook: Hany Rambod (an page) Look or my hird DVD coming soon. For more inormaion, please ollow my social media o find ou who is in i and wha will be covered. For inormaion abou my cones promoions or 2015, please visi www.specrumfinessproducions.com.
musculardevelopment.com April 2015
with the IFBB Pro/Contest Prep Specialist Fakhri Mubarak
That Need to Be Monitored Just when you thought bodybuilding was as simple as eating, sleeping and training, I’m going to hit you with four hormones that you need to watch as your journey to the Olympia stage begins.
1. TESTOSTERONE (MOLECULAR FORMULA: C H O ) his is he “king” o hormones or bodybuilding. esoserone is a male sex hormone ha is imporan or sexual and reproducive developmen. esoserone is he mos imporan male hormone, period. esoserone is produced mainly in he eses, and a small amoun is made in he adrenal glands. he brain’s hypohalamus and piuiary gland conrol esoserone producion. Everyone produces a differen amoun o esoserone, depending on one’s geneics. he hypohalamus insrucs he piuiary gland how much esoserone o produce, and he piuiary gland hen riggers he eses. esoserone direcly effecs muscle growh by binding o recepors on he surace o muscle cells, and ampliing he biochemical signals in muscle issue ha will increase proein synhesis. By boosing proein synhesis in skeleal muscle, esoserone increases boh he rae and exen o which muscles adap o exercise. More proein synhesis equals more muscle, which e quals more srengh ha equals even more muscle. hus, esoserone is he mos imporan hormone or bodybuilders. When oo much esoserone is produced or arificially used, i creaes many side effecs by aromaizing o esrogen.
(MOLECULAR FORMULA: C H O ) Hormonal conversion o esrogen is aesheically undesirable in a bodybuilder, because i causes waer and a reenion/deposis. Excessive esrogen has a negaive effec in bodybuilding, as oo much esrogen makes you look smooh and waery. I obscures muscle definiion, vascularit and ha imporan grainy look onsage. Looking bloaed in your off-season can also be aribued o an increase in esrogen. High esrogen levels in humans can be geneically brough abou, or could be he resul o aromaizaion. As saed above, aromaizaion is he conversion o esoserone ino esrogen. When he body aromaizes, i increases esradiol. Esradiol is he mos poen o he naural esrogens. Peripheral esradiol causes a sores in he lower back, abdominals and glues— exacly where women hold mos o heir body a. Successul bodybuilders, coaches and nuriioniss know how o block s pecific hormones and increase oher hormones, wihou negaive effecs on your sage appearance. Esrogen is one ha needs o be blocked.
(MOLECULAR FORMULA: C H O ) Progeserone is anoher hormone ha can preven you rom looking hard, sliced and diced onsage. I’s a very complicaed hormone! Progeserone exers is primary acion hrough he inracellular progeserone recepor— alhough a disinc, membrane-bound progeserone recepor has also been posulaed. In addiion, progeserone is a highly poen anagonis o he mineralocoricoid recepor (MR, he recepor or aldoserone and oher min178
eralocoricoseroids). Progeserone has a number o physiological effecs ha are amplified in he presence o esrogen. Furhermore, progeserone has negaive effecs on a bodybuilder ha are very similar o wha can be seen wih esrogen. Progeserone sores a issue on op o your muscles, and makes you look waery. Common adverse effecs include cramps, abdominal pain, headache, breas enlargemen (gynecomasia) and decreased libido— jus like esrogen. Psychiaric ecs including depression, mood swings insomnia, orgeulness and sleep disorders. I’s a hormone ha mos bodybuilders don’ know much abou, and don’ know how o block.
(MOLECULAR FORMULA: C H O ) Aldoserone is a hormone secreed by he adrenal glands in our bodies. I increases he reabsorpion o sodium ions and waer. Aldoserone acs on he kidneys o conserve sodium or bodily uncions; however, when sodium is consumed in high amouns, i increases sodium absorpion. When your body has more sodium han i can use or bodily uncions, i increases waer reenion. his waer reenion blurs ou your muscles because o he layer o sub-q (subcuaneous) waer. So aldoserone is basically an ani-diureic hormone. Adrenal aigue (AF) can be a side effec o aldoserone. Adrenal aigue can lead o muscle loss and caabolism o skeleal muscle. Srengh and/or endurance loss rom AF would preven you rom raining or compeing a your bes. Overraining is a grea sign o AF. Sympoms include he sensaion o being “burned ou,” lack o sex drive, impaired aenion, depression or anxiet and insomnia. Aldoserone is he hormone ha messes up mos cones preps. he manipulaion o pulling waer, adding waer, cuing sal, adding sal or jus going sraigh hrough wihou ouching waer or sal is very vial o coming in dry and grainy. Unorunaely, here’s no righ way o do i and no proocol o ollow— a leas o me here’s no, because I eel no wo preps are he same. ■ o conac me, please email me a
[email protected]. I’m on Insagram a insagram.com/akhrimubarak_ceo_ibpro, on Facebook a hp:// www. acebook.com/FakhriMubarak and on wier. Have a grea monh, everyone and as always: “Champions do wha compeiors don’!”
musculardevelopment.com April 2015
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